Gaming
JioCinema CricStream Showcase unveils digital-first presentation
Mumbai: Viacom18, the digital rights holder of the TATA Indian Premier League, today opened the JioCinema CricStream Showcase giving a glimpse of what consumers and advertisers will experience for the upcoming season. The exhibition, spread across multiple zones, gave brands and industry leaders a sneak peek into the innovations on offer on JioCinema for both, advertisers and consumers.
Content consumption in India is seeing a tectonic shift towards digital platforms as consumers are increasingly embracing the convenience and improved viewing experience on offer. It is not just a shift in consumer behaviour but for brands, digital is fast becoming a key channel for customer acquisition, engagement, conversion, and retention.
The digital growth narrative is further fortified by the ever-increasing adoption of Connected TV (CTV). A significant number of HD homes are in the process of moving to CTV with flexibility of the medium, ease of search options, and content variety. The current base of 750+mn internet users and growing penetration of 5G in India will play a crucial role in showing TATA IPL anywhere, anytime.
“Our vision for this season’s TATA Indian Premier League on JioCinema is to make it the world’s biggest sporting spectacle. Our proposition is seeded in efforts to remove barriers for viewers such as accessibility, affordability, and language to scale up the league’s impact for advertisers and consumers alike,” said a Viacom18 Spokesperson.
“The JioCinema CricStream Showcase is an exhibit of how we aim to move the needle and achieve this. The exhibition is a curtain-raiser to the spectacular viewing experience consumers will enjoy during the TATA IPL and the endless opportunities that a brand and advertiser will be able to seize on our platform,” Viacom18 Spokesperson added.
The exhibition showcases JioCinema’s prime offerings for consumers during the TATA IPL, including 4K feed, multi-language and multi-cam presentation, interactivity through stats pack and Play Along feature. It also has a dedicated zone on offline activities planned to engage with the cricket-loving communities in the deepest pockets of the country.
The most unique proposition is the Jio Immersive Zone, which gives everyone a glimpse of watching the TATA IPL through a 360-degree VR feed using JioDive.
For brands and advertisers, JioCinema has a dedicated zone that will demonstrate a new feature called ‘Brands You Love’, which will give advertisers additional exposure even after their ad is served. In the same zone, brands will be able to see all the ad assets available to leverage on JioCinema during the TATA IPL. Finally, the JioCinema Media Planner, a gamification experience, will give advertisers the choice to pick their budget and will immediately be showcased the benefits of picking digital.
The 2023 season of TATA Indian Premier League tips off March 31 with defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. All matches will be live on JioCinema for no cost this season.
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.
