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Axis mutual funds does a scientific experiment for ELSS
MUMBAI: In an era of dime a dozen social experiments which do the rounds on social media, The Womb, as part of an investor education initiative for Axis Mutual Funds conducted a scientific experiment to prove how ELSS, unlike other tax saving options, is not just helpful in saving tax but a great way to way to create wealth. The experiment captured on video has been released digitally on 4 January.
Axis Mutual Fund vice president of marketing communication and digital marketing Rohan Padhye says, “January to March period are typically the tax season during which everyone hankers around to save tax. We felt it’s important to educate consumers that they should not just think about saving tax, but invest for wealth creation too, through ELSS. ELSS has become all the more relevant today given the low-interest rates offered by traditional tax savings options. The endeavour was to inform consumers about this functional aspect in a simple and entertaining way. I have to say, we at Axis MF were pleasantly surprised when we first heard the idea of a Science Experiment. We thought we were hearing it wrong but it is the bizarreness that made us confident about the campaign.”
On how did he get to the idea of a scientific experiment ,The Womb creative partner Suyash Khabya says, “The root for the idea came from the medium itself. It was not a TVC; it was a digital media campaign, so we had to think accordingly. Social media is stuffed with boring, staged and uninspiring social experiments. In fact, it’s become a format and the novelty has waned. So we just took a spin on it.”
The Womb founding partner Kawal Shoor mentions, “There are 2 audiences for this campaign. The first is the traditional ELSS target – the corporate salaried individual. For her, during the tax season ELSS is one of the options to invest in order to save tax. So we had to make ELSS top-of-mind. The second is the young trader/shopkeeper/service professional who, due to GST , etc., has just come into the tax bracket. The pinch of paying high taxes from the ‘khoon-paseene ki kamaai’ for them is very real. We had to, through our work, tackle that sentiment too. Hence the ‘science experiment’ on an emotional issue.”
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.
