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Sony Pictures Entertainment and the private equity giant Apollo Global Management have formally expressed interest in acquiring Paramount for roughly $26 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter, a move that adds drama to an already chaotic deal making process. The nonbinding expression of interest, sent in a letter this week, comes as Paramount approaches an agreed-upon Friday deadline for the expiration of an exclusive negotiating period with Skydance, a Hollywood studio run by the tech scion David Ellison. Paramount has been in talks with Skydance for months, discussing a complicated transaction that would involve a merger and an investment from the private equity firm Redbird Capital Partners. The new, joint expression of interest would make Sony a significant majority and controlling shareholder and Apollo a minority shareholder. The proposed all-cash acquisition may appeal to Paramount shareholders who have come out against the Skydance deal over concerns it benefits the company’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, at the expense of others.

Persons: David Ellison, Skydance, Shari Redstone Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Paramount, Redbird Capital Partners, Sony Locations: Apollo

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Ulta Beauty, Netflix, American Express, Ibotta and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ulta Beauty — Ulta Beauty shares fell 3% after Jefferies downgraded the beauty retailer to a hold from a buy rating, citing rising competition. SLB reported $8.71 billion in revenue, just above the $8.69 billion projected by analysts, according to LSEG. However, SLB did report revenue in North America was down year over year. Ibotta — Shares of the technology company fell nearly 6% a day after Ibotta's initial public offering. Intuitive Surgical — Shares ticked down nearly 2% despite the company beating on the top and bottom lines in the first quarter.

Persons: Jefferies, Shopify, Morgan Stanley, SLB, —, Samantha Subin, Michelle Fox, Pia Singh, Jesse Pound Organizations: Netflix, FactSet, Revenue, American Express, Micro Computer, Paramount —, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, PPG Industries Locations: Canada, North America

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Netflix, Paramount, Sunnova Energy & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Intuitive Surgical — Shares of the robotic surgery firm popped 3% after posting a first quarter earnings and revenue beat. Western Alliance — Shares slipped 2% after the firm missed earnings expectations in its latest quarter. Western Alliance reported earnings of $1.60 per share, while FactSet had estimated this at $1.64 per share. The company slightly missed revenue expectations, however, posting $20.20 billion, while analysts expected $20.41 billion. American Express — Shares slid 1.5% despite the financial services company posting a first-quarter earnings and revenue beat above FactSet estimates.

Persons: Ashley Helgans, Sephora, Shopify, Morgan Stanley, Wells, Biden, SLB, LSEG, FactSet, Proctor, Gamble, — CNBC's Hakyung, Jesse Pound, Samantha Subin Organizations: Jefferies, Netflix, Energy, Western, Western Alliance, Paramount, New York Times, Bloomberg, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Skydance Media, Bentley Systems, Schneider Electric, American, American Express Locations: Canada, Wells, North America, — CNBC's Hakyung Kim, Tanana

☆ Sony in Talks to Join a Bid to Buy Paramount
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even as Paramount, the home of the “Top Gun” movie franchise and “SpongeBob SquarePants,” continues its talks to merge with another media company, Skydance, a new suitor has emerged. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, have been in discussions about teaming up for a joint bid to acquire Paramount, two people familiar with the situation said Thursday. The two companies have not submitted an official bid, as Paramount is still in exclusive conversations with Skydance, said the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss delicate negotiations. Apollo previously reached out to Paramount about buying the company for at least $26 billion, including debt. A joint bid with Sony would almost certainly reduce those concerns, adding operational experience and additional capital to Apollo’s already significant war chest.

Persons: SpongeBob, ”, Skydance, Paramount’s Organizations: Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Sony Locations: Apollo’s

☆ Peter Jackson restores classic 1970 Beatles documentary ‘Let It Be’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —A rarely seen 1970 film following the Beatles just before the band’s breakup will be released on Disney+ after being restored by Hollywood director Peter Jackson, the streaming service announced Tuesday. Jackson, who also made the award-winning 2021 docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” for Disney+, has carried out a “meticulous restoration” of the film as well as “lovingly remastering the sound,” according to the statement. “One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see ‘Let It Be’ with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film,” he said in the statement.

Persons: Peter Jackson, ”, Michael Lindsay, Hogg, Jackson, docuseries, Lindsay, ‘ I’ll, I’ve, ” Jackson, Oscar, Sam Mendes, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison Organizations: London CNN, Disney, Beatles, Sony Pictures Entertainment Locations: Hollywood, London

☆ A complete timeline of Tom Holland and Zendaya's relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +53 min

AdvertisementNovember 2016: Holland and Zendaya appear in their first-ever joint cover, for The Hollywood ReporterZendaya and Tom Holland in June 2017. March 2021: Holland describes Zendaya as 'very sensible and humble'Zendaya and Tom Holland in June 2017. November 17, 2021: Holland and Zendaya comment on their relationship going publicZendaya and Tom Holland in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." February 18, 2022: Tom Holland denies reports that he bought a new house in London with ZendayaTom Holland in February 2022. I visited a lot while they were shooting it and I really, really enjoyed it.

Persons: —, Tom Holland, Zendaya, they've, Sony Pictures Entertainment Holland, Peter Parker, Holland, didn't, I've, He's, Con Tom Holland, Albert L, Ortega, Laura Harrier, Liz, Tony Revolori, Flash Thompson, Jacob Batalon, Ned Leeds, ove, hank y, hank, ove y 'all!, hanks, eing, hy, H, ada, ike, huck, Tom Hol, le tag ove, g the, Hol, MJ', ake, hal l, taki, as h, Rob K, ate fame, abou, ..ha, lea, Kev, edd, Josh Flor, birt, rie, stor, Ric, aske, Tom H, ed then, hal, ong, winn, Q, iva, riva, ory, oba, Fran, and S, Jacob, him ", nic, Eric C, y, 2022:, enda y, Kelly, siti, ted, Hunter, Marc, Marin, inger, his ap, Rajan, Ze, kee, enjoy,, "I wa, stu, shou, olly, ing each o, I love, It's, Elvin R odrig, bert Downey Jr. an, Harry, l ove, bec, Room,", enda, fini Organizations: Service, Sony, Business, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Marvel, America, Hollywood, San Diego Comic, Con, San Diego Convention Center, ust, pla, imi, ucc, MTV, ppr, a pl, Norton, rac, eas, CP, ACP, Fr, rit, acc, klan, ely Locations: Holland, Zendaya, ife, uman, pla, Hol, " he, sens, nsw, pula, India, Italy

SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line during their ongoing strike outside Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., August 22, 2023. Striking writers and actors slashed spending, burned through savings and piled up debt to survive. Sets for movies and TV shows are lighting up again as studios rush to resume filming. Still, Hollywood is unlikely to return to the frenzied production pace of the streaming wars, when studios competed for subscribers and cachet. Hollywood actors won similar gains in a tentative agreement reached with the studios on Nov. 8.

Persons: Mario Anzuoni, caterers, Wall, Celia Finkelstein, ” Finkelstein, “, Serena Kashmir, ”, Fran Drescher, Kevin Klowden, ” Klowden, Long, Marc Meyer Jr, I’ve, Meyer, Guy Bisson, Neil Begley, Ampere, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Walt Disney Studios, REUTERS, Companies Comcast Corp, Fox, Netflix, Hollywood, Reuters, WGA, SAG, Milken Institute, Sony Pictures, Disney, Global, Ampere, Moody’s, Companies, “, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, California, Georgia, New Mexico, Hollywood, ” Kashmir, Kashmir, Colorado, North Hollywood, Los Angeles

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo is developing a live-action film based on its hit video game “The Legend of Zelda,” the Japanese company behind the Super Mario franchise said Wednesday. It’s being co-produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions Inc., which is behind the live-action Spider-Man films and headed by Avi Arad. Its animation film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” released earlier this year, has raked in more than $1.3 billion and drew nearly 170 million people worldwide. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesThe planned release date of the Zelda movie was not announced. Nintendo officials said the success of the Super Mario film has translated into bigger sales for its Switch machines, as well as for game software with Super Mario themes.

Persons: Zelda, ”, Wes Ball, It’s, Avi Arad, Mario, Shuntaro Furukawa, Shigeru Miyamoto, “, Miyamoto, Donkey Kong, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Nintendo, Super Mario, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Arad Productions Inc, Mario Bros, Universal Studios Locations: American, Kyoto, U.S, Hollywood, Orlando, Japan

☆ ‘Dumb Money’ Review: David, Goliath and the GameStop Frenzy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nick Offerman and Seth Rogen Photo: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT‘Dumb Money,” which lives up to its name in ways it doesn’t quite grasp, recounts a strange-but-true tale that makes an ungainly subject for a movie. Shares of GameStop, a retailer of video games, zoomed from under $5 to an intraday high of nearly $500 amid a jokey viral campaign by small investors meant to counteract many Wall Street short sellers betting on the stock to collapse.

Persons: Nick Offerman, Seth Rogen Organizations: SONY, GameStop

☆ The meme stock mania is now a movie. Here's what has happened to GameStop and AMC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

There's Anthony Ramos' Marcus, a GameStop cashier, being lectured by his parents that this stock trading thing isn't real. Reddit versus Wall StreetMany social media traders discussed the meme stock moment in David vs Goliath terms — the retail traders versus the hedge funds. Several brokerages limited trading in meme stocks at the height of the meme stock mania. In the second quarter of 2019, before the meme stock mania began, the company generated about $1.3 billion in net sales. The AMC stock sales have diluted the holdings of individual shareholders, and the market cap of AMC is still down more than 50% from its peak.

Persons: Pete Davidson, Paul Dano's Keith Gill, Kitty, There's Anthony Ramos, Marcus, Jenny, hasn't, David, Gabe Plotkin, Seth Rogen, Capital, Robinhood, Chewy, Ryan Cohen, Matthew Furlong, shakeups, Adam Aron, Plotkin Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, GameStop, YouTube, Ferrari, AMC Entertainment, AMC, SEC, Amazon, Wall Street titans, Charlotte Hornets

☆ With Actors on Strike, Sony Pushes Big Releases to 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Brooks Barnes | More About Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hollywood studios, scrambling to contend with a strike by unionized actors, have started to remove big-budget movies from the 2023 release calendar, newly imperiling theaters and undoubtedly irritating fans. “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” is no longer on track for a March premiere, and a new “Karate Kid” will no longer arrive in June. Until now, the 2023 theatrical release schedule had been left relatively unscathed by the actors’ strike, which started on July 14. Warner Bros. has been debating whether to postpone “Dune: Part Two,” which is supposed to arrive in theaters on Nov. 3. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” a big-budget superhero sequel, and “The Color Purple,” based on the Broadway musical, are among other 2023 holiday-season movies that could be delayed.

Persons: Kraven, Hunter ”, ” Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Marvel Comics, Sony, Warner Bros

☆ The FTC wants to make it easier to cancel subscriptions just as streamer cancellations are peaking — read how Disney, Netflix, and more are pushing back
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trade orgs for Netflix, Disney, and others oppose an FTC plan to make it easier for people to cancel subscriptions. The "click to cancel" proposal comes as streamers and other businesses face rising cancellation rates. The new rule would require companies to offer a simple mechanism for users to cancel subscriptions the same way they signed up. "I can't tell you how much time I've spent trying to cancel subscriptions I never wanted, let alone the cost!" And entertainment trade orgs are fighting the FTC's proposal, submitting comments to the FTC ahead of its June 23 deadline for public comment.

Persons: I've Organizations: Netflix, Disney, Companies, Federal, FTC, Amazon, Amazon Prime, Deloitte, Warner Bros, Discovery, & Television Association, Paramount, Sirius XM, Entertainment Software Association, ESA, Digital Media Association, Association, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures

☆ Disney, WBD, and more Hollywood companies are arguing that FTC plans to make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions violate streamers' free speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trade orgs for Netflix, Disney, and others oppose an FTC plan to make it easier for people to cancel subscriptions. The "click to cancel" proposal comes as streamers and other businesses face rising cancellation rates. The FTC has gone after individual companies; it recently sued Amazon, alleging the etailer "tricked" people into signing up for Amazon Prime. The new rule would require companies to offer a simple mechanism for users to cancel subscriptions the same way they signed up. And entertainment trade orgs are fighting the FTC's proposal, submitting comments to the FTC ahead of its June 23 deadline for public comment.

☆ ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Review: A Tangled Web
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Spider-Man/Miles Morales (voice of Shameik Moore) Photo: SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENTIt’s easy to disdain and deplore (and I do disdain and deplore) the two letters that ate Hollywood: “I.P.” But intellectual property is like bread: It’s often stale and bland, but it can be fresh and delightful. The latter attributes were evident in every sparkling and witty minute of 2018’s animated triumph “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which posited a multiverse in which all sorts of different Spider-People existed simultaneously in their own worlds rendered in distinct styles of animation. The script reworked 1960s characters and storylines with heart and comic brilliance, plus one of the craftiest and twistiest plotlines of any comic-book blockbuster.

Persons: Miles Morales, Shameik Moore Organizations: SONY, ENTERTAINMENT

☆ Actor Mark Wahlberg lobbies to make Las Vegas a Hollywood in the desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Contessa Brewer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Actor Mark Wahlberg lobbied Nevada state lawmakers Wednesday to pass a bill that would coax more film production to Las Vegas. The electronics giant has committed to spend $1 billion on film production in Nevada over a decade, but only if the tax incentive package, known as the Nevada Film Studio Infrastructure Act, passes. That studio would sit on the University of Nevada Las Vegas technology park, which would also include educational facilities for job training in the film industry. "For a company to earn $190 million tax credit ... they would have to spend $633 million filming and creating economic development for this whole valley." Other states have seen film production tax credits become a financial drain, according to analysis by the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

Persons: Mark Wahlberg, Wahlberg, I've, Sen, Roberta Lange, Howard Hughes, Tony Vinciquerra, David O'Reilly, O'Reilly, Birtcher Organizations: CNBC, Nevada Legislature, Birtcher Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Howard, Howard Hughes Corp, Sony, Nevada Film Studio, Las Vegas Media, University of Nevada, Nevada Policy Research Institute Locations: Nevada, Las Vegas, Summerlin, University of Nevada Las Vegas

☆ Sony's faith-based streaming service merges with Hallmark rival Great American Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sony Pictures Entertainment and its streaming service Pure Flix are making room on the cable TV dial. The company's streaming service, known for faith-based content, is merging with Great American Media, a recent upstart cable rival to the Hallmark Channel. It will also beef up the slate for Great American's TV networks Great American Family and Great American Living. As part of the deal, which has yet to close, content from both Pure Flix and Great American Media will cross each other's platforms. Great American Media and its two cable TV networks were launched in 2021 by Bill Abbott, former CEO of Crown Media, the parent of the Hallmark Channel.

Persons: Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Abbott Organizations: Los Angeles, Hilton Los Angeles, Universal City, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Great American Media, Hallmark Channel, Sony, Crown Media, Hallmark Locations: Universal City , California, U.S, Canada

☆ Hollywood agency WME's newest film agent is a twentysomething talent Midas whose must-read comedy newsletter spotted rising stars and launched careers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

High-powered Hollywood talent agency WME has scooped up a new film agent from outside the company. Daniel Cramer, a former producer at Sony Pictures, was named by Insider as a 2022 rising star of the entertainment business. He became known as a talent spotter with his Cramer Comedy Newsletter, a curated email for industry insiders. As a producer and newsletter writer, Cramer has been an under-the-radar power broker in Hollywood for several years. Do you work in the entertainment industry?

☆ Sony's movie chief talks China censorship, upcoming game adaptation 'Gran Turismo,' and how his studio is preparing for a potential Hollywood writers' strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It was a long-term deal so I don't think we have to confront that yet, but it's gone terrifically for us, actually. If you don't want to compete, don't come in. Can you talk about the synergy with the Whitney Houston movie — she was a Sony Music artist — or "Gran Turismo," a Playstation game? Do you wish HBO Max's "The Last of Us," which is also based on a Sony Playstation game, had been a movie? A lot of big movies come out of it.

☆ Exclusive: Record-breaking 2022 for North Korea crypto theft, UN report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

North Korea has previously denied allegations of hacking or other cyberattacks. The United States has long been warning that North Korea is ready to carry out a seventh nuclear test. They also said they have started an investigation into reports of ammunition exports by North Korea. North Korea has rejected the accusation as groundless and Wagner's owner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, denied getting arms from North Korea. Last May, China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

☆ At CES 2023, Sony's 'Gran Turismo' flags new entertainment strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It also represents a significant bridging of the divides between Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony PlayStation and Sony Music, according to a dozen current and former senior executives interviewed by Reuters. “I defined our identity as a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation on technology,” Sony chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida said. Sony’s “creative entertainment” company approach extends beyond content. A Sony-Honda electric vehicle, scheduled to reach consumers by 2026, is being framed as a rolling showcase of Sony’s entertainment, gaming and camera sensor prowess. This August will bring another test of Sony’s strategy when “Gran Turismo” hits theaters after languishing for 12 years.

☆ 'The Woman King' surprises at the box office
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Frank Pallotta | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York (CNN Business) It's good to be "The Woman King." 1 spot at the domestic box office this weekend with a surprising $19 million, according toThe film's total is somewhat unexpected for a few reasons. "The Woman King" is also an original and is not based on a previous piece of intellectual property like a sequel or superhero film. In modern day Hollywood, to take the box office crown without being connected to a prior hit or big franchise is a rare feat. This is due to studios having supply chain issues caused by the pandemic as well as more big films skipping theaters altogether for streaming.

☆ Netflix, parteneriat cu Sony. Vor fi difuzate titluri precum Spider-Man sau Venom
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-11 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +1 min

Netflix și Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) vor încheia un contract pe mai mulți ani prin care popularul serviciu de streaming va putea să difuzeze viitoarele filme Sony care vor fi lansate și în cinema. Parteneriatul dintre Netflix și Sony va debuta din 2022. Pe Netflix se vor vedea filme noi produse de Marvel, cum ar fi Spiderman sau Venom. De asemenea, pe platforma de streaming se vor vedea și filmele vechi ale Sony, cum ar fi seriile clasice X-Men sau Spider-Man. Totodată, conform înțelegerii, Netflix îi va informa pe utilizatori când urmează să apară filmele Sony și, în același timp, a fost de acord să producă o parte din filme după indicațiile Sony, menționează zonait.

Persons: Venom, Man . Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony, Sony Pictures, Marvel Locations: Netflix

☆ Cele mai așteptate filme ale anului, din nou amânate
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-21 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +3 min

Cele mai așteptate filme ale anului, din nou amânateO nouă serie de filme programate pentru lansarea în cinematografe în februarie, martie sau aprilie sunt amânate sau vândute serviciilor de streaming, în condițiile în care cazurile de Covid-19 rămân la niveluri ridicate în SUA, relatează Wall Street Journal. Executivii spun că se așteaptă la o cascadă de reprogramări care se va întinde pînă în vară. Paramount Pictures a programat premiera „Top Gun: Maverick” pe 2 iulie și a spus că nu se așteaptă ca această dată să se schimbe. Asta anticipează încă câteva luni dureroase pentru un Hollywood care a rescris calendarul de lansare de mai multe ori de când Covid-19 a închis cinematografele în martie. Doar o treime dintre cinematografele din SUA sunt deschiseAproximativ o treime din cinematografele din SUA sunt deschise în prezent și multe funcționează cu capacitate redusă.

Persons: Executivii, James Bond, Maverick, Liam Neeson, Statele Unite vs . Billie, Chris Pratt Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Sony Pictures, Sony, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Salt Lake City, Disney, Universal Pictures, Academiei Locations: SUA, Hollywood, America, Salt Lake, Statele Unite vs, and

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