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Category: News Headline

  • Aditi Guha joins Prime Video as head of programming & content insights

    Aditi Guha joins Prime Video as head of programming & content insights

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video has roped in media veteran Aditi Guha as head of programming & content insights for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios India. She joined the content giant in May 2025 and made the announcement today on Linkedin. 

    With over two decades of experience across media planning, consumer insight, content strategy and product monetisation, Guha is set to shape the streamer’s data-led storytelling and business decisions.

    Prior to this, Guha served as senior product researcher at Netflix APAC, where she led consumer insight across South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, and Southeast Asia, focusing on partnerships, churn, retention and commerce growth. Before that, she held multiple leadership roles at The Walt Disney Co in Singapore, launching Disney+ in Southeast Asia and building audience strategies across studios, media networks and licensing verticals.

    Her career began in media planning at Universal McCann and WPP, before she made her mark at Viacom18’s MTV Insight Studio and ABP News. Guha is an alumna of Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication and has earned certifications from NUS Business School, IdeoU, and General Assembly in analytics and design thinking.

    With content wars heating up in the Indian OTT space, her appointment signals Amazon’s continued push to double down on data-fuelled programming decisions, local insights and international storytelling chops.

  • Artport teams up with The Good Doll to stitch purpose into airport retail

    Artport teams up with The Good Doll to stitch purpose into airport retail

    MUMBAI: Artport, the conscious retail vertical by India Retail and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (IRHPL), has announced a heart-led partnership with The Good Doll, the Shark Tank India-featured social enterprise. The result: an exclusive, limited-edition collection of handcrafted, upcycled fabric dolls—now landing at Artport stores across India’s major airports.

    But this isn’t just another airport souvenir. It’s retail with roots — and purpose. Each doll is stitched with love by a collective of over 95 women artisans from the Nilgiris, many of whom are first-generation income earners. Made from pre-consumer textile waste, the dolls are designed to be body-positive, waste-free, and brimming with stories.

    “ARTPORT is redefining the airport shopping experience. We’re not just offering products—we’re offering purpose,” said Naresh Sharma, CEO,IRHPL Group of Companies and Artport is one of the brands from IRHPL. “Through our partnership with The Good Doll, we are proud to amplify the voices and skills of women artisans, while showing that conscious commerce can thrive even in high-footfall infrastructure spaces.”

    No two dolls are alike — each one stitched with intention and individuality. The launch aligns with IRHPL’s broader CSR vision: to create circular, sustainable economies that celebrate local artisanship while reducing environmental impact.

    “Our dolls are more than fabric—they represent resilience, dignity, and economic independence,” said Suhas Ramegowda, Co-Founder, The Good Doll. “Thanks to ARTPORT by IRHPL, these stories now have a national platform, connecting travellers to the heart of rural India.”

    For travellers, it’s a new kind of carry-on: a story of empowerment, stitched into fabric, ready for the journey ahead.

     

     

  • Medusa Beverages taps One Source to brew stronger brand buzz

    Medusa Beverages taps One Source to brew stronger brand buzz

    MUMBAI: In a move to dial up its narrative and pop the cap on sharper communication, Medusa Beverages has partnered with One Source, an integrated marketing consultancy known for its multi-sector mojo. The mandate: to manage reputation, shape strategy, and amplify Medusa’s brand voice across key markets.

    Founded in 2017, Medusa has carved out a distinctive niche in India’s beer scene with its mid-strength 5.9 per cent brews that hit the sweet spot between flavour and buzz. In just six years, it’s become Delhi’s third-largest beer brand, commanding a 7 per cent market share. Its portfolio includes Medusa Beer, Medusa Air, Medusa Premium Strong Ale, and its most recent collab — the fire-breathing Medusa House of the Dragon Beer, in partnership with Warner Bros.

    The communications brief will be led by Dyutiman Basu, reporting into Honey Mehra, co-lead for corporate communication, alongside One Source’s national team.

    “At Medusa Beverages, we have always believed in pushing boundaries and creating a unique beer-drinking experience for our consumers. As we continue to expand our footprint, our partnership with One Source will enable us to craft compelling narratives, engage with our audience more effectively, and strengthen our position as a category leader in the industry,” said Medusa Beverages founder & CEO Avneet Singh.

    One Source managing director Sandeep Rao added, “Medusa Beverages is a brand that has redefined the beer-drinking culture in India. Our approach as a consultancy is to align with our partners’ business objectives and drive impactful communication strategies. We are excited to work with Medusa Beverages and look forward to building a strong, resonant brand story that connects with beer enthusiasts across India.”

    With offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, One Source brings cross-industry experience across consumer goods, BFSI, tech, and startups — and is known for blending branding, content, digital, and corporate playbooks into one seamless pour.

     

  • Paisabazaar’s Credit Premier League (CPL) Blends AI spark a credit fitness movement

    Paisabazaar’s Credit Premier League (CPL) Blends AI spark a credit fitness movement

    MUMBAI: Paisabazaar launched the Credit Premier League (CPL), a nationwide contest designed to make credit score tracking engaging, competitive, and fun, and to reward the country’s most credit healthy individuals. As part of the contest, Paisabazaar has introduced a playful Selfie Feature on its App that’s catching the attention of its consumers across the country.

    The selfie feature allows users to take afun, animated selfie with their credit score displayed in a creative, Ghibli-style avatar. Paisabazaar has built the feature using the latest GPT-image-1 model for converting customer selfies into Ghibli-style images.

    Once a consumer checks their credit score on the Paisabazaar App, they can instantly transform theirselfie into this unique, shareable digital artwork. The fun, Ghibli-style selfie can then be easily shared on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, encouraging friends, family, and others to participate in the contest and check their own credit scores.

    A number of popular influencers, including Chetan Bhagat, RanveerAllahbadia and Rachana Ranade, have already participated in the contest, sharing their credit scores and their fun Ghibli-selfies on social media. Their participation has already generated widespread buzz, encouraging their followers to take part and check their own credit health.

    In addition to making credit score tracking more interactive, the Selfie Feature is designed to spark conversations around financial health, helping raise awareness about the importance of credit score in a fun way.

    Paisabazaar chief product officer Radhika Binani said, “At Paisabazaar, we have always focussed on Bharat’s financial wellness, by building awareness and engagement around key aspects like credit health. With CPL, we aim to build India’s first and largest credit score contest. A key aspect of the initiative is our use of technology, to encourage conversations around credit health.

    Paisabazaar CTO Mukesh Sharma added, “Our technology-driven initiatives are designed to make the experience of checking and understanding credit scores more accessible and engaging. The selfie feature adds a layer of fun and social sharing to an otherwise serious topic, bringing credit conversations into the mainstream.”

  • BITS Pilani ropes in edtech veteran Samit Dayal to lead digital push

    BITS Pilani ropes in edtech veteran Samit Dayal to lead digital push

    MUMBAI: BITS Pilani has appointed seasoned education and SaaS executive Samit Dayal as general manager – institutional engagement at BITS Pilani Digital, its ambitious foray into the online learning space. With a 25-year track record of launching and scaling multimillion-dollar education and tech ventures across South Asia and the Middle East, Dayal is expected to power BITS’ plans of reaching over 100,000 students in five years.

    In his new role, Dayal will drive partnerships with colleges, universities and edtech platforms, integrate online courses into existing curricula, and design school outreach programmes—all aimed at cementing BITS Pilani Digital’s presence in India’s rapidly evolving higher education market.

    Dayal most recently served as business head at SafeBus (MTAP Technologies), where he drove Rs 1 crore in revenue, led an international foray into Germany and the Gulf, and maintained a 100 per cent renewal rate across key school contracts.

    Earlier, as vice president – education at FranklinCovey South Asia, he built the India and SAARC operations from scratch, raking in over $400,000 in revenues and forging license deals across Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. His previous stints also include key leadership roles at HeadHonchos, Career Launcher, and i360, with a deep focus on franchise expansion, B2B/B2C education sales, and executive learning programmes.

    Known for his strategic acumen and people-first approach, Dayal blends mindfulness with aggressive go-to-market tactics. With the Indian edtech sector shifting from boom to consolidation, his entry signals BITS Pilani’s serious intent to dominate the digital education space—not just with legacy, but with lethal execution.

  • Ratna Widhani takes charge as VP, business operations at Dentsu Merkle Sokrati

    Ratna Widhani takes charge as VP, business operations at Dentsu Merkle Sokrati

    MUMBAI: Ratna Widhani has been elevated to vice president, business operations at Dentsu’s Merkle Sokrati after a nearly two-year stint as associate vice president. With over two decades of experience in retail, ecommerce, and performance marketing, Widhani brings a potent mix of operational rigour and brand-building savvy to her new role.

    Her career arc spans global and Indian heavyweights — from Nike and Timberland to Bata, Royal Enfield, and Vedix — where she has driven retail turnarounds and ecommerce sprints with enviable consistency. At Incnut Lifestyle, Widhani led ecommerce marketplace relationships, pushing toplines from Rs 10 crore to Rs 40 crore in a single year across Amazon, Flipkart, Nykaa, and more.

    She has also helmed business strategy and marketplace growth at brands like Age Ayurveda and National Geographic’s travel gear, fine-tuning delivery timelines, catalogue hygiene, search marketing, and margin optimisation. Her P&L grasp is rooted in years of retail buying and merchandising leadership, from launching CAT footwear across India to running the Rs 250-crore Power brand portfolio for Bata.

    Widhani, an IIM Ahmedabad-certified ecommerce strategist, now shoulders broader responsibilities across Dentsu’s digital commerce clients. With a strategic eye on Amazon ecosystems, D2C scaling, and agile operations, she’s poised to push the growth lever harder in her new capacity.

    Outside boardrooms, she’s a budding writer, culinary enthusiast, and proud mum to a pre-teen artist.

  • Smirnoff stirs up a flavour fiesta with Minty Jamun, Mirchi Mango and Zesty Lime

    Smirnoff stirs up a flavour fiesta with Minty Jamun, Mirchi Mango and Zesty Lime

    MUMBAI: Smirnoff Is raising the bar (and a few eyebrows) with the launch of three punchy new flavours — Minty Jamun, Mirchi Mango, and Zesty Lime — tailor-made for the bold, experimental tastes of India’s new-age drinkers.

    Now hitting shelves across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra, this flavour-forward line-up is part of Smirnoff’s India-first playbook, as it courts the Gen Z and millennial crowd that prefers party nights on rooftops over banquets, and DIY cocktails over bar menus.

    “We’re seeing a clear shift in how young Indians approach their favourite spirits — they want global brands to build a stronger local connect that is fresh and premium and yet playful. With Minty Jamun, Mirchi Mango,and Zesty Lime we’re not just offering new flavours, we’re creating moments of discovery that are vibrant, social, and rooted in today’s cultural codes,” said Diageo India (USL) CMO Ruchira Jaitly.

    Each variant packs its own punch:

    . Minty Jamun: A throwback to schoolyard summers, now with a stylish twist

    . Mirchi Mango: A sweet-spicy bombshell, echoing India’s chilli-laced fruit obsession

    . Zesty Lime: Bright, breezy and built for easy pours at pre-games and house parties

    The launch is wrapped in Smirnoff’s new campaign “Flavour is a Vibe” — a cheeky nudge to embrace taste with spontaneity, style, and a generous splash of self-expression.

    With India’s cocktail culture bubbling over and at-home mixology becoming the new norm, Smirnoff’s latest desi detour is likely to find itself clinking glasses at celebrations of every size. Because in 2025, it’s not just about what you’re drinking, it’s how you vibe with it.

  • Oppo zooms in on culture with second edition of Lumo Photography Awards

    Oppo zooms in on culture with second edition of Lumo Photography Awards

    MUMBAI: Oppo India is turning up the shutter speed with the launch of the second edition of its Lumo Photography Awards, themed ‘Super Every Moment’ – a celebration of the extraordinary hidden in the everyday.

    Formerly known as the Imagine IF Awards, the rebranded Lumo marks Oppo’s sharpened focus on mobile imaging and storytelling that snaps beyond selfies. The 2025 edition adds cultural spice to the mix, thanks to a new partnership with Discovery Channel and the launch of a fresh category: Super Culture Moment.

    Oppo India head of product & digital marketing Sushant Vashistha said, “LUMO is our ode to creativity – a platform where every image tells a story, and every story becomes a moment of magic. The first edition, Imagine IF, received thousands of stunning submissions from across India. It laid the foundation for this year’s competition, powered by LUMO. This season, we aim to celebrate not just the outcome but the creative journey behind every powerful visual, powered by OPPO’s imaging technology.”

    Entrants are encouraged to capture India’s kaleidoscopic cultural tapestry using Oppo’s imaging tech. And the stakes are high – judging the entries are Joseph Radhik, India’s celebrity wedding lensman, and Vikram Channa, vp at Warner Bros Discovery and content lead for Southeast Asia.

    Commenting on the initiative, Joseph Radhik said, “As a photographer, I constantly strive to push creative boundaries and inspire others to do the same. The OPPO India Photography Awards 2025 represent a bold step in celebrating imagination and innovation in mobile photography. I urge young creators to capture the extraordinary, imagine the impossible, and leave behind a legacy of inspiration.”

    The contest is open to Indian citizens aged 18 and above, with entries accepted across nine categories: Super Snap, Youth, Live, Me, Vibe, Story, Connection, Culture, and Environs. Each photo must be accompanied by a 60–150-word description that unpacks the story behind the shot.

    In Round 1, the jury will shortlist 50 finalists. Round 2 turns up the heat, with finalists tackling a creative challenge using the Oppo Find X8 Pro. Winners will be picked based on originality, impact, and narrative flair.

    Warner Bros Discovery VP and editorial chief for content production for South East Asia, Vikram Channa commented, “At Discovery Channel, storytelling is central to our work. Our collaboration with OPPO India supports our mission to highlight diverse cultures. The ‘Super Culture Moment’ category encourages creators to capture and celebrate India’s cultural heritage using OPPO’s advanced technology.”

    Oppo’s global photography contest has already seen over 7 lakh entries from 51 countries since its 2023 debut. In India alone, the 2024 edition drew more than 34,000 entries. The 2025 chapter is poised to go bolder, brighter — and definitely more desi.

  • Dangal TV storms into YouTube’s global Top 100 with 50 million subscribers

    Dangal TV storms into YouTube’s global Top 100 with 50 million subscribers

    MUMBAI: Dangal TV, has smashed yet another digital milestone — crossing a massive 50 million subscribers on YouTube and earning a coveted spot among the Top 100 YouTube channels globally, currently sitting pretty at #87.

    Launched on 2 August 2017, Dangal’s rise from regional to global star reflects more than just strong programming, it’s a testament to sharp strategy and storytelling that cuts across borders and bandwidths.

    The credit, insiders say, goes to the unflinching vision of managing director Manish Singhal, who’s steered Dangal with one mission in mind: to take Bharat’s stories to the world, one compelling plot twist at a time.

    Akshat Singhal, head of Dangal Play, and the driving force behind Dangal TV’s digital transformation, shared, “Reaching 50 million subscribers is a proud and emotional moment for all of us. It reflects the deep connection we’ve built with audiences worldwide and our valued partnership with YouTube, which has enabled us to showcase Indian storytelling on a global stage.”

    He adds, “Our vision from the start has been to create content rooted in the heartland that connects across borders. Reaching the 87th spot globally is just the beginning – with our current and upcoming shows, we aim to break many more records.”

    As the channel nears its eighth anniversary, its YouTube numbers aren’t just vanity metrics, they’re proof that content rooted in India’s soil can roar on the world stage.

  • Veteran producer-director Dheeraj kumar, Creative Eye founder, passes away at 79

    Veteran producer-director Dheeraj kumar, Creative Eye founder, passes away at 79

    MUMBAI: Mumbai is grieving the loss of veteran producer-actor Dheeraj Kumar Kochhar, founder of Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Creative Eye, who passed away this morning at the age of 79. Kumar was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Saturday following a severe bout of fever, cold, and cough, which was later diagnosed as acute pneumonia.

    Despite intensive treatment and ventilator support in the intensive care unit, his condition remained unresponsive. He breathed his last on the morning of 15 July following cardiac arrest. Tellychakkar, a sister publication, confirmed his passing while under close medical supervision.

    A graduate of the Film & Television Institute Pune, Kumar’s career spanned decades, seeing him carve a formidable reputation as a top producer for both Doordarshan and private satellite television channels. He also graced the silver screen, acting in numerous films.

    His prolific production house, Creative Eye, was behind a vast array of popular television shows, including the likes of Kahan Gaye Who Log, Adalat, Sansaar,  the iconic Om Namah Shivay, Dhoop Chaon, Shree Ganesh, Jaane Anjaane, Om Namo Narayan, Ruby Duby Hub Dub, Miilee, Jodi Kamaal Ki, Betiyann, Hamari Bahu Tulsi, and Ishq Subhan Allah, among many others. As an actor, his filmography included Painter Babu, Darling Darling, Kranti, Heera Panna, Raaton Ka Raja and Shreeman Shrimati.

    Kumar’s last rites are scheduled for Wednesday at the Pawan Hans Crematorium. He is survived by his wife, Zuby Kochhar, who serves as a whole-time director in Creative Eye. 

    His passing marks the end of an era for Indian cinema and television.