Short-video platforms’ adex to surge by 30%; advertisers split over homegrown apps’ effectiveness

India’s short video platforms generated around $100 million in FY24, contributing ~2% to the digital ad spend.

Homegrown short-video platforms are seeing renewed advertiser interest despite ongoing concerns over monetization, content moderation, and algorithmic shortcomings. While YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels dominate the market, homegrown platforms are banking on hyper-local content to carve out a niche.

NASSCOM opposes DPDPA rules on cross-border data transfer restrictions

NASSCOM opposed the government's plan to restrict cross-border data transfer by SDFs, asserting that the proposal risks causing unintended uncertainty about international data transfers.

Indian non-governmental trade association and advocacy group, NASSCOM, has opposed the government’s plan to restrict cross-border data transfer by significant data fiduciaries, asserting that the move could discourage investment, impact global competitiveness, and increase compliance costs for companies.

IAMAI urges MeitY for 24-month implementation period of DPDPA Rules

The public feedback period on draft DPDPA rules was accepted till March 5, 2025. While businesses continue to strengthen their internal structure to comply with the rules, many industry bodies have pointed out the difficulties in achieving so- especially by the small-scale startup and businesses.

In its recommendations to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has also highlighted that the Act could hinder the startups and MSMEs because of the financial and technical burden.

Ad space per publication in print witnessed mere 1% growth in 2024

Reliance BP Mobility and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra were the top exclusive advertisers in 2024 compared to the last year, according to the TAM Adex report.

In 2024, ad space per publication in the print increased by a percent compared to 2023, according to the TAM AdEx report. Top advertisers included Maruti Suzuki India, Hero Motocorp, and Reliance Retail, among others.

Punit Goenka acquires 0.29% shares of ZEEL through wife, son

In his personal capacity, Punit Goenka, through his wife and son, bought ZEEL’s shares.

Goenka’s wife Shreyasi Goenka bought 13,83,500 securities worth Rs 13.46 crore (0.14% of shareholding), and son Udayan Goenka bought 14,15,450 securities worth around Rs 13.46 crore (0.15% of shareholding).

Amazon Ads launches Sponsored TV in India

Sponsored TV campaigns leverage Amazon’s machine learning-powered optimisation models, which are informed by Amazon’s first-party shopping and entertainment signals.

Amazon Ads’ latest service offers brands an efficient and cost-effective way to reach audiences via Amazon’s premium streaming content, starting with Amazon MX Player.

Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola: Will the 2025 cola war spark enough buzz?

Despite the 'war frenzy', some believe brands like Coke and Pepsi may not capture the public imagination as dominantly as they once did, mainly because the category itself is not as dominant as it once was. (Image source: CNBC)

While fans and consumers are eager for a classic rivalry to unfold, experts predict Pepsi’s latest salvo to remain at the tease stage and lighthearted, with Coca-Cola unlikely to take the bait for a full-blown competition.