MAM
Mahesh Narayanan joins Tonic Media’s advisory board
Mumbai: Digital agency Tonic Media has appointed of Mahesh Narayanan to its advisory board. Formerly with Google India as Mobile country head, Narayanan is credited with taking mobile advertising in India to the next level and also seen as one of the pioneers in the digital media space.
Commenting on the new appointment, Tonic Media CEO Chetan Asher said, “Tonic has been growing at an incredible momentum and it is time we took it to the next level with a vision of dominating the digital space. We are honored to have someone of Mahesh’s stature bringing his invaluable experience. Together, we can add value to our clients’ businesses with new brand-building strategies.”
Narayanan comes with over 15 years of experience across businesses in the mobile, adtech and consumer internet spaces. Speaking on this development, he stated, “Tonic Media has been successful in establishing themselves as a digital powerhouse with a great roster of clients across various industries. I look forward to sharing my technology and digital advertising experience with the Tonic team to help them become market-leaders.”
Narayanan has held various senior leadership positions across global technology media companies such as Google, AdMob and Sociomantic. He spent seven years at Google India as the founding member of Google India’s direct sales operations in 2005 and helped lay the architecture for the growth of Google in India. He joined AdMob as the Country Manager for India in 2009 and moved back to Google after the acquisition of AdMob.
He was named the Mobile Marketing Person of the Year at the Indira Marketing Excellence awards in 2011 and has also been featured in the Digital Power 100 list as one of the icons of India’s Digital ecosystem in 2012 by Impact – a leading advertising, media and marketing publication.
MAM
JioStar cracks IPTV piracy network as TATA IPL 2026 gets underway
Broadcaster moves swiftly on match day to shut illegal BOS IPTV service
MUMBAI: JioStar has dismantled a major digital piracy syndicate on the opening day of the TATA IPL 2026, targeting an unauthorised IPTV service operating under the name BOS IPTV.
The crackdown followed an internal investigation that flagged the rogue platform, hosted on bostv.org, for illegally streaming premium television content. Acting on its findings, JioStar filed a criminal complaint with the Cyber Police Station Firozabad, triggering a formal police probe.
An FIR registered on 26 March 2026 cites multiple offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Information Technology Act 2008, and the Copyright Act 1957, underscoring the seriousness of the alleged violations.
Investigators found that BOS IPTV was offering access to more than 10,000 live television channels along with a library of over 25,000 video-on-demand titles through its proprietary streaming player. The platform reportedly had around 64,000 active users and was run by a team of roughly 20 individuals, pointing to a well-organised operation.
Law enforcement authorities have arrested the primary accused, with further detentions expected as the investigation expands across multiple states. Officials believe the network may be part of a broader, coordinated piracy ecosystem operating in India.
The website has since been taken offline by its operators, marking a timely intervention just as the IPL season begins and viewership peaks. For broadcasters, the opening weeks of the tournament are particularly vulnerable to illegal streaming, making swift enforcement crucial.
JioStar’s latest action signals a sharper, more proactive stance against digital piracy, especially around marquee sporting events. As the IPL gathers pace, the broadcaster is expected to maintain close coordination with authorities to protect its content and ensure viewers stay on the right side of the stream.
