Digital
Magnite expands global presence with opening of First India Office
Mumbai: Magnite (Nasdaq: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, has announced the opening of a new office in Mumbai, which will serve as the company’s base across India. The move indicates the company’s commitment to providing support for publishers and buyers in one of the fastest-growing digital advertising markets in the world.
“Programmatic adoption in India is forecasted to increase at a CAGR of 32 per cent until 2027, according to Magna Global,” said Magnite Asia managing director Gavin Buxton. ”Establishing a Magnite hub in Mumbai allows us to provide more hands-on support and help our clients navigate the changing market landscape. As advertisers continue to seek out the most comprehensive omnichannel ecosystem to reach their audiences, we’ll be able to more seamlessly connect them with the premium publishers we work with.”
This year, Magnite introduced new advanced tools for streaming TV media owners in India, including Magnite Streaming and the SpringServe ad server, to help them better manage high-quality ad experiences across the video landscape. These developments have been met with strong marketplace demand and fuelled 185% year over year growth in CTV ad spend in India.
Magnite continues to build out its team in India and most recently appointed Chandrahas Shetty as Demand Facilitation Lead. Other team members include Karnika Maroo, Senior Account Manager, Supply, Jerit Kunjumon, Account Manager, Supply, and Rohit Prasad Yeggina, Senior Account Manager. Together, they are focused on delivering great results for clients by ensuring they can leverage Magnite’s unique omnichannel capabilities.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
