English Entertainment
Vh1 to air the latest season of The X Factor UK in India
MUMBAI: The most talked about TV show, The X Factor UK, is back on Vh1, yet again! This time, it’s back with some of the show’s most loved judges. The latest season of The X Factor will air in India on the 30 of August with a special two-episode premiere, following which, all-new episodes of the 13 season will be aired every Monday and Tuesday at 10 PM only on Vh1.
This year, The X Factor will be graced by the presence of Rock royalty Sharon Osbourne, pop sensation Nicole Scherzinger and chart maestro Louis Walsh, who will all sit alongside The X Factor creator and music mogul Simon Cowell on the panel. This season, they will all join returning host, Dermot O’Leary, to kick off the new series. In addition, one of the fans’ favourite aspects of the show has been revived, the legendary “room auditions”.
Commenting upon the return of the show on Indian television screens, Viacom 18 Head of Marketing – English Entertainment Sabrina D’Souza shared, “The X Factor UK has always been a favourite amongst the Indian audience. With its cutting edge format and being the talent hub that it is, it has been a source of entertainment as well as an aspirational platform for our viewers. We are thrilled to air the latest season of this highly-anticipated show.”
Renowned for her straight-talking, Sharon Osbourne was one of the original X Factor judges, appearing on the panel from 2004 to 2007 and then again in 2013. Of course, Sharon also has more than 30 years experience in the music industry, managing some of the biggest bands in rock.
Speaking of her return, Sharon said: “I’m overjoyed about going back to The X Factor, sitting with Lou, gorgeous Nicole and naughty Simon. But most of all, I can’t wait to meet baby Eric.”
Nicole Scherzinger was a hugely popular judge on The X Factor in 2012 and 2013, securing victory in her first series with James Arthur and proving a huge hit with viewers for her enthusiastic and passionate approach. As a singer, Nicole has achieved global success, selling millions of records both as one of The Pussycat Dolls and then as a solo artist.
Nicole said: “I can’t wait to be back in the UK and on the show with the best judges sitting alongside me on the panel. I’m excited about discovering, mentoring and winning with an exciting new act this year. And having had winning contestants in the past, Simon knows I will do it.”
Music manager and X Factor legend Louis Walsh reprises his role on the panel, returning for a record-breaking 12th series as a UK X Factor judge.
Talking about his comeback, Louis said: “He’d say otherwise but I knew Simon missed me last year! I’m delighted to be back on the panel especially beside my two favourite female judges Sharon and Nicole, and I’m looking forward to taking them all back to Dublin this year when we head there for auditions.”
Talking about the new series, Simon warned: ‘Be careful what you wish for!’
Artists discovered by The X Factor have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 200 No. 1s, making it the most successful show in history for finding chart superstars. This includes One Direction, who have sold 70 million records worldwide; Olly Murs who has achieved success with four multi-platinum albums and total sales of more than 16 million and Little Mix who have sold 15 million records globally.
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.
