MAM
Introducing Veera’s revolutionary homegrown internet browser
Mumbai: Veera, the ‘Made in India’ mobile-only internet browser launches today to revolutionise the mobile internet experience for Bharat. Currently in beta, Veera was envisioned as a challenger browser for India by Arjun Ghose (previously an investor with VC firm Falcon Edge / Alpha Wave and McKinsey), Rahul Pagdipati (chairman of the board Zebpay & board member at Brave browser), Aditya Julka (serial entrepreneur founder of Paddle8, entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School) and Kanu Gupta (founding leadership of Goldman Sachs in India, serial investor). Funded by a slew of reputed blue-chip investors including Ayon Capital, COG Network, sixth Man Ventures, Folius Ventures and iSeed Ventures, as well as marquee angels such as Aalap Mahadevia (Briarwood Capital), Kabir Narang (B-Capital), Nikhil Mohta (Carlyle, ICICI Ventures), Kevin Hu (Brevam Howard), Saneel Srini (Moralis Capital), Ashwin Ramachandran, Viram Shah (Vested), and Dr. Devaiah Pagidipati (Freedom health, Physician Partners, Anion Health).
In a digital age where safety and speed are paramount, Veera stands as a testament to homegrown innovation. It not only addresses the core needs of crash-free browsing speed and security but also seeks to fuel the curiosity of the next generation.
Veera founder Arjun Ghose said, “Our mission was to craft a faster, safer, and private browsing sanctuary for Indian internet users. We embarked on this journey to build an internet experience that resonates with India’s uniqueness. With the average user spending approximately 7.3 hours per day online Veera’s impact as the window to the internet for a billion Indians is undeniably significant. But, let me assure you this is just the beginning; there are a whole bunch of features in the pipeline that we are super excited about and will launch shortly.”
Setting new benchmarks, Veera boasts blazing fast speeds, clocking in 40.8 runs/minute on Speedometer – a feat that places it at the peak of browser peers. Veera also boasts of an integrated live tracker, showcasing the real-time count of thwarted ads and trackers, alongside a tangible representation of data saved.
While blocking trackers is a feature a few select browsers already provide globally, Veera goes a step further by blocking third-party trackers, ads, autoplay videos and more, by default.
Currently accessible exclusively on Android devices and will be available on iOS and Windows in the near future.
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.
