iWorld
SonyLiv expands Suvonkar Banerjee’s role to lead Hindi originals
Executive will steer Hindi content pipeline alongside Studio Next role
MUMBAI: Streaming platform SonyLiv has expanded the mandate of Suvonkar Banerjee, appointing him to head Hindi originals while he continues in his role as creative director at Studio Next.
The move aims to strengthen SonyLiv’s Hindi originals slate. Banerjee will now oversee the development and creative direction of the platform’s Hindi content pipeline while continuing to guide Studio Next’s broader creative vision.
Banerjee joined Studio Next after a stint at Disney plus Hotstar, where he served as editor. His expanded responsibilities come amid a wider leadership restructuring at Sony Pictures Networks India, as the broadcaster sharpens its focus on digital growth.
Over the past year, SPNI has seen a series of organisational changes following the appointment of Gaurav Banerjee. These shifts have included portfolio realignments, consolidation of roles across business verticals and, in some cases, workforce rationalisation as the company recalibrates its operating structure.
The latest appointment signals a continued push to centralise creative decision-making within SonyLiv’s digital ecosystem, as the platform looks to build a more cohesive and competitive Hindi originals strategy.
iWorld
Schmooze launches AI matchmaker Riya to personalise dating
300,000 users try feature as retention doubles on Gen Z dating app.
MUMBAI: Love might be blind, but now it’s also algorithmically curated and apparently quite chatty. Schmooze has introduced an AI-powered personal matchmaker named Riya, marking its latest push to move beyond swipe-led dating into deeper, personality-driven matchmaking. Unlike traditional matching systems, Riya interacts directly with users through conversations asking about everything from lifestyle and humour to relationship goals and family values. The idea is simple but ambitious: understand users beyond surface-level preferences and recommend matches that actually fit.
The feature builds on a pattern Schmooze had already observed. Its earlier AI tool, People Finder, allowed users to describe their ideal partner in detail and users did exactly that. Requests ranged from “an extrovert who works in tech and likes to cook” to hyper-specific traits, signalling a clear shift towards intent-driven dating.
That insight exposed a gap. While dating apps typically rely on probability-based algorithms, many users already know what they want they just lack a system that can interpret it meaningfully.
Riya attempts to fill that gap using a conversational approach. Instead of rigid inputs, it gathers signals organically sometimes through casual questions about weekend plans or social habits while mapping deeper compatibility markers in the background.
To support this, Schmooze has built its own end-to-end voice AI stack and large language model, rather than relying on third-party systems. The move is aimed at keeping costs in check while handling scale, and ensuring tighter control over user data and privacy.
The early numbers suggest traction. More than 300,000 users have already interacted with Riya, with those users showing 2× higher retention compared to others on the platform. While the system is designed for short interactions, some users are spending up to 40–50 minutes in conversation occasionally even asking for date ideas, prompting the company to add personalised recommendations.
The launch is the latest step in Schmooze’s broader attempt to rethink dating for Gen Z. Founded by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag, the platform initially stood out by using memes as a proxy for personality tracking over 3.5 billion meme swipes across its base of more than 5 million users.
In a market dominated by global players like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, Schmooze’s approach signals a shift from visual-first discovery to interaction-led compatibility. And with AI now stepping in as a digital wingman, the dating game may be moving from swipe right to speak right.
