MAM
KFC rewrites rules, delivers to your cars and bikes
MUMBAI: In a pandemic situation the last thing you want is to go out and eat! And the restaurant industry has obviously been hit. Severely. So, the only way for the dine-in industry is to rewrite the rules of the business with Innovations, contactless deliveries, cloud kitchens, and by maintaining the highest standards of safety and hygiene.
KFC has upped its existing operational protocols with 4X safety promise of sanitization, social distancing, screening (of temperature) and being contactless. Of these, there are three ways in which KFC is going contactless: delivery, takeaway and with KFC to your car/bike.
An extension of contactless takeaway, KFC is now delivering to your car/bike, the first-of-its-kind service in India in which food is being delivered to your vehicle.
The new service is being launched at KFC restaurants across cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, and Chennai, among others.
KFC India chief marketing officer Moksh Chopra told Indiantelevision.com: “Those already on the road can place a takeaway order on the KFC app or website, pay online and then walk into the restaurant at the pre-decided time to collect the order. All this while, following all norms of social distancing – proper queuing at the takeaway counter, floor stickers for guidance, etc. We are amongst the few brands in India to launch a curbside takeaway service with KFC to your car/bike.”
Following the same process of placing a takeaway order, customers can opt for this service at checkout. They have to arrive at the designated spot near the restaurant and their order will be placed on the hood of the car or on the back seat of the bike. Thus, the order delivery is completed hassle-free and without any contact.
He adds, “Intensified sanitisation at the restaurant includes all surface areas including tables, counters, doors, and door handles that are sanitized every 30 minutes. The delivery teams wash and sanitize their hands and bags after every order.”
All team members, including delivery riders, are regularly screened and undergo daily temperature checks, wear masks and gloves. He points out that with limited menu on delivery, they are able to operate with a smaller kitchen team maintaining all norms of social distancing.
Apart from this, the food packaging is further secured with a tamper-proof seal to ensure that nobody has touched or accessed the food from the time it was packed until delivery. The food is cooked at a high temperature of 170 degrees.
Chopra elaborates about exploring meal kit options to suit the preferences of different customers in India. “We observed how fans have turned home chefs and are experimenting with their KFC favourites in their kitchens. Some are trying to replicate the hot and crispy chicken, while most are seeking ways to incorporate KFC into their everyday meals. Our recent campaign on ‘home kitchen’ helped consumers do just that: play around with ingredients and pair KFC with their home meals,” he added.
Chopra adds that digital ordering and payment will continue to be relevant. Consumers have various digital payment options like KFC app, website and mSite. They can even avail various offers and deals through mobile wallet partners.
KFC will be increasing focus on online, not only as an ordering channel but also as a medium for enhancing customer experience. This would translate into infusing more efforts and resources, including talent, technology, etc. into enabling better access for the customer.
“While we continue to develop our own ordering assets as the app or website, even elements inside the restaurant as menu boards, alternates as kiosk ordering, etc. will also undergo a technology refresh.”
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.
