MAM
Pepsi introduces simon fuller’s new group now united to india
MUMBAI: For generations, PEPSI has had an intrinsic connection with music, working with legendary artists and discovering and supporting emerging talents. The iconic brand today announced a partnership between Simon Fuller’s new project, global pop group NOW UNITED, and BADSHAH, one of India’s favorite rappers. Badshah, managed by Sony Music India and the group comprised of 14 singers and dancers from all across the globe will record a song titled “[ How We Do It]” that will be released [November 29th.] Pepsi will also support Now United’s first trip to India beginning November 26th. The group will visit Mumbai, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, sharing their experiences with their fans in India and around the world as they go.
With pop-culture at its heart and a finger on the pulse of trends, Pepsi has always created experiences that connect with consumers in the most relevant ways. For decades, Pepsi has harnessed the power of music to connect with generations of fans and elevate rising artists. The collaboration between Badshah and Now United for a new song is part of this aim to provide emerging artists with a powerful stage to promote their stories, share their art and connect with new and existing fans.
The collaboration has been curated by One Digital Entertainment, India’s leading creator and video network that also manages Badshah’s digital ventures and is also enabling the distribution of the song across various digital, TV and radio platforms.
Introduced in 2017 by Simon Fuller, the creator of the popular American Idol series, pop group Now United is comprised of 14 rising singers and dancers from across the world, including India, Brazil, Philippines, Finland, Senegal and the United States of America, amongst others. 17-year-old sensation Shivani, who hails from Udaipur, represents India in the pop group.
Speaking about the collaboration, Tarun Bhagat, Director-Marketing, Hydration and Cola, PepsiCo India
said, “Pepsi has always strived to create experiences which resonate strongly with consumers, and music is such a tremendous platform to do that. We are committed to identifying new and upcoming talent; and giving them a stage to showcase their art. Through the platform provided to them by Pepsi, Badshah and Now United will explore new ways of giving their fans a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Echoing his thoughts, rapper Badshah said, “Over the years, Pepsi has created powerful platforms which allow artists to connect with their fans in unique ways. By collaborating with Now United, I am getting a chance to perform in a different way than I ever have before. They are an incredibly talented group of artists and I am really excited about the chance to perform with them. They’re going to be in Mumbai soon and we have some exciting things planned. I cannot wait for my fans to see what we have in store. ”
Simon Fuller said, “I first worked with Pepsi with the then unknown group, Spice Girls. Here I am, many years later, working with Pepsi again continuing to push the boundaries with my new global pop group, Now United. Thanks to Pepsi we have been introduced to the extraordinary Badshah, an artist with huge respect and popularity. His collaboration with Now United on the song ‘How We Do It' is an incredible combination. I can’t wait for our Indian journey together to begin!”
Gurpreet Singh, COO & Co-founder of One Digital Entertainment said, “One Digital Entertainment is glad to associate with Pepsi and Simon Fuller's XIX Entertainment to enable this unique collaboration. We are very excited to bring two different kinds of artists such as Badshah and Now United together for the first time. We are confident that the new song will strike the right chords with music aficionados across the globe.”
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.
