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Pocket Aces creates cocktail anthem for Bacardi NH7 Weekender
MUMBAI: Bringing the thrill of popular music festivals home, Gobble, a lifestyle channel by Pocket Aces, has created a cocktail anthem for Bacardi NH7 Weekender in collaboration with OML Entertainment. The endeavour features independent musician Ambika Nayak and acapella group Instrumen to demonstrate two easy yet delicious cocktail recipes that can be mastered at home using Bacardi Rum.
The video, which was released ahead of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender on Gobble’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram pages, saw Ambika Nayak take viewers through quick cocktail preparations – an aam panna mojito, and a piña colada. She was accompanied by acapella artists from the Instrumen group who created the perfect sound using their beatboxing skills and vocals to emulate instruments and unusual beats while also lending their melodious voices to the lyrics. The sound of the track complimented the visuals of the video, bringing out the young and upbeat vibe of the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. Since its release, the foot-tapping video has caught the nerve of netizens.
Bacardi India and southeast Asia senior brand manager Sameeksha Uniyal said, “For over a decade we’ve been hosting Bacardi NH7 Weekender, that brings alive different music, food and culture experiences for audiences to come together and do what moves them. In this year’s digital avatar, we wanted to leave no stone unturned in getting everyone in the Weekender state of mind. So, we partnered with Gobble for India’s first-ever cocktail anthem, that shows some delicious cocktails to get the party going.”
Gobble channel manager Sonalika Mehra said, “This year’s Bacardi NH7 Weekender focused on bringing the community together in a virtual world with exceptional performances from indie as well as international artists. This fits well into Gobble’s ethos of being a platform for young talented independent creators to deliver engaging content that is fun, quirky, and relatable to our audience. When we came up with the idea for an acapella cocktail anthem, we were confident that this would work well with Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s positioning, while being able to generate the right buzz among its target audiences. The success of the cocktail anthem is an indication that we are on the right path, and the sky is the limit when it comes to our creative avenues to work with our partner brands.”
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.
