iWorld
TVF goes “Tripling” with Tata Tiago
MUMBAI: Road tripping with your favourite people is bliss. We have all been there. Famous for its brainchild Pitchers and Permanent Roommates, YouTube’s series heavyweights The Viral Fever (TVF) has added a new feather to its hat.
For those who have done it in the past, TVF’s new web-series Tripling will give them a flashback and those who haven’t will immediately start planning.
Written by Akarsh Khurana and Sumeet Vyas, the five episodic show spanning over 20-25 minutes revolves around three distant siblings who come closer on a road trip trying to deal with their individual crisis.
Chandan (Sumeet Vyas), a homeless and jobless man whose marriage seems to be falling apart with Chanchal (Maanvi Gagroo) married into royalty regretting the isolation and responsibility that comes with the title and Chitvan (Amol Parashar) a laid back DJ decide to hit the roads. The show is slated to launch on 28 August. It also stars Kunal Roy Kapoor, Kumud Mishra and Shernaz Patel.
“I started working on the concept six months back and after three or four drafts we finalised the script. I was very keen on writing a road-trip story and wanted it to be different,” says Vyas.
Targeted at the 14-45 age group who can relate to the content, TVF is making this web series in association with Tiago from Tata Motors. Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, the entire show has been shot by G Srinivas Reddy on a Cannon C300 using a two camera set-up.
The series was shot at a stretch with a crew of 30-40 in various places- Mumbai, Rajasthan, Jodhpur, Manali, etc. The catchy music has been composed by Amar Mangrulkar.
According to sources close to the development, Tata Motors has shelled out an eye-popping amount of Rs 2.5-3 crore for backing the production.
“Just like our past shows, TVF will not push this series exceedingly. We will target audiences from the tier 2 and tier 3 cities,” adds producer of the show Sameer Saxena. He is also working on the second season of Pitchers that will be launched early in 2017.
Except teasers and a few hoardings in the top five metro cities, the trailer of the show has been successfully launched with 3,000 likes on the channel within 24 hours. Going by one of the dialogues from the show, Crisis ke time pe family hi kaam aati hai, TVF definitely has one more winner on its hands.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
