Hollywood
Rentrak to launch box office tracking service in India
MUMBAI: Rentrak recently announced the launch of its India box-office tracking service, aiming to bring independently verified box-office data in the country. The announcement was made at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival.
Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, Rentrak’s vice present for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, Arturo Guillen said, “This can be a win-win situation for all parties involved — producers, distributors and exhibitors.”
Even with almost 11,000 screens in the country, the box-office data is still largely based on figures reported by distributors and producers rather than being directly sourced from cinema locations. The company will collect and analyze data from cinemas directly, according to media reports.
According to industry estimates, India clocks around 3.5 billion admissions per year with total revenues touching $1.5 billion. With the demand for Indian films getting huge overseas as well, Rentrak is already tracking Bollywood titles in 44 countries while the company’s India client base will include local arms of Hollywood studios that have become active in local productions such as Disney, Fox Star Studios and Viacom18, in addition to Indian banners, the report added.
“As we have seen in other markets, cinemas benefit from our data as it helps them track footfalls, which is helpful for in-cinema advertising and programming decisions,” said Rentrak India MD Rajkumar Akella, in an interview to The Hollywood Reporter.
“A leading Indian producer once told me that data is the basis to define reality,” added Guillen, referring to how data can also help in tracking consumer tastes.
This is Rentrak’s second attempt at entering India after its now-defunct 2007 pact with Mumbai-based Bigtree Entertainment, which provides entertainment ticketing applications and solutions.
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.
