MAM
HUL swims against ad slowdown slide, ups ad spends in Q1 by 30%
MUMBAI: Swimming against the slowdown tide in the economy, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant Hindustan Unilever has upped its ad spends by 29.5 per cent for the fiscal-first quarter to Rs 8.20 billion, from Rs 6.33 billion a year ago.
The ad spend to revenue ratio has seen growth to 12.43 per cent in the first quarter compared to 11.21 per cent in the earlier year.
HUL’s net sales from operations increased by 13.72 per cent to Rs 62.50 billion in the three-month period ended 30 June 2012, from Rs 54.96 billion a year ago. HUL’s net profit jumped to Rs 13.31 billion for the quarter as compared to Rs 6.27 billion in the earlier year, marking a 112.28 per cent increase.
Soaps and detergents grew 24 per cent as laundry sustained its robust growth trajectory with all brands growing in double digits across formats. Continued focus on driving upgradation saw the premium segment perform well with both Surf and Rin delivering double digit volume growth, the company said.
All the segments and key brands in the Skin Cleansing category grew in double digits as Dove and Pears continued to drive category premiumisation and Lux accelerated its growth momentum. The Axe brand was extended with the launch of the New Axe Bar Soap.
In case of personal products the category grew at 17 per cent and was led by double digit volume growth with the three main brands in skin care – Fair & Lovely (FAL), Ponds and Lakme growing in double digits. This category saw quite a few innovations with the relaunch of FAL during the quarter, the introduction of Vaseline Heel Cream and relaunch of the Lakme Perfect Radiance range with revolutionary technology in skin lightening.
Hair care products and brands also delivered double digit growth across formats as Dove shampoo doubled its volumes this the quarter.
The Oral Care category also increased growth to reach double digits and saw the launch of the Pepsodent Expert Protection range with advanced care benefits around whitening and sensitivity towards the end of the quarter.
Beverages grew seven per cent brought about by a strong growth in the coffee segment while modern trade accelerated tea growth. Packaged food grew at 17 per cent. Kissan led by volumes as its ketchup brand recorded double digit growth for the 11th year in a row.
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.
