Hollywood
Bob Bain named executive producer for 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Awards
MUMBAI: Bob Bain has been named as the executive producer for the 2015 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
This marks his first year as the executive producer of the awards. Among the categories recognized and awarded at the Creative Arts Emmys are those for excellence in television’s guest actors and actresses, choreography, costume design, music, and for the first time this year, Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
“Bob is one of the industry’s leading producers of ‘next generation’ event television. We are thrilled to have him on board,” said Television Academy chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum.
Bain is revered as one of the most prolific and versatile event, variety and televised award show producers working in Hollywood. For over a decade Bob Bain Productions has been at the helm of the popular Teen Choice Awards, Kids Choice Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. Bain has also produced Fox’s New Year’s Eve LIVE Special as well as the Billboard Music Awards, Miss America Pageant, American Country Awards and numerous music specials.
The Creative Arts Emmys will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. on 12 September.
Hollywood
Paramount eyes $24bn Gulf support to fund Warner Bros Discovery merger: Reports
Sovereign funds line up funding as media giants chase streaming scale
NEW YORK: Paramount Skydance is in talks to secure nearly $24 billion in equity commitments from Gulf sovereign wealth funds to support its planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a WSJ report.
The funding push comes as Paramount Skydance advances its proposed $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, which carries an equity valuation of $81 billion and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
At the heart of the financing plan are three major Gulf investors. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to contribute roughly $10 billion, while the Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding are likely to make up the remainder.
Crucially, the proposed investments are structured as non-voting stakes. This means the Gulf backers would not have direct control in the combined entity, a move designed to ease regulatory concerns in the United States. Paramount executives reportedly do not expect the deal to trigger scrutiny from bodies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States or the Federal Communications Commission.
If completed, the merger would bring together a formidable portfolio of entertainment and news assets, including CNN and CBS. The combined entity aims to better compete in a fast-evolving media landscape where streaming platforms are steadily pulling audiences away from traditional television.
The deal reflects a broader shift in global media, where scale is increasingly seen as essential to survive the streaming wars. By pooling content libraries, technology and distribution, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery are betting on size and synergy to drive future growth.
The involvement of deep-pocketed Gulf investors also underscores the growing role of sovereign wealth in shaping global media consolidation, particularly at a time when high-value deals demand equally large financial backing.
With shareholder votes and regulatory milestones still ahead, the proposed tie-up remains one of the most closely watched media deals of the year. If it clears the final hurdles, it could redraw the competitive map of the global entertainment industry.
