Latest news with #RaviAhuja
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
NWLACTA giving $36K in scholarships to high school tennis players
SHREVEPORT/BOSSIER, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Eight high school tennis players will be awarded a total of $36K in scholarships at the Northwest Louisiana Community Tennis Association's (NWLACTA) 4th Annual Scholarship Presentation. $15K in scholarships awarded to Texarkana seniors by RRCU Scholarship recipients include: Renewable Scholarship Award ($1000) Thomas 'Owen' Robinson 1x Scholarship Awards ($5000) Ravi Ahuja Abram Covington Addison Knox Drew Kolniak Eleanor Lokitz Aashni Shah Caleb Shirley 'Each recipient underscores the transformative influence of tennis on their personal and academic journey, highlighting lessons in dedication, time management, problem-solving, and teamwork,' a press release stated. 'They are committed to continuing their tennis involvement into college and adulthood, and to inspiring others to join them on the court and pursue the sport passionately.' The students represent five area schools, including Caddo Magnet, Airline, Loyola, Calvary, and Parkway High Schools. 'Space to Succeed' scholarship opportunity for Louisiana students 'NWLACTA extends its heartfelt congratulations to these exceptional students for their dedication to tennis and their positive impact on our community,' the release stated. 'As a nonprofit organization, NWLACTA is committed to enriching the tennis community by supporting various initiatives and promoting tennis as a lifelong, healthy sport for all ages and skill levels in North Louisiana.' The presentation will occur on Wednesday, June 4, at 1 p.m. at Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club. To learn more about NWLACTA, visit or contact Rhonda Rubben at 318-423-3259 or rrubben8@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wall Street Journal
07-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Hollywood Executives Say Incentives, Not Tariffs, Would Boost Filmmaking in U.S.
Hollywood is still digesting President Trump's plans to levy a 100% tariff on films produced overseas. At the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, industry executives said they would continue to make movies abroad. They urged California to take steps to make film production more affordable, suggesting the tariffs are unlikely to be enough to spark a significant shift back to the U.S. 'It's a big issue,' said Ravi Ahuja, chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment. 'The more we can make things more efficient in America, the better.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roku Violated Child Privacy Laws, Michigan Attorney General Alleges in Lawsuit
Roku has illegally collected personal information of children without the required notice and without obtaining parental consent, the Michigan attorney general alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. In a statement, Roku said it 'strongly disagrees' with the 'inaccurate claims' in the lawsuit. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed the lawsuit against Roku in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The suit alleges that the streaming platform company violates the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. More from Variety CNBC Strikes Distribution Deals With Apple, Roku for CNBC+ Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja Resigns From Roku Board 1982 Milwaukee Brewers Documentary 'Just a Bit Outside' Acquired by Roku 'Roku has blatantly violated children's privacy laws, illegally exposing kids across Michigan to invasive data collection practices,' Nessel, a Democrat, said in a statement. 'We cannot allow companies to jeopardize the security of our children's personal information. My office remains committed to holding accountable companies that violate the rights of Michigan families and seek to profit at the expense of children's safety and privacy.' Roku said it will challenge the lawsuit. 'Roku strongly disagrees with the allegations in today's filing, which do not reflect how our services work or our efforts to protect viewer privacy,' the company said. 'We plan to challenge these inaccurate claims and look forward to demonstrating our commitment to trust and compliance.' The company's statement continued, 'Roku respects and values the privacy of our users. We do not use or disclose children's personal information for targeted advertising or any other purpose prohibited by law, nor do we partner with third-party web trackers or data brokers to sell children's personal information. We take the responsibility of creating a safe and trusted online environment seriously. Our viewers rely on Roku for engaging content, and we take pride in connecting our viewers to the streaming content they love every day.' According to the Michigan AG's lawsuit, Roku (unlike some competitors) does not offer parents the option to create children's profiles, 'subjecting both parents and children to many of the same data collection practices.' The lawsuit alleges that Roku systematically collects, processes and discloses the personal information of children, including their locations, voice recordings, IP addresses and persistent identifiers that track children's browsing histories on Roku and across the internet. All of these are categories of personal information protected under COPPA, according to the Michigan AG's office. The lawsuit further alleges that Roku enables third-party channels to collect children's personal information to 'attract content providers to its platform and increase advertising revenue.' In addition, Roku is alleged to have enhanced its collection and monetization of children's personal information through partnerships with third-party web trackers and data brokers, 'some of which have been sued by the FTC for tracking individuals' locations,' according to the Michigan attorney general. Roku also 'actively misleads parents about its collection of their children's personal information, and it sows confusion about parents' rights to protect their children's personal information,' the lawsuit alleges. The attorney general's lawsuit seeks 'to stop Roku's alleged illegal data collection and disclosure practices, to require Roku to comply with federal and state law, and to recover damages, restitution, and civil penalties for Roku's years of alleged misconduct,' according to the Michigan AG. A copy of the lawsuit is available at this link. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in May 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in May 2025
New York Times
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Jeopardy!' and ‘Wheel of Fortune' to Leap to Streaming
'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' are two of the biggest holdouts of the streaming revolution, available only on traditional broadcast television. Not for much longer. Sony Pictures Entertainment, the owner of the popular game shows, said on Thursday that it was soliciting bids from major media and tech companies for the streaming rights to new episodes of the two series for the first time. 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' still command big audiences — roughly seven million viewers a night for each, according to Nielsen. That audience, however, is getting older and declining, just like the audiences for rest of traditional television. Other mainstays of broadcast television have recently made their way to streaming as well. 'WWE Raw,' which used to run on cable television, began streaming on Netflix every week in January. The National Football League streams Thursday games on Amazon Prime Video, and Fox's broadcast of the Super Bowl this month streamed live on the free platform Tubi. On Sunday, the Academy Awards will stream live on Hulu for the first time. 'The world is changing around us,' said Keith Le Goy, the chairman of Sony's television division. 'Consumption on streaming is now overtaking consumption of other forms of delivery of television. Big iconic franchises, like the N.F.L, the N.B.A. and W.W.E., are moving over.' The initial streaming rights to 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' would begin in September and could be for three years, Sony officials said. During that time, the company that wins the rights will be able to stream new episodes the day after they air on syndicated television. Exclusive same-day rights to new episodes are available starting in September 2028, when all pre-existing syndication deals expire. Sony is in negotiations with several streaming companies, and it anticipates that a deal will be reached by early April. This would give the winning bidder an opportunity to trumpet the shows at its annual showcase for advertisers in May — the so-called upfront. 'We want to make sure that these shows are as relevant as they are now — or more — 40 years from now,' said Ravi Ahuja, who became the chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment last month. Mr. Ahuja said he had been thinking about how to move the shows to streaming since he joined the company four years ago. 'People are running all over town looking for intellectual property,' he said. 'When I got here it was clear that 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Jeopardy!' were the proverbial assets hiding in plain sight. There was full awareness in the country, massive viewership and a passionate fan base. All of that pointed to a big opportunity for more growth.' The company has made big investments in preparation for this moment. Ryan Seacrest replaced Pat Sajak as host of 'Wheel of Fortune' last year, and the company signed him to a long-term deal — through the early 2030s — to help the show transition to streaming. Likewise, Ken Jennings became the full-time host of 'Jeopardy!' in late 2023. Both shows have also significantly upgraded their sets and the technology they use. Executives stressed that the streaming rights were unrelated to a monthslong legal fight between Sony and CBS over distribution rights for the syndicated shows. 'These rights are entirely separate from the syndication rights that CBS has,' Mr. Le Goy said. Sony has made moves in recent years to make the streaming bid more compelling. The company pulled streaming rights for older episodes of both shows from the free streaming service Pluto last summer, causing a dust-up among loyal fans. And in a first, a spinoff series, 'Pop Culture Jeopardy!,' began streaming on Amazon in December, a move that Suzanne Prete, Sony's president of game shows, described as 'dipping our toe in the water.' Executives said they wanted to be cautious about introducing decades-old shows to streaming. They are hopeful they can find newer and younger viewers who do not flip on a TV set at 7 p.m. in search of syndicated series. But they also do not want to alienate the millions who tune in every night the old-fashioned way — or the local stations that have broadcast the shows for decades. 'The streamers did that with sports, too,' Ms. Prete said. 'They conditioned the audience.' In addition to a big audience, both shows produce a staggering volume of new syndicated episodes: 425 a year, combined. That could be appealing to streaming companies. Consumers are canceling their streaming subscriptions at higher rates, and every company, from Netflix to Max to Peacock, is trying to find ways to deter that behavior. The game shows could provide a daily habit that makes a subscriber less inclined to jump around. And nearly every major streaming service has cheaper tiers that feature commercials to add a new revenue line. Last year, 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' together generated $175 million in advertising revenue, according to Guideline, an advertising data firm. 'This gives them a real opportunity to meaningfully expand their presence with Madison Avenue,' Mr. Le Goy said.
