PNN
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 7: Dentsu India and IWMBuzz Media have announced a marquee multi-year strategic partnership to shape India's evolving OTT ecosystem - spanning culture, content, and commerce. The collaboration kicks off with Season 8 of the IWMBuzz Digital Awards and will be complemented by the dentsu-IWMBuzz OTT Report, an industry study tracking how content is created, consumed, and monetised in India.
Now in its eighth season, the awards command a passionate, digitally-native audience across India. They honour outstanding creative achievement across web series, digital films, podcasts, youth content, and non-fiction. Categories span acting, direction, cinematography, editing, music, VFX, breakout debuts, and viral performances shaping the next era of Indian storytelling.
Under the alliance, dentsu & IWMBuzz Media will lead integrated media planning, sponsorship activation, and full-spectrum marketing, while also developing the platform's knowledge ecosystem. The goal: amplify the platform's national footprint, drive measurable partner ROI, and establish it as the definitive destination for brands investing in India's digital entertainment economy - across three consecutive seasons.
For brand partners, this means access to one of India's most engaged entertainment audiences - at scale, with strategic precision, and across every major media channel.
Season 8: Bigger in Every Dimension
Season 8 will feature a distinguished jury and a curated blend of popular and editorial categories. A high-impact red-carpet event will bring together India's leading entertainment names. Brand partners will benefit from a comprehensive multi-platform presence - spanning digital, television, streaming, OOH, print, radio, and on-ground activations. Celebrity and influencer integrations will extend brand reach well beyond the event itself.
The dentsu-IWMBuzz OTT Report
The inaugural edition will offer a forward-looking view of the shifts shaping Indian OTT. As the ecosystem evolves, it will decode the move from volume-led content to more crafted, culturally resonant storytelling - and what that means for brands, creators, and platforms.
Bringing together data, industry perspectives, and cultural insight, the report will surface where attention is shifting, how engagement is deepening, and where the next wave of growth is emerging - giving partners a sharper lens on how to participate meaningfully in India's OTT economy.
Harsha Razdan, CEO, South Asia, dentsu said, "India has always been a nation of storytellers. OTT has simply given those storytellers the biggest stage they have ever had. The IWMBuzz Digital Awards honours the finest among them. Dentsu is honoured to power that celebration for the next editions. Great work deserves great recognition. Great recognition deserves great reach. We are here to deliver exactly that."
Narayan Devanathan, President & Chief Strategy Officer, South Asia, dentsu added, "OTT is where Indian culture is being written right now. In living rooms, on mobile screens, in languages and stories that reach every corner of Bharat. The IWMBuzz Digital Awards sits at the intersection of creative excellence and cultural momentum. Our role is to ensure every brand partner enters this space with precision. Knowing exactly who they are speaking to. And how to build enduring equity. The window for genuine cultural relevance in OTT is open. We are here to make sure our partners walk through it."
Siddhartha Laik, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, IWMBuzz Media commented, "Seven seasons in, we have seen the IWMBuzz Digital Awards grow alongside the OTT ecosystem itself. The creators redefining Indian entertainment deserve to be celebrated at scale. Partnering with dentsu brings added strategic depth and execution strength as we take the platform into its next phase of growth. This is the partnership that transforms the IWMBuzz Digital Awards from India's biggest OTT celebration into India's most powerful entertainment business platform."
A Proven Model for Brand Value
This marks dentsu's second major multi-year collaboration with IWMBuzz Media. It builds on the dentsu-IWMBuzz India Gaming Awards and India Gaming Report - an alliance that delivered significant, measurable brand value for partners across multiple seasons. The OTT partnership follows the same blueprint. Brands that came in early on Gaming saw outsized returns. Season 8 of the IWMBuzz Digital Awards represents that same early-mover opportunity - in a category that is growing faster, reaching wider, and mattering more to Indian consumers every single year.
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