MAM
One in ten Indian consumers only book from airlines where they are a loyalty member
Mumbai: The latest YouGov survey research shows that more than half of urban Indians (54 per cent) are members of at least one airline loyalty program.
About a quarter (25 per cent) are members of Air India Flying Returns – by far the most popular airline loyalty club – followed, at a distance, by Emirates
Skywards (11 per cent).
Foreign airline loyalty programs
Qatar Airways Privilege Club (9 per cent) and Singapore Airlines / Scoot KrisFlyer (8 per cent) are as popular among consumers as are some domestic programs, namely Club Vistara by Vistara Airlines and SpiceClub by Spicejet (8 per cent each).
The top three loyalty programs are notably more popular with men than women.
Among the age groups, Air India Flying Returns appears to be more popular among the millennials (at 29 per cent) as compared to others but Emirates Skywards has
a stronger resonance with GenZ (at 14 per cent).
When asked about the top two benefits they most appreciate about being an airline loyalty club member, three in ten (29 per cent) highlight being able to redeem
their miles for discounted / free flights as a top perk.
About a quarter (26 per cent) value airport lounge access
as a top advantage followed by additional luggage allowance, hotel deals and dedicated customer service (at 18 per cent each).
Seat upgrades (15 per cent), cost-saving deals on retail purchases (13 per cent), and priority boarding (13 per cent) are the next most popular advantages.
While airport lounge access is more important to men than women (29 per cent vs 22 per cent), dedicated customer service appeals more to women than men (20 per cent vs 15 per cent).
Finally, when airline loyalty program members were asked how they typically decide on international flight bookings, over a third (36 per cent) said they start
by searching for flights that fit their travel schedule and choose the most attractive option irrespective of their loyalty program membership.
However, a fifth (20 per cent) look for airlines that fit their schedule but prioritise ones where they are loyalty members.
One in six (16 per cent) start by searching among airlines where they are a loyalty member – with 11 per cent saying they will typically choose between flights offered
by such airlines only.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
