News Broadcasting
SPE sells historic Culver Studios for $125 million
MUMBAI: Studio City Los Angeles (SCLA) has paid $125 million to acquire the legendary Culver Studios from Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).
In addition to film classics like Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane Culver Studios was the birthplace of TV favourites like The Andy Griffith Show, Hogan’s Heroes, Batman and Mad About You.. In India, MAU airs on Zee English and Hallmark.
Previous owners of Culver Studios have included Cecil B DeMille, and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. SCLA will look to build on the studio’s glory days of film and television production. It will seek to stimulate Culver Studios into a hotbed of activity and put it at the forefront of every producer’s list of places to shoot. As part of the agreement SCLA has also committed to constructing a 30,000-square-foot expansion of the Culver Studios Office Building. This will provide quarters for Sony Pictures’ Animation and Imageworks Visual Effects divisions.
SCLA was created by three key entities. One of them is the Lehman Brothers, the global investment bank with $200 billion in assets. Ron Lynch will become the president and assume oversight of the day-to-day management of The Culver Studios. In his 20-year career Lynch has supervised Orion Pictures’ television productions, and served as executive VP of production at Sony’s Tristar Pictures.
A company release informs that the Culver Studios assets include 14 sound stages and the DeMille screening room. Lynch added, “All of the reasons that producers have loved this facility for more than 85 years are still in place. We intend to enhance the services we provide, make more studio space available at reasonable rates and attract new clients. SCLA is committed to creating the most producer-friendly studios in Hollywood.” The Culver Studios core clientele is comprised of studio and independent film producers; dramatic series, specials, sitcoms and live-audience television productions; music video productions, advertising commercial shoots and bands or performers heading out on tour, using the sound stages for rehearsal.
Television shows currently in production are ABC’s Life with Bonnie and Fox’s Arrested Development, Films now shooting on the lot are Columbia’s Skipping the Holidays and Fox’s Fat Albert.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
