MAM
Hero Honda launches ‘Glamour’, 2 more launches by year-end
BANGALORE: Hero Honda Motors launched their new model ‘Glamour’ along with the corresponding new ‘g’ logo to ensure leadership position in the growing premium deluxe segment. A change from the traditional, was that Glamour was a South India only launch as against the previous all India launches of yore. The bike for now will be available only in the Southern part of the country.
During the launch, Hero Honda Motors chairman Brijmohan Lall says, ” I am sure ‘Glamour’ will further strengthen our leadership position in the premium deluxe segment which is currently witnessing a high growth and will continue to do so in coming years.”
Lall stated that additionally two new offerings, one a scooter and the other a power segment motorcycle, would be launched in the market towards this year-end. He, however, refused to divulge any further information.
The aesthetics of the motorcycle were designed keeping in mind the desires of customers in this segment after a research study. Glamour sports a next-gen visor to lend it a suitable persona and an aerodynamic look, which has been further strengthened by the contemporary shape of multi-reflector winkers. The motorcycle comes equipped with a big and elegantly contoured fuel-tank, which enables the rider to have a comfortable leg position.
The flush-type lock on the fuel tank is apparently first-of-its-kind in this segment. It also adorns a new tripod instrument panel. The Glamour model comes with the 125 cc ‘Quantum Core’ engine has been developed specially for Indian customers and is set to consolidate Hero Honda’s leadership in the fast growing deluxe segment of the two-wheeler industry in the country according to the company officials.
Glamour is available in four variants – drum/kick, drum/self, disc/kick, disc/self and in 10 colors including new and first time shades like impulse orange and vibrant green metallic priced at
Rs 44,500 (Drum + Kick version Bangalore ex-showroom).
The motorcycle will be available through Hero Honda’s wide sales network of almost 2000 sales and service points, which include over 500 dealerships spread across the country.
JWT, FCB Ulka and Percept are handling the creatives. Hero Honda Motors head marketing P S Sunder revealed that the ad spends were Rs 1.5 billion, of which only 25 per cent goes towards the print media while the remaining 75 per cent will be spent on all other business promotional activities.
Hero Honda has a 45 per cent piece of the market pie in South India as against a 50 per cent portion nationally. Of this a major chunk of sales would probably be to the rural areas, which are generally supplied and serviced by the nearest city or town. Besides, the motor major is confident of exporting 100,000 bikes across all their models to Columbia, Peru, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Middle East this year as against 65,000 last year and about 150,000 next year to these countries. Currently Hero Honda exports 10,000 bikes every month to these countries, of which about 4000 two-wheelers go to Columbia alone.
Lall also announced the setting up of a new manufacturing plant – the third one – at an undecided location, with investments of Rs 5 billion over the next three years, of which Rs 3 billion would be the initial spend.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
