English Entertainment
Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Quantico’ makes smashing debut on ABC with 7 mn viewers; India awaits premiere
MUMBAI: This girl tread on the trail that none before her have. She wiped out all boundaries and it seemed as if to her, no goal or dream was unachievable or out of bounds. We’re talking about the golden girl of Indian cinema – Priyanka Chopra, who is currently making waves on American television courtesy Quantico and living her dream Queen size. With 7.1 million viewers tuning in for the premiere episode, Quantico has shattered ratings records on ABC.
It was a bold move on Disney owned ABC Network’s part to cast an Indian actress as the lead for their television series but the ‘no risk, no gain’ policy seems to have paid off for the network. Quantico’s premiere episode has given ABC its best Sunday ratings since the 2012 telecast of Desperate Housewives’ finale.
Be it the larger than life scripting and narrative, the top notch production, or the fan base that Chopra has in the US as a Bollywood actress as well as a pop singer — the fact is that Quantico may just be perfect answer to what ABC Network was looking for. With an average demo rating of 1.9, the pilot episode aired on 27 September topped other popular shows on the network like Revenge and Once Upon A Time by a good margin, as per reports from international media. To reiterate, that’s over seven million viewers in a single day!
Chopra’s growing popularity internationally, especially after her pop album release, is no secret. Her recent public appearance during the NBA match between Warriors and Cavaliers where they played the Quantico promo, made headlines instantly. However, having said that, it certainly doesn’t compare to her fan base back home in India.
It’s a proud moment for Chopra’s fans, who are waiting with bated breath for Star World and Star World HD to premiere the show in India on 3 October.
Chopra was recently seen reassuring a fan on Twitter, who questioned why her Indian fans have to wait seven days for the show to air in India. “@priyankachopra -:))) we are so deprived in India…why do we have to wait for one whole week to see your first episode? Not fair #Quantico,” a fan tweeted.
Chopra responded back saying, “Tried my hardest @priyaguptatimes to show in India ASAP! Can’t wait for u all to c it on 3rd October!”
It does seem a tad uncanny that while shows like Downton Abbey, Modern Family, Homeland and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, are being simulcast in both the US and Indian network on Star World and Star World HD, a show likeQuantico, which has an obvious Indian connect and the potential to be more successful on home turf, is airing seven days after its airtime in the US.
It will be interesting to see, if the broadcaster buckles under pressure from Indian fans, if they continue to demand Quanticoto be simulcast after the pilot episode is released.
While it will be a one of a kind fan service for Chopra on the network’s part to allow the show to be simulcast here, the current air-time schedule might actually work in the show’s favour. Some argue that it couldn’t have been a better way to introduce the show in India — among a flurry of excitement of its international success. After all, having a Bollywood star as a cast isn’t always an assurance of the show’s success, as we observe from the fate of shows like Yudh, which starred none other than Amitabh Bachchan.
While the show’s fate in India will only be decided after the pilot episode on 3 October, the broadcaster can easily piggy back ride its marketing and promotions on the buzz, which is already stirring around the show. What’s more with Chopra and the entire Bollywood fraternity cheering her on social media, the excitement is palpable.
Social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are already abound with gossip about the show. Whatever little screenshots, dialogues and status updates that Indians can source online is effective in working them up for the premiere. Now, whether the show and Chopra’s role as an FBI agent will be able to live up to this hype, we will know soon enough.
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.
