Gaming
Pokémon GO to host its first city safari in Mumbai
Mumbai: In the heart of Mumbai, where the vibrant streets pulse with life, Pokémon GO fans are gearing up for an unprecedented adventure. The anticipated Pokémon GO City Safari will take place on Saturday, 29 March and Sunday, 30 March 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. IST. This two-day event promises an immersive exploration of the city, combining its rich culture with the excitement of Pokémon GO.
Players from around the world will gather to experience the thrill of catching Pokémon at Mumbai’s iconic landmarks and local favourites. The event will feature gameplay, unique in-game bonuses, and opportunities to connect with fellow trainers in the ever-growing Pokémon GO community.
“At Niantic, we are committed to enhancing the Pokémon GO experience with new features and adventures. Trainers in India have been looking forward to great Pokémon GO events, and we have been working towards providing them with the best experience to immerse themselves in the world of Pokémon through our in-game events and local meetups. Through the Pokémon GO City Safari in Mumbai, we’re excited to bring a special opportunity for the Trainers and communities in India who constitute a key share of our Pokémon GO world,” said Niantic Inc. vice president for emerging markets Omar Tellez.
Notably, Mudbray, the Donkey Pokémon, will make its debut at the City Safari events, offering Trainers a chance to catch it along with other rare Pokémon like Alolan Meowth, Mr. Mime, Corsola, and even Shiny variants for the lucky ones. Additionally, Trainers can explore the city with an Eevee wearing an explorer hat, which can be caught during the City Safari Special Research and evolved into any of its known forms.
Tickets for Pokémon GO City Safari: Mumbai are now available for Rs 499 for a one-day ticket, valid for either March 29 or March 30, 2025. Optional add-ons include the raid lover add-on (Rs 299) for additional raid benefits, the Egg-thusiast add-on (Rs 299) for egg-hatching bonuses, and the extra day add-on (Rs 399) for those seeking a two-day adventure. Tickets can be purchased through the Pokémon GO app under the Events section or on the Pokémon GO City Safari website, with availability on a first-come, first-served basis.
As anticipation builds for Pokémon GO City Safari: Mumbai, more surprises are set to unfold. Trainers should stay connected through Pokémon GO’s official social media channels and in-app updates for the latest announcements. Please remember to be aware of your surroundings and follow local health guidelines while playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change, so be sure to opt in for notifications and updates to stay informed.
Gaming
India’s broadcasters say no to Fifa World Cup 2026
Fifa has slashed its asking price by 65 per cent but India’s broadcasters are still not buying
MUMBAI: The world’s biggest sporting event cannot find a single taker in the world’s most sports-mad nation. Fifa’s television rights for the 2026 World Cup remain unsold in India, and the clock is ticking loudly.
To shift the property, world football’s governing body has already swallowed hard and cut its asking price from $100m to $35m, bundling in the 2030 edition as a sweetener. It has not worked. Indian broadcasters have looked at the offer, done the sums and quietly walked away.
The reasons are brutally simple. The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, kicks off in a time zone that turns India’s primetime into a graveyard shift. Most matches will air between midnight and 7am IST, a scheduling catastrophe for advertisers chasing mass reach. The 2022 Qatar edition was a gift by comparison, with matches dropping neatly into Indian evenings. North America offers no such luxury.
The market itself has also changed beyond recognition. The merger of Star India and Viacom18 into JioStar has gutted the competitive tension that once sent sports rights prices soaring. Where rival bidders once slugged it out, there is now a single dominant buyer, and it is in no hurry. JioStar has valued the rights at roughly $25m, a full $10m below Fifa’s already-discounted floor price. That gap has so far proved unbridgeable.
Broadcasters are also nursing a ferocious cricket hangover. Between 2022 and 2023, Indian media houses committed well over $10bn to cricket rights alone, covering IPL, ICC events and BCCI domestic fixtures combined. After a binge of that scale, appetite for a football package that delivers a fraction of the ratings, in the dead of night, is close to zero.
The economics of football broadcasting make the maths even harder. Cricket, with its natural breaks every few overs, is an advertiser’s paradise. Football offers a 15-minute halftime and precious little else. Recovering a nine-figure rights fee from a single half-hour ad window is a stretch at the best of times. These are not the best of times: the Indian government’s tightening grip on real-money gaming and gambling advertising has vaporised a category that once underwrote the economics of big sporting events.
Nor is the World Cup an anomaly. Indian Super League valuations have cratered. English Premier League rights have softened across successive cycles. The cooling of football as a broadcast commodity in India is structural, not cyclical.
With the tournament opening on 11th June, Fifa is running out of road. It may yet blink and meet JioStar at $25m. Or it may go direct, streaming the entire tournament on its own platform, Fifa+, or cutting a digital deal with YouTube, and hoping that a generation of Indian football fans finds its way there without a broadcaster to guide them.
Either way, the beautiful game’s Indian chapter is looking decidedly ugly.
