Hollywood
Beyonc breaks iTunes records
Pop star Beyonce looks to be rising on the chartbusters list. Her self-titled album, Beyonce has become the fastest selling album ever on the iTunes Store.
With an unprecedented 828,773 albums sold in just its first three days, the album has broke the US first week album sales record with 617,213 sold and proved to be a global success going to number one in 104 countries, announced Apple.
Beyonce is the fifth solo studio album from Beyonce, which was made available exclusively worldwide on the iTunes Store on 13 December by Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records. The self-titled set is the artist’s first visual album.
The album has 14 new songs and 17 visually stunning, provocative videos shot around the world from Houston to New York City to Paris, and cto Rio de Janeiro, all before the album’s release. The album represents Beyonce’s biggest sales week ever.
Hollywood
Paramount’s US antitrust waiting period on WBD bid expires
DOJ review continues as rival Netflix bid clouds the deal’s future
LOS ANGELES: Paramount said on Friday that the US antitrust waiting period for its $108.4 billion all-cash bid for Warner Bros Discovery expired on 19 February, clearing an early procedural hurdle in its attempt to buy the owner of HBO Max.
The expiry of the 10-day waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act means there is no statutory bar in the United States to closing the proposed transaction. It does not, however, bring regulatory scrutiny to an end.
The US Department of Justice can continue investigating the deal, seek additional information and still sue to block it before completion. In 2023, the department moved to stop JetBlue’s proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines months after the waiting period had lapsed.
Complicating matters further, Paramount does not yet have a definitive agreement with Warner Bros Discovery. The studio group has separately entered into a deal with Netflix, which has offered $27.75 per share, valuing the studios and streaming assets at $82.7 billion.
“Paramount Skydance continues to mislead stockholders and distract from the facts,” said Netflix chief legal officer David Hyman. “They have not secured the approvals needed to close and they are a long way from doing so.”
Any Netflix-Warner Bros Discovery tie-up would itself face intense scrutiny from US and European competition authorities. These authorities would examine whether combining Netflix’s global streaming scale with Warner Bros Discovery’s century-old studio assets could curb competition or narrow consumer choice.
