iWorld
Ayaz Memon Joins 1 Play Sports
MUMBAI: Sports media narrowcasting startup in the Asia Pacific 1 Play Sports has brought sports journalist Ayaz Memon onboard as consulting editor-in-chief, India from May 2020.
Memon, a media veteran with over 40 years’ experience, will lead the thrust for 1 Play Sports to deepen its roots and expand its operations in the Indian sports media market. He and his team will develop sports-related content to maximize audience reach and optimise strategic benefit to the company.
Memon has worked as a sports writer, editor and columnist with several newspapers such as Mid-Day, Bombay Times, DNA, Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Deccan Chronicle. He has also been a TV commentator/analyst at various times with Star Sports and Sony Sports, apart from news channels Times Now, NewsX, and Network18. Memon has reported live ten Cricket World Cups, over 250 test matches and 400 ODIs One Day Internationals, the 1988 and 2012 Olympics, 1998 and 2010 Commonwealth Games, 1990 Asian Games, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 1991 and 1993 Wimbledon Championships among several international events.
He has also authored four books on cricket and co-authored one on independent India's golden jubilee, India 50 – The Making of a Nation.
1 Play Sports CEO-founder Mohit Lalvani expressed delight at this association with Memon. “Ayaz’s contribution to Indian sports is gigantic, his depth of knowledge is only matched by his breadth of content understanding and I take great pleasure in welcoming him to the 1 Play Sports team. We are confident this will enable us to scale into India as we have done in Southeast Asian countries”, said Lalvani.
1 Play Sports began its operations in India roping in Neha S Warrier (ex-Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific) as country manager and since then has successfully streamed LIVE national and Asian tournaments expanding its footprint in the region.
“As we expand our viewer base in India, we are delighted to welcome aboard a veteran like Memon to 1 Play Sports and gain from his vast knowledge and experience”, said Neha Warrier.
1 Play Sports Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based sports media narrowcasting start-up, was founded in December 2018, that produces and streams community, grassroots level, school, special needs, and private events at national and international levels. Within a year since its inception, 1 Play Sports has streamed more than 2100 hours of sports content from events held in Southeast Asia and India.
In addition to international events such as World Pencak Silat Championships 2018, Netball Nation’s Cup 2019, Merlion Cup 2019, ASEAN Schools Games 2019, SEA Games 2019, and Dubai Intercontinental Cup 2020, 1 Play Sports has also produced and streamed India-centric events such as Track Asia Cup 2019, National Open Athletics Championship 2019, Weightlifting Championship 2019, Bodog Roots Premier League, National Inter-District Junior Athletics Meet 2019, Mountain Bike Challenge 2019 and many more. 1 Play Sports has over 500,000 followers and operates in Singapore, the Philippines, India, and Africa with further expansion plans in the Asian market in 2020.
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Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
