MAM
Qatar Airways launches Hollywood-style campaign ‘A World Like Never Before’
MUMBAI: Qatar Airways started the new year with the launch of the airline’s biggest and most cinematic brand campaign to date, ‘A World Like Never Before’. Conceived and created by 180 Kingsday – Qatar Airways’ agency on record – and produced by London production company, Ridley Scott Associates Films, the commercial takes passengers on a magical journey to a fantasy world that will capture their hearts and imagination.
The campaign includes film, digital, print, events and product campaigns featuring the airlines award-winning cuisine, service, in-flight entertainment, and Oryx Kids Club.
Qatar Airways group chief executive His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said, “This campaign embodies everything at the heart of Qatar Airways’ brand values, as well as the pride we share in providing exceptional service to our passengers across the globe.”
He added, “The aim is to inspire and delight the viewer, and open them up to the possibilities that Qatar Airways, as the world’s fastest growing airline, has to offer with gateways to more than 160 exciting destinations around the world. We want people to see the world in a new and exciting way… Like Never Before.”
Qatar Airways senior vice president marketing and corporate communications Salam Al Shawa said, “This brand film is different than anything Qatar Airways has ever done before. In many ways travel is a dream, a fantasy – and we have focused on these elements to create a film that takes the passenger on a magical journey. Our ultimate goal was to create a Hollywood-style film that would not look out of place on the big screen and which epitomises the five-star image passengers have come to associate with the airline.”
Director Ben Scott of RSA Films said, “Qatar Airways have been extremely bold in giving me the freedom to make this film. It takes its cue from the period of first-class travel, by using the craft and technique from the golden days of the Hollywood musical. We have created a fantastical journey around the world. Something I hope feels like a dream come true.”
180 Kingsday executive creative director Kalle Hellzen said, “Qatar Airways is a remarkable brand that creates experiences that transform. I am very proud of the way creative ambition, talent and teamwork have combined to deliver this campaign – the next evolution in the brand’s incredible story.”
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.
