MAM
KFC unveils its Double Down Burger in latest ad
Mumbai: KFC India has rolled out a fresh campaign to launch its new product offering – Double Down Burger. Conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, the ad features popular actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Seema Pahwa displaying their unabashed love for chicken. ‘Jo Chicken Ke Liye Hai Badtameez, Unke Liye Hai Yeh Special Cheez’, goes the tagline.
Dubbing the launch as ‘the biggest event in the history of burgerkind’, KFC India, chief marketing officer, Moksh Chopra said, “It was only befitting that this ultimate burger be launched by none other than iconic actors Ratna Pathak Shah and Seema Pahwa. Their on-screen chemistry and the peculiar exchange over a chicken conversation is bound to leave you in splits.”
Ogilvy (North), chief creative officer, Ritu Sharda shared, “We all have that one badtameez friend who eats all the chicken from a dish and leaves the gravy for the rest. This film shows one such lovingly badtameez person and how KFC’s Double Down, being all chicken, is truly meant for those who are ‘chicken ke liye badtameez’.”
Talking about the ad, actor Ratna Pathak Shah said, “I am an ardent foodie myself and can relate to the way Seema’s character was possessive about the chicken in the noodles. KFC’s Double Down Burger is indeed a unique burger with a chicken overload – just right for serious foodies. I enjoyed being a part of the campaign and watching the chicken wars.”
Seema Pahwa added, “When the burger is as full of crispy chicken as the KFC Double Down Burger, how could one not get a little badtameez? I was super-excited to be a part of its launch campaign and play a character that’s so close to my heart – that of a true chicken-lover.”
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.
