MAM
Josy Paul, Minakshi Achan, Mayur Hola named Abby Awards jury chairs
Three industry leaders to helm key categories at Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22
MUMBAI: When ideas meet judgement, the judges better be just as creative as the work on trial. The Ad Club has named Josy Paul, Minakshi Achan, and Mayur Hola as Jury Chairs for the ABBY Awards 2026 Powered by The One Club | The One Show, sharpening the creative bench ahead of Goafest 2026.
Josy Paul, Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer at BBDO India, will lead the Sustainable Development Goals category. Known for championing purpose-led creativity, Paul has built a body of work that blends storytelling with social impact, including campaigns such as Ariel’s ‘Share The Load’ and Whisper’s ‘Touch The Pickle’. His work has earned global recognition, including a Cannes Lions Grand Prix and multiple Glass Lions, with ‘Share The Load’ twice ranked the world’s most effective campaign by WARC.
JioStar, Head of Brand Minakshi Achan takes charge of the Branded Content and Entertainment category. With nearly three decades of experience across advertising, media, and fashion, she currently oversees brand strategy for JioHotstar alongside the network’s entertainment and sports portfolio, bringing a cross-industry perspective to storytelling that travels across formats.
Meanwhile, Mayur Hola, Vice President Brand at Swiggy, will chair the Brand Experience and Activation category. Known for building culturally relevant brands, Hola’s career spans stints at OYO and Subway India, with a focus on creating ideas that resonate beyond campaigns and into everyday consumer behaviour.
The appointments come as the Abby Awards continue to position themselves at the intersection of creativity, effectiveness, and cultural relevance, with jury leadership reflecting a mix of purpose-driven creativity, content innovation, and experiential thinking.
The ABBY Awards 2026 Powered by The One Club | The One Show will be held during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to May 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, setting the stage for three days of industry celebration, debate, and, of course, judgement day for India’s best ideas.
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.
