MAM
‘Rihhaee’ bets on outdoor-focused campaign to drive sampling
MUMBAI: Sony’s Rihhaee is hogging the city’s hoardings as continuing efforts to spruce sampling for the channel’s critically appreciated docu-drama began a second three-week campaign from 9 May.
The campaign weaves in the entry of two new characters into the show namely young journalist Janvi and new age software professional Raghav. Both these characters along with Madhavi, the lawyer as well Anupam Singh the ex-cop will come together to form a quasi judicial organization committed to fight against torture and oppression of women.
The objective of the campaign is to drive further sampling in Mumbai. Although the on-air promos are running across the nation, a special outdoor led campaign has been launched specifically in Mumbai. The campaign highlights the four characters in the serial as well as reiterates the cause of the show.
This weekly offering airing every Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30 pm garnered a 1.4 TVR in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM) C&S 4+ in week 18, followed by 1.5 TVR in week 19.
The creatives by Euro RSCG is set against skylight of Mumbai and all the main protagonists are dressed in white symbolizing freedom and purity which is relevant to the theme of the show. The tag line being – ‘Hamari Pratigya, har aurat ki zulm se rihhaee.’
The outdoor campaign focuses on:
§ Billboards (Across all western and central lines)
§ Bus Backs (over 200)
§ Train Transfers (ads across locals)
§ Bus Shelters
The campaign is slated to continue for three weeks. The TG being SEC ABC 15 + HSM.
Elaborates Sony marketing head Tushar Shah, “This is essentially a communication investment into Rihhaee and not a short term gimmick to spike ratings. The campaign is one attempt to increase visibility as well as sampling for the show.”
Shah adds that the campaign is to the point and captures the essence of the show in both its off-air as well as on-air effort.
Rihhaee, described by its makers as a ‘socially aware high drama show’, has transitioned to become a full fledged investigative show where every week one case involving women’s assault and harassment is looked into. No doubt, this is a move initiated by the channel in order to boost the eyeballs of the show.
Crime based shows have been working well on Sony if one looks at CID and Crime Patrol. Keeping the crime element intact, and yet the foray into another genre, one has to wait and watch as to how the show picks up momentum in the weeks to come.
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.
