Shubhra Saraf Sethi

📢 Kevin Vaz, CEO – Entertainment, JioStar, has been appointed President of the Indian Digital Media Industry Foundation (IDMIF), a key arm of the Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF). With nearly three decades shaping India’s media landscape, Kevin steps into the role at a critical juncture for digital content. As he succeeds K. Madhavan, his vision is clear: 🟣 Foster fair competition 🟣 Drive innovation 🟣 Champion sustainable growth Under his leadership, IDMIF will continue its work with stakeholders, policymakers, and creators to build a future-ready digital ecosystem that balances consumer protection with creative freedom. IDMIF’s Digital Media Content Regulatory Council (DMCRC), chaired by Justice Mukul Mudgal (Retd.), will remain central to this mission—upholding effective self-regulation for OCCPs like JioHotstar and SonyLIV, while ensuring audience interests are safeguarded. 📌 A pivotal moment for India's digital media space—and a strong leadership hand at the helm. https://lnkd.in/gxqc8-ej Indian Broadcasting Foundation I Kiran Mani I Richa Anand I Saraswati Salunke I Namita Jadhav I Ishan Chatterjee I Alok Jain I Anil Lale I JioHotstar I Deepak Dhar I Ritesh Khosla I Tigmanshu Dhulia #LeadershipNews #DigitalMedia #KevinVaz #JioStar #IDMIF #IBDF #DMCRC #MediaGovernance #SelfRegulation #OnlineContent #OTT #MediaNews4U

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HT Media Group Appoints Swapnil Ravindran as Chief Revenue Officer – South HT Media Group has named Swapnil Ravindran as its new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) – South, where he will lead revenue growth across Hindustan Times, Hindustan Hindi, and Mint, further strengthening the One HT strategy in the region. With over two decades of leadership in media and advertising, Ravindran has worked with leading organizations including Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. (The Times of India), InMobi, Star India, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited Network, Yahoo, and Kasturi & Sons, Ltd. At The Times of India, he served as Associate Vice President & Response Head – Bangalore, where he pioneered AR-enabled print campaigns. During his tenure at InMobi, he played a key role in scaling the digital native and lock-screen advertising business, driving measurable growth and innovation. Notably, Ravindran spent a decade at HT Media earlier in his career, leading sales strategy, business development, and brand partnerships. His diverse experience across legacy media and ad-tech firms positions him strongly to accelerate HT Media Group’s growth strategy in an evolving media ecosystem. #LeadershipUpdate #HTMedia #MediaIndustry #ExecutiveAppointment #Advertising #DigitalTransformation #TechDogsPoweShifts #TDNews #TDDailyNews #TechDogsNews

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Ajit Varghese, the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Reliance-backed JioStar, has stepped down. He will now become the Group CEO of Madison Media and its outdoor ad division, OOH. Mahesh Shetty, who currently heads revenue and large customer business at JioStar, will take over as the new CRO, according to an internal memo. Before the $8.5 billion Disney-Reliance merger, Varghese was EVP and head of network and ad sales at The Walt Disney Company. Earlier, he held senior roles at ShareChat and Moj as Chief Commercial Officer and was Global President at Wavemaker. Read full article link in the comment 👇 #jiostar #reliance #Chiefrevenue #CEO #startupnews

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The next three years will redefine digital media and podcasting in India. We are already the third-largest podcast listening market in the world. Podcast revenues in India crossed $969M in 2024, and are projected to grow at nearly 30% year-on-year. Digital advertising has overtaken television which is HUGE. But the real question is: where is attention moving, and how do we hold it? The shifts I see shaping the next three years: 1)The Attention Deficit Audiences are impatient. If you don’t hook them in the first 30 seconds, you’ve lost them. But while short-form captures attention, it doesn’t hold it. The real opportunity lies in pairing formats: short-form to spark awareness, long-form to build trust. 2)The Hyperlocal Surge Regional and vernacular voices will define scale. The future of reach in India will not be dictated in English—it will be told in the languages of people’s everyday lives. 3)From IP to Ecosystem Shows will no longer live in isolation. The strongest IPs will extend into products, experiences, and communities. A podcast won’t just be an episode—it will be a cultural node that branches into events, collaborations, and even commerce. 4)AI and the Next Medium AI will rewire the value chain—translation, interactive listening, personalized discovery. But the deeper shift is this: AI will turn passive audiences into active participants. The line between creator and consumer will blur. 5)Trust as Currency In a world of infinite content, trust will be the scarcest resource. Audiences and advertisers will no longer chase scale for its own sake; they will back creators who show consistency, credibility, and transparency. So what do people want to consume? Audiences won’t settle for either/or. They’ll want formats that are snackable in the moment but deep enough to return to. They’ll choose voices that feel familiar, not distant. They’ll expect to participate—through remixes, collabs, or community interactions. They’ll reward authenticity over manufactured virality. And they’ll pay for premium experiences—early access, behind-the-scenes, and spaces that feel exclusive. TLDR: The future won’t reward one-off hits. It will reward IPs that compound over time. Retention will matter more than reach—because attention is the only true currency. To scale, vernacular has to be the default, not the afterthought. Ads won’t be enough—multiple revenue streams will be essential. And the strongest moat will be community, because loyalty isn’t something you buy—it’s something you earn, day after day. The future of digital media in India will not be defined by who shouts the loudest, but by who can hold attention with depth, trust, and consistency. I’ve been reflecting on these shifts closely as we build new IPs and platforms at Humans of Bombay. Because the next decade will belong to creators and companies that see beyond the algorithm and build for connection. Thoughts? How do you see the next few years? #digitalmedia #India

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Reliance-backed media giant JioStar’s chief revenue officer (CRO) Ajit Varghese has stepped down from his role. He is now slated to join as the group CEO of media agency Madison Media and its outdoor advertising vertical OOH. 👇 As per an internal memo circulated within JioStar, the media giant’s head of revenue and large customer base business, Mahesh Shetty, will take over as the new CRO. Notably, this will be Varghese’s second stint at Madison. He previously served as the media company’s COO between 1999 to 2006. Varghese’s resignation comes seven months after the completion of Reliance-Disney merger in November 2024, and the subsequent formation of the consolidated entity, JioStar. Prior to this, he was the executive vice-president (EVP) and head of network of ad sales at The Walt Disney Company. Read the full article here - https://lnkd.in/g5qV9iEN #news #Inc42 #tech #media #startupnews #startup #businessnews #business #resignation #India #growth #CXO #founders

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Radhika Gupta, MD & CEO of Edelweiss Asset Management, has taken to social media to voice frustration over the worsening condition of Gurgaon’s Golf Course Extension Road. Terming it “Pothole Extension Road” and even “Crater Connection,” Gupta highlighted how the Delhi-Gurgaon commute becomes a nightmare during the monsoon. She pointed out the irony: while Gurgaon boasts about ₹100 crore luxury apartments, the city’s basic infrastructure, especially roads, needs urgent attention. As India’s “Millennium City,” Gurgaon often represents rapid urbanization and growth—but Gupta’s post is a reminder that world-class infrastructure must come before luxury real estate ambitions. #gurugram #poorInfrastructure #realEstate #startupHUB #startupUpdates #startupro

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