There has always been an unspoken agreement between viewers and premium streaming platforms. Subscribers have paid for stories, not interruptions. Yet, as content costs have continued to rise and audiences have demanded fresh entertainment almost every day, the search for new revenue streams has often brought an uncomfortable trade-off: more advertising at the expense of experience.
What if the answer has never been inside the show itself?
In an interaction with Marketing Mind, Russhabh R Thakkar, Founder and CEO, Frodoh, and Sandeep Bansal, CEO, Chaupal, have explained how the two companies have partnered to create what they believe is an entirely new advertising category for India’s OTT ecosystem, one that has sought to monetise attention before the content begins, rather than interrupting it once it has.
Before the story begins, a new advertising real estate has emerged. For Thakkar, the opportunity had been hiding in plain sight.
“We jumped on an opportunity that had been floating in our heads for a long time. Platforms needed incremental revenue without disrupting the user journey. It became a win-win-win situation. It does not disturb the consumer, it creates a completely new ad format for advertisers and it unlocks an entirely new total addressable market for OTT platforms,” he said.
According to him, the challenge was never simply about inserting ads but about preserving the experience users had signed up for.
“Our brief was very clear. We wanted to partner with Chaupal in a way that would not disrupt the flow. A lot of work has gone behind maintaining the same UI, the same UX and ensuring that latency does not become an issue,” Thakkar noted.
Bansal revealed that the conviction around the idea had arrived almost immediately.
“When I met Russhabh, I said in our very first meeting that I wanted to do this. I liked the idea, his energy and his team. More importantly, it offered a different way of monetising without disturbing the viewing flow,” he said.
The concept was tested extensively before being rolled out. “We tested it within our office and showed it to a few people. Nobody felt they were being intruded upon. Their viewing experience was not being disturbed. That gave us the confidence to decide where exactly the format should sit,” Bansal added.
Thakkar argued that viewers have become increasingly intolerant of interruptions.
“When you watch YouTube without Premium, the first thing you see is an ad instead of your video. That is intrusive. People also feel the same when ads suddenly appear inside premium platforms. Seamless is what we have tried to achieve. Users are already spending time discovering content. If they see an ad during that natural discovery journey, they are far more forgiving because they are not being forced into pre-rolls or mid-rolls,” he explained.
Why The Home Screen Has Become Advertising’s Next Frontier
Thakkar believes the industry’s biggest opportunity lies not within the content but in the moments when consumers are deciding what to watch.
“The home screen is the single biggest real estate. That is where users land and spend a lot of time. It can evolve into a masthead, a sponsored row or premium placements that brands can own for a month or even longer. I foresee this becoming a valuable asset for the industry,” he said.
His conviction stems from a simple consumer habit.
“In your television journey, you go to YouTube, come back, open Netflix, return to the home screen, move to another app and repeat the cycle. You keep pressing the home button. That answers the question about why this space matters. Showing ads while consumers are watching content becomes irritating. Discovery is where advertising can naturally live,” he remarked.
Thakkar also believes that the innovation could significantly expand the connected television economy.
“Television advertising is worth around Rs 56,000 crore while connected TV is only about Rs 4,500-5,000 crore. Considering the penetration levels, the market should eventually be much larger. This innovation can help accelerate that growth and take the category to another level,” he said.
For Chaupal, which has positioned itself as a premium regional destination, maintaining that experience has remained non-negotiable.
“Content is expensive and audiences want something new every day. We have to keep growing and diversify revenues. But our users do not want advertisements while they are watching. We are positioned as a premium regional platform and this format fits perfectly with that philosophy,” Bansal stated.
He also revealed that Chaupal has remained focused on strengthening Punjabi, Haryanvi and Bhojpuri before expanding further.
“We have stabilised Punjabi and are working on scaling Hindi and Bhojpuri. That is our focus this year. Next year, we plan to enter more regional languages,” he said.
From Micro Dramas To AI-Led Personalisation, The Road Ahead Has Already Begun
The partnership has represented more than a monetisation initiative. According to Thakkar, it has opened doors to entirely new forms of branded entertainment. “We are very excited about first-screen discovery and brand integrations. Another area we are equally excited about is content commerce. By the end of the year, people will start seeing content commerce becoming more prominent,” he said.
He also sees branded micro dramas becoming an important avenue for marketers.
“Brands are creating micro dramas, but they need distribution. If a brand creates a series with multiple episodes and those are hosted on an OTT platform for several weeks, it can create enormous value for the advertiser,” Thakkar explained.
On the measurement front, he suggested that the industry has relied on traditional methods for far too long. “If products are moving off shelves, if brand searches are increasing or if quick commerce purchases are seeing an uptick, those are strong indicators. But we are also planning something that will be the first of its kind in India. We want to launch brand-lift studies on Chaupal itself. Brands will be able to understand regional preferences in a much deeper way,” he said.
Artificial intelligence, according to him, will play a significant role in refining audience experiences.
“AI will tell us where discovery is happening, where dwell time is increasing and where click-through rates are strongest. It will help us personalise placements and ensure brands get better value for their investments,” Thakkar said.
Bansal, however, maintained that storytelling would continue to remain deeply human.
“We are exploring AI and discussing possibilities, but original storytelling will continue to matter. Movies are all about emotions, and emotions are difficult to replace. AI may help in parts, especially for shorter formats, but the human touch will always remain important,” he concluded.
At a time when the streaming industry has continued to wrestle with the delicate balance between growth and experience, Frodoh and Chaupal have attempted to answer a question that has troubled premium platforms for years.
Perhaps the future of OTT advertising has never been about interrupting stories. Perhaps it has simply been about knowing when not to.
