iWorld
Binge rules: Streaming finds its new rhythm
MUMBAI: Binge-watching may be a “snack attack”, but at VIDNET 2025, it became a full-course conversation on how India now consumes its stories. Moderator Gayatri Gauri opened the panel with a cheeky probe into personal binge habits, and the discussion quickly revealed a cultural mash-up at play. Aparna Ramachandran, head of digital originals at Balaji Telefilms, confessed she had surrendered to Korean anime. “K-pop and Demon Slayer are my new binge,” she laughed, adding that in an era of mindless scrolling, only emotionally resonant stories truly stay.
Film director Aditya Jambhale, known for Article 370, said bingeing works when a show creates a world you do not want to exit. His latest fix: Black Warrant. For him, the battle is not attention span alone but maintaining craft while adapting to changing viewer habits. “If we surrender to trends entirely, the art will deteriorate,” he said. “Conviction is the only constant.”
Impact Films founder and chief executive Ashwani Sharma admitted he rarely binges because he is constantly reviewing content for acquisition. To him, quick-consumption shows feel like “snacks you forget by the next day”. He noted that competition for eyeballs is fiercer than ever, with release timing, trending titles and even cricket matches influencing viewership. One wrong match-day clash and cinemas go empty.
Aparna highlighted a growing hurdle second-screen behaviour. Viewers watch a show on one device while scrolling reels or shopping on another. “We must find stories that can hold attention even through distractions,” she said. She emphasised the need to back bold pitches that challenge the clutter, citing genre-blending projects that may not fit trends today but could resonate in a year.
The conversation turned to how Indian content travels abroad. Ashwani revealed that niche categories such as LGBTQ stories and films from the North-East see surprising international demand. His new venture, Zeal Media, aims to take strong Indian films to foreign markets, though he believes global content will continue to pour into India in even greater volumes. Hollywood’s India success, he pointed out, has grown from 3 per cent to 12 per cent within eight years.
On future trends, the panel reached an intriguing consensus. Aparna and Aditya stressed that India’s storytelling soul lies in its roots but must be executed with global finesse. Mythology, folklore and hybrid genres will lead the charge. Ashwani predicted that while Indian stories will travel, the bigger wave will be India absorbing more international cinema.
As the session wrapped, one thing stood out India is no longer just bingeing stories, it is blending them. And in this cultural exchange, the audience appetite shows no signs of slowing.
iWorld
WPP Opendoor and Snapchat launch AI Lens for Prime Video India
Generative AI Lens personalises content discovery with real-time user integration.
MUMBAI: In the age of main characters, Prime Video is handing users the script and the spotlight. WPP Opendoor, WPP’s dedicated Amazon unit, has teamed up with Snapchat to roll out an India-first generative AI-powered Lens for Prime Video’s latest campaign, ‘Stories for Your Every Era… it’s on Amazon Prime’. The activation taps into the rising “era-core” trend, where identities shift with moods, moments and mindsets and content is expected to keep up.
The Lens does exactly that. Using generative AI, it places users directly into the worlds of popular Prime Video titles such as Maxton Hall, Beast Games, The Boys and The Traitors, embedding their faces into key visuals in real time. The result is less browsing, more becoming.
The idea is rooted in a behavioural shift: audiences increasingly see themselves as the centre of their own narratives, especially on social platforms. By turning viewers into participants, the campaign blurs the line between content discovery and content experience.
It also introduces a layer of personalisation that goes beyond algorithms. Whether someone identifies with a “trust no-one era” or an “infinite aura era”, the Lens curates recommendations that align with that evolving identity making discovery feel intuitive rather than instructed.
This marks a shift in how streaming platforms approach engagement. Instead of pushing titles, the focus is on pulling users into the story itself transforming passive scrolling into interactive storytelling.
The collaboration also underscores how platforms like Snapchat are becoming key playgrounds for content marketing, particularly when paired with emerging technologies like generative AI. The format is native, immersive and built for participation three things traditional discovery often struggles to deliver.
In a crowded streaming landscape, where attention is the real currency, Prime Video’s bet is clear, if viewers feel like the story is about them, they are far more likely to press play.
