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Taco Bell gets India rooting for free tacos
MUMBAI: As over one billion people around the country are waiting with bated breath for the country’s next big match, Taco Bell, the world's leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant brand is rooting for India to win this cricketing season through a unique ‘Win the Cup, Win the Taco’ campaign.
The brand has introduced a new digital film as part of the campaign. The film offers a fun take on the popular ‘Jeetega Bhai Jeetega’ slogan that reverberates in stadiums during cricket matches. It shows a group of fans at a Taco Bell restaurant, who when asked what their favorite slogan for India is, burst into shouts of ‘Jeetega Bhai Jeetega…Poora India…Free Taco Jeetega! Jab India Cup Uthaega, Main Free Taco Khaayega’.
In its maiden run in the country, ‘Win the Cup, Win the Taco’ will reward Taco Bell fans in India by giving them a free taco if the country wins the final game of the tournament. You can watch the digital film here.
Speaking about the film, Ankush Tuli, Managing Director, Taco Bell Asia Pacific said, “Across the globe, consumers will find Taco Bell at the forefront of cultural moments most relevant to our fans. The new digital film for the ‘Win the Cup, Win the Taco’ campaign gives us an opportunity to engage with consumers through the sport and slogans they know and love. This cricket season, we’re rooting for free tacos for all of India and cannot wait for the team’s next big match.”
Gaurav Burman, Director, Burman Hospitality, Taco Bell’s Master Franchise Partner in India said, “What a wonderful tournament it has been! Our team has performed brilliantly and has already made us proud. We at Taco Bell India wish them well for the next few matches and hope they win the championship, so that we can celebrate their win with free tacos for all of India.”
The new campaign draws inspiration from the brand’s U.S. based baseball campaign, ‘Steal a Base, Steal a Taco,’ which promises all of America a free taco when a baseball player successfully ‘steals’ a base during a game.
As the team lifts the trophy, all Taco Bell restaurants across the country will give consumers one free taco per person, irrespective of any purchase.
Fans are encouraged to follow along on Taco Bell India’s social media channels to find out more details about the campaign, such as redemption date and time. If India wins it all, consumers can walk into any Taco Bell restaurant across 11 cities in India to receive their free taco. The offer will be subject to terms & conditions and the discretion of the brand.
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.
