Fiction
Production houses plan for return after lockdown
MUMBAI: As lockdown restrictions ease across the country and state governments start handing out approvals to resume shooting, production houses are gearing up to get back on track with requisite precautions and safety measures. Tasks like an SOP plan will be on top of the priority list and this means added costs for production houses.
IFTPC chairman TV wing and Hats Off Production founder J D Majethia is optimistic that Maharashtra will start shooting in June itself. Anticipating that the pandemic will run longer he has bought a temperature check kiosk, sanitisation stand and other necessary equipment rather than rent them. He also mentioned that insurance policies will become a necessity that will cover workers, technicians and artists for the SarsCov2 virus.
“On ground, our focus is crew safety and thereafter following the right protocols. We are preparing to implement SOPs on ground. We want to ensure that the number of people is less. Our focus is not just on what the government has advised but we also want to keep things under control from a safety perspective,” says Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege. However, he says that their shows will commence production only by August.
Even though Endemol is waiting for shoots to resume here, other regional areas have commenced where permissions have been granted such as Tamil Nadu. Going forward, the company will work in a shift system, so that at any given time required crew members are present. Maintaining distance and required people on the set will be the big change. He, too, added that employee health insurance will be imperative.
Currently, Rege is working on only new shows. “We are trying to figure out ways where we don’t compromise on our script and yet deliver good content,” he says.
Famous Studio MD Anant Roongta, who is ecstatic about re-starting his work, thanked his team members for their constant support. Famous Studio re-started studio work from 8 June. During lockdown, his 50 employees were able to work on pending projects remotely because of its previous efforts in upgrading technology. Even artists came up with techniques to work from home.
While mentioning hygiene and sanitisation measures Roongta says, “We have seven action areas, for all the employees and clients who are coming in our studio. We have a self-declaration form that is mandatory to fill before entering the studios. It is a list of 20 to 30 questions which includes their travel history, any possible symptoms, if they live in a containment area and much more.”
Once people fill the form, they go to the sanitisation stand outside the office. Post that, their temperature is checked and it is mandatory to wear a mask. The studio is sanitised and disinfected every morning. Surgical gloves are provided to people who are working on equipment. As people are working on separate wings and rooms, social distancing is also taken care of. Everyone has to enter and exit from one point to avoid overlapping.
The staff follows a dedicated SOP which included appointing housekeeping for deep cleaning before opening up the office. On the insurance front, he says “Most of the people we work with are consultants and not employees, so they are individually responsible for their own insurance policies.”
Creative Eye Limited MD Dheeraj Kumar says that they too resumed work from 8 June. He adds, “I am waiting for broadcasters to give us the green signal to start fresh projects as well as pending ones. But even if we want to shoot, we will need a minimum of 25 days time in our hand to do all the preparation which was lost in three months.”
Their precautionary measures include thermal infra-red guns at the entrance to check the temperature and will be written in a physical register. Whoever enters the premises will have to provide their contact details and home address. After entering the building, people must sanitise their hands with a stand that’s operated by the feet. He is also providing tailor-made in-house masks and gloves. In the past ten days, the entire Creative Eye building and office has been sanitised thrice. About 100 Creative Eye employees have also been covered under an insurance policy.
Fiction
Warner Bros Discovery sees Sachem Head double stake in Q4 filing
Activist fund ups bet as Paramount circles and Netflix deal looms
NEW YORK: Warner Bros Discovery has drawn fresh activist attention, with hedge fund Sachem Head Capital Management more than doubling its stake in the media giant during the fourth quarter, according to a regulatory filing.
The fund, one of 2025’s best performers, said it held nearly 8 million shares in Warner Bros Discovery by the end of December. The position ranks among its ten largest US equity bets, underlining growing investor interest in the company as takeover drama gathers pace.
The move comes at a pivotal moment for the studio and streaming group. Warner Bros Discovery has agreed to sell its streaming and studios business to Netflix, a deal that has stirred interest across the industry and sparked a rival approach from Paramount Skydance.
Paramount has already made a hostile bid that was rejected last month, but it is far from backing down. This week, the company stepped up pressure on Warner Bros Discovery, urging the board to at least consider whether its offer could be made more attractive than Netflix’s proposal.
Paramount has also hinted at a possible boardroom battle, suggesting it could attempt to replace directors. It even floated the idea of bringing in the head of Pentwater Capital Management, one of Warner Bros Discovery’s largest investors, as a potential board candidate.
With a market value of about 70 billion dollars, Warner Bros Discovery now sits at the centre of a high stakes contest between strategic buyers and activist investors. Sachem Head’s increased holding signals that the hedge fund sees opportunity in the turbulence.
The filing also revealed new bets by Sachem Head elsewhere. The fund bought 5.2 million shares in telecoms company EchoStar, and opened fresh positions in used car retailer Carvana and entertainment group Live Nation.
Such filings offer a snapshot of hedge fund portfolios at the end of the previous quarter. While they are backward looking, investors still track them closely for clues on which stocks are gaining favour or becoming targets for change.
