MAM
Virat Kohli becomes brand ambassador for Hero MotoCorp
MUMBAI: Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp has announced cricket icon and captain of the Indian national cricket team Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.
Kohli will start his innings with Hero MotoCorp, riding on the new Xtreme 200R premium motorcycle. The campaign featuring Virat on the Xtreme 200R went live on Wednesday across TV, print, outdoor and digital platforms, to coincide with the start of the nationwide retails sales of the Xtreme 200R.
The new premium motorcycle has been priced at Rs 89,900 (ex-showroom Delhi).
Hero MotoCorp chairman MD and CEO Pawan Munjal says, “Hero MotoCorp is all about new-age, technologically superior and aesthetically pleasing products which are also fun to ride. Brand Hero stands for trust, excellence and resilience – the qualities that truly personifies the charisma of Virat as a global icon. He represents the youth of today, which ‘Fears Nothing’ and aims for the pinnacle – characteristics that have always defined Brand Hero. It is indeed my pleasure to welcome Virat onboard the global family of Hero MotoCorp and wish him a lot of success and fun in this new innings.”
Virat epitomises the way of life and attitude of the new generation of youth across India and the world. Displaying leadership qualities from a young age, when he led the Indian team to win the U-19 Cricket World Cup in 2008, Virat has evolved over the past decade to emerge as a global youth icon that ‘Fears Nothing’. Virat is today the world’s top test and one day international (ODI) batsman in the ICC rankings.
Kohli adds, “Millions of young boys and girls of my generation have grown up riding Hero motorcycles and scooters and it is, therefore, a unique and special feeling to associate with this brand. I have known Pawan Ji for long, and I thank him for giving me this opportunity to represent Hero MotoCorp at the global arena. Hero MotoCorp has been one of the largest corporate promoters of sports and sportspersons across various disciplines over the past two decades, and I consider this a huge privilege to be a part of the Hero family. I am eagerly looking forward to an exciting ride ahead.”
Hero MotoCorp has been one of the largest corporate promoters of multiple sporting disciplines, including cricket, golf, football, field hockey and motorsports in India and across the world. The company has also promoted sports persons from various disciplines of sports, including cricket, football and golf.
Hero MotoCorp’s well-documented association with cricket spans over two decades, in various capacities. Over the course of this long association, it was one of the global partners of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Several top Indian cricketers have earlier been associated with the company as brand ambassadors for many years. Hero MotoCorp has also been a partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – both at the central level as well as the team sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians. The company is currently the title sponsor of the Hero Caribbean Premier League, (Hero CPL) – the biggest T20 tournament in the Caribbean.
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.
