MGM Studios

Posted on December 1, 2014 by amschw01

by Abby Schwartz

[1] MGM‘s iconic logo and mascot Leo the Lion

History

MGM Studios was founded in 1924 through the merger of three pre-existing studios: Metro Pictures Corp., Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Productions. This leading entertainment company is involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. Some of the studio’s early work include successful classics such as Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz [2]. Once a major player in the industry, MGM filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2010 but emerged shortly thereafter, leaving Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum of Spyglass Entertainment as heads on the company [3]. A mere two years later however, Birnbaum left MGM to return to producing, making Barber the sole CEO and Chairman of the company [4]. 2014 marks the 90th Anniversary of the studio. In celebration, movies will be re-released on Blu-ray and a special trailer will be played throughout theaters giving the viewers a glimpse into the rich history of the company [5].

Key Executives

[6] Gary Barber (L)- Chairman and CEO

[7] Jonathan Glickman (R)- President, Motion Picture Group

[8] Roma Khanna (L)- President, Television Group and Digital

[9] Dene B. Stratton (R)- CFO

Finances

Although still partially privately held by MGM Holdings Inc. MGM has been publicly releasing its finances since its bankruptcy in 2010 and IPO for MGMB was offered in 2012. In its most recent quarterly report (Q3), the company announced net income of $28.5 million, up from 16.5 in the same quarter last year. The revenue however, came in about $9 million lower in comparison to the same quarter in 2013 [10]. This drop was expected since 2013 generated significant revenue thanks to the “theatrical explosion” of Skyfall, the 23rd installment in the successful James Bond franchise, in late 2012 [11].

MGM also revealed in its report that it had paid $343 million for a 55% stake in a joint venture with Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, and Hearst Entertainment Productions [12]. All of the interests will be consolidated in United Artists Media Group – a new media venture. This venture gives MGM a stake in successful television shows such as Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank, and the upcoming miniseries A.D. [13].

Upcoming Projects

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (12/17/14)

[14] The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies Trailer

The Hobbit: Battle of Five is the final installment in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel of the same name. It is a co-production with New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, and Warner Bros. who also is the film distributor. According to Jackson, the movie is not so much about this final battle per se, but rather about what will happen to beloved characters. The film stars franchise favorites Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman [15]. This past week, according to iSpot.tv, The Hobbit spent the most money in television advertising, having twelve variations of the ad play on 47 networks [16].

Max (01/30/15)

Not much is known about this co-production with Warner Bros. due out this January. Directed by Boaz Yakin, the film tells the story of Max, a service dog who returns to the U.S. after his handler’s traumatizing death. Once stateside, he is adopted by the man’s grieving family and helps them heal, moving past their tragedy [17].

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (02/20/15)

[18] Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Trailer (NSFW)

This comedic farce is the sequel to the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine and stars funny men Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke who are all reprising their characters introduced in the first film. Joining them will be Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott, who fill the spot left opened by John Cusack. Originally due out Christmas Day, it was announced in October that the film was being pushed back until February, thus avoiding direct competition with Sony’s fellow buddy film The Interview which stars comedy duo James Franco and Seth Rogan [19]. MGM will distribute and co-produce the film with Paramount Pictures.

Don’t Mess With Texas (05/08/15)

[22] Vergara and Witherspoon pose for a photo on set

Bringing together Reese Witherspoon and Sofía Vergara, the female centric comedy set for a spring release is about a cop (Witherspoon) who goes on the run with a prisoner (Vergara), who is the wife of a drug dealer [20]. Co-produced with Warner Bro. and Newline Cinema, the action-comedy is being directed by Anne Fletcher known for popular films such as The Proposal and more recently Guilt Trip [21].

Poltergeist (07/24/15)

The 80s film about a Californian family haunted by supernatural forces and was also produced by MGM, is getting an update. This remake of the horror film is written by Pulitzer Prize Winner David Lindsay-Abaire and being produced by The Evil Dead‘s Sam Raimi [23]. Initially, the film – based on the original, considered by many to be the scariest film of all time – received an R rating from the MPAA, but producer Steven Spielberg successfully lobbied for the film to receive a PG-13 rating [24]. Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays mom Amy Bowen, revealed that the iconic line from the original “They’re Here” will be featured in the film which will also have lots of modern tech gadgets like iPads to reflect on the current times [25].

Bond 24 (11/06/15)

The currently working-titled film will be the 24th installment in the successful franchise.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in a movie poster for Skyfall (2012)

Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes will reprise their roles as 007 and director respectively [26]. Additionally, Academy Award Winner Christoph Waltz has been tapped to play iconic villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who has not been featured in a Bond film since 1981 [27]. Hilary Swank has recently been rumored to be the next Bond Girl, making her the oldest one in the history of the franchise, but many believe this to be just talk and that the coveted role will go to French actress Léa Syedoux [28]. In legal news, MGM continues a copyright infringement case against Universal over Bond, claiming that their upcoming film ‘Section 6’ is a rip-off of the spy franchise. Universal has been trying to get the case dismissed since its filing in May claiming that MGM is afraid of any possible competitors [29].

Ben Hur (02/26/16)

Though not premiering for over a year, this remake of the 1959 film based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel is already creating significant buzz. The film marks the first known collaboration between MGM and Burnett/Downey and tells the epic story of a falsely accused prince (Ben Hur) who manages to survive years of slavery and vows to take vengeance on his friend Messala who betrayed him. Boardwalk Empire star Jack Huston is confirmed to play the title role. He joins the previously cast Morgan Freeman who is slated to play Ben Hur’s mentor Ildarin [30]. Toby Kebbell, Ayelet Zurer and Olivia Cooke are slated to star as Massala, Naomi (Ben Hur’s mother), and Tirzah (Ben Hur’s sister) respectively [31].

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Sources

[1] Leo The Lion GIF. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014.

[2] MGM HomePage. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014.

[3] McNary, D. (2010, November 4). Judge OKs MGM Bankruptcy Motions. Retrieved November 19, 2014.

[4] Finke, N. (2012, October 3). MGM’s Roger Birnbaum Steps Down To Return To Producing; Gary Barber Now Revived Studio’s Sole Chairman & CEO. Retrieved November 19, 2014.

[5] METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER CELEBRATES 90 YEARS OF EXTRAORDINARY FILMMAKING. (2014, January 22). Retrieved November 11, 2014.

[6] Gary Barber Photo. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014.

[7] Jonathan Glickman Photo (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014.

[8] Roma Khanna Photo (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014.

[9] Dene B. Stratton Photo (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014.

[10] Wanvari, T. (2014, November 18). MGM Holdings revenue down, income up in Q3-2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

[11] MGM HOLDINGS INC. For the quarter ended September 30, 2014. (2014, November). Retrieved November 22, 2014.

[12] Lang, B. (2014, November 13). MGM Spent $343 Million for Mark Burnett/Roma Downey Joint Venture. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

[13] Fleming, M., & Busch, A. (2014, September 22). MGM Buys 55% Of Roma Downey And Mark Burnett’s Empire; Relaunches United Artists. Retrieved November 22, 2014.

[14] The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Official Main Trailer [HD]. (2014, November 6). Retrieved November 23, 2014.

[15] Truitt, B. (2014, November 6). ‘Five Armies’ closes the curtain on Middle-earth. Retrieved November 23, 2014.

[16] ‘The Hobbit’ Battles Its Way to Top TV Ad Spend Position. (2014, November 26). Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[17] Max. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[18] Hot Tub Time Machine 2 – Red Band Trailer. (2014, July 24). Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[19] McClintock, P. (2014, October 14). Christmas Exodus Continues as ‘Hot Tub Time Machine 2’ Pushes Back Release – Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[20] Don’t Mess with Texas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2967224/

[21] Anne Fletcher. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2014.

[22] Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[23] Poltergeist. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2014.

[24] Marquina, S. (2014, October 17). Poltergeist Reboot Scores PG-13 Rating By the MPAA. Retrieved November 27, 2014.

[25] Malkin, M. (2014, October 5). Will Poltergeist Remake Include ”They’re Here”? Retrieved November 30, 2014.

[26] Bond 24. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2014.

[27] London, C. (2014, November 23). You weren’t expecting this, 007. But…BLOFELD’S BACK! Bond will be having kittens as evil foe returns – with double Oscar winner Christoph Waltz tipped to play him . Retrieved November 26, 2014.

[28] Leston, R. (2014, November 29). Hilary Swank Linked With Bond 24. Retrieved December 1, 2014.

[29] Patten, D. (2014, October 7). Universal Hits Back At “Desperate” James Bond Lawsuit From MGM & 007 Producers. Retrieved November 23, 2014.

[30] Fleming, M. (2014, September 16). ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake: ‘Boardwalk Empire’s Jack Huston Lands Title Role. Retrieved November 28, 2014.

[31] Sneider, J. (2014, November 13). ‘Ouija’ Star Olivia Cooke May Play Jack Huston’s Sister in ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake (Exclusive) – TheWrap. Retrieved November 29, 2014.

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on December 1, 2014 by kawalek

by Lynn Walek

Image Courtesy of the Official Disney Fan Club (www.d23.com)

Key Executives

Robert “Bob” Iger Alan F. Horn
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Chairman
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Studios

Robert “Bob” Iger – Image Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

Alan F. Horn – Image Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

History

The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 when Disney brothers Roy and Walt sold the Alice Comedies. The star of the company, Mickey Mouse, was not seen until five years later when Steamboat Willie, the first sound cartoon, was released in 1928. The Disney Company continued to push boundaries releasing the first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. [1] The company has grown and expanded into many aspects of entertainment. [2] Currently Walt Disney Studios owns Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Marvel, Touchstone, and Disneynature. In 2012 Disney purchased Lucasfilm, which most notably includes the Star Wars franchise. [3] [4]

Finances

With the end of the 2014 fiscal year, Disney announced a record year. The fourth quarter earning report quotes CEO Bob Iger as saying: “Our results for Fiscal 2014 were the highest in the Company’s history, marking our fourth consecutive year of record performance.” [5] This year’s revenues are up from 45 billion to 48.8 billion, an eight percent increase. Net income increased from 6.1 billion in 2013 to 7.5 billion in 2014, a 22 percent increase. With the future slate Disney is set to release “21 tentpole movies…over the next three years, compared to only 13 in the last three”. [6] The increase in “tentpole” movies means Disney has the opportunity to continue breaking records as it expands franchises under its many banners. [5] [6]

Current Slate

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Released October 10, 2014 this film is based on the popular children’s book of the same title. Despite comedy giant Steve Carell and well known actress Jennifer Garner headlining the film, it was only a mild success. It opened at number three at the box office and quickly fell out of the top five. It grossed 63 million domestically and 82 million worldwide with a production budget of 28 million. [7]

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Big Hero 6
Released November 7, 2014, this is the first animated Marvel film. Disney CEO Bob Iger had high hopes for the film when he spoke to investors the day before its release, and it did not disappoint. [6] It grossed more than 205 million worldwide with a production budget of 165 million. It opened as number one at the box office and then held second place during its second and third weeks. The film follows the adventures of Hiro, a young boy, and his robot best friend, Baymax who according to IMDb “team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.” [8] Big Hero 6 has faced little direct competition until the November 26 release of Penguins of Madagascar. [8] [9] [10]

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Into the Woods
This film will be released on December 25, 2014 (see trailer below [a]). This is a big screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical and boasts big name actors Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. The film will feature a new song written for Streep. The film focuses on a witch (Streep) teaching lessons to various fairytale characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel. The film will be up against another family musical, Annie, as well as the third installment of family comedy franchise Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Both of these competing films will be released before Christmas on December 19. [10] [11]

Future Slate

Because Disney’s fiscal 2014 is over, the emphasis is on what is to come in the next fiscal year. In his address to investors on November 6, 2014, Bob Iger emphasized the future slate and franchise expansion. Disney has released several long term plans. [6]

Marvel

Image Courtesy of marvel.com

Marvel was acquired in 2009 and has become an instrumental part of Walt Disney Studios success. Currently Disney is working on two Marvel franchises, The Avengers (2012) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). There are 11 Marvel films planned for the next five years (see table 1). [6]

Table 1 Table created in Microsoft Word by Lynn Walek [6]

Image Courtesy of IMDb

The next release on the Marvel docket is Avengers sequel Age of Ultron, which hits theaters in May 2015. Director Joss Whedon will return to lead stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Mark Ruffalo who will reprise their superhero roles. The trailer (see below [b]) which was originally set to air on October 28 during Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was leaked on October 22. Marvel and Disney responded by quickly posting the official trailer which got 34.3 million global views in its first 24 hours. This number shattered the previous record held by the Iron Man 3 trailer. [12] [13]

In the 2014 fiscal year, Guardians of the Galaxy had the highest domestic gross and the second highest worldwide gross. It grossed more than 770 million dollars worldwide. [14] Additionally, the success of Big Hero 6 proves that Marvel can produce successful animated films and they will likely continue to do so. [9]

Star Wars

Image Courtesy of lucasfilm.com/starwars

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Disney will produce a new trilogy of Star Wars movies: Episodes VII, VIII and IX. The title and teaser trailer for Episode VII have now been released. It will be called Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the trailer can be seen below [c]. This film will be released December 18, 2015. Episode VIII will be released in 2017 and Episode IX will be released in 2019. In 2016 Disney will release the first of their “stand alone” films within the Star Wars universe. [6]

Pixar

Image Courtesy of official Disney Pixar Facebook

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Noticeably absent from the 2014 slate Pixar will be back in June 2015 with Inside Out. This film is not a franchise expansion but it lists big name stars, Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, and Bill Hader. Poehler, Kaling and Hader will voice three of five emotions from inside the mind of a little girl. Pixar will continue two successful franchises in 2016 and 2017. Finding Dory, sequel to Finding Nemo, will be released in 2016. The recently announced Toy Story 4 will be released in June 2017 and boasts the return of director John Lasseter who was at the helm of the first two installments of the Toy Story franchise. Lasseter is also the chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and principal creative advisor of Walt Disney Imagineering. [6] [15]

Disney Pictures

Image Courtesy of waltdisneystdudios.com

Image Courtesy of IMDb

Following the success of Maleficent, which grossed 757 million dollars worldwide, Disney will continue to produce live action fairy tales. [16] The official Cinderella trailer was released on November 19 (see below [d]). This film is scheduled to be released in March 2015. Other live action fairy tales announced are The Jungle Book and Alice in Wonderland 2. Disney will also release another film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. [6]

Sources*

[1] History of The Walt Disney Studios

[2] List of Disney Businesses

[3] List of Walt Disney Studio Businesses

[4] USA Today Disney’s Lucasfilm Purchase

[5] Walt Disney Fourth Quarter Earnings Press Release

[6] Walt Disney Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call Transcript

[7] Box Office Mojo – Alexander…Bad Day

[8] IMDb – Big Hero 6

[9] Box Office Mojo – Big Hero 6

[10] Box Office Mojo Release Dates

[11] Playbill – Into the Woods New Song

[12] IMDb – Avengers: Age of Ultron

[13] Deadline – Age of Ultron Trailer Leak

[14] Box Office Mojo – Guardians of the Galaxy

[15] Walt Disney Exec Bio – John Lasseter

[16] Box Office Mojo – Maleficient

Trailer Sources*

[a] Disney Movie Trailers YouTube – Into the Woods

[b] Marvel Entertainment YouTube – Avengers: Age of Ultron

[c] Star Wars YouTube – The Force Awakens

[d] Disney Movie Trailers YouTube – Cinderella

*Note: All sources were last accessed on December 1, 2014.

NewsCorp/21st Century – Fox

Aside

by Lina Ortega

21st Century Fox

[Image courtesy of: new.pentagram.com]

www.21cf.com

Contact information

21st Century Fox 1211 Avenue of the Americas 44th floor New York, NY 10036-8701

Key Executives

Rupert Murdoch: Chairman & Chief Executive Officer [Image courtesy of: thenation.com]

Chase Carrey: President and Chief Operating Officer [Image Courtesy of: stockspinoffs.com]

James Murdoch: Co-Chief Operating Officer [Image Courtesy of: mikeangryman.com]

About 21st Century Fox

What was once News Corporation since 1953 [I], is now comprised by “News Corp” and “21st Century Fox.” News Corp consists of a publishing group that includes several newspapers like Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Times of London. 21st Century Fox is a broadcasting and film company that includes the “Fox News channel”, “20th Century movie and television studios”, “Fox sports”, “FX”, “National Geographic” and “FOX broadcast network”. [II] This separation was intended to ensure that both companies were conducted under more a centered management, which makes both companies more valuable.

21st Century Fox is a global media company and was founded in June 28, 2013 [III]. It acquires market from four principal operating segments: 1- Cable network programming, which it’s mostly production and licensing content through cable, telecommunications providers, and broadcast satellite. 2- Television, which operates the company’s 28 full-power broadcast stations. 3- Film Entertainment, the operator of the company’s numerous film and television production studios. 4- Direct Broadcast Satellite Television, which provides programming to international markets. The company also holds a 39% of BSkyB, the British entertainment and communications provider. 21st Century Fox makes its revenue principally on affiliate subscriptions, broadcast and advertising fees, content licensing and retransmission revenues to maintain the top line [IV]. Fox Broadcasting Company ended the year 2012 at number one in the key adult demographic for the eight consecutive year in America [V].

Financials

The Cable Network Programming segment surpassed $12 billion in revenue for the first time in its history, up 13% over their prior year. 2014 21st Century Fox Annual Report:

What’s Happening Now?

In cable programming, FX Networks has currently 25 successful shows on air [VI].

Image courtesy of: The Christian Post

American Horror Story is now on the 7th episode of its 4th season “Freak Show” and it is one of the most watched TV series of the FX Networks. The show presents an anthology of different narratives for each new season [VII]. With an 8.4 out of 10 by IMDB, the show went from 2.82 million viewers on its first season to 4.00 million viewers now [VIII].

In television, FOX has a great variety of very recognized shows that can range mostly in animation, comedy, and thriller.

Image courtesy of: forbes.com

One of the FOX newest TV shows premiered recently on September 22, 2014 with 8.21 million viewers [IX]. Gotham explores the beginning tales of Commissioner Gordon. While in the show he is still a detective, he has yet to meet Batman and the villains who made Gotham City so popular [X]. Gotham received two nominations in the TV divisions for the “American Society of Cinematographers 29th annual Outstanding Achievement Awards” . Additionally, the pilot was recognized in the category for a TV movie, miniseries or pilot [XI].

20th Century Fox is one of the most recognized film industries in the world. This year 2014, Fox released 13 feature films with a result of $1,539,266,539 in total gross [XII]. This includes: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, How to Train your Dragon 2, Gone Girl and Rio 2, as in order of total ranking.

Image courtesy of: msmagazine.com

Gone Girl was released in October 3, 2014 and it has a domestic total of $160,757,000 as of today November 30th, plus a $173,400,000 of foreign totals while the production budget was only 61 million. Currently in its 5th week, it is ranked number 8 [XIII]. Gone Girl has received many awards including the “Hollywood Film Award” at the 2014 Hollywood Film Festival [XIV].

Penguins of Madagascar is an animated comedy distributed by 20th Century Fox and is its newest film on the market, released on November 26, 2014. This film takes the peculiar penguin characters of the previous Madagascar movies, whom must stop a villain doctor from destroying the world [XV]. As of its first weekend it is currently number two with a total gross of $36 million [XVI].

This has been one of the best years for Fox and they are not planning on backing down. On December 5, 2014 The Pyramid will be released. The Pyramid is about an archaeological team ventures to unlock the mysteries of a lost pyramid and instead find themselves hunted by an insidious creature [XVII].

As Europe’s leading entertainment company, Sky has 20 million consumers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK, and Ireland [XVIII].

Image courtesy of: denofgeek.com

Penny Dreadful is a psychological thriller that brings together literature’s most terrifying classical characters, like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray [XIX]. It aired on May 11, 2014, and it won “Most Exciting New Series” at the Critics Choice Television Awards [XX]. Penny Dreadful is coming back with its new season for a 2015 debut on the channel [XXI].

In Other News

Image courtesy of: The Independent

Exodus: Gods and Kings has received criticism due to its lack of ethnic diversity, to which Rupert Murdoch decided to respond by tweeting the following: “Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are.” [XXII]. Murdoch has not received too many good responses about this issue.

Image courtesy of: realscreen.com

On October 10, 2014, 21st Century Fox and Apollo made an agreement to create a leading company multi-platform content provider each of them owning 50 percent. Now Endemol, Shine Group, and Core Media will be a sole group in over 30 markets including digital, gaming and distribution operations [XXIII].

Up until 2018, Fox has 48 movies, including many sequels as well as prequels that are yet to come [XXIV].

[I] News Corporation Limited History From 2002. Retrieved November 27, 2014 [II] NewsCorp Divides Into Two Companies From June 28, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2014 [III] 21st Century Fox Company Details Retrieved November 27, 2014 [IV] 21st Century Fox Analysis From November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014. [V] Fox Broadcasting Company Retrieved November 29, 2014. [VI] 21st Century Fox Retrieved November 27, 2014. [VII] American Horror Story Retrieved November 29, 2014 [VIII] American Horror Story Numbers From October 13, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014 [IX] Monday Final Ratings From September 23, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014 [X] Gotham TV Show From September 22, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014 [XI] ASC Nominations for TV Cinematography From November 19, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XII] 20th Century Fox Box Office Mojo From November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XIII] Box Office Mojo Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XIV] Gone Girl Tops Hollywood Film Awards From November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XV] The Penguins of Madagascar Retrieved December 1, 2014 [XVI] Penguins of Madagascar Box Office Mojo Retrieved December 1, 2014. [XVII] The Pyramid Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XVIII] Sky Retrieved November 29, 2014. [XIX] Penny Dreadful TV Series Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XX] Penny Dreadful Awards Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XXI] Penny Dreadful First Look From November 21, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XXII] Rupert Murdoch’s Response From November 30, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014. [XXIII] 21st Century Fox and Apollo From October 10, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014. [XXIV] New Movie Releases Retrieved November 30, 2014.

Columbia Pictures

Posted on December 1, 2014 by iwmccour

by Ian McCourt

Columbia Pictures

Image Courtesy Fortune.com [i]

Contact Information: [ii]

10202 West Washington Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232

310-244-4000

www.sonypictures.com

Key Executives:

Michael Lynton CEO, Sony Entertainment, Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Amy Pascal Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group

Doug Belgrad President, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group President, Columbia Pictures

David Hendler Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Michael De Luca
President, Production, Columbia Pictures

Hannah Minghella President, Production, Columbia Pictures

Executives Photos and Information Courtesy of: http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html [iii]

About Columbia Pictures:

In 1918, Harry and Jack Cohn formed CBC Film Sales with an associate of theirs, Joe Brandt. CBC Film Sales (Cohn-Brandt-Cohn) then produced small-budget short films and featurettes until a few experiments with feature films and an eye for larger profits prompted them to form Columbia Pictures Corporation in 1924. Columbia established itself in the cinema world, however, with the discovery of director Frank Capra in 1927. He would bring the company many Academy Awards, including the Best Picture films “It Happened One Night” and “You Can’t Take it With You.” Columbia would continue to grow and prosper as the decades moved past, and it was bought by Coca-Cola in 1982. However, a mere seven years later, Columbia Pictures and all of its holdings were bought by the Sony Corporation in 1989. [iv] It is now a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment‘s Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group, along with Tristar Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics and Screengems. [v]

Financials:

It is to be noted that Sony’s Financial Reports for the Pictures Division encompasses not only Columbia Pictures, but also the Tristar Pictures and Screengems studios, as well as any TV production and distribution financials. Regardless, Sony Pictures Entertainment reported that revenue decreased 3% on a constant currency (U.S. dollar) standard to 1,671 million dollars for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2014 from 1,815 million for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2013. [vi][vii] This was due to lower theatrical revenues due to fewer theatrical releases in Q2 FY14 as opposed to Q2 FY13. [viii] Sony predicts that the pictures division will make 8,100 million U.S. dollars for the total Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2015. [ix]

What’s Happening Now?

In 2014, Columbia Pictures has released nine films, three of which are still in theaters as of December 1, 2014. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 22 Jump Street are leading in gross so far respectively, with 22 Jump Street still in theaters. [x]

22 Jump Street
This sequel to the hit 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and follows the adventures of Officers Schmidt and Jenko as they go undercover as college students. The film is directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xi]

In its opening weekend (June 13-15, 2014), 22 Jump Street opened at number one, making $57,071,445 domestically to its $50 million budget. The film is now in its twenty-third week, having made $331,333,876 worldwide as of December 1, 2014. [xii]

The Equalizer
In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington stars as a man who has put his dark past behind him, only to return to his old ways when he meets a girl who is under the control of Russian gangsters. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xiii]

In its opening weekend (Sept. 26-28, 2014) The Equalizer opened number one at the box office, earning $34,137,828 to its $55 million budget. Now in its ninth week, the film has made $190,173,178 internationally as of December 1, 2014. [xiv]

Fury
Fury, starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, and Shia LaBeouf, tells the tale of an Army Sergeant nicknamed Wardaddy (Pitt) who commands a Sherman tank with a five-man crew against amazing odds in an attempt to cripple Nazi Germany. The film is written and directed by David Ayer.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xv]

Opening number one at the box office, Fury made $23,702,421 to its $68 million budget during its opening weekend (Oct. 17-19, 2014). Going through its seventh week in theaters, Fury has made $171,707,000 internationally as of December 1, 2014. [xvi] On Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2014, the movie was free at Regal and AMC Theaters for all current personnel or veterans with a valid I.D. [xvii]

Ghostbusters (30th Anniversary Re-Release)
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the 1984 classic, Ghostbusters was back in theaters beginning August 29, 2014. [xviii] It tells the story of three parapsychology professors struggling for work who decide to open up a ghost removal business. It stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Sigourney Weaver. It is directed by Ivan Reitman. [xix]

Image Credit Fandango.com [xx]

The re-release opened at fifteenth its opening weekend (August 29-31, 2014), making $1,756,513. It closed on September 18, 2014, despite being advertised as only being open for one week. During this time, it made $3,580,343. This makes the film’s total lifetime gross $242,212,467 as of December 1, 2014. [xxi]

In Other News:

In early November, Columbia Pictures requested to a Florida federal court that its anti-piracy policies be kept secret. The information on these policies is now in a closed case between Hotfile, a file-sharing site that closed down in 2013, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). [xxii] Columbia is insisting that if this information were released, it would render the company incapable to protect its copyrighted works. This comes after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the information is in the public interest and should be released. [xxiii]

Image Courtesy Dailytech [xxvi]

On November 24, 2014, hackers took control of Sony’s computer systems. A group claiming to be the hackers then criticized Sony CEO Michael Lynton in a tweet, calling him “a criminal.” [xxiv] Since then, versions of five films belonging to Sony Pictures have been released online: Annie, Fury, Still Alice, Mr. Turner, and To Write Love on Her Arms. Of those five films, only Fury has been released in theaters, but even that film hasn’t had a DVD release yet. These films are already reported to have been illegally downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. [xxv] Sony has since hired Mandiant Forensics Unit to clean up the attack, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations has begun looking into the incident. Sony has been looking to see if the attack was perpetrated by North Korea-backed hackers in retaliation to the upcoming release of the movie, The Interview, which is a comedy about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. [xxvii]

What’s To Come:

Annie

Image Courtesy IMDB [xxix]

One of the films leaked from the hack, Annie will be released in theaters on December 19, 2014. Starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz, this musical film tells of a young foster kid (Wallis) who toughs out the hard knock life of New York City in 2014. While it will be competing against Disney‘s Into The Woods, the film is predicted to make about $95 million. [xxviii]

The Interview

Image Courtesy IMDB [xxxi]

To be released on Christmas Day, December 25, 2014, The Interview is the latest comedy co-directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Starring Rogen and James Franco, the film is about journalist Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapoport from the popular TV show Skylark Tonight as they are hired by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong Un. It is predicted to make $90 million. [xxx]

[i] Columbia Pictures Logo. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[ii] Sony Pictures Contacts. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[iii] Sony/Columbia Executives. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[iv] History of Columbia Pictures. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[v] Sony Divisions. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[vi] Sony Financials Q2 FY14. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[vii] Sony Financials Q2 FY13. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[viii] Sony Financials Q2 FY14. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[vix] Sony Predictions. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[x] Columbia Films 2014. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xi] 22 Jump Street Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xii] 22 Jump Street Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xiii] The Equalizer Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xiv] The Equalizer Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xv] Fury Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xvi] Fury Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xvii] Fury Free for Veterans 11/11. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xviii] Ghostbusters Re-release Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xix] Ghostbusters Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xx] Ghostbusters Re-release Poster. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xxi] Ghostbusters Re-Release Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxii] Hotfile Shuts Down. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiii] Columbia Anti-Piracy Case. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiv] Hackers take Sony. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxv] Sony Movies Leaked. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxvi] Hackers Call Out Lynton on Twitter. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxvii] Sony Responds to Hack. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxviii] Annie Info. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiv] Annie Poster. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxx] The Interview Info. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxxi] The Interview Poster. Retrieved 12/1/2014.

IAC

Posted on December 1, 2014 by jypirogo

by Jacob Pirogovsky

IAC began in 1986 and was originally called the Silver King Broadcasting Company and was owned by the Home Shopping Network. Later in 1992, it became its own publicly traded company. The company went through a series of name changes from USA Networks, Inc. to USA Interactive, before finally changing it to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July of 2004. Since that time IAC/InterActiveCrop has been acquiring a variety of companies in a very wide array of different fields. They divide their holdings into four main groups: Search and Applications, The Match Group, Media, and eCommerce. Each of these groups has a plethora of companies, as seen in the image below, all of which influence the decisions and finances of InterActiveCorp as a whole.

All 4 segments broken up, with revenue information. SOURCE: Berkeley Investment Group

This period* has seen a lot of changes for IAC, as well as its subsidiaries. One major one was that Bonnie Hammer, the chairman for NBCUniversal Cable was appointed to the board of IAC in September by IAC’s CEO Barry Diller, who says “She’s a superb businesswoman, programmer and brand builder.” With her expertise in the television industry, she will be able to give the company insight into growing audiences and as a very influential social activist she will be able to attract some positive press for IAC, especially in light of the drama surrounding Tinder’s executives.

In early September a court case was settled between one of Tinder’s co-founders, Justin Mateen, and an early employee, Whitney Wolfe, who accused Mateen of sexual harassment. IAC reached a settlement with Wolfe so that it wouldn’t go to trial, but

2 of Tinder’s Co-Founder’s – Sean Rad (left) and Justin Mateen (right). SOURCE: Forbes

everything was deemed confidential so much of what happened is unknown to the public. Mateen left the company after being suspended in July. Now, in November Tinder’s co-founder and CEO Sean Rad has been forced to step down by IAC. The news came to him while he was at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in October, where he was about to announce that Tinder was going to monetize. Both of these things have big implications for Tinder and IAC. The app has grown 600% in the last year and has 30 million users who collectively check out 1.2 billion other users. With the new premium model, revenue predictions for 2015 are about $150 million. Rad, who will remain on the board of Tinder, is working with Matt Cohler, a partner at Benchmark and a newcomer to the Tinder board, to find a new CEO for the company.

SOURCE: Forbes

In terms of other finances, IAC released a third quarter earnings report for 2014 at the end of October. According to Yahoo! Finance, the company earned about $30 million more than analysts had predicted for this quarter. Overall, it has had 3% growth in the last year. In The Match Group, revenue increased by 12% and in the eCommerce segment, HomeAdvisor’s revenue grew 20%, with an overall growth of 14% in the segment. In the third quarter Search & Applications decreased 3% in the last year. Meanwhile, in the Media segment of IAC, Vimeo revenue increased by 30% and now has more than 530,000 subscribers; however, overall the Media revenue went down 1% in the last year.

IAC’s stock over the past year on the NASDAQ. SOURCE: Bloomberg Markets

Very recently in early November, Mindspark (an IAC subsidiary) acquired Apalon, a company that develops applications for Apple and Google Play, and whose apps have had more than 100 million downloads in the past year. “The combination of Apalon’s world-class mobile app development skills with Mindspark’s proven ability to distribute digital applications at scale is a huge differentiator and strategic advantage in the marketplace,” said Eric Esterlis, co-president of Mindspark. The two companies will complement each other and will help fight the decrease in revenue in the Search and Application segment of IAC.

SOURCE: About.com

Another revenue booster for that segment is the redesign of About.com’s website. The site hadn’t been redesigned since 2007, so the re-launch of the site in September has had some profound effects on users. On average they stayed on the site 24% longer and viewed 18% more articles than before the redesign. Additionally, the previous design was built to come up higher in Google searches to increase cost-per-click ad revenue; however, because Google’s algorithm is always changing and to decrease dependency on this type of ad, the site is now making more deals with advertisers to sponsor different sections of the site.

In the eCommerce segment, the EVP and CFO of Shoebuy.com, John Foristall was selected as an honoree “40 Under 40” award, which is given out annually by the Boston Business Journal to people who have made a major impact in their field. In addition, the company partnered with Rodgers and Hamerstein’s Cinderella to launch a limited collection of special occasion footwear inspired by the show. The cooperation helped increase the overall revenue of the segment.

In the media segment, Aereo, an online streaming service that offered live and recorded programs, filed for bankruptcy protection in November, after losing a major court case. The company was said to have violated programming copyright protections, according to a Supreme Court decision. The startup was beginning to revolutionize broadcast TV viewing, and even though it ended up failing, it will most likely lead to future attempts of a similar service.

SOURCE: Bloomberg WEST

Up until the past few years, Vimeo, another one of IAC’s media holdings, was having a hard time figuring out how to monetize, other than through subscription users. Now through Vimeo On Demand, their on demand platform, they have an additional revenue stream. In October, they made deals with two big YouTube producers, Phil DeFranco and the Orchard online network, which put their content onto Vimeo as well. Additionally, Vimeo just had their first original series, “High Maintenance,” premiere in November. According to Indiewire, the show is the future for web series and indie television. The series directors were in ongoing talks with FX to bring the show to cable, but ended up cancelling because they didn’t want to lose creative control. In light of that they made a deal with Vimeo for the financing. As Vimeo caters more towards industry professionals, the high production value show has found the perfect home and will bring more revenue to the site. Even though the show has always been on Vimeo, they are now promoting it; and they have given the series it’s own channel and have begun charging 1.99 per episode. This doesn’t seem to be a deterrent because according to Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor, “High Maintenance” made more money in the first two days after it released and charged for episodes than it would have made with YouTube ad sales over the past two years.

High Maintenance // Stevie from Janky Clown Productions on Vimeo.

Overall, IAC/InterActiveCorp has had a very busy semester with lots of acquisitions and new deals being made to stay up to date in today’s ever changing fast-paced media driven world. As the year comes to an end, Ask.com recently released the top searches of 2014, marking a comeback in the struggling site. Looking ahead, in all four sectors of the company, IAC plans to maintain and increase its status as the 13th largest network in the world.

*a period from August 25th – December 1st 2014

KEY EXECUTIVES:
Barry Diller – Chairman & Senior Executive
Victor Kaufman – Vice Chairman
Jeff Kip – Executive VP & CFO
Greg Blatt – Chairman, The Match Group

Address:
555 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 1-212-314-7300
Company URL: iac.com

Sources:

Forbes.com: Tinder harassment settlement, Tinder monetizing/new CEO
Variety.com: Bonnie Hammer story
Tvbythenumbers: Hammer’s social activism information
IAC.com: Q3 report, Brand homepages, executives, Press Releases
Yahoo! Finance: IAC financial information
Bloomberg.com: Aereo story, Vimeo’s new content
IndieWire.com: High Maintenance information
The Hollywood Reporter.com: Vimeo On Demand information
Fastcompany.com: About.com redesign

Images/Video:

-Forbes.com: Tinder Co-Founders, Sean Rad Interview
-Bloomberg.com: Aereo Interview, IAC Stock Chart
-Berkeley Investment Group: IAC breakdown chart
-About.com: Website redesign
-Vimeo.com: High Maintenance episode

Sirius XM Radio

Posted on December 1, 2014 by htfergus

by Andrew Spalter

Courtesy of Consumer Affairs [1]

Seriously, what is Sirius XM [2]?

Sirius XM is a commercial-free listening service that is always in your grasp. Whether it be by smartphone, tablet, computer, home, or even car, you can always listen to Sirius XM radio within Wifi or Cellular range. The channels consist of every genre, play-by-play sports, news and talk, and the biggest/hottest entertainment, 24/7.

Sirius XM has over 175+ channels that range from every genre of music to some of the most listened to entertainment channels in the world, including the wildcard, Howard Stern [3]. With over 26 million subscribers [4] Sirius is one of the largest most subscribed to Music Streaming/Radio service.

sirius_xm_channel_lineup_starting_may_4_2011

Courtesy of Maple Crest for Lincoln Union [5]

Who is in Charge [6] Here?

James E. Meyer (CEO) -Courtesy of SBU.edu [7]

MV5BODkyOTYxMjA1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTI0OTIz._V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_AL_

Scott Greenstein (President & Chief Content Officer) -Courtesy of IMBD.com [8]

Dara Altman (Left) (Executive VP & Chief Administrative Officer) -Courtesy of New York Social Diary [9]

Resources-16149-DonnellyP_2011_20141011115535

Patrick L. Donnelly (Executive VP & General Counsel) -Courtesy of Pli.edu [10]

Sirius XM’s Financials [11]

Closing the previous weekend, Sirius XM (SIRI) [12] is trading at $3.63. Since Sirius XM is a publicly traded company, their total company revenue has sky rocketed the past few years. Going from a $3 Billion revenue to closing at a $3.8 Billion revenue last year. Sirius XM is the largest radio broadcaster [4] and their revenue stream comes from their 26.7 million subscribers. A large amount of their 26.7 million subscribers comes from their vast array of listening devices that their service can be installed on. Everything from a smartphone to a car has the ability to obtain Sirius XM. Along with their multiple ways to be listened to, they have a huge range of genres and entertainment stations including, Howard Stern, Oprah, Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, and Tiesto.

-Courtesy of Google Search [13]

Competitors? Who? [14]

Who can compete with a company this large and with fans this loyal and committed into yearly contracts? Not many in fact. Companies such as Pandora [15], or Apple/iTunes [16] (radio), Spotify (Radio) [17], etc., are the closest competitors to Sirius XM. The reason that these particular apps/companies are competitors is due to the fact that you can pay for their radio service. These companies that are competitors to that of Sirius XM are extremely different due to the fact that you cannot instal those streaming services in your car [18] or home. Although, now with new technology you are able to store the application version of these companies into your car, home, phone, and tablet. They are slowly approaching that of the power of Sirius XM, but slowly.

History of Sirius XM

Before Sirius XM was Sirius XM there was a Sirius Radio and a XM Radio, separately. In July of 2008 Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio announced that they had completed their merger [19].

Courtesy of Toplessactions.com [20]

Since then the companies have been called Sirius XM radio and instead of mainly cars only offering Sirius, or XM radio, they offer Sirius XM radio. Before the huge merge, in 2000 the FCC allowed satellite radio to be deployed, thus the launch of three satellites [21] into orbit from Kazakhstan in July. Soon after that Sirius secured partnerships with Chrysler, Ford, and BMW and in 2002 they launched the initial phase of its service in the cities of Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson, MS [22] in February of 2002, then in July Sirius spread nationwide.

Where can YOU find Sirius XM?

With Sirius covering of 3,717,792 [23] square miles of coast to coast coverage, and with a reach of 200 miles off shore, Sirius XM goes where you go. The satellite radio service can be found in vehicles built by GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Audi, and Volkswagen [24].

Courtesy of Siriusxm.com [25]

Not only can you find the satellite radio in 11 car companies but you can listen to the service in your car, home, boat, plane, business, or even on the go from your Smartphone, Tablet, and Computer. Other places that are capable of playing from Sirius XM are Android devices, the Kindle Fire, Blu-ray & Media Players, Home Audio, Custom Audio, and Smart TV’s. [26]

What’s Happening at Sirius XM, What Can You Expect?

Recently you may have heard that Sirius XM and their competitor Pandora have been slammed with a series of lawsuits over older recordings. The reason beyond these lawsuits is due to the fact that neither company pays record labels or artists for songs that were recorded before the year 1972. This was due to the copyright protection that was first applied to recordings via Federal copyright protection [27].

Courtesy of Bloggless.com [28]

Overall both companies lost their lawsuits but this is a big awakening and a step forward for music subscription via satellite. When one door closes another one opens and due to these lawsuits Sirius XM will be paying artists and labels appropriately, creating lasting business relationships.

Upcoming News/Numbers

Contrary to popular belief, Sirius XM was not always so profitable. Only a few months after their merger in 2008, Sirius was on the cusp of declaring bankruptcy but with the help of a $530 million loan from Liberty Media in 2009, Mel Karmazin was able to negotiate a deal for 40% equity stake in Sirius XM. Then in their fourth quarter of 2009, Sirius XM reported a profit of income of a little over $14 million [29], since then it has all been up hill. They even released a statement via their companies investor site stating, “We expect to double factory installed vehicles to over 100 million by 2018 and plan to offer our unique content and valuable entertainment to even more customers in the future.” (Jim Meyer, President, Sirius XM) [30] In 2012 this statement was released and during that time, Sirius XM was in over 50 million cars. Their goal is coming into fruition with adding nearly half a million subscribers per quarter. Maybe it won’t hit 100-million vehicles, but they are constantly raising the bar higher and higher. The company Sirius XM has made a complete turned a complete 180 from being nearly bankrupt to a company that substantially increases profit each quarter.

Sources:

1. Sirius XM Logo, Consumeraffairs.com, RT: 11/20/2014

2. What is Sirius XM?, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

3. Howard Stern Info, Siriusxm.com/howard100, RT: 11/20/2014

4. Subscriber Info, Siriusxm.com/corporate, RT: 11/20/2014

5. Channel Listings, Maplecrestfordlincolnunion.com, RT: 11/21/2014

6. Executives, Siriusxm.com/bios, RT: 11/20/2014

7. James E. Meyer, Sbu.edu, RT: 11/20/2104

8. Scott Greenstien, Imdb.com, RT: 11/21/2014

9. Dara Altman, Newyorksocialdiary.com, RT: 11/21/2014

10. Patrick L. Donnelly, Pli.edu, RT: 11/21/2014

11. Sirius XM Financials, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/21/2014

12. Sirius XM Stock, Finance.yahoo.com, RT: 11/21/2014

13. Sirius XM Stock Google, Google.com, RT: 11/21/2014

14. Competitors, Fool.com, RT: 11/21/2014

15. Pandora Info, Pandora.com, RT: 11/21/2014

16. Apple Info, Apple.com, RT: 11/21/2014

17. Spotify Info, Support.spotify.com, RT: 11/22/2014

18. Apple In Car Display, Apple.com, RT: 11/22/2014

19. Merger Info, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/22/2014

20. Sirius Satellite & XM Picture, Topclassactions.com, RT: 11/22/2014

21. Satellite Info, Archive.fortune.com, RT: 11/22/2014

22. Where Sirius Started, Radiomagonline.com, RT: 11/22/2014

23. Sirius Mileage Coverage, Siriusxm.com/whatissiriusxm, RT: 11/22/2014

24. List of Vehicles Sirius is in, Siriusxm.com/internetradio, RT: 11/22/2014

25. Image of Vehicle List, Nytimes.com, RT: 11/22/2014

26. List of Devices, Siriusxm.com/internetradio, RT: 11/22/2014

27. Lawsuit, Nytimes.com, RT: 11/22/2014

28. Copyright Image, Bloggless.com, RT: 11/22/2014

29. Revenue, Nytimes.com, RT: 11/22/2014

30. Jim Meyer Quote, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/22/2014

CBS Corp. (TV broadcast & cable properties only)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Emily Norman

by Emily Norman

CBS Corporation

Brief History

Classic CBS Logo. [1]

Founded in 1927 by Arthur Judson as an alternative to NBC, the Columbia Broadcasting System has been delivering news and entertainment for nearly a century. CBS has flourished in the realm of television, as it produced hits such as The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968), M*A*S*H (1972-1983), and 60 Minutes (1968-). In 1995, the company was sold to Westinghouse Electric Corporation for about $5 billion. Today, Westinghouse is known as CBS Corporation [2].

Corporate Information

Key Executives

Sumner M. Redstone, Courtesy of cbscorporation.com

Sumner M. Redstone, Executive Chairman. [3]

Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, Courtesy of cbscorporation.com

Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer. [4]

Anthony G. Ambrosio, Senior Executive Vice President. [5]

Financials

For the 2014 third quarter, CBS announced a revenue of $3.37 billion, which is up 2% from the 2013 third quarter. Similarly, advertising revenue also grew 2%, due to Thursday Night Football as well as midterm elections. However, the company’s adjusted net earnings were just $400 million, down $31 million from the year before. Also during the third quarter, CBS bought back just under seven million shares of its own stock for about $400 million [6]. As of November 28th, 2014, the price of one share was $54.88. This was just above of its 52-week low of $48.83 [7].

Broadcast Programming

CBS Daytime Programming

The Cast of The Young and the Restless. [8]

CBS has always excelled in the world of daytime drama. Now, in 2014, it is the only broadcast network to feature more than one soap opera: The Young and the Restless (1973-) and The Bold and the Beautiful (1987-). The Young and the Restless saw a 1.3 rating for the 18-49 demo this past September, which is up 8% from March. This bump in viewership is accredited to the return of Shemar Moore [9]. Meanwhile, its sister-soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, featured a pair of cross-over episodes with Big Brother in celebration of Halloween [10]. Both these daytime dramas have performed spectacularly, routinely beating out NBC’s Days of Our Lives and ABC’s General Hospital [11].

Soap Opera Ratings for the Week of November 3rd – November 7th, 2014. [11]

CBS Primetime Programming

The Cast of Scorpion. [12]

For the 2014-2015 season, CBS launched five new series in the fall. The majority of the new shows are hour-long dramas, including Scorpion, Stalker, Madam Secretary, and the second spin-off of the hit series NCIS, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS. CBS only launched one new sitcom this fall: The McCarthys [13]. Of these new series, Scorpion is performing the best, with an average 18-49 demo rating of 2.47 as of November 19th, 2014. At the bottom of the pack is the network’s lone rookie sitcom, The McCarthys, which is averaging a rating of about 1.51 in the same demo, making it susceptible to cancelation [14]. None of CBS’ new launches have been canceled as of November 20th, 2014 [15].

The Cast of The Big Bang Theory. [16]

The network boasts The Big Bang Theory as one of its top ratings giants. Now in its eighth season, the sitcom is consistently one of the highest-rated shows of the week, earning a whopping 4.5 in the 18-49 demo the week of November 10th [17]. The series has already been renewed for a ninth season [15]. Now in its twelfth season, NCIS has consistently ranked high in overall viewership; for the week of November 10th, the series boasted over 17 million viewers, trailing just behind the 20 million that NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football brought in [17]. The 2014-2015 season also marks the end of two of the network’s major veteran shows: Two and a Half Men and The Mentalist. After having lost two of its leading men, Two and a Half Men reached an all-time low average of 10.66 million viewers for its eleventh season, and, while 10 million viewers is still an impressive figure, the show has run its course and will go off the air in May [18]. The Mentalist garnered around 11.5 million viewers in its previous season. It has been speculated that, should these numbers remain impressive throughout the show’s shortened 13-episode-long final season, Warner Brothers could shop the show to other networks [19].

CBS’ Average Ratings for the 2014-2015 Season, As of November 19th, 2014. [14]

Additional Properties Programming

The CW Programming

Grant Gustin as The Flash. [20]

The joint venture of Time Warner and CBS, The CW has been a staple in young adult programming since 2006 [21]. For the 2014-2015 season, The CW launched two new series: The Flash and Jane the Virgin [22]. The Flash garnered nearly seven million viewers in the Live+7 ratings for its October premiere, making it the most watched piece of television that the network has ever aired [23]. Meanwhile, Jane the Virgin has accumulated critical acclaim for introducing diversity to The CW’s lineup [24]. Both The Flash and Jane the Virgin were picked up for full-season orders on October 21st [25].

The Cast of Supernatural. [26]

Supernatural, which began as a WB series in 2005, recently celebrated not only the debut of its tenth season, but also its 200th episode, which garnered the show’s highest ratings since the season premiere: 2.92 million viewers in the Live+3 category [27]. The network has also decreed that a 22nd cycle of America’s Next Top Model be commissioned for the 2015 season [28]. As of Friday, November 14th, the show’s current cycle holds a 0.4 in the 18-49 demo [29].

The CW's Average Ratings, As of November 19th, 2014.

The CW’s Average Ratings for the 2014-2015 Season, As of November 19th, 2014. [30]

Showtime Programming

Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks. [31]

CBS’ cable holding, Showtime, announced this fall its intentions to resurrect Twin Peaks, which ran from 1990-1991 on ABC. Showtime will air the original 30 episodes ahead of the new series, which will consist of nine episodes. The continuation of Twin Peaks will debut in 2016 [32]. In the meantime, Showtime continues to experience success with its critically-acclaimed series Homeland. The series garnered a season-best 1.66 million viewers on November 16th, however, when all platforms are taken into account, the series is averaging well over 5 million viewers on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, The Affair, which airs in the slot following Homeland, delivered roughly 778,000 viewers that same evening, up 16% from the previous week. As with Homeland, multi-platform viewing accounts for a significant portion of its viewership, resulting in a total number of 3.8 million viewers [33].

Showtime’s Average Ratings for the 2014-2015 Season, As of November 19th, 2014.

Showtime’s Average Ratings, As of November 19th, 2014. [34]

Current Events

CBS All Access

This fall, CBS became the first broadcast network to begin offering a streaming service akin to HBO’s service. This product is called CBS All Access and costs subscribers $5.99 a month. That being said, as of October 16th, the service is only offered in seven US markets, and does not feature NFL games. CBS All Access offers customers a wide array of both current series and canceled series [35].

CBS New York’s Coverage of CBS All Access. Click for Full Video. [36]

Dispute with Dish

In November of 2014, CBS experienced a dispute with Dish TV over negotiations. The companies’ previous contract was signed in January of 2012, and was set to expire by the end of November, however, CBS, along with other major broadcast networks, filed a lawsuit against Dish, citing their ad-skipping feature as the main source of conflict. The feature, which allows the customer to automatically skip over commercials, also prompted an attempt on CBS’ behalf to break their current contract with the satellite company [37]. With multiple Owned & Operated stations on the verge of being blacked out to Dish customers, both companies agreed to a deadline-extension on their current contract; as of November 26th, the extension will reach into early December, prompting further negotiation, while the O&O stations still air their programming [38].

Sources

[1] CBS Logo. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://awfulannouncing.com/2013/cbs-sports-chairman-sean-mcmanus-on-that-other-pregame-show-concussions-and-fantasy-football.html

[2] CBS Corporation. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/100876/CBS-Corporation

[3] Sumner M. Redstone. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbscorporation.com/ourcompany-executives.php?id=&exec=156

[4] Leslie Moonves. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbscorporation.com/ourcompany-executives.php?id=&exec=150

[5] Anthony G. Ambrosio. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbscorporation.com/ourcompany-executives.php?id=&exec=135

[6] Investor Relations – Financial and Stock Information. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://investors.cbscorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99462&p=quarterlyearnings

[7] Investor Relations – Stock Quote. Retrieved November 28, from http://investors.cbscorporation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99462&p=irol-shareowner_stockquote

[8] The Cast of The Young and the Restless. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_and_the_Restless

[9] Big Ratings for Y&R. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_young_and_the_restless/news/1003158/

[10] B&B & Big Brother Spooktacular. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbs.com/shows/the_bold_and_the_beautiful/news_blog/1003342/

[11] Soap Opera Ratings. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/15/soap-opera-ratings-the-young-the-restless-the-bold-the-beautiful-general-hospital-up-in-women-18-49-viewers/327190/

[12] The Cast of Scorpion. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.cbs.com/shows/scorpion/about/

[13] CBS Fall TV Schedule 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://tvline.com/2014/05/14/cbs-fall-tv-lineup-2014-the-big-bang-theory-monday/

[14] CBS 2014-15 Season Ratings. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/cbs-2014-15-season-ratings-33998/

[15] CBS Predictions. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/18/cbs-predictions-stalker-is-a-toss-up-to-be-canceled-or-renewed/327282/

[16] The Cast of The Big Bang Theory. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.movieweb.com/movies-you-havent-seen-with-the-cast-of-the-big-bang-theory

[17] TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/18/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-sunday-night-football-tops-week-8-with-adults-18-49/329077/

[18] ‘Two and a Half Men’ Final Season. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.ibtimes.com/two-half-men-final-season-how-show-survived-losing-charlie-sheen-why-season-12-last-1716310

[19] ‘The Mentalist’ to end on CBS. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/04/the-mentalist-canceled/

[20] Grant Gustin as The Flash. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.comicvine.com/articles/big-change-to-flash-s-role-in-arrow-update/1100-147601/

[21] The CW. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.cbscorporation.com/portfolio.php?division=95

[22] The CW’s Fall Schedule. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://tvline.com/2014/06/25/cw-fall-tv-schedule-2014-arrow-vampire-diaries/

[23] ‘The Flash’ Premiere Ratings. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://deadline.com/2014/10/the-flash-ratings-premiere-most-watched-cw-863045/

[24] ‘Jane the Virgin’ is The CW’s Best Show Ever. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/28/jane-the-virgin-is-the-cw-s-best-show-ever.html

[25] ‘The Flash’ ‘Jane the Virgin’ Get Full Season Orders. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/flash-jane-virgin-get-full-739683

[26] The Cast of Supernatural. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/supernatural/29404/supernatural-spin-off-casts-its-leads

[27] The CW’s ‘The Flash’ and 200th Episode of ‘Supernatural’. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/16/the-cws-the-flash-and-200th-episode-of-supernatural-hit-best-ratings-since-season-premiere-in-live-3-ratings/328353/

[28] America’s Next Top Model Renewed. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/americas-next-top-model-renewed-the-cw-1201358635/

[29] Friday TV Ratings. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/friday-tv-ratings-last-man-standing-antm-amazing-race-grimm-shark-tank-34732/

[30] CW 2014-2015 Season Ratings. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/cw-2014-15-season-ratings-34237/

[31] Kye MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://inthetreesartpreview.blogspot.com

[32] Cult Favorite ‘Twin Peaks’ to Return. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.whas11.com/story/entertainment/2014/10/20/15980076/

[33] Showtime’s ‘Homeland,’ ‘The Affair’ Continue Ratings Rise. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/showtimes-homeland-the-affair-continue-ratings-rise-1201359488/

[34] Showtime’s Average Ratings. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/showtime-tv-show-ratings-33448/

[35] HBO, CBS Set Up Streaming Service. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://movienewsguide.com/hbo-cbs-set-streaming-service/34363

[36] CBS Offers Digital Subscription Service. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xBLol05Uh8

[37] Dish Could Lose 16 CBS Stations In Fee Fight. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://www.tvpredictions.com/dish110314.htm

[38] Dish Extends CBS Deal Another Week. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://adage.com/article/media/dish-extends-cbs-deal-week-standoff-looms/296014/

Time Warner (TV/cable channels only)

Image

by Cameron MacPherson

[1] Time Warner Logo

Time Warner Inc.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY 10019-8016
212-484-8000
www.timewarner.com

About

Time Warner, Inc. is an American media company with properties in the television and film industries, including cable properties under the Turner Broadcasting System, its premium cable property Home Box Office (HBO), and its production unit Warner Brothers Studios. [2]

[3] Time Warner has three major divisions: HBO, Turner, and Warner Brothers

Executives

[4] Jeff Bewkes, Chairman and CEO

[6] Gary L. Ginsberg, Executive VP, Corporate Marketing and Communications

[5] Howard M. Averill, Executive Vice President and CFO

Financials and Strategies

Time Warner Inc., a publicly traded company, posted a $29.8 billion revenue for 2013, a 4% increase from 2012. [7] On July 16, 2014, news broke that Time Warner had rejected an $80 billion buyout offer from 21^st Century Fox. The proposal offered $85 a share for a stock that, just before the announced rejection, sat just above $70 a share. [8] CEO Jeff Bewkes has made a commitment to reach the $85 per share target to encourage stockholders that the company has growth potential. Under Bewkes, the financial strategy of the company has been to minimize expenses to maximize profits. Time Warner Inc. has recently spun off Time Warner Cable and Time Inc. properties, retaining only its Turner cable properties, HBO, and the Warner Brothers Studios. [9]

Time Warner rejected a buyout bid from 21st Century Fox

[12 ] Time Warner rejected an $80 billion buyout bid from 21st Century Fox

Even with a smaller portfolio of properties, the emphasis on streamlined efficiency still dominates Time Warner’s financial strategy. In recent months, there have been layoffs in all three of Time Warner’s divisions. Turner Broadcasting offered a buyout option to 6% of its staffers in August, two months before announcing that the company would cut 1,475 jobs.[10][11] Time Warner cut seven percent, or 150, of its domestic employees for HBO in late October, one week before cutting 1,000 jobs at Warner Brothers Studios. [13][14]

The strategy, to this point, has been successful. The newly enacted efficiencies and bold strategies for expansion of Time Warner’s HBO property have led to a surge in market valuation. On November 30, the price of Time Warner’s stock reached $85.12 per share, 12 cents above the buyout offer from 21^st Century Fox in July (before falling slightly below the line the next day). [15]

[13] A graph showing the price of Time Warner's stock prices over the last three months (TWX)

[16 ] A graph showing the price of Time Warner’s stock prices over the last three months (TWX)

HBO Developments

[17 ] HBO, a division of Time Warner

According to Time Warner, a major reason for rejecting the buyout offer was the growth potential of HBO. On September 16, ten days after 21^st Century Fox CEO Rupert Murdoch withdrew his buyout offer, Time Warner announced plans for a fourth quarter marketing push for HBO across broadcast, cable, and digital platforms. [18] A week later, HBO partnered with AT&T to offer customers broadband service, HBO GO, and Amazon’s Prime membership for a limited time offer. [19] The move, similar to Comcast’s “Internet Plus” package, signaled another step towards unbundling HBO from pricey cable subscriptions. Just a month after that, Time Warner made a major announcement that expanded on this departure from cable bundles. Time Warner stated that it planned to offer a standalone streaming platform through its online HBO GO service starting in 2015. The service will be available without a cable subscription to HBO, using broadband as its distribution channel. [20] While the details about available programming and distribution channels are yet to be released, many analysts predict the over-the-top service will be marketed towards cord-cutters and millenials rather than those with existing HBO subscriptions. [21]

With the new online streaming service, Time Warner hopes to attract customers to HBO who might otherwise be deterred by cable’s lofty price tag. Additionally, it has positioned itself as a viable competitor to Netflix in the digital arena. HBO has fewer domestic subscribers than Netflix, but far more international subscribers; HBO boasts 130 million global subscribers to Netflix’s 50 million. [22] In recent months, Time Warner has sought to expand this international presence. HBO struck a deal with Chinese content distributor Tencent Holdings Ltd., granting the Chinese media giant the exclusive rights to distribute HBO’s original programming. Tencent Video, the company’s online streaming site, will air episodes of HBO shows that have become wildly popular in China through piracy sites. [23] Executives at HBO hope that this move will cut down on piracy, and create a loyal fan base in the world’s most populous country.

Programming

HBO

[24] In 2014, HBO aired the final season of its hit crime show, “Boardwalk Empire”

HBO is known for its award winning original programming and loyal fan bases, particularly with hits like “Game of Thrones,” and “True Detective.” One such program, the smash crime hit “Boardwalk Empire,” finished its television run after five seasons. The series, which has won 18 Emmys, had a strong showing with 2.3 million viewers tuning in live for the series finale. When coupled with a same-night rerun and HBO GO statistics, total same-day viewers exceeded 6.6 million. [25]

HBO launched the final season of its news drama "The Newsroom" [26]

[27 ] HBO launched the final season of its news drama “The Newsroom”

HBO launched three new shows in its Sunday lineup, including the third and final season of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom.” The premiere of the truncated season reached a disappointing 1.2 million viewers live, a 40% decrease from the season two premiere. This year, the series does not benefit from the strong lead-ins of “True Blood” and “Boardwalk Empire,” leading to decreases in live ratings. [26]

It should be noted that live viewership is not as important for HBO due to its lack of advertising. Only about 25 to 30 percent of viewers watch programs live on HBO, as many viewers use the on-demand services or the web-based HBO GO. [28]

Turner

[31 ] Turner CEO John Martin

Turner Broadcasting and its CEO John Martin have expressed a commitment to take more “creative risks,” and announced that the company would double its funding for original programming by the end of 2018. [29] Turner’s TBS and TNT channels have greatly benefited from airing live sporting events. Alongside Disney, Time Warner renewed its rights to air live NBA games through the 2024-2025 season. TNT is granted the rights to broadcast 64 games a year. [30]

The 2014 American League Championship Series on TBS was the most viewed MLB playoffs on the network since 2010. The 2014 ALCS averaged 4.3 million viewers, despite featuring teams from mid-sized markets. [32] Because sporting events can draw large numbers of live viewers, Turner is able to charge higher prices for advertising and licensing fees. Thus, investing in live sporting rights will continue to be a major component of Turner’s business strategy.

The mass viewership of sporting events gives Turner additional leverage in negotiations with television distributors. When contract negotiations were stalling between Dish Network and Time Warner in October, Dish Network suddenly blacked out many of Turner’s cable channels, including CNN, TruTV, and Cartoon Network. Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen stated that while blacking out these channels was a “non-issue,” it would be “more painful” to take down the popular Turner channels Dish had left running: TBS and TNT, which both carry major sporting events. [33]

Future

The future of Time Warner will be heavily scrutinized by corporate analysts. The question remains: can Time Warner create sustained growth, or was it foolish to pass

[34] The Time Warner Center, headquarters of Time Warner, Inc.

on the 21^st Century Fox buyout offer? Time Warner has made decisions to bring its stock prices up in both the short-term, through corporate restructuring and job layoffs, and the long-term, through strategic HBO expansions and property spinoffs. Only sustained growth, most likely fostered by HBO’s continued expansion and Turner’s programming decisions, will determine the success of Time Warner.

[1] Time Warner Inc. logo. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014

[2] Time Warner Inc. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014

[3] Time Warner Operating Divisions. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[4] Jeff Bewkes bio page. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[5] Howard Averill bio page. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[6] Gary Ginsberg bio page. Timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[7] Time Warner’s quarterly reports. Ir.timewarner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[8] “Time Warner rejected $80B offer from 21st Century Fox: Sources”. CNBC, 16 July 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[9] “Time Warner Profit Tops Estimates as CEO Pursues Growth”. Bloomberg.com, 5 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[10] “Turner Broadcasting offers voluntary buyouts”. CNN Money, 26 August 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[11] “Turner Broadcasting, Home of CNN, TBS and TNT, Will Cut 1,475 jobs”. The New York Times, 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[12] “Time Warner’s HBO to cut 7 percent of staff”. Reuters, 28 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[13] “Warner Bros. Layoffs Beginning Tuesday to Eliminate Roughly 1,000 Jobs”. The Hollywood Reporter, 3 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[14] Twenty First Century Fox logo. Logopedia, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[15] Time Warner (TWX) stock. MarketWatch, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[16] Graph of TWX stock. Google Finance, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[17] HBO logo. Homeboxoffice.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[18] “Time Warner Plans HBO Marketing Push to Speed Growth”. Bloomberg.com, 18 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[19] “AT&T Lures Cord Cutters With $39-a-Month Deal for Broadband, Amazon Prime and HBO”. The Wall Street Journal, 23 September 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[20] “HBO Plans New Streaming Service, With Eye on Cord Cutters”. The New York Times, 15 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[21] “Before HBO Starts Streaming, Time Warner Wants to Make Big Cable Happy”. Businessweek, 5 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[22] “The battle between Netflix and HBO is just beginning. And this man holds the key”. The Washington Post, 28 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[23] “Tencent to Distribute HBO Dramas, Movies Online in China”. Nadsaq, 28 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[24] Boardwalk Empire poster. IMDB, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[25] “‘Boardwalk Empire’ Ratings: Series Ends With 2.3M Watching HBO Finale”. Deadline, 27 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[26] “HBO Has a Quiet Sunday With ‘Newsroom’ and ‘Comeback’ Returns”. The Hollywood Reporter, 11 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[27] Businessweek, ibid.

[28] The Newsroom poster. IMDB, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[29] “Turner Broadcasting CEO Pledges to Double Original Programming Investment”. The Hollywood Reporter, 12 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[30] “Walt Disney, Time Warner Said to Renew NBA TV Contracts”. Bloomberg.com, 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[31] John Martin bio page. Turner.com, retrieved 1 December 2014.

[32] “TBS Finishes Its Most-Viewed MLB Postseason Since 2010”. Multichannel.com, 16 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[33] “Turner Warns Dish Users That TNT & TBS Might Follow CNN, Toons Going Dark”. Deadline, 18 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

[34] Associated Press file image of the Time Warner Center. Syracuse.com, 08 August 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.

Scripps Networks Interactive

Posted on October 22, 2014 by jlmccu01

by Julie McCullough

9721 Sherrill Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37932

(865) 694-2700

courtesy of dish.com

Scripps Networks Interactive started in 1875 when E.W. Scripps founded The Penny Press and soon became one of the most successful newspaper publishing companies. The E.W. Scripps Company later evolved, acquiring local television stations. It was not until the company bought HGTV and the Food Network that it became Scripps Networks Interactive, the leading developer in lifestyle media. [1]

Today, Scripps Networks Interactive develops lifestyle media across the platforms of cable television, digital, mobile, and publishing. Home of HGTV, Food Network, The Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, DIY Network, and Great American Country, SNI reaches viewers all over the world with the goal of changing and improving everyday lifestyles.

Key Executives [2]

Kenneth W. Lowe – President and Chief Executive Officer

Henry Ahn- Executive Vice President, Content Distribution and Marketing

Joseph G. Necastro- Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Jim Samples- President, International

Lori A. Hickok- Executive Vice President, Finance

Burton Jablin- President

Tamara Franklin- Executive Vice President, Digital

Right Here, Right Now

Cable

SNI’s 2014 Upfront event in NYC revealed 35 new primetime and daytime series for the fall seasons of Food Network and Cooking Channel [3]. Among the new shows were Food Network’s Bobby Flay Fit, The Big Tip, and Chopped Teens Tournament and Cooking Channel’s Proper Pub Food and Compete to Eat. The channels are showing trends of gravitating toward competition and travel shows that take the audience out of the traditional home/kitchen. DIY Network and HGTV also premiered many new series and specials this fall. Among the lineup for DIY were The William Shatner Project, documenting renovations to the famous Star Trek actor’s house, The Property Brothers at Home, and Amish RENOgades, featuring Amish craftsmen as they travel outside of their community and learn to navigate the modern world and work on home improvement projects.
HGTV series this fall included Lakefront Bargain Hunt, A Hero’s welcome, White House Christmas, and Half-Price Paradise. [4]

courtesy of scrippsnetworksinteractive.com

In September 2014, Dish Network obtained the rights to deliver live and on-demand content from all six of SNI’s cable networks on their over-the-top internet service, “Dish Anywhere”. The pact allows dish subs to access authenticated Scripps Networks programming over any Internet connection, on devices including connected TVs, PCs, smartphones, tablets and video game consoles.[5] At the 2014 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference in September, President Burton Jablin and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Joseph NeCastro stressed the OTT deal as a way to increase distribution for their up-and-coming networks, Cooking Channel and DIY Network, while giving their live viewers (which make up about 90% of total viewership) more opportunities to view their high-quality content, and appealing to a wider audience of millennials and cord-nevers. [6]

Also in September, Scripps announced the expansion of HGTV into Singapore. The global expansion of SNI’s content signifies the universality of the network’s themes. The expansion to Singapore will include localized original short-form content exclusively for the launch of HGTV in Asia based on the popular series Extreme Homes. Jim Samples, president of Scripps Networks International, commented, “The launch of HGTV across Asia-Pacific signifies the first time HGTV has launched as a premiere 24/7 channel destination focused on home and lifestyle programming outside North America, including the Caribbean. This is a testament to how successful Scripps Networks’ high quality lifestyle content has performed around the world, and we see great potential for this channel offering to drive value for audiences, affiliate and advertising partners alike.” [7]

Publishing/ Digital

At its first ever Newfront presentation in April 2014, Scripps showcased an array of web series produced for its lifestyle video platform ulive, as well as websites for SNI television channels like HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, and Travel Channel. Many web series are designed as companions of SNI’s cable series. For example, “Star Salvation” runs on FoodNetwork.com parallel to season 10 of the TV series Food Network Star, giving eliminated finalists the opportunity to get back on the TV show. SNI’s strong focus on online content, as well as its presence at the 2014 Newfront presentations, signifies the company’s strong adaptability in today’s digital age. [8]

Vanilla Ice and Rev Run at 2014 Newfront (courtesy of adweek.com)

On Nov 17, 2014, SNI announced a cross-platform content partnership with Hearst Magazines to support the launch of the Citi Double Cash Card. Food Network and HGTV released seasonal holiday content in late November that connect across the holiday issues of Food Network Magazine, HGTV Magazine, food network.com, and HGTV.com. These holiday-inspired recipes, entertaining ideas, and DIY (do-it-yourself) projects were made to show consumers the two ways to earn cash back with the Citi Double Cash Card. [9]

Financials

SNI’s 2014 Upfront concluded selling just under 50% of inventory, hitting $1 billion in sales. There have been recent shifts toward scatter advertising. Scripps networks are very attractive to advertisers, as they have non-violent, popular, family-friendly content targeted to an upscale audience. There is also a higher demand for convergent buys, in which SNI packages TV ad space with corresponding digital content to appeal to a wider and more diverse audience. [6]

In October 2014, Scripps began offering its employees voluntary buyouts as a way to cut costs. “Each department will address its specific budget targets as they see fit. However, it is likely that this effort to bring costs in line with revenue will include the elimination of activities, projects and positions. We plan to announce any project and/or job eliminations resulting from this budget process by the end of the year,” said CEO Kenneth Lowe [10].

In better news, Scripps Network Interactive’s new cable and digital programming received very positive feedback from advertisers. The 2014 third-quarter earnings results shows that sales increased 4.5% to reach $644 million. “These solid third-quarter operating results demonstrate our unique competitive advantage, and our ability to create long-term value for shareholders in a changing marketplace,” Kenneth Lowe said in a press release accompanying the results [11]. TV station revenue has grown 22% since the third quarter of 2013, up $21.8 million for a total of $121 million. The company as a whole reported consolidated revenue of $208 million, an increase of 9.5%, or $18.1 million, from the year-earlier quarter. [12]

Looking forward, SNI has a promising financial future from ad revenues from both cable and digital. Bucking the trend of television in general, Food Network has lowered its median age in the last two years, due to much stronger growth in the 18-49 demo. At the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Conference, Burton Jablin and Joseph NeCastro outlined SNI’s plan of increasing viewership by expanding the Travel Channel, expanding their international brand, keeping Food Network and HGTV a healthy priority, and increasing distribution for Cooking Channel and DIY Network. [6]

courtesy of unpluggedtv.com

References:

[1] Scripps Networks Interactive- History (accessed October 24, 2014)

[2] Scripps Networks Interactive- Leaders (accessed October 24, 2014)

[3] Eater- Food Network and Cooking Channel Announce 35 New Shows for 2014 (accessed November 27, 2014)

[4]- Scripps Network Interactive- HGTV and DIY Network to Premiere 8 New Shows This Fall (accessed November 30, 2014)

[5] Variety- Dish Adds Food Network, HGTV and Other Scripps Cable Nets to Internet TV Lineup (accessed November 28, 2014)

[6]- Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference (accessed November 28, 2014)

[7]- Scripps Networks Interactive- SNI To Launch HGTV In Singapore on Starhub (accessed November 30, 2014)

[8] VideoInk- Scripps Networks Spotlights Programming for ulive and TV Network Sites (accessed November 28, 2014)

[9] MarketWatch- Scripps Networks Interactive and Hearst Magazines Create Original Cross-Platform Content Partnership to Support the Launch of the Citi® Double Cash Card (accessed November 28, 2014)

[10] BroadcastingCable.com- Scripps Networks Offering Buyouts to Cut Costs (accessed November 30, 2014)

[11] BroadcastingCable.com- Scripps Networks Net Up 2% in Third Quarter (accessed November 25, 2014)

[12]- TvNewsCheck.com- Scripps 3Q TV Station Revenue Grows 22% (accessed November 28, 2014)

Discovery Communications

Aside

by Indica Young

Discovery Communications Logo [1]

One Discovery Place

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Tel: 240-662-2000

http://corporate.discovery.com

-John Hendricks, Founder of Discovery Communications [3]

“To satisfy curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives by providing the highest quality content, services and products that entertain, engage, and enlighten.”[2]

–John Hendricks,1982

Discovery Communications is the #1 pay-TV programmer and is the worlds #1 nonfiction media company. With 2.8 billion subscribers, 189 international HD markets, and 54 network entertainment brands, Discovery Communications is successful at satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers [4]. The company began as a single channel in 1985 as The Discovery Channel [5].Now they are a global mass media that operates popular networks such as The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Education, and American Heroes Channel [6]. Discovery Communications is a publicly traded company that produces their own original content as well as acquiring content. Discovery Communications is subsidiary of Time Warner and they operate out of Silver Springs, Maryland [7]. Discovery Communications is publicly traded on NASDAQ stock exchange, but privately held Advance Publications is Discovery’s largest shareholder, with a 31% stake [8].

Discovery Communications Headquarters, Silver Spring, MD [9]

TEAM DISCOVERY [2]

David M. Zaslav, President, Chief Executive Officer, [10]

David C. Leavy, Chief Communications Officer, Senior Executive Vice President, [11]

Andrew Warren-Senior Executive VP and CFO

Andrew Warren, Senior Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer, [13]

TOP COMPETITORS [12]

A&E Television Networks, LLC

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Viacom, Inc

FINANCIALS

On November 4th, 2014 the Third Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights were announced. While Discovery Channel has had a fairly stable U.S. market, the domestic network revenue has been declining and David Zaslav has been focused on expanding the international segment of Discovery Communications [14]. Overall, the company has seen a 14% year on year growth in the 3rd quarter. This growth is stemming from the International segment of Discovery, as the International Networks has seen a 32% increase, while U.S. Networks has actually seen a 1% decrease. This growth in international reach is widely due to the increase in distribution and advertising revenues that Discovery has been focused on [15]. Discovery is also widening their reach by focusing on investment for their content to be displayed and interacted with on many types of screen [14].

Discovery Communications Third Quarter 2014 Segment Results [15]

Discovery Channel

2014 was marked by success due to its work in unscripted series. The Discovery Channel has seen viewership growth this year. Compared to October of last year, The Discovery Channel has seen double digit viewership, driving from strong returning series such as the 5th returning season of Gold Rush (Gold Rush kickoff was the nights second highest rated program on Friday Night [16]) as well as Alaska The Great Frontier and Misfit Garage. These unscripted series are also helping to drive ratings as Discovery has held 5 of the top 10 unscripted series for persons aged 25-54 [17].

The Learning Channel

The Learning Channel Logo, [18]

The Learning Channel (TLC) is a global brand owned by Discovery Communications that initially focused on educational and learning content, but now produces nonfiction lifestyle programming. Popular shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (canceled this fall due to scandal [19]), Breaking Amish, and Cake Boss are what make is a popular nonfiction network, as well as being a top 10 cable network in key female demos [20].

Animal Planet

Animal Planet Logo, [22]

Animal Planet is an entertainment network and brand owned by Discovery Communications that focuses on life in the animal kingdom [21]. In the second quarter ratings for 2014, Animal Planet remains a top 20 network for males aged 25-54. These ratings were driven by the successful season of River Monsters [23].

Discovery Education

Discovery Education uses their high quality content and focus on education programming to develop a passionate educator community. Discovery Education is expanding their innovative multimedia education products and services as well as serving grades K-12 in more than half of the schools in the U.S. [24]

American Heroes Channel

American Heroes Channel Logo [26]

American Heroes Channel (AHC) is a network owned by Discovery Communications that carries programs related to military history and warfare. As a network, AHC provides glimpses into major stories and events that helped shape the American future [25]. Shows like Gunslingers, Apocalypse WWII ,and Hardcore Heroes drive the ratings on AHC [27].

JOINT VENTURES

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Oprah Winfrey, OWN Network, [28]

OWN, a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications and Oprah Winfrey with real life and emotional programming [28]. OWN brought in Tyler Perry to work on scripted series for the network in 2012, and the Perry soap “The Haves and the Have Nots” averaged 3.6 million viewers, an 18% jump from the previous week according to Nielson [29].

The Hub Network becomes Discovery Family Channel

The Hub Network Logo, [30]

The Hub Network was a joint venture announced in 2009 led by Hasbro, a toy manufacturer and media company, and was a re-launch of Discovery Kids [30]. On October 13th, 2014, The Hub Network announced that the network is to become Discovery Family Channel. This new joint venture continuing with Discovery Channel and Hasbro is promising because of the success of The Hub Network as a children’s cable network [31].

All3Media

All3Media is a leading creator of content that provides digital content for both television and film [32]. On May 8, 2014 Discovery Communications and Liberty Global announced they were acquiring All3Media, offering strategic support but allowing All3Media to preserve their creative independence [33].

WHAT THEY’RE UP TO

Shark Week

Shark Week, Discovery Channel, [34]

Shark Week is a 27 year old annual summer tradition of Discovery Communications that has not only been the longest running cable TV programming event ever, but also one of the highest rated [35]. In August of 2014 Discovery Communications announced this summer was the highest rated Shark Week in history, and is essential for viewers in the 25-54 year range [36].

Survival Live

“Naked and Afraid” Survival Live, [37]

Survival Life is Discovery Communications new live event programming series, a never done before reality event. Discovery is stranding eight people in the wilderness for 42 days, and their success on their show depends on their skill to survive [37]. Viewers will be able to track their progress on Discovery Communications web platform, 24/7. Survival Live is produced by Adjacent Productions for Discovery Communications [38].

Motor Mondays

Fast N’ Loud, Motor Mondays, [39]

In April of 2013 Discovery Communications announced that Discovery Channel will now include a full night of vehicle programming on Mondays. Including shows like Fast N’ Loud and Street Outlaws, Discovery Channel Mondays will now be the biggest destination for all motor-programming [40].

Everest Live Jump Canceled

Everest Live Jump, Discovery Communications, [41]

The Everest Live Jump, a Discovery Communications live event which was supposed to air Joby Ogwny’s attempt to wingsuit jump off the summit of Mount Everest [42]. An avalanche disaster in April of 2014 killed 13 and left 3 missing. The stunt was canceled, however Discovery Communications was at the base camp at the time of the tragedy was able to record as the disaster struck. The Everest Avalanche Tragedy is one of the single deadliest days in Everest’s history [43].

[1] “Discovery Communications Corporate,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[2] “Discovery Communications Leadership,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[3] “Driven by Curiosity,” Global Business Coalition for Education, RT: 11/27/2014

[4] “At a Glance,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[5] “The Discovery Channel; Science, Nature, Adventure and Animals That Bite,” The Washington Post, RT: 11/27/2014

[6] “Our Mission,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[7] “Time Warner Cable and Discovery Communications Reach Long-Term Distribution Agreement,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[8] “Advance Publications Waving Around $500 M,” Crain’s New York, RT: 11/27/2014

[9] “Discovery Communications Headquarters,” Stewart Bros. Photography, RT: 11/27/2014

[10] “David M. Zaslav,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[11] “David Leavy,” Discovery Communications, RT: 11/27/2014

[12] “Discovery Communications Inc. Company Information,” Hoovers, RT: 11/27/2014