Digital
AI shake-up hits ad quality as social media surges, says IAS report
NEW DELHI: Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS) has warned that the advertising industry is entering a new era in which artificial intelligence, social media and digital video collide to redefine what “quality” means. Releasing its annual Industry Pulse Report in New Delhi on 8 December, the media-measurement firm says marketers are bullish on AI’s speed and scale but wary of the risks that accompany a flood of synthetic content.
IAS chief executive Lisa Utzschneider, says 2026 is a fulcrum year. As channels blur and AI remakes how content is created, consumed and measured, advertisers and publishers must balance innovation with control. The aim, she says, is ensuring that every impression builds trust and performance.
The tension is evident in the numbers. Sixty-one per cent of media experts are excited by AI’s potential, particularly in unlocking new advertising opportunities within gen-AI content. Yet 83 per cent see the rise of AI-generated material on social media as a serious concern requiring constant monitoring. Eighty-four per cent want third-party verification to identify and classify AI-generated content on social media, and 86 per cent say the same for digital-video platforms.
Video remains the industry’s lodestar. Eighty-eight per cent cite digital video as a top priority for 2026, ahead of display and audio. Social media follows close behind at 84 per cent. With influencer and creator ecosystems booming, 87 per cent highlight brand safety and suitability when placing ads next to digital video, while 82 per cent say the creator’s suitability is now as crucial as adjacency risks.
Media quality remains the bedrock of performance. Eighty-six per cent insist that tagging and avoiding AI-generated content in digital video is essential. Eighty-three per cent argue that fraud, viewability and suitability metrics are critical in retail-media networks. Another 83 per cent worry that fraud and suitability risks will intensify as connected-TV inventory balloons. The biggest adjacency fears include risky content, deepfakes and AI-generated media, with influencer-creator content not far behind.
IAS research and insights vice president Jeremy Kanterman, says 2025’s surge in AI usage has left the industry juggling promise and peril. He sees marketers funnelling investment into digital video, social platforms and a fast-maturing influencer economy, while demanding sharper oversight of AI’s growing footprint.
The IAS Industry Pulse Report surveys nearly 300 US media experts across brands, agencies, publishers and ad-tech firms, tracking the trends, technologies and priorities set to shape 2026.
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.
