Disney/ABC– (TV broadcast & cable properties only)

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jlmend02

by Jessica Mendelson

Image courtesy of Deadline

HISTORY

Founded in 2004 Disney/ABC Television Group is a large division of The Walt Disney Company that is in charge of, “global entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations group and a radio business [1].” The Group is currently run by Disney Media Networks President Anne Sweeney [3] but by the end of this year she will be succeeded by Ben Sherwood [6].

Anne Sweeney – Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company

Ben Sherwood – Photo courtesy of Disney ABC TV

FINANCIALS

DIS Stock Price 2014 – Image courtesy of Etrade

The Group is a division of the much larger Walt Disney Company, which is a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange Company labeled as DIS. Their market cap, how much the company is worth, is $156.87 billion. Their most current stock price is $92.51. They pay annual dividends, and at the end of their fiscal year on September 27, 2014 their net income was $7.5 billion. The companies Media Networks (which Disney/ABC TV Group falls under) consist of 45% of their revenue. The Network’s 4th quarter net income increased 5% to 5.2 billion, after a $10 million loss in cable and a $5 million gain in broadcast. [27] [28]

THE BUSINESS

The Group is divided into 6 different businesses that run ABC and Disney Television, production and distribution, and radio development. These include: ABC Entertainment Group (which is a joint business of ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios), ABC Family, ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, Disney/ABC Television Group Digital Media, and Disney/ABC Domestic Television [7].

The biggest part of the Group’s fall primetime season is 6 new shows created by the ABC Entertainment Group. The shows are; “Forever,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “‘black-ish,” “Cristela,” “Manhattan Love Story,” and “Selfie.” In the past this division has produced shows such as: “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Modern Family,” “Scandal, and “Dancing with the Stars [4].”

Image courtesy of abcmedianet.com

FALL SEASON

In the Nielsen November Sweeps period ABC had the most impressive numbers across the board for non-sports programming for adults 18-49. ABC’s press release on November 25, 2014 [5] showed that ABC beat out CBS by 31%, NBC by 31% and Fox by 61% in terms of overall viewers.

Up 1% in Viewership (Adults 18-49) from last November – which is equal to 100,000 more sets of eyeballs.
Number one for 4 of 7 nights in any week in November – this also includes the top spot for every Thursday thanks to their 8:00-10:00 lineup.
Highest Rated TV Series – out of the Top 15 series for the sweeps ABC boasts 6 of them. They also have the two top dramas which are tied for number 1, “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”
ABC is number one in 10pm hour for second year – this year (2014) and last year (2013), for Monday-Friday, ABC is top for this hour, which is an important lead-in to local news at affiliate stations. [5]

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Successes

1. How to Get Away with Murder

Image courtesy of Google Play

From executive producer Shonda Rhimes this drama follows law Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) as she involves herself with four of her students [10].

Latest Thursday rating was 3.1 and viewers were 9.82 million in adults 18-49 [18].
Part of the, “Shondaland” Thursday lineup in the 1 hour 10:00pm spot [19].
In ratings and total viewers the show was up 7% in it’s last week [20].
The show is currently on a holiday break until 1/29/15 [10].

Thursday has been a HUGE night for ABC this fall. “Grey’s Anatomy” is 8-9, “Scandal” is 9-10 and then the newcomer “HTGAWM” follows that at 10. Each show shares executive producer Shonda Rhimes. For all of November sweeps ABC won Thursday Nights for the 4 consecutive weeks of the period.

2. Forever

Image courtesy CinemaBlend

Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffud) is the top medical examiner in NYC, the secret behind his success? He examines the dead to try to find an answer to his own immortality [11].

1.0 rating in adults 18-49 which is up from the previous weeks 0.9 [21].
Tuesday 10:00 1-hour time slot.

3. ‘black-ish

Image courtesy jezebel.com

In this comedy Andre ‘Dre’ Johnson (Anthony Anderson) wonders if his quintessential life in the suburbs with his wife, daughter and son have, “brought too much assimilation for [his] black family [12].”

2.6 rating and 7.82 million viewers in adults 18-49 [22].
Wednesday 9:30 half-hour time slot.

“‘black-ish” has an excellent lead in with “Modern Family” being in the half-hour slot before it. “Modern Family” has around 10 million viewers, so that’s helping boost numbers for “‘black-ish.”

4. Cristela

Image courtesy of subscene.com

Cristela (Cristela Alonzo) is in her sixth and final year of law school but her traditional Mexican-American family is having trouble understanding her pursuit of this career. Cristela tries to balance old traditions with the modern world that she is working and living in [13].

1.0 rating and 5.19 million viewers in adults 18-49 [23].
Fridays at 8:30, half-hour time slot.

The full season has been ordered for the show, meaning 9 new episodes are on its way for the freshman comedy [24].

Flops

1. Selfie

Image courtesy of kenlevine.blogspot.com

Image courtesy of ABC Network

Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan) has tons of social media ‘friends’ but seems to be missing some actual friends. She asks the help of a marketing guru played by John Cho in order to ‘rebrand’ herself to make real-life connections [15].

The show order was for 13 shows, but it was canceled after 6 airings [9].
It’s been rumored by the shows executive producer, Emily Kapnek, that the entire series, including the 7 un-aired shows, will be released on Hulu [8].
Its last rating was 1.5, 4.7 million viewers in adults 18-49 [9].

2. Manhattan Love Story

Image courtesy of ABC Network

This comedy exposes the differences in thought between men and women as they begin dating. This leads to opposing thoughts, and differing actions between new couple Dana (Analeigh Tipton) and Peter (Jake McDorman) [14].

After 4 episodes aired the show was pulled [16].
Premiered with a 1.3, 4.3 million viewers in adults 18-49

“Selfie” and “Love Story” were back-to-back half hour-comedies that filled up the 9:00 hour on Tuesdays. It was a tough lead-in for ABC’s drama “Forever” at 10:00 [17]. However, “Forever” hung-on for a full season where as the comedies got the axe.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

ABC has 3 new dramas, “American Crime,” “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” “Secrets and Lies,” and a comedy, “Galavant,” slated to premiere in early 2015. There’s also the drama “The Whispers” and the comedy “Fresh Off the Boat” which have yet to be slated [2].

Image courtesy of Hollywood Reporter

Under the ABC Owned Station Groups, Disney/ABC is launching a new syndicated talk show with host Tyra Banks. The title as of now is, “The F-A-B,” which stands for Fun and Beautiful. It will include a panel of lifestyle gurus who will answer questions and talk to celebrities about what’s going on in social media, food, fashion and more [25].

ABC and producer Mark Gordon are writing a comedy with, and starring Iliza Schlesinger, called “Forever 31.” The hope is to make Schlesinger the top female in primetime comedy. The show depicts the struggles of her and her friends trying to become adults and the comedic trials of their everyday lives [26].

Sources

[1] Disney/ABC Television Group Homepage, disneyabctv.com, RT: 11/25/14

[2] ABC Unveils 2014-15 Primetime Lineup, 5/12/14, abcmedianet.com, RT: 11/25/14

[3] Disney/ABC Television Group Executives, disneyabctv.com, RT: 11/25/14

[4] Disney/ABC Entertainment Group Overview, disneyabctv.com, RT: 11/25/14

[5] ABC November 2014 Sweeps Press Release, 11/25/14, abcmedianet.com, RT: 11/29/14

[6] Ben Sherwood to Succeed Anne Sweeney, 3/24/14, abcmedianet.com, RT: 11/29/14

[7] The Walt Disney Company Media Networks, thewaltdisneycompany.com, RT: 11/29/14

[8] ‘Selfie’ Unaired ABC Episodes Head to Hulu, 11/24/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[9] ABC Cancels ‘Selfie’, 11/7/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[10] How to Get Away with Murder, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[11] Forever, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[12] black-ish, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[13] Cristela, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[14] Manhattan Love Story, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[15] Selfie, abc.go.com, RT: 11/29/14

[16] ABC Cancels ‘Manhattan Love Story,’ 10/24/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[17] ABC Tuesday Comedies Premiere Low, 10/1/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[18] ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ Goes Out On a High as ABC Dominates Thursday, 11/21/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[19] ABC Wins Third Straight Thursday as ‘Scandal’ Hits A 6-Week High & ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ a Three-Week High, 11/14/14, tvbythenumbers.com, RT: 11/29/14

[20] ABC Hits a Season High in Adults 18-49 and Claims 7 of the Top 20 TV Shows the Week of November 17, 2014, 11/25/14, tvbythenumbers.com, RT: 11/29/14

[21] TV Ratings Tuesday, 11/19/14, tvbythenumbers.com, RT: 11/29/14

[22] Wednesday Final Ratings, 11/20/14, tvbythenumbers.com, RT: 11/29/14

[23] Friday Final Ratings, 11/24/14, tvbythenumbers.com, RT: 11/29/14

[24] ABC Gives ‘Cristela’ Full-Season Pickup, 11/24/14, Variety, RT: 11/29/14

[25] Syndicated Daytime Talker, ‘The F-A-B,’ 10/20/14, thefutoncritic.com, RT: 11/25/14

[26] Iliza Shlesinger To Topline ABC Comedy, 11/20/14, Deadline, RT: 11/25/14

[27] The Walt Disney Company Quarter Four and Fiscal Year 2014 Reports, 11/6/14, thewaltdisneycompany.com, RT: 11/29/14

[28] Disney Stock Information, thewaltdisneycompany.com, RT: 11/29/14

Disney/ABC

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Emily Kelberman

By Emily Kelberman

Courtesy: Disney/ABC

Disney/ABC Television Group

500 Buena Vista Street

Burbank, CA 91521

818.560.1000

About the Company:

Disney/ABC Television Group operates many different platforms of media including entertainment properties, news properties, owned television stations, radio, and publishing businesses. The group includes ABC Entertainment Group, ABC News, ABC owned television properties, Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Family, SOAPnet, as well as Disney/ABC Domestic Television and Disney Media Distribution. The company also has equity interest in A+E Networks. [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives [4]:

Courtesy: Walt Disney Company
Bob Iger

Robert Iger – Chairman & CEO of Walt Disney Company

Courtesy: Disney/ABC
Anne Sweeney

Anne Sweeney – President & Co-Chair of Disney/ABC Television Group

Courtesy: Disney/ABC
Paul Lee

Paul Lee – President, ABC Entertainment Group

Courtesy: Disney/ABC
Gary Marsh

Gary Marsh – President, Disney Channels Worldwide

For more information on Disney/ABC Television Group’s executives click here.

Financials:

Disney/ABC Television Group is apart of The Walt Disney Company’s (NYSE: DIS). This includes the company’s global entertainment, broadcast news, owned television stations, distribution, publishing, and radio business. The Walt Disney Company is also made up of other segments such as Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive. [5]

The company delivered strong results for the third quarter of 2013. Disney’s Media Networks Group had an operating income of $2.3 billion, up 8% from the previous quarter. Revenue rose 5% to $5.35 billion. The broadcasting division of the group fell 20% due to higher programming costs, yet Disney/ABC’s cable networks operating income was up 12% to $2.09 billion. [6]

Disney & Technology [7]:

Disney Using Tablet

Courtesy: Disney Channel [9]

Disney/ABC Television Group is taking advantage of the new technology of tablets, beginning to use it for television purposes. Disney is going to launch the first nine episodes of a new series on mobile devices and tablets before it airs on television. The show, Sheriff Callie’s Wild West, features a cat in pink cowboy hat and it hopes to reach a pre-school audience on a screen like the iPad, in which many kids have been brought up viewing. The series will premiere on the Watch Disney Junior App and also on a related website in late November 2013. The television show will then premiere on Disney Channel and Disney Junior early next year. The application keeps audiences linked to their cable operators. Viewers must enter their subscriber information in order to watch the shows on the tablet. [8] [9]

Disney Teams with Roku

Courtesy: Variety [10]

Disney and ESPN have recently reached a new deal with Roku, which is a streaming player that can deliver movies instantly from Netflix onto a television using the Internet. Now, viewers can stream live cable-TV channels and programming to their televisions if they are currently subscribing to a participating TV provider. Participating viewers can watch their programming on the devices of their choice, creating a more enjoyable viewing experience. [10]

Disney/ABC & Marvel [11]:

Courtesy: Marvel [14]

Disney has recently acquired the rights to Marvel, which allows the Disney company to use that franchise in all aspects of the company. It has been recently announced that Disney and Netflix have partnered together to bring viewers a new miniseries based on Marvel’s most popular characters.

It will exclusively start streaming on Netflix in 2015 with four serialized programs, preparing the way for a miniseries programming event. The miniseries is produced by Marvel Television and ABC Television Studios and is said to have groundbreaking live-action storytelling. This is following a previous deal with Netflix, which allows members to watch a wide range of Disney, ABC TV, and Disney channel movies wherever Netflix is available. Marvel is a well-known and loved brand with movies such as ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Avengers’, so pioneering the new miniseries idea will hopefully take this form of live-action television viewing to the next level.

The series is going to focus on “Daredevil”, “Jessica Jones”, “Iron Fist”, and “Luke Cage” separately, leading up to an Avenger-style combination of the characters to create the miniseries titled The Defenders. This new platform that Disney is testing will enable the viewers to watch when and where they want, granting flexibility. ABC’s new show, “Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” has become a hit for the network, giving the new miniseries a promising outlook [12] [13] [14]

ESPN & College Basketball:

kentucky-michigan-state-ncaa-ratings-espn

Courtesy: Variety [15]

Fall is the season of college basketball, which is great news for ESPN, a Disney owned company. The first game of the season, Kentucky vs. Michigan, attracted four million viewers. According to Nielson, this is the second largest audience ESPN has had for a non-conference game. The Duke vs. Kansas game averaged 2.98 million viewers, which is higher than in previous years. ESPN is also thriving in the local markets. The only cable show program that was higher in the men’s 18-49 bracket was “Sons of Anarchy” on FX. The interest in college basketball seems to be growing, which will benefit Disney and ESPN. [15] [16]

Programming:

The fall season is a showcase of all the new shows ABC and other networks have to offer for the new season. Disney/ABC has recently confirmed a new singing competition called “Rising Star”. It is a show that has been breaking records in Israel, with more than half of TV audiences tuning in to watch the show. ABC is planning on airing the show in Summer 2014 with a 10-episode run. With the summer slot, it will not compete with other singing competition shows, such as Fox’s “American Idol” and NBC’s “The Voice”, seeing as those occupy fall spots. This show differs from other singing competition shows because viewers vote for live performances during real time through an application. The show reinvents the reality singing competition model with the use of new technology. Disney/ABC acquired the show from Keshet DP, parent company of Dick Clark Productions. [17] [18]

Shows to be Canceled/Renewed:

For the current 2013 season, ABC has canceled “Lucky Seven” and “Back in the Game”. A few shows such as “Betrayal”, “The Neighbors”, “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”, “Trophy Wife”, and “Super Fun Night” with Rebel Wilson are likely to be canceled by the end of the season in May, depending on ratings.

“Last Man Standing”, “Nashville”, and “The Goldbergs” are likely to get a renewal for next season, but it will depend on the ratings. “Castle”, “The Middle”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Revenge”, “Modern Family”, “Scandal”, and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” are certain to be renewed by May. [19]

ABC is now getting ready for its midseason premiere with returning shows like “The Bachelor” and “Suburgatory”, as well as four new shows. The new shows include “Resurrection”, “Killer Women”, “Mixology”, and “Mind Games”. The TV group has decided to push “Revenge” back to the 10pm slot for the midseason. [20][21][22]

Sources:

[1] About Disney/ABC Television Group

[2] Disney/ABC Careers

[3] Business Week Snapshot of Disney/ABC

[4] About Disney/ABC Executives

[5] Disney Financials

[6] LA Times – Disney Financials

[7] NY Times – Disney & Tablet

[8] Sheriff Callie – IMDB

[9] Disney Channel – About Sheriff Callie

[10] Variety- Disney Lands a Deal With Roku

[11] Yahoo Finance – Disney Press Release Regarding Marvel