News Broadcasting
Forbes India and GoKwik Future of Commerce conclave explores dynamic forces shaping the industry
Mumbai: The Future of Commerce conclave presented by Forbes India and GoKwik, brought together industry visionaries, entrepreneurs, and experts who are pioneers in carving the future of commerce. The event held in Bengaluru, featured a series of talks and panels, which addressed key themes such as technological innovation, customer experience optimization, and the collaborative ecosystem driving the next phase of commerce.
In a world characterised by rapid technological advancements and shifting consumer dynamics, the Future of Commerce conclave was aimed at unravelling the evolving e-commerce landscape, digitalisation, and shifting customer expectations.
GoKwik CEO & co-founder Chirag Taneja set the tone of the evening in his opening address, highlighting the significance of such discussions in shaping the future of commerce. Speaking on GoKwik’s journey, he said, “Innovation in commerce thrives on collaboration. GoKwik, in its short three-year journey, has addressed challenges, revolutionized payment methods, and contributed significantly to financial services. As we look ahead, we envision a future where India becomes a 15 per cent digital market, and GoKwik is poised to shape the commerce landscape with foresight and innovation.”
Distinguished speakers Ananth Narayanan (founder, Mensa Brands), and K Ganesh (serial entrepreneur associated with BigBasket, Portea Medical, BlueStone, and HomeLane) participated in an engaging ‘Fireside Chat’ on ‘Pioneering the Future of Commerce.’ In another ‘Fireside Chat’ with Ashish Agrawal (MD, Peak XV) and Rajat Agarwal, (MD, Matrix Partners India), the duo decoded ‘A venture capitalist’s guide to e-commerce success’
In his session, Nik Sharma (CEO, Sharma Brands), provided a global perspective on the direct-to-consumer (DTC) market.
In a panel discussion with Gaurav Khatri (co-founder & CEO, Noise), Priyanka Gill, (group co-founder, Good Glam Group), Manish Chowdhary (co-founder, WOW Skin Science) and Prashanth Aluru (co-founder & CEO, TMRW ‘House of Brands’), the speakers shared their views on shifts in consumer behaviour and trends in the commerce industry.
The evening also saw a tech accelerators panel discussion with Vargab Bakshi (vice president, Wix.com), Nitin Navneet Tatiwala (vice president, FedEx Express MEISA marketing) and Ananth Jayarajan (technical partnerships lead, Shopify APAC).
The last session of the conclave delved into the transformative impact of fintech on payment ecosystems, redefining how consumers and businesses engage in transactions. The insightful panel featured Deep Agrawal (head of payments at PhonePe), Akshay Aedula (CRED); and Antariksh Parmar (product manager, ONDC).
From the rise of digital-first brands, move towards an omnichannel approach, optimisation of customer experience, enhancement of payment solutions, growing enabler requirements and creation of an overall collaborative ecosystem, the conclave successfully facilitated insightful discussions among visionaries who are paving the way for unprecedented yet sustainable growth.
News Broadcasting
News TV viewership jumps 33 per cent as West Asia war draws audiences
BARC Week 8 data shows news share rising to 8 per cent despite T20 World Cup
NEW DELHI:Â Even as individual television news channel ratings remain under a temporary pause, the genre itself is seeing a clear surge in audience attention.
According to the latest data from Broadcast Audience Research Council India, television news recorded a 33 per cent jump in genre share in Week 8 of 2026, covering February 28 to March 6.
The news genre accounted for 8 per cent of total television viewership during the week, up from 6 per cent the previous week. The spike in attention coincided with escalating geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have kept global headlines firmly fixed on West Asia.
The rise is notable because it came at a time when cricket was dominating television screens. The high-stakes stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the Super 8 fixtures and semi-finals, were being broadcast during the same period.
Despite the cricket frenzy, viewers appeared to be toggling between sport and global affairs, boosting the overall share of news programming.
The surge in genre share comes even as the government has enforced a one-month pause on publishing ratings for individual news channels. The move followed regulatory scrutiny of the television ratings ecosystem.
While channel-level rankings remain temporarily out of sight, the genre-level data suggests that when global tensions escalate, audiences continue to turn to television news for real-time updates.
