MAM
Zahid Gawandi joins hBits: Will the real estate game change forever?
MUMBAI: hBits, India’s leading platform for investing in commercial real estate, has just made a big power move by appointing Zahid Gawandi as its director – brand & marketing.
With over 20 years of marketing wizardry under his belt, Gawandi is all set to redefine hBits’ brand strategy and spearhead its market expansion. This appointment comes hot on the heels of the company’s impressive Rs 40 crore fundraise—talk about momentum!
Gawandi isn’t just another marketing pro. He’s a brand guru with a track record that can rival a blockbuster movie. From launching Reliance Money to leading the rebranding of SBI Securities Ltd, Gawandi has done it all. He’s also dabbled in industries ranging from Fintech to FMCG to Automobiles.
But wait, there’s more. Gawandi is no stranger to global markets, thanks to his time with advertising giants like Dentsu and Hakuhodo. Need more reasons to trust him? He’s a sought-after speaker, a business school faculty member, and even a jury member for prestigious marketing awards. Oh, and did we mention he’s also a marathon runner? Clearly, this man doesn’t know how to slow down.
hBits is betting big on Gawandi’s knack for understanding consumer insights and his flair for crafting integrated marketing strategies. According to hBits founder & CEO Shiv Parekh, “With our recent Rs 40 crore fundraise, hBits is poised for exponential growth. Zahid’s strategic vision and expertise in marketing and brand building will be instrumental in positioning hBits as the preferred Proptech platform for fractional ownership of premium commercial real estate.”
Gawandi plans to hit the ground running (literally, if his marathon habits are any indication). He will focus on:
● Building integrated marketing strategies to enhance brand visibility.
● Leveraging cutting-edge digital campaigns to attract clients.
● Strengthening investor engagement through powerful product narratives.
According to hBits co-founder Samir Bhandari, “Zahid’s extensive experience in BFSI, his grasp of global marketing dynamics, and his ability to inspire teams make him an invaluable asset to hBits. His marketing acumen will undoubtedly propel us toward even greater success.”
If marketing were a race, Gawandi would already be at the finish line—probably wearing a medal. With him on board, hBits is ready to soar to new heights. Will he deliver a marketing masterstroke?
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.
