MAM
Bombay High Court ends OOH hoardings’ Covid2019 messaging mandate
MUMBAI: In a move that comes as a relief, during the fourth virtual Bombay high court hearing, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCMG) has asked media owners to stop displaying awareness messages around Covid2019 on its OOH properties.
In the month of March, MCMG had mandated all hoarding owners to feature messages around the pandemic to raise public awareness. However, while the duration of the messages was supposed to be 10 days, the campaigns continued for almost three months, free of charge.
During the hearing, the council of MCMG also said that they would need some more time to come to a conclusion on the compensation charges which are to be applied on the non-payment of licence fees. On the matter of licence fee payment, the civic body has filed its reply to the Bombay High Court. However, it has not been disclosed yet. The next hearing will take place on Friday, 19 June.
The OOH players who appealed for the waiver of the licence fee are- Creation Publicity Pvt Ltd, Bright Advertising Pvt Ltd, Orion Advertisers, Anurag Sites, Em Vee Advertising Company, Pingle Outdoor, Yoag Advertisers and Pioneer Publicity Corporation Ltd.
The outdoor industry which has already suffered huge losses and has also not been compensated is also looking for some relief after the next hearing.
In May, the high court issued an interim order instructing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to not impose a licence fee on hoardings for May in the wake of the losses suffered by OOH players due to the pandemic.
MAM
Bob Iger joins Thrive Capital as adviser after Disney exit
Former Disney CEO returns to VC firm, stays on as Disney adviser till 2026.
MUMBAI: From castles to capital, Bob Iger isn’t done building just changing the blueprint. Bob Iger has taken on an advisory role at Thrive Capital, marking a return to the New York-based venture firm he briefly joined in 2022. Founded in 2009 by Josh Kushner, Thrive Capital has been positioning itself at the intersection of technology and long-term value creation, an area where Iger’s experience in scaling global entertainment businesses is expected to add weight. Kushner, 40, welcomed Iger back, highlighting his ability to blend technology with human-centric storytelling, particularly in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Iger is no stranger to Thrive. He had earlier joined the firm as a venture partner in September 2022, after stepping down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company and concluding his tenure as executive chairman in 2021. That stint, however, was short-lived. In November 2022, Disney’s board brought him back to steady the ship, replacing Bob Chapek following a turbulent period for the company.
Now, with his latest exit from Disney’s top job last month, Iger appears to be revisiting the venture world, this time with a clearer runway. Still, the Disney chapter isn’t entirely closed. Under his agreement with the company, he will remain until the end of 2026 as a senior adviser to new CEO Josh D’Amaro and will continue to serve on the board for his current term.
The move comes as venture firms increasingly seek operators with deep industry experience to navigate what Kushner described as “the most consequential technology shift” of the era, driven by AI. For Iger, whose career has hinged on blending creativity with scale, the transition from Hollywood to high-growth investing seems less like a pivot and more like a plot twist.
