MAM
Indian Navy team third in Hong Kong Challenge finals
From Mumbai to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong AXN Challenge, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and AXN, moved to the Chinese territory for the grande finale. The winning pair from the Indian leg of the Challenge, comprising Commander Siddarth Panda and Seaman Vijay Dahiya of the Indian Navy, kept the Indian flag flying by securing an overall third placing in the international category finals held on 20 April.
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“Team India” came in third after first-placed Team Hong Kong and fellow seamen from Thailand, who came in second. Teams from Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines placed 4th, 5th and 6th respectively, an official release states.
Cdr Panda and Seaman Dahiya did manage a first though. That was in the City Dares Challenge – a race that swept through urban and rural Hong Kong.
Despite being the oldest participant in the international category, 40-year-old Cdr Panda and his teammate showed true grit in the seven-hour race which involved swimming, abseiling, kayaking, canoeing and canyoneering through Hong Kong’s thickets. Held in the spirit of Eco-Challenge, the grueling adventure race that has now become known as the Olympics of Expedition Racing, the teams were told of their challenges and routes only during the race.
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.
