MAM
Festive advertising sees surge on Surewaves Media platform
MUMBAI: India’s audience aggregation platform for television SureWaves Media is witnessing upwards of 100 per cent increase in festive advertising over the year 2013 across key sectors. The biggest spenders this season are from sectors such as FMCG, food and beverages, automobiles, personal healthcare, financial services, online retail and cellular phone services.
Vis-?-vis last year, sectors such as cellular phone services, online retail, personal healthcare, automobiles and FMCG have increased the ad spend on SureWaves Spot TV network by 297 per cent, 257 per cent, 137 per cent, 119 per cent and 109 per cent respectively. A large thrust of this spend is coming from brands who are targeting the bullish demand in tier II and tier III cities of the country. Even segments such as incense and fragrance market along with building materials industry are aggressively increasing their presence during the festive season.
Talking about the trend, SureWaves MediaTech COO Mandar Patwardhan said, “This is the clear indication of the positive mood prevailing in the country and we are glad that large media buyers and national advertisers are now seeing the value of a media platform like ours that allows brands to tap into the combined audience of the highly popular local and regional TV channels in their target markets and also gives them measurable return on investment.”
SureWaves have developed technology to aggregate local cable and regional satellite TV channels across India allowing advertisers to work through a single platform.
MAM
Bob Iger joins Thrive Capital as adviser after Disney exit
Former Disney CEO returns to VC firm, stays on as Disney adviser till 2026.
MUMBAI: From castles to capital, Bob Iger isn’t done building just changing the blueprint. Bob Iger has taken on an advisory role at Thrive Capital, marking a return to the New York-based venture firm he briefly joined in 2022. Founded in 2009 by Josh Kushner, Thrive Capital has been positioning itself at the intersection of technology and long-term value creation, an area where Iger’s experience in scaling global entertainment businesses is expected to add weight. Kushner, 40, welcomed Iger back, highlighting his ability to blend technology with human-centric storytelling, particularly in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Iger is no stranger to Thrive. He had earlier joined the firm as a venture partner in September 2022, after stepping down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company and concluding his tenure as executive chairman in 2021. That stint, however, was short-lived. In November 2022, Disney’s board brought him back to steady the ship, replacing Bob Chapek following a turbulent period for the company.
Now, with his latest exit from Disney’s top job last month, Iger appears to be revisiting the venture world, this time with a clearer runway. Still, the Disney chapter isn’t entirely closed. Under his agreement with the company, he will remain until the end of 2026 as a senior adviser to new CEO Josh D’Amaro and will continue to serve on the board for his current term.
The move comes as venture firms increasingly seek operators with deep industry experience to navigate what Kushner described as “the most consequential technology shift” of the era, driven by AI. For Iger, whose career has hinged on blending creativity with scale, the transition from Hollywood to high-growth investing seems less like a pivot and more like a plot twist.
