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Lucinda Martinez joins Netflix as VP, multicultural marketing
Mumbai: Netflix has brought on board veteran marketing executive Lucinda Martinez as vice president of multicultural marketing. She is set to take on her new role later this month and will report to Netflix CMO Bozoma Saint John, reported Variety.
In this newly created position, Martinez will build a multicultural marketing team and lead Netflix’s targeted marketing efforts to the Latino, Black, Asian, LBGTQ, and faith audiences.
She is a strategic marketing and management professional with a strong record of contributions in sales, marketing, new business development, new product launches, promotions, and brand management, for both business-to-business and direct-to-consumer products & services.
Martinez previously served as executive vice president of HBO and HBO Max brand marketing for more than 20 years. She was responsible for developing a distinct, resonant and inclusive brand narrative for HBO and HBO Max. She also led the expansion of talent development and emerging artist programs across all WarnerMedia brands.
“We want our marketing to be just as entertaining and inclusive as our films and shows, and want to ignite conversations about our brand worldwide,” said Bozoma Saint John, as mentioned by Variety. “Lucinda is a leader in the space and under her direction, we will continue to sharpen the inclusion lens in our marketing and engage our audiences in authentic and culturally relevant ways.”
“When I received the call from Netflix with the opportunity of building from the ground up a global multicultural marketing team, it was a pivotal moment that I could not resist,” said Martinez about her new role. “I look forward to amplifying Netflix’s authentic storytelling and continue to elevate and celebrate diverse audiences worldwide.”
MUMBAI: If cricket were a binge-worthy series, this one just dropped its most explosive pilot yet. The opening weekend of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League has come out swinging, smashing records across both television and digital platforms and reaffirming the tournament’s unmatched pull in India’s sporting and media landscape.
Backed by two high-octane matches featuring 200-plus run chases, the tournament delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms via JioStar’s broadcast ecosystem, including Star Sports and JioHotstar. More tellingly, engagement surged alongside reach, with total watch-time hitting 32.6 billion minutes, a sharp 26 per cent jump over the opening weekend of the previous season.
The numbers reveal a deeper shift in how India watches cricket. Connected TV (CTV) consumption rose by 30 per cent, while peak concurrency on digital platforms jumped 61 per cent, signalling a growing appetite for shared, big-screen streaming experiences. On traditional television, the momentum held strong, with TV ratings (TVR) climbing 24 per cent compared to earlier seasons’ opening matches.
A key driver of this spike has been the evolution of the viewing experience itself. This season introduced differentiated feeds, most notably a Hindi CTV broadcast featuring cricketing voices such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Blending expert analysis with a watch-along format, the feed has added a conversational, almost second-screen feel without requiring viewers to leave their screens.
According to JioStar CEO for Sports Ishan Chatterjee, at the opening weekend underscores not just scale but also the depth of engagement that live cricket continues to command. He noted that the combination of large-screen viewing and digital interactivity is creating a more immersive and personalised experience, while also delivering tangible outcomes for brand partners.
From the league’s perspective, the early numbers point to a tournament that continues to reinvent itself. Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman of the IPL, said the strong start reflects how high-quality cricket paired with enhanced viewing formats is resonating with audiences nationwide, while Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted the “quality of engagement” as a key takeaway, not just the scale.
Commercially too, the opening weekend signals robust advertiser confidence. The broadcast is led by co-presenting sponsors including Google (Search AI Mode), Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd, alongside co-powered partners such as Birla Opus, Hero Motocorp and Amazon. A long tail of associate sponsors from OpenAI and Asian Paints to Flipkart and Amul further reflects the league’s unmatched ability to aggregate advertiser interest at scale.
Taken together, the opening weekend numbers are less a spike and more a statement. With 515 million viewers, 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, and double-digit growth across formats, IPL 2026 has not just started strong, it has set the tone for a season that looks poised to push the boundaries of both sport and spectacle.
