Hollywood
Ken Loach to receive Berlin Film Festivals lifetime achievement Golden Bear
MUMBAI: The 64th Berlin Film Festival will pay tribute to British director Ken Loach with an honorary Golden Bear at a presentation ceremony that will feature a screening of his 1993 Cannes Jury Prize winner Raining Stones.
One of Loach’s early successes, Cathy Come Home, aired on the BBC in 1966, drawing 12 million viewers. The docudrama about a young working-class family that slides into homelessness and is subsequently separated, received such an influx of support at the time that it crashed the BBC switchboard.
Among other highlights of the director’s oeuvre are Land And Freedom (1995), My Name Is Joe (1998), Bread And Roses (2000), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006), Looking For Eric (2009) and 2012 comedy The Angel’s Share. He has appeared in Berlin several times, most recently with 2013’s The Spirit Of 45. The Berlinale will run a retrospective of 10 of Loach’s films to commemorate the award.
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.
