MAM
Bindu Sethi returns to JWT as chief strategy officer
MUMBAI: JWT has appointed Bindu Sethi as chief strategy officer India.
The appointment is close on the heels of appointment of Bobby Pawar as its chief creative officer and managing partner for India. The creative agency said that with Sethi‘s appointment will further strengthen the senior leadership of the agency and complete its senior management.
Earlier this year, Sanjeev Bhargava had joined the agency as managing partner in Delhi and Max Hegerman as head of digital.
“The Indian market is becoming increasingly complex. Choice has a whole new meaning for the consumer; the strategic challenge is high,” said Bindu. “A smart perspective and smarter ideas can unravel the complexity. It is the creative solution that then finally dissolves complexity and resolves the choice preferences of consumers. Joining JWT puts me in a position to take on these marketing challenges.”
JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris added, “We are moving decisively to build our bench strength, and bringing Bindu into this role is an important part of that strategy. We are pleased to have Bindu back in the fold. We know from experience that she‘s a valuable asset, and she‘s gone on to grow her skills at the national and Asia Pacific level. Now she brings all that experience back to us, and our clients. Bindu‘s mandate will be to develop and integrate our strategic planning capabilities and help deliver on our vision to be a creative powerhouse as we create the best value proposition for our clients.”
It‘s a home coming for Sethi as she had worked with JWT in 1988 (then known as Hindustan Thompson Associates or HTA). She comes with experience from both the advertising industry and the corporate sector. She was most recently the Asia Pacific strategy officer for Grey Worldwide, including Grey India‘s national planning director, where she worked with a wide range of clients including GSK, Honda, Reliance Communication, Britannia and Ferrero.
“Bindu is extremely talented and I am delighted to have her back on board,” said JWT Asia Pacific president Michael Maedel. “She brings depth, experience and insight to this critical leadership role. Given India is an increasingly important market for many of our global clients, this appointment is both vital and timely.”
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
