Sony Corporation

Posted on October 16, 2016 by crtraver

Charlotte Traver, Brendan Weaver, David Sorokanich

Sony Entertainment Logo [15]

Company

Located in New York, NY, Sony Corporation of America is the US headquarters of Sony Corporation, which is based in Tokyo, Japan. Sony is involved in multiple businesses including electronics and mobile, film and television, music, gaming, digital services, and others. Sony employs about 125, 300 people and recorded annual sales of $71.7 billion of the fiscal year ending in March 2016.

Background

Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and products. Sony Mobile is also a leading company in providing video, game, audio and communications technology products. Sony Pictures Entertainment is a huge innovator in major motion picture production and produces major blockbusters regularly. Sony Music Entertainment is one of the most well-known global recorded music companies and features artists famous on both a local and international scale. Sony/ATV Music Publishing works alongside Sony Music Entertainment and is the world’s leading music publisher. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC is known for the PlayStation, a popular gaming console owned by millions of Americans. Other businesses that may not be as well known include Sony DADC, Sony Biotechnology Inc., Micronics, Inc., and Sony Card/Sony Rewards. [7]

Sony Pictures Executives

CEO of Sony Entertainment where he oversees the Sony’s global enterprise including Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Michael Lynton: CEO of Sony Entertainment where he oversees the Sony’s global enterprise including Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing [18]

Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment he oversees the company’s financial affairs and development

Philip Rowley: Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for Sony Pictures Entertainment he oversees the company’s financial affairs and development [18]

Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment responsible for the distribution and implementation of Sony Pictures Entertainment communications

Robert Lawson: Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment responsible for the distribution and implementation of Sony Pictures Entertainment communications [18]

Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Pictures Group in which he oversees the production and distribution of all Sony films

Tom Rothman: Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Pictures Group in which he oversees the production and distribution of all Sony films [18]

Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel for Sony Pictures Entertainment and is the highest ranking legal consultant for Sony and is head of its law department

Leah Weil: Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel for Sony Pictures Entertainment and is the highest ranking legal consultant for Sony and is head of its law department [18]

Sony Entertainment Financials

Screenshot of MarketWatch Report on Sony Corp. Stocks on Nov. 29, 2016 [13]

Sony Entertainment’s 2016 Q2 Earnings, which were finalized on September 30, 2016, show a 10.8% decrease in Sales and Operating Revenue compared to 2015’s Q2. Q2 is also showing a 45.7% decrease in Operating Income, a 40.5% decrease in Income before Income Taxes, and a 4.8% decrease in Sony Entertainment net income attributed to stockholders. These are all in comparison to the success Sony Entertainment showed in Q2 of 2015. [12] Furthermore, as of November 29, 2016, Sony Entertainment stock prices are at $29.49 per share. This is much lower in comparison to the past three months in which shares were at a high of $34.17. [13]

Sony Launches China Writers Initiative

On November 1, 2016, Sony Pictures Entertainment launched a China Writers Initiative, which will allow emerging and well-known writers from China access to the studios. Writers will be able to work with Hollywood film and television executives and screenwriters to collaborate on ideas for both Hollywood and Hollywood Chinese productions. The program was developed with Sony Pictures China and is intended to be a mutually educational program for both countries involved. Sony Pictures will select four writers at a time to travel to Los Angeles and work at the Sony Pictures Studios. A finalist will then be selected and able to produce their chosen project. [6]

Sony Dives into Virtual Reality

Sony Interactive Entertainment of America has been on the forefront of virtual reality technology and has just recently made VR accessible for all. With the release of the PlayStation VR in October 2016, virtual reality is available for all gamers who wish to take gaming to a new level. Virtual reality takes players into an immersive atmosphere never experienced before, one in which players are in the game themselves and experience something entirely different from traditional gaming. The release of the PlayStation VR included 30 games, but Sony Interactive Entertainment predicts that the PlayStation VR will have 50 games by the end of the year. President Shawn Layden of Sony Interactive Entertainment commented that virtual reality brings a “new medium into the homes of PS4 fans”. Sony Interactive Entertainment hopes that virtual reality will soon enter the homes of many average Americans, as more and more interactive experiences independent of gaming are released. A variety of VR experiences such as Hulu, Allumette, Invasion! and others will soon offer their own interactive experiences. [9]

[11]

Sony’s PlayStation VR outsold other virtual reality headsets released in 2016, including the HTC Vive and Facebook’s Oculus Rift. The PlayStation VR is predicted to outsell both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift by more than 295,000 headsets, which is largely due to price. The PlayStation VR is a simple add on to the PlayStation 4, so users find this headset to be a better choice since many already own the console. However, SuperData Research’s director of research Stephanie Llamas seems to think that without a push in marketing from Sony, they will forever remain behind their potential.

-Is 2016 The Year Virtual Reality Finally Goes Mainstream? by NPR [14]

New Chairman and CEO of Sony Music

Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment, announced that Doug Morris will transition from operational management of Sony Music Entertainment and assume the role of Chairman in April 2017, and Rob Stringer, who was formerly Chairman and CEO of Columbia Records, will become CEO of Sony Music. Over the last six years as CEO, Morris has increased Sony Music’s market share and profitability. This has helped Sony achieve its status as the second largest music company in the world. He has also helped Sony reach its impressive status by initiating partnerships with record labels, extending a joint venture deal with Syco Entertainment, and by supporting the growth and development of Vevo, which he founded with Eric Schmidt in 2009. [4]

Rob Stringer, new CEO of Sony Music [17]

New Bob Dylan releases from Sony Music

A massive 36CD box set of Bob Dylan’s 1966 concert tours of the US, UK, Europe, and Australia was released on November 11 by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment. The box set, “The 1966 Live Recordings”, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the live performances. The recordings are drawn from three main sources: soundboards, CBS Records mobile recordings, and audience tapes. The majority of the recordings are previously unreleased in any format and are being made available for the first time ever. [10]

Sony Pictures Classics Acquires The Comedian

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that they’ve acquired North American rights to Taylor Hackford’s comedy, THE COMEDIAN, starring Robert De Niro and Danny DeVito. Written by Art Linson, the film centers around an aging comic whose attempts to reinvent himself fail to impress an audience that only wants to know him as a former television character he played. Warner Bros. International will be handling foreign distribution of the film, under its deal with Cinelou.[2]

Sony Pictures Acquires TEN Sports From ZEE

Sony Pictures have entered into agreements to acquire TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited for 385 million dollars. The acquisition will add South Asia’s leading sports network to SPN’s portfolio of channels. Ten Sports holds broadcast rights to wrestling, cricket, football, golf, motorsports, and cycling events. SPN comprises Sony Entertainment Television, one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels.[5]

Sony has acquired TEN Sports Network from Zee Entertainment Enterprises [16]

Sony and Multi-Deal International

In its commitment to broaden its global presence and its support of local language productions, Sony Pictures International Productions has signed a multi-picture development deal with filmmakers Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman. The deal will allow Mexico and LA-based Cisneros and Shuman to write and produce three new films. Cisneros is one of the most successful writers in the Latin American film industry, with successes such as Instructions Not Included and Familia P. Luche. In 2014, Cisneros and Shuman began collaborating, writing the FOX feature comedy “Upgrade.” [3]

Sony Recognized as a Leader in Combating Climate Change

For the second year, Sony has been recognized as one of the highest performing companies on the CDP Japan 500 Climate Change Report 2016. CDP surveyed over 5,500 companies globally to compile their list. Their inclusion in the list recognizes the company’s effort to reduce the energy consumption of its manufactured products, curb greenhouse gas emissions at its operating sites, and accelerate use of renewable energy. Sony is one of 193 companies worldwide to be ranked as an “A” company, a distinction it has achieved for 2 consecutive years. [1]

Actions Sony has taken to combat climate change [19]

Works Cited

Sony Recognized as a Leader in Combating Climate Change in the CDP Japan 500 Climate Change Report 2016 for 2nd Consecutive Year. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS ACQUIRES CINELOU’S THE COMEDIAN. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
SONY PICTURES INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS SIGNS MULTI-PICTURE DEVELOPMENT DEAL WITH EDUARDO CISNEROS AND JASON SHUMAN. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
ROB STRINGER PROMOTED TO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
Sony Pictures To Acquire TEN Sports From ZEE. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT MOTION PICTURE GROUP LAUNCHES CHINA WRITERS INITIATIVE. Sony Pictures. Retrieved: November 28, 2016.
Who We Are. Sony.com. Retrieved: November 29, 2016.
Company News. Sony.com. Retrieved: November 27, 2016.
Gilbert, Ben (November 29, 2016). PlayStation is on track to crush Facebook and HTC in the first year of VR sales. Business Insider. Retrieved: November 28, 2016.
Columbia/Legacy Set to Release Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings, A Monumental Box Set featuring Every Known Recording from the Artist’s Mythic and Controversial 1966 Tour of the US, UK, Europe and Australia. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
PlayStation VR – Games Preview Summer 2016 | PSVR. Youtube.com. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
Sony Corporation 2016 Q2 Report. Retrieved November 26, 2016. https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/library/fr/16q2_sony.pdf
MarketWatch Reports on Sony Corporation Stocks. Retrieved November 29, 2016. http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/sne/profile
NPR on Virtual Reality. Retrieved November 25, 2016. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/12/30/461432244/is-2016-the-year-virtual-reality-finally-goes-mainstream
Sony Entertainment Logo. Retrieved November 27, 2016. https://www.sony.co.uk
Ten Sports Logo. Retrieved November 28, 2016. http://www.afaqs.com/news/story/44872_Ten-Sports-unveils-new-network-logo
Rob Stringer Photo. Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.sonymusic.com/executives/rob-stringer/
Sony Management Team. Retrieved November 29, 2019. http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html
Sony CRS Reporting. Retrieved November 29, 2016. https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr_report/environment/

21st Century Fox

Posted on October 16, 2016 by erlipins

Gina Reitenauer, Erika Lipinski, Dwayne Ellmore

[1]

Adress/ Contact Info:

1211 6TH AVE.

NEW YORK, NY 10036

(212) 852-7000

Key Executives:

James Murdoch Co-Chief Operating Officer

James Murdoch- CEO

Murdoch has been with the Fox corporation for over 20 years, over these years, he has held a variety of different leadership positions in the company. He was appointed as the CEO in 2015.

Lachlan Murdoch- Executive Chairman

L. Murdoch has been in the communications industry for over twenty years. Some of his past leadership positions for the company include: Board of Directors member, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and Co-Chairman of the corporation.

Rupert Murdoch- Executive Chairman

R. Murdoch has served as both the CEO and Chairman of the company, a role that he had since 1979 when the corporation was known as “News Corporation” . R. Murdoch was appointed to his current position as Executive Chairman of the company on July 1st, 2015.

Reed Nolte- Executive Vice President of Investor Relations

Before becoming an executive at 21st Century Fox, Mr. Note held a variety of different financial positions at communications companies. Most notably, he was the Assistant Treasurer at Paramount Communications. Additionally, Mr. Nolte was previously the Vice President of Investor Relations at Viacom.

Julie Henderson- Chief Communications Officer

Ms. Henderson is the Chief Spokesperson for the company. Her previous experience in Public Relations and the communications field extensive; she has worked as the Senior Vice President of MPRM Public Relations and also Fox Interactive Media. Ms. Henderson has been apart of the 21st century fox team since 2012 when she took her current position.

John Nallen- Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

John Nallen assumed his current role at 21st century fox in July of 2013. Mr. Nallen originally joined the “News Corporation” back in 1995 after working at Arthur Andersen as a partner.

[2]

Brief Overview:

Twenty-First Century Fox is one of the largest mass media conglomerates in the world. The four major segments of this company include cable network programming, television, filmed entertainment, and direct broadcast satellite television. Twenty-First Century Fox is parent organization to many subsidiaries. For instance, Fox Entertainment Group is a subsidiary of which are many of Fox’s well-known divisions, such as FOX News Channel, Twentieth Century Fox Film, and Fox Network Group. Going even further, Fox Network Group is the parent of many other subsidiaries as well, one of them being Fox Broadcasting Company. [3]

[4]

FOX Broadcasting Company, like other traditional television outlets, is experiencing declining viewership. This is partly due to the fact that media consumers are embracing newer digital platforms, which leads broadcasting networks like FOX to be dependent on the news and coverage of national and international events, such as the 2016 Summer Olympics, the 2016 Election, and general sports coverage. For instance, FOX is hopeful that its coverage of the Super Bowl in 2017 will boost ratings as it did in the past. [5]

Finances:

Stock Price:

The stock of the 21st century corporation, has not changed much since the beginning of the year through the current fourth quarter of stock trading. The peak point of the stock price in 2016 was on April 25th, 2016 at $31.06. The lowest point of the stock price was on September 9th, 2016 when the stock price was $23.57. Since this low point, the stock has only rebounded to the point where it is as of Mid-November (Nov 15th, 2016) at $27.45. [6]

Revenue:

For the fiscal year 2015, the revenue for 21st Century Fox was $28.99 billion dollars and the the revenue for the 2016 fiscal year was $27.33 billion. In Quarter 4 of 2016, the company beat expert’s estimates coming in at $6.65 billion. This marked at 7% increase over the prior year’s Quarter 4 results. [7] As of 2016, 21st Century Fox is the 4th highest grossing media company in the world, only behind Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, and Comcast. [8]

Current Projects/ Recent Releases:

Some Fox films in theaters now include: Trolls, Keeping Up with the Jones, and the recent release Rules Don’t Apply.

Rules Don’t Apply

Rules Don’t Apply was released by Twenty-First Century Fox on November 23rd, 2016, two days prior to Thanksgiving. There are many Thanksgiving releases this week from competing studios such as: Moana from Walt Disney Studios and Bad Santa 2 from Broad Green Pictures. We’ll see how Rules Don’t Apply performs in comparison to the films from other studios. Their last release, Trolls, was expected to gross 35 to 40 million, yet ended up grossing $45.6 million in its first week. [9]

Assassins Creed

[10]

Assassins Creed is based on the video game franchise and will hit theaters on December 21st, 2016. Several sources in the trade say that Assassins Creed won’t make money. The movie budget has not been released yet, but it is estimated to be between $100-200 million.[11] With a movie budget that high it could be hard to break even.

Listed in the image below are future releases to look out for:

[12]

What’s happening/ News:

On July 26th, 2016 former Fox CEO and Chairman, Robert Ailes, resigned from his position. Ailes was replaced by successor Rupert Murdoch. [13] The scandal broke out when Gretchen Carlson, an ex Fox News Anchor, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes. Carlson won the case and received a settlement of $20 million from Fox. Afterward, dozens of other female workers at Fox came forward also accusing him of sexual harassment. Megyn Kelley, a Fox News Journalist, writes about her experience of sexual harassment from Robert Ailes in her new book Settle For More, released on November 15th, 2016. When corporate leaders are misogynistic and abuse their power, it shows a lot about the culture of the studio. The scandal has caused public-relation issues for Fox. Hopefully Murdoch assuming this position of power will end favorably. [14]

On another note, on Election Day 2016, FOX News debuted a new studio in honor of the company’s 20th anniversary. The studio cost $30 million. [15]

[16]

However, despite the new glitzy studio, FOX was still outnumbered by its opponents in the news sector of election coverage ratings; FOX News averaged 3.25 million viewers, putting it in fourth place behind NBC, ABC and CBS consecutively. [17]

However, Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy, the co-presidents of FOX News Channel, are both certain the new studio will lead to success. After gathering colleagues in the new studio, Abernethy assured them: “Our records show that about a little over 190 people have been here from the very beginning, continuously,” Jack said. “Most of you, like me, have been here for only a portion of that time. As I get reacquainted with folks, I find tremendous amount of pride in what we do here – I can assure you that Bill and I are going to do our very best to innovate.” [18]

Future Outlook:

An article written for Forbes suggests that three factors will spur growth for 21st Century Fox. These factors are:

Increasing advertising revenue due to premium content
- Because more than half of 21st Century Fox’s revenue comes from subscriptions and advertising, and based on recent success in ratings, it is likely that both consumers and advertisers alike will be drawn to the content. An example of a movie that indicates the recent success of the company’s content is Deadpool,
The ability to stream media
- With a 30% stake in Hulu, the company can compete with other media-streaming powerhouses like Netflix. With the addition of live streaming television on Hulu next year, FOX can expect a boost in revenue. Fox is also hoping to make streaming arrangements with Sony and Sling TV.
Entertainment production (both film and television)
- With an expected increase from $2.3 billion within the next year in terms of licensing revenues, and 20% of Fox’s value grounded in the production of film and television series, Fox is expecting growth and loyalty from distributors as new distribution platforms continue to emerge. [19]

Sources:

[1] “21st Century Fox Logo | Logok.” Logok. May 08, 2014. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://logok.org/21st-century-fox-logo/.

[2] “Executive Team.” Executive Team | 21st Century Fox. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. https://www.21cf.com/management/executive-team.

[3] “Businesses.” Businesses | 21st Century Fox. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/businesses.

[4] “Businesses.” Businesses | 21st Century Fox. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/businesses.

[5] Great Speculations. “Fox’s Broadcasting Revenue Growth Is Largely Dependent On Its Sports Programming.” Forbes. February 9, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/02/09/foxs-broadcasting-revenue-growth-is-largely-dependent-on-its-sports-programming/#65c1dd6269b3.

[6] “21st Century Fox Inc. Cl A.” FOXA Stock Quote – 21st Century Fox Inc. Cl A Stock Price Today (FOXA:NASDAQ) – MarketWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/foxa.

[7] Statista. “Revenue Generated by 21st Century Fox in the Fiscal Years 2011-2016. Accessed November 27th, 2016. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262513/21st-century-foxs-annual-revenue/

[8] O’Reilly, Lara. “The 30 Biggest Media Companies in the World.” Business Insider. Business Insider, 31 May 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-biggest-media-owners-in-the-world-2016-5/#4-21st-century-fox–1867-billion-in-media-revenue-27.

[9] “‘Rules Don’t Apply’ Roundtable with Warren Beatty and Key Crew.” IndieWire. N.p., 27 Nov. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.indiewire.com/2016/11/rules-dont-apply-warren-beatty-crew-roundtable-interview-1201749928/.

[10] Nicolas Wright & James A. Woods and Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich and James Vanderbilt. “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Independence Day: Resurgence | 20th Century Fox. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/independence-day-resurgence.

[11] “Ubisoft Doesn’t Think Assassin’s Creed Movie Will Be Very Profitable.” Screen Rant. N.p., 08 July 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://screenrant.com/assassins-creed-movie-ubisoft-box-office-predictions/.

[12] “20th Century Fox Upcoming Releases.” 20th Century Fox Upcoming Releases. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/chart/?view2=upcoming&view=company&studio=fox.htm.

[13] 21 CF Staff. “Roger Ailes Resigns as Chairman and CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and Chairman Fox Television Stations”. 21st Century Fox Press Releases. July 21, 2016. Accessed November 22, 2016. https://www.21cf.com/news/21st-century-fox/2016/roger-ailes-resigns-chairman-and-ceo-fox-news-channel

[14] Grynbaum, Michael. “Fox Settles With Gretchen Carlson Over Roger Ailes Sex Harassment Claims“. The New York Times. September 6, 2016. Accessed November 23, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/business/media/fox-news-roger-ailes-gretchen-carlson-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-settlement.html

[15] 21 CF Staff. “FOX News Channel Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary by Introducing a New State-of-the-art Studio to Debut on Election Day.” FOX News Channel Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary by Introducing a New State-of-the-art Studio to Debut on Election Day | 21CF BLOG. October 7, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. https://blog.21cf.com/blog/2016/10/07/fox-news-channel-celebrates-20th-anniversary-new-studio.

[16] “Fox News Unveils Nearly $30 Million Election-Night Studio.” AdWeek. November 6, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-news-unveils-nearly-30-million-election-night-studio-174405

[17] “Election Night Broadcast Numbers down a Bit from 2012: Tuesday Final Ratings.” TV By The Numbers by Zap2it.com. November 10, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/tuesday-final-ratings-nov-8-2016/.

[18]”Fox News Unveils Nearly $30 Million Election-Night Studio.” AdWeek. November 6, 2016. Accessed November 16, 2016. http://www.adweek.com/news/television/fox-news-unveils-nearly-30-million-election-night-studio-174405

[19] Forbes. “These Three Factors Could Drive Growth For 21st Century Fox In Future”. September 27, 2016. Accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/09/27/these-three-factors-could-drive-growth-for-21st-century-fox-in-future/#56b0884d30ae.

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.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Jeremy Frierman

Jeremy Frierman

Corporate Headquarters

4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522

Phone: (818)- 954- 6000

www.warnerbros.com

Overview

On April 4, 2016 Warner brothers, Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack founded Warner Bros. Entertainment. Almost a century later, they have released over 7500 films, including multiple billion-dollar productions in the same year. They are currently a division of the media conglomerate, Time Warner. In the last 15 years, Warner Bros. has surpassed the billion-dollar marker for both domestic and international box office. This includes the past 9 years of reaching over $3 billion globally.

Key Executives

Kevin Tsujihara – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros.

Edward A. Romano – Vice Chairman, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Richard J. Fox -Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Financials

Warner Bros. is a division of Time Warner Cable. Time Warner is represented by TWX, and as of April 25, they are up over 15 points from their numbers taken in February 2016. Time Warner’s first quarterly report of 2016 will be released on May 4.

Current Releases

As of April 25, 2016, Warner Bros. Pictures has garnered 12.5% of the available market share. This percentage equates to over $400 million of gross profit, tracking sixteen total movies, including four released this year. Three of the four movies Warner Bros. have released this year (Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, How to Be Single and Barbershop: The Next Cut) collected the majority of the year’s total gross up to this point. However, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice has clearly been the company’s best investment as it compiled over $300 million in just one month of operation. This has lead the company to become the third highest earning distributor of market share and total gross.

Batman V. Superman is the follow up film to Zack Snyder’s 2013 superhero flick, Man of Steel. After seeing the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, DC Comics knew that it wanted to expand and compete with its dynamic array of superhero figures. DC’s model to create their own cinematic universe compares to the already executed universe that Marvel has created. Just as Marvel had started with Iron Man, DC began their approach with Man of Steel. Batman V. Superman was the long awaited follow up that would launch DC into their next phase, a phase that looks all to familiar when you consider that Marvel’s third Avengers film will already be released as of next year. That’s why the reception that it received was so incredibly important because it potentially make or break DC’s long term plans for years to come. Batman V. Superman opened to an Easter weekend record of over $170 million across North America. That is the sixth best opening for a film in cinematic history.

Marketing

In just its first week of release (Mar. 25 – 31), Batman V. Superman obtained over $200 million domestically and over $500 million internationally. Even with the movie receiving negative reviews and consistent criticism (28% on Rotten Tomatoes), it still only took Warner Bros. a week to surpass their budget of over $200 million. Much of this financial success can be attributed to the strategic and substantial marketing campaign that Warner Brothers executed. Warner Bros. has always made it a point to efficiently market its biggest movies as exhibited in the past with the Harry Potter series as well as the Dark Knight and Hangover trilogies. For this movie, Warner Bros. outlined a campaign that would consist of interactive and viral content, along with mass-produced advertising. In totally, roughly $150-160 million was spent on marketing Batman V. Superman, including about $30 million on TV spending alone.

The campaign started around the central villain of the movie, Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg). Marketers wanted to make the campaign as interactive as possible, which is why they took the fictional character and put him in the real world. Luthor’s fictional company, LexCorp Industries, was given a fictional website and a twitter account was created for Luthor in order to allow the fans to legitimately interact with the character. Furthermore, Fortune did an interview with Eisenberg (as exhibited below) as Luthor to discuss his inheritance of the company along with his future plans.

The campaign continued its interactive nature through Snapchat filters, specially made behind the scenes exclusives broadcasted internationally and even provided live streaming content for this year’s NCAA March Madness.

Warner Bros. went on to partner with a total of 130 companies in order to market the movie, including Turkish Airlines, Facebook and Amazon. Turkish Airlines even paid for an elusive Super Bowl spot, as well as advertisements in over 40 international markets.

Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck in a spoof trailer on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Along with making the campaign as interactive as possible, Warner Bros. certainly didn’t shy away from using its A-list actors as huge selling points in advertising the movie. Ben Affleck’s character Bruce Wayne was seen driving a Jeep Wrangler through Metropolis. Eisenberg and Affleck can be seen jetting around the world with Turkish Airlines. And of course, the stars all took to Late Night to promote the film, including The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and even Graham Norton (UK). Much of this was through a huge publicity tour that Affleck and Henry Cavill that started all the way in China.

Upcoming Releases/In Development

Warner Brothers certainly has no need to fret regarding a lack of upcoming content. Suicide Squad will be released this summer as a part of the DC universe, but instead, focusing on its villains. Other summer releases for Warner Bros. includes the comedies

Jared Leto as The Joker, in Suicide Squad

Keanu and War Dogs, along with blockbuster The Legend of Tarzan and action flick, Central Intelligence. And that’s just in the next few months. Warner Brothers will close out their year with the release of the Harry Potter spinoff, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 2017 will see the release of the prequel Kong: Skull Island, Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic Dunkirk and of course, the all important Justice League Part One.

Conclusion

Warner Brothers Pictures has continued its tradition of producing some of the year’s biggest blockbusters in the year. Batman v. Superman is this year’s example of how far Warner Brothers is willing to go in order to see its coveted investments succeed, and succeed historically. Through an extensive marketing campaign, Batman V. Superman was able to obtain over $800 million after just one month of its release. The rest of 2016 will see the release of many more big budgeted films and with over $400 million in the books, the future looks promising for Warner Brothers Pictures.

Sources

Amblin Partners

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Paul Honnick

image sourced from AmblinPartners.com

by Paul Honnick

Amblin Partners

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

amblinpartners.com

Key Executives at Amblin Partners

Michael Wright – CEO

Steven Spielberg – Chairman

Holly Bario – President of Production

Jeff Small – President and Co-CEO

Kristie Macosko – Executive

Images sourced from AmblinPartners.com

Amblin Partners: A New Company Led by a Hollywood Legend

Amblin Partners, is a new film, television, and digital content creation company that develops and produces films using the Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures, and Participant brands to leverage their power and board awareness to tell stories that appeal to a wide range of audiences. The partnership was officially formed on December, 15, 2015, by Steven Spielberg of DreamWorks Studios, Jeff Skoll of Participant Media, Anil Ambani of Reliance Group, and Darren Throop of Entertainment One (eOne). [1]

Legendary director Steven Spielberg is the chairman of Amblin Partners, having invested $50 million of his own money into the venture. This is the first time Spielberg has invested his own funds into his brands since founding DreamWorks more than two decades ago, in 1994. [2]

Tech billionaire Jeff Skoll, former eBay executive and founder of Participant Media, made the single largest reported contribution, investing $200 million in the partnership. [2]

Reliance Group of India was a previous equity partner of DreamWorks Pictures and is continuing its seven-year relationship with Spielberg. [2] [5]

The fourth partner, Entertainment One (eOne) of Canada, initially discussed a $50 million investment, however, the final contribution was not disclosed. [2] eOne handles the direct distribution of Amblin Partners films in multiple territories outside of the U.S., including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Benelux. [1]

The partnership also secured a $500 million line of credit through half a dozen lenders arranged by J.P. Morgan Chase and Comerica Bank. J.P. Morgan Chase has financed DreamWorks Studios since its inception in 1994. [1] [2]

Amblin Partners is led by CEO Michael Wright, and President and Co-CEO Jeff Small, who previously served as CEO and COO of DreamWorks respectively. Wright joined DreamWorks Pictures in 2014 and signed a four-year contract extension in February. [8] Small, who has been with DreamWorks for the past nine years, was originally named COO when the partnership was formed in December, but was quickly promoted to President and Co-CEO in February. Small also signed a contract extension. [9]

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg and Skoll said that the partnership will produce films appealing to adults through the DreamWorks label, while focusing more on family entertainment through the Amblin label, and Participant will focus on projects with socially relevant themes and messages. While the partnership will release some Participant branded films, Participant Media will remain a separate company and continue making documentaries and some scripted films on its own. [1] [4]

Amblin Partners also struck a multi-year deal with Universal Pictures to market and distribute their films produced domestically and in select international territories. Under this agreement, Universal Pictures and Focus Features will handle four to seven films per year, the first film being “The Girl on the Train,” scheduled to be released in October 2016. [3] The Universal deal also represents a chance for director Steven Spielberg to continue doing business with the company where he launched his Hollywood career and defined the modern blockbuster with such films as “E.T.” and “Jurassic Park.” [3] [7] Spielberg has also maintained offices on the Universal Studios lot throughout his career. However, the deal with Universal is strictly for marketing and distribution. Universal did not invest in Amblin Partners, and reportedly charges a commission of more than 7% per film under the terms of the deal. [3] [4]

Amblin Partners’ distribution deal with Universal effectively ends Spielberg’s and DreamWorks Pictures’ previous partnership with Disney, which is set to expire in August. However, under the legacy deal, Disney will distribute two Amblin Partners productions, “The BFG,” and “The Light Between Oceans.” [1] [6] At the conclusion of the partnership, Disney will retain the library of films produced by Spielberg during his tenure with Disney, including the upcoming “The BFG.” [2]

Upcoming Films

Films in various stages of production include “The BFG,” “The Light Between Oceans,” “The Girl on the Train,” “A Dog’s Purpose,” which is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2017, and “Ready Player One,” a co-production between Amblin Partners and Warner Bros. Pictures that is scheduled to be released in December 2017. [1]

“The Girl on the Train,” scheduled to be released on October 7, is to be the first film distributed under Amblin Partner’s new deal with Universal. The film is based on the New York Times best seller novel by Paula Hawkins and stars Emily Blunt (Sicario), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation), Haley Bennett (The Equalizer), Justin Theroux (The Leftovers), Luke Evens (Furious 7), Allison Janney (Mom), Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty), Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback) and Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie). The film is about a recently divorced woman who spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she witnesses something shocking and becomes entangled in a mystery. [10]

Principal photography began on “Thank You For Your Service” in February. It is based on a novel by David Finkel and stars Miles Teller (Whiplash), Haley Bennett (The Girl on the Train), Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders), Amy Schumer (Trainwreck), Beulah Koale (The Last Saint), Scott Haze (Child of God), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Brad Beyer (42), Omar Dorsey (Selma) and Jayson Warner Smith (The Birth of a Nation). The film revolves around a group of soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life while dealing with the traumas of war. The film also marks the directorial debut of Jason Hall. [11]

Shooting is expected to commence this Spring for the upcoming holiday comedy “Office Christmas Party,” starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, TJ Miller, and Kate McKinnon. Will Speck and Josh Gordon are set to direct the film about a group of people who have to deal with a holiday office party gone awry. The film is expected to be released in December through Paramount. [12]

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/notes/paramount-pictures/paramount-pictures-and-dreamworks-pictures-ghost-in-the-shell-is-in-production-i/10154147848862072/

Scarlett Johansson in “Ghost in the Shell.” Image sourced from Paramount Pictures official Facebook page

Production began in April on a live-action adaptation of the famous Japanese manga series “Ghost in the Shell” in Wellington, New Zealand. The film stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and is directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman). The film will also star Japanese actor Takeshi “Beat” Kitano in his first U.S. role since 1995’s “Johnny Mnemonic.” Johansson plays a special-ops, human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9 devoted to stopping dangerous criminals and extremists in the sci-fi adventure. The film, scheduled to be released March 31, 2017, is a co-production between Amblin Partners’ DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, with Paramount distributing the film. [13] [14]

Sources

Amblin Partners. Dreamworks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One Form Amblin Partners, A New Film, Television and Digital Content Creation Company. Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://www.amblinpartners.com/dreamworks-studios-participant-media-reliance-entertainemt-one-amblin-partners/
Rainey, James. Variety. December 30, 2015. Steven Spielberg Puts His Own Big Bucks Into the New Amblin Partners (Exclusive). Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://variety.com/2015/film/news/steven-spielberg-amblin-investment-1201669720/
Lang, Brent and Rainey, James. Variety. December 16, 2015. Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll Bring Amblin Partners to Universal. Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://variety.com/2015/film/news/steven-spiellberg-universal-1201662956/
Masters, Kim. Hollywood Reporter. Steven Speilberg, Jeff Skoll Talk Amblin Partners Deal: “We Are Hitting the Ground Running” (Exclusive). Retrieved April 24, 2016. https://edit.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-jeff-skoll-talk-849554
Lang, Brent and Rainey, James. Variety. December 10, 2015. Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks to Reboot with $200 Million From Participant and Universal Deal. Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://variety.com/2015/film/news/participant-dreamworks-universal-200-million-deal-1201658060/
Masters, Kim. Hollywood Reporter. September 2, 2015. Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks to Split From Disney, In Talks With Universal (Exclusive). Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielbergs-dreamworks-split-disney-819594
McClintock, Pamela. Hollywood Reporter. Steven Spielberg, Jeff Skoll Team to Form Amblin Partners, Strike Distribution Deal With Universal. Retrieved April 23, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-jeff-skoll-team-849249
Rainy, James. Variety. February 2, 2016. Michael Wright Re-Ups as CEO of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. Retrieved April 24, 2016. http://variety.com/2016/film/news/michael-wright-amblin-partners-deal-1201694796/
Busch, Anita. Deadline. February 3, 2016. Amblin Promotes Jeff Small To President & Co-CEO. Retrieved April 24, 2016. http://deadline.com/2016/02/amblin-jeff-small-president-co-ceo-promotion-steven-spielberg-1201695827/
DreamWorks Pictures. November 11, 2015. Principal Photography Begins for New York Times Best Seller ‘The Girl on the Train’. Retrieved April 24, 2016. https://dreamworkspictures.com/news/principal-photography-begins-for-new-york-times-best-seller-the-girl-on-the-train
DreamWorks Pictures. February 9, 2016. Principal Photography Begins on ‘Thank You For Your Service’. Retrieved April 24, 2016. https://dreamworkspictures.com/news/principal-photography-begins-on-thank-you-for-your-service
Kit, Borys. Hollywood Reporter. February 19, 2016. Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman to Star in ‘Office Christmas Party’ (Exclusive). Retrieved April 24, 2016. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jennifer-aniston-jason-bateman-star-867614
Paramount Pictures. April 14, 2016. Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures’ “Ghost in the Shell” is in Production in New Zealand. Retrieved April 24, 2016. https://www.facebook.com/notes/paramount-pictures/paramount-pictures-and-dreamworks-pictures-ghost-in-the-shell-is-in-production-i/10154147848862072
DreamWorks Pictures. March 3, 2016. Japanese Icon Takeshi ‘Beat’ Kitano Boards ‘Ghost in the Shell’. Retrieved April 24, 2016. https://dreamworkspictures.com/news/japanese-icon-takeshi-beat-kitano-boards-ghost-in-the-shell

A&E Television Networks – Max Redinger

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Maxwell Redinger

Max Redinger

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

A+E NETWORKS

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

http://www.aenetworks.com/

COMPANY OVERVIEW

“cultivating…the human experience” – A+E

ABOUT

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

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

KEY LEADERSHIP

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

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

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

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

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

FALL 2015 COMPANY NEWS

VICELAND JOINT VENTURE

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

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

NEW PLATFORM: *ASTERISK

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

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

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

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

LIBERTY GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION DEAL

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

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

CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

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

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

COMPANY REORGANIZATION

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

Jana Bennett / Source: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com

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

Arturo Interian / Source: Variety.com [22]

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

Stacy Green / Source: Variety.com [23]

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

FINANCIALS

A+E Television Networks is a privately traded company.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

A+E’s NEW PROGRAMMING SLATE

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

A&E

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

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

HISTORY

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

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

LIFETIME

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

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

FYI

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

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

SOURCES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hulu #1

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Hannah Mesches

Hannah Mesches

Hulu logo (1) source: Hulu

Company

Hulu is a premium streaming service that offers subscribers hours of content- both television programming and movies- with limited commercials for $7.99 a month or no commercials for $11.99 a month. Launched in 2008, Hulu has remained a leader in redefining how TV and how it is consumed by loyal viewers. The company boasts nearly 9 million subscribers, over 500 content partners, and 2,000 advertising partners. (2) Hulu recently reached a milestone of 700 million hours of content streamed by subscribers.

CEO Mike Hopkins (3) source: Hulu

Senior Vice President, Head of Content Craig Erwich (3) source: Hulu

Senior Vice President, Head of Distribution Tim Connolly (3) source: Hulu

Financials

Hulu is not a publicly traded company, thus the company’s financial profile is not available in the same detail as that of a company with quarterly SEC filings. Despite this, on October 6th 2015, Hulu published the news that it and Viacom expanded their content partnership in a new multi-year agreement. (4) With this deal, Hulu became the exclusive subscription video on demand (SVOD) home to full seasons of popular series from Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV such as Inside Amy Schumer, Broad City and Finding Carter. These programs are highly popular with adults 18-34 and will attract cord cutters with the accessibility the company provides through online streaming. (5)

The deal also expands Hulu’s catalog of children’s programming. Full older seasons of Nickelodeon shows that have never been available for online streaming on the site are now exclusive to the service. In addition to this, all episodes of 90’s and 00’s era programs like The Wild Thornberrys, Drake and Josh, Hey Arnold and Ren & Stimpy will be available for the first time ever on Hulu. The renewal and expansion of this deal will allow the company to acquire programs that audiences who are ditching cable will be looking to watch elsewhere due to their popularity.

Newly Released Content

To compete with Netflix, Hulu released two original series, Casual and RocketJump: The Show in Q4 of 2015 (6), and brought back cancelled program The Mindy Project. On October 21st, 2015, Casual, which stars Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Barr, was renewed for a second season due to the success of Producer Jason Reitman’s dysfunctional family comedy. (7) The release date of RocketJump, a documentary series about Youtube filmmaker Freddie Wong and the creation of his action-comedy short films, was delayed until December 2nd, 2015. (8) The original series will still likely draw a substantial audience as name recognition will play a large role.

The Mindy Project (9) source: Geekynews

Hulu also revived cult favorite The Mindy Project starring Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina and Ike Barinholtz exclusively for its streaming service when it was cancelled by Fox. The company signed on for 26 episodes of the program for its fourth season. With more creative freedom given by Hulu, the show has involved more mature themes and plots, and thus has attracted a wider audience. (10) A.V. Club reviewed the Hulu season premiere entitled “While I Was Sleeping” as an A on its scale, calling the episode “an amazing season opener, her best-ever.” (11)

Earlier this year, Hulu premiered the show Difficult People on August 5th, 2015. The series was created by Julie Klausner who stars alongside Billy Eichner. Eichner’s performance immediately garnered positive attention from critics and the show was given an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 on Metacritic. (12) After landing a role on Parks and Recreation due to the success of his popular Youtube series Billy on the Street, the actor’s high energy style became in demand as he was cast on several hit programs, but found the most success with Hulu.

Future Content

On February 15th, 2016, Hulu will release its highly anticipated series 11/22/63 based on the 2011 best selling novel written by Stephen King and published by Scribner. (13) The thriller, starring James Franco tells the story of a high school english teacher who travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President. John F. Kennedy. The mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, a love interest, and the past’s unwillingness to change itself. (14)

11/22/63 (15) source: Entertainment Weekly

Offline, Hulu will be bringing a popular fan experience to Los Angeles this winter. After its success in New York City, Hulu is resurrecting the Seinfeld: The Apartment exhibit for the show’s L.A. fans. (16) The pop up installation features a replica of Jerry Seinfeld’s Upper West Side apartment, and full gallery experience, as well as new items from the series. The exhibit will be located on 8445 Melrose Ave. and will be open from December 16th- 20th. The popularity of both the installation and the series as a whole is imperative for Hulu’s success in streaming Seinfeld in its entirety on the site. A whole new audience is reached as a result, and old fans are able to relive the series in a new way. (17)

Showtime

In addition to the new commercial free subscription that Hulu offers, customers are now able to pay an additional fee to get Showtime as a premium add on for $8.99 a month. Now viewers are able to watch award winning programs such as Homeland, The Affair, Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex and Episodes through the streaming service. (18)

Showtime on Hulu (19) source: Hulu

Although this service comes at an extra cost, it will attract millennial viewers as they stray away from more expensive cable packages and move to exclusively online sites such as Hulu and its competitors Netflix and Amazon. (20) Subscribers will be able to take Showtime programs on the go as it is available on Apple devices, Android phones and tablets, Playstation, Wii, and Xbox One.

Overview

Overall, Hulu has had a productive year. From introducing a new subscription free of commercials, to receiving rave reviews for its original series, to expanding its agreement with Viacom and partnering with Showtime, the company is quickly amassing both content and loyal subscribers. Unlike Netflix, the site is able to make content available the day after it airs on live television, which attracts cord cutting fans as the service is less expensive and available on more interfaces. With a highly anticipated release coming in the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, Hulu is releasing content at a steady stream that keeps customers invested.

Sources

(1) Hulu – Watch TV, Originals, and Hit Movies.” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(2) “About Hulu.” About Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(3) “Executives.” Executives. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(4) “Hulu and Viacom Expand Content Partnership In Robust, New Multi-Year Agreement.” News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(5) “Cord Cutters News – All the News Cord Cutters Need about Cord Cutting! Covering, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Netflix, Hulu, & More!”Cord Cutters News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(6) “Hulu Originals Premiere Dates.” Premiere Dates. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(7) “Jason Reitman’s ‘Casual’ Gets Season 2 on Hulu.” Variety. N.p., 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(8) “‘RocketJump: The Show’ Premiere on Hulu Pushed Back to December.”Variety. N.p., 09 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(9) “First Look: Lee Pace in The Mindy Project.” GeekyNews. N.p., 06 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(10) “The Mindy Project Isn’t Cancelled After All, Here’s What’s Happening.”CINEMABLEND. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(11) “The Mindy Project:.” “While I Was Sleeping” · The Mindy Project · TV Review “While I Was Sleeping” · TV Club · The A.V. Club. N.p., 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(12) “‘Difficult People’ on Hulu: Will Critics’ Raves Lead to Awards for Julie Klausner, Billy Eichner?” GoldDerby. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(13) “11.22.63.” Hulu Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(14) “11.22.63.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(15) “First Look: See James Franco in Stephen King’s Time-travel JFK Assassination Thriller 11/22/63.” Entertainment Weekly. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(16) “Inside the ‘Seinfeld’ Apartment Pop-Up in New York.” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(17) “Hulu to Bring SEINFELD: THE APARTMENT Fan Experience to LA This December.” Broadway World. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(18) “Hulu with Showtime.” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

(19) “What Is SHOWTIME® on Hulu?” Hulu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

MGM Studios

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jessica Kunkel

Created by: Jess Kunkel

MGM Logo

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM Studios Inc.
245 N Beverly Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210 [2]

http://www.mgm.com/#

MGM began in the year 1924, when the two companies Goldwyn Pictures and Lewis B. Mayer Productions joined together as one.

[4].

History

MGM studios, fully known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Productions was formed in 1924 when Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions combined to become the company we know so well today [5]. The company began strong and only when multiple changes in power happened in the sixties did things begin to get rocky [5]. Including their file for bankruptcy in the year 2010, the company remained a player in the game, often sharing projects with other large media companies similar to themselves to sustain and finance their more recent work efforts [8]. Nevertheless, MGM and its never-failing Lion originally named “Slats” have undeniably created some of the greatest and best acclaimed pictures of all time.

The company was always known for the number of huge stars that it had in its early days, often referred to have “More stars than there are in the heavens”. With an astounding 175 Academy Awards the corporation is responsible for masterpieces such as The Wizard Of Oz (1939), West Side Story (1961), Rocky (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Dances with Wolves (1990), and many more.

MGM Through The Years

[16].

[16].

The Collection

MGM is known to have one of the most extravagant collections of film to date with more than 4,000 titles in their Library.

Executives

[17].

Gary Barber

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman

[18].

Jonathan Glickman

Motion Picture Group, President

[19].

Roma Khanna

Television Group and Digital , President

[20].

Kenneth J. Kay

Chief Financial officer

Financial

[21].

[21].

Although MGM filed for bankruptcy in the year 2010, the picture company has managed to remain. In 2015, MGM has financially had a much more active year than in 2014. Compared to Q1-Q3 of last year, MGM has seen a 246% change in the their cash flow [21]. While in 2014 the cash flow was noted to be at 170.1 (millions) by the end of the third quarter, the cash flow for 2015 had increase to more than double what it was at the same time last year, at a whopping 417.9 [21].

Since 2013 MGM has dropped 9% in their third quarter revenue, with it marked at 96% in 2014 with proceeds of 233.5 (in millions), and then down even further to 91% in 2015 with revenue noted at 212.1 (in millions) [21]. However Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Net income was on the upswing this third quarter. Compared to the increase of 172% from Quarter 3 in 2013-2014 with net income rising from $16.6 million to $28.6 million the third quarter took an even larger leap in 2015 [21]. With their third quarter net income rising from $28.6 million to $124 million MGM saw a 434% change from the previous year, a very positive sign for the business of MGM [2 1].

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Today

Today MGM focuses most of their work on producing and distributing television and film around the world [3]. Their main focus as of late it to keep creating new content, and to keep acquiring new scripts to produce, and or often is the case Co-produce, as well as to distribute.[23]. MGM is also making new deals to further distribute their films with businesses such as Tubi TV [51].

Recent Releases

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[27].

Creed

On November 25th, 2015 MGM, partnered with Warner Brothers Studios released the film Creed (2015). The picture is a continuation of the extremely popular Rocky film series. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the sports drama made $29.6 Million in its opening weekend and was able to snag the 10th largest opening of all time [26]. In its first week, the film has already made $42 million, surpassing its budget which is noted to be at around $35 Million [26]. Creed (2015) will continue to be released around the world until early March 2016.

As the seventh film in the Rocky series (1976), the film endeared many a Rocky fan to watch. Throughout the opening weekend it played for a 66% male crowd, and 62% being over twenty-five, and 26% aging from 35-49 years old [27]. Creed is said to have the potential for an oscar running, delightful news for the young director Coogler, and yet another Academy Award for MGM.

[50].

MV5BMjM2Nzg4MzkwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzA0OTE3NjE@._V1_SX214_AL_

[28].

Spectre

Only slightly earlier in the year on November 6th of 2015 MGM studio’s, partnered with Sony Pictures released the highly anticipated film Spectre (2015) [28]. Categorized as an action – adventure – thriller, the film is a continuation of the James Bond 007 franchise [28]. Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Daniel Craig as James Bond. The film took in $70.4 million in it’s domestic opening weekend at the box office, putting Spectre in the spot as the second highest debut weekend revenue for a Bond film, falling behind Skyfall (2012) and yet slightly ahead of Quantum of Solace (2008) [30]. Having only been out a few weeks, the domestic revenue is totaled at $176.8 million as of November 30th [30]. With the Bond Franchise acquiring so many fans across the world most of the revenue is expected to come from the foreign releases of the film, from which it has already made 76.4% of it’s total revenue at $575.3 million [30]. With it’s budget at around $245 Million, the total worldwide revenue of $750 million thus far puts MGM in a very good place moving into the weeks to come [30].

[51].

Things to Come

Being such a company, with a history of so many monumental films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is hoping to continue the legacy of the company’s name, looking towards the future with many new films to come having 39 titles currently in development [33].

To Name a few

[48].

Me Before you : A film based off of an acclaimed novel is expected to debut in March of 2016 [33]. The story entails a small town girl and her unlikely paralyzed friend to whom she tends, with the screenplay also being written by Jojo Moyes,the very author of the novel that originated the story [32]. The film is to be directed by Thea Sharrock, and will star Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman.

[40].

Ben Hur: Currently in development at MGM is the remake of the original1959 film Ben Hur . Set to debut in August of 2016, the film, directed by Timur Bekmambetov is currently in post production. Starring Jack Huston, the film tells the tale of “A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.” [40].

[42].

Going In Style: Yet another film set to debut in 2016 for MGM studios is Going in Style (2016). The film is a comedy about three retired men who plan to rob a bank, and its cast is loaded with stars including Joey King, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine [42]. The movie is a remake of the 1979 original, and is to be directed by Zach Braff.

Other upcoming titles include: The Magnificent Seven (2016), Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016), The Belko Experiment (2016), A Movie Life (2016) just to name a few and many more [33]!

Overview

While the company has not fully recovered from it’s low point in 2010, executives remain confident in the strides that the company is making. While Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is also exploring the realms of new types of media in other ways, the company is continuing it’s legacy of film and attempting to renew MGM back to it’s great esteem starting with more products being created by the company [3].

[1].

Sources

[1]. MGM Lion Logo. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Bing Image search. Retrieved: November 29th, 2015

[2]. MGM Studios Contact Us. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[3]. MGM Studios Corporate. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[4].MGM Old Logo Still. Youtube Slats the Lion. Retrieved: November 29th, 2015.

[5]. MGM Studios Corporate History. MGM Studios. Retrieved: October 3rd, 2015

[6]. The Life and Times of the MGM Lion. Mental Floss. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[7]. MGM stunning roster. Seeing Stars. Retrieved: November 20th, 2015.

[8]. MGM Files For Bankruptcy. New York Times. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[9]. Academy Awards. Film Site. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[10]. The Wizard of Oz. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[11]. West Side Story. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[12]. Rocky (1976). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[13]. Annie Hall (1977). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[14]. Dances With Wolves (1990). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[15]. MGM 90th Anniversary. Youtube. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[16]. MGM Film Collection. Park Circus. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[17]. Gary Barber. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[18]. Johnathan Glickman. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[19]. Rhoma Khanna. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[20]. Kenneth J. Kay. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[21]. Investor Relations Financial Reports. MGM Studios. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[22]. Cash Flow. Investopedia. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[23]. Working At MGM Studios. Glass Door. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015

[24]. Creed Official Site. Creedthemovie.Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[25]. Ryan Coogler. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[26]. Creed (2015). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[27]. Creed Box Office. Forbes. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[28]. Spectre (2015). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[29]. The Official James Bond Site. 007. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[30]. Spectre box office numbers. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[31]. Pro Spectre (2015). IMDb Pro. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[32]. Me Bofore You (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[33] MGM Pro Projects in Development. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[34]. Thea Sharrock. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[35]. Emilia Clarke. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[36]. Jenna Coleman. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[37]. Sam Claflin. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[38]. Ben Hur (1959). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[39]. Timur Bekmambetov. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[40]. Ben Hur (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[41]. Jack Huston. IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[42]. Going In Style (2016). IMDb. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015.

[43]. Joey King. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[44]. Morgan Freeman.IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[45]. Michael Caince. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[46]. Going in style Original (1979). IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[47]. Zach Braff. IMDb. Retrieved: November 26th, 2015.

[48]. Me Before You Official Site. Jojo Moyes. Retrieved: November 27th, 2015.

[49]. Rocky (1976). IMDb.Retrieved: November 27th, 2015.

[50]. Creed Official Trailer. Youtube-Warner Brothers.Retrieved: November 28th, 2015.

[51]. Spectre Official Trailer. Youtube- Zero Media. Retrieved: November 28th, 2015.

[52]. MGM & Lionsgate Tubi tv Deal. Deadline. Lieberman, David. November 19th, 2015. Retrieved: November 21st, 2015..

Focus Features

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jacob Greenfeld

Jacob Greenfeld

[1] Focus Features Logo

Focus Features, LLC
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, CA 91608
Phone: (818) 777-8738
Fax: (818) 866-4579
http://www.focusfeatures.com

About

Founded in 2002, the film production and distribution company known as Focus Features serves under the NBCUniversal brand in its art house film department. Some of Focus Features’ blockbuster titles include Brokeback Mountain (2005), Coraline (2009), and Burn After Reading (2008) as well as a recent hit with Insidious Chapter 3 (2015) [2][3]. As a subsidiary of NBCUniversal’s larger and more dominant film studio, Universal Pictures, Focus Features tends to be utilized more for speciality films, and after signing Laika Studios (a small stop-motion animation studio based out of Oregon) to a three film deal in October of last year as well as reviving Gramercy Pictures on May 20 of this year, it is likely that the trend of horror and animation will continue [23][28].

Executives

[4] Peter Schlessel, Chief Executive Officer

[5] Jim Burke, President of Production

[6] Josh McLaughlin, Executive VP

Financials

Focus Features is a privately traded company and its financials are not public. 2015 has been a mildly successful year for Focus Features. It increased its total box office gross to $112.7 million (as of December 2, 2015, with Suffragette and The Danish Girl still in theaters), up 2% from last year’s $110.5 million. This increase bumped up its ranking on the top grossing film studios list to ninth place with 1.1% of the market share (ranked twelfth in 2014), however it is still eclipsed by its big brother Universal Pictures which holds the number one rank with $2.35 billion along with 23.9% of the market share [7][8].
Focus Features broke its record for the number of movies produced in one year at twelve in 2014, and this year the film studio was able to match it [7]. It also generated some revenue from DVD sales, with a little over $3 million coming in from Insidious Chapter 3, $1.1 million from Black Sea, and $400,00 from 5 Flights Up along with others whose revenues have not yet been listed [25][26][27].

Recent Releases

Insidious Chapter 3

[9] Insidious Chapter 3 Poster

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, Insidious Chapter 3 is the prequel and third installment in the supernatural horror film series. Set prior to the eerie events that surrounded the Lambert family, Insidious Chapter 3 chronicles Elise Rainier’s struggle to help a young girl who is in grave danger by using her psychic abilities to talk to the dead [15]. Released in theaters on June 5, 2015, Whannell’s horror film was an instant hit, generating a $10.5 million box office gross on its premiere alone. By the time it was taken out of theaters in August 13, 2015, Insidious Chapter 3 had made over $52 million, cementing itself as the fifth highest grossing film produced by Focus Features of all time [3][14]. Leigh Whannell was nominated for a “Directors to Watch” award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for this film, which he won [16].

Sinister 2

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[10] Sinister 2 Poster

Sinister 2, another addition to a supernatural horror film series, was directed by Ciaran Foy and premiered in theaters on August 21, 2015. The film follows the story of a young mother whose twin boys are haunted by ghosts [17]. While it didn’t quite match the success of Insidious Chapter 3, Sinister 2 did pretty well for itself, grossing $4.67 million in the box office on opening night, almost $28 million in total, and generating the second highest Focus Features box office gross of 2015 (behind Insidious Chapter 3) and twentieth of all time [3][17].

Suffragette

[11] Suffragette Poster

Suffragette, which stars big names such as Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep is a historical drama set in Britain that tells the story of the early feminist movement and their fight against their barbaric State [19]. Directed by Sarah Gavron, Suffragette was released on October 23, 2015 and grossed $22,618 despite premiering in only four theaters. It is now in its sixth week and has made over $4 million at the box office [20]. It has won multiple awards, including “Mind the Gap” at the Mill Valley Film Festival (Sarah Gavron), “Actress of the Year” at the Hollywood Film Awards (Carey Mulligan), and the “Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award” at the Hamptons International Film Festival (Sarah Gavron), along with nominations for “Best Actress” (Carey Mulligan), “Best Supporting Actor” (Brendan Gleeson), “Best Supporting Actress” (Anne-Marie Duff), and “Best Supporting Actress” (Helena Bonham Carter) at the British Independent Film Awards [21].

Upcoming Releases

The Forest

[12] The Forest Poster

The Forest, which is yet another supernatural horror film, is set to be released in early January of 2016. It is directed by Jason Zada and stars Natalie Dormer. The Forest is based on the Aokigahara Forest, which is an actual Japanese forest where people go to commit harakiri. Focus Features purchased the rights to distribute the film domestically in May of 2014 [22]. When the film studio revived Gramercy Pictures last May, The Forest was one of the films listed on their slate [23].

Ratchet & Clank

[13] Ratchet and Clank Poster

Co-directed by Jericca Cleland and Kevin Munroe, Ratchet & Clank is a comedy/action/ sci-fi film that is based on the Ratchet & Clank video game series and is computer animated. Sticking to its roots, Insomniac Games, the creators of the series, have had a major influence over the film from the story and character development to the animation and film production. Some of the voice-over artists from the original game series have returned to give their characters life once again. Also adding to the nostalgia is the utilization of elements specific to the video games in the film. Ratchet & Clank is set to be released in the US on April 29, 2016.

Future

With the recent revival of Gramercy Pictures, the three film deal Focus Features signed Laika Studios to last year following the success of The Boxtrolls, and this new partnership with Insomniac Games, expect to see a slew of horror (i.e. The Forest, A Monster Calls) and animated films (i.e. Ratchet & Clank, Kubo and the Two Strings) in the not-so-distant future [28]. While it may seem like Focus Features is pigeon-holing itself, that may not be the worst thing. Because Focus Features is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, and they are both subsidiaries of NBCUniversal, there is not too much pressure on Focus Features to consistently have blockbusters. Not to say that there would not be any repercussions if Focus Features didn’t have a big box office draw ever again, just as long as they have one or two films each year that keeps the competition on its toes (i.e. The Boxtrolls in 2014 and Insidious Chapter 3 in 2015) they will continue to thrive and produce the specialty films that they are known for.

[1] Focus Features Logo. Retrieved December 2, 2015. cdn.collider.com
[2] Focus Features, LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2015. focusfeatures.com
[3] All-Time Box Office by Studio: Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[4] SHOCKER! Peter Schlessel Takes Over Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. deadline.com
[5] Quotes by Jim Burke. Retrieved December 2, 2015. likesuccess.com
[6] LAFF Opening Night Screening of Focus Features’ “Talk to Me” – Arrivals (Josh McLaughlin). Retrieved December 2, 2015. zimbio.com
[7] Yearly Comparisons of Total Box Office Gross: Focus Features. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[8] 2015 Box Office Gross and Studio Market Share. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[9] Insidious Chapter 3 Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. upload.wikimedia.org
[10] Sinister 2 Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. ia.media-imdb.com
[11] Suffragette Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. img2.timeinc.net
[12] The Forest Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
[13] Ratchet and Clank Poster. Retrieved December 2, 2015. c2.staticflickr.com
[14] Daily Domestic Gross: Insidious Chapter 3. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[15] Insidious Chapter 3. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[16] Palm Springs International Film Festival. Retrieved December 2, 2015. psfilmfest.org
[17] Sinister 2. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[18] Daily Domestic Gross: Sinister 2. Retrieved December 2, 2015. boxofficemojo.com
[19] Suffragette. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[20] Daily Domestic Gross: Suffragette. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[21] Suffragette Awards. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[22] The Forest. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[23] Focus Revives Gramercy Pictures Label for Genre Films. Retrieved December 2, 2015. deadline.com
[24] Ratchet & Clank. Retrieved December 2, 2015. imdb.com
[25] Insidious Chapter 3 Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[26] Black Sea Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[27] 5 Flights Up Home Market Performance. Retrieved December 2, 2015. the-numbers.com
[28] Focus Features, Laika Ink Three-Film Pact. Retrieved December 2, 2015. hollywoodreporter.com

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Alessandra Sandhaus

by ALESSANDRA KLETTER

DreamWorks Animation SKG

Contact

1000 Flower Street Glendale, CA 91201

Phone: (818) 695-5000

Twitter: twitter.com/dwanimation

Key Executives

Cheif Executive Officer Jeffrey Katzenberg

Cheif Executive Officer and Director Jeffrey Katzenberg

Co-President Bonnie Arnold

Co-President Mireille Soria

History

In 1994, Jeffrey Katzenberg left The Walt Disney Company to join forces with historic director Steven Spielberg and music mogul David Geffen to create DreamWorks SKG. The three entertainment tycoons set their sites on making the production company into

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994

the next major Hollywood studio with Katzenberg heading the leadership of its animation endeavors. In 2004, the animation department officially became its own entity: DreamWorks Animation SKG. Katzenberg currently serves Chief Executive Officer and Director to this day. In twenty years DreamWorks Animation has amassed thirty one feature films, which have earned five Golden Globes nominations, earning one win for Best Animated Feature, and nine Academy Awards nominations, which have earned three wins. DreamWorks Animation has also created eighteen original television series.

Financial Troubles

DreamWorks Animation is in dire need of good news on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 1:30pm when their First Quarter 2015 Results are released. Their Fourth Quarter Results 2014 were released on February 24th, 2015. Their 52-week high for 2014 occurred in the Fourth Quarter at $35.74, a number they managed to maintain for the First Quarter 2014 with the high being $35.34. However, that number drastically fell and in the Fourth Quarter 2014, their 52-week low came in at $20.28, nearly parallel to the 52 week low, which was $16.16 in the First Quarter 2013. This also mirrors their revenue decrease of over 3%, resulting in a full year revenue of $684.6 million. Katzenberg also took a major blow to his annual salary from $6.4 million in 2014 down from $13.5 million, a 53% decrease in only one year. The company received what hope to be a good omen when their stock went up due to the unprecedented success of their most recent/sole release for 2015, Home.

Until recently with the surprise hit from Home, they have struggled to have a recent release find it’s way to the top of the box office. They have released a string of (mostly) critically acclaimed flops including Penguins of Madagascar, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and Turbo, with their last hit being The Croods back in 2013. This decrease in profit then resulted in some serious downsizing, both financially and in employees. In late January 2015, right as PDI/DreamWorks, the in-house feature animation studio, was celebrating their Golden Globe Best Animated Feature win and their Academy Award Nomination for Best Animated Feature, How To Train Your Dragon 2, it was announced they would be shutting down the shop completely. Over 500 employees lost their spot at DreamWorks when PDI was discontinued, only for the next move towards recovery was made when DreamWorks sold their campus to SunTrust Banks for $185 million and now rent back the property from them. In addition to the downsizing, salary cuts and selling of properties, there was some shuffling of power with the executives.

Restructuring Under New Leadership

Kristine Belson, in her few years as President of Feature Animation at DreamWorks produced the company’s last hit, The Croods, and even got herself an Oscar Nomination for Best Animated Feature, but left DreamWorks to take over in the same position at Sony Pictures Animation when Michelle Raimo Kuoyate stepped down, but still remains as a producer. Belson was succeeded at DreamWorks by new co-presidents Bonnie Arnold and Murielle Soria, succesful producers of the Madagascar and How To Train Your Dragon franchises.

CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, completely reconfigured the company’s slate with a new agenda that covers the next 3-5 years, canceling multiple projects and instead green lighting more sequels in current/recent franchise hits such as Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon. How To Train Your Dragon 2, while it did present solid numbers at the box office, the company still considers it somewhat of a flop as it failed to bounce back the company as they hoped it would to make up for the huge amount of profit lost from the disappointing recent releases. However, they will continue to add to the saga as the numbers from How To Train Your Dragon 2 will be stellar if they can recreate it once their financial situations are better sorted. This model will be used to do just that and is intended to get the company’s back on their feet with far less investment in new original films and instead continuing to build on franchises that already proved.

Looking To The Future

Katzenberg has a lot to look forward to in the coming years as he has completely reworked the slate and hopefully can find more success with upcoming sequels, television spin offs, and brand partnerships. With the surprise success of Home, DreamWorks is sure to capitalize on the Home Video demand for the film as well as profit greatly from the merchandise associated the film and its characters. They will also be continuing with their Netflix exculsive series, All Hail King Julien, spin-off of the Madagascar franchise. The show was recently nominated for five daytime Emmys and has a very receptive audience. They also will be launching a new series spin off of How To Train Your Dragon: Race To The Edge. They will also be releasing Kung Fu Panda 3 and teamed up with Denny’s for an interactive cross promotional app. DreamWorks is one of the oldest and most established animation studios, with an impressive body of work to be proud of. Hopefully with new leadership, the new money saving tactics, and the launch of new television programs and sequels, DreamWorks will regain its financial grounding. Then, they can begin to create new original content again with the profit, as well as go back to their pending projects that were cancelled in the re-slate and pick up were they left off. The recent history of DreamWorks Animation is some of its toughest ever and proves that the company is remaining level-headed and taking the steps they see fit in order to bounce them back and provide audiences from around the world with laughter, storytelling, and inspiration through beautifully crafted characters and their stories from their worlds.

Currently in theaters is Home, which premiered domestically in theaters on March 27th, 2015, ranked number one in its opening weekend against heavyweight competitors such as The Divergent Series: Insurgent and Cinderella (2015).

References

[1] http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/

[2] http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/company/

[3] http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/leadership/

[4] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreamworks-animation-announces-conference-call-and-webcast-for-first-quarter-2015-results-300058705.html

[5] http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/files/doc_financials/annual/2014%20Annual%20Report/2014-Annual-Report-Final(1)_v001_x9m200.pdf

[6] http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/DWA:US/chart

[7] http://www.thestreet.com/story/13115221/1/dreamworks-animation-dwa-is-the-chart-of-the-day.html

[8] http://variety.com/2015/film/news/dreamworks-animation-names-bonnie-arnold-mireille-soria-co-presidents-of-feature-animation-1201392307/

[9] http://variety.com/2015/film/news/sony-pictures-animation-hires-kristine-belson-as-president-1201416402/

[10] http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/dreamworks-animation-disney-and-sony-ask-for-dismissal-of-class-action-wage-fixing-suit-1201402707/

[11] http://variety.com/2015/film/news/cutbacks-at-dreamworks-animation-jeffrey-katzenberg-on-what-went-wrong-1201412230/