It’s a misconception that YouTube has highest reach, TV still leads: Media honchos

The future of India’s Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry was dissected and celebrated as the FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Industry Report was unveiled yesterday (March 27, 2025), followed by the BAF Awards Ceremony 2025. This event, carrying the weight of FICCI Frames’ 25-year legacy, offered crucial data and recognition to the sector’s key players.

A key highlight of Day 1 was a panel discussion on ‘Power of curated storytelling in building brands’, which was chaired by Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO - Madison Media & OOH. The panelists included:

Ajit Varghese, Head of Revenue, Entertainment & International, JioStar

Prasanth Kumar, CEO - South Asia, GroupM

Ashwin Moorthy, CMO of Godrej Consumer Products Limited

Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Digital & Broadcast Revenue, Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd

Commencing the discussion, Vikram Sakhuja remarked, “Historically, brands have been built through advertising and content assets like sponsorships, integrations, and influencer collaborations. Storytelling has traditionally been driven by broadcasters with content like movies, entertainment, and sports. Now, user-generated content has revolutionized this.”

He further stated the goal of this panel is under three things:

The relevance of advertising placement.

The difference between advertising and content in brand building.

The flow of investment and how to influence it.

To understand the role of media, he turned to Ajit Varghese and asked him what additional value media provided to brands beyond its function as an advertising distribution channel.

Varghese responded by saying that he believes media’s primary role is to entertain. “Consumers seek entertainment as a respite from daily life. Storytelling is central to this, whether in content, brand narratives, or emerging content formats. From an advertiser’s perspective, media platforms attract consumers seeking entertainment, providing an audience for brand stories. The challenge arises when entertainment becomes pure shopper marketing or a marketplace. This blurs the line between providing entertainment and simply facilitating sales. We must consider the media’s core function: is it entertainment-driven storytelling, or a shopping network?”

To understand how brand building works, Sakhuja questioned Ashwin Moorthy, “Beyond sheer audience reach, does the context of ad placement significantly impact brand perception and effectiveness?”

Moorthy stood on the side of quantity rather than quality in the debate of ‘Quality vs Quantity’, elaborating, “I believe in the established contract between advertisers and entertainers: we fund content creation in exchange for advertising space. This has been the prevailing model for a century, despite claims that consumers dislike ads.”

“While exceptions exist, where high-quality, large-scale advertising fails, the general rule is that creative and effective use of advertising time yields positive results. There are also instances of successful brand integration within content, but these are less common. Ultimately, the media is a pipeline. The key is how you utilize it. If you effectively connect your brand with the entertainment, there's significant potential. However, the space for this is limited.”

He further moved to Prasanth Kumar to understand whether media agencies are overlooking the value of contextual relevance in ad delivery amid the transition from program-centric TV ad placement to audience-profile-driven digital advertising.

Kumar pointed out, “Significant evolution has occurred over the past decades, particularly in the last five years, driven by changing consumer behavior. Brand objectives are key; they dictate whether quantity or quality is prioritized, and where investments are allocated. We’re in a period of modern marketing, audiences, and behaviors, with new opportunities emerging. We’re still learning and analyzing these changes.Many brand solutions are now designed around specific objectives. TV historically focused on frequency, while digital learning is ongoing. This is a continuous learning process.”

For Moorthy, the environment is very important where he puts his message, “We are all natural storytellers, using narratives daily. Storytelling captures attention and evokes emotions, which is fundamental to the media business. Brands leverage this by crafting messages that resonate emotionally, aiming to drive purchases.”

The environment in which a message is placed is crucial. Large-screen formats, with their higher attention and engagement, create a receptive audience. This is especially true for entertainment or impactful content.

Therefore, understanding the context is vital. Whether it's the IPL, a major movie, a web series, or UGC, each platform plays a distinct role. For brand building, the first three – IPL, movies, and web series – have a significant impact. Messages absorbed in a relaxed environment tend to have a lasting effect. In contrast, UGC is driven by a dopamine culture, leading to fleeting engagement and potential neurological distraction.

Varghese said that there was a false pre-conceived notion that IPL is premium. “IPL is not premium, it is actually below 60 CPM. It is below UGC content CPM that you all are buying at. So, I think it is a misnomer. I think we need to dig deeper and understand how brands benefit from it. It is much, much bigger than calling it premium content. It is actually the cheapest content in India.”

Speaking about the attention span issue he noted, “In recent forums, the recurring theme is the consumer attention deficit. However, this issue primarily resides within social platforms and short-form or user-generated content. Professionally produced content, whether on television or OTT, demonstrably holds consumer attention.”

Adding further, Varghese said, “Consider a viewer who consistently tunes in to ‘Anupama’ at 8 PM for years. Does that indicate an attention problem? Or a loyalty issue? The consistent viewership of new shows on both television and OTT proves sustained engagement. We don’t have an attention problem with programs or platforms. This is a crucial distinction for clients to grasp.”

Ashwin Moorthy moted, “Attention is a key focus in marketing, with new media science emerging. Media fragmentation makes direct CPM comparisons challenging.Screen size significantly impacts attention, and attention levels vary within the same medium based on consumer and context.”

“Attention, as a metric, measures the actual viewing time of an ad. It's crucial because paying for a 10-second ad doesn't guarantee 10 seconds of consumer engagement. Skipping behavior exists across all media. While attention provides valuable quantitative data, and cannot be ignored, it presents challenges for advertisers to implement,” he added.

Pointing out the difference between screen sizes, Moorthy cited a recent neurological study, which revealed that ads on large screens garnered 3 to 15 times more attention than those on UGC or small-screen content. “This is attributed to the higher attention span associated with large screens, the trust factor of the content, and the strong consumer involvement with shows like ‘Anupama’. Viewers build relationships with these shows over years, and this relationship transfers to the advertised brands, a phenomenon absent on social media.”

Building brand relationships leads to long-term impact, which is essential for effective brand building. On social media, users tend to engage with familiar entities, reinforcing the importance of established relationships.

Furthering the discussion Vikram Sakhuja moved towards the difference of medium on which the acceptance rate of ad depends. He asked the panelists, “Are there distinct media environments where consumers demonstrate a higher propensity for advertising acceptance, and conversely, those where advertising is met with significant resistance and negative sentiment?”

Prasanth Kumar said, “The environment really matters. We need more studies to truly understand where consumer attention is going. There are definitely spaces where consumers are okay with ads, maybe because they see it as a trade-off for something else. But we’re making this too complicated. We’re juggling too many metrics – viewable impressions, GRPs, you name it. We need to simplify.

Personally, I think both reach and quality leads are important. We’ll learn and adapt as campaigns evolve. And great creative storytelling? That drives accountability. The key is leverage. Leverage good content and attention, wherever you find it. Even UGC can work with the right music or context. We invest heavily in creating good content. We have to balance immediate advertising results with the long-term impact of content. They both serve the consumer, just in different ways. Expertise comes from knowing how to leverage each of those areas.”

Ashwin Moorthy noted, “Brand objectives significantly influence media choices. My focus is long-term brand salience, achieved cost-effectively at scale. Other brands might prioritize cultural relevance or e-commerce participation. While various objectives exist, marketers often gravitate towards quantity due to established rules and historical success. However, context is vital for maximizing the viability of quantity. Strong, engaging contexts drive viewership, making quantity cost-effective.”

Attention varies across media. Understanding these differences provides valuable qualitative insights. This explains the diverse media spending ratios among similar advertisers, a trend less prevalent in the past. These choices are likely driven by both intuition and observed client performance.

Ajit Varghese noted, “OTT’s growth has been remarkable, especially in the last five years, with a significant surge in the past two. It is now reaching a considerable portion of engaged consumers. Ultimately, advertisers seek effective marketing and impactful messaging that resonates within relevant content. OTT offers a distinct advantage: it naturally attracts a premium audience. Because it's a paid service requiring dedicated viewing time, it filters out casual skimmers.

Unlike brief, easily skipped social media content, OTT viewers commit to longer sessions. This translates to advertisers reaching an attentive, affluent audience actively seeking specialized content. Therefore, a strategic approach prioritizes OTT. It offers access to household-level viewership, not just individual consumers. Other platforms can then be used to expand regional reach. OTT’s audience is more likely to transact, which is the desired outcome for clients: strong brand recall, meaningful engagement, and ultimately, purchases.”

While speaking about the role of CTV, Ashish Sehgal said, “We need to correct the misconception that YouTube has the highest reach. Television still leads, with 800 million viewers compared to YouTube’s 500 million. We should collectively present this data to agencies, emphasizing TV's continued dominance.

Furthermore, data supports higher attention levels on television. Combining TV and OTT reach significantly expands our audience. Regarding attention versus addiction, attention triggers oxytocin, while addiction triggers dopamine. It’s important to understand the long-term effects of dopamine-driven engagement.”

Prasanth Kumar believed, “There are two key points: first, platforms are brands themselves. Second, business context matters. Established and new brands have different needs and growth stages. Small businesses often rely heavily on specific platforms. Conversely, large brands need scale and growth solutions. If platforms, which are brands with significant content, can effectively balance the needs of both large and new brands, it benefits everyone.”

“The key takeaway is that we have diverse platforms, each with unique strengths. Brand strategy should be tailored to business size, target audience, and communication goals. It’s crucial to thoroughly evaluate each platform’s offerings. While curated content and TV offer significant value, UGC also has its place. Therefore, make informed choices, select strategic partners, and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach,” concluded Vikram Sakhuja.