English Entertainment
Discovery Channel to celebrate Republic Day with ‘India On Film’
MUMBAI: Discovery Channel, India’s leading destination for real-life entertainment, will celebrate 70 Republic Day of India with a special documentary ‘India On Film’, a unique two-part documentary film, narrated by versatile actor Rahul Bose. The film explores never seen before archival footage expertly restored and digitized by the British Film Institute (BFI) highlighting India’s rich history, society, culture and the daily life in the 1900s. Catch ‘India On Film’ on 26 January at 8PM only on the Discovery Channel and Discovery Channel HD.
‘India On Film’ will take the viewers back in time, to over a century ago, to meet traditionally dressed women and men from across classes, to walk the busy streets with rickshaw pullers, to ride elephants with hunters, to wash in the Ganges, to pick tea in the hills and to join families for a traditional picnic. Since the earliest days of the movie camera, expatriates and travelers from Europe have filmed across the Indian sub-continent, witnessing extraordinary historic events and momentous change in the first half of the 20th century. At times touching, funny and engaging, ‘India On Film’ offers a ringside view of history in the making and a remarkable glimpse into a past way of life. With an archive of over 160 films, the BFI manages to cover landscapes from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical south, cities such as Calcutta, Delhi and Bombay, in their rustic setting.
Speaking about his experience of narrating the film, actor Rahul Bose, said, “I am always drawn to projects that look at things through a different lens. India On Film, is unique in its thought and manifestation. Being a part of this film was educative and a privilege in equal parts. The film delicately weaves the rich history of the subcontinent and gives the viewer a rare glance into what it looked like in the 1900s.”
Discovery South Asia content, factual & lifestyle entertainment director Sai Abishek said, “India on Film is a fantastic opportunity for viewers to get a glimpse into an unseen India they have so far only read about in history books or heard about in stories handed down through the generations. It is mesmerizing to visualize such an important piece of our rich past.”
TVF International Acquisitions Manager for India on Film distributor Julian Chou-Lambert said: “From some of the earliest ever films of India through to remarkable footage of Gandhi, India on Film provides a visual and historical treasure trove. Many of the BFI films have never been seen before, so we are very pleased to be bringing these to India for the first time through Discovery.”
Along with chronicling the quotidian life of India in the 1900s, India on Film will also provide a peek into Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and also track British game hunter, Jim Corbett, who filmed many of his expeditions tracking man-eating tigers and leopards. Among the many other events that led to creating a new India, this documentary also encapsulates authenticity of India’s rich past with a detailed understanding of what the country looked like in the 1900s.
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.
