Future of Video India
29 April 2022

Welcome Address

Arunoday Mukharji, Business Correspondent India, BBC News

Opening Remarks

Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

Keynote Conversation: Building SVOD Success in a Price Sensitive Market
India is a market that is very much AVOD-dominated, but there has been a remarkable surge in SVOD content over the
last few years. According to MPA, India currently has ~102 million SVOD subscribers, and is estimated to grow to 224
million by 2026. What does it take to survive in an AVOD dominated market and sustain that brand loyalty every month?
The Indian OTT industry is poised for greater growth, but are its low prices sustainable?

Sunil Rayan, Head, Disney+ Hotstar India
With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

Video Leaders Talk: The Road Ahead
India’s video industry is significant, with traditional models continuing to offer scale while the shift to digital is opening up
new opportunities for monetization, content creation and storytelling. It is an era of co-opetition, where convergence has
blurred the lines between media and technology companies. In this panel, we will hear from thought leaders on where they
see the business going, how will linear and streaming continue to develop in comparison to, or alongside each other, and
what the impact on business growth will be with the proposed regulatory measures.

Panelists:
Vynsley Fernandes, MD & CEO, NXTDIGITAL Limited
John Huddle, Director, Market Development, Asia, SES
Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom18 Digital Ventures
Megha Tata, MD, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery
With Jehil Thakkar, Partner, Media & Entertainment, Deloitte India

Stopping Piracy in its Tracks
It is estimated that across the globe, up to a third of premium pay-TV and live streaming content is pirated. With the
explosion of OTT platforms in India, just protecting content via DRM is not enough. Pirates have found it much easier to
steal premium content within minutes, primarily by stealing tokens from platforms and obtaining direct access to CDNs,
and in many cases, serving their own pirate subscribers out of the service provider’s CDNs. In this session, we will address how online distribution of stolen content, via subscription pirate networks, free on ad-based websites or social media, can
be tackled. And what the technology and techniques are that platforms can implement to detect and disrupt pirate activities
and stop pirated premium content being made available for free within minutes.

Pankaj Gupta, Director – Solution Consulting, Synamedia
With Shad Hashmi, APAC Partner Lead, Media and Entertainment, Amazon Web Services

In Conversation: The Evolving Filmmaking Landscape in the Age of Streaming

Pratiksha Rao, Director, Films & Licensing, Netflix India
With Anuradha SenGupta, Broadcast Journalist

Laws Governing Content Platforms and Satellite Communication in India
India is one of the largest and fastest growing markets for content consumption. Currently, content delivery platforms and
satellite communication services are key drivers in the video industry. This session serves as a primer on the legal &
regulatory framework in India for content delivery platforms and satellite communication services.

Justin M. Bharucha, Managing Partner, Bharucha & Partners

5G – Opening the Door to Innovations in Video Streaming
The entry of the 5G network into the Indian telecommunications market is a remarkable achievement. It is all set to create
new trends in internet connectivity and user consumption particularly in the VOD space, which is set for explosive growth.
We look at how 5G networks are going to create an even bigger market for OTT services in India. Will India finally be able
to join the global 5G bandwagon this year? How is 5G is making it possible to deliver content at relatively lower costs?

Panelists:
Vikram Tiwathia, Deputy Director General, COAI
Rajat Nigam, Group CTO, Network18 Media
Manoj Gurnani, CTO & Head of Strategy, India, Nokia
Mahendra Nath Vyas, Executive Director, Planetcast Media Services
With Rajeev Gambhir, Sr. Director (Technology & Policy), SatCom Industry Association

Joint Conversation: Tech Giants’ Take on Content
When it comes to IP delivered video traffic, it is not streaming platforms that take centre stage, it is a world still dominated
by UGC platforms and social media. But the boundaries between social and curated content are blurring as tech companies
look more and more to premium content investments and partnerships with content producers and distributors. How is this dynamic going to change the traditional content industry over the coming years, and economically does it work equally
to the advantage of content provider and tech platforms? The Meta viewpoint. 

Panelists:
Paras Sharma, Director of Content & Community Partnerships, Facebook India (Meta)
Saket Jha Saurabh, Director of Entertainment, Sports & Music Partnerships, Facebook India (Meta)
With Greg Armshaw, Senior Director, Strategy, Brightcove

Cracking the Content Code
With billions of Indian rupees being invested in content generation by streamers in India, solving the content puzzle could
mean success or failure in the hyper competitive streaming market. In a recent Accenture report, it was said that a large
section of OTT subscribers found many of the content offerings “irrelevant”. How do content creators know what consumers
are looking for? How can they improve the quality of storytelling in India – a country known for its rich history and heritage
of storytelling since mythological times – and fulfil consumer demands for personalized and purpose-driven content? What
are the platforms doing to reinvent yet maintain consistency in creating great shows for the Indian audiences of today?
We’ll be hearing from some of India’s most influential content leaders as they try their hand at cracking the code.

Panelists:
Deepak Segal, Head of Content, Applause Entertainment India
Sameer Gogate, GM – India Productions, BBC Studios
Gautam Talwar, Chief Content Officer, MX Player
Nimisha Pandey, Chief Content Officer, Hindi Originals, ZEE5
With Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, Consulting Editor, Business Standard

Taking the Entertainment Experience to the Next Level
What makes people come back for more? The first is the demand for great well-produced content and the second is an
excellent user experience – ensuring high-quality video and audio on all devices. It remains clear that consumers continue
to want, demand, and are willing to spend more on enhanced experiences, now more than ever. In this session we will
discuss how technology can play a part to create a perceived value for content. How can streaming platforms and
production studios leverage the very latest technologies to deliver high quality content? How is viewer experience being
enhanced in today’s video landscape and what can be further improved?

Panelists:
Ashim Mathur, Senior Regional Director, Japan & Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories
Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Star and Disney India
With Unmish Parthasarathi, Founder & Executive Director, Picture Board Partners

Maximizing the Value of Advertising in OTT and CTV
With a considerable shift of consumers towards OTT streaming platforms over recent years, advertisers now have an
unprecedented and exciting opportunity to reach their audiences efficiently and effectively through connected TV (CTV). In
this session we look at how important it is for brands to be leveraging CTV & OTT in their advertising efforts. How do CTV
& OTT fit into an omnichannel campaign? What about linear TV – how can CTV & OTT complement it?

Panelists:
Vignesh Narayanan, CEO, Airtel Ads
Sujata Dwibedy, Group Trading Director, Amplifi India, dentsu International
Mete Bargmann, Senior Director of Business Development and Team Lead, Magnite
Ranjana Mangla, SVP and Head of Ad Revenue, SonyLIV, Sony Pictures Networks India
With Rajiv Rajagopal, National Head- Client Development, Finecast India

Set Up for Success: Building your CTV Business
In this session, the Xandr’s Tom Dover chats with Karthik Shankar, Head of Digital Investment at GroupM India about the
unique opportunities for buyers, sellers, and consumers brought by the growth in CTV advertising. They’ll discuss the
importance of focus and specialism in CTV, how the supply differs from both traditional linear, and other digital formats.
Finally, they’ll discuss the trends in demand sources, and how this is attracting new investment into the supply chain, and
how this can benefit all players with the right strategy.

Karthik Shankar, Head of Digital Investment, GroupM India
With Tom Dover, Director, Video Marketplace Development, APAC, Xandr

In Conversation: Partnering to Create the Future of Media
The future of media is continuing to turn to digital advances for entertainment, news, and alternate forms of content that
are increasingly driving up viewership and translate to major opportunities for businesses. In this session we will look at
the current state of digital transformation in media and what’s next to come. We will also explore how companies could
achieve better outcomes through the right type of partnerships to transform their businesses, meet their consumers
where they are and increase stakeholder value.

Sudharshan Aravamudan, JAPAC Market Lead, M&E Industry Strategy & Key Customer Engagement, Google Cloud
With Unmish Parthasarathi, Founder & Executive Director, Picture Board Partners

Closing Keynote Conversation: Key Takeaways and Bold Predictions for the Future of Video
We will conclude our day of expert discussions by engaging with an industry thought leader in a closing fireside chat to hear
their views and predictions of what to look out for and expect over the next 12 months in the increasingly vibrant and
exciting video industry in India.

Avinash Kaul, CEO, Network18, Managing Director, A+E Networks | TV18
With Ashwini Gangal, Managing Editor, afaqs