Max streaming service is reviving the HBO name - the one it discarded two years ago
FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2020, file photo, EVP of Content Acquisitions for TNT, TBS, truTV, HBO & HBO MAX Michael Quigley, from left, Chief Content Officer, HBO MAX and President, TNT,TBS, & truTV Kevin Reilly and Head of Original Content , HBO MAX Sarah Aubrey appear at the HBO Max Executive Sessions panel during the HBO TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
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CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Warner Bros Discovery bondholders approve plan to split the company
A statue of a cameraman near the gates of Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif., Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Warner Bros Discovery bondholders overwhelmingly approved a plan to split the corporation and put in place a new capital structure related to the deal, the company said Monday. Bondholders voted to remove restrictions that could have prevented the company from carrying out its plan to cleave itself into two publicly traded entertainment companies, separating its studios and HBO Max streaming service from its fading cable networks. Credit investors also supported the company's plan to buy back nearly half of its US$37 billion in debt resulting from the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. The bondholders had until Friday to approve changes to debt covenants that would leave the legacy cable business - and its bondholders - holding the lion's share of debt. The less indebted streaming and studio business, meanwhile, would have flexibility to better compete with rivals. But the details of the split, which analysts told Reuters were highly complex, left certain bondholders concerned they could be left empty-handed. They said it would leave some holding unsecured bonds tied to the declining cable business, meaning they would lack collateral protection and come second in priority of payment to the secured bondholders in the event of bankruptcy. The law firm Aiken Gump Strauss Hauer & Field failed in its effort last week to organize bondholders to negotiate better terms, according to published reports. Warner Bros Discovery said the consent solicitation received support from the majority of all bondholders, with up to 99 per cent of certain groups voting their support. Credit investors have until June 23 to tender their bonds. Credit ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's downgraded Warner Bros Discovery to junk status last week, even as investors weighed the deal's likely impact on holders of its debt. S&P Global Ratings had downgraded Warner debt to junk status earlier this month, citing the challenges confronting its cable networks. The rating downgrades triggered forced selling by funds with investment-grade portfolio mandates, according to a person familiar with the matter. This in turn resulted in net selling of the company's bonds, the person familiar added. --- Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Matt Tracy in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Kim Coghill and Christopher Cushing
Edmonton Journal
05-06-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Here's what could add some life into Sportsnet's dull Hockey Night In Canada show
Article content But if the network really wants the show to restore some of its former shine, how about more Kevin Bieksa and less background noise? You can fill studio desks with as many bodies as you want — as the current crowded iteration can be — but if intermission airtime is going to be appointment viewing rather than a snack and beverage break for the audience, it needs to be personality driven. Think Charles Barkley and his award-winning performances on NBA's TNT broadcasts. Though not exactly the same role, think Peyton Manning on ESPN's ManningCast. And in the hockey realm, perhaps, think Don Cherry at his peak popularity. With his wit and sharp analysis, Bieksa has the personality to carry the intermissions. But the former Vancouver Canucks defenceman needs the forum and the producing to do so and he needs host Ron MacLean to focus and bring the best out of him.
Winnipeg Free Press
04-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
TNT's Kenny Albert wraps up a memorable 9-month stretch with the Stanley Cup Final
Getting to call a Stanley Cup final for the third time on national television would qualify as the top moment of the year for most announcers. For TNT's Kenny Albert, it is another accomplishment that has been filled with many over the past nine months. Wednesday's first game between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers will be Albert's 1,483rd call in either hockey, football or baseball for a national network. He moved past his father, the legendary Marv Albert, into fourth place among North American announcers during last Wednesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals between Florida and Carolina. 'To be listed along with some of the all-time greats who I watched growing up and then got to know a lot of them personally, it's a proud moment when you see that you're included in that group,' Albert said. 'My schedule definitely is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle between the various sports and networks, but very fortunate to work for and with so many great people.' Albert surpassed the 500 games mark in both the NFL and NHL within a six-month period. He became the first NFL play-by-play announcer to reach 500 games on one network last October when the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Cleveland Browns on Fox. He has been with Fox Sports since its beginning in 1994. He also surpassed 500 national NHL games on Dec. 18 when the Philadelphia Flyers faced the Detroit Red Wings on TNT. Albert has been TNT's top hockey announcer since it got the rights in 2021. All told, Albert has done 534 NHL, 512 NFL, 421 baseball and 15 NBA games on a national broadcast or cable network. That is on top of his other duties as New York Rangers radio voice and backup for New York Knicks television games on MSG Network. Albert's versatility to do a plethora of different sports was something he picked up from his father. Even though Marv Albert's signature sport was the NBA, he also did the NFL and NHL along with hosting the baseball pregame show during the late 1980's on NBC. 'I've always loved the variety,' Kenny Albert said. For all of the aforementioned accomplishments though, the highlight of Albert's year so far was calling Alex Ovechkin's 895th NHL goal on April 6 to break Wayne Gretzky's career record. Albert's call during the second period, when the Washington Capitals star set the record against the New York Islanders relayed excitement, while also mentioning the goal number and then going silent so that the crowd and scenes from the crowd could take over. 'In a championship situation or big moment, I don't usually write something out but I do throw some words around in my mind just to be ready,' Albert said. 'I was thinking something with his nickname, the Great Eight, the great Gretzky. When he tied the record, Joe Beninati (the Capitals TV announcer) used something similar to that, so I wanted to shift over to something else and not use some of the same words he did. 'What it happened, it just came out naturally. I mentioned number 895 and then I just got out of the way. It was very important after the call to just lay out and let the production folks do their thing. Let the pictures and sound tell the story.' According to TV database research compiled by Un/Necessary Sports Research, the late Bob Cole, who called the games for CBC's 'Hockey Night in Canada' for 50 years, leads the way at 1,722 (all hockey) games; followed by Dick Stockton, who did basketball, baseball and football for CBS and Fox, with 1,544; and Canadian play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert with 1,539. Cuthbert, the current lead voice for 'Hockey Night in Canada' will surpass Stockton if the Stanley Cup Finals goes six games. Kevin Harlan is sixth at 1,477 and should surpass Marv Albert (1,481) for fifth during Week 5 of the upcoming NFL season. This will be the 11th Stanley Cup Final for Albert, including eight on radio, but the first where he has called a rematch from the previous year. This is the first final rematch since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and the second over the past 40 years. 'It has a chance to be one of the all-time great championship series,' Albert said. 'These same teams played a scintillating seven-game series last June. Star power on both sides. Edmonton attempting to win Canada's first Cup since 1993. Florida looking to repeat. Can Connor McDavid match Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby and win his first Stanley Cup against the team that beat his club in the Cup Final the year before? I can't wait.' ___ AP NHL:
