MAM
Jessica Holscott takes charge at Nielsen as chief financial officer
MUMBAI: Jessica Holscott is no stranger to high-stakes financial strategy. From helming finance at Warner Media to steering the ship at Spotter, she has danced with industry giants-and now, she’s stepping into the spotlight at Nielsen.
Effective today, Holscott assumes the role of chief financial officer (CFO) for the global audience measurement leader, bringing a razor-sharp financial acumen and an eye for innovation. She will report directly to Nielsen’s chief executive officer Karthik Rao.
As CFO, Holscott will oversee Nielsen’s financial landscape worldwide, covering financial planning and analysis, tax, controllership, internal audit, and treasury. It’s a tall order, but for someone with Holscott’s pedigree, it’s just another day at the office.
“Jessica is a proven, world-class financial leader and we are fortunate to have her join Nielsen at such an important time,” said Rao. “Within the past year, we have introduced several groundbreaking products for our clients as we continue to be the leader in TV measurement and streaming TV data. As we continue to innovate and add even more advanced ad tech offerings to our suite, Jessica’s strategic vision and experience will be key for our evolution.”
Holscott brings over 20 years of financial expertise spanning multiple industries. Most recently, she served as CFO at Spotter, a creator-focused company. Before that, she led financial strategy as CFO and EVP for Warner Media, where she played a pivotal role in steering the finances of Warner Bros., HBO, and the Turner Networks. She also held CFO and EVP roles at HBO, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex financial landscapes. Her past experience includes leading Investor Relations at Time Warner and Aptiv (Delphi), and she cut her teeth at General Electric, where she climbed the ranks from corporate audit to Chief of Staff for the Vice Chairman and CFO.
“I am honoured to join Nielsen as CFO at such a transformational time for the company and industry. Nielsen continues to raise the bar when it comes to innovation and I’m thrilled to work alongside Karthik and my fellow leaders to keep the momentum going as the leader in audience measurement,” said Holscott.
Nielsen kicks off the year with its signature drive for innovation and modernisation. The company recently secured accreditation for its big data + panel measurement and out-of-home (OOH) expansion, following the accreditation of its first-party live streaming solution in November 2024. As the trusted industry leader in audience measurement, Nielsen’s ratings and rankings-spanning linear TV, the Nielsen Streaming Top 10, and The Gauge-remain the gold standard in the television and advertising space.
With Holscott at the financial helm, Nielsen is poised to accelerate its evolution in data analytics and audience measurement.
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.
