MAM
adidas introduces world’s first “intelligent” shoe
MUMBAI: Adidas has introduced the world’s first “intelligent” running shoe called – adidas_1 in India.
Priced at Rs 12,499, adidas_1 will come to India as an exclusive product and will be available at select Adidas stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore.
“adidas_1 is the proof of our brand attitude, Impossible Is Nothing. This product will change the entire sporting goods industry. It is a true first and establishes Adidas as a clear leader in the field of innovation,” said Adidas India MD Andreas Gellner.
The shoe works like a human reflex nerve. The nerve is a magnetic sensing system, where the sensor sits just below the runner’s heel and the magnet is placed at the bottom of the midsole. On each impact, this sensor measures the distance from top to bottom of the midsole (accurate to 0.1 mm) gauging the compression and therefore the amount of cushioning being used. About 1,000 readings per second are taken and relayed to the shoe’s brain.
Underneath the arch is the shoe’s brain, a microprocessor capable of making five million calculations per second. Software written specifically for the shoe compares the compression messages received from the sensor to a preset zone and understands if the shoe is too soft or too firm.
Once it has determined if the cushioning level is appropriate, it ends a command to the shoe’s muscle to make a change.
A motor-driven cable system is the shoe’s muscle. The motor, housed in the midfoot, receives the brain’s instructions and adapts by turning a screw, which lengthens or shortens a cable. This cable is secured to the walls of a plastic cushioning element. When the cable is shortened, the cushioning element is tensed and compresses very little. When the cable is longer, it allows the cushioning element to compress further, making the shoe’s ride softer. A small replaceable battery provides the motor’s power. The changes are gradual and happen automatically, so all the runner notices is that the shoe feels right during an entire run.
“One thing all runners need is cushioning, and no two runners are the same. adidas_1’s revolutionary technology ensures that no matter what your weight is, how heavy your foot strikes, how fast you run or even the surface you are running on, the shoe senses, adapts and provides the right amount of cushioning,” added Gellner.
The company has also put in place an integrated communication approach using the tagline ‘The World’s First Intelligent Shoe’ to support the launch of adidas_1.
The campaign will include television commercial and outdoors in addition to Internet and retail marketing. Adidas has also launched a website, www.adidas-1.com, to provide information on the shoe’s technology.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
