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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.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
