iWorld
A.I.SHA | My Virtual Girlfriend to be dubbed in Tamil; S2 on cards
MUMBAI: Following the successful run of the season 1 of A.I.SHA | My Virtual Girlfriend, Arre plans to release its Tamil version. With this category, it intends to reach out to a wider audience.
This version is presented by Gillette Flexball in association with Palo Alto Networks, Indo Nissin Foods and Dell.
In addition, the show is also syndicated to the digital platform of one of France’s television networks, TF1 Xtra, apart from various Indian digital platforms such as Sony LIV, Yupp TV, Vodafone Play, etc.
“The southern regional markets are growing markets from a mobile internet consumption and advertiser interest point of view. They’re also interesting future forays for Arré considering that digital media in these markets is more secular as compared to broadcasting and cable and there isn’t enough original content available currently. A.I.SHA, our first show, is possibly the best show to begin our regional foray with, given its universal appeal and the overwhelming viewer response so far,” said Arre founder B. Saikumar.
The series is produced by Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman’s production venture, Monozygotic.
Ram added, “A.I.SHA is a special project for all of us at Monozygotic since it was our first fiction show and also the first show that Arré launched with.”
A.I.SHA (Artificial Intelligence Simulated Humanoid Assistant) is India’s AI-based digital series. A fiction thriller, the story pivots around the widely debated and chilling premise of what happens when AI (Artificial intelligence) develops feelings and consciousness.
Pre-production work for A.I.SHA season 2 is underway and is planned for launch later this year.
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.
