iWorld
Voot Select to stream original series ‘Halo’ from 24 March
Mumbai: OTT service platform Voot Select will be exclusively streaming Paramount+ original series “Halo” from 24 March.
Based on the popular sci-fi video game series, “Halo” is set in a 26th-century universe dramatising a conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as ‘the covenant.’
The upcoming nine episodic series features Pablo Schreiber of “Orange is the New Black” fame as the ‘Master Chief,’ alongside Natashca McElhone, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kenndey, Charlie Murphy and Danny Sapani. Also joining the cast as original characters are Ryan McParland, Burn Gorman, and Fiona O’Shaughnessy. Veteran Bollywood actor Shabana Azmi will also appear in a crucial supporting role in the series.
“Halo defined the beginning of gaming culture in India and has a cult following across the world,” said Viacom18 head – SVOD and international business Ferzad Palia. “With Shabana Azmi helming a key role in the series, the show is even more special for Indian audiences. Having a series based around this legendary title will be looked upon eagerly by not only gamers but also sci-fi fanatics as well. We are delighted to be streaming this series and am certain that the outstanding production scale and enthralling storyline will surpass expectations establishing Halo amongst the best series of 2022.”
“Working on this project has been a dream come true,” said Shabana Azmi. “The show deals in artificial intelligence, which is a completely new genre for me, hence it gave me the opportunity to learn and evolve. I thoroughly enjoyed working on set with stellar actors such as Natascha McElhone, Pablo Schreiber and Jen Taylor. The visuals in the series are stunning and I cannot wait for the release to see how it will be received by audiences across the globe.”
“Halo” is produced by Showtime in association with 343 Industries, along with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. The series is executive produced by Steven Kane, alongside Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television in association with 343 Industries, director Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie for One Big Picture, and Kyle Killen and Scott Pennington for Chapter Eleven. Kiki Wolfkill, Frank O’Connor and Bonnie Ross serve as executive producers for 343 Industries.
The series is distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
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.
