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Signature Packaged Drinking Water presents Ziro Festival 2024
Mumbai: “The earth has music for those who listen.”-William Shakespeare.
A life connected to nature can be deeply rewarding. Signature Packaged Drinking Water encourages natural living and has partnered with the Ziro Festival, a major festival in India set in Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh. The festival, running from 26 to 29 September 2024, offers a range of experiences for nature and music lovers.
The Ziro Festival promotes eco-friendly practices with activities like masterclasses, farm-to-table cuisine, and plogging. It features bamboo and Apatani craftsmanship, biodegradable Tamul plates, and reclaimed wood signages. Free water is provided to encourage the use of reusable bottles.
This year’s festival includes a diverse lineup of musicians: Tamikrest with their Tuareg beats, Kailash Kher’s soulful performance, genre-blending Hanumankind, Kerala’s hip hop star Dabzee, Singapore’s post-rock band Amateur, Arunachal’s Dobom Doji Carolina Norbu, Nepali chart-topper Sushant KC, Swedish psych-rock group Hollow Ship, and Veena maestro Dr. Jayanti Ramesh.
Diageo India VP and portfolio head, marketing, Varun Koorichh said, “As we continue our relationship with Ziro Music Festival as the presenting partner, we recognize that new age consumers are proactive, informed, and intentional in their choices, seeking meaningful experiences. There is a clear shift towards mindful living among today’s diverse audiences. Last year’s success reinforced the synergy between Signature Packaged Drinking Water’s ‘Live Good, Do Good’ philosophy and the Ziro Music Festival’s reputation as one of the most eco-friendly music festivals in India. This year, our focus is to build on that success and take it to newer heights. Set in stunning Arunachal Pradesh, the festival offers a stellar lineup, immersive experiences, farm-to-table cuisine, and eco-conscious initiatives. Our partnership aims to bring together nature enthusiasts, positioning Signature Packaged Drinking Water at the forefront of a space where music and eco-conscious living blend to create an immersive and impactful experience to enable meaningful connections with nature.”
Ziro Festival co-founder and creative producer Anup Kutty said, “Ziro Festival has always been about discovering new sounds and creating a space where artists can connect with a diverse, global audience against the backdrop of the spectacular Ziro valley. Each year, we’re amazed at how music from all parts of the world resonates with our attendees. This is what makes Ziro Festival so special, and we’re thrilled to have partners like Signature supporting this mission of discovery.”
Ziro Festival co-founder and festival director Bobby Hano said, “Sustainability has been at the heart of Ziro Festival since its inception. Our partnership with Signature Packaged Drinking Water is an important step in continuing our commitment to preserving the environment while celebrating music and culture. Together, we aim to showcase how events like ours can balance eco-conscious practices with impactful, memorable experiences.”
Signature Packaged Drinking Water invites green seekers to reconnect and revel in nature’s authentic experiences at Ziro whilst embracing the art of mindful living for a more vibrant and harmonious future.
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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.
