MUMBAI: Cinema just met cartoons, and kids across India are cheering. In a blockbuster cross-screen move, JioStar Kids’ Network has partnered with the upcoming Hindi cinema release Sitaare Zameen Par, offering children a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Aamir Khan—on and beyond their TV screens.
The campaign is part of a strategic collaboration between the film’s marketing team and JioStar Kids’ Network, which operates top kids’ channels like Nick, Sonic, Disney Channel and Hungama. As the official Kids channel partner for the film, JioStar is rolling out a week-long promotional blitz featuring Aamir Khan alongside the network’s beloved toon characters.
At the centre of the campaign is a high-energy on-air contest where lucky winners get to meet the superstar himself. Kids are invited to tune in and participate, with the contest designed to deepen viewer engagement through storytelling, imagination, and real-world rewards.
This partnership blends the magic of cinema with the influence of JioStar toons, offering a real-world experience that not only attracts young audiences but also deepens brand love and engagement in ways that go beyond the screen.
JioStar, known for crafting homegrown characters and filling content gaps in the kids’ space, brings its audience insights and engagement know-how to the table—ensuring that the partnership does more than promote a film. It builds cultural recall and excitement, especially with a title as emotive as Sitaare Zameen Par, set to release in cinemas on 20 June.
With Aamir Khan’s star power, JioStar’s cartoon magic, and a campaign that brings both together, kids are in for a treat—and maybe, a handshake with a superstar.
MUMBAI: The Indian diaspora in Canada just got a front-row seat to India’s pulse—served hot, straight from Mumbai. Times Network, the broadcast arm of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., has expanded its international footprint by launching two of its flagship channels—ET Now and Times Now Navbharat—on Rogers Xfinity TV in Canada.
The channels went live on Rogers Xfinity via a strategic tie-up with Ethnic Channels Group (ECG), the world’s largest multicultural broadcaster. ET Now is now available on Channel 2651, while Times Now Navbharat airs on Channel 2696. Both channels will be accessible under a free preview window till 17 June, after which Canadian subscribers can opt in via theme packs for premium Indian news content.
“Our presence on Rogers Xfinity TV and partnership with Ethnic Channels Group marks a pivotal step in our international growth strategy. As we continue to build a truly global presence, this launch reinforces our commitment to delivering high-quality Indian news content to the diaspora in Canada. We see this partnership as a gateway to new opportunities, enabling us to serve our viewers better and strengthen Times Network’s position as a trusted global media brand”, said Times Network executive president & COO Jagdish Mulchandani.
The move taps into a growing appetite among the south Asian diaspora for India-focused, real-time news. ET Now delivers market-savvy programming like The Market, The Money Show, Startup Central, and Buy Now Sell Now, offering Canadian viewers a front-row seat to India’s economic engine. Meanwhile, Times Now Navbharat broadcasts Hindi-language shows like News Ki Pathshala, Sawal Public Ka, and Opinion India Ka, focusing on ground-up perspectives, citizen voices, and sharp political analysis.
Ethnic Channels Group co-founder & CEO Slava Levin added, “It’s an attention economy in today’s fast changing world. Credible news is of paramount importance and tuning out the noise from the facts is critical. Ethnic Channels Group is proud to partner with the Times Network for ET Now (Business News) and Times Navbharat (Hindi News) enriching the media landscape in Canada. As Canada’s largest multicultural TV operator, ECG continues to widen its channel portfolio and strengthen its footprint worldwide”.
For Times Network, the expansion is part of its larger ambition to become a global Indian media brand, targeting audiences who straddle two worlds and crave credible, timely news from both. For ECG and Rogers, it adds further depth to their international content offerings at a time when demand for multicultural programming is on the rise.
With this launch, Times Network cements its Canadian presence and adds yet another milestone in its global journey—delivering Indian news, with nuance and depth, to viewers navigating life across borders.
MUMBAI: In a world where content is king and attention spans are currency, India’s media playbook is in desperate need of an update and Kantar just handed the industry a fresh set of rules. With the launch of Media Compass, the insights giant has dropped a data bomb, charting a 360-degree view of how Indians are consuming media across TV, print, digital, and even influencer content in 2025.
The numbers are as revealing as they are disruptive. Based on a rolling sample of 87,000 consumers with quarterly reporting, Media Compass throws a spotlight on emerging behaviours that marketers can no longer afford to ignore. For starters, a staggering 23 per cent of Indians are now digital-only, they’re online but off the TV grid entirely. Even more surprising: 74 per cent of these digital-only users live in rural India, upending the long-held urban-tech stereotype.
While 58 per cent of Indians still watch linear TV every month, the small screen’s dominance is being nibbled away at by the rise of Connected TV (CTV). With 35 million new viewers, CTV has quietly become a premium battleground, especially among NCCS A households and younger male audiences. In fact, CTV viewership now splits evenly between urban and rural India, proving that the shift is not just a metro phenomenon.
Age remains a clear divider. Viewers aged 15–34 are tuning in to digital (55 per cent), OTT (55 per cent), and social media (57 per cent), while the 45 plus demographic still prefers the comfort of linear TV (44 per cent). Meanwhile, both CTV and digital-only audiences skew 57 per cent male, signalling a need for more inclusive programming and targeting.
Perhaps the most quietly revolutionary insight? Digital is not just democratising entertainment, it’s also redrawing the socio-economic map. Digital-only consumption is over-indexed among lower NCCS groups, showing that smartphones and cheap data are bridging access gaps once thought insurmountable.
“We’ve gone nearly five years without a formal, holistic view of Indian media consumption,” said Kantar director of specialist businesses and insights division for South Asia Puneet Avasthi. “Media Compass is here to fix that. In a fractured landscape, we’re giving advertisers the clarity and precision they’ve been craving.”
With quarterly updates and multi-platform granularity including cross-media interactions and influencer reach Media Compass doesn’t just raise the bar for media research in India. It torches the old one.
MUMBAI: Sony Sports Network is serving cricket fans a piping hot platter of drama, nostalgia and chin music with Bharat Tum Chale Chalo – Kahani 2021-22 Ki, a gritty three-part docuseries that rewinds to one of India’s most unforgettable Test cricket campaigns — the 2021-22 tour of England. Premiering on Sunday, 15 June at 1pm across Sony Sports Ten 1, 3, 4, and 5 — and streaming on Sony LIV — the series pulls back the curtain on India’s high-octane cricketing crusade on British soil.
Fresh from their famous Gabba heist Down Under, the Men in Blue marched into England with a searing pace battery and a score to settle. From Lord’s “60 overs of hell” to Rohit’s bat-does-the-talking moment and the leadership shake-up that had fans glued, this is cricketing cinema with sweat, swagger and plenty of sledging.
The series ropes in a solid bench of voices who lived and breathed the campaign — from former India head coach Ravi Shastri and England’s Michael Vaughan, to bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding wizard R. Sridhar, and Kohli and Rohit’s childhood coaches. With spicy anecdotes and rare behind-the-scenes footage, this is not just a docuseries — it’s a dressing-room pass.
Episode guide:
Episode 1: Pace is pace
Virat Kohli’s long game — building a ruthless pace attack since 2014 — gets its due. Bumrah, Shami, Siraj and Shardul bowl fire and fury into Lord’s, scripting one of India’s grittiest away glories.
Episode 2: Let the bat talk
A redemption arc for the ages: Kohli v Anderson, Rahul’s zen mode, and Rohit’s evolution into a dependable Test opener — capped by that sweet, sweet overseas ton.
Episode 3: Oh captain, my captain
When the final Test got postponed, so did destiny. With Kohli stepping down and Bumrah stepping in, England entered the Bazball era. The finale dives into legacy, leadership, and all the ‘what-ifs’ still echoing at Old Trafford.
Timed to perfection ahead of the upcoming India-England clash, this is Sony Sports Network reminding fans why red-ball cricket still packs the biggest punch.
MUMBAI: Hollywood’s muscle just got a Mumbai makeover. In a landmark alliance that promises paisa vasool and popcorn, Warner Bros. Pictures has joined hands with Bhanushali Studios Limited (BSL) and Joat Films to remake five of its legendary films for the Indian market. This isn’t just a Hindi-meets-Hollywood tale—it’s a calculated move to blend global blockbusters with India’s narrative spice and masala magic.
The deal will see the studios collaborate to develop Indian adaptations of iconic Warner Bros. Pictures titles. The reimagined films will retain their emotional heart but undergo a full Indian cultural reset. Warner Bros. Pictures will handle global distribution, indicating a wide international rollout.
“India represents one of the world’s most vibrant and sophisticated film markets, with audiences who deeply appreciate authentic, locally rooted narratives. This partnership allows us to combine our storytelling heritage with exceptional local talent to create films that will resonate profoundly with Indian audiences while maintaining the universal appeal that defines great cinema”, said Warner Bros. Pictures VP & MD India Denzil Dias.
BSL founder Vinod Bhanushali echoed the excitement, stating, “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures, a studio that has shaped cinematic history across generations. This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to reimagine the stories by Warner Bros. Pictures through an Indian creative lens, blending emotion, scale, and culture for audiences both at home and internationally”.
Jack Nguyen of Joat Films will co-produce the films under his first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Nguyen, a seasoned industry executive with over 30 years of experience in Asian productions, set up Joat to independently back cinematic projects with regional depth.
“I’m excited to partner with BSL to adapt Warner Bros. Pictures on titles that will resonate with Indian audiences”, Nguyen said. “Warner Bros. Pictures has an unparalleled library from which we will carefully curate select titles for the vibrant Indian market”.
BSL’s recent critical success Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai bagged five Filmfare OTT Awards in 2023, including Best Web Original Film—cementing the studio’s rising stock in India’s storytelling ecosystem.
Development for the first project under the alliance is currently underway, with casting calls and crew reveals expected in the coming months.
The strategic move underscores Warner Bros. Pictures’ intent to deepen its global roots by embracing local storytelling formats in high-potential markets. As international studios increasingly eye India for both eyeballs and box office returns, this five-film pact could signal a new genre of big-budget ‘Indiwood’ collaborations.
MUMBAI: As the monsoons roll in, so do the mosquitoes. But this time, India’s battle against dengue is getting a prime-time push. On World Dengue Day 2025, TV9 Network joined forces with mosquito repellent brand All Out and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to launch the ‘Saath Ladenge Dengue Se’ campaign—a multi-day, multi-platform blitz to inform, engage and mobilise citizens in the fight against mosquito-borne illnesses.
The campaign kicked off with a bang on 15 June, aiming to reframe the narrative around mosquitoes from minor irritants to major health threats. With cases of dengue rising across India, the initiative makes a timely intervention by focusing on prevention, awareness and collaboration.
“At TV9 Network, we believe in using the power of media to drive meaningful change. Through our partnership with All Out, we are not just broadcasting a campaign, we are enabling a nationwide movement to fight Dengue with knowledge, urgency, and unity”, said TV9 Network CRO Amit Tripathi.
The campaign’s media rollout includes broadcast across six regional TV9 channels—Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Bangla and Gujarati—tapping into the network’s linguistic diversity and regional reach. Households from Kolkata to Kutch are tuning in to specially curated vignettes and anchor-led explainers, busting myths and spelling out symptoms in bite-sized doses.
TV9’s ‘Doctor Bytes’ series features IMA-affiliated experts dishing out simple, actionable guidance. From recognising early warning signs to listing do’s and don’ts, the message is clear: mosquitoes may be small, but the consequences aren’t. The messaging is concise, the delivery clinical.
“Awareness is the first step toward prevention. With ‘Saath Ladenge Dengue Se, An All Out initiative’ we are blending credible medical insight with high-impact storytelling to empower families across India,” said Raktim Das, Chief Growth Officer, TV9 Network.
Brillon Consumer Products MD & CEO Ratanjit Das said, “All Out has always stood for protecting families from mosquitoes and the diseases they cause. Awareness on vector borne diseases is still very low in India today. With Dengue on the rise, we felt the need to increase our efforts on educating consumers and work with credible partners to create mass awareness. All Out’s ‘Saath Ladenge Dengue Se’ campaign is a step towards that goal”.
The campaign reaches a crescendo with a national-level televised panel discussion on TV9 Bharatvarsh, bringing together doctors, public health experts and IMA representatives to discuss real-time risks, misinformation, and the need for a multi-sectoral effort in tackling vector-borne diseases.
“Preventing vector-borne diseases is a public health priority. Diseases like Dengue cannot be tackled in isolation by one individual, it needs all stakeholders coming together and collectively finding solutions. Indian Medical Association is proud to collaborate on this initiative to reach households with life-saving information”, noted Indian Medical Association national president Dilip Bhanushali.
Not just resting on remote controls, the campaign also sees an aggressive digital play. TV9’s platforms are flooded with Instagram reels, Facebook explainers and X (formerly Twitter) threads—all designed to keep India swiping, scrolling and staying safe.
In a country where dengue still takes lives and mosquito bites often get shrugged off, this campaign is a wake-up call. It asks Indians to fight back not just with repellent, but with information.
MUMBAI: When the air gets murky, Gail (India) Ltd knows how to clear the smog – not just from the skies but also in the marketing world. The public sector gas major bagged the ‘Best Content Marketing Campaign – Content’ award at the afaqs! Marketers Excellence Awards 2025 for its evocative and socially charged ‘Hawa Badlo’ campaign.
The award ceremony, held on 14 June at The Westin, Goregaon in Mumbai, spotlighted the country’s most impactful marketing initiatives. Gail’s victory comes hot on the heels of another recognition: its ‘Hawa Badlo: Reconnect To Roots’ campaign was recently honoured at vIDEA 2025 – The Video Media Awards & Summit in Gurgaon.
The ‘Hawa Badlo’ campaign, a long-running initiative from Gail, goes beyond a puff of publicity. It urges citizens to swap passive concern for active participation in tackling air pollution. Its latest chapter, ‘Reconnect To Roots’, spins a nostalgic yarn that reintroduces age-old Indian sustainability practices as contemporary environmental solutions.
Whether it’s yoga, upcycling, or the art of composting, the campaign nudges Indians to rediscover their eco-conscious DNA. The campaign invites people to explore organic living, waste minimisation, and support for local economies — not through fear or guilt, but cultural pride and grounded wisdom.
“Hawa Badlo: Reconnect To Roots is an impactful reminder of India’s rich culture and ecological heritage…” the campaign proclaims, with an emphasis on reviving practices that have been buried under urban chaos and modern habits.
One of its central themes is yoga — not the Instagrammed version with headstands and hashtags, but its original form as a union of self and nature. “Rooted in the Sanskrit word meaning ‘to unite’,” the campaign notes, yoga symbolises a philosophy of balance, harmony, and environmental oneness.
With back-to-back wins, Gail seems to be leading a breath of fresh air in both the environmental and advertising space. The ‘Hawa Badlo’ campaign has not only inspired conversations but continues to build momentum by weaving purpose into content, and culture into calls for change.
MUMBAI: In a move that blends sonic precision with sharp business acumen, audio specialist Sonova Consumer Hearing India has appointed Saahil Kumar as the new general manager for its Sennheiser Consumer Hearing Business in India. The announcement puts Kumar at the helm of one of the country’s most recognisable premium audio brands at a time when the soundscape is rapidly evolving.
Kumar will steer Sennheiser’s consumer division through a market defined by tech-savvy buyers, competitive price points, and rising demand for high-performance gear. He will lead go-to-market strategies, build localised product approaches, and push forward Sonova’s innovation-first ethos in the segment. The agenda? Gain market share, improve profitability, and ensure the Sennheiser brand continues to resonate in India’s noisy audio market.
“It’s a privilege to continue my journey with Sonova and lead the Consumer Hearing business in India. The Sennheiser brand is synonymous with audio excellence, and I’m excited to drive its next phase of growth in this dynamic market. My focus will be on key segments like true wireless earbuds, premium bluetooth headband headphones, soundbars, and the emerging space of speech-enhanced hearables. I also aim to reinforce our leadership in the audiophile category. I look forward to building on the strong foundation we’ve created and delivering exceptional sound experiences through continued innovation”, Kumar said.
A familiar name within the Sennheiser India ecosystem, Kumar brings over 18 years of experience in the consumer electronics space. He joined the company during its integrated professional and consumer phase, initially heading marketing. Over the past decade and a half, he expanded his mandate across sales and e-commerce, where he last served before this elevation.
Kumar is credited with significantly scaling the business, strengthening brand equity, and championing B2B and B2C initiatives. His appointment comes at a critical juncture as Sonova aims to expand Sennheiser’s footprint across true wireless, home entertainment, and hearables—products that are fast becoming household essentials in the Indian audio landscape.
With Sonova sharpening its sound with AI-led hearing tech and user-centric design, Kumar’s new role signals a clear pitch: pushing the limits of audio experience while anchoring brand loyalty in India.
MUMBAI: India TV Speed News has put its foot on the digital pedal. After speeding ahead on connected TV and traditional broadcast, the country’s first 24×7 fast news channel has launched on the web, marking another bold lap in its multi-platform race.
Catering to the mobile-first, notification-fatigued digital generation, the web expansion aims to deliver its signature blitz of news across short, snackable formats like Speed 50, Speed 100, Duniya 20, Sports 20 and Mausam 20. Whether viewers are toggling tabs at work or scrolling at midnight, India TV Speed News promises to keep them updated at click-speed.
“With the launch of India TV Speed News on the web, we are taking credible and fast journalism to today’s digital audience. Speed News has been a huge success on CTV and TV and now with web, we are going to reach audience where they are, anytime, on any device”, said India TV MD Ritu Dhawan.
The launch plays right into the growing shift in media diets, especially among urban, tech-savvy viewers aged 25 to 45. This crowd has little patience for fluff and plenty of appetite for clutter-free, crisp updates—the kind that Speed News has made its calling card.
With its new digital destination, India TV is aiming for ubiquity—on smart TVs, web browsers, or smartphones.
The idea is simple: be everywhere the audience is, and be there first.
India TV Speed News’ web presence reiterates the broadcaster’s focus on journalistic speed, factual integrity, and platform-agnostic delivery. The content might be fast, but the ambition is built to last.
MUMBAI: Adidas and Manchester United have dropped their 2025/26 home kit, and it’s steeped in sentiment. Taking cues from the quiet power of Old Trafford on non-match days, the design brings to life the stadium’s soul — minus the roars, but with all the reverence.
Dubbed the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ kit, the jersey features a moody abstract sleeve graphic in rich reds that nods to the stands, tunnel, and turf. It’s a tribute to the pitch-side calm before the Premier League storm.
A crisp black-and-white V-neck collar, sleeve cuffs, and adidas’ signature three stripes keep things timeless, while a discreet ‘Theatre of Dreams’ sign-off at the back of the neck tips the hat to the club’s legacy.
adidas senior design director Juergen Rank said, “The colour red is fundamental to the club’s DNA. There have been many different expressions of it over the years and for this season we wanted to do something a little different, using the sleeves as a canvas. The abstract graphic stays true to the club’s DNA while providing an innovative look and feel to an otherwise classy and classic jersey.”
Built for performance, the on-field version includes adidas’ latest airflow-maximising fabric. For fans, the replica comes with AEROREADY tech — designed to wick away sweat, even when the match goes to extra time.
