iWorld
OMTV collaborates with Hubhopper for audio podcast series
MUMBAI: Sanatan storytelling platform OMTV in collaboration with Hubhopper, a podcast hosting, creation, and distribution platform is aiming to widen its audience base. It has introduced audio podcast features on its app.
Spiritual video shows on OMTV have always been popular with the audience, and now the network is hoping that its podcast catalogue will do the same. OMTV believes that there is a huge market for audio and they have collaborated with the pioneers in this field. On 29 July, OMTV will set off the collaboration with three shows. In the near future, more shows will be added to Hubhopper.
Initially, podcasts will be available in Hindi only, but OMTV plans to dub them in other languages, including English, Marathi, and other South Indian languages.
The podcast is part of a newly added podcast feature, which allows users to listen to podcasts in addition to viewing content. OMTV will convert its major shows into podcasts and distribute them through the Hubhopper platform. Users will benefit from the content consumption options available. They can listen to it on Hubhopper, and if they want to watch it, they can download the OMTV app from the Google Play Store and watch the content they’ve already heard on Hubhopper.
OMTV founder & MD Nitin Jai Shukla said, “Podcasting as a medium is something which we always wanted to try our hands-on and we got phenomenal responses on our show “Swarajya”. Hubhopper is a pioneer in this space and who is better than them to collaborate with if you want to reach out to the right audience. We have perused their diverse directory under religion and spirituality, all the content garnering a prominent presence. We are sure with this collaboration, both the platforms will benefit in their audience base and also our audiences will get to listen to our shows which will make a difference in their lives.”
Hubhopper founder and CEO Gautam Raj Anand said, “We are thrilled about this collaboration. The consumption of spiritual content has increased over the last few years, especially among the younger generation eager to learn about India’s religious and ethnic diversity. Through this collaborative effort with OMTV, we’ll be able to expand and deliver knowledgeable and authentic content to the audience. We can’t wait to bring it to our listeners across different regions and hope to grow exponentially together.”
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.
