Hollywood
TV premiere of Daniel Craig’s ‘Spectre’ on 23 October
MUMBAI: Movies Now is all geared up to air the television premiere of the Daniel Craig starrer James Bond movie Spectre. With Diwali round the corner, the movie will hit the TV screens on 23 October at 1 pm and a repeat telecast at 9 pm.
Bond fans are also going to be treated to some prizes which are up for grabs during the premiere with a high-decibel marketing campaign. The channel has designed a four-pronged approach to engage with its audience, focusing on on-air, OOH, on-ground and digital mediums.
It has roped in multiple partners for the premiere which is presented by Amazon, co presented by Huawei, driven by Ford, partnered by Airtel and in association with Raymond. The Experiential Marketing partner is Barcode.
“James Bond is one of the most iconic characters from Hollywood and Spectre was one of the highest grossing movies in India in 2015. While all television premieres on Movies Now have always received a phenomenal response from viewers and advertisers, as category leaders we are the going the extra mile for Spectre because Bond holds a very special place in the hearts of Indians. The main focus of our marketing campaign is to reach out to a mass audience, targeting both Bond franchise loyalists and movie enthusiasts. With Spectre, we hope to re-create the same box office magic and success on TV,” said Times Television Network English Entertainment Cluster and Zoom senior vice president and head Vivek Srivastava.
Besides promoting the premiere on the Times Television Network and various other channels across the Indian TV spectrum, Movies Now has also announced an exclusive In-movie Watch and Win contest. 4 lucky winners stand a chance to win an iPhone 7 each; all that they need to do is give a missed call and answer simple questions based on the movie.
With a 10 city outdoor campaign across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad, the channel is supplementing this as an on-ground activation across 500 bars, which culminates in a mega-event of 3 simultaneous invite-only Bond-themed Spectre Parties held in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
Continuing with their focus on engaging with the urban youth, the channel’s digital initiatives include a special ‘Which Bond Are You?’ Instagram quiz and a day-long Twitter contest to be held on 23rd October with an iPhone7 and other cool prizes up for grabs.
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.
