In this Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, file photo, French actress Juliette Binoche arrives on the red carpet for the opening film "Nobody Wants The Night" at the 2015 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
BERLIN (AP) --
Juliette Binoche will be the jury president at this winter's Berlin International Film Festival.
Organizers of the festival announced Tuesday that the French actress will lead the jury that presents the Golden Bear and other top awards at the 2019 event, which runs from Feb. 7 to Feb.17. There was no immediate word on who will join her on the jury.
Binoche ("The English Patient," ''Chocolat") said in a statement that she "will embrace my task with joy and care." This winter's event is the last "Berlinale" under longtime festival director Dieter Kosslick.
The festival will open with a premiere of Danish director Lone Scherfig's "The Kindness of Strangers."
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
