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Category: News Headline

  • Saumya Mittal takes charge as McDonald’s chief people officer for Asia

    Saumya Mittal takes charge as McDonald’s chief people officer for Asia

    MUMBAI: McDonald’s Corp has appointed Saumya Mittal as chief people officer for Asia, handing her the keys to one of its most critical growth markets. Mittal, who took charge this month, will oversee the end-to-end people agenda across Asia, partnering with regional leaders to sharpen talent strategy, culture and organisational design.

    She joins from Google, where she spent nearly eight years in senior HR roles, most recently as APAC commercial HR lead, steering transformational programmes across the region. Earlier, she led diversity, equity and inclusion for Google APAC and served as people partner for the region.

    Mittal cut her teeth at PepsiCo, spending a decade across plant HR, IR, talent acquisition, diversity and change management, before rising to head culture, engagement and change. Her early years as management trainee and plant HR manager gave her hands-on grounding in industrial relations and large workforce management.

    Winner of People Matters’ Are You in the List award in 2015, Mittal has also bagged multiple national and international honours during her career at PepsiCo and Google. With 15 years of experience straddling consumer goods and technology, she is expected to play a pivotal role as McDonald’s deepens its bets on Asia’s high-growth markets.

  • Aditya Raj Kaul joins NDTV as senior executive editor for geopolitics and security

    Aditya Raj Kaul joins NDTV as senior executive editor for geopolitics and security

    NEW DELHI: NDTV has named Aditya Raj Kaul senior executive editor for geopolitics, national security and strategic affairs at NDTV 24×7, bolstering its newsroom with one of India’s most seasoned voices on foreign policy and defence.

    Kaul wasted no time settling in. On his very first day, he was filing dispatches from Tianjin, China, where Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
    With more than 15 years in frontline journalism, Kaul has reported from some of the world’s most volatile flashpoints — the India-China standoff in Ladakh, the abrogation of Article 370, the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Jordan, major terror strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and India’s first state visit to Israel and Palestine. He was the first journalist on the ground during the 2014 Kashmir floods and has tracked disasters from Uttarakhand to Chhattisgarh’s Maoist belt.

    His international docket includes the G20 in Australia, Brics in China, Asean in Malaysia and Vietnam, and Saarc in Nepal, alongside high-level visits to the US, Germany and Israel. Along the way, he has secured exclusives with leaders such as S. Jaishankar, Amrullah Saleh, Tony Abbott and Benjamin Netanyahu.

    An award-winning documentary maker, Kaul’s films include Airlift on India’s evacuation in Ukraine and Killed by the Taliban on the death of Danish Siddiqui. His work has earned the Golden DigiPub World Award, News Television Award, and the Ram Jethmalani Prize.

    Rahul Kanwal, NDTV’s chief executive and editor-in-chief, hailed him as “among the finest in the field of strategic and international journalism,” adding that his presence in Tianjin on day one “shows his readiness and NDTV’s intent to be at the forefront of global stories.”

    Kaul said he was “honoured to join NDTV at this important juncture,” pledging to bring “clarity and context to events that impact millions.”

  • Festive fever goes long haul as India’s holiday season stretches nine weeks

    Festive fever goes long haul as India’s holiday season stretches nine weeks

    MUMBAI: Turns out Diwali isn’t the full stop anymore, it’s just the comma. Appsflyer’s India Festive Report 2025, based on a hefty 20.5 million installs and over 576 million dollars in ad spend, reveals that the country’s high-stakes festive season has stretched from a week-long Diwali blitz into a nine-week marathon of consumer intent.

    The numbers tell the story. Gaming apps saw post-Diwali install growth of 29 per cent, while Food and Drink apps climbed 16 per cent as celebratory cravings lingered. Travel on Android skyrocketed with a 40 per cent jump in remarketing spend, showing that the festive bug bit long after the firecrackers faded. Meanwhile, Ios Shopping apps logged a 20 per cent rise in session volumes post-Diwali, fuelled by extended discounts and gift redemptions.

    But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Fraud rates ballooned: Food and Drink apps on Ios hit 60 per cent, a 176 per cent increase while Android Entertainment fraud climbed 74 per cent, exposing how loosened controls around gifting windows can make campaigns vulnerable.

    Appsflyer GM for INSEA and ANZ Sanjay Trisal put it bluntly: “India’s festive season is no longer a one-week race to Diwali. It’s a sustained momentum period. To win, brands must pace budgets, double down on post-Diwali remarketing, and adapt strategies by platform.”

    The report also flagged missed opportunities: gaming led install growth but saw little remarketing activity, limiting retention and monetisation. Shopping apps fared better, with the top ten increasing Share of Paying Users by 32 per cent year-on-year, powered by smoother checkouts and brand trust.

    Meta’s Rishad Chindamada added that mobile is where the action is: “Full-funnel marketing, AI-driven optimisation, and channels like reels and business messaging can take brands from awareness to loyalty in this extended season.”

    For marketers, the playbook is clear:

    ●   Reallocate remarketing to the post-Diwali window, when intent is high but competition thins.

    ●   Time strategies by platform Android for long-tail gains, Ios for sharp, front-loaded pushes.

    ●   Retain beyond Day 7 with reactivation flows between Days 10–14.

    ●   Harden fraud protection during peak gifting surges.

    In short, the festive season is now less of a sprint, more of a Test match and those who play the long game stand to win big.

  • Fast channels surge 14 per cent this year as news and horror fuel boom

    Fast channels surge 14 per cent this year as news and horror fuel boom

    MUMBAI: Free ad-supported television (Fast) is enjoying a blistering run. The number of Fast channels worldwide has climbed nearly 14 per cent since the start of 2025 and 76 per cent since 2023, according to fresh analysis from Gracenote, the content data arm of Nielsen.

    The firm has expanded its Data Hub to track nearly 1,850 active Fast channels, enabling direct comparisons with subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) catalogues from the likes of Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+. The enhanced tool now covers more than 645,000 TV shows, films and sports programmes across SVOD and a further 197,000 across Fast.

    Fast is skewing younger than its subscription rivals. Almost half of its content has been produced in the past five years, compared with only a third for SVOD. Stretching the timeframe to 15 years, Fast jumps to nearly 80 per cent of programming, versus 68.5 per cent for SVOD.

    Television dominates both formats, but especially Fast: 93.1 per cent of its content comprises TV programming by episode count, compared with 88.8 per cent on SVOD platforms.

    Genre trends are diverging. Documentaries make up the largest Fast slice at 16.1 per cent, followed by drama (10.6 per cent) and news (9.9 per cent). Yet it is news and horror that are powering growth, up 37 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. On SVOD, sports led the charge in the past quarter with a 13.2 per cent bump, ahead of films (10 per cent) and TV (9.2 per cent). Sports on Fast dipped 3.7 per cent in the last three months but remain up 14 per cent year to date.

    Among the big streamers, Amazon bulked up most aggressively, expanding its catalogue by 12.6 per cent quarter on quarter. Paramount+ followed with a 6.4 per cent increase. Overall, SVOD offerings grew 9.8 per cent in the same period.

    Gracenote, which covers video content in more than 70 languages and 80 countries, is pitching its Data Hub as a strategic compass for distributors, producers and advertisers eager to map where audiences are headed.

  • Mondelez elevates Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk

    Mondelez elevates Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk

    ZURICH: Mondelez International has promoted Nikhil Nicholas to global brand director of Cadbury Dairy Milk, placing him in charge of one of the confectionery giant’s most prized assets. He will be based in Zurich.

    Nicholas, who has spent more than 16 years at Mondelez, was most recently global marketing manager for Cadbury. His career has taken him across Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur and Zurich, spanning sales, innovation and category leadership. He has been closely associated with Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk and chocolate innovation in Asia-Pacific, as well as leading marketing for South East Asia.

    Starting out in customer development and sales roles in India, he steadily climbed through the ranks, moving into brand management in 2013. By 2019, he was senior marketing manager for equity and innovation in South East Asia, before taking on the region’s chocolate marketing lead. In 2023, he shifted to Zurich to handle global duties.

    The promotion cements his role as the custodian of a brand that has defined affordable indulgence for generations and remains central to Mondelez’s global chocolate portfolio.

  • Cable TV lobby urges tax cut to 5 per cent as sector reels under strain

    Cable TV lobby urges tax cut to 5 per cent as sector reels under strain

    NEW DELHI:The All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), the apex body of cable operators, has petitioned information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and finance minister Ashwini Vaishnaw  to slash goods and services tax on cable television from 18 per cent to 5 per cent.

    The appeal rides on prime minister Narendra Modi’s push for “next-generation GST reforms” and a two-rate structure. The federation argues that cable remains the cheapest mass medium, reaching 64 million households and sustaining 10–12 lakh jobs, yet is under siege from rising costs and unregulated OTT rivals.

    Powered by 852 multi-system operators and 1.6 lakh local cable operators—mostly small entrepreneurs—the sector was even recognised as an “essential service” during the pandemic. But the economics are dire. Broadcaster fees have surged nearly 600 per cent, pushing up subscription costs by 35–40 per cent. With consumers balking at higher tariffs, margins are collapsing.

    “Market dynamics have become unfair for MSMEs in cable TV, as they are bound by tariff regulations while OTTs operate without comparable oversight,” AIDCF wrote.

    The lobby claims a GST cut would restore affordability for households, ease working capital pressures, enable fresh broadband investment under Digital India, and protect lakhs of jobs.

    AIDCF secretary general Manoj P Chhangani urged the government to table the matter at the next GST Council meet: “A reduction will safeguard the viability of MSOs and LCOs and preserve cable’s role in inclusive connectivity.”

    Industry watchers caution that while OTT is growing fast, cable still dominates in small towns and villages. A tax reprieve, they say, could decide whether it remains India’s broadcast backbone—or fades into obsolescence.

  • RedFM names Sushant Singh Rathure deputy general manager–sales

    RedFM names Sushant Singh Rathure deputy general manager–sales

    MUMBAI: RedFM has appointed Sushant Singh Rathure as deputy general manager–sales. Based in Delhi, he will lead special projects in the north, oversee government and PSU accounts, and head the UP cluster.

    Rathure, a business growth specialist with nearly two decades in advertising sales and brand partnerships, moves from Music Broadcast Ltd, where he was associate vice-president, running RC Digital Labs and Radicity. He previously held senior roles at Bharat Media Group, Sony Pictures Networks India, Star India, and The Times of India, with a track record in driving revenues, scaling media businesses and launching new formats.

    This is Rathure’s second stint at RedFM, where he earlier led sales for the Mumbai station between 2019 and 2022. He credited RedFM’s chief operating officer, Nisha Narayanan, for the opportunity, saying her “faith and leadership” would inspire him to deliver “with greater dedication and passion.”

    A seasoned strategist with regional and national exposure, Rathure is known for building alliances, managing P&Ls, and blending creative solutions with sharp media planning. At RedFM, he returns to familiar turf, this time with a wider remit and higher stakes.

  • Diageo appoints Aanandita Datta as vp marketing and category head

    Diageo appoints Aanandita Datta as vp marketing and category head

    MUMBAI: Diageo India has named Aanandita Datta as its new vice president, marketing and category head. She moves from Pizza Hut, where she was chief marketing officer for India and the subcontinent, and before that spent nearly a decade at Unilever.

    A marketing veteran with 19 years of experience, Datta has worked across categories from oral care and foods to beverages. She launched and scaled brands such as Sensodyne and Lipton, built new categories like green tea and sensitive oral care, and led Horlicks’ major relaunch in 2010. At Pizza Hut, she drove campaigns to court young consumers and make the brand part of “young India’s daily life”.

    Datta described herself as a “storyteller with a curious mind”, saying her purpose lay in “exploring the unknown and inspiring others to do the same”. She has previously managed portfolios worth over €1.3bn, partnered with the UN and Indian government on sustainability projects, and steered both disruptive innovation and mature-brand growth.

    At Diageo, she takes charge of marketing strategy and category development in one of India’s most competitive consumer markets.

  • Netflix wins Japan rights for 2026 World Baseball Classic

    Netflix wins Japan rights for 2026 World Baseball Classic

    TOKYO: Netflix will be the exclusive home of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan, under a rights deal with World Baseball Classic Inc (WBCI), the body jointly run by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. The streamer will carry all 47 games live and on-demand for Japanese subscribers.

    The sixth edition of the tournament will feature 20 national teams across four pools in Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami from 5 March 2026. Defending champions Japan will again be in the spotlight.

    MLB deputy commissioner for business and media Noah Garden said the deal reflected “the growing popularity of the tournament” and WBCI’s ambition to expand through digital platforms. Netflix Japan vice president of content Kaata Sakamoto called the tie-up a chance to “deliver a new kind of viewing experience that brings fans even closer to the action.”

    MLB Players Inc  president Evan Kaplan added that the partnership would give Japanese fans front-row access to “one of the sport’s most unique stages, where the world’s top players compete for national pride”.

    For Netflix, the deal is the latest step in its tilt towards live sport, positioning it at the heart of one of baseball’s biggest international events.

    Could we see it snap up some premium cricket media rights in India? That’s a delivery  media observers have been waiting for Netflix to bowl for quite a while now.

  • Nike takes a walk with Yu-Gi-Oh! for Joey Wheeler-inspired Air Max 95

    Nike takes a walk with Yu-Gi-Oh! for Joey Wheeler-inspired Air Max 95

    MUMBAI: Konami Cross Media NY and Nike have cut a deal that pulls one of anime’s most beloved universes straight into sneaker culture. The new Nike Air Max 95 QS YGO, inspired by Kazuki Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh!, lands this September alongside a capsule of apparel. At its heart: Joey Wheeler—Yugi’s brash, loyal sidekick—recast as a global athlete.

    The tie-up is more than a simple branding exercise. It comes with a full-blown campaign fronted by the original English and Japanese voice actors from the anime series, blurring the line between nostalgia and contemporary fashion. For fans who grew up duelling with trading cards or glued to Toonami, the sneaker is both a collector’s item and a wearable badge of fandom.

    Konami Cross Media senior vice-president of licensing and marketing Jennifer Coleman said Nike’s handling of the project had been “extraordinary”. She credited the brand with bringing “passion, care and attention to detail” and praised its “unique vision of Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and fans as athletes”, a framing she said would “redefine how audiences connect with their favourite characters, especially Joey Wheeler.”

    Nike, never shy of myth-making, pitched the collaboration as part of its broader belief that sport is a limitless canvas. Dave Vericker, the company’s senior director of neighbourhood merchandise, said: “We didn’t invent this lore: it was born organically from the community. Through our partnership with Konami, we wanted to show love to longtime fans and inspire the next generation by bringing a beloved, mythical story to life through design.”

    The collection is built around two centrepieces: a global release of the “Joey” colourway and apparel on 12 September via Nike’s Snkrs app and select partners, and a Japan-exclusive “Jonouchi” version—named for the character’s original manga identity—dropping on the same day in local stores.

    The timing is apt. Yu-Gi-Oh! has spent more than 25 years as a fixture in global pop culture, with over 1,000 anime episodes, countless manga volumes and one of the world’s most enduring trading card games. For Nike, the collaboration is both a courtship of older millennial collectors and a way to seed loyalty among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, for whom anime has become as much a cultural touchstone as sport.

    Nike’s mission statement has long been: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” This partnership stretches that definition further—suggesting that even duelists, strategists and manga heroes can lace up and join the ranks.