iWorld
Marketers hit play as Yahoo and Spotify turn up India’s audio ad game
MUMBAI- The sound of opportunity just got louder for Indian advertisers. CereOne Media, Yahoo DSP’s partner in India, has announced the arrival of the Yahoo DSP and Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX) partnership in the country, a move set to turn programmatic audio advertising into a full-fledged performance channel.
For years, digital audio has been India’s underplayed medium engaging but under-measured. Now, with Spotify’s high-quality audio, video and display inventory available directly through Yahoo’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP), agencies can finally plan, activate, and measure audio campaigns alongside display, video, Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) from a single console.
In other words, sound has officially joined the omnichannel conversation.
“Digital audio has become one of the most engaging and high-attention environments for advertisers, but access and measurement have often been limited,” said Yahoo DSP SEA head of commercial Kenneth Koh. “By integrating Spotify into Yahoo DSP, we are helping brands plan, activate and optimise audio with the same sophistication they bring to video and display. It unlocks the full potential of sound as a measurable and scalable performance channel.”
The partnership gives advertisers programmatic access to Spotify’s premium inventory spanning music, podcasts and playlists, all backed by first-party logged-in user data that enables precise targeting. When this is layered with Yahoo’s own first-party data from Search, Mail and its content ecosystem, brands can tap into richer audience insights and deliver more relevant, measurable campaigns across devices and moments.
CereOne Media director Deepak Karnani called it a “big step forward for Indian advertisers.” He added, “Audio is no longer a background medium; it is immersive, measurable and deeply personal. This partnership lets brands access Spotify’s high-quality inventory programmatically with precision and transparency. For India’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem, it opens a new frontier of engagement through sound, storytelling and scale.”
The timing couldn’t be better. India is home to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital audio audiences, with millions tuning in across languages, genres and devices. Music streaming and podcasts have evolved from passive pastimes to powerful touchpoints for connection and influence, a fact brands are now recognising in their media mixes.
With this collaboration, CereOne Media, Yahoo DSP and Spotify are not just tuning into that change, they’re amplifying it. Together, they’re giving marketers the ability to measure emotion, target mood, and quite literally, find their audience’s frequency.
For a market long defined by visuals, the message is clear: in India’s next chapter of digital storytelling, it’s time to be heard.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
