iWorld
Counting eyes, not just screens: Nielsen’s new pitch
MUMBAI: When it comes to audience measurement, India might finally be ready to stop playing hide and seek. At the 9th edition of Vidnet 2025, Hemant Kewalya, India lead for audience measurement at Nielsen, made a spirited case for a tech-driven, unified system that can track today’s endlessly distracted viewers without missing a beat.
Kewalya opened with a reminder of how far the media has travelled. From newspapers to radio, television to mobile, and now a frenzy of OTT, digital and connected TV, the country’s content diet has exploded. Audiences hop from platform to platform faster than a thumb scroll, and Kewalya noted that while media has evolved, measurement has not kept pace. Instead, it has splintered into siloed systems that fail to tell a complete story.
He pointed out that traditional surveys, TV panels and digital analytics each work in isolation. Mobile data, connected TV signals and digital metrics still refuse to sit together at the same table, resulting in what he called an incomplete view of reach. Brands, therefore, rely on fragmented data while trying to optimise campaigns worth millions.
Kewalya outlined Nielsen’s approach to unifying this scattered information. The company now combines basic demographics, reach, frequency and impressions across devices and publishers in a single view. Marketers can also track brand lift, sales impact and creative attention to understand not just how many people were exposed to a campaign but whether it worked.
Future plans include a larger panel base, more app level detail and stronger links between different devices. Kewalya noted that privacy, data access and industry cooperation remain challenges, but said a unified system is essential as consumers rapidly shift between screens.
He closed by saying that while India has plenty of data, the real task is connecting it so that the industry can make clearer decisions.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
