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94-477: The activities of Leonine include trade in licenses , investments in television and radio stations and distribution and production of television films and movies. The Tele München GmbH was founded on April 27, 1970, by author and producer Walter Ulbrich . It was purchased in 1977 by Herbert Kloiber and his business partner Fritz Buttenstedt. In 1980, the Concorde Filmverleih (Concorde film distribution)

188-403: A lease or other contract). The simplest definition is "A license is a promise not to sue", because a license usually either permits the licensed party to engage in an illegal activity, and subject to prosecution, without the license (e.g. fishing , driving an automobile , or operating a broadcast radio or television station ), or it permits the licensed party to do something that would violate

282-418: A term , territory , renewal provisions, and other limitations deemed vital to the licensor. Term: many licenses are valid for a particular length of time. This protects the licensor should the value of the license increase, or market conditions change. It also preserves enforceability by ensuring that no license extends beyond the term of the agreement. Territory: a license may stipulate what territory

376-750: A 25% minority stake in Munich-based children's animation production and distribution studio Toon2Tango and placed it under their Leonine Studios division, the acquisition marks the first time Leonine entered the animation production industry with Leonine Studios adding development and production of animation IPs to their distribution division. Since October 2023, Leonine started distributing home media releases from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. On December 18 2023, Leonine Holding along with its German production powerhouse division Leonine Studios had announced that they're launching

470-469: A 75% controlling interest in The CW; WBD and Paramount would each retain a 12.5% ownership interest in the network. Nexstar stated that Mark Pedowitz would remain chairman and CEO of the network. WBD and Paramount would still produce content for The CW as the network's main content suppliers, but Nexstar stated that the arrangement would be for the 2022–23 broadcast season , and it was given "the option to extend

564-574: A animation studio named Leonine Animation Studios GmbH and announcing that they've taken full control of Munich animation producer Toon2Tango and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leonine Animation Studios. In March 2024, Leonine along with its division Leonine Studios announced that they've expanded its production division into the non-scripted genre and announced that they've launched a new documentaries production division named Leonine Documentaries with former Constantin Film executive Jochen Koestler became

658-567: A broader array of content. It was reported that the company had also suspended scripted development at TBS and TNT , to evaluate their strategies moving forward. The following day, Zaslav purchased approximately $ 1 million worth of WBD stock. On May 11, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery eliminated several executive positions carried over from WarnerMedia, including Kids, Young Adults and Classics head Tom Ascheim , and general manager of TBS, TNT, and TruTV head Brett Weitz. These networks would be overseen by Finch as head of U.S. Networks, while

752-655: A computer. Typically, a license is associated with a unique code, that when approved grants the end user access to the software in question. Under a typical end-user license agreement, the user may install the software on a limited number of computers. The enforceability of end-user license agreements is sometimes questioned . As of 2020, there are various ways to license software with different kinds of licensing models, which allow software vendors to profit from their product offerings in flexible ways. Like other intellectual property, patent owners may grant permission to others to engage in conduct that would otherwise be within

846-473: A consultant. WBD delivered its second-quarter earnings report on August 4, 2022. Ahead of the report, the company performed multiple cuts to HBO Max throughout July and early-August, including cutting new programming development in much of Europe, live-action children's programming development, and direct-to-streaming films—leading to the notable August 3 cancellations of the nearly-completed films Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt as tax write-offs , and

940-408: A contractual commitment that would require any new owner to buy new programming from those companies, allowing them to reap some continual revenue through the network. The CW's then-president-and-CEO Mark Pedowitz confirmed talks of a potential sale in a memo to CW staffers, but added that "It's too early to speculate what might happen." On January 26, 2022, AT&T CEO John Stankey stated that

1034-440: A culture of internal competition between WarnerMedia's businesses. He also expected that "investment avoidance" via the consolidation of redundant business units (such as streaming) and staff would be one of the main ways that the company would achieve its promised $ 3 billion in cost savings. On April 21, 2022, Licht and Perrette announced the shutdown of CNN's streaming service CNN+ , which had only launched two weeks prior to

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1128-405: A license does not require consideration, a license can be created with or without it. Moreover, whether an agreement is held to be a "license" and not a lease will depend on three essential characteristics of a license: (1) a clause allowing the licensor to revoke "at will"; (2) the retention by the licensor of absolute control over the premises; and (3) the licensor's supplying to the licensee all of

1222-655: A long-term licensing deal with Leonine for its scripted content. Two months later, Leonine Holding announced that it had sold its German free-to-air entertainment channel Tele5 to American multinational mass media broadcasting company Discovery Inc., under Discovery Inc.'s German division Discovery Deutschland with the channel becoming part of Discovery's German activities. In December 2020, Leonine announced that they've acquired Munich-based production company SEO Entertainment and become part of Leonine's expanded portfolio. In July 2021, Leonine Holding along with French audiovisual production and distribution company Mediawan announced

1316-425: A new publicly traded company. AT&T and Discovery officially confirmed the agreement the next day; the merger would be structured as a Reverse Morris Trust , with AT&T shareholders holding a 71% interest in the new company's stock and appointing seven board members, and Discovery shareholders holding a 29% interest and appointing six board members. AT&T would receive US$ 43 billion in cash and debt from

1410-634: A new studio, which will be funded by and have an exclusive, five-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. Pictures was then divided into three business units with their own leadership: former MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy became the co-chairs of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema , and temporarily oversaw the DC Films and Warner Animation Group units. Eight days later, WBD named former Discovery and Univision executive Luis Silberwasser as chairman of Sports. In July 2022, Alan Horn rejoined Warner Bros. as

1504-404: A particular geographic region, just for a certain period of time or merely for a stage in the value chain . Moreover, there are different types of fees within the trademark and brand licensing. The first form demands a fee independent of sales and profits , the second type of license fee is dependent on the productivity of the licensee. For example, McDonald's licenses their trademark such as

1598-535: A partnership with local media company Stuff , which launched an evening newscast under the ThreeNews banner using its resources and former Newshub staff. In July 2024, CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced 100 employees would be laid off as part of a larger strategy to consolidate and integrate its television and digital operations. A week later, a smaller number of WBD employees at Max and in production, business affairs, and finance were also let go. On July 18, 2024, it

1692-471: A permission to a licensee to copy and distribute copyrighted works such as "art" (e.g., Thomas Kinkade 's painting Dawn in Los Gato ) and characters (e.g., Mickey Mouse ). With such license, a licensee need not fear a claim of copyright infringement brought by the copyright owner. Artistic license is, however, not related to the aforementioned license. It is a euphemism that denotes freedom of expression,

1786-583: A person who holds a licentiate. In English, the degree has never been called a license. In France, the licence is the first degree awarded in Universities. In Sweden , Finland, and in some other European university systems, a 'licentiate' is a postgraduate degree between the master's degree and the doctorate. The licentiate is a popular choice in those countries where a full doctoral degree would take five or more years to achieve. A license to driving certain vehicles has been applied to many countries around

1880-478: A probation officer and only living at an approved address, in exchange for their early release. If they break the conditions of the licence, they can be "recalled" (returned to prison). Offenders serving determinate sentences are released automatically at a set point in their sentence, whereas prisoners serving indeterminate sentences (e.g. life imprisonment ) can only be released by the parole board . Patent licensing has been studied in formal economic models in

1974-409: A quarterly loss in subscribers), describing Warner Bros. Discovery as being a "far more balanced and competitive company" that would "invest at scale smartly" and not "overspend" on growth and that its streaming businesses would complement its linear television. He stated that HBO Max had "meaningful subscriber churn ", and that the planned merger of it with Discovery+ would help to reduce it by offering

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2068-529: A rebranding of their joint venture production division to Mediawan & Leonine Studios and announced it had acquired a majority stake in British drama production company Drama Republic, marking Leonine Holding's first entry into the British television market alongside Mediawan. In March 2022, Leonine Studios had announced that they're restructuring their German-based unscripted television production label by rebranding Odeon Entertainment to Madame Zheng Production with

2162-482: A single platform with a mixture of both companies' technologies. He also noted that WBD may prioritize launching Discovery+ and HBO Max as a unified platform in markets where Discovery+ has yet to launch, such as another parts of the Asia-Pacific. On March 14, 2022, Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels—who would assume the same position post-merger—confirmed that such a transition was a long-term goal. On December 22, 2021,

2256-416: A type of activity, and to allow them to set conditions and limitations. A licensor may grant a license under intellectual property laws to authorize a use (such as copying software or using a patented invention) to a licensee, sparing the licensee from a claim of infringement brought by the licensor. A license under intellectual property commonly has several components beyond the grant itself, including

2350-563: Is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in New York City . It was formed from WarnerMedia 's spin-off by AT&T and merger with Discovery, Inc. on April 8, 2022. The company's properties are divided into nine business units, consisting of the flagship Warner Bros. film and television studios, comic book publisher DC Comics , Home Box Office, Inc. (including HBO , Cinemax and Magnolia Network ), U.S. Networks Group (including

2444-431: Is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreement between those parties. In the case of a license issued by a government, the license is obtained by applying for it. In the case of a private party, it is by a specific agreement, usually in writing (such as

2538-459: Is necessary to complete the act. Another key distinction between a license and a lease is that leases are generally required to be in writing, where the statute of frauds requires it, while licenses can be made orally. A license is generally created by an express or implied agreement. The licensor must agree to the license which can be shown in writing or the licensors acquiescence in its exercise. Furthermore, unlike many other contractual agreements,

2632-472: Is statutorily required prior to the commencement of any special proceeding to recover possession of the property (e.g., in NY that requirement is 10 days). Mass distributed software is used by individuals on personal computers under license from the developer of that software. Such license is typically included in a more extensive end-user license agreement (EULA) entered into upon the installation of that software on

2726-482: The United States Department of Justice on February 9. On March 11, 2022, the merger was approved by Discovery's shareholders. Due to the structure of the merger, it did not require separate approval from AT&T shareholders. In an SEC filing on March 25, 2022, AT&T stated that two-way trading of WBD stock with that of AT&T would begin on April 4, 2022, and that a special dividend would be issued

2820-402: The " Golden Arches " or the " Big Mac ", but the licenses gives McDonald's a right to impose strict quality standards to their franchisees as they can take back the right to the trademark if they do not meet McDonald's standards. When a licensor grants permission to a licensee to not only distribute, but manufacture a patented product, it is known as licensed production . A licensor may grant

2914-446: The 2025–26 season, ending a nearly 36-year association between the NBA and TNT. WBD had attempted to invoke a condition in its contract allowing it to match offers made by competitors (with the company, in particular, targeting the package sold to Amazon), but the league argued that it did not sufficiently match Amazon's offer. WBD threatened to take legal action over the agreement, claiming that

Leonine Holding - Misplaced Pages Continue

3008-948: The Leonine Distribution division name as of January 1, 2020. The production division, consisting of film & television production companies, would be grouped under the Leonine Production division, while continuing their separate identities. While under Leonine Distribution, RTL II, Tele 5, & the subscription video on demand services would continue under their current names. Leonine purchased Endemol Shine Group's share of Wiedemann & Berg Television. In July 2020, Leonine Holding announced that it had sold its German free-to-air entertainment channel Tele 5 to American multinational mass media broadcasting company Discovery Inc. (now Warner Bros. Discovery ) under their German division Discovery Deutschland to focus on its growing production and distribution activities, with Discovery signing

3102-551: The NBA had "grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights". In August 2024, WBD reported that it had lost $ 10 billion in the second quarter of 2024, relating to continued losses from its direct-to-consumer segment and the devaluation of its linear TV assets. In November 2024, WBD agreed to a legal settlement with the NBA. The settlement included access to NBA highlights at no additional cost for Bleacher Report and House of Highlights and allowed for WBD, under its TNT Sports division, to continue operating NBA TV and NBA.com for

3196-678: The TV channel RTL II . In 1995, the television station Tm3 was founded by TMG and the Bauer Media Group. In 1996, Herbert Kloiber bought back the TMG shares from Capital Cities / ABC, and took over the shares of Bauer Media Group on Tm3. In 1997, TMG participated in the Hungarian private broadcaster TV2 . In 1998, Rupert Murdoch 's company News Corporation took over 66 percent of Tm3 and two years later, in 2000, took over Tm3 completely. On 28 April 2002,

3290-564: The Time Warner name in 2003. Time Warner spun off its cable division (later known as Spectrum owned by Charter Communications ) and AOL (now owned by Yahoo! Inc. ) in 2009 and Time Inc. was spun out in 2013, which was later acquired by Meredith Corporation and is now known as Dotdash Meredith . In 2018, Discovery Communications and AT&T acquired Scripps Networks Interactive and Time Warner, and were renamed to Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia respectively. In 2019, AT&T dissolved

3384-511: The Turner Broadcasting System as part of its reorganization of its media assets. On May 16, 2021, Bloomberg News reported that AT&T was considering an offer to divest equity interest in their media subsidiary WarnerMedia (the former Time Warner, which AT&T acquired in 2018 for just over $ 85 billion in an attempt to become a vertically integrated media conglomerate ), and have it merge with Discovery, Inc. to form

3478-537: The Universum Film movie distributor from RTL Group days later, with the intent to combine the two companies. i&u TV was acquired by April 2019, when the expanded TMG acquired Wiedemann & Berg . Wiedemann & Berg would continue its TV arm, W&B Television, as a joint venture with Endemol Shine Group . Founders Max Wiedemann and Quirin Berg would continue as managing directors of Wiedemann & Berg while adding

3572-399: The ability to make the subject appear more engaging or attractive, by fictionalizing part of the subject. A licentiate is an academic degree that traditionally conferred the license to teach at a university or to practice a particular profession. The term survived despite the fact that nowadays a doctorate is typically needed in order to teach at a university. The term is also used for

3666-417: The auspices of Investigation Discovery and abandoning its remaining original live news programming. In January 2023, WBD announced licensing agreements with the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services The Roku Channel and Fox Corporation 's Tubi , featuring library content from Discovery, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and HBO (including some of

3760-405: The authority to act on another's land, when such action would typically amount to trespass absent that license. A key distinction between licenses and leases is that a license grants the licensee a revocable non-assignable privilege to act upon the land of the licensor, without granting any possessory interest in the land. Once a license is agreed upon, the licensee may occupy the land only so far as

3854-483: The change of plans during an earnings call, saying that Discovery+ has "profitable subscribers that are very happy with the product offering". In early-June 2023, Chris Licht was fired from CNN. On June 20, 2023, WBD underwent a round of layoffs affecting around 100 employees in the U.S. Networks division, most notably including multiple Turner Classic Movies (TCM) executives such as Pola Changnon (who had been with Turner for over 25 years). WBD announced plans to place

Leonine Holding - Misplaced Pages Continue

3948-833: The channel Tele 5 was restarted by TMG. TMG launched a streaming service, Filmtastic, in 2017. In July 2011, Tele München Group announced that they brought 33% in German independent television production company Odeon Film AG. By November of that same year Tele Manchester Group announced that they increased their stake in Odeon Film by acquiring 40% of the company becoming TMG's biggest shareholder in Odeon Film AG. In February 2019, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) agreed to purchase TMG, with expected closing in April 2019. At closing, Fred Kogel's appointment as CEO would be effective. KKR also agreed to purchase

4042-551: The channel under Cartoon Network head Michael Ouweleen . It was also reported that WBD was preparing a deal to sell half of the published music catalog of Warner Bros. Entertainment (which consists primarily of music composed for its films and TV series, and is currently being administered by Universal Music Publishing Group ) for around $ 500 million. Amid concerns over the future of TCM, Martin Scorsese , Steven Spielberg , and Paul Thomas Anderson met with Zaslav, and on June 23 it

4136-468: The company aimed to be the "most innovative, exciting and fun place to tell stories in the world", and would combine Warner Bros.' "fabled hundred-year legacy of creative, authentic storytelling and taking bold risks to bring the most amazing stories to life" with Discovery's "integrity, innovation and inspiration." In an SEC Filing on November 18, 2021, Discovery revealed that talks with AT&T had fallen through, in April 2021, due to disagreements over

4230-475: The company made a number of further acquisitions. In 1979, Warner Communications formed a joint venture with credit card company American Express called Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment . American Express acquired a 50% stake in Warner Communications' cable television holdings for $ 175 million. This company owned such cable channels as MTV , Nickelodeon , The Movie Channel , and VH1 (which

4324-410: The company's top executive roles are filled by their Discovery counterparts, including Gunnar Wiedenfels as Warner Bros. Discovery's chief financial officer (CFO), JB Perrette as president and CEO of global streaming and interactive, and Discovery's chief lifestyle brands officer Kathleen Finch —whose role has been expanded to cover most of the combined company's U.S. linear networks, besides CNN (which

4418-402: The completion of the merger; the new leadership considered it to be incompatible with their goal of a unified streaming service for all WBD properties. In an investors' call on April 26 (concurrent with the first quarter earnings reports for Discovery Inc., its last prior to the merger), Zaslav contrasted the company's streaming businesses with those of Netflix (whose stock saw a decline after

4512-444: The consolidation of Cartoon Network Studios ' and Warner Bros. Animation 's development and production teams (with the two studios remaining separate labels with their own distinct output). On October 3, 2022, Nexstar closed its deal to acquire a controlling interest in The CW. Mark Pedowitz resigned from his position as the network's chairman and CEO, with Dennis Miller stepping in as the president of The CW. In October 2022, it

4606-447: The current establishment of wealthy occupants that they decrease the supply of such occupations, which raises prices for the average consumer. Libertarians and the anti-authoritarian left ( anarcho-communists ) view competing guilds and other voluntary communes as being more beneficial for disseminating the skills and education required to perform a specified career. Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. ( WBD )

4700-486: The death of either the licensee or licensor will terminate the agreement. If a license is revocable at will by the licensor, courts will be unable to grant specific performance in favor of the licensee. A licensee would be unsuccessful in bringing forcible entry claims or a detainer proceeding because the licensee was never granted any possessory interest. The Licensee would also not be able to recover damages for money spent unless they are able to show detrimental reliance on

4794-489: The divestment. The merger was expected to be completed in mid-2022. The new company would be led by Discovery's current CEO, David Zaslav ; WarnerMedia's CEO Jason Kilar 's position in the new company was uncertain. Zaslav stated that the two companies would spend a combined US$ 20 billion annually on content (outpacing even Netflix ). The company will aim to expand their streaming services, which includes WarnerMedia's Max , to reach 400 million global subscribers. It

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4888-428: The essential services required for the licensee's permitted use of the premises. Under a pure licensing agreement, the licensor, under its terms and by common-law, can cancel the agreement at will and without cause, unless it is coupled with an interest or made irrevocable by contract. A license that has been coupled with an interest is not revocable by the licensor without exposure to liability and potential damages. In

4982-400: The event a license is coupled with an interest, the licensor must provide reasonable time for the licensee to remove that interest from the property prior to termination. Additionally, because a license does not confer any possessory interest in the licensee, in the event of a sale of the property, the license is terminated and cannot be enforced against the new owners of that property. Moreover,

5076-432: The field of industrial organization . In particular, Katz and Shapiro (1986) have explored the optimal licensing strategy of a research lab selling to firms who are competitors on the product market. It turns out that (compared to the welfare-maximizing solution) the licensor's incentives to develop innovations may be excessive, while the licensor's incentives to disseminate the innovation are typically too low. Subsequently,

5170-415: The field of industrial electronics). Often, patent owners will require a licensee to pay money in exchange for granting a patent license. Such payments are referred to as royalty payments and come primarily in two forms: lump sum or running royalty. A lump sum royalty involves an upfront, one-time payment, while a running royalty typically involves periodic payments ( e.g., quarterly or annual) based on

5264-433: The legal system, be stopped if the intellectual property owner wanted to do so. Intellectual property licensing plays a major role in business, academia and broadcasting. Business practices such as franchising , technology transfer , publication and character merchandising entirely depend on the licensing of intellectual property. Land licensing (proprietary licensing) and IP licensing. A license provides one party with

5358-415: The license. In certain cases, however, licenses can be made irrevocable, and specific performance may be granted. Where a license is made with a set term period and valid consideration is transferred, revocation of the license prior to the terms expiration may raise breach of contract claims that could provide damages against the licensor. Furthermore, once the licensor terminates or revokes the license, notice

5452-432: The licensee is the only person or entity that is allowed to sell, make, use, offer to sell, or import the patented invention) or non-exclusive ( i.e., the licensee is simply one of several entities who has rights under the patent). Finally, any rights given under the agreement may be limited to a particular "field of use" ( e.g., a licensee may be able to practice an invention in the field of consumer electronics, but not in

5546-469: The majority of the advertisement-supported cable channels of its predecessors, namely Discovery, Scripps Networks , Turner Broadcasting , and Warner), CNN Worldwide (which includes CNN and CNN International ), TNT Sports (including Motor Trend Group , TNT Sports UK , and Eurosport ), Global Streaming & Interactive Entertainment (which includes the Discovery+ and Max streaming services, as well as

5640-456: The merger was expected to close sometime during the second quarter of 2022. On February 1, 2022, it was reported that AT&T had finalized the structure of the merger: WarnerMedia would be spun off pro rata to AT&T's shareholders, and then merge into Discovery Inc. to form the new company. The transaction was approved by the Brazilian antitrust regulator Cade on February 7, followed by

5734-705: The next day to give AT&T shareholders a 0.24 share in WBD for each share of AT&T common stock they hold. The merger was officially completed on April 8, 2022, with trading beginning on the Nasdaq on April 11. At this time the company unveiled its final logo, designed by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv , which features a rendition of Warner Bros.' long-time shield logo. The combined company retained several top executives from WarnerMedia, including film and television heads Toby Emmerich and Channing Dungey , and HBO and HBO Max chief content officer (CCO) Casey Bloys. Most of

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5828-463: The number of HBO Max subscribers by at least 10 million by counting inactivated subscriptions bundled with AT&T services—thus misleading investors in violation of the Securities Act . It also alleged that Discovery executives failed to warn investors that WarnerMedia's prospectus contained misleading statements. On September 28 during a company town hall, Zaslav addressed speculation that WBD

5922-404: The number of patented products sold or imported. A licensor may grant permission to a licensee to distribute products under a trademark . With such a license, the licensee may use the trademark without fear of a claim of trademark infringement by the licensor. The assignment of a license often depends on specific contractual terms . The most common terms are, that a license is only applicable for

6016-493: The optimal number of licenses in a signalling model. The provision of licenses and the agencies that mandate them are often criticised by American libertarians like Milton Friedman for creating an anticompetitive environment for occupations, which creates a barrier to entry for more qualified and skilled individuals who may not have the resources to obtain the necessary licences. According to Friedman, licenses and permits have become so burdensome due to legislation that favors

6110-437: The ownership of the new company between AT&T and Discovery shareholders, and the amount of debt transferred to Discovery when they merged with WarnerMedia, before talks resumed on May 17, 2021. In November 2021, during an earnings call, Discovery Streaming CEO JB Perrette discussed possible options for its Discovery+ streaming service post-merger, including bundling the service with HBO Max and eventually merging them under

6204-456: The partnership." As the transaction did not need any regulatory approval (unlike the "Big Four" networks , The CW does not own any of its stations), Nexstar immediately took over the network's operations. In September 2022, WBD became the subject of a proposed class-action lawsuit by one of its shareholders, alleging that WarnerMedia was overinvesting in streaming content "without sufficient concern for return on investments", and had overstated

6298-873: The planned merger of Discovery+ and HBO Max would occur by summer 2023 in the United States, with other markets to follow. HBO subsequently faced a reorganization on August 15 to dismantle most of HBO Max's autonomous units, with HBO Max's head of comedy Suzanna Makkos now reporting to HBO's head of comedy Amy Gravitt, and layoffs within HBO Max's non-scripted, live-action family entertainment, international originals, and casting units, as well as HBO's acquisitions unit. HBO Max also continued to remove and cancel some of its lesser-viewed original programming, particularly family-oriented and animated series. On August 15, 2022, Nexstar confirmed to another report by WSJ in June that it would buy

6392-508: The position of head of the group's feature film production division. The enlarged Tele München Group was renamed Leonine Holdings in September 2019, with three main divisions: Distribution, Production, & Licensing. The distribution division, consisting of multiple Munich-based film distributors & a home video outlet, as well the company's stakes in RTL II & Tele 5, would be operating under

6486-510: The president of the newly launched documentaries division. In April 2024, it was announced that Mediawan , also backed by KKR, would acquire Leonine, in which it already held a 25% stake since 2020, in an all-stock deal for an undisclosed sum subject to approval from German authorities. Leonine Holding formerly owned Tele 5 channel, which, since September 2020, is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery . License A license ( American English ) or licence ( Commonwealth English )

6580-426: The production of direct-to-streaming films for HBO Max—with Zaslav arguing that they lacked economic value and impact in comparison to theatrical releases. WBD renewed its contracts with Bloys and other key HBO executives, with Zaslav praising his performance as chief content officer. Zaslav stated that a "10-year plan" was in development for DC Films, modeled after those of Marvel Studios , while Perrette stated that

6674-448: The quiet removals of multiple HBO Max original films from the platform and its upcoming releases. In the second quarter of 2022, WBD took $ 9.8 billion in revenue and a net loss of $ 2.2 billion pro forma , primarily from integration and restructuring expenses. The company took $ 825 million in write-offs on "content impairments and development". The company confirmed cuts to children's programming development, and abandoned

6768-695: The rebranded company hiring former RedSeven Entertainment executive and co-head of entertainment at Leonine Studios Tina Wagner along with former Red Arrow Studios producer and co-head of entertainment at Leonine Nina Etspüler taking over as leadership of the rebranded company. In May 2022, Leonine Holding announced that their division Leonine Studios had acquired Berlin-based independent entertainment outfit Hyperbole Median becoming part of Leonine's production division, thrust expanding Leonine's film and television production state with Hyperbole Median remaining as an independent production company under Leonine. In October 2022, Leonine Holding announced that they had brought

6862-412: The rights of the licensing party (e.g. make copies of a copyrighted work ), which, without the license, the licensed party could be sued, civilly, criminally, or both. In particular, a license may be issued by authorities, to allow an activity that would otherwise be forbidden. It may require paying a fee or proving a capability (or both). The requirement may also serve to keep the authorities informed on

6956-529: The rights pertain to. For example, a license with a territory limited to "North America" (Mexico/United States/Canada) would not permit a licensee any protection from actions for use in Japan. Again, a shorthand definition of a license is "a promise by the licensor not to sue the licensee". That means without a license any use or exploitation of intellectual property by a third party would amount to copying or infringement. Such copying would be improper and could, by using

7050-452: The scope of a patent. For example, a patent owner may authorize a licensee to make, use, sell, offer for sale, or import a patented product. Such agreements are typically referred to as a patent license agreement or a covenant not to sue . These agreements can last for a specific period of time (such as five years) or for the entire life of the patent ( i.e., until the patent expires). Patent license agreements may also be exclusive ( i.e.,

7144-509: The seminal work of Katz and Shapiro (1986) has been extended in several directions. For example, Bhattacharya, Glazer, and Sappington (1992) have taken into account that the firms acquiring licenses must make further investments in order to develop marketable products. Schmitz (2002, 2007) has shown that asymmetric information due to adverse selection or moral hazard may lead the research lab to sell more licenses than it would do under complete information. Antelo and Sampayo (2017) have studied

7238-463: The series that were pulled from HBO Max earlier). On February 8, 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that WBD had amended its plans to merge Discovery+ with HBO Max, with HBO Max's successor slated to include "most" Discovery content, and Discovery+ remaining operational to retain its subscriber base, and provide an alternative option for customers not interested in the higher-priced unified service. On February 24, WBD CEO David Zaslav confirmed

7332-493: The studio. Gunn will oversee creative development on DC projects, while Safran will oversee the business aspect. During an earnings report in November 2022, it was announced that the launch of WBD's streaming service had been moved up to spring 2023. Max was unveiled April 12, 2023. In December 2022, CNN announced cutbacks and a reorganization to prioritize its "core" operations, resulting in sister channel HLN being brought under

7426-556: The studios under the Kids, Young Adults and Classics division ( Warner Bros. Animation , Cartoon Network Studios and Williams Street ) was moved under Warner Bros. Television . The same day, it announced an agreement with British telecom company BT Group for it to contribute its BT Sport channels into a 50/50 joint venture with its UK Eurosport channels, and eventually merge them. On June 1, 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures head Toby Emmerich announced that he would step down and establish

7520-463: The transaction was approved by the European Commission . On January 5, 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that WarnerMedia and Paramount Global (at the time named ViacomCBS) were exploring a possible sale of either a majority stake or all of The CW , and that Nexstar Media Group was considered a leading bidder. The reports also indicated that WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS could include

7614-581: The video game publisher Warner Bros. Games ), and International Networks. It also holds a one-eighth stake in The CW (with Paramount Global also owning a one-eighth stake), and a majority stake in Television Food Network, G.P. (comprising Food Network and Cooking Channel ), which are co-owned by Nexstar Media Group . Warner Bros. , Turner Broadcasting System , Scripps Networks Interactive and Discovery, Inc. have conjoined histories. Warner Bros.

7708-473: The world. Being allowed to drive a certain vehicle requires a specific driving license, the type of license depending on the type of vehicle. In the United Kingdom prisoners serving a determinate sentence (a fixed time in prison) will be released prior to the completion of their full sentence "on licence". The licence is the prisoner's agreement to maintain certain conditions, such as periodic reporting in to

7802-449: Was announced that filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran would serve as the co-CEO and co-chairmen of DC Films which rebranded as DC Studios moving forward. The duo has signed a four-year deal that will oversee the production of films, television, and animation under the DC label. The pair will report directly to Zaslav, while also working alongside but independently with other members of

7896-663: Was announced that the channel would be placed under Warner Bros. Pictures Group heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy—who both affirmed the cultural significance of TCM and pledged to keep its programming "untouched and protected". In December 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced the purchase of Turkish streaming platform BluTV , with operations in the MENA region. On February 16, 2024, RedBird Capital Partners (via its United Arab Emirates -backed partnership RedBird IMI) announced its intent to acquire All3Media —a WBD joint venture with Liberty Global —for £1.15 billion. The acquisition

7990-485: Was completed on May 16, 2024. WBD had previously announced an intent to sell its stake in the company to British broadcaster ITV plc , but the company declined. In April 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand announced that it would shut down its news department Newshub (which produced bulletins for its free-to-air channel Three ) in July 2024, citing declining local advertising revenue. Newshub would be supplanted by

8084-501: Was founded and a year later, in 1981, the company acquired along with the cinema operator Hans-Joachim Flebbe several movie theaters in Hamburg , Berlin and Braunschweig . TMG was partner at the television station Sat.1 in 1985; after a year, the company sold its shares and started the TV station musicbox . In the same year, TMG took over the Munich private radio station Radio Xanadu , which

8178-843: Was founded on April 4, 1923, by four brothers, Harry , Albert , Sam , and Jack Warner . The company established itself as a leader in the American film industry before diversifying into animation , television , and video games and is one of the "Big Five" American film studios , as well as a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). In 1965, Turner Broadcasting System was founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta , Georgia. A year later, Kinney National Company came into existence and its media division became Warner Communications before merging with Time Inc. in 1990 to become Time Warner. During its time as Warner Communications,

8272-408: Was founded, launching The Discovery Channel three years later and was renamed to Discovery Communications in 1994. Scripps Networks Interactive was founded in 2008 spun off from E. W. Scripps Company 's cable division. In 1996, Time Warner Entertainment acquired the Turner Broadcasting System; but the company later merged with America Online (AOL) to form AOL Time Warner in 2001 and reverted to

8366-620: Was later renamed to Radio Energy . In 1987, Silvio Berlusconi ’s company Fininvest acquired 50 percent of musicbox . This was the basis for the channel Tele 5 . In 1988, Axel Springer Publishing House and CLT became partner at TMG. In 1989, 50 percent from the company were sold to Capital Cities / ABC . 1991 TMG sold its shares in Tele 5 to the Axel Springer Publishing House and in 1992 founded, together with CLT, Bertelsmann , Bauer Media Group and The Walt Disney Company ,

8460-431: Was launched in 1985 on the channel space left by Turner's Cable Music Channel ). Warner Communications bought out American Express's half in 1984 and sold the venture a year later to the original iteration of Viacom , which renamed it MTV Networks (now known as Paramount Media Networks). In 1982, Warner Communications purchased Popular Library from CBS Publications . Meanwhile in the same year, Cable Education Network

8554-439: Was pursuing a possible sale as early as 2024, stating that they were "absolutely not for sale", and "have everything we need to be successful." On October 11, Warner Bros. Television Group laid off 82 employees and eliminated 43 vacant positions as part of a restructuring that primarily impacts their unscripted and animation units. The restructuring saw the consolidation of Warner Horizon and Telepictures ' creative operations, and

8648-560: Was reported by the Financial Times that Zaslav and WBD executives had been discussing the possibility of breaking up the company, so that WBD's unprofitable linear television networks could be separated from the more profitable Warner Bros. studio business and Max. On July 24, 2024, the NBA officially announced new media rights agreements with Disney ( ESPN and ABC ), NBCUniversal ( NBC and Peacock ), and Amazon Prime Video beginning in

8742-444: Was stated that the company would aim to achieve $ 3 billion in cost savings via synergies within two years. On June 1, 2021, it was announced that the merged company would be known as Warner Bros. Discovery, and an interim wordmark was unveiled with the tagline "The stuff that dreams are made of"—a quote from the 1941 Warner Bros. film The Maltese Falcon , itself paraphrasing Shakespeare's The Tempest . Zaslav explained that

8836-609: Was taken over by Chris Licht , replacing the outgoing Jeff Zucker ), Magnolia Network (which reports to Bloys, after having previously reported directly to Zaslav under Discovery), and the Turner Sports unit (which would be overseen by the newly-formed Warner Bros. Discovery Sports division). In an introductory town hall featuring Oprah Winfrey as host, Zaslav stated that the combined company would need to have "one culture" that "starts with people feeling safe, people feeling valued for who they are", as opposed what he described as

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