iWorld
YouTube contemplates YRF, Shemaroo, Sony, Zee & studio tie-ups
MUMBAI: With competition in the OTT space getting tougher every passing day, the players have to ensure that they boast an edge over the rest. In a move to compete with its rivals – Netflix and Amazon Prime, Alphabet’s YouTube is in talks with some of India’s biggest production houses and broadcasters.
Yash Raj Films, Shemaroo, Sony, Zee, etc are some of the big banners the streaming service is considering to partner with. It also plans to possess exclusive content for its Indian viewers from a large number of south Indian studios.
Though, the deals could be different in nature. YouTube APAC regional director Ajay Vidyasagar in an interview with Hindustan Times has stated that some of the deals may bundle the content for YouTube first followed by TV while, some can tweak it for YouTube.
YouTube is facing serious competition from rivals — Netflix and Amazon Prime not just in India but also in America. Globally, YouTube added 400 hours of content every minute to its platform last year. With Amazon signing a deal with Dharma Productions for exclusive content, with few more to be added soon, YouTube has competition knocking at its door. Even Netflix is closing in deals with studios like Phantom Films apart from its original production.
Though, Vidyasagar is not letting the players affect his brand. He believes that Netflix is a high-value, low-volume business with limited reach. It creates content in one place and makes it globally available globally.
But, YouTube claims to have found its way in having large volume and diverse content catering to local needs. According to Vidyasagar, it is expanding to become a local player in every country. Even in small towns, YouTube is the default native video platform that everyone chooses.
Even after Star India taking away its famous talk show, Koffee with Karan which airs on Star World, off YouTube, Vidyasagar asserted that they have an extraordinary volume and in a few quarters time, they might look at the traffic.
YouTube will also look more at exclusive content. In India, it will keep the business free, dependent on ad revenue. Even after having a Netflix-like subscription model in some countries, YouTube does not plan to do the same in India at least in the next few months.
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.
