BUSINESS
Netflix's lack of success in India has been 'frustrating': cofounder Reed Hastings
The company will expand its portfolio of games across both casual and core genres in 2022 as it seeks to attract and retain paying customers.
STARTUP
IndiGG bags $6 million from Sequoia India, Lightspeed, Animoca Brands, and others
IndiGG is being built in association with Polygon to create a Play-to-Earn gaming hub within India.
BUSINESS
Microsoft's Activision purchase bolsters metaverse efforts against Zuckerberg's Meta
Microsoft announced plans to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard for an eye-popping $68.7 billion in an all-cash deal on January 17.
STARTUP
Nazara Technologies to buy 55% stake in ad-tech firm Datawrkz
Datawrkz is an advertising technology firm that offers programmatic advertising and ad monetisation solutions to publishers, agencies and brands
STARTUP
nCore Games bags $10 million from Galaxy Interactive, Animoca Brands and others for a Web3 push
The mobile games and interactive entertainment startup said the funds will be used to provide the studios additional financial support to create a metaverse that will run across titles
BUSINESS
Ather Energy hikes prices of its EV scooters in India
This move comes amid growing competition in the EV space from companies such as Ola Electric and Bounce
BUSINESS
What GTA maker Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Zynga means for India
Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Zynga is expected to boost its developer presence in India.
STARTUP
Nazara Technologies' Nodwin Gaming forays into licensed merchandise with Planet Superheroes purchase
Nodwin will expand the offerings of Planet Superheroes by exploring partnerships with global publishers like Krafton, Gameloft, and Riot Games, to create locally relevant merchandise
BUSINESS
Byju's, Unacademy, Vedantu, others want to regulate themselves
This development comes amid growing concerns of misselling and alleged unfair practices by edtech firms in India and the likelihood of the government cracking down on the sector.
BUSINESS
Fantasy Sports has led a drastic shift in sports engagement & viewership: Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain
Since consumers have a chance to make a team and compete with people, they end up watching matches or parts of matches that they wouldn't otherwise, Jain said.
BUSINESS
Karnataka HC disposes Google's petition on CCI's Play billing antitrust probe
CCI had earlier the Karnataka High Court that its investigation arm Director General (DG) has given an assurance that they will complete the ongoing investigation on Google within 60 days 'in all likelihood'.
BUSINESS
Google's antitrust cases in India & other markets: A quick look
CCI's probe on Google's alleged abuse of dominance in news aggregation is the fifth such antitrust probe against the Internet giant in India.
BUSINESS
Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain gives a peek at their NFT ambitions & diversification strategy
The entire sports world is now awakening to the NFT and blockchain opportunity for sports leagues, teams and players to monetize a virtual asset that "they never even knew they own", Jain said.
BUSINESS
‘We are short-term global, long-term India-focused:’ 99Games founder Rohith Bhat
Rohith Bhat also spoke about the impact of “real money” gaming on the sector, rise of India-specific content in games and key challenges among others
BUSINESS
Google Play antitrust probe: Investigation may end in 60 days, CCI tells Karnataka HC
Google had approached the Karnataka High Court on December 27 seeking more time to respond to the questions from the CCI related to the investigation over the mandatory use of its Play Store’s payment system for paid apps and in-app purchases
BUSINESS
Flipkart's key units post significant losses in FY21 amid strong revenue growth
Flipkart's wholesale unit Flipkart India saw a 25% revenue growth in FY21 while marketplace arm Flipkart Internet witnessed a 28% revenue jump.
STARTUP
Customer engagement platform Exotel raises $40 million funding led by Steadview Capital
With this, the startup said it has raised around $100 million across multiple debt and equity financing rounds over the past 15 months.
BUSINESS
All you need to know about CCI's antitrust probe against Apple's app store practices
In its order on New Year Eve, CCI noted that the mandatory use of Apple's in-app payment solution for paid apps and in-app purchases restrict the choice available to the app developers to select a payment processing system of their choice.
BUSINESS
Ola Electric says it has shipped almost 4,000 scooters in December
Ola Electric, which was spun out of the ride-hailing major Ola in 2019, had started the deliveries of its electric scooters on December 15.
TRENDS
Video streaming services went beyond India's big cities in 2021. What to expect in 2022?
The focus on local original programming will be key as streaming platforms aim to make deeper inroads into smaller cities and towns to sustain the growth trajectory
BUSINESS
Google approaches Karnataka HC against CCI’s Google Play probe
CCI had in November 2020 directed a probe into the issue of mandatory use of Google Play Store’s payment system for paid apps & in-app purchases.
BUSINESS
After delayed deliveries, Ola Electric customers run into fresh issues
Ola, which sold nearly Rs 1,200 crore worth of scooters in September 2021, is facing heat from customers for delays in providing test rides and delivery of scooters.
BUSINESS
2021 was the year people in India started spending money on mobile games
A key reason for the trend is that the gaming habits of consumers are maturing and they are moving beyond casual games to those that offer deeper experiences or provide them a way to socialize with friends and family.
BUSINESS
A look at India's top Android and iOS app downloads in 2021
Indians spent nearly half a billion dollars on mobile apps in Google Play Store and Apple App Store this year, according to estimates.
