Univision

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Seth Goldstein

Seth Goldstein

Headquarters:

605 3rd Avenue

New York, NY 10158

(212)-455-5200

Univision.com

Key Executives

Haim Saban – Chairman

Randel A. (Randy) Falco – President/CEO and Chairman

Served as President and CEO of AOL Inc. from 2006-2009
Before that, had spent over 30 years at NBCUniversal Television Group; most recently as President and Chief Operating Officer
Responsible for both groups commercial and operational functions including affiliate relations, cable distribution, business development, information technology, and network and studio operations.

Andrew W (Andy) Hobson – Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Shared several positions at Univision (Chief Strategic Officer, Executive Vice President)
Before Univision, Hobson was a principal at Chartwell Partners from ’90-’93; where he was instrumental in the 1992 leveraged buyout of Univision

Roberto Llamas – Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

Llamas comes from a background where he was head of Human Resources at Nielsen; a company with over 35,000 employees in over 100 countries
Has held previous human Resources positions as Lehman Brothers, TRW, and General Electric

Beau Ferrari – EVP of Operations (Univision Networks)

Responsible for the growth and profitability of Univision’s content
Serves as interim co-head of Univision Sports; he is responsible for the content on the 24-hour channel Univision owns titled, Univision Deportes

History

Univision was started in 1960 as an International Spanish Network by Emilio Azćarraga; a media-mogul responsible for forming and operating Grupo Televisa (Leading Spanish Network at the time). Through a partnership with Jerrold Perenchio of Venevisíon, the two business bought out two major network stations ins Houston, TX and Chicago, IL respectively. This led to to the 1996 formation and announcement of the company now known as Univision Communications. THe company has been focused on pertaining to the hispanic demographic across the United States through various media channels featuring, television and radio. They have had a lot of success standing at the top of their class and ratings for a hispanic-television station.

Profile

Univision Communications Inc. is the leading media company serving Hispanic Americans. With a number of current channels owned and operated by Univision Communications Inc., Univision Communications Inc. stands alone at the top of the Spanish-American Television totem-pole. The recent news coming out that as of last year,was that Univision Communications Inc. had surpassed ABC for the most watched network at night reaching over 10.8 million homes on the average evening. The numbers do not lie, and the numbers are what has led ABC and Univision to fuse together for a somewhat of a merger, creating a new English-based news channel covering Sports, Entertainment, and original Media Content.

Ben Sherwood of ABC News has been quoted saying “Fusion will be the ultimate meeting place for English-speaking Latinos. Our goal for this young, vibrant, and media-hungry audience to come to Fusion to be informed, entertained, and empowered. It will be fresh, fun, and optimistic and great interest to latinos and non-latinos alike” (WSJ, 1). Fusion will be interesting to see, as watching ESPN has become very natural for the majority of Americans. Seeing the potential cross-branding initiatives of both companies come into full effect will be very interesting.

The medium has been necessary overdue to the high volume of hispanic viewers and the somewhat smaller numbers of American viewers. The medium that “Fusion” will be provide will be one unlike any other, as no major company such as ABC has ever made such a strong push into the Latino marketplace for telecommunications. Other current competitors to Univision include; Belo Corporation, Citadel Corporation, and TV Azteca; which is Univision’s top competitor.

Univision currently has been seeing a large share of their viewers tune in for their shows

Arranque de Pasion
Pq El Amor Manda

In addition to their 24-hour running show on sports titled, Univsion Deportes. Univsion offers multiple telenovelas which are spanish-based romantic dramas which seem to be the most popular based off of ratings in the hispanic marketplace. In addition to the telenovelas, the Univision Communications Inc. have worked very hard on various media platform operations. A mobile application for your smartphone will now allow the user to access exclusive Univision content and be regularly updated with new news developments, television episodes, in addition to exclusive webisodes featuring interviews with the cast members of some of the most highly-watched programs.

Univsion Deportes serves similar to ESPN’s “SportsCenter”, providing around the clock sports information and news headlines with a large team of anchors and reports. Univsion Deportes does not only entertain the hispanic or latino viewer, but anyone who can understand the spanish language will be able to see that the content is universal. Strongly pertaining to sports that are well-liked in the Spanish community, however, are still relevant in non-hospanic parts of the world.

Arranque de Pasion is a Webnovela series by Univision known for the drama between characters Checo and Ela. The stories and episodes vary on the never-ending lust and personal conflict that take place in this show. It is the 2nd highest rated show on the Univision network, and is becoming more popular in The United States.

ABC and Univision announced their finalized merger on February 11. This let the world know that two of the most powerful media players will be joining forces to bring together the American and Hispanic television communities together through cross-media branding and promotions. This will not only allow the American-based ABC to start branding themselves more in the hispanic markets, while Univision creates their name as a go-to news site in the United States and other english-speaking territories. The merger could not have taken place on a scale of much bigger proportion due to the conglomerate size of both of these companies individually.

The merger with ABC was a substantial power move for the American-based company, that saw the hand-writing on the wall of how successful the potential of a major media merger over different languages could possibly be. Teaming up with the strongest player in the spanish telecommunication game, ABC was able to do just that. Offering their content over cross-media platforms and opening doors for quality product enhancement from both the hispanic and non-hispanic communities alike.

Bibliography

1. Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130211-909202.html?mod=crnews

ION Media Networks

Posted on April 10, 2013 by John Baldwin

by John Baldwin

Ion Media Networks’ Logo [1]

Corporate Headquarters

601 Clearwater Park Road

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Phone

(561) 659-4122

Website

http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/

Executive Team

Brandon Burgess

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Previously the head of Business Development at NBCUniversal, Brandon Burgess has guided ION Media Networks through a complete reversal—financially and operationally—since its re-branding in 2006. Under his leadership, ION Media Networks has expanded drastically, which is no easy feat for any independent television network company in the US. Also during his tenure, ION Television has seen unprecedented growth, and he has played a significant role in launching Qubo and ION Life [2].

Chris Addeo

Marketing

Chris Addeo is the head of multiple areas of marketing, including Consumer, Sales, Distribution and Corporate Marketing. She is also responsible for developing ION Media Network’s strategic brand [3].

Douglas Holloway

Distribution

Douglas Holloway maintains cable, satellite and telephone company partner relationships for each of ION Media Networks’ brands. He also oversees a distribution team in several areas across the US [4].

Jeff Quinn

Finance

As the director of the office of Finance, Jeff Quinn sets the financial policy and direction of ION Media Networks. He is credited with establishing ION’s Financial Planning & Analysis Group and also oversees business planning, development, and budgeting [5].

A Brief History

In February 2006, the company formerly know as Paxson Communications—founded in 1984—announced a change to its current name, ION Media Networks. The rebranding of Paxson Communications was done in an effort to create a fresh corporate identity which would reflect its commitment to providing consumers with high-quality media content by distribution to its network of television stations nationwide [6]. Today, ION Media Networks upholds that same commitment.

In 2008, ION Media Network’s primary television network was also re-branded, and has since gone by the name of ION Television. After the network’s re-branding, its reach expanded to about 260 million Americans in 100 million households. Its viewership doubled as well, and it reached the top 15 cable ratings in the United States in only 3 years, an extraordinary feat in American television history [7].

About

ION Media Networks is a privately owned, independent TV company, officially formed in 2006. The company’s main goal is to lead innovation in television content and technology, as well as provide a wide variety of entertainment to consumers. With the help of its three main branches—ION Television, Qubo, and ION Life—it serves well over 100 million homes in the United States [1]. In addition, ION Media Networks is a partial owner of Dyle, a mobile content service which was created through a joint venture involving a few other television companies [8].

ION Television

ION Television’s New Logo [9]

ION Media Networks’ flagship television network, ION Television, is a leading entertainment network in the US. In fact, it stands within the top 15 networks among adults 25-54. ION Television relies on a combination of high-quality syndicated programming such as Criminal Minds, Without a Trace, Cold Case, House, and Leverage, as well as original programming such as Flashpoint and WWE Main Event. In addition, it carries many popular movies of a wide variety of different genres [1].

Qubo

Qubo’s Logo [10]

Qubo is a television network for 5 to 8 year olds. With a combination of original programming and outside partnerships with organizations such as the US Olympic Committee and Reading is Fundamental, Qubo promotes literacy and a healthy lifestyle for kids. Qubo refuses to air national ads which feature unhealthy food and beverage choices in an attempt to reduce obesity rates in children. This network is available 24/7 on Cable, Satellite, AT&T UVerse and Verison FiOs, and it also airs programming blocks on NBC, ION Television, and Telemundo [11].

ION Life

ION Life’s Logo [12]

ION Life is a digital sub-channel of ION Television, dedicated to healthy living. It carries a vast array of entertaining shows aimed at inspiring people to live healthy, active, and overall better lives [1]. ION Life provides programming 24/7 and is available via Cable, Satellite and Telco carriage [13].

Dyle

Dyle’s Logo [14]

Dyle is a mobile television service which allows users to view digital broadcast television. It carries channels such as ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Qubo, Telemundo, and Univision, as well as some local broadcast channels which are not officially affiliated with Dyle mobile television. Unfortunately, like most television providers, it is not available in all markets [15].

Recent News

In 2010, ION Media Networks along with 11 other major broadcast television companies developed Dyle through a joint venture known as Mobile Content Venture, or MVC for short [8]. On April 3, 2013 it was announced that Dyle mobile television would be on display at NAB in the Las Vegas Convention Center [16].

In January of 2012, ION Media Networks alongside PMC announced ENTV as a new business partner, which launched a premium YouTube Channel to distribute entertainment news. ENTV provides YouTube viewers with breaking stories in the entertainment world directly from reliable sources such as Deadline.com, HollywoodLife.com, and TVLine.com [17].

In October of 2012, ION announced a long-term partnership for ION Television’s to be carried on DIRECTTV nationwide. The agreement ensures that ION Television will be available to DIRECTTV subscribers for years to come, and now in high-definition as well [18].

On March 4 of 2013, ION Television excitedly announced the launch of a multi-tiered business-to-business campaign. The campaign targeted at advertisers introduces IONTHUSIASTS, a digital representation of ION Television’s viewers. Alongside this announcement was the news that ION Television had a new logo and graphics package [19].

The IONTHUSIASTS represent Adults 25-34, 35-44 & 45-54 [20]

Sources

[1] Ion Media Networks http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/

[2] Brandon Burgess http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/about/brandon-burgess

[3] Chris Addeo http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/about/chris-addeo

[4] Douglas Holloway http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/about/douglas-holloway

[5] Jeff Quinn http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/about/jeff-quinn

[6] Paxson Communications http://www.annkarrick.com/news/news0602

[7] History http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/about/history

[8] About Dyle http://www.dyle.tv/about/mcv/

[9] ION Television’s New Logo http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/ion-television-gets-makeover-with-new-look-logo/

[10] Qubo http://www.qubo.com/

[11] About Qubo http://www.qubo.com/about

[12] ION Life http://www.ionlife.com/

[13] About ION Life http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/business/ion-life

[14] Dyle http://www.dyle.tv/

[15] More About Dyle http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/business/dyle

[16] Dyle News http://broadcastengineering.com/shows/mobile-tv-go-another-round-nab

[17] ENTV http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/press/pmc-and-ion-television-announce-launch-of-youtube?id=270

[18] DIRECTTV Agreement http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/press/ion-media-networks-announces-new-agreement-with-d?id=297

[19] IONTHUSIASTS & New Look http://www.ionmedianetworks.com/press/ion-television-unveils-new-look-for-the-network-an?id=299

[20] Meet the IONTHUSIASTS http://ionthusiasts.com/meet/

Univision

Posted on April 9, 2013 by jgalvare

by Juan Alvarez

(Photo courtesy of Univision Corporate website) [4]

605 3rd Ave.
New York, NY, 10158 United States
(212) 455-5200

http://corporate.univision.com

http://www.univision.com/

Key Figures

(Picture Courtesy of Univision Corporate Website) [1]

Randy Falco

Joined Univision Communications in June 2011 as President and Chief Executive Officer. Before joining the company he was Chairman and CEO of AOL. Since his arrival, Univision has added three new cable networks and steadily increased its net revenue. [1]

Cesar Conde
(Picture Courtesy of Univision Corporate Website)[1]

Cesar Conde

Mr. Conde is president of the Univision Networks and is responsible for every television network including Univision Network, Unimas and Univision Cable Network. He is also responsible for the Univision Studios which were established in 2009. He previously served as Executive Vice President of Univision Communications. [1]

Andrew W. Hobson
(Picture Courtesy of Univision Corporate Website)[1]

Andrew W. Hobson

Joined Univision Communications in 1993 as Executive Vice President of Univision Network. In 2007 he became Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Univision Communications playing a vital role in the company’s recent financial growth. [1]

Profile

Univision Communications is the leading spanish broadcaster in America with a pedigree of television, radio and interactive media operations. The company’s primary audience are Latin American families in the United States. Univision Communications runs the top-rated Univision Network, as well as sister networks UniMas and Galavision. In addition, the company owns and operates about 60 local TV stations and 70 radio stations all across the nation and an online division which owns and distributes a network of online and mobile products like Univision.com. Some major competitors include TV Azteca, S.A. de C.V, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. and NBCUniversal Media, LLC. [2] Some of the most successful current programs are Sabado Gigante, which has been on the air since 1997, and Primer Impacto since 1994.

The following video summarizes what Univision’s vision consists on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsf76kXaiKw

Television: The television segment owns a large number of TV stations and networks of which the most successful is Univision Network, the driving force behind the company. Univision Network has the largest spanish speaking television audience in the world and has reached parity with the 5 major english television networks outranking The CW several times. The television department also owns UniMas a spanish language broadcast television network, as well as Galavision a cable network in the U.S. In addition to the three major networks the company recently added three single format 24-hour cable networks: Univision Deportes Network, ForoTV and Univision Telenovelas. In 2009 the company founded Univision Studios, their own production division. Last year the company announced the creation of Fusion, an english language joint venture with ABC targeted at hispanic americans. [3]

Univision and ABC joint venture (photo courtesy of mediabistro.com) [10]

Radio: The radio segment owns and operates 69 radio stations in the United States. In 2003 Univision completed the acquisition of the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation to form Univision Radio, the largest spanish language radio broadcasting company in the United States. In addition, the company founded Univision America this past summer, which is a spanish talk radio network that operates in major states like California, Texas and Florida. [3]

Univision America (photo courtesy of mediamoves.com) [11]

Interactive Media: This segment is responsible for operating a network of online products of which Univision.com is the most important. Univision interactive media was launched in 2009 to house Univision Movil and Univision.com, an online publisher that features entertainment, news and information. The interactive media segment also includes UVideos, a bilingual digital network and Univision Partner Group, a publishing network. [3]

Univision.com Homepage
(photo courtesy of Univision.com) [12]

History

In 1955 KWEX-TV, the first full time Spanish language station in America was founded. The station changed owners several times until in 1968 the new owners decided to name it Spanish International Network after buying channels in New Jersey and LA. By the mid 1970s the company had grown into a national network in the United States. In 1986 a Partnership of Televisa (a major media production company) and Hallmark cards bought the network formally naming it UNIVISION. Univision online was launched in 2000. [4]

In the past decade Univision Communications has grown in many fronts of the industry launching UniMas, formerly known as Telefutura (2002), Univision Radio (2003), Univision Studios (2009) and Univision Interactive media (2009). [4]

Financials

During 2012 Univision Communications Inc. reported a steady rise in their financials. Both their OIBDA and their total net revenue increased in comparison to the previous numbers of 2011. For the full year, net revenue increased 7.4 percent to $2,442.0 million from $2,273.5 million in 2011 and OIBDA increased 7.4 percent to $1,003.2 million from $933.9 million in 2011. Moreover the increase took place in each of the three media production areas of the company (Television, Radio and Digital). [5]

(photo courtesy of Univision Corporate financial statement 2012) [5]

In the News

January [6]:

The new revamped UniMas was launched coast to coast on January 7th premiering two prime time series that same night: Made In Cartagena and Quien eres tu.

(photo courtesy of underconsideration.com)

“Quinceañera” the groundbreaking production that catapulted Thalia and Adela Noriega is being rebroadcasted by Univision Telenovelas on January 7th.
Univision Communications announced a partnership with Samsung to carry their digital video network UVideos, in all 2013 Samsung smart TVs and connected devices.
Univision Network launches new talent competition show “Lo que mas quieres” on January 27th.

Lo que Mas Quieres ad campaign (photo courtesy of latinospost.com) [13]

February [7]:

Univision’s “Despierta America” established itself as the fastest growing morning show in the current season regardless of language registering its seven month of consecutive growth among adults 18-49 and 25-54.

Despierta America (photo courtesy of tucuentas. com) [14]

Univision’s “Premios Lo Nuestro“, which is Television’s longest running Latin music award show, aired on Feb 21 reaching 11.6 million viewers and making Univision No. 2 network for the night among adults 18-34 for fourth consecutive year.
WXTV Univision 41 New York received 22 Emmy Award nominations. According to Nielsen, Univision 41 was also the #1 newscast in the 6pm slot during the month of January.
On February 11 ABC and Univision announced their joint venture news and lifestyle network for Hispanics is being named Fusion and is set to launch during the second half of 2013.
Univision set milestone as the No 4. network in February sweeps ahead of NBC. Univision out performed NBC establishing a 26% margin among adults 18-49 and a 47% among adults 18-14.

The following video demonstrates the recent rating success of Univision.

UNIVISION COMMUNICATIONS INC from Univision Insights on Vimeo.

March [8]:

Premiere of new romantic comedy telenovela “Porque el amor manda” on Univision Network set for March 11.
“Nuestra Belleza Latina” a beauty competition show is set to launch its seventh season March 10 on Univision Network. The show includes sponsors like AT&T and Subway.

Seventh season of Nuestra Belleza Latina (photo courtesy of lagranciudad.net) [15]

The season finale of “Por ella soy Eva” made Univision stations #1 among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 in several cities like Los Angeles and Houston and Chicago.
On March 11 Univision Radio and TuneIn announced an alliance to extend the reach of 50 terrestrial stations via TuneIn.
Univision Studios announced the premiere of “Arranque de Pasion, La historia de Ela“, an original webnovela produced exclusively for Univision Online and mobile properties set to begin April 1.

Arranque de Pasion webseries (photo courtesy of univision.com) [16]

Univision signs a major contract with DirecTV enabling the satellite provider to carry all of Univision’s own and operated broadcast stations, as well as the network feeds for Univision, UniMas, and Galavision.

Future of Univision

ABC News and Univision News merge to create Fusion in 2013
(photo courtesy of Univision Corporate Website) [4]

When it comes to its future Univision Communications seems stronger than ever. If the current trends continue the network could become a recurrent top four in the United States Television market because of the constant increase of the Latino population. Furthermore, Univision is on the verge of launching a great number of new series including “Los Heroes del Norte” (NotiMas) and “Que Bonito Amor“ (Univision), which are two long awaited primetime series set to premiere this April. Last but not least, Univision News is focusing greatly on the creation of the new joint venture with ABC news called Fusion (to be launched sometime this year). The new network will be carried by 5 cable operators and will serve 50 millions Hispanics; a number expected to double by 2050 [9]. This measures are expected to further enhance the company’s presence in the multimedia market during the next decades.

Sources

1. Key Executives http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/executive-leadership/#axzz2PxOlER2b

2. Univision Company Information Hoovers http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Univision_Communications_Inc.a9ff6a528ba4bf61.html

3. Company Overview Bloomberg http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=352350

4. The Univision Story http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/#axzz2PxRZSjvT

5. Financial Statement 2012 http://corporate.univision.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/FINAL-Press-Release-Q2-2012-1.pdf

6. January Press Releases http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/press/press-releases/?date=2013-1#axzz2PxUQXB7G

7. February Press Releases http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/press/press-releases/?date=2013-2#.UWPlYqvwIx4

8. March Press Releases http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/press/press-releases/?date=2013-3#.UWPldavwIx4

9. April Press Releases http://corporate.univision.com/corporate/press/press-releases/?date=2013-4#.UWPlnKvwIx4

10. ABC / Univision picture http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/files/2012/08/abc-news-univision-logo.jpg

11. Univision America logo http://www.mediamoves.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/UNIVISION_America-logo-e1338509306117.jpg

12. Univision.com www.univision.com

13. Lo Que Mas Quieres ad campaign http://images.latinospost.com/data/images/full/11264/lo-que-mas-quieres.jpg?w=600

14. Despierta America promo https://www.tucuentas.com/images/product/pic_1315599492.jpg

15. Nuestra Belleza Latina picture http://lagranciudad.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Nuestra-belleza-latina.jpg

16. Arranque de Pasion promo http://univisionnetworks.com/assets/uploads/homepages/ArranqueDePasion1.jpg

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Maria Cristo

By Maria F. Cristo

Courtesy of: http://www.topnews.in

The Disney Story

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

It all started in Chicago, when a baby by the name of Walter Elias Disney was born in 1901. Walt enjoyed drawing from a young age, and based his life on this one passion. His first job was at a small art studio in Kansas City, where he met his future partner, Ubbe Iwerks. Ubbe, Walt, and his brother Roy joined forces in 1923 and opened a Hollywood studio: the Disney Brothers’ Studio. In the next five years, the company created Mickey Mouse, a character that would become an extremely powerful worldwide icon, and whose face would become the company’s image. Steam Boat Willie was the company’s first release, and launched Mickey into fame. Walt Disney was an pioneer, and as such he used Mickey to introduce sound to cartoons, a great innovation in early motion pictures. The company proudly released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, a movie that is still considered the greatest American animated movie today. This first movie embodied Disney’s essence in every way possible, it represents everything that Disney was back then and still is today. Snow White’s profits allowed the company to open a bigger more sophisticated base in Burbank, California three years later. [1]

Courtesy of: http://www.tumblr.com

This reformed company continued producing animated hits such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi. In 1950, Disney launched it’s first of many live action films, Treasure Island. Each story that came out of the company was new, detailed, touching, and sent a positive message to people of all ages. Walt Disney lived to see his dream come true in 1955; the inauguration of a park that embodied the spirit of all of his movies in real life. Eleven years later, Walter Elias Disney died, but his legacy continues to touch the hearts of millions of people around the world. The dream that started with a deep passion for drawing, genuine imagination, and a mouse, is now a multibillion dollar company with more than 150,000 employees that holds assets in every sector of the media. [2]

Courtesy of: http://davelandblog.blogspot.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hXsLTcgmLQ

This short video visually illustrates my description of Walt Disney’s achievements.

Executives

CEO of the Walt Disney Company: Robert Iger

Robert Iger [3]

Chairman of Walt Disney International: Andy Bird

Andy Bird [4]

Walt Disney Studios Chairman: Alan F. Horn

Alan F. Horn [5]

Walt Disney Studios President: Alan Bergman

Alan Bergman [6]

Walt Disney Studios VP and Global Communications: Paul Roeder

Paul Roeder [7]

Walt Disney Studios Senior VP and Human Resources: Carolyn Wilson

Carolyn Wilson [8]

Walt Disney Pictures

The Walt Disney Studios is a division in the Walt Disney Company that produces, promotes and distributes both animated and live-action films in the US and internationally. Its top three competitors are Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Paramount Pictures Corporation. The studios divisions include: animation, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Marvel Productions, Touchstone Pictures, and Disneynature. [9]

Disney Animation Studios [10]

The animation division is the oldest division of the Walt Disney Studios. The year 1937 marks the beginning of its first feature length animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. From then, Disney animated films have combined evolving technology and beautiful artistry to make inspiring stories that mark the childhood of many. Famous films that have emerged from this division include: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and Tangled. [

Courtesy of: http://animateddisney.tumblr.com/

DisneyToon Studios is an innovative branch of Walt Disney Pictures animation that produces feature-length animated films for the company. Many of its films are sequels to films that are produced by the animation studios such as Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. They also make movies that star Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan’s Tinker Bell.

The Walt Disney Company owns yet another animated company: Pixar Animation Studios. This production company has produced 13 films that have done incredibly well in theaters and home entertainment, as they are greatly appreciated by the public. Pixar films impact kids, teenagers, and parents alike. The characters and stories are held dear by people of all ages all over the world, and have generated Disney a total of $7.8 billion. Films produced by Pixar include Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Up.

Courtesy of: http://www.logancountychamber.com

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

This division is responsible for the creation of all Disney live-action films. It started in 1950, when it launched Disney’s first live-action film ever, Treasure Island. Since then, this Studio has been releasing family-oriented films that compete with companies like Universal, and 20th Century Fox. These films explore fantastic worlds, and are usually packed with colorful and often humorous adventure, as can be seen in Pirates of the Caribbean. Movies made by this division may also be remakes of old classics like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and OZ The Great and Powerful, it’s newest release. [11]

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/johnny-depp/images/180935/title/pirates-caribbean-photo

Courtesy of: http://www.fanpop.com

Marvel

In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment and its 8,000 characters for $4 billion. Expensive as it was, it was a great investment, as the company has hugely benefitted from the purchase. In four years Disney has profited from hits such as Iron Man, The Avengers, and Thor. Disney will continue to profit through sequels to these movies and other new releases starring Marvel characters. [12]

Courtesy of: http://dorkshelf.com

Disneynature

Disneynature was established on Earth Day 2008, and is Walt Disney Studio’s most recent division. Disney started this division to promote conservation awareness through heartfelt films such as Earth, Oceans, African Cats, and Chimpanzee. Part of the revenues collected from their release were used to benefit the environment. Three million trees were planted in Brazil, and 40,000 acres of marine life, 65,000 acred of African savanna, and 130,000 acres of Chimpanzee land went under protection. [13]

Courtesy of: http://collegiatetimes.com

Touchstone [14]

Touchstone Pictures was launched to the public in 1984 with the hit film Splash. The company arose due to controversies surrounding Disney releases that were not considered appropriate for the family atmosphere of the company. Disney released its first PG rated movie ever, The Black Hole, in 1979. Four years later, the company released Trenchcoat, a film that was also criticized for its inappropriate content. This film is believed to be responsible for Disney’s launch of Touchstone Pictures, a Walt Disney Pictures division that would be in charge of producing films that did not have to be suitable for children. Critics believed that this division was out of place for a company like disney, yet it was the top source of income for Disney in the 80s. Touchstone pictures debuted with the film Splash, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. The film set the tone for future touchstone films, as it contained some nudity.

Courtesy of: http://thedisneyblog.com

Touchstone’s second movie was an R-rated film, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which featured a story about a rich yet unhappy couple that head a dysfunctional family, the very opposite of Disney’s representative ideals. After these two inauguration films, The Walt Disney Studios has launched more than 200 films produced by Touchtone Pictures, including: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Armageddon, Ed Wood, Signs, Pearl Harbor,The Count of Monte Cristo, and Steven Spielberg’s new release: Lincoln.

Courtesy of: http://www.filmofilia.com

Disney’s Numbers

The year 2012 was great for the Walt Disney Company in general, and for The Walt Disney Studios as well. Last year the company experienced a 5% growth in total revenue and a 6% growth in net income when compared to 2011 numbers. The studios, however, generated 73 million dollars less in the fourth quarter of 2012 than it did for the same quarter of the the previous year. After subtracting the cost of goods sold, the profit earned by the studios for the same quarter was 234 million, very low compared to the previous year’s 413 million, a plunging 43% decrease. [15]

On the News

December 19, 2012

Walt Disney Pictures announces that Jonathan Groff will be part of the cast of it’s upcoming movie Forzen. The Tony Award nominee will join forces with Kristen Bell to voice the lead characters of Disney’s new adventure comedy, expected in theaters on November 27 of this year. [16]

http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2013/03/upcoming-adaptation-disneys-frozen/

Courtesy of: http://www.alsc.ala.org

March 6, 2013

Disney officially released the trailer to the third Iron Man movie. [17]

March 27, 2013

The Walt Disney Studios discloses the full voice cast of Disney’s Planes, the company’s new animated film which is expected to open in theaters August 9 of this year. Among the lead voices are Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Garrett. [18]

April 2, 2013

During her live show, Ellen DeGeneres left her audience and the rest of the world astounded when she announced that Disney Pixar agreed to produce a sequel to Finding Nemo. Finding Dory is expected to come out in theaters November 25, 2015. [19]

Courtesy of: http://www.theverge.com

April 8, 2013

After several weeks of great numbers, the Disney stock reaches it’s highest point ever at $58.54. Even though they had a great year for business, they are stil laying off employees as an anticipation of costly rising technologies. [20]

Sources:

1. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/

2. http://www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533

3. http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/leadership/ceo/robert-iger

4. http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/leadership/corporate-management-team/andy-bird

5. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/1015

6. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/29

7. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/621

8. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/6/bio/831

9. http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/

10. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/76

11. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/74

12. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/246

13. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/261

14. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/unit/264

15. http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/sites/default/files/reports/q1-fy13-earnings.pdf

16. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1238

17. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1277

18. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1288

19. http://waltdisneystudios.com/corp/news/1293

20. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-disney-stocks-hit-highs-434709

Radio One

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Gregory Jacks

Greg Jacks

[1]

“THE URBAN MEDIA SPECIALIST”

1010 Wayne Ave. 14th Floor

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Basics

[2]

Radio One, Inc. is the largest urban-centered multi-media outfit primarily targeting an African-American audience in the world. They own and/or operate 55 broadcast stations in 16 major U.S. markets including: Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The genres of their stations include: gospel, mainstream r&b/soul, hip-hop, and classic r&b. Radio One also has majority ownership of TV One, LLC (a black- oriented cable channel), Reach Media, Inc, and Interactive One (a series of online platforms serving the black community). [1]

History

[3]

In college, Catherine Elizabeth Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One, developed the now highly popular format called Quiet Storm; a late-night show specializing in urban contemporary ballads. Following the success of this new format, Hughes sought to own a station of her own. After many attempts to drag money together, Hughes and her husband finally managed to buy their first radio station in 1980. The station was first called Almic Broadcasting, and started as a 24-hour news broadcast for Washington D.C.’s black community. By the late 80s, Hughes had handed down the position of president to her son Alfred C. Liggins III, who helped propel the company to new heights. Throughout the 90s, Radio One was buying up locally-owned radio stations in city markets and turning them into urban stations. The success of this period, made Radio One the media conglomerate that it is today. [2]

Key Executives

[4]

Alfred C. Liggins, III – Chief Executive Officer, President, and Treasurer

Liggins has been C.E.O. of Radio One since 1997 after being promoted by his mother. He has helped the company expand into new markets and media. He was a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Since taking over the company from his parents, Liggins has done nothing but shine, now one of multimedia’s top young moguls. [3]

[5]

Catherine L. Hughes – Chairperson of the Board of Secretary

Hughes co-founded the company in 1980, and has served with it ever since. She has held various titles within the company: C.E.O., President, General Manager, General Sales Manager and talk show host. Outside the company, Hughes has been on the Board of Directors for a myriad of groups including Broadcast Music, Inc. Her 30 years business experience has saved her a special place in the African-American community. [4]

Owned Station Samples

Urban AC – Washington Gospel – Atlanta Hip-Hop – Philadelphia News/Talk – Houston Old School Jams – Dallas Black Talk – Baltimore

*All images in section taken from website links. Source is the radio station’s main web page

Properties

TV One

[6]

Launched in 2004, TV One is a cable channel which delivers reality and scripted programming to the African-American consumer. Through sitcoms real life TV, recorded movies, and news specials, TV One attempts to understand the diverse experience of black life. In 2008, TV One went HD and debuted their now trademark show, Unsung, a biography series focusing on the lives of great R&B musicians. [5]

[7]

Reach Media, Inc.

An atypical media company, REACH Media was founded by Tom Joyner (the nation’s number 1 syndicated radio host). The company is built off the success of The Tom Joyner Morning Show which airs in more than a hundred markets reaching eight million listeners. REACH Media provides a highly popular platform for advertisers to relay messages to the black community. The company also operates several web-based media, namely The Black America Web. [6]

Interactive One

[8]

Interactive One was launched in 2007 to serve as a digital network for Radio One’s African-American community. Now, the site is the number 1 black online platform, serving 9 million monthly users. [7]

Recent News [8]

[9]

Jan. 22, 2013 – TV One’s most watched reality series, R&B Divas, is getting renewed for a second season. Also a spin-off, R&B Divas: LA, is in production and set to launch in Q3 2013

Jan. 24, 2013 – TV One adds the original half-hour sitcom Family Time to its classic Friday comedy block

Jan. 28th, 2013 – Radio One announces that Samuel Rogers, formerly of CBS Radio, has been named VP of National Sales.

Feb. 25th, 2013 – TV One announces the debut of its new docu-series, Deceived. It chronicles the stories of those who have been conned or betrayed.

[10]

Mar. 5, 2013 – Radio One’s launches a Telemundo affiliate with the purchase of WDNI in Indianapolis. The station will become the city’s first local Spanish-language broadcast station on March 11.

Mar. 18, 2013 – TV One orders for a second season of the record-breaking summer sitcom, The Rickey Smiley Show.

Apr. 8, 2013 – Radio One has chosen WideOrbit to system the traffic for all 55 of their stations [9]

Financials

Unlike most radio affiliates today, Radio One is doing quite well and seeing growth in their company. Their 2012 fourth quarter radio revenues were up 11% from the previous year. TV One also saw Q4 increases, with sales up 8% from 2011 [10]. It seems the growing minority population in this country was had a dramatically beneficial effect on Radio One and its comprising affiliates. It can operate and flourish, despite providing niche programming, for only a segment of the American people.

Stocks

Radio One, or ROIA as it is listed on the NASDAQ, has seen a sharp increase in stock price just since the start of this year. It went from trading at around $0.75 in December of last year to $1.75 in April of 2013. At the market’s close today, April 8th, ROIA is selling at $1.76 a share. [11]

[11]

Sources

1. “About Us | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

2. “Radio One, Inc. History.” History of Radio One, Inc. – FundingUniverse. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

3. “Radio One’s Number One.” Wharton Alumni Magazine: 125 Influential People and Ideas: Alfred C. Liggins. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

4. “Catherine L. Hughes.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

5. “TVONE.” About TV One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

6. “REACH Media | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

7. “Interactive One | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

8. “Latest News | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

9. “WideOrbit Traffic Selected By Radio One For 55 Stations.” All Access. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

10. “News Releases | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

11. “Stock Information | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

Images

1. http://www.radio-one.com/

2. Kysdc Staff. “Radio One Erects Sign Above New Silver Spring Headquarters.” 93.9 KYS FM. Radio One, 28 Jan. 2012. Web.

3. King, Morgan. “Cathy Hughes: Finding A Way Or Making One.” Visionary Artistry Magazine RSS. Radio One, 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

4. “Interactive One LLC » Alfred C. Liggins III.” Interactive One LLC RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

5. Odessey, Bruce. “RADIO ONE: A SMALL BUSINESS THAT GREW LARGE.”Small Businesses at Work. InfoUSA, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

6. “TVONE.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

7. “REACH Media Inc.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

8. “Interactive One.”Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

9. “Faith Evans & The R&B Divas Share Some ‘Joy’ & ‘Lovin’ With You » SOULBOUNCE.COM.” Faith Evans & The R&B Divas Share Some ‘Joy’ & ‘Lovin’ With You » SOULBOUNCE.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

10.”TV One: The Rickey Smiley Show.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

11. “Stock Information | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

Viacom Inc.

Posted on April 9, 2013 by namezaro

[1]

by Nicole Mezaros

Viacom Inc.
1515 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
(212) 258-6000
www.viacom.com
@Viacom

Sumner M. Redstone, Philippe Dauman, Thomas E. Dooley, Robert Bakish, and Brad Grey [2],[3],[4],[5],[6]

Top Executives

Sumner M. Redstone: Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2006. He also serves as the Executive Chairman of CBS [7].

Philippe Dauman: President and CEO since 2006 [8].

Thomas E. Dooley: Chief Operating Officer since 2010. He previously served as the CFO [8].

Robert Bakish: President and CEO of International Media Networks since 2011. He oversees all media networks outside of the United States [8].

Brad Grey: CEO of Paramount Pictures since 2005. Grey oversees the entire branch of Paramount Pictures [8].

A Brief History

In 1971, Viacom was formed by breaking off from CBS; it then merged with Warner Communications in 1983 [9]. It bought MTV in 1986, and then merged with Paramount Communications in a nearly $10 billion agreement [9]. The VIA stock became available to be bought and sold in the NYSE in 1999 [9]. CBS, the company it came from, and Viacom merged in a nearly $40 billion merger in 2000 [9]. In the next few years, it purchased BET, Noggin, Comedy Central, TNN, and more [9]. CBS and Viacom then split again in 2006 [25]. Also in 2006, Paramount acquired Dreamworks LLC, and MTV then partnered with Warner Music group [9]. Most recently, in 2011, Viacom International Media Networks was created [9].

General Overview

Viacom has many diverse assets, and therefore produces a lot of varied programming in different markets. It owns 205 television channels, spanning over 169 territories and in nearly 40 different languages [10]. It also owns Paramount Pictures, a big player in the film industry, and has released films of all types, such as The Adventures of Tintin and Paranormal Activity, that reach varied demographics.

Viacom’s TV Assets [11]

In the cable television market, Viacom has many different assets. These networks are very different and, again, reach many different audiences. Some of their major assets include MTV and Nickelodeon, which reach a younger audience, Comedy Central, Spike, and BET, which reach an adult audience, and TV Land, which reaches an older audience. Each network plays very different programming. VH1 and MTV play both shows about popular music and reality shows, with series such as Buckwild on MTV and Top 20 Video Countdown on VH1. Comedies of all different types are played on Comedy Central, such as The Colbert Report, and TV Land offers a lot of reruns of old shows and some original programming. Networks such as CMT (Country Music Television) and BET (Black Entertainment Television) also reach very specific demographics. Nickelodeon is the #1 cable network for seventeen years, showing the success of their networks [12].

Spongebob Squarepants, airing on Nickelodeon. [13]

Viacom has a lot of competitors, some of which include NBCUniversal, Time Warner, and Walt Disney [14]. Still, it is a leader in the cable television market .

Financials

During the first quarter of 2013, Viacom had a revenue of $3.314 billion, which includes $2.394 billion from media networks and $975 million from films [15]. This number is down 16% from last year’s first quarter [15]. However, media networks hardly decreased, down only 2%; this decrease is mainly due to filmed entertainment, which is down nearly 40% [15]. MTV is the network with the highest revenue, at around $548 million, with Nickelodeon following at around $357 million [10].

Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Interactive Chart Analysis - NASDAQ jpg

Viacom Inc. Stock 1 Year Chart [16]

The Viacom stock, sold as VIAB on NASDAQ, is currently priced at $65.49, hitting a high [16]. This is nearly $20 higher than CBS, around $7 higher than the Walt Disney Company, and nearly $25 higher than Comcast, all of which are Viacom’s competitors [17]. The VIAB stock increased greatly this year, raising from $46.75 a year ago to $65.49 today [16]. Viacom also sells class A stock, VIA, at $66; with this, stockholders have voting rights.

Recent News

Viacom has been in the news recently due to two major cases. First of all, Cablevision, a big cable TV service provider, is suing Viacom for bundling its channels and charging more for single channels [18]. This has, however, been its practice for a very long time. Also, last year, the case starting in 2007, in which Viacom sued Youtube, the popular website where users can upload their own videos, saying that some of its content infringed on Viacom”s copyright, was revived [19]. This case is still going on today.

Viacom also, however, has had a lot of positive things going on recently. VH1’s ratings in adult viewership raised 33% in 2012 [20]. It also has a lot of new shows airing this season, including Best Week Ever and The Jenny McCarthy Show, and new episodes of older shows, such as the very successful Mob Wives.

NEW SHOWS + NEW LOOK + @VH1 #plussed (:30)

Also, the 26th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards, airing on March 23rd, drew an audience of nearly 6 million viewers with just the premiere, boosting Nickelodeon’s ratings greatly [21]. The 2013 MTV Movie Awards are set to air April 13th, which should also boost MTV’s ratings.

2013 Movie Awards: VOTE NOW FOR MOVIE OF THE YEAR!

Digitally, Viacom is working on a lot of new technology in order to better the viewer experience. The new Star Trek into Darkness app allowed app users to get tickets to an early showing of the film [22]. Also, Spike TV, a cable channel, has created a new app for using while viewing Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts fighting tournament. The app allows veiwers to interact with the show in a way not used with other second screen apps, using results from judging on the app in the live show [23].

Bellator MMA App by Spike TV [24]

1. Viacom Logo, from Viacom, Inc.

2. Sumner M. Redstone

3. Philippe Dauman

4. Thomas E. Dooley

5. Robert Bakish

6. Brad Grey

7. Board of Directors

8. Senior Management

9. Viacom: History

10. 1st Quarter ’13 Pulse Investor Newsletter

11. Viacom’s TV Assets

12. Nickelodeon

13. Nickelodeon Wins First Quarter of 2013

14. Viacom Inc. Competitors

15. 1st Quarter ’13 Earnings Press Release

16. Viacom Inc. Interactive Stock Chart

17. Yahoo Finance

18. Cablevision Sues Viacom in Battle Over Bundling of Channels

19. Judge revives Viacom copyright suit against YouTube

20. Viacom Primetime Ratings Soar 33%

21. Nickelodeon Marks Winning Week with 26th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards

22. “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” First of Its Kind App

23. Spike TV Launches Groundbreaking Co-Viewing App For Bellator MMA

24. Bellator MMA by Spike TV

25. CBS, Viacom Formally Split

Paramount Pictures

Posted on April 9, 2013 by John Peter Amato Jr

Paramount’s Logo
Courtesy: jennielsen.com

Paramount Pictures
5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 956-8398

Paramount Pictures is the fifth oldest film studio in America. It is a Viacom company, and with over 1,000 titles and numerous awards, it continues to produce entertaining, lucrative, and successful content. Divisions within Paramount include Paramount Vantage, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc, Paramount Studio Group, Worldwide Television Distribution, Paramount Famous Production, and Paramount Parks and Resorts [10].

Brad Grey, C.E.O. and chairman of Paramount Pictures, has held his positions since 2005.

Brad Grey, C.E.O., Chairman, Paramount Pictures
Courtesy: hollywoodreporter.com

After succeeding Sherry Lansing, Grey is responsible for 8 of Paramount’s top 10 highest grossing films of all time, including the Transformers series, Star Trek, Iron Man 1 & 2, Shrek the Third, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Paramount takes advantage of its rich historical value and prime location. It is the last remaining studio in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles.The studio hosts tours and many events within the studio. It is a major tourist destination in Los Angeles. An intimate tour of the studio leaves a visitor with a sense of the 100 year Hollywood history Paramount has to offer. Visiting offers opportunity to see where some of the most celebrated films and TV shows of all time were produced [4].

Paramount Studios
Courtesy: flickr

HERE AND NOW

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Film Poster
Courtesy: collider.com

Paramount is notorious for their highly grossing blockbuster films. Currently sitting at the top of the box office is Paramount Picture’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation. This science-fiction action, starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, and Channing Tatum, has already grossed $86.4M [8]. Despite the criticisms of the movie from fans and authors on websites such as rottentomato.com, the studio has still benefited from a lucrative return on their mediocre sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Scott Mendelson, a box office pundit and film market analyst, describes Paramount’s success:

Paramount did a few very smart things during the production of this Jon Chu-helmed sequel. In fact, other than the fact that it’s not a very good movie (arguably the hardest variable to plan on, natch), Paramount Pictures and MGM’s handling of G.I. Joe: Retaliation may be a primer on how to successfully launch a tentpole film in today’s marketplace [3].

Paramount held off on the release of the movie, which was planned to go into theaters in June 2012. Fast forward 9 months to March 2013, add in increased 3D ticket prices with Paramount’s decision to adapt the film to 3D, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation has pulled in $233M and counting worldwide. Because the international market went for the 3D option, the decision to wait 9 months to convert the movie into 3D really paid off [3].

“The Rock,” Dwayne Johnson
Courtesy: businessinsider.com

The success can also be attributed to the films’s low budget and the decision not to reshoot parts of the film. With $233M made on worldwide sales, Paramount has already begun profiting heavily from the movie. Increasing its moderate $130M budget would not have made it an exponentially more entertaining film, according to Mendelson [8][3]. By sticking to its budget, appropriating 9 months for the transition to 3D, and refraining from taking exessive reshoots during post production, this mediocre sequel translated into a lucrative worldwide film.

JUST AROUND THE BEND

Upcoming on Paramount’s agenda is the release of some huge titles. Star Trek Into the Darkness is set to release on May 17 [10]. This sequel is being directed and produced by J.J Abrams, the man who previously produced and directed the recent 2009 Star Trek.

Star Trek Into the Darkness Film Poster
Courtesy: taylormarsh.com

There are high expectations for this Paramount Picture franchise. Because Star Trek is such a storied franchise, fanatics are concerned about the anagonist’s role as well as overall expectations for the film. Benedict Cumberbatch, the man purportedly playing the role of “Khan,” speaks to these concerns [7]:

“That way madness lies… I think that’s the thing, isn’t it? If you have an over preoccupation with perception and trying to please people’s expectations, then you can go mad. We’ve got J.J. Abrams, and he’s already beautifully cracked that nut in the first film, and I think it pleased a lot of the varying camps: people who were coming to the franchise for the first time, the J.J. Abrams fans and the Star Trek fans, so that was a big comfort to me [2].

Paramount hopes to capitalize on the excitement of the film following the extremely successful 2009 Star Trek that found its way into the top 10 highest grossing films in Paramount history.

FURTHER DOWN THE LINE
There are two films Paramount is set to release within the next six months that have gained the attention of film-fanatics.With the phenomenon of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Paramount is “feeding” on America’s cultural fetish with zombies in Marc Forster’s apocalyptic horror film World War Z starring Brad Pitt [10].

World War Z Film Poster
Courtesy: movienewz.com

Set to release on June 21, there have been some setbacks during production and a reported thrift between Pitt and Forster. After initial production had finished, this $125M budget film had to reshoot for seven weeks and its entire third act was rewritten [9]. Regardless, Paramount has high expectations for this gutty apocalyptic film, hoping it will be a summer blockbuster.

After the success and popularity of the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, news of the sequel has been highly anticipated. Starring Will Ferrell, this goofy comedy’s plot is still up in the air. Anchorman The Legend Continues is set to release on December 20, and fans are gearing up for another round of laughs [10].

Anchorman The Legend Continues Film Poster
Courtesy: Wikipedia.com

Paramount’s executive decisions to make these movie sequels shows the studio’s main goal-to make successful, lucrative films. By taking advantage of names like Will Ferrell in the upcoming Anchorman, franchise names like Star Trek, and cultural fetishes like zombie apocalypses, Paramount hedges their bets with expected profitable films.

PARAMOUNT’s GLOBAL REACH
In one of the most luxurious places in the world, Paramount Hotels and Resorts has partnered with the United Arab Emirates-based luxury developer DAMAC Properties to build a 540 room hotel in Dubai. This building, DAMAC Towers by Paramount, acts as a gateway for Paramount to spread their media content around the globe. The hotel will offer residences as well as temporary stays [1].

DAMAC Towers by Paramount
Courtesy: damacproperties.com

It will feature Paramount themed restaurants, bars, swimming pools, and contain a movie theater. The rooms will also have the accommodation to access exclussive Paramount films. According to initial reports, the Dubai venture has been a success, with the first level of residences already sold out. Construction is projected to be finished by the end of 2015. Paramount Hotels and Resorts is also extending its reach to Boao, China, where another hotel should be completed by the end of 2016 [5].

Sources:

[1] http://www.damacproperties.com/en/offer/offers/damac-towers-by-paramount.html

[2] http://screenrant.com/star-trek-2-into-darkness-images-gallery/

[3] http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/04/08/paramount-did-everything-right-with-g-i-joe-retaliation-except-make-a-good-movie/

[4] http://www.paramountstudiotour.com

[5] http://www.travelerstoday.com/articles/5593/20130402/paramount-pictures-open-first-movie-themed-hotel-dubai.htm

[6] http://www.imdb.com/list/BrYbKOsKKBQ/

[7] http://www.latinospost.com/articles/16107/20130408/star-trek-darkness-villain-spoilers-report-claims-knowledge-john-harrisons.htm

[8] http://movies.yahoo.com/box-office/

[9] http://io9.com/5918390/zombie-movie-world-war-z-is-an-undead-disaster

[10] http://www.paramount.com

20th Century Fox

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Rebecca Drootin

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp

10201 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90035

Mail: P.O. Box 900,
Beverly Hills, California 90213
Phone: 310-277-2211
Fax: 310-203-1558
www.foxmovies.com [1]

20th Century Fox’s iconic logo.

Summary:

20th Century Fox is a film production and distribution company under Fox Entertainment

Recent Best Picture winner, Life of Pi, is a 20th Century Fox film.

Group which is a part of the media conglomerate, News Corporation. The company releases about 14 films a year many of which have been very successful [1]. 20th Century Fox formed in 1935 and has been one of the top film studios for almost a hundred years [2]. The subsidiary companies to 20th Century Fox include Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios [1]. 20th Century Fox is most notably responsible for James Cameron’s films Avatar and Titanic as well as classics such as the Star Wars series, Home Alone, the Ice Age series, Independence Day, The Sound of Music, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and hundreds more [4].

Fox Searchlight’s logo

Fox Searchlight is a speciality division under 20th Century Fox. The company tends to release smaller budget, niche-genre films. Many of Fox Searchlight’s films have earned Academy Award nominations and wins such as Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Slumdog Millionaire, The Descendants, and Black Swan [4].

Executives [15]

Rupert Murdoch

Chris Petrikin- Executive Vice President, Global Communications
Rupert Murdoch- Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Robert Marick- Executive Vice President
Ricardo Crespo- Senior Vice President of Global Creative
Thomas E. Rothman- Board Member
Robert Harpe- Board Member
James Gianopulos- Board Member

Financial Information

News Corp’s current share price is $30.9 up 36.6% from 19.58 at this time last year. Their revenue for the year 2012 was $34.33 billion a 2% increase from their 2011 revenue of $33.4 billion [3].

This graph represents the share price of News Corp stock since 2008 [9].

20th Century Fox is currently number 4 in the market, holding an 11.7% share. It has grossed $256.9 million. Compared to its position in April of 2012, it is down $40 million in revenue, with the same amount of films released. In 2012, they finished 6th in the market with a 9.5% share, releasing 15 films. 2012 was a successful year, having increased profits from 2011 by 4.9%, up from $977 million to $1 billion [4].

Fox Searchlight is currently 16th in the market with a .2% of the market share. It has currently grossed $4.5 million at the box office with the release of 4 films so far this year. Searchlight finished 2012 grossing $117.8 million, down 22.7% from the 2011 gross of $152.4 million. For 2012, Fox Searchlight was 12th in the market a slight decline from their 2011 position of 11th in the market. In 2012 they released 10 movies and in 2011 they released 11, most likely causing the decline in profits [4].

Competitors

The Weinstein Company is independently owned unlike most studios that fall under a media conglomerate.

20th Century Fox competes most closely with the five other major studios (Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros, Disney, Universal, and Paramount.) Universal is currently number one in the market, followed by the Weinstein Company, and Buena Vista. Universal has only released 2 films so far this year, one being the successful film, Identity Theif, and have still been experiencing profits from their late 2012 releases including the award winner Les Miserables. Beuna Vista released the high grossing, Oz The Great and Powerful. The recent wild success of the Weinstein Company has caused it to become more comprable in profits to 20th Century Fox than to Fox Searchlight though they release similar types of films. This has largely been due to their award winning films Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook. 20th Century Fox has held a high position in the market due to the success of The Croods. Other 2013 releases inclue Broken City and A Good Day to Die Hard [4].

Recent News

After a phone hacking scandal in 2011 and increased pressure from shareholders, News Corp will be splitting into two separate companies mid-2013. 20th Century Fox and all other Fox brands will become a part of a new company titled Fox Group. The publishing side of the company will remain News Corporation. Fox Group is slated to be led by Chase Carey, president and chief operating officer, Rupert Murdoch, chief executive and chairman, and James Murdoch, who will serve as the deputy chief operating officer [6]. Due to this split, 20th Century Fox’s co-chairman Tom Rothman will be resigning, leaving co-chairman, Jim Gianopolus, to lead the entire film division [11].

The 2013 release of The Croods has been notable for more than just its success at the box office. The film is the first to be released under DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox’s new partnership. Formerly, DreamWorks films were distributed by Paramount but the two companies ended this agreement late last year. This new deal has been very profitable for 20th Century Fox, as The Croods grossed $44.7 million in its opening weekend alone [7].

20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios are currently preparing for the release of the film Epic. Director, Chris Wedge, known for the Ice Age films, claims that Epic shows both technological advancement and genre evolution for Blue Sky [12]. The companies are heavily promoting the film that is set to release in May. Teaming up with Rite-Aid, the film will be an official charity partner of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals [13].

20th Century Fox is taking initiative to lead the industry in the new medium of digital media. In September, the Home Entertainment division decided

to release digital copies of the film Prometheus three weeks before the DVD and Blu-ray release. In attempt to make online films more accessible and affordable, the company is also moving to dispel online piracy. 20th Century Fox is the first of the major studios to place such high importance on the release of digital content, calling the initiative Digital HD. Fox will release all recent films on Digital HD in addition to the effort to have over 600 Fox titles available on other digital platforms [8]. 20th Century Fox as well as other studios are currently in a prolonged legal battle with Google due to online piracy issues. The companies are requesting Google to remove links to pirated content but Google is responding by publishing the requests from these companies with direct links to the pirated content. This phenomenon is being called “copyright irony.” [14]

Fox Searchlight recently announced that it will be releasing the upcoming film, Twelve Years A Slave, rather than the parent company 20th Century Fox. The Steve McQueen film features Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, and the young Quvenzhane Wallis. It will premier in December [10]. Fox Searchlight currently has two films in theaters: Danny Boyle’s thriller Trance and Chan-wook Park’s Stoker which experienced festival success [10].

Sources:

[1] http://www.newscorp.com/management/20film.html

[2] http://www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive/zanuck-schenck.htm

[3] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=NWS+Key+Statistics

[4] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studios

[5] TRF 235 Lecture Notes: Barbara Jones, Class 2

[6] http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/news-corp-announces-its-corporate-split-and-the-closing-of-the-daily/

[7] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/movies/the-croods-and-olympus-has-fallen-lead-the-box-office.html?_r=2&

[8] http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/20th-century-fox-s-mary-daily-taking-digital-lead/238751/

[9] http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=NWS+Interactive#symbol=nws;range=20080103,20130401;compare=;indicator=volume;charttype=area;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=off;source=undefined;

[10] www.foxsearchlight.com

[11] http://www.medialifemagazine.com/people-9-17-12/

[12] http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=101806

[13] http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1149205

[14] http://businessofcinema.com/hollywood/twentieth-century-fox-and-others-in-piracy-battle-with-google/71643

[15] http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=35867

Photos

1.http://www.foxstudios.com/data/image/teasers/category_bg_home.jpg

2.https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/495817344/FoxLogo_FanfareVersion.jpg

3.http://www.impawards.com/2012/posters/life_of_pi.jpg

4.http://www.foxsearchlight.com/media/blog_post_images/fsl_logo2.jpg

5. http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/files/2010/09/rupert-murdoch.jpg

6. http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2010/11/19/weinstein.jpg?1290168446

7. http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BODU3NzI5ODc1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODQ2NDU1OA@@._V1_SX214_.jpg

8. http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2011/09/FBI_Anti-Piracy_Warning.jpeg

Tribune Broadcasting

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Anthony Phillips

Anthony Phillips

(19)

Tribune Company
435 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312.222.9100 / www.tribune.com

Company Overview

In 1847, this Chicago based company was created with the start up of the Chicago Daily Tribune, which had a circulation of 400 copies (1). After success in the newspaper industry, the Tribune Company has expanded its media platforms with the launch of its first radio station WGN in Chicago in 1924, and then its insertion into the TV industry in 1947 (2). With its rapid expansion in publishing, digital and broadcasting, Tribune has now become one of the principal multimedia companies in the nation.

(20)

Tribune Broadcasting Overview

After the company launched its first television station, KTLA- TV, Los Angles in 1947, the company expanded rapidly, tripling its station ownership by the next year. Now, Tribune is one of the leading broadcasters, with ownership of 23 major-market television stations across the US reaching an estimated 80 percent of TV households. The company also has a hand in the cable industry, with the WGN America cable network, which has an average viewership of over 70 million households through cable and satellite providers (3).

Executives

Peter Liguori

(19)

CEO of the Tribune Company, Liguori has worked for the Fox Broadcast Company, and most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Communications before coming on board with Tribune.

Larry Wert

(21)

President of Broadcast media, Wert was appointed in February 2013, and is in charge of the company’s 23 television stations and WGN Radio in Chicago (4).

Matt Cherniss

(22)

President & General Manager of WGN America & Tribune Studios, Cherniss is responsible for creation, strategy, and operations of the WGN superstation and Tribune Studios (5).

Chandler Bigelow

(23)

Appointed in March 2008 as Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Bigelow oversees all corporate finance functions (6).

Assets

(7)

The staple of its broadcasting, WGN America, offers an array of content as “home of the superfan” with popular shows in syndication, movies, news, and Chicago based sports (7). As of July 2012, coverage estimates for WGN America were a little over 66 percent reaching a little under 76 million households (10).

With its ownership of 23 major-market television stations, Tribune has thirteen affiliations with The CW, seven with Fox, two with MyNetworkTV, and one with ABC (8). In addition to these major market stations, Tribune Broadcasting also has ownership of the CLTV, Chicagoland Television, which partnered up with Tribunes prominent WGN-TV station in Chicago to deliver 24 hour local and regional news coverage for the Chicago Area (18).

Financial Information

(19)

Tribune used to be a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange as of 1983, but in late 2007 the company became privatized again. In December 2008, due to an unexpected decline of revenue and too much debt to handle, Tribune had to file petitions for Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court (11). After four years of restructuring, Tribune was able to recover from Chapter 11 with a new term loan of $1.1 billion and $300 million revolving credit facility to maintain operations of the company (12). Even though Tribune is now a private company, they still voluntarily report annual and quarterly financial statements, but they are only estimations and subject to change. On September 23, 2012 the third quarter results were released publicly, and the company had an estimated $2.2 billion operating revenue with a net income of $254 million. Since these financial statements are voluntary for the company they only have reports of the entire company and subsidiaries together. The only assets reported for the broadcasting division were the broadcast rights for this quarter, which were $26 million (9). With an up haul of restructuring and reorganization, Tribune has shown with their profitable assets that they are on their way out of bankruptcy. Tribune also has equity interests in broadcasting and digital content like the Food Network, NimbleTV, and TOPIX, which all have been helpful in its financial return and have contributed a good amount of success to Tribune’s already existing assets.

In the News

(24)

As of April 2^nd Tribune Broadcasting’s creative division, Tribune Creative Group has partnered up with the production company Turbo Dog Productions. With its advances with equipment and creative expertise, this newly formed partnership will expand Tribunes footprint in its advertising. Turbo Dog Productions will now be located in Manhattan under the newly formed Pix11 studio, with state-of-the-art equipment like Motion Capture technology, a Virtual Camera system, full CGI and VFX, and multiple green screens (14). Andrew Kessler, CEO of Turbo Dog Productions stated that this new collaboration, “will ensure we remain significantly ahead of our competition and further our ability to provide both our domestic and overseas clients with the highest quality of content over the full spectrum of visual creative materials” (14).

PHL17, Tribune’s MyNetworkTV affiliate in Philadelphia announced on March 28 that the station would broadcast the 2013 Season Opener for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team game against the Atlanta Braves, with a pregame show at 6:30pm following up to the opener at 7:05pm (15). Nielsen ratings the next day estimated that the game averaged an 11.5 household rating, which set an unprecedented record high for the station over the last 17 years. These results gave an estimate that over 339 thousand homes tuned into the game, making it the number one programmed broadcast for the night (16).

Combined with its already prominent scheduling of popular syndicated shows like 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and Scrubs, WGN America announced on March 26^th that they would be adding additional network shows to the mix. Hoping to boost ratings, Tribunes cable network will be airing marathon blocks of

(25)

The Vampire Diaries and Arrow. Original content from The CW Network, both of these shows have been the most popular shows to date for the network, with The Vampire Diaries being the highest-rated drama while Arrow has been the most-watched show. With the new addition of these shows through block programming, WGN America hopes to get viewers attention so they “can catch up on all the action-packed drama before the final original episodes of the season on The CW” (17).

Works Cited

(1)– http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=2313

(2)– http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/tribune-company-history/

(3)– http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=4200

(4)– http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=5253

(5)– http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/3169-tribune-broadcasting-forms-new-studio-hires-new-head-of-wgn-america

(6)– http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=2352

(7)– http://www.wgnamerica.com/

(8)– http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=2311

(9)– http://www.tribune.com/emergence/Tribune_2010_2011_Q32012_Financial_Statements.pdf

(10)–http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/08/18/cable-network-coverage-estimates-as-of-july-2012/145322/

(11)–http://dm.epiq11.com/TRB/Project

(12)–http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=5081

(14)–http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=5382

(15)–http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=5393

(16)–http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=5395

(17)–http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=5365

(18)–http://cltv.com/about/#axzz2PvIHRjPw

(19)– http://www.deadline.com/tag/tribune-co/

(20)– http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/tribune-fox-affiliation-tv-stations/

(21)– http://www.suntimes.com/business/18206595-420/nbc-5-gm-wert-to-lead-tribunes-wgn-tv-radio-other-stations.html

(22)– http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/matt-cherniss-joins-tribune-as-president-gm-of-wgn-newly-formed-tribune-studios/

(23)– http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20081101/ISSUE02/100030896/chandler-bigelow

(24)– http://vimeo.com/26967191

(25)– http://www.beyondhollywood.com/kiera-cass-the-selection-lands-at-the-cw-as-as-tv-series/the-cw-logo/

Scripps Networks Interactive

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Lauren Nicholas

by Lauren Nicholas

– Scripps Networks Interactive logo (x)

9721 Sherrill Boulevard
Knoxville, TN 37932 865.694.2700

www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com

Who is Scripps Networks Interactive

Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) is a cable television network that offers a variety of popular “slice of life” brands across numerous mediums such as television, digital media, mobile, and publishing. The network is practiced exclusively in the lifestyle genre housing syndicated shows on popular channels such as Food Network, Travel Channel, and HGTV. Scripps is truly an interactive network with shows that inspire its audience, about 144 million unduplicated viewers per month, to try new things and explore the world around them.

Due to the style of its shows Scripps is known for integrating products into the actual program. With its number 1 rank in persuading viewers to buy new products, Scripps Network has become a favorite among advertisers. [1] [2]

History

Scripps Networks Interactive first began to develop into the company it is today in 1994 with the debut of HGTV (formally Home & Garden Television). However, its roots date back to 1878 when Edward W. Scripps founded The Penny Press in Cleveland. Penny Press established the E.W Scripps Company as one of the post-war era’s most influential newspaper publishers. Following the success of HGTV, the company debuted additional channels through the late 90s and early 2000s including but not limited to, the DIY Network (1999) and Cooking Channel (formally Fine Living Network) (2002). In 2008 Scripps expanded into two publicly traded companies. E. W. Scripps Company houses broadcast television, news, and community educational services. Scripps Networks Interactive houses interactive media, and cable television. Today, Scripps Networks Interactive has grown to include six channels all of which have an active online presence through channel websites, social media pages and online videos. [3]

Key People

– Kenneth W. Lowe (x)

Kenneth W. Lowe – Chairman, President and CEO

Joseph G. NeCastro – Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

John Lansing – President Scripps Networks

Brands/Channels

Food Network logo (x)

Food Network: Food Network is a unique channel that reaches viewers through TV, the web and magazine. The channel is distributed to more than 100 million American households. The channel also has a growing international presence with availability in more than 150 countries, including Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. [4]

– DIY Network logo (x)

DIY Network: DIY is a home improvement channel that answers questions about home craft projects and makeovers. DIY reaches more than 56 million American households. [5]

– HGTV logo (x)

HGTV: The veteran channel of Scripps Networks Interactive has everything you could ask for about the home and its surrounding landscape. HGTV offers a number of how-to home improvement series that focus on artistic renovations, crafts and maintenance. HGTV boasts a following of more than 95 million American households. [6]

Cooking Channel logo (x)

Cooking Channel: As its catch phrase “Stay Hungry”, suggests Cooking Channel is a station that is as passionate about food as its viewers. Following the model of many series on Scripps other channels Cooking Channel features various instructional shows about proper cooking habits and features various unique recipes. [7]

-Travel Channel logo (x)

Travel Channel: Travel Channel is a station all about the world around us. Programs offer beautiful adventures to its viewers by looking at the culture, food and homes of different nations. Travel Channel reaches more than 95 million American households. [8]

– GAC logo (x)

GAC: Great American Country (GAC) offers programs that focus on style of country living. Programs give viewers access to country music videos, cooking shows and reality TV series. GAC reaches more than 59 million American households. [9]

Finances

As of April 8th 2013 Scripps Networks Interactive stock is priced at $66.89. This is an increase of about 1.43% from yesterdays stock prices. The companies current market capitalization, as of April 5th, is about $9.82 billion. The companies current annual net income is about 681.48 million which is a great increase of about 60% from 411.56 million in 2011. Scripps seems to be doing very well with 305.80 million this quarter. [10]

Recent/Future News

January 2013

Last July Scripps Networks Interactive closed a carriage deal with Comcast that included TV Everywhere. Over the next 18 to 24 months, Scripps chairman and CEO Kenneth Lowe, plans to expand the companies TV Everywhere deals. TV Everywhere deals are

– Scripps Networks Brands (x)

sure to substantially benefit Scripps series especially those that specialize in cooking. TV Everywhere could extend the amount of time a viewer spends watching a show. With channels like Food Network, viewers can take their laptops, tablets or smartphones into the kitchen to continue watching a program while the cook along with the show host. Lowe stated that Scripps could see more ratings as a result because their will be multiple platforms rather than a single stationary TV screen. However, some trouble lies within properly tracking TV Everywhere ratings. Nielsen Media Research insists it can consistently and accurately track TV Everywhere ratings, however, Lowe remains somewhat apprehensive. He states that the problem is with pricing and technical issues with programmers and rating companies. [11]

February 2013

Scripps Networks Interactive has been making progressive moves to expand its presence over seas by selecting two new additions to its international leadership team. Derek Chang and Márcio Fonseca have been named managing director of Asia Pacific and Latin American respectively. Food Network and Travel Channel already have a substantial

-Jonathan Phang host of Caribbean Cookbook (x)

viewership in some parts of the Asian Pacific but Scripps is looking to further expand its market reach through wider distribution and additional program availability. Both Food Network and Travel Channel shows are rich with content related to Asian countries and have become the premiere brands in the life style programming categories. Chang, along with Scripps, have great plans for the future of these channels. Similarly, though Scripps is less established in Latin America, managing director Fonseca will carry out various growth strategies to launch the networks international presences. With these two new managers Scripps Networks now has a growing presence in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific and Latin America. [12] [13]

Late this February Scripps Networks Interactive ventured into the VOD market with its first streaming video-on-demand partnership with Amazon. Scripps licensed many episodes of its top series to Amazon Prime. Though the deal was only about $15million, small potatoes compared to deals by CBS and Time Warner, it is expected to grow over time. Customers of Amazon Prime will have access to series from HGTV, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Travel Channel. These programs include but aren’t limited to “Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day”, “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and “Iron Chef America.” Some of these series will almost be available to buy and download from Amazon Instant Video. These new deals with Amazon are part of Scripps new initiative to offer their programs whenever and wherever their viewers want it. [14]

April 2013

Travel Channel prepares for the spring season with two new series added to its lineup; “Red, White & New,” and “Dig Wars”. These two original series will premiere in late April and mid-June respectively with back to back new episodes. “Red, White & New,” is produced by Powderhouse Productions, and has cast Steve Watson as its show host. Watson will travel across the nation to discover original and unique American inventions. The show aims to celebrate new American ingenuity by highlighting people who invent interesting tools that transform their lives in exciting ways.

– Robotic exoskeleton, “Big Arm” (x)

These inventions include a robotic exoskeleton that gives its wearer a form of super human strength, an extreme design of the classic Pogo stick that allows high jumping with compressed air-power, a the world’s first working water-powered jet pack! Host Steve Watson will test these inventions first hand while discussing the inspiration behind each project with the inventors.

“Dig Wars,” is produced by Sharp Entertainment and in june it will feature three teams as they hunt down relics across the country to uncover this nations hidden history. These teams will challenge each other head-to-head to unearth the most valuable relics through the exploration of numerous historical locations in America. Each episode, once they arrive on site, teams will work from sunrise to sunset using their archeological knowledge to gain victory. When the hunt ends the team’s treasures will be judged by a local expert who declares the winner. [15]

Food Network prepares for the its spring line up with a the new program “Giving You The Business”. The series is produced by Cineflix, and will follow employees that are selected by the company’s CEO to compete for the opportunity to own a food franchise. The twist, however, is that the contestants don’t know they are in a competition. Hand-selected for their devotion to the company the employees take part in various hidden-camera challenges meant to test the skills and knowledge that are typical in management positions. The winner is judged by the CEO, and is awarded their own franchise. The show is set to premiere April 25^th and will feature Famous Famiglia as its first victim with Walter Bond as the show’s host. [16]

Sources

1: Scripps Networks Interactive logo: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/our-company/about-us/

2: Who is Scripps: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/our-company/about-us/ http://brandedcontent.adage.com/cableguide2012/network.php?id=60

3: History: http://www.scripps.com/scripps-timeline

4: People: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/our-company/leaders/

5: Lowe-photo: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/newsroom/media-assets/?start1=37

6: Brands: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/our-brands/

7: Food Net photo: http://www.foodnetwork.com/about-us/about-foodnetworkcom/index.html

8: DIY photo: http://www.diynetwork.com/

9: HGTV photo: http://www.hgtv.com/about-us/questions-for-hgtvcom/index.html

10: GAC photo: http://www.gactv.com/

11: Cooking Channel photo: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/site/about-us.html

12: Travel photo: http://www.travelchannel.com/

13: Finances: https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE%3ASNI&ei=DnNjUYDBFKXulgOl8wE

14: Scripps Networks Brands photo: http://brandedcontent.adage.com/cableguide2012/network.php?id=60

15: TV Everywhere deal: http://www.multichannel.com/cable-operators/scripps-more-tv-everywhere-deals-come/141093

16: Jonathan Phang photo: http://www.travelchanneltv.asia/series-info.asp?series=Jonathan+Phang+Caribbean+Cookbook&ID=1652#.UWNkXXAgNFs

17: Asia Pacific expansion: http://ir.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=222475&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1788325&highlight= http://ir.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=222475&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1798372&highlight=

18: Amazon Prime deal: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/492101-Scripps_Networks_Puts_Shows_on_Amazon.php

19: Travel Channel series: http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/03/12/new-additions-to-travel-channels-spring-lineup-red-white-new-dig-wars/173165/

20: robo photo: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/whats-new-on-travel-channel/photos/red-white-and-new

21: Giving You The Business: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteractive.com/newsroom/company-news/Employees-unknowingly-compete-for-own-food-franchise-in-new-Food-Network-series/

22: Giving you the Business video: http://youtu.be/JPtTw1bmPD0

Principles & Practices

Website by the students of TRF235

Monthly Archives: April 2013

Univision

ION Media Networks

Univision

Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures

Radio One

Viacom Inc.

NEW SHOWS + NEW LOOK + @VH1 #plussed (:30)

2013 Movie Awards: VOTE NOW FOR MOVIE OF THE YEAR!

Paramount Pictures

20th Century Fox

Summary:

Executives [15]

Financial Information

Competitors

Recent News

Sources:

Photos

Tribune Broadcasting

Scripps Networks Interactive

Who is Scripps Networks Interactive

History

Key People

Brands/Channels

Finances

Recent/Future News