iWorld
EPIC ON partners with ISPs to expand footprint across India
Mumbai: Responding to increasing internet penetration in tier 2 and tier 3 India, IN10 Media Network-powered OTT platform EPIC ON has partnered with various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) with an aim to reach out to new consumers in these parts of the country. The platform now has 30 players like Meghbala from Kolkatta and Next Trillion from Mumbai as partners from across regions.
With the ISPs, the app has already seen growth in terms of brand equity and revenues. To achieve this, EPIC ON bundled numerous offers like a monthly pack or yearly pack for customers via the ISP route. The East zone has seen a surge in monthly pack uptake while Mumbai has witnessed yearly pack demand, said the media brand in a statement.
“Tier 2/3 and Bharat majorly remains untapped from OTT content perspective; hence, deep penetration into these regions will amplify EPIC ON brand among the new audience bases as well as bolster our acquisitions suited for the audience,” said EPIC ON, COO, Sourjya Mohanty.
“Depending on user behaviour, we create flexible deals with ISPs to cater to their user bases. It’s B2B in nature and we are happy to keep it the same way as we believe any MSO or ISP has complete knowledge about their customer bases and we want to leverage it in our business model,” added Mohanty.
The partnership benefits the independent ISPs by enhancing their ancillary revenue as now they provide services beyond data plans.
Commenting on the partnership, Meghbela Broadband’s director Tapabrata Mukherjee stated, “I see the Meghbela android TV box bundled with EPIC ON’s premium subscription backed with high-speed internet up to 250mbps, as a marriage of entertainment and technology which will enable the delivery of quality content right inside the living room of the end consumer.”
“We are extremely excited to partner with EPIC ON to enhance our OTT users’ experience with PlayboxTV. Our undertaking to cover the entire gamut of entertainment fits perfectly with EPIC ON’s vast array of content. We hope to nurture and strengthen this partnership even more in the long run,” said Playbox TV business head and director, Samson Jesudas.
EPIC ON offers multi-format content with videos, web series, movies, documentaries, podcasts, e-books, and games. The platform recently crossed 40 million downloads.
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.
