MAM
Gameskraft powers Indian athletes across track, field, para and archery
MUMBAI: When skill meets support, the scoreboard changes. That’s exactly what Gameskraft Foundation is banking on as it doubles down on India’s medal ambitions reaffirming partnerships with four key sporting foundations, the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Anju Bobby Sports Foundation (ABSF), Gosports Foundation, and the Dola & Rahul Banerjee Sports Foundation (DRBSF).
“Over the past few years, our partnerships have shown encouraging results,” said Rishi Wadhera, Vice President – Corporate Communications & CSR, Gameskraft. “It’s been heartening to see how consistent support can make a meaningful difference in the journeys of emerging athletes. Our focus remains on nurturing potential, building sustainable infrastructure, and supporting communities in their efforts to create future champions. These collaborations are a reflection of our continued commitment to contributing positively to India’s sporting ecosystem with a long-term vision and are grateful to our partners for their commitment.”
Together, these collaborations form a medal-making machine supporting everything from para-athletes to archers and track stars, from grassroots training to global podiums.
At IIS, the Foundation backs the Athletics Centre of Excellence, whose star pupil Neeraj Chopra took home Silver in Javelin at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At ABSF, a new academy is taking shape in Bengaluru to foster more future Shaili Singhs who leapt to Bronze in Long Jump at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.
Lauding the efforts of the Gameskraft Foundation and their long-term commitment to a robust sports-driven culture, Anju Bobby George, Founder of ABSF and India’s first medallist in the World Athletic Championship said, “Our association with Gameskraft Foundation has been anchored in a shared belief in long-term impact. The backing we’ve received is not just empowering for our training infrastructure but has been vital in inspiring young girls from small towns to dream bigger.”
Gameskraft’s partnership with GoSports Foundation under the Para Champions Programme is a testament to inclusivity in sports. At the 2024 Paralympics, the results were golden literally with Sumit Antil and Dharambir grabbing Gold, Suhas Yethiraj securing Silver, and Rakesh Kumar bagging Bronze.
In the archery arena, Deepika Kumari supported via DRBSF scored Bronze at the 2025 Archery World Cup, aiming true with Gameskraft in her corner.
“For Indian sport to reach the success we aspire, it needs the coming together of more than just talent. Corporate India’s involvement in sport is pivotal, and some of our more prominent achievements have been a result of this support. At Gameskraft Foundation, we have people who are as obsessed with us about our Olympic ambitions. Together we have created a system for our athletes that gives them the best possible chance to succeed, and I am confident we will have more podiums coming from track and field in the near future.”, said Manisha Malhotra, President, Inspire Institute of Sport.
The results are already on the leaderboard, but Gameskraft isn’t done yet. With every laurel and long jump, the foundation is showing that gaming companies can play a serious role in India’s Olympic journey not just virtually, but with real impact on real tracks.
Now that’s how you level up.
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.
