The art of staying uncomfortable: Banijay Asia’s Deepak Dhar on navigating the chaos at The Content Hub 2026

MUMBAI: India’s content ecosystem is currently running at algorithmic speed. We are living in a landscape where over 600 million OTT users spend nearly three hours a day streaming content, where non-Hindi regional language consumption has captured a massive 61 percent of the market, and where micro-dramas are consumed on smartphones between train stations.

Yet, beneath the soaring consumption numbers lies a deeper, collective industry anxiety. As IndianTelevision.com gears up to host its premier flagship property, The Content Hub x VAM (VFX & More) Summit and Awards 2026, the overarching theme, “Content Acceleration: The Race for Attention,” captures the exact state of a restless business. As creators, platforms, and studios race to capture a hyper-fragmented audience, the industry is seeking definitive answers on how to scale, survive, and monetize.

Stepping up to anchor this crucial industry discourse is content powerhouse Banijay Asia, joining this year’s summit as the exclusive Gold Partner to help map out the blueprint for the future of entertainment.

Everyone has a theory, nobody has the answer

For Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO of Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, the current technological and behavioral transition is unlike anything the industry has seen before. Under Dhar’s leadership, Banijay Asia has consistently anticipated seismic shifts in Indian entertainment, making their insight indispensable for this year’s summit.

In an exclusive pre-event statement, Dhar cuts straight through the trade hyperbole to map out the reality on the ground.

“Let’s be honest. The industry is in one of those moments where everyone has a theory and nobody really has the answer,” says Dhar. “Audience habits are changing every few months, AI is rewriting the rulebook in real time, and attention spans now have the lifespan of a housefly. It’s a fascinating time to be in this business.”

Dhar’s blunt assessment hits at the core tension of 2026 filmmaking and showrunning: tools are evolving overnight, algorithms are shifting daily, and legacy formulas are collapsing. The rise of sophisticated generative AI across production pipelines, from real-time storyboarding to hyper-localized dynamic dubbing, has left many wondering if technology will ultimately democratize talent or redefine creative integrity altogether.

The Banijay playbook: the art of staying uncomfortable

As the executive driving force behind some of the country’s most resilient unscripted formats and premium fictional blockbusters, Dhar notes that the secret to Banijay Asia’s massive scale and longevity isn’t chasing every passing trend, but maintaining cultural agility while keeping a steady hand on the wheel.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that tides change,” Dhar reflects. “The companies that survive are usually the ones willing to adapt faster, listen harder, and stay uncomfortable a little longer than everyone else. A big part of how we’ve built Banijay Asia has been by keeping one eye on where the audience is headed and the other on what the industry isn’t talking about enough yet.”

This strategy of active listening and intentional discomfort is exactly what has allowed a global format giant like Banijay to transition smoothly from traditional linear television models to hybrid, multi-platform monetization. In an era where legacy media brands are fiercely competing with independent creator economies, surviving means building deeply resonant, scalable intellectual properties that the audience will actively seek out on any screen available to them.

A gold standard partnership for 2026

It is precisely this forward-looking, cross-disciplinary approach that forms the bedrock of the partnership between Gold Partner Banijay Asia and IndianTelevision.com. Taking place at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai, The Content Hub 2026 is designed to break down the traditional siloes that separate broadcasters, OTT platforms, daily-wage creators, visual effects studios, and technical software developers.

With Banijay Asia leading the conversation, the event will push the boundaries of how India treats intellectual property and creative collaboration.

“That’s why spaces like The Content Hub matter,” emphasizes Dhar. “They bring producers, creators, platforms, studios, and technologists together to have the conversations that actually move things forward.”

Over the course of the two-day summit, more than 150 visionaries and 2,000 attendees will dive into the most pressing challenges facing the business, including virtual production workflows, franchise scaling, the ethics of algorithmic filmmaking, and the multi-crore drain of digital piracy.

Ultimately, as the media and entertainment sector pushes toward new frontiers, the summit, strengthened by Banijay Asia’s premium backing, serves as a stark reminder that no single studio or platform can navigate this paradigm shift in isolation.

“No one gets through a transition like this alone,” Dhar concludes. “We’re happy to partner with The Content Hub 2026 because it’s one of the few places where the industry can compare notes, challenge itself, and hopefully leave a little smarter than it walked in.”