MAM
Muppets on Disney’s menu after deal with Henson
MUMBAI: Now Mickey and Minnie Mouse will have the likes of Kermit and Miss Piggy for company. Walt Disney and The Jim Henson Company have announced an agreement under which Disney will acquire the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House properties from Henson.
Disney had spent the best part of the past 14 years pursuing the muppets. However, negotiations had fallen through after the company’s founder Jim Henson died. A company release states that the transaction includes all Muppet assets, including the above mentioned Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and Animal characters, the Muppet film and television library as well as all the “Bear in the Big Blue House” characters, the television library.
Both parties expect the transaction to close within two months, subject to receiving the necessary regulatory clearances. The transaction however does not include the Sesame Street characters, such as Big Bird and Elmo, which are separately owned by Sesame Workshop. The deal also includes non-exclusive production and consulting agreements under which Henson will develop potential new programming featuring the Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House for Disney.
Disney is planning to re-launch the Muppets with new television specials and series. Disney also expects to expand and enhance the global licensing and home video initiatives based on this new production for the Classic Muppets, the infant/preschool property Muppet Babies, and Bear in the Big Blue House.
Disney chairman, CEO Michael Eisner added, “Since the time I worked with Jim Henson on the first Muppets TV special in the 1960s, it was obvious to me that his characters would make a deep imprint on the hearts of families worldwide. This announcement is the culmination of a long-time desire to welcome them into pour cmpany. Kermit and Miss Piggy are well-known and beloved around the world and will have an opportunity to be seen by millions more well into the future through Disney’s distribution channels at home and abroad, including home video, family television programming and consumer products. All this is in addition to the existing theme park presence at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.”
German media company EM.TV had bought The Jim Henson Company in February 2000 for $680 million. It was then sold back last year for $78 million.
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Google Cloud names Vaibhav Gawde as head of customer engineering, Apac data management and database cloud
Tech veteran to lead customer engineering for data and database cloud across Apac
SINGAPORE: Google Cloud has elevated Vaibhav Gawde to head of customer engineering for Apac data management and database cloud, expanding his leadership remit across the Asia Pacific region.
In his new role, Gawde will lead teams that work with some of the region’s largest enterprises, helping them modernise their data foundations and adopt advanced database and cloud technologies. His focus will be on enabling scalable data architectures, accelerating innovation and supporting organisations as they navigate complex digital transformation journeys.
Based in Singapore, Gawde will steer Google Cloud’s customer engineering organisation for its database business across Apac. A key part of his mandate includes shaping the company’s “data-to-AI” go-to-market strategy, positioning modern data infrastructure as a stepping stone for generative AI adoption.
He will also work closely with sales leadership to drive cloud consumption among large enterprises while removing technical roadblocks that often slow digital transformation. Internally, he is tasked with nurturing a practitioner-first culture aimed at attracting and retaining top technical talent across the region.
Gawde joined Google in 2021 and previously served as head of customer engineering for financial services in India before moving into the role of principal architect for financial services across Apac. In those roles, he led C-suite engagements with banks and insurers to design AI-led cloud and data strategies.
Before Google, Gawde spent over a decade at Oracle, where he led India sales consulting and worked on technology strategies spanning cloud infrastructure, databases and enterprise systems for large BFSI and telecom clients.
With more than three decades in enterprise technology, Gawde’s career has moved from building mission-critical infrastructure to helping businesses rethink their data strategy in the age of AI. His latest promotion signals Google Cloud’s growing focus on data platforms as the bedrock of the next wave of digital innovation.
