ITV

Tag: Lifetime

  • A+E Global Media joins cable fire sale as Disney and Hearst weigh exit

    A+E Global Media joins cable fire sale as Disney and Hearst weigh exit

    MUMBAI: A+E Global Media, home to A&E, History and Lifetime, is up for grabs as Disney and Hearst are exploring a potential sale of their 50-50 joint venture, adding to the growing list of cable assets being spun off or dumped in a rapidly fragmenting media landscape.

    The duo have roped in Wells Fargo to explore strategic options for the privately held firm, which rebranded earlier this year from A+E Networks. International media reports quote sources saying that  a full or partial sale is on the cards, though no deal is guaranteed. The move comes amid a broader industry pivot, with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery already planning to cleave off large chunks of their legacy cable businesses.

    NBCU’s new entity Versant will house MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network and others, while WBD is prepping a 2026 split of its linear networks, including CNN, TNT, TBS, Discovery and HGTV. A+E’s roster—spanning Lifetime Movie Network, FYI, Vice TV, and a fleet of Fast and AVOD services—could make for a tasty bolt-on to either portfolio.

    While A+E continues to throw off cash, it’s not immune to cable’s cord-cutting crisis. Subscriber counts are down to around 58 million per brand, well off their peak, and Disney’s reported equity income from the venture plunged to $207 million in FY24 from $575 million the year prior. That said, the company’s content firepower remains formidable—with deep libraries, active Fast rollouts, and global syndication in nearly 200 markets.
    Under president Paul Buccieri, A+E has bucked some trends by doubling down on original movies for Lifetime and blockbuster docs for History. But the shift is unmistakable: legacy players are slimming down, linear is losing lustre, and media conglomerates are reshuffling the deck for a streaming-first world.

    Disney boss Bob Iger has flirted with calling linear TV “non-core” in the past but ultimately decided to hold on to ESPN, ABC and FX as content engines for Disney+ and Hulu. A+E, however, has long remained outside the mouse house’s main orbit—making it a prime candidate for offloading.

    No price tag has been floated, and reps for Disney, Hearst, A+E and Wells Fargo have declined to comment. But the timing is telling. With Versant aiming to close by end-2025, and WBD’s split targeted for mid-2026, A+E could be the next tile to shift in a fast-moving game of cable consolidation.

    Indian media observers may recollect that the Reliance group has a 51 per cent majority-owned joint venture AETN18 , now called A+E Networks India. The company operates the infotainment channel History TV18 and had, until 2020 , run the lifestyle channels of FYI TV18. How the potential sale of the global media company will affect the Indian joint venture is not known at the time of writing.  So keep watching this space.

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  • Mother Dairy creams off victory in cola campaign clash

    Mother Dairy creams off victory in cola campaign clash

    MUMBAI: As Pepsi and Coca-Cola reignite their decades-long fizzy feud ahead of the the IPL 2025 and the coming blazing summer, dairy giant Mother Dairy has quietly churned up a storm by pouring itself into the beverage battle with an utterly brilliant repartee campaign.

    The latest skirmish began when Coca-Cola launched its nostalgic “Half Time, Coke Time” campaign, encouraging cricket fans to reach for the red can during match intervals. Pepsi quickly fizzed back, rebranding the Times of India as the Any Times of India with its “Anytime is Pepsi Time” response – a strategic play reminiscent of their legendary 1996 “Nothing Official About It” campaign that outflanked Coca-Cola’s official World Cup sponsorship.

    Pepsi’s effervescent retort listed life’s precious moments – “first time, thirst time, play time, crunch time, winner time, we time, me time” – suggesting their blue brand transcends scheduled refreshment, sparking a social media frenzy with fans bubbling over about the clever wordplay.

    Just as the carbonated competitors were locked in their temporal tussle over “half time” versus “anytime,” Mother Dairy skimmed past the conflict with a masterful third-way strategy, unveiling its “Not Just a Drink, but a Lifetime Companion” advertisement. The dairy disruptor effectively curdled both rivals’ messaging by positioning milk as the true timeless beverage.

    “Coke claimed half time, Pepsi countered with anytime, but Mother Dairy has completely changed the game with lifetime,” notes a marketing analyst. “It’s like watching two soda brands argue over when you should drink them, while Mother Dairy calmly points out what you should be drinking all along.”

    Industry experts suggest this calcium-rich counterpunch represents perfect timing from Mother Dairy, which has milked the opportunity to remind health-conscious consumers there’s a nutritionally superior alternative.
    “This isn’t just about stealing attention; it’s about changing the conversation entirely,” explains a  consumer behavior specialist. “While the cola giants debate between ‘half time’ and ‘anytime,’ Mother Dairy has moved the goalposts to ‘lifetime’—effectively highlighting that their product doesn’t just refresh momentarily but nourishes permanently.”

    In this high-stakes game of marketing chess, Mother Dairy appears to have made a strategic moo-ve that has left the cola kings decidedly cheesed off and scrambling to respond to this unexpected dairy disruption in India’s competitive beverage market.

  • Prem Kamath to join A+E Networks, Singapore

    Prem Kamath to join A+E Networks, Singapore

    MUMBAI:  Earlier today, news emerged that Star India executive vice-present and general manager Prem Kamath – who heads Channel V and Star Pravah – was quitting India’s leading network. No announcement came in as to where he was headed. 

     

    A while ago we wrote that he was headed for a position in south east Asia or at one of the other three major broadcast networks in India.  Now, sources have revealed that our first conjecture was right: that Kamath is indeed headed to Singapore and is taking up a regional role at A+E Networks.

     

    A+E Networks runs The History Channel, Lifetime, bio, Crime Investigation Networks and H2 channels in the Asia Pacific region.

     

    Kamath confirmed his exit to indiantelevision.com but he was mum about his shift to A+E Networks.

     

    He will continue to be with Star India at least for another couple of months.

     

    Kamath joined Star India in May 2007 as vice-president marketing for the network.  In 2009, he was elevated to the role of executive vice president and general manager Channel V. In 2013, he was given additional role of general manager of Star India’s Marathi general entertainment channel Star Pravah.  Prior to joining Star India, Kamath was associate vice president at Leo Burnett. He served the agency from 1999 to April 2007.

  • CenemaCon’s Lifetime achievement award to Stallone

    CenemaCon’s Lifetime achievement award to Stallone

    MUMBAI: Sylvester Stallone has been presented with a lifetime achievement award at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. “Sylvester Stallone has proven himself time and time again to be a prolific actor, writer and director over the years.
    Throughout his incredible career spanning nearly 40 years, Stallone has established his ability to continually captivate his audiences,” CinemaCon general manager Mitch Neuhauser has been quoted to have said.
    Stallone, who made his big screen return with the 2010 box office hit The Expendables is currently orking on prison thriller The Tomb along with fellow action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.