Monthly Archives: October 2013

A+E Television Networks

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Courtesy of A&E Networks (1)

235 East 45th Street New York, NY 10017

(212)-210-1400

www.aenetworks.com

Mission

“At A+E Networks, we are passionate about bringing human stories to life, knowing that it is in life itself that those stories originate. We are commited to empowering our employees, strengthening our partnerships and engaging audiences across the globe.”

Life is what you make it. We make it entertaining. “ (1)

Key Executives (2)

 About

courtesy of a&e networks

courtesy of a&e networks (3)

A+E Television Networks, LLC is a media company and a joint venture between the Disney ABC-Television Group and Hearst Corporation. The company owns 10 separate channels: A&E, History Channel, Lifetime Channel, LMN, Bio, H2, History en Español, Crime & Investigation Network, Military History, and LRW Network. The network currently reaches more than 300 million households in over 150 countries. The network also includes two international divisions: A&E Networks UK & A&E Networks Asia (1)

History

A+E Networks was formed in in 1983 and in 1984 A&E launched to an estimated 6 million homes in the U.S. Soon after, Lifetime Television launched. As the years progressed, A&E introduced Biography, History Channel and History International. They have had many successes through the years such such as the History Channel reaching 70 million subscribers, the fastest cable network to do this since its inception. Also, in 2002 they were nominated for 22 primetime Emmys. They have had many successful TV shows such as The Sopranos, Intervention, Drop Dead Diva and critically acclaimed films such as Flight 93, which continues to be the highest rated A&E original movie. (1)

Financials

A&E Networks is not a publicly traded company therefore no detailed financial information is available (4)

Main Competitors (5)

Courtesy of Discovery Communications (6)

Courtesy of MTV Networks

Courtesy of MTV Networks (7)

Courtesy of AMC Networks

Courtesy of AMC Networks (8)

 

Right Here, Right Now!

September

Courtesy of seriesnews.biz (9)

In a historically first for A+E Networks, it was announced on September 18 that Lifetime, A&E and History would simulcast Bonnie & Clyde, a four-hour, two-night major event premiering on December 8th. (10)

Courtesy of IMDB (11)

The new hit TV show Devious Maids had its greatest viewership on September 23. A total of 3 million viewers watched the season finale against a very competitive night. The episode was a 50% jump versus the first episode. The program is also a series high in the most important demographic: 1.4 million in Adults 18-49 and 1.2 million in women Adult 18-49. The programs 19% hispanic viewership doubles Lifetime’s primetime average. The show tells the story of a group of maids bound together by their jobs, life and devious secrets. The show already has been renewed for a 13-episode second season airing next year. (12)

Courtesy of wikipedia (13)

 

Also on September 24, Lifetime announced that their longest running series Army Wives would not return after seven seasons on air. To honor the program, the network is planning a two-hour retrospective episode that will air early 2014. The show followed the lives of a group of women living with their families in an active Army Post. Throughout its run, the drama received two Gracie Awards from the Alliance for Women in Media, a Sentinel for Health Award, many NAACP Image Award, NAMIC Award and Prism Award nominations. (14)

Courtesy of Giant Freaking Robot (15)

On September 27, A&E Networks announced that they are developing a new original scripted drama series entitled “The Returned” based on the popular French series Les Revenants. The story follows a small town where people who have been presumed dead suddenly appear mysteriously with no recollection of their deaths. The show will be a co-production between A&E Studios and FremantleMedia North America. (16)

October

Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter (17)

A&E presents a new brand identity which included a new website, a new on-air look and the tagline BE ORIGINAL. A&E continues to be 100% original during its primetime programming and this is an opportunity to develop what makes the network succeeded. “A&E has always been a leader in quality original programming and has enjoyed a decade of growth. Our new tagline embodies who we are and not just what we do” said David McKillop, General manger & Executive Vice President. (17)

Courtersy of haveuheard.net (19)

On October 25th, Lifetime renewed Drop Dead Diva for a sixth season. Drop Dead Diva tells the story of a model that dies and her soul resurfaces in a body of a plus-size deceased attorney. This comes to no surprise as the show continues to be a hit among women ages 18-49 (18)

Courtesy of A&E TV (20)

A&E had its best October yet among their total viewers. They saw a 10% increase in total from last October and a 3% increase in Adults ages 18-49. Also, A&E jumped in rankings to #5 for the months in adults ages 25-54. They were one of the only three top ten networks to show an increase compared to last October showing that as time progresses, A&E is becoming more and more competitive. (21)

November

Courtesy of Deadline.com (22)

A&E Network renewed their distribution agreement with Time Warner Cable and their TV Everywhere platforms such as Video-On-Demand. All of their networks including Lifetime, History, LMN, etc will be included in the deal. They will be available in all types of mobile platforms such as Iphone and Ipads through Time Warner. (23)

A&E networks Asia will also launch Lifetime and H2 in the Phillipines. Lifetime channel will carry the renowned series The Client List and unforgettable and unscripted shows suchs as Masterchef Australia and Dance Moms. H2 delves deeper into the events presented in the History Channel and gives viewers deeper connections in a variety of subjects. H2 launched in September 2011 and is currently the #1 emerging ad-supported entertainment cable network in the United States among adults ages 25-54. (24)

Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter (25)

On November 13, A&E Networks joined forces with French Pay TV Channel Canal Plus to create two new branded channels: Planete Plus A&E and Planet Plus Crime Investigation (CI). Both channels will be carried on the Gallic paybox’s satellite platform named CanalSat and will broadcast both A&E programming and local French and European productions. A&E Networks’ managing director in Europe Dean Possenniskie stated “We’re looking forward to working closely with Canal+ to bringing French audiences the highest quality factual entertainment programming and strengthening our viewership in this vital market.” My Ghost Story, Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars,  and Pawn Stars are some of the programs that will air in Planete Plus A&E. Cajun Justice, Crime 360, and I killed My BFF will air in Planete Plus CI (26)

 

Sources

(1) http://www.aenetworks.com/about

(2) http://www.aenetworks.com/about/executives

(3) http://www.aenetworks.com/about/products

(4) http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/47/47295.html

(5) http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/competition.AE_Television_Networks_LLC.f4985e3783c6d962.html

(6) http://msba.cua.edu/Current/Internships/Discovery.cfm

(7) http://www.mtv.com/

(8) http://www.amcnetworks.com/

(9) http://seriesnews.biz/bonnie-and-clyde-tv-mini-series-promo-posters/

(10) http://www.aenetworks.com/article/flagship-brands-ae-networks-unite-simulcast-bonnie-clyde-tentpole-miniseries-starring-emile

(11) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2226342/

(12) http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/23/devious-maids-season-finale-reaches-series-highs-posts-double-digit-growth-versus-premiere/204344/

(13) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Wives

(14) http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/24/army-wives-canceled-by-lifetime-after-seven-seasons/204692/

 (15) http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/scifi/losts-carlton-cuse-adapt-french-undead-series-returned-ae.html

(16) https://www.aenetworks.com/article/ae-developing-new-scripted-series-returned

(17) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a-e-unveils-new-be-645428 

(18) http://www.aenetworks.com/article/lifetime-renews-drop-dead-diva-sixth-season

(19) http://haveuheard.net/2010/05/drop-dead-diva-season-2-preview-6610/ 

(20) http://www.aetv.com/

(21) http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/10/29/ae-network-posts-best-october-ever-in-key-demos/212311/

(22) http://www.deadline.com/tag/vod-time-warner-cable/

(23) http://variety.com/interstitial/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com%2F2013%2Ftv%2Fnews%2Fae-networks-goes-multiplatform-with-time-warner-cable-pact-1200805257%2F

(24) http://www.aenetworks.com/article/ae-networks-asia-launches-lifetime-and-h2-philippines

(25) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/canal-disney-announce-svod-partnership-425103

(26) http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/ae-networks-teams-with-french-pay-tv-leader-canal-plus-1200826919/

Comcast – NBC Universal

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By Conor McGovern

Openning picture NBC comacst

30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
 212-664-4444

Key Executives [1]:

About NBCUniversal [7]:

NBCUniversal is a mass media company, and as of early 2013 fully owned by Comcast Corporation [9], that delievers entertainment, news and sports all across the globe. NBCUniversal creates and distributes content for broadcast and cable television, film, and online. With cooperate owenership and influence all around the world, NBCUniversal is much deserving of its name.

Broadcast & Cable Television: 

NBC and Telemundo broadcast television networks are at the forefront of NBCUniversal’s television presence. Telemundo offers premium spanish language programming aimed at the Hispanic community. It is a one stop shop for a variety of shows, ranging from news to telenovelas and reality television. With powerhouse shows such as The Voice, Community, TODAY, Law & Order: SVU, America’s Got Talent and many more, NBC offers a variety of content to all television watchers across America. NBCUniversal also owns several NBC affiliates throughout the country, delivering high quality regional based content to the nation’s biggest cities.

As far as cable is concerned, NBCUniversal continues to grow its reach across all different types of audiences. NBCUniversal has cable channel offerings such as E!, USA, SyFy, The Golf Channel, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC and many others. This diverse distribution of their cable investments shows how NBCU can make an impact on your television viewing experience no matter what you enjoy.

Film & Digital Media:

Universal Pictures, one the six major film studios, is also owned by NBCUniversal. With recent and future releases such as About Time, The Best Man Holiday, and Lone Survivor, NBCUniversal will look for star-power to bring in large gains as the holiday season quickly approaches.

On the web, NBCUniversal has its hands in many nontraditional media outlets such as Hulu, Fandango, and iVillage. Fandago and Hulu link its users to an online stream or even a physical ticket to explore a vast array of movies and television entertainment. iVillage is a lifestyle, entertainment and news website geared towards women that boasts an impressive 30 million unique visitors a month [14].

Financials:

NBCUniversal continues to bring in great profit over the years with 2013 being no exception. NBCUniversal had a very solid 3rd quarter of the year with revenue increasing by 3.9% [15]. However, a huge portion of the quarterly gains were seen by the great success  Despicable Me 2 has shown for Universal Pictures. On the television side of things, operating cash flow increased by 5.4% for the cable unit while plummiting by 61% for the broadcast unit [16].

NBCUniversal will look to bounce back with a great increase in revenue once the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia being. NBCUniversal has exclusive rights to the Olympics and hope to bring in similar numbers to their 2012 Summer Olympic coverage, which generated $1.2 billion in revenue [16] .

What’s Happening Now?

Aiming for a Younger Demographic?

Sprout_banner_small

NBCUniversal just sealed a deal to bump its cable television offerings with the purchase of the childrens cable network, Sprout, from PBS and HIT Television Ventures. The numbers and terms of the transaction have yet to be released. Unlike some other television networks such as Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel, Sprout is aimed at children 5 and below. This unique age gap will give NBCUniversal the ability to introduce Sprout watchers to the NBCU brand. Sprout currently broadcasts the PBS show, Sesame Street, as well as Lazy Town and others that remain popular with the demographic. It will be interesting to see if NBCUniversal can hold on to the rights to some of the existing programming, or if they create their own original content. Another prospect to consider is NBCUniversal rebranding the channel to coincide with an age demographic more suitable to be a bridge to their other cable channels. [18]

The BPL on NBCSN: 

nbc-epl1

With the relaunch of NBC Sports Network back in January of 2012, NBCSN has constantly been looking for ways to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Channels like FOX Sports 1, as well as the giant that is ESPN, both threaten to take away viewership from NBCSN. However, with the purchase of the exclusive rights to broadcast the Barclay’s Premier League, England’s top soccer league, NBCSN has done well since the late-august launch of the BPL on the network. Comparing to last years opening weekend of the BPL on FOX Soccer Channel and ESPN, NBC and NBCSN averaged a .5 rating, a 67% increase over the average .3 rating their competitors had [20]. To put this success even more into perspective, NBCUniversal had 9 million viewers watch the first 5 game weeks of the season. This is quite impressive when you look at the only 4.8 million viewers who tuned in to watch the first 5 game weeks last year [21]. While the number may not seem very high, it is quite understandable given the morning start times of these games because of the time change.

An Olympic-sized push:

sochi_logo

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are quickly approaching and NBCU is ready to go. NBCUniversal has begun its 100-day company wide countdown to the opening ceremony. There is a lot on the line for NBCU to make sure that this olympics is as profitable as ever, considering its $775 million rights fee [23]. As a way to promote the coverage of this worldwide event, NBCU will play high quality promotional commercials over the upcoming weeks across all of its broadcast and cable networks. Also, NBC and other NBCU channels have already begun to display the iconic peacock bug symbol with the olympic rings below it [24]. However it will be interesting to see if the time zone shift will have an impact on ratings as Sochi and New York have an 8-hour time difference.

Below is a Sochi 2014 promotional video NBCU will use across its variety of networks.

Courtesy of Youtube [25]:

Twitter & NBCU strike a deal: 

nbc-s-shows-to-stream-on-twitter

Last month NBCUniversal and Twitter announced a partnership to bring television and social even closer. Initially the deal works for Xfinity Comcast cable subscribers who will be able to essentially see a tweet about a show or movie and turn that into a direct link to watch or DVR it. Twitter will also be using this deal to advertise out an array of NBCUniversal content through promotional tweets. Look for both companies to push this social move onto other networks to heighten its popularity. [27]

Branson and NBCUniversal Liftoff: 

original-640x250

Comcast and Virgin Galactic have partnered to bring the unique experience of the first commercial space flight, by no one other than Richard Branson, to the NBCUniversal family of networks next year. The coverage of this event will end with a 3-hour live special the day of the launch on TODAY.  NBCUniversal will attempt to build hype around this event in hope that it will be considered a monumental moment in television history. [29]

Sources

[1] http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/executives/ 

[2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2013/08/07/broadband-behemoth-comcast-makes-ceo-brian-roberts-a-billionaire-again/

[3] http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/leadership-overview/brian-l-roberts

[4] http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/senior-corporate-executives/nbc-universal/stephen-b-burke/

[5] http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/senior-corporate-executives/nbc-universal/cesar-conde/

[6] http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/management/senior-corporate-executives/nbc-universal/ted-harbert/

[7]http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/about-us/ 

[8] http://www.nbcuni.com/site-content/uploads/2012/05/1-NBCU_homepage4.jpg 

[9] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13/comcast-s-nbc-purchase-pushes-roberts-into-entertainment.html

[10] http://media.getthefive.com/uploads/article_images/nbc-universal-logo.jpg

[11] http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1557238/execs-artists-got-high-in-universal-music-west-coast-office-lawsuit-claims

[12] http://vector-magz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/ivillage-logo.gif

[13] http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/fandango-smashes-records-with-its-best-year-in-company-history

[14] http://www.crunchbase.com/company/ivillage

[15]  http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=670469 

[16] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/despicable-me-2-helps-boost-651661

[17] http://odol-cisec-02-whitemarsh-md.se.cim-cim-prog.cdn2.comcast.net/TeamComcast/Sprout_banner_small.jpg

[18] http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/nbcuniversal-acquires-full-ownership-of-kiddie-cabler-sprout-1200827404/ 

[19] http://worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/nbc-epl1.jpg  

[20] http://advanced-television.com/2013/08/19/premier-league-record-us-ratings-for-nbc/ 

[21]http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2013-14/oct/nbc-sports-enjoy-ratings-rise-for-barclays-premier-league.html 

[22]http://www.urizendesign.com/img/sochi_logo.jpg

[23] http://www.entertainmentmanagementonline.com/2013/11/07/nbc-bullish-on-profitability-of-sochi-olympics/

[24] http://olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/21/nbc-universal-100-days-out-olympics-giancarlo-esposito-commercials-video/

[25] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU4QZVO2lQs 

[26] http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/news/nbc-s-shows-to-stream-on-twitter.jpg 

[27]  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcuniversal-showcase-tv-shows-twitter-646261 

[28]  http://www.time4aviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/original-640×250.jpg

[29] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/nbcuniversal-televise-first-commercial-space-654608 

 

 

20th Century Fox

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20th_century_fox-25201

CONTACT

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp
10201 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90035

www.foxmovies.com
www.foxstudios.com
Phone: (310) 369-1000

KEY EXECUTIVES:

(http://www.theempressofdress.com/2012/12/02/20th-century-fox/)

[10] via The Empress of Dress Blog

 

Mr. Keith Rupert Murdoch, 82 years old
Chairman of the Board and CEO

HIS TEAM  [3]
Mr. Eduardo Echeverria – Senior VP of Latin America
Mr. Michael Peikoff – Senior VP of
Licensing and Merchandising
Mr. Robert Marick – Executive VP

 

BIO

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, better known as 20th Century Fox, is one of the top six world-renowned American film studios. It is a fully-equipped studio with over 17 stages, based out of the Century City area of Los Angeles, California. It is a subsidiary of the major media conglomerate 21st Century Fox as of recent divisional affairs. Major motion pictures from the studio include Avatar, Star Wars, X-Men, and Independence Day. [5]

(http://www.theempressofdress.com/2012/12/02/20th-century-fox/)

[10] via Empress The Dress Blog

HISTORY


 20th Century Fox began as Fox Film Corporation, which was started by movie theater chain entrepreneur William G. Fox. He began Fox Film Corporation when he merged his two companies Greater New York Film Rental and Fox Office Attractions Company in 1915, unknowingly creating the foundations of one of the biggest film production companies in American history. Fox Film Corporation eventually merged with Twentieth Century Pictures on May 31, 1935 to become what we know today as The Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, or simply, 20th Century Fox. [1]

20th Century Fox is a subsidiary of the newly established 21st Century Fox. This past June 2013, mega-media distributor News Corporation (founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1979) was split into two separately traded companies; 21st Century Fox and News Corp. The film/media assets (20th Century Fox Studios) went to 21st Century Fox, and the publishing assets went strictly to News Corp. This highly anticipated split was achieved to appease long-term shareholders who were tired of the lesser of the successes, the publishing assets, from weighing down the stock. [4]

 

FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

21st Century Fox (the owner of the subsidiary 20th Century Fox) is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FOXA. As of last week (Tuesday, November 5th) it has been an official quarter since the June 2013 split of News Corporation into News Corp and 21st Century Fox. Since the split, the quarter report reveals that 21st Century Fox profit has experienced a 44% profit loss. Net income for the past quarter was 1.26 billion or 54 cents a share [8] whereas a year ago, it was 2.23 billion or 94 cents a share. This drop may be due the launch of two new cable channels, FXX and Fox Sports 1, however Fox executives recognize their success take time. “We knew going in that building these networks would take a few years, not months, and many of our signature events and programs are yet to be launched” Chase Carey, Chief Operating Officer of 21st Century Fox, said. However in terms of studio revenue, there was a 9% increase to $2.12 billion in the past quarter, partially attributed to the sale of popular TV series New Girl to Netflix and strong movie releases such as The Wolverine and The Heat, although neither compared to last year’s blockbuster Ice Age: Continental Drift. [7]

 

CURRENT NEWS


book_thief_xlg

Via IMP Awards [16]

In Theaters now: 20th Century Fox recently released the young adult film The Book Thief on November 8, 2013, based on the best-selling novel. It tells of the journey of a young adopted girl, Liesel, and her life-changing experiences during World War II in Nazi-occupied Germany. Because of the film’s heavy theme and need to find its niche audience, it is being released gradually. Over opening weekend it was only released in four theaters (two in New York and two in LA), the second weekend it opened in 29 theatres, and its  major release will be November 27, over Thanksgiving weekend. [12] The film ranked #30 in terms of gross total and has made a total of $569,000 thus far, although greater success after its main release is highly anticipated. [11] On the same day The Book Thief was released, another 20th Century Fox motion picture, 12 Years A Slave, took box offices by storm. It is the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, who is sold into slavery in the antebellum south. The movie is in its 5th week and ranks #8 on top grossing movies on the past weekend. It has made nearly 25 million dollars and is showing in 1,411 theatres. [11]

Past successes of the quarter include the drug trafficking thriller The Counselor (which currently ranks #18 in its 4th week) which has made $16,582,000. Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake’s Runner Runner came in third in its opening weekend, after Gravity and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. Although it did not receive much praise from the critics, Runner Runner’s international release helped its numbers greatly. It grossed a domestic total of over 19 million dollars and adding this to its foreign box office totals, the film has earned over 60 million dollars. [14]

runner-runner-poster08

[17] via Chicago Now

Other films released this year include the indie teen romance The Spectacular Now, comedy The Internship, and 3-D animated kids movie Epic. In 2012, 20th Century Fox hits included Life Of Pi, Lincoln, and Diary Of  Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. [13]

 

WHAT’S TO COME?

Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will finish out 20th Century Fox’s releases of 2013. For 2014, Devil’s Due, Son of God, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Maze Runner, the extremely expensive sequels  X-Men: Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, are all in store. [13]

20th Century Fox recently began discussing plans for the creation of a theme park near Miami Florida’s Zoo, after its recent agreement to create one in Malaysia. The plan would consist of 70 acres of a traditional “Orlando-style” amusement park with rides and attractions themed around the studio’s recent hit movies, such as Rio, Ice Age, Life of Pi, and Night at the Museum. There would be a separate 16-acre water park, an expansive hotel, a movie theater (used for Fox film premiers), a concert hall, a shopping strip, and a sports park. The cost of the park is 1 billion dollars, although Fox is only looking to pay $800 million of it, and hopes Miami-Dade County can fund the rest. Although nothing is finalized yet, Fox projects a dual-phased opening, one in 2018 and one in 2020. [15]

SOURCES:

[1] The Studio Tour – Fox Timeline

[2] 20th Century Fox – Directory of Services

[3] BusinessWeek FOXA – Private Company Information

[4] Paid Content Article – News Corporation Split

[5] Fox Studio Chart – Box Office Mojo 

[6] IMDb The Book Thief

[7] News Corporation Split via The Guardian

[8] FOXA Stock graphs on MarketWatch.com

[9] Kell, John. Market Watch: 21st Century Fox profit drops 44%; Sales Gain

[10] Photos via Blog The Empress of Dress

[11] Box Office Mojo – Fox Weekend Chart Movies

[12] Background on The Book Thief via Yahoo! Entertainment News

[13] www.foxmovies.com – Fox main website

[14] IMDb Page – Runner Runner  

[15] Munzenreider, Ken. 20th Century Fox Has Plans for Major Theme Park Near Zoo Miami via miaminewtimes.com  

[16] The Book Thief Photo via IMP Awards

[17] Runner Runner Photo 

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on by 
By Greg Fenton
Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

History 

Founded in 1923 under the name “The Disney Brothers Studio”,The Walt Disney Studios began as a humble cartoon studio, producing classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, and The Lion King. Today, The Walt Disney Studios, also known as Disney/Buena Vista, has become one of the largest film companies in the world, churning out internationally successful live-action and animated films aimed at entertaining the whole family. The Walt Disney Studios umbrella encompasses several studios owned and operated by The Walt Disney Studios, including Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Touchstone Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, and Marvel Studios. Disney also acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. in late 2012 for $4 billion.  [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives

Robert A. Iger– Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Photo courtesy www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Horn– Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Andy Bird– Chairman of Walt Disney International

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Photo courtesy of www.thewaltdisneycompany.com

Alan Bergman– President of The Walt Disney Studios 

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Photo courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

Financials

In 2013, The Walt Disney Company brought in $45.0 billion of revenue ($9.4 billion gross profit), up from $42.3 billion in 2012 ($8.9 billion gross profit) , and $38.0 billion in 2010 ($6.7 billion gross profit). As of this writing (11/18/2013), Disney stock sits at an even $70.00 per share, a significant increase from $47.45 a year ago (11/19/2013).[4] Through November 14th, 2013 Disney/Buena Vista commands 13.1% of the studio market share, trailing Warner Bros. (17.8%) and Universal (14.6%).[5] Disney/Buena Vista thrives on the blockbuster, with four films grossing over $100 million domestically in 2013 and 2012. Of these eight films, three of them are part of Marvel Studio’s “Avengers” franchise, which shows the enormous financial returns on Disney’s $4 billion investment to purchase Marvel Entertainment in 2009.[6] [7] In early November 2013, Disney/Buena Vista broke its all-time global box office record of $3.79 billion, set in 2010, with over six weeks and three major releases left to go in 2013, setting Disney/Buena Vista up for a year of eye-popping numbers. [17]

Recent Film Releases

Photo courtesy games.disney.com

Photo courtesy games.disney.com

Planes– DisneyToon Studios’ Planes follows a crop-dusting plane named Dusty Crophopper with big dreams of being a racer and a fear of heights. After training under veteran fighter, Skipper, Dusty qualifies for the prestigious Wings Across the World race. There, as an underdog, he meets friend and foe, but, more importantly, learns to break down his physical and mental barriers.[8]

As a DisneyToon production, Planes was initially meant for a straight-to-DVD release and cost Disney a relatively cheap $50 million to make, yet opened with a robust $22 million weekend opposite Sony’s Elysium in early August, eventually pulling in $89 million domestically in over 3,700 theaters. [9] [10] [6]

The film received a Metascore of just 32 from review-aggregator site Metacritic.com with some reviewers appreciating the modesty of the film, while others docked the film for lacking the quality of other animated Disney films and an overly simplistic plot. [11]

Photo courtesy www.imdb.com

Photo courtesy www.imdb.com

Thor: The Dark World– Thor: The Dark World is a sequel to 2011’s Thor.That movie, distributed by Paramount as part of The Avengers franchise, raked in over $181 million at the domestic box office. Disney bought the distribution rights for Marvel’s the Avengers (2012) and Iron Man 3 (2013) in 2010 and finalized a deal for the distribution rights for Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in summer 2013. [12] [13] [14]

Thor: The Dark World takes place two years after the events of Thor, focusing on Thor’s quest for peace in the nine realms of Asgard. Thor misses Earth and his love-interest Dr. Jane Foster, but is prevented from traveling back to her by Odin, Thor’s father. However, when Foster travels through a wormhole, uncovering an ancient weapon called Aether that threatens the fate of Asgard and Earth. Thor then decides to team up with Foster and his half-brother, and villain of the Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers films, Loki, to destroy the Aether and save Asgard from the wrath of the dark elf Malekith. [12]

At the time of this writing Thor:The Dark World has earned over $145 million at the domestic box office just two weekends after its November 8th release in over 3,800 theaters, and should recoup its $170 million budget in the very near future. The Dark World   has also thrived overseas, pulling in just under $333 million worldwide. The real test will be to see how the film performs after Lionsgate releases The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 22nd which some believe will open with a $150 million weekend. Nevertheless, The Dark World is already a financial success for Disney and should continue to put up strong numbers at the box office for several weeks as the holiday movie-going season kicks off. Click here to watch the trailer for Thor:The Dark World  [12] [15]

Upcoming Film Releases

Photo courtesy of wikia.disney.com

Photo courtesy of wikia.disney.com

Frozen– Frozen is the latest effort from the wildly successful Walt Disney Animation Studios, opening the day before Thanksgiving on November 27th, 2013. Based on the fairy tale written by Danish Author Hans Christian Andersen, “The Snow Queen,” Frozen revolves around the story of two sisters, Anna and Elsa, the latter of which has the supernatural ability to control ice and snow. When Elsa accidentally uses these powers in public, she flees, plunging the kingdom into eternal winter. Determined to end the cold snap, Anna enlists the help of the mountain man Kristoff and the animated snow man Olaf. [16]

Opening up the day before Thanksgiving should give Frozen ample time to marinate in the holiday climate before more major titles are released before for Christmas. As with Thor:The Dark World, Frozen will have to compete with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for attention, but the film keeps a significant advantage in its subject matter as a children’s musical adventure in the midst of several films that touch more serious topics. Frozen will also benefit from being released in 3D, which will provide a major boost to its numbers at the box office. On the other side of the spectrum of success, Frozen could garner some looks as the Academy Awards approach in a relatively weak year for animated movies that included a sequel (Despicable Me 2) and a prequel (Monsters University) as the highest earners at the box office in the animated category. [16]

Other Upcoming Releases

 Delivery Man– November 22nd, 2013

Saving Mr. Banks– December 13th, 2013

The Wind Rises– February 14th, 2014 [17]

Sources:

[1] The History of Disney

[2] Studios Under the Walt Disney Studios Umbrella

[3] Disney Buys Lucasfilm LTD

[4] Disney Financial Profile

[5] Disney Market Share

[6] Buena Vista Box Office-2012

[7] Disney Buys Marvel

[8] Planes Plot Summary 

[9] Planes IMdB Profile

[10] Planes Opening Weekend

[11] Planes Reviews

[12] Thor:The Dark World- IMdB

[13] Thor-IMdB

[14] Disney Acquires Marvel Distribution Rights

[15] Thor:The Dark World- Box Office Mojo

[16] Frozen- Cinema Blend

[17] Upcoming Disney Films

Columbia Pictures

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 By Matthew Fernandes

Columbia Pictures Logo/Columbia Pictures/truthcontrol.com

Columbia Pictures Logo – Columbia Pictures [1]

Columbia Pictures is a major film production and distribution studio, and primary wing of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. The company is a leading division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. With a history spanning nearly 100 years Columbia has produced over 3,500 films, many among them classics [23].

Columbia Pictures Logo Transformation

Columbia, Screen Gems and Sony Picture Entertainment Logos [4]

Columbia, Screen Gems and Sony Picture Entertainment Logos [4]

Columbia’s History

Beginnings

Harry Cohn [2]

Harry Cohn [2]

Columbia has a long history, beginning in 1922 with producers Harry Cohn, Jack Cohn and Joe Brandt [2].

 

Joe Brandt [2]

Joe Brandt [2]

Jack Cohn [2]

Jack Cohn [2]

 

They had originally called the company CBC, but changed the name to Columbia in  1922. They produced their first film More to Be Pitied Than Scorned that same year [2].

 

 

Film Poster [3]

Film Poster [3]

Capra and the 30s

In 1924, the company really began to expand with the debut of director Frank Capra [2]. Capra directed such classic films during the ’30s as It Happened One Night (1934), which gained Columbia Pictures its first Best Picture Academy Award. [2]

Jack Cohn: Founder [2]

Frank Capra: Director [2]

Fast-forward: 1980s-present

Columbia grew quickly following Capra’s success, earning several academy awards, becoming one of the first major studios to invest in television [2], and launching Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment. In 1982, the company established an impressive television library with Columbia TriStar Television [2]. The next year, Columbia formed TriStar Pictures with CBS and HBO [2].

In 1989 the Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures Corporation, bringing Columbia into its entertainment division. [2] Since then, the company has had several major successes. They continue to dominate, but more as a film distributor and production studio for Sony’s major films [20]. The executives for Sony and Columbia Pictures provide key leadership.

 Executives

Michael Lynton - sonypictures.com [5]

Michael Lynton  [5]

Though not a direct member of the Columbia Pictures executive team, Michael Lynton is the CEO of Sony Entertainment, as well as the Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. As chairman, overseeing Columbia’s operations. [5]

 

 

 

 

Doug Belgrad [6]

Doug Belgrad – sonypictures.com [6]

Since 2008, Doug Belgrad has served as the president of Columbia Pictures [6]. Since then, he has overseen some of Columbia’s most recent successes such as Captain Phillips and This is the End.

 

 

 

 

Hannah Minghella - sonypictures.com

Hannah Minghella – sonypictures.com [7]

Hannah Minghella serves as Columbia’s President of Production, having joined the company in 2005 and receiving a promotion to her current position in 2010 [7].

 

 

 

 

 

Together, Columbia’s management has guided the company through varied amounts of success [5]. Columbia works directly under Sony Picture Entertainment for its productions distribution, distribution deals, and financial ventures.

Financials

Columbia is privately traded, so current financial data is unavailable [21]. However, Box Office Mojo estimates that Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have earned over $1 billion in gross sales this year, and controlled 11.5 percent of the market share [22]. Despite some recent successes, Columbia Pictures experienced some criticism. According to a recent Bloomberg article, Sony Corporation has hired Bain and Co. to manage $100 million in spending cuts that are meant to improve Sony Pictures Entertainment. The article attributes some of the changes to After Earth and White House Down two recent film releases by Columbia [23].

2013: Snapshot

Like many major production studios, Columbia has many projects in development at any given time, though it has worked mainly as production house and distribution company for Sony over the past few years. The following releases are projects that the company has either released in the past year or recently put into development.

White House Down: Box Office Disappointment

White House Down was one of Columbia’s major releases for the summer. This action thriller stars Channing Tatum a cop who must save his daughter and the United Stated President (played by Jamie Foxx) from an unknown terrorist group. [8]

Film picture - whitehousedown.com [9]

Film picture – [9]

According to Box Office Mojo, the film brought in over $200 million, but had a production budget of over $150 million [9]. This was surprising given that the film released during the summer and had the makings of a blockbuster. The movie had to compete with a similar film called Olympus Has Fallen starring Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler, which might have caused a divide in film audiences over which movie to see. Columbia Pictures and Sony might be able to salvage some profit with a home entertainment release since they will most likely retain the rights, but this film seems like a missed opportunity for Columbia Pictures.

Cloudy With Chance of Meatballs 2: A Strong Success

This past fall, Columbia Pictures managed the theatrical release for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. The new film is the sequel to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a popular animated film that Columbia Pictures released in 2009 in conjunction with several other studios [11].

This second installment has been a success relative to the summer mishap of White House Down, earning almost $200 million worldwide compared to a budget of $78 million [10]. Columbia Pictures will most likely benefit from a profitable DVD release as well, bringing in more profit after the film closes in theaters.

Captain Phillips

Film Poster [17]

Film Poster [17]

One of Columbia Picture’s most recent leases is Captain Phillips the suspense thriller based on the actual hijacking of Maersk Alabama, which was captured by Somalian pirates in 2009 [12]. Tom Hanks plays the eponymous character Captain Richard Phillips, giving the film some major star power.

Film Photo

Film Photo [12]

The film has done well since its October release nearly doubling its budget of $55 million [13]. Despite critical success for the film, a recent New York Post article criticized it for portraying a false story.

The  actual crew of the film has spoken out against the portrayal of Captain Phillips, which they claim to be completely false [14]. The film does not seem to be suffering from this poor press, however. If the film receives any Oscars, it will probably have another wave of sales after its eventual DVD release.

Future Projects

RoboCop

This film is a recreation of the 1987 sci-fi film of the same name. The story follows Alex Murphy, a cop who becomes a machine-human soldier after experiencing a nearly fatal injury [16].

Film Poster [16]

Film Poster [16]

RoboCop Trailer 2013

RoboCop Trailer Photo [15]

RoboCop Trailer Photo [15]

The film has some well-known actors, but the real appeal is film’s name itself. Given the popularity of the original character and the film’s President’s Day weekend release date, RoboCop should draw huge audiences for Columbia Pictures.

New Acquisitions

Columbia Pictures has recently been listed as a production studio for some of Sony Picture Entertainment’s most recent acquisitions. One of the most notable acquisitions is Annie, for which Sony gained the film distribution rights this year [18]. The film version of the classic musical is set to release next year.

Columbia has also started developing projects based on the popular novels The Rosie Project and Tomorrow And Tomorrow [19]. Both of these projects are still in development, but will join the slate of films that Columbia is set to produce for the coming year, including The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and RoboCop [18].

Despite some of the financial criticism that Columbia Pictures received for some of its more recent box office disappointments, it is still one of the dominant film studios. And given some of the high-profile film’s on Columbia’s slate for the coming year, it will most likely retain its position as a major entertainment entity.

References

[1] Columbia Pictures logo

[2] Sony Pictures – History of Columbia Pictures

[3] More to be Pitied Than Scorned Film Poster

[4] Transformation of Columbia Logo

[5] Michael Lynton Profile

[6] Doug Belgrad Profile

[7] Hannah Minghella Profile

[8] White House Down Official Site

[9] White House Down Movie Data

[10] Cloudy With a Chance of Meatball 2 Movie Data

[11] Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs IMDB

[12] Captain Phillips Movie Official Website

[13] Captain Phillips Movie Data

[14] “Crew Members Deny Captain Phillips Heroism” – New York Post

[15] RoboCop Official Trailer

[16] RoboCop IMDb

[17] Captain Phillips IMDb

[18] Columbia Pictures Film Distribution List IMDb

[19] Sony Acquires The Rosie Project

[20] Columbia Profile Business Week

[21] Google Finance For Columbia Pictures

[22] Studio Market Shares

[23] Sony Corporation Divisions – Columbia TriStar

 

 

DreamWorks SKG Studios

Posted on by 
By Jacob Warren

 

DreamWorks Studios Official Logo

DreamWorks SKG Studios Logo [1]

Dreamworks location

DreamWorks Studios Entrance [2]

  • 100 Universal City Plaza Dr.
  • Universal City, CA 91608
  • Website: www.dreamworksstudios.com
  • Phone: 818-733-9300
  • Twitter: @DW_Studios

Key Executives

Founder & CEO

Steven Spielberg [3]                     Founder & Principal Partner

Co-Chairman & CEO

Stacey Snider [4]                                                            Co-Chairman & CEO

President & COO

Jeff Small [5]                                              President & COO

Brief History

DreamWorks Studios was founded in 1994 by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, animation specialist Jeffrey Katzenberg and recording industry expert David Geffen. The three

DreamWorks Logo [6]

DreamWorks Logo [6]

founders initially planned to create DreamWorks as a diversified media firm, however they quickly realized that this was the wrong approach and transformed DreamWorks into a television and film developing, producing and distributing powerhouse. The partners sold DreamWorks to Viacom in 2005 and the majority of DreamWorks Studios’ films are now marketed and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. [6] [7]

Company Overview

Company Sign [21]

Company Sign [7.5]

DreamWorks Studios is a mini-major motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg in partnership with the Reliance ADA group. DreamWorks develops and produces films and television programming with a goal of releasing or producing a minimum of five to six films each year. Since its inception, DreamWorks Studios has produced and developed over 75 motion pictures including three consecutive Academy Award Best Pictures in 1999, 2000 and 2001.  With distribution outlets in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Russia, DreamWorks’ success in the film industry prompted the company to split into two separate entities in 2004, DreamWorks Studios and DreamWorks Animation. [8]

Financials

Unlike DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Studios has remained a privately held company and is not required to release financial statements to the public. However, significant financial information about the company is available through research. Initially funded by the three founders who each contributed $33 million, DreamWorks was also initially capitalized by an investment of $500 million from Microsoft co-Founder, Paul Allen. Despite earning Academy Awards for Best Picture in 1999, 2000 and 2001, nu-

Reliance ADA Media Logo [22]

Reliance ADA Media Logo [8.5]

merous box office flops resulted in a $400+ million debt for the film company, which nearly declared bankruptcy twice. In February 2006 DreamWorks and Viacom agreed to terms that awarded Viacom control of DreamWorks Studios for an approximate $1.5 billion. Viacom assumed DreamWorks’ debt, however Viacom’s film distribution company, Paramount Pictures, also acquired DreamWorks’ film library that was valued at $900 million. [9] In 2008, DreamWorks ended its distribution deal with Paramount Pictures and inked another $1.5 billion deal with one of India’s largest media companies, Reliance ADA Group, which now owns 50% of the DreamWorks Studios. JP Morgan executives Clark Hallren and Alan Levine guided Reliance Media’s formulation of a business plan for DreamWorks Studios.  [10]

Early Filmography

Although considered a mini-major film company, DreamWorks competes with major film studios. In 1997, DreamWorks released its first film, The Peacemaker.  After several smaller films, DreamWorks made a significant impact in 1998 with the release of Saving

Battlefield scene from 'The Pacific' [23]

Battlefield scene from ‘The Pacific’ [10.5]

Private Ryan, featuring Tom Hanks. Grossing just under $500 million, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. DreamWorks Studios’ success was just beginning. During the next three years DreamWorks Studios films won Best Picture for American Beauty (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001), bringing in over $1 billion and 14 Academy Awards. DreamWorks Studios also enjoyed success in television with the HBO 10-part mini series, ‘The Pacific’ (2010). The series was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning eight. [6]

Right Here. Right Now.

Radical Changes

Despite its film and television success, by 2012 DreamWorks Studios was losing tens of millions of dollars a year. In 2013, the founders began streamlining operations to focus on improving profits. Although DreamWorks has its history as a Hollywood film

'Lincoln' DreamWorks film co-financed by 20th Century Fox [24]

‘Lincoln’ DreamWorks film co-financed with 20th Century Fox [10.6]

company, the studio began slashing budgets and transitioning to more of an independent film company. Beginning by reducing annual films in production from six to two, they tightened film schedules from 60-days to 40-days as well as keeping film budgets under $30 million. DreamWorks now utilizes co-financing on almost all of its films to reduce its financial risk and has slashed its work force from 120 employees to a lean 80. [11]

2013 Film Releases 

'The Fifth Estate' film released in 2013. [25]

‘The Fifth Estate’ film released in 2013. [11.5]

With DreamWorks’ new business plan they now have the flexibility to release three or four films a year. This year, DreamWorks produced and released three new films. The first, ‘The Fifth Estate’, released on October 18, 2013, chronicles the demise of the company WikiLeaks.  The film “reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization.” Although a popular and compelling story, the film has yet to earn a fraction of its $28 million budget, only earning $3 million domestically to date. [12] [13]

The second film being released this Friday, November 22, 2013 is the comedy ‘Delivery Man’ featuring Vince Vaughn. This heavily marketed film presents the story of underachiever David Wozniak, whose uneventful life gets turned upside down when he finds out that he unintentionally fathered 533 children via sperm donations that he made in his youth. [14] [15]

The final film that DreamWorks has finished production on this year is the action-packed ‘Need For Speed’. A spinoff of the popular video game series set to release March 14,

'Need For Speed' action scene (2014). [26]

‘Need For Speed’ action scene (2014). [15.5]

2014, this film is DreamWorks’ attempt to grab a piece of the racing genre popularized by Universal Studios’ ‘The Fast and The Furious’ which has released six movies and is the most successful racing movie series ever. [16] [17]

2013 Acquisitions 

Along with slashing budgets and modifying business plans, DreamWorks Studios has focused on purchasing rights to popular literary works. Early in 2013, they obtained the rights to Richard C. Morais’s best-selling novel, ‘The One-Hundred Foot Journey’.  The film went into production on October 9, 2013 and is scheduled for release on August 8, 2014.  Also in October 2013, DreamWorks Studios acquired an untitled pitch from screenwriting

Goodwin's best seller 'The Bully Pulpit' [27]

Goodwin’s best seller ‘The Bully Pulpit’ [18.5]

brothers Phil and Scott Rosenberg. “Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources describe the film as a ‘modern-day-mission movie’ with a supernatural twist. [18]”  Industry experts are waiting to see if DreamWorks will put the pitch into production. The most recent purchase occurred on October 30, 2013 when DreamWorks acquired the film rights to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin’s recently released book, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Goodwin and DreamWorks successfully collaborated on the 2012 film ‘Lincoln’ which grossed over $275 million. [19] [20]

 

 

Sources:

[1] Broadwayworld.com: DreamWorks logo image

[2] Communitybranding.com: DreamWorks entrance image

[3] DreamWorks: Steven Spielberg image/bio

[4] DreamWorks: Stacey Snider image/bio

[5] DreamWorks: Jeff Small image/bio

[6] DreamWorks: Film history/image

[7] LA Times: DreamWorks & Walt Disney Studios deal

[7.5] ABClocal.go.com: Company sign image

[8] Google Articles: DreamWorks & Reliance Media deal

[8.5] Variety: Reliance ADA Group image

[9] Hollywood.com: Paramount buys DreamWorks

[10] Reuters: Reliance ADA Group deal

[10.5] Skymovies.com: ‘The Pacific’ scene image

[10.6] Gcmag.org: ‘Lincoln’ film image

[11] Hollywood Reporter: DreamWorks new business plan 

[11.5] Benedictcumberpatch.co: ‘The Fifth Estate’ image

[12] DreamWorks: ‘Fifth Estate’ snapshot

[13] Contactmusic.com: WikiLeaks reaction to film

[14] DreamWorks: ‘Delivery Man’ snapshot

[15] Rotten Tomatoes: ‘Delivery Man’ Analysis

[15.5] Collider.com: ‘Need For Speed’ image

[16] DreamWorks: ‘Need For Speed’ snapshot

[17] IMDb: ‘Need For Speed’ Info

[18] Variety: Rosenberg script acquired 

[18.5] Hollywood Reporter: Doris Goodwin’s best-seller image

[19] Movie Insider: Recent DreamWorks Acquisitions

[20] DreamWorks: Acquisition of best-seller

(Total Sources: 27)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paramount Pictures

Posted on by 
By Pat Flanagan

 

header-2-lrg

courtesy of Paramount Pictures

PARAMOUNT PICTURES
5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA
www.paramount.com

  • KEY EXECUTIVES
AFI Awards 2008 - Arrivals

Brad Grey
courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

 

Brad Grey is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Paramount Pictures since 2005. Grey has won Academy Awards as producer for many films such as The Departed and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Under Grey’s tenure Paramount released some of their highest grossing films of all time such as  Transformers, Indiana Jones, and the Paranormal Activity franchises. [1]

 

robmoore_a

Rob Moore                            courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

 


Rob Moore has been the Vice Chairman since 2008. He previously worked at the Walt Disney Company for 13 years as Senior Financial Analyst and was later appointed Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations. [2]

 

image courtesy of paramount.com

Frederick Huntsberry  courtesy of Paramount.com

 

Frederick Huntsberry has been the Chief Operating Officer since 2006. His previous work includes different positions in the Finance and Business Development at Universal Studios. He was the President of NBC Universal Television Distribution. [3]

image courtesy of thezog.info

Adam Goodman              courtesy of thezog.info

 


Adam Goodman is the President of Paramount Film Group since June 2009. He previously served as President of Production. He also was the President of Production at Dreamworks Studio. Some of his work that he is credited for includes Flight, Super 8, and True Grit. After the success with the Paranormal Activity franchise Goodman created Paramount’s micro-budget division called Insurge Pictures which distributed successful films like Justin Beiber: Never Say Never, Jackass 3D and Katy Perry: Part Of Me. [4]

  • BREIF HISTORY

In 1912 Adolph Zukor founded the Famous Players Film Company that would later be called Paramount Pictures Inc. Paramount is the is the longest functioning and only major studio that remains in Hollywood. With remarkable talent and executives Paramount was a leader in the entertainment industry from very early on. The company won their first Academy Award in 1927 for Best Picture, just one year after moving to their present studio lot. They pride themselves with the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic. In 2011 Paramount broke a record in the film industry with six consecutive films bringing each bringing in a revenue over $100 million dollars at the box office. Last year marked Paramount’s 100th year in the entertainment industry. Media conglomerate Viacom owns Paramount Pictures. [4][5]

  • FINANCIALS

So far this year Paramount Pictures released 7 movies, with a $810 million dollar yearly gross. It is ranked number 6 behind Warner Bros, Universal, Buena Vista, Sony/Columbia, and 20th Century Fox. As of November 2013, Paramount has a 8.9% market share, already surpassing 2012’s results when Paramount was ranked number 7 with a 8.4% market share, a gross difference of $106 million dollars. After several quarters of declining revenue, Paramount Pictures had the best quarter yet with an 11% increase in revenue. Star Trek Into Darkness is Paramount’s most successful movie of 2013, followed by World War Z and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. With the anticipation of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, coming out December 20th, it will be interesting to see if Paramount can climb the ranks and place top 5. [6][7][8][9]

  • RECENT NEWS
MV5BMTg4NjIwMTI5OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjU1MTMyMDE@._V1_SY317_CR1,0,214,317_

courtesy of Paramount Pictures


Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa was the only film Paramount released this fall. It has brought in $90 million from a $15 million dollar budget. The lighthearted comedy impressed moviegoers, surpassing popular films such as Gravity and Captain Phillips in box office results.

Unknown-1

courtesy of fandango.com


Paramount tried something different this Fall. From August 30th-September 5th Paramount combined Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z into a double feature where moviegoers would be able to see these two films for the price of one in select AMC theaters. This is the first time a studio has done this. [10] [11]

MV5BMjE5ODk0NjQzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODk4MDA1MDE@._V1_SX214_

courtesy of Paramount Pictures


Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is Paramount’s most anticipated movie of 2013 will be released on December 20th. Paramount is coming out with very classy and creative marketing and promotional ideas for this upcoming film. [12]

For instance, Paramount Pictures is teaming up with Dodge Brand in a humorous promotion contest for Anchorman 2. Fans will be able to win an all-new 2014 Dodge Durango by going to funnyordie.com to play “Hands on Ron Burgundy”. This contest tests fan’s endurance and perseverance to see how many times they can touch Ron Burgundy. The fan who lasts the longest in one session wins a new car with about a hundred additional prizes for those who place close. [13] [14]

Also, Paramount is allowing fans to see Anchorman 2 two days before the December 20th release date. They announced that special “supertickets” will be available on November 26th. Paramount is expanding on their promotional idea done with World War Z’s “megaticket” that viewers bought for $50 to see the film 2 days before national release, available in 5 U.S. cities. [15]

  • Looking at the Future
MV5BMTcyNzk4Nzg4N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTkxMDI2MDE@._V1_SY317_CR0,0,214,317_

courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Paramount is scheduled to release Noah in March 2014, about the biblical story of Noah and his arc. Hollywood has been on a popular biblical trend as seen the History Channel’s television series The Bible and other upcoming movies like Ridley Scott’s Exodus. Noah is directed by Darren Aronofsky and includes an all-star cast such as Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins. [16]

On November 14 The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Paramount Pictures is in development on a number of sequels that in Mission Impossible, World War Z, Star Trek and G.I.Joe. [17]

image courtesy of imbd.com

David Chase courtesy of imbd.co


David Chase The Sopranos director, sold Paramount Pictures the script of Little Black Dress. Thumbnail: While working a potentially lethal investigation at a post-war job, she gets involved with a superstitious NYPD detective who helps bring her back from a personal precipice. This film is in the developmental stage. [18] [19]

Recently, Paramount has expressed disappointment regarding California’s tax incentives to bring film productions back to Hollywood. The Los Angeles Mayor promised to “storm” Sacramento to bring about a greater annual Film/TV Tax Credit program.  Paramounts Studio Group President, Randy Baumberger was quoted saying:

“virtually no feature films are shot in LA anymore. What producers need are commitment and consistency. What producers are looking for is to be able to plan out 3 or 4 years”. [20]

 

  • Works Cited

[1] About Brad Grey

[2] About Rob Moore

[3] About Frederick Huntsberry

[4] History of Paramount Pictures

[5] Paramount marks 100 years 

[6] 2013 Studio Market Share

[7] Box Office results of all time

[8] WSJ reporting on Viacom’s success

[9] Paramount’s Financial Report

[10] About Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

[11] Bad Grandpa triumphs over Gravity

[12] Anchorman 2 anticipation 

[13] Dodge and Paramount team up

[14] Youtube video of contest

[15] Paramount tries double feature 

[16] Noah film to star big name cast

[17] Sequels announced 

[18] The Sopranos director gives script to Paramount

[19] IMDB on David Chase

[20] Paramount Blasts Cali’s “Incremental” Film/TV Tax Credit Program

Universal Pictures

Posted on by 
By Corey Schoellkopf

100 Universal City Place
Universal City, CA 91608 United States
(818) 777-1000
http://www.universalpictures.com

About the Company

Universal Pictures (or Universal Studios) is one of the Big Six major film companies. It is a motion picture studio that produces and distributes films. Universal Pictures owns Focus Features and Illumination Entertainment as well. [1][2]

Brief History
Universal Pictures was founded in 1912, making it the oldest movie studio in the United States, and the fourth oldest studio currently in production in the world. In May 2004 Vivendi Universal sold it’s controlling share of the company to General Electric, creating NBCUniversal (General Electric is NBC’s parent company). However, the film production subsidiary of the company remains named Universal Studios. Jaws (1975), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993) are some of Universal Studios most famous films, each breaking box office records to become the highest-grossing film of their time. [3]

Key Executives [4]

Stephen B. Burke
Chief Executive Officer, NBCUniversal

Stephen B. Burke

photo courtesy of NBCUniversal

Stephen B. Burke oversees all aspects of NBCUniversal, including Universal Pictures. He has been in this position since January 2011, and has previously worked as Chief Operating Officer of Comcast Corporation, which owns NBCUniversal. [5]

Cesar Conde
Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal

Cesar Conde

Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal

Cesar Conde oversees NBCUniversal International. This includes film production and distribution. Conde was previously the president of Univision, before joining NBCUniversal in October 2013. [6]

Stuart J. Epstein
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, NBCUniversal

Stuart J. Epstein

Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal

Stuart J. Epstein oversees the company’s financials, which includes the financials of Universal Pictures. He has been in this position since October 2011. [7]

Jeff Shell
Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment

Jeff Shell

Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal

Jeff Shell oversees worldwide operations for Universal Pictures. This includes the global theatrical, as well as home entertainment businesses. He was appointed this position in September 2013. [8]

 Financials

Financially Universal Pictures is doing extremely well. Revenue increased 3.3% from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter of 2013. This brought the revenue to $1.4 billion. There was a decrease in home entertainment revenue brought on by the fact that there was a lower volume of releases. The revenue still increased however, due to strong box office results from films such as Despicable Me 2. [9] [10]

On November 18th, 2013 Universal Pictures announced the studio had broken the record for highest-grossing year ever at the North American box office with $1.352 billion. Universal Pictures has had eight films come in at number one in the box office this past year including Mama, Identity Thief, Oblivion, Fast & Furious 6, Despicable Me 3, The Purge, 2 Guns, and Riddick. [11]

Current News

Photo courtesy of SourceFed
Click to view trailer

Despicable Me 2

Much of Universal Picture’s financial success for this fiscal year is due to the release of Despicable Me 2. Despicable Me 2 is the sequel to the blockbuster Despicable Me (2010), which grossed more than $540 million, making it the 10th biggest animated motion picture in US history. Despicable Me 2 saw the same success, earning over $365 million domestically, and over $916 million worldwide just in the box office. The film will be released on Digital HD November 26th, and on Blu-Ray December 10th, setting Universal Pictures up to make even more profits with home releases or the film. [12]

Despicable Me 2 was released July 3rd, 2013. It is an animated film, that was also released in 3D. It revisits the now ex-villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), his newly adopted daughters, and the lovable and hilarious Minions. The film shows Gru trying to find and defeat a new super criminal with the help of new characters Lucy Wilde (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand). With new characters that include new star power to the film, along with an already huge fan base set up by the first film, Despicable Me 2 was destined to succeed. [13] [14] [15]

In Theaters Now

Universal Pictures currently has films in theaters, some of which are doing very successfully. The most recent releases are:

The Best Man Holiday movie poster

Photo courtesy of Cinemark
Click to view trailer

The Best Man Holiday

Released: November 15th, 2013
Domestic revenue so far: over $32 million [16][17][18]

 After 15 years a group of college friends reunite for the holidays, resulting in drama, comedy and romance.

Photo courtesy of ComingSoon.net
Click to view trailer

 About Time

November 1st, 2013
Domestic revenue over $11 million [16]

 Tim discovers a family secret; that he can time travel. He uses this ability to fix his mistakes, and get his dream girl. [19]

 

Looking Forward
Future Releases [20] [21]
Universal Pictures has some highly anticipated movies set to release in 2014. These films are anticipated to be box office hits, which will undoubtedly add to the company’s financial success. Universal Pictures also has a variety of films that differ in genre and audience, pulling in different demographics to their films.
Lone Survivor
Release date: January 10th, 2014
Based on the true story of a SEAL Team mission from 2005. A group of four SEAL Team members set out to kill Ahmad Shahd, a Taliban leader, when they ran into complications. Marcus Luttrell was the only SEAL to survive this mission. Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Ludwig, and Eric Bana all star in the film, giving it fantastic star power. [22]

Neighbors
Release date: May 9th, 2014

This comedy features a couple (played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) who move in next to a fraternity house filled with obnoxious college boys (played by Zac Efron and Dave Franco). This film employs star power from seasoned comedians, as well as actors that appeal to a young adult audience. [23]

50 Shades of Grey
Universal Films recently announced a pushed release date for their highly anticipated film 50 Shades of Grey, based off of a novel by E.L. James with the same. The film’s release date was pushed from August 1st, 2014 to February 13th, 2015. This push was necessary due to the original films star, Charlie Hunnam’s abrupt departure from the project. Just two weeks later Jamie Dornan was cast to fill the role. The film has been getting major buzz due to the large following of the book. The company also decided to push the date because it will now fall by Valentines Day, hopefully increasing the potential audience. [24]
Other News
Comcast Corporation recently announced a plan to begin selling movies over its cable service. Movies will be sold for about the same price as a DVD, but sell directly to pay-TV. The films would also be available a few weeks before their DVD release. This plan will go into effect before the end of the year. Comcast will be working with Universal Pictures, as well as 21st Century Fox and Warner Bros. [25]
[1] NBCUniversal – Universal Pictures
[2] Hoovers- Universal Pictures Company Profile
[3] Universal Studios- The Studio Tour
[4] NBCUniversal – Corporate Directors
[5] NBCUniversal – Stephen B. Burke
[6] NBCUniversal – Cesar Conde
[7] NBCUniversal – Stuart Epstein
[8] NBCUniversal – Jeff Shell
[9] Comcast- Earnings
[10] Comcast- 3rd Quarter 2013 Financial Report
[11]CominSoon.net – Universal Pictures Breaks Studio Box Office Record
[12] Box Office Mojo – Despicable Me 2
[13] Despicable Me Homepage
[14] Despicable Me 2 – Production Notes
[15] IMDB- Despicable Me 2
[16] Box Office Mojo – 11/15-11/18
[17] Cinemark – The Best Man Holiday
[18] IMDB- The Best Man Holiday
[19] IMDB – About Time
[20] Universal Pictures – Featured Movies
[21] Universal Studios Entertainment- Movie Listings
[22]IMDB – Lone Survivor
[23] IMDB – Neighbors
[24] Variety – Universal Shifts ’50 Shades’ Release Date
[25] Bloomberg – Comcast Said to Sell Movies Through it’s Cable Service

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on by 
By Jacob Tobias
Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers Pictures Logo [1]

History

Warner Brothers Pictures was founded on April 4, 1923. Since then Warner Brothers has been at the forefront of the movie industry. Founded by the 4 Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry, and Jack, Warner Brothers quickly became a leader in motion pictures. Warner Brothers Pictures is responsible for Oscar winners such as, Casablanca, My Fair Lady, Driving Miss Daisy, and Million Dollar Baby. Warner Brothers Pictures is consistently a leader in the film industry. [2] 

Key Executives

Kevin Tsujihara Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter

Kevin Tsujihara
Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter [3]

Barry M. Meyer Courtesy of thezog

Barry M. Meyer
Courtesy of thezog [4]

Greg Silverman Courtesy of Deadline

Greg Silverman
Courtesy of Deadline [5]

Kevin Tsujihara is the CEO of Warner Brothers. Barry M. Meyer is the chairman of Warner Brothers, and under his leadership consistently ranks as one of the strongest and most profitable studios in the film industry. Greg Silverman is the President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production for Warner Brothers Pictures. Silverman oversees the creative development and the budget for Warner Brothers Pictures.[6] [7] [8]

Financials

In 2012 Warner Brothers Pictures grossed $1.66 billion domestically, and another $2.67 billion internationally. It was the twelfth consecutive year in which the domestic box office, as well as the international box office has exceeded the billion dollar mark. In 2013 Warner Brothers is expected to cross the billion dollar mark again thanks to blockbusters such as Gravity, which has exceeded $500 million worldwide, Man of Steel, which has totaled about $663 million worldwide, We’re The Millers, which has totaled $266 million worldwide, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is projected to earn approximately $230 million domestically. This continued success should have Warner Brothers Pictures above the $4 billion dollar mark worldwide by the end of the year. [9] [10]

Recent Releases

Gravity

Gravity Poster Courtesy of comingsoon.net

Gravity Poster
Courtesy of comingsoon.net [14]

Gravity is a space thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film follows the struggle of a medical engineer and an astronaut after they are stranded in space after an accident. [11]

Gravity opened in 3,575 theaters on October 4, 2013 to a number one ranking at the box office. It raked in $55, 785,112 during the opening weekend. It has gone on to make $240, 379, 710 domestically and another $275,200,000 in the foreign box office. That totals a gross of $515, 579,710 worldwide approximately five times its projected budget. [12]

Gravity has received universal acclaim and received a score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic. Along with the incredible success in the box office there is also a lot of Oscars buzz surrounding the film. Critics believe that Gravity will receive a nomination for best picture, and may receive several other nominations as well, including a nomination for Best Actress for Sandra Bullock. [11] [13]

We’re The Millers

We're the Millers Courtesy of impawards.com

We’re The Millers
Courtesy of impawards.com [15]

We’re The Millers is the story of a drug dealer who creates a pseudo family in order to smuggle drugs across the Mexican border. Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the film stars Jason Sudeikis, and Jennifer Aniston. [16]

We’re The Millers opened on August 7, 2013 and grossed $26, 419,396 the opening weekend. The film is still in select theaters around the country and currently the film has grossed $150, 024,262 domestically and another $116,300,000 in the foreign box office. [17]

Overall the film was not warmly received by critics. We’re The Millers received a Metacritic score of 44 out of 100. Although critic reviews were mostly mixed the imdb rating for the film is 7.1 stars out of 10. Clearly the target demographic of the film received the film much better than critics. Considering the mixed reviews the film still did extremely well for the studio, grossing over $250 million worldwide.

Upcoming Projects

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster Courtesy of collier.com

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster
Courtesy of collider.com [18]

On December 13, 2013, Warner Brothers will release the second installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. The film is projected to make about $230 million domestically, not quite as high as the first film, but still a good number for the studio. In 2014, Warner Brothers will release the third film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Although the reception for the first film was not overwhelming the studio is hoping that the return of familiar faces from The Lord of the Rings will aide in The Hobbits release. [10]

Although the first film made over $300 million, Warner Brothers has been working hard to market Gandalf, and Legolas, as well as the dragon Smaug, in an attempt to avoiding losing out on Lord of the Rings fans who did not enjoy the first film. The studio is hoping that the return of such characters will provide a breath of fresh air for the trilogy and will bring in more than the projected sum of $230 million. [10]

Superman vs Batman

Warner Brothers owns DC Comics so there has been a ton of success with both the Batman

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck Courtesy of Vulture

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck
Courtesy of Vulture [19]

and Superman franchises. The Dark Knight trilogy was wildly successful for the studio, and in 2013 Man of Steel was released. In the second installment of the Superman franchise Warner Brothers has brought together the man of steel and the caped crusader.

Ben Affleck has been cast as the newest Batman to star alongside Henry Cavill. The casting has come with major scrutiny. Director Zack Synder has given his full support to Affleck and is excited for the opportunity to work with him. The film is set to debut in the summer of 2015, and aims to piggyback off the success of the several DC Comics franchises. [20]

Grudge Match

Grudge Match Poster Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

Grudge Match Poster
Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly [21]

Grudge Match, is the story of two aging boxing rivals who fight 30 years after their last bout. It is the first time that Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone share the big screen. Grudge Match has an excellent cast and there is talk that it may be this years Silver Linings Playbook.

Grudge Match exemplifies Warner Brothers ability to produce movies with star power and the studio is hoping that Grudge Match could be the feelgood movie of the holiday season. It is to be released on Christmas Day. [22] [23]

 

 

 

Sources

[1] Warner Brothers Pictures Logo

[2] Warner Brothers Company History

[3] Kevin Tsujihara Picture – Hollywood Reporter

[4] Barry M. Meyer Picture- Who Controls Hollywood

[5] Greg Silverman Picture- Deadline

[6] Kevin Tsujihara Bio- Warner Brothers

[7] Barry M. Meyer Bio- Warner Brothers

[8] Greg Silverman Bio- Warner Brothers

[9] About Warner Brothers Pictures

[10] Box Office Mojo- Holiday Predictions

[11] Gravity- Imdb

[12] Box Office Mojo- Gravity

[13] Entertainment Weekly- Sandra Bullock Oscar Buzz

[14] Gravity Poster- comingsoon.net

[15] We’re The Millers Poster- impawards.com

[16] We’re The Millers- Imdb

[17] Box Office Mojo- We’re The Millers

[18] The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Poster- collider.com

[19] Vulture- Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck

[20] Batman vs Superman- Imdb

[21] Grudge Match Poster- Entertainment Weekly

[22] Fox News- De Niro and Stallone Face Off

[23] Grudge Match- Imdb

Netflix

Posted on by 
By Jamie Zaslav
Netflix Logo

-Netflix Corporate Logo- [18]

Netflix Corporate Headquarters
100 Winchester Circle
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Tel: (418) 540-3700
Fax: (418) 540-3737

 

Brief History:

Netflix

Netflix Headquarters. Photo Courtesy of Business Cloud News [23]

Netflix, co-founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings, began as a pay-per-rental service of TV programs and movies on DVDs delivered by mail. Netflix, based in San Francisco, California, was a mail-order competitor to Blockbuster and other local video rental stores that were operating in the US. In 2000, Netflix changed its payments model from each rental to a monthly flat-fee for unlimited rentals of programs delivered by mail. Since the companies inception 13 years ago, Netflix has transformed into one of the most successful media streaming services, by not only having newer content available, but also by creating their own content. Today Netflix reaches of 37 million monthly subscribers around the world via broadband and it still has subscribers that receive programming on DVDs through the mail service. [1]


Key Executives:

Reed Hastings, Co-Founder & CEO

Co-founder & CEO Reed Hastings, Courtesy of Netflix

Co-founder & CEO Reed Hastings, Courtesy of Netflix

David Wells, CFO

CFO David Wells, Courtesy of Netflix

CFO David Wells, Courtesy of Netflix

Neil Hunt, CPO

CTO Neil Hunt, Courtesy of Netflix

CPO Neil Hunt, Courtesy of Netflix

Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer

Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Courtesy of Netflix

Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Courtesy of Netflix

Kelly Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Bennett, Courtesy of Netflix

Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Bennett, Courtesy of Netflix

About:

netflix-rates-increase

Photo courtesy of Netflix [19]

Netflix is a video on-demand monthly subscription service delivered through broadband on the internet or delivered through DVDs in the mail to subscribers. By subscribing to Netflix for a monthly fee of $7.99, subscribers gain unlimited access to Netflix’s video library of TV shows and movies. Netflix is primarily in North America, but they’ve also expanded into South America, the UK, and several other countries. Unique to Netflix, they developed a recommendation algorithm that suggests TV shows and movies to subscribers based on what they rented to help their subscribers find programs they might like [2]. This is innovative because Netflix was using each individual’s viewing data to recommend programs they might like. Netflix creates a direct connection to the consumer business model and therefore it knows all of its subscribers, has a relationship with them, and can access all the data on how users use Netflix.

Netflix App, Available on almost all video platforms

Netflix App, Available on almost all video platforms. Photo courtesy of Netflix [20]

This is very different from other premium series like HBO or Showtime, which have a relationship with the cable distributor who sells t the consumer. As broadband developed in the US, Netflix started to offer access to all of its TV and movie programs over broadband in addition to the mail service for the same monthly fee. Netflix worked hard to make content available on most video platforms including: Playstation, Xbox, Wii, Mac, PC, iPad, Tablet, Mobile and more [3].

They have recently started producing their own content, they have three web series and each earned Emmy nominations. Netflix has launched numerous original series in the last two years (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Russell Peters Vs. The World, Arrested Development Season 4, Lilyhammer and Bad Samaritans). House of Cards was their first series to earn a primetime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding series. All of Netflix’ content is delivered without commercials [4].

Netflix Original Series, House of Cards

Netflix Original Series, House of Cards. Photo courtesy of Netflix [21]

In addition, Netflix makes full seasons of all of its TV programs available to Netflix users. In watching how users consume content, Netflix noticed that users began to watch full seasons of TV programs all at once. Netflix calls this “binge viewing” of TV content [5].  Netflix has been innovative by having all episodes of its original programming available on Netflix at once. When Netflix launched its first original series, House of Cards, it launched all 13 episodes on February 1, 2013 at once. Critics and viewers watched all the episodes over a short period of time giving the consumer full choice of how to watch the series rather than making it available once a week which has been the traditional TV model. House of Cards was a big success with Netflix subscribers and Netflix has launched and announced a number of additional original programs all of which will be made available in full seasons at the same time [6].

Finances:

Netflix generated approximately $3.2 billion in revenue for the first nine months of this year, up 20% versus the same period in 2012.  However, this translated into only $146 million of operating income due to high marketing costs spent to attract new customers.  Marketing costs this year are up 18% versus the first 9 months of 2012 and while that is a big increase, the level of increase is slowing.  In 2012 marketing expense for the year was up nearly 30% with revenue growth only 13%. The marketing spend speaks to their focus on increasing new customers, which is working. They have increased their total domestic subscribers to nearly 30 million (more than HBO), up from 24 million a year ago and international subscribers to 8 million from only 4 million a year ago.  The result has been rapid share price appreciation [17].

Growth:

Netflix has stated that it would like to grow to 50 or 60 million subscribers [7]. One of the biggest questions is whether Netflix has become more of a competitor with cable and satellite providers. Another big question is whether Netflix will reach its limit on customers like HBO and Showtime. Central to those questions is whether Netflix users feel they get enough content from the site and don’t need a cable subscription with all the cable channels [8]. Netflix primary business is in the US where it has over 30 million broadband subscribers and Netflix has expanded into South America, Canada and Europe bringing their total subscribers to 37 million worldwide.

Netflix Just for Kids Homepage. Photo courtesy of Netflix [22]

Content:

Netflix has a strong children’s programming library which includes such popular shows as Curious George, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and Super Why. Kids have become some of the biggest users and fans of Netflix. As a result, Netflix has done a number of deals to add original children’s series to the Netflix platform. Netflix announced it will do 4 original children series with Disney [9], as well as several original series produced by DreamWorks Animation [10]. Netflix also has deals for content with Cartoon Network [11] and HUB Network [12]. The HUB shows are available on Netflix exclusively. These deals for original children’s shows will be available on Netflix, not any of its competitors.

Netflix has also struck a deal with CBS to show the Showtime series Dexter on Netflix [13].

Competitors:

Netflix has many competitors. Amazon and Hulu compete with Netflix for monthly broadband subscribers. Amazon’s subscription service is called Prime and is available at a yearly rate of $79 [14]. Hulu has a monthly fee of $7.99 a month with limited advertising [15], which is similar to how Netflix is offered. Also, HBO Go and Showtime Anytime offer monthly subscription services but they are offered through the cable operator or satellite providers as an add on to the users’ HBO or Showtime monthly fee [16]. HBO has been in business for 30 years and reached about 30 million homes and Showtime reaches about 20 million homes. Netflix is offered directly to consumers and has the advantage of having a direct relationship with its subscribers. Netflix can communicate directly with its subscribers and gets all the data on how its subscribers are using Netflix.

 

Sources:

[1] How Netflix Started (11/10/13)

[2] Netflix Recommendation Algorithm  (11/10/13)

[3] Netflix Sign-Up (11/11/13)

[4] Netflix Vs. Hulu Video Streaming (11/9/13)

[5] “Binge Watching” (11/13/13)

[6] 5 New Original Series in the works for 2014 (11/19/13)

[7] Netflix Closes on HBO Boasting an Estimated 30 Million Paying Subscribers (11/3/13)

[8] Netflix Rivals Cable (11/12/13)

[9] Disney and Netflix are Powerful friends (11/12/13)

[10] DreamWorks Animation and Netflix make deal for new shows (11/15/13)

[11] Cartoon Network and Adult Swim shows now on Netflix (11/17/13)

[12] Hasbro Grants Netflix Streaming Rights To The Hub’s ‘Littlest Pet Shop’ And ‘Kaijudo’ (11/6/13)

[13] Netflix CBS deal for Dexter (11/16/13)

[14] Costs and Benefits of Amazon Prime (11/17/13)

[15] Hulu (11/11/13)

[16] Is Showtime Anytime the next HBOGo (11/17/13)

[17] Netflix Financials (11/1/13)

[18] Netflix Logo (11/18/13)

[19] Netflix Envelopes (11/18/13)

[20] Netflix App (11/18/13)

[21] House of Cards Promo (11/18/13)

[22] Netflix Kids Snapshot (11/18/13)

[23] Netflix Headquarters (11/20/13)