JioBLAST — the esports and competitive entertainment venture formed by Jio, RISE Worldwide, and BLAST — has appointed Manish Patankar as its Vice President – Commercial Partnerships.
With more than 12 years of experience across India’s sports, entertainment, and IP commercialisation landscape, Manish brings a strong background in revenue strategy and brand partnerships. His career spans senior roles at Collective Artists Network, ITW Consulting, IOS Sports & Entertainment, and entrepreneurial work with SahiCoin. He has previously driven commercial strategy for major sports IPs, expanded partnership pipelines, and closed high-value deals with leagues, broadcasters, athletes, and consumer brands.
In his new mandate at JioBLAST, Manish will spearhead commercial strategy across esports properties, IP development, partnerships, and monetisation initiatives. He will focus on strengthening integrated revenue pathways across the JioBLAST ecosystem as India’s esports viewership and participation scale rapidly.
Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, commented: “Manish brings a rare blend of sports IP experience, brand solutions and dealmaking. His ability to build value with brands will be instrumental as we scale JioBLAST into India’s largest multi-game esports platform. We’re thrilled to have him onboard as we expand our ambitions across events, partnerships and the Jio ecosystem.”
Sharing his vision for the role, Manish Patankar, Head of Commercial Partnerships, said: “Esports in India is at an inflection point, and JioBLAST is uniquely positioned to lead its next phase of growth. The vision to build marquee IPs, unlock mass participation, and create a commercially robust ecosystem is incredibly exciting. I’m looking forward to building long-term partnerships, elevating fan experiences, and contributing to a future where esports becomes a mainstream cultural force in the country.”
JioBLAST unites the strengths of Jio, BLAST, and RISE Worldwide Limited, merging Jio’s 500+ million-user digital ecosystem with BLAST’s global esports expertise and RISE’s leadership in sports and experiential IPs. The collaboration aims to build India’s most dynamic and scalable esports ecosystem — spanning top-tier tournaments, IP creation, and creator-led entertainment.
With India now one of the world’s fastest-growing gaming markets and the Online Gaming Bill 2025 providing regulatory momentum, JioBLAST is positioned to accelerate the nation’s rise as a global esports powerhouse.
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