MAM
Kings XI Punjab welcomes on board Aaj Tak as title sponsor
MUMBAI: Kings XI Punjab has launched its new jersey and announced a range of partners that will support the team this season in the VIVO Indian Premier League.
On board as the title sponsor for the season is Aaj Tak. The news channel will occupy its place on the front of the Kings XI Punjab Jersey this year.
Other sponsors include Bageshree Infratech, V.I.P. Industries, along with Jio, Fena, Royal Stag and Finale Cables, who continue to back KXIP from last season.
Kings XI Punjab CEO Satish Menon said, “We are delighted to unveil the new jersey and announce our partnership this year with the news channel Aaj Tak, a TV channel known as much for its in-depth analysis delivered in double quick time as for its credibility. A brand of that repute coming on board is a proud endorsement of Kings XI Punjab's intrinsic values. We head into IPL season 12 with optimism and enthusiasm as we have the right brands with us on the journey. Their support is our strength as we aim to excel on the field with our performances played in the true spirit of the game.”
India Today Group vice chairperson Kalli Purie said, “India Today Group is really excited to partner with the most anticipated cricketing event of 2019. This partnership of Aaj Tak with Kings XI Punjab is a coming together of the biggest in news with the biggest in sports. All the best to the Kings XI team, looking forward to an amazing tournament and like Aaj Tak, may the ‘Sabse Tez’ team win.”
Along with these, KXIP welcomes onboard other partners as well. These include:
Kingfisher – Good Times Partner
Coca Cola – Official Beverage Partner
Beardo – Associate Sponsor
Prayag – Official Bath & Kitchen Fitting Partner
T10 – Official Kit & Merchandise Partner
Welspun – Official Partner
Dream11 – Associate Partner
boAt – Official Audio Partner
cricfig – Official Figurine Partner
The Souled Store – Merchandise Partner
Big FM – Radio Partner
CASHUrDRIVE – Outdoor Partner
Zomato – Official Partner
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.
