iWorld
Binance announces strategic partnership with SM Brand Marketing
Mumbai: Blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure platform Binance has signed a MoU to build a comprehensive partnership with SM Brand Marketing (SMBM), a subsidiary of a South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment.
As part of the comprehensive partnership, Binance and SMBM will establish a global Play-to-Create (P2C) ecosystem. The partnership will begin with cooperation in the NFT sector and the creation of a joint eco-fund.
Conceptualised by Soo-Man Lee, the music executive of SM, P2C allows users to reproduce content using IP. “By using the tools and IP provided within the e-commerce and metaverse platforms, users can recreate content and products in the forms of games, music, dance, and goods,” said the statement.
Within the P2C ecosystem, these contents and products can be converted into NFTs, allowing users to earn profits while also gaining recognition for their originality. The P2C ecosystem is a step forward from the existing Play-to-Earn (P2E) model, it added.
“Binance is happy to be working with SMBM to advance the current P2E ecosystem into a P2C ecosystem,” said Binance NFT global head Helen Hai. “We would like to provide SMBM with the robust technology that can support the numerous Kpop global fans who enjoy recreating content based on their favorite Korean celebrities and want to earn passive income through their hobbies.”
With the strategic partnership, Binance and SMBM will collaborate to create an ecosystem where global creators can easily participate in recreation using IP and profit from their original content and projects in a transparent manner. The P2C ecosystem created through recreation will also enhance the creative culture within the K-pop industry. Fans, artists, and companies are brought together to join forces on these e-commerce and metaverse platforms, the statement said.
Binance and SMBM will be working jointly on the blockchain mainnet, NFT, and eco-fund to establish the P2C ecosystem. Binance will also provide the technology infrastructure for the overall blockchain and NFT ecosystem. Meanwhile, SMBM will provide the vast IPs managed by SM, including EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, aespa, and more, and support with content planning and platform construction, it added.
“By combining together SM’s production capabilities, SMBM’s e-commerce platform capabilities, and Binance’s technology infrastructure, we expect this comprehensive partnership will bring great innovation in the establishment of the P2C ecosystem and expansion of businesses in the blockchain industry,” stated SMBM CEO Sung-su Lee. “It is also an opportunity for fans to build a new participatory creation culture through recreation and to gain economic benefits by being on the blockchain.”
iWorld
Sony LIV acquires worldwide digital rights for Marathi romance Toh Ti Ani Fuji
Film shot in Japan and India to stream exclusively on the platform from 10 April 2026.
MUMBAI: Love knows no language, but this Marathi romance is about to speak to audiences far beyond its roots and it’s doing so with a scenic detour through Japan. Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the worldwide digital rights for the Marathi-language romance feature Toh Ti Ani Fuji (also known as Main, Woh Aur Fuji), with an exclusive direct-to-digital release on Sony Liv scheduled for 10 April 2026. Sony Pictures Networks India will retain exclusive worldwide theatrical and linear rights.
Filmed extensively in Japan and India, the film marks an unprecedented Marathi-language romance set on an international canvas. It explores how relationships evolve under the pressures of distance, time, and shifting emotional realities, using Japan not merely as a backdrop but as an emotional landscape that mirrors the characters’ inner journeys.
Written by Irawati Karnik and directed by Mohit Takalkar, the story follows a deeply passionate relationship that gradually turns toxic due to contrasting personalities, shifting priorities, and unfair emotional expectations. Seven years after their separation, the former couple unexpectedly reunite in Japan, reopening old wounds and unspoken desires while questioning whether love altered by time can ever find its way back.
Producer Shiladitya Bora said the partnership with Sony Pictures Networks India reflects the growing belief that “regional is the new mainstream.” He added that the film’s multi-language digital release on Sony LIV will help it connect with newer audiences across India and the world.
Director Mohit Takalkar described the film as an exploration of how love changes in today’s urban world, shaped by ambition, geography, and the pressure to evolve. “It began as a very personal exploration of relationships, and to see it reaching a wider audience feels deeply satisfying,” he noted.
Actors Lalit Prabhakar and Mrinmayee Godbole highlighted the film’s intimate yet universal take on love, separation, and rediscovery. Godbole particularly praised how filming in Japan added a global dimension while keeping the story deeply personal.
From a toxic romance that travels from India to Japan and back, Toh Ti Ani Fuji promises an emotionally layered story that feels both specific and universal. For Sony LIV viewers, this first-of-its-kind Marathi film offers a chance to experience love, loss, and second chances with a refreshing international flavour.
The film streams exclusively on Sony LIV from 10 April 2026.
