MAM
Mountain Goat Adventure Festival 2026 kicks off with Kärcher
13th Winter Expedition conquers Leh-Ladakh, Himachal, Upper Mustang and Bhutan from 15–22 February.
MUMBAI: The Mountain Goat Adventure Festival just proved that even the Himalayas need a good scrub because when your 4×4 is caked in mud, snow and legend, only Kärcher gets the job done. The 13th Winter Expedition, part of India’s premier endurance-led automotive community event, roared to life from 15 to 22 February 2026. A disciplined convoy of off-roaders tackled high-altitude deserts in Leh-Ladakh, rugged Himachal ridges, hidden trails in Nepal’s Upper Mustang, and challenging routes in Bhutan.
This year Kärcher India joined as the official wash partner, bringing nearly a century of high-pressure cleaning expertise to the extreme environment. Alfred Kärcher invented Europe’s first hot-water high-pressure washer in 1950, and the brand now celebrating 90 years of innovation in 2025–26 remains the world’s best-selling pressure washer, certified by Guinness World Records.
In the frozen Himalayas, where mud, snow, slush and salt threaten mechanical failure, Kärcher’s machines stripped vehicles clean with precision. From 4x4s to adventure bikes and gear, the tech kept everything expedition-ready and looking sharp.
Mountain Goat co-founders Shashwat Gupta and Suraj Tayal said, “As we enter the 13th Winter Expedition in 2026, Mountain Goat continues to push boundaries across newer terrains and tougher conditions. Strong partnerships play a key role in enhancing the expedition experience. In environments where mud, snow, and slush are constant challenges, maintaining vehicles becomes essential not just for performance, but for pride.”
The collaboration highlighted a perfect match, Mountain Goat’s relentless drive to conquer unforgiving landscapes paired with Kärcher’s legendary ability to blast away the grit. In a festival where every kilometre tells a story, this year’s edition proved that the real adventure isn’t just reaching the peak, it’s arriving there looking like you never left the showroom.
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.
