Film Production
IPL powers 21st Century Fox’s international ad revenue
MUMBAI: At a point when Rupert Murdoch’s media empire 21st Century Fox is preparing to sell the bulk of its film and TV assets to Walt Disney Co (Disney), its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings beat analysts’ expectations. The conglomerate’s total revenue was up 18 per cent from $6.7bn to $7.9bn in the April-June quarter thanks to the higher content revenues at the Filmed Entertainment segment and higher affiliate and advertising revenues at the Cable Network Programming and Television segments.
Talking about the international revenue, Indian Premier League’s (IPL) contribution was mentioned. “Star India secured Indian Premier League’s global media and digital broadcast rights and, aided by the inaugural broadcast of the IPL, further penetration of its Hotstar platform and continued general entertainment growth, nearly doubled its profit contributions year over year,” the company said in a release. International advertising revenue which increased 55 per cent was led by the broadcast of the IPL at Star.
While analysts were expecting 54 cents in per-share earnings on $7.55 billion in revenue, it earned 57 cents per share after certain items on $7.94 billion in revenue. Though the stock was unchanged following the release, shares of Fox have surged 62 per cent in the past 12 months in last one year.
“As we move closer to combining our businesses with Disney and establishing new “Fox”, we are convinced that the paths we are creating for our iconic businesses will drive enduring and growing value for our shareholders,” executive chairmen Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch commented after the result. Lachlan Murdoch reiterated that news and live sports will underpin the profile of the new Fox in a call with analysts.
The cash-and-stock transaction which is predicted to be closed in the first half of next year is awaiting the green light from more than a dozen countries, including China, Russia and regulators from the European Union, after winning approval from US regulators. Fox will retain its TV stations, Fox Business, Fox News and its sports channels after the sell.
In such scenario, the three segments cable network programming, filmed entertainment, television boosted their revenue, and the first two improved their operating income too. The filmed entertainment unit which saw revenue jump some 27 per cent to $2.3 billion, the surge was driven largely by the success of Deadpool 2. Revenue from the cable division rose 13.8 per cent and accounted for more than half of overall revenue.
Fox is still now locked in a bidding war with Comcast over the 61 per cent of Sky it does not currently own. While Comcast’s current offer is higher than Fox’s offering, it still has 46 days to revise its offer.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
