Brands

India’s World Cup heroines set for brand bonanza

Published

4 months ago

November 3, 2025

MUMBAI: The tears, the tricolour, the trophy. When Harmanpreet Kaur’s side defeated South Africa by 52 runs on Sunday night to claim India’s first-ever women’s World Cup , they didn’t just etch their names in cricket history—they opened the door to a commercial windfall that could redefine women’s sport in the country.
With a packed stadium erupting as the final wicket fell, and millions more watching across the nation, the brand equity of several players is set to soar. Marketers and advertising agencies are already sharpening their pencils. Amongst the players who look to be front-runners in this dash for sign ups figure:

Smriti Mandhana: There’s no denying her talent or her appeal. Good looks, certainly, but above all, world-class batting skills have made her a hero for millions. Mandhana is second in the tournament’s run charts. The World Cup triumph will only cement her cult status. Her endorsement portfolio includes giants like Hero MotoCorp, Hyundai, Red Bull, Garnier, Wrangler, and PNB MetLife, but expect it to expand dramatically.

Harmanpreet Kaur: She showed tenacity as captain, leading from the front and taking a fantastic catch to end the South African innings. More importantly, she steered her team through three losses during the tournament—defeats that could have derailed any side. But not Harmanpreet. She kept the team’s belief intact, insisting they weren’t looking left or right, only at their end goal. That grit under pressure is precisely what brand managers look for. She has done endorsement for brands like HDFC Life, ITC, Boost, Ceat, Puma, Tata Safari, Asian Paints, Jaipur Rugs, The Omaxe State, Big Flex, and Hapipola. That surely is set to balloon exponentially now.

Jemimah Rodrigues: This bundle of talent is energy personified on the field, whether fielding or batting. Her unbeaten 127 in the semifinal showed she’s a match-winner, forming a crucial 167-run partnership with Harmanpreet that swung the tie against Australia Her transparency about emotional upheavals after being dropped earlier brought out her determination. She plays the guitar and has an excellent sense of theatre—the perfect combination for brand campaigns seeking authenticity. Her endorsement portfolion includes Red Bull, Hyundai, Gillette, Dream11, HMD (Human Mobile Devices), boAT and Platinum Evara.

Pratika Rawal: The 25-year-old became the joint-fastest cricketer to score 1,000 runs in ODIs (23 innings) and was the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer with 308 runs before injury ruled her out ahead of the knockouts. The image of her in a wheelchair, draped in the tricolour, celebrating with teammates became one of the most powerful moments in Indian sporting history. That resilience and passion will resonate deeply with brands seeking emotional connect.

Shafali Verma: She scored a blistering 87 in the final and picked two crucial wickets, becoming the first player to score 50-plus runs and take two wickets in a World Cup final Recalled after Rawal’s injury, she had been out of the ODI side for nearly a year Her extraordinary display capped an extraordinary week. The 21-year-old’s redemption arc makes her a natural choice for brands focused on perseverance and comeback stories. She has featured as a brand ambassador for the likes of Bank of Baroda and Ceat. In a few months this will surely swell.

Radha Yadav: The left-arm spinner grabbed her opportunity in the final league match against Bangladesh after warming the bench for six games, ending with a three-wicket spell. She was part of the playing eleven in the final. Her steady bowling alongside Shree Charani helped contain South Africa’s dangerous middle order. Her journey from twelfth player to World Cup winner embodies the team ethic that brands increasingly value.

The World Cup win isn’t just a trophy. It’s a watershed moment for women’s cricket and for Indian cricket as whole.

And for these players, the real game—the endorsement game—is only just beginning.

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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

2 weeks 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

2 weeks 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.

Brands

BCCL profit jumps 53 per cent in FY25 as tax bill shrinks

Revenue rises 4.3 per cent to Rs 10,209.33 crore while deferred tax gain lifts bottom line sharply

Published

2 weeks ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCCL) has posted a sparkling set of financial results for the year ended 31 March 2025, proving that there is still plenty of ink and gold left in the ledger.

Revenue from operations climbed a steady 4.3 per cent, reaching Rs 10,209.33 crore compared to Rs 9,786.44 crore the previous year. When you sprinkle in other income, which rose 8.9 per cent to Rs 949.36 crore, the total income for the media behemoth hit a healthy Rs 11,158.69 crore.

While the income grew at a modest pace, the bottom line tells a far more dramatic story. The real headline is the 53 per cent surge in annual profit. How did they pull off such a feat? While Profit Before Tax (PBT) saw a gentle nudge upward of 2.7 per cent to Rs 1,610.00 crore, it was a vanishing act by the taxman that really did the trick.

Total tax expenses plummeted by 32.4 per cent, dropping from Rs 468.76 crore down to Rs 316.97 crore. This was largely thanks to a swing in deferred tax, moving from an expense of Rs 156.02 crore in FY24 to a benefit of Rs 39.44 crore this year.

Total income rose from Rs 10,658.55 crore in FY24 to Rs 11,158.69 crore in FY25, marking a 4.7 per cent increase. Total expenses grew at a slower pace, up 3.0 per cent from Rs 9,306.06 crore to Rs 9,581.45 crore. Profit before tax inched up 2.7 per cent, moving from Rs 1,567.02 crore to Rs 1,610.00 crore. However, the standout figure was net profit, which jumped sharply by 53.0 per cent, climbing from Rs 1,042.03 crore in FY24 to Rs 1,594.73 crore in FY25.

Despite the rising costs of doing business across the globe, BCCL kept a tight grip on the purse strings. Total expenses rose by just 3.0 per cent to Rs 9,581.45 crore. By keeping costs lower than the rate of income growth, the company ensured that the final figure, a net profit of Rs 1,594.73 crore, was nothing short of a front-page sensation.

In a world of shifting digital tides, it seems the BCCL ship is not just steady, but sailing into significantly wealthier waters.