MAM
Alburt Media bags media mandate for Ed-Tech Start-up basicfirst
MUMBAI: BasicFirst, an innovative Ed-Tech start-up, has appointed Alburt Media to manage its media mandate in India. The appointment was a result of a multi-agency pitch. The mandate includes handling overall operations of ATL across India. The account size is estimated to be Rs.300 crores.
Started with a vision to make quality education available in the remotest locations of India, BasicFirst caters to various academic needs of K6 to K12 students. It is an aptitude-based personalized learning initiative by a group of education experts, which offers post-school education and test-prep guidance.
Commenting on the association, Piyush Mishra, CEO, Alburt Media stated, “We are excited to be associated with BasicFirst. India has a huge potential market for Ed-tech and BasicFirst with its innovative products and high-quality content such as ‘24×7 Doubt Clearing App’ and ‘Rent A learning Tablet’ is determined to take a major share of the pie.”
Talking about appointing Alburt Media, Randhir Kumar, Founder & CEO of BasicFirst said, “ The association seems to fit in well as the approach followed by Albert Media is strategic and the customer insights they offer makes them the perfect partner for our growth plans. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”
Govind Mishra, Marketing Head at BasicFirst said, “Alburt Media understood our requirements well. Their proposed strategy and approach was innovative and it captured the sentiments we want to portray for the brand.”
MAM
Publicis Groupe acquires sports marketing agency 160over90
Deal strengthens Publicis Sports with global scale and talent partnerships.
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has just scored a major goal in the sports marketing arena and this time, it’s not just about fans in the stands, but brands looking to win big. The French advertising giant has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 160over90, a leading global sports and culture-first agency that is part of WME Group. The move builds on Publicis Sports’ recent expansions, including the acquisitions of Adopt and Bespoke in 2025, a partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the launch of Influential Sports.
The combined Publicis Sports group will be led by Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports. Robbie Henchman, most recently President of 160over90, will stay with WME Group as Senior Partner and President of its brand representation business while overseeing the strategic partnership between WME Group and Publicis Groupe.
160over90 employs over 670 people across the US, UK, EMEA and APAC. It specialises in creating meaningful connections between brands, sports events, properties and culture. The sports media market is valued at $150 billion globally, while sports sponsorships have crossed $90 billion, yet many marketers still struggle with fragmented and outdated approaches.
With this acquisition, Publicis aims to offer brands a more unified solution through greater scale and reach across key markets, data-first optimisation powered by the Publicis Sports Intelligence platform, activation of the creator economy via Influential, and a new strategic talent and entertainment partnership with WME Group.
Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun described sport as one of the most high-value channels in the age of AI. “This acquisition is the latest demonstration of our ongoing commitment to investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the highest value for our clients,” he said.
Publicis Connected Media CEO Dave Penski added that sport has become the most powerful intersection of culture, commerce and community.
WME Group president and managing partner Mark Shapiro noted that combining 160over90 with Publicis Sports will create an unmatched offering for brands seeking deeper connections with sports fans.
In a fragmented sports marketing landscape, Publicis has clearly decided that the best way to win is to bring the whole team together turning scattered plays into one powerful, end-to-end strategy that connects brands to fans in meaningful and measurable ways.
