iWorld
Eros Now enters Bangladesh market
Mumbai: Eros International Plc-owned OTT platform Eros Now today announced its association with Allianz International Holdings Ltd, a holding company and investment house with a significant presence in the middle-east, Africa, Asia and North America. The company has a strong understanding of the local culture and through its investment in various sectors, it has a diverse service offering that makes it one of the leading organisations in the region. As part of the collaboration, Allianz Holdings will distribute the video-on-demand service, Eros Now in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is home to a large audience base that consumes Indian entertainment content, especially Bollywood movies. Given its proximity to India, the Bangladeshis share various similarities and tastes, including their appreciation for Bollywood and other Indian content. The Eros Now-Allianz Holdings partnership will enable the former to expand its offering to the country and capture a large share of audience. The content catalogue of Eros Now comprises over 12,000 movie titles, original shows, music videos, international shows, and short-format content category Quickie, to name a few.
As a distribution partner in Bangladesh, Allianz Holdings will expand Eros Now’s reach and business by distributing the online streaming platform to telecom and internet providers, OEM’s including set-top boxes and TV sets as well as promote the brand in the country through marketing tie-ups. Eros Now’s physical subscription card will also be available in more than 100,000 retail outlets, thus offering Bangladeshis easy access to premium entertainment content.
Eros Digital chairman-CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said: “Strategic market expansion has further strengthened the growth of Eros Now. The association with Allianz Holdings enables us to offer our wide-ranging Indian entertainment content, especially popular Bengali movies, to the wide consumer base in Bangladesh. The content line-up includes some incredible titles such as Goopy Bagha Phiray Elo, Hirak Rajar Deshe, Mauchaak, Rup Katha Noy that will certainly entice the Bengali movie fan base as we deepen our reach in the underserved market.”
Eros Now CEO Ali Hussein commented: “Indian content has unprecedented demand in South Asian countries including Bangladesh. We are constantly building a stronger connect with audiences across the globe by partnering with the most trusted brands. Allianz Holdings and we share similar ideologies; the distribution portfolio will thus enable us to tap a massive fan base for Indian online content in Bangladesh.”
Allianz Holdings Ltd CEO Sakib M Rahman adds: “Allianz Holdings has over the years earned the reputation of rapidly developing business environment with a strong understanding of local culture. Eros Now is one of the most preferred Indian online streaming giants offering a wide variety of content that will entice the Bangladesh audience. Our strong distribution network focuses on serving the video-on-demand service to the potential consumers across the country.”
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
