iWorld
SonyLiv launches original Marathi web-series ‘YOLO’
MUMBAI: SonyLiv has announced the launch of an original regional language web-series. Titled, YOLO – You only live once, the show has been conceptualized and developed by Indian Magic Eye (IMEPL).
YOLO is a Marathi web-series that is centred around the coming-of-age story of four young adults – Choko aka Shivraj Waichal, Sarika aka Shivani Rangole, Rochak aka Ruturaj Shinde and Pari aka Shashwati Pimplikar. Sai Tamhankar, Nagesh Bhosale and Anand Ingle who are the well known faces in Marathi Entertainment industry also feature in this web series.
Directed by Sameer Vidwans, the show is the story of four young adults who unexpectedly go through a series of dramatic events that transforms their perspectves on love, relationships, sex and life in general. The story also involves differences of opinion between two generations on concepts of morality and ethics.
“The Marathi regional audience is gradually emerging as a large and strong consumer base for original content on the digital medium. To cater to their emerging desire for high-quality entertainment intheir language and with a cultural essence, they can relate to, we at SonyLIV are proud to roll out ‘YOLO’, the country’s first-ever web series in a regional language. This move underlines our commitment to deliver the most appealing original content across the traditional boundaries of genres, languages or geographies. The motive is to delight and entertain, whilst also raising the common issues surrounding the youth,” said Sony Pictures Networks India EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi.
The story begins when Choko’s family members are going away for a week. An incident takes place which involves a lot of drama.They learn to think beyond their own selves and start seeing each other and their own parents in a different light. They evolve as better human beings. This coming of age story will have an extremely humorous yet deep, bold yet not below the belt treatment. It will be relatable to the youth as well as the elderly since it also reflects their experience and mature point of view.
YOLO not only enhances the entertainment options available to SonyLiv’s Marathi viewers, but also adds great value to their viewing experience by offering original entertainment content that they can relate to and associate with.
The launch of YOLO is in sync with SonyLic’s uplifted brand ethos of ‘We Liv to Entertain’, which is aimed at providing the most comprehensive entertainment content to meet the varied requirements of its diverse audience base. It is also a strategic move on the part of SonyLiv to augment the traction that it is currently receiving from regional audiences who are actively embracing the digital platform as a primary means of content consumption.
Link for the Episode: www.sonyliv.com/dplnk?schema=sony://asset/5276724430001
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
