iWorld
Random Chikibum win OML’s YouTube Comedy Hunt
NEW DELHI: Random Chikibum have been named as the first ever winners of Comedy Hunt, India’s first web hunt by Only Much Louder’s (OML) to find the next comedy stars on YouTube.
They survived cheeky tasks and difficult challenges posed by the mentors, week after week, yet were able to impress the toughest and most competitive comedy brigade throughout the competition.
The comedy veterans of YouTube and mentors All India Bakchod (AIB), Kanan Gill & Biswa Kalyan Rath, SnG Comedy, East India Comedy, Jose Covaco, Abish Mathew, Aditi Mittal and Shudh Desi Endings had set out on a three-month long journey to give way to new talent and provide infinite unique opportunities to the audience.
The aim was to find a team that will make you laugh every time with most creative and unique videos.
The hunt saw participation from all over India – with 1578 entries from over 60 cities out of which just 40 entries were shortlisted. YouTube creators and judges of Comedy Hunt then sifted through the entries and shortlisted comedycreators on the basis of originality and creativity of the video content, during the most exciting seven weeks of challenge round put up by the mentors for over two months.
Finally with weekly eliminations process, Weird Communications, Take 900, Funny Brownies, Forked Up and Random Chikibum emerged as the Top 5 Comedy Hunt contenders.
Announcing the winner, AIB said, “When we started AIB, comedy was lesser known and looked down upon. But today we have come a long way and with pit stops such as Comedy Hunt, the race for being the king of comedy is truly rewarding. We would like to congratulate Random Chikibum, who withstood the test of time and even after much scrutiny, made us laugh each time.”
YouTube India head of content and operations Satyanarayan Raghavan added, “Comedy Hunt is India’s first ever show on the online platform that inspires creativity. In our efforts to bring the new talent and unleash their potential on the YouTube platform, we associated with Comedy Hunt. We are extremely happy with the tremendous response that the contest generated on YouTube.”
Sharing the stage with their mentors AIB, Kanan & Biswa, SnG & East India Company, Random Chikibum showed their excitement after winning the race to be funny and hooked the audience by sharing their experiences and inspirations throughout the entire competition.
Only Much Louder (OML) director Ajay Nair said, “The invincible success of Comedy Hunt is a true evidence of the changing face of comedy in India. We would like to extend our congratulations to Random Chikibum for winning the competition. We believe these shining stars of today are now all geared up to make India laugh, adding to their daily dose of laughter.”
Random Chikibum added, “What started as a source of laughter in closed rooms is today a recognised art on the digital platform. Winning Comedy Hunt 2015 is a dream come true for us and we owe it to all our mentors who have extended their unconditional support. We believe this is just the beginning of our dream journey and we promise to make you laugh every time.”
As part of the winning team, Random Chikibum will now get a chance to share the platform with some of the biggestcomedy creators and will be associated with major brands through exclusive contracts. Besides this, the team will also be rewarded with high quality equipment gear that will enable them to create many more unique content rich videos on YouTube.
iWorld
JioHotstar and OpenAI partner to bring ChatGPT-powered personalised content to 500m Indian viewers
Fireside chat at AI Impact Summit 2026 highlights AI-driven content discovery and personalised storytelling
DELHI: At the AI Impact Summit 2026, a defining conversation unfolded between Uday Shankar, vice-chairman, JioStar, and Sam Altman, ceo and co-founder, OpenAI, spotlighting how AI is transforming creation, distribution and consumption of content.
The discussion coincided with Jiostar’s landmark announcement: a partnership between JioHotstar and OpenAI that will embed ChatGPT-powered conversational search and discovery into the platform. The move aims to deliver seamless, multilingual, deeply personalised experiences for India’s 500 million-plus viewers, fundamentally redefining how content is discovered and consumed.
“There’s a lot of noise about content overload. We see a different reality. In a country as diverse as India, there isn’t enough content that truly reflects its cultural and regional nuance. That’s the opportunity,” said Shankar. “Across content, commerce and consumer experience, this partnership lets us rethink the ecosystem. Technology now allows storytelling to move from static and broad to dynamic and deeply personalised, aligned to the unique tastes of every consumer. The future isn’t more content. It’s more relevant content.”
Altman added perspective on India’s AI momentum: “What feels different here is the energy. There is a clear sense of going all in on AI, not just as individual companies, but as a country. Safety has to be taken seriously. Ensuring that benefits are widely distributed has to be taken seriously. But above all, the focus is on creating real value for companies and for people through the services we build. That is the balance driving this moment.”
The partnership signals a shared commitment to responsibly scale AI-powered experiences that deliver tangible business value while making a meaningful impact on consumers. By combining India-specific content nuance with OpenAI’s generative intelligence, Jiostar is betting on a future where discovery, engagement and relevance replace sheer volume—setting the stage for a new era in personalised entertainment.
