Event Coverage
Connected TV sparks advertising revolution, Nikhil Kumar on the rise of connected TVs in India
Mumbai: The India Digital Brand Fest 2024, held on 30 August at Hotel Pride Plaza in Aerocity, New Delhi, was a pivotal event bringing together brand marketers, advertising and digital professionals, and CMOs under one roof. The festival illuminated critical trends in digital marketing, mobile strategies, and programmatic advertising, reflecting the rapid evolution of the industry.
Amidst a landscape that is increasingly shaped by technological advancements, Connected TV (CTV) emerged as a central theme of the event.
Diving into this, Indian Television dot com’s founder, chairman, and editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanwari, joined mediasmart’s chief growth officer, Nikhil Kumar, for a discussion centering around the transformational impact of CTV on the advertising ecosystem in India.
Hard sell to the essential tool:
Kumar shared his journey of championing CTV, a concept that was initially met with skepticism. “When we introduced CTV to the Indian advertisers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a tough sell. Few brands saw the potential,” Kumar recalled. However, as he passionately explained, the landscape has drastically changed. Today, CTV is not just relevant—it’s crucial for any brand in today’s modern advertising. He emphasised that CTV’s power lies in its ability to democratise advertising, allowing even small-town brands to share the spotlight with major players.
Empowering the underdogs:
One of Kumar’s most compelling anecdotes highlighted how CTV is levelling the playing field for advertisers from towns beyond metro cities. He recounted a moment when a small-scale pesticide company’s founder, located in tier two or tier three town, was overjoyed to see his ad appear on television via an OTT platform. This, Kumar explained, is the magic of CTV—it allows brands that never imagined themselves on the big screen to reach audiences they couldn’t have before.
Need for creative evolution:
Wanwari pointed out a key challenge: many advertisers are not fully leveraging the potential of CTV. He noted that viewers often see the same ad repeatedly, leading to viewer fatigue. Kumar agreed, stressing the importance of dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) in addressing this issue. By tailoring ads based on user behaviour and exposure, brands can avoid bombarding viewers with the same content, instead offering a more engaging and personalised experience.
Innovations driving CTV:
Kumar highlighted several innovations that are pushing the CTV space forward. He spoke about mediasmart’s introduction of Creative Sync, a tool that enhances traditional ads by making them more interactive and engaging. For instance, a Coca-Cola ad could feature a bottle filling up on-screen, creating a thirst-quenching effect that’s impossible to ignore. This level of creativity, combined with the strategic use of QR codes and other interactive elements, is transforming how advertisers connect with their audiences.
Unified advertising experience:
As the conversation drew to a close, Kumar discussed the importance of a unified advertising approach. He pointed out that today’s consumers interact with multiple screens throughout their day—from their mobile phones to CTVs to digital out-of-home screens in places like elevators. The key is not to bombard the user with the same ad on every screen but to create a seamless, multi-screen experience that builds brand recall without overwhelming the viewer.
Future of CTV:
Kumar is optimistic about the future of CTV in India, especially with major players like Jio entering the space. He sees CTV not just as an alternative to traditional TV but as a powerful tool that can complement and enhance other forms of digital advertising. With the right strategies, he believes CTV will continue to grow and evolve, offering brands new and exciting ways to engage with their audiences.
In conclusion, Nikhil Kumar’s insights paint a vivid picture of a rapidly evolving advertising landscape, where connected TV is no longer just a concept but a vital component of any forward-thinking brand’s strategy. As Kumar succinctly put it, “The future of advertising is not about where your ad is shown; it’s about who sees it and how they engage with it.”
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
