iWorld
Comcast deal riskier than Disney, says Fox
MUMBAI: Everyone is keeping an eye out to know when Fox will pick a partner in the tug of war between Disney and Comcast.
Now, the American multinational mass-media corporation, 21st Century Fox is telling its shareholders that the deal with Comcast carries higher risk than the deal with Walt Disney. Fox said that risk of the deal being delayed or denied lies due to antitrust regulators.
In a SEC filing, Fox outlined eight concerns about the potential Comcast deal. The filing read: “While a potential Disney transaction was likely to receive required regulatory approvals and ultimately be consummated, a strategic transaction with Comcast “a strategic transaction with Comcast would be subject to a greater degree of regulatory uncertainty, including the possibility of an outright prohibition and a higher risk of divestitures and delay to closing, as compared to a strategic transaction with Disney.”
The board for Rupert Murdoch led company, had stated that a strategic transaction with Comcast continued to carry higher regulatory risk leading to the possibility of significant delay in the receipt of merger consideration as well as the risk of an inability to consummate the transactions.
Fox has been consistently trying to avoid selling its business to Comcast as Fox officials are of the opinion that a merger with the largest US cable company, Comcast, may not be approved by the federal government.
According to the SEC filing, Disney’s bid would have a smoother route to closing as the entertainment company has a mix of businesses.
Disney’s deal with Fox will include the 20th Century Fox film and TV studios, along with the FX cable channels, Fox’s stakes in Hulu, Sky, National Geographic Partners and more.
Fox plans to spin off all its news assets into “News Fox” which will include all Fox broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Networks and others.
The good news for Disney comes after the Fox board agreed to Disney’s higher offer of $71.3 billion last week. This was after Comcast made an all cash bid of $65 billion for Fox’s assets.
Comcast first approached 21st Century Fox about buying the network’s properties in November 2017, which was just a month before Fox had already struck its first deal with Disney.
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Hulu signs deal for Viacom series
Endemol Shine hires banks for a possible sale
Lachlan Murdoch to lead New Fox after Disney sale, James is out
iWorld
Banijay Asia’s The 50 tops OTT charts with 8.1 million JioHotstar views
Reality competition becomes most watched show on JioHotstar in debut week.
MUMBAI: Fifty contestants walked into a palace, but millions of viewers showed up for the drama. Reality competition The 50, produced by Banijay Asia, has emerged as the most watched show on JioHotstar, clocking 8.1 million views in its debut week. The figure, reported by Ormax Media, places the show at the top of the OTT viewership charts and marks a strong opening for the digital reality format.
Adapted from a popular French format, The 50 brings together 50 personalities from television, digital platforms, music and reality shows inside a grand palace setting. Over the course of a 50 day competition, participants form alliances, compete in unpredictable tasks and navigate eliminations as the field steadily narrows.
Guiding the game is a mysterious figure known as The Lion, an unseen game master whose voice introduces twists, challenges and strategic turns throughout the show, adding an extra layer of suspense to the contest.
What distinguishes The 50 from typical reality competitions is its audience driven prize structure. Instead of the winner taking home the final reward, the prize is awarded to one of the winner’s registered followers through the show’s dedicated app. The mechanism effectively turns viewers into participants, allowing fans to have a direct stake in the outcome.
The contestant lineup features a mix of television actors, reality stars and digital creators, including Karan Patel, Urvashi Dholakia, Divya Agarwal, Mr Faisu and Dushyant Kukreja, each bringing their own fan following to the show.
With its blend of celebrity personalities, strategic gameplay and interactive viewer participation, The 50 has quickly carved out a strong foothold in India’s digital entertainment landscape. Its 8.1 million views in the opening week underline the growing appetite for large scale reality formats designed specifically for OTT audiences.
