MAM
GMR Group upscale fitness landscape in Hyderabad with Yoddhas Gym
Mumbai: GMR Sports, the sports vertical of GMR Group announced the launch of a unique state-of-the-art gym, Yoddhas Gym, in Hyderabad. The GMR group, a pioneer in creating a sporting ecosystem in India through their various teams in Cricket, Kabaddi, and Kho-Kho along with academies have now forayed into fitness with the Yoddhas Gym. The addition of Yoddhas Gym to its portfolio stands as a testament to the infrastructure giant’s dedication to providing a mindful, holistic, and invigorating experience to all sports and fitness enthusiasts in the country. With the latest cutting-edge equipment, expert trainers, and a commitment to excellence, Yoddhas Gym promises to offer a fitness & wellness experience that transcends the boundaries of traditional fitness.
The driving force behind Yoddhas Gym is the aspiration to democratize the training experience of world-class athletes, by allowing fitness enthusiasts and aspiring athletes to access the same level of facilities and expertise that have powered GMR’s sporting franchisees to success at the biggest platforms.
Speaking on the launch, GMR League Games, Yoddhas Gym, CEO PKSV Sagar said, “ It gives us immense pleasure to announce the Yoddhas Gym, further showcasing our commitment to provide a 360-degree sporting ecosystem to all sports and fitness enthusiasts alike. The first ever Yoddhas Gym at Hyderabad is just the beginning to many more of them across the city and country in the months ahead, and we are hopeful that we can provide a holistic experience to athletes and fitness enthusiasts without any bias.”
GMR group is a well-established name in the world of sports with ownership of illustrious teams such as Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League and Women’s Premier League, UP Yoddhas in the Pro Kabaddi League, Telugu Yoddhas in the Ultimate Kho-Kho, India Capitals in the Legends League Cricket, and Dubai Capitals in the International League T20.
Currently, UP Yoddhas are plying trade in the PKL Season 10 and are gearing up to turn around their campaign with their next two matches scheduled to be played in the Hyderabad leg against Patna Pirates and Telugu Titans at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on 19 and 20 January respectively. UP Yoddhas are one of the most successful teams in the Pro Kabaddi League as they have made it to the playoffs in every season since their inception.
The Yoddhas Gym is located on the ground floor, tower 2, GMR Business Park, Aerocity Hyderabad.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
