iWorld
Storytelling in the multiscreen age
Oh, storytelling. So much has changed and then, nothing has.
As someone who started wearing more hats (at times unwittingly) than just the creative type over time, it’s fascinating to see how the graph of storytelling is evolving.
Mobiles. Tablets. Smart TVs. Normal TVs (my parents have one). Laptops. Desktops. How do inches of screens influence the millions spent on storytelling? Let’s look at the different ‘kirdaars’ in the story of storytelling.
The story makers: Thou shalt be versatile.
Cos the audience is as diverse as it is cohorted. And the same person consumes different stories on different screens at different times in a day. One of the critical questions to ask besides others, is where will this story appear? And then nuance it to that screen(s).
The legendary 30-seconder is now 15. Or 6. The ‘long’ 60-seconder is now longer at 3 minutes. It obviously needs a different skill and craft, to do justice to both. And then there is the timing aspect – with moment marketing growing by the moment. There are new storytelling formats available, in varying degrees of maturity. Themed games – which we’ve explored with a lot of success to tell brand stories. AR/VR, metaverse, web series, branded content, blogs… the canvas just keeps getting longer & wider with each screen.
And why should stories happen in isolation? In a multiscreen, non-linear age, why not have more of ‘fluid’ stories. Brands have done it (Volvo’s The Greatest Interception Ever, Burger King + Google Home, Coinbase QR), and it adds to the creative play in a never-before manner.
The story bearers: Thou shalt be collaborative.
The ‘role’ of media, social media, broadcasters and distributors in the story-world is on the rise. And for a reason. As technology and algorithms are dictating (even predicting) more and more of what works and what doesn’t, the magic of media & creative ‘jugalbandi’ is needed more than ever before.
The good old days of jamming together are back. And we need lots more of it. A small new feature of a platform, a tweak in the algo, a new platform altogether… all these can spark a story, or elevate a story. Stories have/can become interactive using multiple senses, turning audience into co-creators.
Innovations are only as good as their use cases. And a story is only as good as how it is told. The story-carriers are and will continue to have a voice in not only telling, but also shaping the story.
The story owners: Thou shalt be open.
It’s difficult to create a good story. It’s more difficult to create a story that exceeds expectations. And it’s impossible to create something that goes viral every time.
Brands and clients who understand this, are the true BFF of storytelling. The origin point of the story resides with them (the need), as does the protagonist (the brand), as does the ownership (the monies). Having and setting clear expectations from a story is a great starting point. However small, define the outcomes. So that the story makers and bearers know what buttons the story must press.
And then, what works on one screen will most likely not work equally well on another. Understand the nuances with partners, prioritize the screen(s) and channel resources accordingly. In the BANI world, it is tough to have a straight-line Brief. So, be open to experimentation and failures. Cos you’re never too far from a blockbuster story.
The story consumers: Thou shalt be spoilt.
Enough said.
The article has been authored by IdeateLabs chief creative officer Raman R.S. Minhas.
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.
