iWorld
SVoD subscribers to touch 743 mn globally by 2023
MUMBAI: Subscription based video on demand (SVoD) is rising persistently and will draw a level with broadcast TV globally by 2023 in terms of viewing hours per day. According to a report from Rethink TV research, SVoD will surpass traditional TV viewing soon after.
The report forecasts SVoD usage in all the regions as well as highlights the differences between AVoD dominated Asian market and SVoD-crazy US and European market. The research sees 478 million SVoD subscribers today growing to 743 million by 2023.
China will have the most SVoD subscribers by 2023 although North America will still drive the largest dollar volume. The report also forecasts the US market reaching 236.6 million subscriptions by the end of 2023, from a base today of some 146.5 million.
“Europe and Asia will be neck and neck in SVoD revenues by 2023, but with far fewer subscribers in Europe, each paying significantly more than those in Asia, a region dominated by frighteningly large Advertising VoD streaming numbers,” it said.
Outside China, Netflix will continue to lead in SVoD in subscribers numbers. The streaming giant will make up 194 million SVoD customers out of 743 million globally by 2023, some 26 per cent of overall global subscribers.
The report has also predicted that WarnerMedia, under its new AT&T defined, freemium strategy will emerge as the new leader in the US Market. It is predicted to reach 29.6 million SVoD homes by 2023. Disney is also likely to have multiple SVoD service types, but may struggle outside the US.
While the Asia Pacific market is highly skewed with China expected to gather 245 million SVoD subscribers, the average spend will be just $2 to $3 a month. Latin American market will see competition among Netflix, America Movil’s Claro TV and Televisa’s Blim.
“Europe will be a mishmash of different approaches with pure-play US operators like Netflix and Amazon now established, US studios beginning to stake a claim, and local broadcasters ganging up to challenge them. The region has its own pure play SVoD players also such as Maxdome, Sky, Zattoo, and Rakuten TV,” it stated.
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.
