MAM
Warner Bros Consumer Products is global licensing representative for AC Milan
MUMBAI: Kicking off a major global licensing agreement, European football club AC Milan has announced the appointment of Warner Bros Consumer Products as its exclusive worldwide licensing representative.
The agreement sets the stage for AC Milan to work with various divisions within Warner Bros Entertainment and Time Warner on mutually beneficial marketing and promotional opportunities.
Milan Associazione Calcio s.p.a. VP and CEO Adriano Galliani says, “This unprecedented alliance between AC Milan and the world’s largest entertainment company has been a lifelong dream for me. Warner Bros Consumer Products is well-positioned to globalise our franchise and expand our fan base.”
Warner Bros Consumer Products will utilise their creative, licensing and retail expertise to develop a complete range of licenced products. New graphics, artwork and retail programmes will be created for promotion partners and licencees around the globe and opportunities to licence Internet cafés, eateries and other specialty venues will be explored.
Warner Bros Consumer Products’ Italian office in Milan will spearhead the licensing programme and closely coordinate all worldwide activities.
The AC Milan and Warner Bros Consumer Products partnership represents the first agreement of its kind between an entertainment company and a football club. Warner Bros Consumer Products has significant experience in football with licensing partnerships currently including the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol (Mexican National Team) and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. They also recently represented UEFA’s Euro 2004 tournament held in Portugal.
Brands
Nodwin Gaming appoints Sonal Varma as global director of live events
Former Comic Con India VP to scale global gaming and pop culture experiences
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming has appointed Sonal Varma as global director of live events, bringing on board a seasoned architect of fan communities as the company accelerates its global push in gaming, esports and youth culture.
Varma steps into the role with more than 15 years of experience creating large-scale fan experiences and cultural platforms. She is best known for her long stint at Comic Con India, where she most recently served as vice president and helped transform the convention into one of the country’s most recognisable pop culture gatherings.
At Nodwin Gaming, Varma will lead the strategy, design and execution of the company’s global live event initiatives. Her mandate includes expanding flagship intellectual properties and developing new formats that bring gaming communities together across emerging markets.
Over the years, Varma has been closely associated with building and scaling community-led events such as Comic Con India, Geekly and the Indian Cosplay Championship. Her work has focused on turning niche fandoms into thriving cultural ecosystems by blending entertainment, creator culture and brand partnerships.
Her appointment comes at a time when Nodwin Gaming is expanding its international events footprint through properties such as DreamHack India, NH7 Weekender, Comic Con India and the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series. The company has also been growing its presence across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa through esports tournaments, gaming festivals and fan conventions.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee, said Varma’s experience in building fan-centric platforms would play a key role in the company’s next phase of growth.
“Sonal brings a deep understanding of how live experiences can bring communities together around gaming and pop culture. As we expand our global live events footprint, her experience will help us create experiences that feel authentic and meaningful for audiences across markets,” he said.
Varma said the scale of opportunity at Nodwin Gaming made the move particularly exciting.
“Joining Nodwin Gaming at this moment feels incredibly exciting because the canvas is so large. There are new audiences, new markets and new formats waiting to be explored. I’m looking forward to working with teams across the network to create live experiences that celebrate gaming culture while staying rooted in the communities that power it,” she said.
Over the past few years, Nodwin Gaming has built an ecosystem that stretches across competitive gaming, creator communities, music festivals and youth culture platforms. With Varma now leading global live events, the company is looking to further expand its flagship properties while experimenting with new formats that blend gaming, entertainment and fandom for audiences around the world.
