iWorld
DNEG renews visual effects services agreement with Netflix
The leading technology-enabled visual effects and animation company, DNEG, has signed a multi-year agreement with Netflix. The agreement covers the provision of visual effects and virtual production services for Netflix series and feature programming.
This agreement extends and expands on a previous agreement that the companies signed back in September 2020 and creates a pipeline of Netflix programming work for DNEG through 2025.
The DNEG-Netflix agreement aligns DNEG’s scale and global footprint as one of the world’s largest content services companies with Netflix’s diverse programming slate. As part of the agreement, DNEG will build upon its existing award-winning Netflix work with a significant expansion of its premium VFX work, both domestic and abroad. DNEG’s redefine division will also supply VFX services and top-end creative supervision for select Netflix programming.
DNEG has previously delivered visual effects services for Netflix episodic series including Locke & Key seasons one and two, Shadow & Bone, The Irregulars, Cursed, Altered Carbon seasons one and two, Jupiter’s Legacy, Away, The Letter For The King, Black Mirror seasons four and five and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as well as a number of Netflix movies. DNEG won a Visual Effects Society Award for its work on Altered Carbon and a BAFTA TV Craft Award for its work on Black Mirror. ReDefine has delivered VFX for Netflix movies such as “The White Tiger”, “Mimi and Sweet Girl”, and is currently in production on the upcoming Adam Sandler movie, “Hustle”.
Commenting on this agreement, DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra said, “Netflix is the leader in the field of streaming content, and DNEG is at the forefront of VFX and virtual production services. This agreement is transformative for DNEG and creates the opportunity for further expansion of our global scale and further investment in DNEG’s industry-leading technology.”
He added, “The signing of this multi year agreement reflects the success of our partnership with Netflix to-date and validates DNEG’s strategic direction and worldwide growth initiatives.”
Malhotra continued, “This deal allows us to continue providing Netflix with the very highest levels of quality and service across its programming globally. I am proud of the long relationship DNEG enjoys with Netflix and our work on some of their most popular and critically acclaimed shows. To meet the strong demand for our services and drive even further growth, DNEG is looking to expand our capacity up to 40 per cent by year-end 2022.”
DNEG, which in recent years has won seven Academy Awards® for its visual effects work, including six of the last eight awards, is already working with Netflix on a number of projects in its upcoming slate, including the highly anticipated Stranger Things Season four; Rian Johnson’s Knives Out two; fantasy action-dramas The School for Good and Evil and Avatar: The Last Airbender; origin story The Witcher: Blood Origin; and upcoming fantasy comedy-adventure Slumberland for director Francis Lawrence. DNEG Animation is providing animation services for the much anticipated animated feature film Nimona, which will be released by Netflix in 2023.
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.
