MAM
Lenovo collaborates with Abish Mathew for a tech-powered Millet Revival
Mumbai: Lenovo has released an insightful and light-hearted video, called Millet Masters, featuring stand-up comedian Abish Mathew. The short film aims to create awareness around a technology-powered millet revival initiative and food revolution taking place in Kathalloor, Kerala, under Lenovo’s Work For Humankind initiative. This project shines a spotlight on stories of local farmers who are revolutionising the millet economy through Lenovo’s smarter technology and support from student volunteers.
Taking the audience on a journey to discover Kanthalloor, regional millet production, and how millets go from field to food, the short film follows Abish Mathew as he seeks out student volunteers and 25 local millet farmers, whom he calls ‘millet masters.’ Mathew learns about the local millet revolution taking place and witnesses first-hand the positive role that Lenovo’s technology has played in empowering farmers to progress their farming practices, improve yields, and grow profitability. Ending on a message of hope, the short film concludes with Mathew revealing that local efforts have already more than doubled the variety of millets grown regionally, from two to five varieties, and he encourages viewers to learn more about millets.
As part of the Work For Humankind project, Lenovo has also partnered with a number of other influencers to raise awareness for millets as a nutritionally rich food source and as part of its mission to create a more robust marketplace for the crop.
“At Lenovo, we believe in building a more equitable and sustainable world for all by using our smarter technology to empower local communities for positive change,” said Lenovo vice president and chief marketing officer of intelligent devices group and international markets Emily Ketchen. “That belief is at the heart of Lenovo’s Work For Humankind India project, and why we’re collaborating with Abish Mathew to shine a spotlight on the stories of local farmers on a mission to start a millet food revolution. This is a remarkable example of people, communities, and technology coming together to help revive a once disappearing grain, raise awareness around millet cultivation, and ultimately make millet farming more commercially viable for the farmers of Kanthalloor.”
Watch Lenovo’s ‘Millet Masters’ short film featuring Abish Mathew here:
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.
