English Entertainment
Viacom renews distribution agreement with Mediacom
MUMBAI: Viacom has renewed its distribution agreement with Mediacom Communications for carriage of its media networks across Mediacom’s subscriber base.
In addition to continued carriage of 19 Viacom cable networks and Epix, Mediacom subscribers will have access to additional programming across devices, including a substantial increase in free VOD and expanded TV Everywhere functionality that allows viewers to watch Viacom programming both in- and out-of-home.
“We appreciate Viacom’s willingness to enter into a reasonable agreement that takes into consideration our consumers’ sensitivity to pricing and the alternative ways content is consumed today. Viacom has long been an innovator in the content space. We look forward to providing our customers with the very best that Viacom has to offer,” said Mediacom founder, chairman and CEO Rocco B. Commisso.
“We are pleased to have reached a comprehensive deal with Mediacom that delivers strong value for our brands and provides even better ways for Mediacom customers to enjoy their favorite Viacom content. Mediacom has been an outstanding partner for many years, and we look forward to continuing to grow our businesses together,” added Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
