Gaming
High on hope News18 Kerala anti drug campaign heads to Kottayam
MUMBAI: Kerala’s battle cry against narcotics is getting louder and this time, it’s echoing through Kottayam. News18 Kerala’s anti-drug drive, AD 2025, is drawing packed crowds, celebrity cheer, and spirited debate as it rolls across the state, determined to keep Kerala high on hope, not on drugs. After firing up audiences in Cochin on 10 June and Kozhikode on 15 July, the campaign now heads to K.E. College, Mannanam, on 26 August, from 10:00 am. The roadshow culminates in a grand finale in Thiruvananthapuram next month, but not before it sparks yet another round of tough conversations and cultural performances.
Each stop so far has been more than a lecture, it’s been a movement. From unpacking the root causes of drug use to spotlighting law enforcement, from discussing how addiction tears through families to stressing early intervention and education, the campaign has stitched together the voices of government, media, NGOs and citizens into a single powerful chorus: collective responsibility.
The earlier editions saw top dignitaries, police officials, excise officers, celebrities, and cultural icons share the stage, stirring both thought and emotion. Audiences, especially the youth responded with enthusiasm, pledging to act against a menace that has seeped into communities.
The Kottayam edition promises no less. On the panel: the district collector, police commissioner, excise officer, a social influencer, a psychologist, a student representative and more, ensuring every perspective from law to lived experience is on the table.
With turnout and public engagement already exceeding expectations, AD 2025 is proving to be more than a campaign. It’s becoming Kerala’s collective pledge for a drug-free tomorrow.
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.
