iWorld
Crunchyroll joins forces with Comic Con India for an expanded anime experience!
Mumbai: Crunchyroll, the ultimate anime destination for global fans, is excited to announce an extensive partnership with Comic Con India for their next five highly anticipated events across India. Crunchyroll will be the ‘Powered By’ partner of the iconic pop culture events by Comic Con for the next six months.
As the ultimate anime destination in India, Crunchyroll boasts the most extensive and diverse library of anime titles. In parallel, Comic Con India celebrates the diverse realms of comics, anime, gaming, and pop culture through its exciting fan events. This partnership promises to create a synergy that will enhance the event experience for all attendees.
Partnership with Crunchyroll will kick off from their Bengaluru Comic Con event starting on 17 November at KTPO Whitefield. The partnership will extend to upcoming events in Delhi (8 December at NSIC Grounds, Okhla), Hyderabad (27 January at Hitex), Chennai (17 February at Chennai Trade Centre), and finally conclude in Mumbai (20 April at Jio World Centre, BKC).
“We are thrilled to announce a dynamic partnership with Crunchyroll, the premier destination for anime enthusiasts, for our upcoming five events as our ‘Powered by’ Partner,” said Comic Con India founder Jatin Varma. “We’ve witnessed a remarkable rise in cosplayers donning anime characters year after year at Comic Con, highlighting the growing love for anime in India. Having Crunchyroll on board is the perfect synergy, allowing us to further enrich fan experiences, create interactive engagements, and fostering connections among like-minded individuals. It’s a testament to our commitment to bringing fans closer to the heart of their favourite anime content and creating unforgettable moments at our events.”
Crunchyroll senior vice president of marketing Markus Gerdemann said, “Partnering with Comic Con India, which is at the forefront of fandom and pop culture, will allow us to immerse Indian fans into the mesmerizing world of anime. We are looking forward to celebrating anime together and delivering even more experiences to connect fans with their favourite series.”
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.
