English Entertainment
Eros Now to premiere original series ‘Salute Siachen’ on 15 Jan
MUMBAI: Eros Now has announced the premiere of it’s original series, Salute Siachen. The series will be aired on 15 January, Army Day.
This first celebrity expedition carried out in association with HTC, to the world’s second longest glacier and highest battlefield was to honour the Indian Army and salute their selfless contribution to the country.
The five-part series shot by the nine celebrity participants on HTC phones takes you through a whirlwind of emotions as they embark upon the toughest journey of their life. The 20-day trek saw popular faces from different walks of life come together to salute the Indian Army.
The celebrity participants underwent rigorous training and prepping for the expedition that began with an acclimatization trek to Stok Kangri base. Bollywood actors Arjun Rampal, Arunoday Singh, sports personalities – cricketer Rudra Pratap Singh and hockey player Yuvraj Walmiki, TV heartthrob Rannvijay Singha along with Namrata Gujaran, Hasan Zaidi, Shlok Sharma and Sonnalli Seygall battled out extreme weather conditions to scale the unpredictable Siachen.
Speaking on the launch of the series on Eros Now digital CEO Rishika Lulla Singh said, “Salute Siachen is a unique initiative and a humble tribute showcasing our appreciation of the accomplishments of the Indian army and what better occasion than the Army Day to launch this series paying tribute to the valor of our soldiers.”
Eros Now business head Zulfiqar Khan added, “Eros Now’s promise is to narrate inspiring and riveting stories to our audiences and what better way than to kick start with Salute Siachen, that will inspire and entertain millions of viewers. We are encouraged by the faith and support extended by our partner HTC.”
Commenting on the expedition, Rampal, said, “Thank our soldiers, in our own way. At the same time, it was a very personal and emotional journey, and I am grateful to the whole team for the support they gave to me to launch The Gwen Breast Cancer Foundation.”
Speaking on his experience, Singha said, “Salute Siachen has been an exhilarating experience and I am honoured to have been a part of this unique expedition and pay my tribute to the Indian Army.”
Singh commented, “As someone who plays cricket for our country, the urge to show my appreciation to the real heroes of our nation has only risen. Am glad that I could do my bit through Salute Siachen.”
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.
