Era of mediocre content to end soon, says Sony Pictures' Banerjee

“The days of mediocre content are coming to an end,” said Gaurav Banerjee, managing director and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI). He said this while addressing the audience at the ‘Future of Video India 2025’ conference held in Mumbai recently. With established players in video production investing heavily into video content creation for television and OTT platforms, the quality barrier in content production has risen, making it difficult for mediocrity to survive.

During his speech, Banerjee outlined SPNI’s shift from traditional pay TV to a content studio model, utilising both, broadcast and digital platforms, to maximise monetisation and reach. He also opined that artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity to enhance creativity and ensure safety for both creators and consumers.

The conference, held as part of the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit 2025 (WAVES 2025), was attended by over 120 industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers. Organised by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), the event featured sessions on content creation, distribution, and monetisation strategies, and regulatory frameworks. The conference was supported by Publica by IAS as gold sponsor and Invidi, Measat, and PubMatic as silver sponsors.

The event’s opening note was delivered by Abhay Shanker Verma, principal advisor (broadcasting and cable services), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). He stressed on the need to create a level playing field and light-touch regulations to foster growth and innovation. He expressed India’s ambitions to become a global content hub and the government’s decision to establish Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) to equip the next generation of digital content creators with skills and tools to excel in the global digital content industry.

Vivek Couto, managing and executive director, Media Partners Asia briefed the assembly about the transformations happening in India’s premium video sector during the last one year. He opined that there was enough revenue opportunities in this field for seven to eight players at the top to grow. The connected TV ecosystem, he commented, would be very important for the advertising industry’s growth. “We are just beginning to see the collaboration and cooperation needed to drive this industry forward,” Couto said.

Kelly Day, head of international and vice president, Prime Video, shared her organisation’s strategy to transform Prime Video into an entertainment hub amid India’s evolving content consumption landscape. Day emphasised the importance of offering a wide range of content to cater to diverse customer preferences. “We want to be the first place that people think of when they want to watch something,” she said.

Stating that innovation and consistency were not opposites, Monika Shergill, vice president – content at Netflix India said that creative excellence, innovation, fuelling emotional connections through bold and imaginative storytelling, shooting across thousands of cities to create a diverse slate, were keys to winning in the diverse Indian market.

During his address at the conference, Sushant Sreeram, chief marketing officer at JioStar, highlighted his organisation’s focus on emotional engagement, personalised content, and innovative monetisation strategies to drive growth and retention. “An aspiration and ambition to get to one billion screens requires us to reimagine everything—from the way we market to our service and the content we offer,” he said.

The event also comprised a panel discussion on the potential opportunities CTV offers to advertisers in premium video advertising in India. Vineet Rastogi, director of product for India and EMEA at Invidi, said “It is not a question of choosing between linear and streaming, it’s about how to combine the two.” Saurabh Srivastava, chief operating officer for digital at Shemaroo Entertainment stressed the need for a new mindset to leverage CTV’s targeted and engaging capabilities.

Clem Birdsall, senior publisher and platform director for APAC at Publica by IAS, said that programmatic buying offered more opportunities for advertisers compared to direct buying, which, in turn, often has a higher entry threshold. Commenting on the challenges in building brand engagement in the CTV landscape, Ranjana Mangla, SVP and head of ad revenue, Sony LIV, Sony Pictures Networks India highlighted the need for a unified measurement system to ensure transparency. Luke Smith, senior director – CTV and online video, APAC, PubMatic opined that while TV traditionally suited top-of-the-funnel advertising, it now offers unprecedented opportunities for advertisers.

In his concluding remarks, Vynsley Fernandes, whole-time director at Hinduja Global Solutions and chief executive officer at Nxtdigital stressed the importance of expanding broadband services and launching satellite initiatives to serve remote areas better.