MAM
US internet advertising to reach $22.3 billion by 2009
MUMBAI: In 2005, US Internet advertising spending will surpass $10 billion for the first time, shooting past that mark to $12.9 billion, according to eMarketer projections.
That number more than doubles 2002’s $6.0 billion figure. Four years from now, companies will spend nearly $10 billion more on Internet ads, reaching $22.3 billion in 2009.
Four basic trends support the continued growth of Internet ad spending:
Larger ad budgets overall
Shifts in ad budgets from other media to the Internet
More companies including the Internet as part of their campaigns
Increased prices for both branding ads (display and rich media) and
direct response vehicles (such as paid search
eMarketer’s new report, Ad Spending Trends: The Internet and Other Media, explores the changing landscape of media spending — online and off — and the dynamics of how the two are affecting one another.
“The spending growth is impressive, but shouldn’t come as too great a surprise. These dazzling increases are possible in part because growth came from such a small base. And in the last few years the Internet has truly become a mainstream medium,” said eMarketer senior analyst and author of the report David Hallerman.
According to quarter-by-quarter historical data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, US Internet ad spending has increased in eight of the last nine quarters. And eMarketer projects continued gains through 2005, with fourth-quarter spending hitting a record $3.8 billion.
“To call this advertising market ‘hot’ implies it’s a fashion that might turn slack at any moment. These yearly and quarterly ad spending gains point to a sea change in media usage among marketers, reflecting how the Internet has become an essential element of daily life for more and more individuals,” added Hallerman.
Some of the key questions addressed in the “Ad Spending Trends” report:
Where is the money coming from to support increased Internet advertising?
When will the internet’s share of total media spending surpass the five per cent mark?
How long can Internet advertising keep increasing by 20 per cent – plus each year?
What trends will most influence total media ad spending?
Which companies are investing the most ad dollars in which media?
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.
