English Entertainment
FX promises to up its edge this New Year with a New prime time lineup
MUMBAI: FX, India’s exclusive destination for edgy and fast paced shows across genres is all set to up its game this New Year. The one stop shop for some of the best dramas, thrillers and comical shows will now boast of a more phenomenal line up to appeal to an even wider audience base.
In January, FX is set to change its weekday prime time lineup.
The X-Files – Essential Collection airing from Monday to Friday at 11 PM till January 28, 2016.
The first of the lot is the cult sci-fi series ‘The X-Files – Essential Collection’. Having premiered on January 1st, The X-Files – Essential Collection is a widely talked about and hugely anticipated build up series, to the all-new X-Files mini-series specially curated by the creator of the original series, Chris Carter himself. Carter has personally chosen 20 special episodes along with some never-seen-before footage to give new and long-standing audiences an extra edge before they catch up with the all-new event series.
Scare Tactics every Monday to Friday at 8 PM
The New Year also welcomed the premiere of the bone-chilling show Scare Tactics – a hidden camera, comedy television series that pranks victims by putting them into terrifying situations involving incredible special effects and makeup that recreates horror movie clichés, on FX. The show is meant to scare victims set up by their family and/or friends later revealing the prank with the break-out line – “Are you scared?” An exciting twist of thrill and spine-tingling entertainment, the show proves that there is nothing better than a hidden camera, an unsuspecting victim and the world’s coolest, most terrifying pranks involving movie style special effects.
House Season 1-8, starting 13th Jan every Monday to Friday at 10 PM
Following suit is one of the most popular shows on global television, House M.D. Airing right from Season 1 on January 13, 2016, the doctor that everyone loves to hate will come on Indian television screens every day from Monday to Friday at 10 PM. The show follows the genius but cranky yet charming Dr. House as he leads an elite medical team to solve bizarre illnesses and save lives despite his own constant physical pain. Hugh Laurie who portrayed the legendary character of Doctor House was a favourite among viewers across the globe. Now the show returns to television screens with all seasons being played out one after another.
The channel will also include renowned American comedy-drama television series Louie and critically-acclaimed cult sci-fi series Doctor Who as part of its programming line-up. While Season 1 of Louie commenced on January 1st, Doctor Who’s Season 8 will also begin with the airing of its very first episode on January 12th.
While all these popular shows are airing on FX and FX HD in January 2016 alone, FX has a bag full of treats and surprises for its audiences throughout the year with some famous dramas and all-new shows already lined-up! So stay happy, stay entertained, stay thrilled and stay tuned-in to FX and FX HD all year long!
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.
