English Entertainment
Sony BBC Earth launches ‘Earth Champions’, an initiative to celebrate real life Earth heroes
MUMBAI: Love for the Earth has been the central theme of all of Sony BBC Earth’s programming and marketing initiatives. The channel has always brought stories – in the form of landmark natural history shows like Blue Planet II, Climate Change: The Facts and A Perfect Planet, among others – from around the globe that not only deeply connect the viewers with the natural world but also sensitize them about the importance of sustainability.
Now with its latest IP Earth Champions, Sony BBC Earth is bringing to light stories of real-life heroes who are making this planet a better place with their relentless efforts and daily action. Through this property, the channel aims to inspire others to follow the steps of these ‘Earth Champions’ towards a greener and a more sustainable world.
Starting off as a digital property which will be promoted on-air and on social media, Earth Champions’ first guest is UN Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth awardee – Afroz Shah, who will be in conversation with the host and Earth lover Tara Sharma on Earth Day – 22 April – at 7PM. Afroz will talk about his journey, about organizing ‘Biggest Beach Clean-up in World History’, about being recognized by the Honorable PM of India – Narendra Modi, and about continuing the cleaning till the oceans are made plastic and filth free.
From renowned environmentalists and nature enthusiasts to climate warriors and commoners from all walks of life, Earth Champions aims to bring to light the power of individual actions that can collectively become a force of positive change and action. Creating conversations is key to raising awareness and hence Sony BBC Earth plans to recognize and celebrate an Earth Champion every month and thereby encourage others to make sustainable choices in their everyday living.
Tune-in to Sony BBC Earth’s Instagram page (@SonyBBCEarth) to watch the LIVE conversation between host Tara Sharma and #EarthChampion Afroz Shah on Earth Day – 22 April at 7PM. And stay tuned for more conversations with other Earth Champions each month.
Sony Pictures Networks India English cluster Marketing Head Rohan Jain said, “Sony BBC Earth has always championed for positive storytelling and inspiring ideas via its programming and marketing properties. Earth Champions is another such initiative and a seamless extension of our previous brand IP Young Earth Champions. It is backed with an intent to recognize and celebrate real-life heroes who are driving positive change of action via their relentless efforts in the space of sustainability. We are happy to support these Earth heroes and via them enlighten more people on the benefits of collective action”.
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.
