iWorld
JioHotstar serves up aces as TPL’s streaming partner for three seasons
MUMBAI: If tennis needed a power shot in India, this one lands right on the line. The Tennis Premier League (TPL) has inked a three-year partnership with JioHotstar, making the country’s largest streaming platform the official digital home of the league starting Season 7.
The multi-season tie-up marks a major leap for TPL’s digital ambitions, tapping into JioHotstar’s expansive reach to bring live matches, highlights, behind-the-scenes access, and exclusive features to fans nationwide. With tennis viewership soaring across India, the partnership aims to accelerate the sport’s rise from niche favourite to mass spectacle.
Founded on a fast-paced 25-point format designed to simplify the game for wider audiences, TPL has steadily built a loyal base backed by tennis icons Leander Paes, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi, along with celebrity co-owners Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre Behl.
Season 7, scheduled from 9 to 14 December 2025 at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad, arrives with star wattage unlike any before. For the first time, the league will feature Top 50 international players, raising the competitive stakes dramatically.
The international line-up includes:
● Luciano Darderi (World No. 26)
● Alexandre Muller (World No. 42)
● Damir Džumhur (World No. 57)
● Dan Evans (former World No. 21)
● Rohan Bopanna, two-time Grand Slam champion
They join a strong roster of leading Indian and global players, setting the stage for TPL’s most electrifying edition yet.
Tennis Premier League co-founder Kunal Thakkur described the partnership as a milestone moment, “TPL has always aimed to revolutionise how tennis is consumed in India. Partnering with JioHotstar ensures fans everywhere can now experience the league in the most engaging and accessible way possible.”
Fellow Tennis Premier League co-founder Mrunal Jain added, “Our vision has always been to make tennis a household sport. JioHotstar gives us the perfect platform to reach millions and bring them courtside to the TPL experience.”
Season 7 powered by Clear Premium Water will feature eight teams, SG Pipers, Gurgaon Grand Slammers, Chennai Smashers, GS Delhi Aces, Yash Mumbai Eagles, Hyderabad Strikers, Gujarat Panthers, and Rajasthan Rangers, with Yonex Sunrise as the Official Equipment Partner.
As India gears up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, TPL’s latest partnership signals a sport hitting its stride faster rallies, bigger names, and now, streaming access that ensures tennis fans never miss a point.
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.
