iWorld
More group stage streamers for FIFA 2018 WC than entire 2014
MUMBAI: The streamers are on the rise and what better way to get everyone online at the same time than sports. The FIFA world cup 2018 in Russia saw more online viewers glued in the group stage itself than the entire 2014 world cup.
The rise in mobile data consumption and emergence of OTT platforms can be regarded as major reasons behind the enormous increase of online viewers.
According to a study released by cloud delivery platform Akamai, viewers of the first round of Russia 2018 streamed 65 per cent more data compared to the whole season of Rio World Cup.
Sony bets big on 2018 FIFA World Cup
The study revealed that the highest number of concurrent streams peaked at 9.7 million on 27 June during Mexico-Sweden and South Korea-Germany matches. In the entire Rio tournament, the record viewing peak hit five million during concurrent streams only.
According to another report quoted by Forbes during the first week of the World Cup, 393 million plays of matches were successfully streamed via 59 million unique video streaming apps. On the other hand, Akamai reports that while the peak bandwidth in Brazil was 6.99 Tbps, it was 23.8 Tbps in the first round in Russia.
e-commerce
ONDC names Vibhor Jain MD and CEO; Rohit Lohia joins as CBO, Manoj Thakur as CTO
Leadership formalised as open commerce network sharpens focus on scale and user value
The Open Network for Digital Commerce has formalised Vibhor Jain as managing director and chief executive officer, cementing a leadership transition at India’s ambitious open commerce platform as it pushes for scale and relevance.
Jain, who had been serving as acting chief executive officer since April last year following the exit of Thampy Koshy, steps into the role with effect from 7th April , according to a report by The Economic Times. He previously served as chief operating officer at the government-backed network, which enables buyers and sellers to transact across applications through an open, interoperable system.
Setting out his strategy, Jain underscored the network’s differentiated architecture. “Going forward, we are concentrating on what open, interoperable infrastructure can uniquely enable, things that no single platform has the incentive or the architecture to do,” he said.
He added that the immediate priority is to widen ONDC’s impact across user cohorts often underserved by platform-led commerce. “My priority is to deepen the value ONDC creates for the people it exists to serve: kisaans, karigars, kiranas, gig workers, first-time investors, and daily commuters across India,” he said.
Jain also flagged leadership reinforcement within the organisation, noting that ONDC has “a strong and exciting leadership team in place”, with Rohit Lohia joining as chief business officer and Manoj Thakur as chief technology officer.
With over 18 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship and consulting, Jain brings a track record in technology-led, large-scale transformation programmes and internet businesses. At ONDC, he has been closely involved in shaping strategy and operations as the network seeks to move digital commerce away from platform-centric models towards an open network approach.
Before ONDC, Jain worked with JUMO, where he helped set up the fintech firm’s India operations, and led the India launch of Mobike, handling regulatory, policy and operational aspects of its market entry. Earlier, he co-founded Atlanta Healthcare, an air quality management company, and spent more than a decade in consulting roles at Andersen and EY, advising governments on public policy and technology-driven reforms, including work on the Aadhaar programme and tax systems.
The mandate is clear but the path is complex. As ONDC attempts to rewrite the rules of digital commerce, Jain now carries the burden of turning open architecture into mass adoption, in a market still dominated by platform power.
