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Prime Video to premiere Mission Start Ab on 19 December

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Mumbai: Prime Video has announced the premiere of its original reality series Mission Start Ab. The first-of-its-kind competitive series will focus on grassroots entrepreneurs in India, and take their stories of determination, resilience and unwavering perseverance to global audiences in 240+ countries and territories with its worldwide premiere on the service on 19 December. The series has been conceptualized and developed in collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, with the objective of discovering entrepreneurs from diverse corners of India, and empowering them to create the next potential Unicorns. The series features three of India’s most knowledgeable and experienced investors—Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal and Titan Capital), Anisha Singh (She Capital), and Manish Chowdhary (Wow Skin Science)—who not only act as judges and investors, but also step in as mentors to guide and nurture contestants to sharpen the skills needed to scale their startups. Hosted by Masaba Gupta and Cyrus Sahukar, Mission Start Ab is executive produced by Indrajit Ray, directed by Srimanta Senguptta, and is an Endemol Shine India production. Mission Start Ab is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in India enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in a single membership for just ₹1499/ year.

Mission Start Ab brings together a diverse array of new-age startups and entrepreneurs spanning sectors such as robotics, fintech, edtech, health and wellness, technology-enabled marketplaces. The series offers viewers a front-row seat to the dynamic innovation and development taking place at the grassroots level in India. It explores the unique stories of these founders coming from modest backgrounds, showcasing bold aspirations, cultivated skills, personal sacrifices, and their vision to tackle real world challenges. Through a series of intense tasks, interactive exercises, and one-on-one mentorship sessions, the show not only prepares these ten entrepreneurs to not only turbo-charge their made-for-India innovations, but also serves as an invaluable guide for aspiring innovators across the country.

“At Prime Video, we strive to be a force for good for the country. Through our multiple skill-development initiatives, including the Letter of Engagement signed between Amazon and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, we have worked towards developing talent that can directly and indirectly contribute to the nation. We are incredibly excited to collaborate with the Office of the PSA, Government of India, on Mission Start Ab, a series that leverages the power of entertainment to encourage all Indians to be audacious and bold with their ambitions,” said Prime Video India country director Sushant Sreeram. “Unlike any other entrepreneurial reality show, this series goes beyond financial support, providing invaluable mentorship and guidance from India’s top tier investors. Through challenges that are designed to hone their business acumen and cultivate critical problem-solving capabilities, Mission Start Ab is poised to ignite the aspirations of numerous young Indians, propelling them towards their entrepreneurial dreams.”

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Talking about the show Rishi Negi, EndemolShine India group COO Banijay Asia said, “Mission Start Ab goes where no series has ever gone before. It seeks to inspire, engage, and entertain viewers through stories of real people who are bringing a change at the grassroots level with their innovations. Through the 10 founders, audiences are taken on a journey that makes them privy to their dreams and struggles, and the path they have had to chart to bring their ideas to fruition. At the same time, the insightful advice from the three judges, who also act as mentors, serves as the guiding light for all those seeking to bring their vision to life. We are certain that the show will break barriers, and challenge everyone to dream and dare to try.”

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iWorld

IPL 2026 opening weekend clocks 515 million reach, 32.6 bn minutes

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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.

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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.

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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.

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