TV is the prime real estate in people’s homes that’s not going anywhere: Anshul Ailawadi

What are the youth of India watching today? How are they engaging with content? Which platforms are they present on? Are the content creators able to cater to the evolving demands of a generation whose attention span is very short?

These were some of the questions that came up for discussion in a fireside chat on ‘Future of TV - Creating more immersive’ with Anshul Ailawadi, Head of Youth, Music and English Entertainment at Viacom18, on Day 1 of the 4^th edition of SCREENXX Summit and Awards 2022, held on November 17. In conversation with Ailawadi was Shanta Saikia, Editor-in-Chief, Adgully.

The evolution of TV is going to intensify in the coming years. There was a time when television was the focal point of every living room, with family members fighting for control of the remote. Consumers today have access to a wide range of viewing platforms, including connected TV, the Internet, tablets, and smartphones.

We will see the TV evolve into a personalized experience, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, as new technology and forms of entertainment are emerging. With seamless interaction between screens, personalization, and deeper levels of immersion, the future of television looks more exciting than ever. Collaboration with other media outlets is essential to keep audiences getting the right content on the right device at the moment that matters.

Due to video-on-demand content and various OTT platforms available for consumers to grab the content anywhere and anytime, we can see a change in the behaviour of consumers these days. The fireside chat also took these points into consideration, and sought to understand how TV can hold on its own and how it can be made sustainable and more relevant to the newer generations of viewers.

On the exploration of content consumption among the youth of India, Anshul Ailawadi observed, “Young people are far more connected than they were ever before, that means if the content is good, they’ll find a platform on which they want to consume, sometimes it is traditional, sometimes it’s new, sometimes it is legitimate and sometimes it is not.” “If you can create great IP, the audience will flock to you,” he added.

Like every other field, the world of AI has the potential to disrupt the world of entertainment. We have been watching the use of AI extensively to create an immersive and personalized experience. Here, Ailawadi spoke about ‘Hustle 2.0’, India’s largest hip-hop show, which used an AI-powered rapper to create buzz around the show.

Talking about the growth of connected TV in the country, he pointed out that there are 20-25 million connected TVs in India today. “If you multiply that by, let’s say four, which is approximately a family size in India, it means that 85 million people are already enjoying the connected TV experience.”

Speaking about the monetisation opportunities, Ailawadi said, “Our ecosystem has two revenue streams – one is advertising and the other is subscription, on the advertising side, the data allows you to be more relevant and more targeted; whereas on the subscription side, it gives you a chance to extract the maximum value from the viewer.”

Emphasising on the strength of television, Ailawadi called it a “prime real estate” in people’s homes. “It is the nucleus around which everyone gets together and which offers a large, comfortable experience. If you view television this way, it is only going to grow exponentially. Television is not going anywhere,” he said emphatically.

For the complete session, watch below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBLcESjOVv0