Comcast/NBCU

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Tanya

Thomas Meis, Tanya Motwani

The Comcast Corporation

History

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

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

Key Executives

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

[2] Stephen B. Burke, CEO, NBCUniversal

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

Financials

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

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

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

NBCUniversal

NBCUniversal- Divisions

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

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

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

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

NBC

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

Cast of Saturday Night Live

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

Universal Filmed Entertainment Group

Universal Studios

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

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

Universal Studios Orlando

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

DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation Logo

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

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

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

Bibliography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time Warner Cable

Posted on February 18, 2016 by smwarren

BY RICARDO SMITH

Time Warner Cable Logo [1].

Company Overview

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

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

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

Customer Service

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

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

2015 Performance

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

Comcast logo [11].

Proposed Comcast Merger

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

Charter Communications logo [15].

Charter Merger

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

Overview

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

Sources

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comcast/NBCU

Quote

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Conor Matthews

Conor Matthews

Comcast NBCUniversal logo featuring the iconic rainbow peackock

Since the invention of the radio, American families have gathered around the heath of the house daily, clamoring around an electric conduit of entertainment. History has developed the American hearth in time, from radio to television and film, and now, to the Internet. Since its inception, the American hearth’s form has changed, but one constant has remained—NBC. If the social, emotional, and cultural importance of Television, Radio, and Film are likened to a literal and metaphorical hearth, then NBCUniversal is the fortress in which this hearth was built.

The Construction of America’s TV Fortress

In 1926 David Sarnoff founded the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), making it America’s first permanent radio network. [1] NBC ruled the Golden Era of Radio in the 1930s, and Sarnoff was busy developing television for NBC.

Americans gather around the “American hearth” to watch TV

In 1939 at the World’s Far, Sarnoff presented regular television service on behalf of NBC. Meanwhile, Universal—founded by Carl Laemmle in 1912—was producing huge blockbusters that garnered Academy Awards. The two media companies would hold America’s attention independent of each other until their merger in 2004, at the hands of their parents General Electric and Vivendi.

The Acquisition of America’s TV Fortress

Comcast, however, bought the entire NBCUniversal assets from GE and Vivendi in March 2013. The merge augmented Comcast’s power to produce, and distribute media, a move critiqued by Susan Crawford as being too monopolistic. “‘Comcast [is] in a prime position to be the unchallenged provider of everything — all data, all information, all entertainment — flowing over the wires in its market areas’”.[2] Despite naysayers, the merge proved fruitful as NBC emerged as No. 1 in adults 18-49 for the Primetime Season 2013-14 year; the first time in over 10 years that NBC earned this superlative.[3]

The list of assets owned by NBCUniversal, and through extension Comcast, is expansive. NBC Cable boasts the names of well-known cable networks like Bravo, E!, USA, and Syfy; while NBCU has four broadcast assets—NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, and Telemundu.

The Optimization of America’s TV Fortress

NBCU’s unwavering dominance in the TV industry has allowed the company to look inward at the current way their business operates, specifically their relationship to advertisers. No matter the client or project, however, NBCU remains focused on retaining the bold, and effective brand their audience knows well.

On February 24, 2016, NBCU announced a reworking of NBCUx, a development that allows programmatic buys for advertising clients on the company’s linear TV networks. NBCUx uses NBCU’s Advanced Targeting Platform to pinpoint correlations between the ad’s audience and the clients’ consumers.[4] NBCUx aids clients in understanding which ad slots are most cost efficient and worthwhile. Prior to the 2016 announcement of NBCUx, NBCUx was first used by a few select clients on NBCU’s digital platforms after the company’s 2015 Upfront. Since then, the success of NBCUx has been noted by Mike Farrell of Multichannel, who writes, “With ATP, NBCU has demonstrated that ads have a higher reach, and are more efficient as they are run across the entire portfolio”.[5] Khrishan Bhatia, EVP of Business Operations and Strategy, noted that last year NBCU’s digital growth was comprised of 40% video.[6] In turn, 40% of that 40% came from programmatic sources.

The 2016 expansion of NBCUx enables clients looking to buy ads on TV to forgo the traditional Nielsen model, which uses demographics ratings. NBCUx is pioneering programmatic buys in the TV world. Bhatia told reporters, “It’s the industry’s first national programmatic TV offering at scale”. NBCUx will be NBCU’s main talking point at their May 17, 2016 Upfront in New York City.[7]

NBCUx is working hard to pinpoint valuable customers and audiences of TV, something metadata and cookie mining is already helping many online platforms do. The advertisements on online platforms, however, lack what the television advertisements do possess —ads that make people want to get up and buy a product. On the subject of advertisements, Jim Bankoff, charmain and CEO of Vox Media details, “‘awareness creation, identity creation, brand building [are] the kind of things that television and magazines have been good at, creating that experience and telling marketers’ stories’”.[8] Understanding this dichotomy, NBCU is utilizing its 2015 $200million investment in the digital publisher, Vox Media, to reinvigorate the online ad-viewing experience.[9] The synthesis of this partnership is an inventory tool called Concert.

Concert guarantees brands advertisements that are mutually beneficial for both parties, utilizing “data targeting and a large, fraud-free audience that results in performance that’s 12 times what the average banner ad delivers”. Bankoff elaborates, “…now marketers who are looking to build brand can take advantage of the capabilities but can have beautiful advertising that performs well for them that doesn’t irritate—and actually delights—the audience…”.[10] Between all of NBCU and Vox Media’s online properties, Concert will have an audience of over 170 million people, with a majority of that audience being an extremely valuable demographic—Millennials.

Bobby Moynihan of ‘Saturday Night Life’ stars in a Fiat commercial [11]

Continuing to optimize their relationship with advertisements, The NBCU Content Studio was created with brands in mind. Specifically, NBCU will utilize the celebrity brands they have, like Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Bobby Moynihan of Saturday Night Live to create content for companies looking to promote their own brand.[11] The NBCU Content Studio enables companies to fulfill the growing need to publish their own branded video content across multiple platforms like, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, and their own website. The clients will be able to utilize NBCU’s “creative talent, data, distribution and scale (including its partners BuzzFeed, Vox and AOL)”, while putting a representative of NBCU Television in front of the audience. The NBCU Content Studio is an example of NBCU’s understanding of the cogent convergence of brand and media.

The Future of America’s TV Fortress

Looking at the future of NBCUniversal indicates the same strong emphasis on online platforms as the company is doing currently. Specifically, in April 2016, NBCU and Amazon reached an agreement for the latter to carry SeeSo as part of their Amazon Prime bundle.[12] SeeSo is a comedy-only streaming service which features NBC sitcoms and other syndicated comedy programs. SeeSo’s potential success, or lack thereof, will help inform potential future endeavors of the company into OTP streaming services.

NBCUniversal’s May 17 upfront will be a critical moment to test the work the company has done on NBCUx, Concert, and The NBCU Content Studio. By buying into NBCU’s Upfront, clients will validate or invalidate NBCU’s efforts to optimize the workings of their company and brand. Furthermore, this coming year will serve as a test-run for the three projects. While some clients will leave NBCU’s Upfront with three more tools at their dispense, the work will continue after this year. NBCU’s relentless position at the top of the media industry inspires to make what works, really work.

[1] “Credo & History.” NBCUniversal Careers. NBCUniversal, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.nbcunicareers.com/our-company/credo-history>.

[2] Gustin, Sam. “Comcast’s NBCUniversal Deal: As One Media Era Ends, Another
Begins.” TIME. N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
<http://business.time.com/2013/02/14/
comcasts-nbcuniversal-deal-as-one-media-era-ends-another-begins/>.

[3]”NBC Finishes No. 1 In 18-49 Demo For 2013-14 Primetime Season.” The Deadline.
N.p., 14 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://deadline.com/2014/09/
nbc-ratings-primetime-2013-2014-primetime-season-835093/>.

[4] LaFayette, Jon.”New Currencies Used in NBCU Ad Data Deals.” Broadcasting & Cable. N.p., 14 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/
currency/new-currencies-used-nbcu-ad-data-deals/155515>.

[5] Farrell, Mike. “#AdvancedAd 2016: Programmatic Expands Choice.” Multichannel
News. N.p., 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.multichannel.com/news/advanced-advertising/
advancedad-2016-programmatic-expands-choice/403878>.

[6] Lynch, Jason. “NBCUniversal Will Start Selling TV Advertising Programmatically This
Fall.” AdWeek. N.p., 24 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.adweek.com/news/television/
nbcuniversal-will-start-selling-tv-advertising-programmatically-fall-169850>.

[7] Andreeva, Nellie. “NBCUniversal Folds All Cable Networks Into NBC Upfront
Presentation.” The Deadline. N.p., 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
<http://deadline.com/2016/03/
nbcuniversal-upfront-presentation-nbc-usa-syfy-msnbc-1201728552/>.

[8] Lynch, Jason. “NBCUniversal and Vox Team Up to Sell Cross-Platform, Premium
Digital Advertising.” AdWeek. N.p., 4 Apr. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.adweek.com/news/television/
nbcuniversal-and-vox-team-sell-cross-platform-premium-digital-advertising-170588>.

[9] Baysinger, Tim. “Why NBCU Invested $200 Million in Vox.” AdWeek. N.p., 13 Aug.
2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2016. <http://www.adweek.com/news/television/
why-nbcu-invested-200-million-vox-166368>.

[10]Lafayette, Jon. “NBCU, Vox Harmonize in Digital Ad ‘Concert’.”
Broadcasting & Cable. N.p., 4 Apr. 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/currency/
nbcu-vox-harmonize-digital-ad-concert/155173>.

[11] Lynch, Jason. “NBCU’s New Studio Is Creating Branded Content for Viewers Beyond Its Own Platforms.” AdWeek. N.p., 20 Mar. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.adweek.com/news/television/
nbcus-new-studio-creating-branded-content-viewers-beyond-its-own-platforms-170264>.

[12] Would, Kristofer. “NBCUniversal’s comedy streaming service to allow
subscriptions via Amazon Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/
nbcu-seeso-amazon-subscription/#ixzz46relKHHk Follow us: @digitaltrends on
Twitter | digitaltrendsftw on Facebook.” Digital Trends. N.p., 20 Apr.
2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/
nbcu-seeso-amazon-subscription/>.

Sinclair Broadcast Group #1- Stern

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Samuel Stern

Samuel Stern

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. Logo (Photo courtesy of blog.solidsignal.com) [1]

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.

10706 Beaver Dam Rd

Hunt Valley, MD 21030

sbgi.net

Company Background

The Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. (SBG), is the largest broadcaster of television content in the United States. Sinclair owns and operates the majority of 164 television stations in 79 US markets, and owns the rest through local marketing agreements. The company reaches the largest and smallest US markets and controls the largest number of ABC, CBS, CW, FOX and MYTV affiliates in the country. Sinclair also operates 3 radio stations in the Seattle-Tacoma Market [3].

SBG Network Affiliates (photo courtesy of sbgi.net) [2]

The Maryland-based broadcaster is the nation’s leading local news provider, has recently begun the distribution of premium college and high-school sports programming, and operates the American Sports Network and the Ring of Honor Wrestling league. After making making several lucrative deals to acquire stations in new markets, including a re-negotiation with DISH Network, Sinclair now reaches 37.6% of U.S. television households. Recent success has given Sinclair the opportunity to pursue new business ventures and acquire new assets [4].

ONEMedia logo, one of Sinclair’s most recent technology investments [19]

Sinclair also makes strategic equity investments through its Business Venture subsidiary. The company holds interests in multiple media and technology companies such as Acrodyne Services, ONEMedia, and Dielectric, as well as in real estate properties [5] (Scroll to investments).

Leadership

David D Smith, President & CEO (Photo courtesy of bizjournals.com) [6]

David D. Smith, President & CEO
Frederick G Smith, Vice President
Dr. J Duncan Smith, Vice President
David B. Amy, Executive VP & COO
Christopher S. Ripley, CFO

For further Bio’s of Sinclair Executives: http://sbgi.net/corporate-governance/

History

Julian Sinclair Smith, Founder (photo courtesy of sbgi.net) [10]

In 1971, Julian Sinclair Smith started the Chesapeake Television Corporation, which operated one station in Baltimore. That one station would eventually be the cornerstone of the nation’s largest broadcast company. Julian’s sons David, Fred, and Duncan would take over the company, and in the early 1980’s change the name to the Sinclair Broadcast Company, Inc. David D. Smith took over the company as president and CEO. Throughout the 1990’s, the brothers would go on a buying spree of content that allowed Sinclair to dominate the industry, increasing its number of television stations from 3 to 59. They purchased content in markets across the country, large and small. The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed for some deregulation of buying control by the FCC, which allowed the company to make more important station acquisitions. This entrepreneurial attitude and progressive vision is still integrated throughout the company today [9].

Financials

The Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. went public in 1995 and is currently traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market at $35.36 per share. The company has just released its Third Quarter Financial Results, revealing that the executives expectations were exceeded over the past year. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2014, Sinclair realized a massive 10.8% revenue increase of $548.4 million versus $495.0 million the year before. The total yearly revenue increased 17.9% to $1.6 billion, versus $1.36 billion in the prior year period [7].

According to a late September Financial presentation at the Deutsche Bank Leveraged Financial conference, Sinclair reported a large increase in the amount of money the company can use to pursue its current ventures and find opportunities to enhance shareholder value, purchase more assets, and branch out to other revenue streams [8].

This influx of revenue has allowed Sinclair to work on technological advances to the company, a new initiative it has been following over the last year.

Key Initiatives

Sinclair has been on a buying spree throughout the past quarter.

The American Sports Network (ASN), Sinclair’s premiere sports division, broadcasts sports from 18 different NCAA athletic conferences [12]. The games are aired over stations that Sinclair owns or are syndicated through non-Sinclair stations. The ASN, launched in 2014, just made two deals in September with ESPN to carry Mid-American Conference football and basketball games, and to broadcast 10 American Athletic Conference Men’s basketball games per year on the large new sports platform [11].

American Sports Network logo (photo courtesy of wikipedia.com) [15]

Sinclair is being aggressive in order to bolster the progress of the ASN. They are currently negotiating a $500 million deal to buy the Tennis Channel, which operates 90% of Tennis content in the U.S. reaching 35 million homes [13].

On October 31st, the first-ever 24/7 Sci-fi multi-channel network was launched through a joint venture between Sinclair, MGM, and Michael Eisner’s Tornante investment company. The network is called COMET, and was the largest multicast channel release ever, reaching over 60% of the country [16]. The deal notes an effort by Sinclair to own its content due to the fact that it has almost reached the FCC limit for television ownership.

COMET logo, Sinclair’s newly owned Sci-fi Network (photo courtesy of comettv.com) [14]

On November 4th, Sinclair closed a deal with Pappas Telecasting and Lincoln Broadcasting in Central Nebraska to purchase a Fox affiliate and multiple ABC affiliated news stations. Sinclair purchased the stations for $31.25 million and the FCC has approved the deal [17]. This is a basic transaction for Sinclair in their pursuit of owning broadcast platforms in more markets.

Projections

Sinclair has taken advantage of its recent success to pursue initiatives that technologically advance the company and continue its dominance over the broadcast industry. One way to increase its footprint in an increasingly digitized world is the ability to broadcast and advertise on mobile platforms and enhance the broadcast experience. ONEMedia is working with all levels of the broadcast industry, from content producers to distributors, to design the “Next Level Broadcast Platform” that integrates mobile devices, creates an Ultra High Definition layout to broadcast, and creates new business models that improve upon the current structure of the industry [18].

Marketron Logo, Sinclair’s newest business partner. (Photo courtesy of contactworld.com). [25]

In late November, Sinclair and the leading media software provider Marketron negotiated a multi-year contract for Sinclair’s stations to use Marketron’s location-based mobile advertising. By studying demographics and utilizing mobile networks, Marketron allows advertisers to maximize accuracy and reach. This is a tactical move for Sinclair as it adds revenue streams by attracting potential advertisers to Sinclair’s growing reach [20].

Sinclair was recently part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Pearl TV, a partnership of 9 leading broadcast companies, and Samsung Electronics America, the nation’s leader in television sales for the last 9 years [26]. The MOU will sustain technological advances in the industry and look to develop new ways to broadcast premium content to consumers. The three companies will implement the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) to overlook and advance the technical standards for broadcasting [21].

SAMSUNG Electronics Logo (photo courtesy of commons.org). [22]

To more accurately monitor the affect of these technological advancements on consumers, Sinclair signed a new deal with Rentrak, a demographic rating service, on November 11th. Rentrak has already been working with Sinclair on a smaller deal, but will now cover all of Sinclair’s stations. Rentrak will provide Sinclair with accurate qualitative data from large sample sizes that will benefit all of Sinclair’s advertisers [23].

Sinclair is looking to consolidate the growing responsibilities of the company in order to streamline the organization of new assets. On September 10th, Jerry Lilly, a former CNN executive, was named to the new position of Vice President of Operations. He will work closely with the VP of Data Systems and the VP of Engineering to incorporate new workflows into the company and ensure that Sinclair’s TV facilities around the country are equipped with the most up-to-date technology [24].

The buying spree that Sinclair has been on recently has brought it close to the FCC station ownership cap of 39% of TV homes [27]. The company will look to start owning more of its content to create revenue streams, while still upholding its current re-transmisison and affiliate contracts that have put Sinclair at the top of the broadcast industry.

Sources

(photos contain URL)

[1] SBG Logo. http://www.valuewalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SBG-Sinclair-Broadcast-Group.jpg

[2] SBG Network Affiliate Logos. http://sbgi.net/wp-content/themes/sbgi-sparkling/images/affiliates.png

[3] SBG Summary Page.

[4] SBG Company News Release. Sinclair Broadcast Group Announces Agreement to Swap Television Stations With Gray Television,

[5] SBG Investment Information, http://sbgi.net/ (Scroll to investment information).

[6] David D. Smith Photo. http://assets.bizjournals.com/baltimore/print-edition/David-Smith*750.jpg?v=1.

[7] SBG Third Quarter Earnings Call (2015),

[8] SBG Financial Report (2015). Deutsche Bank Leveraged Financial Conference Presentation.

[9] SBG History (2015).

[10] Julian Sinclair Smith Photo (2015). http://sbgi.net/history/1970s/.

[11] Kuperberg, J. (2015). Sinclair’s American Sports Network to Televise AAC Men’s Basketball Games, Broadcasting & Cable.

[12] American Sports Network Conferences (2015). http://americansportsnet.com/conferences

[13] Cynopsis Media (2015). Sinclair Hits the Market, Cynopsis,

[14] COMET Network Logo (2015). http://comettv.com/

[15] American Sports Network Logo (2015). https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.Mf26c3227d715a63de7998852578bc82fo0&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300.

[16] SBG News Release (2015). SBG and MGM Announce COMET, First-Ever Science Ficiton Multi-Channel Network, to Premiere October 31st.

[17] McAdams, D. D. (2015). Sinclair to Buy Pappas Stations for $31.25 million, TV Technology,

[18] SBG ONEMedia Information (2015). http://sbgi.net/one-media/,

[19] ONEMedia Company Logo (2015). http://www.onemediallc.com/images/logo-main.jpg.

[20] Lafayette, J. (2015). Sinclair Signs Exclusive Deal with Marketron, Broadcasting & Cable,

[21] SBG News Release (2015). Samsung, Pearl TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group Announce MOU to Speed Development and Implementation of Next-Gen Broadcast UHDTV Standards.

[22] SAMSUNG Electronics Logo (2015), http://bit.ly/1TkZ7f4,

[23] Lafayette, J. (2015). Sinclair Signs New Deal for Data From Rentrak. Broadcasting & Cable.

[24] SBG Company News Release (2015). Sinclair Names Jerry Lilly To The Newly Created Position Of Vice President Of Operations.

[25] Marketron Company Logo (2015). https://www.contactcenterworld.com/images/company/marketron-largex3-logo.png

[26] Tendra, J. (2015). Memorandum of Understanding Form. Sample Template.

[27] Halonen, D. (2013). FCC Mulls Hard 39% Cap on TV Ownership. TVNews Check.

Comcast/NBCU

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Nicholas Ross

Nick Ross

NBCUniversal Logo (Source: nbcuniversal.com)[21]

30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY – 10112
(212) 664-4444

Who They Are

NBC Universal is a subsidiary of Comcast with this article focusing primarily on the television arm of the NBC Universal family. NBC is perhaps best known for broadcast television which includes NBC Entertainment (what people think of when they think of shows like Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock), NBC News, NBC Sports, the NBC Olympics, and Telemundo. They also have many holdings in cable including Bravo, CNBC, E!, the Esquire Network, the Golf Channel, MSNBC, NBC Sports Network, Oxygen, Syfy, The Weather Channel, and the USA Network. NBCU also owns three TV production studios which include Universal Television, Universal Cable Productions, and Telemundo Studios. Beyond the network level of the company, NBCU also has various regional television holdings. They own twenty-eight NBC and Telemundo local stations as well as ten NBC sports regional networks across the country. NBCU is also a partner in the video streaming site Hulu.[1]

NBCU Holdings (Source: tvmediainsights.com) [23]

Key Executives [1]

Matt Bond
Chairman, Content Distribution

Steve Burke
CEO

Patricia Fili-Krushel
Executive Vice President

Cesar Conde
Chairman, NBCU International Group & Telemundo Enterprises

Robert Greenblatt
Chairman, NBC Entertainment

History

NBC History (Source: Rocketland Photography/Pinterest) [24]

NBC Universal traces its roots to the National Broadcasting Company. NBC was founded in 1926 as a radio broadcasting company by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).[2] NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. They began television broadcasts in the late 1930s as one of the first major television networks. NBC Universal was formed when NBC and Universal merged in 2004.[3] The new company was owned by General Electric and Vivendi. Then, in 2009, Comcast announced plans to buy a controlling 51% stake in NBCU. [4] The deal went through and GE owned 49% of the company following the acquisition. In March of 2013, GE divested its stake resulting in Comcast owning 100% of the company. [5] Comcast continues to own the entirety of NBC Universal to this day.

Financial

Comcast stock has been on the rise over the past three months. As a whole, the stock has climbed by about $5. In their 2015 Quarter 3 earnings report on October 27, NBC Universal has also been doing well as part of the Comcast portfolio.[6] NBCU revenue increased 20.8% and NBC ranked as number one among adults 18-49 for the fifth summer in a row. NBC also won the opening two weeks of the broadcast season for the fourth straight year among adults 18-49.

Stock price chart for Comcast over the past three months.

Comcast stock prices over the past three months. (Source: Google/Yahoo Finance)[22]

What’s New for NBCU

Seeso

The biggest story right now for NBCU is the imminent launch of their new internet streaming comedy service called Seeso. The service launches on December 3 in a public beta.[7] Users will be able to sign up with an e-mail address and the service will be free for the first month. After this initial beta, the service will cost just $3.99 per month.[8] Rather than targeting broader demographics as services like Netflix or Amazon Prime do, Seeso aims to target a more narrow market: comedy fans. NBC hopes to use the service to mine the value of its comedy programming like Saturday Night Live, and all of its late-night comedy programming.[9] This service won’t just recycle content that’s already aired, however. Its biggest selling point is the original content. The service will launch with 20 original programs in its first year alone. Dan Harmon, best known for creating NBC’s Community and Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty,[10] will be a driving force behind the creation of original content for Seeso.[9] Beta members will also get access to a live stand-up comedy special “The Guest List: Live From The Barrel House” which will stream on December 8^th, exclusively on Seeso.7 NBCU mentions that the service will be available in full in January including access to connected devices, however it does not specify which devices (AppleTV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, etc.) it will be available on.

Video: NBCU/Seeso [7]

Expanded Streaming Options

Amazon’s Fire TV (Source: idownloadblog.com) [25]

Over-the-top services are the story right now for NBCUniversal. In October, Amazon and NBCU were rumored to be in talks about creating a live-streaming option on Amazon’s popular Fire TV platform for NBC content.[11] The option would allow users to access NBC content live as well as on-demand via Amazon’s set top box. Nothing has yet been confirmed by either Amazon or NBCU, however just a few weeks ago, CBS launched its “All Access” service which allows for CBS on-demand and live content on the Fire TV.[12] It is more than likely that NBC will be soon to follow. Important to note is that NBC News already has an Amazon Fire TV app which allows for viewing of live and on-demand content, but this applies only to news content.[13] It does not include NBC’s vast collection of entertainment content. The rumored new application would allow for the entire NBC collection as well as expanded live programming options.

Fall TV Lineup/Cancellations

The Player Poster (Source: NBCUniversal) [26]

As NBC looked forward at the beginning of its fall season, they were counting on old, reliable shows to bring them the numbers they’d gotten in the past. As usual, The Voice, The Biggest Loser, and Dateline returned as perennially successful programs.[14] Sunday Night Football also continues to be number one in primetime ratings and will continue to be broadcast through the fall season. NBC’s fall slate of shows, however, has seen relatively low ratings across the board.[15] The Player, receiving a dismal 0.83 rating, already had its order reduced from thirteen episodes to nine before being cancelled.[16] Truth Be Told (0.63) and Undateable (0.77) are already airing Friday nights and are likely next on the NBC chopping block. Grimm is pulling a 0.98 rating on Fridays and is still hanging on in its fifth season. No word yet on its cancellation.

The Wiz! Live

David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion (Source: NBCU/AdAge) [19]

Well known for its past live events, NBC is now producing The Wiz! Live to air on December 3^rd.[17] In the past, NBC has produced Peter Pan Live, and The Sound of Music Live to fairly good ratings (2.4 and 4.6 respectively[18]) and they hope to capitalize on this “live event” success with The Wiz!. Starring Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, David Alan Grier, Stephanie Mills, Common, and newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy, the star power is there for a good event.[19] NBC has also secured a variety of sponsorships for the broadcast with some of the same sponsors who funded past live events returning again. The live event should have very little in the way of competition in its Thursday night time slot.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

A perennial ratings boon for NBC, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade did not disappoint in 2015. The three-hour event drew a 12.6 rating, the highest of any program all season.[20] The broadcast also pulled in a 7.0 rating among adults 18-49 which is up slightly from the previous year’s broadcast.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Source: forthemommas.com) [27]

Footnotes

[1] NBC Universal Business – Corporate Site. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.nbcuniversal.com/business/

[2] Various Authors. September 1926. Announcing The National Broadcasting Company, Inc. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://earlyradiohistory.us/1926nbc.htm

[3] NBC Universal Careers – Credo & History. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.nbcunicareers.com/our-company/credo-history

[4] Goldman, David. December 3, 2009. GE, Comcast announce joint NBC deal. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/03/news/companies/comcast_nbc/index.htm

[5] Lieberman, David. March 19, 2013. Comcast Completes Acquisition Of GE’s 49% Stake In NBCUniversal. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://deadline.com/2013/03/comcast-completes-acquisition-nbcuniversal-457181/

[6] October 27, 2015. COMCAST REPORTS 3RD QUARTER 2015 RESULTS. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.cmcsa.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=938550

[7] NBCUniversal – Seeso Is Coming. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/seeso-coming

[8] Jarvey, Natalie. October 15, 2015. NBCUniversal to Launch Comedy Streaming Service Seeso. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcuniversal-launch-comedy-streaming-service-832351

[9] Littleton, Cynthia. October 30, 2015. Upright Citizens Brigade, Dan Harmon Drive Originals Strategy For NBCUniversal’s Seeso. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/dan-harmon-upright-citizens-brigade-nbcuniversal-comedy-seeso-1201630545/

[10] IMDB Page – Dan Harmon. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1363595/

[11] Risley, James. October 7, 2015. Amazon rumored to be in talks with CBS, NBCUniversal for live streaming TV. Retrieved November 28, 2015. http://www.geekwire.com/2015/amazon-rumored-to-be-in-talks-with-cbs-nbcuniversal-for-live-streaming-tv/

[12] Fingas, Jon. November 23, 2015. CBS’ streaming video service comes to Amazon’s Fire TV. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/23/cbs-all-access-on-amazon-fire-tv/

[13] Amazon Fire TV Product Page. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-DV83YW-Fire-TV/dp/B00U3FPN4U

[14] Kissell, Rick. June 2, 2014. NBC Announces Fall Premiere Dates for New, Returning Series. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/nbc-announces-fall-premiere-dates-for-new-returning-series-1201207308/

[15] December 1, 2015. NBC Renew/Cancel standings, week 10: ‘Grimm’ need not be scared yet. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/12/01/nbc-renewcancel-standings-week-10-grimm-need-not-be-scared-yet/

[16] Friedlander, Whitney. October 23, 2015. NBC Cuts Episode Order for Wesley Snipes Thriller ‘The Player’. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/the-player-cancelled-nbc-wesley-snipes-1201621293/

[17] Gajewski, Ryan. November 2, 2015. Watch NBC’s ‘The Wiz Live!’ Teaser: “There Is No Place Like Home”. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/watch-nbcs-wiz-live-teaser-836259

[18] Kissell, Rick. December 5, 2014. ‘Peter Pan Live’ Ratings: Not ‘Sound of Music’ Big But Strong for NBC Thursday. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/peter-pan-live-ratings-not-sound-of-music-big-but-strong-for-nbc-thursday-1201371871/

[19] Crupi, Anthony. November 30, 2015. NBC’s ‘Wiz’ to Ease On Down the Road with Reddi-Wip. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://adage.com/article/media/nbc-ease-road-reddi-wip/301515/

[20] Porter, Rick. November 27, 2015. Macy’s Thanksgiving parade draws big ratings for NBC. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/11/27/macys-thanksgiving-parade-draws-big-ratings-for-nbc/

[21] NBCUniversal Corporate Website. Retrieved November 30, 2015. http://www.nbcuniversal.com/

[22] Google Finance – CMCSA. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:CMCSA

[23] Berman, Mark. July 15, 2015. NBC Universal Portfolio Closes Upfront Selling at a Reported $6 Billion. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.tvmediainsights.com/highlights/nbc-universal-portfolio-closes-upfront-selling-at-a-reported-6-billion/

[24] History of NBC Logos – Pinterest. Retrieved December 1, 2015. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/401946335463790603/

[25] Zibreg, Christian. April 2, 2014. Amazon unveils its Apple TV competitor: meet the $99 Fire TV set-top box. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.idownloadblog.com/2014/04/02/amazon-firetv/

[26] Tallerico, Brian. September 21, 2015. TV REVIEW: NBC LAUNCHES THREE NEW DRAMAS IN “BLINDSPOT,” “THE PLAYER,” “HEROES REBORN”. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://www.rogerebert.com/demanders/tv-review-nbc-launches-three-new-dramas-in-blindspot-the-player-heroes-reborn

[27] 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Retrieved December 1, 2015. http://forthemommas.com/thanksgiving/2015-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade

Comcast – NBCU – (broadcast properties)

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Christian Aleksandrov

by CHRISTIAN ALEKSANDROV

About

NBCUniversal is one of the world’s mass media conglomerates. Founded in 1926 as the National Broadcasting Corporation, Inc. (NBC), the company steadily expanded domestically and internationally, owning and operating a vast portfolio of broadcasting networks, cable channels, and online platforms, as well as, motion picture production and distribution enterprises, and several amusement parks.

The company initially founded by the Radio Corporation of America. Inc, became a sole unit of General Electric in 1986. In 2004, NBC joined forces with Vivendi’s Universal Entertainment and expanded its operations out of the television broadcasting field. Since 2008, NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast, the largest cable company and home Internet service provider in the United States, becoming the world’s largest in revenue mass media group.

NBC current logo

The flagship company of Comcast’s NBCUniversal is the National Broadcasting Corporation. Inc (NBC), the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. For nearly 90 years, NBC has been offering quality news, entertainment and sports programming. One of NBC’s most popular shows are the Friends, ER, Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, the morning show Today and Nightly News.

Key Executives

Steve Burke, Chief Executive Officer

PatPatricia Fili-Krushel
Chairman NBCUniversal News Group

Financials

Comcast’s stock prices for the last three months (CMCSA)

NBCUniversal’s most recent financial report shows that in 2014, the NBCUniversal’s revenue increased 7.5% to $25.4 billion compared to $23.7 billion in 2013, making the company and specifically its broadcasting division NBC, Comcast’s major earnings booster. The Sochi Olympics was the event that brought most of the revenue to the company. Even excluding $1.1 billion of revenue generated by the Sochi Olympics in the first quarter of 2014, the revenue still increased 2.9%. Contributing to the standout performance in 2014 was also the 18% growth in operating cash flow. As of April 17, 2015, the price one Comcast’s share on NASDAQ is 58.42, which is close to the company’s record high of March 6, 2015. The report for the first quarter of 2015 has not been released yet.

Programming

NBC broadcast one of the most watched morning, daytime, primetime and late night programs. However, the current 2014-2015 television season is expected to be less successful than the previous season, when NBC was named most watched network by adults 18-34. While shows like Blacklist, Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, and Modern Family attracted enough audience to remain on the top of the ratings, other newly launched programs like the Slap, and A to Z were canceled after a couple of episodes.

Click here to find more infomation about the current programming schedule on NBC.

Controversies in NBC News

Pat Fili-Krushel, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Andy Lack, Deborah Turness, and Steve Burke.
Photo Illustration by Sean McCabe; Courtesy of Vanity Fair.

In the last five years, shortly after Comcast’s acquisition of the company, NBCUniversal has been experiencing serious issues with the performance, popularity and credibility of its news division – NBC News. Lower ratings, higher competition, personnel problems, and unprofessional business and media practices caused concerns about the current state and future performance of the broadcasting network, and hurt the image of the media conglomerate as a whole.

The controversies in NBC News date back to 2012 and the surprising and “very public” departure of NBC’s morning show host, Ann Curry, from the program. Curry was replaced by Savannah Guthrie just after a year on the air as co-host of Today due to low ratings. Her departure however caused a negative response from the public due to rumors for backstage rivalry between her and co-host Matt Lauer as cause for her replacement. Even though Curry remained in the network for 3 more years after, she made only occasional appearances on the screen, which led to her departure from NBC News in 2015.

Similar to the case with Today show, NBC News Sunday morning show Meet the Press, under the moderation of David Gregory, struggled with achieving the high ratings of its predecessor Tim Russert. This led to Gregory’s encouraged by the network departure from the program in 2014, and, indeed, to another controversial personnel replacement for NBC News.

However, the greatest challenge for the news division of NBC came in 2015. On February 4 broadcast of Nightly News, the most watched news program in the United States for years, Brian Williams, the host and managing editor of Nightly News, confessed that he had reported a misinterpreted information about an incident from the War in Iraq in 2003. Williams apologized for the story he had told on the January 30 Nightly News broadcast, and back on March 26, 2003 that a military helicopter he was traveling in had been forcibly taken down by an RPG. Shortly after, NBC News President Deborah Turness decided to suspend Williams for six months without being paid in order to quell the scandal, but the news about his false reporting remained in the agenda of most media outlets for days.

Williams’ controversy seriously affected the credibility of NBC News. This event, together with the identity crisis in Meet the Press and Today finally led to changes in the executive personnel of the news division. A month after the scandal with Brian Williams, Andrew Lack, a former president and COO of NBC, was named the new head of NBC News, replacing the TV veteran Pat Fili-Krushel Under his supervision, Today, NBC Nightly News and Meet the Press were all on the top of the ratings in the 90s. NBCUniversal’s executives also hope that Lack would work to improve MSNBCs low ratings momentum, as well.

Unfortunately, shots have continued to be fired at NBC News credibility. On April, 16, 2015, after a thorough investigation initiated by New York Times and only two months after Williams’ suspension, NBC News revised another report. This time of the 2012 kidnapping of its chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel. In the statement, NBC said that Engel’s reporting that he had been abducted by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was incorrect. In fact, he was kidnapped by the Sunni militants, who at that time were supported by the United States. The public response and NBC’s further actions regarding the case are yet to be detirmined.

What’s next?

Even though NBCUniversal has been contributing to the growth of its parent company Comcast with high ratings and increasing revenue, the recent controversies behind the news division of the company had been hurting the public image of the media conglomerate. With the new changes in the executive figures, the company is hoping to bring back the old leadership of the flagship news programs and to make them equally successful as NBCs primetime programs The Voice, The Blacklist, Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. It’s still not determined what Andrey Lack’s plans are for the future of NBC News – would he keep Brian Williams and bring him back next fall, or he would replace him with his current interim Lester Holt, who continues to bring relatively high ratings for Nightly News. On the primetime schedule, NBC is hoping to attract more audience with some new shows – Eva Longoria’s comedy Telenovela, David Duchovny’s limited series Aquarius and Will and Grace’s star Megan Mullally new futuristic dramedy Apocalypse. NBC’s upfront, when the company is officially reveiling its plans for the upcoming television season is scheduled to be on May 11, 2015.

Sources

[1] NBC Logo. Retrieved April 17, 2015, from http://awfulannouncing.com/2013/cbs-sports-chairman-sean-mcmanus-on-that-other-pregame-show-concussions-and-fantasy-football.html

[2] NBCUniversal Who we are. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[3] Steve Burke. Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[4] Patricia Fili-Krushel. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.nbcuniversal.com/who-we-are

[5]Andrew Lack Returns to NBC As News Chief, Will Face Challenges Restoring Credibility. Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/andrew-lack-will-face-challenges-in-return-to-nbcu-as-news-chief-1201447765/

[6] Ann Curry Out At NBC News; Forming NBCU-Backed Startup – Update. Retrieved Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://deadline.com/2015/01/ann-curry-leaving-nbc-news-today-show-1201349168/

[7] NBC: Brian Williams Suspended for 6 Months. Retrieved April 17, 2015 from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/02/10/brian-williams-nbc-suspended/23200821/

[8] NBC News Alters Account of Correspondets Kidnapping in Syria . Retrieved Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/business/media/nbc-news-alters-account-of-correspondents-kidnapping-in-syria.html?ref=media

[9] Pilot Season for ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, and NBC 2015-2016. Retreived April 17, 2015, 2014, from http://tvline.com/2015/01/29/pilot-season-abc-cbs-cw-fox-nbc-2015-2016/6/

[10] NBC Greenlight 10 Episode Futuristic Dramedy Apocalypse Starring Rob Lowe and Megan Mullaly. Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/01/21/nbc-greenlights-10-episode-futuristic-dramedy-apocalypse-starring-rob-lowe-megan-mullally/353254/

[11]The Inside Story of the Civil War for the Soul of NBC News.Retreived April 17, 2015, from http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/nbc-news-brian-williams-scandal-comcast

[12] Comcast Repots 4th Quarter and End of the Year 2014 Results. Retreived April 17, 2015 from http://www.cmcsa.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=897872

Comcast – NBCU – (broadcast)

Posted on October 14, 2014 by lnwolfso

by Lindsay Wolfson

Photo Courtesy of http://thegeoteam.wikia.com/wiki/File:NBC_Universal_Television_Studio_logo.jpg

NBC Universal Television

30 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, New York 10112

Key Executives:

Stephen B. Burke: Chief Executive Officer

Matt Bond: Executive Vice President of Content Distribution

Cesar Conde: Executive Vice President

Robert Greenblatt: Chairman, NBC Entertainment

Patricia Fili-Krushel: Chairman: NBC Universal News Group, NBC Universal

Ted Harbert: Chairman for NBC Broadcasting

History:

Photo Courtesy of http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/nbc/images/528091/title/nbc-logo-old-school-photo

The National Broadcast Company (NBC) was founded in 1926 with an original focus on National Radio Broadcasting, but then made the transformation into Television Broadcasting. [1]. Universal Studios began in 1906 when an immigrant bought a movie theater and then rapidly expanded his business, which inevitably led to the first enclosed space specifically designed for moviemaking. [2]. NBC and Universal became one unified company in May of 2004. These companies came together and created a unique product of television distribution and part of the film industry. On the broadcast side, there were two main networks, NBC and Telemundo, and along with the broadcast channels were countless cable networks. Of the NBC-U broadcast stations there are over 200 affiliates nationwide in major cities such as New York and Philadelphia. [3] Originally, General Electric and Vivendi owned this new founded conglomerate, but now the majority owner is the Comcast Corporation, which owns 51%. [4]. This change of hands occurred back in January of 2011. Since NBC original formation, this company has developed into a nationally recognized source for news, entertainment in sports in the television industry.

Financials:

Photo Courtesy of http://www.cmcsa.com/stocklookup.cfm

Fiscally, Comcast Corporation is a very successful corporation that is publically traded and its individual branches such as NBC-U share in that success. This past quarter, which ended in late October, demonstrated a thriving fiscal period. On the broadcast side, revenue increased 7.7% to $1.8 billion compared to the $1.6 billion achieved in the same quarter in 2013. According to the fiscal report, due to the NBC-U Broadcast’s reliable success this monetary growth in revenue is caused by the increase from advertising revenue. There are also increases in content licensing profits and retransmission consent fees. Operating cash flow increased as well for NBC-U Broadcasting. Comparatively, to the NBC-U cable networks, there was a significantly greater amount of growth. NBC-U’s cable networks only had 0.7% grown while its broadcast has 7.7% growth. Last year’s extensive fiscal success was caused in part by the promotion from the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. [5]. Comcast’s stock has been pretty stable over the past year ranging from $57.49 to $47.74. Since 2009, there has been a steady increase in the price of stock for Comcast indicating its growing success within the industry. In terms of total revenue for the Comcast Corporation, the company had a 6.2% increase from 2012 to 2013. As the year closes, it will be interesting to see if the 2014 fiscal year will bring about the same impressive results as did 2013 for the Comcast Corporation and NBC-U. [6].

This chart indicates the increased value of a stock of Comcast. Photo Courtesy of http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=CMCSA+Basic+Chart#%7B%22range%22%3A%2210y%22%2C%22lineType%22%3A%22combo%22%2C%22scale%22%3A%22linear%22%7D.

Fall Season:

A to Z is new romantic comedy starring Ben Feldman and Cristin Milioti.

Back in early June, NBC U released which shows were going to premiere in the Fall 2014 Season. [7]. The major staple show for the fall season was expected to be The Voice and it was utilized as a fulcrum for generating viewership on both Monday and Tuesday evenings in general for the network. NBC programmers were hopeful that the large viewership from The Voice would help the ratings for the shows that directly followed. Interestingly, although NBC-U generates extensive amounts of original content, the big draw for viewership is Sunday Night Football. This strong viewership pushed NBC-U into the top spot for broadcast this past year. Sunday Night Football even challenged the World Series this past October in questioning which would receive more viewership. [8]. There were many programs tested for this past Fall Season.

The new comedy pilots for the Fall 2014 season included Bad Judge, Marry Me, and A to Z and the new drama pilots included Constantine, State of Affairs and The Mysteries of Laura.

MV5BMjA1NjUyNDk0OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDM1ODM3MjE@._V1_SY317_CR1,0,214,317_AL_

The Mysteries of Laura is a new drama starring Debra Messing. Courtesy of imdb.com

MV5BMzA2MjIyNzg2OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTgyMTcxMzE@._V1_SY317_CR1,0,214,317_AL_

State of Affairs is a new drama starring Katherine Heigl. Courtesy of imdb.com

Fall Ratings & Critical Reception:

Out of those new pilots that were slated for Fall 2014 Season, many were not picked up to continue. Comedies such as A to Z and Bad Judge will not continue further after this initial trial run, but these shows will both finish production and air the remaining product. [9]. Both shows had started decently in terms of ratings, but then they both started to collapse. For NBC’s newest dramas such as State of Affairs and Mysteries of Laura, they have had a decent start amongst the Broadcast lineup and have not been cancelled as of yet.

Information Courtesy of http://www.nbc.com

“Mysteries of Laura” has surprisingly kept its presence along with other dramas with a 1.8 rating amongst 18-49 years olds. [10]. In terms of ratings, Sunday Night Football drives up the ratings for NBC. For instance, the week ending with November 23^rd, #1 Saturday Night Football generated a rating of 8.1 for 18-49 years which was far greater than the #2 Big Bang Theory which received a 4.1 for the same age demographic. This shows that across multiple genres, NBC exhibits success in primetime Broadcast Television.

Late Night Television Powerhouse:

After the record-breaking spring launch of NBC’s new Late Night lineup, the success of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Seth Meyers has continued its success into the Fall 2014 Season. The Tonight Show has been pretty strong against its competitors such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Show with David Letterman. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon has received 1.18/6 rating for the 18-49 demographic which surpasses his direct timeslot competitors in the 2014 3^rd Quarter. Many were fearful that Jimmy Fallon’s success was only temporary, but now after continuing on this fall season that appears not be the case. [16].

Photo Courtesy of http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/new_name_and_logo_for_the_tonight_show_by_pentagram.php

Photo Courtesy of http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/LATE-NIGHT-WITH-SETH-MEYERS-Monologue-Highlights-1120-20141121

Also, this past fall has marked the 40^th season for Saturday Night Live, which remains under the direction of Lorne Michaels. Overall, this season has been pretty weak in terms of ratings, but peaked when Chris Rock hosted with musical guest Prince. [11]. This show’s best rating so far received only a 2.2/10 for the key 18-49 demographic, which is not very strong at all.

Opening Sequence for Saturday Night Live’s 40th Season. http://vimeo.com/107482286

(Photo Courtesy of http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/25/saturday-night-live-clips-coming-to-yahoo/ )

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Ratings:

Every year, one of the major staples for NBC Broadcast is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though it is not during primetime hours. This past Thanksgiving, the parade received its 3^nd largest rating in the past 13 years. The program received a 6.2/10 rating in adults 18-49 and 22.6 million viewers total. Last year’s parade though, had the 2^nd largest viewership with a rating of 6.6/10 since 2004. [12].

Every year, one of the major fall staples for NBC Broadcast is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Photo Courtesy of http://social.macys.com/parade/?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-parade-_-n-_-n

Looking Forward:

After receiving over 18 million viewers and 4 Emmy Nominations for the Sound of Music Live, NBC decided to proceed and create another live performance. [13] [17]. This new performance of Peter Pan will be starring Allison Williams as Peter Pan and Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.

141017_2820050_Peter_Pan_Live__December_4_on_NBC

Peter Pan Live will be airing December 4th at 8pm starring Allison Williams as Peter Pan and Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. [15].

This live performance will be taking place in a former aircraft warehouse on Long Island, New York. There is an estimated budget of $10 Million to put together this one-night only performance. [14]. The expectations of this performance are extremely high due to the viewership success of the Sound of Music Live.

Works Cited:

1. Announcing the National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (1926). (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://earlyradiohistory.us/1926nbc.htm

2. NBCUniversal History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.nbcuni.com/corporate/about-us/history

3. NBCUniversal. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2014, from http://corporate.comcast.com/our-company/businesses/nbcuniversal#accordion-1

4. Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.cjr.org/resources/?c=comcast

5. Comcast. (2014, October 23). Retrieved November 6, 2014, from http://www.cmcsa.com/earnings.cfm

6. Comcast Corporation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=CMCSA

7. Kissell, R. (2014, June 2). NBC Announces Fall Premiere Dates for New, Returning Series. Retrieved December 1, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/nbc-announces-fall-premiere-dates-for-new-returning-series-1201207308/

8. Kissell, R. (2014, October 27). Ratings: NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ Dominates World Series on Fox. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/data/ratings/ratings-nbcs-sunday-night-football-dominates-world-series-on-fox-1201340093/

9. Hibberd, J. (2014, October 31). NBC to cancel ‘Bad Judge,’ ‘A to Z’ with zombie twist | EW.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/31/bad-judge-a-to-z/

10. Predum, L. (2014, October 28). NBC Gives ‘Mysteries of Laura’ Full Season Pickup. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/mysteries-of-laura-full-season-pickup-nbc-1201341098/

11. Kissell, R. (2014, November 2). NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ Hits Season Highs With Chris Rock, Prince. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/nbcs-saturday-night-live-hits-season-highs-with-chris-rock-prince-1201345402/

12. Bibel, S. (2014, November 28). ‘Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade’ Garners 22.6 Million Viewers, Ranking as The Second Most-Watched Parade in 13 Years. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/28/macys-thanksgiving-parade-garners-22-6-million-viewers-ranking-as-the-second-most-watched-parade-in-13-years/333311/

13. About. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://www.nbc.com/peter-pan-live/about

14. Littleton, C. (2014, November 26). NBC Hopes ‘Peter Pan Live’ Can Fly to New Heights. Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/features/peter-pan-live-nbc-new-heights-1201364850/

15. Watch Peter Pan Live! December 4 on NBC from Peter Pan LIVE! on NBC.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://www.nbc.com/peter-pan-live/video/peter-pan-live-december-4-on-nbc/2820050

16. Kissell, R. (2014, September 25). Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/latenight-ratings-nbcs-fallon-meyers-easy-winners-for-q3-abcs-kimmel-nightline-up-1201313970/

17. The Sound Of Music Live! (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2014, from http://www.nbc.com/the-sound-of-music-live

Sirius XM Radio

Posted on October 5, 2014 by areeves

by Allie Reeves

[1] SiriusXM Logo

The Sirius Story:

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is a satellite radio service that offers commercial-free streaming on over 175 channels in the United States and Canada. These channels are comprised of every type of radio – music, news, sports, talk, and more [2]. It is currently the largest radio broadcaster and caters to about 26.7 million subscribers [3].

[30] SiriusXM Programming

Currently, the most popular way for subscribers to enjoy SiriusXM Radio is in the comfort of their cars. SiriusXM has arrangements with over forty automakers for installation of their services directly into the vehicle [3]. However, as of recent, SiriusXM has become available to stream directly online in your home or office, as well as an app that can be accessed on Smartphones and Tablets.

SiriusXM currently offers three different packages: Sirius Select, Sirius All Access, and Sirius Mostly Music. The packages can be bought on a monthly or annual basis and range in price from $9.99 to $199 [4].

[4] Most Popular Packages for SiriusXM Customers

The Sirius Team:

[6] Scott Greenstein, President & Chief Content Officer

[5] James E. Meyer, CEO

[7] Patrick L. Donnelly, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Finances:

[31] SiriusXM finances as of December 1, 2014

SiriusXM recently released their 2014 Third Quarter Results, which revealed a 10% increase in revenue since this time last year, putting the company at a record high of $1.1 billion. This is higher than analysts originally anticipated for the company, as they put the company’s assumed revenue at $1.04 billion. The company also increased its subscriber count by 1.2 million [8].

Interest in shares of SiriusXM increased rapidly during the month of November. As of November 14^th, there has been an increase of 2.8% since October 31^st up to 247, 283,696. The company is now up to a $3.75 price on their stock [32].

Competitors:

[11] Apple Inc. Logo

SiriusXM’s current competitors are Apple and iHeartMedia, as well as regular terrestrial radio. Pandora and Spotify have also been named as competitors, but in a recent interview with James Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM, the two services were ruled out.

[12] iHeartMedia Logo

Meyer explained these companies are streaming services, which he doesn’t view as competition, but as its own distinct technology. Meyer also stated that out of them all, terrestrial radio is their primary competition, with 220 million people that use it everyday [9].

However, with Apple’s new CarPlay, that might not be the case for much longer. CarPlay gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts, and audiobooks with the touch of a button, and major auto companies like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Ferrari are already on board. The venture is still in its early stages, but since SiriusXM is primarily used by vehicle subscribers, CarPlay could end up being a serious competitor [10].

[13] Apple CarPlay

The Sirius Edge:

What sets SiriusXM apart from its competitors at Apple, and iHeartMedia is the company’s original content that can only be accessed through subscriptions to SiriusXM.

[15] The Howard Stern Show, one of the most popular talk shows on SiriusXM

Some of the most popular original content shows include The Howard Stern Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and NFL Radio, although many more are available [3]. This original content helps keep subscribers tuning in, and keeps SiriusXM’s churn rate at an impressive 1.9%. It also helps the company keep their acquisition costs low, which has recently become problematic for companies like Pandora [14].

[17] SiriusXM Town Hall Event in the Fishbowl

SiriusXM is also known for their “Town Hall” Series. These intimate gatherings take place in the SiriusXM fishbowl, a private listening studio, where entertainers sit down with a live studio audience comprised of about 30 SiriusXM subscribers who have won an invitation to the event [16].

[19] Taylor Swift at a Town Hall Event for SiriusXM

Recently, SiriusXM was able to snag Taylor Swift for a Town Hall Event. Subscribers had the chance to ask her questions and listen to songs off of her newest album, 1989. This event comes after Swift’s recent decision to pull her music off of Spotify, giving even more leverage to SiriusXM [18].

The Today Show for SiriusXM:

This past year, SiriusXM announced a major deal with NBC, in which simulcasts of the hit NBC show, The Today Show, would be broadcasted on the satellite radio service. The format of bringing a morning show to radio has been done before, unsuccessfully. However, what makes this different is that SiriusXM will not be airing segments of the popular morning show, they will be airing the program identically as it airs on television [20].

[24] The Today Show

This move was a strategic boost for both companies. The show airs during popular morning drive time, when radio listening is at its highest. The deal will allow NBC to access SiriusXM’s 26 million listeners, and SiriusXM hopes to draw in more subscribers that are already fans of the show.

[21]

Suing Sirius:

SiriusXM has come under fire in the past year over use of music recorded before 1972. More recently, individual bands have started going after the company, claiming that they deserve compensation. Although songs recorded before February 15^th, 1972 are not covered by federal copyright law, some artists and labels have been seeking protection under individual state laws – and the courts have been agreeing. As of November 17^th, the 1960s rock band, The Turtles, has had two victories against the satellite radio company [22].

[25] Rock Band The Turtles in the 1960s

The court ruled that music recorded before 1972 still has a public performance right and that digital services cannot use it without permission or compensation. SiriusXM has requested to dismiss the lawsuit, but it has been rejected. The judge ruled that SiriusXM has until December 5^th to show any factual issues that would be cause for a trial. If none are found, she will rule in favor of the band, and “assess damages” [23].

What’s Next:

[28] Joel Osteen

SiriusXM recently announced that Golf Hall of Fame member Sir Nick Faldo will receive his own show, where he will talk golf and get to know golf enthusiasts, while they get a chance to know him [26]. SiriusXM also launched a new pop channel, Venus, as well as adding some of their popular internet only channels like Y2Kountry and Utopia to their satellite lineup. Joel Osteen Radio will also be coming to SiriusXM, a station rooted in the power of “positive thinking with messages of inspiration” [27].

[33] Holiday music channels at SiriusXM

SiriusXM is currently celebrating the sounds of the holiday season with the addition of two new Holiday Music channels, Holly and Holiday Traditions. They plan to release more within the upcoming month [33].

Also effective January 2015, there will be an increase of 1.4 percentage points in the U.S. Music Royalty Fee applied to most SiriusXM audio packages, in order to fund royalty payments to the music industry [29].

Sources

1. SiriusXM’s Logo 2014, Fbnstatic.com, RT: 11/20/2014

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

3. Corporate Overview, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

4. Our Most Popular Packages, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

5. Chief Executive Officer, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

6. President & Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

7. Executive Vice President and General Counsel, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

8. “SiriusXM Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results”, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

9. “Sirius XM CEO: I Don’t See Spotify As A Direct Competitor”, Benzinga.com, RT: 11/22/2014

10. “Is Apple’s New Toy a Sirius XM or Pandora Killer?”, Fool.com, RT: 11/22/2014

11. Apple Inc. Logo, Worldofdtcmarketing.com, RT: 11/22/2014

12. iHeartMedia Logo, Billboard, RT: 11/24/2014

13. Apple Car Play, Uncrate.com, RT: 11/24/2014

14. “Sirius XM’s Main Edge Over Competitors”, Fool.com, RT: 11/28/2014

15. The Howard Stern Show, Tuaw.com, RT: 11/22/2014

16. SiriusXM Town Hall, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

17. SiriusXM Fishbowl Event, Howstuffworks.com, RT: 11/28/2014

18. “Taylor Swift’s Exclusive 1989 “Town Hall” to Air Live on SiriusXM”, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/24/2014

19. Taylor Swift for SiriusXM, SiriusXM Blog, RT: 11/22/2014

20. “Starting in June, ‘Today’ Will Simulcast on SiriusXM”, New York Times, RT: 11/28/2014

21. Today Show Radio on SiriusXM, YouTube, RT: 11/28/2014

22. “Rock band wins again in copyright battle against Sirius XM”, The Times of India, RT: 11/28/2014

23. “New York Court Delivers Third Strike Against Sirius XM on Pre-1972 Sound Recordings”, Sound Exchange, RT: 11/28/2014

24. Today Show Logo, Momsdemandaction.org, RT: 11/28/2014

25. The Turtles, Allmusic.com, RT: 11/28/2014

26. “Sir Nick Faldo to Host SiriusXM Show”, Techsonian.com, RT: 11/28/2014

27. New Channels and Lineup Changes, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

28. Joel Osteen, Lightsource.com, RT: 11/28/2014

29. “U.S. Music Royalty Fee Effective January 5, 2015”, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/28/2014

30. SiriusXM Programming, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

31. SiriusXM Financials, Google, RT: 12/1/2014

32. SiriusXM Stock Information, Watchlistnews.com, RT: 12/1/2014

33. Holiday Music at SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 12/1/2014

Discovery Communications

Posted on October 5, 2014 by bngermai

by Brendan Germain

Discovery Logo [1]

One Discovery Place Silver Spring, MD 20910 — 240.662.2000

“Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity, engaging and entertaining viewers with high-quality content on worldwide television networks…” [2]

COMPANY PROFILE

As the number one pay-TV programmer and non-fiction media company, Discovery Communications paves the way for cross platform content appealing to 2.7 billion subscribers across 150 cable networks in over 220 countries. Discovery’s commitment to innovation and segmenting audiences has earned it its place as a leader in targeted media programming headed by Discovery Channel, operating also the Animal Planet, Hub Network and a joint venture with the OWN network among others. The company’s online and media services work in conjunction with its cable programming and have made Discovery a true multi-media, synergistic company.

KEY EXECUTIVES

David Zaslav- President and CEO [4]

Andrew Warren-Senior Executive VP and CFO [5]

Marjorie Kaplan- Group President Discovery Channel [6]

HISTORY

John Hendricks, a West Virginia bred, University of Alabama grad, founded the Cable Educational Network in Maryland back in 1982. Discovery Communications would soon grow from the launch of the Discovery Channel in1985. By 1988 the cable programmer had amassed over 32 million subscribers and by 1991, after acquiring The Learning

Discovery Logo-1988 [9]

Channel (TLC) and launching Discovery in Europe, the company changed its name to Discovery Communications. Over the next 10 years, the company would see considerable international growth in Asian, African and Middle Eastern markets and soon launched a $10 million news site distributing original news content on its Discovery homepage [7]. In 2004 Hendricks stepped down as CEO passing it off to current position holder David Zaslav and this past May, Hendricks retired as Chairman, leaving the company he had built over the past 35 years with a drive towards the environment, education and technological advances. [8]

FINANCES

This past quarter, coming in early November, saw a 14% increase for Discovery Communications (DISCA) on the NASDAQ year-over-year (YOY), with revenue at $1.57 billion [10].

DISCA’s Yearly Stock Price as of December 1, 2014 CLICK TO VIEW CURRENT CHART [12]

The publicly traded conglomerate has been on a rise in stock price, ending around $34 dollars recently with around 148 million shares outstanding. Since 2010, DISCA has been on a mass buyback movement to repurchase in excess of 25% of its stocks to consolidate its outstanding shares, giving the company more control over its numerous domestic and international platforms [11]. The company is segmented into three areas of revenue–Domestic, International, and Education, the first two being programming and education being products and services. Revenue for the domestic programming has seen minimal drops of 1% YOY as advertising budgets for the company have raised 3%, while the international segment as seen rises as high as 34% in revenue, in direct relation with Discovery’s acquisition of Eurosport [13]. Discovery is projected to reach a total revenue between $6.3 billion and $6.35 billion for this 2014 fiscal year.

ACQUISITION OF EUROSPORT

Staking its claim as the #1 Pay-TV programmer for educational, niche content across its over 200 networks domestically and internationally, Discovery has taken a turn towards broadcast and sports media sphere with its spring

Eurosport Logo [15]

acquisition of Eurosport. Eurosport, the premier sports media group in Europe, is valued at $1.2 billion and reaches over 133 million homes. TF1, the French media conglomerate had previously owned 80% of the company before Discovery pushed to expedite the deal which had been set for 2015, though TF1 will holds its stake in the sports media group until the end of the year. [14].

[Click here to view Eurosport’s promo stinger]

Discovery acquired 51% of the company, with TF1 being the only other owner holding the remaining 49%. DISCA is looking to capitalize on the fragmented nature of the sports broadcast industry over in Europe, a step in a different direction from their pay-TV and cable roots, in hopes of building up Eurosport to the status of Europe’s version of ESPN [16].

"Eurosport is a perfect strategic fit for growing market share, strengthening relationships with advertisers and affiliates, and bringing ‘must have’ content to passionate viewers across the globe...” [17] 
      -Discovery CEO David Zaslav-

There are talks already about the possibility of Discovery buying out TF1, giving DISCA full ownership of Eurosport, in turn adding six new pay-TV brands to Discovery’s arsenal.

DISCOVERY CHANNEL

The network that started it all, Discovery Channel (formerly The Discovery Channel), excels at non-fiction programming reaching over 100 million homes in the U.S. and over three times that amount internationally. Launched in 1985, Discovery Channel produces science, nature, adventure and history geared television, among other genres, and has revved up its live-streamed programming over the past few years [18]. In June 2013, Discovery aired a live program special with adventure enthusiast Nik Wallenda traversing the Grand Canyon on a tightrope [19]. The record breaking broadcast event amassed over 13 million viewers, Discovery’s highest-rated live event, with an additional 1.3 million trending Tweets about the stunt, awarding DISCA an Interactive Emmy for Multi-platform storytelling. Discovery Channel followed Wallenda again earlier this month in his tightrope walk between two Chicago skyscrapers at a 15-degree angle, aptly titled SKYSCRAPER LIVE WITH NIK WALLENDA.

Play to view highlights of Nik Wallenda's SKYSCRAPER LIVE walk [21]

Though not drawing the magnitude of coverage as his Grand Canyon walk, this live event in addition to others showcase Discovery’s risky intent to air content to attract an audience, stunts so daring that someone could die [20]. Understanding this, Wallenda carried a $20 million public liability insurance claim, should anything catastrophic have happened. The tightrope walk was a success and coming this May, Discovery Channel intends to air live footage of expert climber Joby Ogwyn’s Mount

SURVIVAL LIVE Logo [24]

Everest jump in a winged suit, titled EVEREST JUMP LIVE, hooking up eight cameras to his suit to get full 360 degree coverage [22]. In addition, the network is continuing on its multi-platform successes with a new, interactive program called SURVIVAL LIVE, a 42-day survivalist event pitting 8 strangers against each other in the remote wilderness [23].The cross-platform media gives viewers the ability to track survivalists biometric, medical statistics during the 24 hour live-streamed event as well as the option to donate needed supplies or help online. Moving to attract a growing, interactive audience, Discovery is prompting new growth in cross-media programming and their push for high adrenaline, live-streamed events sets them apart from other cable networks.

DISCOVERY FAMILY CHANNEL

Since being renamed this past October, Discovery Family, formerly The Hub Network, DISCA’s children geared daytime programming network, has broadened its program offerings in a strengthened partnership between Discovery Communications and Hasbro,

Hasbro, Inc. Logo [25]

Inc. The Hasbro Studios have published upfronts intending to move into primetime television timeslots [26]. With Discovery owning 60% in this joint venture, Discovery Family is projected to have over 70 million U.S. homes tuning in to programs and the two look to move into nightly family targeted programming. The two corporations will both capitalize on producing branded content, marketable to advertisers, and accessible for both children and families [27].

UP AND COMING

Discovery has recently paired up with Sony Entertainment Network to bring channels from DISCA to Play Station Vue, Sony’s cloud-based, internet television service [28]. Sony’s subsidary, Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI), will offer the subscription based service to current users of a PS3 or PS4 come early 2015, totally over 35 million users. The deal will bring Discovery’s 13 U.S. networks to users, in addition to next-gen services like Discovery Digitial Networks [29].

Theorized PlayStation Vue Screen [30]

This is new territory for Discovery, a cloud streaming service, and whether or not users will be willing to pay for the subscription fees is up for debate. Prices per month have yet to be set, though the service brings DISCA’s historically cable programming to an internet based provider follows the path Discovery Communications is walking in becoming a more cross-media driven media group and high-level television programmer.

SOURCES

[1]Discovery Logo corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/18/14

[2] Corporate Mission corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/18/14

[3] Company Profile Information biz.yahoo.com RT:11/18/14

[4] David Zaslav Image corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/18/14

[5] Andrew Warren Image corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/18/14

[6] Marjorie Kaplan Image corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/18/14

[7] Discovery History referenceforbusiness.com RT: 11/18/14

[8] Hendricks Leaves Discovery variety.com RT: 11/18/14

[9] Discovery Logo 1988 logos.wikia.com RT: 11/24/14

[10] DISCA Annual Finances finance.yahoo.com RT: 11/24/14

[11] DISCA Quarterly Report corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/24/14

[12] DISCA Yearly Stock Chart finance.yahoo.com RT: 11/27/14

[13] Discovery Segments/Projections zacks.com RT: 12/1/14

[14] Discovery Acquires Eurosport nytimes.com RT: 11/28/14

[15] Eurosport Logo eurosport.com RT: 11/28/14

[16] Discovery Moves to Broadcast corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/28/14

[17] David Zaslav Quote corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/29/14

[18] Discovery Channel Profile corporate.discovery.com RT:11/29/14

[19] Discovery Live Streams press.discovery.com RT: 11/29/14

[20] Risk of Live Events nytimes.com RT: 11/29/14

[21] SKYSCRAPER LIVE Highlights Footage youtube.com RT: 11/29/14

[22] Everest Jump Live deadline.com RT: 11/29/14

[23] SURVIVAL LIVE press.discovery.com RT: 11/29/14

[24] SURVIVAL LIVE Logo adage.com RT: 11/29/14

[25] Hasbro, Inc Logo hasbro.com RT: 11/30/14

[26] Hasbro, Inc Partnership investor.hasbro.com RT: 11/30/14

[27] Discovery Family Deal corporate.discovery.com RT: 11/30/14

[28] PlayStation Vue Contract polygon.com RT: 12/1/14

[29] Discovery/Vue Offerings corporate.discovery.com RT:12/1/14

[30] PlayStation Vue Screen polygon.com RT: 12/1/14

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Hulu

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Caroline Soss

By Caroline Soss

Photo courtesy of: [1] www.crunchbase.com

ADDRESS

12312 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064 [2]

CONTACT

Phone (310) 570-4700
Website www.hulu.com
Twitter @hulu

PROFILE

Hulu is an over-the-top video service provider streaming on-demand programming from NBC, ABC, A&E, AMC, FOX, The CW, MTV and more.

Hulu offers advertisement-supported free programming with limited commercial interruption on its website Hulu.com. Regular advertisers include Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Microsoft, GEICO and Target.

Photo courtesy of: [4] www.vulture.com

For a monthly fee of $7.99, Hulu Plus subscribers can stream unlimited premium and exclusive content from any Hulu+ enabled device. These devices include smart televisions, game consoles, smartphones/tablets and media players like Apple TV and Roku [3].

Hulu delivers over 70,400 hours of video from 514 different content partners [5]. Hulu streams popular TV shows such as FAMILY GUY, SCANDAL, THE VOICE, PARKS AND RECREATION, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART [6] and more than 800 films from The Criterion Collection [7].

Photo courtesy of: [6] www.hulu.com

Hulu also produces its own original content like DEADBEAT, EAST LOS HIGH, THE AWESOMES and THE HOTWIVES OF ORLANDO [8].

Watch Hulu’s promo for their 2014 Originals here. Video courtesy of: [9] www.hulu.com.

Hulu.com was launched in 2008 as a joint venture between Comcast’s NBCUniversal and News Corporation [10]. Today, NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company’s Disney-ABC Television Group and 21st Century Fox’s Fox Broadcasting Company together own Hulu’s online subscription service [11].

As of February 2014, Hulu reported more than five million Hulu+ subscribers and thirty million monthly free service users [12] with over four billion videos streamed in 2013 [13].

KEY EXECUTIVES

CEO Mike Hopkins, photo courtesy of: [14] www.engadget.com

Last October, Hulu replaced its acting CEO with Mike Hopkins, former President of Distribution at Fox for five years [14]. Within weeks of joining the company, Hopkins hired Disney’s Elaine Paul as CFO [11]. In February 2014, Hopkins hired NBC’s Peter Naylor as SVP of Advertising Sales [13] and Sony’s Tiam Lim as Chief Technology Officer [12]. In March 2014, Disney’s Tim Connolly joined the company as Head of Distribution [15]. In April 2014, Warner Bros.’ Craig Erwich was hired as Hulu’s SVP and Head of Content [16].

FINANCIALS

Hulu is a privately held company and not required to publicly release its financial information. However, CEO Mike Hopkins reported Hulu earning one billion dollars in annual revenue at the end of last year [17]. In 2013, Hulu’s owners (Comcast, Disney and 21st Century Fox) also dropped offers to sell Hulu and instead invested $750 million dollars into the company [11].

Photo courtesy of: [18] www.techcrunch.com

FOCUS IN THE U.S.

In February 2014, Hulu sold its Japanese subsidiary to Tokyo-based Nippon Television Network Corporation. Since 2011, Hulu had streamed 13,000+ videos from fifty different American and European content providers to Japan. While Hulu will continue to make its content and brand available for use by Nippon TV as well as provide infrastructure service to the Japanese company, Hulu will focus on the U.S. rather than internationally [19].

MULTI-PLATFORM

Hulu aims to operate on all types of platforms with 50% of Hulu+ subscribers streaming solely on devices [17].

Photo courtesy of: [21] blog.hulu.com

In April 2014, Amazon.com launched Amazon Fire TV – the company’s new set-top box/game console hybrid positioned to replace media players like Apple TV, Roku and Xbox [20].

Amazon Fire TV streams not only Amazon’s own online video subscription service (Amazon Prime) but also partner on-demand services, including Hulu Plus. Hulu promises the “most enhanced and updated version of the Hulu Plus Living Room experience on Amazon Fire TV” [21]. Further, Amazon added Hulu Plus to the list of services available through voice search by speaking into the Fire TV remote – making Hulu even easier to utilize on this new platform [22].

NEW CONTENT

Hulu is continuing to grow its content library with both current season television and original programming [17].

Photo courtesy of: [23] blog.hulu.com

In April 2014, CEO Mike Hopkins announced Hulu will be exclusively streaming NBCUniversal-produced THE MINDY PROJECT and Golden Globe-winning comedy BROOKLYN NINE-NINE as well as popular series like KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS and TOP CHEF. These high-in-demand hit programs will not be available to competitors Netflix or Amazon Prime, ultimately giving Hulu monopoly control over more content [23].

Hulu also recently acquired the rights to stream ELEMENTARY, the highly rated CBS drama starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu [24], and popular CBS classics like THE BRADY BRUNCH and CHEERS.

Photo courtesy of: [25] blog.hulu.com

Hulu is expanding its library of popular TV shows from past decades [25]. This may be a tactic to keep fairly older viewers, who grew up with this content, entertained; 60% of Hulu subscribers fall between the ages of 18 and 49 years old with an average age of 39 [26].

Photo courtesy of: [26] www.hulu.com/advertising

However, the Nielsen Company will continue excluding broadband-only households, a large total of Hulu Plus viewership, in the ratings for the 2014-2015 television season [27].

ORIGINAL CONTENT

Hulu developed twenty original series in 2013 and plans to launch twenty more this year [28]. Hulu’s original shows THE AWESOMES, BEHIND THE MASK and THE WRONG MANS were among the top ten weekly shows watched on Hulu when they aired in 2013 and were all recently renewed for another season in 2014 [17].

New in 2014, Hulu’s original comedy series DEADBEAT, starring Tyler Labine, is receiving strong reviews from Variety, the New York Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer since its premiere [29]. All ten episodes of the show’s first season were uploaded to Hulu on April 9th, 2014, and only hours later DEADBEAT as dubbed “Hulu’s best show yet” [30].

Photo courtesy of: [29] www.hulu.com

DEADBEAT follows Kevin Pacalioglu (Tyler Labine), a lazy stoner who can see the dead and becomes a freelance medium to pay his rent, helping ghosts move on to the afterlife by competing in eating contests and proposition their ex-girlfriends.

Watch the DEADBEAT series trailer here. Video courtesy of: [31] www.hulu.com.

Critics, however, argue that Hulu being owned by television companies may explain why competitor Netflix is still spending so much more than Hulu on original programming [32].

TV EVERYWHERE

In the past year, Hulu has hired 260 new employees to complete a staff of more than 725 members with plans to continue growing the company [17].

As public interest in more convenient Internet TV Everywhere services grows, analysts predict subscribers may more easily authenticate their pay services through a social media account like Facebook or Twitter – a business tactic that may be in Hulu’s near future [33].