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Millward Brown appoints Surekha Poddar as MD
Mumbai: Brand media and communications research company Millward Brown has appointed Surekha Poddar as MD for its Mumbai operation. Poddar replaces Muder Chiba who has decided to leave the company to pursue other interests.
Poddar will report to recently appointed South Asiamanaging director Prasun Basu. In her core responsibility, she will lead the largest of Millward Brown’s operations in South Asia.
The company also has offices in Gurgaon, Bangalore, and newly-opened Dhaka.
Poddar has over 20 years of experience in marketing, research and strategic management from both, the agency and the client side.
Prior to this, Poddar worked as executive director of consumer research at Nielsen India. She has also worked with Bharti Airtel as VP market research and consumer insight. Apart from this, Poddar has worked in the capacity of VP in the CSMM division at IMRB and GM for Asian Information Marketing & Social Research (AIMS).
In 2005, she worked with Millward Brown as regional director for the company’s Asia Pacific region based in Singapore.
Talking about the appointment Surekha Poddar said, “I am very excited to have the opportunity to lead such a talented group of researchers and to represent a world leader in consumer insights in the Mumbai marketplace. The company works with some of the most respected brands in the region helping them to maximise their marketing investments so its a perfect fit given my passion for marketing, brand-building and consumer insight”.
Millward Brown MD of South Asia Prasun Basu said, “I am delighted to welcome Surekha to the Millward Brown family again. Her extensive experience will provide our clients and employees with a partner and trusted advisor who truly understand the important role research plays in building strong brands and making a meaningful impact in driving businesses forward.”
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.
