MAM
Way2News appoints Mansi Shah as region head – west
Mumbai: Hyperlocal news platform – Way2News has appointed Mansi Shah as region head – west to enhance its leadership and strengthen its presence in western India. With over 18 years of experience in media and advertising sales, Mansi will lead the company’s monetisation strategies and establish key brand partnerships to drive growth in the region.
Her appointment is timely as Way2News seeks to meet the rising demand for hyperlocal content across India. The platform aims to strengthen its relationships with advertisers and brands. Mansi’s background in media sales, especially in Hindi-speaking and regional language markets, makes her well-suited to develop innovative advertising solutions that engage local audiences and ensure Way2News remains a preferred platform for brands aiming to connect with consumers.
Way2News founder & CEO Raju Vanapala said, “We are thrilled to welcome Mansi to our team. Her proven sales track record and deep understanding of the Hindi and Marathi markets will be invaluable in unlocking new growth opportunities across Western India. With her expertise, we are confident in our ability to strengthen our presence and enhance our offerings to advertisers in the region.”
Shah said, “I am excited to join Way2News at a time when the demand for regional content is transforming the advertising landscape. Way2News offers a unique opportunity for brands to engage deeply with local audiences, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to drive the platform’s growth in the Western region. Together, we will create impactful advertising solutions that resonate with regional consumers and help brands build meaningful connections with their target audiences.”
Before joining Way2News, Mansi served as director of ad sales at Viacom18 Media for over 12 years, where she was instrumental in driving revenue for major television properties, including Bigg Boss, The Kapil Sharma Show, and Khatron Ke Khiladi. Her experience includes managing ad sales across various media platforms, from Hindi GECs to regional channels like Colors Marathi, Colors Gujarati, and Nickelodeon. With her skills in developing advertising strategies, managing large accounts, and leading teams, Mansi will be crucial in supporting Way2News’ expansion efforts.
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.
