In this Jan. 9, 2018 file photo, President and Chief Creative Officer at DC Entertainment Geoff Johns participates in the "Krypton" panel during the NBCUniversal Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns, who co-produced "Justice League," is exiting both roles to focus on creative matters full time.
Warner Bros. executive and DC's interim head Thomas Gewecke says Monday that Johns is launching a production company to develop a "Green Lantern Corps." film and other projects in film, television and comic books.
It comes a few days after the studio said that DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson had decided not to return to her post following a two-month leave.
Johns is a longtime DC Comics writer who rose through the corporate ranks and added the president title almost two years ago. He's worked on both "Aquaman" and the "Wonder Woman" sequel and helped build DC television shows like "The Flash" and "Supergirl."
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
