MAM

EdTech sees exponential growth during pandemic

Published

4 years ago

February 9, 2022

Mumbai: Education has been one of the severely-hit sectors during the lockdown as the entire education system had to go online overnight. But on the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic also led the education sector to an unplanned demonstration of e-learning methods, which was not possible otherwise. Interestingly, remote learning, which started as a substitute for offline classes for some time, emerged as a complementary and supplementary mechanism.

The latest ZEE5 Intelligence Monitor Report gave evidence of the speed and scale of business activities in online education. Conducted on a cross-section of ZEE5 viewers in over 146 cities and towns across rural and urban India, the primary survey included parents who were also regular ZEE5 viewers from tier I, II, and III cities.

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises chief operations officer Rajiv Bakshi said, “Innovation lies at the epicenter of our business. Coupled with our consumer-centric approach, we endeavored to introduce a property that will educate and empower our audiences as well as partners. ZEE5 Intelligence Monitor knowledge series offers the tenets, roadblocks, and insights of the sectors that have witnessed a massive change in the last two years.”

The ed-tech report is the first in the series and highlights the disruption witnessed in the Indian education sector, fuelled by tech solutions, convenience and a new-age mindset. “We are confident that the report would benefit brand custodians and product leaders and provide new information and insights for them to make advertising and business decisions,” said Bakshi.

The report aimed to gauge the changes in consumption patterns and consumer attitudes towards e-learning in India. This survey by ZEE5 unearthed some interesting insights about online education. Let’s take a look!

E-Learning Grows As A Nationwide Trend

As the schools shifted to remote learning, 46 per cent of the survey respondents considered e-learning applications for their children during the pandemic. While 50 per cent of the parents in metro cities embraced e-learning for their children, the corresponding figure for non-metro parents stood at 40 per cent. The figures indicate that e-learning has accelerated nationwide.

Same Quality of Education For All

One significant benefit of e-learning apps is that they ensure a similar quality of education for all, which is impossible to imagine in offline classrooms. “E-learning platforms offer the same quality of education across the country, from tier I cities to tier II and tier III locations to the farthest corners of India,” said Toppr founder and CEO Zeeshan Hayath.

Parents Adopt E-Learning Methods for Kids

Millennials who were among the early adopters of computers and the internet have also emerged as the first group of parents to adopt e-learning applications. The ZEE5 report highlights that 55 per cent of millennial parents adopted e-learning platforms for their children. As millennial parents include people born during the 1990s, they have grown to see significant disruptions in technology. Hence they were quick to adapt to the e-learning applications.

Parents See E-learning Cost As An Investment In Child’s Future

The parents are quick to adopt e-learning and are also open to spending on the platform. As per the report, 63 per cent of parents don’t consider the cost of e-learning as a limiting factor; instead, they see it as an investment in their child’s future. According to ZEE Entertainment Enterprises’ chief operations officer, revenue, Rajiv Bakshi, parents’ willingness to adapt and invest in the new e-learning mechanism is a testimony to the efficacy and value of ed-tech.

Internet Connectivity Still Remains A Big Barrier

The applications offering e-learning services interact and participate in activities via computer; thus, robust internet connectivity becomes critical to this new learning mechanism. But even after winning the trust of the majority of parents, ed-tech platforms cannot effectively reach many due to the unstable internet connectivity across the country. With all family members working from home and students studying remotely, internet connectivity is insufficient. Even while mobile phones are available across the nation, the bandwidth it offers doesn’t support e-learning platforms.

At least 40 per cent of parents feel that internet connectivity is a barrier to effective e-learning. They find internet connectivity even a more significant challenge than the cost of e-learning applications.

Moving Towards A Hybrid Future Of Learning

While the lockdown has disturbed human lives like never before, it has forced us towards the things that we couldn’t even think of otherwise- for example- an MNC operating entirely from home or an education system performing remotely. While we all wish to get rid of the pandemic soon, the behavioral changes it has brought will stay with us for life. As far as the education system is concerned, the ZEE5 Intelligence Monitor Report clearly illustrates that e-learning has become very effective.

E-learning empowers individual learners and has the potential to improve access to education at a broader level when used in conjunction with the traditional class-based model, commented Bakshi on the findings of the ZEE5 survey.

The e-learning industry trends suggest that teachers and learners have become comfortable with e-learning, they even like this system over the traditional classroom setting. And while the e-learning applications are becoming more immersive, parents also like the fact that they can monitor their children’s academic progress throughout. However, the school environment and physical interaction are crucial for children’s overall growth. We can expect the learning system to move towards a hybrid model where e-learning platforms support classroom learning.

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Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

4 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.