This combination photo shows actress Viola Davis at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York on Nov. 12, 2018, left, and former first lady Michelle Obama on NBC's "Today" show in New York on Oct. 11, 2018. Davis is set to portray Obama in a Showtime series about America's first ladies. Davis also is an executive producer on the project, which is still in development. (Photos by Evan Agostini, left, and Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Viola Davis is set to portray Michelle Obama in a Showtime series under development about America's first ladies.
Davis also is an executive producer on the project, which Showtime said Monday will "peel back the curtain" on the lives of presidential spouses.
The first season will focus on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Obama.
Showtime said it's committed to three scripts for the proposed series. There is no air date since the series has yet to be ordered.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife launched their own production company in 2018, and have announced deals with Netflix and Spotify.
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
