Digital
The Minimalist to go global; invest in in-house video production capacity
MUMBAI: Started a little more than four years ago as a Facebook page, The Minimalist today is one of the most sought-after digital agencies within the country working with brands like Google, Coca Cola, Saint Gobain, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra, etc., and now the founders are planning to embark on a global expedition. Co-founder Sahil Vaidya in a telephonic conversation with Indiantelevision.com revealed that the creative solutions company is already working with a number of start-ups based in New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore, amongst others, and is willing to expand its footprints across the globe.
Talking about how the global industry is more evolved when it comes to advertising and marketing, Vaidya said that though the Indian brands are quite similar to foreign ones when it comes to a hard-core focus on customer experience, the latter subjects are much advanced when it comes to technology. “The approach essentially differs depending upon the size and nature of the brand and not because of geography. Working with hi-tech startup industries abroad, we have noticed that they have a very similar approach as Indian startups. It’s just that they are pretty much new-age and their usage of technology is very advanced.”
The Minimalist is also looking forward to investing more in its in-house video production capacities to capitalise onto the surging trend of video advertising. Vaidya believes that even when some brands do not have enough money to create large-scale TV campaigns, they are willing to spend on tactical video efforts that give them the required reach.
He said, “Transition into videos was a big trend in 2019. People realise that videos are the next big thing and that too not high-budget, large-scale productions but snackable content that can be rolled out on a day-to-day basis. That’s where we have our own propriety called ‘Mideos’, short form for Minimalist Videos. We have our own in-house production arm that helps the brands in creating short videos to generate engagement and virality.”
Vaidya is of the view that another big thing that is going to rule the roost in the coming times is geofencing that will help the brands to deliver targetted ads based on the consumer’s location. This is going to especially help those brands who have an offline retail presence.
He was also excited about the creative opportunities the rise of audio-based apps is going to serve the marketing and advertising community. He said that the skills required to create good voice spots are going to be the same as creating good radio ads.
Vaidya concluded, “I think a lot of creative strengths needed to create good ads are going to remain the same but the mediums are going to evolve.”
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.
