English Entertainment
AXN, HKTB take viewers through a Bollywood Odyssey
MUMBAI: Action entertainment with local relevance! That is the path that AXN’s latest cross promotional initiative will take.
The broadcaster has teamed up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for a special Hong Kong Bollywood Movie Odyssey. It airs on 27 November at 10:30 pm with repeats on 16 December at 9:30 pm and on 17 December at .5:30 pm.
Hosted by former Miss World Diana Hayden the show will take viewers to Hong Kong locales that Bollywood film producers have made use of. Films like Company, Naam, Gumrah have all had important sequences shot in Hong Kong in locations like Victoria Harbour and The Peak.
This is the second major collaboration between the two parties. A couple of years ago AXN had organised the India Challenge event in conjunction with the HKTB. The winning team was then sent to Hong Kong to compete in the Hong Kong AXN Challenge.
Speaking on the latest initiative AXN Asia VP marketing and creative services Gregory Ho said, “This is a fascinating collaboration between two Asian brands. While many Indians relate with Hong Kong as a shoppers paradise and for its gourmet delights it is also the action capital of Asia. It is synonymous with action films. Legends like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan came from there.
“This show is an attempt on our part to strengthen lifestyle programming on the channel. With this we are trying to go beyond the reality genre. When people see the above mentioned Bollywood films again they will appreciate them more because of the perspective our show will bring to the table.
“We chose Diana Hayden because she is spontaneous and articulate. When you air a show across Asia you want someone well polished that viewers across the board can identify with.”
AXN will air also the Hong Kong Movie Odyssey on 20 November at 10:30 pm with repeats on 9 December at 9:30 pm and on 10 December at 5:30 pm. This looks at Hong Kong movies whose filmmaking style has influenced the world including Bollywood
Ho added that AXN’s parent Sony has a production facility in Hong Kong where films are made. So titles like So Close, Double Vision will air dubbed on the channel next year. In all the channel has around 10-12 films from Hong Kong in the pipeline. However we do not have any plans to air Indian action films in subtitles.”
HKTB South and South East Asia regional director David Leung added, “The show will give viewers the opportunity to see Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan lifestyle and fusion of cultures. We hope that the show will stimulate viewers desires to eat and drink in the same locales that their film heroes did.
“Earlier this year we did focus group promotions like the Bollywood Map. This shows the different locations in Hong Kong where Hindi films have been shot. We however felt the need to move from print to the electronic medium to create a larger impact. Therefore we tied up with AXN.”
“We are also talking to Indian film and television producers regarding shooting in Hong Kong. We are confident of finalising deals by the time Frames is held in March 2005. We will make major announcements at that event. Later this year Hong Kong will organise the Winter Fest.
” We will be using the Indian radio and print medium to spread awareness about the same. We are also hopeful of using brand ambassador Jackie Chan in the future. Indians connect with him strongly. It is basically a matter of his schedule and willingness to work with us to promote Hong Kong in India.”
Sony assistant VP marketing Rohit Bhandari who looks after the channel in India stated that the broadcaster is also working with the Malaysia Tourism Board. Right now vignettes promoting that country are airing on the channel.
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.
