Week at a glance: Poonawalla’s M&E foray; RIL-Disney Star merger news; Google in trouble

Dear friends,

M&A news topped industry discussions this week as Adar Poonawalla decided to enter the M&E space with his Serene Productions acquiring 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions.

Meanwhile, as the Reliance-Disney Star merger moves towards completion, we are beginning to see a shake-up in the top leadership, with K Madhavan and Sajith Sivanandan moving on from Disney Star.

M&A News

Will Adar Poonawalla-Karan Johar form a hit Jodi? - M&E industry has high expectations

The industry has welcomed the latest acquisition in the film industry – that of Adar Poonawalla led Serene Productions acquiring a 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment. Johar will retain the remaining 50% ownership. As per the deal, Serene Productions will invest Rs 1,000 crore into Dharma, valuing the production house at Rs 2,000 crore.

Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions Acquires 50% Stake in Dharma Productions

CCI ground rules for RIL-Disney merger – Cricket ad slots, divestment of 7 channels

As part of the conditions laid, the merger parties have voluntarily agreed not to bundle the TV ad slots for cricket rights of IPL, ICC and BCCI till the end of existing rights. The parties have also agreed to divest in seven TV channels, including Hungama and Super Hungama.

K Madhavan quits Disney Star: Leadership shake-up ahead of merger with Viacom18

Even as Viacom18 and Disney Star are in the final stages of formalising their merger, there are some shake-ups happening in the top leadership. K Madhavan, Country Manager and President, Disney Star, has stepped down. Industry sources have also informed Adgully about the departure of Sajith Sivanandan, Head of Disney+ Hotstar India.

Q&A: Amit Wadhwa, Dentsu Creative

Digital Plus, South focus, integration key to Dentsu’s success in India: Amit Wadhwa

In this exclusive conversation with Adgully, Amit Wadhwa, CEO of Dentsu Creative for South Asia, shares the strategies behind Dentsu’s continued success, the role of innovation, and how the agency is staying ahead in a fast-evolving landscape. He emphazises that Dentsu Creative is not a traditional agency by any means. “We’re not just a creative agency, but a full-service solution provider,” he asserts.

Trouble for Google

Cracks in Google’s empire: Will app store ruling spark change? Part - 1

In a landmark ruling this month, a US judge ordered Google to permit alternative app stores on Android devices. This is the most significant outcome of Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against Google, which began in 2020. This decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for the tech world.

Can Google survive a breakup? Experts weigh in on the future - Part 2

Piracy

Piracy cost India's entertainment industry Rs 224 billion in 2023, report reveals

According to “The Rob Report” released by EY and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the size of India’s piracy economy was INR 224 billion in 2023, ranking fourth against the segment wise revenue generated by India’s Media and Entertainment industry.

Gaming

The rise & rise of female gamers in India: Creating the next 100-milion strong army

The gaming population in India is now not only dominated by male gamers as there is an increasing emergence of female gamers, who accounted for nearly 40% of the overall gaming population in 2023, as per sources. According to a Lumikai report that surveyed over 2,000 gamers, most of whom belong to Tier 2-3 cities, around 41% of the gaming population is now women.

Festive Mood

Print ad spends to see marginal rise this festive season: Naresh Gupta

In conversation with Adgully, Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder, Bang in the Middle, shares his observation on the traction garnered by Print media during the festive season this year, how Print can be relevant for the younger audience, experimentations and innovations seen in Print, and more.

I actually do reverse warehouse and reduce my expenses during festivals: Abhishek Gupta

In an exclusive Ag Talk interaction with Adgully, Abhishek Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Edelweiss Life Insurance, speaks at length about the strategic thinking behind the company’s forward momentum. He provides deep insights into how the rebranding complements their long-standing purpose and how their marketing, branding, and advertising efforts are designed to close the gap between aspirations and reality.

Significant ad spends on short-form videos on back of snackable content: Abhik Banerjee

In conversation with Adgully, Abhik Banerjee, COO, Madison Media Infinity, sheds light on the festive season this year. He sees a A cautious approach, where consumers may shift to affordable options benefiting budget-friendly brands and e-commerce platforms leading to spends surge in Digital media with social media platforms.

We’ve doubled the allocation for online ads for Renee this festive season: Priyank Shah

In conversation with Adgully, Priyank Shah, Co-Founder, Renee Cosmetics, speaks about his observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year, what forms the core of Renee’s festive marketing strategy and campaign strategy, and more.

“Brands have allocated over and above 2x their existing budget this festive season”

In conversation with Adgully, Shubham Shrivastava, AVP- D2c Pro, powered by Team Pumpkin, shares his observations on the overall consumer and market sentiment during the festive season this year and festive ad spends. He also speaks about what forms the core of Team Pumpkin’s festive marketing strategy this year.

Until next week...

Shanta Saikia

Editor

Adgully

Also Read: Week at a glance:Gauging India’s festive mood; Games Bharat plays; SPNI leadership rejig