iWorld
MX Player’s Gautam Talwar on content plans and digital measurement currency
MUMBAI: The latest OTT entrant Times Internet-owned MX Player recently entered the space with five original series on the back of an ad-supported business model. To keep consumers engaged, it aims to launch five to six shows each quarter. While the platform is already working closely with advertisers, it will also venture into branded content soon.
In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar spoke about the content strategy, initial audience response and content consumption trend on the platform. Talwar also expressed his views on industry issues such as the need for unified measurement, the possibility of consolidation in the OTT space.
Edited excerpts:
You started the journey with 5 series. How many shows do you plan to have in your library towards the end of the year?
I think the aim is to have at least 5-6 shows every quarter. That means we will be able to launch 1-2 shows every month. We reach out to a very wide cross section audience of India and the only way to cater to such diversity is being able to meet the diversity of content preference as well. So, we intend to have about 25-30 originals during the course of the year. 20-25, I would say to safely put it.
How often do you plan to refresh your library?
We will be launching a huge slate of originals and in terms of licencing and curating content we have already over 100,000 hours of content. That is constantly being refreshed in any case. On Sunday, we had the Radio Mirchi Music awards. So, whatever are the big things that we get, we refresh on a regular basis. But the refreshment will largely be driven with the kind of originals that we are trying to launch as well.
In this one month, which shows have got high traction?
That’s a very tough question to answer because with the diverse market and audiences, the shows have got different expectations. For all different shows we have different expectations, different benchmarks. Some would garner watch time, some would bring new audiences, some would deliver spike in participation. We have launched around 3 Hindi shows Hey Prabhu, Aafat and Im Mature. They have driven traffic in users and they have really exceeded our expectation and benchmark both. All three of the shows have done exceedingly well for us. The interesting part is that we got a huge spike in the female participation of the platform. That has gone up significantly since launch I think specifically because of Aafat.
For regional shows, we have also got good traction. The interesting part is that Famously Filmfare in seven languages, Lots of Love is in Tamil and Telugu. So, what we have done is we activated a regional basis also.
Can you share the significant content consumption trends on your platform?
I won’t be able to give any specific number but from the trend point of view, three key points are interesting. I think one is the fact that we have got a huge amount of participation from non-metro audiences. Apart from the top 8 metros which have also brought significant contribution, the non-metros have shown us a very significant spike in viewership. That’s one key content consumption trend for us.
The other interesting point is that a very large part of our audiences are actually newcomers in the age group of 18-35 as well. That’s the other interesting part.
Most people who are coming in are actually completing shows. Even on Twitter or other social media, the largest question asked are when is season 2 of Hey Prabhu, Im Mature launching. These are the content consumption trends we are looking at.
You have offline download capability also. Do audience stream more or prefer downloading?
Downloads have been activated for originals only when we launched. It’s a new feature. It all comes down to saying that because of the interesting content we put up, both the numbers are looking good. The actual number of who want to stream and want to download has increased. We don’t have downloads for all. Some of the licenced content cannot be downloaded. Only a fraction of the library, specifically the originals, are available for download.
How many advertisers do you currently have on board?
MX Player has been with the advertising community for very long time. We maintained those relationships and they are coming on to the streaming platform as well. So it’s been a healthy growth I would say, in terms of getting the advertisers on board.
We will be launching our first ever branded content. By the end of this month, we will be doing a show called Love Ok Please and that has been sponsored by a brand called Too Yumm.
Can you throw more light on your content strategy?
We formed a content strategy sometime ago. A lot of our shows are going to be catering to the heartland of audiences. We are going to be targeting the metro audiences. Because of the depth of distribution of MX Player, it is extremely critical that we kind of get shows for all kind of audiences, even all kinds of genres as well. We just started and we have to go a long way to ensure that. But the interesting part is that, from our perspective, I think one thing that we would like doing within this year is probably getting interactivity built into the content as well.
What’s your take on the need for unified currency for digital measurement?
We have been hearing about EKAM for a very long time. I think it's about time we get an independent medium to give authenticity that is required for advertisers to make sure that data being pulled out of all private OTT platforms has got a common currency. Once we get a common currency, we think advertisers will be at least clear about the value OTT players bring to the table, therefore, whatever the advertising rate that are being asked for has some amount of justification. I am sure over a period of time, as an industry we will come together for that level of third party measurement for all OTT players.
Do you foresee consolidation in the OTT space?
I think there will be some sense of consolidation. It is an extremely difficult business, it’s not only about content but also product, streaming, technology and engineering. You need a lot of things to get an OTT platform going. I think all players are not necessarily good at all things. I think it’s very important to get all parts of the puzzle right and also it requires deep pockets to make sure that do you have the strength and the will to make sure you last in the content business.
Gaming
India’s new online gaming rules take effect today, banning money games and creating a regulator
The rules, in force from today, separate e-sports from gambling and impose jail terms and stiff fines on violators
NEW DELHI: India’s online gaming sector woke up this morning to a new reality. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, came into force today, May 1st, turning a year of legislative intent into enforceable law. The message from New Delhi is blunt: e-sports and social games are welcome; online money games are not.
The rules operationalise the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act, passed by Parliament in August 2025. Together, they represent the most sweeping regulatory intervention India has made in its booming digital gaming market, one that generated Rs 23,200 crore in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 11 per cent to reach Rs 31,600 crore by 2027. The stakes, in every sense, could not be higher.
A sector out of control
The urgency behind the legislation is not hard to find. An estimated 45 crore Indians have been affected by online money gaming platforms, with losses exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. Addiction, financial ruin, money laundering, and suicides have all been linked to the sector. Seventy-seven per cent of the market’s revenues came from transaction-based games, a figure that made regulators deeply uneasy.
The government’s response, effective as of today, is categorical. Online money games, whether based on chance, skill, or any mix of the two, are banned outright. So is their advertising, promotion, and facilitation. Banks and payment processors are barred from handling related transactions. Unlawful platforms can be blocked under the Information
Technology Act, 2000.
The penalties are designed to sting. Offering or facilitating online money games can attract up to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore, or both. Repeat offenders face a minimum of three years, extendable to five, with fines between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore. Advertising such games carries up to two years in prison and fines of up to Rs 50 lakh, with repeat violations attracting higher penalties still. Cyber cell officers at state and union territory levels, including at police station, district, and commissionerate levels, are empowered to investigate offences.
The new sheriff in town
At the centre of the new framework sits the Online Gaming Authority of India, a digital-first regulator constituted as an attached office of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, headquartered in Delhi. It is chaired by the additional secretary of MeitY and includes joint secretary-level representation from home affairs, finance, information and broadcasting, youth affairs and sports, and law and justice, a deliberately multi-sectoral design built for a complex sector.
The authority’s powers are broad. It will maintain and publish lists of online money games, investigate complaints, issue directions, orders, and codes of practice, hear appeals on user grievances, and coordinate with financial institutions and law enforcement to ensure effective and timely action.
Its decisions on game classification are to be completed within 90 days, a time-bound commitment that industry players have welcomed after years of regulatory ambiguity. Classification can be triggered by the authority acting on its own initiative, by an application from a service provider, or by a notification from the central government. Games will be assessed on objective factors: whether stakes are involved, whether players expect monetary winnings, the revenue model, and whether in-game assets can be monetised outside the game. The outcome is recorded in a determination order specific to the game and provider.
E-sports gets its moment
While the crackdown on money gaming dominates today’s headlines, the rules also carve out a structured path for e-sports and online social games. Registration, required when notified by the central government, applies to all games offered as e-sports and is based on factors including risk to users, scale, financial transactions, and country of origin. A successful application yields a digital certificate of registration with a unique number, valid for up to ten years. Service providers must display registration details, designate a point of contact, comply with data retention requirements, and follow directions on facilitating payments.
Online money games are explicitly ineligible for recognition or registration as e-sports under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The separation is deliberate, and the industry has noticed.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, called today’s operationalisation “encouraging,” pointing to publisher-led registration of esports titles and a time-bound determination process as creating “much-needed certainty for all stakeholders.” He added that the “continued emphasis on clearly separating esports from online money gaming is critical in preserving the integrity of competitive gaming as a skill-driven discipline.” He described it as “a proud moment to see official acknowledgement of the broader benefits of responsible esports and gaming, from building confidence, discipline, and teamwork to creating new career pathways for young talent,” and said the framework sets “a strong foundation for the ecosystem to scale in a more structured and globally competitive manner.”
Animesh Agarwal, co-founder and chief executive of S8UL, was equally bullish. “This clarity is critical in unlocking investor confidence and attracting multi-genre brands, while also enabling organisations to take a more long-term view, whether in investing in talent, scaling teams, or building globally competitive formats,” he said, adding that it “strengthens trust among audiences and mainstream stakeholders, positioning esports not just as a sport, but as a fast-growing youth entertainment category in India.”
But Agarwal urged caution on several fronts. There remains limited clarity around financial frameworks, particularly in how esports earnings are treated by banks and financial institutions. A well-defined pathway for the formal recognition or registration of esports teams is still evolving, as are structured player protections. He also called for smoother visa processes for esports athletes competing in international tournaments and for government support in developing infrastructure, including bootcamps, training facilities, and access to high-performance equipment across titles.
Vishal Parekh, chief operating officer of CyberPowerPC India, pointed to downstream effects on education and careers. “With formal recognition and policy backing, colleges and institutions are more likely to take the sector seriously, whether through dedicated esports infrastructure, training programmes, or curriculum integration,” he said, adding that this helps students view gaming as a viable career spanning roles across competitive play, content, game development, and allied industries. He noted that as esports gains prominence in global multi-sport events, the framework strengthens India’s position in international competitive gaming, and called on the ecosystem to provide the right infrastructure and access to high-performance hardware to unlock opportunities in talent development and job creation.
Protecting users, one safeguard at a time
The rules introduce a layered system of user protections calibrated to the risk profile of each game. These include age verification, age gating, time restrictions, parental controls, user reporting tools, counselling support, and fair-play and integrity monitoring. Service providers must disclose their safety features and internal grievance mechanisms when applying for determination or registration.
A two-tier grievance redressal system sits atop these safeguards. Users who are dissatisfied with a platform’s resolution can escalate to the authority within 30 days. The authority aims to dispose of such appeals within a further 30 days. A second appeal lies before the secretary of MeitY, who must also endeavour to resolve matters within 30 days. Enforcement proceedings will be conducted in digital mode wherever possible, with cases targeted for resolution within 90 days from receipt of a complaint.
Penalties under the framework are proportionate, taking into account gain from non-compliance, loss to users, the gravity of the offence, and whether violations are recurring. Mitigation efforts by service providers will also be considered when determining penalties. All penalties imposed under the Act will be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
The money follows the rules
For investors and founders, the implications are immediate and significant. Sagar Nair, head of incubation at LVL Zero Incubator, a 100-day sprint designed to accelerate early-stage gaming startups across India, argues that with real-money gaming now prohibited, capital will shift “away from transaction-driven models toward content-led, IP-driven, and global-first gaming businesses.” He acknowledged trade-offs: for operators with exposure to real-money formats, the market becomes more restrictive in the near term. But he argued that by clearly separating esports and non-money gaming from online money gaming, “India is positioning itself as a hub for responsible, creative, and scalable game development.” The opportunity, he said, is “to view India not just as a monetisation-first market, but as a talent, IP, and scale market,” adding that “for founders and investors willing to adapt, this shift could ultimately strengthen India’s position in the global gaming landscape.”
The government frames the wider impact in equally ambitious terms: a boost to India’s creative economy and digital exports, new career pathways for young people, protection for families from predatory platforms, and a stronger voice in global digital governance. India, it argues, offers a model for other countries grappling with the same tensions between gaming’s economic promise and its social risks, one that shows innovation and strong safeguards need not be mutually exclusive.
Whether the framework delivers on those promises will depend on enforcement, always the hardest part. But from today, the architecture is firmly in place: a regulator with teeth, a classification system with deadlines, penalties designed to deter, and a clear dividing line between games that build careers and games that destroy finances. For a sector that has grown fast and governed itself loosely, May 1st, 2026 is the day the free ride ends.
