English Entertainment
Discovery enters global FTA market with German channel
MUMBAI: Global media firm Discovery Communications has announced its entry into the global free-to-air television business.
It has acquired a controlling stake in German free-to-air channel XXP from Spiegel TV and Development Company for Television Programmes (DCTP).
The deal is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals and the completion of closing conditions. Under terms of the agreement, Discovery will form a joint-venture company with Spiegel TV and DCTP, with Discovery assuming day-to-day management of the channel. Spiegel TV and DCTP will continue to contribute to the programming of the channel.
Discovery will expand the availability of XXP to German viewers starting on February 1, increasing programming from four to 24 hours daily. In addition to the technical investment, Discovery plans to further develop the channel to appeal to a young, upscale male demographic.
Discovery Networks Intl president Dawn L. McCall says, “Our move into the free-to-air universe underscores Discoverys’ commitment to extend its valuable content across multiple media platforms,” . XXP’s viewers and advertisers will benefit from the increased investment and management expertise Discovery brings to the partnership along with the highly acclaimed, locally relevant programming Spiegel TV will contribute to the channel.”
In addition to Germany, XXP is available to television households in Austria, Luxembourg, German-speaking Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the South Tyrol region of Italy. XXP currently is distributed to more than 20 million households in these countries.
Discovery currently offers its flagship Discovery Channel as well as Animal Planet and Discovery Geschichte in Germany for a combined six million cumulative subscription units. The company is also seeking regulatory approval for Discovery HD in Germany and Austria. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Discovery offers 12 network brands in 104 countries, reaching 173 million cumulative subscription units.
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
