DirecTV to Acquire Dish in $9.75B Deal, Sony Pictures Elevates Ravi Ahuja to CEO and ‘The Wild Robot’ Has What It Takes After $35M Opening

Plus: Newsom vetoes AI safety bill, Lionsgate offers employees voluntary severance and OpenAI gets $500M from SoftBank [directv-dish]( [DirecTV to Acquire Dish in Debt Assumption Deal Worth $9.75 Billion]( By Adam Chitwood and Kayla Cobb DirecTV and Dish are merging, creating a pay TV mega-company during a time of great volatility in the linear and pay TV space. The deal will see DirecTV acquiring the video distribution business of Dish’s parent company EchoStar, which includes SlingTV, for a “nominal consideration” of $1, plus the assumption of debt. That debt totals approximately $9.75 billion, but the deal includes seeking certain consents from the holders of such notes to facilitate the acquisition. The deal is being touted as providing a “more robust competitive force” in an environment dominated by streaming services. It also seeks to improve EchoStar’s financial profile as the company continues to deploy its nationwide 5G Open RAN wireless network. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Tony Vinciquerra / Ravi Ahuja]( [Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra to Step Down, Ravi Ahuja to Succeed as President and CEO]( By Umberto Gonzalez and Jeremy Fuster Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra will step down from his role as SPE CEO in January. Ravi Ahuja, SPE’s current chairman of Global Television Studios and president and COO, will assume leadership of SPE as president and CEO effective Jan. 2, 2025. Sony Group Corporation and SPE announced the change on Monday. Vinciquerra will remain in an advisory role for SPE as non-executive chairman until the end of December 2025. Ahuja will report to Sony Group Corporation chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony Group Corporation president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Wild Robot]( [‘The Wild Robot’ Has What It Takes to Turn $35 Million Opening Into a Long, Successful Run | Analysis]( By Jeremy Fuster and Drew Taylor It’s harder these days for animated films to find an audience without a recognizable brand. But with both critic and moviegoer acclaim on its side, Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” has the tools it needs to turn a modest $35 million domestic opening weekend into a long theatrical run that could last through the end of the year. “Robot” will have to defy a historic trend of tough roads to success for animated science fiction. One critical strategy will be to leverage positive reviews and word of mouth to appeal to families and women over 35 at a time when the box office offers those audiences fewer options. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Gavin Newsom, a man with light-toned skin, holds up a finger, gesturing off camera emphatically, in front of a wall with wood paneling]( [Newsom Vetoes Artificial Intelligence 'Safety' Bill]( [lionsgate-logo-image]( [Lionsgate Offers Employees Voluntary Severance Amid 'Disrupted Business Environment']( [Sam Altman]( [OpenAI Gets $500 Million Investment From SoftBank]( [Hannah Gutierrez-Reed]( ['Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Denied New Trial]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [WrapPRO logo] Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( TheWrap | 2034 Armacost Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](