The 2019 men's ICC World Cup that saw England lift their maiden trophy was the most watched ICC event ever with a global cumulative average live audience of 1.6 billion.
“India led the way with the consumption of live matches on digital platforms with Hotstar reporting a world record for the highest ever concurrent viewership of a live stream with 25.3 million viewers during the India vs New Zealand semifinal,” an ICC media release said.
It was also the most widely available ICC event in history as more than 20,000 hours of live action, repeats and highlights coverage was carried by 25 broadcast partners across more than 200 territories.
“The event experienced a 38 per cent increase over the 2015 edition and a unique broadcast audience of 706 million viewers, demonstrating the phenomenal reach and power of live cricket around the world.
“The most watched match globally was India versus Pakistan with 273 million unique viewers tuning into linear TV coverage with over another 50 million digital-only viewers,” the statement added.
Started out writing TV scripts before co-founding All India Bakchod (AIB).
Turned AIB’s viral fame into a full-fledged content business.
Rebuilt solo after AIB’s collapse with vlogs, streams, and new formats.
Earns through brand deals, memberships, live streams, and start-up investments.
Now seen as India’s richest YouTuber with an estimated £55.7 million (₹665 crore) net worth.
So, Tanmay Bhat is supposedly worth £55.7 million (₹665 crore). Let that number sit for a second. It’s ridiculous enough that he made a joke about it: “Bhai itne paise hote toh main YouTube membership nahi bech raha hota.” Fair point. If you had that kind of money, would you still be hustling on memberships?
But here’s the thing: the exact figure doesn’t tell the story. The story is about watching a company you helped build go up in flames and, instead of folding, using the wreckage to build something different and bigger. That’s the part that’s interesting. That’s the part worth picking apart.
How Tanmay Bhat turned sketches and streams into a £56 million empire Instagram/tanmaybhat
In a nutshell, the Tanmay Bhat playbook:
He didn’t just make sketches; he built a proper comedy business with AIB.
When AIB crashed, he rewired himself, this time solo, raw, and more personal.
He never relied on one paycheque: big brand deals (CRED), ads, live streams, merch, paid content, and start-up investments.
He turned his struggles into a bridge to his audience. That honesty is currency.
Inside Tanmay Bhat’s £56 million career — more than just viral videos Instagram/tanmaybhat
How did he actually start?
Before the roasting, before the Knockout, he wrote for MTV’s Wassup and for Disney. He learned structure, timing, and how to make TV screens listen. Then, in 2012, he teamed up with Gursimran Khamba, Rohan Joshi, and Ashish Shakya to build All India Bakchod. It wasn’t a side hustle. AIB was a production, a brand, a generator of viral sketches and sharp satire that young people latched on to.
The 2015 AIB Knockout with Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor changed the rules. Suddenly digital comedy was a thing you could build a business around. AIB started selling branded sketches and producing campaigns, operating like a content agency. That was Tanmay’s first, big lesson: humour could be productised. Attention was a commodity, and it could be traded.
What broke it and how he turned the collapse into a pivot
2018 arrived, and the #MeToo storm did what storms do. AIB imploded. Tanmay stepped away. For a lot of people, that’s curtains. For him, it became the pivot point.
He didn’t vanish. He went quiet, he spoke about depression, he took the hit, and then he came back, not with a business plan, but with a channel. By 2019, he was posting under his own name: loose vlogs, reaction videos, gaming streams, and interviews. The polish and script were gone. What replaced it was rawness and proximity. People noticed. Some came back. Some stayed.
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Where the money actually comes from (and why it’s not just YouTube ads)
A lot of readers imagine a YouTuber lives off ad cheques. That’s a small part of this. His real edge is stitching together many income threads:
Brand work : big campaigns where he’s often the creative force not just the face. CRED is a headline example.
Live streams and memberships : marathon streams, Super Chats, fans buying in, a direct line from viewer to pocket.
Podcasts, shows, and paid streams : Netflix bits, his own educational and opinion series, different formats, different sponsors.
Merch and events : occasional drops and live shows that pull in sponsors.
Angel investing : this is the quiet multiplier. Equity in start-ups can outgrow a year’s ad revenue, if the bets land right.
That mix is the engine. Tiny checks from many places add up. And equity changes the math entirely.
How does he stay believable and why does the audience stick?
It’s simple: he’s not polished in the glossy influencer way. He talks openly about clinical depression, flops, and bad nights. He says the stupid things, he jokes about the reports saying he’s worth crores while he’s still selling memberships. That honesty, almost messy and not curated, builds trust. In the attention economy, trust is the rarest currency.
The takeaway and it’s not about the headline number
Forget the £55.7 million (₹665 crore) headline for a minute. The useful thing here is a pattern: talent + product sense + diversification + honesty = longevity. He moved from comedian-in-a-group to solo entertainer, to brand strategist, to investor. He learned to sell virality, secure stakes, and make income flow from multiple taps.
From comedy to cash: How Tanmay Bhat amassed £56 million beyond the screenInstagram/tanmaybhat
This is not a blueprint that guarantees crores for everyone. It’s a map that shows the choices that bend the game: make work that’s worth buying, build products around attention, take some bets off-screen, and don’t hide the mess. Tanmay’s story is full of sharp turns and bad nights, but also stubbornness. He lost a lot, publicly, and then built again. That’s the part worth paying attention to and perhaps more than any net worth headline.
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The movie blends folklore, mythology, and cinematic spectacle
Kantara showcases the ancient ritual of Bhoota Kola
Panjurli and Guliga Daiva inspire the film’s central narrative
The movie blends folklore, mythology, and cinematic spectacle for global audiences
A local myth on the global stage
Bhoota Kola of Kalurti X/Ranvijay Singh
Kantara: Chapter 1, written, directed, and starring Rishab Shetty, is more than a regional blockbuster; it is a cinematic celebration of Tulu Nadu’s spiritual heritage. At its core, the film explores the legends of Panjurli Daiva, the protective boar spirit, and Guliga Daiva, the enforcer of justice. These deities have long been central to the coastal Karnataka communities, and Kantara brings their stories to life for audiences worldwide.
Kola is more than a ritual, it's a bridge btwn the spiritual & earthly realmsX/ Prajwal Bhat
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The art and ritual behind Kantara
The film draws heavily on Bhoota Kola, a centuries-old ritual dance and divination practice. Performed in villages across Karnataka and parts of North Kerala, Bhoota Kola is both a spiritual and performative experience. Rituals span hours, featuring elaborate costumes, intense drumming, and the ceremonial mudi (headgear), which symbolises the deity entering the performer. Traditionally, participants consume madhyam (toddy) to suppress personal consciousness, allowing the deity to manifest fully.
PanjurliX/ Prajwal Bhat
Kantara’s cinematography and art direction capture this intensity, translating a centuries-old folk ritual into a visually arresting and authentic cinematic experience.
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Panjurli and Guliga: Gods of protection and justice
Panjurli Daiva embodies nature, fertility, and the protection of communities and crops. The boar spirit’s vibrant performances, rhythmic drumming, and elaborate headdresses make the rituals both mesmerizing and spiritually potent.
PanjurliX/ Ranvijay Singh
Guliga Daiva, on the other hand, represents order and justice. Shrines dedicated to Guliga are simple yet powerful, often consisting of a single stone under a sacred tree. In Kantara, Guliga’s presence adds tension and stakes, reflecting the balance between protection and discipline in traditional Tulu Nadu communities.
Cinema as a cultural bridge
Kantara not only entertains but also educatesX/ Ranvijay Singh
Kantara has achieved global recognition, grossing over £28 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Its success demonstrates that regional myths, when presented with care and cinematic flair, can resonate across cultures. The film immerses viewers in a world where folklore, ritual, and everyday life intersect, showing that ancient stories still hold relevance today.
By combining mythology, folklore, and epic storytelling, Kantara not only entertains but also educates, preserving cultural heritage and introducing global audiences to Tulu Nadu’s living spiritual traditions.
The lasting impact
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Kantara proves that cinema can be a bridge between ancient art forms and modern storytelling. The rituals of Bhoota Kola and the legends of Panjurli and Guliga are more than local folklore; they are a window into a community’s identity, faith, and history. By bringing these myths to the big screen, Rishab Shetty has ensured that these stories, and the culture they represent, will reach audiences far beyond Karnataka.
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Rahman, 59, is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and is seen as a key frontrunner in the upcoming polls.
BANGLADESH Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman said on Monday that he would return to Bangladesh “soon” after 17 years in self-imposed exile to contest the country’s first elections since the 2024 mass uprising.
Rahman, 59, is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and is seen as a key frontrunner in the upcoming polls. “For some reasonable reasons my return hasn’t happened... but the time has come, and I will return soon, God willing,” he told BBC Bangla in an interview broadcast on Monday.
The elections, scheduled for February 2026, will be the first since a mass uprising ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year, ending her 15-year rule during which she suppressed the BNP.
Rahman, also known as Tarique Zia, has lived in London since 2008, saying he fled politically motivated persecution. Since Hasina’s fall, he has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him — a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally, which he denied.
“I am running in the election,” he said, speaking from London. When asked if he would become prime minister if the BNP formed the government, Rahman said: “The people will decide.”
It remains unclear whether his mother, 80-year-old Khaleda Zia, who has suffered ill health since her imprisonment during Hasina’s tenure, will contest or play a guiding role. “She went to jail in good health and returned with ailments, she was deprived of her right to proper treatment,” Rahman said. “But... if her health permits, she will definitely contribute to the election.”
Rahman also commented on the ban on Hasina’s Awami League imposed by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, who is expected to step down after the elections.
Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to face trial for ordering a deadly crackdown during the uprising. She has refused to recognise the court’s authority. The charges against her amount to crimes against humanity in Bangladesh.
“Those who are responsible for such cruelties, those who ordered them, must be punished. This is not about vengeance,” Rahman said. “I strongly believe people cannot support a political party or its activists who murder, forcibly disappear people, or launder money,” he added.
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The sale features limited-time New Deal Drop offers and themed collections such as Cosy Season and Gifting, spotlighting products for autumn and early Christmas shopping. Deals span across Amazon devices, home essentials, fashion, fitness, beauty, and more, with leading brands including Crocs, Ninja, Le Creuset, Philips, Sony, and Dyson.
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With curated collections, limited-time drops, and discounts across top brands, Prime Big Deal Days 2025 gives UK shoppers a perfect opportunity to get ahead on Christmas lists and seasonal upgrades. Exclusive to Prime members, the event continues until 23:59 on 8 October, with new deals surfacing throughout the day.
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Mourners gather for the funeral of Adrian Daulby, who was shot when police responded to an attack on Yom Kippur outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, in what police have declared a terrorist incident, at the Agecroft Jewish Cemetery in Pendlebury, Salford, Britain, October 6, 2025.
MURDER at the synagogue made last Thursday (2) a dark day in British history. Yom Kippur, the holy day of atonement, sees soul-searching Jews cut themselves off from electronic communication for many hours. Some, guarding other synagogues, heard of the Manchester attack from police officers rushing to check on their safety. Others from whispers reverberating around the congregation. Some only found out in the evening, turning on mobile phones or car radios after the ceremonies were over.
“There was an air of inevitability about it,” Rabbi David Mason told me. He was among many Jewish voices to describe this trauma as shocking, yet not surprising. No Jewish person has been killed for being Jewish in this country for over half a century. That victims Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Dauby died seeking to protect others exemplifies the enormous everyday efforts on community security in recent decades. There had been a grim, rising expectation, over the last two years of simmering antisemitism, that such a day might come. David Mason told me he fears a ‘double tragedy’ if the response was to disrupt efforts to build cohesion across communities, rather than galvanising them.
Manchester is the centre of British Jewish life beyond London. The magnificent restoration of the 1798 synagogue which today houses the Manchester Jewish Museum testifies to deep Jewish roots in the city. But as the heavens opened over north Manchester during last Friday’s (3) vigil, there was a fractious cocktail of grief, solidarity and raw anger. Deputy prime minister David Lammy was heckled over Palestine and protest marches. Yet my colleague Avaes Mohammad, attending from nearby Blackburn, told me too how local Muslims were warmly thanked in person by local Jewish residents for being there.
The divisive provocation of an Israeli government invitation to Tommy Robinson was the last thing that Jewish civic leaders needed during such a moment of pain. So, I was impressed with the robust clarity of the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies in reiterating why Robinson is a dangerous thug who will never be trusted by most British Jews. Israel’s minister for antisemitism and diaspora relations declared that the Board of Deputies had been captured by pro-Palestinian forces of wokeness; a reply that shows why he is ‘minister for the diaspora in name only’ to anyone who knows Britain at all.
For progressive voices, calling out the far right is the easy part. The response from Jewish civic leaders reinforced the crucial boundary between challenging Islamist extremism and Robinson’s attempt to recruit Jews into sweeping anti-Muslim prejudice. It could be reciprocated best by challenging Islamist hatred as strongly as the racist far right.
British Muslim civic leaders understand that challenge. The arson attack on an East Sussex mosque is just one example of how Muslims often suffer most when Islamists convey, through words or deeds, a narrative of extremism and incompatibility. The result is so often more fear, more prejudice and more threat to the status of Muslims as equal citizens of our country.
The lines between politics, protest and prejudice are sharply contested. Many in politics offer wildly inconsistent principles on different issues. A government review, of how police set conditions to ensure the line between democratic protest and intimidation, should be used to demonstrate consistency – whether the issue is Palestine, India and Pakistan, or asylum seekers in hotels.
It is antisemitic to hold British Jews responsible for the Israeli government – in mere words or murderous deeds. Rationally, by the same token, challenges to Israeli government policy and support for a Palestinian state are distinct from antisemitism, unless made in antisemitic terms. But the emotional landscape can be more complicated. A new study from the Institute of Jewish Public Research (JPR) illuminates a lonely two years for British Jews. The pervasive experience of casual antisemitism unifies the Jewish community – but Israeli action in Gaza is a source of pain and division. JPR finds that a majority of British Jews now say that Israel’s military excesses in Gaza offend their Jewish values, yet that they also feel closer emotionally to Israel since the Hamas atrocity. Many British Jews now feel closer to Jewish friends – and try to avoid talking politics or about Israel with others.
Our age has seen a concerted effort to delegitimise expressions of solidarity as mere ‘virtue signalling’, in order to deepen political polarisation, at best, or at worst to socialise violence. Thousands of lives were lost in Northern Ireland in living memory as men of violence claimed to defend one community against another. Before Manchester, there was only one murder at a place of worship in Britain this century: the far-right inspired murder at Finsbury Park Mosque in 2017. Americans seem desensitised to violence in churches and schools. We must never emulate that here.
Responses to Manchester show why expressions of empathy still matter – not only symbolically, but also in practice. Far from being an evasion, empathy can provide the foundation for the deeper work needed to address the roots of hatred. That is a task we must do together.
Sunder Katwala is the director of thinktank British Future and the author of the book How to Be a Patriot: The must-read book on British national identity and immigration.