MAM
Update Geotarget promotes Prabeer Patankar as head of national sales
NEW DELHI- Update Geotarget, India’s only regional-focused, narrowcasting TV advertising free-to-air platform, has promoted Prabeer Patankar as head of national sales.
In his new role, Patankar will be responsible for overall national sales and will report to Update Geotarget MD Sharad Alwe. The announcement also emphasises the company’s objective to enable marketers with effective narrowcast services pan India with their 2500+ hyperlocal channels & set-top box solutions.
Prior to this, he led the sales for the north and south region. Patankar was instrumental in building the business ground up in the last 10 years for Update, with his 24 years of experience in media sales and prior engagements in reputed media houses such as HT Media, Herald Publications, and Navabharat Press Pvt. Ltd
Commenting on the appointment Alwe said, “As we look forward to festive & brighter future ahead, we are fast-tracking ‘transformation’ which is true to our DNA over the last 25 years. We are clear on our strategic priorities, strengthening our connections with a growing the universe of clients, agencies, brands, and partners in the marketing ecosystem. To be able to do so, we needed a passionate leader and strong structure within our organization to continue our path to greater success."
On his advanced role, Patankar said, “I am delighted and grateful to Update Geotarget for giving me this opportunity. With brands adapting their strategy to the post COVID environment, they are focusing more than ever on Geo-targeting. NTO has not made their life easy either, shrinking the actual ‘on-ground channel availability’ of their mainstay channels. I think this is our window, our hyper-local channels are more relevant than ever for advertisers. We should see good traction before this financial year ends.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
