iWorld
ALTBalaji partners with Eko, India Financial Services
MUMBAI: India’s leading homegrown OTT platform, ALTBalaji announces a consumer benefitting alliance with Indian fintech company, Eko India Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. The association will allow the digital platform to use the Eko Store through which any merchant will be able to sell ALTBalaji subscriptions directly to potential subscribers who may not have access or may not be at ease using a digital payment mechanism.
Over 80% people earn in cash in India, thus, a number of potential customers are more comfortable paying in cash specially when it comes to modest amounts. The partnership is about providing assisted commerce not just as means of collecting money. Eko's merchant would be able to provide more information about ALTBalaji service and educate consumers and enable them to download the app. Using Eko, ALTBalaji is enabling payment in cash via Eko merchants, over & above all the digital modes of payment.
With over 40+ originals in its content offering, ALTBalaji has built on the legacy of creating iconic shows, like ‘Apharan,’ ‘Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain,’ ‘Home,’ ‘Gandii Baat’, ‘The Test Case’, ‘Bose: Dead or Alive’ among others which has been lauded by its audience. Established in 2007, Eko aims to enable seamless digital transactions for anybody, and from anywhere. Helming one of the largest and most efficient domestic money transfer services in the country, Eko also holds strong partnerships with banks with additional Prepaid Payment Instrument license from the RBI. With a demographic reach extending to over 150k retail stores in India, Eko will aid ALTBalaji to expand its presence by enabling easy process of selling the subscription. Merchants will have to follow a few easy steps to avail the voucher code provided on the portal giving easy access to sell ALTBalaji subscriptions.
Speaking about the association, Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO ALTBalaji and Group COO Balaji Telefilms said, “ALTBalaji is fuelling the growth of subscription based digital video streaming. Partnering with Eko is a way to bring the offline consumers into the online world. With ALTBalaji now being a part of their Eko Store, we are expanding our reach to a whole new audience and are excited to welcome them as a part of the ALTBalaji family.”
Commenting on the association, Abhinav Sinha, Co-founder and COO, Eko India Financial Services said, "Eko is pleased to partner with ALTBalaji. Through this partnership, ALTBalaji has launched its brand and services on the Eko Store, which gives them access to our vast network of merchants and customers. We believe this is a perfect fit for both, our customers and ALTBalaji. At Eko, our endeavour is to take digital products to the masses and help everyone benefit from the digital economy.”
iWorld
Tips Music CEO Hari Nair to step down
Girish Taurani and Sushant Dalmia to jointly steer the company as the hunt for a new chief begins
MUMBAI: A leadership shuffle is under way at Tips Music. Hari Nair, the company’s chief executive, will step down on April 30 as the music label begins the search for a successor.
The company said Girish Taurani, executive director, and Sushant Dalmia, chief financial officer, will jointly oversee operations during the transition while the board identifies a permanent replacement.
Nair joined Tips Music in 2023 and set about reshaping the veteran music label into a more digital, data-led enterprise. During his tenure, the company secured licensing and partnership deals with global platforms including Sony Music Publishing and TikTok, while renewing agreements with Warner Music Group.
Drawing on earlier experience in technology and entertainment, including a stint at ByteDance, Nair pushed the organisation towards a performance-driven culture. He built a brand partnerships division and introduced proprietary software systems aimed at strengthening digital distribution and data capabilities.
Kumar Taurani, chairman and managing director, credited Nair with embedding a data-led culture within the company and driving revenue growth in line with shareholder commitments.
In his resignation note, Nair said that after helping transition the label into a modern, digitally focused and process-driven organisation, the time had come to pursue his next leadership challenge.
The leadership change comes as the broader Tips Films group shows signs of financial stabilisation. In the third quarter of FY26 the company reported a net loss of Rs 2.86 crore, narrowing sharply from Rs 14.2 crore in the previous quarter. For the nine months ended December, losses stood at Rs 12.37 crore.
Yet revenue told a more volatile story. Income from operations slid to Rs 4 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 56 crore in the preceding quarter, taking total operating income to Rs 4.56 crore.
For a company built on a catalogue of more than 34,000 tracks and decades of Bollywood hits, the next chief will inherit both a digital engine and a volatile music market. The playlist may be familiar, but the next act at Tips Music is only just beginning.
