iWorld
Tata Sky partner QYOU achieves 100-mn reach milestone
MUMBAI: Digital-first generations have grown up on an appetite of online video and flock to popular platforms such as Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook. According to eMarketer, 54 per cent of 18-34-year-olds use YouTube every day, and this number is only expected to increase — phenomenally.
There is also a growing appetite for short-form online video in developing markets, where viewers are often mobile-first.
QYOU Media, a curator of ‘best-of-web’ video for multiscreen distribution, has announced that its programmes and linear channels reach an addressable audience of more than 100 million consumers across six continents. The company’s rapidly expanding reach demonstrates a growing appetite for millennial-programming globally.
This year, QYOU launched the new TBD multicast network in the US with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which brings curated digital-first shows and series to TV audiences for the first time.
The company has also signed the largest deployment of its QYOU channel to date with an expansion of its partnership with Tata Sky Sky in India, bringing QYOU’s programming to its mobile, TV, and on-demand services. The company continues its push into these larger markets with localised content partnerships adding value to the offering for consumers, distributors, and advertisers.
As more mobile operators, broadcasters, and content owners seek to target the youth, QYOU’s 24/7 linear channel and creation of its bespoke shows have been in demand.
In the first half of 2017, QYOU signed a total of eight distribution agreements extending the reach of its content in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the US, as well as launching its content into new regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. QYOU is distributed to cable and OTT services run by Tata Sky, Vodafone, T Mobile and Telenor, etc.
QYOU Media CEO Curt Marvis says: “Q4 of 2017 will see us extend our reach even further across Asia and Europe. Our programming is now available to more than 100 million customers across six continents, from the most densely populated urban cities on earth to remote mining sites in outback Australia.”
Gaming
Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons launch India’s first official F1 sim racing championship
Nationwide competition creates pathway from virtual racing to pro motorsport
MUMBAI: Formula 1 has teamed up with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited to launch India’s first officially sanctioned F1 sim racing competition, marking a new step in the country’s growing motorsport ecosystem.
The championship, titled F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, will offer a structured national platform for sim racers, with participants competing on the official F1 25 across multiple stages. The competition will begin with online qualifiers, followed by city-based simulator rounds, before culminating in a national final in Mumbai this November.
Open to players across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, registrations for the event will begin on 30 April via the Mumbai Falcons app. The format mirrors real-world racing, featuring official circuits, team liveries and competitive structures aligned with the global series.
Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan said the initiative arrives at a time when interest in the sport is surging in India, adding that a structured sim racing platform could help identify and nurture the next generation of talent.
Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited managing director Ameet Gadhoke noted that the championship aligns with the team’s long-term goal of building a strong motorsport pipeline in the country and placing Indian talent on the global stage.
The launch also reflects broader momentum in esports, especially after its recognition under India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. By bridging gaming and real-world racing, the initiative aims to offer aspiring drivers a credible entry point into professional motorsport.
With interest in Formula 1 steadily rising and conversations around its return to India gaining pace, the new championship could become a proving ground for future racing stars.
