MAM
VI joins as co-presenting sponsor for Dream11 IPL
NEW DELHI: The newest brand in the Indian arena, ‘Vi’ from Vodafone Idea Limited, has become the co-presenting sponsor of the upcoming Dream11 IPL 2020, scheduled to commence from 19 September. Vi has acquired the co-sponsorship rights of the live broadcast of T-20 premier league which will be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE and telecast on the Star Sports network.
The sponsorship announcement comes close on the heels of the leading telecom operator, Vodafone Idea Limited’s rebranding under a unified brand – Vi. The young, dynamic and vibrant brand will leverage its association with the most popular sporting event IPL, in its 2020 edition, to enhance awareness, build relevance and engage with the audience.
Brand Vodafone has had a long-standing association with IPL since the beginning of the sporting event in 2008. The partnership helped it build high brand recall and affinity with television viewers and cricket lovers in India with its unique campaigns involving the lovable ZooZoos. Brand Idea has also actively participated in the previous editions of the tournament as sponsor of many teams and created memorable brand activation campaigns. The unified brand in its new avatar Vi will bring unique digital based experiences for Indian audiences this season.
Vi is built to be strong, ever-dependable, agile, intuitive, and a brand in tune with the needs of the customers, in these ever-changing times. It is designed to help customers move ahead in life, for a better today and a brighter tomorrow. Vi is future ready and is committed to dynamically serve and enable a digital society to progress in life.
Referring to Vi’s association with Dream11 IPL 2020 as the co-presenting sponsor, Vodafone Idea Limited chief digital transformation & brand officer Kavita Nair said “Cricket is a religion in India, and Dream11 IPL as the property offers broader engagement with the audience than just as a sport, over a two months’ window. As a company, we have had a very long association with IPL. I am delighted that now, with the launch of Vi, we are carrying this legacy forward. Our association with Dream11 IPL 2020 will provide Vi, instantly connect with millions of viewers, and I am confident that this will not only help build awareness of Vi but also help in building relevance and customer confidence. I am sure Indians will be delighted to see us back on Dream11 IPL, albeit in a new avatar. Vi is vibrant, exciting, and throbs with the spirit of rising India. Soon after the launch of Vi, the excitement will continue for Indian consumers during their favorite T-20 league.”
“Vodafone & Idea have both associated with Cricket on Star Sports in the past. We are delighted to have them onboard yet again in their new brand identity as Vi, and as the co-presenting sponsor for the broadcast of Dream11 IPL on Star Sports. We believe that the massive reach of the Star Sports network will help them take Vi’s new brand identity and proposition to millions of viewers across India,” said Star Sports CEO Gautam Thakar
Sport, like no other genre, has the ability to evoke passion and emotions amongst fans and followers. In a country where cricket has been akin to religion and is followed with passion and fervour, the Dream11 IPL has become one of the biggest sporting platforms designed to appeal to a wide section of consumers, pan-India.
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.
