MAM
FlixBus India & Eto Motors go green for intercity travel
MUMBAI: It’s made an electrifying start in India. In its first year of operations FlixBus India, in partnership with Eto Motors, has introduced an EV bus for travel between Hyderabad and Vijayawada. The collab between the two marks a bold stride towards sustainable long-distance mobility, reinforcing India’s vision for a cleaner, greener transport future.
The inaugural electric bus was flagged off at ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad, by Telangana minister of transport and BC welfare Ponnam Prabhakar. Also present at the event were German Embassy in New Delhi counsellor for digital and transport Alexander Reck; Thunder Plus CEO & Eto Group chief marketing officer Rajeev YSR; & FlixBus India managing director Surya Khurana.
Ponnam Prabhakar lauded the initiative, stating, “FlixBus and Eto Motors will address the long-distance sustainable mobility needs of Telangana and the southern region through a technology-driven approach. We hope this collaboration accelerates the adoption of electric buses nationwide.”
The pilot project is set to launch on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada route with four electric buses. A two-week trial period will take place before the official rollout in late February, followed by a 12-week assessment of key factors such as battery efficiency and passenger demand. Supported by Thunder Plus, the charging infrastructure will feature depot-based and opportunity charging stations equipped with 240 KW fast chargers to maintain seamless operations.
Eto Motors group CMO Rajeev YSR highlighted the significance of the initiative, stating, “Our partnership with FlixBus India revolutionises intercity travel with sustainable mobility solutions. This completes our green mobility offering—covering first-mile, last-mile, and now middle-mile travel. We have also established dedicated charging hubs along the route with amenities for passenger convenience.”
FlixBus India MD Surya Khurana emphasised the company’s commitment to sustainability, stating, “FlixBus India has rapidly expanded in its debut year, connecting over 200 cities with efficient and affordable bus services. With the introduction of electric buses, we are furthering our commitment to reducing carbon emissions and exploring alternative fuels in line with India’s sustainability goals.”
The advanced EV fleet will feature safety enhancements such as dashcams, GPS, and ADAS to ensure a seamless travel experience.
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.
