Movies
Vissa in revamp mode; dubbed movies, interactivity key programming pull
MUMBAI: Chennai-based Raj Television Network’s (RTN) Telugu channel Vissa TV is gearing for change. Come 5 June, and the channel will sport a fresh look along with a new logo.
In line with the makeover, Vissa will start telecasting dubbed English movies in Telugu. Also in the pipeline is a slew of interactive programmes.
Says Vissa TV executive vice president R Radhakrishnan, “We have been keeping a low profile these days. Now we felt it was time to jazz up a bit. The new shows we are launching will play a crucial role in our revamping process.”
RTN has been uplinking Vissa TV, along with the Tamil channels Raj TV and Raj Digital Plus, from Bangkok since November 2004. The network had to move out its channels to Bangkok as the I&B ministry terminated its teleport licence. The government was acting against RTN uplinking its Vissa TV and now shelved Raj Musix from India without a valid licence.
The present makeover is part of RTN’s decision to change the look and feel of the channels in its network. Raj TV has already started the process and is about to unveil its new logo on 14 May.
Programming initiatives:
With the makeover, Vissa TV is introducing the concept of dubbed English movies in Telugu in June. “We have acquired Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies. We will be launching a martial arts movie segment to telecast these movies in the weekends,” says Radhakrishnan.
The channel is also banking on the game show genre to make waves in the market. One of the three game shows, Jackpot, will be an SMS-based live interactive game show.
“The channel has acquired the format rights of the show from a Hungary-based production company and the show will be shot in Hungary,” says Radhakrishnan.
The one hour show is scheduled on week days between 9 pm to 10 pm. Viewers have to register their name and other details through SMS. The channel then picks up one of the registered viewers through a lucky dip and hurls questions at them. Each right answer will carry a certain amount of cash prize and the maximum prize money a viewer can win is Rs 100,000. Vissa will launch the Jackpot in the second week of June.
Chance Le Chance is an interactive on-ground show, slotted for weekends. The on-ground activity will cover all major towns in Andhra Pradesh. The channel will be launching a publicity campaign for Chance Le Chance covering television, print and below-the-line activities. Produced by Vinod Bala, the show has its anchor in popular television personality Uday Bhanu. The event will kick start on 21 May from Warangal.
Vissa TV has also lined up a musical talent show Paadaala Telugu Paatta to identify and promote new talents in lyric writing and playback singing. Anchored by popular playback singer Nithya Santhoshini, the show will have one winner in each category — male singer, female singer and lyrics writer.
The channel will also be launching a daily soap Gharshana in the last week of June. Starring popular artists from Telugu film industry, the serial is produced by Vinod Bala.
Hollywood
Trump invested over $1.1m in Netflix bonds at the peak of Warner Bros bidding battle
Financial disclosures show U.S. president also bought Warner Bros Discovery debt during high-stakes media takeover race.
WASHINGTON: New government financial disclosures show that U.S. president Donald Trump purchased more than $1.1 million worth of bonds issued by Netflix over the past three months. The transactions occurred during a period when Netflix was engaged in a competitive bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery, a potential merger that the Trump administration had publicly criticised on antitrust grounds.
Between December and January, the president acquired Netflix bonds valued between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. The bonds carry a 5.375 per cent interest rate and are scheduled to mature in November 2029. Financial disclosures also revealed an additional investment in Warner Bros Discovery bonds. The purchase was valued between $500,002 and $1 million, with the debt reportedly bought at roughly 92 cents on the dollar. The bonds are now trading at around 95 cents on the dollar, leaving the position currently in profit.
The timing of the investments has drawn scrutiny because the administration had been openly critical of Netflix’s market activities at the time. While the president’s trust was purchasing the debt, the administration reportedly pressured Netflix to remove board member Susan Rice and expressed concerns that a Netflix–Warner merger could harm competition.
The White House has dismissed conflict-of-interest concerns, stating that the president’s assets are managed independently by his children. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said U.S. presidents are legally exempt from the conflict-of-interest laws that apply to other federal officials.
Despite the financial interest, Netflix ultimately lost the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. Paramount Skydance secured the deal on 27 February with a $110 billion offer. The acquisition was backed by Larry Ellison, who guaranteed $40 billion to support the bid, while major lenders including Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo Global Management provided $39 billion in financing.
The final acquisition leaves the combined Paramount entity carrying roughly $85 billion in debt, while Netflix withdrew its bid roughly two weeks before the official disclosure report was released.
