iWorld
Serena Menon, Netflix’s head of PR exits, likely to join Prime Video & Amazon MGM
After seven years at Netflix, India PR chief moves to Amazon’s studio fold
MUMBAI: Serena Menon is turning the page on a seven year run at Netflix, stepping down as director, public relations, India to join Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.
Her exit comes shortly after Das moved on as head, brand PR, prime video Apac, signalling a wider shuffle within Amazon’s streaming communications set up.
At Netflix, Menon most recently led the India publicity team, shaping the streamer’s reputation in one of its most competitive markets. As director, public relations, India, she oversaw strategy, brand positioning and high impact earned campaigns for both homegrown originals and international titles.
Before that, she served as director, photo and av studio, asia pacific, managing creative teams across India, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The brief was ambitious: craft the story behind the story and strengthen title campaigns with compelling visual narratives.
Her Netflix journey began in 2018 as manager, visual communications, India. She later became India lead, photo and av studio, building the team from scratch and putting in place the processes that helped scale operations in a fast growing market.
Prior to streaming, Menon built her editorial credentials at Elle Magazine as managing editor and associate editor, leading film and lifestyle coverage while collaborating on brand led initiatives. She earlier spent over six years at Hindustan Times, rising through roles including staff writer, senior staff writer, principal correspondent and assistant editor.
With a career that bridges newsroom rigour and global brand storytelling, Menon now steps into Amazon’s studio fold at a time when streaming competition is only getting sharper. Her next chapter promises to be as closely watched as the premieres she once publicised.
iWorld
Rusk Media announces Battleground Season 2 on Amazon MX Player
Fitness reality show returns in April 2026 with bigger challenges and mentors.
MUMBAI: The arena is reopening and this time the competition promises even more sweat, strategy and spectacle. Rusk Media has confirmed the return of its fitness reality format Battleground for a second season, set to stream on Amazon MX Player from April 2026. The announcement follows the breakout success of the show’s debut season, which positioned itself as a high energy blend of sport, strategy and reality television. Season 1 brought together 16 contestants for a 28 day test of endurance and discipline, as aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts competed in physically demanding challenges and team based battles.
Divided into four teams, the participants trained under a panel of mentors drawn from the fitness and lifestyle space, with former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan serving as the show’s Super Mentor.
The format quickly found an audience among digital viewers and was listed among the most binged titles on Amazon MX Player. The show also picked up industry recognition, winning the “Most Popular Non Fiction Show” honour at the IWMBuzz Digital Awards 2025.
The first season also drew a slate of brand partnerships, including Honda Bigwing, Charged, American Pistachio Growers, Bigmuscles Nutrition, Ritebite Max Protein, Plix and Sparsh CCTV, highlighting the show’s appeal to brands targeting India’s rapidly growing youth and fitness audience.
For Season 2, the producers say the format will evolve with tougher physical challenges, a sharper competitive structure and deeper mentor involvement while continuing to focus on discovering the next generation of Indian fitness personalities.
Rusk Media, chief executive officer and co founder Mayank Yadav said the first season proved the appetite for competitive fitness storytelling. “Battleground was always envisioned as more than a show. Season 1 demonstrated that there is a massive audience for aspirational fitness competition at scale. With Season 2 we are going even bigger in ambition, intensity and opportunities for contestants and partners,” he said.
Rusk Ads lead Rahul Arora added that the series has also evolved into a strong platform for brand integration and advertiser engagement. “Season 1 showed that Battleground is not just compelling content but a powerful brand ecosystem. As we move into Season 2, we are looking to deepen brand collaborations and build more integrated partnerships,” he said.
With a larger format, an expanding fan base and a new season set to arrive in April 2026, Battleground is positioning itself as one of India’s emerging fitness reality franchises in the digital entertainment space.
