English Entertainment
StarOne re-defines itself as light entertainment; launches ‘Super Sale’ on 15 August
MUMBAI: 7:30 is what StarOne’s next ‘game’ is. As already reported by Indiantelevision.com, Super Sale – the Indian adaptation of an old Fremantle format that originated in Australia titled Sale of the Century, will debut on 15 August.
With a sleek Saajid Khan adorning an Italian hairdo, Super Sale is essentially a game show that challenges the contestants to heap up as much moolah as they can, so as to buy attractive items at special ‘Super Sale Prices’ (SSP) – at the lowest ever conceivable prices. The show is slotted as a strip show from Mondays to Fridays at 7:30 pm.
Internationally, Sale of the Century has always been positioned in a comfortable slot.The Australian series took a serious mode to the quiz show, while the British version (aired on Sky, 1989-1991) took on a more fun persona. Star One has decided to adopt the British style.
What is interesting is the fact that both Star Plus and Sony from 7:30 – 8 pm are relatively free slots with Star Plus airing chartbusters and Sony airing re-runs of Devi. Zee, on the other hand has slotted Sindoor, which was launched in February.
From that sense, Star One has strategically placed it at 7:30 pm. The other fact worth noting is that the repeat telecast has been slated for 11 pm.
Validates StarOne programming head Ravi Menon, “Post eight, it is a bigger game and content is very strong across the channels. We are focussing on a 17-30 yrs target group (TG).”
Menon also states that Star One is looking at broadbasing itself, and 7:30 pm would be ideal for small towns and semi-metros, while 11 pm would be suitable for urban India. Asserts Menon, “Star One’s prime time now starts with Saajid and ends with Shekhar (TGILC).”
Coming to sponsorship deals, Menon clearly states that currently all the prizes that will be given out will be borne by Star. “We are going to test the waters first and see how the show rates. Once its settles down we will pull in sponsors as Super Sale is a very sponsor friendly show.”
Menon pegs his estimates in terms of TRPs between 2 – 3.
So, where is Star One heading? Shoots Menon, “Star One is moving towards light entertainment. Intense viewing today already very cluttered and Star Plus takes care of that. Star One will offer easy going content which is not essentially urban.”
The channel has already started modifying its shows to ensure a broader reach ensuring its appeal to smaller towns as well.
Super Sale will also push Remix in terms of bringing in new audiences across TG’s from Mondays to Thursdays.
When queried about the Friday plan; Menon stated that the 8:00 pm slot was one that they were eyeing very carefully. Interestingly, Star One’s Bluff Master which was earlier slotted at 9:00 pm on Fridays has been pulled to Wednesdays at 9:00 pm. In fact, Menon has already started working on a sitcom for the 9:00 pm slot on Wednesdays post Bluff Master and has commissioned it to Hats Off productions.
Coming to the Star One’s cash cow, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), which comes to a close on 9 September, the channel is now readying a show titled Laughter Champions which will consist of the same faces that TGILC saw but will be bigger, bolder and brighter. The new show will be launched immediately with the close of TGILC on 16 September to ensure sustenance of eyeballs.
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.
