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The unauthorized streaming of IPL 2023 matches and premium Viacom18 content through piracy apps like FairPlay and Pikashow has resulted in estimated losses of over ₹100 crore to the broadcaster. Acknowledging the scale and sophistication of such cybercrimes, the Maharashtra government has intensified its digital enforcement mechanisms through a new state-wide cyber security project.

In a written reply to a question raised during the ongoing monsoon session by MLA Sunil Prabhu in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that a case has been registered with the Maharashtra Cyber Cell.

According to the response, between October 2021 and April 20, 2023, several apps — including PIKASHOW, FOXI, VEDU, SMART PLAYER LITE, FILM PLUS, TEA TV, WOW TV, and FAIRPLAY — allegedly streamed IPL 2023 matches, web series, movies, and serials from Colors regional channels, MTV, Nick, and Voot Select, without owning the broadcasting rights. Viacom18, the rightful broadcaster, suffered financial losses exceeding ₹100 crore due to this unauthorized distribution.

In November last year, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai against M/s. Fairplay Sport LLC and others on the complaint of M/s. Viacom18 Media Pvt Limited under various sections of IPC, 1860, Information Technology Act, 2000 and Copyright Act, 1957 

ED had provisionally attached movable assets in the form of Demat Account holdings and immovable assets in the forms of lands, flats and commercial warehouse located at Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kutch (Gujarat), Daman, Thane & Mumbai (Maharashtra) worth Rs. 219.66 Crore (approx.) on 22/11/2024 under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 as part of the ongoing probe in the case of “Fairplay” which was involved in illegal broadcasting of Cricket/IPL matches and various online betting activities.

According to ED officials, total attachment and seizure in this case till date amounts to over Rs. 331.16 Crore. 

Fadnavis further stated that The Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR (No. 04/2023) under sections 420, 120(B), 468, 469, 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, and the Copyright Act. One accused was arrested and a chargesheet was filed on May 29, 2024. However, following a settlement agreement between Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. and the accused, the Bombay High Court quashed the case on February 12, 2025.

In response to increasing cyber frauds, including those involving vulnerable citizens, the Maharashtra Government has launched the Cyber Safe Maharashtra Project on September 27, 2023. The initiative, based in Mahape, Navi Mumbai, aims to enhance state-level cyber security with advanced infrastructure and skilled personnel.

Fadnavis emphasized the state’s commitment to preventing such digital crimes through technology-driven enforcement and public awareness.

In May, this year Gujarat’s Gandhinagar Cyber Police, acting on a complaint from Star India, had arrested an alleged kingpin behind an illicit Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service that attracted roughly five million subscribers and generated an estimated ₹700 crore (US $84 million) in annual revenue. 

Investigators had identified the accused as Mohammed Murtuza Ali, an app developer based in Jalandhar, Punjab. Operating under the brand name “BOS IPTV,” Ali is believed to have streamed thousands of premium linear television channels—including several Pakistani news networks and entertainment serials—without authorization.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/television/zeel-spni-to-piggyback-on-jiostars-super-injunction-in-piracy-crackdown-69714.htm">Read More: ZEEL, SPNI to piggyback on JioStar’s super injunction in piracy crackdown</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/ott-news/india-tour-of-england-delhi-hc-grants-dynamic-injunction-to-jiostar-to-combat-piracy-72335.htm">Read More: India Tour of England: Delhi HC grants 'Dynamic+' Injunction to JioStar to combat piracy</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/dot-orders-internet-service-providers-to-block-piracy-websites-following-delhi-hc-directive-in-star-india-case-63127.htm">Read More: DoT orders Internet Service Providers to block piracy websites following Delhi HC directive in Star India case</a>

Viacom18 suffered ₹100 cr loss to IPL piracy; Maha vows strong digital crackdown

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday approved the merger of Disney Star and Viacom18. 


In February 2024, Reliance Industries Limited, Viacom 18 Media Private Limited and The Walt Disney Company announced the signing of binding definitive agreements to form a joint venture which will combine the businesses of Viacom18 and Star India.


The above mentioned transaction would be resulting Viacom18 to be merged into Star India Private Limited through a court-approved scheme of arrangement. In May 2024, The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had approved the merger plan involving Reliance Industries Ltd's Viacom18, its wholly-owned subsidiary Digital18, and Walt Disney's Star India.


CCI in its statement on X said, "C-2024/05/1155 Commission approves the proposed combination involving Reliance Industries Limited, Viacom18 Media Private Limited, Digital18 Media Limited, Star India Private Limited and Star Television Productions Limited, subject to the compliance of voluntary modifications." 



CCI approves Disney Star and Viacom18 merger

Anand Chakravarthy

Previous: Co-founder, Results and Outcomes; and Managing Director, Essence

Present: Chief Growth Officer, Omnicom Media Group

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India appointed Anand Chakravarthy as its chief growth officer. Prior to this, he has led many profitable businesses, including leadership stints at Essence Global, Wavemaker and Reliance Broadcast Network. He has worked with global and Indian brands, including several leading D2C (direct to customer) brands in India. In 2021, Chakravarthy, who was previously managing director for Essence India, joined edtech venture Results and Outcomes as co-founder. The company was founded by former Zee5 CEO Tarun Katial.

<a href="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/Corporate-Crossings-New-Series-Logo-258x258-1.webp"><img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/Corporate-Crossings-New-Series-Logo-258x258-1.webp" alt="" width="258" height="258" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1211" /></a>

Kapil Ohri

Previous: Head of Digital Marketing and Deputy General Manager, Dabur India

Present: Head of Performance Marketing and Engagement Marketing, Tata Nexarc

Kapil Ohri, former Dabur digital marketing head, has joined Tata Nexarc’s Tata Business Hub team as head of performance marketing and engagement marketing. In 2018, Ohri moved to the homegrown company Dabur India from Arvind Lifestyle Brands where was head, digital marketing. He has also had stints as partner at GroupM and head – digital of GSK India for Mindshare. Prior to that, he worked with OgilvyOne Worldwide as senior planning director (digital marketing).

Sudhir Das

Previous: Associate Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett

Present: Executive Creative Director, Dentsu India

Dentsu India has appointed Sudhir Das as executive creative director. In his new role, Das will oversee the agency’s Bengaluru office. Over the last two decades, he has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, Nestle, Apple and Airtel. His notable campaigns include ‘Ras-Ras mein India’, ‘Me and Meri Maggi’, ‘Spicejet Democracy’ and ‘Cardekho Back-Off’.

Gauri Awasthi

Previous: Chief Operating Officer - Strategy & Digital; Consultant, STCH Integrated Marketing Solution Pvt. Ltd

Present: Chief Digital Officer, Hashtag Orange

Digital marketing company Hashtag Orange has appointed Gauri Awasthi as the chief digital officer. In her new role, Awasthi will be responsible for managing client relationships, social media, SEO and the generation of digital revenue. Awasthi has worked in organizations like ibibo Group, Cheil India, WPP and iCubesWire, and has been instrumental in driving digital transformation strategies and marketing brand advocacy along with programmatic media for fortune 100 companies.

Anup Govindan

Previous: Executive Vice President and Head of Ad Revenue, Star Sports

Present: Viacom18

Anup Govindan has joined Viacom18. He has led advertising sales revenue for the sports business across broadcast, on-ground and digital platforms. Armed with 25 years of experience, he worked as manager of advertising sales at UTV, as a group manager at Sony Entertainment Television and as a senior director of advertising sales at ESPN Star Sports.

Cherryn Dogra

Previous: Head of Marketing, India Leadership Team, Emaar India

Present: Not known

Cherryn Dogra, who worked as the head of marketing for India at real estate developer Emaar India has decided to move on. During her 17-year long career, she has worked at United Breweries Ltd, Pernod Ricard India, William Grant & Sons, and Lodha Group etc. Prior to joining Emaar India, she worked as the head of marketing at DLF Limited.

Ravyanta Kumar

Previous: Associate Vice President - Corporate Strategy, Pocket Aces

Present: Head of D2C Content Business, Pocket Aces

Digital Entertainment Company Pocket Aces promoted Ravyanta Kumar to the position of head of D2C content business. In this new role, Kumar will lead the company’s D2C content business which houses content channels like short-form fiction channel FilterCopy, lifestyle channel Gobble and infotainment channel Nutshell.

Ashutosh Bhatt

Previous: Director, India Beverages, PepsiCo

Present: Operating Partner and Chief Growth Officer, Ananta Capital

Investment management platform Ananta Capital appointed Ashutosh Bhatt to the position of an operating partner and chief growth officer. In his new role, Bhatt will work closely with Ananta’s board of directors and all portfolio companies to formulate and execute growth plans. This includes growing existing distribution channels, driving brand-level synergies across channels and building systems and processes for sustainable top-line and bottomline growth. While at PepsiCo, he led West India and Sri Lanka Varun Beverages (VBL) Geographies. He also held the additional responsibility of being second- in -command for all of VBL geographies in the India region for PepsiCo. He has held positions at HSBC, The Coca Cola Company, and Ola.

Vishwanath Ambadipudi

Previous: Manager - Corporate Communications, HSIL Ltd

Present: Head of Marketing, Next Education

Vishwanath Ambadipudi is the new head of marketing of edtech company Next Education. In this role, Ambadipudi will drive strategic partnerships, branding, marketing campaigns, and corporate communications.

Cheuk Chiang

Previous: CEO, Greater North, Dentsu APAC

Present: CEO, Dentsu Creative Asia Pacific

Global creative network Dentsu Creative has appointed Cheuk Chiang as the chief executive officer for its Asia Pacific region. He still continues to be the CEO for the Greater North region at Dentsu APAC. Armed with an experience of more than three decades, he has had stints at agencies like Leo Burnett, Y&R Mattingly, Omnicom Media Group, and M&C Saatchi Australia.

Santosh Kumar K and Mothi Venkatesh

Previous: Senior Sales Manager, AppsFlyer; Senior Marketing Manager, Recko

Present: Director of Product Sales and Head of Growth, Qoruz

Influencer marketing and intelligence platform Qoruz has appointed Santosh Kumar K and Mothi Venkatesh as the director of product sales and head of growth, respectively. In their new roles, Kumar will be responsible for driving the growth of the platform. Venkatesh will drive the growth of the creator management platform in India. He has held marketing positions at Myntra, Gympik, and has also worked on a freelance basis at Ikea. Kumar has been associated with organisations like InMobi and Spentacorp.

Vishal Ahluwalia

Previous: Senior Vice President, McCann Worldgroup

Present: Head - South Operations, McCann Worldgroup

McCann Worldgroup has promoted Vishal Ahluwalia to head of south operations. Ahluwalia will step into the shoes of Dileep Ashoka. Armed with 27 years of experience, he has worked with agencies like Leo Burnett, JWT, Contract, TBWA/India, Grey Group and Cheil India. At Grey Group, he led the Southern market. Further, he launched B'Natural from ITC, and President butter and cheese in India.

Aayush Arora

Previous: AVP Marketing, Testbook

Present: Vice President - Client Business, Hiveminds Innovative

Marketing agency Hiveminds Innovative has appointed Aayush Arora as the vice president of client business. Arora has experience across digital marketing, client servicing and strategy. He has held positions at Merkle Sokrati, AdGlobal360, and is the founder of online marketing and advertising firm Social Cutlet.

Lada Guruden Singh and Shony Panjikaran

Previous: Marketing and PR, Sony Pictures Network India; Director and Head, Marketing, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Present: General Manager and Head of Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP); GM and Head of Sony Pictures Releasing International

Sony Pictures Entertainment announced elevations of Lada Guruden Singh and Shony Panjikaran. In their respective roles, Singh will oversee SPIP India’s local film development and production slate. He will also look after its expansion in regional cinema. Panjikaran will manage Sony Pictures’ theatrical releasing business across the Hollywood and local cinematic slate in India. This includes all distribution, sales, and marketing efforts.

Raka Sinha

Previous: Global Brand Director - Marketing and Digital, L’Oreal, and Sustainability Director

Present: Consumer Healthcare, Sanofi

Raka Sinha, who served as the global brand director of marketing and advertising and a sustainability director at L’Oreal has decided to move on to Sanofi, a pharmaceutical industry company, and work in the consumer healthcare category. Sinha has experience across general trade, pharmacy, luxury, travel retail etc. She started her career as a strategic account executive at FCB Ulka, and worked as a brand manager and CMI manager at Marico Limited. At Unilever, she joined as the regional brand manager for Knorr—for the Asia region—and rose to become the global brand manager of Dove for the UK region.

Devyani Ozarde

Previous: Founder and Director, nxtnew Digital Business Consulting

Present: Managing Director - Media and Entertainment, Accenture

Accenture appointed Devyani Ozarde to the position of managing director - media and entertainment. Ozarde started her career at Rediff.com as senior art director, and then worked at Reliance Games as digital marketing manager. At Bennett Coleman, she held the position of a digital marketing lead, and then she moved to Sony Pictures Network India where she was the associate vice president - digital technology.

Dr. Bhaskar Das

Previous: Group President, Republic TV

Present: Chairman, IdeateLabs

Digital-first marketing agency IdeateLabs appointed Dr Bhaskar Das as the chairman. Das will mentor the senior leadership team in augmenting the company's offerings across data, content, and community solutions. Commenting on his new role, Das said, “I look forward to working cohesively with the senior management to sketch growth strategies for the group's expansion in the Indian and international markets.”
Armed with more than four decades of experience, Das started his career with The Times Of India Group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL), where he spent three decades and went on to serve as the president and board member. From there, he moved to Zee Media Corporation, where he served as the group chief executive officer, and then, at Republic TV, he worked as the group president. Currently, he holds the position of the director of content creation at Unica Token Pvt Ltd, an NFT startup.

Rachit Mishra

Previous: Specialist - Marketing Revenue & Yield Management (International Markets Group, Ford Motor Company

Present: Marketing Head, CJ Darcl Logistics Ltd

Transport and logistics company J Darcl Logistics Ltd appointed Rachit Mishra as marketing head. In his new role, he will manage and expand the team for brand marketing and public relations, creative and content marketing, digital and social media marketing, and marketing data analytics. At CNH Industrial, he held the position of CE brand marketing and communication manager for the Asia, Middle East and Africa region.

Rajat Abbi

Previous: International P&L Management, Marketing & Sales leader (Asia), Valvoline Inc

Present: Vice President - Global Marketing, Greater India, Schneider Electric

Rajat Abbi joins Schneider Electric as the Vice President – Global marketing, Greater India. In his new role, he will be responsible for running the marketing function for the company, driving brand, digital and commercial excellence of the company. He will be a part of the Schneider Electric Global Marketing International Operations Leadership team, Schneider Electric India Management team and Schneider Electric India Private Limited (SEIPL) Leadership Council. He started his career with Apollo Tyres, and has worked across B2C and B2B businesses in Valvoline International, Philips Lighting and Carrier Air-conditioning.

Nishant Nayak

Previous: Director of Product and Design, Zenjob

Present: Chief Product Officer, FanCode

Digital sports destination FanCode has appointed Nishant Nayak as its chief product officer. Nayak will lead the product strategy to realise FanCode’s vision of becoming the largest sports fan platform in the country. Armed with 19 years of experience, Nayak has worked at eBay, Future Bazaar and Flipkart. He is experienced in marketplace ecommerce, fashion, staffing industry, international expansion, Product vision, strategy and leadership, user experience and design, agile software development, growth, matching, product operations and program management.

Ravi Rao

Previous: CEO, GroupM, MENA

Present: Not known

Ravi Rao has quit GroupM as CEO of MENA after a stint of more than three years. Confirming his departure on LinkedIn, Rao said "Thank you all. Not the end, tbc."
Rao joined GroupM MENA from Mindshare MENA where he was the CEO. Before becoming the Mindshare MENA CEO, Rao was the Chief Client Officer at the agency. In his three decades in the business, Rao has worked at Lintas India, Impact BBDO, OmnicomMedia Group and at Mindshare.

Bhavin Shah

Previous: Head of Performance Marketing, Outbrain India

Present: Not known

Bhavin Shah, who served as the head of performance marketing at Outbrain India, a tech company has decided to move on. In his past role, he spearheaded Outbrain's marketing activities in India, which included local marketing strategy, planning, and execution of events. He has been a part of orgnaisations like IGATE, Nykaa, Baggit India, Wealth Tree Advisors and Money Care Solutions.

Bhairavi Rangarajan

Previous: Head - Digital Business and Marketing, Hero Insurance Broking

Present: Head of Digital Marketing, Branding and MarComm, Kohler Co.6

Kohler Co has appointed Bhairavi Rangarajan as the head of digital marketing, branding and marcomm, and he will be based out of Gurgaon. Rangarajan has also worked as the head of digital marketing at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.

CXO Moves: Ad executive returns after edtech stint, Dentsu Creative gets a CEO, Dabur loses its digital head

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