Karan Bedi at #StreamNext2025 highlights streaming’s dominance in the media landscape

Speaking at the #StreamNext2025 conference by Amazon MX Player, Karan Bedi, Director & Head at Amazon MX Player, shared insights into India’s rapidly evolving digital video ecosystem. He emphasised the shift from traditional TV to digital streaming, the unmatched engagement levels of curated content, and the impact of streaming on advertising ROI.

Bedi highlighted the explosive growth of digital video consumption in India. “Today, there are 450 million users consuming video on digital devices, a number expected to reach 600 million by the end of this year or early next year,” he noted. This transformation is not limited to a single demographic but is occurring “across age groups, income groups, and genders.”

The rise of digital video is driven by audience migration from TV to streaming platforms, making digital the new mass consumption medium. Beyond just reach, Bedi underscored that digital platforms offer significantly higher engagement levels.

“A higher proportion of users now engage with ads while streaming on digital devices than they do while watching TV,” he stated. More importantly, streaming delivers superior ROI at every stage of the marketing funnel—awareness, consideration, and purchase. “While streaming scores well on immediate impact, its long-term effect is even more pronounced, with the gap widening over time,” Bedi explained.

He attributed this to a fundamental difference in user behavior. “TV has always been a passive consumption medium, whereas digital streaming is an active one,” he said, reinforcing that active viewers engage more deeply with content and advertising.

Bedi also distinguished between curated streaming content and user-generated content (UGC), emphasizing that premium, professionally created content drives stronger engagement and ad effectiveness. “Users are more invested when watching immersive stories, which means ads are not just seen but remembered and acted upon,” he noted.

In a major industry move, Amazon acquired MX Player in September 2024. Bedi likened the partnership to a successful cricket duo, saying, “Much like an awesome batting partnership, it’s been a very successful jodi.”

With India’s digital video audience expanding rapidly, Amazon MX Player aims to solidify its position as a leader in the streaming revolution, offering brands a high-impact advertising platform in an increasingly digital-first world.