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Viacom acquires DreamWorks: report
MUMBAI: Viacom has acquired Hollywood studio DreamWorks SKG for $1.6 billion, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
Viacom and its studio division, Paramount Pictures, signed the acquisition deal on Friday, 9 December at a meeting attended by DreamWorks founders Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg Geffen, Viacom chief executive officer Tom Freston and Paramount chairman Brad Grey, the report said quoting executives involved in the negotiations.
More than 50 per cent of the money will come from private-equity investors, the executives have been quoted as saying in the report. The price includes the assumption of about $400 million in DreamWorks’ debt.
The report further adds that DreamWorks discontinued its acquisition talk with NBC-Universal unit of General Electric as the latter’s offer failed to match Viacom’s price.
By acquiring DreamWorks, Paramount gets the right to distribute domestically and internationally movies made by the company’s animation division DreamWorks Animation. Apart from getting hold of DreamWorks’ 60-movie library, Paramount can now capitalise on DreamWorks’ lucrative and expanding computer animation business, the report points out.
By clinching the deal, Viacom has also delivered a body blow to Universal. The company had been making huge profits by distributing DVD and video for DreamWorks live-action and animated films, both domestically and internationally.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
