Digital
Content India 2026 confirms dates and opens registrations
MUMBAI: Following the success of the Content India Summit in April 2025, registrations are now open for its first three-day edition, set to take place from 16-18 March, 2026, at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
Content India 2026 aims to connect India’s domestic market with international partners to unlock billions in untapped value. Building on the momentum from earlier this year, Content India 2026 is set to be a dynamic platform for cross-border partnerships in the content space. The three-day event will feature panel discussions, a marketplace for domestic and international content, special screenings, curated networking sessions, and more. It aligns with insights from The Future of the Indian Entertainment Business report, which highlights major growth potential in content sales, acquisitions, co-productions, and services in this new era of collaboration.
The announcement coincides with a major geopolitical milestone: the signing of a landmark trade agreement between India and the UK, expected to boost bilateral trade by an additional £25.5 billion annually by 2040. This lends even greater relevance to Content India 2026’s broader ambition of strengthening India’s position as a global content hub through strategic international collaboration.
Content India 2026 is anchored around twelve strategic goals designed to transform India’s entertainment economy. These include creating globally resonant hybrid content, attracting international productions, and showcasing India’s capabilities in AI and post-production. The event will connect the creator economy with legacy media and explore new funding models such as venture capital. It also aims to enable co-productions through a trusted partner network, boost format exports and imports, drive brand partnerships, and highlight global content trends.
By placing a strategic lens on international collaboration and creative synergy, Content India 2026 positions itself as a marquee industry event for stakeholders looking to be part of the next wave of growth and innovation in India’s content economy.
Announcing the dates, C21’s editor-in-chief & managing director David Jenkinson said, “The Content India Summit in April 2025 consolidated the fact that there is real opportunity for the Indian and international market to create new partnerships in a fresh way. Content India 2026 will focus on how to build successful content partnerships which benefit all, and lead to new formats of content that can work locally, but also be a hit on the world stage. Now is the time.”
Dish TV India CEO & executive director Manoj Dobhal added, “India is entering a pivotal phase where content goes beyond entertainment—it represents influence, identity, and economic strength. Content India Summit 2025 offered deep insight into the industry’s evolving aspirations and reaffirmed India’s readiness to lead the next wave of global content innovation. With Content India 2026, we aim to build a purpose-driven platform that champions bold storytelling, connects emerging talent with real opportunity, and turns ambition into impact. Our goal is to foster an inclusive, globally competitive eco-system that empowers both seasoned professionals and the next generation of creators. The potential is immense, and this platform will help unlock it through meaningful collaboration. We welcome all who share this vision for India’s entertainment future to join us.”
Digital
Authbridge finds 5.61 per cent discrepancy rate in on-demand hiring
White-collar roles show 4.33 per cent overall as employment history leads at 11.15 per cent in H1 FY26.
MUMBAI: India’s hiring scene is pulling a classic bait-and-switch, candidates promise the world on paper, but the background check reveals the plot twist nobody saw coming. Authbridge, the country’s top trust and authentication tech firm, released its Workforce Fraud Files – H1 FY26 report (covering July–December 2025) around 16–17 February 2026, crunching data from millions of verifications across identity, address, employment history, education, criminal records, and CV validation.
The headline numbers paint a sobering picture: white-collar hires clocked an overall discrepancy rate of 4.33 per cent, while the on-demand ecosystem (gig and flexible roles) fared worse at 5.61 per cent showing that the faster, looser world of app-based work comes with extra red flags.
For white-collar folks, employment verification topped the trouble list at 11.15 per cent, followed by address checks at 7.68 per cent, education at 4.49 per cent, and references at 4.17 per cent. Drug screening (1.87 per cent) and criminal records (0.50 per cent) stayed relatively tame, but still popped up enough to matter.
The gig side showed even sharper vulnerabilities, address discrepancies hit 9.70 per cent, identity (NID) issues 2.53 per cent, and criminal record mismatches 2.23 per cent particularly worrying for roles with direct customer contact or field duties.
Industry breakdowns add colour, address problems plagued Telecom (15.42 per cent), IT (12.02 per cent), Pharma (11.21 per cent), Retail (10.64 per cent), and Banking & BFSI (10.23 per cent). Employment verification headaches were biggest in Retail (16.37 per cent), Telecom (14.32 per cent), Banking & BFSI (13.00 per cent), and Pharma (12.10 per cent). Education slips stood out in Retail (9.16 per cent) and Telecom (7.80 per cent), while CV validation mismatches appeared in IT (12.80 per cent) and Banking & BFSI (2.91 per cent).
Authbridge CEO and founder Ajay Trehan didn’t mince words, “The H1 FY26 Workforce Fraud Files clearly show that hiring-related discrepancies remain a persistent and structural challenge. Despite faster and more digitised hiring workflows, we continue to see gaps in fundamental checks such as employment history, address, and education. These are not minor inconsistencies; they have direct implications for organisational risk, compliance, and trust.”
The report stresses ditching one-and-done checks, start screening pre-offer to avoid nasty surprises post-joining, and layer in periodic reviews like drug tests, court records, and lifestyle assessments for ongoing risk management. Tools like Authbridge’s Authnumber (consent-based digital credentials) and Authlead (deep-dive leadership vetting) get a nod for cutting friction and blind spots.
Bottom line? In a job market racing for speed and scale, skimping on trust verification is like building a house on sand, one solid background check away from watching the whole thing crumble.
