Movies
News 1st is becoming News 1st Kannada
News 1st is Karnataka’s Fastest Growing Kannada News Channel.
In just over two years News 1st is amongst the Top five News Channels and Surging.
Some Facts First
# The Fastest Growing Kannada News Channel
# Renowned for Quality Content, Programming Innovations, Brand Integrations and Event Associations on Scale
# Winning Key Brand Accounts
# Reaching > 35 per cent of Karnataka
# The No:1 Channel for Karnataka Elections Coverage
# No: 2 of Youtube
From 1 April, 2023 News 1st will become News 1st Kannada.
Due to the name change, BARC will start monitoring the channel afresh from April 1st.
During the changeover, ratings for News 1st Kannada will be temporarily paused.
This pause will be for a period of six to eight weeks starting 1 April, 2023.
Post six to eight weeks, ratings will resume like before.
This note is to let advertisers and agencies know of the development.
News 1st Kannada looks forward to the continued support of all in its endeavour to be the No:1 Kannada News Channel.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
