MAM
Tata Motors, dentsu Play targets premium subscribing OTT audiences
NEW DELHI: The rising trend of cord cutters and streaming surpassing cables, in many economies, has brought with it a new challenge for the advertising sector – that of reaching the audience behind the OTT paywall.
With the changing audience behavior and a dramatic increment in over-the-top (OTT) subscriptions, the segment has emerged as one of the most engaging format for digital content consumption during the lockdown. OTT is no longer a niche but a mass market.
In an effort to plan for activating OTT, audiences from premium platforms such as Netflix, dentsu Play partnered with WATConsult on Tata Motors. It has pioneered a unique solution to target premium, behind the paywall OTT audiences on platforms outside of the OTT through industry first integrations using first-party and second-party data partnerships.
Earlier this year, in January 2020, Tata Motors launched its electric vehicle, ‘Nexon EV’, pioneering the EV segment in India. As a result, dentsu Programmatic’s unique solution delivered an astounding 3X higher CTR than regular display campaigns. It also achieved an 81 per cent higher qualified lead ratio and a deramatic improvement in leads. The ability to enrich OTT audiences beyond their native platforms has resulted in a dramatic success for the brand and proposition to the Industry.
Tata Motors head – sales, marketing and customer care, electric vehicle business unit Ramesh Dorairajan said, “The great reset has highlighted several audience trends that will help us enhance our overall brand reach. The increase in OTT content consumption has transformed the way people consume content. This unique data-driven approach from dentsu Programmatic has opened up additional avenues for us to interact, particularly with the audience behind the paywall, while creating a phenomenal impact on our campaign performance as we pioneer an industry-first approach.”
“With our industry first partnerships and integrations enabling insights from platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5 and large players in the sector, coupled with our proprietary technology, dentsu Programmatic is proud to have unearthed a unique way to drive business success for clients wishing to target OTT audiences. Using Machine Learning at its core, coupled with intelligence from platforms such as Facebook and Google, we aspire to deliver many such industry leading solutions to common client challenges,” added dentsu international CEO, dentsu Programmatic and chief data officer (south Asia) Gautam Mehra
WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “As OTT platforms grow and evolve at an exponential rate, they seem to emerge as one of the key focus areas for brands as well as marketers. Therefore, dentsu Programmatic’s tool to effectively tap those audiences has efficiently helped us in actioning a campaign for our brand Tata Nexon EV. From targeting the right set of audiences to creating awareness about the brand and attaining the right amount of consideration, it delivered some remarkable results for the brand.”
Brands
Magnum Ice Cream Netherlands takes control of Kwality Wall’s India from Unilever
61.9 per cent stake transfer reshapes ownership as Unilever exits promoter role
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited has entered a new chapter, with The Magnum Ice Cream Company HoldCo 1 Netherlands B.V. acquiring a controlling 61.9 per cent stake from a clutch of Unilever PLC-led entities, marking a significant shift in ownership.
The transaction, completed on March 30, 2026, follows a share purchase agreement signed in June 2025. The incoming promoter picked up over 145 crore equity shares, effectively taking control of the company and being formally classified as its new promoter under regulatory norms.
As part of the deal, the outgoing promoter group, including Unilever Group Limited and its affiliated entities, has fully exited its shareholding in the company. They have now been reclassified from promoter to public shareholders, closing a long-standing association with the ice cream business in India.
The board of Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited took note of the ownership change and approved a series of leadership updates alongside it. Ritesh Tiwari stepped down as director, while Abhijit Bhattacharya was appointed as chairperson and additional non-executive director. Tahir Toloy Tanridagli also joined the board as an additional non-executive director.
The reshuffle signals a broader strategic reset as the Magnum-led entity looks to steer the brand’s next phase of growth in India. The transition has been carried out in line with regulatory requirements, including disclosures tied to the open offer and reclassification norms under market regulations.
With Unilever stepping back and Magnum stepping in, Kwality Wall’s India is effectively getting a fresh scoop of leadership and direction. The coming months will reveal how the new promoter plans to scale the brand in one of the world’s most competitive ice cream markets.
