English Entertainment
AXN Thrillionaire awards celebrates the fandom for the top English shows
MUMBAI: After a successful stint with the Action Awards, AXN is back with yet another on air property —AXN Thrillionaire awards. Unlike other Indian awards, AXN Thrillionaire is an award for the viewers who love international English content. Through these awards, AXN will hunt for the biggest AXN Total Thrill Junkie [TTJ] and provide the winner an opportunity to be on the sets of The Voice in Los Angeles.
Lisa Haydon, whose performing career spans movies, television and the stage, will host the AXN Thrillioniare Awards. From her film debut with Ayesha and second outing as an actress in ‘Rascals, Kingfisher’s sultry model is all set to now play a pivotal role in the movie Queen. Watch out for the excitement, spontaneity and thrill that Lisa Haydon will bring to the show.
Commenting on the pioneering initiative, Sunil Punjabi, Business Head, AXN India says, “We are ecstatic to introduce the very first edition of the AXN Thrillioniare Awards. As one of the pioneers in the English entertainment genre in India, we wanted to reward the AXN fans for their relentless love and fandom for the shows on AXN. Through this initiative, we intend to celebrate and thank the AXN viewers for their unconditional support and hope our viewers are just as thrilled as we are. We believe that Lisa Haydon is the perfect host for the show as she truly defines the class that AXN stands for. Moreover, her versatility and charisma will serve her very well as the host of AXN Thrillionaire Awards.”
With the Thrillionaire Awards, AXN continues the format of voting wherein the fans will play the most important role of choosing their favorites from the various categories. To find out more on the nominees and the voting procedure, viewers can log on to www.axnawards.com.
Log on to catch a dose of action entertainment only on AXN!
Categories:
• Thrilling moments
• Thrilling premieres
• Thrilling series
• Thrilling Reality
• Thrilling gang
• Thrilling man
• Thrilling woman
Watch out for the toxic amalgamation of thrill, adventure and the alluring Lisa Haydon only on AXN Thrillionaire Awards.
About AXN
Backed by the powerhouse of Sony Pictures Entertainment, AXN is the first 24 hour cable and satellite TV channel in Asia exclusively dedicated to action and adventure programming. Launched in 1998 in India, it is a leading English general entertainment destination among upscale, affluent adults aged 18-44. The channel delivers four distinctive types of programming which includes the latest global hit series, action movie blockbusters, latest seasons of adventure-reality and lifestyle sports programs and innovative AXN original productions. The channel not only enjoys a high penetration and viewership in the metros, but is also popular in tier II and tier III cities and reaching 110 million viewers in India yearly. As promised by the brand, AXN brings to its viewers intelligent, edgy, exciting, unpredictable, high energy and an unparalleled entertainment experience.
AXN India is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and managed by SPE Networks – Asia. Visit www.axn-india.com for more information.
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.
