iWorld
Whale TV makes a big splash as Crunchyroll streams onto its platform
MUMBAI: If your living room has been missing a little anime magic, Whale TV has just rolled in with a wave worth riding. The smart TV platform has announced the arrival of Crunchyroll, the world’s biggest home for anime with more than 17 million paying subscribers on all Whale TV–enabled televisions, giving fans a front-row seat to some of Japan’s most celebrated stories.
Crunchyroll’s arrival means viewers can dive straight into a vast library packed with global sensations, from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and SPY x FAMILY to long-running giants like One Piece and Attack on Titan. For the millions of Indian fans who stream anime daily across devices, the upgrade to the biggest screen in the home marks a welcome, long-awaited boost.
“Anime is a rapidly growing entertainment category worldwide, evolving from a niche into a mainstream phenomenon. By launching Crunchyroll on Whale TV, we are giving fans another great way to enjoy their favourite stories on the biggest screen in the home,” said Whale TV VP content distribution Lucas Huang.
For Whale TV, the partnership adds yet another splash of global content to its expanding catalogue. The platform’s push into diverse genres action, fantasy, slice-of-life and romantic comedy among them aligns with its broader mission to deliver premium, international entertainment through a smooth, user-friendly TV OS built for modern viewing habits.
The rollout is swift and simple. Users can head to the Whale TV app store, install Crunchyroll, and start streaming immediately. Existing subscribers can log in and continue watching where they left off, while new fans are invited to begin with a free trial.
With Crunchyroll now anchoring itself on Whale TV, anime lovers can expect their TV screens to get a lot more colourful, dramatic, heartfelt and occasionally chaotic. In short, anime has found a bigger home, and fans have found a better way to watch it.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
