iWorld
KKR serves up Knight Bite a tasty blend of cricket, fun and food
MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are adding a dash of flavour to fan engagement with Knight Bite, a unique digital series that blends cricket, camaraderie, and cooking.
Partnering with TTK Prestige, KKR has kicked off Let’sgetcooking with Knight Bite a five-episode series that takes fans beyond the pitch and into the kitchen. Hosted by celebrity chef Kunal Kapur, the show features KKR players cooking, chatting, and competing in fun kitchen challenges, offering an exclusive glimpse into their personalities beyond cricket.
Knight Riders Sports group chief marketing officer Binda Dey shared the inspiration behind the initiative, “Our partnership with TTK Prestige is more than just a collaboration it’s a celebration of Indian culture and the shared passions that unite our fans beyond cricket. Through our research, we found that beyond their love for the game and KKR, our fans are deeply passionate about food and fitness. This insight led us to introduce two new IPs that offer fresh, meaningful ways to connect with them. Knight Bite is the first of these initiatives, and we are thrilled to bring it to life with TTK Prestige. It’s more than just a series it’s a way to showcase our players’ personalities beyond the field while celebrating something that brings us all together: the love of food.”
TTK Prestige MD & CEO Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan said, “Cricket and food have a way of bringing people together, and Knight Bite is a perfect fusion of both. At TTK Prestige, we’ve been a part of Indian kitchens for decades, making cooking effortless and enjoyable for generations. This collaboration with KKR allows us to reimagine the kitchen as a space of fun, energy, and shared experiences just like the game itself. Watching players step off the field and into the kitchen, taking on challenges with camaraderie and humour, makes this series truly special, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”
With Knight Bite, KKR isn’t just serving up a digital series they’re building an immersive fan experience. Over the next year, the initiative will expand into special events, interactive workshops, and exclusive merchandise, making it a year-long celebration of cricket and cuisine.
iWorld
Snapchat parent Snap cuts 16 per cent of workforce in AI-driven restructuring
The Snapchat parent is axing around 1,000 jobs and closing 300 open roles to save $500m, as artificial intelligence makes smaller teams the new normal
CALIFORNIA: Snap is snapping. The Snapchat parent has confirmed plans to cut around 1,000 employees, roughly 16 per cent of its full-time workforce, as it bets that artificial intelligence can do what headcount once required. Shares jumped more than 10 per cent in premarket trading on the news, a brisk vote of confidence from a market that has watched the stock shed about 31 per cent this year.
The restructuring, which also closes more than 300 open roles, follows pressure from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, which holds an economic interest of about 2.5 per cent in the company and has been loudly pushing Snap to tighten its portfolio and lift performance. The firm got what it asked for, and then some.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel told employees the cuts would reduce annualised expenses by more than $500m by the second half of the year. The company expects to incur charges of between $95m and $130m related to the layoffs, mostly severance, with the bulk landing in the second quarter. Staff in Snap’s North America team were asked to work from home on the day of the announcement.
The financial backdrop is not without bright spots. Snap expects first-quarter revenue to rise around 12 per cent to approximately $1.53 billion, broadly in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted core profit for the January to March quarter is forecast at about $233m, comfortably ahead of Wall Street’s expectation of $186.8m.
The harder question surrounds Specs, Snap’s augmented reality smart glasses subsidiary, which Irenic has urged the company to spin off or shut down entirely. The unit has absorbed more than $3.5 billion in investment and burns through approximately $500m in cash annually. Snap is pressing ahead regardless, with a consumer product expected later this year, even as Meta leads the market in the segment.
Spiegel is betting that leaner teams, smarter machines and a consumer AR play can restore Snap’s credibility with investors who have run out of patience. The redundancy notices have gone out. The harder restructuring, the one that requires a hit product rather than a headcount reduction, is still very much pending.
