MAM
Hyundai’s new i10 TVC featuring SRK goes on air
NEW DELHI: A new television commercial featuring Shah Rukh Khan in Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s (HMIL) Next Gen i10 goes on air today.
Khan is supported by Manajari Phadnis who plays the female lead in the commercial. The TVC is built around the theme of, “The World is on your side when you drive an i10,” — the film unfolds to show how “good things” happen to Khan as soon as he gets into an i10.
Announcing the launch of the new television commercial, HMIL marketing and sales director Arvind Saxena said, “The i10 has been one of our most successful cars, with the new commercial we want to reiterate the message that the i10 continues to be a preferred choice with competition nowhere close to it in styling, features or mileage.”
The storyline revolves around the “good” things that the i10 brings to its owners. As Khan starts driving the car, he gets great company in the form of Manjari next to him. And the weather that was looking ominous also begins to turn sunny as he drives along. The whole theme has been explained with the help of a device that is a “benevolent imaginary hand” which makes Khan’s luck turn good.
The commercial depicts how the i10 becomes a means of acquiring a life that is brilliant.
The i10 was launched in October 2007. It was awarded the Indian Car of the Year Award in 2008. In September 2010 the Next Gen i10 was launched.
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.
