MAM
Salman Khan takes Colors to No 2
MUMBAI: If it was the charm and charisma of Amitabh Bachchan that kept Sony Entertainment Television (Set) ahead of Colors, it is now Salman Khan who has stolen the show post KBC.
Just one week after the fifth season of Big B-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) ended on Set, Colors took the ‘Dabangg‘ Khan‘s help to reach number two.
The Viacom18 Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) has added 43 GRPs (gross rating points) in the week ended 26 November to register 277 GRPs (last week 234).
The channel aired Dabangg and Ready, back-to-back on Sunday (20 November) and Saturday (26 November), clocking close to 40 GRPs.
Additionally, its shows like Bigg Boss 5, Parichay, and Phulwa saw slight increase in the ratings. The channel also aired maha-episodes of Balika Vadhu and Uttaran which clocked 3.6 TVR and 2.3 TVR respectively.
Meanwhile, as per TAM data for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+), Set lost 38 GRPs post KBC and has slipped to third position among the GECs. The channel ended the week with 231 GRPs (last week 269). The two new fiction shows of the channel – Dekha Ek Khwaab averaged at 1.5 TVR while Parvarish did a 2.32 TVR respectively.
Star Plus, the leading GEC has seen 2 GRPs drop but it continues to record 300+ GRPs and ended the week with 312 GRPs.
Meanwhile, Zee TV lost 12 GRPs and ended the week with 149 GRPs. The fifth channel in the order, Sab, garnered 108 GRPs (last week 115) while Imagine TV registered 73 GRPs (last week 78).
Star One with 42 GRPs (last week 45) and Sahara One with 36 GRPs (last week 40) followed.
Brands
UpGrad to acquire Unacademy in share-swap deal, founders confirm
Proposed share-swap could unite two edtech rivals as sector eyes consolidation
MUMBAI: The Indian edtech sector may be inching toward another wave of consolidation, with online learning platform upGrad signing a term sheet to acquire rival Unacademy in an all stock transaction.
If completed, the deal would bring together two of the country’s most prominent education technology companies at a time when the sector is adjusting to slower demand and a sharper focus on profitability after the pandemic driven boom.
UpGrad founder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that Unacademy co-founder and chief executive Gaurav Munjal would continue to lead the company following the acquisition.
“We at upGrad have signed a term sheet to acquire Unacademy in an all stock deal, with founder and ceo Gaurav Munjal staying on to build Unacademy and focus on what it does best, creating online education products that learners love,” Screwvala wrote.
He added that the agreement includes a break fee provision if the transaction fails to close. Screwvala also said the combined entity could strengthen upGrad’s integrated learning model spanning K12 education, professional training and lifelong learning.
Unacademy confirmed that the proposed transaction will be executed through a 100 per cent share swap, with the valuation to be disclosed only after the deal closes and regulatory filings are completed.
Announcing the development on X, Munjal described the agreement as the beginning of a new chapter for both companies and the wider edtech ecosystem.
He noted that Unacademy had spent the past year reshaping its operations to focus more sharply on online education products. Among the steps taken were consolidating company operated offline centres with franchise partners and launching a Rs 50 crore employee stock ownership plan buyback, in which around 40 per cent of former employees have already participated.
Munjal also highlighted the traction gained by Airlearn, the company’s language learning product, which he said is expanding in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.
“Our cash reserves as of today are more than $100 million,” he said.
The proposed deal also marks a turnaround from earlier talks between the two companies that had stalled over disagreements on valuation and structure. Previous discussions had placed Unacademy’s valuation in the range of $300 million to $400 million, according to media reports.
If the transaction goes through, Munjal will continue as co-founder and chief executive of Unacademy, focusing on building online learning products for students in India and global markets.
For upGrad, the acquisition would broaden its footprint across the education spectrum, from school level learning to professional upskilling and lifelong education.
The move comes as India’s edtech sector enters a more sober phase after years of rapid expansion. Companies across the industry have been trimming costs, restructuring operations and seeking scale to build more sustainable businesses.
Against that backdrop, the potential combination of upGrad and Unacademy could signal that the next phase of edtech growth may be driven less by blitzscaling and more by strategic partnerships and consolidation.
