iWorld
Eros Now boosts content slate, announces 46 new titles for 2021
MUMBAI: Eros Now is going big with its content strategy for 2021, in the form of 46 new titles, including 33 film premieres and 13 original series, planned for launch in the coming year. With this strategic announcement, which featured Bollywood stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Kartik Aaryan, the company hopes to engage with its existing global audience and cater to the growing consumer demand for fresh and entertaining online video content.
The comprehensive and diverse content slate, promoted through the campaign – #KahaaniHarRangKi, is based on insights derived from Eros Now’s proprietary user data sourced from target audience in the Indian and global diaspora. The promo featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Kartik Aaryan showcases Eros Now’s commitment to present differentiated yet entertaining content for audiences across markets in India and worldwide.
Regional language content slate will also get a boost with a range of program formats in varied languages such as Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi, amongst others. These 33 film premieres and 13 original series will appeal to a diverse audience that is interested in exploring the best of online video streaming. In addition, Eros Now will debut 30 new Quickies and 10 new short films.
In the half-year ended 30 September 2020, Eros Now increased its paid subscriber base by 6.9 million, to a total of 36.2 million. The company is banking on this new content slate to further deepen user engagement and reinforce the platform’s growth.
Ridhima Lulla, chief content officer, Eros Group, said, "We are committed to investing in quality programming that will appeal to the Indian and global diaspora, and this huge content slate adds to Eros Now’s massive entertainment catalogue. India is witnessing significant demand growth driven by the digital shift and the consumer’s desire to watch programming in different formats and in their preferred language. This amazing slate will deepen our connection with the audience and offers entertainment like never before."
The campaign, #KahaaniHarRangKi, will be further promoted through a 360-degree marketing outreach. Eros Now has created videos that will be amplified across digital and social media platforms. Additionally, the OTT platform has recruited several influencers to strengthen the campaign by reaching out to a vast audience and spreading the joy of entertainment to Indian as well as global audiences that enjoy diverse South Asian content.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
