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    Belgian director Chantal Akerman dies at 65

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011 file photo, Belgian director Chantal Akerman poses during the photo call for the movie La folie Almayer at the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. (AP Photo/Jonathan Short, file)
    BRUSSELS (AP) --

    Belgian film director Chantal Akerman, a champion of feminism during the heady days of French filmmaking in the 1970s and beyond, has died. She was 65.

    Artemis Productions in Brussels, which worked with Akerman, confirmed her death on Tuesday but release no other details.

    The minister responsible for francophone culture, Joelle Milquet, lauded "her abundant output which covered documentaries and fiction, often experimental and without concessions, which will have its place in world cinema."

    Akerman started producing as a teenager after she was inspired by Jean-Luc Godard, a star of the French New Wave cinema. She gained critical acclaim with "Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles," and will be remembered as a major art house figure and a pioneering experimental filmmaker.

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    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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