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Raghuvendra Singh Parihar joins Madison World as deputy general manager
Media strategist moves from Wavemaker to begin new chapter at Madison
MUMBAI: Media professional Raghuvendra Singh Parihar has joined Madison World as deputy general manager, marking the latest step in a career shaped by strategic media planning and integrated campaigns across some of the industry’s leading networks.
Parihar announced the move on LinkedIn, sharing his enthusiasm for the new role. “I am happy to share that I’m starting a new position as deputy general manager at Madison World,” he wrote, adding that he is grateful to Mimi S Deb and Vivek Das for their trust and the opportunity.
“I am extremely grateful to Mimi S Deb and Vivek Das for investing their trust in my capabilities and providing this wonderful opportunity. Super excited for this new journey and upcoming opportunities to learn and grow,” he said.
Parihar joins Madison World after a stint at Wavemaker, where he served as business director from January 2024 to March 2026 in Gurugram. In that role, he worked on integrated media strategies and client partnerships, sharpening his experience at the director level.
Before returning to Wavemaker, Parihar spent nearly a year at EssenceMediacom as associate director for media planning. His career also includes a client-side stint at Unacademy as manager for media planning, buying and partnerships, where he focused on digital media strategy and campaign execution.
Earlier in his career, Parihar held multiple roles at Omnicom Media Group, progressing from group head for strategy and planning to associate director of strategy. He has also worked with agencies such as Havas Media Group, Mindshare and Alliance Advertising and Marketing.
Across these roles, he has handled brands including Hyundai India, Kohler, Motorola, Lufthansa Airlines and OLX, building a portfolio that blends media strategy, analytics and campaign planning.
Academically, Parihar holds a postgraduate diploma in advertising and marketing communication from Apeejay School of Management. He also completed an executive programme in product and brand management from the Indian Institute of Management Rohtak.
With his move to Madison World, Parihar now steps into a role that places him at the heart of one of India’s prominent advertising networks, where the next chapter of his media journey begins.
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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.
