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Sonali Bendre brings back The Happy Pawdcast
MUMBAI: The fur’s flying again, in the best way possible. The Happy Pawdcast is back for Season 2 on RosePod, with actor Sonali Bendre and her fluffy co-host Icy Behl leading the way through laughter, lessons and lots of love.
Produced by Rose Audio Visuals, the new season promises a richer format and a star-studded line-up of celebrity pet parents and animal experts. Viewers can expect heartfelt and hilarious stories from guests including Amala Akkineni, Rohan Joshi, Remo D’Souza, Diana Penty, Kubbra Sait, Karan Wahi and Tusshar Kapoor.
Sonali Bendre shared, “Every episode is a gentle reminder that our pets are our greatest teachers, of love, patience and empathy. I’m thrilled to return with more stories, deeper conversations, and of course, Icy’s irresistible charm.”
According to Rose Audio Visuals head of marketing & branded content Megha H Desai, “The Happy Pawdcast has always been about celebrating the human–animal bond. Season 2 takes that connection further, fostering awareness and compassion among India’s growing pet-loving community.”
Whether you’re a seasoned pet parent or just someone who smiles at dog videos, this “pawsome” show is bound to tug at your heartstrings. The Happy Pawdcast Season 2 drops its first episode on 7 November on RosePod’s Youtube channel.
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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.
