Hollywood
Oscar Frenzy on Lukup’s Hollywood ON Channel
MUMBAI: The Oscar red carpet was recently rolled out to honour the best of cinema in the year 2014. Celebrating the spirit of Oscar, Lukup’s premier movie channel Hollywood ON brings to its viewers a special line-up of some of the best movies nominated for the Oscars in 2015. Starting March, viewers can catch these select Academy award winning movies exclusively on Lukup’s Hollywood ON channel.
The exclusive selection includes The Judge, premiering 15th March on Hollywood ON. The critically acclaimed American courtroom drama hit the box office in September 2014 with a powerful star cast of Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. The duo’s fiery on-screen chemistry portraying a troubled father-son relationship, fetched an Oscar nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role, for Duvall.
Interstellar, premiering on 1st April is an enthralling science fiction adventure which was nominated by the Oscars for Best Original Score, Production Design, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing and won the award for Best Visual Effects.
The Hobbit, Battle of the Five Armies, nominated for Best Sound Editing, will also premier towards the end of April
American Sniper, premiering mid-June received 6 nominations, including Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Actor, Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing and won for Best Editing.
Hollywood ON has been constantly setting benchmarks in on-demand entertainment by screening the best blockbusters, an advantage of having unrivalled library strength. Entertaining viewers across India, the channel aims to bring the best of cinema closer to its viewers, available at the click of their remote controls!
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
