IVM Podcasts announces senior leadership

New Delhi: Podcast network IVM Podcasts has announced Meghnad S. as creative director (non-fiction) and Safura Ubaid as the company’s creative director for fiction content.

As creative director (non-fiction), Meghnad S. will seek concepts and oversee operations from conceptualization to execution of content in the non-fiction genre. The podcast network has an array of non-fiction podcasts including finance, political, current affairs, and sports. Meghnad has previously worked as a journalist, author and content creator of videos, podcasts and columns. Ubaid, meanwhile, will look for ideas, adapt concepts and stories and manage the existing portfolio of fiction audio dramas. Ubaid has previously been involved in creating content for platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Universal Pictures, and Fox Star Studios among others.

"We’re living in a golden age of storytelling and what's fascinating is we are witnessing a massive consumer shift in the consumption of stories. I look forward to building a strong premium fiction slate within an ecosystem where stories can shapeshift into high-quality scripted audio and video content,” Ubaid said in a statement.

By bringing in the best talent and fortifying the management team, the company is ensuring its business is ready to navigate and scale in a fast-evolving content landscape, Amit Doshi, head, IVM Podcasts-Pratilipi said in a statement.

According to findings from the Media and Entertainment Outlook 2020, a report by multinational professional services network of firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers or PwC, OTT video, along with Internet advertising, video games and e-sports and music, radio and podcasts are the top four segments expected to see revenue growth in the country over the next four years.

Fuelled by the uptake of music streaming brands and people turning to motivational, spiritual, fun and fitness content during the lockdown, India has emerged as the third-largest podcast listening market in the world after China and the US, with 57.6 million monthly listeners, the report said.