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Ani-mates drive Animax viewers online
MUMBAI: Pan Asian youth entertainment channel Animax has announced that its new ‘Ani-mates‘ characters have driven viewers to its site.
The characters are the Filipino duo of model-host Stephanie Henares as well as celebrity cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao.
The two personalities from the Philippines were unveiled on-air and online on 1 June 2010 as Ani-mates – new VJ-cum-brand ambassadors for Animax.
Serving as buddies to Animax viewers and bringing the latest updates on the regional youth scene, the Ani-mates are currently featuring on TV, in online activities and campaigns, as well as at on-ground events.
Original content available only on the web from Stephanie and Alodia have driven a hike in web traffic to the Animax Asia home website (www.animax-asia.com). Regularly updated each week, exclusive online content includes the duo‘s video blogs, pictures and personal thoughts on all that matters to the youths in the Philippines and across Asia.
Animax Asia VP, GM Gregory Ho says, “Engagement – it is the one word that we at Animax are really obsessed about. Animax is committed to offering our fans a truly immersive entertainment experience, which is why our Ani-mates are connecting with viewers not just on TV, but also online and in person at a variety of events. The colourful personalities of Stephanie and Alodia really help take our interaction with viewers to the next level because they are so relatable to our fans and are seen simply as being just like one of them”.
Handling much of the VJ duties on Animax is the 22-year old Stephanie Henares as she introduces upcoming shows on the channel and hosts TV vignettes to provide the latest news and updates on the regional youth scene. Beyond the production studio, she can also be seen covering the hottest and hippest youth events across the region as Animax‘s brand ambassador.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
