MAM
VML Qais ups Preethi Sanjeevi to client solutions director
MUMBAI: VML Qais has promoted Preethi Sanjeevi to regional client solutions director. The role has been newly created for her to lead the business team across the APAC region and facilitate the agency’s expansion there.
Sanjeevi held the post of business director prior to this announcement.
She will be responsible for both client growth and acquisition across Asian markets. While Sanjeevi will be based out of Singapore, she will be spending a considerable part of her time in India as well to develop the business here.
Sanjeevi has spent the last decade working in the marketing communications industry with experience in both traditional advertising and online marketing across India and SEA markets. She has also worked in the field of entertainment marketing.
Sanjeevi has been with VML Qais for the past six years, during which she has led end-to-end digital consulting for clients including Changi Airport, Banyan Tree Resorts, Ministry of Defence, Dell, Revlon and Estee Lauder.
VML Qais CEO Tripti Lochan said, “Preethi has done a phenomenal job this past year – energizing, leading, and inspiring the people around her. This promotion is very well-deserved and we wish her continued success in her new role.”
Sanjeevi said, “I’m very much relishing the challenge of my new role at such exciting times for VML Qais, and the digital environment as a whole. It’s such an invigorating and energetic environment, demonstrated by how much we’ve grown already this year, both client-wise and geographically, I look forward to being an integral part of the next phase of growth.”
VML Qais, WPP’s wholly-owned pure play digital network, is headquartered in Singapore and recently launched its India operation. The agency is the Asian arm of brand consulting agency VML and was formed after it acquired Qais Consulting in February 2012.
VML Qais has a six-member team in Mumbai and is expected to set up operations in Delhi by the end of the year.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
