MAM
Black & White launches first India TVC
MUMBAI: Black & White Gettogethers from Diageo India has launched its first-ever India-specific TVC conceptualised by J Walter Thompson Bangalore and inspired by the brand message, “Made of Sharing”.
It is a commercial that exhorts us to go out there and share moments and experiences with strangers.
Set against the lavish and breath-taking landscapes of Portugal, the story takes us through the journey of a protagonist who is travelling, watching a movie or going for a run; scenarios which are part of the life of a young millennial. This is in keeping with Black & White’s philosophy of encouraging young, successful millennials to share and open up for richer outcomes in life.
The commercial has been shot in black and white as it provides an evocative canvas for the emotions and situations on display. It also creates a larger-than-life cinematic effect that transports and transfixes the viewer. Not to mention the undeniable brand connect.
Diageo India Portfolio head Abhishek Shahabadi says, “The commercial was created with the aim of spreading the message that personal satisfaction comes from sharing the good things in life, with people around us. The storyboard motivates people to step out and share a bit of themselves, urging them not to hold back, thereby enriching their lives.”
JWT ECD and senior VP Priya Shivakumar mentions, “The insight was inspired by Black&White’s brand message ‘Life tastes better when shared’. We are so caught up in our daily lives that we barely get a moment to step back and enjoy time with our friends and loved ones. We are happy to be a part of the first ever TVC by Black & White in India and hope this inspires people to go out and share some of the best moments of their life.”
The TVC has been directed by Jamie Muir, an acclaimed London-based filmmaker and photographer known for “Drawing and Dreams”, a part of the 2014 cupidity series which won the silver lion at Cannes Film Festival. He has also worked on some of the best ad films curated for brands like Chevrolet, HSBC and Google.
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.
