English Entertainment
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. on Romedy NOW starting June 9th 2014 at 8pm
MUMBAI: Roll the drums, grab a bag of popcorn, and get ready because you can never get enough of it, the perfect example of love and laughter, the most popular series F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is here to wow you. The iconic show that tickled your funny bone and made the world so happy for a decade will now be aired exclusively only on Romedy NOW starting June 9th, Monday to Thursday at 8pm. Enjoy an hourly dose of the much loved characters on Romedy NOW, the exclusive destination for English Entertainment in India.
Speaking on the exclusive launch of the show, Shantanu Gangane, Marketing Head, English Entertainment Channels, said “F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is an iconic series which has a huge fan following even today. The synergy of the show matches perfectly well with our core channel proposition of Love and Laughter and we are certain that the viewers will enjoy the 10 back to back seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. on the channel like never before. With the soaring popularity of the channel and with a unique line up of movies and series, this series couldn’t have found a better destination to enthrall its fans.”
Mansi Shrivastav, Content Head, English Entertainment Channels comments “Romedy NOW is delighted to exclusively bring to its viewers the most loved series of all time. Through our programming, we aim to enthrall the audiences with our entertaining and engaging content. Since its launch, the channel has showcased exclusive line-ups and is building up a robust library encompassing exclusive series as a part of its entertainment bank.”
Enjoy the escapades of the six young friends living in Manhattan as they go through their own lives in the comfort of each other’s companionship! Join the fashionista, Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), the perfectionist and overbearing chef Monica Gellar (Courtney Cox) and the ditsy, street smart and funny self-taught musician Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow). The eternal favourite childlike flirt and struggling actor Joey Tribbiani (Matt Le Blanc) who gave the simple catchphrase, ‘How you doin’?’ a whole new saucy feel! Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) who has a deliciously sarcastic sense of humour and a curious history with a cross-dresser father and erotic novelist for a mother! The sweet and good humoured Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer), Monica’s elder brother and paleontologist who is a clutz and socially awkward!
Every episode is a fun ride following the friends’ escapades in this entertaining show that promises every moment to be exciting. It is no surprise that the show is a hot favourite of one and all and has garnered critical as well as commercial success sweeping away hordes of awards and a whopping 63 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations! Always in the top 10 in primetime ratings, F.R.I.E.N.D.S. will give you tons of love and laughter that you can enjoy only on Romedy NOW, nowhere else!
Romedy NOW is leaving no stone unturned for the promotion of this iconic series. The channel has a lot more excitement in store for its viewers with an exciting contest that will give a chance to of the biggest fans of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. to go to LA and have coffee at the real ‘Central Perk’. The fans have to vote for their favourite F.R.I.E.N.D.S. character to win this once in a lifetime opportunity. More the votes more the chances of winning!
To have coffee at Central Perk in USA, fans can give a missed call on 08067006611 and vote for your favourite FRIEND #ThankGodItsFriends. Terms and conditions apply.
The campaign will be heavily promotedon the Times Television Network with promos running extensively across the network channels and extensive presence across the Times of India publication, nationally.
The most loved show can have unending conversations going for you whether you are a group of college friends chilling in the canteen or young professionals taking a coffee break or just friends catching up. And now you have a lot more to talk about!
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is powered by Gionee.
Join the frenzy of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and be on a rollercoaster ride every single time only on Romedy NOW!
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.
