iWorld
ALTBalaji introduces ‘Tyohar Entertainment Ka’ offer for festive season
MUMBAI: OTT platform ALTBalaji has undergone a diligent expansion over the course of the year. Through clutter-breaking originals spanning genres, it has been entertaining the audiences in geographies and age-groups. Ahead of the festive season, the digital platform is now launching a consumer brand campaign called ‘Tyohar Entertainment Ka’. Under this campaign, ALTBalaji is introducing special offers for users across Delhi NCR and Pune from 21 December 2018 to 3 January 2019.
With an eclectic library of original content, ALTBalaji has witnessed threefold increase in direct subscribers. ALTBalaji is constantly experimenting with content across genres like thriller, comedy, mystery, dark humour and romance drama by associating with the best talent from the industry. Shows like The Test Case sparked off discussions on women empowerment and their role in Indian armed forces. Through Gandii Baat- a show on urban sensual love stories, Baby Come Naa, a rib -tickling comedy and The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family, a dark comedy, the platform has proven its diversity. Its family drama HOME won accolades at various award ceremonies and was loved by the audience and media alike. Adding to this line-up has been is its recently released thriller Apharan that has been a runaway success and has kept the audiences hooked.
‘Tyohar Entertainment Ka’ is a 14-day campaign that will be open for audiences from the regions of Pune and Delhi NCR. The contest encourages audiences to download an annual subscription pack which is available only for Rs 300. The participant must then answer a simple question on the contest page. Each day, ALTBalaji will pick lucky winners and gratify them. Every day, 151 lucky winners receive Book My Show vouchers worth Rs 250 each; while one mega winner will go on to win an all-exclusive premium gold gift card worth Rs 10,000.
On this initiative ALTBalaji SVP & head marketing Divya Dixit said, “ALTBalaji is a leader in creation of clutter breaking content and has the finger on the pulse of the Indian audience. Through this initiative, we intend to re-engage with our existing consumers as well as offer an opportunity to new subscribers. “Tyohar Entertainment Ka” sets the tone to celebrate our vast content library that caters to all age groups, across genres and gives our users another reason to participate and win gratification.”
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
