CBS Corp. #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Taylor Smith

Taylor Smith

CBS. Corporation Logo [16]

Headquarters:
51 W. 52nd Street
New York, New York, 10019
1-212-975-4321
http://www.cbscorporation.com/index.php

Key Executives:

Sumner M. Redstone,
Executive Chairman [17]

Leslie Moonves,
President and Chief Executive Officer [18]

Anthony Ambrosio,
Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer [19]

About:
CBS Corporation is a widely known mass media company that runs operations in various entertainment and media fields, such as cable, publishing, radio, film, local TV, and interactive media. They are especially well-known in the television industry, owning the current most-watched television network in the country [1]. The CBS Television Network currently owns more than 200 television stations and affiliates across the country. They have several programs that are number one in their respective categories; for example, the #1 sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, the #1 newsmagazine, 60 Minutes, the #1 scripted/drama program, NCIS, and the #1 daytime drama, The Young and the Restless [2]. Their television holdings include CBS Television Network, the CW (a joint venture with Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture with Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, and several more [1]. Overall, CBS Television Stations is made up of 29 stations, with 16 as a part of the CBS Television Network, 8 affiliates of the CW Network, 3 independent stations, and two MyNetworkTV affiliates [3].

History:

CBS Corp. “Eye” Logo – Source: Hub Magazine [20]

CBS’s brand, “the Eye,” as seen in their logo, is extremely recognizable in the industry today. This is in part due to CBS having the most watched television network in the U.S., as well as owning one of the largest entertainment libraries in the world, and several other factors. The public awareness of CBS can be seen today in the number of #1 television programs that CBS runs on their Television Network [1].
CBS was founded by William Paley in 1928. That year, Paley purchased 16 independent radio stations, calling them the Columbia Broadcast System [2]. The company experienced several name changes throughout the years, changing to CBS Inc. in 1974, and later to CBS Corporation in 1997, several years after being acquired by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. CBS started as a predominately radio-based company, before adding television to the corporation in the late 1940s. At this point, CBS Television was known as the “Tiffany Network,” and did very well against its competition [4].

Financials:
CBS is a publicly traded company. On November 19th, 2015, CBS stock was being traded for $51.75. This marks a steady increase in stock value after the stock hit its lowest point on September 28th, 2015 when it was being traded for $38.67. The value has been steadily increasing since then, with the value on November 19th representing the highest value in the last three months [5]. CBS released their third quarter results for 2015 on November 3rd. They reported that their revenues for this quarter were $3.26 billion in comparison to same prior-year period when their revenues were $3.37 billion. They relate this decrease in revenue to the timing of television licensing sales, as well as decreases in lower-margin revenues [6].

Current Programming:

Supergirl Preview [21]
This fall, on October 26th, CBS premiered the highly anticipated television show, Supergirl. The premiere did very well, with an average viewership of 12.9 million, and a 3.1 rating [7]. These high numbers led to the Supergirl premiere being the most watched television show of the fall. The success of the premiere could be due to the late premiere date, leading to a lack of competition with other new shows. The premiere also benefited from directly following CBS’s hit show The Big Bang Theory [8]. However, the ratings for the following weeks have been steadily declining, reaching its’ lowest point in it’s fifth week, on November 23rd, with a rating of 1.5. This is less than 50% of the premiere’s ratings [9].
Supergirl has also been in the news recently because November 16th episode. CBS made the decision to swap out the planned episode for the Thanksgiving special in response to the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on November 13th. That week’s planned episode had focused on a series of bombings in National City, so the decision was made to postpone the episode due to similarities to the terror in Paris. CBS also pulled that week’s episode of NCIS: Los Angeles because it focused on recruitment methods employed by the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks [10].

OTT Services:

CBS All Access – CBS’ new OTT Service – Source: Variety.com [22]

CBS has announced several deals that contribute to their effort to shift with the industry. CBS recently announced that they will start offering a streaming program, called CBS All Access, that will allow viewers to watch many of their programs without a pay-TV subscription. CBS All Access will stream full seasons of most of CBS’s current shows, as well as some of their older content. This service will cost $5.99 per month. New episodes of their current shows will be available the day after they originally air. On CBS’ full-episode streaming app, which is free, new episodes are not available until eight days after the episode originally airs. A benefit to CBS All Access is that older seasons of programs will have 25% less advertisement time than when they aired. Another unique factor of CBS All Access is that they will include live streaming of local CBS TV stations, and allow viewers to stream any of those stations live as if they were watching it on television [11].
On October 1st, CBS announced a deal with Amazon that will give Amazon Prime the exclusive streaming rights to three of CBS’s new summer series through 2018. The deal will also expand the CBS programs that will be available on Amazon Prime. The first summer series that will be available on Amazon Prime is Braindead, which will be available for streaming four days after the initial broadcast [12].

Star Trek:

Star Trek on CBS All Access – Source: TechTimes.com [23]

CBS announced on November 2nd, 2015 that they will be launching a new Star Trek television series that will premiere in January 2017. The first episode of the new series will premiere on CBS’s broadcast network, and then transition exclusively to CBS All Access [13]. Having the program available only on CBS All Access is an attempt to draw viewers and attention to the new streaming service. Star Trek will be the first scripted program that will be produced specifically for CBS All Access. CBS All Access also currently offers every Star Trek series which, according to Leslie Moonves, are currently doing very well on the streaming platform [14]. However, CBS Studios International will eventually distribute the new series other other TV networks and digital platforms. The series will be produced by Alex Kurtzman, who previously worked on J.J. Abram’s Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, and Heather Kadin, who previously was an executive producer for Limitless [15]. The series will introduce new characters, new civilizations, and explore contemporary themes, which has been a staple of the franchise since it’s premiere [14]. The target audience of this new series is the fans that have already been watching the older series on CBS All Access, and CBS is hoping that they will easily transition to watching the new series as well.

Sources:

[1] CBS Company Overview. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[2] CBS Television Network Portfolio. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[3] CBS Television Stations Portfolio. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[4] CBS Corporation. Britannica.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[5] CBS Corporation Finances. Google Finance, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[6] CBS’ Third Quarter Results. Investors.cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[7] Broadcast Ratings Oct. 26 – Nov. 1. Tvbythenumbers.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[8] “‘Supergirl’ Soars to Big Ratings for CBS”. Money.cnn.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[9] “New Show Power Rankings, Week 5: ‘Supergirl’ is Flying Less High”. Tvbythenumbers.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[10] “CBS Pulls Terror Episodes of ‘Supergirl’ and ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ After Paris Attacks”. Latimes.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[11] “CBS Starts Offering Its Signal Over the Web as Over-the-Top Gates Open”. Adage.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[12] CBS and Amazon Press Release. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[13] “Why CBS’s New Star Trek Show is a Glimpse Into TV’s Future”. Tv.com, retrieved 23 November 2015

[14] “Leslie Moonves Explains Why ‘Star Trek’ Went to CBS All Access”. Hollywoodreporter.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[15] “CBS is Bringing Back Star Trek, but it Won’t Air on TV”. Adweek.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[16] CBS Corporation Logo. Images.bwwstatic.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[17] Sumner M. Redstone Biography Page. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[18] Leslie Moonves Biography Page. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[19] Anthony G. Ambrosio Biography Page. Cbscorporation.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[20] CBS ‘Eye’ Logo. Hubmagazine.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[21] “‘Supergirl’ What You Can Expect This Season”. Cbs.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[22] CBS All Access Logo. Variety.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

[23] Star Trek Image. Techtimes.com, retrieved 23 November 2015.

Universal Pictures #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Samantha Selby

Sam Selby

Universal Logo – Source: Deadline [17]

Universal Pictures
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, California, 91608
(818) 777-1000
http://www.universalpictures.com [23]

Facebook: Universal Studios Entertainment
Twitter: @UniversalPics

ABOUT
Universal Pictures (Universal), a subsidiary of NBCUniversal (NBCU), indirectly belongs to the media conglomerate, Comcast. Universal ranks as one of the “Big Six” film studios. Universal Studios has two main film divisions, Universal Pictures and Focus Features. Universal, which is the primary motion picture and distribution arm for Universal Studios, has numerous partnerships for co-productions, acquisitions, and films. Universal possesses an extensive film catalog ranging from Jurassic Park to Bridesmaids, and owns many popular film franchises, including Back to the Future and Fast and Furious [29].

Universal Pictures Iconic Moments and Memories – Source: Inside the Magic [12]

HISTORY
In 1912, Carl Laemmle founded Universal Film Manufacturing Company by merging with five other film companies [28]. Emigrating from Germany to the United States, Mr. Laemmle became a leading film distributor. Unfortunately, the financial setback from a streak of unsuccessful films forced Mr. Laemmle to sell the company. It was not until the 1960s that Universal returned to prominence [18].

KEY EXECUTIVES

Ronald Meyer, Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal – Source: Comcast [16]

Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Pictures – Source: The Hollywood Reporter [26]

FINANCES
Comcast is a publicly traded company with two publicly traded classes of stock, CMCSA and CMCSK. With the release of its third quarter earnings, Universal was the first studio to have three film releases exceed $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts in the same year. In third quarter 2015, revenue from films increased from $1,186,000,000 to $1,946,000,000 compared to third quarter 2014 [15]. Executives attribute this success to the strong box office receipts of its billion-dollar blockbusters, Jurassic World and Minions [19].

NBCU increased its operating cash flow for its filmed entertainment by 149.5%, from $151 million in its 2014 third quarter to $376 million in its 2015 third quarter. This higher revenue was partially affected by increasing marketing and promotional costs, and larger amortization costs. For the nine-month period ending September 30th, 2015, NBCU reported a 52.4% increase in film revenues to $5,658,000,000 in 2015 [15].

Executives reported that despite fewer theatrical releases during the fourth quarter, NBCU’s film division will continue to perform well as its films are released to home entertainment and content licensing windows [35].

FALL 2015 RELEASES

The Visit – Source: Business Insider [21]

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit was released on September 11th, 2015. The Visit is a found footage horror film about two siblings who visit their grandparents and notice strange things about them. Shyamalan self-funded the film’s budget of $5 million [2]. Opening weekend, The Visit made approximately $25 million and overall the film earned $65 million domestically [11]. This film marks Shyamalan’s return after multiple flops for several years.

Jem and the Holograms – Source: Entertainment Weekly [25]

Based on the 1980s cartoon, Jem and the Holograms, was Universal’s biggest flop of the year. The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, is about a small-town girl who rises to fame. Despite a production budget of $5 million, it grossed only $2 million domestically. The film did even worse internationally, only making $70,571 [4]. The film opened in 2,413 theaters and made $1,375,320, which averages $570 per theater making it the third worst opening weekend for a widely released feature film [4][31]. The creative decision for the film backfired as the target audience was unfamiliar with Jem, and it did not connect with past fans. After two weeks, Universal pulled Jem from theaters to mitigate losses [31]. Given the film’s low budget, the impact is nominal.

Steve Jobs – Source: Screen Rant [1]

Steve Jobs was another flop for Universal. The biopic film of the late Steve Jobs had a limited released on October 9th, 2015 followed by a wide release two weeks later. Its production budget was $30 million, but the film only grossed $17.5 million domestically [7]. Steve Jobs featured a star-studded cast including Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet, but even this star power did not help the box office gross [22]. Given disappointing performance, Steve Jobs was pulled from over 2,000 theaters [33]. Some critics attribute the film’s failure to not opening wide from the start [22]. There is slim hope that Steve Jobs will be an Oscar contender [33].

By the Sea – Source: Los Angeles Times [40]

Angelina Jolie Pitt wrote, directed, produced, and stars in By the Sea along with Brad Pitt. The film follows a couple whose relationship is falling apart. This is Jolie Pitt’s third feature film [38]. On November 5th, there was a world premiere at the American Film Institute Festival [14]. A week later, it opened in ten theaters and earned $96,250. To date, the film has earned $364,584 domestically due to its limited release. Even accounting for worldwide revenue, the film is not close to recovering its $10 million budget [3]. Although Universal is unlikely to recover its budget, it is likely betting that Jolie Pitt will star in Bride of Frankenstein given the studio’s backing of her film [32].

COMING SOON

2015 Year End Releases
The final films of 2015 for Universal are Krampus on December 4th and Sisters on December 18th [39]. Krampus is a horror-comedy starring Adam Scott and Toni Collette. Krampus is about a demonic force that punishes non-believers [37]. Contrarily, Sisters is a comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The film is about two sisters who throw a final party at their childhood home [36]. Both films are being heavily marketed as the holiday season brings competition.

2016 Preview

Ride Along 2 starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart will be Universal’s first release of 2016 [39]. The first film grossed over $100 million in revenue domestically justifying the green light for this sequel [6].

Fourteen years after the release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Universal is set to release My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 on March 22nd [39]. All the stars from the first movie returned for the sequel. The first film was extremely successful, given a budget of $5 million and a domestic gross exceeding $240 million [5].

The Huntsman: Winter’s War is the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. Charlize Theron reprises her role as the evil Queen Ravenna, and Chris Hemsworth as the huntsman. Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain also star [27]. Set for release on April 22nd, the film is directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan [39].

LOOK OUT FOR

Split
Universal has announced M. Night Shyamalan’s new suspense thriller, Split, starring James McAvoy. The film, which is another collaboration with Blumhouse Productions, is set for release on January 20th, 2017 [34].

The Franchises
In 2017, Universal plans to release sequels for its many franchises, including Despicable Me 3, Fifty Shades Darker, Furious 8, Pitch Perfect 3, and The Mummy [24].

F. Gary Gray, director of Straight Outta Compton, has signed on to direct Furious 8 [13]. Preproduction has already commenced, and production will begin in April 2016. The entire cast is expected to return. Fast and Furious has been one of Universal’s most successful franchises with Furious 7 grossing over $1 billion worldwide [15].

Following her directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2, Elizabeth Banks will direct Pitch Perfect 3 featuring some of the original cast. The franchise has been a success globally with the second film grossing $286 million worldwide [30].

The Mummy was remade in 1999 [8] and followed by sequels in 2001 [9] and 2008 [10]. All three films grossed over $400 million worldwide [8][9][10]. However, the third film was largely panned. Currently, Tom Cruise is rumored to star in the 2017 reboot of The Mummy [20]. Universal is hoping to use The Mummy to relaunch a new era of monster films.

With its library and continued production, Universal will remain a major studio.

SOURCES

[1] Agar, C. (2015, September 6). Steve Jobs: Steve Wozniak Praises Michael Fassbender’s Performance. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Screen Rant.

[2] Bishop, B. (2015, September 10). The Visit review: the most shocking M. Night Shyamalan twist is a good movie. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from The Verge.

[3] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). By the Sea. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[4] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Jem and the Holograms. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[5] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[6] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Ride Along. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[7] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Steve Jobs. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[8] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). The Mummy. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[9] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). The Mummy Returns. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[10] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[11] Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). The Visit. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Box Office Mojo.

[12] Brigante, R. (2012, January 10). Universal Orlando to announce ‘entertainment experience’ (lagoon show?) for Studios 100th anniversary, Hollywood to update Studio Tour. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Inside the Magic.

[13] Busch, A. (2015, October 8). F. Gary Gray Confirms He Will Direct ‘Furious 8’. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from Deadline.

[14] Busch, A. (2015, October 30). Inside The Curious Marketing Of Angelina Jolie’s ‘By The Sea’. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Deadline.

[15] Comcast. (n.d.). Comcast Reports 3rd Quarter 2015 Results. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Comcast.

[16] Comcast. (n.d.). RON MEYER, VICE CHAIRMAN, NBCUNIVERSAL. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Comcast.

[17] Deadline. (2014, June 2). Universal Dates Trio Of Blumhouse Pics. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Deadline.

[18] Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (2015, September 7). Carl Laemmle, American Film Producer. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from Encyclopædia Britannica.

[19] Fernandez, B. (2015, October 28). ‘Minions,’ ‘Jurassic World’ boost Comcast earnings. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from Philly.com.

[20] Gajanan, M. (2015, November 24). Tom Cruise ‘in talks’ for reboot of The Mummy. Retrieved November 25, 2015, from The Guardian.

[21] Guerrasio, J. (2015, September 9). M. Night Shyamalan explains how he makes grandparents so creepy in his new thriller ‘The Visit. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Business Insider.

[22] Han, A. (2015, November 16). Danny Boyle on Why ‘Steve Jobs’ Flopped: It Went “Too Wide Too Soon”. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from /FILM.

[23] Hoover’s Inc. (n.d.). Universal Pictures Company Information. Retrieved November 7, 2015, from Hoovers.

[24] IMDb. (n.d.). Universal Pictures [us]. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from Internet Movie Database.

[25] Maas, J. (2015, February 26). Jem and the Holograms movie: Check out the first photo. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Entertainment Weekly.

[26] McClintock, P. (2014, January 26). Universal Re-ups Chairman Donna Langley: More Duties, Oversight. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from The Hollywood Reporter.

[27] McNary, D. (2015, November 18). The Huntsman Winter’s War’ Trailer: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron Face Off Again. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Variety.

[28] NBCUniversal. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from NBCUniversal.

[29] NBCUniversal. (n.d.). Universal Pictures. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from NBCUniversal Careers.

[30] Raissa Marfil, H. (2015, October 28). ‘Pitch Perfect 3’ To Be Directed Again By Elizabeth Banks. Retrieved November 25, 2015, from International Business Times.

[31] Schwerdtfeger, C. (2015, November 10). Jem and the Holograms Pulled After Bombing in Theaters. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Screen Rant.

[32] Siegel, T. (2015, November 23). Will ‘By the Sea’ Kill Hollywood “Favor” Movies? Retrieved November 23, 2015, from The Hollywood Reporter.

[33] Silver, S. (2015, November 9). Universal Pulls Steve Jobs After Box Office Bomb. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from Screen Rant.

[34] Sneider, J. (2015, October 27). M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ Lands 2017 Release Date From Universal, Blumhouse. Retrieved November 25, 2015, from The Wrap.

[35] TheStreet. (2015, October 27). Comcast Corp (CMCSA) Earnings Report: Q3 2015 Conference Call Transcript. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from TheStreet.

[36] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Sisters.

[37] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Krampus.

[38] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from By the Sea.

[39] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from Universal Pictures.

[40] Zeitchik, S. (2015, November 6). ‘By the Sea’: Angelina Jolie Pitt has filmmaking weaknesses, but they don’t involve directing. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Los Angeles Times.

A&E Television Networks – Max Redinger

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Maxwell Redinger

Max Redinger

A+E Television Networks Logo / Source: aframe.com [1]

A+E NETWORKS

235 E 45th St
New York, NY 10017
(212) 210-1400

http://www.aenetworks.com/

COMPANY OVERVIEW

“cultivating…the human experience” – A+E

ABOUT

A majority of A+E Networks portfolio of over ten original cable channel brands / Source: Hearst.com [4]

Founded in 1984 as The Arts & Entertainment Network, A+E Networks is an award-winning, global media company whose programming reaches more than 330 million homes in 160 markets and 39 languages with its diverse 62 channel feeds. [3] When it began broadcasting on February 1, 1984, the network was seen on 1,500 cable systems with nine million subscribers.[5] Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 1994, the company officially changed its name to A+E and redefined its range of programming. It would focus on three themes: original biographies, mysteries, and specials. [5] [6] The company is a joint venture between Hearst Corporation and Disney-ABC Television Group. The content is distributed through its portfolio of channel brands, History, A&E, Lifetime, LMN, H2, Crime + Investigation, FYI, LRW, BIO, Military History, History en Espanõl and is licensed to third party broadcast television clients. [1] [3] By 1999 the A+E Network reached more than 78 million cable subscribers, while The History Channel was viewed by more than 70 million households in over 50 countries, making it the fastest growing cable network since its launch. [5] As of 2014 A+E Networks is valued at $26 billion. [7] A+E Networks main competitors are Discovery Communications, AMC Networks, and Turner Broadcasting System. [19]

KEY LEADERSHIP

Nancy Dubuc – President and Chief Executive Officer, A+E Networks / Source: aenetworks.com [2]

Robert DeBitetto – President, Brand Strategy, Business Development and A+E Studios, A+E Networks / Source: aenetworks.com [2]

Melvin Berning – President, Chief Revenue Officer / Source: aenetworks.com [2]

David Granville-Smith – Executive Vice President And Chief Financial Officer, A+E Networks / Source: aenetworks.com [2]

Michael Feeney – Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications / Source: aenetworks.com [2]

FALL 2015 COMPANY NEWS

VICELAND JOINT VENTURE

Vice Media LLC logo / Source: adweek.com [10]

A+E Networks will turn its H2 channel into Viceland, a 24-hour cable network programmed by multimedia company Vice Media. [8] Launching in early 2016, Viceland will be distributed in approximately 70 million homes, and will feature hundreds of hours of new lifestyle and documentary programming developed by the youth-centric brand. [9] Oscar-winning writer/director and Vice creative director, Spike Jonze, will oversee all aspects of the new channel’s development. Over a year ago, A+E Networks made a $250 million investment in Vice, bringing its stake in the company to 15%. [11] A+E Networks will handle distribution and technical operations and have put complete trust in Vice, handing over all programming rights. A+E has suffered an audience decline over the last year as ratings from reality TV hits, such as Duck Dynasty, have fallen to moderate numbers. [8] A+E is making smart decisions utilizing Vice to win back and incentivize younger audiences with new original programming. Viceland will launch with a full slate of prime-time shows, including Gaycation (with Ellen Page) and Huang’s World (with Eddie Huang). [10] A+E is committed to expanding H2 internationally, distributing it into over 68 territories, as well as its production of informational-based historical content. [9]

NEW PLATFORM: *ASTERISK

A+E’s new digital content brand Asterisk’s logo / Source: realscreen.com

A+E launched new digital brand called Asterisk, a website featuring stories examining contemporary culture through a historical lens. The site is aimed at a younger millennial demo, posting articles that include videos, photos, quizzes and BuzzFeed-esque lists etc. [13] According to A+E, the brand features premium content “created for sharing across the social web,” [14] and also offers marketing partners “native advertising” solutions customizable for specific products. The site analyzes 10 cultural categories: life skills, sports, food and drink, people, ideas, arts and entertainment, work, style, travel and tech. [13]

Check out this fun article exemplifying Asterisk’s take on history comparing Southern Democrats LBJ and Frank Underwood, the devious politician from Netflix’s House of Cards, which reveals the real American president as the bigger badass.

President LBJ and Spacey’s Francis Underwood battle for the title of most “badass” president on A+E’s new digital platform, Asterisk / Source: theasterisktoday.com

LIBERTY GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION DEAL

The communications giant, Liberty Global’s, logo / Source: libertyglobal.com [17]

A+E Networks has signed an extended distribution deal with British-based telecommunications and television company, Liberty Global, for exclusive carriage of its channels across Europe. A+E Networks branded content can now be located on Liberty Global networks in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. [15] Liberty Global is the largest cable company in the world, with 27 million customers across 14 countries. [16] Lifetime and H2 will be available in the UK and Ireland for the first time. Also under the terms of the new deal, all current A+E Networks UK channels have to remain on their existing Liberty Global platforms, which already reach over 15.5 million subscribers regularly. [15] Ultimately, this deal gives A+E Networks channels and content across all platforms greater access to new subscribers and markets. [16]

CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and Critics’ Choice Television Awards respective show logos before combing into one award show / Source: Deadline.com

Beginning next year, A+E Networks will combine the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Critics’ Choice Television Awards into one three-hour event. A+E partnered with the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association in 2014 to obtain exclusive broadcast rights for the 2015 and 2016 awards. [12] The new show, the 21st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, will be cast live January 17 on A+E Networks’ A&E, Lifetime and LMN simultaneously. Last year, The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards drew 1.92 million total viewers and the Television Awards, after moving from the CW, drew 522,000 total viewers. Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment will produce the new show. [12]

COMPANY REORGANIZATION

Over the last few fall months, A+E Networks has experienced significant corporate restructuring, promoting valued executives and ushering in a new president.

Jana Bennett / Source: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com

A+E Networks has promoted Jana Bennett to President and General Manager of History. Bennet joined A+E as President of FYI and LMN in 2013 and will oversee all strategic planning, programming, marketing and brand development for History and sister, H2. Under Bennet’s leadership, FYI and LMN became two of the fastest growing networks in television. FYI experienced a double-digit ratings growth in its first year on air thanks to new series Married at First Sight, Arranged and Seven Year Switch. [24]

Arturo Interian / Source: Variety.com [22]

History promoted A+E veteran Arturo Interian to Senior Vice President, Scripted Programming. Interian recently served as Vice President, Original Movies for A+E’s sister network Lifetime, spearheading the Emmy Award nominated miniseries Bonnie & Clyde, and Marilyn. In 2002, Interian joined the company after serving as Director, Movies for Television and Miniseries for CBS. He is currently heading the upcoming series Roots and History’s hit drama series Vikings season four. [20]

Stacy Green / Source: Variety.com [23]

Stacy Green has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources and Facilities for A+E Networks. After joining A+E in 2013 as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, she modernized A+E Networks’ employee benefits plans and policies. [21] As the new Executive Vice President, Green will place a focus on culture and people to be reflected in the workspaces of employees, throughout all A+E Network divisions. [21]

FINANCIALS

A+E Television Networks is a privately traded company.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

A+E’s NEW PROGRAMMING SLATE

Highlights of A+E Networks new slate of original programming across its portfolio

A&E

A+E channel A&E’s logo / Source: aetv.com [25]

A&E Networks has slated a six-episode hour-long mystery crime drama series The Frankenstein Chronicles starring Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) premiering next year. [26]
On December 8, A&E’s new six episode hour-long original docu-series Born This Way, following a group of seven young adults born with Down syndrome, premieres. [27]

HISTORY

The History Channel logo / Source: history.com [29]

History will premiere a eight-part docu-drama series in 2016, Barbarians Rising, about the 700-year empire. The series is a global production spanning more than 185 territories. [30]
The channel has also ordered 16 episodes of Join or Die with Craig Ferguson, a half-hour comedy show in which host, Craig Ferguson, debates provocative and timely topics with a panel of guests and history experts. [31]
History, A&E and Lifetime greenlight the scripted remake series ROOTS, a historical portrait of American slavery spanning multiple generations, to be simulcast for a new generation of viewers in 2016. [32]

LIFETIME

A+E channel Liftime’s logo / Source: mylifetime.com [33]

On January 18 Lifetime will premiere the limited series even War & Peace, reimagined for a new generation, starring Paul Dano and Gillian Anderson. [34]
Premiering January 5 at 10pm, Pitch Slapped, a new eight hour-long docu-series analyzing the competitive nature of high school a cappella. [35]

FYI

A+E channel FYI’s logo / Source: fyi.tv [36]

On December 8, FYI will air its new hour-long ten episode original series #BlackLove, which follows five black women from NYC on a journey to find love. [37]
Eight one-hour episodes of Khloe Kardashian’s new non-traditional talk show, Cocktails with Khloe, is set to premiere on December 9. [38]

SOURCES:

[1] “A+E Networks Gets Content to Market Around the World Faster with Aframe.” Aframe RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

[2] “Executive Bios | A+E Networks.” Executive Bios | A+E Networks. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

[3] “About | A+E Networks.” About | A+E Networks. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

[4] “A+E Entertainment | Hearst Media.” Hearst.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

[5] “A & E Television Networks History.” History of A & E Television Networks – FundingUniverse. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

[6] “A&E Television Networks, Major Television Networks.” Moviestaff. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[7] “A+E at 30: How a Tiny Network Became a $26 Billion Success Story.” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[8] “Vice Media Gets Channel on A+E Networks.” WSJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[9] “VICE AND A+E NETWORKS ANNOUNCE NEW TV NETWORK VICELAND (WORKING TITLE).” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[10] “Vice Will Take Over A+E Networks’ H2 Next Year, Rebranding It as Viceland.” AdWeek. AdWeek, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

[11] “Vice & A+E Networks To Launch Viceland TV Channel In 2016 That Will Replace H2.” Deadline. Deadline, 03 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

[12] “Critics’ Choice Movie & TV Awards Merge To Become One Show.” Deadline. Deadline, 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

[13] “A+E Launches Asterisk Internet-Media Brand with New Spins on History (Exclusive).” Variety. N.p., 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[14] “A+E Networks Launches Digital Brand “Asterisk”.” Realscreen. Realscreen, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[15] “A&E Television Networks, LLC: Private Company Information.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[16] “Liberty Global And A+E Networks Expand Pan-European Partnership.” Deadline. Deadline, 02 Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[17] “ANNUALREPORT2014.” Online Annual Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[18] “LBJ Would Wipe the Floor with Frank Underwood.” Asterisk. Asterisk, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[19] “A&E Television Networks, LLC.” |Company Profile|Vault.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[20] “HISTORY PROMOTES TWO PROGRAMMING EXECUTIVES AND ADDS NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT & PROGRAMMING.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[21] “STACY GREEN ELEVATED TO EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES & FACILITIES A+E NETWORKS.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[22] “Arturo Interian.” Variety. N.p., 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[23] “Stacy Green.” Variety. N.p., 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[24] “A+E Networks Names Jana Bennett President & General Manager of HISTORY.” TV By The Numbers by Zap2itcom. N.p., 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[25] “A&E – Shows, Schedules, Full Episodes & Videos.” Aetv. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[26] “A&E NETWORK SET TO AIR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES “THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES” IN THE US.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[27] “A&E NETWORK TO PREMIERE NEW ORIGINAL DOCU-SERIES ‘BORN THIS WAY’ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 10:00 PM ET/PT.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[28] “A&E NETWORK PREMIERES SEASON FOUR OF SCRIPTED CRIME DRAMA “UNFORGETTABLE”” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[29] “History.com.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[30] “HISTORY® Greenlights Docu-Drama ‘Barbarians Rising’ Revealing the True Stories of Legendary Warriors.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[31] “HISTORY® GREENLIGHTS NEW SERIES ‘JOIN OR DIE WITH CRAIG FERGUSON’.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[32] “HISTORY®, A&E AND LIFETIME GREENLIGHT ROOTS.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[33] “Lifetime TV & Movies, Full Episodes, Games & Sweepstakes.” Lifetime TV & Movies, Full Episodes, Games & Sweepstakes. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[34] “WAR & PEACE REIMAGINED FOR A NEW GENERATION PREMIERES ON LIFETIME, A&E AND HISTORY JANUARY 18.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[35] “GET READY TO BE PITCH SLAPPED WITH LIFETIME’S NEW A CAPPELLA DOCUSERIES PREMIERING JANUARY 5.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[36] “FYI Network – Shows, Schedules, Full Episodes & Videos.” FYI.tv. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[37] “FYI’S NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “#BLACKLOVE” PREMIERES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 10:15PM ET.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[38] “FYI™ PREMIERES PRIMETIME TALK SHOW “KOCKTAILS WITH KHLOÉ” WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9 AT 10PM ET.” A+E Networks – Life Is Entertaining. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Sirius XM #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Sydney Shulman

By Sydney Shulman

Sirius XM
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

James E Meyer
Chief Executive Officer (17)

Dara Altman
Executive Vice President &Chief Administrative Officer (16)

Scott Greenstein President & Cheif Content officer

Scott Greenstein President & Chief Content officer (15)

About

Sirius XM is a company that brings you all your favorite radio programs anywhere and anytime. That includes 3,717,792 square miles of coast-to-coast coverage(1), and your favorite stations will continue to play even 200 miles off shore. It is the largest radio broadcaster measured by revenue and has 29 million subscribers. The radio can be accessed on your computer, in your car, at home, in your office, and on your smartphone or tablet. Sirius XM has arrangements with every major automaker for the installation of Sirius XM products. It also provides traffic and weather reports to cars, RVs, trucks, boats and aircrafts. Sirius XM is one of the largest ad-free audio entertainment companies and is among the largest subscription media companies in the United States. It offers a large variety of stations spanning virtually all genres and interests. This company offers a multitude of packages to accommodate all of their listeners. Customers can also personalize their channels by using MySXM, and listen to thousands of hours of programming on demand so that they never miss their favorite programs. Sirius XM is not only limited to the U.S., it also holds a minority interest in Sirius XM Canada. This minority interest has over 2 million subscribers. In short, this company provides a multitude of ad-free radio stations on various platforms for a diverse audience.

Entertainment

SiriusXM is always making new stations to accommodate their diverse subscribers. Tom Petty is set to launch his own station with SiriusXM. It will feature his music, covers of some of his most popular hits, unreleased studio and live tracks, and even full live concerts(2). Andy Cohen will also be launching his new show, Radio Andy(3). The show will be comprised of interviews with some of the biggest celebrities.

Andy Cohen (14)

With Basketball season quickly approaching, SiriusXM is offering subscribers nationwide coverage of the NBA season. This will include live play by plays of every games from the beginning of the season to the finals, and daily in depth talk and analysis of the games(19). Also, a new weekly show called, year one, hosted by two rookies, Stanley Johnson from the Pistons and Frank Kaminsky from the Hornets, will give listeners insight into the life of a first year NBA player(4).

NBA Radio (13)

SiriusXM will be gaining a lot of new shows but they may be losing one of their most successful ones. A SiriusXM veteran, Howard Stern, is in talks of renewing his contract with the satellite radio company but his return is not definite. The holdup has been due to a $20 million pay cut(5). Stern has been coy about this deal and only has good things to say about the company.

Howard Stern (12)

Always looking for new and unique programs, SiriusXM will be adding a “youtube country spotlight” to its weekly on the horizon show(6). This segment will be showcasing new music that’s gaining popularity on youtube. showcasing musicians popular on the internet is just another way that SiriusXM is keeping up with new trends.

SiriusXM is constantly evolving with their programming in order to fit the interests of all 29 million subscribers.

Finances

The third quarterly earnings have come in for SiriusXM and they have proven that the satellite company just keeps doing better and better as the years go on.Their net earnings this quarter were $167 million compared to $136 million in their third quarter of 2014(7) They reported an earnings per share of $.03 and a consolidated revenue of $1.17 billion, higher than the estimated $1.15 billion. Shares have gone up with a gain of $.012% after buying and selling at $4.11 with a volume of 11.20 million shares(8). Now sitting at $4.16, it has increased 1.2% since its previous close. Since joining with XM, they have doubled their shares outstanding(9). Jim Cramer, host of the show Mad Money, advised viewers to hold on to SiriusXM because of their prominence in automobiles, and their sturdy business model. 75% of new cars come with a satellite radio which gives SiriusXM the opportunity to grow even bigger with the years to come. With an all time high of 29 million subscribers, it is no surprise that this quarters earnings was one of the most successful in the history of the company.

Influence

SiriusXM has comprised their own list of the best songs and artists of 2015. The list was made by members of the SiriusXM music curation team and driven by subscriber feedback (10). Some artists on the list are; Adele, Taylor Swift, and Calvin Harris. While some of the best songs recognized by SiriusXM are; Hello and Cheerleader. By recognizing the best artists and songs of 2015, SiriusXM displays their dedication to bringing their customers the best entertainment out there. They ask the public what they like and want and then they make sure to make it available to them.

Future Projects

Sirius XM has paired up with Audi to showcase a new way in dealing with car accidents. Coming in 2017, the Audi Q7 SUV, will feature the new SiriusXM emergency service with unique human touch. This innovative service will feature; Automated 911 calling immediately after the deployment of an airbag, a two agent model where one operator stays on the phone and a second contacts first responders, and while waiting for emergency vehicle, the system continues to monitor the status and location of the vehicle(11). Another feature of this new system is that it will alert the police if the car is stolen, while simultaneously tracking it. It will also request roadside assistance and allow drivers to lock their car remotely using their smartphone. This new feature will soon be added to all new Audi cars. Now not only can you listen to your favorite stations but also ensure immediate action in case of an emergency.

Audi Q7 2017 (18)

Closing Statements

SiriusXM is a company that will continue to grow bigger and bigger as years go on. The dedication that this company has to bringing their audiences great content keeps them at the top of their game. As shown in their quarterly earnings this year. This innovative company is always looking for new ways to further their brand and stay relevant.

Sources

1) SiriusXM. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

2)Robinson, Will. November 17, 2015. Tom Petty Gets His Own SiriusXM Channel. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

3)Hinzmann, Dennis. October 23, 2015. Andy Cohen Launches SiriusXM Channel. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

4)Stanley Johnson and Frank Kaminsky to Be Featured Hosts on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “Year One“. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

5)Geddes, James. November 17, 2015. Tech Times. “Howard Stern Will Renew His Contract And Return To SiriusXM If It Meets Just One Demand.” Retrieved December 2, 2015.

6)Roland, Tom. November 24, 2015. Billboard. “Nashville Notes: Joey + Rory to Release New Album; SiriusXM Taps YouTube to Find Talent | Billboard.” Retrieved December 2, 2015.

7)Sirius XM. Sirius XM Holdings inc- Retrieved December 2, 2015.

8)Watson, Steve. November 27, 2015.WSNews4Investors. On the Move Services Stock Trend. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

9)Munarriz, Rick. November 23, 2015.The Motley Fool. — The Can Sirius XM Radio Build on Its 8-Year High? Retrieved Dec 2, 2015.

10)”SiriusXM Names Artists and Songs of 2015.” — NEW YORK, Nov. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ —. Pr Newswire, Retrieved December 2, 2015.

11)Gareffa, Peter. November 25, 2015.Edmunds. 2017 Audi Q7 To Debut Sirius/XM Emergency Services With Human Touch | Edmunds.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

12) SiriusXM. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

13)November 19, 2015. Twitter. Year One Meets Year Two as @Double0AG Joins @iAmSJ and @TermineRadio Now. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

14)Pr Newswire. Andy Cohen to Launch His Exclusive SiriusXM Channel Radio Andy on September 14. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

15)SiriusXM. Management Bios. December 2, 2015.

16)SiriusXM. Management Bios. December 2, 2015.

17)SiriusXM. Management Bios. December 2, 2015.

18)June 24, 2015. 2016 2017 Car Models 2017 Audi Q7 Release Date Interior Price Comments. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

19)November 23, 2015. MarketWatch.SiriusXM Offers Extensive Coverage of 2015-16 NBA Season. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

Pandora Radio

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Kyle Miller

by Kyle Miller

Pandora App Logo (Courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [1]

2100 Franklin St
Suite 700
Oakland, CA 94612 Telephone #: (510) 451-4100

Overview of Pandora Radio

Pandora Radio is an internet music streaming company that emerged online in 2005. The company was founded by Tim Westergren, an award-winning music composer, and currently runs out of Oakland, CA. Pandora offers a wide library of music to listeners and can help users discover new tracks and artists that are similar to the music they currently enjoy. The streaming service is fueled by The Music Genome Project, which is an on going music analysis study that has created a formula using specific musical characteristics to help bring each user a unique playlist that caters to their music preference [2]. Pandora Radio is free to any person who enters their site, although there is an option for a paid subscription of $4.99 a month which deems a user a “Pandora One” member. These members are able to stream music ad free and also get much higher sound quality when streaming [3].

“The Next Song” Pandora Youtube Video. (Courtesy of Youtube) [4]

Interface

Screen Shot of Pandora Interface. [5]

Operating Pandora Radio is a simple, yet exciting experience. With over a million different songs, users are able to search their favorite artists and then get a playlist that will deliver similar music. When a track appears, users are able read lyrics as the song plays and browse the “About” section to learn more background information on who created the music. Users can create up to 100 different playlists and can also notify Pandora if they do not enjoy the music, so the site can start to find better songs to fit that user’s preferences. [2]

Key Executives

TimWestergren – Founder of Pandora Radio (Courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [6]

Brian McAndrews – Chief Executive Officer, President & Chairman (Courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [8]

Steve Bene – General Counsel (Courtesy of Pandora Pressroom) [7]

Finances

Pandora’s third quarter results of 2015 reported a total revenue of $311.6 million. This total was a 30% increase from the results of last year’s Q3 mark. Advertising revenue also rose 31% to a total of $254.7 million [9]. Pandora executives relate this growth to the company’s recent $450 million dollar acquisition of Ticketfly, which makes Pandora a location to now discover and purchase tickets for upcoming live shows, attracting many new users who are avid concert goers [10]. Unfortunately, competition in the music streaming business has been a major concern for Pandora. On October 23, Pandora had the company’s worst share drop off, falling 35 percent in one day primarily due to the rise of Apple Music and Spotify. Apple Music recently reported it had 6.5 million paying subscribers, compared to only 3 million Pandora One subscribers who pay a monthly fee [11].

Pandora currently sits at a $14 stock price, which seems negative for potential investors, but analysts do see potential with the company in the future. The market currently predicts that Pandora’s premium is going to rise greatly over the next two January calls, signifying that their stock should move back up in the future. Analysts also expect a major investor to acquire Pandora by 2017 due to the company’s growing diversification and increase in overall revenue [12].

Pandora’s Share Prices of 2015 (Courtesy of Bloomberg.com) [13]

Interacting with Music Fans

tim-mcgraw-performance-lights-2015-billboard-650

Tim McGraw Performing (Courtesy of Billboard.com) [16]

Pandora Radio has made great efforts this year to create a close relationship with their audience. On September 9th, Pandora celebrated their 10 year anniversary by providing ad free streaming to anyone who visited their site. This thanked fans for the support they had given to Pandora and also allowed people to see what being a paid subscriber entailed [14]. Pandora also stayed committed to their goal of bringing artists and fans closer together. On November 11th, Pandora and country music star, Tim McGraw, joined together to create a listening party for McGraw’s new album, Damn Country Music. The event took place in New York City and included a live performance from the country singer that was free of charge for fans [15]. To celebrate the holiday season, Pandora is hosting a concert event in New York City on December 10th. The show, which will also be available to be streamed at home, will feature acclaimed artists Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco, and G-Eazy [17].

Competition

Digital streaming is the most popular way people are accessing music today. Although Pandora was created much earlier, streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal have impacted the market greatly by forming on-demand listening. In response, Pandora payed $75 million dollars to acquire assets from the music streaming service, Rdio, which recently fell into bankruptcy. This will eventually make Pandora an on-demand streaming site, which will possibly attract people to leave other sites and use Pandora [18]. Pandora also recently took a major step ahead of competitors by having Adele’s critically acclaimed album, 25, on their site. Since Pandora does not hold deals with major record labels and does not give their users access to chose the exact song they want, they are able to have the tracks available. Apple Music, Spotify, and others are restricted from having the number one album, because Adele’s record label chose to forgo streaming sales and focus primarily on selling physical copies [19].

The Future of Pandora

With the recent acquisition of Rdio, Pandora is preparing for a significant business change. Unlike their competitor Spotify who offers free streaming, Pandora plans to ally with artists and labels and only offer paid on demand subscription. This will put Pandora at a large disadvantage compared to Spotify, but the company believes that their main goal is to respect the art of music and the ones who spend handwork creating it [20]. Clear evidence that Pandora wants to honor artists is seen in their recent multi-year deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Pandora agreed to increase their royalty payments with the largest music publishing company, which will now open new opportunities for Pandora. They now have the ability to expand to a international market with the music rights they have acquired, which could be a major business move since Pandora is currently only available in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia [21].

Pandora also expanded their massive music library with many popular pre-1972 recordings of music. The company reached a $90 million settlement to avoid any copyright allegations, setting the precedent to other streaming companies to respect the artists. This addition of music attracts an older audience range to Pandora and will hopefully encourage record labels to be reasonable with establishing deals once Pandora begins their on demand service [22].

Pandora Logo on an Iphone (Courtesy of Fortune News) [23]

Sources

Pandora App Logo – press.pandora.com. Retrieved November 28 2015.

2. About Pandora – Pandora. Retrieved November 28 2015.

3. Pandora One – Pandora. Retrieved November 28 2015.

4. The Next Song – YouTube. Retrieved November 28 2015.

5. Pandora in Action – Pandora. Retrieved November 28 2015.

6. Headshot of Tim Westergren – press.pandora.com. Retrieved November 28 2015.

7. Headshot of Steve Bene – press.pandora.com Retrieved November 28 2015.

8. Headshot of Brian McAndrews – press.pandora.com Retrieved November 28 2015.

9. Pandora Q3 2015 Financial Results – investor.pandora.com Retrieved November 28 2015.

10. Roettgers, Janko (October 7, 2015) Pandora Buys Ticketfly to Sell Concert Tickets to Its Listeners – Variety – Retrieved November 28 2015.

11. Sisario, Ben (October 23, 2015) Pandora Shares Plummet as Competition Grows – NY Times – Retrieved November 28 2015.

12. Hagopian, Todd (October 28, 2015) After Pandora’s Steep Drop, An Acquisition Is Almost Inevitable – Seeking Alpha – Retrieved November 28 2015.

13. Pandora’s Share Price Chart – Bloomberg.com – Retrieved November 28 2015.

14. Olanoff, Drew (September 1, 2015) Pandora To Celebrate 10th Anniversary With Day of Ad-Free Listening – TechCrunch – Retrieved November 28 2015.

15. Stutz, Colin (October 27, 2015) Tim McGraw to Celebrate ‘Damn Country Music’ Release With Pandora Mixtape, Party – Billboard – Retrieved November 28 2015.

16. Tim McGraw Performing – Billboard – Retrieved November 28 2015.

17. (November 10, 2015) Pandora Holiday: Exclusive NYC Concert and Livestream Featuring Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, G-Eazy and DJ Sets by Cash Cash – Business Wire – Retrieved November 28 2015.

18. Owsinski, Bobby (November 18, 2015) – The Pros and Cons of Pandora’s Rdio Acquisition – Forbes – Retrieved November 28 2015.

19. Kastrenakes, Jacob (November 25, 2015) – Pandora is Streaming Adele’s ’25’ and Her Label Can’t Stop It – The Verge – Retrieved November 28 2015.

20. Popper, Ben (December 1, 2015) – Pandora Cozies up to the Music Labels as it Prepares to Take on Spotify – The Verge – Retrieved December 1 2015.

21. Peoples, Glenn (November 13, 2015) – The Pandora-Sony/ATV Deal – Billboard – Retrieved November 29 2015.

22. Gardner, Eriq (October 22, 2015) – Pandora Reaches $90 Million Settlement With Labels Over Pre-1972 Music – Billboard – Retrieved November 29 2015.

23. Pandora Logo – Fortune.com – Retrieved November 29 2015.

TEGNA Inc.

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Jamin Lee

TEGNA Inc. Logo [7]

7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA 22107-0150
703-854-7000

Overview

Gracia C. Martore
President and CEO [3]

TEGNA Inc. is a broadcasting and digital media company founded on June 29th, 2015 as Gannett Co. Inc.’s successor. It is currently being led by CEO Gracia C. Martore who is credited for the continuous growth of the company since its split from Gannett Co. Inc. Within TEGNA, there are two divisions each with their own president: TEGNA Media and TEGNA Digital. [3]

David Lougee
President, TEGNA Media [3]

TEGNA Media is led by its President Dave Lougee.[3] This group monitors existing tv stations owned by TEGNA and searches for new possible stations to further the company’s reach in the media. TEGNA currently owns and operates 47 stations in 38 markets nationwide, some of which were acquired when Gannett Co. split and gave TEGNA Inc. ownership of those stations. Other stations were acquired afterwards under the guidance of CEO Martore. It is currently the largest independent owner of CBS and NBC affiliates and the fourth largest owner of ABC affiliates. Some of TEGNA’s stations include NBC’s KPNX, KUSA, WXIA and CBS’s WUSA. [2]

John A. Williams
President, TEGNA Digital [3]

TEGNA Digital’s president is John A. Williams. [3] This section of the company controls TEGNA’s digital assets. Their most recent addition was Sightline Media Group, an online newspaper company that distributes content pertaining to the different branches of the US Military. Other groups owned by TEGNA include a car buying and selling site named Cars.com, a marketing solutions company called G/O Digital, and Careerbuilder.com whose revenue TEGNA plans to increase by “offering software as service.” [1]

Finances

TEGNA is a publicly traded company whose stocks became available for trade on the New York Stock Exchange on June 29th, 2015. On the morning of June 29th, 2015, TEGNA shares rose 1.3% whereas its predecessor’s, Gannett Co., fell by 3.6%. [4] Several months afterwards though, TEGNA shares continued to decrease until October 2015 when the shares began to rise again. [8] Currently it is an $8.34 billion dollar company with plans to continue expanding its digital media and broadcasting content.

TEGNA’s stock prices from June 2015 to November 2015. [8]

TEGNA Media believes that there will continue to be a steady cash flow from its digital and broadcasting markets, especially with the upcoming 2016 presidential election. TEGNA currently owns 38 markets, some of which include Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle, New Orleans and Portland. TEGNA also owns 47 different tv stations including several news stations like NBC’s 12 News, 9 News, 10 News, News Channel 5 and WF My News 2. With markets in such popular states and TEGNA’s large share of CBS and NBC affiliates, TEGNA claimed that they plan to “take full advantage of increasing political advertising spending.”[9]

Cars.com logo [11]

Furthermore, TEGNA reported that their Q3 earnings this year were stronger than ever. A big factor for this increase was because of TEGNA’s acquisition of Cars.com. Previously, TEGNA (which was Gannett at the time) had been a partial owner of Cars.com along with several other newspaper companies, until later when TEGNA negotiated a deal that allowed it to become the owner of Cars.com in exchange for getting the other newspaper companies’ interests bought out. After becoming the new owner of Cars.com, TEGNA expanded and grew the website until it had become the second most popular website to go to for selling and buying cars. TEGNA profited a net income increase of 17.6% largely because there was a 72% increase in digital revenue. [10]

TEGNA vs Dish

In October of 2015, TEGNA had a dispute with Dish Network over distribution fees during the process of renewing their contract. This resulted in a 24 hour blackout in 38 markets over 33 different states. [12] TEGNA had increased the rate of retransmission consent fees, which Dish refused to pay claiming that TEGNA was asking for “above-market rate increases” that were twice the original amount of what satellite broadcasters were currently paying. [13] TEGNA replied saying they could not accept Dish’s newly proposed contract because Dish was trying to prevent “its customers from accessing valued channels, even as customers continue to pay for that content.” [2]

Dish Network subscriber’s tweet regarding the 24 hour blackout. [6]

With the contract issue at a standstill, Dish stopped showing any stations owned and operated by TEGNA for 24 hours. This blackout angered many of Dish’s subscribers for two reasons. Firstly, the NFL games were just around the corner and many of Dish’s subscribers became angry and worried they would not be able to watch the upcoming NFL games over the weekend. [6] Secondly, Dish subscribers, like any other subscribers of a satellite broadcasting company, pay a monthly fee to gain access to certain tv stations and channels. The prospect of not being able to have that access whenever the subscriber wanted to despite paying for it made many subscribers furious. [13]

Fortunately for Dish’s NFL loving subscribers, TEGNA and Dish reached an agreement for a multiyear contract on October 11th, 2015 which several days before the NFL games started. It is believed that both TEGNA and Dish felt an urgency to quickly reach a negotiation with the pressure of viewers wanting to watch the NFL games that was coming around the corner at the time. [5]

Future

Although TEGNA Inc. appears financially safe due to its large collection of tv stations and expanding digital media outlets, TEGNA is appearing rather often in situations that don’t appeal to the public.

Dish Network’s Logo [15]

Although the decision of the 24 hour blackout was Dish’s decision, many people blame the ordeal on both TEGNA and Dish claiming the two companies inability to negotiate with each other ended up putting the subscribers in an unfavorable situation. While the number of people cutting the cord had increased since before this ordeal took place, the 24 hour blackout did give more people reason to end their subscriptions with satellite broadcasting companies. Dish in particular lost at least 134,000 subscribers. [14]

KGW’s protest against TEGNA’s reforms. [16]

Furthermore, TEGNA Inc. was also involved in a dispute with Portland NBC affiliate KGW during October 2015 over KGW’s labor forces. News reported that TEGNA wanted to fire current union members by deleting the jurisdiction clause in union contracts and to replace those workers with more cheap, non-union labors. KGW fought back. KGW’s business representative, David Twedell claimed such changes in the workforce is, “…a matter of public safety. If there are amateurs producing that content, that information is more likely to be incorrect or cause a public safety issue.” Whether the quality of the news will fall or not is debatable, but this issue has also portrayed TEGNA in a negative way to the public. [16] How much affect the public’s opinion will control TEGNA is unknown, but if TEGNA wants to continue to grow and expand, their public relations must improve.

Sources

[1] Colman, Price. “Martore Martore Boosts Tegna With Focus,.” TV News Check. N.p., 28 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[2] Spangler, Todd. “Dish’s Latest Blackout: Satcaster Loses TV Stations in 38 Markets in Fight With Tegna.” Variety. N.p., 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

[3] “Digital Marketing Services | Content Marketing : TEGNA.” TEGNA. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[4] Yu, Roger. “TEGNA, Gannett Go Separate Ways as Print Spin off Is Completed.” USA Today. Gannett, 29 June 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

[5] Littleton, Cynthia. “Dish Network, Tegna Reach Deal Ending Blackout in 38 Markets.” Variety. N.p., 11 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

[6] Zara, Christopher. “Dish Network Blackout: Viewers Fume As Tegna-Owned NBC, CBS Stations Go Dark.” International Business Times. N.p., 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

[7]”TEGNA.” Logopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[8] “TGNA.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[9] “TEGNA Expects to Begin Trading on June 29, Offers Guidance (GCI).” Street Insider. N.p., 22 June 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[10] Hebbard, D.B. “TEGNA Reports Strong Earnings Thanks to Digital.” TEGNA Reports Strong Earnings Thanks to Digital. N.p., 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[11] “New and Used Cars For Sale, Reviews, News, Service | Cars.com.” Cars.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[12] Flint, Joe. “Dish, Tegna Reach New Distribution Agreement.” WSJ. N.p., 11 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

[13] “Tegna, Dish Network Spar over Contract Fees.” AZ Central. N.p., 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

[14] Ramachandran, Shalini, and Chelsey Dulaney. “Dish Continues to Lose Users, Though Profit Doubles.” WSJ. N.p., 11 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[15] DISH Official Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[16] Eck, Kevin. “Is TEGNA Playing Hardball With KGW Unions?” TV Spy. N.p., 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.

Lionsgate Entertainment #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Lilly Stuecklen

Lilly Stuecklen

Lions Gate Entertainment

2700 Colorado Ave Ste 200

Santa Monica, CA 90404

http://www.lionsgate.com/

Corporate Management

John Feltheimer, Chief Executive Officer | Source: Lionsgate

Michael Burns, Vice Chairman | Source: Lionsgate

Steve Beeks, Co-Chief Operating Officer and Co-President, Motion Picture Group | Source: Lionsgate

Brian Goldsmith, Co-Chief Operating Officer | Source: Lionsgate

Wayne Levin, General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer | Source: Lionsgate

James W. Barge, Chief Financial Officer | Source: Lionsgate

Company Overview

MV5BMjA4NDg3NzYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTgyNzkyNw@@._V1_SX640_SY720_

The Hunger Games | Source: IMDb

While the “Big 6” film studios have reigned for decades at the top of the box office, one “mini major” is quickly working its way into their usual territory, Lionsgate Films. Formed in 1997, Lionsgate stayed mostly under the radar as a producer of independent and niche films such as “American Psycho” and Tyler Perry’s “Madea” films until 2012. This was the year of Lionsgate, where it released “The Hunger Games” and acquired Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the “Twilight” franchise. Since 2012, Lionsgate has mingled at the top of the studio market share with the Big 6, being the youngest and smallest studio (550 employees vs. Warner’s 10,000), to gross over $1 billion in a year. [1]

Orange is the New Black | Source: IMDb

In addition to being Hollywood’s youngest film powerhouse, Lionsgate also operates its own television group. Its shows, such as “Orange is the New Black”, “The Royals”, and “Nashville”, currently dominate the digital, cable, and broadcast platforms. Their television library now contains 30 shows spanning 20 different networks that have brought in nearly 30 Primetime Emmy wins for this on-the-rise company. [5]

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

Financially, Lionsgate’s television and film units continue to grow exponentially. Their production revenue from TV increased to $580 million, up 30% from 2014. Television revenue is only expected to increase as all current shows in production have already been renewed for new seasons, and one, “Nashville”, has just been sold into syndication whilst still in production. [7]

Lionsgate owns the rights to these lucrative book-to-screen franchises. From left to right: Twilight, Divergent, The Hunger Games | Source: hypable

So far in 2015, Lionsgate ranks 7th among all studios for the market share of the film industry, and has stayed within the top seven for the past 3 years [3]. This steady success comes mainly thanks to their film franchises, which include the “Hunger Games”, “Twilight”, and “Divergent” series. Together they’ve raked in over $10 billion at the global box office, and this number continues to rise as the final “Hunger Games” installment turns into its third week in theatres. [7]

While still a blockbuster, the final installment of the series “Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” performed under expectations for its opening weekend. The $101 million opening fell roughly $19 million short of expectations, and is the lowest of the four-film series [8]. In response to this, shares have dropped from a three-month high of $42.50 to $34.25 [6]. Despite the slight under-performance, “Mockingjay – Part 2” still held on to first-place for a second week through the Thanksgiving weekend, beating out “The Good Dinosaur” and “Creed” on their opening weekends. [9]

File photo of Liberty Media chairman John Malone talking to reporters as he arrives at the Sun Valley Inn

John Malone has taken significant interest in Lionsgate lately | Source: The New York Post

Lionsgate, however, is confident that a slight dip in shares will not affect them in the long term. Media mogul and billionaire John Malone recently upped his ante in the studio, becoming its second largest shareholder. With this purchase comes the buzz that Malone’s company, Liberty Media (in charge of the Starz channel), may potentially attempt a merger with Lionsgate down the line. As the end of the breadwinning The Hunger Games film series draws near, the studio has been putting more eggs in the television basket than the film one, and Malone wants to capitalize on this. At the beginning of November, Lionsgate dropped $200 million for a controlling stake in Pilgrim Studios, a producer of several successful reality TV shows including “Ghost Hunters“. With this purchase and the potential to shift Lionsgate’s in-house produced shows to Starz, the likelihood that Malone is at Lionsgate to stay is high. [10]

Potential rendering of a Lionsgate/Hunger Games theme park | Source: New York Times

While the initial Hunger Games series may be coming to an end, Lionsgate is looking forward to an extremely long tail for the franchise. Spin-offs films, a theatrical experience, and theme parks are all potential new ways to keep the world of Panem alive and churning out profit. Following in the successful footsteps of Warner Bros., who licenses its characters to existing parks and developers instead of running their own (like Disney and Universal do), Lionsgate has plans for parks in Georgia and China. Meanwhile, a Lionsgate-themed area is already under construction at Motiongate, a soon-to-open park in Dubai that also has the rights to DreamWorks and Sony titles. In addition to utilizing the Hunger Games brand for “location-based entertainment”, “Step Up” dance shows and “Divergent” and “Now You See Me” attractions are in talks as well, all a part of the Lionsgate library. [11]

Gerard Butler as an Egyptian God in “Gods of Egypt” | Source: IMDb

While the long tail of The Hunger Games will continue to profit Lionsgate for years to come, their primary income is in their theatrical film releases. “Gods of Egypt“, planned for a February 26 release, is a fantasy epic concerning the lore of ancient Egypt. Recently though, the film has gotten a backlash of negative press due to a predominantly white casting. Posters released this month featuring lead actors such as Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush drew anger from celebrities and consumers alike, claiming it was both wrong and in bad taste, especially among all the recent racial unrest, to cast a film taking place in Egypt with mostly Caucasian people. Both Lionsgate and the director of the film, Alex Proyas, issued apologies immediately. [13]

Aside from the rough patch concerning “Gods of Egypt”, Lionsgate is as optimistic as ever in their endeavors. Approximately 12 films are slated for a 2016 release, including “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” and “Now You See Me 2” [12]. The Divergent series, based on a series of dystopian young adult novels and also featuring a strong female lead similar to “The Hunger Games”, hasn’t been the monstrous success that its predecessor has (the second film had a $130.2 million domestic box office gross vs. the second Hunger Game’s $424.7 million). Yet still, the series is Lionsgate’s lone remaining sure-fire breadwinner once “Mockingjay – Part 2” runs its course in theatres. [14]

In the case of “Now You See Me” in 2013, the original film had no built-in book audience to profit off of, and was a surprise hit for the studio, grossing $117 million domestically against a budget of $75 million. A sequel was immediately greenlit and “Now You See Me 2” is due to be released next summer. “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe has joined the cast, and his starpower combined with the returning Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson is expected to bring in promising receipts. [15]

Lionsgate is a true underdog. Where much of its competition is celebrating centennials, Lionsgate isn’t even old enough to have a drink at the bar. 2015 was a monumental year as their television properties escalated and their signature Hunger Games series came to an end. 2016 is promising and the Lionsgate name is sure to grace the headlines several times in the coming year.

Sources

[1]

Hollywood Has A New Star Studio With A Different Approach to the Film Business. Retrieved November 29, 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/lionsgate-fighting-the-system-2014-1

[2]

Company Website. Retrieved November 29, 2015.http://www.lionsgate.com/

[3]

Lionsgate Film’s Yearly Box Office Standing. Retrieved November 29, 2015. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/?view=company&view2=yearly&yr=2015&p=.htm

[4]

Film’s Gross Ranking. Retrieved November 29, 2015. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=ytd&view=company&studio=lions_gate.htm

[5]

Lionsgate Television Website. Retrieved November 29, 2015.https://www.lionsgate.com/tv/

[6]

Company Financial Profile. Retrieved November 29, 2015.://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/lgf

[7]

Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Report. Retrieved November 29, 2015. ://www.lionsgate.com/uploads/assets/2015%20Annual%20Report.pdf

[8]

Lang, Brett. Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Box Office Predictions Lowered. Retrieved November 29, 2015.://variety.com/2015/film/news/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-box-office-predictions-lowered-1201646692/

[9]

Bahr, Lindsey. Hunger Games Beats Good Dinosaur. Retrieved November 29, 2015.http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hunger-games-beats-good-dinosaur-174719447.html

[10]

Lang, Brett. As Hunger Games Ends, John Malone and Lionsgate Grow Closer. Retrieved November 29, 2015. http://variety.com/2015/film/news/hunger-games-lionsgate-john-malone-1201643503/

[11]

Barnes, Brooks. Lionsgate Seeks to Build on Its Library of Film Properties With Theme Parks. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/business/media/lionsgate-seeks-to-build-on-its-library-of-film-properties-with-theme-parks.html?_r=0

[12]

Lionsgate Upcoming Releases. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.the-numbers.com/market/distributor/Lionsgate

Zynga

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Corinna Vong

Corinna Vong

Source: Dakota Financial News, Zynga logo [25]

THE COMPANY

Source: Forbes, Mark Pincus, CEO [26]

Source: logos.wikia.com, FarmVille logo [27]

Zynga, a video game development company, has been creating and providing popular games for social network and mobile platforms since its founding in July 2007. The company headquarters are stationed in San Francisco, California [1]. Co-founder Mark Pincus is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors at the company [2]. Zynga’s online social games can be accessed through Facebook and the Zynga game website. Two of the company’s most popular social games, FarmVille and FarmVille 2, have reached a total of more than 400 million users. Another, Zynga Poker, is played by more than 130 million people daily. Some of the social games are also available on mobile devices, while select games are exclusively offered as mobile applications. One well-known mobile-only video game is Draw Something! [3]. The company’s games are “Freemium”, meaning users can install and play them for free but have the option to upgrade and excel higher through in-app purchases [4]. With offices in locations around the world, such as India, Ireland and Canada, the company’s hope is to connect the world through its games [5].

FINANCIALS

[28] Zynga goes public, source: gigaom.com

Source: Gigaom Research, Zynga goes public on NASDAQ [28]

Zynga (ZNGA) began trading publicly on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange on December 16, 2011 [6]. The company released its third quarterly financial report for 2015 on November 3, 2015. The company reported a revenue of $196 million, a 2% decrease from the 2015 second quarter. Its profit of $3 million was unexpected due to the $27 million loss during the second quarter in 2015 [7]. The mobile game bookings made up 69% of the $176 million in total bookings, an increase from 66% in the second quarter and an overall 26% year-over-year growth from the third quarter 2014 results. Zynga’s three main mobile game franchises were the cause of this increase; these games include Words With Friends, Zynga Poker and Slots [8]. The majority of these franchises are social casino games, showing progression in social casino revenue [9]. As Zynga expands into the mobile game market, it competes with other top mobile game development companies, such as Electronic Arts [10]. Two of Zynga’s social casino games, Wizard of Oz Slots and Hit It Rich! Slots, are ranked among the top 50 grossing mobile apps of 2015 [11][12].

EXPANDING INTO THE SOCIAL CASINO GAME MARKET

Source: Zynga Blog, Rising Tide Games logo [29]

Zynga previously broke into the growing social casino game market as it has developed multiple popular social casino games throughout the years [13]. In order to expand in the thriving market, Zynga acquired Rising Tide Games, a social-casino-game development company, in September 2015. With this acquisition deal of $22 million, a number of former Zynga executives will return to the company, as they originally left to start Rising Tide Games [14]. According to the 2015 third quarterly earnings report, Zynga’s three casino games (Zynga Poker, Hit It Rich! Slots and Wizard of Oz Slots) altogether made up 45% of its online game revenue, encouraging the company to move forward with more social casino game development [15]. After success with the previously-released Wizard of Oz Slots, themed after the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Zynga realized the powerful draw of user interest to games that correspond with certain films; usually fans of the film will be drawn to the game as well. The Wizard of Oz fans increased user traffic to Wizard of Oz Slots and the company saw an increase in downloads for the social casino app [16]. In November 2015, Zynga launched the free-to-play Princess Bride Slots game, an addition to its Social Slots franchise. Like Wizard of Oz Slots and The Wizard of Oz film, this new release incorporates the characters, settings and plot lines of the film, The Princess Bride [17].

TRANSITION TO MOBILE GAME DEVELOPMENT

The popularity of Zynga’s social games on Facebook is waning; due to complaints about the constant notifications that users receive from the games, such as FarmVille and Bubble Safari, Facebook has made policy changes in order to stop the bothersome notifications. As a result, user traffic to these online games has decreased, forcing Zynga to draw away from developing online games for the social network and push toward developing for the mobile game industry [18]. The mobile game market is growing rapidly and has constantly increased from 2013 onward. For 2015, market sales are estimated to reach above $30 billion [19]. Zynga’s mobile bookings make up a majority of its overall bookings, exhibiting the company’s potential in the mobile market. Though the launches of two mobile games, Dawn of Titans and CSR2, were scheduled for 2015, the company decided to delay the launches until 2016. These postponements are due to the company wanting to further develop the games and find ways to retain long-term players [8]. Zynga faces stronger competition as it continues to launch games in the mobile market and is currently in the process of determining tactics to create original games and attract user interest. The release of more than six mobile games was set for 2015 but, with the two postponements, the number of mobile launches this year is a total of five [20].

IN-APP BUYING AND ADVERTISING

Source: Giant Bomb, Empires and Allies logo [32]

In order to increase overall profits and draw attention of sponsors, Zynga has introduced more in-app buying options and advertising tactics. In September 2015, the company incorporated an “Alliance vs. Alliance” group-based combat feature into its mobile game, Empires and Allies, in order to drive users toward in-app buying [21]. In October 2015, Zynga began creating and selling brand-sponsored levels in its game franchises with the introduction of SponsoredPLAY. The advertisements appear as incorporations to game levels that users can play, charging the sponsoring brand every time a level is played. Users are rewarded within the game when they play these sponsored levels. The game-level advertisements themselves are created by Zynga’s advertising agency, Studio E. Among the first brands to use Zynga’s SponsoredPLAY were Clorox and Naked Juice [22]. SponsoredPLAY was deemed a success as Zynga’s share price increased following the introduction of the advertising product [23]. Results show the company’s use of this interactive gaming tactic increase the average time users spend on a given advertisement, around 15 to 25 seconds, compared to the average time they would spend looking at a static advertisement [24].

[22] Zynga SponsoredPLAY, source: adage.com

Source: AdvertisingAge, Zynga SponsoredPLAY [22]

THE FUTURE OF ZYNGA

With the company growing and transitioning to developing games in booming markets, it is clear that Zynga will continue to focus on creating products for the social casino and mobile game industries specifically. The company hopes to have growth in its mobile bookings with the upcoming 2016 launches of Dawn of Titans and CSR2, games that will be first released to mobile devices [8]. Since the SponsoredPLAY campaigns are time-efficient and nearly effortless for the brand involved, Zynga will benefit by working with more advertisers because it will help with game subsidization [22].

SOURCES

[1] Connecting the World Through Games. Zynga. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
[2] Leadership. Zynga. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
[3] Our Games. Zynga. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
[4] F., Alan. May 22, 2012. Zynga’s top mobile executive talks games, freemium model, OMGPOP purchase and more. PhoneArena.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
[5] Career Listings. Zynga. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
[6] Mangalindan, JP. December 16, 2011. Today in Tech: Zynga goes public. Fortune. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
[7] Lynley, Matthew. November 3, 2015. Zynga Beats Expectations on Earnings, Posts A $3M Profit. TechCrunch. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
[8] Zynga Announces Third Quarter 2015 Financial Results. Zynga. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
[9] November 8, 2015. Zynga: Pulse Getting Weaker. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
[10] Zynga, Inc. Competitors. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[11] Top Grossing Android Apps. Google Play. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[12] Top Charts. AppShopper. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[13] Jain, Aman. September 15, 2015. Zynga Buys Rising Tide Games. ValueWalk. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
[14] Takahashi, Dean. September 14, 2015. Zynga buys Rising Tide startup, bringing back one of its former casino game execs. VentureBeat. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
[15] November 13, 2015. Zynga: More Slots. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
[16] November 19, 2015. Zynga achieves the “inconceivable” with Princess Bride Slots launch. GamingIntelligence. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
[17] November 19, 2015. As You Wish! Zynga Launches Princess Bride Slots Worldwide. CNN Money. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
[18] Gambone, Greg. September 24, 2015. Can Anything Save Zynga Stock From Its Deathbed? (ZNGA). InvestorPlace. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
[19] Keating, Lauren. September 3, 2015. Gaming On-The-Go. Tech Times. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[20] November 3, 2015. “Farmville” creator Zynga delays game launches, CFO steps down. Reuters. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[21] Leftovich, Devon. September 24, 2015. Zynga, Inc. Capitalizing Empire & Allies Sales with CommScope Holding Company, Inc. Knowles Corporation. StreetWise Report. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
[22] Peterson, Tim. October 8, 2015. Zynga Starts Selling Sponsored Levels Created by In-House Agency. AdvertisingAge. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
[23] Leftovich, Devon. October 12, 2015. Gaming Stocks Grabbing New Market: Zynga, Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Activision Blizzard, Inc.. StreetWise Report. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[24] October 12, 2015. Zynga launches SponsoredPLAY advertising solution. GamingIntelligence. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
[25] Zynga Logo. Dakota Financial News. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[26] Mark Pincus. Forbes. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[27] Logopedia – Farmville. Wikia. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
[28] Taylor, Colleen. December 16, 2011. Zynga’s road ahead: 4 things to watch for, post-IPO. Gigaom Research. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[29] September 14, 2015. Zynga Rides the Social Casino Wave and Acquires Rising Tide Games. Zynga Blog. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
[30] ZyngaNetwork. Princess Bride Slots Trailer – Las Vegas Casino – Free Slot Machine Games – Best, Spin & Win. YouTube. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
[31] ZyngaNetwork. Dawn of Titans – Announce Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
[32] January 2, 2015. Empires and Allies is a Turn-based, Strategy Combat game made by Zynga, and is Free-To-Play on Facebook. Giant Bomb. Retrieved December 2, 2015.

Warner Bros. Pictures #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Mallory Rogers

Mallory Rogers

[22]

Warner Bros. Pictures

4000 Warner Blvd.,
Burbank, CA 91522

http://www.warnerbros.com/studio/divisions/warner-bros-pictures

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter

Facebook

KEY EXECUTIVES

Kevin Tsujihara [12]: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros.

Jon Gilbert [13]: President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Studio Facilities

Steve Papazian [14]: President, Worldwide Physical Production, Warner Bros. Pictures

Greg Silverman[15]: President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures

BACKGROUND

[16]

Warner Brothers Pictures produces and distributes a variety of anywhere from 18 to 22 films each year. To date, Warner Bros. has produced 23 films in 2015. These films range in genre from Pan to Vacation to Entourage. Warner Bros. is part of the Big 6, a group of movie studios that produce and distribute the majority of films in Hollywood.

[17]

The focus of Warner Bros. Pictures is to produce films that are wide ranging to appeal to all audiences. It “produces and maintains worldwide distribution rights.” It has joint ventures with Village Roadshow Pictures and PatPac-Dune Entertainment to finance such films. Warner Brothers Pictures also has a deal with Alcon Entertainment to help finance films. [11]

This company is also under the larger media conglomerate umbrella of TimeWarner. In addition to Warner Bros. Pictures TimeWarner also owns the remaining segments of Warner Bros. such as Warner Bros. Animation as well as HBO and Turner.

HISTORY

Well-respected and one of the most diversified companies in the industry, Warner Bros. Pictures has a storied past. Warner Bros. Studios was founded April 4, 1923 by brothers Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack. [11]

The four Warner brothers (left to right) Sam, Harry, Jack, and Albert, 1926. [18]

One of the moments that sparked its respect was the release of “the world’s first ‘talkie’” in 1927. This talkie was The Jazz Singer. A “talkie” is a synchronized-sound feature film. This innovative success spurred the success of the brothers’ film company for years to come.

[19]

However, their work in the film industry started much earlier. In 1903 the four brothers traveled though Pennsylvania and Ohio as traveling exhibitors showing films off a portable projector. The Great Train Robbery was one of the first films they displayed to the public. This film was hailed as “the first motion picture to tell a definite story.” From here, the brothers continued and expanded their business in Pennsylvania where they opened the Cascade Theater. Each brother had their own skill/job in the theater. Albert and Harry sold tickets, “Sam ran the hand-crank projector while Jack sang ‘illustrated’ songs during the intermissions to sister Rose’s piano accompaniment.” [11]

New Line Cinema, a unit of Warner Bros. Pictures, was acquired in 2008 by TimeWarner. Their production of highly successful, critically acclaimed films attracted them to TimeWarner. Though their production, marketing, development and distribution are all separate from Warner Bros. the collaboration serves to “maximize film performance and operating efficiencies.” [25]

Warner Bros. Pictures has amassed a large amount of success through the years, including the Harry Potter and Dark Knight franchises. This studio has been producing nearly 6,500 feature films since the late 1920s/early 1930s.

FINANCE

According to the third quarter results for 2015 ending in September 2015 Warner Bros’ parent company, TimeWarner, revenue has increased 5%. This 5% translates to $6.6 billion. However, these results did not include anything past September. This means the release of Pan and the lack of success it had in the box officer were not taken into account. The increase came from Warner Bros. and Home Box Office to offset the decline from Turner. Also from the third quarter Warner Bros. had an adjusted EPS of $1.25 and repurchased 41 million shares that will run through October 30 for $3.3 billion. [8] [24]

The proxy statement TimeWarer released to educate investors for the year 2015 lays out all that TimeWarner has done over the past year. It details what all has happened, operating strategies, expansion programs, etc. As of 2015 Warner Bros. Studios has production companies in 16 international territories. Warner Bros. Studios is expanding globally to capture a wider reach, becoming bigger. This plays into the financial aspect to see what is working in the company, what films have brought in, monetarily and other important financial details. In fact, “Warner Bros. generated over $4 billion at the global box office for the 6th year in a row; announced expanded slate of movies for 2016-2020.”[24]

FILMS THUS FAR

Producing 23 films this year to date, one of Warner Bros.’ more recent films, Pan, seemed to flop. [9] This flop did not sit well with executives after already having had a less-than- successful summer. None of its films surpassed $500 million worldwide. Settling in at number three among top movie studios when usually number 1 indicated to executives something had to change. Anticipated success from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was dashed after making only $13.4 million opening weekend. [3] Warner Bros’ looked at Straight Outta Compton, worked with New Line Cinema to produce it but backed out thinking its budget was too high ceding this film to Universal Studios. Hope for the remainder of the year was placed in Black Mass and others. Black Mass might be Warner Bros’ saving grace with rumors of Oscar consideration for main character Johnny Depp.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Pan, provided a setback for the studio. Going off the old story of Peter Pan this film aimed to reinvent the classic. With a $129 million dollar budget executives were sure this film would be a success. Originally supposed to be released in July Pan’s release date was later moved to October to avoid summer competition. This was concerning because Warner Bros. did not want to bump up against Pixels opening that same July weekend. Warner Bros. pulled the film to avoid the same weekend release as Pixels. [4] This change had a domino effect. Advertising and targeting tactics changed when the demographic of Pan originally aimed at, children, matured to skew older.

[23]

Its lack of success can also be attributed to the film being “overly formulaic and too wild a deviation from J.M. Barrie’s beloved children’s classic to succeed.” [3] Meant to be an origin story, Pan, didn’t quite make it. One box office analyst, Jeff Bock, remarked that fairy tale adaptations were a difficult feat to accomplish without the backing of Disney. The story strayed too far from the original fairy tale for audiences to be acutely engaged. Other adaptations did a much better job and were used as comparisons to this film; those compared were Spielberg’s Hook and the animated adaptation from Disney.
Warner Bros. is expected to lose anywhere from $130 to $150 million as a result. [4]

LOOKING TO CHINA

Hoping to expand to China’s “booming film market” Warner Bros. Pictures was in talks with China Media Capital (CMC) and came to an agreement in September to make more Chinese-language productions.    [6] This collaborative company is Flagship Entertainment Group Ltd. and it is hoping to combine the skills of Warner Bros. with the financial resources of CMC. In addition, CMC has collaborated with Oriental DreamWorks and IMAX for at least 10 Mandarin films to be produced.

[20]

They aim to “develop, distribute and produce a slate of Chinese-language films, including global tent poles, for distribution in China and around the world” using Warner Bros.’ name and network. [7] The new company they form will be owned primarily by CMC with a 51% share. Warner Bros. owns the remaining 49%.    [6] Hoping to bring more of Warner Bros’ signature storytelling and experience in the industry to China’s film industry this future of their collaboration is hopeful. This partnership may release a film as soon as 2016.

FUTURE FOR WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Looking to the future Warner Bros. Pictures is looking to produce a new film, King Kong vs. Godzilla. Recently acquiring the rights and hoping to debut the first in the trilogy in 2016 executives are excited about potential success of the highly anticipated film(s). Hoping to collaborate with Japanese studio, Toho, Warner Bros. Pictures was chosen over Universal to produce this remake of the 1962 film due to previous history. Also, Legendary Pictures decided to move this film to make it consistent and join the first Godzilla with the rest of its franchise. Having release Godzilla in May of 2014 with Godzilla 2 being released June of 2018 Warner Bros. wanted to keep it in the family. Hoping to feature more key components of the “Godzilla Universe” Legendary Pictures wanted to acquire rights to additional characters in this world. These characters include Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah.This is what Marvel Studios has done with its superhero films to keep the films together. [1]

This will be one of three in a trilogy to be produced in 2020. The lineup for films is as follows: Kong: Skull Island in 2017, Godzilla 2 in 2018 and then Godzilla vs. Kong in theaters 2020. Production for Kong: Skull Island was slated to begin October 19, 2015. Casting has already started with Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston and Corey Hawkins on board. Main roles are being considered for Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly with Jordan Vogt-Robert signed on to direct. [5]

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SLATED FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

From top:

In The Heart Of The Sea: to be released December 11, 2015 [27]

Creed: In Theaters Now [28]

Point Break: to be released December 25, 2015 [26]

SOURCES

[1]  Fleming, Mike. “Warner Bros Sets King Kong Vs Godzilla, As Deadline Told You Last   Month.” Deadline. 14 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. <http://deadline.com/2015/10/king-kong-godzilla-warner-bros-legendary-pictures- 1201582155/>.

[2] Galloway, Stephen. “Warner Bros.’ Chilly Summer Puts Execs in the Hot Seat (Analysis).” The Hollywood Reporter. 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-chilly-summer-puts-816176>.

[3] Lang, Brent. “Does ‘Pan’s’ Box Office Bomb Spell the End for Origin Stories?” Variety. 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://variety.com/2015/film/news/pan-box-office- bomb-death-of-origin-movies-1201615656/>.

[4] McClintock, Pamela. “Warner Bros.”Pan’ Could Lead to $150 Million Loss.” The Hollywood Reporter. 12 Oct. 2015. Web.25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-pan-could-lead-831412>.

[5] Owen, Luke. “Warner Bros. Set to Remake King Kong vs. Godzilla.” Flickering Myth.   11 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. <http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/09/warner- bros-set-to-remake-king-kong-vs-godzilla.html>.

   [6] Spear, Lisa. “Warner Bros.Unveils New Chinese Film Venture.” Time. Time, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Nov.2015. <http://time.com/4042115/china-warner-brothers-film-movies-hollywood/>.

[7] Tartaglione, Nancy. “Warner Bros, China Media Capital Form Flagship Entertainment Group; JointVenture To Make Local-Language Films.” Deadline. 20 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://deadline.com/2015/09/warner-bros-china- media-capital-flagship-entertainment-group-local-language-films-joint-venture- 1201537954/>.

[8] “Time Warner Inc.” Time Warner Inc. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.timewarner.com/>.

[9] “Warner Bros. Box Office Receipts by Release Date.”Box Office Mojo.Web.22 Nov. 2015. <http://www.boxofficemojo.com>.

[10] “Warner Bros. Partners With China Media Capital on Major Production, Distribution Joint Venture.” MSN. 20 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. <http://www.msn.com/en- nz/video/celebs/warner-bros-partners-with-china-media-capital-on-major- production-distribution-joint-venture/vi-AAexXnM?refvid=AAd57s2>.

[11] Warner Bros. Web. 22 Nov. 2015. <http://www.warnerbros.com/>.

[12] “Kevin Tsujihara.” WarnerBros.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[13] “Jon Gilbert.” WarnerBros.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[14] “Steve Papazian.” WarnerBros.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[15] “Greg Silverman.” WarnerBros.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[16] Santoso, Alex. “The Stories Behind Hollywood Studio Logos.” Neatorama. 3 Dec. 2008. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

[17] Robehmed, Natalie. “Hollywood’s Most Profitable Movie Studios.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[18] “What Los Angeles Can Learn From the Warner Bros.” Aarmadillocom. 2 July 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[19] “The Jazz Singer (1927).” The Jazz Singer (1927). Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[20] “Star China Media Announces Appointment of a New Management Team.” China Screen News RSS. 02 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[21] Martinez, Phillip. “New ‘King Kong vs Godzilla’ Movie: Remake Needs To Happen In Next 5 Years.” IDigitalTimes.com. 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[22] “Warner Bros. Pictures.” Logopedia. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[23] “Pan.” Fandango. Fandango.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[24] “IR Relations.” TimeWarner. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[25] “New Line Cinema.” WarnerBros.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[26] “First Poster for the Point Break Remake.” Flickering Myth. 25 May 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[27] “In the Heart of the Sea.” IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[28] “Rocky Isn’t Doing So Well in New Creed TV Spot.” Film RSS. 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Principles & Practices

Website by the students of TRF235

Monthly Archives: December 2015

CBS Corp. #1

Universal Pictures #1

A&E Television Networks – Max Redinger

COMPANY OVERVIEW

KEY LEADERSHIP

FALL 2015 COMPANY NEWS

FINANCIALS

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Highlights of A+E Networks new slate of original programming across its portfolio

SOURCES:

Sirius XM #1

Pandora Radio

TEGNA Inc.

Lionsgate Entertainment #1

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Warner Bros. Pictures #1