MAM
India’s chess federation seeks support for Commonwealth games
MUMBAI: The annual Commonwealth Chess Championships will be held in Mumbai from 19 April 2003 for a period of 10 days. More than 30 grandmasters (GMs) and 40 international masters (IMs) from over 58 countries will be participating in the contest which has a prize money of around Rs 1 million.
The Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) will be responsible for organising the mega event. The association is looking for a total sponsorship of Rs 1.5 million for acquiring the sponsorship rights. It has approached software companies, soft drink companies and consumer durable companies.
For electronic coverage, MCA has plans to approach several sports channels. The national broadcaster Doordarshan, however, has access to the rights and the other channels can come in only if DD exercises its right of refusal.
MCA chairman RM Dongre says: “It is a great opportunity for advertisers. India has bagged the distinction of hosting the games. We are planning to set up kiosks all over the city of Mumbai to enable more people to participate. We are already talking to advertisers, sports channels and Internet companies for acquiring the rights of sponsorships.”
MCA has ensured the participation of Indian chess stars such as Sasikiran who won the National ‘A’ championships; National ‘A’ second ranked teenager Harikrishna; National ‘A’ third ranked D Barua; and Koneru Hampi (the teenage prodigy who is ranked amongst the Top 10 in the world) in its participant list.
Dongre adds that advertisers will definitely get mileage as the national and international media will cover the event.
The MCA also has plans to ensure that the event is incorporated in the International Open in order to encourage more internationally renowned chess players to participate in the contest and win prizes. However, these players will not be allowed to vie for the Commonwealth title – contestants who are citizens of Commonwealth countries will be allowed to bid for the same.
Media experts stated that the Internet rights are a lucrative proposition because chess contests evoke a lot of interest in the online domain. Software companies such as Wipro and Infosys have associated themselves with chess contests primarily due to the intellectual nature of the game.
Sports marketing seems to be the rise and non-cricket sports are staking their claims for advertising spends!
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.
