MAM
DDB launches DDB-U in India
MUMBAI: DDB-U@MICA, a learning institution responsible for educating varying levels across the DDB Mudra Group has been launched in India.
Working along with MICA Ahmedabad, a ‘Strategic Marketing and Communication’ management school, the DDB Mudra Group has just concluded two key Career Development and Engagement Programs. A three-day MDP (Management Development Program) and a unique three day IMP (India Management Program), for its current and future leaders.
Through the two programs, which were held in MICA, Ahmedabad from the 23 January 2015 till 29th January 2015 , DDB Mudra Group mid and senior level leadership were taken through bespoke Programs addressing specially identified operational challenges and opportunities, designed to deliver on its ‘People First’ culture.
The 3 day MDP course was a hands-on, interactive, skill-building learning experience, loaded with tools and best practices to help one create a management toolbox that enables one to handle the most difficult of management challenges. All of the case studies, tools, techniques and exercises used in the program were based on extensive leadership and management research and real-life agency issues. The program was led by Nigel Beard, Trainer & Facilitator, DDB Worldwide, based at Adam & Eve DDB in London. Nigel has been with DDB for over 30 years, he lectures and tutors at London?s University of Westminster, is a Member of the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).
The goal of the 3-day IMP course was to explore the best contemporary thinking available on professional service firm management and leadership development. It also introduced future leaders and rising stars throughout the DDB Mudra Group to the core principles of leading and managing. The curriculum included extensive pre-read selected case studies developed by the Harvard Business School and Omnicom University. A large number of these have been specially written after identifying and analyzing situations that have challenged Managers of various Omnicom Group Companies and their clients. The IMP was led by Craig Lonnee, the Chief Development Officer of DDB Asia-Pacific operating across 23 offices in 14 countries.
Said Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group,”Being a ‘People’s first organization’, we are thrilled to launch DDB-U to India to reinforce the organizational hierarchy of “People, Product, Profit, in that order? with our employees. Through these programs we have been able to enhance the skillsets and leadership quotient of around 60 of our talented and dedicated colleagues. All in a period of one week. This is just the beginning. “
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.
