Mandy Walker, AM, ASC, ACS made history again on Saturday evening (5/6) by becoming the first woman to win the Milli Award at the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) Awards.
“I’m incredibly proud and honored to be the first woman to win this award,” said Walker from the glittering gala at Sydney’s Crystal Palace at Luna Park. “Here’s to all the other glass ceiling breakers who will come after this.”
Also nominated at this year’s Oscars and BAFTAs, Walker just two months ago (3/5) became the first woman in 102 years to win the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Best Feature Film Award. The honor came for her lensing of Elvis.
The Milli is the highest award an Australian director of photography can receive from the ACS.
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
