eNews
Asianet News Media & Entertainment hires Nachiket Pantvaidya as MD
KOLKATA: Asianet News Media & Entertainment Pvt Ltd (AMEL) has roped in media veteran Nachiket Pantvaidya as managing director. AMEL has multiple digital brands in its portfolio including asianetnews.com, indigomusic.com etc and serves consumers in multiple languages
Pantvaidya was the group chief operating officer of Balaji Telefilms and CEO of ALTBalaji. After joining the SVoD platform in December 2015, he scaled it to be amongst the leading players in the country. Under his leadership, the company grew to be recognised as one of India’s Top 100 most-admired brands of 2020 by White Page International.
Pantvaidya oversaw the P&L department of the company and also its content, marketing, distribution and revenues.
AMEL executive chairman Rajesh Kalra said: “I am delighted to welcome a leader like Nachiket to the AMEL family. With his background and significant achievements to boot, he adds significantly to the capability of this wonderful team that is poised to take a leadership position in all its areas of functioning.”
During his career spanning 15+ years, Pantvaidya has been a part of some of the most renowned companies in the entertainment industry and has held prime leadership positions at Sony Entertainment Television, Star Plus, Star Pravahand Fox Television Studios. His career includes working with industry leaders like Disney and BBC as well.
eNews
Swiggy sees record orders during India vs New Zealand T20 final
Chicken biryani tops match-day menu as fans order 7,500 times per minute at peak.
MUMBAI: India’s T20 final didn’t just break stumps, it broke Swiggy’s delivery records, proving cricket fans celebrate victories with plates, not just flags. Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, reported a sharp spike in food orders during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. On 8 March 2026, overall orders rose 23.2 per cent year-on-year compared with the same date in 2025, driven by fans turning living rooms into mini stadiums complete with match-day feasts.
Key highlights from the evening:
- Orders during peak match hours (7–10 pm) were 2.1 times higher than pre-match levels.
- The highest order rate hit 7,500 orders per minute at 19:45.
- Chicken biryani reigned supreme as the most-ordered dish, followed by masala dosa, chicken fried rice, garlic breadsticks and paneer butter masala.
While metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad led volumes, the cricketing fever spread nationwide. Among emerging cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Rajkot recorded the strongest order growth. Smaller markets including Shillong, Agartala and Port Blair also showed significant appetite, underlining the expanding footprint of quick-commerce food delivery across India.
The surge reflects a growing trend of pairing major sporting events with doorstep delivery, turning big matches into shared, convenient celebrations. In a night where every boundary mattered, Swiggy proved the real MVP might just be the delivery partner who kept the snacks and the vibes flowing without missing a single wicket.
