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  • Shryoan and abcoffee stir up matcha magic

    Shryoan and abcoffee stir up matcha magic

    MUMBAI: When skincare gets a caffeine kick, you know the beauty world is brewing something bold. Shryoan Cosmetics has teamed up with abcoffee in Gurugram to serve up its latest creation, the Super matcha pore tightening serum, and it promises to tighten more than just your daily routine.

    Unveiled amid swirls of artisanal matcha lattes and glossy skincare talk, the serum takes its cue from Camellia sinensis leaf extract (aka matcha), Niacinamide and a dose of natural moisturising factors. The recipe? Smaller pores, balanced oil, quenched skin and a luminous finish, all bottled for just Rs 199.

    “Super matcha is more than a serum, it’s a celebration of modern, multitasking skincare,” said Shryoan co-founder Drishti Madnani, adding that the serum’s fun, accessible vibe is every bit as important as its results.

    By mixing skincare with café culture, Shryoan’s launch felt less like a beauty pitch and more like a lifestyle experience, the kind where antioxidants, wellness trends and a silky finish collide over a matcha latte.

    With this collaboration, Shryoan signals that beauty is no longer confined to the vanity mirror; it’s about immersive, everyday rituals. And if this launch is anything to go by, the brand is just warming up before frothing up more trend-savvy skincare concoctions.

  • Sony Liv’s 13th cracks open India’s exam-prep grind with MT Sir’s story

    Sony Liv’s 13th cracks open India’s exam-prep grind with MT Sir’s story

    MUMBAI: The toughest test isn’t always on paper, sometimes it’s the year between. Sony Liv is set to premiere its long-awaited original series 13th on 1st October 2025, pulling viewers into the high-pressure universe of India’s competitive exam-prep culture.

    The title itself is a nod to the “drop year” after Class 12, when thousands of students dedicate an extra 12 months solely to cracking the IIT-JEE entrance exam. For many, that 13th year becomes a make-or-break moment filled with sleepless nights, financial strain, and the constant balancing act between ambition and anxiety.

    At the heart of the story stands mentor Mohit Tyagi (MT Sir), a real-life educator whose teaching revolution has reached over 20 lakh students across India. With his Youtube channel followed by more than 2.2 million learners, Tyagi has built an open-access classroom that rivals the mega coaching hubs of Kota but without the lakhs in fees. Over two decades, his consistency and discipline-driven methods have produced Top-100 ranks year after year, proving that resilience and rigour trump hype.

    What makes Tyagi’s story remarkable is his rejection of crore-level salary offers in favour of free, quality education. His vision has reshaped the meaning of mentorship in India, cutting across economic and social divides. Instead of becoming a coaching magnate, he created a movement where students are treated as individuals with dreams, not just roll numbers on a register.

    13th stars Gagan Dev Riar as the mentor, portraying a role steeped in both realism and inspiration. The series doesn’t sugarcoat the grind, it delves into the loneliness of hostel rooms, the sacrifices families make, and the crushing weight of repeated attempts. It also shines a light on the resilience of students who fight through failure, financial strain, and fear, armed with little more than hope and persistence.

    Speaking about the premiere, Tyagi himself reflected on the deeper message: “Teaching has always been about much more than solving equations. It’s about resilience, discipline, and reminding students that they are more than their marks. 13th tells the untold story of lakhs of youth carrying gigantic pressure but also gigantic dreams.”

    For Sony LIV, the series is more than just a drama, it’s a mirror to India’s youth, their aspirations, and the cracks in a system where education can feel like war. By weaving Tyagi’s mission into a scripted narrative, the platform hopes to start conversations in living rooms across the country between parents, students, and society at large.

    With hashtags #My13thStory and #13thOnSonyLiv, the show is already sparking anticipation online. Come October, 13th promises to be more than binge-worthy content; it’s set to become a cultural talking point on what success really means when the journey is tougher than the exam.

  • Bite-sized and booming: how FareFlow’s microdramas are conquering the world

    Bite-sized and booming: how FareFlow’s microdramas are conquering the world

    MUMBAI: Three weeks. That’s all it took for FlareFlow to vault from newcomer to number one on America’s free entertainment app charts, on both iOS and Android. The microdrama platform—brief, serialised stories designed for mobile screens—has cracked a formula that’s reshaping how millions consume entertainment. And it’s not stopping at American shores.

    Col group’s international platform hit a new single-day revenue record just three weeks after breaking into America’s top five on Google Play. The surge signals something bigger than a viral moment: audiences worldwide are abandoning hourlong episodes for stories that fit between tube stops.

    According to Sensor Tower data from 22 August to 20 September 2025, FlareFlow now ranks third in Germany, fourth in Australia and fifth in Canada among short-drama and entertainment apps. The momentum reflects a fundamental shift in viewing patterns. Where audiences once defaulted to traditional series or films, they’re increasingly choosing bite-sized narratives that slot seamlessly into daily routines.

    China offers a glimpse of what’s coming. Microdrama revenues there have already overtaken the traditional box office, according to Media Partners Asia, with Col’s intellectual property portfolio driving much of that growth. FlareFlow is now exporting this model globally, adapting genres to local tastes: revenge plots, flash marriages and family conflict dominate in Southeast Asia, whilst young adult fiction, werewolves and CEO-driven dramas resonate in Western markets.

    “This is not a passing trend in China or America—it’s a global shift in storytelling,” said Col group chief executive Ray Tong. “People have consumed vertical content since Instagram Stories and TikTok, but what’s evolving is the storytelling itself. FlareFlow is shaping that evolution for audiences everywhere.”

    To sustain this growth, Col is investing heavily in infrastructure and partnerships. The company has established more than 30 international production teams across Los Angeles, New York, Canada, London and southeast Asia, supported by dual post-production centres in Beijing and Los Angeles. By year-end 2025, it plans to open the industry’s first purpose-built microdrama production studio in Hengqin, Greater Bay Area—a 10,000-square-metre facility with 30 soundstages tailored specifically for short-form content.

    With a pipeline of 280 dramas, FlareFlow is scaling aggressively. Since launching in April 2025, the platform has surpassed 15 million downloads across 177 regions, with monthly user spending increasing more than 500 per cent.

    “What excites us most is that it isn’t just about FlareFlow’s growth—it’s about investing in an ecosystem,” added at Col group general manager for international press and southeast Asia Timothy Oh. “Our investments worldwide are helping the industry adapt and thrive as microdramas become part of everyday viewing.”
    The question now isn’t whether microdramas will succeed, but how quickly they’ll reshape the global entertainment landscape.

  • ET Now doubles the drama with South Central and Ayesha Faridi’s Interview

    ET Now doubles the drama with South Central and Ayesha Faridi’s Interview

    MUMBAI: Lights, camera, South India! ET Now, India’s leading English business news channel, is spicing up its programming lineup with two brand-new offerings South Central and The Interview with Ayesha Faridi. Both promise to add depth, drama, and dialogue to the channel’s already formidable portfolio.

    First up is South Central, a weekday special airing from 29th September 2025, 5:30 pm–6:00 pm, helmed by ET Now’s Jude Sujendran. More than just a show, it’s a journey into the beating heart of South India, a region that’s equal parts economic powerhouse and cultural trendsetter. From boardroom battles in Bengaluru to cinematic splendour in Chennai, the show will explore everything from politics and policy to food and lifestyle. Its editorial pillars business & economy, politics & policy, cinema & culture, and food & lifestyle ensure that viewers get the full southern thali, not just a side dish.

    Then comes The Interview with Ayesha Faridi, premiering on 3rd October 2025 at 3:30 pm. Executive editor Ayesha Faridi will trade soundbites for substance in a 25-minute deep dive with marquee voices from business, markets, policy, sports, and culture. Expect candid revelations, untold stories, and insights into future strategies from leaders shaping the country’s direction. Designed to rise above the clutter of breaking news, this flagship weekly show aims to bring clarity and context to India’s biggest decisions.

    “Both the shows embody our vision of combining sharp analysis with engaging narratives, offering viewers unmatched perspectives on the people and forces shaping India’s economy, politics, and culture,” Times Network said in a statement.

    For ET Now, already home to marquee programmes like The Market, First Trades and Closing Trades, the new additions reinforce its ethos of Rise with India, with coverage spanning 16 countries.

    So whether it’s the spice of southern stories or the candour of conversations, ET Now’s festive programming treat promises something fresh for every viewer.

    Tune in to South Central every weekday at 5:30 pm, and The Interview with Ayesha Faridi every Friday at 3:30 PM, only on ET Now.

  • Call of Duty: Mobile goes gothic for Halloween with WWE crossover

    Call of Duty: Mobile goes gothic for Halloween with WWE crossover

    MUMBAI: Nothing says Halloween quite like watching Undertaker suplex a zombie on a haunted Mexican estate at midnight. Welcome to Call of Duty: Mobile’s latest update.

    Season 9—Midnight Rumble—launches today with a hefty serving of Halloween content, including the return of fan-favourite modes like Attack of the Undead and Hordepoint. The update introduces night mode on the Isolated map for the first time since 2020, forcing players to adjust their tactics in near-darkness. Hacienda returns as Haunted Hacienda, complete with ghost ships, jack-o’-lanterns and creatures lurking in the shadows.

    The headline addition is a limited-time WWE collaboration that lets players fight as wrestling legends including Undertaker. Players start matches with boxing gloves and can transform into WWE operators on winning streaks, gaining enhanced health and signature finishing moves that work from any direction. It’s an unlikely crossover that signals the game’s confidence in experimenting beyond military realism.

    The Halloween update kicks off a three-season arc dubbed Black & Gold that will run until the game’s sixth anniversary in Season 11. The campaign starts with Black, bringing back the most popular maps, modes, operators and weapons from the game’s history. Season 10 will flip to Gold  with fresh content before the anniversary finale.

    Beyond the WWE mode, players can earn free legendary weapons through seasonal events, including the FFAR—Shredder and RPD—Road Mongrel. The battle pass introduces the Sten submachine gun, widely used by British forces in the Second World War, alongside Halloween-themed operator skins like Ajax—Insanely Jacked and Seraph—Witch’s Holiday.

    The store update includes a new Mythic weapon draw featuring the Type 25—Deepstar Piercer, two WWE-themed draws for Alexa Bliss and Undertaker, and returning Halloween weapon blueprints in a series armoury. Two previous battle passes—Graveyard Shift and Winter War—are also returning to the vault.

    For a mobile game competing against console-quality shooters and battle royales, the strategy is clear: pile on the content, embrace the absurd, and keep players engaged with constant variety. Whether that approach sustains momentum through to the sixth anniversary remains to be seen, but Activision is betting that zombies and wrestlers make a winning combination.

  • Media maven climbs the ladder at Essence Mediacom

    Media maven climbs the ladder at Essence Mediacom

    MUMBAI: Averill Sequeira has landed the plum job of chief strategy officer at Essencemediacom, the WPP Media brand, marking another step up the corporate hierarchy for the seasoned media strategist. The appointment, which began in July, caps a career spanning over 20 years in India’s bustling advertising and media planning sector.

    Sequeira’s ascent through the ranks reads like a textbook case of steady professional progression. Her journey began modestly in 2004 as a media planner at Madison Communications, before moving to Lodestar Universal where she cut her teeth on communication planning and media tools development.

    The real acceleration came during her lengthy stint at Mindshare, GroupM’s media agency, where she spent nearly six years climbing from senior director of business planning to principal partner for strategy. Her remit there included managing strategic units, delivering marketing solutions, and shepherding blue-chip clients like PepsiCo through the digital transformation.

    A brief entrepreneurial detour saw her founding TranSkills India, a skills development venture, in 2013—though the appeal of agency life proved too strong to resist for long. She returned to the media fold at Cheil India as general manager of planning, before joining EssenceMediacom India in 2021.

    At EssenceMediacom, Sequeira has worn multiple hats, serving first as chief product officer and later as head of creative futures, before her latest promotion to the top strategy role. Her expertise spans customer insight, creative problem-solving, and marketing communications—skills that will prove essential as media agencies grapple with an increasingly fragmented advertising landscape.

    The appointment signals WPP Media’s confidence in homegrown talent, particularly as multinational agencies face pressure to localise their leadership teams across key markets like India.

  • Bharat Express brings back Varun Kohli as group chief executive

    Bharat Express brings back Varun Kohli as group chief executive

    NOIDA:  In the media industry, boomerang hires are increasingly common. But when a news channel rehires the executive who built it from scratch, it signals ambition rather than desperation.

    Bharat Express has brought back Varun Kohli as director and group chief executive, marking his return to an organisation he helped launch in January 2023.  Kohli, who spent just over a year at Bharat Express before joining Times Network as chief operating officer, is being tasked with expanding the channel’s reach and deepening its impact in India’s competitive news broadcasting market.

    During his first stint, Kohli shaped the channel’s editorial and business strategy, built its core team and established its operational framework. His move to Times Network in 2024 saw him oversee critical operations across a larger network. Now, armed with that broader experience, he returns to accelerate Bharat Express’s growth trajectory.

    “During his first innings, Varun played a foundational role in successfully launching the channel and positioning Bharat Express as a credible voice in Indian news media,” said Bharat Express chairman, managing director & editor in chief Upendrra Rai. “With his return, we are confident that his deep industry experience and visionary approach will help us accelerate our growth and take the channel to new heights.”

    Kohli brings three decades of media experience, having held leadership roles at ITV Network, Deccan Chronicle Holdings, Network18, Bennett Coleman & Co., HT Media and Amar Ujala Prakashan. He is known for launching and turning around media brands, with a reputation for driving revenue growth and building high-performance teams.

    The appointment positions Bharat Express for its next phase of expansion, with Kohli’s return bringing both institutional knowledge and fresh strategic insights gained from his time at one of India’s largest broadcasting networks.

  • Publicis opens AI-powered content studio in India

    Publicis opens AI-powered content studio in India

    MMUMBAI:  The age of one-size-fits-all advertising is over. Brands now need content that speaks to specific audiences, on specific platforms, at specific moments—and they need it fast.

    Publicis Groupe India has launched a content studio designed to meet precisely that demand, combining artificial intelligence with traditional creative talent to produce personalised, localised marketing material at speed.

    The facility, the group’s fifty second globally, integrates AI-powered tools with editing suites and CGI workstations to help brands respond quickly to cultural moments and platform changes. Unlike standard production houses, the studio focuses on creating what the company calls “intelligent content”—assets tailored to specific audiences, platforms and contexts rather than generic material produced at volume.

    “Marketers today aren’t short on data or ideas. What they need is the ability to turn those insights into powerful, relevant content—faster than ever before,” said  Publicis Groupe south Asia chief executive Anupriya Acharya. “This studio does exactly that.”

    The Mumbai operation joins Publicis Production’s network of studios in creative hubs including New York, London, Paris and Shanghai. It is equipped to handle both high-end production and agile content creation, offering post-production services to complement prodigious India’s existing capabilities.

    The studio integrates with Publicis’s international production ecosystem through LucidLink and data asset management systems, enabling real-time collaboration across markets. It has already produced content for brands across beauty, automotive, fast-moving consumer goods and technology sectors, creating thousands of assets for markets from southeast Asia to Australia and America.

    “Production is no longer the final step; it’s the creative engine that connects strategy, media, technology and commerce,” said Publicis Production managing partner C. “Today, it’s not just about producing more content, it’s about producing intelligent content, made for the right audience, tailored to the right platform, and delivered at the perfect moment.”

    Publicis Groupe South Asia  chief creative officer Rajdeepak Das  said the studio brings “creative, production and technology under one roof,” enabling the company to match the pace of cultural change.

     

  • Amazon expands Anish’s empire across Middle East and Africa

    Amazon expands Anish’s empire across Middle East and Africa

    DUBAI: Amazon has promoted a veteran marketing executive to oversee both deal-making across the Middle East and North Africa and marketing operations in South Africa, as the American e-commerce giant doubles down on emerging markets.

    Anish  Rajan, who previously orchestrated Amazon India’s flagship sale events generating over $2 billion in revenue, has been handed the expanded role effective September 2025. His promotion adds south African marketing responsibilities to his existing mandate as head of deals and events across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

    The appointment reflects Amazon’s growing ambitions in regions where it sees significant untapped potential. Rajan’s west Asian operation already contributes 23 per cent of the region’s annual revenue, whilst launching Amazon-first innovations that have since been rolled out globally.

    His track record spans 15 years across e-commerce, consumer electronics and logistics. Before joining Amazon in 2020, he held senior marketing roles at Samsung Electronics and led marketing communications for fashion platform Jabong during its high-growth phase.

    At Amazon India, Anish spearheaded the deals programme that accounted for 39 per cent of store revenue, building scalable systems and customer experience improvements that were subsequently adopted across Amazon’s global marketplaces.

    His earlier career included stints at Micromax, where he led brand strategy and product launches, and DHL Express, where he managed global partnerships including Formula 1 and Manchester United, overseeing a $30 million retail portfolio.

    The dual-region role positions Anish at the centre of Amazon’s emerging markets strategy, where the company is competing fiercely with local players and other global platforms for market share.

  • Nike promotes Anagha Alreja to lead global brand creative voice

    Nike promotes Anagha Alreja to lead global brand creative voice

    OREGON: Anagha Alreja has been promoted to director of global brand creative for brand voice at Nike, expanding her remit from regional oversight of Asia-Pacific and Latin America to worldwide responsibilities.

    The appointment, effective September 2025, elevates Alreja after 16 months as creative director for brand voice across Nike’s APLA markets. She has spent nearly 13 years at the American sportswear giant, climbing from head of brand communications in India to increasingly senior creative roles at the company’s Beaverton headquarters.

    Alreja brings two decades of marketing experience with marquee brands including an eight-year stint at Walt Disney Co, where she served as senior manager for franchise marketing in Mumbai. The Cannes award winner describes herself as driven by consumer insights and strategy, with a particular interest in media and technology innovations.

    Her promotion comes as Nike continues to invest heavily in direct-to-consumer marketing and brand storytelling across emerging markets, where the company sees significant growth potential. Alreja’s track record spans traditional advertising, digital marketing and collaborative leadership roles.

    Before joining Nike in 2013, she also worked in marketing and sales at Real Image Media Technologies in Mumbai’s metropolitan region.