Hollywood
Paramount Pictures to stream ‘Interstellar’ on UltraFlix streaming network
MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures and NanoTech Entertainment have inked a licensing agreement that will bring the award-winning movie Interstellar to UltraFlix, NanoTech’s streaming network. Under the agreement, the film will be available on UltraFlix from 31 March.
Named as one of the Top Films of 2014 by The American Film Institute, Rolling Stone, Esquire, the New York Post and more, director Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow and Michael Caine. A breathtaking filmmaking achievement, Interstellar follows an ex-pilot-turned-farmer who must leave his family and a foundering Earth behind to lead an expedition traveling beyond this galaxy to discover whether mankind has a future among the stars.
In addition to Interstellar, UltraFlix now offers subscribers the largest selection of crystal-clear content, reinforcing its lead as the source for the world’s biggest and most diverse library of VOD entertainment. To appeal to a broad audience, offerings range from sci-fi, action/thriller, comedy, drama and family movies to extreme sports videos, concerts, TV shows, and special events. UltraFlix also offers over 100 hours of free content.
To enhance the viewing experience, UltraFlix uses a variety of proprietary technologies with video compression, adaptive streaming and intelligent bandwidth management. These technologies enable UltraFlix to stream visually lossless video with uninterrupted viewing at under 8Mbps, making it available to most North American and European internet subscribers today.
“We are delighted to bring one of the best and most critically-acclaimed films of 2014 to our UltraFlix subscribers,” said NanoTech executive vice president of sales & marketing Aaron Taylor.
Hollywood
Trump invested over $1.1m in Netflix bonds at the peak of Warner Bros bidding battle
Financial disclosures show U.S. president also bought Warner Bros Discovery debt during high-stakes media takeover race.
WASHINGTON: New government financial disclosures show that U.S. president Donald Trump purchased more than $1.1 million worth of bonds issued by Netflix over the past three months. The transactions occurred during a period when Netflix was engaged in a competitive bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, a potential merger that the Trump administration had publicly criticised on antitrust grounds.
Between December and January, the president acquired Netflix bonds valued between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. The bonds carry a 5.375 per cent interest rate and are scheduled to mature in November 2029. Financial disclosures also revealed an additional investment in Warner Bros Discovery bonds. The purchase was valued between $500,002 and $1 million, with the debt reportedly bought at roughly 92 cents on the dollar. The bonds are now trading at around 95 cents on the dollar, leaving the position currently in profit.
The timing of the investments has drawn scrutiny because the administration had been openly critical of Netflix’s market activities at the time. While the president’s trust was purchasing the debt, the administration reportedly pressured Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice and expressed concerns that a Netflix–Warner merger could harm competition.
The White House has dismissed conflict-of-interest concerns, stating that the president’s assets are managed independently by his children. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said U.S. presidents are legally exempt from the conflict-of-interest laws that apply to other federal officials.
Despite the financial interest, Netflix ultimately lost the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount Skydance secured the deal on 27 February with a $110 billion offer. The acquisition was backed by Larry Ellison, who guaranteed $40 billion to support the bid, while major lenders including Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management provided $39 billion in financing.
The final acquisition leaves the combined Paramount entity carrying roughly $85 billion in debt, while Netflix withdrew its bid roughly two weeks before the official disclosure report was released.
