iWorld
Airtel & TVF create internet’s live reality show
MUMBAI: Nomophobia – the fear of being without your mobile phone or being unable to use your phone for some reason. Bringing this phobia to life with a hilarious twist is internet’s first ever live reality show, TVF is presenting — Airtel connected live. In a world where people have a fear of not being always connected through their smartphones, TVF and Airtel come together to create this first-of-a-kind live event & branded content IP in India.
From the TVF stable, creators of the most compelling web content in India and makers of the immensely popular series like “TVF Pitchers”, “Permanent roommates”, “TVF Tripling” amongst others, comes a yet another first in its category. TVF presents Airtel connected live is a live web-reality event which will take place from August 18 – 20th. Featuring Jitendra Kumar, one of TVF’s most popular faces, lovingly called Jeetu by his fans, the live reality show will see him being dared to live alone in a house. Little does he know, TVF & Airtel have some surprises in store for him. That’s not all! Even you the viewers can throw a dare at Jeetu. Filled with 3 days of entertaining tasks playing on Webcast live on TVFPlay and on Facebook; Airtel Connected Live is an opportunity for fans to see their favourite TVF faces up close and personal. Featuring cameos from popular TVF faces like Anant Singh, Nidhi Bisht, Nidhi Singh, Biswapati Sarkar and others, Airtel Connected Live promises to take branded content on the web in India to the next level. Recently, TVF also took a step towards live entertainment by conducting its first live Truth or Dare.
Jitendra Kumar popularly known as Jeetu shared, “My love to Airtel for supporting us crazy TVF people in this larger than life dare plan. Initially I was taking it lightly but now I am a little scared about these three days. At the same time I am also looking forward to it because it gives me a feeling of our childhood video games where our hero used to face different situations and clear all the stages successfully in the end. I am looking forward to a lot of fun and expecting the toughest and most entertaining tasks from our crazy TVF Truth vs. Dare team. Looking forward to the love and support from people out there in finishing my tasks.”
Vineet Kanabar, Head of Marketing, TVF said, “The Viral Fever has always been a leader in experimenting with new formats of digital entertainment. Live videos on Facebook & YouTube emerged as an exciting format and we have used these extensively to entertain the audience. With Airtel Connected Live, we’re taking the next leap in digital entertainment. Interactive real-time live entertainment is the holy grail of digital branded content and we’re excited to be among the first movers in this space. Kudos to Airtel & GroupM for reposing their trust in us to take this giant leap. Stay tuned, there will be more to come in this space from us.”
Mausumi Kar, Managing Partner, Team Airtel @ GroupM elaborated, “Airtel Connected LIVE is inspired by the popular ‘escape from locked room’ concept; but that’s where the similarity ends. The edge-of-the-seat fear and anxiety fare usually connected with this format was replaced being alien to our brand DNA. Instead the viewer is made a part of a journey of fun and humor. We are glad to partner with TVF to bring alive our idea and add the dimensions of subtle brand integrations with easy camaraderie with viewers that they have delivered.”
Airtel spokesperson shared, “As a platform, Airtel Connected Live helps demonstrate the power of Airtel network. This is a first-of-its-kind three day continuous live activation created in conjunction with TVF that challenges all thresholds of digital engagement experienced before. It also proves how the right choice of network enables the true use of smartphones.”
iWorld
Netflix ad revenue set to soar past $8bn by 2030, outpacing CTV rivals: Warc
From $1.5bn in 2025 to $8bn in 2030, Netflix is fast becoming a CTV ad powerhouse
MUMBAI: Netflix is turning heads in the advertising world, with forecasts showing its ad revenue set to surpass $8 billion by 2030, outpacing the wider connected TV (CTV) market, according to the latest Warc Media Platform Insights report.
The streaming giant’s advertising journey gained serious momentum in 2025, generating over $1.5 billion, a remarkable increase of more than 2.5 times compared with the previous year. Management aims to roughly double that figure again in 2026, targeting around $3 billion.
Rather than waiting for the market to grow, Netflix is going after a bigger slice of the existing CTV ad pie, and the strategy appears to be paying off. Analysis by Omdia, cited by Warc, predicts Netflix will account for 9.2 per cent of global CTV advertising spend by 2027. By then, the company’s ad growth is projected to hit 58 per cent year-on-year, while the overall CTV market grows at just 9.9 per cent.
CTV may be booming, but traditional TV continues to shrink, losing spend to digital channels and retail media, according to Warc’s latest Global Ad Trends report, Media’s new normal. Despite this, Netflix is focused on monetising its expanding ad inventory with better infrastructure and smarter tools, turning what is currently a small 3 per cent slice of its total revenue into a high-growth engine.
WPP forecasts that Netflix’s $3 billion ad target in 2026 would place it as the 27th-largest global ad seller, just behind French media group RTL. Yet the company sees its relatively modest ad business as an advantage, providing a buffer against market fluctuations while it ramps up operations.
Looking ahead, a potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery could give Netflix even more content to offer and bundle, helping to retain subscribers, attract new members, and sustain long-term revenue growth. For now, the platform is quietly staking its claim as a rising star in the CTV advertising arena.
