Hollywood
Golden Globes postponed to 28 February 2021
MUMBAI: Due to the Covid2019 pandemic, the 2021 Golden Globes will now take place on 28 February instead of its usual slot. This happens about eight weeks before the 93th Academy Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said this in a statement. Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the 93th Academy Awards telecast has been postponed to 25 April 2021 from 28 February.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that delay would give filmmakers more time to finish pending projects which were shut due to pandemic. The organisation said, "To accommodate both domestic and international film and television productions, the HFPA will provide further guidance around eligibility, voting period and revised nominations announcement timing in the coming weeks."
The Golden Globe Awards authority on Twitter wrote, "We are excited to announce the 78 annual Golden Globe(r) Awards will take place on Sunday, 28 February 2021. The ceremony will air live coast to coast 5-8 pm PT/8-11 pm. ET on NBC from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California."
The Golden Globes have usually been held on the first Sunday of January as a kick-off to the Hollywood awards season. This year's edition was held on 5 January.
However, the HFPA did not mention the format of the globes but said the ceremony will air live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
A group of about 85 journalists who cover Hollywood for international outlets cast their votes for the award. In comparison, about 8,500 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can vote for the Oscars.
Apart from this, other award shows, including Britain’s BAFTA event, have also shifted their dates for 2021 to fall closer to the Oscars.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
