iWorld
Customised subscriptions: Tailored experiences for every taste!
Mumbai: aha was launched in 2020, as an Indian video-on-demand streaming service that provides 100% local entertainment. It started out with a 100% Telugu OTT and witnessed great success across the world with its extensive content slate that includes original programming of web series and movies, with a new release every Friday. aha has launched Tamil in 2021. aha is owned by Arha Media & Broadcasting Pvt Ltd, a joint venture by My Home Group and Allu Aravind (Geetha Arts).
Rakesh CK is the head of the SVOD business unit and business Strategy for Arha Media and Broadcasting Pvt Ltd, Rakesh has rich experience managing business operations and has been with Arha Media for close to a year now. At present, he is leading the subscription business for both their domestic and international business. In his role, Rakesh is responsible for strategising growth across aha’s Telugu & Tamil language offerings.
His forte includes keen planning and implementation with expertise in devising plans for improving business performance, tapping new markets, driving high-value revenue and profit plans, building strategic alliances, and improving organisational productivity and performance.
His varied background has enabled him to view business from various vantage points and have a holistic view of business opportunities that have helped organisations he has worked with develop and upscale their reach and meet business objectives efficiently.
In an email interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Arha Media and Broadcasting Pvt Ltd head SVOD business unit and business strategy Rakesh CK, spoke at length about the platform’s content and the reason for revising subscription rates…..
Edited Excerpts:
On interpreting this phenomenon of the growth of OTT in regional content gaining immense popularity and regional content managing to capture attention even amidst Hindi content dominance
The growth of OTT platforms has expanded the canvas for India’s innovative content. Regional content’s popularity surge can be attributed to its authenticity, cultural resonance, and ability to deeply connect with audiences. While Hindi content continues to be influential, regional content’s rise showcases the power of local narratives. This resonates with audiences seeking relatable stories that reflect their culture and language.
On aha achieving a reach of 32 million app downloads and an active user base of 2.3 million in a short span of three years and its YoY growth
Achieving 32 million app downloads and an active user base of 2.3 million in just three years is indeed a journey we are extremely proud of. Despite industry challenges last year, our unwavering commitment to match up to our customers’ expectations allowed us to surpass milestones from previous years. Tamil launch gave us an added impetus and we exceeded our previous years’ numbers handsomely, showcasing our resilience and the value we offer to our customers. This year has commenced with strong growth momentum, propelling us toward further success.
On the content strategy when it comes to greenlighting shows
Our content strategy revolves around accessibility and value creation. We’re investing in a diverse array of content to cater to Telugu and Tamil families. This includes acquisitions like ‘Krack, Baby,’ ‘Samajavaragamana,’ ‘Malli Pelli,’ and ‘Intinti Ramayanam.’ We’re also dedicated to producing fiction originals such as ‘Newsense’ and ‘Sathi Gani Rendu Ekuralu,’ along with engaging non-fiction content like ‘Family Dhamaaka’ and ‘Telugu Indian Idol 2.’ This diverse approach ensures we deliver wholesome entertainment to Telugu and Tamil families alike.
On the strategy behind going for a rate revision in your subscription packages
Our strategy for revising subscription packages aims to offer tailored options that cater to a diverse audience. Ranging from mobile-focused plans to premium experiences like aha Gold, our goal is to provide a variety of choices aligned with varying preferences. For example, we are enhancing our Gold proposition to value beyond the platform and create experiences for Gold customers. This approach enhances accessibility while maximising the value we provide to our subscribers.

On the southern market’s consumer preference, SVOD or AVOD
Similar to the national context, the South market demonstrates diverse consumer preferences between SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) and AVOD (Ad-Supported Video on Demand) models. Preferences vary among viewers, with some opting for ad-free experiences while others find comfort in ad-supported content.
On aha maintaining its position in the Telugu and Tamil markets and its USP to stay ahead and wow the audience as there is competition in this market from the other plates
aha’s success in the Telugu and Tamil markets is rooted in our commitment to authenticity and innovative storytelling. Our unique selling proposition lies in delivering content that resonates with the local audience. Combined with our user-friendly interface and experience, this sets us apart and fortifies our position amidst competition. Staying true to our roots and consistently wowing the audience drives our continued success.
Where do you see yourself in the next three years
In the next three years, we envision aha growing toward profitability while maintaining a strong presence in Telugu and Tamil households. We’ll continue providing compelling content experiences that cater to evolving viewer preferences.
On the plan to expand to other languages
While our primary focus remains on growing and sustaining success in Telugu, we continue to invest and build our Tamil proposition to a similar scale. Entry to other languages continues to be an exciting proposition, but entry is defined by multiple factors. Recognising India’s linguistic diversity is key to our success and delivering quality content to a broader audience while maintaining authenticity and excellence is core to aha’s continued success.
iWorld
Netflix celebrates a decade in India with Shah Rukh Khan-narrated tribute film
MUMBAI: Netflix is celebrating ten years in India with a slick anniversary film voiced by Shah Rukh Khan, a nostalgic sprint through a decade that rewired how the country watches stories. The campaign doubles as both tribute and reminder: streaming did not just enter Indian homes, it quietly rearranged them.
Roll back to 2016 and television still dictated schedules. Viewers waited weeks, sometimes months, for favourite films to appear on prime time. Family-friendly filters narrowed options further, and piracy often filled the gaps. Then Netflix arrived, softly but decisively, carrying a catalogue of international titles rarely seen in Indian theatres and placing them a click away. Old blockbusters and new releases suddenly coexisted on the same digital shelf.
The platform’s real inflection point came in 2018 with Sacred Games, a breakout series that refused to dilute India’s grit for global comfort. Audiences embraced its unvarnished tone, signalling readiness for stories that did not need box-office validation or censorship compromises. What followed was a steady procession of relatable narratives. Competitive-exam anxiety fuelled Kota Factory. College relationships unfolded in Mismatched. Everyday pressures, not grand spectacle, proved bankable.
Language barriers thinned as foreign series arrived with Hindi, Tamil and Telugu dubbing, expanding viewership beyond urban English-speaking pockets. Marketing mirrored the shift. For global releases such as Squid Game, Netflix leaned on regional creators and influencers to localise buzz and make international content feel native.
The library widened beyond fiction. Documentaries stepped out of festival circuits into living rooms. Stand-up comedians found scale. Established filmmakers, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Heeramandi, embraced the platform’s long-form canvas. Subscriber numbers swelled to 12.37 million in India, according to Demandsage, and behaviour followed suit. Late-night binges became routine. Friday release rituals loosened. Watch parties turned solitary screens into social events.
Economics demanded adjustment. Early subscription pricing carried a premium aura that deterred many households. Over time, Netflix recalibrated plans to align with Indian spending sensibilities, conceding that accessibility is as critical as content. To extend momentum around marquee titles, the platform also experimented with split-season releases, stretching anticipation and watch time.
The anniversary film, narrated by Shah Rukh Khan, captures the linguistic shift that mirrors the cultural one: from “Netflix pe kya dekha?” to “Netflix pe kya dekhein?” The question moved from recounting the past to planning the next binge. In ten years, Netflix morphed from foreign entrant to familiar fixture, exporting Indian stories abroad while importing global ones home. The remote no longer waits; it chooses, clicks and moves on. In the streaming age, patience is out, playlists are in, and the next episode is always one tap away.
e-commerce
Tulasi Mohan Padavala elevated to Associate Director at Blinkit
Gurugram: Blinkit has elevated Tulasi Mohan Padavala to associate director, capping a three-year climb inside the quick-commerce firm and signalling confidence in an executive steeped in ecommerce, category management and on-ground sales execution.
Padavala shared the update publicly, saying he was “happy to share” the promotion, a succinct announcement that nevertheless marks a notable step up within one of India’s fastest-moving delivery platforms. The new role follows nearly three years at Blinkit, where he most recently served as senior category manager from February 2023 to January 2026, focusing on strategic sourcing and assortment planning.
The promotion places Padavala in Blinkit’s mid-to-senior leadership tier at a time when the company continues to expand its rapid-delivery footprint and sharpen category economics. His brief tenure as associate director began in January 2026, with responsibilities expected to span category growth, supplier strategy and cross-functional execution.
Before Blinkit, Padavala spent a short but intensive stint as global ecommerce manager at Wholsum Foods, the parent of Slurrp Farm and Millé, between November 2022 and February 2023. There he worked on digital marketplace expansion and online retail operations, adding a direct-to-consumer and international ecommerce layer to his résumé.
A longer stretch at Amazon shaped much of his cross-border commerce experience. As business development manager for Amazon’s India Global Selling programme from February 2021 to October 2022, Padavala helped Indian D2C brands enter the North American market. His remit ranged from seller recruitment and category revenue management to coordination with industry bodies, regulators and logistics partners. Key outcomes included launching more than 50 D2C consumable brands in the United States, driving a cumulative gross merchandise sales figure of $1m in FY21-22, tripling sales for participating brands during Prime Day through marketing and visibility levers, growing the monthly recurring revenue of more than 10 newly launched sellers from zero to an average $20,000 each, and negotiating ecommerce partnerships that reduced initial launch costs by 20 per cent.
Padavala’s earlier career was forged in the field rather than the dashboard. At Coffee Day Group, he spent close to five years across multiple sales leadership roles. As sales manager in the Greater Delhi Area from July 2019 to January 2021, he led vending-machine and consumables sales for small and medium enterprises with a team of more than 15 assistant and territory sales managers, managed over 2,000 clients, drove upselling and cross-selling, maintained channel partnerships and ensured timely collections. Prior to that, he served as area sales manager in Delhi between May 2018 and June 2019, handling south and east Delhi markets, and earlier in Hyderabad from April 2016 to May 2018, where he led Andhra Pradesh sales for the vending division, supervised service and logistics functions and managed a base of more than 600 machines with a four-member team.
His professional arc began with internships that combined analytics and process improvement. At Boehringer Ingelheim in 2015, Padavala analysed the impact of brand extension on the drug Pradaxa, identified key performance indicators through market research and assessed sales forecasts, recommendations that drew positive responses in pilot studies. Earlier, at Genpact in 2014, he automated manual sales-order backlog reporting using VBA and Excel, increasing efficiency by 800 per cent, and worked on benchmarking metrics within supply-chain planning processes.
From automating spreadsheets to scaling cross-border ecommerce and now steering quick-commerce categories, Padavala’s trajectory tracks the evolution of India’s retail economy itself. Blinkit’s bet is clear: blend data, discipline and delivery speed. The promotion formalises what his career already suggests. In the race for instant commerce, experience that moves from warehouse floors to global dashboards is no longer optional. It is the engine.
e-commerce
Bharatpe plays a super over as Rohit Sharma fronts T20 push
MUMBAI: When the stakes rise and seconds matter, even payments need a match-winning finish. That’s the cue for Bharatpe, which has rolled out Super Over, a nationwide campaign led by Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, timed neatly ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The campaign draws a straight line between the pulse of cricket and the pace of everyday digital payments. A new brand film taps into India’s emotional bond with the game, while positioning UPI as the quiet hero that keeps daily transactions ticking along at match speed.
As part of Super Over, users making payments via Bharatpe UPI can bag daily rewards ranging from match tickets and signed merchandise to a chance to watch a T20 World Cup fixture alongside Rohit Sharma himself. Both consumers and merchants are also assured Zillion Coins on every eligible transaction, adding a little extra sparkle to routine payments.
Behind the scenes, Bharatpe is also batting for safety. The platform is backed by Bharatpe Shield, a fraud-protection layer designed to offer enhanced security, comprehensive coverage and dedicated support aimed at helping users transact with greater confidence as digital payments scale up.
Announcing the campaign, Bharatpe head of marketing Shilpi Kapoor said Super Over mirrors the aspirations of everyday Indians, combining speed, security and instant rewards to make UPI transactions feel both reliable and rewarding.
The campaign will play out across digital platforms, social media and on-ground activations nationwide, staying live through the T20 World Cup season proof that in cricket, as in payments, timing is everything.
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