English Entertainment
The History Channel to demistify Sherlock Holmes
NEW DELHI: This December, The History Channel will trace the adventures of the one of the greatest all-time favourite fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted aid and companion Dr. John Watson through its series ‘The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’.Indian viewers will get a chance to see Jeremy Brett’s ‘flamboyantly brilliant interpretation’ of Sherlock Holmes in the classic series, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, premiering on Tuesday, December 12 at 9 pm.
David Bruke will play the role of Dr Watson in the series produced by Michael Cox, though the channel spokespersons would not reveal the cost of production of what is likely to become a series of mega-viewership.There will be a total of 14 stories shown, every Tuesdays at the same time. Each story will be of roughly one hour duration.
Though the series had been shown once on DD Metro, “but that was long ago and this will be a rebirth of sorts for the series,” the spokesperson told indiantelevision.com.
Terming it a “faithful adaptation of the original stories”, ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ will bring alive mysteries such as A Solitary Cyclist, The Speckled Band, The Naval Treaty amongst others that not only enjoy worldwide recognition but still continues to fascinate and mesmerize generation of readers across the globe. It will also show the story, “The Adventure of the Final Problem”, in which Conan-Doyle had ‘finished off’ Holmes (before he was forced on popular demand to bring him back.
Unfortunately, one of the most famous of Holmes’s adventures, “Hounds of Baskerville” will not be part of the series, the channel said.
“Through his power packed performance, Jeremy Brett successfully captures the true essence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s favourite character Sherlock Holmes”, says a press statement from the channel.
Commenting on the new series, Joy Bhattacharjya, Senior Vice President, Programming, The History Channel says, “From time immemorial, Sherlock Holmes has enjoyed universal appeal. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is one of the most successful historically set drama series and we feel privileged to air this classic on our channel. Such programmes are in keeping with our strategy of broad-basing the channel to widen its appeal for all viewers.”
The channel will repeat each show through the week on various times, starting Wednesdays at 12 midnight, followed by once each day till the next story is telecast.
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.
