iWorld
Facebook launches its creator education program in India
Mumbai: On Instagram and Facebook’s 2021 edition of ‘Creator Day India,’ the company on Thursday launched its largest creator education and enablement program in India – www.bornoninstagram.com, thereby democratising learning for creators across India.
The event featured creators launching their own augmented reality (AR) effects in partnership with Facebook, as well as those who have monetised well and gained experiences to share with everyone.
Facebook India VP and MD Ajit Mohan highlighted the value of the family of apps for creators to build their communities and contextualised the new announcements. “Creators across India are shaping popular culture, and we are proud that our platforms play a big role in unleashing their creativity and helping them earn a living. The building blocks of a creator economy are coming into place. And we are keen to lean in to enable creators to learn, earn and grow their communities on our platforms,” he said.
‘Creator Day India’ saw keynotes from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, who spoke about the success of Reels in India, the importance of India and the work that’s in progress to help creators earn a living on the platform.
Instagram launched the next phase of the ‘Born on Instagram’ program in an effort to make creators’ access to resources more scalable and democratised. Launched in 2019, the program will now have a significant impact on creators across India who will have the opportunity to learn through a self-paced e-learning course. At the end of the course, they also receive a certificate of course completion, said the statement.
The company also highlighted its suite of monetisation tools, including paid online events launched during the Covid-19 pandemic to help content creators monetise events such as concerts, cooking classes and virtual tours, among other things.
Facebook has paired six emerging creators known for their talent with top Indian AR developers to demonstrate the ease of AR creation and highlight how it can trigger trends. “AR filters are a growing use among Instagram users and the ability to create new ones is likely to interest more users on the platform,” said the company.
iWorld
Streaming boom crosses 200 million as India shifts to sustainable growth
From content bets to CTV rise, industry leaders map streaming’s next phase
MUMBAI: India’s streaming story has entered a new chapter, and this time it is less about land grab and more about staying power. At a panel on the evolving streaming economy, industry leaders agreed that with subscriptions crossing 200 million and revenues surging, the focus has decisively shifted to sustainable growth, smarter content bets and sharper partnerships.
Moderator EY partner Raghav Anand, set the tone by pointing to the sharp jump in paid subscriptions, driven by a mix of sports, bundling and improved distribution. The result is a fast-maturing ecosystem where subscription revenues are beginning to complement, and in some cases rival, advertising-led growth.
For Amazon Prime Video Svod business India director & head Shilangi Mukherji, the past decade has been about balancing choice with clarity. “It’s not an either-or market anymore,” she noted. “There is space for everything, from television to ad-supported streaming to subscriptions. The real win is when they all grow together.”
At the heart of this growth lies a simple trio: selection, value and convenience. Content remains king, but not in isolation. Platforms are now curating vast libraries that blend originals, rentals, and third-party services, all under one roof. The aim is to create an ecosystem where viewers do not need to hop between apps to find what they want.
Content itself is also evolving. Mukherji highlighted that nearly half of Prime Video’s viewership comes from outside a show’s home region, underlining the collapse of traditional language silos. Stories are no longer “regional” but increasingly pan-Indian, with talent and narratives travelling seamlessly across states.
Franchise-building has become another cornerstone, with a majority of shows designed for multiple seasons. The goal is not just to attract viewers but to keep them coming back, turning series into long-term cultural touchpoints rather than one-off hits.
On the production side, Hungama Digital Media managing director & CEO Neeraj Roy, described an industry that is both resilient and recalibrating. While the pandemic accelerated content consumption and discovery, it also reset market dynamics. Pre-sales have softened, satellite revenues have tightened, and the easy money phase of digital deals has cooled.
“The honeymoon is over,” Roy said candidly. “Now, content has to prove itself. If it works at the box office or with audiences, everything else follows.”
This shift, he argued, is pushing creators towards greater discipline. Fewer projects are being made, but with sharper focus on quality and audience appeal. At the same time, global exposure to diverse content, from Korean dramas to Malayalam cinema, has raised the bar for storytelling across the board.
Another quiet transformation is unfolding in how content is consumed. While mobile remains the primary gateway, especially for payments and discovery, connected TVs are fast becoming the preferred screen for long-form viewing. Mukherji described this not as a battle of devices but as a “force multiplier”, with platforms tailoring plans for mobile-only users, living room viewers and multi-device households alike.
The monetisation playbook is also widening. Beyond subscriptions and ads, platforms are experimenting with rentals, bundled offerings and commerce integrations, building layered revenue streams that cater to different stages of the consumer journey.
Looking ahead, both panellists pointed to global ambition as the next frontier. Mukherji emphasised taking Indian stories to the world through deeper localisation, calling content India’s soft power. Roy, meanwhile, stressed the need for investment in infrastructure, skills and, crucially, transparent data systems to guide creators with better insights.
If the first phase of India’s streaming boom was about scale, the next will be about substance. And as the industry settles into this new rhythm, one thing is clear: the real streaming wars may be over, but the race to win viewers’ time has only just begun.
