iWorld
YouTube FanFest returns to India for the third year
MUMBAI: the YouTube FanFest , an exclusive live show and festival bringing together established and emerging YouTube stars from India and around the world with fans, is all set to take centre-stage on 18 March in Mumbai.
YouTube and Branded Ltd said the event, at Dome@NSCI SVP Stadium in Mumbai, is being held in India for the third time.
Over 5,000 fans will get face-to-face with some of YouTube’s biggest stars, local internet sensations, and up-and-coming talent performing live on stage.
This year’s show features a dynamic mix of music, comedy, dance, fashion and much more, all together on one stage and adorning the red carpet pre-show. The stellar line-up for the YouTube FanFest Mumbai encore features over 35 widely popular YouTubers from around the world, including Lilly Singh aka IISuperwomanII, Connor Franta, All India Bakchod, SANAM, Kanan Gill & Biswa Kalyan Rath, East India Comedy, Bryden-Parth Music, Abish Mathew, Kaushal, Kenneth Sebastian, Kurt Hugo Schneider, and many more.
YouTube Asia-Pacific director of content and operations Gautam Anand said: “Over the last few years, we have seen Indian YouTube creators capture the imagination of youth and win fans around the world. We are delighted to host YouTube FanFest again in India to celebrate this new generation of YouTube stars and welcome some of our most popular global YouTube stars back to India.”
“This FanFest in Mumbai is going to see the biggest line up of YouTube stars we have ever had and they are all excited to be in India. More stars, more fun and more screaming fans in one of YouTube’s largest Asian fan bases,” said Branded CEO Jasper Donat.
“I am pumped that I am coming back to Mumbai for the third YouTube FanFest – the fans are some of the best in the world and I’m excited to perform for them again!”, added Kurt Hugo Schneider.
“This will be my first participation in the YouTube FanFest in India and I am beyond excited. If the energy is the same as the other FanFests, it’s going to be an amazing evening,” Connor Franta enthused.
iWorld
Tips Music CEO Hari Nair to step down
Girish Taurani and Sushant Dalmia to jointly steer the company as the hunt for a new chief begins
MUMBAI: A leadership shuffle is under way at Tips Music. Hari Nair, the company’s chief executive, will step down on April 30 as the music label begins the search for a successor.
The company said Girish Taurani, executive director, and Sushant Dalmia, chief financial officer, will jointly oversee operations during the transition while the board identifies a permanent replacement.
Nair joined Tips Music in 2023 and set about reshaping the veteran music label into a more digital, data-led enterprise. During his tenure, the company secured licensing and partnership deals with global platforms including Sony Music Publishing and TikTok, while renewing agreements with Warner Music Group.
Drawing on earlier experience in technology and entertainment, including a stint at ByteDance, Nair pushed the organisation towards a performance-driven culture. He built a brand partnerships division and introduced proprietary software systems aimed at strengthening digital distribution and data capabilities.
Kumar Taurani, chairman and managing director, credited Nair with embedding a data-led culture within the company and driving revenue growth in line with shareholder commitments.
In his resignation note, Nair said that after helping transition the label into a modern, digitally focused and process-driven organisation, the time had come to pursue his next leadership challenge.
The leadership change comes as the broader Tips Films group shows signs of financial stabilisation. In the third quarter of FY26 the company reported a net loss of Rs 2.86 crore, narrowing sharply from Rs 14.2 crore in the previous quarter. For the nine months ended December, losses stood at Rs 12.37 crore.
Yet revenue told a more volatile story. Income from operations slid to Rs 4 crore in Q3 FY26 from Rs 56 crore in the preceding quarter, taking total operating income to Rs 4.56 crore.
For a company built on a catalogue of more than 34,000 tracks and decades of Bollywood hits, the next chief will inherit both a digital engine and a volatile music market. The playlist may be familiar, but the next act at Tips Music is only just beginning.
