iWorld
Applause Entertainment signs multi-show deal with SonyLIV
MUMBAI: Applause Entertainment has announced a content licensing deal of four premium drama series with SonyLIV, the popular on-demand video streaming service from Sony Pictures Networks India.
SonyLIV has started its gradual rollout of its refreshed SonyLIV 2.0. app with a new visual identity and a distinct user interface that promises a world-class viewing experience. Its premium subscription will start on 20 June, and these new shows of Applause Entertainment are a part of its launch line up and will stream on the platform in the coming months.
In a short span of 12 months, Applause Entertainment successfully released 12 series spanning different genres across multiple platforms.
Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair said, "We are glad to partner with SonyLIV and to be able to contribute to their original content strategy. It aligns well with our philosophy of creating premium content and working with our platform partners to entertain and delight their customers. We hope this slate of four shows is only the start of a long and successful relationship with SonyLIV in our pursuit of creative excellence."
Sony Entertainment Television, Digital Business and Studio Next business head Danish Khan said, “Sony LIV plans to acquire and retain its premium subscribers through a robust line up of Original Content – content that is cerebral and relevant and brings a sense of authenticity, drama and storytelling. We are collaborating with the best storytellers in the industry. Applause Entertainment is one of the most prolific creators of premium series and we are extremely happy to partner with them. We are confident that these shows will entertain & engage the varied audience segments of SonyLIV.”
The four drama series that will have their home at Sony LIV are – Your Honor, Avrodh Undekhi & Scam 1992.
Adapted from the Israeli series Kvodo, Your Honor, is a dark and morally complex thriller, starring the terrific Jimmy Sheirgill along with an ensemble cast of Mita Vashisht, Varun Badola, Yashpal Sharma, Parul Gulati, Suhasini Mulay, Richa Pallod, Kunj Anand, Pulkit Makol, Mahabir Bhullar. The series is directed by E Niwas and is produced for Applause by Sphere Origins.
Avrodh is inspired from the September 2016 Uri attacks and is based on a chapter from Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh’s book India’s Most Fearless. The series features an incredible star cast of Amit Sadh, Neeraj Kabi, Darshan Kumar, Vikram Gokhale, Anant Mahadevan and Madhurima Tuli. The series is directed by Raj Acharya and is produced for Applause by Irada Entertainment.
A startling urban crime thriller set in the heartland, Undekhi brings together a strong cast of Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Surya Sharma, Harsh Chaya, Abhishek Chauhan, Ayn Zoya, Ankur Rathi, Apeksha Porwal and Aanchal Singh. The series is directed by Ashish R. Shukla and is produced for Applause Entertainment by Edgestorm Productions.
Helmed by Hansal Mehta and lead by Pratik Gandhi and Shreya Dhanwanthry, Scam 1992, is a financial crime thriller, adapted from Debashis Basu and Sucheta Dalal’s bestselling book The Scam, based on the true-life story of the Big Bull, Harshad Mehta. The show also stars Satish Kaushik, Anant Mahadevan, Rajat Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi, KK Raina and Lalit Parimoo amongst others. The series is produced for Applause by Studio Next.
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.
