English Entertainment
Vh1 to offer K-Popp’d, Lip Sync Battle and X Factor S14 this month
MUMBAI: Vh1 is all set to enthrall viewers with its spectacular line up of shows this September! Viewers are in for an exhilarating ride as the channel offers internationally loved shows like The X-Factor UK Season 14, Lip-Sync Battle Season 3, along with widely followed pop music from Korea on Vh1 K- Popp’d and much more.
Following an overwhelming appeal for the immensely popular style of music, K-Pop, Vh1 is geared up to present a brand new music block Vh1 K-Popp’d, premiering on Saturday, September 16. The show will feature super hit tracks by the most popular Korean musicians BTS, EXO, GOT7 and many more.
TVh1 is airing an all new season of the much loved The X Factor UK Season 14 starring the sensational Simon Cowell. Joining Simon Cowell will be judges Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, who will be seeking out the most talented performer to take home the coveted title, every Monday & Tuesday. The channel will also air a special musical series – Shawn Mendes Unplugged, featuring the 19-year-old Vine cover star turned pop crooner famous for super hit singles like Stitches, Mercy and Treat You Better, on 17 September.
Turning the month more musical than ever, Vh1 brings back epic lip sync performances, combined with witty commentary by LL Cool J and supermodel Chrissy Teigen on Lip Sync Battle Season 3. Paying tribute to the most sought after mentors in the music industry, Vh1 aired a special programming slot featuring the best teacher- student duos on Vh1 Teacher’s Pet, featuring sensational duos Rihanna & Jay Z, Timberland & Nelly Furtado, Dr. DRE & Eminem and many more, belting out their blockbuster numbers like Umbrella, I need a doctor, Somebody to love and Carry out.
Viacom 18 head of programming – English entertainment Hashim D’Souza shared: “Looking at the immense popularity amongst Indian viewers for K-Pop, we are also very excited to introduce a special segment Vh1 K-Popp’d which I’m sure will be appreciated by our fans across India.”
Show Line-up:
Show: The X-Factor – UK Season 14
Date: Every Monday & Tuesday| Time: 10 Pm
Synopsis: X-factor 2017 is on the horizon. Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh are on the lookout for the next big thing. Do not miss the exhilarating performances as the judges
seek the most talented one to take the award home.
Show: Lip-Sync Battle Season 3
Date: Every Monday – Friday | Time: 9 Pm
Synopsis: Hosted by LL Cool J and with colourful commentary by Chrissy Telgen, the latest season of Lip-Sync battle promises a series of epic performaces. The new season will see guests like Sir Ben Kingsley, Ruby Rose, Spiderman stars- Tom Holland and Zendaya and cast of Stranger Things.
Show: Vh1 K-Popp’d
Date: Saturday, 16th September | Time: 8 Pm
Synopsis: The advent of K-pop is a music phenomenon that introduced South Korean culture to the world. K-Pop has grown into a subculture that amassed enormous fandoms of teenagers and young adults. Vh1 brings to its viewers a whole new music block dedicated to K-pop.
Show: Shawn Mendes Unplugged
Date: Premiers on Sunday, 17th September | Time: 8 Pm
Synopsis: Eight years after the series that featured stripped-down performances, Vh1 is rolling out again the Unplugged. The first guest to grace the new Unplugged will be Vine cover star turned popstar, Shawn Mendes. He has been knocking out monster singles like Stiches, Mercy and Treat You Better.
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.
