iWorld
After megamerger with AT&T, five Time Warner executives set for $180 million payout
MUMBAI: Patience, they say, is a virtue. And sometimes, patience pays . Just ask Time Warner’s top five executives who will will walk away with combined exit packages worth $180 million after their company’s merger with AT&T was approved by a federal court. The $85 billion deal between the two giant corportations has been two years in the making.
Among those who hit pay dirt, CEO Jeffrey Bewkes top the list. He will collect close to $97.7 million, according to a report on CNN money. Bewkes received a retention bonus in stock in February 2017. Based on Tuesday’s closing price, he will get shares worth $28 million as part of that bonus. Other than that, the 66-year-old will take home $33.2 million in severance.
Chief financial officer Howard Averill’s exit package is worth about $32.3 million, while Paul Cappuccio, the company’s general counsel, will get $26.7 million. Executive vice president of marketing and communications Gary Ginsberg is due $12.2 million, while Carol Melton, executive vice president of global public policy, will get an estimated $11 million.
When the deal between AT&T (T) and Time Warner (TWX) deal was first announced in 2016, Bewkes and the other top executives were each granted retention bonuses. For companies involved in a merger, handing retention bonuses and severance packages to top executives is standard procedure.
However, it must be noted that these executive payouts are tied to the company’s performance and depend on when these individials leave the organization. The executives who decide to stay put in the the merged company won’t be given a severance check.
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iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
