iWorld
Asia Video Summit returns next month with a focus on growth and sustainability
MUMBAI: The annual marquee event of the Asian video industry, the Asia Video Summit will return as a full hybrid event this year on 1-2 November. There will be physical events in both Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as a live stream of all sessions to be made available on its interactive event platform.
The Asia Video Summit is organised by Asia Video Industry Association (Avia) with Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor. The aim of the Asia Video Summit is to tell a holistic story of the state of the video industry, looking at all aspects of it and articulated by its decision makers, to provide its delegates with a comprehensive view of the state of the video industry today.
In the post-COVID-19 era, media and entertainment companies have been the darlings of Wall Street. This narrative has recently changed, however, and arguably irrational exuberance has given way to irrational pessimism. But is the streaming business model fundamentally flawed, or is this just a recalibration in an era of inflation and post-pandemic trauma? How do the trajectories of investment vs monetization balance each other? And where does Asia sit compared to other parts of the world? Do subscriber numbers foretell a golden period of growth in Asia that can counter negative narratives from the West?
At this year’s Summit, they will be speaking to the people who are determining the future of the video industry in Asia. Besides the state and future of the video industry, they will also explore the growing role and advance of advertising, the technology behind the customer experience, a detailed look at the role of news and sports today and the burning topic of environmental sustainability.
Some of the key speakers of the Summit include:
-A+E Networks managing director Asia Saugato Banerjee
– StarHub chief of consumer business group Johan Buse
– True Corporation deputy director, planning & business development, strategic content group Kirana Chew
– Media Partners Asia executive director Vivek Couto
– Warner Bros. Discovery president & managing director Western Pacific James Gibbons
– BBC Studios senior vice president & general manager Asia Phil Hardman
– Astro vice president, head of sports Nicholas John
– Zee5 chief business officer Manish Kalra
– beIN Asia Pacific managing director Asia Mike Kerr
– Disney Streaming head of product – developing markets Sidd Mantri
– Airtel Ads CEO Vignesh Narayanan
– Mediacorp chief commercial officer, chief digital officer Parminder Singh
– TVING CEO Jay Yang
– Media Prima Television Networks deputy CEO Nini Yusof
The Asia Video Summit is sponsored by Gold Sponsors Brightcove, BytePlus, INVIDI, PubMatic, Tencent Cloud, TV5Monde, Silver Sponsors AsiaSat, Broadpeak, Dolby, Edgio, Google, Gracenote, InvestHK, Irdeto, Magnite, Measat, Mirada, Nagra, SES, Synamedia. Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor supports the Community Outreach Programme that provides complimentary passes for local video and creative industries-related SMEs and tertiary students to participate in the virtual Summit. Complimentary in-person Mentoring Workshops will also be held on 10 November to provide tips about the media industry.
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.
