iWorld
Meta appoints Rafael Frankel as head of Apac public policy operations
Frankel replaces Simon Milner after 14 years at Meta
SINGAPORE: Meta has appointed Rafael Frankel as head of its Asia-Pacific public policy operations, elevating a long-serving executive amid mounting regulatory and political scrutiny across the region.
Frankel, previously director of public policy for Southeast Asia, confirmed the move in a LinkedIn post, describing the role as both a challenge and an opportunity as technological, social and political shifts gather pace across Apac and beyond.
He succeeds Simon Milner, who led Meta’s Apac policy function for eight years and spent 14 years in total at the company. Paying tribute to his predecessor, Frankel described Milner as a mentor whose leadership combined empathy and foresight, shaping the team’s regional engagement.
The appointment places a seasoned insider at the helm. Frankel brings 25 years of experience across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, including earlier stints as a foreign correspondent and consultant in Bangkok, Jerusalem and Washington. He also serves on the board of the US-Asean Business Council, underscoring his policy and trade credentials.
His elevation comes as global technology platforms face tighter regulation, sharper geopolitical fault lines and intensifying debate over artificial intelligence. In his statement, Frankel signalled alignment with Meta’s broader ambitions, including its push towards advanced AI systems, while emphasising collaboration with governments and businesses across the region.
MUMBAI: If cricket were a binge-worthy series, this one just dropped its most explosive pilot yet. The opening weekend of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League has come out swinging, smashing records across both television and digital platforms and reaffirming the tournament’s unmatched pull in India’s sporting and media landscape.
Backed by two high-octane matches featuring 200-plus run chases, the tournament delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms via JioStar’s broadcast ecosystem, including Star Sports and JioHotstar. More tellingly, engagement surged alongside reach, with total watch-time hitting 32.6 billion minutes, a sharp 26 per cent jump over the opening weekend of the previous season.
The numbers reveal a deeper shift in how India watches cricket. Connected TV (CTV) consumption rose by 30 per cent, while peak concurrency on digital platforms jumped 61 per cent, signalling a growing appetite for shared, big-screen streaming experiences. On traditional television, the momentum held strong, with TV ratings (TVR) climbing 24 per cent compared to earlier seasons’ opening matches.
A key driver of this spike has been the evolution of the viewing experience itself. This season introduced differentiated feeds, most notably a Hindi CTV broadcast featuring cricketing voices such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Blending expert analysis with a watch-along format, the feed has added a conversational, almost second-screen feel without requiring viewers to leave their screens.
According to JioStar CEO for Sports Ishan Chatterjee, at the opening weekend underscores not just scale but also the depth of engagement that live cricket continues to command. He noted that the combination of large-screen viewing and digital interactivity is creating a more immersive and personalised experience, while also delivering tangible outcomes for brand partners.
From the league’s perspective, the early numbers point to a tournament that continues to reinvent itself. Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman of the IPL, said the strong start reflects how high-quality cricket paired with enhanced viewing formats is resonating with audiences nationwide, while Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted the “quality of engagement” as a key takeaway, not just the scale.
Commercially too, the opening weekend signals robust advertiser confidence. The broadcast is led by co-presenting sponsors including Google (Search AI Mode), Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd, alongside co-powered partners such as Birla Opus, Hero Motocorp and Amazon. A long tail of associate sponsors from OpenAI and Asian Paints to Flipkart and Amul further reflects the league’s unmatched ability to aggregate advertiser interest at scale.
Taken together, the opening weekend numbers are less a spike and more a statement. With 515 million viewers, 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, and double-digit growth across formats, IPL 2026 has not just started strong, it has set the tone for a season that looks poised to push the boundaries of both sport and spectacle.
