This episode of MediaBrief.com’s very special podcast series, The Master’s Voice, features Akash Banerji, Business Head of AVOD at VOOT, and one of the top professionals in the OTT space, with Pavan R Chawla, an expert in Media, Marketing, Advertising and Digital, and Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com.
Akash is a launch specialist and turnaround expert who launched VOOT in May 2016 as the premium digital video on demand platform clocking spectacular platform engagement numbers and driving high acquisition numbers.
Prior to VOOT, Akash also led the impactful marketing launch of the Hotstar app, leading to the fastest adoption of a digital service anywhere in the world, and helping truly create the category of OTT for the mass viewers in India. Prior to that, Akash, also a very successful broadcast marketer, drove the impactful marketing of the launch of the new Star Sports network in November 2013.
Here are some nuggets from Akash Banerji in The Master’s Voice:
- Regional for us is now mainstream. Regional is the new national.My monetization on the back of regional content is 22-23%, which mirrors the consumption contribution as well.
- We've realized that if you try doing all the heavy lifting yourself, you'll be left alone. This age is about closely collaborating with varied, multiple partners.
- We live in a world of clutter. If it's not seen, if it's not pushed, if it's note promoted, it's not going to be consumed.
- Everyone in media is in the business of driving habit. Everything else is riff-raff
- We’re moving away from the metric of mesurement from being MAU or DAU or even Watch time, to CLTV - Consumer Lifetime Value
- 30... 35... 40 OTT platforms for a diverse market like India, is a very small number.
- Instead of adopting smart segmentation, the OTT category generally has been trying to do everything for all. I think this madness about VC funds being brought down, and a lot of consolidation stories that we hear, are a good sign for the industry.It tells them that if you're not going to segment your target audiences any more, you're not going to be in this business at all.
- You cannot be in this (OTT) business if you're in it only for the optics of it. A lot of platforms are in the business to drive the valuation game -- the billboards on the western express Highway (in Mumbai are examples of this)
- The accessibility of conversion, from the offline world to the online world (in India) will happen via the AVOD route. There is no abatement of growth that we see on the AVOD side.
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