Comcast/NBCU

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Tanya

Thomas Meis, Tanya Motwani

The Comcast Corporation

History

Comcast began its history as American Cable Systems, a smaller cable operator from Mississippi. It was purchased by Ralph Roberts and his business partners in 1963, and in 1969 was moved to Pennsylvania. Here it was renamed “Comcast”, a mixture of the words Communication and Broadcast. It then went public in 1972, and from there has been ever expanding.

It is considered to be one of the least-liked media conglomerates, winning “Worst Company in America” twice. Most experts believe this to be true because of the large number of assets owned by Comcast, as well as the monopoly-like power they have in terms of pricing for their various subsidiaries.

Key Executives

[1] Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation

[2] Stephen B. Burke, CEO, NBCUniversal

[3] Michael J. Cavanagh, CFO, Comcast Corporation

Financials

Comcast has bought or merged with many different companies, including Spectacor, Microsoft, AT&T, Sony Pictures, and NBCUniversal.
Not only have they expanded into the telecommunications market, they have also bought stakes the sports market, because of their controlling stake in the Philadelphia Flyers [4].
In 2014, they tried to buy Time Warner Cable, but were denied by many different fronts, the largest being that the government was worried that the merger would lead to Comcast having a monopoly in the broadband and video markets. Concerned citizens wrote to the government expressing their fears about the influence that a merged Comcast-TimeWarner conglomerate would have on the broadcast and TV-streaming platforms. The deal was officially abandoned in April of 2015 [5].
Comcast’s most well known acquisition has been NBCUniversal, which has many different assets, ranging from professional sports to entertainment. Today, Comcast is one of the biggest telecommunications companies on the planet, with assets in television, film, gaming, distribution, and sports.

Comcast has seen a steady increase in their stock price over the last year, which sits at $70.14 currently. In comparison to other media conglomerates, whose stocks have been seeing a decline, Comcast Cable Communications and NBCUniversal have both been doing well, leading to the surprising upward movement of the company’s stocks.

Comcast’s stock prices over the period of a year.

NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal- Divisions

NBCUniversal (NBCU) is a media conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast, after the latter acquired the former in a $6.5 billion deal in 2011.

NBCU was originally formed in 2004[6], when GE’s National Broadcasting Company merged with Vivendi’s Vivendi Universal Entertainment. Comcast expressed interest in buying NBCU from GE and Vivendi in 2009, bought a 51% stake in 2001, and fully owned the company by 2013 [7].

NBCUniversal recently announced its extended partnership deal with BuzzFeed [8], after a successful year-long initial deal. The two companies plan to collaborate on promotional and original content for both platforms, and aim to create new digital content for NBCUniversal’s premium users.
Another deal that NBCUniversal announced was with Apple. Starting from January 2017, NBCUniversal will be the sole provider of advertising inventory on Apple’s app, Apple News [9].

NBCUniversal is made up of two main divisions: NBC and Universal Studios.
Apart from these two divisions, NBCUniversal also owns a part of the streaming service Hulu, along with Fox Entertainment Group, ABC, and Turner Broadcasting System.

NBC

NBC [10] is an american television broadcast network, with its headquarters in the Comcast Building in Rockerfeller Center, in New York City.
As of 2015, NBC owns ten owned-and-run stations, and over 221 network affiliates in 48 states. The network has a national reach of 95.52% of all american homes.

Cast of Saturday Night Live

NBC Programming broadcasts some of the most popular network television shows on air currently, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Voice, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and Saturday Night Live.

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is the American film studio owned by the Universal Filmed Entertain Group, and is considered to be the oldest surviving film studio in the United States. Its film studios are based in Universal City, California.
Universal Studios is credited as the first studio to release three films that each crossed over $1 billion in the box office, a feat the company achieved in 2015. The studio has a large number of successful film franchises under its roof, including Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and the Jason Bourne series.

Universal Studios also has a large list of upcoming movies, including Pitch Perfect 3, The Mummy, and Fast 8 [11].

Universal Studios Orlando

Universal Studios OrlandoUniversal Parks & Resorts is a division of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and operates all of the Universal theme parks and resorts all around the globe. It is known for its various rides and attractions that are based off of pop culture characters and has attracted over 50 million yearly visitors to its parks.
The first Universal Studios theme park opened in Hollywood in 1965. Since then, Universal Studios has opened parks in 3 different countries, and has 3 new parks upcoming in Moscow, South Korea, and Beijing [12].

DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation Logo

DreamWorks Animation, an animation studio based out of Glendale, California, was founded in 1994, by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen. The studio is known for its animated talking animal franchises (Shrek, Madagascar), and has 33 feature films that have grossed over $13.48 billion worldwide [13].

NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, announced its intention to acquire DreamWorks Animation (DWA) in April 2016. By August 2016, NBCUniversal has successfully acquired DWA for $3.8 billion. DWA is now a division of Universal Studios [14].
After the acquisition, Universal Studios was supposed to take over distribution for all of DreamWorks Animations’s films, however, DWA had signed a 5-year deal with 20th Century Fox, and intends to honor the deal until the end of the contract, with the film Captain Underpants. Universal will take over distribution in February 2018, beginning with the Margot Robbie and Hugh Jackman starrer, Larrikins.

DreamWorks Animation owns a themed land in the Dreamworld amusement park in Gold Coast, Australia, where they offer the DreamWorks Experience, which contains three distinct areas based on their most popular film franchises- Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. Each area includes rides and attractions for people of all ages. DreamWorks Animation also has a deal with the Royal Caribbean Cruiseline, and announced in 2010 that the DreamWorks Experience would be offered as part of the cruises.
DreamWorks Animation has a list of movies scheduled to release in the next few years, each one anticipated to receive positive reviews and do well in the box office. The movies include How To Train Your Dragon 3, Shrek 5, and The Boss Baby.

Bibliography

[1] Brian L. Roberts. Retrieved November 27, 2016. http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/leadership-overview/brian-l-roberts

[2] Stephen B. Burke. Retrieved November 27, 2016. http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/leadership-overview/stephen-b-burke

[3] Michael J. Cavanagh. Retrieved November 27, 2016. http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/leadership-overview/michael-j-cavanagh

[4] Kay, P. (1999, July 5). Comcast: Not Just Cable Anymore. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/1999/07/05/story2.html

[5] Wiggers, K. (2015, April 24). It’s over! Comcast abandons plan to rule 57 percent of all U.S. broadband Internet. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/comcast-abandon-time-warner-cable-merger/

[6] History of NBCUniversal. Retriever November 27, 2016. http://www.nbcuniversal.com/our-history#decade_9

[7] Chozick, A & Stelter, B. (2013, February 12) Comcast Buys Rest of NBC in Early Sale. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/comcast-buying-g-e-s-stake-in-nbcuniversal-for-16-7-billion/?_r=1

[8] @. (2016, November 21). Buzzfeed and NBCUniversal Announce Expanded Partnership and Additional Investment. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/buzzfeed-and-nbcuniversal-announce-expanded-strategic-partnership

[9] @. (2016, November 7) NBCUniversal Announces New Partnership with Apple News. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/nbcuniversal-announces-new-partnership-with-apple-news

[10] NBCUniversal. Retrieved 27 November, 2016, from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/

[11] Universal Studios Upcoming Movies. Retrieved 27 November, 2016. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/schedule/?view=distributor&id=universal.htm

[12] Young, J. (2016, February 26). Universal Theme Parks future expansion looking to steamroll competition – Theme Park University. Retrieved November 29, 2016, from http://themeparkuniversity.com/universal/universal-theme-parks-looking-to-steamroll-competition-with-future-growth/

[13] DreamWorks Animation The Company. Retrieved 27 November, 2016, from http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/company/

[14] Sneider, J. (2016, April 27) DreamWorks Animation History: From ‘Antz’ to ‘Shrek’ to Comcast. Retrieved on November 27, 2016, from http://www.thewrap.com/dreamworks-animation-history-from-antz-to-shrek-to-comcast/

Time Warner Cable

Posted on February 18, 2016 by smwarren

BY RICARDO SMITH

Time Warner Cable Logo [1].

Company Overview

Time Warner Cable is an American cable telecommunications company. It is the second largest cable provider in terms of revenue only behind Comcast [2]. Time Warner Cable serves over 16 million customers in 29 different states [1]. The company was formed in 1992 through the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications’ respective cable businesses, following the merger of the two companies in 1989 [1]. Time Warner Cable was spun off as an independent operation in March 2009 [1]. Since its inception, Time Warner Cable has been a trailblazer in the cable industry. They have lead the way in technical innovation through the use of fiber optics to enhance the customer experience. Time Warner Cable provides cutting edge technology, a diverse selection of entertainment content, and superior service to homes across the United States [1]. On April 25^th, 2016, a deal was approved by the U.S Department of Justice for the purchase of Time Warner Cable by Charter Communications [3].

A screenshot from a Time Warner Cable commercial advertising one-hour windows [11]

A screenshot from a Time Warner Cable commercial advertising one-hour windows [6].

Customer Service

Time Warner Cable has a reputation for poor customer service. According to the American Costumer Satisfaction Index, Time Warner Cable was the most unpopular company in America in 2014 with a score of 54 out of a possible 100 [4]. Their television service was the second worst ranked brand on the list, followed by Comcast’s Internet Service Provider [4]. Cable companies have recently come under scrutiny for their increasing subscription fees and lack of choice in the market [5]. Cable prices have more than doubled in the past ten years [5]. The rise of over the top subscription video on demand has caused a decline in cable subscriptions [5]. A leading industry analyst estimated that the top 8 cable companies lost 463,000 subscribers in the second quarter of 2015 compared to 141,000 in the second quarter of 2014 [5]. The decline has caused companies to raise their prices [5]. In response to their poor customer service ratings, Time Warner has taken a number of steps. The company launched an ad campaign acknowledging it’s poor customer service and promising to improve it [6]. The main focus of this initiative is a one-hour window for all customer appointments. In 2015, the company reported a 13% decrease in care calls per customer relationship, 98% on-time percentage for customer appointments, and 15% improvement in first-visit resolution [7].

Time Warner Cable’s 2015 earnings report [7].

2015 Performance

In the fourth quarter of 2015, Time Warner Cable’s revenue grew by 4.9% [7]. The company earned $6.07 billion in 2015 [7]. This represents a 3.9% increase in yearly revenue, Time Warner’s highest in five years [7]. The company attributes the increase to accelerated growth in residential and business services [7]. The company’s operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) increased slightly for the fourth quarter and the whole year [7]. In their best year of residential subscriber performance ever, Time Warner added 618,000 new customer relationships, 1,000,000 high-speed data upgrades, and 1,036,000 voice subscribers in 2015 [7]. Time Warner made significant investments in 2015 to improve the customer experience and expand their network [7]. As a part of this effort, the company introduced an initiative to convert their infrastructure to an all digital system called TWC Maxx [7]. The new system results in increased Internet speeds, state-of-the-art television services, and improved overall reliability [7]. In 2015, TWC Maxx was fully implemented in six major cities and begun in 4 others [7]. The company has continued expanding the program in 2016 [8].

Comcast logo [11].

Proposed Comcast Merger

In November 2013, it was reported that Charter Communications was to put in an offer to purchase Time Warner Cable for around $135 per share [9]. As a result, Time Warner Cable stock rose by 10% [9]. Charter and Comcast stock also rose based on the rumor [9]. The offer was eventually rejected [10]. On February 13^th, 2014 Comcast announced that it intended to acquire Time Warner Cable through a stock swap [11]. The announcement was met with great opposition from government officials, industry executives, and consumer advocacy groups alike [12]. People were largely opposed to the merger based on Comcast’s behavior in past deals [13]. Following its acquisition of NBCUniversal, Comcast became a partial owner of Hulu [13]. As a part of the deal, Comcast was supposed to remain a silent partner and not influence or interfere with the operation of the company [13]. As of July 2013, Hulu was for sale [13]. In that same month, a meeting to decide the company’s fate took place between the operating partners; Walt Disney, 21^st Century Fox, and Comcast [13]. According to anonymous sources with knowledge of the conversation, Comcast told the other partners that it could enhance Hulu’s value, which caused them to decide not to sell the company [13]. This action directly violated the terms of Comcast’s NBCUniversal deal [13]. Other grievances included programmers experiencing continued difficulty in making their content available for streaming in Comcast markets and Comcast’s lack of promotion for a stand-alone broadband service that isn’t connected to a television package [13]. The proposed deal would have given Comcast a 57% market share of broadband services [13]. In April 2015, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler came out in direct opposition of the merger [14]. In light of the strong public reaction, Comcast terminated the merger ahead of the official FCC decision later that month [14].

Charter Communications logo [15].

Charter Merger

Following the failure of the Comcast merger, Charter Communications announced that it would be merging with Time Warner Cable on May 26^th, 2015 in a $56.7 billion deal that combined cash and stock options [15]. Charter also announced that they would be purchasing Bright House Networks, previously controlled by Time Warner, in a separate deal for $10.1 billion [15]. This deal was met with far less opposition based on the lower combined market share in broadband service and Charter’s lack of recent negative PR [16]. In order to smooth the approval process, Charter promised not to impose data caps and not charge online content providers for direct connections to its network [16]. On April 25^th, 2016, the U.S Department of Justice approved the sale with conditions [17]. On the same day, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler circulated his approval to other FCC commissioners [17]. The order is expected to get enough votes for approval [17]. In their official statement, the Department of Justice said they worked closely with the FCC to coordinate their reviews of the deal and devise comprehensive remedies for the issues that it presents [18]. As part of the approval, Charter is forbidden from including clauses in their Pay-TV contracts that bar content creators from exploiting their programming through online video on demand [3]. This condition was included largely because Time Warner is notorious for being the most aggressive provider with these clauses [17]. The conditions also forbid Charter from retaliating against programmers for licensing to online video on demand [3]. These conditions will last for seven years [3]. The sale will not become official until California public utility regulators submit their approval [17]. They are scheduled to vote in the summer of 2016 [17].

Overview

Time Warner Cable’s recent acquisition by Charter Communications will begin a new chapter in the company’s history, as well as the state of cable television altogether. Charter is expected to retire the Time Warner Cable brand [18]. Combining their resources will allow the two companies to cut costs and hopefully provide better prices for their customers. The new Charter’s future success will rely heavily on their public perception in the aftermath of this merger.

Sources

[1] Time Warner Cable. Company Overview for Time Warner Cable. Time Warner Cable. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[2] National Cable and Telecommunications Association. Industry Data. National Cable and Telecommunications Association. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[3] The United States Department of Justice (April 25 2016). Justice Department Allows Charter’s Acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks to Proceed with Conditions. The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved April 27 2016.

[4] American Customer Satisfaction Index. American Customer Satisfaction Index. American Customer Satisfaction Index. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[5] Darrow, Barb and Jones, Stacy (August 18 2015). Cable consumers keep cutting the cord. Can anyone blame them?. Fortune. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[6] Morran, Chris (October 5 2015). Time Warner Cable Admits Its Customer Service Stinks. Pinky Swears To Do Better. Consumerist. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[7] Time Warner Cable Inc. (January 28 2016). Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2015 Earnings Summary. Time Warner Cable. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[8] Time Warner Cable Inc. (February 8 2016). Time Warner Cable Takes Next Step to Transform TV and Internet Experience in Central and Northern New York. Time Warner Cable. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[9] Yousuf, Hibah (November 22 2013). Cable stocks surge on takeover chatter. CNN Money. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[10] CNBC (January 13 2014). Time Warner Cable rejects Charter’s $61B bid as inadequate. CNBC. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[11] Comcast (February 13 2014). Time Warner Cable To Merge With Comcast Corporation To Create A World-Class Technology and Media Company. Comcast. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[12] Steel, Emily (April 22 2015). Comcast Critics Cast Doubt on Its Intentions. The New York Times. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[13] Steel, Emily (April 21 2015). Comcast’s Track Record in Past Deals May Be Hitch for Merger With Time Warner Cable. The New York Times. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[14] Trefis Team (April 28 2015). Comcast-TWC Merger Called Off; Where Do These Companies Stand Now. Forbes. Retrieved April 26 2016.

[15] Charter Communications Inc. (May 26 2015). Charter Communications to Merge with Time Warner Cable and Acquire Bright House Networks. Charter Communications Inc. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[16] Economides, Nicholas (March 22 2016). Why a Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger Won’t Actually Kill Cable Companies. Fortune. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[17] King, Hope and Stetler, Brian (April 25 2016). Giant cable merger cleared by regulators. CNN Money. Retrieved April 25 2016.

[18] Morran, Chris (April 25 2016). 5 Things You Should Know About the Approved Merger of Time Warner Cable and Charter. Consumerist. Retrieved April 27 2016.

Zynga

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Corinna Vong

Corinna Vong

Source: Dakota Financial News, Zynga logo [25]

THE COMPANY

Source: Forbes, Mark Pincus, CEO [26]

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

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

FINANCIALS

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

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

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

EXPANDING INTO THE SOCIAL CASINO GAME MARKET

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

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

TRANSITION TO MOBILE GAME DEVELOPMENT

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

IN-APP BUYING AND ADVERTISING

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

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

[22] Zynga SponsoredPLAY, source: adage.com

Source: AdvertisingAge, Zynga SponsoredPLAY [22]

THE FUTURE OF ZYNGA

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

SOURCES

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

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on October 5, 2014 by htfergus

by Carly Kaplin

Warner Bros. Studios [a]

Contact Information:

Address: 3400 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91522

Phone: (818) 972-8687

http://www.warnerbros.com/

Company Executives:

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

Richard J. Fox: Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Entertainment [c]

Thomas Gewecke: Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Warner Bros. Entertainment [d]

Dee Dee Myers: Executive Vice Present, Worldwide Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Warner Bros. Entertainment [e]

Company Overview:

Warner Brother’s is an entertainment company involved in the creation, production, distribution and marketing of many different forms of entertainment. The company specializes in feature films and television. Since they were founded, Warner Brother’s has produced nearly 6,500 feature films and 3,000 television shows. Warner Brother’s Studios is a subsidiary of Time Warner and within itself has several subsidiaries. [1]

Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner [f]

Company History:

Warner Brother’s was founded on April 4th, 1923 by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner. The studio released the world’s first “talkie” movie on October 6th, 1927. Before this time, the world had never seen a movie with sound. This was a groundbreaking moment in the film industry. The studio won their first Oscar for best picture in 1937 for a film biography on the life of Émile Zola. In 1955, Warner Brothers started working in television creating the drama series, Cheyenne. [2]

Financials:

Warner Brother’s Studios is one of the global leaders in film production. However, the studio was negatively impacted by a low summer box office. Luckily, video-on-demand revenue contributed and raised revenue 3% to $2.8 billion. The studio made its highest box office numbers ever with the Harry Potter movies and The Dark Knight trilogy. The Dark Knight earned the studio over $530,000,000 domestic, and over $1 billion including international sales in 2008. In 2013, Warner Brothers television programs grossed almost $1.5 billion internationally. In the same year, the international box office for films generated revenue of over $5 billion for the fifth year in a row Warner Brothers made over $4 billion in the worldwide box office. Warner Brothers currently stands at third place in the 2014 studio market share of the box office with 14.3%, behind 20th Century Fox with 17.2% and Buenavista with 16.1%. Warner Brothers has released the most movies this year out of the three top studios, making it’s position at number 3 not ideal. [3] [4]

By the end of this year, Warner Brothers will have released a total of 21 feature films. The highest grossing movie of the year for the studio was The Lego Movie, generating a total domestic revenue of $257 million and $210 million internationally, making it a total of $468 million. [5] [6]

Warner Brother’s movies by release date in 2014 [g]

MV5BNjE5MzYwMzYxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTk4MTk0OQ@@._V1_SY1006_CR25,0,630,1006_AL_

Gravity [h]

Recent History

In early 2014, Warner Brother’s films won 10 Academy Awards, the most of any other studio. 7 of these awards were taken by Gravity, two for The Great Gatsby and one for Her. Gravity took home the oscar for best director for Alfonso Cuarón, visual effects, cinematography, film editing, original score, sound editing and sound mixing. [7]

What’s Happening Now?

Warner Brother’s Studios has recently announced that they will be cutting 1,000 jobs from a total of around 8,000 companywide in an attempt to decrease costs since the low box office and television results this year. After 10 years at number one in the domestic box office, it is currently at number 3. Some divisions of the company are expected to be impacted more by these layoffs than others. The finance and information technology will be cut down more than film and television production groups. [8]

The Judge [i]

Warner Brother’s recently released The Judge on October 10th, 2014. The Judge made only $45.5 million in the domestic box office, which is not the success the studio would have hoped for the movie with a $50 million production budget. It did bring in $29 million international, bringing the total gross up to $74.5 million. The movie opened at number 5 its opening weekend, competing with the new releases of Dracula Untold and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which opened at 2, and 3 respectively. [9]

Annabelle [j]

Annabelle, the prequel to last year’s The Conjuring, was the studio’s highest grossing movie this season. With a domestic total of $84 million but was widely popular overseas with an international total of over $186 million, it took the number one place in the international box office its opening weekend. The production budget was only $6.5 million so Annabelle was a huge success for Warner Brothers. Annabelle was released on October 3rd, opening at the number two spot in the box office, just barely beaten out by $400,000 by the highly anticipated Gone Girl. [10]

Horrible Bosses 2 [k]

Horrible Bosses 2 is the studio’s next movie to hit theaters, opening on November 26th, 2014. The first Horrible Bosses movie, released in July of 2011 made $60 million during its opening weekend. The budget was $35 million, meaning the movie made back almost twice its budget in the first weekend. This sequel is definitely one that didn’t do as well as the first movie. This past weekend was opening weekend for Horrible Bosses 2 and opening at the number 5 spot, they made a mere $15 million domestically. Having opened on a Wednesday, they did generate some more money before the “weekend” bringing the domestic total to $23 million. But this opening weekend was a tough one in terms of competition. Horrible Bosses was competing with the second weekend of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 which brought in the majority of audiences for this Thanksgiving weekend. Warner Brothers expected Horrible Bosses 2 to make around $35 million opening weekend, but the production budget was relatively low, at $42 million. Warner Brothers executives are hopeful that Horrible Bosses 2 will perform better next weekend as the excitement of The Hunger Games slows down as it enters its third week. [11] [12] [13]

Excitement continues to grow for fans of The Hobbit series as the trilogy comes to an end this year with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. It will be released on December 17th, 2014 by Warner Brothers. The most talked about aspect of the movie so far is the 45 minute battle scene which ends the movie, the biggest fight scene director Peter Jackson has ever done. [5] [14]

Warner Brothers will be releasing two more movies before the end of the year. Inherent Vice on December 12th, featuring Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon, and American Sniper on December 25th, with Bradley Cooper, directed by Clint Eastwood. Inherent Vice has already won the Robert Altman award, which is given to “one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast.” [5] [15]

Sources:

1. Warner Bros. Company Overview – warnerbros.com RT: 11/15/2014

2. Warner Bros. Company History – warnerbros.com RT: 11/16/2014

3. Time Warner Q3 Earnings Results – money.cnn.com RT: 11/17/2014

4. Time Warner Annual Reports – TimeWarner.com RT: 11/15/2014

5. Warner Bros. Future Releases – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/21/2014

6. The Lego Movie – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/18/2014

7. Warner Bros. Oscar Results – hollywoodreporter.com RT: 11/17/2014

8. Warner Bros. Layoffs – nytimes.com RT: 11/19/2014

9. The Judge Box Office Mojo – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/16/2014

10. Annabelle Box Office Mojo – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/17/2014

11. Horrible Bosses Opening Weekend – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/20/2014

12. Horrible Bosses 2 Opening Weekend – boxofficemojo.com RT: 11/30/2014

13. Variety Horrible Bosses 2 Article – variety.com RT: 11/30/2014

14. FansShare The Hobbit Article – fansshare.com RT: 11/21/2014

15. NoneSuch Inherent Vice Article – nonesuch.com RT: 12/1/2014

Multimedia Sources

a. http://corporate.kabam.com/company/ RT: 11/14/2014

b. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Kevin Tsujihara RT: 11/15/2014

c. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Richard J. Fox RT: 11/15/2014

d. Warner Bros. Company Executives -Thomas Gewecke RT: 11/15/2014

e. Warner Bros. Company Executives – Dee Dee Myers RT: 11/15/2014

f. PBS Gallery RT: 11/16/2014

g. Box Office Mojo RT: 12/1/2014

h. IMDB Gravity RT: 11/20/2014

i. IMDB The Judge RT: 11/21/2014

j. IMDB Annabelle RT: 12/1/2014

k. Collider.com RT: 11/17/2014

l. Youtube.com RT: 12/1/2014

YouTube

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Blair Shulman

By Blair Shulman

Photo courtesy of techtipsworld.com [1]

YouTube, LLC

901 Cherry Ave.
San Bruno, CA 94066

Phone: +1 650-253-0000

Fax: +1 650-253-0001

www.youtube.com

A Brief History

It’s hard to believe that YouTube is only 9 years old. The video sharing website was created in 2005 by former PayPal co-workers Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. Little did they know it would go on to be the third most visited site in the world after Google and Facebook. YouTube’s first video clip was posted in April 2005 and by November, users were sending up to 8 terabytes of data per day (which is the equivalent of the entire contents of a Blockbuster store). [2] This attracted the attention of Google who paid $1.65 billion in stock for the company in the fall of 2006. By then, the site was gaining more than 700 million views a week. Today, more video content is uploaded to YouTube in 60 days than all three U.S. television networks have created in 60 years. [2]

Key Executives

Chad Hurley (Advisor and Co-Founder) [3]

Chad Hurley (Former CEO, Advisor and Co-Founder) [3]

Steve Chen (Co-Founder) [4]

Jawed Karim (Co-Founder) [5]

Susan Wojcicki (Chief Executive Officer) [6]

Financial Statistics

In 2006, YouTube officially became a subsidiary of Google, Inc. in a $1.65 billion deal. Although Google has never released any specific numbers in regards to YouTube’s revenues, they do release numbers about their own growth, revealing some information about YouTube’s results. On April 16, 2014, Google released financial results for the quarter ending March 31, 2014. According to Larry Page, CEO of Google, Google’s revenue was $15.4 billion, up 19 percent year on year. [7] Site revenue, which represents sites Google operates (like Google.com, YouTube, and Gmail), generated revenue of $10.47 billion, or 68 percent of total revenue. That’s a 21 percent increase over last year. Network revenue, aka “Adsense,” did $3.4 billion in revenue, a four percent increase over last year. [8] YouTube uses Google AdSense to generate their automatic media advertisements that are targeted to site content and audience on both their mobile and desktop sites. Another focus of the report was Google’s desire to develop advertisements that facilitate brand-building, in particular on YouTube. According to the Chief Business Officer of Google, Nikesh Arora, nearly all Super Bowl advertisers this year also had paid spots on YouTube. “We’ve seen a trend of brands coming over to YouTube as an addition to their TV campaigns,” Arora says, “The real fun will begin when people do brand building campaigns starting on digital, including YouTube. This is definitely the Holy Grail.” [9]

In The News

Susan Wojcicki Named New CEO of YouTube: Susan Wojcicki, one of Google’s earliest employees and former Senior Vice President of Ads and Commerce, became the new CEO of YouTube in February of 2014. The 45-year-old mother of four replaced Salar “SK” Kamangar, who was the CEO of YouTube for just over three years. Before that, Salar ran day-to-day activities at Google and took over the CEO position from YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley in 2010. [10] Kamangar now stands as the Senior Vice President of YouTube and Video for Google.

Photo courtesy of marketingland.com [16]

Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 as the 16th employee, becoming the search engine’s first marketing executive. [11] In her various positions at Google, Wojcicki has overseen product management of AdSense, Google Book Search and Google Video. Prior to Google, she worked at Intel, Bain & Co. and R.B. Webber & Co. [11] This move most likely signals a desire on Google’s part to start monetizing YouTube and its advertising content in a big way, since Wojcicki’s previous positions at Google have been centered around managing its entire ad sales department. In Google’s own statement, CEO Larry Page said, “YouTube is a billion person global community curating videos for every possibility. Anyone uploading their creative content can reach the whole world and even make money. Like Salar, Susan has a healthy disregard for the impossible and is excited about improving YouTube in ways that people will love.” [12]

Screenshot courtesy of makerstudios.com [12]

Screenshot courtesy of makerstudios.com (click to enlarge) [15]

Disney Buys Maker Studios: The Walt Disney Company completed a deal on March 24, 2014 to pay $500 million to acquire Maker Studios. The deal could end up closing for as much as $950 million if specific growth targets are met by Disney. [13] Maker Studios is a YouTube multi-channel network that produces high-quality videos for some of the most “YouTube famous” users on the site such as PewDiePie and channels such as Epic Rap Battles of History. [13] Financed by venture capitalists and grants from YouTube, Maker Studios now operates over 55,000 channels, boasts 380 million subscribers and 5.5 billion views per month. [14] It’s not unclear why Maker Studios looked desirable to Disney. The YouTube video supplier can help promote Disney’s many characters and franchises to a young target audience. Maker can also serve as an example of how to successfully interact with the “raised-on-the-Web” generation. [13] When Maker succeeds, YouTube succeeds as well. This recent acquisition was a huge win for the YouTube, Maker and Disney families.

Turning YouTube Stars Into Real Celebrities: Welcome to the next major evolution of YouTube’s business. New YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has helped to devise a plan to propel YouTube users to the next level of stardom. YouTube is chock full of “stars” who broadcast their content to thousands of loyal subscribers every day. But how many of these stars can the public actually put a name and a face to? That’s why YouTube is spending millions on advertising to overcome this awareness challenge. Popular YouTube users will now be getting their own promotional TV spots and premium-priced ad rates as part of an effort to package online video stars like traditional TV celebrities. [17] The first stars to get the ads will be chef Rosanna Pansino and beauty gurus Michelle Phan and Bethany Mota. The ads will be shown on networks like The CW and ABC Family, local TV and billboards in New York and Chicago, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly and even in NYC subways. [18] The ads are being developed by ad agency Co:Collective. One challenge Wojcicki notes is “trying to get advertisers who traditionally bought TV to understand the YouTube platform.” [18] But Wojcicki believes in patience, hard work and continual growth. “As the platform matures and we have better monetization, we want to be able to continue to grow the whole ecosystem in a way that’s good for advertisers, good for publishers and good for users,” Wojcicki said. [18]

YouTube user Michelle Phan’s homepage, boasting more than 6 million subscribers

Sources:

[1] YouTube Company Logo, techtipsworld.com, RT: 4/12/14

[2] “Brief History YouTube”, time.com, RT: 4/12/14

[3] Photo of Chad Hurley, politic365.com, RT: 4/12/14

[4] Photo of Steve Chen, twitter.com, RT: 4/12/14

[5] Photo of Jawed Karim, commons.wikimedia.org, RT: 4/12/14

[6] Photo of Susan Wojcicki, hub.jhu.edu, RT: 4/12/14

[7] “Google Inc. Announces First Quarter 2014 Results“, investor.google.com, 4/16/14, RT: 4/19/14

[8] “Google misses Q1 2014 earnings with $15.42 billion in revenue“, arstechnica.com, 4/16/14, RT: 4/19/14

[9] “Despite 19% Revenue Growth, Google Q1 Earnings Disappoint Investors“, forbes.com, 4/16/14, RT: 4/19/14

[10] “YouTube’s Chad Hurley to step down as chief executive“, theguardian.com, 10/29/10, RT: 4/19/14

[11] “Google Names Susan Wojcicki CEO of YouTube“, variety.com, 2/5/14, RT: 4/19/14

[12] “Google Confirms Ads & Commerce SVP Susan Wojcicki Is The New YouTube CEO“, techcrunch.com, 2/5/14, RT: 4/19/14

[13] “Disney Buys Maker Studios, Video Supplier for YouTube“, nytimes.com, 3/24/14, RT: 4/19/14

[14] “With Disney Buying Maker, Do All Big Media Companies Need To Up Their YouTube Game?“, forbes.com, 4/1/14, RT: 4/19/14

[15] Screenshot of Maker Studios website, makerstudios.com, RT: 4/19/14

[16] Photo of Susan Wojcicki’s tweet after being appointed CEO of YouTube, marketingland.com, 2/5/14, RT: 4/19/14

[17] “YouTube’s Big Plan to Turn Its Stars Into Real Celebrities“, wired.com, 4/16/14, RT: 4/19/14

[18] “Exclusive Interview: Susan Wojcicki’s Plan to Make YouTube ‘Stars’ Real-Life Famous“, adage.com, 4/14/14, RT: 4/19/14

Spotify

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Hannah Friedland

By Hannah D Friedland

[1] Spotify’s Logo

THE SPOTIFY STORY:

[6] The most updated visuals of the Spotify application on thee platforms

[2] The most updated visuals of the Spotify application on thee platforms. Users have an on-demand stream of music on their computer, mobile device, tablet, and home entertainment system.

Spotify is a music streaming service that puts users in control of 20 million licensed songs [3]. Spotify was launched in Sweden in 2008 and came to America in 2011.

Spotify is financially a private company that offers over 20,000 new songs each day from major and independent labels including EMI, Warner Music Group, Universal, & The Orchard [3]. Artists earn royalty when their music is played, and there are over 24 million active users currently in 55 markets [3].

There are two revenue streams, free, which is “powered by advertisers” and premium for $9.99 monthly with extra features including no ads, offline, and high-quality audio [3].

TEAM SPOTIFY:

[2] Spotify Founders- Daniel Ek & Martin Lorentzon

[4] Spotify Founders- Daniel Ek & Martin Lorentzon

[5] Chief Sales, Marketing, and International Growth Officer- Jeff Levick

[5] Chief Content Officer & Managing Director USA- Ken Parks

[6] Chief Content Officer & Managing Director USA- Ken Parks

[7] Head of Content- Steve Savoca

INSIDE SPOTIFY:

Social Media Merges with Music- Songs, playlists, and albums can be shared on the Spotify application through the "Send To" message option, or users can "post to feed" to their Facebook timeline, Twitter, and Tumblr within the Spotify application. ARROW

Social Media Merges with Music- Using the “send to”, or “post to feed” options users can message music to friends and post music to their Facebook timeline, Twitter, and Tumblr within the Spotify application. Source: Spotify

Spotify gives its users the option to connect with their social media Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts. Users can create collaborative playlists, share music, view friends music and more which provides for ample music discovery and publicity for the company on social media platforms. There is also a private session users can activate.

Two other elements that Spotify includes are apps and Discover. While these apps add dimension to the Spotify journey, Discover is essentially a constantly updated news feed.

Discover- Spotify's "news feed" feature on the desktop application, artists are recommended, concerts nearby are posted, friends listening habits are shown all based on listening habits the user has shown. Source: Spotify

Discover- Spotify’s “news feed” feature on the desktop application. Updates with releases, playlists, artists recommendations, concerts nearby are posted, friends listening habits are shown all based on listening habits the user has shown. Source: Spotify

COMPETITORS:

Spotify is a strong contender, but it’s competing neck and neck with Rdio, Pandora, Rhapsody, Google Play Music, and Beats on price, catalogue, platforms, and features [8]. Beats Music entered the competitive on-demand music market in January [9], and is Spotify’s biggest challenger.

[10] Beats Music vs. Spotify- The two streaming services are extremely similar with the same catalogue size, the discovery element, and price.

Beats entry in the market put Spotify in “go-mode”.

SPOTIFY’S SITUATION:

Competitor streaming services are continually emerging. With more choices presented to consumers, Spotify has responded by shifting their focus to partnerships, acquisitions, customer satisfaction, and updated product development. The formula is to attract users to Spotify, engage with users, and retain them.

Partnerships

Last.fm

Last.fm is a music recommendation service. In January, Spotify and Last.fm teamed up to bring a beneficial on-demand playbar to Last.fm’s website. This makes it possible for Last.fm users to internally play the entire Spotify catalogue on Last.fm’s website [11].

The collaboration works in both companies favor. Last.fm users have a fuller experience with the power, “to play whatever you want by whoever you want directly on Last.fm” [12]. In addition, Spotify’s catalogue incorporation provides a huge presence and Last.fm users conveniently have motivation to signup for Spotify to take advantage of the essential music player.

The Last.Fm Spotify playbar at the bottom of Last.Fm’s website. Source: Lastfm.com

SoundHound

Spotify also joined forces with SoundHound for the “Add to spotify” feature on its iOS application in February. SoundHound is a popular music-recognition app, similar to Shazam. Banded together, SoundHound is now more interactive. After linking accounts, with the tap of a button users can automatically generate Spotify playlists of recognized songs without leaving SoundHound’s app [13].

Hitting the “Add to Spotify” button automatically turns songs discovered on SoundHound into a Spotify playlist. Source: SoundHound & Spotify

The mutually-beneficial relationship brings life to identified songs through Spotify playlists on SoundHoud, and the incentive to use the button will drive users to subscribe to Spotify while giving them presence on a music app [14].

Coachella

On top of that, Spotify was presented with an amazing opportunity to have presence on site at Coachella as the Official Digital Music Partner of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California in April. The Spotify Social tent was an on-site air-conditioned tent that offered relaxation pods, chargers, a “Mosaic Photo Booth” that uses your Spotify account to generate a picture out of your most played album art, and art from artist Apex [15].

[16] The Spotify Social tent, that capped at 150, gave people an air conditioning experience filled with music, more battery power, art, and a Mosaic Photobooth that puts your face on album covers based on your Spotify listening habits.

#WeWereThere was Spotify’s digital interactive strategy at Coachella to “connect, collect, share.” Implanted in every RFID wristband was the power to capture the experience by checking in and collecting custom Spotify curated playlists. The “My Coachella Story” digital snapshot let individuals create memories of their festival concert experiences with playlists gathered [16]. This collaboration not only transformed Coachella goers into premium users, but also created a special experience and built relationships by reliving the festival on Spotify.

[15] “My Coachella Story”- an example of a digital snapshot that shoes distance traveled, the path taken, playlists, artists seen etc. To participate users needed to simply connect their wrist band with their Spotify accounts, look for check ins at the festival, use the wristband to collect playlists and then after generate their digital card and share it with family and friends.

Sprint

Lastly, Beats launched with an AT&T package family plan deal. Rumors are circulating about Spotify planning to bundle with the #3 U.S. mobile carrier, Sprint [17] in April. This partnership will give Sprint customers a free trial. Customers will be able to pay for Spotify directly through their Sprint Accounts, which will help Spotify secure a greater market share and Sprint secure more data plans. Sprint and Spotify will announce the details on April 29th at a New York Event [18].

Acquisitions

In efforts to boost the “discovery” element, Spotify acquired The Echo Nest in March [19]. The Echo Nest is a music intelligence company that examines listening behavior and makes musical recommendations. Spotify paid $100 Million, with 90% Spotify equity [20]. The Echo Nest previously powered Rdio and Rhapsody, both of which ended their deals, deeming its technology invaluable to their operations right after Spotify acquired [21]. This potentially puts Spotify in the position to take The Echo Nest away from competitors.

Combing the two companies gives The Echo Nest a bigger audience and catalog, while Spotify, now with music-discovery data, will improve recommendation’s.

Customer Satisfaction

With intentions to obtain more paying users Spotify has updated its business model. In January the company announced free music shuffling on iOS with a catch, non-premium users ads play in between every few tracks [22]. In February, Spotify added the “repeat one” feature [23]. Repeat one grants users the option to repeat a single track over and over [24]. These highly requested changes illustrate that Spotify cares about users.

Working with a college students budget, Spotify slashed the premium $9.99 monthly rate to $4.99 in March [25]. They partnered with SheerID to validate eligibility. This price change is valuable because college students represent an important key demographic in streaming use [26]. This differentiates Spotify from other streaming services like Rdio and Beats that charge $10 monthly.

Unique Product Development

Competition among streaming services leads Spotify to completely redesign its user interface layout on all platforms. Spotify rolled out a sleek modernized look on April 2^nd. This major design update was the first since its launch in 2008, and to keep current it was a smart move [27].

Spotify’s New Look Video [28]

The new dramatic, dark color scheme highlights important buttons, includes circular images for people, and features square album shapes [29]. The browse tab is revised and categorized between top lists, releases, news, and moods. “Your Music”, a collection of users saved albums, songs, and artists is a new addition [30]. The Your Music addition mimics iTunes library and it is comparable to Rdio’s “collection” feature. It helps users save, organize, and browse through their favorite music. The new layout feels unified and balanced, and should attract new users [31].

WHATS NEXT FOR SPOTIFY:

Spotify is headed in the right direction, but with downloads declining, new rival services like YouTube, Apple, and Amazon that have huge user bases are joining the streaming market [32].

Being active puts Spotify in the forefront, which looks great for Investors. It is rumored that an IPO is in Spotify’s near future. Though the company has declined all comments, a job advertisement for an “External Reporting Specialist” has been posted on their website and LinkedIn [33]. Their future looks competitive but successful.

Sources:

1. Spotify’s Logo 2014, Spotifypress.com, RT: 4/04/2014

2. Spotify’s Application on Three Platforms, Spotifyblog.com, RT: 4/01/2014

3. Spotify Press Fast Facts, Press.Spotify.com, RT: 4/01/2014

4.The Founders of Spotify, Press.Spotify.com, RT: 4/01/2014

5.Spotify’s Chief Sales, Marketing, and International Growth Officer, Press.Spotify.com, RT: 4/01/2014

6. Chief Content Officer & Managing Director USA,Press.Spotify.com, RT: 4/01/2014

7. Head of Content, Press.Spotify.com, RT: 4/01/2014

8. “And The Winner Is… Best Music On-Demand Streaming Service”, Cultofmac.com, 2/18/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

9. “Beats Music Is Here”, Beats Music Blog 1/16/2014, RT: 4/08/2014

10. “Beats Music vs. Spotify: Can Dr. Dre outmix the king of streaming”, Digital Trends, 1/27/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

11. “Last.fm Bands up with Spotify to offer on-demand tracks”, CNET, 1/29/2014, RT: 4/04/2014

12. “Did Someone Say On Demand?”, Last.fm Blog, 1/29/2014, RT: 4/04/2014

13. “SoundHound Launched “Add to Spotify”, Business Wire, 2/21/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

14. “SoundHound Now Lets You Easily Add Your Discovered Music to Your Spotify Playlist”, appdevice.com, 2/24/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

15. “Coachella here we come” Spotify News, 4/7/2014 RT: 4/14/2014

16. “Spotify’s Coachella #WeWereThere Campaign: High Tech and Sweet, Sweet Air Conditioning”, Billboard, 4/11/2014, RT: 4/14/2014

17. “Sprint and Spotify Plan to Partner Up”, recode.net, 4/11/2014, RT: 4/14/2014

18. “Spotify, Sprint Plan Music Bundle To Be Unveiled This Month”, Billboard, 4/12/2014, RT: 4/14/2014

19.“Spotify Acquires the Echo Nest”, Billboard, 3/06/2014, RT: 4/02/2014

20. “Spotify Acquired Music Tech Company The Echo Nest in A $100M Deal” , TechCrunch, 3/07/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

21. “Rhapsody Kills its Echo Nest partnership following Spotify acquisition”, Venturebeat.com, 3/21/2014, RT: 4/09/2014

22. “Spotify’s free shuffle mode arrives on iPhone”, The Verge,1/08/2014, RT: 4/02/2014

23. “Repeat One”, Spotify News Blog, 2/07/2014, RT: 4/08/2014

24. “Spotify users can now repeat the same song over and over and over again”, Hypbot, 2/10/2014, : 4/02/2014

25. “Spotify Offers 50% Student Discount”, Hypbot, 3/25/2014, RT: 4/02/2014

26. “Spotify introduces 50% discount for college students”, Los Angles Times, 3/25/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

27. “The Good, The Bad, The Less Ugly: Taking Spotify’s New Redesign For a Test Drive”, Billboard, 4/03/2014, RT: 4/04/2014

28. Spotify Paints It Black with New Look, YouTube, 4/01/2014, RT: 4/06/2014

29. “Spotify’s biggest redesign ever brings long awaited Collection view”, The Verge, 4/02/2014, RT: 4/07/2014

30. “Spotify paints it black with new look”, Spotify News, 4/02/2014, RT: 4/08/2014

31. “Spotify beautifies”, CNET, 4/02/2014 RT: 4/08/2014

32. “Spotify faces challenge from Internet giants before IPO” New York Post, 3/30/2014, RT: 4/14/2014

33. “Spotify seeks to hire U.S. filings expert as bankers eye IPO” Reuters, 2/17/2014, RT: 4/14/2014

Daystar Television

Posted on September 18, 2012 by jtswope

by [Justin Swope]

Daystar Television Logo

Daystar Television Network is a religious broadcast network centered in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas. The network focuses on Christian programming meant to evangelize and spread the scriptures to its viewers. Daystar Television was founded by Marcus Lamb and his wife, Joni Lamb on New Year’s Eve 1997. Holding over 70 major television stations in the United States and a number of stations worldwide, Daystar functions under its parent company, Word of God Fellowship, Inc. The religious network’s primary objective is to present valuable programming that effectively preaches the “good news” to its followers. Due to its progressive expansion, Daystar has left its mark as the fastest growing Christian network in the world. [1]

History

Marcus Lamb and his wife Joni moved into Dallas, Texas in 1990, striving to construct a brand new evangelical television station. KMPX-TV 29 went on air in 1993, but in 1997 the couple relocated to a larger facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth television market region. Thus, Daystar Television Network was initiated on New Year’s Eye 1997, beginning with a telecast from Bishop T.D. Jakes. Currently, Daystar is situated in its International Ministry Center, equipped with two cutting-edge studios. [1]

Major Competitor

Trinity Broadcasting Network

Key Executives

Marcus Lamb: Co-Founder, President and CEO

Photo of Marcus and Joni Lamb

Joni Lamb: Vice President and Co-Founder

Steve Gray Appearance

Steve Gray, the writer and executive producer of the religious comedy known as 3 Blind Saints appeared on Daystar’s show, Celebration on November 20 to promote and talk about the film. 3 Blind Saints was scheduled for DVD release on that day. [2]

Daystar Assists Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts

In the midst of the damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, Daystar announced on November 7 that they had pledged a donation of $200,000 to contribute to relief efforts in New Jersey. The network also donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross to assist their emergency responses in the northeast regions affected by the hurricane. [3]

Joni Lamb’s Controversial Statement

In the midst of the 2012 presidential election on November 6, while on her talk show Joni, host Joni Lamb made a divisive comment about Christianity in the United States. Kelly Shackelford of the Liberty Institute made a guest appearance on the show to talk about a legal battle between a high school valedictorian who wished to include a prayer with her graduation speech and the family of an agnostic peer who opposed the idea of a prayer being articulated in a public school. In response to the issue, Joni Lamb expressed her personal thoughts, stating that “you shouldn’t live here” if one is bothered by prayers since the United States is, according to Lamb, a “Christian society”. The statement stirred up resentment among political blogs such as the Daily Kos, Right Wing Watch, and Opposing Views. [4]

Joni’s Controversial Statement:

[5]

Refreshing Times Conference

From November 1 through November 3, Daystar hosted its free-to-the-public Refreshing Times Conference. Marcus and Joni Lamb were both present to facilitate the event. This annual religious convention served to unite fellow Christian followers as well as Marcus and Joni Lamb themselves. This 3-day conference also brought together some respected religious speakers, like John Hagee, T.D. Jakes, and John Paul Jackson. The conference transpired at the Fort Worth Convention Center and proudly celebrated its tenth anniversary. Additionally, the event featured performances from Joni Lamb and the Daystar Singers and Band, a diverse, religious musical group. The event brought together believers from across the world. Furthermore, a DVD package of the event was made available on Daystar’s website, consisting of footage from the event. [6], [7]

Refreshing Times Conference 2012:

[8]

Extension into California and the Philippines

As of October 23, 2012, Daystar has broadened to cover northern regions of California and eight different regions of the Philippines. Viewers in California cities, such as Berkeley, Cupertino, Fairfield, Novato, and Pleasanton, can now receive Daystar programming on Comcast’s channel 234. [9]

Coverage of the Messiah in Jerusalem

As announced on October 1, 2012, in an effort to provide live coverage of the anticipated descent of Jesus Christ from the Mount of Olives, Daystar has positioned a webcam from its terrace overlooking the city of Jerusalem. After expanding its purview to a television studio in Jerusalem, the network is now contending with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, who purchased the adjacent studio in Jerusalem, to deliver unprecedented footage of the phenomenon. The network’s anticipation has resulted from accounts in the Christian Bible, which predicts the return of the major biblical figure, Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, Daystar’s motive for entering the city has also been to spread Christianity in Israel. Moreover, the network already broadcasts English programming in Israel with access to both cable and satellite television. [10], [11]

Daystar Hosts “Sharathon”

From August 20 through September 3, in an effort to reward its dedicated viewers and contributors, Daystar hosted its exclusive “Fall Sharathon.” The Sharathon included religious proclamations, singing, and relevant news from prominent traveling ministers, such as Perry Stone and Robert Morris. The program emphasized the major contributions from Daystar’s partners, those who made it possible for the network to augment its international and nationwide coverage. [12], [13]

Fall Sharathon Overview:

[14]

Daystar’s Involvement in Israel

Daystar has been notable in the past few years for establishing positive relations with the government of Israel. Moreover, the network has striven to disseminate its messages to the Israeli people. Daystar is the only Christian network accessible via Yes satellite and HOT cable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only has Daystar purchased a new station to cover the alleged return of the Messiah in Jerusalem, but the network also has sponsored several initiatives in Israel to help strengthen its economy. One is the Olive Tree Initiative, a project designed to strengthen agriculture in Israel. Through contributions and donations from the network’s partners, the initiative has planted numerous trees dedicated to the nation of Israel. [15], [16]

Satellite Coverage

In addition to its availability in the United States, Daystar is notable for its immense satellite handling, delivering its evangelical programming to not only a national audience, but also an international one.

Daystar Satellite Coverage Map

Daystar reaches a total of approximately 100 million households in the United States alone and a total of about 680 million households worldwide. To make this possible, the network owns 13 satellites that provide programming across the globe. Furthermore, viewers can connect to Daystar in the United States through providers such as Verizon FIOS, Direct TV, and Dish Network.

[17], [18]

Programming and Distribution

Daystar broadcasts its programming from its headquarters in Texas so that its shows appear at the same times across the globe, depending on the viewer’s time zone. Thus, every viewer has access to the exact same programming. In the United States, for instance, each station receives equal coverage. In addition to its substantial international coverage, Daystar owns stations in several key markets in the United States. These key markets are listed below (those in the top 50 markets).

Call Letters Market Market Ranking TV Homes % of U.S.

KDTN Dallas-Ft. Worth 5 2,588,020 2.267

WYDN Boston 7 2,366,690 2.073

WDDN-LD Washington, D.C. 8 2,359,160 2,066

KLTJ Houston 10 2,215,650 1.941

WUDT-CA Detroit 11 1,845,920 1.617

KWDK Seattle-Tacoma 12 1,818,900 1.593

KDPH-LP Phoenix 13 1,812,040 1.587

KDTP-LP Phoenix 13 1,812,040 1.587

KRMT Denver 17 1,566,460 1.372

WDTI Indianapolis 26 1,089,700 0.954

KCBU Salt Lake City 33 917,370 0.803

KUTF Salt Lake City 33 917,370 0.803

KOCM Oklahoma City 41 718,770 0.630

[19], [20], [21]

Original Programming

Celebration

Check the Sound

Empowered by the Spirit (with Marcus Lamb)

Gospel Music Showcase

Joni

Reflections

[22]

Future

Daystar has not announced any other upcoming news or events this year, but they hope to continue bringing their original content to their audience as they await progress in Jerusalem with the alleged return of the Messiah.