MAM
OLX India appoints Gunjan Kumar as chief product officer
Mumbai: OLX India, the online marketplace, announced that it has appointed Gunjan Kumar as its chief product officer (CPO).
Gunjan’s role at OLX India will be to lead the next phase of growth by spearheading the development of innovative products that will add immense value to OLX India’s customers.
Gunjan’s joining reiterates OLX India’s dedication to continuous product innovation in maintaining market leadership.
Bringing over 14 years of experience, Gunjan possesses a wealth of expertise, having led successful product teams at esteemed companies. Before joining OLX India, he served as director of products at Times Internet and held pivotal product roles at Ixigo.com, Snapdeal, and Amazon.
“We are thrilled to welcome Gunjan to the OLX family,” said OLX India managing director and chief executive officer Amit Kumar. “His extensive experience in product development and deep understanding of the Indian consumer landscape will be invaluable to take us to our next phase of growth, driving greater value for our customers,” he added
Commenting on his appointment, Gunjan Kumar said, “The Indian online marketplace is a dynamic and ever-evolving space, and I’m excited to utilise my experience to tackle ecosystem challenges and pioneer innovative solutions that revolutionise the user experience. With OLX India’s position as a market leader, I am committed to redefining our platform to meet the evolving needs of our users and maintain our competitive edge in the industry.”
Gunjan holds an MBA in Marketing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and an engineering degree. In addition to his professional endeavours, Gunjan is a passionate traveller who is always planning his next adventure.
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.
