iWorld
Priyadarshini Indalkar and Priya Banerjee join the cast of Sony LIV’s Shantit Kranti 2
Mumbai: After the success of Shantit Kranti, Sony LIV is now gearing up for the release of the highly anticipated second season of its hit Marathi original. The critically acclaimed show is set to take viewers on another enthralling journey filled with laughter, relatability, and introspection. Adding a fresh twist to the narrative, the makers have unveiled two new additions to the cast – Priyadarshini Indalkar and Priya Banerjee.
This season will see Priyadarshini Indalkar, known for her remarkable stint on Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra, step into the shoes of Samruddhi, who navigates through the complexities of an arranged marriage with Shreyas. On the other hand, the versatile actress Priya Banerjee will be seen essaying the role of Kani, an NRI from San Francisco.
Expressing her excitement about Shantit Kranti 2, Priyadarshini Indalkar shared, “I instantly resonated with Samruddhi’s character when it was first pitched to me. She’s a straightforward woman who believes in the power of genuine connections. Her journey in the show is a testament to the power of love’s potential. I can’t wait for the audience to witness my character and her relationship with Shreyas in the series.”
Talking about her role in the series, Priya Banerjee added, “Kani’s character is such a beautiful blend of spontaneity and self-reflection. I think a lot of our generation can relate to her earnest search for happiness. Kani’s journey reminded me that life’s most special moments can be found in the simplest, most unexpected places. Shantit Kranti 2 is a rollercoaster of emotions and I’m so grateful to be a part of this incredible project.”
Created by TVF in association with BhaDiPa and produced by Arunabh Kumar, the show is directed by Sarang Sathaye and Paula McGlynn. The series stars Abhay Mahajan, Alok Rajwade, Lalit Prabhakar, Mrinmayee Godbole, Priya Banerjee, Priyadarshini Indalkar among others.
Shantit Kranti 2 streaming on 13 October only on Sony LIV!
Gaming
India’s broadcasters say no to Fifa World Cup 2026
Fifa has slashed its asking price by 65 per cent but India’s broadcasters are still not buying
MUMBAI: The world’s biggest sporting event cannot find a single taker in the world’s most sports-mad nation. Fifa’s television rights for the 2026 World Cup remain unsold in India, and the clock is ticking loudly.
To shift the property, world football’s governing body has already swallowed hard and cut its asking price from $100m to $35m, bundling in the 2030 edition as a sweetener. It has not worked. Indian broadcasters have looked at the offer, done the sums and quietly walked away.
The reasons are brutally simple. The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off in a time zone that turns India’s primetime into a graveyard shift. Most matches will air between midnight and 7am IST, a scheduling catastrophe for advertisers chasing mass reach. The 2022 Qatar edition was a gift by comparison, with matches dropping neatly into Indian evenings. North America offers no such luxury.
The market itself has also changed beyond recognition. The merger of Star India and Viacom18 into JioStar has gutted the competitive tension that once sent sports rights prices soaring. Where rival bidders once slugged it out, there is now a single dominant buyer, and it is in no hurry. JioStar has valued the rights at roughly $25m, a full $10m below Fifa’s already-discounted floor price. That gap has so far proved unbridgeable.
Broadcasters are also nursing a ferocious cricket hangover. Between 2022 and 2023, Indian media houses committed well over $10bn to cricket rights alone, covering IPL, ICC events and BCCI domestic fixtures combined. After a binge of that scale, appetite for a football package that delivers a fraction of the ratings, in the dead of night, is close to zero.
The economics of football broadcasting make the maths even harder. Cricket, with its natural breaks every few overs, is an advertiser’s paradise. Football offers a 15-minute halftime and precious little else. Recovering a nine-figure rights fee from a single half-hour ad window is a stretch at the best of times. These are not the best of times: the Indian government’s tightening grip on real-money gaming and gambling advertising has vaporised a category that once underwrote the economics of big sporting events.
Nor is the World Cup an anomaly. Indian Super League valuations have cratered. English Premier League rights have softened across successive cycles. The cooling of football as a broadcast commodity in India is structural, not cyclical.
With the tournament opening on 11th June, Fifa is running out of road. It may yet blink and meet JioStar at $25m. Or it may go direct, streaming the entire tournament on its own platform, Fifa+, or cutting a digital deal with YouTube, and hoping that a generation of Indian football fans finds its way there without a broadcaster to guide them.
Either way, the beautiful game’s Indian chapter is looking decidedly ugly.
