English Entertainment
Warner TV to launch on Singapore’s Singtel TV
MUMBAI: Singapore’s Singtel TV viewers will now be able to catch the latest US series within hours of their US premiere with the launch of Warner TV (HD). Starting 1 January, 2016, Warner TV will be available on Channel 306 in high definition.
Warner TV features action, comedy and drama titles and movies from Warner Bros. and Turner. Some of them includeArrow, Gotham, iZombie and Blindspot; comedy series such as Mom, The Big Bang Theory and 2 Broke Girls; and weekend movies including Gravity, Pacific Rim and Hangover 3 amongst others.
The January launch will also be anchored by the premiere of the highly-anticipated action series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which will air same day as the US, on Friday, 22 January at 9 pm. The series, which stars familiar characters from other hit DC series including Arrow and The Flash, brings together an all-star cast as they battle against a diabolical threat against the world.
Singtel Singapore consumer MD Goh Seow Eng said, “Singtel is committed to securing quality family entertainment for our customers and we are delighted to launch Warner TV (HD) from our long-time partner Turner International on Singtel TV. With popular series and blockbuster hits specially selected for Asian audiences, Warner TV will boost our already strong line-up, giving our customers even more exciting premium entertainment for their viewing pleasure.”
Turner International Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow added, “Singtel TV now carries the full slate of Turner’s Southeast Asia channels across news, general entertainment and kids programming: CNN International, HLN, truTV, TCM Turner Classic Movies, Oh!K, Cartoon Network, Toonami and Boomerang. We’re confident that Warner TV with the latest and hottest content – express from the US – will have huge appeal to Singtel TV viewers on both Channel 306 and on catch-up via Warner TV Encore.”
With the inclusion of Warner TV (HD), Singtel TV will now host the most HD-enabled channels in Singapore. Warner TV (HD) is part of the Family Starter pack and will be available for free preview to all Singtel TV subscribers until 4 February, 2016. The channel will also be available via the on-demand service Warner TV Encore, which can be accessed through the Singtel TV companion app, Singtel TV GO.
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.
