The Pitch CMO Summit 2025 held in Mumbai on March 21, 2025, saw an insightful spotlight session titled ‘Power of JioStar Entertainment Network’, where Ajit Varghese, Head - Revenue, Entertainment & International, JioStar, discussed the evolving media landscape, the merger of major media players, how brands can leverage a multiscreen approach for greater impact and the importance of the A.C.E. Framework.
Varghese began by acknowledging the significant shifts in the media environment over the past few years. He emphasized that unlike the West, where digital growth has come at the expense of television, India presents a unique scenario where multiple mediums are coexisting and thriving simultaneously. "Indian media is about the coexistence of multiple mediums and compounding reach. It’s not about TV versus digital; it’s about how they work together to maximize effectiveness," he stated.
Highlighting the merger of Jio, Disney, and Viacom18, Varghese noted that the integration had created a formidable media conglomerate. He elaborated on how the combined strengths of these entities would provide marketers with unprecedented reach and engagement. "With the merger, we have spent the last three months streamlining operations. Now, it’s about what we bring to the table for marketers," he said.
Adding to reach and engagement, Ajit further elaborated on today’s attention-deficit economy. Breaking through the noise requires more than just reach—it demands attentive reach. JioStar’s ACE Framework ensures brands don’t just get noticed but truly connect and drive impact. Attention places brands in high engagement moments that matter, ensuring visibility translates into impact. Context seamlessly integrates brand messaging with premium, high-quality content, enhancing relevance and recall. Emotion taps into the power of storytelling to create deep audience connections, driving stronger brand consideration. Ajit further emphasizes “With 75% higher creative effectiveness, 90% stronger message impact, and 2X higher brand consideration, ACE helps brands cut through the clutter and win in the evolving media landscape”.
One of the major shifts in content consumption, he pointed out, has been the explosive growth of OTT platforms. Over the last five years, streaming consumption has grown tenfold, with OTT penetration reaching 550 million viewers. This, however, has not led to a decline in television viewership, which still commands an audience of 900 million. Shows like Bigg Boss illustrate this trend, with television contributing 55% of viewership and digital platforms accounting for the remaining 45%. Varghese further explained that the watch time of digital has grown
3x to 5x in the last three years, but television ratings have not fallen. He added that thus it’s a complementary ecosystem, not a zero-sum game.
While recognizing the importance of performance marketing, Varghese stressed that brand building remains essential for long-term success. "If we only look at intent signals as the power of marketing, we are renting our consumers, not owning them. True brand loyalty comes from building a deep brand connection much before the intent stage," he remarked.
JioStar’s goal, he stated, is to become the largest platform in the attention economy. With a weekly reach of 750+ million users across television and digital, JioStar is positioning itself as the go-to platform for advertisers looking to maximize reach and engagement. He concluded, "Attention is not about just making consumers look at your ad—it’s about creating a long-lasting impression that drives brand loyalty and intent.”
The session underscored the importance of integrating television, digital, and streaming platforms into a unified marketing strategy. As JioStar continues to expand its content offerings and audience reach, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to harness the power of India’s evolving media landscape.
.jpg)
