Lionsgate has sold its South Asian and Southeast Asian streaming operation Lionsgate Play to Rohit Jain, the executive who developed the service during an eight-year tenure as president of Lionsgate Play Asia.

The studio disclosed the deal Tuesday. Jain will leave Lionsgate to take ownership of the streaming platform, while the studio retains its theatrical distribution and television production operations across the two regions.

Jain has secured a multi-year licensing deal that grants him rights to use the Lionsgate Play branding and draw from the studio’s content catalog for the streaming service.

Lionsgate Play maintains active operations in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives. The service primarily utilizes a B2B2C distribution model through long-term partnerships with telecommunications providers. In India, the platform is integrated into various aggregators such as JioHotstar, Airtel Xstream, and Amazon Prime Video Channels. For 2026, the company is executing a content slate that includes 100 planned premieres for the year, with a specific focus on expanding its regional Indian library with 25 new titles across the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.

“We thank Rohit for his outstanding leadership in building and scaling Lionsgate’s business in India over the past eight years,” said Lionsgate COO Brian Goldsmith. “Under his stewardship, the Lionsgate brand has gained greater resonance with audiences in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and Lionsgate Play has emerged as a distinctive premium streaming platform in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital entertainment markets. Rohit is an entrepreneur with a deep understanding of the Asia landscape, and he has the expertise and experience to lead Lionsgate Play into an exciting new phase of growth.”

“I’m deeply grateful to Jon Feltheimer and Brian Goldsmith for the trust and freedom to build Lionsgate’s India business and transform Lionsgate Play into a premium streaming platform across Asia,” said Rohit Jain. “Lionsgate Play has established itself as a leading destination for Hollywood content in India and is now positioned to expand well beyond that – shaping a differentiated, future-ready streaming platform for the region.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Passengers aboard a taxiing aircraft were reportedly left horrified last month when chilling screams suddenly echoed from beneath the cabin just moments before takeoff.  

According to the officials, a ground crew member became trapped inside the plane’s cargo hold when doors “inadvertently closed” behind him, according to local station CBC. 

The incident happened on Dec. 13 when Air Canada Flight 1502 was preparing to depart Toronto Pearson Airport for Moncton, New Brunswick, the outlet said. 

The Airbus flight, which was carrying 184 passengers, was ultimately canceled following the incident.  

ALL 8 TIRES BURST IN HARROWING ATLANTA LANDING FAILURE INVOLVING PASSENGER JET
 

Passengers told CBC that distressing sounds of muffled banging and desperate screams quickly filled the rear of the aircraft as it began taxiing toward the runway, prompting flight attendants to sprint down the aisle in alarm.

“Some of the people that were sitting towards the back of the plane heard the person screaming and banging, trying to get their attention,” passenger Gabrielle Caron said. 

“We could see the crew gathering around the plane, so we knew something was happening,” she added. “Then, the pilot tells us that there is someone from the crew in the luggage hold.”

PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY OPENS EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR ON TAXIING PLANE, DEPLOYS SLIDE AT ATLANTA AIRPORT: POLICE

The aircraft reportedly halted before reaching the runway. Moments later, the trapped ground crew member emerged safely from the cargo and entered the cabin, reassuring shaken passengers that he was unharmed, Caron reported. 

Air Canada confirmed to CBC that no injuries were reported in the incident. 

Caron added that the crew member involved was reportedly assisting ground staff by loading items as an extra set of hands and may have been left unaccounted for when the doors closed.

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The plane eventually returned to the terminal, where passengers were asked to disembark while the flight crew completed necessary paperwork, CBC reported.

The flight was ultimately canceled after several delays, the outlet said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Air Canada for more information.

PodcastPodcast, The Take

As protests continue, Iran and the US seem to hint at readiness for war.

Iran’s protests started with economic demands. Now, the Iranian government says it is ready for war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has told Iranian protesters that “help is on the way”, as Washington discusses military options. Could tension spread far beyond Iran?

In this episode: 

• Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi), Center for International Policy senior fellow and host of The Iran Podcast

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Chloe K Li and Melanie Marich, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Noor Wazwaz and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Ney Alvarez. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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