David Lynch speaks during a press preview of David Lynch: The Unified Field, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, at his former school The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
NEW YORK (AP) --
David Lynch's exit from Showtime's revival of "Twin Peaks" turned out to be just another plot twist. The drama's co-creator is back in the fold.
Showtime confirmed Saturday that Lynch is back and will direct new episodes of the series, which originally aired on ABC in the early 1990s. Showtime President David Nevins said Lynch and partner Mark Frost will even make more episodes than the nine originally planned.
Lynch had tweeted late Friday that "the rumors are not what they seem," and that he was involved again.
It's not clear what rumors he referred to. Lynch himself had tweeted in early April that he was leaving the "Twin Peaks" reboot because Showtime was not providing enough money.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
