ITV

Tag: Viacom18

  • IPL’s surging IPL valuation slides back as gambling ban and media merger collide

    IPL’s surging IPL valuation slides back as gambling ban and media merger collide

    MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League, the commercial behemoth that has redefined cricket economics, is experiencing something unprecedented: contraction. After years of relentless upward momentum, the IPL’s valuation has plummeted to Rs 76,100 crore in 2025—a staggering Rs 16,400 crore collapse over two years. The league that once seemed destined to become sport’s most valuable franchise now faces an altogether different reality: the era of exponential growth has ended.

    Two seismic forces have conspired to puncture cricket’s golden goose. First, India’s crackdown on real-money gaming has eviscerated the advertising market, stripping an estimated Rs 1,500–2,000 crore from annual sponsorship revenues. Second, the 2024 merger of Disney Star and Viacom18 into JioStar eliminated the competitive media rights bidding war that had inflated valuations for over a decade. Together, these shocks have shattered the financial architecture upon which the IPL’s boom was built.

    Fantasy and gaming platforms were the IPL’s most profligate sponsors, lavishing Rs 1,500–2,000 crore annually across league, franchise, and broadcaster deals. Dream11’s Rs 358 crore national jersey sponsorship exemplified this era: premium pricing underpinned by what amounted to speculative betting cash. Then the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act descended like a guillotine. The gaming sponsors evaporated overnight, leaving franchises scrambling to replace lost revenue with comparatively cheaper deals from fast-moving consumer goods, banking, and electric vehicle makers.

    The vacuum revealed an uncomfortable truth: gaming sponsorship wasn’t additional revenue flowing into cricket’s ecosystem. It was unsustainable froth, inflating numbers on spreadsheets rather than building durable commercial value. When it disappeared, so did the illusion of inexhaustible growth.

    For years, competing broadcasters—Star Sports, Sony, Amazon, others—bid ferociously for IPL rights, each convinced that exclusive access to India’s cricket audience justified premium prices. In 2023, with two strong bidders and whispers of global tech giants entering the fray, valuations soared to Rs 92,500 crore. But the promised tech invasion never materialised. Netflix, Amazon, and Apple pivoted away from sports streaming. Disney and Viacom18 merged, eliminating one bidder entirely. The competitive tension that had driven rights auctions simply evaporated.

    D&P Advisory managing partner Santosh N summarised the revised reality: media rights will no longer deliver the 40–50 per cent appreciation once confidently projected. The IPL’s “fundamentals remain strong,” he insisted, but “the pricing environment will remain under pressure.” Translation: viewers will watch, advertising inventory will sell, but sponsors will pay less.

    The Women’s Premier League, still in its formative years, has already buckled. Its ecosystem value fell 5.6 per cent to Rs 1,275 crore in a single year. Unlike the IPL’s entrenched commercial machinery, the WPL lacks pricing resilience. Dream11’s sponsorship withdrawal and the gaming ban have left the BCCI scrambling to secure title sponsors before the next season—a predicament that would have been unthinkable two years ago.

    Amidst the financial carnage, audience enthusiasm remains robust. The 2025 IPL season crossed a billion cumulative viewers, with digital viewership surpassing television for the first time. JioStar recorded 1.19 billion unique viewers and 514 billion minutes watched. Stadium attendance remained strong; travel searches spiked across Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Lucknow during matches. In short, Indians remain obsessed with cricket. They’re simply less willing—or able—to pay premium prices for the privilege.

    The road forward demands what the boom years never required: structural innovation. Subscription bundles, regional packages, commerce integrations, and renewed competitive tension from global streaming platforms must replace the twin engines of gaming sponsorship and auction-driven bidding wars. 

    If they don’t materialise, the IPL faces not terminal decline but permanent diminishment: a mature, cash-generative business rather than the exponential growth machine it once promised to be. For a league built on the premise that tomorrow would always dwarf today, that’s a bitter recalibration indeed.
     

  • Swift TV & Hoichoi Partner to Redefine Regional Streaming

    Swift TV & Hoichoi Partner to Redefine Regional Streaming

    Swift TV, India’s rapidly growing Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) platform, has partnered with Hoichoi, the leading destination for Bengali and Hindi entertainment, to deliver premium regional content absolutely free.

    With 800K+ downloads and 130+ live channels in 12+ languages, Swift TV offers an extensive catalog of movies, shows, and live entertainment. This collaboration brings Hoichoi’s acclaimed Bengali and Hindi originals, movies, and series directly to the Swift TV app, at no extra cost.

    A major highlight is the exclusive Hoichoi Live Channels—a first-of-its-kind innovation in FAST streaming. The Bengali Hoichoi Live Channel is available internationally (except India), while the Hindi channel is accessible worldwide, including India. This positions Swift TV as the go-to destination for regional entertainment across India, the US, and Canada.

    “We’re thrilled to bring Hoichoi’s exceptional content to our audiences,” said a Swift TV spokesperson. “Our bespoke Hoichoi Live Channels set new benchmarks for free, high-quality regional entertainment.”

    For Hoichoi, the partnership opens doors to the FAST ecosystem, expanding its reach beyond SVOD audiences while staying true to its mission of celebrating Bengali narratives.

    With top partners like Viacom18, Zee, Pitaara, Republic TV, and Bloomberg Originals, Swift TV continues to strengthen its premium content lineup.

    Download the Swift TV app today Swift Tv and enjoy Hoichoi’s world-class Bengali and Hindi entertainment—free, accessible, and tailored for every mood, in your language, on your terms. 
     

  • Mafatlal spins a new yarn with Vishesh Verma as comms head

    Mafatlal spins a new yarn with Vishesh Verma as comms head

    MUMBAI: Words are the new power suits, and Arvind Mafatlal Group has just found its tailor-in-chief. The century-old conglomerate, known for weaving enduring business legacies, has appointed Vishesh Verma as group head for corporate communications, effective immediately.

    Armed with more than 20 years of experience across media, marketing, and communications, Verma has stitched together award-winning campaigns for marquee brands. His career includes senior mandates at Viacom18 and Warner Media, where he led strategies that didn’t just look good on paper but translated into sharper brand presence and stronger consumer engagement.

    Now tasked with overseeing the Group’s communications across internal, external, and digital platforms, Verma’s mandate is clear: craft cohesive storytelling, reinforce stakeholder trust, and keep the Mafatlal brand humming across diverse markets. With a reputation for marrying creativity with data-driven precision, he’s expected to ensure that every Mafatlal message not only resonates but also delivers results proof that in today’s boardrooms, a strong narrative is as valuable as a strong balance sheet.

  • Truecaller names Athul Prabhu product director for ads business

    Truecaller names Athul Prabhu product director for ads business

    MUMBAI: Truecaller has tapped Athul Prabhu as product director for its advertising arm, a move aimed at supercharging the company’s biggest growth engine.

    Prabhu, an ad-tech veteran with stints at Glance, TikTok, Viacom18 and Nielsen, will shape the product vision and strategy for Truecaller Ads. At Glance, he built the lock-screen app’s ad-tech infrastructure from scratch, enabling global monetisation through programmatic and direct sales.

    The appointment comes as Truecaller Ads, delivering more than 5 billion daily impressions and used by over 10,000 brands, cements its reputation as one of the world’s largest mobile advertising platforms. Hemant Arora, vice-president of the global ads business, said Prabhu’s remit will be to design a diversified suite of AI- and data-led products tuned to local markets.

    Prabhu, an IIT Kanpur graduate with an MBA from ISB Hyderabad, called the platform “uniquely positioned to redefine the future of trusted communication and digital advertising”, citing its reach and user trust as rare assets for brands.

    Advertising accounts for the lion’s share of Truecaller’s growth, and the company is betting Prabhu can turn scale into sharper monetisation.

  • Foundry promotes sales veteran Chhavi Bhalla to senior director

    Foundry promotes sales veteran Chhavi Bhalla to senior director

    MUMBAI: Chhavi Bhalla has been elevated to senior director of growth sales at Foundry, capping a meteoric rise through the company’s ranks over three-and-a-half years.

    Bhalla, who joined the firm as new business manager for North America in March 2022, was promoted to director of growth sales in March 2024 before landing her latest role this month. Her ascent reflects Foundry’s aggressive expansion in the competitive digital media space.

    The sales veteran brings formidable credentials from America’s media landscape. At Gannett’s USA Today Network, she delivered $350,000 in fresh revenue through 15 new clients whilst generating creative solutions that contributed 50 per cent to annual turnover. Her portfolio spanned the full digital spectrum—from over-the-top streaming and programmatic advertising to search engine marketing and branded content.

    Earlier stints at regional broadcaster Gray Communications and KOLO 8 saw Bhalla add 25 clients worth $200,000 in revenue whilst coaching marketing teams across the American west coast.

    Her Indian media pedigree runs deep. A five-month tenure as head of content sales for the public sector at Discovery yielded a $9m partnership with India’s tourism ministry for a bespoke travel series. At Zee Entertainment, she quadrupled revenue relative to production costs through content innovations across the network’s channels.

    Her most impressive performance came at Viacom18, where she delivered an 85 per cent revenue surge from north and east India regions, orchestrating branded content deals with corporate giants including GSK, Coca-Cola and Microsoft.

    Bhalla’s promotion underscores Foundry’s bet on seasoned operators who can navigate the increasingly complex digital advertising ecosystem whilst delivering measurable growth in challenging market conditions.

  • JetSynthesys recruits Surender Thakur as revenue head

    JetSynthesys recruits Surender Thakur as revenue head

    MUMBAI: JetSynthesys, the Mumbai-based gaming and digital entertainment outfit, has snared Surender Thakur as its new revenue head. The appointment sees the former national sales head of Viacom18’s live entertainment arm jump ship to the next-generation tech company.

    Thakur brings nearly two decades of media muscle to JetSynthesys, which crafts immersive experiences across gaming, esports, music and youth culture. At Viacom18, he spearheaded sales strategy for large-format properties including Vh1 Supersonic and bespoke brand integrations, leading sales teams nationwide.

    His media pedigree runs deep: three years at HT Media’s Fever FM and Radio One, where he headed business operations and drove profitability. Before that, an eight-year stint at Radio One saw him climb from retail sales head to station chief. He cut his teeth at Radio City and Mid Day, handling everything from classified ads to consumer durables at the English daily’s Rs 100-crore operation.

    The hire signals JetSynthesys’s intent to monetise India’s booming gaming and esports scene more aggressively. With digital entertainment revenues surging post-pandemic, the company appears keen to leverage his live events expertise to bridge traditional media and gaming cultures.

    For  Thakur, it’s a chance to apply his sponsorship and IP curation skills to India’s most dynamic entertainment sector. The move also reflects the blurring lines between conventional media and gaming, as brands chase younger audiences across platforms.

    JetSynthesys now has a seasoned revenue warrior to navigate this brave new world of digital entertainment

  • Amazon elevates Milind Pande to spearhead India marketing push

    Amazon elevates Milind Pande to spearhead India marketing push

    MUMBAI: Amazon Web Services has promoted Milind Pande to head of marketing for India and South Asia, as the cloud computing giant seeks to strengthen its grip on the country’s $7.2 billion market.

    Pande, who has spent six years climbing AWS’s ranks, was previously head  of independent software vendor marketing, overseeing the company’s startup and software-as-a-service portfolio. His elevation comes as AWS faces mounting pressure from Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud in India’s notoriously price-conscious market.

    The appointment reflects AWS’s determination to maintain its lead in a region where it has pledged $12.7 billion in infrastructure investments through 2030. Industry insiders suggest Pande’s promotion signals the company’s shift towards a more aggressive, marketing-led growth strategy as artificial intelligence adoption accelerates across Indian enterprises.

    Pande brings 16 years of diverse experience spanning telecommunications at Vodafone, media at Viacom18, and consulting at PwC. His track record with Fortune 500 companies and deep enterprise exposure positions him to drive AWS’s next phase of expansion in the subcontinent.

    The move underscores the strategic importance of India to AWS’s global ambitions, as tech giants battle for dominance in one of the world’s fastest-growing cloud markets. With competition heating up, Pande’s challenge will be translating AWS’s technical advantages into sustained market leadership through sharper brand positioning and customer engagement.

  • Ajit Varghese exits JioStar less than a year into top revenue role

    Ajit Varghese exits JioStar less than a year into top revenue role

    MUMBAI: Ajit Varghese has quit as head of revenue, entertainment and international at JioStar, the Reliance–Disney joint venture created in November 2024. His departure, confirmed via an internal memo, comes under a year after he was brought in to drive monetisation across television, digital and overseas businesses.

    Mahesh Shetty, currently head of  revenue for the 90 plus channels and JioHotstar for large client universe which acounts for more than 80 per cent of the platform’s income will take charge of the entertainment revenue mandate. A Viacom18 alumnus, Shetty has more than 20 years’ experience in media sales, including a stint as head of network sales.

    Varghese, a veteran with over three decades in advertising and media, joined Disney Star in January 2023 to head network sales before moving to JioStar. He earlier led monetisation at ShareChat and Moj, and spent over a decade at WPP, where he rose to global president of Wavemaker.

    He was recently awarded with an Indian Telly Award for his performance as head of revenue. 
    Industry watchers are now keenly awaiting Varghese’s next move, given his track record of steering businesses through transformation across agencies, broadcasters and digital platforms.

  • Subhojit Roy joins Sony Pictures Networks India as VP, ad sales

    Subhojit Roy joins Sony Pictures Networks India as VP, ad sales

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Subhojit Roy as vice president, ad sales, strengthening its leadership ranks as it seeks to sharpen its commercial edge in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

    Roy brings with him over 14 years of experience in media and technology sales, having previously held senior roles at TV Today, ABP Network, Viacom18, Zee Studios and Reliance Broadcast Network. Most recently, he served as vice president, sales and strategy at TV Today, where he led monetisation efforts across broadcast and digital verticals.

    An alumnus of ICFAI University and IIM Ahmedabad, Roy has been a driving force behind branded content monetisation, revenue expansion through original IPs, and advertiser-led partnerships. His career spans stints in digital, broadcast, OTT and even government-tech interface sales, underscoring his deep understanding of both legacy and emerging revenue streams.

    At Sony Pictures Networks, Roy is expected to helm advertising strategy across the network’s diverse portfolio, bringing a data-driven approach to branded content, inventory optimisation, and advertiser solutions. His appointment comes at a time when broadcasters are grappling with shrinking linear margins and the urgent need to futureproof monetisation models through digital convergence.

    In his own words, Roy believes, “Almost every industry is getting massively disrupted by the combination of tech and media. Embrace it and empower your people.”

  • Sanjog Gupta pitches JioStar’s mega play: one fan, one individual feed, infinite screens

    Sanjog Gupta pitches JioStar’s mega play: one fan, one individual feed, infinite screens

    MUMBAI: JioStar chief executive of sports and live experiences Sanjog Gupta knows how to play it well. He took the SVG India Summit stage on 5 May and delivered a fiery address that was part state-of-play, part future manifesto, and full of pride. This was despite him recovering from a bout of flu. 

    From JioStar’s record-breaking cricket broadcasts to the turbocharged rise of JioHotstar, Gupta dropped numbers and punchlines in equal measure.

    “Since the IPL began, we’ve added three  million pay TV homes and scaled to 280 million digital subscribers,” he said. “That’s not a curve; that’s a rocket.”

    A year ago, Disney Star and Viacom18 were at each other’s throats. Today, they’re joined at the hip in JioStar—a media juggernaut Gupta calls the marriage of “Star’s creativity and Jio’s connectivity.”

    In under 90 days, JioHotstar was born, merging two massive platforms with 250 million monthly users each. Since then, it’s broken just about every sports viewership record across both TV and OTT, from Test series highs to the biggest-ever WPL and IPL starts.

    But this isn’t just about cricket. Gupta unveiled JioStar’s new vertical—live experiences—which aims to blend collective fan energy with next-gen storytelling and interactivity. “We don’t want to just serve today—we want to shape tomorrow,” he declared.

    He outlined JioStar’s four commandments for partners:

    1. Think consumer, night and day
    2. Be bold, nimble, and humble
    3. Chase creativity, not just ideas
    4. Execute relentlessly

    But the mic-drop moment came when Gupta demoed MaxView 2.0—a souped-up, AI-powered vertical viewing experience designed for mobile fans. Swipe up for bite-sized moments. Swipe left for alternate angles and HeroCam views. Tap once and you’re back in the live game.

    “Screens are getting smaller, but the experience is getting bigger,” he quipped. “One taxi driver watches it at red lights. One guy told me he watches in the office without anyone noticing. That’s what we call stealth sports.”

    Since MaxView’s rollout, JioHotstar has clocked 25 per cent higher engagement from users on mobile. The mission now?

    One fan, many feeds—a world where each viewer gets a bespoke experience tailored to their individual moods, moments and devices.

    As Gupta put it: “Not many fans as one, but one fan as many.”

    Clearly, that should sweep fans all the way to the boundary – with lots of glee.