English Entertainment
GRB sells wildlife & extreme nature programmes to broadcasters in Japan, China, France & Poland
MUMBAI: GRB Entertainment has announced wildlife and extreme nature program sales to broadcasters in Japan, China, France, and Poland.
Nippon Television Japan and Hubu Media China both picked up When Fish Attack, an in depth, analytical look at unexpected underwater attacks. Some of the seemingly innocuous ocean creatures can be as dangerous as the great white shark! Hear from victims and experts as they break down what happened.
Hubu also acquired When Animals Bite Back which features real-life encounters with captive and wild animals. A bull leaps into the spectator stands at a Spanish bull ring; a ‘gator handler’ nearly loses his hand to a hungry alligator; an escaped chimpanzee terrorizes a neighborhood and more.
AB Droit acquired three shows for its French and French-Speaking territories:
– Hurricane Hunters highlights the only organization that flies directly into the eyes of hurricanes and tropical storms. Running a 24 hour a day operation, these Air Force reserve specialists aim to protect civilians from nature’s havoc by analyzing and predicting the course of deadly storms.
– Great White Highway brings viewers to the central coast of California, home to some of the biggest Great White Sharks in the world… but only for part of the year. Teams of scientists have spent years tagging and tracking these sharks to find out why they come here, why they leave, and where they go when they do, but very little is known about what they do in the summer or where they mate and bear their young. Now, armed with new technologies, the team is hoping to wire the ocean and discover everything about these giants.
– Prehistoric Assassins explores ancient predators like the pterodactyl and the Anomalocaris (a carnivorous, 7-foot long prawn) and their deadly hunting tactics. See how they hunted, how their incredible predatory tools evolved, and how they ultimately disappeared.
Polsat in Poland bought Extreme Animal Obsessions which showcases people’s intense devotion to their favorite creatures. Whether these animal crazed individuals attempt to transform into their furry companion or prepare road kill for a stomach twisting dinner, they all share a unique obsession with escaping the human world and entering the animal kingdom.
“GRB Entertainment’s extensive catalogue holds some of the most provocative and extreme nature and wildlife series. With climate change being a strong issue affecting everyone around the world, nature programming has seen a resurgence recently and we are pleased to be able to offer many titles in this genre to our broadcasting partners,” said GRB Entertainment SVP of international distribution Michael Lolato.
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.
