English Entertainment
TLC presents the ultimate food hunt in a new series ‘Man Finds Food’
MUMBAI: Going to a restaurant and ordering what is on the menu is passé! People in India and across the world are increasingly looking for newer, more exciting food experiences and are willing to go to great lengths to find that perfect burger, pizza or golgappa!
TLC is a pioneer in presenting the finest lifestyle programming and ushering new trends on television ranging from travel, cuisine to makeover. Capturing the growing interest amongst Indians to discover offbeat food, TLC will premiere an appetizing new series – Man Finds Food, with renowned host Adam Richman. In the series, Adam sets off on the ultimate hunt to uncover hidden food treasures across America. Man Finds Food will premiere on 8th February and will air Monday to Thursday at 8:30 PM only on TLC.
Man Finds Food will follow Adam Richman on his crisscrossing ride across the country to find the undiscovered delicacies in America. Occasionally nestled in locations that are nearly impossible to find, Adam and his crew will hunt down and reveal these classified creations one by one. From a ‘life-changing’ burger in LA to the best south Asian cuisine in the American Midwest, Adam and his crew traverse the length and breadth of America to find the perfect culinary creations.
Rahul Johri, EVP and GM, South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said “TLC is a pioneer in presenting the best of lifestyle stories around the world from the finest travel experiences to the most bizarre cuisines.”
In MAN FINDS FOOD, Adam scours restaurants across the US to uncover off-beat food items that only those in-the-know are able to find. With constant surprises and delicious treats in every corner of the country, this series will satisfy the taste buds of the most demanding foodie.
Along the way, Adam talks to the creators of these dishes and connects with the locals to find out about their favourite food joints and other scrumptious secrets the towns might be harboring.
Tune in to MAN FINDS FOOD as each episode builds up to reveal the most outlandish, delicious, off-the-menu creations, only on TLC
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.
