Hollywood
TV premiere of Daniel Craig’s ‘Spectre’ on 23 October
MUMBAI: Movies Now is all geared up to air the television premiere of the Daniel Craig starrer James Bond movie Spectre. With Diwali round the corner, the movie will hit the TV screens on 23 October at 1 pm and a repeat telecast at 9 pm.
Bond fans are also going to be treated to some prizes which are up for grabs during the premiere with a high-decibel marketing campaign. The channel has designed a four-pronged approach to engage with its audience, focusing on on-air, OOH, on-ground and digital mediums.
It has roped in multiple partners for the premiere which is presented by Amazon, co presented by Huawei, driven by Ford, partnered by Airtel and in association with Raymond. The Experiential Marketing partner is Barcode.
“James Bond is one of the most iconic characters from Hollywood and Spectre was one of the highest grossing movies in India in 2015. While all television premieres on Movies Now have always received a phenomenal response from viewers and advertisers, as category leaders we are the going the extra mile for Spectre because Bond holds a very special place in the hearts of Indians. The main focus of our marketing campaign is to reach out to a mass audience, targeting both Bond franchise loyalists and movie enthusiasts. With Spectre, we hope to re-create the same box office magic and success on TV,” said Times Television Network English Entertainment Cluster and Zoom senior vice president and head Vivek Srivastava.
Besides promoting the premiere on the Times Television Network and various other channels across the Indian TV spectrum, Movies Now has also announced an exclusive In-movie Watch and Win contest. 4 lucky winners stand a chance to win an iPhone 7 each; all that they need to do is give a missed call and answer simple questions based on the movie.
With a 10 city outdoor campaign across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad, the channel is supplementing this as an on-ground activation across 500 bars, which culminates in a mega-event of 3 simultaneous invite-only Bond-themed Spectre Parties held in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Continuing with their focus on engaging with the urban youth, the channel’s digital initiatives include a special ‘Which Bond Are You?’ Instagram quiz and a day-long Twitter contest to be held on 23rd October with an iPhone7 and other cool prizes up for grabs.
Hollywood
David Zaslav could net up to $887m as Warner Bros Discovery sells up
Media mogul strikes gold as Paramount Skydance deal triggers massive windfall
NEW YORK: While the average office worker might hope for a nice clock and a round of applause upon leaving, David Zaslav is looking at a slightly more substantial parting gift. The chief executive officer of Warner Bros Discovery is positioned to receive a windfall of up to $887 million following the company’s blockbuster $110 billion sale to Paramount Skydance.
In a twist of corporate fate that feels scripted for the big screen, the deal marks the finale of a high-stakes bidding war. It comes after Netflix, once the frontrunner, decided to exit stage left and abandon its pursuit of the HBO Max parent company.
While most people receive a standard final paycheck, the filing released on Monday suggests Zaslav’s exit package is built a little differently. If the deal closes as expected in the third quarter of 2026, the numbers break down like this:
The cash out: A severance package of $34.2 million, covering his salary and bonuses.
The equity: $115.8 million in vested shares he already owns.
The future fortune: A massive $517.2 million in unvested share awards, essentially “future stock” that turns into real money the moment the ink dries on the merger.
Perhaps the most eye-catching figure is the $335 million earmarked for tax reimbursements. However, this particular pot of gold has an expiration date.
The company noted that these reimbursements are tied to specific tax-code rules that significantly decline as time passes. If the deal hits a snag and drags into 2027, that tax payout drops to zero. With hundreds of millions on the line, the chief executive officer likely has every incentive to ensure the closing process moves at double-speed.
