iWorld
Twitter curates special emoji for ‘Koffee with Karan’
MUMBAI: Social media platform Twitter has created a special emoji for the talk show Koffee with Karan. The show is slated to go on air on 6 November. It will be aired on Star World and Star World HD.
Beginning today and for the rest of the season, millions of avid TV viewers can engage, interact and join the conversation using the special emoji in time for the Sunday debut.
Viewers can Tweet using several special hashtags and the iconic yellow coffee mug emoji will appear next to the hashtag in their Tweet.
“Twitter is what’s happening in the world of news, sports, and entertainment and brings fans closer to their favourite stars and top entertainment moments. Koffee with Karan is an iconic show on Indian TV and we are excited to announce creative innovations and release exclusive content and videos on Twitter for this season. The first-ever Koffee with Karan emoji and the special celebrity hashtags will also delight fans across the globe,” Twitter India head of TV partnerships Viral Jani.
As an innovative twist, every week the show will also announce a new hashtag fashioned on the name of the celebrity guest in the hot seat. This dynamic and unique hashtag will also activate the special emoji.
Twitter has been every fan’s live connection to their favourite stars and shows and the mood on the platform has been in sync with the show’s exciting comeback. The chatter around the show’s sneak peeks of episode 1 is reflective of the fun banter that is in store for rest of the season.
In its past seasons, the show has been graced by a string of A-list actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gurinder Chadha, Farah Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, etc.
The show’s first episode will feature Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt.
In the past as well, Twitter launched special emojis for moments of national cultural significance such as Ganeshotsav, International Day of Yoga, Independence Day and Republic Day. Twitter also launched it’s emoji for a TV series for Bigg Boss10.
Here is a special emoji for this season of Koffee With Karan! Talk to @karanjohar and guests by using #KWK #KoffeeWithKaran or #KWKonSW https://t.co/elysiksyYs
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) November 3, 2016
Don't miss the blockbuster premier of #KoffeeWithKaran with @iamsrk @aliaa08 on @StarWorldIndia this Sunday at 9 PM pic.twitter.com/h4dQIocspb
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) November 2, 2016
Koffee with Karan now has its very own emoji! Tweet #KWKonSW to join the conversation with @karanjohar.
— Star World (@StarWorldIndia) November 2, 2016
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.
