Mumbai: JioBLAST, the joint venture between Jio, RISE Worldwide, and BLAST focused on shaping India’s esports and competitive entertainment landscape, today announced the appointment of Manish Patankar as VP – Commercial Partnerships.
Manish brings over 12 years of experience in sports business, commercial strategy, and IP monetisation across India’s leading sports and entertainment organisations. His career spans leadership roles at Collective Artists Network, ITW Consulting, IOS Sports & Entertainment, and entrepreneurial ventures like SahiCoin. He has successfully spearheaded commercial strategies for sports IPs, scaled partnership revenues, and executed marquee deals with leagues, broadcasters, athletes, and brands.
At JioBLAST, Manish will lead commercial strategy across esports properties, IPs, partnerships, and monetisation initiatives, building scalable revenue engines for India’s rapidly expanding esports audience.
Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, said, “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.”
Manish Patankar, VP – Commercial Partnerships, JioBLAST, added, “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 combines Jio’s 500+ million-strong digital ecosystem, BLAST’s global esports expertise, and RISE Worldwide’s leadership in sports and event management. Together, the JV aims to establish India’s most engaging and scalable esports IP ecosystem, spanning world-class tournaments and creator-driven entertainment formats.
With India emerging as one of the world’s largest gaming markets and the Online Gaming Bill 2025 supporting industry growth, JioBLAST is positioned to accelerate the nation’s journey toward becoming a global esports powerhouse.
