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Electus partners Shine International for distribution
MUMBAI: Ben Silverman‘s newly formed multimedia company Electus, an operating business of IAC, and Shine International, the international distribution arm of Elisabeth Murdoch‘s Shine Group, have announced a partnership around the creation of Electus Distribution.
This is a new distribution entity that will handle worldwide sales for Electus‘ content, including television, motion picture and digital.
Electus Distribution will be run by Silverman and Shine International president Chris Grant and its operations will be based at Shine International.
Electus and Shine International management are currently identifying candidates to staff the division, reporting to Silverman and Grant. Electus is also increasing operations to handle the growing slate of programming within Electus and its content labels.
In addition to the international distribution partnership, Electus and Shine International will look to co-fund projects and third party production deals together.
Grant says, “It‘s a special thrill to collaborate with Ben, whose approach to international content has helped shape my vision of the distribution business, and whose pioneering work with international formats and shows has had a transformative effect on the TV landscape. We look forward to adding the tremendous range of content Ben will generate at Electus to our rapidly growing slate of international programming.”
Israel-based Abbot Reif Hameiri Production Company, is the first distribution partnership of Electus Distribution. Under the terms of the agreement, Electus Distribution will develop Abbot Reif Hameiri‘s Israeli programming in the United States across all platforms, including mobile, internet and TV. Likewise, Abbot Reif Hameiri has the opportunity to repurpose Electus‘ multi-platform content to sell to the Israeli marketplace.
Abbot Reif Hameiri Production Company CEO Guy Hameiri says, “This unique collaboration is the first of its kind in Israel, and provides an exceptional opportunity – both for talented artists and for our company. The industry in Israel is abundant with creative ideas that do not gain development and impact globally. Working with Electus will allow us to provide a proper platform for talented artists and strengthen our presence in the global content market.”
This alternative distribution model will be the first partnership of its kind to tap into the vast pool of content and talent in the Israeli market and to bring it to global audiences across all platforms. As one of its first projects, Electus has secured the rights to bring Cuckoo‘s Nest, an interactive game show on Facebook produced by Abbott Reif Hameiri Production Company in Israel, to the US.
Incorporating daily original live broadcasts from within Facebook, the next-generation format fuses a virtual home-based game with a real studio-based game and Electus will be the first studio to bring such an interactive format to the U.S.
Silverman says, “The content distribution business is evolving rapidly and I‘m thrilled to be partnering with my friends at Shine and working again with Chris Grant to build a next generation distribution company that taps into alternative models and new platforms. Chris is an innovator and leader with the best reputation in international distribution.
Niret Alva, Founder and chief creative officer of Alva Brothers adds, “We cherish the same values of creativity, smart business and a passion for success. He is a great leader and attracts the best minds in the business.”
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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.
