Jakarta (ANTARA) - Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and\nBenedict Wong have asked the British government to halt the planned\nmerger of Paramount and Warner Bros, deeming it potentially damaging to\nthe film and television industry.<\/p>\n
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, the actors expressed\nconcerns for British film and television crews, citing risks of job\ncuts, halted production projects, fewer independent films receiving\nfunding, and the loss of public service broadcasting stations.<\/p>\n
\u201cBritain is under threat from a media merger that would harm our\nworkers, our culture and our society, but we can stop it,\u201d wrote the\nrenowned Marvel actors in an article.<\/p>\n
They are understood to have conveyed their concerns to British\nCulture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who currently holds the authority to weigh\nthe public interest aspect of the merger review process.<\/p>\n
This month, 12 US states led by California are suing in federal court\nto block the merger, warning that it would raise prices, reduce the\nnumber of films made and lower the quality of what audiences see.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fight against this merger is now happening on two fronts, and\nNandy is leading one of them. If her department decides to intervene, it\ncould prove to be one of the most important decisions a culture\nsecretary has made for British film, television and media in a\ngeneration,\u201d explained Cumberbatch and his colleagues.<\/p>\n
The three have long worked in the industry and thus feel a shared\nunderstanding with crews and production workers \u2014 particularly as, to\npay off Warner Bros\u2019 debt estimated at 84 billion US dollars, executives\nhave promised investors 6 billion US dollars in synergies, which would\nlead to staff reductions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is precisely what makes the Paramount-WBD merger so dangerous,\u201d\nthey wrote.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/marvel-actors-urge-uk-government-to-block-paramount-warner-bros-merger-1785164076", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }