iWorld
SonyLIV and Lionsgate India Partner to Launch LIONSGATE PLAY Premium Offering
MUMBAI: SonyLIV, India’s premier OTT platform and VOD service, locked in a multi- year strategic content deal with American entertainment giant, LIONSGATE. At a press conference in Mumbai, Uday Sodhi, Business Head – Digital, Sony Pictures Networks India and Rohit Jain, Managing Director, Lionsgate India, inked the association and spoke about how this alliance will bring the best mix of International content to Indian digital audiences.
The embedded LIONSGATE PLAY destination on SonyLIV will roll out with over 500 hours of Lionsgate premium original series, including hits like Power, Vida, Sweetbitter, The White Queen, The White Princess and the eagerly-anticipated The Spanish Princess along with popular Lionsgate library titles such as Crash, Manhattan, Wildfire, Are We There Yet? and Chasing Life.
For the first time ever in India, the digital viewer will get to see award winning titles and gripping dramas that have captivated audiences’ world over. IMDB 8.3 rated Power that debuts in India on SonyLIV highlights the dual life of drug dealer, James St. Patrick, striving to manage his business as a nightclub owner and has gained critical acclaim since its release and stayed on the top charts in America. Featuring Jessie T. Usher and RonReaco Lee as leads, Survivor’s Remorse is a daring sports comedy.
Critically acclaimed series, Sweetbitter, and Vida dwelling over life altering experiences of their protagonists also make way to SonyLIV. Also included are science fictions and thrillers like Con Man and Insomnia that comprise the repertoire spanning across genres.
Lionsgate Play will be bundled within SonyLIV’s current slate of programming, significantly enhancing its premium English-language offering to viewers. The new assortment of shows will be available for viewing under SonyLIV Premium for INR 99 for a month, 299 for 6 months and INR 499 for a year.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
