iWorld
Arijit Basu joins Spotify as sales director – media, entertainment & finance in India
MUMBAI: His new job is like music to his ears like it was around 12 years ago. Arijit Basu, a distinguished professional in sales and business development, has embarked on a new chapter in his career as the director of sales – media & entertainment and finance, India at Spotify. Basu brings nearly 20 years of experience to the world’s leading music streaming platform.
Sharing his enthusiasm for the role, Basu announced on social media:”Am really excited to share that I will be starting a new position at Spotify as director of sales – media & entertainment & finance, India! Looking forward to collaborating and doing some stellar work.”
Basu’s career is defined by a series of impactful roles that showcase his expertise in sales, business development, and digital marketing:
* Vice-president – growth & strategy at BC Web Wise (Feb 2022 – Sep 2024): Championed growth initiatives, spearheaded digital marketing campaigns, and drove business development for two and a half years.
* Head of business development at Arré (May 2018 – May 2021): Led strategic partnerships and sales..
* Director – Head of sponsorship (west) at Viacom18 (Jan 2013 – May 2018): Played a pivotal role in driving sponsorship strategies for youth and English entertainment segments.
* National sales lead for Sunburn Music Festival at Percept D Mark (Jan 2010 – Dec 2012): Contributed significantly to establishing Sunburn as a leading music festival in India.
* Senior manager at Vh1 India (Apr 2006 – Sep 2009): Expanded the channel’s business footprint during his tenure.
MUMBAI: If cricket were a binge-worthy series, this one just dropped its most explosive pilot yet. The opening weekend of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League has come out swinging, smashing records across both television and digital platforms and reaffirming the tournament’s unmatched pull in India’s sporting and media landscape.
Backed by two high-octane matches featuring 200-plus run chases, the tournament delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms via JioStar’s broadcast ecosystem, including Star Sports and JioHotstar. More tellingly, engagement surged alongside reach, with total watch-time hitting 32.6 billion minutes, a sharp 26 per cent jump over the opening weekend of the previous season.
The numbers reveal a deeper shift in how India watches cricket. Connected TV (CTV) consumption rose by 30 per cent, while peak concurrency on digital platforms jumped 61 per cent, signalling a growing appetite for shared, big-screen streaming experiences. On traditional television, the momentum held strong, with TV ratings (TVR) climbing 24 per cent compared to earlier seasons’ opening matches.
A key driver of this spike has been the evolution of the viewing experience itself. This season introduced differentiated feeds, most notably a Hindi CTV broadcast featuring cricketing voices such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Blending expert analysis with a watch-along format, the feed has added a conversational, almost second-screen feel without requiring viewers to leave their screens.
According to JioStar CEO for Sports Ishan Chatterjee, at the opening weekend underscores not just scale but also the depth of engagement that live cricket continues to command. He noted that the combination of large-screen viewing and digital interactivity is creating a more immersive and personalised experience, while also delivering tangible outcomes for brand partners.
From the league’s perspective, the early numbers point to a tournament that continues to reinvent itself. Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman of the IPL, said the strong start reflects how high-quality cricket paired with enhanced viewing formats is resonating with audiences nationwide, while Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted the “quality of engagement” as a key takeaway, not just the scale.
Commercially too, the opening weekend signals robust advertiser confidence. The broadcast is led by co-presenting sponsors including Google (Search AI Mode), Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd, alongside co-powered partners such as Birla Opus, Hero Motocorp and Amazon. A long tail of associate sponsors from OpenAI and Asian Paints to Flipkart and Amul further reflects the league’s unmatched ability to aggregate advertiser interest at scale.
Taken together, the opening weekend numbers are less a spike and more a statement. With 515 million viewers, 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, and double-digit growth across formats, IPL 2026 has not just started strong, it has set the tone for a season that looks poised to push the boundaries of both sport and spectacle.
