Register

    AMC enters joint venture to operate BBC America

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments6349 Views
    BBC America's "Doctor Who"
    NEW YORK (AP) --

    AMC Networks Inc. said Thursday it will pay $200 million to acquire a stake in BBC America.

    The entertainment company known for shows such as "The Walking Dead" and "Mad Men" will have a 49.9 percent equity stake in the cable channel that is home of shows such as "Doctor Who" and "Orphan Black."

    BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corp., will retain 50.1 percent ownership. The BBC said in a statement the partnership will help it reach new audiences in the U.S., strengthen BBC America, while creating opportunities for the U.K.'s "creative community."

    New York-based AMC will have operational control of BBC America and manage it as a stand-alone channel, adding to its portfolio that also includes AMC, IFC and SundanceTV.

    It is not the first agreement between the BBC and AMC, which already worked together on series such as "Top of the Lake" and "Honourable Woman."

    Shares of AMC fell 29 cents to close at $58.44 before the announcement. They were unchanged in extended trading.

    Tags:AMCBBC America



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment