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OML expands global presence with 500 plus shows in 60 cities
Mumbai: Representing a roster of more than 93 comedians, creators, writers, actors and other artists, OML’s artists management business at the Mumbai-headquartered media and entertainment company has announced an amplified international touring schedule for 2024. The company continues to spearhead its global expansion collaborating with an expansive network of over 1,800 creators spanning 24 countries. Since 2002, OML has transformed the Indian live-touring ecosystem, following and have taken their expansive roster to international territories. As leaders in the global touring circuit, OML is now committed to working with a diverse set of comedians and other performing artists to facilitate their international tours.
Only Much Louder CEO Gunjan Arya said, ” We have been very lucky to be repping hardworking and ambitious talent which has allowed us to take risks and scale up while enabling us to have front-row seats in expanding the global footprint of the Indian comedy ecosystem, by OML partnering with promoters across 60+ cities and programming over 500 shows, just this year. We are very grateful for the overwhelming response and support we’ve received. Our commitment to spotlighting diverse talent on international platforms remains steadfast.”
The upcoming 2024 international schedule features more than 20 OML-repped comedians going on international tours. After conquering Royal Albert Hall, Zakir Khan sets his eyes on North America with more than 20,000 tickets sold so far and a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden in March. Abishek Kumar and Nirmal Pillai also take their crowd work show to North America later in August and September. Prashasti Singh heads to Europe performing in Munich, Amsterdam, London, Dublin, Stockholm and Paris in March. On the other hand, Anirban Dasgupta and Urooj Ashfaq, hot off their recent runs at Soho Theatre in London, making their way to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival where they are taking their solo shows for month-long runs, followed by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Azeem Banatwalla too will have a month-long run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Rahul Subramanian heads to the Middle East for a series of shows before going to Australia where Biswa Kalyan Rath too takes his show on the road.
Comedian Prashasti Singh said, “I have always wanted to perform to a wider audience across the world. The idea of doing it is both exciting and nerve-wracking! OML has helped me plan and execute live shows outside India and now I’m thrilled to take my show on the road to Europe for the first time. Looking forward to now being a part of International Festivals too”.
In 2024’s touring schedule, OML has collaborated with a diversified portfolio of Indian as well as international promoters. Furthermore, they have partnered with the world’s three biggest comedy festivals – the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2024; Just For Laughs; and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to showcase their roster’s talent.
Comedian Zakir Khan said, “What we have achieved is bigger than what I dreamed, I don’t think I ever thought we’d be able to achieve even 10% of what all we have done just this year and the humbling part is abhi toh yeh sirf shuruaat hai (this is just the beginning),”.
Over the last few years, OML has expanded its international market share to include shows featuring and headlining Indian comedians in over 60 cities across the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Scotland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Kenya, Spain, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and more. The company has scaled up its presence from local comedy clubs to globally renowned and aspirational venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York; the Royal Albert Hall in London; the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi; the Meridian Hall in Toronto; the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in Singapore; and the Sydney Opera House in Australia to name a few. From 13 shows in 2018, OML has amplified its international touring presence to a staggering 500+ shows across the world in 2024.
Artist management SVP Rishabh Nahar said, “With over 500 shows across 60 cities, we are not just pushing boundaries but also forging new avenues for Indian talent to shine on a global stage. This is just the beginning of an exciting chapter for OML and the exceptional artists we represent. The number of Indian comedians touring in these markets have exponentially increased and the promoters with whom we have developed and scaled markets with are now also trusted partners for comedians who are not repped by OML too, thereby building a lot of inclusivity. OML has the highest market share of revenue, tickets and volume of shows when it comes to international touring of Indian comedians. And more importantly, our artists have been able to create a global impact for the Indian entertainment ecosystem.”
In fact, OML had programmed a whopping 114 shows at the Fringe in 2023, a feat unrivaled by any other Indian agency so far and in 2024, the number goes up to 150. This year also marks OML programming the highest number of shows at the Soho Theatre in London. These amplified efforts have consequently opened up international opportunities for the Indian comedy industry as a whole, bringing Indian talent to a global stage and audience.
In 2018, the overall Indian comedy industry pulled off a total of 35-38 international shows, of which OML facilitated 13. OML also helped develop and grow international comedy markets beyond Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern territories such as Singapore, Dubai and Thailand.
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Paisabazaar launches Credit Premier League 2.0
Nationwide campaign rewards highest credit scores with Rs 1 lakh top prize.
MUMBAI: When credit scores become a national league, even your CIBIL report starts feeling like it’s playing in the IPL and Paisabazaar has just kicked off the second season. Paisabazaar, India’s leading marketplace for financial products and the country’s largest free credit score platform, has announced the return of the Credit Premier League (CPL) 2.0, a fun, nationwide initiative to recognise and reward individuals with the highest credit scores.
Building on the success of the first edition, CPL 2.0 introduces higher rewards and broader participation. The individual(s) with the highest credit score in the country will win Rs 1 lakh, while state champions will each receive Rs 10,000. Additionally, all participants from the winning state, the one with the highest average credit score will also be rewarded.
All winnings will be credited directly to winners’ PB Wallet, allowing them to pay credit card bills, recharge mobiles, or settle utility bills seamlessly on the Paisabazaar platform.
Paisabazaar CEO Santosh Agarwal said the campaign aims to make credit awareness more engaging and mainstream. “With CPL, we are bringing together engagement, gamification and rewards to make conversations around credit scores more mainstream,” he noted. “Our focus remains on building a financially aware and credit-healthy Bharat.”
The first edition of CPL saw over 5.5 million participants, with the highest individual score touching 861. Delhi recorded the highest average credit score of 746.
Consumers can participate simply by checking their free credit score on the Paisabazaar platform or app. The CPL leaderboard and rankings will be available exclusively on the Paisabazaar App.
In a country where financial dreams are serious business, Paisabazaar has found a smart way to turn credit scores into an exciting game – because when your financial health gets rewarded, everyone wants to play.
