MAM
AXN brings X’mas cheer with ‘Who Needs Santa’ contest
MUMBAI: Who Needs Santa when there is AXN to hand out gifts. That is the push that the action oriented broadcaster AXN is using for its new promotional campaign Who Needs Santa. This kicks off on 17 December 2005.
The contest revolves around a simple theme. All a viewer has to do is watch AXN between 9 pm and 12 pm, spot the question of the day and SMS AXN followed by the answer (‘a’, ‘b’ or ‘c’ ) to 2525. A Maruti Suzuki Swift is at stake for the winner.
AXN is also offering prizes such as a 42 inch Haier Plasma TV and five Sony Play Station-2s to duel with after studying the weekly tips on AXN GameMax! In addition to AXN merchandise, viewers can also win a Nokia 6600 everyday through SMS.
Launched in India in 1998, AXN which positions itself as the heart of action and adventure is available in 22 countries all over Asia. It claims to reach more than 71 million households throughout Asia, including more than 25 million homes in India.
Digital
Anthropic eyes $900bn valuation in new funding round ahead of IPO: Reports
Claude maker may surpass OpenAI as investor interest heats up sharply
SAN FRANCISCO: Anthropic is exploring a fresh funding round that could value the company at more than $900 billion, potentially making it the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup, according to Bloomberg reports.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported that the Claude maker is in early-stage discussions with investors and is entertaining offers at more than double its current valuation. No deal has been finalised yet.
The interest marks a sharp jump from February this year, when Anthropic raised $30 billion at a valuation of $380 billion. Since then, investor appetite appears to have intensified, with multiple pre-emptive offers on the table.
According to TechCrunch, the company has received proposals to raise around $50 billion at valuations ranging between $850 billion and $900 billion. A decision is expected to be taken at a board meeting in May.
If the deal goes through at the upper end of that range, Anthropic would overtake OpenAI, which was valued at $852 billion in March, to become the most valuable AI startup globally.
The potential fundraise also comes against the backdrop of a possible initial public offering, which could be launched as early as October, the Bloomberg report noted.
The company counts tech heavyweights such as Amazon and Google, part of Alphabet, among its key backers. Both firms have continued to deepen their ties with Anthropic through multi-billion-dollar, performance-linked investments.
Interestingly, earlier reports had suggested that Anthropic was cautious about raising funds at valuations of $800 billion or more. The latest developments, however, indicate that market enthusiasm for advanced AI models and infrastructure may be shifting those thresholds quickly.
As the race for AI dominance accelerates, Anthropic’s next move could set a new benchmark for startup valuations, and signal just how high investors are willing to bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
