JioBLAST appoint Manish Patankar as VP of Commercial Partnership
JioBLAST, the joint venture between Jio, RISE Worldwide, and BLAST shaping India’s next generation of esports and competitive entertainment, today announced the appointment of Manish Patankar as VP-Commercial Partnership.
Manish joins JioBLAST with an extensive 12+ year track record in sports business, commercial strategy, and IP monetisation across some of India’s most prominent sports and entertainment organisations. His experience spans leadership roles at Collective Artists Network, ITW Consulting, IOS Sports & Entertainment, and earlier entrepreneurial work at SahiCoin. In his previous mandates, he spearheaded commercial strategy for sports IPs, scaled partnership revenues, and led marquee deals with leagues, broadcasters, athletes, and brands.
At JioBLAST, Manish will lead commercial strategy across esports properties, large-scale IPs, partnerships, monetisation, and integrated opportunities across the JioBLAST ecosystem, building scalable revenue engines for India’s rapidly growing esports audience.
Commenting on the appointment, 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.”
Sharing his thoughts, Manish Patankar, Head of Commercial, 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.”
A Joint Venture Powering India’s Esports Future
JioBLAST is a joint venture between Jio, BLAST, and RISE Worldwide Limited, combining Jio’s 500+ million-strong digital ecosystem with BLAST’s global expertise in esports entertainment and RISE’s leadership in sports and event management. Together, they aim to build India’s most engaging and scalable esports IP ecosystem - from world-class tournaments to creator-driven entertainment formats.
With India emerging as one of the world’s largest gaming markets and the Online Gaming Bill 2025 actively supporting industry growth, JioBLAST is set to accelerate the nation’s journey towards becoming a global esports powerhouse.
