English Entertainment
AXN Wins TAM Race to the Top
MUMBAI: AXN, the pioneer of action and adventure, has broken barriers again to occupy the position of the top English entertainment channel across all of India, as reported by the recent rating findings of TAM’s Peoplemeter System. Programmes on AXN, occupy 9 out of 10 positions in the TAM top ten rated English entertainment shows in India.
Says Sunder Aaron, Country Head, AXN India, “It shows that in the widest television universe that is reported, AXN is the strongest English brand on television India-wide. While advertisers may be buying air-time on English channels based on their primary Sec A & B target audience, on AXN they will also be getting the best possible reach that an English channel in India can offer. “
Many of AXN’s reality based programs scored well according to the TAM Study. Ultimate Guinness World, which has a long association with India, obviously has not gotten old & Ripley’s Believe It Or Not- both are shows whose appeal cuts across all audiences. AXN’s Fight Nights – a new band started this year boasts of The Ultimate Fighter, a serious martial arts reality show that has a cult following internationally and now as per TAM’s data, has a loyal fan base in India as well.
While the reality action shows tend to drive reach, the strength of the channel lies in Top rated international series. Handpicked shows like Las Vegas, which premiered last year; a drama based on the action packed lives of the people behind a casino wins the silver as per TAM’s ratings.
AXN’s award winning drama series – House – an irreverent series based on a genius doctor and Numb3rs – an investigative series that uses innovative methods to solve crimes, are both amongst the top 15. This indicates a change of viewing habits from sitcoms to fast paced AXN entertainment, shows that AXN’s action genre is expanding exponentially.
Adds Sumona Roy, Marketing Manager, AXN India, “AXN’s programming mix is painstakingly chosen keeping in mind the Indian viewer’s need for television that is different and path breaking. We’ve always known that more people are spending time watching AXN – the latest TAM ratings bear evidence of our efforts bearing fruit!”
AXN India Backgrounder
AXN is the first 24-hour cable and satellite TV channel in Asia exclusively dedicated to action and adventure programming. Launched on 21 September 1997, AXN now reaches over 77 million households across Asia. Featuring the best in action and adventure lifestyle programming, AXN is the exclusive home of fast-paced, dynamic entertainment from around the world. Backed by the powerhouse of Sony Pictures Entertainment, AXN delivers young adult viewers, Sec15-44 AB, a round-the-clock fix of blockbuster features, blue-chip action and reality series and specials, first-run alternative sporting events and the latest in cult CGI animation. AXN’s programming speaks the international language of action and adventure, delivering B! G Buzz, B! G Thrills, B!G Action and B!G Adventure 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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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.
