iWorld
Tata Play Binge partners with KLiKK
Mumbai: Offering a gateway to the heart and soul of Bengali entertainment, OTT platform KLiKK, is now available on Tata Play Binge. Specialising in original web series, feature films, short films, animated films, and an extensive library of over 2000 Bengali language films spanning across various genres, KLiKK offers a rich and immersive experience of Bengali entertainment. Through this collaboration, Tata Play Binge has onboarded the new platform to its already expansive portfolio of over 22 OTT apps and gaming to cater to audiences across all pockets of the country.
As part of the broader KLiKK media landscape, the platform is dedicated to providing an all-encompassing cinematic experience for Bengali-speaking audiences around the world. With an impressive catalog of over 2000 full HD Bengali films, KLiKK is a treasure trove of entertainment that spans across multiple genres, from timeless classics like Pather Panchali, Sonar Kella, Ekdin Pratidin, Dosor, Charachar, BhaloTheko to popular web-series like Pilkunj, Olokkhis In Goa, Honeymoon, Katakuti, Inspector Nalinikanta to latest blockbuster movies like Sesher Galpo, Bohomaan, Bhalobashar Galpo and more, classics directed by luminaries such as Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, and Ritwik Ghatak. The platform also showcases contemporary works by actors like Rajatava Dutta, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Sourav Das, Kaushik Ganguly, while celebrating iconic actors like Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Suchitra Sen, Utpal Dutt, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Aparna Sen and the unforgettable chemistry of Uttam-Suchitra. From reminiscing the nostalgic eras of legendary classics, to contemporary class-apart curation, KLiKK explores the rich tapestry of Bengali entertainment.
Commenting on adding the new partner app, Tata Play’s chief commercial and content officer, Pallavi Puri said, “KLiKK’s diverse and rich collection of Bengali content seamlessly aligns with the burgeoning appetite of our Tata Play Binge consumers for regional content. The platform boasts of series and movies created by the stalwarts of Bengali cinema. Our unwavering endeavor has always been to provide viewers with a versatile and meticulously curated streaming experience.”
KLiKK Technologies Pvt Ltd director Abhay Kumar Tantiya said, “At KliKK we are constantly innovating value propositions for our subscribers and the association with Tata Play adds significantly to our viewer experience. We thank Tata Play to help us increase our quantum of subscriber outreach. KliKK is a leading OTT platform with a rich repository of Bengali entertainment content. This association will enrich not only the viewer experience but provide a robust collaborative horizon in the Bengali content universe.”
KLiKK will join the band of over 22 other popular OTT platforms on Binge like Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV+, ZEE5, SonyLIV, MX Player, Lionsgate Play, Aha, VROTT, Sun NXT, Hallmark Movies Now, ReelDrama, Chaupal, Namma Flix, Planet Marathi, manoramaMAX, iStream, Tarang Plus, Hungama Play, Eros Now, ShemarooMe, Curiosity Stream, EPIC ON, Travelxp, DocuBay, ShortsTV. Content from all these platforms is available to viewers of Tata Play Binge through a single subscription and single user interface. Free gaming is also available on Tata Play Binge as another point of engagement. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video plans are available for Tata Play DTH subscribers. Viewers can enjoy all 22+ apps on large-screen connected devices through Tata Play Binge+ Android Set Top Box, Tata Play edition of the Amazon FireTV Stick and www.TataplayBinge.com.
iWorld
Bill Ackman makes a $64bn bid for Universal Music Group
The hedge fund boss wants to list the world’s biggest record label in New York and thinks he knows exactly what ails it
NEW YORK: Bill Ackman wants to buy the world’s biggest record label. Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund run by the billionaire investor, submitted a non-binding proposal on Tuesday to acquire all outstanding shares of Universal Music Group in a business combination transaction worth roughly $64.4 billion (around 55.8 billion euros).
Under the terms of the offer, UMG shareholders would receive 9.4 billion euros in cash, equivalent to 5.05 euros per share, plus 0.77 shares of a newly created company, dubbed New UMG, for each share held. Pershing Square values the total package at 30.40 euros per share, a 78 per cent premium to UMG’s closing price on April 2.
The deal would see UMG merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, with the combined entity incorporating as a Nevada corporation and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. New UMG would publish financial statements under US GAAP and become eligible for S&P 500 index inclusion. Pershing Square says the transaction is expected to close by year-end, with all equity financing backstopped by Ackman’s firm and its affiliates, and all debt financing committed at signing. The transaction would cancel 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, leaving New UMG with 1.541 billion shares outstanding.
Ackman has a long history with UMG. Pershing Square first bought approximately 10 per cent of the company from Vivendi in the summer of 2021 for around $4 billion, around the time of UMG’s listing on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. He has since trimmed that position, raising around $1.4 billion from the sale of a 2.7 per cent stake in March 2025, and resigned from UMG’s board in May 2025, citing new executive and board obligations arising from recent investments.
His diagnosis of UMG’s troubles is blunt. The company’s stock has fallen around 33 per cent over the past twelve months on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, and Ackman lays out six reasons why. These include uncertainty around the Bolloré Group’s 18 per cent stake in the company, the postponement of UMG’s US listing, the underutilisation of UMG’s balance sheet, the absence of a publicly disclosed capital allocation plan and earnings algorithm, a failure to reflect UMG’s 2.7 billion euro stake in Spotify in its valuation, and what Ackman calls suboptimal shareholder investor relations, communications and engagement.
The Bolloré stake has long cast a shadow over the company. Cyrille Bolloré stepped down from UMG’s board in July 2025 as the Bolloré Group battled the French financial markets regulator over its stake in Vivendi, which holds a further capital interest in UMG. UMG had confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2025 for a proposed secondary listing in America, but put those plans on hold in March 2026, citing market conditions.
Ackman has kind words for UMG’s management, at least. “Since UMG’s listing, Lucian Grainge and the company’s management have done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance,” he said. But he made his diagnosis plain: “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business and importantly, all of them can be addressed with this transaction.”
In other words, Ackman believes UMG is a great business trapped inside a broken structure. If the board agrees, he intends to fix that, loudly and in New York.
