Digital
JioStar rolls out the red carpet for brands with its CTV playbook
MUMBAI: JioStar Entertainment is turning up the volume on India’s Connected TV (CTV) revolution with the launch of its first-ever CTV Playbook — a glossy, data-rich guide to decoding the premium, couch-loving consumer.
At a time when the nation’s living rooms are morphing into digital-first, high-attention arenas, the playbook unpacks how brands can ride the CTV wave to deliver deeper stories, smarter targeting, and sharper results. Built in partnership with research giant Ipsos, the report combines national survey insights with platform analytics from June 2025 to offer a panoramic view of India’s CTV surge.
At the heart of the playbook is the R.A.C.E. framework — Reach, Attention, Connection, and Effectiveness — a four-step mantra that helps brands move beyond vanity metrics into full-funnel firepower. Think targeted storytelling that doesn’t just get seen, but remembered and acted on.
Watch time on JioHotstar’s CTV platform has exploded by 85 per cent, with 40 per cent of all streaming now happening on the big screen. Average daily CTV viewing stands at over 100 minutes — that’s 1.5x more than mobile. What’s more, co-viewing on JioHotstar clocks in at a staggering 3.1x, with 70 per cent of users watching with family and 66 per cent doing so together.
And it’s not just quantity, but quality. The report reveals 90 per cent of CTV viewers come from affluent homes, 81 per cent are NCCS AB, and over 60 per cent live in India’s top 8 metros. In short, CTV is where the money is — and where the marketing should be.
The content ecosystem packs a punch too: 22,000+ titles across 19 languages, 250+ originals, 7,000+ global hits from 10+ international studios. Impressively, 91 per cent of JioHotstar Specials’ CTV viewers are paid subscribers — that’s 50 per cent higher than the platform average.
“Connected TV is no longer just a screen—it’s becoming the new center of gravity in India’s digital households. With co-viewing at 3.1X, 90 per cent of audiences being affluent, and an 85 per cent surge in watch time, the scale and quality of engagement on JioHotstar’s CTV platform is unmatched. This Playbook is a strategic response to this shift—built to help marketers harness the full-funnel potential of big-screen storytelling. From lean-in attention to measurable business outcomes, CTV offers an unmatched canvas for brands to move beyond impressions to impact. At JioStar, we’re excited to lead the charge in shaping this premium, intent-rich space into a high-performance marketing platform for the future”, said JioStar head of revenue, entertainment & international, Ajit Varghese.
“The shift toward CTV within the digital ecosystem is a behavioural shift in how families consume, co-view, and even co-decide. Our research with JioHotstar supports what the data shows: CTV audiences are more premium, and more likely to recall and act on brand messaging delivered in a big-screen environment,” said Ipsos managing director – research, Jyoti Malladi.
Regional storytelling is having its moment too. While Hindi and English dominate, regional languages especially Malayalam are breaking barriers, with over 80 per cent of Malayalam CTV viewers coming from outside the community.
With the living room now centre stage for digital India, JioStar’s playbook gives advertisers the cues they need to own it, encouraging marketers to #ThinkCTVThinkJioHotstar.
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Digital
Ethical AI must benefit society, not dominate it, says WFEB chief Sanjay Pradhan at IAA event
At Mumbai event, ethics expert urges businesses and governments to shape AI responsibly
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence may be racing ahead at lightning speed, but its direction must still be guided by human conscience. That was the central message delivered by Sanjay Pradhan, president of the World Forum for Ethics in Business (WFEB), during the latest edition of IAA Conversations held in Mumbai.
The session was organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Artificial Intelligence Association of India (AIAI) in association with The Free Press Journal at the Free Press House on 7 March. Addressing a packed audience, Pradhan called for stronger ethical leadership to ensure AI remains a tool that benefits humanity rather than one that governs it.
“Artificial intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful technologies humanity has created,” Pradhan said. “It is unlocking breakthroughs in medicine, science and creativity at a pace unimaginable just a few years ago.”
But he warned that the same technology carries serious risks. AI, he noted, can amplify disinformation faster than facts can travel, compromise privacy, deepen discrimination and disrupt millions of livelihoods. Referencing concerns raised by AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI, Pradhan stressed that the real challenge is not whether AI will shape the world, but whether humans will shape it with ethics and wisdom.
Structuring his talk around four guiding questions, why, what, how and who, Pradhan introduced the audience to WFEB’s emerging AI Ethics Partnership, a global platform aimed at advancing responsible artificial intelligence. He outlined four priority concerns that demand urgent attention: disinformation, bias and discrimination, data privacy and job security.
To make the idea of ethical AI easier to grasp, Pradhan offered a simple metaphor. Ethical AI, he said, is like a three layered cake. The outer layer represents the visible value ethical AI creates for businesses and society. The middle layer is organisational culture that moves ethics from written codes to everyday practice. The innermost layer, however, is the most crucial, the conscience of individual leaders.
Drawing from Indian philosophical thought through WFEB co-founder Ravi Shankar, Pradhan noted that while artificial intelligence can reproduce stored knowledge, true intelligence is boundless and rooted in conscience, creativity and compassion. Practices such as breathwork and meditation, he suggested, can help leaders develop the calm clarity needed for ethical decision making.
The event also featured a discussion with Maninder Adityaraj Singh, chief of staff and head of innovation at Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Yash Johri, lawyer, Supreme Court of India.
Opening the session, IAA India chapter president Abhishek Karnani, highlighted the need for industries to understand and engage with AI responsibly.
“AI has to be befriended and understood,” added Rediffusion managing director and AIAI national convenor Sandeep Goyal. “Its ethical use will determine whether it becomes a friend or a foe.”
As AI continues to reshape industries and societies, Pradhan ended with a simple but powerful call to action. Businesses, governments and individuals must work together to ensure that the algorithms shaping the future reflect human values rather than just cold logic.
