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CRED and Harley Davidson Curate Members-Only Experience at 8th India H.O.G. ® Rally
MUMBAI: CRED, a members-only platform of highly trusted individuals, brands and institutions, has partnered with Harley Davidson to offer its members a unique experience of the iconic brand at the 8th India H.O.G. Rally. One lucky member will also win a Harley-Davidson® Street™ 750 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Bike.
The H.O.G. Rally is the largest annual congregation of Indian H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) charters. It will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Goa on the 14th and 15th of February, 2020. Members who refer friends will earn CRED gems that can be used to participate in a raffle for the Limited Edition Street 750 Harley Davidson. All CRED members at the Rally will also have access to the CRED Zone where they can get a hands on experience of the bike.
The H.O.G Rally will include performances by bands and artistes such as Bollywood Singer Neha Bhasin, Anand Bhaskar Collective, Goan band Raagas 2 Riches, DJ Nasha, DJ Suketu and a stunt show by international riding champion Aras Gibieza. India’s greatest bike builders will compete for the best custom bike, followed by an awards and recognition ceremony for all HOG members at the rally.
Ishaan Sethi, from the Lifestyle team at CRED, said, “The Harley Owners Group community is tight-knit, aspirational and an enduring symbol of success, much like the CRED community. This partnership between the two communities offers a VIP experience for India’s most creditworthy individuals. We’re so excited to curate an opportunity for members to tick one more achievement off their bucket lists.”
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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.
