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Category: eNews

  • William V takes charge as CFO of Jio Blast Esports

    William V takes charge as CFO of Jio Blast Esports

    MUMBAI: William V has been appointed chief financial officer of Jio Blast Esports, the joint venture between Reliance’s Jio Platforms and Denmark’s Blast ApS. He will oversee financial strategy, governance and operational efficiency as the company pushes into India’s fast-growing esports sector.

    A chartered accountant by training, William has more than two decades in senior finance roles. He currently also serves as CFO at JioAds. Before joining Reliance, he spent seven years at Dentsu Aegis Network as director of finance and group treasury, following a decade at Star India where he handled US GAAP reporting, Sox compliance and project evaluation. Earlier stints included Darashaw and L&T Finance.

    At Jio Blast Esports, William is tasked with driving financial planning, compliance and automation while supporting long-term value creation in an industry that sits at the crossroads of gaming, sports and entertainment.

  • YouTube ropes in Viacom18 cricket advertising veteran

    YouTube ropes in Viacom18 cricket advertising veteran

    MUMBAI: YouTube has hired Shridhar Venkataramana as strategic partner manager for content partnerships, marking a significant coup for the Google-owned video platform in India’s lucrative cricket advertising market.

    The appointment sees Venkataramana move from Viacom18 Media, where he spent three years as senior director of cricket brand solutions. He brings deep expertise in cricket monetisation, having previously orchestrated brand partnerships across marquee tournaments including ICC, BCCI and ACC events during his six-and-a-half-year tenure at Star TV network. At Star Sports, he progressed through roles spanning revenue strategy and key account management, developing pricing models for some of cricket’s most valuable properties.

    Venkataramana’s career trajectory began at PepsiCo, where he cut his teeth as a management trainee before advancing to area sales manager. His LinkedIn announcement cheekily noted the transition from being “on YouTube” to being “in YouTube.”

    The hire underscores YouTube’s ambitions to capture a larger slice of India’s sports advertising pie, particularly as cricket viewership increasingly migrates to digital platforms. With India representing YouTube’s largest market by user base, securing experienced sports media executives has become critical to the platform’s revenue growth strategy.

    The appointment, effective August 2025, positions YouTube to better compete with established broadcasters for premium cricket content partnerships and advertising deals in the world’s most cricket-obsessed market.

  • Samsung TV Plus adds four ETV network Telugu channels

    Samsung TV Plus adds four ETV network Telugu channels

    GURUGRAM:  Samsung TV Plus has nabbed four channels from Eenadu Television, one of India’s oldest broadcasters, as the free streaming service pushes deeper into regional markets. The deal brings ETV News, ETV Josh, ETV Music and ETV Comedy to Samsung’s platform, which now boasts over 150 channels.

    The partnership marks a shrewd play for the south Indian market, where Telugu content commands fierce loyalty. ETV network has been churning out news, music and entertainment for two decades, building a devoted following across diverse demographics.

    “We aim to unlock the potential of the South Market and enhance access to the latest content from the world of Telugu entertainment,” said Samsung TV Plus southeast Asia general manager business development Kunal Mehta.

    Eenadu TV chief executive K Bapineedu called the tie-up “a significant step in our digital journey” as connected TV adoption accelerates across India. The executive emphasised ETV’s “content-first strategy” of constantly testing and refining offerings to match shifting viewer tastes.

    The move reinforces Samsung TV Plus’s strategy of democratising premium content through its ad-supported model. By combining ETV’s regional storytelling prowess with Samsung’s technological reach, the partnership could set the template for how traditional broadcasters navigate India’s rapidly evolving streaming landscape.

    For Samsung, the deal strengthens its hand against rivals like JioTV and Airtel Xstream as the battle for India’s streaming eyeballs intensifies.

  • IAMAI hails piracy task force as shot in the arm for creative economy

    IAMAI hails piracy task force as shot in the arm for creative economy

    MUMBAI: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has cheered the ministry of information and broadcasting’s (MIB’s) decision to set up a dedicated task force to tackle the scourge of online piracy, calling it a long-overdue step to protect the country’s creative economy.

    IAMAI’s digital entertainment committee said the initiative would help turn the tough provisions of the Cinematograph Amendment Act 2023 into action on the ground. The law introduced steep penalties for piracy and empowered authorities to crack down on illegal recordings and transmissions.

    A 2024 “Rob Report”, published by EY and IAMAI, estimated that India’s entertainment sector—spanning OTT platforms and cinemas—loses Rs 224 bn annually to piracy, with 51 per cent of consumers admitting to watching pirated content. It urged stronger enforcement, fairer pricing and more innovative distribution models.

    JioStar chief executive and chair of the digital entertainment committe Kiran Mani said IAMAI’s role in the task force would channel industry expertise into “decisive measures that safeguard our creative economy and fuel long-term growth.”

    Inshorts a co-founder & chief executive and co-chair of the committee  Deepit Purkayastha called piracy “one of the biggest hurdles” for the industry, adding that the task force was a chance to “set the stage for a stronger and more trusted entertainment industry.”

    With a task force in place, the law tightened and industry voices aligned, India’s media and entertainment sector is finally poised to fight piracy with more than words.

    (The picture shown above is just a representation of the task force and does not purport to depict either Shastri Bhawan or the industry executives who are part of the task force)

  • Vodafone bets big on AI with veteran’s promotion to digital HR chief

    Vodafone bets big on AI with veteran’s promotion to digital HR chief

    LONDON: Vodafone has elevated Purwa Rathor to global senior human resources product manager for digital and artificial intelligence, promoting a 17-year company veteran as the telecoms giant accelerates its push into AI-powered workplace solutions.

    Rathor, who joined Vodafone in 2008, will spearhead the rollout of AI-driven HR technologies including Microsoft Copilot and experimental “agentic AI” assistants designed to handle everything from interview scheduling to maternity queries. The promotion marks Vodafone’s latest attempt to harness artificial intelligence for competitive advantage in an industry grappling with mounting cost pressures.

    Her track record suggests the appointment is more than corporate window-dressing. As global candidate experience manager, Rathor delivered a 50 per cent reduction in cost-per-hire and time-per-hire, while boosting application rates by 80 per cent across 28 countries. She also improved diversity hiring by 34 per cent and lifted candidate satisfaction scores by 58 points.

    The promotion comes as traditional telecoms operators face intensifying competition from digital-native rivals and pressure to slash operational costs. Vodafone’s bet on AI-powered HR automation reflects broader industry efforts to extract efficiency gains from back-office functions.

    Rathor’s career spans from financial services training roles at ICICI Prudential and India Infoline to nearly two decades architecting Vodafone’s talent acquisition systems. Her experience navigating complex regulatory environments—including negotiations with German and Spanish works councils—may prove crucial as AI deployment raises fresh concerns about worker surveillance and algorithmic bias.

    Whether Vodafone’s AI ambitions translate into sustainable cost savings or merely create new technological dependencies remains an open question. For now, the company appears willing to gamble on internal promotion over external expertise as it races to digitise its workforce operations.

  • Media veteran Kumar Ahuja takes the helm at AI upstart Eros Innovation

    Media veteran Kumar Ahuja takes the helm at AI upstart Eros Innovation

    MUMBAI: Kumar Ahuja, a seasoned entertainment industry executive, has been appointed chief operating officer at Eros Innovation, a global technology holding company positioning itself at the intersection of artificial intelligence and media.

    Ahuja brings nearly three decades of experience to the role, having most recently served as chief revenue officer at Sony Music Entertainment from December 2023 to August 2025. Before that, he spent over 26 years at Eros International, where he held various leadership positions including chief operating officer and president of business development.

    Eros Innovation describes itself as a technology holding company with ambitions spanning AI, media, entertainment, sports, education and bio-life sciences. The firm serves as parent company to Immerso AI and other subsidiaries, claiming to leverage four decades of investment expertise to back disruptive technologies.

    The company boasts 1.5 trillion AI tokens and operates AI data parks in Malaysia and GIFT City, India. It positions these facilities as innovation hubs for cutting-edge AI research with a particular focus on entertainment applications.

    Ahuja’s appointment comes as traditional media companies grapple with the rapid advancement of AI technologies. His extensive background in strategic partnerships and business development at major entertainment firms may prove valuable as Eros Innovation seeks to bridge the gap between established media and emerging AI capabilities.

    The company says it is pioneering “next-generation intellectual properties” through blockchain, generative AI and tokenisation, though it remains to be seen how these technologies will translate into commercial success in an increasingly crowded AI landscape.

  • Google India marketing chief calls it quits after 14 years

    Google India marketing chief calls it quits after 14 years

    MUMBAI: After nearly 14 years climbing Google’s ranks, Neha Barjatya has bid farewell to the tech behemoth. The marketing director announced her departure from Google India on LinkedIn, marking the end of a tenure that spanned the country’s digital transformation from the early mobile internet days to the current artificial intelligence boom.

    Barjatya’s stint at Google reads like a greatest hits album of Indian digital marketing. She masterminded campaigns that brought back Hindi cinema’s Mr India with Pixel phones, gamified search with Google Googlies, and launched the country’s Pixel manufacturing operations. Most recently, she shepherded the launch of Gemini, Google’s AI assistant.

    But perhaps her most significant legacy lies in Internet Saathi, one of the world’s largest digital literacy programmes. The initiative, a collaboration between Google and Tata Trusts, has reached over 290,000 villages and benefited more than 30 million rural women. Barjatya even took a secondment to establish Frend (Foundation for Rural Entrepreneurship Development), aimed at creating livelihood opportunities for digitally skilled women.

    Her career at Google began in November 2011 as head of business marketing and digitising India initiatives. She climbed to marketing director in March 2020, overseeing consumer apps including Search, Gemini, and Maps, alongside platforms and devices such as Pixel, Android, and the Play Store.

    Before joining Google, Barjatya cut her teeth at Viacom 18 Media for over five years, following earlier stints at Zee Turner and advertising agency Lintas.

    In her farewell post, she credited leaders including Sapna Chadha, Sandeep Menon, and former country head Rajan Anandan for their support. “This company has taught me to push past hurdles, stay grounded in purpose and never lose sight of what’s possible,” she wrote.

    Barjatya’s next move remains under wraps, though she hinted at “the next chapter” without revealing details.

  • Media veteran Sudhir Syal swaps storytelling for cheque-writing at Orios Venture Partners

    Media veteran Sudhir Syal swaps storytelling for cheque-writing at Orios Venture Partners

    DUBAI: Sudhir Syal, the creator of arguably India’s first startup television programme, has crossed to the other side of the table. The media entrepreneur has joined Orios Venture Partners as president, where he will spearhead the fund’s expansion across the UAE-India corridor whilst hunting for consumer and media investment opportunities.

    Syal’s appointment marks a neat full circle. Over a decade ago, he chronicled India’s fledgling venture capital story as host of Starting Up, profiling more than 500 startups across 150 episodes—many of which later achieved unicorn status. Now he joins the very ecosystem he helped popularise, partnering with Orios’s team including Rehan Yar Khan, Madhav Tandan and Sukhmani Bedi.

    The move caps a peripatetic career that has seen  Syal launch and scale businesses across three continents. Most recently, he founded Startify, a Dubai-based growth consultancy that helped scale five brands across beauty, fashion and fintech, building revenues to over $200,000 with a lean five-person team.

    Before that, he served as chief business officer for Lenskart’s Middle East operations, scaling the eyewear giant from zero to over $500,000 in monthly recurring revenue within 18 months. He opened 13 retail stores across major UAE malls and built a 100-member team, earning the company “New Market Entrant of the Year” honours in 2022.

    His entertainment industry credentials run deep. As chief executive of BookMyShow’s UAE operations, he established the platform as the region’s leading Indian-origin live entertainment promoter, brokering deals with Coca-Cola Arena and promoting acts including Westlife and Alan Walker. The business achieved over $7 million in gross merchandise value (GMV) within 18 months.

    Earlier still, Syal led BookMyShow’s first international expansion into Indonesia, building a 60-person team and establishing the platform as the country’s second-largest ticketing service with over $10 million in GMV.

    The trajectory reflects India’s startup ecosystem maturation—from a cottage industry requiring television evangelism to a sophisticated market generating billion-dollar exits. Syal’s transition from storyteller to capital allocator suggests the Indian venture landscape has finally come of age.

    At Orios, he will focus on three mandates: building strategic capital partnerships with family offices and institutions, identifying high-growth consumer and media opportunities, and amplifying the fund’s thought leadership across both markets.

    “After years as an ecosystem builder, operator, and entrepreneur, it’s energising to be on the other side of the table,”  Syal posted on LinkedIn, announcing his appointment.

    The hire signals Orios’s ambitions to capture cross-border investment flows between India’s mature startup ecosystem and the Gulf’s expanding venture appetite. With Dubai positioning itself as a bridge between East and West, funds are increasingly seeking operators who understand both markets intimately.

    For Syal, who holds an MBA from Insead and has worked across 10 countries, the role represents a homecoming of sorts—returning to the venture capital story he first helped narrate, but now with the power to write its next chapter.

  • Music licensing firm Broma 16 taps Indian veteran to crack subcontinent gold rush

    Music licensing firm Broma 16 taps Indian veteran to crack subcontinent gold rush

    MUMBAI: Broma 16, a Dutch music licensing outfit, has hired Sunnyy Vyas from India’s streaming wars to spearhead its assault on the subcontinent’s booming digital music market. The Amsterdam-based firm, which specialises in maximising royalty collections online, appointed Vyas as head of India as it seeks to capitalise on the country’s explosive streaming growth.

    Vyas arrives with battle scars from 19 years in India’s cutthroat music and broadcasting industry. Most recently, he served as head of Wynk Studio at Airtel Digital, where he shepherded community engagement and podcast distribution for the telecom giant’s music platform. Before that, he led music promotions for ByteDance’s original content push and founded Music Plus, billed as India’s first dedicated music business portal.

    The appointment comes as international music companies scramble for a slice of India’s digital pie. With smartphone penetration soaring and data costs plummeting, the country has become a critical battleground for streaming supremacy.

    Vyas cut his teeth in traditional radio, working his way up from radio jockey at Radio City to cluster manager at Radio One, where he managed celebrity campaigns across four cities. His early career included stints as programming head at 94.3 MY FM in Nagpur, where he helmed an eight-strong team and chased ratings gold.
    The new hire will debut Broma 16’s Indian ambitions at All About Music in Mumbai later this month, where the company’s team will court potential partners and clients. For a firm with just 11 to 50 employees, landing a market veteran of Vyas’s calibre signals serious intent in a region where rights management remains fragmented and undermonetised.

    Whether Broma 16 can navigate India’s labyrinthine music licensing landscape remains to be seen, but with Vyas at the helm, it has secured a guide who knows where the bodies are buried.

  • Amit Sobti takes charge as president of Humans of Bombay

    Amit Sobti takes charge as president of Humans of Bombay

    MUMBAI: Amit Sobti has been appointed president at Humans of Bombay, the storytelling platform that has built a loyal following with its human interest narratives. In his new role, Sobti will oversee company operations and strategy, with a mandate to drive profitability, expand partnerships and monetise original IPs.

    Sobti, a revenue architect with two decades across digital media and corporate strategy, most recently served as chief revenue officer at Fork Media group, where he spent over 11 years scaling businesses, creating branded content ecosystems and building new revenue streams.

    Earlier, he held senior roles at Media Pro, JSW Ispat Steel and Reliance Broadcast, contributing to high stakes strategy, marketing innovations and large scale partnerships. Known for designing playbooks that blend innovation with legacy, Sobti says his focus now lies in building consumer first growth models.

    At Humans of Bombay, industry watchers expect Sobti to marry commercial acumen with the platform’s storytelling ethos, as it looks to expand both reach and revenues.