iWorld
Eros Now enters into strategic distribution partnership with Vayam Technologies
MUMBAI: Eros Now, the cutting-edge digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platform owned by Eros International Plc, a global Indian entertainment company, announced its agreement with Vayam Technologies Ltd to distribute the OTT platform across districts of Uttar Pradesh through its common service centres (also known as Jan Seva Kendra). Eros Now will be part of Vayamtech's business to customer (B2C) services that provide access to village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs), hosted on its platform.
Eros Now's availability at nearly 20,000 common service centres, one of the largest government-approved online service delivery channels, across 21 districts in Uttar Pradesh will enhance the reach of the leading online video streaming platform and shall cater to more than two million consumers in the rural areas of the above mentioned state.
Eros Now CEO Ali Hussein said, "The alliance between Eros Now and Vayamtech is a result of our common belief in using the power of the internet to offer the best services to customers across India. The people of rural India are increasingly using the internet for their daily needs, and it has now become imperative for businesses to offer rural audiences with seamless access to services. Eros Now's distribution through Vayamtech network of common service centres will offer the massive audience base the best of online video streaming service."
As per the Internet & Mobile Association of India's (IAMAI) report, rural India houses 227 million active internet users, 10 per cent more than urban India's about 205 million, as of November 2019. The association, therefore, acts as a perfect distribution mechanism for Eros Now through common service centres (multiple-services-single-window delivering government and private essential services) that will not only deepen Eros Now's reach in the state but also aims to bring socio-economic upliftment in rural areas.
Vayam’s know-how and familiarity of working for people at bottom of the pyramid extends across multiple states reaching millions of rural citizens. Adhaar Enrolment, Census and Surveys, e-district, CSCs, Facilitation Centres, Banking, Insurance, Product Delivery etc. have facilitated in reaching out to 70 per cent of rural population residing in states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
Vayamtech executive director Jitendra Tiwari added, "OTT platforms across India are witnessing huge demand and adding Eros Now in Vayamtech's services will result in revenue yielding for the brand by benefiting the customers with easy access to online entertainment. Uttar Pradesh is a massive market and our common service centres across 21 districts in the state is an ideal model for the delivery of the entertainment platform."
Uttar Pradesh is certainly one of the biggest Hindi speaking markets and Eros Now's massive content catalogue comprising over 12,000 Bollywood movies, original shows, short-format content category Quickie, music and more will offer the best of online entertainment experience.
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.
