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    Lifetime TV to feature several touring Broadway shows

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments545 Views
    In this undated image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Andy Huntington, center left, and Paige Faure, center right, appear with the cast during a performance of the national tour of "Rogers + Hammerstein's Cinderella." (Carol Rosegg/Boneau/Bryan-Brown via AP)

    By Mark Kennedy, Drama Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Lifetime TV's "The Balancing Act" will feature several touring Broadway shows this summer, including behind-the-curtain peeks on "Kinky Boots," ''Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella," ''If/Then" and "Cabaret."

    The shows will be included in a six-part "Broadway Balances America" series led by correspondent Amber Milt that offers viewers a look at the cast and crew who make the tours possible. "The Balancing Act" airs at 7:30 a.m. every weekday and reaches some 750,000 viewers each week.

    The theater episodes, geared toward the same women who buy tickets, will start airing in August and also include productions of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Rodgers + Hammerstein's The Sound of Music."

    The series, sponsored by Broadway Across America, is the second time "The Balancing Act" has taken interest in Broadway shows. Last year, the focus was on "Newsies," ''Pippin," ''Annie," ''Motown" and "Dirty Dancing."

    "The media is pretty fragmented now and it's really hard to get peoples' attention. There are many, many outlets and we see television — and particularly this kind of audience — as just one more opportunity to get our message out," said Lauren Reid, CEO of Broadway Across America's theater division. "We've got to reach more people so every opportunity we've got to seize."

    Tags:Lifetime TV



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    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

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