iWorld
Universal Music appoints Hannah Poferl as chief data officer
Hilversum: Universal Music Group has tapped Hannah Poferl as chief data officer, sharpening its push to weaponise data and artificial intelligence in the global music race.
Poferl joins after more than a decade at the New York Times, where she served as chief data officer from 2021. She will report to operating chief Boyd Muir and take up the role with immediate effect.
The appointment underlines how streaming numbers, fan analytics and social media signals are now central to how labels break artists and monetise fandom. Data, once backstage, is fast becoming the main act.
Poferl said Universal’s “ambitious and thoughtful” approach to innovation, including AI, matched her own focus on creativity-led technology.
Her arrival comes as Universal accelerates its tech playbook. Earlier this month, the world’s largest music label partnered with Nvidia to tap its AI infrastructure and train models for personalised music discovery.
The group is also testing new frontiers. In November, Bloomberg reported that Universal, Sony Music and Warner Music licensed their catalogues to Klay, an AI-powered streaming start-up that allows users to remake songs.
In an industry where algorithms now shape taste and timing, Universal is making clear it wants to own the data, and the future beat.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
