iWorld
OTT leads over TV on brand discussions among viewers: Study
MUMBAI: A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a US-based not-for-profit research company, has found that 56 per cent of people who co-view OTT talk about the brands they see while viewing content on TV screens. Co-viewing is the act of watching with others. On TV it is 50 per cent. The survey was conducted on viewers aged 13-64 in the US.
According to the study titled The OTT Co-Viewing Experience: 2017, 93 per cent of people co-view on TV through platforms such as OTT, linear TV, VOD, and DVR. This if followed by computer at 55 per cent, smartphones at 49 per cent and tablet at 39 per cent.
OTT has a higher impact than TV when it comes to brand-related awareness. Whether its discussion about brands they see, changing their own or someone else’s mind about a brand, discuss it on social media, make a note to purchase it later, search information online or actually buy it, OTT leads over TV.
Moreover, 64 per cent feel it is fun to watch with others while 69 per cent engage in talks about the video with their partners. 36 per cent of OTT videos are live programmes and the platform also gets people to watch longer format content (more than 30 minutes).
Co-viewing on OTT has younger demographics aged 18-34 years compared to TV co-viewing of 13 to 64. These are the two top mediums for co-viewing in the US. Co-viewing content for OTT is picked collaboratively and the motive is to unwind themselves. It is also most prevalent among spouses (59 per cent on OTT) followed by children (41 per cent on OTT).
Furthermore, 92 per cent of co-viewers pay moderate to full attention to the content while 69 per cent are focused on the ads. The study also found that OTT viewers tend to watch double the amount of ad-supported content than subscription services without ads.
IAB research and impact senior VP Chris Kuist said, “Watching TV has always had an important social component and this has absolutely continued as OTT platforms become ever-more important parts of people’s viewing rituals. This social aspect of biggest screen in the house is powerful and is being amplified on OTT platforms in ways that can greatly benefit marketers.”
iWorld
Tips Music CEO Hari Nair to step down
Girish Taurani and Sushant Dalmia to jointly steer the company as the hunt for a new chief begins
MUMBAI: A leadership shuffle is under way at Tips Music. Hari Nair, the company’s chief executive, will step down on April 30 as the music label begins the search for a successor.
The company said Girish Taurani, executive director, and Sushant Dalmia, chief financial officer, will jointly oversee operations during the transition while the board identifies a permanent replacement.
Nair joined Tips Music in 2023 and set about reshaping the veteran music label into a more digital, data-led enterprise. During his tenure, the company secured licensing and partnership deals with global platforms including Sony Music Publishing and TikTok, while renewing agreements with Warner Music Group.
Drawing on earlier experience in technology and entertainment, including a stint at ByteDance, Nair pushed the organisation towards a performance-driven culture. He built a brand partnerships division and introduced proprietary software systems aimed at strengthening digital distribution and data capabilities.
Kumar Taurani, chairman and managing director, credited Nair with embedding a data-led culture within the company and driving revenue growth in line with shareholder commitments.
In his resignation note, Nair said that after helping transition the label into a modern, digitally focused and process-driven organisation, the time had come to pursue his next leadership challenge.
The leadership change comes as the broader Tips Films group shows signs of financial stabilisation. In the third quarter of FY26 the company reported a net loss of Rs 2.86 crore, narrowing sharply from Rs 14.2 crore in the previous quarter. For the nine months ended December, losses stood at Rs 12.37 crore.
Yet revenue told a more volatile story. Income from operations slid to Rs 4 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 56 crore in the preceding quarter, taking total operating income to Rs 4.56 crore.
For a company built on a catalogue of more than 34,000 tracks and decades of Bollywood hits, the next chief will inherit both a digital engine and a volatile music market. The playlist may be familiar, but the next act at Tips Music is only just beginning.
