English Entertainment
Sony PIX dials up the amazement quotient with the best of Hollywood blockbusters
It is going to be a power-packed month on Sony PIX owing to a barrage of special programming which includes the Indian Television Premiere of ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’, PIX Premiere League and Amazement at primetime with a different theme every week – ranging from Horror and Comedy to Creature Feature and Dwayne Johnson special.
Starting with the Indian Television Premiere of ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ on 30th August at 1pm and 9pm, the movie will premiere in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu only on Sony PIX SD and HD. With Byju’s as the ‘Co-Presenting Sponsor’, Kia as the ‘Driven By’ sponsor on Sony PIX SD, Hyundai as the ‘Co-Powered By’ sponsor on Sony PIX HD and Hershey’s India as the ‘Associate Sponsor’, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ will not be available on any other platform in India.
Next up is the comeback of PIX Premiere League. Starting September 19, Sony PIX will treat the viewers to some pre-match and post-match excitement with the best of Hollywood movies, Monday to Saturday at 1pm and 11pm. To celebrate the century of your favorite batsmen or to get over the loss of your favorite team, Sony PIX will have the best of blockbuster movies lined up to add to the thrill and excitement of a good match. And with Sony PIX, everyone can be a winner as the channel is giving viewers a chance to win excusive merchandise every-day by answering the question asked during the 1pm and 11pm movie. And, the one who answers most questions correctly throughout the league will win a mega prize – a cricket bat signed by the World Cup Champions – England.
Additionally, from 7th September to 7th November, primetime on Sony PIX will be full of amazement as every Monday to Saturday at 9pm, the best of Hollywood blockbusters will keep the fans entertained. Sony PIX is adding a touch of novelty to this special line-up by picking a different theme every week – themes ranging from Horror and Comedy to Creature Feature and Dwayne Johnson special. So, let the good times continue with Sony PIX.
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.
