
Wavemaker India named media agency of the year at Goafest 2025
—the country's premier advertising, media, and marketing festival co-hosted by the AAAI and The Advertising Club—concluded Day 1 with the prestigious Media and Publisher
Abby Awards
. In true Olympic style, the medal tally was ranked based on the number of Gold wins, bringing both competition and celebration to the forefront.
Wavemaker India
emerged as the
Media Agency of the Year
, sweeping the competition with six golds, along with eight silver, four bronze metals and one Grand Prix—making it the most awarded agency of the evening with total 124 points.
Mindshare India
followed with four golds, while Initiative Media bagged three golds.
Other notable winners included
EssenceMediacom
(2 Golds), DDB Mudra Max (2 Golds), and Tribes Communication (2 Golds). Agencies like Lodestar UM, Publicis Media, and FCB Kinnect also made it to the medals table with a Gold each.
On the publishing side, ABP claimed the top honours with one gold, three silvers and a bronze, making it the most awarded publishing house at this edition with 30 points. Followed by
Bennett Coleman & Co
with one gold, three silvers and securing a merit mention whereas Jagran Praskashan bagged two gold and one silver.
While HT Media won a gold, FCB India and The Hindu Group led the overall points tally among publishers. Cheil India, ABP Digital, and Schbang were among the other winners
The Abby Awards at Goafest continue to spotlight innovation, impact, and creative excellence across India's evolving media landscape—recognising both legacy powerhouses and new-age contenders driving results and redefining storytelling.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: In a swirl of crises, who still holds the torch?
There's something surreal about watching the Olympic flame being passed hand to hand, unwavering, even as torrential rain pelts down or gusts of wind try to snuff it out. That torch — symbolising effort, endurance and fragile hope — has to stay alight. And so, often, do we. In a world where each week feels like a relay of upheavals, someone somewhere must clutch the torch. Whether it's a policymaker braving backlash, a pilot navigating public doubt, or a seller trying to keep the algorithm from crushing them. The flame must travel on, however stormy the route. Let's dive in. Private banks are gripping the torch with white-knuckled resolve. As unsecured loans and agri lending turn slippery, Axis and Yes Bank have already stumbled, reporting sharp slippages. Yet the system-wide burn remains faint, for now. As our first editorial notes, the deeper tremor lies in a subtle credit pivot: with big corporations increasingly tapping capital markets, banks may soon be stuck with the riskier borrowers. More risk, fewer returns, while households pile on debt and liquidity flows unchecked. The flame flickers, but regulators must keep it upright. NITI Aayog, meanwhile, is navigating geopolitical gusts. As our second editorial argues, it has recommended letting Chinese firms buy up to 24 per cent in Indian companies without extra clearances. A torchy move, given the fraught 2020 border standoff, but also a pragmatic one. With India's trade deficit with China peaking and FDI flows from Beijing still negligible, this could signal a new openness — though the risks, influence-wise, remain very real. Carrying the flame into darker terrain is A K Bhattacharya, who dissects the troubling investigation into the Ahmedabad Dreamliner crash. The AAIB's hasty, error-ridden probe, minus a Dreamliner pilot no less, has dented public trust. Global scrutiny, aviation opacity, Gujarat's political sensitivity—it's a storm of scrutiny. Yet in this downpour, the need for transparency and technical reform shines brighter than ever. And Kaushik Das writes of a rare weather shift: inflation has dipped to 2.1 per cent, offering momentary relief. But economists urge restraint — torch-bearing is not torch-throwing. The RBI must resist aggressive rate cuts, lest inflation re-ignites with renewed ferocity. Finally, in OTP Please! Online Buyers, Sellers and Gig Workers in South Asia, reviewed by Chintan Girish Modi, Vandana Vasudevan captures the lonely resilience of gig workers and small sellers trying to stay visible, solvent, and sane in a platform-controlled storm. Their struggles of data dominance, algorithmic suppression, and vanishing autonomy are stories of endurance, often in silence. Stay tuned!


Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Meet Sudarshan Gopaladesikan: Indian-origin performance analyst who went from working for Infosys to joining Premier League giant Newcastle United
Newcastle United have made an interesting backroom addition with Sudarshan Gopaladesikan joining as Technical Director (Support Services). The Indian-origin expert brings years of experience in elite sports performance. His role will focus on improving player fitness, recovery, and preparation, areas that have become crucial in modern football's demanding calendar. A remarkable journey across sports Sudarshan started his career with an Infosys internship before moving to the US for a PhD in biokinesiology and physical therapy at the University of Southern California. He specialised in human movement and injury prevention. His first big break came with Major League Baseball side Los Angeles Dodgers. We have appointed Sudarshan Gopaladesikan as our new Technical Director 🤝Sudarshan joins after leaving Atalanta, where he was Director of Football Intelligence, and will lead football data operations for our men's, women's and Academy to Newcastle United, Suds! After his MLB stint, he joined the English Institute of Sport, working with Olympic athletes. That paved his path into football, first with Manchester City's City Football Group as Lead Data Scientist, focusing on player performance and injury analytics. Later, he became Head of Sports Science and Data at Chelsea. From Infosys to Premier League: Joining Newcastle United at 36 Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, now 36, is Newcastle's latest recruit in their push to strengthen off-pitch operations. Club CEO Darren Eales praised him as an 'innovative, forward-thinking leader' with a proven track record across multiple sports. His appointment also adds rare Indian representation in Premier League technical teams. So proud that someone of Indian origin is doing something massive in football. Sudarshan worked in Bengaluru for a while earlier in his life and he is such a role model for those in India who want to make it to the big leagues in football. Gopaladesikan expressed excitement at joining a club with 'a unique connection between the team, city, and fans.' He won't be involved in transfers but will be key in ensuring players stay fit and ready to compete at the highest level. Newcastle's long-term vision just got a significant boost with his expertise.


NDTV
10 hours ago
- NDTV
Government Jobs For Athletes, Laptops For Toppers: Delhi Bets Big On Youth Talent
The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved a new set of measures aimed at offering record cash rewards and government jobs to athletes, along with digital upgrades in government schools. The decisions were cleared at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. After the meeting, Sports and Education Minister Ashish Sood confirmed that Delhi will now offer the highest cash prizes in the country to international medal-winning athletes, with Olympic gold winners set to receive ?7 crore. "These figures make Delhi the most rewarding state in India for sportspersons," Mr Sood said in the press briefing. Cash Rewards Increased for International Athletes: Under the revised Mukhyamantri Khel Protsahan Yojana, Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists will now receive Rs 7 crore. Silver and bronze medalists will get Rs 5 crore and Rs 3 crore respectively. The government has also raised rewards for other international competitions. Gold medalists at the Asian and Para Asian Games will receive Rs 3 crore, silver Rs 2 crore, and bronze Rs 1 crore. In the Commonwealth and Para CWG categories, winners will get Rs 2 crore for gold, Rs 1.5 crore for silver, and Rs 1 crore for bronze. At the national level, medalists will receive Rs 11 lakh (gold), Rs 5 lakh (silver), and Rs 3 lakh (bronze). Athletes will also be eligible for financial support up to Rs 5 lakh for training and medical insurance of the same amount. For elite-level sportspersons, support will go up to Rs 20 lakh, with insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh. Those competing in events recognised by the International Olympic Committee will receive up to Rs 2 lakh to cover travel, accommodation, meals, and tournament registration fees. Government Jobs Based on Medal Performance: The Cabinet also approved a policy to offer government jobs to medal-winning athletes. Athletes winning Olympic gold or silver, or Asian Games gold, will be eligible for Grade A posts in the Delhi government. Those with Olympic bronze, Asian Games silver or bronze, and CWG or Para Games gold and silver will qualify for Grade B roles. Other international medalists will be considered for Grade C positions. "This is a landmark step towards cultivating a robust sports culture in the city and empowering young athletes to dream big," said Minister Sood. "The government will closely monitor the implementation to ensure Delhi becomes a premier sporting hub." Laptops and Labs for Government School Students: In the education sector, the Cabinet cleared a Rs 50 crore project aimed at improving digital access in government schools. Starting in the 2025-26 academic year, all meritorious Class 11 students will receive free laptops. In addition, the government will roll out fully equipped computer labs in two phases, 175 labs in Phase I, followed by another 175 in Phase II during 2026-27. The focus will be on 544 schools operating across 350 buildings, many of which currently run in double shifts and lack adequate digital facilities. Each lab will be equipped with 40 desktop computers and essential digital learning tools. A monitoring unit will oversee rollout and ensure timelines are met.