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Parthasarathy M A bids farewell to WPP after long media journey
MUMBAI: Parthasarathy M A, chief strategy officer for South Asia at GroupM, has announced his retirement, drawing the curtain on a remarkable career that spanned more than three decades across the WPP network.
In a heartfelt note, he shared that the decision follows 17 “lovely years” with WPP Media, where his journey began in 2009 at Mindshare India under the leadership of Gowthaman Gman. His early role as leader of business planning paved the way for a swift climb through the organisation, taking on mandates that ranged from heading Mindshare offices to becoming chief product officer and eventually Mindshare CEO.
Since March 2022, he has led GroupM’s strategy and consulting practice across India and South Asia, collaborating with strategy heads from each GroupM agency. His work spanned everything from nurturing communications planning talent to shaping tools, partnerships and analytics solutions for a wide spectrum of brands.
Before his WPP stint, Parthasarathy spent 14 formative years at HTA and JWT, handling marquee mandates including Ford across 11 Asia-Pacific and African markets.
Looking back, he described his time with WPP as a continuous cycle of learning and discovery, fuelled by inspiring mentors and clients who nudged him to stretch his abilities. As he steps away, he leaves with gratitude and the promise of cheering the network from the sidelines.
After three rewarding decades in advertising and media, he now looks forward to a well-deserved breather.
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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.
