iWorld
PM Modi live-streams new ideas to youth
NEW DELHI: Drawing a parallel between the five years between 1942 (Quit India call) and 1947 (independence) to the period from 2017 to 2022 when the country will mark 75 years of freedom, the prime minister Narendra Modi has called upon the ‘online world’ to contribute innovatively for building of the New India.
The radio broadcast was visually adapted by Doordarshan and other private TV and news channels in India and broadcast simultaneously. Similarly, radio in the private sector patched AIR. All DTH platforms also carried it. It was telecast on DD News, DD National, DD Bharati, DD Urdu and DD Kisan.
It was live streamed for global audience and is accessible through mobile app, All India Radio Live.
During his 34th Mann ki Baat broadcast from All India Radio, he said he would “particularly like to call upon the online world, since wherever we may be, we are almost always online; so I would like to invite the online community and specially my young friends to come forward and contribute innovatively.”
In the broadcast which was also shown on Doordarshan channels with relevant archival footage with reference to the freedom struggle, Modi said the young can use technology – videos, posts, blogs, scripts, novel ideas – to put forward all these. He wanted the young to “transform this campaign into a people’s movement”.
He said: “A Quit India Quiz is also being launched for my young friends on NarendraModiApp. This quiz is an attempt to familiarise the youth with India’s glorious history and the heroes of the freedom movement. It is my belief that you will surely publicise and spread awareness about this quiz”.
The broadcast was originated by All India Radio, Delhi, and was by all AIR stations, all AIR FM channels (FM Gold and FM Rainbow), local radio stations, Vividh Bharati stations and five community radio stations.
The regional versions of the Mann Ki Baat were originated by the capital AIR stations in non- Hindi speaking zones and broadcast immediately after the Hindi broadcast, and repeated at 8 pm last night. The regional versions were relayed by all AIR stations including local radio stations in the respective states.
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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.
