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Netflix’s efforts to bolster already impressive content library
MUMBAI: Netflix is here to stay and is extensively working on expanding its portfolio for its viewers. It had recently added Stories By Rabindranath Tagore to its catalogue. The global OTT player has also attached Marco Polo season 2 which will be available from July 1. The show is an epic adventure and extraordinary relationship between Polo and Kublai Khan with the Song Empire in ruin and the Yuan dynasty on the rise.
The 10 episode second season includes new and returning cast – namely Lorenzo Richelmy (Marco Polo), Michelle Yeoh (the Handmaiden), Benedict Wong (Kublai Khan), Joan Chen (Empress Chabi), Zhu Zhu (Kokachin), Tom Wu (Hundred Eyes), Olivia Cheng (Mei Lin), Claudia Kim (Khutulun), Rick Yune (Kaidu), Remy Hii (Prince Jingim), Mahesh Jadu (Ahmad) and Uli Latukefu (Byamba), among others.
It has also acquired global rights to Charlie McDowell’s The Discovery, starring Rooney Mara, Robert Redford and Jason Segel. The film will premiere on Netflix and also get a theatrical domestic run in 2017. Directed by Charlie McDowell and written by McDowell and Justin Lader, The Discovery is a sci-fi story set two years after the discovery of an afterlife that has been scientifically proven where millions of people have taken their own lives in order to start over. Segel plays the son of the man (Redford) responsible for the discovery, and Mara plays a woman he falls in love with whose life is tinged by a tragic past.
Netflix will also air Narcos season 2 from 2 September at 12:01 PST. Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, who plays Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s highly acclaimed drama Narcos, dishes on what’s in store for his character in the next season.
Watch the full episode of Chelsea here:
The latest acquisition by the streaming video service adds to the ranks of its comedy offerings with a feature directed by and starring Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs actor Jeff Garlin titled Handsome. The film is described as a mystery with comedy element.
Netflix has also announced acquiring select international rights to The Office spinoff movie David Brent: Life On The Road for premiere in 2017. The deal excludes the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, where it will receive a theatrical release by Entertainment One in August. The cast includes Ben Bailey Smith as Dom and writer-comedian Tom Basden as Dan and also stars Kevin Bishop, Roisin Conaty, Diane Morgan, Ashley McGuire, Alexander Arnold and Mandeep Dhillon. The feature-length film sees a documentary crew catching up with Brent 12 years on from the BBC2 documentary The Office. He is now a travelling salesman, chasing his dream of rock stardom by self-financing a UK tour with his band Foregone Conclusion.
Marvel fans can also catch Agents of SHIELD season 3 which is now available to stream on Netflix as of June 16. The show has just finished its season on ABC in May and has signed deal with Netflix to bring some new seasons of ABC shows to the streaming service 30 days after the season finale airs. With this, all three seasons of the series are available to stream on the platform.
Agents of SHIELD is based on the characters and stories from the Marvel comics and is created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. It stars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, Adrianne Palicki, Henry Simmons, and Luke Mitchell.
The series follows SHIELD, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, and its agents as they try to save the world from enemies, like HYDRA and people with superpowers.
Here is the trailer for the third season of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD –
Netflix is looking to provide a broad range of movies and TV shows for its members and says that it will always look for differing types of content catering to the tastes of over 81 million members around the world.
For a one monthly subscription price, members have access to all titles on Netflix in the country. Netflix plans are offered in three tiers: basic, standard and premium and all packages offer access to every title available on Netflix in the territory with no limit to how much one can watch.
iWorld
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square makes $64 billion bid to acquire Universal Music Group
Ackman pitches NYSE relisting plan as UMG board weighs unsolicited offer
The hedge fund has proposed a business combination that values UMG at €30.40 per share, representing a hefty 78 per cent premium to its current trading price. The offer includes €9.4 billion in cash alongside stock in a newly formed entity, with shareholders set to receive €5.05 per share in cash and 0.77 shares in the new company for each UMG share they hold.
Under the proposal, UMG would merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings Ltd and re-emerge as a Nevada-based entity listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The move is designed to boost investor visibility and potentially secure inclusion in major indices such as the S&P 500.
Pershing Square Capital Management ceo Bill Ackman argued that while UMG’s operational performance remains strong, its market valuation has lagged due to external factors. “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business,” Ackman said, pointing to concerns ranging from shareholder overhang to delayed US listing plans.
Ackman also flagged what he sees as untapped potential in UMG’s balance sheet and a lack of clear capital allocation strategy. He added that the market has not fully recognised the value of UMG’s €2.7 billion stake in Spotify, alongside gaps in investor communication.
The proposed transaction would also result in the cancellation of around 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, while maintaining its investment-grade balance sheet. Pershing Square has said it will fully backstop the equity financing, with debt commitments secured at signing. The deal is targeted for completion by the end of the year.
UMG, however, has struck a measured tone. The company confirmed that its board has received the non-binding proposal and will review it with advisers. It reiterated confidence in its current strategy and leadership under Lucian Grainge, signalling no immediate shift in stance.
The proposal comes at a time when global music companies are navigating evolving investor expectations, streaming economics and capital allocation pressures. For Pershing Square, the bet is clear: sharpen the financial story, relist in the US, and let the music play louder in the markets.
Whether UMG’s board is ready to change the tune remains to be seen, but the spotlight on its valuation just got a lot brighter.
