In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017 file photo, director Steve McQueen arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "I Am Not Your Negro" at LACMA. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
LONDON (AP) --
Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen is planning an ambitious project to take a portrait of every third-year pupil in London — tens of thousands in all.
The "12 Years a Slave" director will oversee a team of photographers taking class photos at all of London's 2,400 primary schools over the next nine months.
Tate Britain, which co-commissioned the work, said Tuesday that the project would capture a moment of "excitement, anxiety and hope" in the lives of the Year 3 children, who are 7 and 8 years old.
The work will be displayed at Tate Britain and other venues in London starting in November 2019.
London-born McQueen won art's prestigious Turner Prize in 1999 before launching a movie career. His latest film is the heist thriller "Widows," starring Viola Davis.
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
