iWorld
SonyLIV strengthens original content team by roping in Hotstar’s Saugata Mukherjee
MUMBAI: As all streaming platforms in India are becoming more bullish on original content slate, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) is also rebuilding its digital team. Few months after handling SonyLIV’s responsibility to Danish Khan, the over-the-top (OTT) platform is roping in Saugata Mukherjee to head its original content, as per sources.
Mukherjee has been associated with Hotstar since July 2018 as head of creative and development for Hotstar Specials. “As the creative head of the specials, my mandate is to strategise, commission, develop and curate the Specials slate for Hotstar,” as he puts it on his Linkedin profile.
The content strategist has been associated with Star TV Network since 2013. He commissioned, acquired, incubated and produced new shows for the Star TV network. Later as the editor of Star Plus, he was responsible for acquisition, development and content strategy.
After a long stint at SonyLIV, Uday Sodhi moved on from the organization last year. He was responsible for the introduction of its subscription model, re-launch of the platform and the international launch of SonyLIV subscriptions, among others.
At the time of publishing the story, SonyLIV denied to comment on the news. Mukherjee was also unavailable for comment. He is likely to join early February.
iWorld
Spotify spotlights Premium with AI DJ and Lossless Audio push
Five week campaign highlights personalisation and high fidelity listening.
MUMBAI: Your playlist just got a promotion and it now comes with a DJ who never sleeps. Spotify is turning up the volume on its Premium proposition, rolling out a new campaign that places product features not just music centre stage.
At the heart of the push are two upgrades: AI DJ and Lossless Audio. Rather than pitching them as add-ons, Spotify positions these as the engines quietly reshaping how people listen, moving the experience from passive playback to something far more intuitive and immersive.
The campaign unfolds through two feature-led films rooted in everyday listening moments. One spot leans into AI DJ as a hyper-personalised curator, adapting in real time to mood, taste and listening patterns essentially turning algorithms into something that feels almost human. The other film zooms in on Lossless Audio, emphasising richer, high-fidelity sound that captures nuances often lost in compressed streaming.
It’s a strategic shift in storytelling. Instead of selling access to content, Spotify is selling how that content feels smarter, sharper, and more tailored to the individual listener.
The rollout is equally expansive. The five-week campaign spans digital video, connected TV, audio, out-of-home, social media and in-app integrations, ensuring visibility across both digital and physical touchpoints. The idea is clear: meet users wherever they are, and remind them that Premium is designed to follow.
There’s also a strong regional layer baked in. With integrations across Tamil and Telugu music, Spotify is leaning into India’s linguistic diversity, acknowledging that personalisation in this market is as much cultural as it is technological.
The broader play is hard to miss. In an increasingly crowded streaming landscape, differentiation is no longer just about catalogue size or pricing. It’s about experience. By foregrounding AI-led curation and high-quality audio, Spotify is betting that the next phase of competition will be won not by what users listen to, but how they listen to it.
And if this campaign is anything to go by, the platform is keen to ensure that every tap of the play button feels a little more like a performance.
