MAM
Former cricketer Rahul Dravid to lead Abbott’s #MusclesMatter campaign
MUMBAI: It’s no secret that we all age. But, with aging can come muscle loss, which can directly impact mobility, strength, energy and immune health. Starting at age 40, adults can lose up to 8 per cent of their muscle mass per decade, and this rate can double after the age of 70. To help adults stay strong and active, global healthcare company Abbott, announced the launch of Ensure with HMB – a new formulation to support Indians as they age.
To raise awareness of age-related muscle loss and urge people to act early to strengthen their muscles, Abbott has partnered with Rahul Dravid, former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team, for the #MusclesMatter campaign. The campaign, which includes a muscle age test and information, will roll-out across digital media platforms and target community engagement.
”Staying healthy and fit has been an important aspect of my life and I have always advocated for a wellness-first lifestyle. Many don’t understand the changes their body goes through with age or what their body needs when it comes to nutrition and exercise. Being a health-forward individual, I am happy to be part of the new Ensure #MusclesMatter campaign to showcase the benefits of complete, balanced nutrition for both muscle and bone health,” said Dravid.
Four out of 10 Indians suffer from poor muscle health which can adversely affect health in multiple ways. Muscle loss can cause reduced energy levels and mobility, increased risk of falls or fractures, long-tail symptoms of infection and even slower recovery from illness or surgery. Proper nutrition and exercise can help reverse or prevent age-related muscle loss.
The new Ensure is a science-based nutritional supplement formulated with 32 vital nutrients like high-quality protein, calcium and vitamin D to help improve muscle and bone strength. It now contains a special and exclusive ingredient – HMB or β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate – that helps counteract muscle loss and restore strength and energy.
”HMB or β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate acts as a gateway to help keep muscles in balance by slowing muscle breakdown and building muscle mass. HMB is naturally produced when the body breaks down leucine, an essential amino acid, and can be found in small amounts in foods like avocado, grapefruit, cauliflower etc. However, it is difficult to get enough HMB through food to support declining muscle health, which is why it is often suggested to consume nutrition supplements. Good nutrition and physical activity can help maintain muscle and bone health, which is important to support overall health,” said endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi.
Why does muscle matter? Skeletal muscle accounts for about 40 per cent of total body weight and contains at least 50 per cent of all body proteins. Muscles are vital tissues for the functioning of the body and can often tell us how we are going to age, stay active and independent. In addition, to being important for everyday tasks like picking up things, opening a jar or getting up from a chair, healthy muscles are essential for organ function, skin health, immunity, and metabolism. Therefore, maintaining muscle mass with proper nutrition and exercise as we age is essential to prolonging a happier and healthier life.
”Aging is inevitable, but muscle loss and weakness doesn’t have to be. Muscle loss is the aging factor that’s rarely discussed, and few adults realise the impact our muscles have on our health as we age. Abbott has been pioneering research in science-based nutrition and by introducing the new Ensure with HMB, we hope to help Indian adults thrive,” said Abbott Nutrition managing director and general manager Swati Dalal.
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.
