English Entertainment
The Age of Heroes has arrived
Mumbai: Humanity plunges into despair; panic spreads like plague. The death of Superman spells a terrible reign of darkness. Will a band of unlikely allies vanquish supervillain Steppenwolf, as he returns to claim his rightful place as the ruler of this world? Can Batman and his troop of gifted meta-humans defeat this invincible abomination? To find out, tune in to the premiere of the much-awaited, Justice League, only on Sunday, 28th October, 2018 at 12pm and 8pm, only on HBO and HBO HD!
Justice League brings together an unprecedented situation that calls for an equally exceptional team of warriors. The entry of one of the New Gods, Steppenwolf and his Parademons wreak havoc to collect all ‘Mother Boxes’, as Batman recruits superheroes with the help of Wonder Woman. The movie, much to the delight of die-hard DC fans, introduces champions from different worlds – from Men, to Atlanteans, to Amazonians. That’s the cue for a cocky and self-sufficient Aquaman; The Flash as an impressionable University student with superhuman speed; and a techno-organic Cyborg!
The impending catastrophe and superhero battles mark a new milestone in the DC Extended Universe. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie is aplenty with stylistic action, slow-motion shots and visual effects that elevate every combat sequence. The plotline cleverly balances action and drama, peppered with moments of humour.
HBO and HBO HD is set to elevate movie magic with exciting social and digital fan engagement. Fans too can #JoinTheLeague and become a Superhero! Viewers need to simply visit http://hbosouthasia.com/jointheleague/ to take part in the contest and enter their Desired Superhero Name and Power. The lucky winner will get to watch his or her Superhero avatar featured in a cool animated short movie that will be aired on HBO! The contest will be promoted on air and run on all social media platforms. And the superhero bug never spared anyone! So popular stand-up comedian and superhero fan Sahil Shah will also be sharing his excitement for this contest on his social media pages!
Check out HBO India on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to know more! Justice League set cash registers ringing worldwide and won millions of hearts. Now it’s your turn to experience the magic only on HBO and HBO HD, on Sunday, 28th October, 2018 at 12pm and 8pm!
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.
