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The Derma Co. appoints Sania Mirza as suncare ambassador
Tennis icon fronts 1 per cent Hyaluronic Sunscreen Aqua Gel campaign.
MUMBAI: Sania Mirza just aced sun protection because when the sun serves heat, even a Grand Slam champion knows the best defence is a killer sunscreen. The Derma Co., Honasa Consumer Limited’s active ingredient-led skincare brand, has roped in tennis legend Sania Mirza as brand ambassador for its suncare category. The association kicks off with a high-energy campaign film for its hero product, the 1 per cent Hyaluronic Sunscreen Aqua Gel, built around the theme of “attack and defence”.
Set on a tennis court, the film draws a sharp parallel between professional strategy and daily sun protection. Sania explains that winning a match requires both aggressive play and strong defence, a mindset she applies to skincare. The sunscreen, formulated with 6 UV filters for robust protection and 1 per cent Hyaluronic Acid for lasting hydration, is positioned as one product delivering “two superpowers” in a single application.
Sania Mirza said, “Spending years training and competing outdoors has made sun protection absolutely non-negotiable for me. Joining The Derma Co. as the brand ambassador for its Suncare category feels like a natural extension of that belief.”
The Derma Co. VP for marketing Divya Gupta added, “Sania’s journey as a world-class athlete who has consistently performed under intense sun exposure makes her a natural and credible voice for this portfolio. Through this partnership, we aim to strengthen awareness around the importance of daily sunscreen use.”
The campaign is now live across digital and social platforms, marking a bold new phase for The Derma Co.’s suncare range. In a world where UV rays never take a day off, Sania and The Derma Co. are reminding everyone that the best way to win against the sun is to show up prepared, protected, and powered by science, one consistent layer at a time.
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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.
