MAM
Smytten Pulse and Dabur partner for data-driven product development
Mumbai: Smytten Pulse, an AI-led consumer research and insights platform, partnered with Dabur to provide targeted insights. The platform’s consumer research solutions helped Dabur refine its product and market strategy through efficient and extensive consumer research.
Dabur, a consumer goods company, aimed to enhance one of its new product offerings by evaluating consumer feedback in a niche market segment. Through its collaboration with Smytten Pulse, Dabur effectively reached and assessed its market via an authentic respondent base, resulting in high-quality data across product, concept, and communication testing. This enabled data-driven decisions for their new product line.
Using Smytten, an Indian product discovery and trial platform, Smytten Pulse focused on an audience segment that aligned with Dabur’s key demographics. The technology of Smytten Pulse facilitated effective surveying, analysis, and the creation of business recommendations regarding product usage, formulation, and packaging. The consumer feedback and recommendations from the research team supported Dabur in developing marketing strategies for their product line.
Dabur CMI head Vinay Virwani stated on the partnership, “We piloted with Smytten for getting to a niche TG – which they were able to accurately recruit based on their databank of purchase history. This collaboration with Smytten Pulse gave us rich and sharp insights based on actual behaviour – a sharp contrast to traditional claim-based market research methodologies. Their platform has the unique ability of intent base targeting of consumers which allows for more real-life, authentic responses. Beyond the excellent technology, their focus on driving value through sharp insights has solidified our trust in their capabilities. We look forward to them as a vital partner in our journey to market excellence.”
Smytten and Smytten Pulse co-founder Siddhartha Nangia added, “It’s been a rewarding experience to work with Dabur, a brand that sets the standard in the consumer goods industry. As a trusted partner in the brand’s journey towards market excellence, we look forward to strengthening our partnership, driving innovation, and achieving remarkable success together.”
The methodology provided insights into market gaps, consumer preferences, and product performance. By using an agile approach to deliver insights quickly, Smytten Pulse helped Dabur make informed decisions in a competitive market. Smytten Pulse’s strength lies in consolidating marketing activities on one platform, enabling brands and marketers to navigate the market with reliable and cost-effective solutions. The platform offers a range of research solutions, from product testing to communication analysis, enhancing the understanding of consumer behaviors and perceptions.
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.
