What does it mean to have a podcast in India today?
Who is even considered a podcaster? Is podcasting limited to the audio medium or can it be extended to video as well? How does the future of Indian podcasting look in 2023 – 2024? These are some of the questions that will be answered at the HT Smartcast x Mint PodMasters Conclave & Awards. A unique event where celebrities, experts and industry professionals from all over India come together to define the future of this new-age medium for the first time, especially by recognizing the efforts of creators.
So, what does it take to be a part of such an event? And what’s in it for you?
Apart from getting relevant industry insights, meeting industry legends and potential collaborators who could take your podcast to the next level, you also stand a chance to win big at the PodMasters Awards Ceremony.
All you have to do is visit https://events.htmedia.in/podmasters, check if your podcast meets the eligibility criteria, and nominate your podcast. From Business, News, Fiction, Society & Culture to Sports, Arts, and Erotica – you have about 20 diverse categories to choose from.
But, wait! Which companies are responsible for bringing the Indian Podcast Industry together?
In the true spirit of this event being an industry initiative, HT Smartcast, HT Media’s Podcast Arm, partners with IVM Podcasts, Ideabrew Studios, WYN Studio, Hubhopper, Aawaz.com and MnM Talkies.
These companies produce, curate and promote podcasts that aim to inform, educate, entertain, and empower their listeners. Notably, they resonate with audiences across the length and breadth of India.
These principles also extend to how the jury for this event has been meticulously selected.
The jury consists of industry veterans such as Kavita Rajwade from IVM Podcasts, Sreeraman Thyagrajan from Awaaz.com, Mae Thomas from Maed In India, Gautam Raj Anand from Hubhopper, Roshan Abbas from Kommune, Sonal Kalra from HT, Bijay Gautam from WYN Studio, Varun Duggirala from EMoMee and more.
Here’s what Ramesh Menon, CEO of Fever Network has to say about the coming together of industry giants, ‘Podcasting as an industry is at that tipping point and a breakout is imminent. To get to scale in any industry, one needs to unselfishly bring all the stakeholders together on one platform so that sincere and authentic conversations can be initiated about all that’s important to grow the industry. The Podmasters Conclave & Awards is our attempt to create such a forum.
We kick off the event with the most important stakeholders of them all – its creators. We are calling podcast hosts, producers, editors and writers to nominate their podcasts for the HT Smartcast X Mint Podmasters Awards, get national recognition for their work and become the catalysts for the next phase of growth of the industry, inspiring and encouraging many more to join the medium.’
Our jury is no less excited. ‘The podcasting space has evolved and grown since its indie days to truly being mainstream in today’s media landscape and these awards are a testament of the space maturing and growing. And the best part is, it’s only just getting started’, says Varun Duggirala, Co-Founder, EMoMee and podcast host of Take A Pause and Advertising Is Dead.
Now, if you’re already imagining how it would feel to receive an award from such an esteemed jury on the national stage, then take into consideration a couple of things before you nominate your podcast.
Your podcast must have at least 7 episodes and the latest episode should have been released in 2023. YouTube links won’t be accepted. The link has to be to a podcasting streaming audio platform. Each podcast submitted must be an original creation. One podcast can be considered for only one category of awards and cannot be nominated in multiple categories. To know more about the eligibility criteria and access the full terms and conditions log onto https://events.htmedia.in/podmasters
Because here’s the truth about the Indian Podcasting Landscape.
As per the PwC report, Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020–2024, we have known for a while that, after China and the US, India is already the third-largest podcast listening market in the world with 57.6 monthly listeners.
Now, according to Statista, the Podcast Advertising market in India is projected to reach a revenue of US$61.60m by 2023. The number of users in the Podcast Advertising market is expected to reach 53.0m users. The user penetration rate is anticipated to be 2.4% in 2023 and is projected to increase to 3.6% by 2027. India’s podcast advertising market is experiencing rapid growth due to the increasing popularity of digital audio content consumption among its tech-savvy population.
But, these numbers can’t be achieved alone. So, come attend the HT Smartcast X Mint Pomasters Conclave and nominate your podcast for Awards. Win the acknowledgment and recognition of industry experts. Expand your network and become a founding member of this ever-growing community.
Register yourself and your team here!
