iWorld
One Digital Entertainment launches new short film on content platform Blush
Mumbai: Digital media company One Digital Entertainment has released a new short film titled “Sunkissed – Babyface” on its recently acquired content platform – Blush. The short film directed by Dixshant Gaurav Kala depicts the love journey of a young couple and how their love marriage falls apart with all the toxicity and domestic violence.
The film tells a story of a girl next door who builds all whims and fancies around her marriage and continues to be a victim of domestic violence without voicing it. The film takes a visually poetic tone to explore emotions with purity and subtlety. It gradually expands to show the dilemma of love and relationship create and how it affects our ability to choose what is right for us.
“Unfortunately domestic violence has been part of society for a long time. With the onset of this pandemic, the mental, physical and sexual abuse cases have increased manyfold. In most cases, victims usually refrain from voicing it out and consider it a normal chore and develop the mindset that it would change with time,” said One Digital Entertainment co-founder Gurpreet Singh. “Through this short film, we want to convey to all the victims to stand up and fight this for themselves. We are glad to launch this short film brilliantly directed by Dixshant on our recently acquired content platforms Blush.”
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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.
