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  • India builds a 200-bed field hospital in Mandalay, Myanmar

    India builds a 200-bed field hospital in Mandalay, Myanmar

    As rescue workers work against time to pull out the survivors four days after the shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, killing more than 2,700 people, India has established a 200-bed capacity field hospital comprising 118 personnel and started treating patients in the quake-ravaged country under Operation Brahma.

    The stench of death hung heavy across quake-struck Mandalay, as yet another strong aftershock rattled Myanmar’s second-largest city Mandalay on Tuesday.

    The death toll from the initial quake and a series of aftershocks has climbed to 2,719, according to Myanmar’s military chief. The number of injured stands at 4,521, with more than 400 missing.

    The country, still reeling from the catastrophic 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck last Friday with an epicentre near Mandalay, continues to be shaken by aftershocks, compounding the misery of residents, who are now taking shelter on the roadsides with their children, fearing further destruction.

    On Tuesday, another aftershock measuring over 5 magnitude rattled Mandalay at 5.31 pm local time, causing at least half a dozen already damaged buildings to collapse.

    Amid the hectic relief and rescue efforts, the Indian Army on Tuesday stated, “As part of the Indian Army’s ongoing humanitarian assistance under Operation Brahma, the field hospital comprising 118 personnel has been successfully established in Mandalay. The hospital was deployed using two Indian Air Force C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and is now fully operational with a 200-bed capacity, offering surgical and inpatient care.”

    The statement added that chief minister of Mandalay Myo Aung visited the facility and reviewed its capabilities on Tuesday morning. “The field hospital is fully prepared and equipped to provide critical medical care to those in need, reinforcing India’s steadfast commitment to humanitarian relief efforts in the region,” it added.

    The Indian diplomats also handed another 30 tonnes of relief aid, food, medical supplies and tents carried by Indian naval ships to Yangon CM U. Soe Thein on Tuesday.

    As part of Operation Brahma, India had earlier intensified its efforts to carry out relief and rescue efforts in Myanmar, including the rescue of thousands of Buddhist monks there. The NDRF team had begun rescue operations on Monday at the U Hla Thein monastery, where around 170 monks are still stuck. About 2,000 Buddhist monks who are safe but with no basic amenities are also being provided relief by Indian rescue teams.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also pointed out that India has always acted as a first responder in the region to any emergency or crisis in the neighbourhood and also referred to the Nepal earthquake a decade ago when Indian relief and rescue teams had worked day and night to bring relief to people there.

    Earlier, five IAF aircraft had landed on Sunday in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon and the capital Naypyitaw, carrying humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief (HADR) material, the 60 Para Field Ambulance team and NDRF personnel. Two giant IAF C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft carrying 60 Para Field Ambulance had landed in Naypyitaw on Sunday. The Indian Army teams then set up their medical services.

    The Myanmar government will also advise Indian teams on deployment sites of relief and rescue teams. The relief material on Monday was also given to the state Mahanayak Committee, which is the second highest-ranking committee in Myanmar.

    Indian teams are being deployed to the Mandalay Palace, Maha Muni Pagoda, MIIT and other such places where substantial damage has occurred. The teams are also providing assistance to members of the Indian community for their stay and food. Deccan Chronicle

  • India will see USD 13.42B in medical tourism

    India will see USD 13.42B in medical tourism

    India’s medical tourism industry is set to witness strong growth, with its market size projected to reach USD 13.42 billion by 2026, according to a report by Grant Thornton.

    The sector’s expansion is driven by India’s cost advantage, growing hospital networks, rising investments, and increasing adoption of technology.

    It said “Medical tourism is projected to reach USD 13.42 billion by 2026, further underlining the sector’s strong growth prospects”.

    One of the major reasons behind India’s emergence as a global healthcare hub is its affordability. The country offers medical treatments at just 20-25 per cent of the cost in developed nations.

    This cost-effectiveness, combined with high-quality healthcare services, attracts patients from across the world, strengthening India’s position in the global medical tourism market.

    The report also mentioned that India’s healthcare industry is not just a growth driver but also a significant contributor to employment.

    The sector has emerged as one of the largest employers in the country, generating numerous job opportunities across hospitals, research centres, and medical technology firms.

    Currently, 60 per cent of hospital beds in the country are concentrated in metro cities, while 70 per cent of India’s population resides in rural areas. This gap presents huge potential for healthcare expansion in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where demand for quality medical services is rising.

    India’s healthcare industry is also experiencing a rapid shift towards digital solutions. AI-powered diagnostics, telemedicine, and other health-tech innovations are transforming patient care.

    The AI-driven healthcare market is expected to grow from USD 14.6 billion in 2023 to USD 102.7 billion by 2028, revolutionizing medical operations and accessibility.

    The expansion of health insurance coverage is further boosting the sector. In FY23, gross direct premium income underwritten by health insurance companies grew to Rs 90,600 crores (USD 10.86 billion). This increasing insurance penetration is making quality healthcare more accessible to the population.

    With cost advantages, infrastructure expansion, mergers, and growing investment in digital health and insurance, India’s medical tourism sector is on a strong growth path.

    As the country continues to enhance healthcare access and efficiency, it is poised to become a global leader in medical tourism in the coming years. NewKerala

  • UP will establish a super specialty hospital in Bareilly

    UP will establish a super specialty hospital in Bareilly

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed that a proposal be prepared for the construction of a super-speciality hospital in Bareilly, integrating 300 beds with the vacant land of the mental hospital.

    During the divisional review meeting at the Vikas Bhawan auditorium, the CM directed the officials to submit the proposal to the government, emphasising that this initiative would enhance modern medical facilities in the region.

    He also urged public representatives to adopt at least one TB patient each to raise public awareness about the disease. He highlighted the importance of addressing long-pending legal cases, stating that unresolved cases often lead to new crimes. He stressed the need for their swift resolution to maintain law and order.

    Reaffirming Bareilly’s status as a Smart City, Yogi directed that all divisional and district-level offices be housed under one roof for better governance. He directed the officials to draft a proposal for this initiative and make necessary arrangements.

    To improve crime control and traffic management, he called for the effective implementation of the Intelligent Traffic Management System and mandated the verification of e-rickshaws and taxis.

    During the meeting, Divisional Commissioner Saumya Agarwal provided updates on the region’s progress, including completing 25 km of fencing in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve. She also highlighted that between 2022 and 2024, 12 aspirational development blocks in the division had received recognition from both the central and state Governments.

    Reviewing the resolution of revenue cases, the CM reiterated that cases pending for over a year often become flashpoints for disputes, affecting law and order. He directed the officials to expedite their resolution to ensure justice for the common people.

    He directed that, as Bareilly serves as the commissionerate headquarters, a comprehensive record of all available government land should be prepared and handed over to the development authority. Besides, he directed that chambers and canteens for lawyers should be kept clean, and a conducive environment should be provided for the public. United News of India

  • BCCI releases amended IPL 2025 mega auction handbook

    BCCI releases amended IPL 2025 mega auction handbook

    The IPL governing council, led by BCCI, has announced a whole batch of new rules and regulations, all to remain in effect until the 2027 edition of the tournament. The apex body confirmed the same on September 28, mere weeks before the IPL 2025 mega auction.

    In major updates, the IPL governing council confirmed that the controversial Impact Player rule will continue to remain in effect till 2027, and each playing member will receive a particular match fee in addition to his contracted amount.

    IPL confirms major IPL 2025 mega auction updates
    On Saturday, September 28, the IPL governing council confirmed a new set of regulations for the 2025 to 2027 cycle of the tournament. Here is a look at each decision made by the governing council after having a constructive conversation with the 10 franchises.

    • Each IPL franchise can retain up to six players. They can retain them via traditional retention method before the auction or by using their Right-to-Match card.
    • Out of the six retained players, each franchise can retain no more than five capped players. Moreover, franchises are also allowed a maximum retention of two uncapped cricketers.
    • The auction purse for the franchises has been set at Rs. 120 crores.
    • As confirmed by Jay Shah on September 28, each playing member of the team, including the Impact Player, will be entitled to a match fee of Rs. 7.5 lakh which would be separate from his contracted amount.
    • Any overseas player needs to register for the big auction. Failure to do so will prevent the player from registering in the following year’s auction.
    • If any player makes himself unavailable for a season after getting picked at the auction, he will be banned from participating in the next two editions of the IPL.
    • Any capped Indian player will fall under the ‘uncapped’ category if he played his last international match at least five years prior. The aforementioned rule allows MS Dhoni to be retained by the
    • CSK franchise as an uncapped Indian player.
    • The controversial Impact Player rule will continue to remain in effect at least until 2027 edition of the IPL.

    In other news, the IPL 2025 mega auction is set to be organized in late November or early December later this year. The BCCI is expected to reveal more briefings surrounding the mega event in the coming weeks. Cricket.One

  • IPL 2025: The campaign, the money, and the struggle for control of the brand

    IPL 2025: The campaign, the money, and the struggle for control of the brand

    As the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 gears up for its first ball, brands are already locked in an intense battle—not on the pitch, but in advertising. With record-breaking digital viewership and a shifting consumer engagement landscape, IPL’s marketing playbook is evolving. While some brands continue to pour money into traditional ad slots, others are rewriting the rules of sports marketing, proving that strategic placements can deliver stronger brand recall than big budgets. A new study by Crisp Insight + Kadence International has challenged the long-held belief that bigger ad spends guarantee better recall. IPL 2024 saw over 100 brands competing for visibility, yet only a handful registered with consumers.

    Dream11, for instance, spent Rs 1,730 crore on ad placements and achieved a 37.7% recall rate. On the other hand, brands like Vimal and Parle spent significantly more—over Rs 3,000 crore each—but struggled to cross a 4% recall rate. The findings suggest that simply throwing money at advertising doesn’t necessarily translate to consumer awareness.

    Strategic sponsorships
    IPL 2025’s sponsorship landscape reflects a shift from traditional brand visibility to a more integrated marketing approach, where companies are embedding themselves deeper into the tournament ecosystem. The most notable change is the intensified competition in the beverage segment, with Reliance Consumer Products’ Campa Cola securing the Rs 200 crore co-presenting sponsorship—an aggressive move that places it directly against Coca-Cola’s Thums Up, which held the position in IPL 2024. The financial and digital payments sector also remains strong, with SBI, GPay, and PhonePe maintaining their presence, signaling the continued dominance of fintech brands in IPL marketing.

    Fantasy sports and gaming brands such as My11Circle, PokerBaazi, and Dream11 continue to capitalize on IPL’s engaged fan base, reinforcing their association with the tournament. However, this season also sees a notable rise in consumer durables and FMCG brands, with companies like Asian Paints, Joy Cosmetics, Allen Solly, and Jaquar Bath + Light leveraging IPL’s mass appeal. Unlike previous years, where sponsorships primarily focused on television commercials and logo placements, brands are now diversifying their engagement strategies. Luminous Power Technologies, for example, is prioritizing digital activations, influencer collaborations, and real-time audience engagement over mass advertising, reflecting a broader shift in how brands approach IPL partnerships.

    Another key trend is the widespread sponsorship distribution across multiple IPL assets. Instead of limiting investments to central sponsorships, brands are spreading their presence across team partnerships, in-game branding, stadium activations, and digital platforms. The emphasis has shifted from pure awareness-driven sponsorships to engagement-driven marketing, where brands aim for direct consumer interaction through social media, digital integrations, and region-specific campaigns

    Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) is using IPL to relaunch and establish its beverage brands, including Campa Cola, Campa Energy, Spinner, and Gluco Energy. By sponsoring six IPL teams, the company is betting on a combination of stadium presence, in-game branding, and social media activations.

    “IPL is possibly the biggest sporting event in India with a massive reach, engagement, and interest levels, also the timing coincides with the beverage season,” sources from RCPL told FE Online. “We are doing far more than just advertising in IPL. There will be on-ground presence with visibility across six stadiums, product availability, and consumer engagement with region-wise influencers for better youth connect.”

    “My11Circle’s five-year partnership as the associate partner of the TATA IPL allows us to build further on the immense enthusiasm for cricket in India, connecting with millions of passionate fans,” says Saroj Panigrahi, Chief Operating Officer, Games24x7. “Our comprehensive 360-degree marketing strategy—encompassing strategic partnerships both on and off field, including TV, digital, and beyond—is designed to amplify our brand and enhance user engagement throughout the IPL season.”

    Luminous Power Technologies, an inverter and solar brand, is taking a different route, focusing on targeted engagement rather than mass advertising. With 96.5% brand awareness, the company is prioritising digital activations, influencer collaborations, and real-time audience engagement through a Digital Command Center.

    “Our decision to associate with the IPL was driven by the sheer magnitude of its viewership and fandom,” says Neelima Burra, Chief Strategy Transformation and Marketing Officer, Luminous Power Technologies. “Beyond logo placements and title sponsorship, we’re leveraging IPL through a multi-faceted strategy, from retail activation programs that engage dealers, consumers, and distributors to digital engagement around key match moments.”

    She adds, “Over the last two years, our association with IPL has shifted the perception of Luminous towards being a more stylish, fun, technology-driven premium brand. These gains, along with tangible metrics like revenue growth and market share, demonstrate the success of our strategy.”

    Crackdown on surrogate ads
    While brands are maximising IPL’s reach, the Union Health Ministry has once again directed BCCI to ban all forms of tobacco and alcohol promotions, including surrogate advertising. This means stadiums, IPL-related events, and television broadcasts will not feature ads from brands linked to tobacco and alcohol. Given the league’s history with brands using surrogate tactics, this directive is expected to impact advertising strategies for certain players.

    What’s driving this shift?
    Several factors are shaping the new IPL marketing playbook:
    digital viewership boom – The rise of JioHotstar and CTV means more eyeballs on digital ads than TV commercials.

    smarter ad placement – Non-FCT (non-traditional ad spots like sponsorships, team partnerships, and in-game branding) are proving to be more effective than expensive TV spots.

    regional targeting – With Hindi-speaking markets driving 38% of digital viewership, brands are customising their marketing strategies for regional engagement.

    performance metrics over vanity metrics – Instead of just tracking ad spend, brands are looking at deeper metrics like brand engagement, consumer interaction, and ROI.

    Jiohotstar’s record-breaking run
    If cricket is India’s biggest obsession, JioHotstar has become its digital stadium. The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 set new streaming benchmarks for the platform, with 540+ crore views and a staggering 11,000 crore minutes of watch time. Peak concurrency reached 6.12 crore viewers, highlighting the shift of cricket audiences from television to digital. With IPL just days away, this trend is set to continue.

    Smart, not just big
    The IPL battlefield has changed. It’s no longer about who spends the most but who plays the smartest. Digital dominance, strategic integrations, and consumer-driven campaigns are defining the new success formula. Brands that embed themselves into the consumer experience rather than just pushing ads are winning the game.

    As brands fine-tune their marketing playbook, the real question isn’t about how much they spend, but how well they engage. The brands that prioritise consumer interaction, innovation, and authenticity will walk away with the biggest prize—lasting mindshare and brand loyalty. Financial Express

  • Cineline India’s CEO stated that the firm will focus on boosting its film exhibition market

    Cineline India’s CEO stated that the firm will focus on boosting its film exhibition market

    City-based cinema chain Cineline India Ltd will focus on expanding its core film exhibition business after becoming net debt-free following the monetisation of its hotel asset in a Rs 270-crore deal, according to a top company official.

    The company has entered into a deal with Sparsh Vidhyut to sell its hotel ‘Hyatt Centric’ in Goa for an enterprise value of Rs 270 crore, and it will use the proceeds to retire its entire debt, Cineline India CEO Ashish Kanakia said.

    The hotel asset was owned by Mumbai-based Cineline India’s wholly-owned arm R&H Spaces Private Ltd.

    Kanakia said that the deal has resulted in debt reduction of Rs 120 crore pertaining to the hotel asset at the subsidiary level and the company also plans to utilise the sale proceeds to fully repay its outstanding debt of Rs 108 crore related to the film exhibition business, achieving a debt-free status.

    “This move will accelerate growth and help expand our market presence through the addition of new screens,” Kanakia said.

    Cineline India runs 77 screens under the MovieMAX brand across 21 properties in six states and has tied up an additional 82 screens.

    The company has monetised non-core real estate assets worth Rs 351 crore over the past two years, which included the sale of Eternity Mall in Nagpur for Rs 60 crore and two commercial spaces in Mumbai for Rs 21 crore.

    “With debt to be fully repaid, we would strengthen our financial position and generate consistent free cash flow, which will be reinvested to drive business growth,” Kanakia added.

    By leveraging innovative strategies such as expanding screens through a low revenue share or profit-sharing model with developer-funded capex, the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the anticipated box office revival, unlocking significant upside potential, Kanakia said. Business Standard

  • Top of the m-cap chart: Bharti Airtel; worst decline for Reliance

    Top of the m-cap chart: Bharti Airtel; worst decline for Reliance

    With a 40.84% rise in its share price, Bharti Airtel’s market cap soared Rs 3.10 lakh crore in fiscal 2025, emerging as the top wealth creator. Many brokerages remain bullish on the stock and have recently given it a buy rating. Driven by tariff adjustments in the Indian wireless segment, Bharti’s free cash flow generation has improved significantly over the past few years, according to a report by Motilal Oswal.

    “With high-cost debt largely repaid and leverage under control, we believe capital allocation remains the key monitorable and will likely be the biggest driver for Bharti’s stock price performance over the medium term,” the report further stated.

    Another brokerage firm, CLSA, has named Bharti Airtel as its top pick in the telecom sector.

    HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank ranked second and third, respectively. While HDFC Bank’s market cap rose by Rs 2.99 lakh crore, ICICI Bank’s gained Rs 1.83 lakh crore. Bajaj Finance (up by Rs 1.06 lakh crore) and M&M (Rs 92,642 crore) secured the fourth and fifth positions.

    The benchmark indices returned up to 5.3%, while the broader indices rose up to 8% during the last fiscal.

    But there were many at the other end of the spectrum too. Reliance Industries was the top loser in FY25, with its market cap eroding Rs 2.89 lakh crore as its share price fell 14.3% during the fiscal year. Adani Green, Tata Motors, TCS, and Adani Enterprises were among the other top market cap losers, shedding up to Rs 1.40 lakh crore.

    The total market cap at the BSE surged by Rs 25.9 lakh crore, or 6.7%, to Rs 412.9 lakh crore during fiscal 2025—significantly lower than the previous year’s increase of Rs 128.7 lakh crore, or 49.9%.

    Sectorally, healthcare, financial services, commodities, metals, and private banks were the top gainers, rising up to 18.2% in fiscal 2025. On the other hand, PSU banks, energy, oil and gas, realty, and utilities were the top losers, declining by up to 10.6%.

    Out of over 3,600 actively traded stocks, 1,763 stocks posted positive returns, while 1,839 ended in the red.

    Among BSE 100 index constituents, Vedanta, Divi’s Laboratories, Bajaj Holdings, Bharat Electronics, and InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) were the top gainers, rising by up to 70.84%. Meanwhile, IndusInd Bank, Adani Green, Jio Financial Services, Tata Motors, and Adani Enterprises were the top losers, declining by up to 58.25% during the last fiscal. Financial Express

  • Senthil Chengalvarayan resigns as the permanent director of NDTV

    Senthil Chengalvarayan resigns as the permanent director of NDTV

    Senthil Chengalvarayan has stepped down from his role as the whole-time director of NDTV. In a resignation letter to the company’s board on March 25, he attributed his decision to increasing personal commitments, including family responsibilities that require my attention at this time.

    Continues as Non-Executive Director
    While resigning from his executive role, Chengalvarayan will continue to serve as a non-executive director, effective April 1. Expressing gratitude in his letter, he stated, “I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have served as Whole-Time Director and for the unwavering support and guidance provided by the Board throughout my tenure.”

    Chengalvarayan was appointed as an additional director during the challenging period after the Adani Group’s takeover of NDTV, following the exit of founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy. He joined on December 23, 2022, and brought with him a wealth of experience as the founding editor of CNBC-TV18. FreePress Journal

  • Spending on cloud infrastructure is still expanding

    Spending on cloud infrastructure is still expanding

    According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Enterprise Infrastructure Tracker: Buyer and Cloud Deployment, spending on compute and storage infrastructure products for cloud deployments, including dedicated and shared IT environments, increased 99.3% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2024 (4Q24) to $67.0 billion. Spending on cloud infrastructure continues to outgrow the non-cloud segment with the latter growing by 25.8% in 4Q24 to $22.0 billion. The cloud infrastructure segment experienced double digit growth unit demand of 33.5%, with a continued increase in ASPs mostly related to the accelerated increase of GPU server shipments.

    “Cloud infrastructure spending growth continued outpacing market expectations again in the fourth quarter,” said Juan Pablo Seminara, director for IDC’s Worldwide Enterprise Infrastructure Trackers. “Even after raising some doubts about the necessity of large investments in AI infrastructure exposed by DeepSeek’s R1 initial impact that later proven been not that accurate, the industry is also understanding that the evolution from simple chatbots to reasoning models to agentic AI will require several orders of magnitude more processing capacity, especially for inferencing. So even by gaining efficiency on investments costs, IDC expects cloud infrastructure market growth of 17.8% CAGR for the following five years.”

    Spending on shared cloud infrastructure reached $57.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, increasing 124.4% compared to a year ago. The shared cloud infrastructure category continues capturing the largest share of spending compared to dedicated deployments and non-cloud spending, in 4Q24 shared cloud accounted for 64.0% of the total infrastructure spending. The dedicated cloud infrastructure segment grew 21.8% year-over-year in 4Q24 to $10.0 billion.

    For 2025, IDC is forecasting cloud infrastructure spending to grow 33.3% compared to 2024 to $271.5 billion. Non-cloud infrastructure is expected to decline -4.9% to $68.1 billion. Shared cloud infrastructure is expected to grow 25.7% year over year to $213.7 billion for the full year, spending on dedicated cloud infrastructure expected to grow further in 2025 with 71.8% to $57.8 billion for the full year. Additionally, the cloud infrastructure GPU based accelerated market will show a 46.8% growth in 2025, reaching $157.8 billion value as AI infrastructure investments still count with an important backlog as well as future projects in the cloud.

    IDC’s service provider category includes cloud service providers, digital service providers, communications service providers, hyperscaler, and managed service providers. In 4Q24, service providers as a group spent $65.6 billion on compute and storage infrastructure, up 103.9% from the prior year. This spending accounted for 73.8% of the total market. Non-service providers (e.g., enterprises, government, etc.) also increased their spending to $23.3 billion growing 23.5% year over year. IDC expects compute and storage spending by service providers to reach $262.1 billion in 2025, growing at 30.9% year-over-year.

    On a geographic basis, year-over-year spending on cloud infrastructure in 4Q24 showed very positive results across all regions where the fastest growing regions were Canada and USA showing triple digit growth of 151.8% and 125.3% respectively, regions with double digit growth were China, Japan, APeJC, Western Europe, Middle East & Africa and Latin America with 99.6%, 76.2%, 48.0%, 36.8%, 28.1% and 14.3% respectively. While Central & Eastern Europe was the only region showing one digit growth at 5.6%.

    Long term, IDC predicts spending on cloud infrastructure to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.8% over the 2024-2029 forecast period, reaching $461.9 billion in 2029 and accounting for 83.0% of total compute and storage infrastructure spend. Shared cloud infrastructure spending will account for 80.5% of the total cloud spending in 2029, growing at a 16.9% CAGR and reaching $371.7 billion. Spending on dedicated cloud infrastructure will grow at a CAGR of 21.8% to $90.3 billion by 2029. Spending on non-cloud infrastructure will also rebound with a 5.7% CAGR, reaching $94.4 billion in 2029. Spending by service providers on compute and storage infrastructure is expected to grow at a 17.5% CAGR, reaching $448.0 billion in 2029. IDC

  • In 2024, Valve Platform would 11.5M active users

    In 2024, Valve Platform would 11.5M active users

    Steam has cemented its dominance in Southeast Asia’s booming PC gaming market, according to Omdia’s new South-Eastern Asia Online Gaming Report – 2025 report. In 2024, the Valve-owned platform set a new regional record, reaching an average of 11.5 million yearly active users (YAUs), representing 3.7% of global YAUs. While Steam faces challenges, its strategic focus on local payment gateways and region-specific pricing continues to make it the platform of choice for local developers looking to expand their global footprint.

    Mobile gaming: Football titles lead amid stagnant growth
    Despite just 2% growth in 2024, Konami’s efootball and EA FC Mobile Soccer emerged as standout performers. Fueled by major football events, strategic updates and high-profile IP collaborations, these titles drove a 39% surge in sports games revenue, solidifying their position in the mobile gaming segment.

    Policy Shifts: Government push esports while balancing regulation
    Southeast Asian governments are actively fostering gaming ecosystems through esports-friendly policies including infrastructure development, talent cultivation and IP protection. However, regulatory challenges persist, with some countries maintaining restrictions on foreign games and companies to protect local developers and younger audiences.

    A dynamic future for Southeast Asia’s gaming market
    Omdia’s latest report highlights a dynamic landscape where Steam’s PC ecosystem, the rise of sports games and government-backed esports initiatives are reshaping Southeast Asia’s gaming future.

    “Southeast Asia remains a key battleground for developers”, said Chenyu Cui, Senior Analyst at Omdia. “While the market presents immense growth potential, success depends on adapting to shifting regulations, leveraging local partnerships and aligning with regional gaming trends.” Omdia