MAM
Hungama bags digital account of Timex & Helix
Mumbai: Timex India and its youth brand Helix have appointed Hungama Digital Services as their new digital media AoR.
The agency will be working on their web and mobile platforms. It will manage social media for both the brands, media buying as well applications.
Timex India MD and CEO V.D Wadhwa said, “The digital medium is fast evolving and presents tremendous opportunity for brands to mark their presence. It is increasingly becoming an important platform for interacting directly with our target audience. Given that the measurability of this domain is quantifiable, we at Timex are extremely focused on strengthening our brand presence on this very dynamic platform. We have strategic plans to increase our presence through the launch of brand Webstores, social media pages and impactful search and display campaigns. We chose to partner with Hungama as it is the leader in providing effective digital campaigns to brands across markets and categories. I am very confident of this partnership, as it will act as a catalyst in our journey to become the most influential brand in the digital space.”
Hungama Digital Services MD and CEO Neeraj Roy added, “We are excited with the win and look forward to a relationship with the Timex Group. With an experienced and award winning team here, we aim to leverage this opportunity for Timex, towards a widespread exposure and an increased engagement in the digital space. Today, India is at the cusp of digital revolution with the advent of 500+ million consumers getting online in the next 3-4 years. We hope to offer integrated digital and experiential services to clients and prepare brands to connect, interact and transact with their customers.”
For the record, JWT Singapore had recently acquired a 51 per cent stake in Hungama Digital Services.
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.
