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Initiative adds 3 new accounts worth Rs 250 million to its kitty
MUMBAI: Initiative, the flagship arm of Lintas Media Services has been mandated to handle the media for both Classic (makers of Polo and Smash clothing) and IIHT (full service with SSCB) in Bangalore.
In addition to this, the agency has also bagged the PC Chandra Jewellers account in Kolkatta. The collective worth of these three accounts is said to be worth Rs 250 million.
Initiative president Kartik Iyer says, “The efforts of the teams in Bangalore led by Joydeep Raha and Kolkatta led by Mahesh Motwani have been exemplary. We will strive to make each of these businesses benefit tremendously from our commitment to provide not just effective, but also knowledge based planning. With our value based insight, strong logistic support and intelligent media solutions we hope to vastly strengthen the brand teams’ efforts.”
Lintas Media Group director – Media Services Lynn de Souza said, “Our Eastern practice is strengthened with the addition of PC Chandra and Bangalore is definitely honoured to have been selected by these two accounts. All new accounts that we partner are always a privilege.”
Lintas Media Group’s brands include Initiative, Insight, Interactions, and Intellect. Lintas Media Group clients include Maruti Udyog Ltd, Bharat Petroleum, Bajaj Auto, ITC LTD, UTI, Idea Cellular, MRF, Eveready, Reynolds, Enamour, Saint Gobain, Revlon, Bombay Dyeing, Siemens, amongst others.
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.
