English Entertainment
COLORS INFINITY serves an intoxicating concoction of bollywood Besties, Gossip, Games
MUMBAI: Make Saturday nights your date night with some of your favorite Bollywood best-friends, as COLORS INFINITY brings to you the latest season of the popular homegrown chat show Jeep presents BFFs with Vogue powered by Motorola and beauty partner Nykaa.com, starting Saturday January 20, 2018 at 8pm on COLORS INFINITY.
They’re seen in parties and coffee clutches together! Working out, clicking gym selfies! Sharing gossip and laughs on social media sites! But it’s only on COLORS INFINITY that you get to see true camaraderie in all its silver screen glory. Guaranteeing 10 spirited Saturday evenings with sassy host Neha Dhupia, the latest season gives viewers an exclusive dekko in the lives of their favorite Bollywood stars, as they indulge in candid conversations and engage in friendly duels. Introducing an assortment of exciting new segments like ‘Platter of Punishment’ and ‘Say It or Strip It’, that will leave guests with an inescapable choice to either answer a scandalous question or suffer the spicy consequences, or strip an item of their clothing to avoid making a scalding confession.
Commenting at the launch of the latest season, Viacom18, Head – English, Youth and Music Entertainment, Ferzad Palia said, “COLORS INFINITY has been on a path to bring groundbreaking and entertaining programming to its viewers, across age groups and we continually aim to contribute to the evolution of English content consumption on Indian television. Our homegrown shows have garnered a marvelous response and the backing of our sponsors for this season are a testament to their confidence in our proposition. Following a successful first season, we’re totally geared up to launch yet another fantastic season of Jeep presents BFFs with Vogue powered by Motorola and beauty partner Nykaa.com, with a celebrated list of Bollywood A-listers and a lot more captivating conversations.”
Condé Nast India, Managing Director, Alex Kuruvilla says “Two years back, Condé Nast India forayed into the world of television with our first ever TV show Vogue BFFs, created and produced exclusively for COLORS INFINITY. BFFs with Vogue is the second instalment of the show and we have turned things up a notch this year by upping the celebrity quotient, making the content sassier, and by getting anchor du jour Neha Dhupia on-board. As expected, round 2 will bring back celebrity camaraderie, fashion, and high voltage glamour, all wrapped up in an upscale, international production.”
Since its inception, the homegrown properties of COLORS INFINITY have seen a steady rise in viewership and interest from many reputed brands. Following three spectacular seasons of The Stage, and a dazzling premiere edition of BFFs with Vogue last year, the upcoming season of BFFs with Vogue piqued the interest of Jeep, Motorola and Nykaa.com that have now associated with the show.
Elated on the association FCA India, Head – Marketing, Rahul Pansare said, “We are delighted to partner with BFFs with Vogue. The Jeep brand has been celebrating the spirit of friendship in different parts of the world with authenticity, freedom, adventure and passion for more than 75 years. This property is an opportunity to engage and celebrate with many Indian personas which reflect the Jeep brand values. This season of BFFs with Vogue promises to be one filled with interesting exchanges between India’s most sought-after celebrities and their BFFs.”
“At Motorola, we have always tapped into the passion points of our consumers, ensuring we are a part of their experiences, Movies and Fashion are two such passion points that we have been associated with. We are excited to partner BFF with Vogue on Colors Infinity in its latest season and give our consumers a peek into the lives of their favorite style icons, enjoying the new Moto X4, with a stunning glass & metal design that epitomizes style.” said Rachna Lather, Marketing Head, Motorola Mobility.
Nykaa.com, Founder & CEO, Falguni Nayar added “Colors Infinity BFFs with Vogue is a great synergy with Nykaa with its unique candid appeal, that offers an insight into the people behind the stars. For Nykaa, it’s the perfect celebration of real conversation and real beauty.”
Scaling up the promotional efforts on the show, COLORS INFINITY has devised a 360-degree marketing campaign across various platforms including print, radio, digital, on-air and on-ground. The channel is going beyond traditional promotional mediums and further reaching out to every corner of the country through innovative partnerships with brands like J.W. Marriott Hotels, Tommy Hilfiger, Playboy Club, Sabyasachi Jewelry, Jean-Claude Biguine, Mad Over Donuts and Gold’s Gym.
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.
