eNews
Spotlight studio on Times Internet to offer digital content solutions for brands
MUMBAI: Spotlight, which offers digital content solutions for brands has been launched by Times Internet to help all content studios, providing marketers with content strategy, development and marketing solutions for their brands.
Created with a vision to be an end-to-end solution provider for marketers, this platform gives them a chance to own a full scale content hub with Times Internet. The platform enables to create branded content not only in English but in nine other Indian regional languages across 150 million users.
Neha Gupta has joined them as Spotlight head and she will work with marketers to create compelling branded content that meets the company’s goals.
Speaking on the launch, Gupta said: “I’m extremely excited to be a part of creating Spotlight. This content studio will create new, best in class branded content. Along with Times Internet’s unique reach and scale, it will provide a strong differentiator to brands and will help them increase their digital presence by showcasing their branded content. We will partner with brands to create stories, info graphics, galleries, videos and new exciting native content solutions in English and multiple regional languages.”
Spotlight has been created to know both brands and their audiences and will provide marketers with detailed report and insights.
The platform aims to be a partner for brands from strategic recommendations to reviewing and editing existing content of brands and creating new branded content. It not only benefits brands to create great content but also populate it across the Times Internet Network that caters to 150 million users every month across genres and languages. It also gives marketers access to the largest editorial talent pool in the India, people who are experts in multiple genres to create and curate their content.
Creations through this platform will give brands a chance to let their audience discover content in-stream in similar format like the Times Internet sites as well as third party publishers online.
Times Internet Chief Revenue Officer Gulshan Verma said, “We are ushering in an era where everything around us is content. With some of the best minds in the business across genres and languages with us, this was the right time to create a studio that unites all our capabilities. For marketers, Spotlight is India’s first all-encompassing content studio, and will not only develop branded content, but will also give access to India’s largest digital network, Times Internet and beyond.”
Marketers can visit www.spotlight.timesinternet.in for further details.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
