MAM
Om Jha levels up: From Pepsico prodigy to global media maestro
MUMBAI: Five and a half years ago, Om Jha took his first sip of Pepsico’s high-energy corporate culture—nervous, excited, and ready to shake things up. Now, with a portfolio of impactful marketing, media, and data-driven campaigns under his belt, he is stepping into the future with a brand-new role in the company’s global media & transformation team. From Gurgaon to Plano, Texas, Jha’s journey has been nothing short of fizz-tastic. But what’s next? Let’s pop the cap and find out.
“I was stepping in to do something I had never done before,” Jha reminisced about his early days at Pepsico. “Thanks to Vishal Kaul for hiring me and introducing me to the world of possibilities, and thanks to George Kovoor and Anshul Khanna for letting me define my own role with every passing year.”
Jha didn’t just dip his toes into the Pepsico pool—he dived in headfirst. As head of media & partnerships (2019–2022), he spearheaded efforts to connect Pepsico’s legendary brands with consumers using a potent mix of media, data, and technology. He led high-stakes advertising and marketing negotiations, ensuring every penny squeezed out more efficiency and effectiveness.
By 2022, he stepped up as director – media, data, marketing capabilities & partnerships. Here, he architected a robust first-party data-led marketing infrastructure, setting the stage for cutting-edge digital campaigns and award-winning brand partnerships.
Fast forward to March 2025, and Jha is now embracing his biggest role yet—director of global media capabilities. This new challenge places him at the intersection of global strategy and transformation, a role tailor-made for someone who thrives on the ever-evolving media landscape.
But Pepsico is just one stop in Jha’s dynamic career. Before this, he was assistant vice president – customer strategy at Disney Star (2018-2019), where he led the strategy vertical for the northern region, handling TV and digital ad sales revenue across multiple entertainment portfolios. Prior to that, he spent nearly two years as senior director – strategy at GroupM, simplifying media and technology for brands while driving insights-based performance marketing.
Jha’s journey also took him through the telecom world. At Airtel (2015-2016), he headed business planning & consumer insights for the Delhi circle, overseeing operational strategy, financial planning, and product pricing. Before that, he honed his consulting expertise at KPMG India (2014-2015), managing large-scale business transformation projects.
His early career included a five-year stint at Idea Cellular Ltd, where he worked as chief of staff in the MD’s office, focusing on corporate strategy and operations. He also gained experience in engineering and manufacturing at Mahindra Group (2005-2007), before transitioning into business roles.
“A huge thank you to Shyam Venugopal and Abhishek Jadon for this opportunity,” Jha said, his excitement as palpable as the fizz in a freshly opened Pepsi can.
Corporate careers are a bit like carbonated drinks—always under pressure, occasionally shaken, but ultimately, they’re all about making a splash. And if Jha’s track record is anything to go by, he’s about to pop the lid on something truly groundbreaking.
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.
