MAM
Re-imagining online events: Paytm Insider introduces new platform features to enhance the online events experience
Do you remember how magical it was when 10,000 fans sang along with your favourite band live? Or the sweeping excitement of cheering with tens of thousands of fellow cricket fans in the stadium? Or the collective gasp when an unlikely wicket fell? This shared feeling of excitement has not yet been replicated by online events.
The process of watching online events has been more passive than participative, more individualistic than inclusive, and far more technical than humane. To bridge this gap, Paytm Insider is launching a series of platform improvements that brings the essence of shared experience to online events.
We are re-imagining what digital spaces can transform into. With features that allow the users to share their content experience with friends and other fans, we are not just looking at enhancing the quality of content but also the people with whom the users can share their digital experiences.
With features like Multiple Stages, people can switch between different performances seamlessly. They can also participate in live quizzes and contests to win exciting merch & rewards with interactive gaming with scoreboard. Watch Party allows the attendees/users to create their own private video group where they can share their experience of the online event live with their friend circle. With the Festival Chat, people can not only find and talk to the other festival goers but also see public messages and announcements by their hosts. They can also discover and connect with other people having similar music tastes over audio/video chat. The features also have room for people to have fun with photos and videos! Users can get Featured on different stages by simply uploading their 15 second video of enjoying their favourite performances. They can also create unique festival moments with their friends with themed Photo Booths.
We are changing how audiences seamlessly consume online events and we are introducing these features at BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender on 5-6 December. Our homegrown technology is perfect for live events such as music, comedy, theatre, films, sports, workshops, games, quizzes, launch events, conferences and more, across formats and platforms.
Speaking on this, Shreyas Srinivasan – Founder & CEO of Paytm Insider says, “We have always been committed to facilitating unique shared experiences. Our technology brings to online events some of the best elements of attending an event. With the online event experience enhanced with these features, we see online and on-ground events co-existing and helping events reach new audiences from across the world"
“As OML, we are fans first and felt that it was important that the show went on, especially considering that artists and audiences are really missing the feeling of enjoying music together. The team at Paytm Insider has worked tirelessly at creating this platform, and it is to their credit that we are able to continue the legacy of never missing a year of the happiest music festival. We’re thrilled about how the Bacardi NH7 Weekender stream looks and feels, and we can’t wait to share that excitement when the festival goes live” says OML CEO Gunjan Arya.
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.
