iWorld
Series Mania Forum announces ‘Series Mania Buyers Upfront’
Mumbai: Celebrating over a decade of contributions to global content development, Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg announced the launch of the “Series Mania Buyers Upfront,” a new initiative designed for buyers before the Series Mania Forum (25-27 March 2025). The Series Mania Festival will take place from 21-28 March 2025, and the Buyers Upfront event is scheduled for 24 March 2025, at the Chamber of Commerce (CCI) in Lille’s historic city center.
The Series Mania Buyers Upfront is an invitation-only event for buyers, showcasing exclusive excerpts from 12 eagerly awaited series that have strong global appeal. Curated by the Festival’s artistic team, the selection will include high-potential series about to be released or still in post-production. The selection will be based on both artistic merit and broad audience appeal.
The event will kick-off with an exclusive invitation-only brunch followed by the series presentation. Adding to the excitement, a distinguished jury of top buyers will present the Buyers Choice Award for the most promising series. A jury of top buyers will present the Buyers Choice Award for the most promising series, featuring Mediaset Spain, director of cinema, fiction, sales, rights acquisition and distribution, Ghislain Barrois; Sky, group director of acquisitions for UK/ROI & Europe, Katie Keenan; Movistar Plus+, head of series acquisitions, Rubén Fernández Loa; SVT, head of drama, Johanna Gardare; and Arte, commissioning editor & series acquisitions, Virginie Padilla.
“Series Mania Buyers Upfront will serve as a bridge between industry professionals and the Series Mania Festival, offering a top lineup of series selected by our Festival team. This new initiative offers buyers a unique opportunity for exclusive screenings, dedicated meetings and networking opportunities, and a full festival experience. We are designing a tailor-made experience just for the buyers,” commented Herszberg.
“Given the recent changes in the international marketplace, Series Mania is now perfectly positioned as the leading European event for scripted content development, as well as a key hub for distributors and buyers looking for content. With our new initiative, we will be better able to connect these distributors and buyers while further strengthening the Series Mania Forum as the must-attend event of the spring for the scripted community” added Series Mania Forum director Francesco Capurro.
Originally established around its renowned international co-production pitch, Series Mania Forum has evolved into a premier destination for the entertainment industry, expanding its scope to include an IP market, a showcase venue, comprehensive conferences, and dynamic exhibitions. The forum has become a must-visit destination each spring for leading broadcasters, streamers, and major scripted studios worldwide.
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.
