iWorld
Prime Video drops a 17-title firecracker ahead of Prime Day 2025
MUMBAI: Prime Video is bringing the noise—and the binge—with a blistering line-up of 17 Indian and global titles in the lead-up to Prime Day 2025 (12th–14th July). With something for every mood, language and genre, the streamer is out to ensure your July watchlist is longer than your shopping cart.
It’s already game on with The Traitors (Hindi), an Indian take on the cult reality format, hosted by Karan Johar. With 20 celebs and one big pot of cash, the drama drops every Thursday at 8 PM.
For desi diehards, Panchayat Season 4 returns from 24th June, back with Abhishek, Pradhan Ji, and Phulera’s eccentric ensemble. Meanwhile, Telugu satire Uppu Kappurambu premieres 4th July, spinning a quirky yarn about a village battling a graveyard crunch—led by Keerthy Suresh and Suhas.
If thrills are your thing, Ground Zero, starring Emraan Hashmi, has already hit. Coming soon is Heads of State (2nd July), a glossy Hollywood caper headlined by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, John Cena and Idris Elba—expect explosions, espionage, and equal parts sass.
The international slate gets grittier with Ballard (9th July), spun off from the Bosch: Legacy universe, and Dexter: Resurrection, slicing into Prime on 12th July with weekly episodes.
K-drama fans, breathe easy: action-comedy Good Boy continues to pack a punch on weekends, while swoonfest Head Over Heels airs on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Already streaming are Deep Cover, a spy romp featuring Bryce Dallas Howard and Orlando Bloom, and The Monkey, a horror-comedy led by Theo James.
From rural satire to global shootouts, Prime Video’s got July loaded. Prime Day 2025 isn’t just a sale—it’s a full-blown screen-fest.
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.
