MAM
Audiences swell for India F1 GP
MUMBAI: The first Indian F1 Grand Prix that was held last weekend has seen a sixfold increase in TV ratings compared to other F1 races, according to data from TAM Sports (c&s, 4+ six Metros).
Tam data shows that if an average F1 GP has a TVR of 100, then the India race managed a TVR of 715. In terms of the other GP races, the Malaysian GP ran a TVR of 171 while the Australian GP managed 154 and the Singapore event got around 85 TVR. The analysis is based on the Qualifying Race and Race Day.
Lodestar UN COO Anamika Mehta said that since the F1 race was taking place in India for the first time, there was a lot of buzz. “There was a lot more excitement and it is natural that the TVR grew. F1 is still a nascent sport but if it is cultivated and marketed well, it will grow.”
Advertisers are still figuring out how an F1 association works in terms of economics and ROI. “The good news is that the race took place during the holiday season. Around 95,000 people watched the race on the ground which shows the kind of interest the event generated,” said Mehta.
Mehta feels that interest in advertisers among F1 at a ground level will mostly be for the India event as opposed to being involved with the other races. “Being involved with F1 at an overall level will be a slow burn process. Even Indian companies which want to go abroad for now are mostly only involved with the Indian race. It does not make sense for Indian companies who are mostly local to be involved at a ground level with races in foreign markets.”
Mehta expects advertisers to experiment with the F1 race in India over the next two to three years, both on-air and on the ground. So one could see different kinds of partnerships taking place.
Mehta also does not expect much viewership growth to happen for the other races remaining in the season. “While there might be a bit of growth for the remaining races in the season, I don‘t think that it will be dramatic. The sport has to be cultivated in the country,” she averred.
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.
