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Delhi-NCR’s worsening air quality is pushing companies and residents to take smog breaks, prachi verma and Anumeha Chaturvedi report for The Economic Times. With the Air Quality Index (AQI) dipping into the very poor to severe range, firms like Deloitte, Diageo, and Mondelez are allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely for health reasons. Those who don’t have the option of remote work are taking leaves to escape the smog, the report says. Meanwhile, residents are making quick travel plans, and seeking greener environment, and cleaner air. Travel platforms are therefore seeing a sharp rise in traffic. Hill and heritage destinations have seen a 24% week-on-week jump in bookings, according to Thrillophilia. Adotrip also recorded a 30–35% rise in travel from Delhi-NCR. Popular getaways for families include destinations such as Rishikesh, Manali, Shimla, Kasol, Bir, Nainital, and Mukteshwar. Even short coastal retreats to Goa, Gokarna, and Varkala are rising, the report says. “Families are being forced to take what we now call ‘smog breaks’ to escape the toxic air,” adds Vikas Katoch, CEO of Adotrip. That said, Delhi Government is stepping up anti-pollution measures such as electric bus adoption and cloud seeding to mitigate the crisis, the report adds. How are you dealing with Delhi-NCR’s worsening air quality? Vote in our poll and share your take in the comments section. Source: The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/eJkEpvXn ✍: Nakul Ghai 📷: Getty Images

India’s historic World Cup triumph against South Africa has catapulted women’s cricket into a new commercial orbit, Javed Farooqui reports for The Economic Times (ET). The win, before a capacity crowd of 45,000 in Navi Mumbai, has shifted how brands and advertisers value women’s cricket as a standalone property, the report says. “This victory is women’s cricket’s own 1983 moment. It has brought national pride, emotional resonance, and commercial credibility to the women’s game like never before,” says Sanjay Adesara Chief Business Officer, Adani Sportsline. In fact, endorsement fees for India’s new icons Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma have surged since the win, Ratna Bhushan reports for ET. “Since this morning, there’s been a rush of brand queries, not just new endorsements but also renegotiations, with fee increases upwards of 25–30%,” says Tuhin Mishra, Managing Director of Baseline Ventures. Brands like Pepsi, Puma, and Surf Excel have all joined the celebration with their own campaigns featuring the women in blue, the report adds. “Winning the World Cup is a watershed moment for women’s sport. It will accelerate commercial interest, boost valuations across the WPL ecosystem, attract new sponsors, and create momentum for the broader sports goods and merchandise industry,” says Ajimon Francis, Managing Director of Brand Finance India. How will the World Cup triumph impact women sports in India? Share your take in the comments section. Source: https://lnkd.in/guSCAcwb https://lnkd.in/gY2iATb6 ✍ Dhritiman Deb 📸 Getty Images #WomensCricket #BrandBoom #BrandValue #SportsEndorsements

Gigcation — or planning an experience-led micro-holiday out of concerts or live events — is the new travel trend taking centre stage. As global performers schedule more tours in India and with the government doubling down on the concert economy — hotels are seeing more footfall and travel operators are curating packages built around these events, Roshni Shekhar Srivastava reports for Business Standard. According to Thrillophilia, event-led trips are seeing a 42% year-on-year jump between October and December. Cleartrip recorded a 10% rise in travel demand across cities in the same period, the report suggests. While October saw performances from artists like Travis Scott and Enrique Iglesias, Sunburn Festival, Post Malone’s Guwahati concert, and Lionel Messi’s tour are upcoming events gaining traction. Banking on this trend, Thrillophilia has launched its programme ‘Concert Weekenders’ across cities, while EaseMyTrip has specific packages in store. “By 2026, we’ll extend this with Fan Caravans for driveable circuits and After-Party Editions with curated nightlife partners,” says Abhishek Daga, co-founder, Thrillophilia. And these packages that include transport, accommodation, local transfers, and curated add-ons like VIP access are preferred by customers, Cox & Kings’s Director Karan Agarwal says. The prices have also increased compared to last year. The average per person cost during the show weekends is ₹12,800, according to Thrillophilia. “We’re seeing a 15-20% increase in average daily rates compared with last year, and many of our hotels near concert venues are already approaching full occupancy,” says Nikhil Sharma, MD and COO, Radisson Hotel Group. ➡️ How are experience-first and culture-led tourists changing India’s travel scene? Share your thoughts in comments section. Source: Business Standard: https://lnkd.in/gfUGXqQQ ✍: Dipal Desai 📸: Getty Images #concerteconomy #gigcation

India’s banking sector is witnessing a shift as mid-sized lenders leverage foreign partnerships and tech, Saloni S. reports for The Economic Times (ET). Such alliances give smaller lenders the capital strength, scale, and credibility needed to overcome balance sheet limits and challenge dominant private and public sector banks for market share, the report says. "This is a big positive for smaller lenders as it addresses their main impediments to scalability — including access to capital, market stature, which helps lower the cost of deposits and borrowings, and access to world-class systems, processes, and governance frameworks," Seshadri Sen, Head of Research at Emkay Global told ET. Recent marquee deals like Blackstone-Federal Bank (₹6,200 crore), Emirates NBD-RBL Bank (₹26,850 crore), SMBC-Yes Bank (₹15,000+ crore), Abu Dhabi IHC-Samman (₹8,850 crore), and Warburg Pincus-IDFC First Bank (₹4,876 crore), underscore the momentum, the report says further. "These investors bring deep pockets and global experience, which will help Indian banks compete more effectively in the credit markets. India's debt-to-GDP ratio remains low, so there is immense scope for these lenders to expand their market share." says Prakash Agarwal, Partner at Gefion Capital. The wave of foreign investments also signals regulatory openness toward FDI in smaller banks, which need capital and technology to scale sustainably, the report adds. How will this trend impact foreign investment in India? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Source: The Economic Times - https://lnkd.in/gWXjciHy ✍: Novinston Lobo 📸: Getty Images #BankingSector #FDI #MidLevelBankers #CapitalInvestment

ऑफिस के काम और निजी जीवन में संतुलन बनाए रखना ज़रूरी है। लेकिन कभी-कभी काम के बीच यह हासिल करना मुश्किल हो जाता है। आइए जानें इसे पाने के लिए कुछ टिप्स: ⚖️ वर्क-लाइफ बैलेंस के लिए सबसे ज़रूरी है समय को सही तरीके से मैनेज करना। इसके लिए सबसे पहले उन कामों को पूरा करें, जो सबसे महत्वपूर्ण हैं। आप चाहें तो एक टू-डू लिस्ट भी तैयार कर सकते हैं, जिससे आप अपनी प्रगति को भी ट्रैक कर सकते हैं। ⚖️ अपने स्वास्थ्य का ध्यान रखना भी वर्क-लाइफ बैलेंस का एक हिस्सा है। आप रोज़ाना अपने रूटीन में किसी भी प्रकार की फिजिकल एक्टिविटी शामिल करें। इससे स्ट्रेस कम होगा और काम में फोकस बढ़ेगा। इससे स्ट्रेस कम होगा और काम में फोकस बढ़ेगा। ⚖️ काम के समय ज़रूरत पड़ने पर अपनी टीम से मदद लें। इससे आप एक टीम प्लेयर भी साबित होंगे। इसके अलावा, ज़िम्मेदारियाँ निभाने के साथ-साथ कभी-कभी ‘ना’ कहना भी सीखें। बेहतर वर्क-लाइफ बैलेंस के लिए आपके क्या टिप्स हैं? कमेंट्स में हमारे साथ साझा करें। स्रोत : Jansatta https://lnkd.in/g_KGiukv https://lnkd.in/dkgZZuKR ✍: Divya Pathak 📷: Getty Images

Is traditional television losing its relevance? Shifting from the legacy commissioning model where broadcasters funded shows, retained intellectual property (IP), and producers earned a fixed margin — studios are now looking to create and own content, Javed Farooqui reports for The Economic Times. But what’s driving this change? Slowing growth of linear TV and viewership distributed across mediums are prompting production companies to move to content that can be monestised across digital and emerging platforms. The per hour realisation of commissioned TV declined by 20-50% in recent years and Over-The-Top (OTT) content is estimated to overtake it in terms of content spend, the report suggests, attributing industry experts. Streaming platforms are focusing on differentiated content as more viewers adopt connected TV, but prime time viewing continues to drive volume in linear TV. With shrinking margins across formats, producers are seeking IP ownership through syndication, licensing, and digital formats for long-term monetisation opportunities, the report suggests. IP ownership in television surged to 43% from 15% in three years, while that in OTT increased to 43% from 21%. The total video content investments in the country currently stand at ₹50,000 crore, the report further suggests. “We now see content as a single, connected business across television, digital, and motion pictures. Films will drive growth, followed by digital, with television as the third focus area. Along the way, we will keep investing in our own IPs while also producing shows for others,” says Sanjay Dwivedi, Group CEO and CFO at Balaji Telefilms. The company recently launched its OTT service, Kutting. Swastik Stories, on the other hand, launched its channel, FAST, on JioTV, LG, Xiaomi TV, and RunnTV with an initial reach of 50 million connected TV users. “Earlier, broadcasters commissioned the content, you delivered the show and earned a margin. That model is now under stress. If we co-own the IP, we can build a stronger property and share accountability and value,” the company’s founder Siddharth Kumar Tewary says. ➡️ Is traditional TV past its prime? Share your take in comments section. Source: The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/gNw3rfEt ✍: Dipal Desai 📸: Getty Images #television #tv #studios #production

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revamping the legal profession, sparking a shift from traditional hourly billing to outcome-based pricing, Maulik Vyas reports for The Economic Times. With AI making significant inroads into areas such as drafting, research, and compliance, law firms are increasingly adopting fixed or hybrid fee models that emphasise delivering results rather than merely tracking time spent, the report says. "Fixed pricing has become the standard for most of our legal matters, including Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), real estate, Intellectual Property (IP), and compliance,” says Unnati Divecha Patel, General Counsel at Parksons Packaging. Clients are now demanding “true transparency — not just in terms of hours billed, but in how AI-driven efficiencies translate into greater value,” adds Saloni Kothari, Group General Counsel at BDO India. This shift is creating opportunities to democratise access to legal services, the report says further. AI enables smaller firms to compete with larger ones by delivering high-quality, sophisticated services at more competitive costs, according to Dr. SANJEEV GEMAWAT, Group General Counsel at Essar. Recognising this transformation, prominent law firms like Khaitan & Co and Trilegal are making significant investments in AI to boost their productivity, the report highlights. In fact, Nifty 500 companies collectively spent ₹62,146 crore on legal expenses in FY25, shows data from ETIG. Moreover, India’s legal-AI market is projected to expand significantly, growing to $106.3 million by 2030, from $29.5 million in 2024, the report adds. How do you see this transformation impacting the legal profession in India? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Source: The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/dHNqEJ-b ✍: Nakul Ghai 📷: Getty Images #Legal #Artificialintelligence #Pricing

"While large organisations provide an opportunity to learn processes, scalable systems, and discipline, startups are a place to fail fast, learn fast, and scale fast," says Vatsal Rastogi, co-founder at Lucidity, a LinkedIn Top Startup in India. He adds that the key is to understand what excites you more and which environment best provides that. In fact, nearly three in four Gen Z professionals believe that continuous skill development is among the top three reasons to stay at an organisation, according to a Deloitte survey. That said, young professionals also prefer a flexible work culture due to its alignment with career growth, skill-building, and better work-life balance, says another report by The Economic Times. Tune in as Rastogi and Kunal Gupta, founder and CEO of EMotorad, share what to expect while working at a startup. And comment below: What factors would draw you to work at a startup? You can check out the Top Startups in India list here: https://lnkd.in/INTopStartups25 ✍ : Divya Pathak 🎥 : Isha Chitnis, Ajithesh Guru Prasath

In this week’s recap, we dive into the key stories sparking conversations in the world of technology. From AI-native startups reshaping India’s IT services sector to global firms setting up nano GCCs, here’s a look at the tech stories that are creating a buzz. Watch the video and share your take — what do you think is the biggest tech story of the week? #LinkedInVideo #TechWrapIndia Source: Peerzada Abrar - Business Standard https://lnkd.in/gaSwQs6w Beena Parmar - The Economic Times https://lnkd.in/dgvK7JsW https://lnkd.in/INTopStartups25 ✍ Dhritiman Deb 🎥 Dhritiman Deb, Isha Chitnis

In this week’s recap, we dive into the key stories that are sparking conversations in the world of finance. From prepaid cards making a comeback to smaller lenders pivoting towards safer, collateral-backed loans, here’s a look at the finance stories that are creating a buzz. Watch the video and share your take — what do you think is the biggest finance story this week? #LinkedInVideo #FinanceWrap Source: The Times Of India https://lnkd.in/geuYHBNj Mansi Verma, Priyamvada C, Mint https://lnkd.in/dVZR5MVD Pratik Bhakta, The Economic Times https://lnkd.in/gfyyiMYm ✍ Dhritiman Deb 🎥 Dhritiman Deb, Isha Chitnis