Hindi
Network18 completes acquisition of 80% in AIM-listed IFC
MUMBAI: Network18 Holdings, the subsidiary of Raghav Bahl-promoted Network18 Media & Investments, has increased its stake in the AIM-listed Indian Film Company (IFC) to 80.4 per cent.
Network18 has received another 11.2 per cent stake offer, taking its “total valid acceptance of the offer” for a total of 44.4 per cent, or 24.4 million IFC shares.
As reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Network18 had increased its stake in the AIM-listed movie company by 19 per cent, through the offer, increasing its stake in the movie company to 69.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, Netwok18 also announced that the offer is closed now. “The offer was declared wholly unconditional on 24 August 2009 and 14 days notice was given of the closing of the offer. Such notice having now expired, the offer is now closed,” it said.
Network18 had also announced that it is open to cancel IFC’s quotation on AIM, once it acquires 90 per cent or more of the existing issued ordinary share capital of the company.
Network18 had also said that it would not delist IFC from AIM even if it completes 75 per cent acquisition. “It is Network18‘s current intention to retain the company‘s AIM quotation even if the level of acceptances in respect of the offer increases the Network18 parties shareholding to 75 per cent or more of the existing issued ordinary share capital of the company.”
However, it also mentioned that if shareholders do not accept the offer in respect of their own shareholding, they will be minority shareholders in a controlled company with a reduced number of shares that are held in public hands as a result of Network18‘s current level of shareholding. This may have a significant adverse impact on the liquidity and marketability of their shares in the future, the company added.
Network18 had increased its stake in IFC to 35.99 per cent, following which it had to make a mandatory offer for all the remaining shares not owned by it, as per UK takeover code.
IFC stated that settlement of the consideration due under the offer in respect of valid acceptances, which were received complete in all respects on or before 24 August 2009, has already been dispatched. Also, settlement of the consideration in respect of further acceptances which are valid and complete in all respects and received prior to 7 September, will be dispatched within 14 days of receipt.
Hindi
Jio Studios unveils AI-powered Krishna teaser at NAB Show 2026
Global first look of Krishna uses Galleri5 AI pipeline on Azure, Historyverse slate as Jio’s Dhurandhar crosses Rs 3,000cr worldwide.
MUMBAI: Krishna has just dropped a divine teaser and this time the gods are powered by silicon, not just scripture. Jio Studios and Collective Studios’ Historyverse stole the spotlight at the NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas with the world’s first teaser for their upcoming theatrical feature Krishna, directed by Manu Anand. The big reveal happened during Microsoft’s keynote “Powering Intelligent Media, From AI Experimentation to Real-World Impact,” where the film’s AI-native production pipeline took centre stage alongside Collective Artists Network’s in-house platform, Galleri5.
At the heart of this mythological spectacle lies a fresh cinematic workflow built by Galleri5 on Microsoft Azure’s advanced AI and cloud infrastructure. Forget bolting AI onto traditional VFX or animation, this is an end-to-end, production-grade system woven into every layer: world-building, character creation, shot design and final output. Yet the storytelling remains firmly director-led, emphasising emotional depth, stillness, music and performance rather than pure spectacle. The result? Large-format theatrical cinema rooted in Indian history and culture, but conceived in ways that were simply not possible before.
Collective Artists Network runs Galleri5 natively on Azure, leveraging Microsoft Foundry and cutting-edge AI tools to handle film, episodic and advertising workflows in a secure enterprise environment. Microsoft highlighted Collective as a “Frontier” organisation successfully moving AI from pilot projects to real production-scale deployment in cinema. The technology is also on display at Microsoft’s NAB booth in the West Hall (Booth W1731).
Jio Studios (Media & Content Business, Reliance Industries), president Jyoti Deshpande said the project advances the studio’s mission to take Indian stories global with scale, ambition and authenticity, “With Krishna, we are embracing cutting-edge AI-led filmmaking while democratising these tools to make them more accessible, intuitive and cost-effective for storytellers everywhere.”
Collective Artists Network founder & group CEO Vijay Subramaniam added, “We’re using technology developed in India to carry our culture and history to audiences worldwide at a scale never seen before.”
Microsoft, vice president for telco media & entertainment, gaming Silvia Candiani noted that the media industry has reached an inflection point, “AI is no longer about experimentation but delivering real impact at production scale… By building AI-native creative systems on Microsoft Azure, Collective exemplifies how storytellers can unlock new formats, move faster and realise a true return on intelligence while keeping human creativity at the centre.”
Krishna forms part of Historyverse, Collective Studios’ ambitious slate of history and culture-driven IPs. The slate draws from iconic figures and traditions that shaped the Indian subcontinent, including stories inspired by Kali, Karna and Durga. It builds on the already-released Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh series, showing how ancient narratives can be reimagined for modern screens.
Jio Studios, India’s leading content studio and the media and content arm of Reliance Industries, continues its blockbuster run. The studio’s Dhurandhar franchise led by Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge has become the first Indian film series to cross Rs 3,000 crore worldwide. It also delivered three consecutive years of India’s highest-grossing Hindi films: Stree 2 (2024), Dhurandhar (2025) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026). In just eight years, Jio Studios has assembled a library of over 160 films and series, with more than 60 titles winning over 500 awards. Other notable successes include Laapataa Ladies (India’s official Oscar entry 2025), Stree, Article 370, Shaitaan and Mrs.
The NAB unveiling marks another step in Jio Studios and Collective’s push to blend Indian storytelling talent with frontier technology proving that the future of cinema may well be both ancient in spirit and thoroughly modern in execution. For audiences who love epic tales with a fresh twist, Krishna promises to deliver divine drama, this time with a little help from the cloud.
