Brands
Airtel ties up with Baahubali 2 for special experience
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel and ‘Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion’ has tied up to roll out special products for the fans of the forthcoming epic mythological film.
A range of Airtel ‘Baahubali 2’ products were unveiled by the upcoming film’s star cast in Hyderabad to add to the excitement around the arrival of the one of the most anticipated films in the country.
For Baahubali fans, Airtel has launched a special ‘Baahubali-2’ 4G SIM with free 4G data benefits to enable customers to experience the epic drama on India’s fastest mobile network. In addition, the Company launched special ‘Baahubali -2’ 4G Recharge Packs that offer great value to customers.
Customers can also enjoy content like the making of the film and a host of such other videos from the film on Airtel Movies. Airtel’s OTT Wynk Music will have the star cast of ‘Baahubali -2’ as ‘Guest Editors’ on the app and users can enjoy specially curated Playlists.
Bharti Airtel director – consumer business & chief marketing officer Raj Pudipeddi said, “As India’s largest and fastest mobile network, Airtel is thrilled to partner with ‘Baahubali 2’ to deliver an exciting experience to our customers. We invite Baahubali fans to get up close with the epic on their smartphones with Airtel and enjoy great content backed by a superior mobile broadband experience.”
Bharti Airtel Andhra Pradesh & Telangana CEO Venkatesh Vijayraghavan added, “Customers can now also experience high speed data on the seamless Airtel Baahubali mobile broadband network to enjoy all the film content from the internet. Customers can also enjoy our specially curated Wynk Music playlist, exclusive videos on Airtel Movies and much more apart from trying their luck at exciting online contests.”
Arka Mediaworks CEO Shobu Yarlagadda said, “We are excited about the partnership as it makes brand Baahubali more accessible to our audience. Currently Baahubali has expanded into a big franchise that includes comic books, novels, animated TV series, mobile game and a first of its kind virtual reality experience. Through this partnership with Airtel, we will expand our ability to provide the Baahubali phenomena and entertainment on-the-go, anywhere, and anytime to our audience.”
In addition to these, Airtel will introduce an online engagement programME across various digital platforms to bring the exciting world of Baahubali closer to its consumers. An outdoor campaign will also be live soon making the movie and Airtel 4G come alive across customer touch points in the country. Customers can stay tuned to ‘Airtel India’ on Facebook and ‘@airtelindia’ on Twitter.
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
