Category: Digital

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.

Social media blunder helps Kochi police bust international piracy network

Streaming Pakistani channels in India is illegal and poses a potential national security threat. The Kerala Police are now considering filing more serious charges against the accused, depending on further investigations.

The suspects are allegedly also part of an international piracy syndicate that streamed banned Pakistani channels through their website.

Nazara sells 94.86% stake in Openplay, will invest Rs 2.17 crore in ReelSaga

ReelSaga targets India's mobile-first youth with short, serialized video series. The app will offer bite-sized entertainment, with episodes lasting one to two minutes, and monetize through per-episode microtransactions and subscription options for high-spending users.

ReelSaga, founded in 2024, aims to become a leader in India’s serialized short drama video market, a rapidly growing segment in the US and China.

IndiaAI mission marks milestone with launch of AIKosha, compute portal, and key initiatives

Among the key initiatives launched were AIKosha: IndiaAI Datasets Platform, the AI Compute Portal, the AI Competency Framework for Public Sector Officials, iGOT-AI Mission Karmayogi, the IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Program with Station F, the IndiaAI Application Development Initiative, and IndiaAI FutureSkills.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveils transformative AI infrastructure to propel India’s AI leadership.

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.

No brands, no dreams: Esports for women dead in India

According to industry experts, male players in top-tier esports organizations earn between Rs 2-3 lakhs per month, while their female counterparts are paid a mere Rs 30,000-40,000.

Esports in India has seen a meteoric rise over the past decade, but it has remained largely male-dominated. While various organizations have attempted to foster female participation, their efforts have been short-lived.