iWorld
JioCinema announces major kids entertainment foray
Mumbai: This Children’s Day, JioCinema, India’s ultimate destination for entertainment, announced its foray into Kids entertainment with a dedicated ‘Kids and Family’ offering. With a stellar content offering spanning over 3000 hours of some of the best known franchises from across the world and biggest Indian IPs, the platform will cater to young audiences across Tiny Tots, Kids, Pre-teens and will also house content for the entire family to enjoy together.
Creating India’s single largest destination for Kids’ entertainment with over 100 top Toon franchises, 300+ Series and Movies spanning DIY, comedy, adventure, and action genres, JioCinema promises fun, thrill and nostalgia, to every child across the country, with popular content available in 5+ Indian languages.
From Anime to superheroes, to mythos, spanning local and global favourites, JioCinema brings the largest offering of kids’ network content from Viacom18 including Motu Patlu, Shiva, Rudra, Chikoo aur Bunty, Pinaki and the Bhoot Bandhus, The Twisted Timelines of Sammy & Raj, Kanha – Morpankh Samrat, among others. Raising the bar with premium global series such as Harry Potter, Transformers, HBO Storybook musical, The Looney Tunes Show, Super Mario Bros, Justice League War World, Garfield, Tin Tin, Trollstopia, Zig & Shark, Peppa Pig, Pokémon, and movies like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Teen Titans Go, Polar Express, Lego Ninjago, The Flintstones, Boss Baby, and a lot more, JioCinema promises to entertain kids and those young at heart with thousands of hours of magical content. Through strategic partnerships with leading local and global studios including Cartoon Network Studios, Dreamworks, EOne, The Pokémon Company & Animaccord, among others, the offering will add fresh content every week.
Further exemplifying its commitment to providing a safe and wholesome family entertainment experience, JioCinema is including a ‘Kids and Family’ profile in every account, granting children access to only age- appropriate content. Recognizing the significance of screen time among children, the ‘Kids and Family’ profile is combined with a unique ‘PIN’ based ‘Parental Control’ mechanism. With advanced algorithms and cutting-edge technology, the profile will allow parents to customize the content access based on their child’s life stage, giving them complete control.
On creating a wholesome entertainment ecosystem for kids and their families, a JioCinema spokesperson said, “At JioCinema, we are deeply committed to building a one-stop destination for all things entertainment. We are invested in understanding Indian audiences and their preferences and continue to evolve as the preferred source for all their entertainment needs. Our newly added Kids and Family category will unlock access to millions of families across India and enrich family consumption. With the best content from India and around the world, available in multiple languages, we aim to be inclusive and an enabler of wider consumption with fewer barriers’’.
Headlining the rollout of the kids and family slate is the enthralling Pokemania festival, marking an exciting chapter for fans of the beloved Japanese Pokémon franchise. As the exclusive home to over 1000 episodes and 21 movies, JioCinema will be celebrating the fervor surrounding the enchanting poke-monsters with a brand-new season unveiled every Thursday, starting on 16 November, with Season 12.
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Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square makes $64 billion bid to acquire Universal Music Group
Ackman pitches NYSE relisting plan as UMG board weighs unsolicited offer
The hedge fund has proposed a business combination that values UMG at €30.40 per share, representing a hefty 78 per cent premium to its current trading price. The offer includes €9.4 billion in cash alongside stock in a newly formed entity, with shareholders set to receive €5.05 per share in cash and 0.77 shares in the new company for each UMG share they hold.
Under the proposal, UMG would merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings Ltd and re-emerge as a Nevada-based entity listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The move is designed to boost investor visibility and potentially secure inclusion in major indices such as the S&P 500.
Pershing Square Capital Management ceo Bill Ackman argued that while UMG’s operational performance remains strong, its market valuation has lagged due to external factors. “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business,” Ackman said, pointing to concerns ranging from shareholder overhang to delayed US listing plans.
Ackman also flagged what he sees as untapped potential in UMG’s balance sheet and a lack of clear capital allocation strategy. He added that the market has not fully recognised the value of UMG’s €2.7 billion stake in Spotify, alongside gaps in investor communication.
The proposed transaction would also result in the cancellation of around 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, while maintaining its investment-grade balance sheet. Pershing Square has said it will fully backstop the equity financing, with debt commitments secured at signing. The deal is targeted for completion by the end of the year.
UMG, however, has struck a measured tone. The company confirmed that its board has received the non-binding proposal and will review it with advisers. It reiterated confidence in its current strategy and leadership under Lucian Grainge, signalling no immediate shift in stance.
The proposal comes at a time when global music companies are navigating evolving investor expectations, streaming economics and capital allocation pressures. For Pershing Square, the bet is clear: sharpen the financial story, relist in the US, and let the music play louder in the markets.
Whether UMG’s board is ready to change the tune remains to be seen, but the spotlight on its valuation just got a lot brighter.
