iWorld
TVF: From Roommates to Inmates
MUMBAI: After the success of The Viral Fever’s Permanent Roommates series, the web content producer is back at it with a new plot in TVF Inmates. Three boys and two girls with outrageous personalities share a house in Mumbai.
The five episodes series is a comic representation of the lifestyle of urban millennials who stick together despite hell breaking loose. It was launched on 13 October.
Talking about the refreshing content AVP content strategy Shreyansh Pandey said, “Lights, Camera.. Experiment!’ has always been the motto behind the story-telling at TVF. With TVF Inmates, we wanted to bring alive the phase of friends living together. It is a process wherein strangers become friends and become a very important part and parcel of our personal lives.”
Talking about partnering with TVF, Midas Care director Shivangi Gupta said, “Spraymintt as a brand offers a very innovative product. Right from the medium of delivery – a mouth freshener spray can, to the product itself – over eight flavors that make you kiss ready in just one sec! So who better to collaborate with than the forever innovating TVF. It took me just one second to decide on backing TVF Inmates.”
The main characters in the series are played by Raghav Kakkar, Ashish Verma, Akansha Thakur, Mukti Mohan and Kashyap Kapoor.
TVF Inmates is set in a 21st century Mumbai apartment, a group of friends, who fight, bicker yet support each other. Each day is a new story as these friends maneuver in a way that brings out their best and the occasional worst.
The series is based on five different personalities: Rahul (played by Raghav Kakkar), who is a rich Delhi boy with a heart of gold and the acting talent of a laughing gas cylinder, Madhav (played by Ashish Verma), is a corporate hotshot with zero history of proximity with women, Richa (played by Akansha Thakur), a casting director who is just living her life one step at a time, Kay (played by Mukti Mohan who makes her web-series debut), a wannabe DJ who is fed up of Goa and her half-brother Fooga (played by Kashyap Kapoor), whose search for his long-lost gangster father is going nowhere. Their problems are modern, their reactions Indian.
The story of TVF Inmates has been written by Raghav Raj Kakker & Kashyap Kapoor, directed by Yazad Anklesaria and developed by Shreyansh Pandey.
iWorld
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.
