iWorld
Insider’s view on how to bridge video monetisation to optimise revenues
Mumbai: Most common reasons for video revenue loss for publishers in India range from factors including inventory control, underutilisation of video advertising, traffic quality and not taking advantage of the latest technologies available.
Some of these issues and their solutions were discussed during a webinar- ‘Bridging Video Monetisation to Optimise Revenues’ organised by Indiantelevision.com in association with Aniview on Tuesday. The virtual panel discussion was moderated by Indiantelevision.com Group founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari.
Experts discussed, how better content experience, fuller transparency, a self-service platform with better control on the video player, along with having an experienced team to operate the platform could drive higher revenues.
According to end-to-end video advertising and monetisation solutions provider Aniview, business director-APAC, Matthew Bray, currently India is the fastest-growing internet advertising market in the world, and video remains the most popular ad format. “It’s the sixth-largest market in consumption of video ads,” said Bray about the video advertising landscape in India.
Amongst the reasons for the loss in video revenue, Bray cited poor content experience, heavy player, player loading issues, inventory loss, lack of transparency on traffic insights among others. Non-adherence to Google policies and underutilisation of Google Adx are other primary causes of video revenue loss, Bray said. “Many publishers in India leak video revenue & underutilise their own video content on a regular basis,” he said, adding that full control over a video player can lead to an increase in revenue. “Google will likely remain the dominant SSP for video.”
According to HT Digital’s Prasad Sanyal, underutilisation of inventory plagues almost all publishers in India. “We are looking at avenues where we can have more control over our video assets & monetise them better,” he added.
By running a video player in these placements publishers can make better use of their own video content to engage their users and create more ad opportunities. While it not only allows full control over ad placements, player behaviour, and ad breaks, it leads to the creation of better quality traffic that drives higher CPMs. When deployed correctly this can even lead to significant revenue lifts. Aniview cited Jagran as a successful case study, as it has more than doubled its revenue on some ad placements on article pages by deploying Aniview.
“With Aniview we got a white label solution. There are the cities, and tier-2, tier-3 segments too, for all of which we need to create separate segmentation as per the category,” shared Jagran New Media, AVP and head-ad monetisation and strategic partnership, Dinesh Joshi. “We also produce a lot of text content, but definitely video is going to be big in the near future. Jagran is working on branded content on the video side, we have to work on the monetisation front too.”
HDFC Bank, vice president, and head- digital marketing, Jahid Ahmed, said, regulations apart from basics like viewability can give a lot of confidence on rolling out a video across platforms. Also, the decision on which video is to be used where- that also plays a significant role, he added.
Social Beat co-founder and director Vikas Chawla highlighted the need to scale up the inventory for advertisers to see it as a viable option to do large campaigns.
“Most of us have invested in analytics significantly, but we have a long way to go before advertisers get comfortable with us,” added HT Digital Streams’ Prasad Sanyal.
Manorama Online’s general manager (digital) Sathyajith Divakaran shared, “We have an OTT platform which is exclusively video-led and we only encourage video ads. We are clear in what we can offer as ads as we know which shows attract a certain kind of audience. It is just that the video inventory available is not utilised fully despite having a number of partners on board.”
According to Matthew Bray, Video is going to keep growing in India & in order to sell the inventory created one needs to have a system that they can properly control. “Then you see better yields and more video views because you can control the content,” he said, adding that there are exchanges in India that are having trouble moving video content because there isn’t enough inventory being created.
Sharing that increasingly they are evolving to a point where they know what to do with their inventories, HT Digital’s Sanyal said, “At HT we are getting to a stage where we should be able to drive more revenues out of videos & also do better videos in the process. We hope to deliver better value to our readers and viewers.”
HDFC Bank’s Jahid Ahmed said that every platform is evolving in its own space and it’s great to see such platforms coming up that helps publishers in their cause. He added, “It’s right to outsource such expert work instead of all platforms trying to do everything by themselves. For discoverability of our product-led videos, if some platform smoothly integrates with our CMS & gives good info to our users, then why not,” added Ahmed.
Talking about the near future Ahmed said, “Digital is growing significantly at 35 to 40 per cent Y-O-Y, and within digital, video-led content consumption is one key aspect we are focused on. Video along with a combined vernacular, with personalised elements like geography/ gender, is the way to go.”
All the panelists were in agreement on the significance of video content in today’s times.
iWorld
Prime Video unveils biggest India originals slate yet
Nearly 55 titles across languages signal deeper push into films, series
MUMBAI: Prime Video is turning up the volume on Indian storytelling, unveiling its largest-ever Originals slate at the ‘Prime Video Presents’ showcase, with close to 55 series and films spanning languages, genres and formats.
The new lineup, which stretches across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, signals a clear intent: go bigger, go wider, and meet audiences wherever they are watching, whether on streaming screens or in cinemas. Alongside Originals, the platform also announced a fresh theatrical slate under Amazon MGM Studios, marking a deeper step into the big-screen business.
Among the headline acts is The Revolutionaries, a large-scale drama from Nikkhil Advani starring Bhuvan Bam and Rohit Saraf. The slate also features Matka King with Vijay Varma, Raakh starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre, and Lukkhe, which marks rapper King’s acting debut. Adding a genre twist is Vansh – The Kalyug Warriors, positioned as India’s first homegrown Hindi superhero series for streaming.
Familiar favourites are also making a return, with new seasons of Farzi, Panchayat, Call Me Bae, Dupahiya, Dahaad and The Traitors in the pipeline, reinforcing the platform’s bet on established franchises.
Regional storytelling gets a notable push. Highlights include a Telugu adaptation of The Traitors hosted by Teja Sajja, the drama Guvvala Cheruvu Ghat, and Tamil titles such as Exam and returning seasons of Vadhandhi and Inspector Rishi.
The slate also opens new creative partnerships. Hrithik Roshan’s HRX Films steps into streaming with Storm and Mess, while Alia Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions backs Don’t Be Shy. Production houses including Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby Films and The Viral Fever further deepen the creative bench.
On the theatrical front, the platform is lining up five films, including Raftaar starring Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, VIBE directed by Kunal Kemmu, Dilkashi with music by A. R. Rahman, Nayyi Navelli featuring Yami Gautam, and Kuku Ki Kundli starring Wamiqa Gabbi.
According to Prime Video India director and head of Svod business Shilangi Mukherji, India remains central to the platform’s global growth, ranking among its top markets for new subscribers. She noted that nearly two-thirds of users watch content in more than four languages, underlining a growing appetite for diverse storytelling.
Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the new slate reflects a continued push towards bold, culturally rooted narratives with global appeal.
In short, Prime Video is not just adding titles, it is widening the lens. From small-town dramas to superhero sagas and cinema-ready spectacles, the message is simple: more stories, more voices, and far more ways to watch them.
