Mica’s media and entertainment management area to focus on new age OTT, consumer & technology

Ahmedabad: As the pandemic has fueled demand in specific sectors and upended our consumption patterns, MICA Ahmedabad will now heavily focus on the new age Over-The-Top (OTT) content consumption and understanding the changes in business practices.
MICA's Media and Entertainment Management (MEM) area will emphasize content, consumer, technology transformation, and OTT disruption to the traditional media business.
MICA's MEM area has introduced three new courses focusing on transformative practices to catch the industry changes, OTT-driven content, platform, consumer business, and business practices changes.
These courses will help the second-year students to understand the business of content and platforms, technology, data, consumer experience, managing OTT business, and integration of media labs

Some of the courses are developed and delivered in collaboration with leaders from the industry like Ms. Swati Mohan, EX-CMO, Netflix, Ms. Pooja Verma, Head, the Brand Lab, Hotstar, Mr. Tarun Katial, Ex-CEO, Zee 5, Ms. Natanshi Lodha, Marketing Manager, DocuBay and EPIC channel, Mr. Anand Chakravarthy, Ex-MD, Essence and many others.

Dr. Shailendra Raj Mehta, President & Director, MICA, said, “As the world took a giant pause in 2020, a lot of upheavals occurred in media consumption patterns. The flourishing OTT segment was one of the outcome of the pandemic. The wave has already begun and is only going to move upwards from here. Considering this, we have crafted the curriculum to stay relevant to the needs of the sector.”

MICA's media lab is now equipped with IRS, BARC, comScore, Meltwater, and Frrole to ensure industry immersive experiences.
Speaking about the same, Prof. Santosh K. Patra, Head, MEM at MICA, said, "M&E management is one of the core focus areas of MICA, and we always strive to live the needs of the transformation of the industry. The industry is witnessing a tectonic shift, so as the consumers. Considering this, we have crafted the curriculum to stay relevant to the needs of the sector.

The new curriculum of the MEM will focus on the three 'C' of the business: Content, Consumer, and Commerce driven by technology like the much talked OTT and others. The change is a collaborative effort of academic and industry leaders to create required talents to manage the new age M&E business. All programmes in the MEM areas will reflect these changes."

Mentor of the MEM area at MICA and Group President of Republic TV, Mr.Bhaskar Das, said, "We can't offer present or future business solutions with past experiences. We must work towards a future backward strategy, and M&E is one sector that needs to travel much faster than the change itself. Considering the transformation in mind at MICA, we have taken the bold step to revise the MEM curriculum".

Ms. Swati Mohan, Ex-CMO, Netflix, said, “We are at a time where technology has evolved consumer habits and choices to unlock business opportunities and models that never existed till a few years ago. This evolution is only going to continue with greater momentum, insisting on a new breed of professionals that are focused on building for the future and are able to marry analytics, creativity and instinct to defend and scale businesses. Hence it is imperative that B-Schools evolve curriculums to cater to this essential need of the industry. In my association with the M&E team at MICA, I have been extremely impressed with their focus and care in creating a curriculum that focuses on building the M&E leaders of tomorrow.

Ms. Nitanshi Lodha, Marketing Manager, DocuBay and EPIC channel, said, "Like traditional television, OTT is one of the most effective platforms for driving brand metrics. Modern content strategies, regional language choices, granular content categories, and personalized experiences will continue to open new opportunities in advertising on OTT platforms. Contributing to MICA's course development is an overwhelming experience."

Established in 1991, MICA is the first residential institute in the country and perhaps in the Asia-Pacific region, dedicated to creating Leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication.

Its spirit lies in its grasping of contemporariness, addressing the needs of an ever-changing environment. The MICA brand assures effective delivery of Strategic Marketing and Communication solutions to the industry, government and community.

Today, it is the alma mater of professionals serving in leadership positions in some of the best-known companies in India and the world, in marketing, brand management, research & analytics, advertising, media, digital and other strategic marketing and communication-driven businesses.