MAM
Kansai Nerolac strengthens IPL association with three T20 franchisees
MUMBAI: Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL), one of the leading paint companies in India and pioneers in ‘Healthy Home Paints’ has announced its association with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) while continuing its association with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Nerolac has been associated with cricket leagues and championships for a long time and has been associated with T20 franchisees since 2016, leveraging the sports platform for the visibility and to drive skill building as an agenda amongst unemployed youth and encouraging them to take up painting as a profession.
This season Nerolac will introduce two more initiatives apart from skill development; a consumer app and curated designs through “walk to wall” which would enhance consumers experience while painting their house.
Speaking on the association Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd executive director Anuj Jain said, “T20 offers the highest penetration across India that creates a huge opportunity for brands to connect and introduce initiatives. In addition to our continuous association with the league through skill development initiatives, we are also excited to announce our new offerings – A consumer app & a unique design concept ‘Walk to Wall’, that aims to benefit and create transforming experience for people with our healthy home paints range. We wish the players for this season to continue with their zestful performance.”
Commenting on the announcement, Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K Shanmugham said, “We are delighted to have Nerolac as our principal sponsor for the third year in a row. Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently in its best form and we expect an extraordinary IPL season this time. We look forward to renewed support from Nerolac as we bid to win the title after a solid show last season."
Speaking of the association, Rajasthan Royals executive chairman Ranjit Barthakur said, “We are delighted to associate with Nerolac, the brand that focuses on building long-lasting relationships, a brand value that resonates well with the Royals. We look forward to deepening this relationship in the coming years building a great bond with our fans.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore chairman Sanjeev Churiwala stated, “We are happy to be associating with Kansai Nerolac Paints. At RCB we always look forward to partnerships that increase value and merit to the brand, and through this association, we wish to add more colors for our fans and players that will enhance our brand presence at one of the most watched leagues in the country.”
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.
