MAM
Akshay Wattal is Nickelodeon’s first ‘Badaa Shikari’
MUMBAI: Nickelodeon has announced the first winner of its Pepsi Badaa Shikari Hunt contest. Akshay Wattal is the chosen youngster who will lead the Indian Cricket team onto the grounds, for its first match at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa.
The contest launched last month, in association with Hero Honda and Pantaloons, was to give six young lucky winners an opportunity to lead the Indian team onto the grounds.
According to an official release, the hunt, currently promoted by MAX, Nickelodeon and MTV, has received more than 250,000 entries from young cricket fans.
The first winner, hand picked by Pepsi and Nickelodeon, Akshay – a standard nine student of St. George’s School, Delhi- will lead the Indian team in its very first match against Holland, on 12 February.
The search is on for the next five youngsters till 19 February. There are autographed goodies including sling bags, team shirts and stumps with posters to be won, says the release.
Brands
Sony Pictures Networks India names Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships & key network initiatives
Aneja takes charge to deepen agency ties and boost revenue across Spni channels
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships, signalling a fresh focus on closer collaboration with advertising agencies and a sharper push for revenue growth across its channel portfolio.
In her new role, Aneja will chart strategic engagement with agencies, unlock new revenue streams, and nurture long-term partnerships. Her mission includes driving sales performance, adding value for clients, and delivering inventive solutions for advertisers — cementing Spni’s position as a preferred media partner.
Aneja brings over 12 years of experience with Spni, having risen through the ranks from manager to associate vice president. She has led high-performing sales teams across key clusters including sony hindi gec, free-to-air channels, and english entertainment channels like pix, axn and bbc earth.
Her track record includes driving integrated ad sales for popular shows such as Celebrity MasterChef, Indian Idol and Superstar Singer, pioneering first-time brand integrations, and repositioning channels for maximum impact in both urban and rural markets.
Aneja’s approach combines content-first thinking with solution-led selling, focusing on empathy, insight and storytelling that resonates with audiences and brands alike. Colleagues praise her knack for building trust with agencies and clients while spotting innovative ways to convert ideas into revenue.
With this appointment, Spni aims to strengthen its agency relationships and continue delivering compelling advertising solutions that combine creativity with performance.
