iWorld
UP Tak hits 10 Million YouTube subscribers
Mumbai: UP Tak, the digital-first channel from the India Today Group, has crossed the 10 Million YouTube subscribers. Alongside, the channel also has a steadily growing website, www.uptak.in
UP Tak has been at the forefront in covering the news from across Uttar Pradesh. This achievement of reaching 1 crore subscribers accentuates the channel’s focus on providing top-notch news coverage spanning politics and trending topics from the state.
“Last year we all celebrated News Tak achieving the 10 million subscribers’ milestone.We had an internal competition amongst Crime Tak, Sports Tak, and UP Tak, each vying to reach this remarkable milestone first.I am happy to announce that UP Tak emerged victorious in this spirited race, coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Navratri and just before the onset of general elections. The competition between Crime Tak and Sports Tak will persist until the next opportunity,” remarked Kalli Purie, Vice-chairperson India Today Group.
UP Tak is the second in the universe of Tak channels to achieve the 10 Million landmark. The first one was the national news channel, News Tak. This significant achievement of reaching 10 million YouTube subscribers by UP Tak surpasses that of any other Hindi regional news channel.
With a clear editorial focus to cover the Indian politics from across the country, UP Tak plays a critical role. UP Tak’s website, www.uptak.in, reports news around politics of the state & its impact on the national level in a focused and unbiased manner. It also gives detailed and factual coverage of news related to the interests of the general public, including politics, crime, health, education, careers, jobs, society, religion, and tourism in Uttar Pradesh.
In the last couple of years, Tak group of channels have successfully moved to native-platforms in various geographies like Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Cumulatively,in the last financial year, the digital first channels have a reach of more than 12billion video views on YouTube.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
