iWorld
Industry trailblazers celebrated: Winners announced at Digital Reinvent Awards 2023
Mumbai: The Digital Reinvent Awards 2023, a prestigious event that celebrates and honours outstanding achievement in the world of streaming entertainment in India concluded its 2023 edition on 1 December 2023 with a virtual event. The Awards along with a distinguished ceremony recognizing excellence in the Indian streaming entertainment industry broadcasted live on the Digital Reinvent Facebook Page.
Netflix has once again demonstrated its unparalleled prowess in the entertainment industry, as it bagged 7 Golds and 6 Silvers across diverse categories. Noteworthy victories include the gold accolades for the compelling documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers,’ showcasing Netflix’s ability to deliver captivating narratives in the Documentary or Non-Fiction Program or Series category. The streaming giant’s triumph in the Supporting Actress of the Year category further solidifies its standing, with Shefali Shah in ‘Darlings’ and Tillotama Shome in ‘Delhi Crime S2’ securing top honours. Netflix’s consistent excellence is highlighted in the Movie/Mini-Series category, where ‘Darlings’ and ‘Monica O My Darling’ clinch gold, reaffirming Netflix’s status as an industry leader. The total metal count stood at 13 with maximum Gold. On Top of it all, Netflix won the Platform of the Year award.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises has made a significant impact in the awards arena, securing a total of 4 gold and 4 silver awards across various categories. Zee’s adept use of influencers in ‘TVF Pitchers Season 2 Promo | Pitching to Ashneer Grover on Zee5’ earns them a silver in the Use of Influencers Using Social Media category, highlighting the strategic utilization of social media platforms. The silver-winning entry ‘Zee Bangla Mother’s Day Campaign’ showcases Zee’s prowess in the micro video content category. Additionally, Zee Bangla’s success extends to the Digital Brand Campaign of the Year, with gold awards for both ‘IPL Combat Campaign’ and ‘Neem Phuler Modhu Launch Campaign,’ exemplifying Zee Entertainment Enterprise’s versatility and creativity in digital marketing and content creation.
Following on its heels and acing digital marketing innovations has been Amazon Prime Video winning both a gold and a silver award for the Web Series of the Year category for ‘Dahaad’ and ‘Farzi’. Other individual winners on the list were Shemaroo Entertainment, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony Liv, White Turtle Studios, Applause Entertainment and Promoshop.
PIM Asia events director Andy Chua commented, “Netflix and Zee Entertainment have truly outshone the competition at the Digital Reinvent Awards 2023, setting new benchmarks for excellence in the Indian streaming entertainment industry. This year’s total medal count of 13, with a remarkable dominance in Gold, solidifies Netflix’s status as an industry leader, culminating in the prestigious Platform of the Year award. Zee Entertainment Enterprises, equally deserving of accolades, showcased strategic brilliance across categories, securing 4 Golds and 4 Silvers. As we celebrate these achievements, it’s evident that the future of streaming entertainment is in the hands of trailblazers like Netflix and Zee, shaping the industry’s landscape with their creativity and dedication.”
iWorld
Arafta Season 2 greenlit as YouTube hit crosses 850 million views
GoQuest, Rains double down on global Turkish drama success story
MUMBAI: GoQuest Media and Rains Pictures have greenlit Season 2 of Arafta, riding on the runaway success of its debut season that has clocked over 850 million views on YouTube and secured licensing deals across 19 territories.
The upcoming season, already in production, will span 100 episodes and continue with a YouTube-first release strategy, a model that has proved to be a quiet disruptor in global content distribution. Season 1, which premiered in November 2025, built a strong digital following before translating that traction into international deals.
The series is currently licensed to platforms including Amazon MX Player in India, Kanal 7 in Turkey, and Vidio, along with several markets across Europe such as Romania, Hungary and Latvia. Across five language channels, the show has amassed more than 2.5 million subscribers, signalling growing global appetite for Turkish storytelling.
Notably, many of these licensing deals were struck after the show had already aired on YouTube, flipping the traditional distribution model on its head. Instead of competing with broadcasters, the digital-first strategy appears to be doing the heavy lifting in building awareness and audience demand.
GoQuest Media managing director Vivek Lath said, “Arafta is proving out what we believed about the make-to-sell model. A YouTube-first release does not compete with licensing. It builds the asset that licensees are buying.”
Season 1 wrapped on April 17 with a globally streamed finale that drew over 102,000 concurrent viewers, setting the stage for the next chapter. Lead actors İlsu Demirci and Emin Günenç will return, with the narrative continuing to explore themes of love, vengeance, sacrifice and fate.
Rains Pictures executive Sevda Kaygısız said the decision to move quickly into Season 2 was driven not just by success, but by the depth of the story still to be told. “Arafta is not just a successful project for us; it reflects our belief in powerful storytelling and building a genuine emotional connection with audiences,” she noted.
As Turkish dramas continue to travel beyond borders, Arafta’s success underscores a larger shift in how global hits are made and sold. In this case, the small screen found its big moment online first, and the world followed.
