Movies
hoichoi drops new content wing hoichoi studios
Mumbai: hoichoi, a Bengali OTT player, announces its new content wing hoichoi studios, marking its debut in the Bengali entertainment industry. hoichoi under the title hoichoi studios plans compelling stories by expanding its format and medium of storytelling; dedicated to telling stories that are non-episodic through theatrical films.
With the launch and foraying in as a content production hub with hoichoi studios, it plans on curating relatable stories that have traditionally been confined to the Web and with the help of hoichoi’s learning of last 6 years from data as well as from direct user feedback, expand the reach of such stories to other geographies. hoichoi studios outlays the plan and aims to entertain and provide the best big screen experience to the audience with three to five theatrical releases, starting this year.
In addition to this, hoichoi will continue to produce 25-30 Original series every year along with bringing forth World Premiere movies. hoichoi studios acts as an additional wing in presenting more content for hoichoi’s base of millions of users worldwide.
The celebration of the unveiling of hoichoi studios is doubled with another massive announcement as hoichoi unveils the first project under hoichoi studios – Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole – slated for a theatrical release this Kali Puja. Directed by Debaloy Bhattacharya, and inspired from the famous pulp stories of Shri Swapankumar, the film will feature popular actor Abir Chatterjee in the lead as Deepak Chatterjee, a detective in his novels, along with veteran actor Paran Bandyopadhyay as the writer Swapankumar.
Talking about the launch of hoichoi studios, chief operating officer Soumya Mukherjee, who will also perform responsibilities as a producer for hoichoi studios said, “With the support of our creators, talents and the entire entertainment industry, we have been able to consistently deliver quality content to our users. The trust of our consumers across geographies is what acted as a catalyst behind the culmination of the hoichoi studios, our new wing. After catering to the audience with 130+ Web Series, 20+ Web Films, 10000+ Short Format Content and 500+ Acquired Films, we wanted to entertain and serve our audience by expanding to a new format. It is exciting to release our film, Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole, this Kali Puja, at your nearest Theatres.”
While mentioning about his first project with hoichoi studios, Chatterjee mentioned, “It’s a grand moment for every one of us who are associated with the process of creating content for the entertainment of the mass. I am immensely thrilled to be playing not only the character of Deepak Chatterjee in Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole but also to be a part of the first project for hoichoi studios. I hope hoichoi after being so much loved by the audience in the world of OTT, will garner the same amount of love as it ventures into a new format of storytelling with hoichoi studios.”
Speaking about his directorial venture, Bhattacharya, said, “The feeling of creating the first content for hoichoi studios itself comes with a lot of excitement. What is adding more to this is to be able to create a Film with such a famous Bengali character who is so full of pulp and thrill, and at the opportunity of presenting Bengal’s first action-based detective content. With hoichoi studios, I am really looking forward to being able to present many such content that tells impactful stories and creates magic on the big screen.”
The shooting of the first project of hoichoi studios, Shri Swapankumar-er Badami Hyena’r Kobole will start this May.
Hollywood
Trump invested over $1.1m in Netflix bonds at the peak of Warner Bros bidding battle
Financial disclosures show U.S. president also bought Warner Bros Discovery debt during high-stakes media takeover race.
WASHINGTON: New government financial disclosures show that U.S. president Donald Trump purchased more than $1.1 million worth of bonds issued by Netflix over the past three months. The transactions occurred during a period when Netflix was engaged in a competitive bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, a potential merger that the Trump administration had publicly criticised on antitrust grounds.
Between December and January, the president acquired Netflix bonds valued between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. The bonds carry a 5.375 per cent interest rate and are scheduled to mature in November 2029. Financial disclosures also revealed an additional investment in Warner Bros Discovery bonds. The purchase was valued between $500,002 and $1 million, with the debt reportedly bought at roughly 92 cents on the dollar. The bonds are now trading at around 95 cents on the dollar, leaving the position currently in profit.
The timing of the investments has drawn scrutiny because the administration had been openly critical of Netflix’s market activities at the time. While the president’s trust was purchasing the debt, the administration reportedly pressured Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice and expressed concerns that a Netflix–Warner merger could harm competition.
The White House has dismissed conflict-of-interest concerns, stating that the president’s assets are managed independently by his children. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said U.S. presidents are legally exempt from the conflict-of-interest laws that apply to other federal officials.
Despite the financial interest, Netflix ultimately lost the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount Skydance secured the deal on 27 February with a $110 billion offer. The acquisition was backed by Larry Ellison, who guaranteed $40 billion to support the bid, while major lenders including Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management provided $39 billion in financing.
The final acquisition leaves the combined Paramount entity carrying roughly $85 billion in debt, while Netflix withdrew its bid roughly two weeks before the official disclosure report was released.
