Awards
AOL chief to be first recipient of International Emmy Pioneer Prize
MUMBAI: The nominees for the inaugural International Interactive Emmy Awards at MIPTV are announced. Jonathan F. Miller, AOL’s chairman and CEO, will receive the Pioneer Prize. The event set for 5 April in Cannes will have Desperate Housewives star Roger Bart as the host.
Said Miller on being recognized by the International Academy, “I am honoured to be the first recipient of the Pioneer Prize for our online entertainment efforts and I am delighted to accept the Pioneer Prize on behalf of the many extraordinary people at AOL. As our coverage of Live 8 showed, the Internet is unmatched when it comes to delivering a big event that entertains, engages and mobilizes a global audience.”
The Awards will be presented in three categories: Interactive Program, Interactive Channel and Interactive TV Service.
The nominees for Interactive Program are BBC News’s 2005 election coverage, the BBC’s How to Sleep Better, France 5’s Cult Streampower and Koncern TV & Filmproduktion Denmark’s Reallife.log.
In the Interactive Channel category, the nominees are three British services – QuizNation, Scamp and V:MX – up against Germany’s Traumpartner TV.
For Interactive TV service, the nominees are South Korea’s Hello D; Home Choice, Sky News Active and Sky Vegas Live from the U.K.
The International Academy president and CEO Bruce Paisner said, “We are very pleased to be announcing these nominees who will become the benchmark for a new standard of excellence in interactive television. We look forward to establishing the International Interactive Emmy Awards as the premiere platform for the interactive television community to celebrate their achievements.”
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
