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More than 2000 Harley owners gear up to throttle to Goa for the 8th India H.O.G.® Rally
MUMBAI: Harley-Davidson is set to kick off India’s largest parade, the India H.O.G. Rally, in Goa from February 14-15, 2020. The most anticipated date on the H.O.G. calendar, more than 2000 members of the Harley community from all 31 H.O.G. chapters across the length and breadth of the nation will convene at the annual gathering. The event that will be spread out over two full days in the sunny state city of beaches will be held at a new destination this year, Grand Hyatt Goa.
The much-awaited ‘Custom Contest’ at the mega event will feature a stellar display of the country’s best Harley-Davidson custom motorcycles and the annual H.O.G. parade will be a visual treat for motorcycle enthusiasts in Goa on February 15. The coveted H.O.G. awards will be yet another important highlight for H.O.G. members.
On the occasion of the 8th edition of the India H.O.G. Rally, Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India, said, “When you purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, you automatically adopt the Harley lifestyle. The Harley Owners Group perfectly embodies our brand promise of living life the Harley way. We are thrilled to be kicking off the 8th India H.O.G. Rally in Goa this year and would like to take this opportunity to thank Goa Tourism Board for their immense support.”
India H.O.G. Rally will host special performances, live music concerts, tailormade experiences, immersive brand engagements and of course, lots of riding! While the day will witness on-ground activities from brands including Jeep, Havells, Cred, MRF, American Crew and GoPro, live performances by artistes such as Bollywood Singer Neha Bhasin, Anand Bhaskar Collective, Goan band Raagas 2 Riches, DJ Nasha, DJ Suketu and globally acclaimed stunt rider Arunas Aras Gibieza among other performers will set the tone for the evening.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Harley-Davidson also reached out to brand lovers outside the H.O.G. community to provide them with a slice of the exciting Harley-Davidson lifestyle. The company launched a social media contest to select one winner to go for an all-expenses paid trip to the event. The contest witnessed high engagement across the brand’s social media handles.
Founded by Harley-Davidson Motor Company in 1983, the Harley Owners Group was established to offer motorcycling benefits and services to Harley-Davidson enthusiasts throughout the world and to develop a close relationship between the rider, dealership and the company. A perfect example of community engagement, the Harley Owners Group organizes five marquee rallies annually, including one national and four zonal rides. In India, the H.O.G. community comprises of a 7500-strong member group.
With its inception in 2009, Harley-Davidson became the first premium motorcycle brand to set base in the country. Over the last decade, the company has strongly sustained itself with a record sale of 25,000 motorcycles. Today, with 33 dealers, Harley-Davidson has the largest network in the Indian premium motorcycle category and rules the roost in the country’s 750+ cc market.
Motorcycle enthusiasts who want to experience the Harley-Davidson lifestyle and be a part of the India H.O.G. Rally can get in touch with their nearest Harley-Davidson dealership to know more.
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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.
