MAM
Riyaz Khambati joins the Operations Management team at NeoNiche Integrated Solutions
National : NeoNiche Integrated Solutions Pvt Ltd. appoints Riyaz Khambati to lead their event operations team. He will be working conjointly with the senior management at NeoNiche and handle overall operations.
Riyaz is best known for his unmatched expertise in operations and has spearheaded multiple projects in Event Management companies like Percept, Seventy Seven Entertainment, Messe Group, Symphony Events, Wizcraft and Encompass. He has been instrumental in designing customised experiences for brands like Vodafone, Morgan Stanley, and Cosmopolitan.
Speaking on Riyaz's appointment, Mr. Prateek Kumar, CEO & MD, NeoNiche Integrated Solutions says, "When it comes to operations, it is pivotal to consider all aspects of an event and the intermingling effect each element would have on one another. Over the years, Riyaz has been exposed to numerous events across the globe. He understands the most complex intricacies involved in creating a deeply personal and memorable experience. With his expertise, Riyaz will take our organisation to new heights”
Commenting on his appointment, Riyaz says, "What drew me towards NeoNiche is their uniqueness in executing experiential events and creating memorable experiences for their clients. When it comes to event operations we agree on a similar strategy that leads to exponential growth. With this appointment, I accept a challenge to grow with a young company indulging in the only passion I have – Event Operations!”
Prateek adds, “Riyaz is a strategic hire. I am well aware that, when passion and commitment meet opportunity, the result would be transformational for the event experiences that we create”
During his career, Riyaz has perfected his understanding of the craft in Production, Logistics, and Resource Management.
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.
