Leslie David Baker, best known for playing Dunder Mifflin accountant Stanley Hudson on “The Office”, has announced that he’ll be refunding fans who contributed to a Kickstarter funding a spin-off series featuring his character.
Back in 2020, Baker launched the Kickstarter campaign, seeing to raised $300,000 to shoot the pilot for “Uncle Stan”, in which his character, now retired in Florida, moves to L.A. to help his nephew save his struggling business.
At the time, she shared a brief tease on social media of what fans could expect.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Leslie David Baker (@thelesliedavidbaker)
According to Variety, the campaign took in a total of $336,450 during the campaign; “Uncle Stan”, however, has yet to see the light of day.
However, the outlet also reports that some of the actor’s fans have been questioning him on social media about what happened to the money that he raised.
Back in 2020, Baker launched the Kickstarter campaign, seeing to raised $300,000 to shoot the pilot for “Uncle Stan”, in which his character, now retired in Florida, moves to L.A. to help his nephew save his struggling business.
At the time, she shared a brief tease on social media of what fans could expect.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Leslie David Baker (@thelesliedavidbaker)
According to Variety, the campaign took in a total of $336,450 during the campaign; “Uncle Stan”, however, has yet to see the light of day.
However, the outlet also reports that some of the actor’s fans have been questioning him on social media about what happened to the money that he raised.
- 8/5/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
The U.S. remake of "The Office" is one of the most popular television shows ever — you can basically watch the whole series via memes/gifs. It's surprising, then, that 10 years on from the finale, there hasn't been a spin-off. Since the original show's 201 episodes remain absurdly popular on streaming, perhaps NBC doesn't see a need for more when the fans are satisfied with rewatching ad infinitum. However, Leslie David Baker tried to get a spin-off made about his character, and he turned to those fans to make it happen.
In 2020, Baker and his business partner Sardar Khan started a Kickstarter for "Uncle Stan." The premise would be that Stanley, now retired from Dunder Mifflin and living in Florida, gets a call from his nephew Lucky, who runs a motorcycle/flower shop. If that sounds like an odd business to you, you're not alone; the shop is failing, so "Uncle...
In 2020, Baker and his business partner Sardar Khan started a Kickstarter for "Uncle Stan." The premise would be that Stanley, now retired from Dunder Mifflin and living in Florida, gets a call from his nephew Lucky, who runs a motorcycle/flower shop. If that sounds like an odd business to you, you're not alone; the shop is failing, so "Uncle...
- 8/5/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Fremantle has deepened its relationship with Artists, Writers & Artisans, Inc. (Awa) by making a minority investment in the company.
Fremantle had struck a strategic development deal with Awa Studios, the film and television division of Awa, last year.
Awa is backed by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, Sister, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. In 2021, the company established Awa Studios, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as president. Marvel alum Axel Alonso serves as co-founder and chief creative officer overseeing editorial output. Matthew Anderson, co-chair and president and Jon Miller, co-founder and co-chair, lead Awa’s executive team.
The two companies have revealed that the first project on the joint development slate after Fremantle taking a stake in Awa is “Devil’s Highway,” a thriller based on the comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover in which a young woman seeks to unravel a sinister mystery hidden in the dark underbelly of the long-haul trucking industry.
Fremantle had struck a strategic development deal with Awa Studios, the film and television division of Awa, last year.
Awa is backed by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, Sister, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. In 2021, the company established Awa Studios, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as president. Marvel alum Axel Alonso serves as co-founder and chief creative officer overseeing editorial output. Matthew Anderson, co-chair and president and Jon Miller, co-founder and co-chair, lead Awa’s executive team.
The two companies have revealed that the first project on the joint development slate after Fremantle taking a stake in Awa is “Devil’s Highway,” a thriller based on the comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover in which a young woman seeks to unravel a sinister mystery hidden in the dark underbelly of the long-haul trucking industry.
- 2/14/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle has taken a minority stake in independent developer Artists, Writers & Artisans Inc.
The company co-led an investment round with James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems alongside new capital from long-term backers of Awa and a “number of strategic individual investors with expertise in production, finance, sports, human rights and technology.” In addition to Lupa Systems, other Awa backers include Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sister.
Awa Studios, Awa’s film and TV arm helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin, will benefit from Fremantle’s strategic input and investment, while also “unlocking the specialist expertise of the global content powerhouse, its infrastructure and its renowned international distribution footprint,” the companies said in a joint release on Tuesday.
The size of Fremantle’s stake was not disclosed.
Also Read:
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Filmmaker Edward Berger Sets First-Look Deal With Fremantle
The investment builds upon Fremantle and Awa’s partnership forged...
The company co-led an investment round with James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems alongside new capital from long-term backers of Awa and a “number of strategic individual investors with expertise in production, finance, sports, human rights and technology.” In addition to Lupa Systems, other Awa backers include Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sister.
Awa Studios, Awa’s film and TV arm helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin, will benefit from Fremantle’s strategic input and investment, while also “unlocking the specialist expertise of the global content powerhouse, its infrastructure and its renowned international distribution footprint,” the companies said in a joint release on Tuesday.
The size of Fremantle’s stake was not disclosed.
Also Read:
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Filmmaker Edward Berger Sets First-Look Deal With Fremantle
The investment builds upon Fremantle and Awa’s partnership forged...
- 2/14/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Fremantle, the production unit of Bertelsmann-owned TV giant Rtl Group, has made a strategic minority investment in Artists, Writers & Artisans (Awa), an independent developer of stories from creative talent working across graphic fiction, film and television.
James Murdoch’s investment firm Lupa Systems, an existing Awa backer, co-led the new financial injection, which also included new capital from long-term Awa backers and “a number of strategic individual investors with expertise in production, finance, sports, human rights and technology,” the company said. Financial details and the size of the stake weren’t disclosed.
“This investment signifies a deepening of the initial partnership made between Fremantle and Awa in April 2022, which saw the companies come together to collaborate on co-developing a slate of TV projects based on Awa’s rapidly expanding IP library,” the partners said. “Awa Studios, Awa’s film and TV arm, will benefit from Fremantle’s strategic input and investment,...
James Murdoch’s investment firm Lupa Systems, an existing Awa backer, co-led the new financial injection, which also included new capital from long-term Awa backers and “a number of strategic individual investors with expertise in production, finance, sports, human rights and technology,” the company said. Financial details and the size of the stake weren’t disclosed.
“This investment signifies a deepening of the initial partnership made between Fremantle and Awa in April 2022, which saw the companies come together to collaborate on co-developing a slate of TV projects based on Awa’s rapidly expanding IP library,” the partners said. “Awa Studios, Awa’s film and TV arm, will benefit from Fremantle’s strategic input and investment,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fremantle has acquired a minority stake in Artists, Writers & Artisans (Awa), the U.S.-based indie backed by Liz Murdoch’s Chernobyl producer Sister and James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems.
Awa works across film, TV and graphic novels and Devil’s Highway – based on the comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover – is the first fruits of its collaboration with Fremantle, which kicked off last year with a partnership to co-develop a TV slate. Fremantle and Lupa co-led that investment round alongside new capital from long-term backers of Awa and a number of strategic investors.
The Fremantle investment revealed today will aid Awa’s film and TV arm Awa Studios with strategic input.
“We are delighted to extend our successful partnership with Awa. The collaboration is a perfect strategic fit, giving Awa access to our global footprint, distribution infrastructure and production expertise and putting Fremantle at the very forefront of graphic fiction innovation,...
Awa works across film, TV and graphic novels and Devil’s Highway – based on the comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover – is the first fruits of its collaboration with Fremantle, which kicked off last year with a partnership to co-develop a TV slate. Fremantle and Lupa co-led that investment round alongside new capital from long-term backers of Awa and a number of strategic investors.
The Fremantle investment revealed today will aid Awa’s film and TV arm Awa Studios with strategic input.
“We are delighted to extend our successful partnership with Awa. The collaboration is a perfect strategic fit, giving Awa access to our global footprint, distribution infrastructure and production expertise and putting Fremantle at the very forefront of graphic fiction innovation,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
What alternative deals could Fox Corp. and News Corp. explore now that media mogul Rupert Murdoch has pulled the plug on his proposal to merge the two and reunite his media empire, which had split in 2013 to focus on different businesses and strategic priorities? Wall Street experts have started debating this question after the companies unveiled the decision on Jan. 24 following objections raised by various investors and at least one member of the Murdoch family.
“In withdrawing the proposal, Mr. Murdoch indicated that he and Lachlan K. Murdoch have determined that a combination is not optimal for shareholders of News Corp. and Fox at this time,” read News Corp.’s board statement. Fox, where Rupert Murdoch serves as chair and son Lachlan as executive chair and CEO, issued a similar comment.
The elder Murdoch had initiated the merger discussions in October, asking the boards of both firms to consider a combination,...
“In withdrawing the proposal, Mr. Murdoch indicated that he and Lachlan K. Murdoch have determined that a combination is not optimal for shareholders of News Corp. and Fox at this time,” read News Corp.’s board statement. Fox, where Rupert Murdoch serves as chair and son Lachlan as executive chair and CEO, issued a similar comment.
The elder Murdoch had initiated the merger discussions in October, asking the boards of both firms to consider a combination,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Delhi, Jan 1 (Ians) Private Equity-Venture Capital (Pe-vc) firms investments in India fell by 29 per cent in 2022 compared to the record highs of 2021. Pe-Vc firms invested 46 billion in Indian companies in 2022, compared to 65 billion in the previous year, according to Venture Intelligence.
India minted a total of 21 unicorn companies (Vc-funded startups valued at 1 billion or more) in 2022, 18 of them during the first six months of 2022 and less than half the 44 Unicorns minted in 2021.
In fact, the final quarter of 2022 did not see any new unicorns being created. SaaS companies accounted for 29 per cent of all the new unicorns in 2022, followed by Fintech companies with 19 per cent. Overall, unicorn startups in India attracted 9.8 billion worth of investments in 2022, down by 61 per cent compared to the previous year (which saw 25 billion invested in unicorn startups).
2022 witnessed 111 mega deals (100 M+ rounds) worth 31 billion, compared to 152 such investments worth 50.3 billion in 2021. Qatar...
India minted a total of 21 unicorn companies (Vc-funded startups valued at 1 billion or more) in 2022, 18 of them during the first six months of 2022 and less than half the 44 Unicorns minted in 2021.
In fact, the final quarter of 2022 did not see any new unicorns being created. SaaS companies accounted for 29 per cent of all the new unicorns in 2022, followed by Fintech companies with 19 per cent. Overall, unicorn startups in India attracted 9.8 billion worth of investments in 2022, down by 61 per cent compared to the previous year (which saw 25 billion invested in unicorn startups).
2022 witnessed 111 mega deals (100 M+ rounds) worth 31 billion, compared to 152 such investments worth 50.3 billion in 2021. Qatar...
- 1/1/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Awa Studios, the content startup that develops graphic novels with the hopes of seeding larger entertainment franchises, has assembled a brain trust of prominent writers and directors who will help the company nurture original ideas across a range of platforms.
Awa Studios has enlisted Reginald Hudlin, Gregg Hurwitz, Laeta Kalogridis, Joseph Kosinski, Al Madrigal and J. Michael Straczynski to serve on the company’s Creative Council. The council’s charter is for those established players to use their experience and their connections to help Awa writer and graphic artists “unleash the full potential of their characters and stories, providing a diversity of contemporary storytelling perspectives and putting projects in the best position to be scaled across the entertainment ecosystem,” per Awa.
The company, started in 2018 with backing from investors that include James Murdoch and Elisabeth Murdoch, is focused on producing graphic novels that can then be developed as TV, film or digital media franchises.
Awa Studios has enlisted Reginald Hudlin, Gregg Hurwitz, Laeta Kalogridis, Joseph Kosinski, Al Madrigal and J. Michael Straczynski to serve on the company’s Creative Council. The council’s charter is for those established players to use their experience and their connections to help Awa writer and graphic artists “unleash the full potential of their characters and stories, providing a diversity of contemporary storytelling perspectives and putting projects in the best position to be scaled across the entertainment ecosystem,” per Awa.
The company, started in 2018 with backing from investors that include James Murdoch and Elisabeth Murdoch, is focused on producing graphic novels that can then be developed as TV, film or digital media franchises.
- 11/21/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
San Francisco, Nov 17 (Ians) Elon Musk has said that he does not want to be the CEO of any company, be it Tesla or Twitter.
Musk made the comment during a testimony at a trial in the US on Wednesday, challenging his controversial pay compensation package at Tesla.
“I frankly don’t want to be the CEO of any company,” he said, reports The Verge.
“At SpaceX, it’s really that I’m responsible for the engineering of the rockets and Tesla for the technology in the car that makes it successful,” he was quoted as saying.
“So, CEO is often viewed as somewhat of a business-focused role, but in reality, my role is much more that of an engineer developing technology and making sure that we develop breakthrough technologies and that we have a team of incredible engineers who can achieve those goals,” Musk elaborated.
He said he does...
Musk made the comment during a testimony at a trial in the US on Wednesday, challenging his controversial pay compensation package at Tesla.
“I frankly don’t want to be the CEO of any company,” he said, reports The Verge.
“At SpaceX, it’s really that I’m responsible for the engineering of the rockets and Tesla for the technology in the car that makes it successful,” he was quoted as saying.
“So, CEO is often viewed as somewhat of a business-focused role, but in reality, my role is much more that of an engineer developing technology and making sure that we develop breakthrough technologies and that we have a team of incredible engineers who can achieve those goals,” Musk elaborated.
He said he does...
- 11/17/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Click here to read the full article.
Liberty Media Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) launched by John Malone’s Liberty Media a couple of years ago in hopes of finding at least one takeover target, has taken a key step towards closing down the financial vehicle.
On Monday, a virtual special meeting of stockholders voted in favor of the move by approving updates to its certificate of incorporation, which allow it “to unwind and redeem all of its outstanding public shares prior to Dec. 30,” which is “in advance of the contractual termination date of Jan. 26, 2023.”
Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei told the online meeting that his company — which owns the Atlanta Braves and the Formula One race car circuit among other media and entertainment assets — looked at around 140 companies in all as potential acquisitions, without identifying who they were. He added a picky Liberty Media...
Liberty Media Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (Spac) launched by John Malone’s Liberty Media a couple of years ago in hopes of finding at least one takeover target, has taken a key step towards closing down the financial vehicle.
On Monday, a virtual special meeting of stockholders voted in favor of the move by approving updates to its certificate of incorporation, which allow it “to unwind and redeem all of its outstanding public shares prior to Dec. 30,” which is “in advance of the contractual termination date of Jan. 26, 2023.”
Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei told the online meeting that his company — which owns the Atlanta Braves and the Formula One race car circuit among other media and entertainment assets — looked at around 140 companies in all as potential acquisitions, without identifying who they were. He added a picky Liberty Media...
- 11/14/2022
- by Georg Szalai and Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Elon Musk is keeping Delaware Chancery Court busy. The same judge who shepherded months of contentious discovery in the billionaire’s legal battle with Twitter will preside at trial in a shareholder lawsuit against Tesla’s board over his 2018 pay package, calling it “the largest in human history.”
The Telsa stockholder Richard Tornetta – “individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated” sued board members James Murdoch, Robyn Denholm, Antonio Gracias, Linda Johnson Rice, Brad Buss, Ira Ehrenpries and Musk to invalidate the grant, worth up to 56 billion if the electric automaker achieved certain market cap and financial milestones.
The proceedings are set to start Monday morning with Musk up to his eyeballs in fallout from Twitter since his purchase. There’s Blue-Check chaos, thousands of employees fired and others resigning, the FTC breathing down his neck, advertisers wary, debt payments looming and, as he told staffers, bankruptcy not out of the question.
The Telsa stockholder Richard Tornetta – “individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated” sued board members James Murdoch, Robyn Denholm, Antonio Gracias, Linda Johnson Rice, Brad Buss, Ira Ehrenpries and Musk to invalidate the grant, worth up to 56 billion if the electric automaker achieved certain market cap and financial milestones.
The proceedings are set to start Monday morning with Musk up to his eyeballs in fallout from Twitter since his purchase. There’s Blue-Check chaos, thousands of employees fired and others resigning, the FTC breathing down his neck, advertisers wary, debt payments looming and, as he told staffers, bankruptcy not out of the question.
- 11/12/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Update: Joe Biden spoke for about a half an hour to about 100 guests at a fundraiser in Brentwood on Thursday, covering a range of topics including the state of the fractured media.
“There are no editors anymore,” Biden said, per a pool report. “The ability of newspapers to have much impact is de minimis.”
As he did last week at a fundraiser in New York at the home of James Murdoch, Biden also cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use tactical nuclear weapons. He also called Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world as it had “nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
He predicted that the work of the January 6th Committee would result “in some real change” as a consequence of their work.
Biden also participated in a photo line earlier in the evening for those writing higher-dollar checks.
Previously: Joe Biden continued his visit to Los Angeles on Thursday,...
“There are no editors anymore,” Biden said, per a pool report. “The ability of newspapers to have much impact is de minimis.”
As he did last week at a fundraiser in New York at the home of James Murdoch, Biden also cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to use tactical nuclear weapons. He also called Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world as it had “nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
He predicted that the work of the January 6th Committee would result “in some real change” as a consequence of their work.
Biden also participated in a photo line earlier in the evening for those writing higher-dollar checks.
Previously: Joe Biden continued his visit to Los Angeles on Thursday,...
- 10/14/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Joe Biden, in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, said that he doesn’t think that Russian President Vladimir Putin would use a tactical nuclear weapon but that it was “irresponsible” for him to talk about it.
In the first night of his stint as host of CNN Tonight, Tapper was following up on comments that Biden made last week at a fundraiser at the home of James Murdoch. The president warned that it was the “first time since the Cuban missile crisis we have a direct threat of the use of nuclear weapons if in fact things continue down the path they are going.”
“The idea that a world leader of one of the largest nuclear powers in the world says he may use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine — and the point I was making was that it could lead to just a horrible outcome,” Biden told Tapper.
In the first night of his stint as host of CNN Tonight, Tapper was following up on comments that Biden made last week at a fundraiser at the home of James Murdoch. The president warned that it was the “first time since the Cuban missile crisis we have a direct threat of the use of nuclear weapons if in fact things continue down the path they are going.”
“The idea that a world leader of one of the largest nuclear powers in the world says he may use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine — and the point I was making was that it could lead to just a horrible outcome,” Biden told Tapper.
- 10/12/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
President Joe Biden warned of the “assault” on American institutions and talked of the threat of Vladimir Putin using nuclear weapons at an issue-heavy fundraiser Thursday at the New York home of James Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch.
The event raised money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, hoping to retain the party’s majority in the chamber. Murdoch has backed away from his father’s media empire and diverges from his politics: He backed Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, at one point chipping in 615,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, according to Federal Election Commission records.
According to a pool report, Biden told attendees at the event that “this is not your father’s Republican party.” He said that there was an “assault on all these institutions,” naming the White House and the Supreme Court.
Related Story Joe Biden Plans Pre-Midterm Trek To Los Angeles Related Story U.S. Economy Added 263,000 Jobs In September,...
The event raised money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, hoping to retain the party’s majority in the chamber. Murdoch has backed away from his father’s media empire and diverges from his politics: He backed Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, at one point chipping in 615,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, according to Federal Election Commission records.
According to a pool report, Biden told attendees at the event that “this is not your father’s Republican party.” He said that there was an “assault on all these institutions,” naming the White House and the Supreme Court.
Related Story Joe Biden Plans Pre-Midterm Trek To Los Angeles Related Story U.S. Economy Added 263,000 Jobs In September,...
- 10/7/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Updated, with exclusive details of event: Joe Biden plans to return to Los Angeles next week for a pre-midterm swing next week that includes a fundraiser with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Oct. 13 event will be for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, tasked with retaining the Democrats’ House majority, according to a Dccc official.
The evening reception will be in Brentwood, with tickets starting at 5,000 per person, rising to 10,000 per couple and 50,000 per couple to host. The latter includes a photo and reception. All attendees are required to be fully vaccinated, including a booster shot, according to the invite. Further details, like the hosts of the events, have yet to be announced.
Biden was traveling to New York on Thursday, with an itinerary that included a fundraiser at the home of James Murdoch. That event also is for the Dccc.
Other events also are being scheduled, according to sources.
Biden...
The Oct. 13 event will be for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, tasked with retaining the Democrats’ House majority, according to a Dccc official.
The evening reception will be in Brentwood, with tickets starting at 5,000 per person, rising to 10,000 per couple and 50,000 per couple to host. The latter includes a photo and reception. All attendees are required to be fully vaccinated, including a booster shot, according to the invite. Further details, like the hosts of the events, have yet to be announced.
Biden was traveling to New York on Thursday, with an itinerary that included a fundraiser at the home of James Murdoch. That event also is for the Dccc.
Other events also are being scheduled, according to sources.
Biden...
- 10/6/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
New Delhi, Oct 6 (Ians) Viacom18 Sports on Thursday announced that JioCinema will live-stream all the matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, set to happen from November 20 to December 18, for free.
Apart from this, the TV broadcast of the marquee tournament will happen on Sports18 – 1 Sd & HD channels.
The 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup will see most matches played in India primetime slots like 18:30, 20:30 and 21:30 Ist. Group stage primetime matches in the showpiece tournament will include key clashes like defending champions France up against Denmark, apart from England vs Iran, Portugal vs Ghana, Brazil vs Switzerland, and Croatia vs Belgium.
“Viacom18 Sports’ multi-platform presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be immersive, personalised and offer viewers exclusive experiences on JioCinema. We want consumers to have easy access to world-class production across digital and linear platforms (on Sports 18) to match the event’s stature.”
“Our efforts...
Apart from this, the TV broadcast of the marquee tournament will happen on Sports18 – 1 Sd & HD channels.
The 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup will see most matches played in India primetime slots like 18:30, 20:30 and 21:30 Ist. Group stage primetime matches in the showpiece tournament will include key clashes like defending champions France up against Denmark, apart from England vs Iran, Portugal vs Ghana, Brazil vs Switzerland, and Croatia vs Belgium.
“Viacom18 Sports’ multi-platform presentation of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will be immersive, personalised and offer viewers exclusive experiences on JioCinema. We want consumers to have easy access to world-class production across digital and linear platforms (on Sports 18) to match the event’s stature.”
“Our efforts...
- 10/6/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
5G is going to roll out across India from Oct. 1 and Reliance Jio, the country’s leading mobile service operator with 413 million subscribers, will be at the forefront of it. The move could have a transformational effect.
The 5G rollout in India will happen via Jio Platforms, the digital services arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. In August, during the Reliance annual general meeting, Ambani told shareholders that the rollout would be complete by Dec. 2023 and that infrastructure investment would be INR2 trillion (25 billion).
A majority of Indians watch streaming content on mobile devices. Fixed broadband penetration in the country is low and Reliance aims to fix this with Jio AirFiber, which uses 5G to provide fiber-quality connectivity over the air.
“We have to think and reimagine 5G for India,” Saurabh Sancheti, group CFO of Jio Platforms, said at the Apos conference in Singapore on Wednesday. Sancheti is...
The 5G rollout in India will happen via Jio Platforms, the digital services arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. In August, during the Reliance annual general meeting, Ambani told shareholders that the rollout would be complete by Dec. 2023 and that infrastructure investment would be INR2 trillion (25 billion).
A majority of Indians watch streaming content on mobile devices. Fixed broadband penetration in the country is low and Reliance aims to fix this with Jio AirFiber, which uses 5G to provide fiber-quality connectivity over the air.
“We have to think and reimagine 5G for India,” Saurabh Sancheti, group CFO of Jio Platforms, said at the Apos conference in Singapore on Wednesday. Sancheti is...
- 9/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Paramount Global is feeling bullish about its ability to make hit content after a string of recent successes at the box office, including Top Gun: Maverick, and on the Paramount+ streaming service, such as Halo, management said during the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday.
“Nowhere is our popularity more evident than at the box office,” president and CEO Bob Bakish told analysts. “Look no further than Top Gun: Maverick, which is already the biggest film was 2022 and our fifth No. 1 title this year. In fact, Top Gun: Maverick just cleared 1.3 billion at the global box office and became one of the top 10 domestic movies of all time. Here we leveraged our portfolio brands, including CBS and MTV, to execute a major company consumer campaign that resonated with audiences everywhere, a strategy that has proven to be highly effective when deployed against our major assets.
Paramount Global is feeling bullish about its ability to make hit content after a string of recent successes at the box office, including Top Gun: Maverick, and on the Paramount+ streaming service, such as Halo, management said during the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday.
“Nowhere is our popularity more evident than at the box office,” president and CEO Bob Bakish told analysts. “Look no further than Top Gun: Maverick, which is already the biggest film was 2022 and our fifth No. 1 title this year. In fact, Top Gun: Maverick just cleared 1.3 billion at the global box office and became one of the top 10 domestic movies of all time. Here we leveraged our portfolio brands, including CBS and MTV, to execute a major company consumer campaign that resonated with audiences everywhere, a strategy that has proven to be highly effective when deployed against our major assets.
- 8/4/2022
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
A slew of executives from across the global entertainment and tech sectors will be among the speakers at this year’s Apos, Asia’s influential media industry conference.
With the Asia-Pacific regional still a rare bright spot for growth in the streaming sector, the Singapore-set event will play host to a broad range of presentations and panel discussions that collectively aim to take the pulse of a global entertainment business in flux. Topics will include streaming’s sustainability, the rapid growth of premium Asian content, the coming impact of the metaverse, the battle for sports rights, premium AVOD’s scalability and much more.
Keynote speakers unveiled this week include: Candle Media CEO Kevin Mayer; Netflix’s head of content in Apac, Minyoung Kim; Kelly Day, vp of international at Amazon Prime Video; Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international, Gerhard Zeiler; Paramount’s head of Europe and Asia,...
A slew of executives from across the global entertainment and tech sectors will be among the speakers at this year’s Apos, Asia’s influential media industry conference.
With the Asia-Pacific regional still a rare bright spot for growth in the streaming sector, the Singapore-set event will play host to a broad range of presentations and panel discussions that collectively aim to take the pulse of a global entertainment business in flux. Topics will include streaming’s sustainability, the rapid growth of premium Asian content, the coming impact of the metaverse, the battle for sports rights, premium AVOD’s scalability and much more.
Keynote speakers unveiled this week include: Candle Media CEO Kevin Mayer; Netflix’s head of content in Apac, Minyoung Kim; Kelly Day, vp of international at Amazon Prime Video; Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international, Gerhard Zeiler; Paramount’s head of Europe and Asia,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Delhi, July 22 (Ians) Higher education platform upGrad on Friday announced it has acquired online learning institution Harappa Education for Rs 300 crore (about 38 million). upGrad closed the transaction with present Harappa shareholders – Bodhi Tree Systems (a newly-formed platform between James Murdoch and Uday Shankar) and Co-Founders Pramath Raj Sinha and Shreyasi […]...
- 7/22/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Former Attorney General William Barr has been subpoenaed in Dominion Voting Systems’ 1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, brought by the election systems company last year against the network over claims that the company rigged the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Barr has given deposition testimony to the January 6th Committee in which he said that the claims of election fraud were without merit.
In its lawsuit, Dominion contends that Fox News personalities and guests continued to amplify election fraud claims even after elections officials and Barr said that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. Barr told the Associated Press on Dec. 1, 2020 that they had not seen “anything to substantiate” allegations that election machines were programmed “essentially to skew the election results.”
Barr’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News has defended its post-election coverage as protected by the First Amendment, arguing that the fraud allegations,...
Barr has given deposition testimony to the January 6th Committee in which he said that the claims of election fraud were without merit.
In its lawsuit, Dominion contends that Fox News personalities and guests continued to amplify election fraud claims even after elections officials and Barr said that there was no evidence of widespread fraud. Barr told the Associated Press on Dec. 1, 2020 that they had not seen “anything to substantiate” allegations that election machines were programmed “essentially to skew the election results.”
Barr’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News has defended its post-election coverage as protected by the First Amendment, arguing that the fraud allegations,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Sun Valley, Idaho — The moguls have arrived.
On Tuesday, dozens of titans of the business, media and tech worlds came out to play at the Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho for the start of Allen & Co.’s annual meeting of movers and shakers.
The invitation-only conference will include three days of seminars and meetings that are held away from the prying eyes of the public, which kick off Wednesday morning. So today was all about meeting and greeting each other at the posh retreat in Idaho’s picturesque Sawtooth Mountains.
Arrivals began at the Sun Valley Lodge around 11 a.m. local time, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Comcast chief Brian Roberts, Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell, Paramount Global chairman Shari Redstone and investor Jeffrey Katzenberg among the first to check in, receive their agenda briefing books and strap on a mask before receiving a Covid test.
On Tuesday, dozens of titans of the business, media and tech worlds came out to play at the Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho for the start of Allen & Co.’s annual meeting of movers and shakers.
The invitation-only conference will include three days of seminars and meetings that are held away from the prying eyes of the public, which kick off Wednesday morning. So today was all about meeting and greeting each other at the posh retreat in Idaho’s picturesque Sawtooth Mountains.
Arrivals began at the Sun Valley Lodge around 11 a.m. local time, with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Comcast chief Brian Roberts, Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell, Paramount Global chairman Shari Redstone and investor Jeffrey Katzenberg among the first to check in, receive their agenda briefing books and strap on a mask before receiving a Covid test.
- 7/6/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Sun Valley, Idaho — Rupert Murdoch will attend Allen & Co.’s Sun Valley conference this week, Variety has confirmed.
The annual event colloquially known as “summer camp for billionaires” kicks off as usual on July 5 at the Sun Valley Lodge in the titular Idaho resort town. Murdoch, 91, arrived on site during the July 4th holiday on Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter, two days after the Fox Corp. and News Corp. baron attended granddaughter Charlotte Freud’s wedding to rapper Lukey Storey in the U.K.
Murdoch’s decision to come to the Sun Valley retreat — an event he has attend numerous times over the years — is an interesting surprise, as his name was not among those on the list of invite-only Sun Valley guests obtained by Variety last month.
However, Murdoch’s sons James Murdoch, CEO of Lupa Systems, and Lachlan Murdoch, the current CEO of Fox Corp.
The annual event colloquially known as “summer camp for billionaires” kicks off as usual on July 5 at the Sun Valley Lodge in the titular Idaho resort town. Murdoch, 91, arrived on site during the July 4th holiday on Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter, two days after the Fox Corp. and News Corp. baron attended granddaughter Charlotte Freud’s wedding to rapper Lukey Storey in the U.K.
Murdoch’s decision to come to the Sun Valley retreat — an event he has attend numerous times over the years — is an interesting surprise, as his name was not among those on the list of invite-only Sun Valley guests obtained by Variety last month.
However, Murdoch’s sons James Murdoch, CEO of Lupa Systems, and Lachlan Murdoch, the current CEO of Fox Corp.
- 7/5/2022
- by Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Amazon has secured a groundbreaking deal to show live Champions League soccer matches in the U.K., starting from 2024, European soccer governing body UEFA unveiled on Friday.
The deal, details of which had leaked ahead of the announcement, will see Amazon split U.K. rights to the top-rated European club tournament with current U.K. rightsholder BT Sport.
BT Sport, which is due to combine in a joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery’s sports network Eurosport later this year, will still retain the vast majority of games across the Champions League, Europa League and the third-tier Conference League tournaments run by UEFA.
Amazon’s deal will give the online giant one game a week, around 20 matches a season, across Europe’s premier competition.
The new deal kicks off in 2024 — when the Champions League tournament is set to grow from 32 to 36 teams under...
Amazon has secured a groundbreaking deal to show live Champions League soccer matches in the U.K., starting from 2024, European soccer governing body UEFA unveiled on Friday.
The deal, details of which had leaked ahead of the announcement, will see Amazon split U.K. rights to the top-rated European club tournament with current U.K. rightsholder BT Sport.
BT Sport, which is due to combine in a joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery’s sports network Eurosport later this year, will still retain the vast majority of games across the Champions League, Europa League and the third-tier Conference League tournaments run by UEFA.
Amazon’s deal will give the online giant one game a week, around 20 matches a season, across Europe’s premier competition.
The new deal kicks off in 2024 — when the Champions League tournament is set to grow from 32 to 36 teams under...
- 7/1/2022
- by Scott Roxborough and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
On June 13, The Walt Disney Company passed on the opportunity to renew its streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket. Investors and analysts largely cheered that decision, deeming the rights to the most popular sport in the world’s second-most populous nation, which ultimately sold at auction for 2.6 billion for a period of five years, simply too pricey given the relatively low revenues per user in the Indian marketplace.
But as Disney let the cricket rights go, a formidable new competitor stepped in to snap them up — Viacom18, a joint venture entertainment firm formed between Reliance Industries, operator of India’s largest telecom company, Jio; Paramount Global; and Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment vehicle backed by media industry veterans James Murdoch and Uday Shankar. (Reliance Industries has a 51 percent stake in the venture, while Bodhi Tree Systems has 40 percent and Paramount Global has 9 percent.
On June 13, The Walt Disney Company passed on the opportunity to renew its streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket. Investors and analysts largely cheered that decision, deeming the rights to the most popular sport in the world’s second-most populous nation, which ultimately sold at auction for 2.6 billion for a period of five years, simply too pricey given the relatively low revenues per user in the Indian marketplace.
But as Disney let the cricket rights go, a formidable new competitor stepped in to snap them up — Viacom18, a joint venture entertainment firm formed between Reliance Industries, operator of India’s largest telecom company, Jio; Paramount Global; and Bodhi Tree Systems, an investment vehicle backed by media industry veterans James Murdoch and Uday Shankar. (Reliance Industries has a 51 percent stake in the venture, while Bodhi Tree Systems has 40 percent and Paramount Global has 9 percent.
- 6/21/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The e-auction’s over, and as became clear yesterday, Viacom18 is the big winner of Indian Premier League cricket rights. The company bagged digital rights in India for 410 games over the next five years for 2.6B and today followed up with the international rights for three of the other big cricketing nations — Australia, South Africa and the UK — for around another 420M.
Disney, the previous streaming home of the tournament, keeps TV rights for the 2023-2027 period, paying 3B, while Indian firm Times Internet took the U.S. and Mena (rest of world) rights.
The agreements are game-changing for two key reasons. Firstly, the combined value of the deals (about 6.2B) means the Ipl is now the second-most valuable sports tournament in the world behind the NFL in terms of value per match, overtaking the English Premier League soccer and giving the rights holding-Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (Bcci) a massive payday.
Disney, the previous streaming home of the tournament, keeps TV rights for the 2023-2027 period, paying 3B, while Indian firm Times Internet took the U.S. and Mena (rest of world) rights.
The agreements are game-changing for two key reasons. Firstly, the combined value of the deals (about 6.2B) means the Ipl is now the second-most valuable sports tournament in the world behind the NFL in terms of value per match, overtaking the English Premier League soccer and giving the rights holding-Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (Bcci) a massive payday.
- 6/14/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A hefty price tag led Disney to bow out of bidding for India’s Premier League cricket streaming rights, which went instead to Viacom18 for 2.6 billion.
“We chose not to proceed with the digital rights given the price required to secure that package,” Rebecca Campbell, chairman, international content and operations at The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement on Tuesday. Disney’s Star India service did secure the exclusive TV rights package for the 2023-2027 Indian Premier League cricket seasons for a reported 3 billion.
“We made disciplined bids with a focus on long-term value,” Campbell added as Disney, like rival media giants, faces a steep rise in content streaming rights worldwide. The Disney exec added televising Indian cricket matches will enable the studio to showcase and market its own portfolio of TV channels in India, “as well as Disney Star’s impressive collection of local original content,...
A hefty price tag led Disney to bow out of bidding for India’s Premier League cricket streaming rights, which went instead to Viacom18 for 2.6 billion.
“We chose not to proceed with the digital rights given the price required to secure that package,” Rebecca Campbell, chairman, international content and operations at The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement on Tuesday. Disney’s Star India service did secure the exclusive TV rights package for the 2023-2027 Indian Premier League cricket seasons for a reported 3 billion.
“We made disciplined bids with a focus on long-term value,” Campbell added as Disney, like rival media giants, faces a steep rise in content streaming rights worldwide. The Disney exec added televising Indian cricket matches will enable the studio to showcase and market its own portfolio of TV channels in India, “as well as Disney Star’s impressive collection of local original content,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Viacom18 is the new online home of Indian Premier League cricket for the next five years.
The growing streaming and TV company, a joint venture between Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, Paramount Global and Bodhi Tree Systems, the investment company backed by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, will get an overnight surge in Indian video subscribers as soon as the next Ipl season begins. But the firm paid heftily for the privilege: 2.6 billion (205 billion rupees) for the digital rights to the league on the Indian subcontinent for 2023-2027, according to local news outlet The Times of India.
The Indian TV rights for the Ipl are said to have sold to a separate company for an additional 3 billion (235.75 billion rupees), but the winner has yet to be revealed. Bidding on two additional rights packages — TV and digital broadcast rights outside India; and non-exclusive rights for select matches,...
Viacom18 is the new online home of Indian Premier League cricket for the next five years.
The growing streaming and TV company, a joint venture between Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, Paramount Global and Bodhi Tree Systems, the investment company backed by James Murdoch and Uday Shankar, will get an overnight surge in Indian video subscribers as soon as the next Ipl season begins. But the firm paid heftily for the privilege: 2.6 billion (205 billion rupees) for the digital rights to the league on the Indian subcontinent for 2023-2027, according to local news outlet The Times of India.
The Indian TV rights for the Ipl are said to have sold to a separate company for an additional 3 billion (235.75 billion rupees), but the winner has yet to be revealed. Bidding on two additional rights packages — TV and digital broadcast rights outside India; and non-exclusive rights for select matches,...
- 6/13/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
The future of streaming at the Walt Disney Company faces a potential inflection point this weekend — and it all comes down to professional cricket in India.
On June 12, Disney will compete in a heated bidding war to retain the rights to stream and broadcast Indian Premier League cricket for the next half-decade. Disney has held the rights since buying the bulk of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in 2019, after Fox subsidiary Star India won the last five-year rights auction with a 2.5 billion bid in 2017.
Some Wall Street analysts are hoping Disney will use this occasion to reset its streaming ambitions. “I would like nothing better than if they didn’t get the Ipl rights and walked back their subscriber number,” MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson recently told The Wall Street Journal. So far, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has stuck by Disney’s goal...
The future of streaming at the Walt Disney Company faces a potential inflection point this weekend — and it all comes down to professional cricket in India.
On June 12, Disney will compete in a heated bidding war to retain the rights to stream and broadcast Indian Premier League cricket for the next half-decade. Disney has held the rights since buying the bulk of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in 2019, after Fox subsidiary Star India won the last five-year rights auction with a 2.5 billion bid in 2017.
Some Wall Street analysts are hoping Disney will use this occasion to reset its streaming ambitions. “I would like nothing better than if they didn’t get the Ipl rights and walked back their subscriber number,” MoffettNathanson’s Michael Nathanson recently told The Wall Street Journal. So far, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has stuck by Disney’s goal...
- 6/9/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The York Theatre Company continues the Winter 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series Celebrating Sheldon Harnick with Smiling, The Boy Fell Dead with Book by Ira Wallach, Music by David Baker, and Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The creative team includes director James Glossman with music direction by Joseph Baker, and casting by Geoff Josselson. The limited engagement will play 5 performances Only February 21-23, 2014 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue. BroadwayWorld was there for the opening and brings you photos from the festivities below...
- 2/22/2014
- by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
- BroadwayWorld.com
From Nicole Kidman on a BMX to Collingwood on the big screen, our pick of the best sport films
1) Save Your Legs
There are a couple of pretty fail-safe ways to stop a conversation dead in its tracks, but one of the best is to try and convince someone that they need to go and see an Australian movie. If that Australian movie happened to be about a cricket team, it wouldn't be out of the question to suggest that your co-conversationalist might just turn and walk at pace. Which brings us to Save Your Legs, surely one of the least-loved Australian films of recent times and with no good reason; this film is actually half-decent.
It's quite admirable that an Australian filmmaker would multiply their odds of failure by making a film like this one. We're often told that cricket is the sport with the richest and most voluminous literary canon,...
1) Save Your Legs
There are a couple of pretty fail-safe ways to stop a conversation dead in its tracks, but one of the best is to try and convince someone that they need to go and see an Australian movie. If that Australian movie happened to be about a cricket team, it wouldn't be out of the question to suggest that your co-conversationalist might just turn and walk at pace. Which brings us to Save Your Legs, surely one of the least-loved Australian films of recent times and with no good reason; this film is actually half-decent.
It's quite admirable that an Australian filmmaker would multiply their odds of failure by making a film like this one. We're often told that cricket is the sport with the richest and most voluminous literary canon,...
- 9/10/2013
- by Russell Jackson
- The Guardian - Film News
Have you got a hankering for old school Clint Eastwood Western goodness that an afternoon of rewatching the Dirty Harry movies just can't sate? Then you may want to consider investing in the recent slew of DVD releases of the classic series Rawhide which ran for eight seasons with consistently strong stories of conflict and justice in a life spent on the cattle trail. Supporting Eastwood's leading man Rowdy Yates was a cast that included Eric Fleming, James Murdock, Paul Brinegar, and Steve Raines, all of whom added their own flavor of rugged charm to the proceedings. The latest season to be released is the sixth (divided unnecessarily into two volumes) and it sees the series going strong for 31 episodes with a great ratio of strong episodes to forgettable ones including the series' first two-parter.
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- 6/11/2013
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
A man who spends an hour every day picking up litter from the streets has been fined by the council. David Baker has been accused by officials of fly-tipping because they said he had used a public street bin to deposit a pizza box and junk mail which is classed as "domestic waste". The 39-year-old said that he was angry at the fine and that the council must be so "desperate for money" they will fine anyone. He stated: "How can people who actually want to put rubbish in the bin be fined? To claim that what I put in the bin amounts to fly-tipping is crazy." Baker moved into his town centre flat in Stourbridge, Dudley six years ago, and got so fed up with rubbish piling up in the street that he decided to do something about it. "I (more)...
- 11/2/2012
- by By Natasha Wilson
- Digital Spy
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