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Category: News Headline

  • BSNL dials up drama with OTTplay packs and 300 plus live TV channels

    BSNL dials up drama with OTTplay packs and 300 plus live TV channels

    MUMBAI: BSNL is turning up the volume on entertainment. After January’s free BiTV rollout drew in massive traffic and fuelled a surge in demand for premium content, the state-run telco has now unveiled its Premium Content Packs, bringing OTTplay-powered streaming and 300 plus live TV channels straight to mobile users. The new packs, accessible via the BSNL Self Care App, Gpay, Phonepe and more, promise an all-in-one destination for films, shows, sports, news and regional gems. Robert J Ravi, chairman and managing director, BSNL, called it an “unmatched entertainment destination,” adding that the offering blends connectivity with curated OTT content.

    For BSNL director Sandeep Govil the move is as much about convenience as it is about content: “From flexible payment options to seamless access, we’ve made sure even the remotest corner of India can enjoy world-class content without barriers.”

    OTTplay’s co-founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar, highlighted the scale of the collaboration, noting that with BSNL’s reach across Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, millions of new viewers will gain access to premium streaming. “Together, we are not only offering great content but also bridging the digital divide,” he said.

    With 300 plus live channels, dozens of leading OTT platforms, and AI-powered content discovery, BSNL’s packs are designed to compete with the biggest players in streaming. If BiTV was the starter, this new chapter is the full-course binge.

  • Reppro schools the field with NTU India comms mandate

    Reppro schools the field with NTU India comms mandate

    MUMBAI: Talk about a class act Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has picked The Reppro as its communications partner in India, giving the agency a fresh addition to its growing education portfolio. The remit covers Public Relations, Social Media, and Digital Marketing, all aimed at making NTU a go-to choice for Indian students and institutions.

    India has emerged as a hotbed for global universities, with the number of Indian students heading to the UK skyrocketing by nearly 274 per cent since 2019. NTU, one of Britain’s top-ranked institutions, brings plenty to the table: teaching excellence, strong industry links, and an employability-first approach. With students from over 160 countries and ties with 300-plus universities worldwide, it blends academic prestige with real-world career outcomes.

    The Reppro will craft an integrated communications strategy to boost NTU’s visibility in India, highlighting its global reputation and practical support for students from visas and funding to employability guidance. NTU senior regional manager Anna Audhali said: “India continues to be pivotal for Nottingham Trent University’s global outlook. Through this partnership, we hope to share NTU’s values and opportunities more widely, and strengthen connections with Indian students, families, and academic partners.”

    For The Reppro, it’s a chance to put the spotlight on NTU’s strengths. The Reppro founder Amit Gupta noted: “As more Indian students seek world-class education with real-world relevance, our focus is to further raise NTU’s visibility in India and highlight the opportunities it offers.”

    NTU has the credentials to back it up: its research has twice been honoured with the Queen’s Anniversary Prize (2015, 2021), with 83 per cent of its research rated world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021. Add to that being crowned ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, and the message is clear NTU isn’t just teaching, it’s thriving.

  • DDB Tribal ropes in Anusheela Saha as new creative head

    DDB Tribal ropes in Anusheela Saha as new creative head

    MUMBAI: Talk about a creative twist in the plot. DDB Tribal has brought on board Anusheela Saha as its new creative head, marking a fresh chapter for the Gurugram-based agency within the DDB Mudra Group.

    Saha moves from FCB India, where she was national creative director, spearheading campaigns that paired emotional resonance with cultural impact. With more than two decades of experience at agencies such as Cheil and FCB, she has built a portfolio spanning Unilever, KFC, Mahindra Automobiles, Uber, Google, Samsung, UN AIDS and the Times of India. Her work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio Awards, Spikes Asia and Kyoorius.

    Notable among her projects is ‘Unbox Me’, which shines a light on gender identity in children and sparks conversations well beyond the advertising world. She marked a personal milestone when she stepped into her FCB role as a new mother.

    Saha will report to DDB Mudra Group, chief creative officer, Rahul Mathew, taking over from Iraj Fraz who transitions into a new role within the company.

    “Over the last few years, we’ve seen DDB Tribal grow stronger and more confident,” Mathew said. “Anusheela will help take this growth into its next phase. She shares many of the values we hold dear, especially when it comes to big ideas and craft.”

    Saha added, “For me DDB is the perfect alignment of culture, creative vision and leadership. I look forward to partnering with Rahul, Ashutosh and the team to take this legacy forward.”

  • LiveU Unveils Nexus Cloud-Native Universal Gateway for IP Video Workflows

    LiveU Unveils Nexus Cloud-Native Universal Gateway for IP Video Workflows

    MUMBAI: LiveU, the global leader in IP-video solutions, has today announced the release of LiveU Nexus, a powerful cloud-native universal gateway for digital and IP-based workflows, enabling customers to create even more value from their LiveU EcoSystem setup. LiveU Nexus seamlessly moves IP-video content in and out of different platforms and environments, including SDI, SMPTE 2110 and NDI-based production systems, using existing and new workflows.

    Designed to simplify complex IP workflows – especially digital video capturing – LiveU Nexus acts as an efficient and reliable universal gateway for all IP-based feeds within the LiveU EcoSystem. It offers unlimited access to live feeds to and from any systems, letting users bring in, transform, route and output any stream in seconds. Any types of feeds can be seamlessly connected from anywhere, to anywhere, including LiveU’s own LRT™ (LiveU Reliable Transport), SRT, RTMP, HLS and more to on-premises and cloud-based infrastructure. Producers can pull in live content from Zoom, YouTube and other social media platforms with a simple URL or meeting link – no converters or workarounds required.

    Matt Zajicek, VP Product, LiveU, said, “Broadcasters are under mounting pressure to integrate a growing number of IP and digital video sources. LiveU Nexus changes the game, accelerating their digital transformations and future-proofing their digital and IP-video workflows. By cutting technical barriers and costs, production teams can focus on creating great content faster and smarter – while maximizing existing investments. It’s already been successfully tested by customers, and we’re excited about the potential ahead.”  

    Key features include:

    • Protocol conversion – Transforming any IP format to LRT™ and other leading protocols, LiveU Nexus pushes any live stream into the LiveU EcoSystem or third-party solutions without any additional hardware or converter.

    • Digital/social media capturing and routing – includes Zoom meetings, YouTube videos and Facebook Lives into broadcast workflows, and a web browser as an input inside.

    • Elastic cloud scalability – built to grow with production demands in the cloud, as workflows evolve.

    Resolutions, frame rates, aspect ratio, and codec differences are automatically normalized across the feeds, ensuring every signal is instantly compatible with the downstream tools. In addition, any IP stream can be sent into LiveU’s IP cloud solutions, including LiveU Studio for cloud production, LiveU Ingest for recording, or LiveU Matrix for IP distribution, and integrated with an installed base of LiveU receivers, without the need for additional hardware or configurations.

    Zajicek summed up, “Interoperability is at the heart of the LiveU EcoSystem – and this latest innovation illustrates it even further. By streamlining workflows and deepening integration across the platform, we’re making it easier than ever for storytellers to maximize the value of their video content.”

    See how LiveU Nexus works. Book a demo at the LiveU stand, Hall 7, Stand 7.C19: https://get.liveu.tv/ibc-2025/. 
     

  • Flipkart adds a pink touch with majority stake in content hub Pinkvilla

    Flipkart adds a pink touch with majority stake in content hub Pinkvilla

    MUMBAI: Shopping just got a splash of pink. Walmart-owned Flipkart has picked up more than 75 per cent in entertainment and lifestyle platform Pinkvilla, valuing it at around 15 million dollars, as part of a bold push to court Gen Z with content-driven commerce.

    Founded in 2007, Pinkvilla has grown into a cultural staple with 60 million monthly users and 7.2 million Instagram followers. Its celebrity-fuelled stories, lifestyle updates and digital IPs have built a fiercely loyal base. “Pinkvilla’s robust content IPs and strong connection with its loyal audience are assets that will accelerate our efforts to leverage content as a key driver of growth,” said Flipkart senior vice president for corporate Ravi Iyer.

    For Flipkart, the deal is more than an investment, it’s a strategy to blur the lines between entertainment and shopping. One in three Flipkart customers is Gen Z, with video commerce already a major draw. “Our acquisition of Pinkvilla is a critical step in deepening our engagement with Gen Z,” Iyer added. Pinkvilla’s founder and CEO, Nandini Shenoy, called the move a “validation” of the platform’s reach, noting that Flipkart’s backing would help scale operations and deliver even more of the content fans love.

    The Bengaluru-based ecommerce giant has been flexing its investment muscle through Flipkart Ventures, with bets on over 20 startups, including logistics enabler Xportel, Factors.ai, and AI-powered recruitment venture Expertia.ai. With Pinkvilla now in its basket, Flipkart is hoping star power and storytelling will spark its next wave of growth.
     

  • Rais Anis Sabri gives Khusro’s sufi classic a soulful Urdu spin

    Rais Anis Sabri gives Khusro’s sufi classic a soulful Urdu spin

    MUMBAI: You could say the past just got a playlist. Young sufi qawwal Rais Anis Sabri is bringing a 13th-century persian classic into the Spotify age with his upcoming Urdu single Jahan Kal Raat Ko Hum The. The track, out on 6 September, reimagines Hazrat Amir Khusro’s mystical verse Nami Danam for a modern audience.

    The original poem, with its haunting opening line “I don’t know what place it was where I was last night,” explores divine mystery through the language of unknowing. Sabri’s rendition, translated by poet Sulaiman Khateeb, seeks to capture that same spiritual depth while making it accessible to Urdu-Hindi speakers. Each couplet retains the rhyme, rhythm and resonance of the original, giving centuries-old wisdom a contemporary pulse.

    “Sufi poetry often begins with the acknowledgement of not knowing,” Sabri said. “That humility is the gateway to deeper understanding. My goal is to preserve that soul-stirring message while offering it in a voice today’s listeners can feel.”

    A performer since the age of four and the son of qawwal Rais Sabri, he belongs to a respected lineage steeped in the chishti rang tradition. From stages in India to Johannesburg, Sabri has carved out a reputation for bringing emotional power and spiritual intensity to his performances.

    Presented by the Sulaiman Khateeb trust and produced by Khaja Khateeb with music by Jaspal Moni, the track is pitched as more than just a song. It is a revival of classical Sufi thought dressed in modern sound.

    “Sufi poetry belongs to everyone,” Sabri adds. “Not everyone understands Persian. It has always been my dream to bring this spiritual legacy into every household through a language that touches the heart.”

    Jahan Kal Raat Ko Hum The will be released worldwide on 6 September across major streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

  • Rao and Toppo plug into Humans in the Loop with producer power

    Rao and Toppo plug into Humans in the Loop with producer power

    MUMBAI: When cinema meets circuit boards, sparks fly. Humans in the Loop, a feature tracing the life of Nehma, an Oraon Adivasi woman employed as an AI data-labeller in Jharkhand has found two heavyweight backers in filmmakers Kiran Rao and Biju Toppo, who have boarded as executive producers.

    The film, fresh off its FIPRESCI India win (shared with All We Imagine as Light), is fast becoming one of the most globally resonant indie titles to emerge from India. For Rao, whose Laapataa Ladies carried India’s flag at the 2024 Oscars, this marks her third indie collaboration after Ship of Theseus and Stolen. “I loved Humans in the Loop from the very first viewing. It is deeply moving and thought-provoking… Supporting this project felt both urgent and necessary,” she said.

    Toppo, a pioneer of Adivasi cinema, brings decades of storytelling rooted in indigenous resilience. “For too long, Adivasi perspectives have remained invisible, not just in history, but even in how we imagine the future. Humans in the Loop boldly expresses our perspective,” he noted.

    Directed by Aranya Sahay and produced by Mathivanan Rajendran, Sarabhi Ravichandran, Shilpa Kumar and Sahay under Storiculture’s Impact Fellowship and Sauv Films, the project has been years in the making. It weaves a sharp narrative on how “smart” technologies often depend on invisible human labour while sidelining indigenous knowledge systems.

    Independent filmmaking, Sahay admits, “is like walking a tightrope.” But with Rao and Toppo’s support and after a year of micro-community screenings, the film is ready for its theatrical leap. It will debut on 5 September 2025 at Cinépolis Andheri, Mumbai, before expanding to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Bengaluru from 12 September. An alternative distribution model, backed by the Museum of Imagined Futures, will also drive screenings across smaller cities through a cinema of the people initiative.

    By combining a robust festival run with grassroots screenings, Humans in the Loop aims to spark urgent public debate on labour, technology and the future we are building placing the voices of India’s most marginalised at the heart of the global AI conversation.

  • Mythik names Preeti Vyas president to steer content and partnerships

    Mythik names Preeti Vyas president to steer content and partnerships

    MUMBAI: Mythik, the tech-first entertainment upstart styling itself as the “Disney from the East”, has hired Preeti Vyas as president of content strategy, partnerships and consumer products.

    Vyas, who previously served as president and chief executive of Amar Chitra Katha, brings three decades of experience across publishing, retail and entertainment. At Amar Chitra Katha, she engineered the heritage brand’s revival, taking it from nostalgia act to profitable modern player while driving readership tenfold to over 6 million globally.

    Her career has spanned founding Fun OK Please publishing, the company behind children’s favourites like Toto the Auto, to senior stints at Future Group, Sony Music, Toys R Us and Crossword. She also piloted transmedia adaptations of franchises such as Tinkle and built licensing deals that expanded their reach.

    At Mythik, she will spearhead efforts to package mythology, history and folktales from the East for a global audience, tapping into new-age distribution and consumer products.

    Mythik, founder and chief executive, Jason Kothari called Vyas “a rare combination of strategic acumen and creative vision” and said her track record of transforming heritage brands would be key to realising the company’s global ambitions.

    Vyas herself described the role as “an opportunity to present stories from our ancient past at a scale never attempted before”.

    Alongside her corporate career, she sits on industry bodies including the Media & Entertainment Skills Council and the Advertising Standards Council of India, giving her a perch at the intersection of policy, talent and content. 

  • Deep shades of Glitz as Asian Paints, Deepika reimagine luxe walls

    Deep shades of Glitz as Asian Paints, Deepika reimagine luxe walls

    MUMBAI: Walls are talking and they’re doing it in style. Asian Paints has unveiled a bold new chapter for its luxury brand Royale Glitz, taking it beyond high-end wall finishes to the realm of full-blown décor inspiration. At the centre of this glossy makeover is none other than Deepika Padukone, making her much-awaited return as brand ambassador, lending her effortless grace to a campaign that paints luxury in fresh colours.

    Royale Glitz now positions itself not as the finishing touch but as the starting point of design stories. With curated textures, statement wallpapers, and a “Glitz Up Your Décor” guidebook packed with QR-linked demos, the campaign shows how a single wall can spark the reinvention of entire living spaces. “It’s about creating emotionally charged spaces that reflect who you are,” said Asian Paints MD & CEO Amit Syngle. “A single wall can bring alive the entire space.”

    Padukone embodies this shift, gliding through a home where walls are canvases of memory, mood, and meaning. With a super-smooth Crème Finish, Teflon Surface Protector, and an 8-year warranty, Royale Glitz mixes artistry with performance, offering homeowners both beauty and durability. Mccann Worldgroup India CEO & CCO Prasoon Joshi  described the film as “an artistic journey every frame as elegant and fluid as the product itself.” For Asian Paints, the message is clear: walls are no longer silent backdrops, they’re storytellers of personal expression.

  • Rural India, local disruptors, small packs drive FMCG growth: Worldpanel

    Rural India, local disruptors, small packs drive FMCG growth: Worldpanel

    MUMBAI: Once a luxury, now a lifestyle. Premiumisation in India is no longer the preserve of posh metros and plush wallets, it’s trickling down to rural towns, reshaping FMCG, and even spilling over into housing, cars and gadgets.

    That’s the big takeaway from Worldpanel India’s latest report, which reveals that premium brands now account for 15 per cent of FMCG volumes across everyday categories like detergents, soaps, toothpaste, tea, biscuits and skincare. And while the trend slowed briefly in 2024, the long-term trajectory is clear: India wants more “premium” and it wants it on its own terms.

    Once seen as laggards in this space, rural households are now powering premium growth. Their share of super-premium volumes has jumped from 30 per cent in 2021 to 42 per cent in 2025, and affordable premium products now see over half their demand from villages.

    It isn’t just multinational giants raking it in. Homegrown disruptors like Burhani liquid dishwash in Madhya Pradesh, AVT gold cup tea in Tamil Nadu, and Meera shikakai shampoo in Karnataka and Odisha are winning hearts by marrying premium positioning with natural, health-focused credentials.

    Bite-sized formats like Sensodyne (75g), Nabati wafers (30g), and Tresemme sachets (6ml) are driving trials without denting the “premium” aura. Even super-premium players like Dove, Malkist and Taj Mahal tea are cashing in with affordable packs.

    It’s not just soaps and snacks. Luxury housing sales (Rs 3 crore plus homes) surged 80 per cent in 2024, premium smartphones grew 8 per cent YoY in Q2 2025, and luxury car sales crossed 50,000 units for the first time. Clearly, India’s “premium” shift is rewriting aspiration itself.

    “Premiumisation in India is no longer restricted to metros or high-income households,” said Worldpanel by Numerator, managing director – South Asia, K. Ramakrishnan. “Rural consumers are becoming aspirational, disruptors are redefining premium, and affluent households are reprioritising spends. For brands, this is both a challenge and a golden opportunity.”