Content India 2026 kicked off in Mumbai with a strong focus on global collaboration and storytelling innovation, bringing together leading voices from OTT platforms, broadcasters, studios and production houses. Organised by Dish TV India in partnership with C21Media, the three-day summit opened with its much-anticipated Copro Pitch, setting the tone for conversations around the evolving content ecosystem.

According to a press release, the opening session featured creators from across the world presenting scripted and unscripted television concepts to an international jury that included Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister. Hosted by Mayank Shekhar, the session highlighted emerging ideas nd formats that reflect the growing ambition of Indian and global storytellers.

Seven shortlisted projects were presented, spanning diverse genres and formats. These included Dirty Minds, a dark comedy-drama set in Mumbai exploring mental health; ‘Djinn Patrol’, a coming-of-age mystery rooted in Delhi neighbourhoods; and ‘Kanpur X Satori’, a techno-thriller centred on a teenage gaming prodigy. Other projects such as ‘The Age of Kali’, an investigative crime drama blending mythology with modern storytelling, and ‘The Masala Quest’, a documentary on India’s spice heritage, reflected the wide thematic range on display. The line-up also featured ‘Respawn – India’s Esports Revolution’, charting the growth of competitive gaming, and Scary Goose, a reality-horror format combining gaming with immersive fear.

At the conclusion of the pitch, ‘Djinn Patrol’ and ‘The Masala Quest’ were announced as winners. The creators of Djinn Patrol, along with associated global partners, and Sarina Kamini, creator of ‘The Masala Quest’, each received a £10,000 marketing prize from C21Media to support development and international promotion. The winning projects underscored the growing global appetite for Indian stories and the diversity of voices emerging from the region.

Manoj Dobhal, CEO and Executive Director of Dish TV India, said the platform was created to bridge gaps within the industry and enable collaboration across producers, platforms and technology partners. He emphasised that India’s content ecosystem needs shared spaces where ideas, talent and investment can come together to unlock growth and global reach.

The summit also featured the Content India Trends Report, offering insights into industry dynamics and future projections. Daoud Jackson of Omdia noted that by 2030, online video in India is expected to nearly double the revenue of traditional television, becoming the primary growth driver. He highlighted the rapid rise of digital consumption, with India emerging as a major contributor to global video content creation and engagement.

Adding to this, Hannah Walsh of Ampere Analysis pointed out that India has become a global content powerhouse, producing tens of thousands of titles and significantly increasing its share of Asia-Pacific content spend. She highlighted strong export demand for Indian content across markets such as the Middle East, the US and Southeast Asia, with genres like crime, thriller and family content leading the way.

Alongside the pitch and report, the summit hosted multiple sessions featuring senior executives from leading platforms and networks. These discussions focused on shifting consumption patterns across languages and formats, as well as challenges around audience engagement, discovery and monetisation.

With a mix of fresh storytelling talent, market intelligence and industry dialogue, Content India 2026 reinforced India’s growing influence in the global content landscape and its emergence as a key hub for creative innovation.