Search Results for: plan b entertainment

Four years after the divorce, Vivendi Universal and USA Networks are poised to tie the knot again in a $12.4 billion deal, expected to be announced today in New York. The deal will put the TV assets acquired by USA in 1997 back under Universal’s control and install USA chairman and CEO Barry Diller as the head of the studio’s film, TV and theme park operations. Sources said the complex transaction was structured as the creation of a joint venture between Vivendi Uni and USA encompassing Universal’s film studio and theme parks and USA’s cable channels, including USA Network and… Read more »

Jim Caparro, the man who helped build the Island Def Jam Music Group into the third-biggest record label in the U.S. through aggressive consolidation and savvy A&R, has decided to resign as chairman of the Universal Music division after three years on the job. Caparro, whose duties will be taken up by his longtime colleague, IDJ president Lyor Cohen, said the timing was perfect for his departure, with the label group at its peak performance and a strong cadre of execs to take up the reins. “People in this position normally leave because they get fired,” Caparro told Daily Variety.… Read more »

Consumer electronics company SONICblue Inc. on Monday unveiled a high-end home entertainment hub that can store an entire music collection and furthers the company’s thrust into the budding market for digital audio and video entertainment. At about $1,500, SONICblue’s Advanced Digital Audio Center can become the centerpiece of a music enthusiast’s wired home. It features a 40-gigabyte hard drive that can record up to 650 hours of music. Through the system, available only via SONICblue’s Web site, music from a CD can be recorded to its hard drive, played back over receivers within the house, downloaded to an MP3 player,… Read more »

Media giant Vivendi Universal said on Friday it would pay $1.5 billion for a 10 percent stake in No. 2 U.S. satellite television firm EchoStar Communications Corp., securing crucial U.S. distribution for its vast film, TV and music programming. The eight-year deal gives EchoStar much-needed cash as it pursues a $27 billion merger with its larger rival, Hughes Electronics Corp., parent of satellite operator DirecTV. Vivendi will own a little under 5 percent, assuming that merger is approved by U.S. regulators. Vivendi, in turn, plans to create five new satellite channels delivering programming from its film library, which includes such… Read more »

The tension is palpable at Universal Studios as USA Networks CEO Barry Diller considers merging his media empire with the studio’s Vivendi Universal parent. “All we know for sure is that Barry Diller is going to be a helluva lot richer a week from now,” said one senior studio executive who was about to attend the Universal Christmas Party. Vivendi Universal, seeking an elusive U.S. distribution outlet for its array of television and film assets, said on Tuesday it was in talks to buy the entertainment assets of USA, which is about 40%-owned by the French company. Whatever Diller does,… Read more »

Expedia Inc., the online travel company slated to be taken over by USA Networks Inc., said on Wednesday shareholder approval of the transaction could be delayed by the entertainment company’s negotiations with Vivendi Universal. Vivendi Universal, the media behemoth that owns Universal Studios, Universal Music Group and Canal Plus pay TV service, confirmed on Tuesday its discussions to buy USA Networks’ entertainment assets. “To the extent such a transaction is announced by the parties or is considered probable, this may impact the timing of the presentation to Expedia shareholders for approval of the pending USA-Expedia merger transaction.” Expedia shareholders were… Read more »

Four of the biggest names in the entertainment industry reveal intimate insights when they join BET Tonight With Ed Gordon for a week of “all-star” celebrity interviews. One of America’s top television interviewers, Gordon sits down this week with Jamie Foxx, R. Kelly, Halle Berry and Will Smith for exclusive insights into their lives and their work. Gordon wraps the week by addressing America’s infatuation with celebrities on his regular Friday night roundtable. Each Friday on the show, Gordon gathers a diverse panel of personalities from various backgrounds for spirited debates on the latest news headlines and topics. The celebrity… Read more »

Edgar Bronfman Jr will step down as executive vice chairman of media giant Vivendi Universal next year, leaving flamboyant Frenchman Jean-Marie Messier solo at center stage. Vivendi said on Thursday that Bronfman, head of Canada’s Seagram before it merged with France’s Vivendi last year, would step down at the end of the first quarter 2002, though he would remain non-executive vice chairman of the board. “I deeply regret Edgar’s decision but fully understand his wishes,” Messier said in a statement. he said Bronfman was standing down to spend more time on his “personal and family interests.” It was not clear… Read more »

Edgar Bronfman Jr will step down as executive vice chairman of media giant Vivendi Universal next year, leaving flamboyant Frenchman Jean-Marie Messier solo at center stage. Vivendi said on Thursday that Bronfman, head of Canada’s Seagram before it merged with France’s Vivendi last year, would step down at the end of the first quarter 2002, though he would remain non-executive vice chairman of the board. “I deeply regret Edgar’s decision but fully understand his wishes,” Messier said in a statement. he said Bronfman was standing down to spend more time on his “personal and family interests.” It was not clear… Read more »

Jennifer Lopez, Kid Rock and Ja Rule will do their part for the war effort by performing at a concert for U.S. servicemen and women at an undisclosed military base overseas. The show will be part of a 90-minute holiday television special MTV is producing with the United Service Organizations dubbed “For the Troops: An MTV/USO Special,” airing January 1. “I’ve always considered myself to a be a pretty patriotic guy, I don’t know if you’ve been living in a cave or not,” Kid Rock said. “I feel that it’s my part as an American [to participate]. If they needed… Read more »