MAM
FITPASS makes strategic hires and ambitious expansion plans
Mumbai: India’s fitness membership brand, FITPASS, is pursuing an aggressive growth strategy to expand its presence in the industry. The company plans to significantly grow its leadership and operations teams, aiming to aggregate and standardize gyms and fitness centers to reach 500 cities across India by mid-2026. This expansion focuses on strengthening its core areas—network expansion, monetisation, sales, and category growth—in response to the rising demand for accessible and affordable fitness solutions. FITPASS aims to reshape the fitness landscape across India by capitalizing on this trend.
Spearheading this ambitious drive is Avnish Sharma, newly appointed vice president of network growth & monetisation. Sharma, a veteran with over 14 years of experience at tech giants Paytm and Practo, will be instrumental in FITPASS’ rapid expansion into tier two and tier three cities. His role is pivotal not only for growth but also for driving profitability and optimising revenue streams across the network of gyms and fitness centres in both new and established markets.
Preeti Singh steps in as AVP of growth and alliance (corporate sales). With over a decade of experience in corporate sales and benefits consulting with renowned organisations like HCL Tech, Squickr, Via.com and more, Singh will report to Mohit Dang, vice president of revenue & partnerships (corporate sales). Together with Dang, she will work on expanding FITPASS’ corporate partnerships and driving significant market penetration.
Complementing the brand’s future vision, they have also onboarded four other experts to propel its aggressive expansion:
. Manish Prajapati, appointed as AVP of network growth and monetisation, brings significant expertise from his tenure at healthcare leaders Apollo and Practo. He will work closely with Sharma to drive brand’s network growth and expansion. His extensive experience in scaling networks within the healthcare sector will be instrumental in driving FITPASS’ expansion efforts, as he possesses a profound understanding of regional dynamics and growth strategies.
. Rishabh Tiwari joins as senior manager of network growth and monetisation under the leadership of Sharma, bringing nine years of industry experience to the table. Tiwari’s expertise in market analysis and strategic planning will be instrumental in identifying high-potential markets and optimising FITPASS’ expansion strategy across diverse geographical regions.
. Savneet Kaur joins as senior sales manager (corporate sales), bringing nine years of experience from industry heavyweights like Cure.fit and ITC Fortune. Kaur will assist Dang and Ms. Singh to accelerate sales growth, playing a key role in FITPASS’ aggressive growth agenda.
. Yusuf Ahmed takes on the role of category manager, leveraging his decade of experience across major fitness brands such as Cure.fit (Cult.fit), Fitline India, Fitness First India, and Gold’s Gym. Ahmed will lead efforts to keep FITPASS at the forefront of industry trends, ensuring that its offerings continue to set new benchmarks.
This expanded team aims to grow FITPASS’ premium gym and fitness centre network to over 10,000 locations by the end of 2025 while broadening the company’s footprint across 1,500-1,600 PIN codes. The focus extends beyond mere expansion, with a clear mandate to drive profitability, optimise revenue streams, and keep FITPASS at the forefront of industry trends.
“Our team’s expansion reflects our unwavering commitment to revolutionising the fitness industry in India,” said FITPASS co-founder Akshay Verma. “The collective expertise of our new leaders will enable us to scale rapidly and effectively, especially as we expand our network into tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Currently, users across 573 cities are already engaging with our platform’s digital offerings- A.I. fitness training module and nutrition consultations, this is a significant milestone, not just for FITPASS, but for a fitter Bharat. We are confident that with their combined strengths, we will continue to deliver exceptional value to our users and partners while leading the industry’s evolution.”
This move comes at a critical time for India’s fitness industry, which is evolving due to increased health and wellness priorities post-pandemic. By enhancing its leadership and focusing on innovation, FITPASS is not just adapting to market trends but shaping the future of fitness in India, especially in tier two and three cities. The company aims to meet the growing demand for flexible fitness solutions, reinforcing its position as a key platform for health-conscious individuals across the country.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
