In a conversation charged with vision and verve industry thought-leaders from India’s M&E dwelt on various aspects of streaming and how technology is changing the way a story is told to audiences even as opportunities abound in a country like India that has always had a tradition of story-telling since time-immemorial. Remember the stories told every night by grandmas and family elders to generations of Indians and how they resonated and shaped us all, including our characters?

A panel discussion, themed ‘OTT Revolution: How AI, Personalization & Interactive Content Are Changing the Streaming Landscape’ at WAVES 2025 on May 3 brought together some of the most influential minds in the streaming industry to dwell on various aspects of the streaming phenomenon.

Moderated by Rohit Jain, President of Lionsgate Play Asia, the discussion explored how India’s deep storytelling legacy is undergoing a powerful transformation, as artificial intelligence and interactivity reshape how stories are told, delivered and experienced.

Opening the session, according to a gist of the session put out by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting yesterday, Jain paid homage to India’s storytelling heritage and spoke of the fascinating shift underway and how technology is transforming not just what people watch but how people connect through stories.

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice-President for Asia-Pacific & MENA, spoke of personalization as a layered process. “We begin by understanding what viewers want—their moods, their taste patterns. And in a multilingual country like ours, it’s also about enabling linguistic exploration,” he said.

Monika Shergill of Netflix described today’s content landscape as a first in human history—a convergence of creativity and machine learning. “You may come for crime thrillers, but you also see what’s trending. The goal is to serve the viewer while building a shared cultural pulse,” she said.

For Bharath Ram, viewer behaviour leaves a trail. “Most people, like Sherlock Holmes’ suspects, leave clues when they visit a platform. We follow those clues to recommend content -regional, niche, popular, everything that keeps them engaged,” he noted.

The discussion then turned to storytelling itself. Gaurav Banerjee, MD & CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, invoked the enduring strength of a good story.

“When something resonates with the moment, audiences will find it. The belief in blockbusters is about identifying stories and storytellers that meet the cultural moment head-on,” he noted, referencing homegrown cinematic successes that defied larger industry downturns.

Reflecting on the dramatic evolution from linear formats to creator-led ecosystems, Hungama’s Neeraj Roy highlighted the aggregation brought by digital platforms.

“From music videos to massive creator universes, platforms like YouTube transformed everything. Now, with generative technologies, we stand at the edge of something even bigger,” he said.

The conversation then turned to interactivity. Gandhi explained that Prime Video uses interactive features that enhance, rather than disrupt, the story. “You give just enough, never too much, to feed the fan journey,” he shared.

Shergill elaborated on how Netflix has embraced interactivity, especially through its foray into gaming. “Immersion is the new engagement. And personalization helps every great story travel further,” she said.

Jain also raised the question of how great stories are discovered. Banerjee responded that storytellers often find their voice organically. “The world is shifting. Take Bhuvan Bam, he found his moment, his voice. We just need to recognize those moments and play to them,” he said.

Shergill closed by pointing to the untapped potential of India’s creative landscape. “We haven’t explored India enough. The human capital here is extraordinary.  Purpose-driven AI, paired with rich storytelling, can create value that lasts,” she said.

The panel closed on a note of optimism, about technology, but more importantly about imagination, immersion, and India’s boundless creative spirit.