Music and Youth
Sony Music and BMG seal deal
MUMBAI: Music giants Sony Music and BMG who had announced their merger plans last month, signed the dotted line on Friday, 12 December in a final agreement to combine their music groups. The combined operation will be called Sony BMG.
The deal however hinges on approval from European and US regulators. According to a report in The Associated Press, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The combination of Sony Music (No.2 in the world) and Bertelsmann’s BMG (No.5) will have 25.2 percent of the global market, still trailing the leader, Universal Music Group of Vivendi Universal. The roster of stars from the two companies includes Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera.
“Sony and Bertelsmann share the vision that this merger is the basis for a company that will concentrate on the creative key business,” said Bertelsmann head Gunter Thielen in a statement. “Our music business plays a key role for Bertelsmann and we believe in its future.”
The world’s five top music companies have tried numerous combinations since 2000, including a merger of BMG with EMI Group and a merger of EMI with Time Warner, before Time Warner’s merger with America Online. But both were abandoned because of regulatory concerns.
Sony and Bertelsmann are hoping that regulators will review their merger in light of the industry’s three-year sales slump and the spread of music piracy
“There is an antitrust issue,” said Mark Jones, a partner at the law firm Norton Rose in London, told Bloomberg News. “They have a reasonable prospect of clearance” because of the industry woes.
Indeed, both companies have felt growing pressure in recent months to merge so that they could cut costs as losses have mounted. BMG reported an operating loss of $126 million in the first half; nearly triple its loss in the period a year earlier. Sony Music said it had an operating profit of $2 million in the second quarter that ended in September, but sales were down 8.9 percent, to $1.1 billion, from 2002.
While merging the music businesses is unlikely to provide an immediate fix to their sales problems, or piracy for that matter, the combined companies would be able to reduce costs sharply by combining back-office functions.
The rush by Sony and Bertelsmann to announce their nonbinding deal helped derail another attempt at a music merger between Time Warner and EMI. Time Warner scrapped its deal with EMI because of worries that regulators would not approve both deals. Instead, Time Warner sold its music business for $2.6 billion to Edgar Bronfman Jr. and a consortium of investors led by Thomas H.Lee Partners.
Also read:
Sony, Bertlesmann plan merger to cut losses
Music and Youth
TLC launches ‘World On My Plate’ with Shipra Khanna
New travel-food series premieres 29 March at 7:00 PM.
MUMBAI: Shipra Khanna just packed her bags and her flavours because when a celebrated chef takes you on a global plate tour, even the couch starts feeling like first-class. Warner Bros. Discovery India has announced the launch of World On My Plate with Shipra Khanna, a new travel and food series set to premiere on TLC on 29 March at 7:00 PM. Hosted and curated by the popular chef and television personality, the show blends food, travel and culture through an intimate and immersive lens.
Across three visually rich episodes, Shipra journeys to global destinations to explore not just what people eat, but why they eat it, uncovering the stories, traditions and human connections behind every dish. The series opens in London, weaving its iconic landmarks with diverse culinary scenes, before moving to Spain’s vineyards, olive orchards and coastal kitchens.
Warner Bros. Discovery head of advertising revenues for South Asia Tanaz Mehta said: “At TLC, our focus has always been on bringing authentic stories that reflect how people live and connect. World On My Plate builds on this by using food as a lens to explore shared traditions across geographies. We’re excited to collaborate with Chef Shipra Khanna, whose perspective brings both depth and relatability to these narratives.”
Shipra Khanna added, “Food has always been my way of connecting with people and understanding cultures. With World On My Plate, I’ve had the opportunity to step into new worlds, learn from incredible individuals, and share stories that go far beyond the plate. This show is very special to me.”
The series promises strong visual storytelling, meaningful interactions and a fresh perspective on global cuisine celebrating flavours alongside the emotions and traditions that shape them.
In a world where travel shows often feel like distant postcards, Shipra Khanna is serving up something far more personal: a passport to cultures through their kitchens, proving that the best way to understand a place is still through the plate. Tune in to World On My Plate with Shipra Khanna starting 29 March at 7:00 PM on TLC.
