iWorld
Lionsgate sells Lionsgate Play to Rohit Jain, exits Asia streaming
Mumbai: Lionsgate has pressed pause on its streaming ambitions in South and Southeast Asia, selling Lionsgate Play to its founder and longtime Asia head Rohit Jain in a deal estimated at up to $30 million.
While the financial terms were not disclosed, media reports estimate the transaction value at between $20 million and $30 million, comprising an upfront payment followed by instalments. Lionsgate is believed to have invested close to $100 million in building the platform over the years.
Launched and scaled by Jain in one of the world’s most crowded streaming markets, Lionsgate Play has grown into a premium OTT service with around five million paid subscribers across the region.
Under a multi-year agreement, Lionsgate will continue to license its brand name and film and television catalogue to the platform, allowing Lionsgate Play to operate independently while retaining access to Hollywood content that made it popular with audiences.
The sale marks a full-circle moment for Jain, who will now run the platform under founder-led ownership and exit Lionsgate entirely. Importantly, all other Lionsgate film and television businesses in India and Southeast Asia will remain with the studio.
Lionsgate COO Brian Goldsmith praised Jain’s contribution, noting that the Lionsgate brand gained strong traction in Asia under his leadership. He added that Jain’s entrepreneurial mindset and deep regional understanding position Lionsgate Play well for its next phase of growth.
Jain described the acquisition as a personal milestone, thanking Lionsgate leadership for the freedom to build the India business from the ground up. He said the platform is now ready to move beyond being a Hollywood destination and evolve into a differentiated, future-ready streaming service for Asia.
With this deal, Lionsgate trims its regional streaming exposure while Lionsgate Play gets a fresh script under the founder who wrote its first chapter.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
