English Entertainment
AXN contest winners to host ‘Extreme Dhamaka’
MUMBAI: Seems like reality has finally come of age in India. While media might have pooh-poohed AXN’s Hot ‘n Wild contest as yet another beauty pageant, the action adventure channel may just be having the last laugh.
Embarking on their second biggest local production, a hybrid version of Who Dares Wins and Fear Factor, AXN is all set to begin shooting forExtreme Dhamaka from 21 September.
The channel has stated that the two lucky winners of Hot ‘n Wild contest will get a chance to host Extreme Dhamaka. The contest is scheduled to be held on 20 September in Mumbai.
The channel has roped in ex-Australian cricketer and screen icon Mike Whitney and the Aussie model-cum-actress Tania Zaetta for its Extreme Dhamaka venture too. The two contest winners will host alongside these celebrities. It will pave the way for the biggest on-ground action and adventure initiative that India has ever seen, says a company release.
Taking a cue from the success of last year’s AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special, which saw a large number of entries, the channel decided to launch the long awaited reality show, the release states.
Zaetta who was the host of Who Dares Wins for eight years, will be among the judges at the at the grand finals of Hot ‘n Wild contest.
Speaking about the venture, AXN’s assistant vice president (marketing and sales), India, Rohit Bhandari says, “We have been realizing the growing popularity of adventure shows in India, more so since the launch on Fear Factor here. With the response that we received for Who dares Wins last year, we realized that India is finally prepared for a dare show.”
Bhandari, elaborates, “The entire effort is going be colossal in terms of logistical implementation. Both international and local expertise will be used to ensure maximum security during shoots. We will also make sure that the quality of production is on par with international broadcast standards,”
When asked about the budget, Bhandari refused to reveal figures but says that they have upped last year’s special budget by almost 50 per cent. Scheduled to be shot from 21 September to 8 October, the special event for Extreme Dhamaka will take off on a six city tour in Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai. The televised version will go on air six weeks after the event, probably in December, the release says.
Bhandari adds that although the effort will be a one-off event aired as a special season, next year around, the channel will be coming up with yet another format especially for the Indian masses.
While the channel is skeptical about the nomination format of the show oversees, the Indian version will have people dared on the street just like last years AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special.
But unlike the relatively softer version, where Whitney approached unsuspecting Indians on the streets or at shopping malls daring them to attempt certain stunts, Extreme Dhamaka will be shot in stadiums throughout the country, with dares designed to be more demanding, severe and rigorous. The show will be presented by Hero Honda in association with Center Shock, Airtel and Nokia.
The highlight of Extreme Dhamaka will be the Main Dares which will be shot in India this year. The press release says, Main Dares will create some heart-stopping moments.
Speaking about the format Bhandari says, “Last year when we shot The AXN Who Dares Wins-India Special, we were sure Indians would enjoy participating in the street dares which were fun to do and not that severe. But the format of Extreme Dhamaka is based on three levels: first is the “can-able mini dare”, which is a milder version and is not as challenging and gutsy as “mini-main dare”, the second step. But the toughest one the “main dare”. The dares are designed to put an individual’s physical and psychological limits to the test.”
English Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount deal
Investors wave through a $111 billion megamerger but deliver a stinging, if toothless, rebuke over half-a-billion-dollar goodbye packages
NEW YORK: The shareholders said yes to the deal. They said no to the cheque. At a virtual special meeting on Thursday that lasted barely ten minutes, Warner Bros. Discovery investors voted overwhelmingly to approve Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of the company — and then turned around and voted against the lavish exit pay packages lined up for chief executive David Zaslav and his fellow outgoing executives.
Not that it will make much difference. The compensation vote is purely advisory and non-binding. The Warner Bros. Discovery board can, and almost certainly will, pay out as planned.
But the symbolism stings. It is the second consecutive year that WBD shareholders have voted against the executive compensation packages, and this time they had good reason. Zaslav’s exit deal is, by any measure, extraordinary. Under the terms filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he is set to receive $34.2 million in cash severance, $517.2 million in equity in the combined company, and $44,195 in continued health coverage — a total of at least $550 million. On top of that, Warner Bros. Discovery has agreed to reimburse Zaslav up to $335 million for taxes assessed by the Internal Revenue Service on his accelerated stock vesting, though the company says that figure will decline depending on when the deal closes. As of March 11, Zaslav also held $115.85 million in vested WBD stock awards — and last month sold a further $114 million worth of WBD shares.
Shareholder advisory firm ISS recommended voting against the compensation measure, citing “problematic” tax reimbursements to Zaslav and the full vesting of his stock awards.
Zaslav will be bound by a two-year non-competition covenant and a two-year non-solicitation of customers and employees after the deal closes.
His lieutenants are not walking away empty-handed either. J.B. Perrette, chief executive and president of global streaming and games, is in line for $142 million, comprising $18.2 million in cash severance and $123.9 million in equity. Bruce Campbell, chief revenue and strategy officer, will receive an estimated $121.5 million, including $18.8 million in severance and $102.7 million in equity. Chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels is set for $120 million, made up of $6.6 million in cash severance and $113.1 million in equity. Gerhard Zeiler, president of international, will get $82.6 million, including $11.9 million in severance and $70.7 million in equity.
The deal itself, clinched in February after Netflix declined to raise its bid for Warner Bros., still needs regulatory clearance from the Justice Department and European authorities. Several state attorneys general are also weighing legal action to block it.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, was unsparing. “The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger isn’t a done deal,” she said after the shareholder vote. “State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight.”
If it does go through, the combined entity would be a formidable beast, bringing together Paramount Skydance’s stable — CBS, CBS News, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, BET, MTV and Nickelodeon — with WBD’s portfolio of HBO, Max, Warner Bros. film and TV studios, DC, CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and Discovery+. Paramount has said it expects $6 billion in cost savings from the merger, which is Wall Street shorthand for mass layoffs on a significant scale.
The ten-minute meeting was presided over by chairman Samuel Di Piazza Jr., with Zaslav, Campbell, Wiedenfels and chief communications officer Robert Gibbs in virtual attendance. Di Piazza was bullish. “We appreciate the support and confidence our stockholders have placed in us to unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio,” he said. “With Paramount, we look forward to creating an exceptional combined company that will expand consumer choice and benefit the global creative talent community.”
Zaslav echoed the sentiment. “Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership,” he said. “Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders.”
Paramount Skydance struck a similar note. “Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery,” it said in a statement, adding that it looked forward to “closing the transaction in the coming months.”
The shareholders have spoken on the merger. On the pay, they were ignored before the vote was even counted.
