MAM
Rashi Singh appointed Marketing Director at Suntory India
Moves up from Whiskey Category Lead, with firm since October 2022.
MUMBAI: Another neat pour at the top, this time, in the marketing mix. Rashi Singh has been elevated to Marketing Director at Suntory Global Spirits India, marking a step up within the organisation she joined in October 2022. Singh, who previously served as Category Lead for Whiskey at the company (then operating under the Beam Suntory identity), shared the update via LinkedIn, signalling a continuation of her trajectory within the premium spirits major.
Her move comes amid ongoing momentum in India’s premium alco-bev segment, where brands are increasingly investing in sharper positioning and consumer-led storytelling. In her earlier role, Singh was closely associated with building category narratives in whiskey, one of the most competitive segments in the market.
Before joining Suntory, Singh was with Pernod Ricard, adding further depth to a career rooted in premium spirits marketing.
The elevation underscores Suntory Global Spirits India’s focus on strengthening its marketing leadership as it navigates a rapidly evolving consumer landscape, one where brand, experience, and storytelling increasingly define the pour.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.








