English Entertainment
History Channel goes the lifestyle route
MUMBAI: Lifestyle programming is catching up in the country! The latest channel to venture into this segment is The History Channel.
It recently launched a new show Lifestyle dot TV which airs in the weekend at the 10 pm. Viewers can take a peek at the affluent lifestyles of the world’s elite, race in their motorcars and lap in the luxury of their opulent surroundings.
The History Channel senior VP content and communication Dilshad Master said, “The History Channel offers a wide variety of programming to its viewers. From documentaries on science and technology to biographies of compelling personalities, the channel’s latest offering of Lifestyle dot TV caters to the viewer keen on delving into the stories of the scintillating and glamorous lives of the rich and famous. It is the glitzier side of History,”
The episode on 20 November deals with fashion icon Calvin Klein. The kid from the Bronx who inherited a stunning sense of style and grew up to be one of the world’s top fashion designers. Calvin Klein has defined and survived fashion trends for nearly three decades. His instincts have always thrilled the fashion world. On Lifestyle dot TV, learn more about the life and styles of this renowned style guru.
On 28 November, Lifestyle dot TV will feature Harley Davidson. This success story began in 1903 when four men – the Davidsons and William Harley – launched a motorcycle marketing wonder in a Milwaukee shed.
As far as new programming initiatives are concerned Master said, ” A new show that we will be launching is X Men of History. This deals with people who have transformed the history as we know it. People like Pope John Paul II, Mao, Gorbochov.”
Talking about how the channel has been faring Master added, “Our biggest chunk of audience comes from 25 – 54 age group. However our core target audience is males 15-45. We cater to viewers who want television to be more than just a source of mindless entertainment. “
Master also claimed that the channel is doing well in 10 – 11 pm slot. “This is when our signature series Biography airs. This is closely followed by our long running series Boys Toys which is aired everyday at 11 pm. The other programme that gets high viewership is History’s Mysteries that is aired on Fridays at 8 pm.
Dwelling on shifts in viewership trends Master said, “Over past few months, we have seen an upsurge in the weekend viewing pattern. Some of our topical programmes like MoonWalk to commemorate the 35th year of man landing on the moon and Star Wars Unmasked – a History Channel exclusive worldwide premiere of the documentary commissioned by George Lucas himself were able to increase our share on Sundays.”
On the advertising front some of the big names that advertise include Bacardi, Tata Motors, Canon, Nokia, Mastercard, Max New York Life.
“Advertisers who target at 25 – 54 males are finding the channel’s offering very lucrative. Categories like white goods, financial services, automobiles have reacted very positively” Master added.
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.
