iWorld
Prasar Bharati OTT – Waves launches Magazines and Journals section
MUMBAI: Prasar Bharati unveiled the Magazines and Journals Section on its OTT platform, Waves, bringing India’s leading periodicals to a unified, multilingual digital destination. The initiative was launched by Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, Prasar Bharati during Magzimise 2025 at The Imperial, New Delhi, in the presence of prominent publishers, and industry leaders.
The section hosts over 50 titles from six popular publications including Living Media India Ltd (India Today Group), Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Private Ltd, Outlook Publishing India Pvt. Ltd., Diamond Magazines Private Ltd, Kalakaumudi Publications Private Ltd, and Ananda Vikatan Productions Private Ltd. The catalogue covers news, current affairs, research, lifestyle, culture, and special interest content.
The publications are available in nine languages including English, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi namely:
* India Today English, India Today Hindi, Business Today, Reader’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Hello! India, Auto Today
* Grishshobha Hindi, Sarita, Saras Salil, Manohar Kahaniyan, Grishshobha Gujarati, Grishshobha Marathi, Grishshobha Kannada, Grishshobha Tamil, Grishshobha Telugu, Grishshobha Bangla, Grishshobha Malayalam, Mukta, Farm N Food, Satyakatha, Champak (English), Champak Hindi, Champak Marathi, Champak Gujarati, Champak Kannada, Champak Tamil, Champak Telugu, Highlight Genies, Highlight Champs
* Outlook, Outlook Business, Outlook Money, Outlook Traveller, Outlook Hindi
* Grihlakshmi, Sadhna Path, Cricket Today (Hindi), Cricket Today (English)
* Kalakaumudi, Vellinakshatram, Muhurtham
* Aval Vikatan
This newly launched section complements the free access to prestigious government publications such as Yojana, Kurukshetra, Aajkal, and Bal Bharati, already available on Waves.
Over the next year, Waves aims to grow this library to 150+ titles from 30+ renowned publishers, positioning itself as one of the most comprehensive digital archives for Indian magazines and journals.
To mark the launch, Waves is introducing a special limited-period subscription offer of Rs 99 per month and Rs 999 per year.
Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi said, “Waves is evolving into a complete content destination, a place where audiences can find trusted information, meaningful storytelling, and cultural depth in equal measure. The Magazines and Journals Section strengthens this vision, offering credible and diverse content in multiple languages to readers across the country. This is about more than convenience; it is about placing quality publishing where the audience already is.”
Executive publisher, Delhi Press, and president, Association of Indian Magazines, Sh. Anant Nath said, “We are extremely excited to partner with Waves to bring the richness of Indian magazines with their credible and thoughtful content to the large online readership that the platform is building.”
The section is now live and accessible to subscribers nationwide on Waves across all its platforms, including the mobile app, web portal, and connected TV applications.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
