Film Production
EU eyes Netflix and Paramount bids for Warner Bros in rare double review
MUMBAI: Two suitors, one studio and a regulator pressing pause. European Union antitrust authorities are preparing for an unusual side-by-side review of rival takeover bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, with Netflix and Paramount Skydance both in the frame, according to a Bloomberg report. The European Commission is expected to assess the competing proposals in parallel, a rare move that signals how closely matched and advanced the two bids have become. Bloomberg reported that both bidders have already held preliminary discussions with EU merger control officials, setting the stage for a coordinated but flexible regulatory process.
Running the reviews simultaneously could allow Brussels to steer outcomes more precisely. Regulators may choose to fast-track one bid while extending scrutiny, or attaching stricter conditions to the other, a tactic that gives competition authorities greater leverage in shaping the final structure of any deal.
The development follows Netflix’s recent escalation of its pursuit. The streaming giant has revised its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery into an all-cash bid valued at $82.7 billion, or $27.75 per share. The move replaces an earlier mix of stock and cash, a shift designed to reduce execution risk and offer clearer valuation certainty to shareholders. The Warner Bros. Discovery board has unanimously approved the revised proposal.
Any acquisition of the Hollywood and streaming heavyweight is unlikely to be a smooth ride. Beyond the EU, regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom are also expected to examine the transaction closely, given the companies’ reach across film studios, television networks and global streaming platforms.
With competition watchdogs on both sides of the Atlantic sharpening their focus, the race for Warner Bros. Discovery is shaping up to be as much a regulatory marathon as a corporate bidding war, one where timing, structure and antitrust tolerance may matter as much as price.
Film Production
Priyanka Kaur Dhillon joins SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution
A seasoned content dealmaker with 16 years in digital and satellite media joins the Bengali entertainment powerhouse as it pushes into the pan-India music market
Mumbai: Priyanka Kaur Dhillon has made her move. The content acquisitions and commercials veteran, most recently commercial manager at Sony Pictures Networks India, has joined SVF Entertainment as lead for music distribution, stepping into one of the more interesting briefs in regional entertainment right now.
SVF is no ordinary regional label. Over 30 years it has built a formidable legacy in Bengali cinema and music, driven by culturally resonant storytelling and a catalogue that consistently punches above its weight. Its recent success with Chiraiya underlines the point. But the Kolkata-based powerhouse now has its sights firmly set beyond Bengal, most visibly through Legacy, a rap reality series produced in collaboration with hip-hop label Kalamkaar that signals a deliberate push into the pan-India music ecosystem.
Dhillon brings precisely the kind of muscle SVF needs for that expansion. At Sony Pictures Networks India, she led film acquisition and commercials and handled music licensing across the entire satellite network. Before that, she spent nearly 15 years at Hungama, rising to assistant general manager and leading strategic content licensing for the platform’s digital entertainment business, with a particular focus on international markets. Her label relationships span the full roster: Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, Believe International, Tunecore, The Orchard and a clutch of smaller aggregators. She has negotiated and closed deals with Hollywood studios, Bollywood production houses and regional content players alike, building pricing models and deal structures off data analysis rather than instinct.
Announcing the appointment, Dhillon said she was “thrilled to begin this journey with an iconic Bengali music label and content powerhouse,” adding that SVF’s “constant drive to push boundaries” was what drew her to the role.
SVF has spent three decades proving that regional does not mean limited. With a sharp commercial operator now steering its music distribution, its bid to go national just got a good deal more serious.
