eNews
BuzzFeed to take over HuffPost from Verizon Media
MUMBAI: BuzzFeed has announced that it is in the process of acquiring HuffPost online news service, in a deal uniting two digital media pioneers seeking fresh momentum in a troubled sector.
The acquisition is a part of a larger deal between Buzzfeed and Verizon Media. The deal allows both the companies to syndicate content on each other’s platform including Yahoo, according to a statement issued by them.
It also makes Verizon a minority shareholder in BuzzFeed, with the two firms agreeing to a strategic partnership for content and advertising.
“We're excited about our partnership with Verizon Media, and mutual benefits that will come from syndicating content across each other's properties, collaborating on innovative ad products and the future of commerce, and tapping into the strength and creativity of Verizon Media Immersive,” said BuzzFeed chief executive Jonah Peretti.
The deal is a reunion of sorts for Peretti, who also happens to be one of the founders of HuffPost. “I have vivid memories of growing HuffPost into a major news outlet in its early years, but BuzzFeed is making this acquisition because we believe in the future of HuffPost and the potential it has to continue to define the media landscape for years to come,” he added. “With the addition of HuffPost, our media network will have more users, spending significantly more time with our content than any of our peers.”
Peretti co-founded HuffPost, formerly known as the Huffington Post, in 2005 with publisher Arianna Huffington, before starting Buzzfeed a year later.
The early success of HuffPost and BuzzFeed prompted optimism about the future of digital-first media, but in recent years both have faced struggles in a difficult economic environment for the sector.
eNews
Meta invests Rs 256.6 crore for 30 per cent stake in REIL
Ambani pledges Rs 10 lakh crore for AI over seven years
MUMBAI: Six months after incorporating its artificial intelligence arm, Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited (REIL), Reliance Industries Ltd has infused a cumulative Rs 853.2 crore into the venture, tightening its embrace of enterprise AI.
Of the total, Reliance Intelligence Ltd has invested Rs 596.6 crore for a 70 per cent stake. The remaining Rs 256.6 crore came from Facebook Overseas, a unit of Meta, which holds 30 per cent. With the capital in place, REIL formally becomes a subsidiary of RIL.
The investment mirrors the Rs 855 crore commitment the two groups flagged in August 2025, when they unveiled the joint venture to build and scale enterprise AI solutions across India and select overseas markets.
The plan is straightforward but ambitious. REIL will tap Meta’s open-source Llama large language models to develop agentic enterprise AI tools. RIL, for its part, will provide digital infrastructure and access to its sprawling enterprise network, turning the conglomerate into a live testing ground for deployment at scale.
“Partnering with Meta brings our vision of providing AI to every Indian and enterprise to life,” said Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, at the time of the announcement. By pairing Llama models with Reliance’s cross-industry footprint, he argued, the venture can iterate quickly and refine products in real-world conditions.
The move deepens a partnership forged in 2020, when Meta invested $5.7 billion for a 10 per cent stake in Jio Platforms, becoming its largest minority shareholder. The AI venture adds another strategic layer to that alliance.
The funding announcement follows the recently concluded India AI Impact Summit, which drew more than 500 global AI leaders, over 20 heads of state and upwards of 100 chief executives and founders. The mood was bullish, with billions of dollars discussed for domestic AI and data-centre infrastructure.
At the summit, Ambani pledged to invest Rs 10 lakh crore in AI over seven years starting 2026, calling it “patient, disciplined, nation-building capital” aimed at durable economic value rather than speculative gains.
The broader policy winds are favourable. In the Union Budget 2026-27, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman earmarked Rs 1,000 Cr for the IndiaAI Mission, alongside measures to strengthen data-centre capacity.
The prize is large. The global AI market is projected to surpass $4 trillion by 2033. India’s own AI economy could reach $126 billion by 2030 and add as much as $1.7 trillion to GDP by 2035, according to the Inc42 Bharat AI Startups Report 2026.
