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/

Focus Features

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Tianjia Zhang

Focus Features

[21] Focus Features Logo

Corporate Offices

LOS ANGELES OFFICE

1540 2nd St #200

Santa Monica, CA 90401

NEW YORK CITY OFFICE

c/o NBCUniversal

30 Rockefeller Plaza

Building 5TS – 10th Floor

New York, NY 10112Phone: (818) 777-8738
Fax: (818) 866-4579

http://www.focusfeatures.com

Key Executives

[19] Peter Kujawski, Chairman

[20] Robert Walak, President

About

Focus Features is an art film production and distribution subsidiary of Universal Pictures/NBCUniversal under Comcast Corporation. Focus and Universal Pictures together compose the film department of Universal Studios. [1] Merged of Universal Focus, USA Films and Good Machine on 2002, the company is moving forward with diverse ranges of film genres as well as releasing appealing to filmmakers. [2] Some of the most successful films of Focus includes Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earns $83 million domestically and $95 million from foreign markets, Burn After Reading (2008), which earns $163.7 million in worldwide film revenue, and the recent hit London has Fallen (2016) with a worldwide gross $182 million is one of the most selling features of Focus. Focus also participates in other good-reviewing features like The Danish Girl (2015), The Theory of Everything (2014), Pride and Prejudice (2003) and etc. [3]

Financials

Although Focus Features does not have a separate financial report from its parent company, the first quarter of 2016 is not a bad start for Focus. With four new 2016 releases and two 2015 ones (Suffragette and The Danish Girl still in theaters), Focus earned $120.2 million and bumped up the ranking on the top grossing film studios to the sixth place with a 3.7% market share up dated to April 17. [4] Focus Features and Universal together earned $372.8 million for their parent company with a market shared of 11.4%. Focus has already made up the gap comparing to 2015 with 728.1% more grossing this time. [5]

Leadership Changes

Focus Features has some breaking news in its major management shakeup this year.

Universal Pictures International Production (UPIP) is merging with Focus Features under Focus’ banner. The company’s former CEO Peter Schlessel, who replaced founder James Schamus in 2013, exited his position on April 1 as part of a drastic housecleaning by Universal Pictures. Current Focus COO Adrian Alperovich, Marketing President Christine Birch and President of Acquisitions Lia Buman will also be exiting Focus Features in April.[6] This merging is an attempt to make the unit more global and artistically relevant after a couple of awards-season pictures such as “The Danish Girl” and “Suffragette” collapsed at the box office. Universal depicted the move as “combining the resources of Universal Pictures International Productions with the highly respected creative legacy of Focus Features,” in order to “grow the specialty film sector both domestically and around the world.” The announcement came from Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley. [7] “Peter Schlemiel of Focus Features to Exit as CEO After Universal Pictures International Merger”

Peter Schlessel oversaw the release of the division’s upcoming releases of Race, London Has Fallen and The Young Messiah before his departure. Peter Kujawski, the formal managing director of Universal Pictures International Productions, became the chairman of of Focus Features that combined UPIP and Focus. Under his leadership, UPIP acquired rights to hugely successful films, including The Wolf of Wall Street, Room, which Universal released in select territories. UPIP Co-Managing Director Robert Walak, who came to Universal after serving as Managing Director Europe/President Production, Acquisitions and Television at The Weinstein Company, Alliance Films, where he led some great acquisitions, including Carol, The King’s Speech, Paddington and The Imitation Game, became Universal Pictures’ Executive Vice President of Film Strategy. Abhijay Prakash, joined Focus as Chief Operating Officer. [6][8]

Last year, only four Focus releases took in more than $10 million at the box office, while other studios began to play in the specialty film space. Focus is losing audience to its competitors like STX Entertainment, armed with financial backing from Chinese private-equity firm Hony Capital, Broad Green, fueled by mutual fund billionaire Gabriel Hammond, Fox Searchlight, intended in making films that can cross over beyond the art and international borders.[6]

“The independent world has been squeezed in the last ten years,” said Jason Squire, a professor at USC. “The question is whether Focus will continue to be an independent-style studio or will it fade?” [6]

Current News & Releases

Focus has released four new films during this semester time, including the second film of London vs Olympus series London has Fallen, horror movie The Forest, sports drama Race, and a Christian film The Young Messiah. The four new films together earned $113 million domestically. [10]

[9] London Has Fallen’ image courtesy of Focus Features

London Has Fallen, on a $60 budget, opened with just $22 million and bumped to $62m domestically. With the help from strong overseas which has made 66% of its box office, especially from China (where it has earned $45m and is still in theaters), the film’s worldwide total is now $182m. [9]

While London has Fallen brings Focus great possibilities, The Forest (closed with $26.6m) earned $16m more than its budget, The Young Messiah (closed on April 21, $6.4 million), Race (closed on April 21, $19 million) are doing ok under the studio’s expectation. [10]

[11] Alicia Vikander Winning Oscar for Best Supporting Actress

During the Award season, Alicia Vikander wins Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Focus’s The Danish Girl, a remarkable love story inspired by the real lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne [“The Theory of Everything”] and Alicia Vikander [“Ex Machina”]), directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech,” “Les Misérables”). [11]

Focus Future Releases

Following the upcoming release of an animation Ratchet & Clark on April 29, Focus has six new films in 2016. [12]

[17] Kubo and the Two Strings Poster

Laika and Focus Features are teaming again on Kubo And The Two Strings after their Oscar-nominated animation The Boxtrolls. the first film under Laika and the studio’s three-picture deal.[13] Focus Features has also announced a theatrical release for “Loving” on November 4 after paying a $9 million for the film directed by Jeff Nichols, which depicts the real-life story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple living in the state of Virginia in the 1960s, at the time that interracial coupling was illegal. [14]

[14] Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as Mildred and Richard Loving, on the set of the movie “Loving,” being shot in Richmond, Va.

Following the success of The Forest, the two years direction journey of Juan Antonio Bayona’s A Monster Calls finally will be in theaters on October 14. With Felicity Jones to star and Liam Neeson to voice the Monster. [15]

[18] A Monster Calls Poster

A Monster Calls Official International Teaser Trailer #1 (2016) – Liam Neeson Drama HD

Focus Features also partners with Time Inc. and The Advocate to display the new digital short film documentary series We’ve Been Around. The series tells previously untold histories of transgender pioneers, will premiere exclusively across three Time Inc. websites – People.com, EW.com, Essence.com. [16]

[1] Focus Features, About. Retrieved April 23, 2016. focusfeatures.com
[2] Focus Features, LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2015. focusfeatures.com
[3] Focus Features All Time Box Office Results. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Boxofficemojo.com
[4] Studio Market Share January 1-April 17. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Boxofficemojo.com
[5] Yearly Comparison. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Boxofficemojo.com

[6] “Why focus features is again getting a drastic reboot”. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Variety.

[7] “Peter Schlemiel of Focus Features to Exit as CEO After Universal Pictures International Merger”. Retrieved April 24, 2016. Variety.

[8] “Peter Schlemiel Out At Focus Features In Universal Shake-Up”. Retrieved April 24, 2016. Deadline.

[9] “Box Office: ‘London Has Fallen’ Tops’ Olympus Has Fallen,’ Triples Its Budget”. Retrieved April 24, 2016. Forbes.

[10] Box Office by Studios January 1-April 17. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Boxofficemojo.com.

[11] “‘Danish Girl’s Alicia Vikander Wins Oscar For Best Supporting Actress”. Retrieved April 24, 2016. Deadline.

[12] Focus Features Future Releases. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Boxofficemojo.com.

[13] “‘Kubo And The Two Strings’ Trailer: Laika Takes On Japanese Folklore”Retrieved March 20, 2016, Deadline.

[14] “Focus Features Picks Up Ruth Negga/Joel Edgerton ‘Loving’ Story”. Retrieved April 16, 2016. Blogs.indiewire.com

[15] “‘A Monster Calls’ Trailer: Felicity Jones & Liam Neeson Branch Out”.Retrieved April 23, 2016. Deadline.
[16] Focus Features Debuts Docuseries “We’ve Been Around”. MovieGeeks. Retrieved April 23, 2016. MovieGeeks.com

[17] Kubo and the Two Strings Movie Poster. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Focus Features.

[18] A Monster Calls Poster. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Focus Features.

[19] Peter Kujawski Profile. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Variety.

[20] Robert Walak Profile. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Variety.

[21] Focus Features Logo. Retrieved April 23, 2016. Deadline.

(Sorry, I tried to fix the format of my sources but failed.)

Universal Pictures #1

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Samantha Selby

Sam Selby

Universal Logo – Source: Deadline [17]

Universal Pictures
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal City, California, 91608
(818) 777-1000
http://www.universalpictures.com [23]

Facebook: Universal Studios Entertainment
Twitter: @UniversalPics

ABOUT
Universal Pictures (Universal), a subsidiary of NBCUniversal (NBCU), indirectly belongs to the media conglomerate, Comcast. Universal ranks as one of the “Big Six” film studios. Universal Studios has two main film divisions, Universal Pictures and Focus Features. Universal, which is the primary motion picture and distribution arm for Universal Studios, has numerous partnerships for co-productions, acquisitions, and films. Universal possesses an extensive film catalog ranging from Jurassic Park to Bridesmaids, and owns many popular film franchises, including Back to the Future and Fast and Furious [29].

Universal Pictures Iconic Moments and Memories – Source: Inside the Magic [12]

HISTORY
In 1912, Carl Laemmle founded Universal Film Manufacturing Company by merging with five other film companies [28]. Emigrating from Germany to the United States, Mr. Laemmle became a leading film distributor. Unfortunately, the financial setback from a streak of unsuccessful films forced Mr. Laemmle to sell the company. It was not until the 1960s that Universal returned to prominence [18].

KEY EXECUTIVES

Ronald Meyer, Vice Chairman, NBCUniversal – Source: Comcast [16]

Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Pictures – Source: The Hollywood Reporter [26]

FINANCES
Comcast is a publicly traded company with two publicly traded classes of stock, CMCSA and CMCSK. With the release of its third quarter earnings, Universal was the first studio to have three film releases exceed $1 billion in worldwide box office receipts in the same year. In third quarter 2015, revenue from films increased from $1,186,000,000 to $1,946,000,000 compared to third quarter 2014 [15]. Executives attribute this success to the strong box office receipts of its billion-dollar blockbusters, Jurassic World and Minions [19].

NBCU increased its operating cash flow for its filmed entertainment by 149.5%, from $151 million in its 2014 third quarter to $376 million in its 2015 third quarter. This higher revenue was partially affected by increasing marketing and promotional costs, and larger amortization costs. For the nine-month period ending September 30th, 2015, NBCU reported a 52.4% increase in film revenues to $5,658,000,000 in 2015 [15].

Executives reported that despite fewer theatrical releases during the fourth quarter, NBCU’s film division will continue to perform well as its films are released to home entertainment and content licensing windows [35].

FALL 2015 RELEASES

The Visit – Source: Business Insider [21]

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit was released on September 11th, 2015. The Visit is a found footage horror film about two siblings who visit their grandparents and notice strange things about them. Shyamalan self-funded the film’s budget of $5 million [2]. Opening weekend, The Visit made approximately $25 million and overall the film earned $65 million domestically [11]. This film marks Shyamalan’s return after multiple flops for several years.

Jem and the Holograms – Source: Entertainment Weekly [25]

Based on the 1980s cartoon, Jem and the Holograms, was Universal’s biggest flop of the year. The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, is about a small-town girl who rises to fame. Despite a production budget of $5 million, it grossed only $2 million domestically. The film did even worse internationally, only making $70,571 [4]. The film opened in 2,413 theaters and made $1,375,320, which averages $570 per theater making it the third worst opening weekend for a widely released feature film [4][31]. The creative decision for the film backfired as the target audience was unfamiliar with Jem, and it did not connect with past fans. After two weeks, Universal pulled Jem from theaters to mitigate losses [31]. Given the film’s low budget, the impact is nominal.

Steve Jobs – Source: Screen Rant [1]

Steve Jobs was another flop for Universal. The biopic film of the late Steve Jobs had a limited released on October 9th, 2015 followed by a wide release two weeks later. Its production budget was $30 million, but the film only grossed $17.5 million domestically [7]. Steve Jobs featured a star-studded cast including Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet, but even this star power did not help the box office gross [22]. Given disappointing performance, Steve Jobs was pulled from over 2,000 theaters [33]. Some critics attribute the film’s failure to not opening wide from the start [22]. There is slim hope that Steve Jobs will be an Oscar contender [33].

By the Sea – Source: Los Angeles Times [40]

Angelina Jolie Pitt wrote, directed, produced, and stars in By the Sea along with Brad Pitt. The film follows a couple whose relationship is falling apart. This is Jolie Pitt’s third feature film [38]. On November 5th, there was a world premiere at the American Film Institute Festival [14]. A week later, it opened in ten theaters and earned $96,250. To date, the film has earned $364,584 domestically due to its limited release. Even accounting for worldwide revenue, the film is not close to recovering its $10 million budget [3]. Although Universal is unlikely to recover its budget, it is likely betting that Jolie Pitt will star in Bride of Frankenstein given the studio’s backing of her film [32].

COMING SOON

2015 Year End Releases
The final films of 2015 for Universal are Krampus on December 4th and Sisters on December 18th [39]. Krampus is a horror-comedy starring Adam Scott and Toni Collette. Krampus is about a demonic force that punishes non-believers [37]. Contrarily, Sisters is a comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The film is about two sisters who throw a final party at their childhood home [36]. Both films are being heavily marketed as the holiday season brings competition.

2016 Preview

Ride Along 2 starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart will be Universal’s first release of 2016 [39]. The first film grossed over $100 million in revenue domestically justifying the green light for this sequel [6].

Fourteen years after the release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Universal is set to release My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 on March 22nd [39]. All the stars from the first movie returned for the sequel. The first film was extremely successful, given a budget of $5 million and a domestic gross exceeding $240 million [5].

The Huntsman: Winter’s War is the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. Charlize Theron reprises her role as the evil Queen Ravenna, and Chris Hemsworth as the huntsman. Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain also star [27]. Set for release on April 22nd, the film is directed by Cedric Nicolas-Troyan [39].

LOOK OUT FOR

Split
Universal has announced M. Night Shyamalan’s new suspense thriller, Split, starring James McAvoy. The film, which is another collaboration with Blumhouse Productions, is set for release on January 20th, 2017 [34].

The Franchises
In 2017, Universal plans to release sequels for its many franchises, including Despicable Me 3, Fifty Shades Darker, Furious 8, Pitch Perfect 3, and The Mummy [24].

F. Gary Gray, director of Straight Outta Compton, has signed on to direct Furious 8 [13]. Preproduction has already commenced, and production will begin in April 2016. The entire cast is expected to return. Fast and Furious has been one of Universal’s most successful franchises with Furious 7 grossing over $1 billion worldwide [15].

Following her directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2, Elizabeth Banks will direct Pitch Perfect 3 featuring some of the original cast. The franchise has been a success globally with the second film grossing $286 million worldwide [30].

The Mummy was remade in 1999 [8] and followed by sequels in 2001 [9] and 2008 [10]. All three films grossed over $400 million worldwide [8][9][10]. However, the third film was largely panned. Currently, Tom Cruise is rumored to star in the 2017 reboot of The Mummy [20]. Universal is hoping to use The Mummy to relaunch a new era of monster films.

With its library and continued production, Universal will remain a major studio.

SOURCES

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[2] Bishop, B. (2015, September 10). The Visit review: the most shocking M. Night Shyamalan twist is a good movie. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from The Verge.

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[13] Busch, A. (2015, October 8). F. Gary Gray Confirms He Will Direct ‘Furious 8’. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from Deadline.

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[21] Guerrasio, J. (2015, September 9). M. Night Shyamalan explains how he makes grandparents so creepy in his new thriller ‘The Visit. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Business Insider.

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[26] McClintock, P. (2014, January 26). Universal Re-ups Chairman Donna Langley: More Duties, Oversight. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from The Hollywood Reporter.

[27] McNary, D. (2015, November 18). The Huntsman Winter’s War’ Trailer: Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron Face Off Again. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Variety.

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[29] NBCUniversal. (n.d.). Universal Pictures. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from NBCUniversal Careers.

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[34] Sneider, J. (2015, October 27). M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ Lands 2017 Release Date From Universal, Blumhouse. Retrieved November 25, 2015, from The Wrap.

[35] TheStreet. (2015, October 27). Comcast Corp (CMCSA) Earnings Report: Q3 2015 Conference Call Transcript. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from TheStreet.

[36] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Sisters.

[37] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from Krampus.

[38] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from By the Sea.

[39] Universal Studios. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from Universal Pictures.

[40] Zeitchik, S. (2015, November 6). ‘By the Sea’: Angelina Jolie Pitt has filmmaking weaknesses, but they don’t involve directing. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from Los Angeles Times.

A&E Television Networks – Max Redinger

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Maxwell Redinger

Max Redinger

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

A+E NETWORKS

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

http://www.aenetworks.com/

COMPANY OVERVIEW

“cultivating…the human experience” – A+E

ABOUT

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

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

KEY LEADERSHIP

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

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

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

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

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

FALL 2015 COMPANY NEWS

VICELAND JOINT VENTURE

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

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

NEW PLATFORM: *ASTERISK

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

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

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

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

LIBERTY GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION DEAL

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

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

CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

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

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

COMPANY REORGANIZATION

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

Jana Bennett / Source: tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com

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

Arturo Interian / Source: Variety.com [22]

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

Stacy Green / Source: Variety.com [23]

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

FINANCIALS

A+E Television Networks is a privately traded company.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

A+E’s NEW PROGRAMMING SLATE

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

A&E

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

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

HISTORY

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

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

LIFETIME

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

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

FYI

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

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

SOURCES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Focus Features

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Jacob Greenfeld

Jacob Greenfeld

[1] Focus Features Logo

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

About

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

Executives

[4] Peter Schlessel, Chief Executive Officer

[5] Jim Burke, President of Production

[6] Josh McLaughlin, Executive VP

Financials

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

Recent Releases

Insidious Chapter 3

[9] Insidious Chapter 3 Poster

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

Sinister 2

MV5BMjQ2NTM5NzU3MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDAwMTQyNTE@._V1_SX640_SY720_

[10] Sinister 2 Poster

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

Suffragette

[11] Suffragette Poster

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

Upcoming Releases

The Forest

[12] The Forest Poster

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

Ratchet & Clank

[13] Ratchet and Clank Poster

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

Future

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

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

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

Focus Features

Posted on December 1, 2014 by jepflieg

by John Pflieger

[21] Focus Features Logo

Focus Features is a film production and distribution company that serves at the art house film department of the NBCUniversal brand. Started in 2002, Focus Features is currently run by CEO Peter Schlessel, who took the helm in late 2013 after Focus and the FilmDistrict merged in 2013 [1]. Focus Features has had great success over the last 12 years with critically acclaimed releases like Brokeback Mountain, Dallas Buyers Club, and Lost in Translation just to name a few. The former being the most successful Focus Feature production to date, grossing $83 million and receiving 3 Academy Awards and receive nominations for 5 more along with a slue of other awards [2][3].

Financials

Catering usually to more specific audiences then some of the major production house, Focus Features is currently ranked 12^th for top grossing production companies in the 2014 year, with a total gross of $104 million, which puts them in control of 1.1% of the current market share [4]. Though falling short to its 5^th ranked older brother Universal Pictures, the smaller production company has managed to sustain an average gross of $8.7 million per release over the course of its 11 releases in 2014 [4][5]. With award season approaching, Focus has the potential to see continued growth in revenue through the beginning of 2015. With Oscar buzz surrounding actor Eddie Redmayne of Focus Features most recent release The Theory of Everything, a nomination for best actor has the potential to increase revenue by about $600,000, where a win in the category could yield nearly $6 million in increased revenue[6][7]. Though Focus is only responsible for a small portion of NBCUniversal’s $1.4 billion filmed entertainment revenue, the small production house continues to boast impressive figures[8].

Recent Releases

“The Theory of Everything “

[22] The Theory of Everything Poster

The biographical film chronicles the life of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking as he fell in love with his wife Jane, explored the science of universal time, and struggled with the debilitating neurological disease of ALS [9]. Eddie Redmayne, who plays Steven Hawking, has already been labeled by Variety as one of the main contenders for the Best Actor Academy Award[6]. The film, which opened November 7^th in a limited release to 5 theaters grossed $208,763 and continued to succeed as it hit a wide release November 26^th in 802 theaters and grossed slightly over $5 million in its wide release opening[10]. As of December 1^st the film has grossed $9.6 million and has the potential to see continued success as the holidays and award season approaches[10].

“Kill The Messenger”

[23] Kill The Messenger Poster

A political thriller starring Academy Award nominated actor Jeremy Renner, tells the story of journalist Gary Webb, who stumbles across a dark story that involves drugs and government cover-ups[11]. The film opened October 10^th in 374 theaters and grossed $941,809 in its opening weekend. At its widest relapse the film was only in 427 theaters and to date has only grossed $2.4 million, having been stifled by the Buena Vista release of “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” which was release the same day and saw far greater success[12][13].

“The Boxtrolls”

[24] The Boxtrolls Poster

This family film tells the tail of an adventure of a group of unique creatures as they raise an orphan and fight for their lives in an effort to thwart their local town villain[14]. This film has been the most successful release for Focus Features this year having grossed nearly $50 million. The feature opened September 26^th 3,464 theaters and gross $17.2 million, which accounted for 34.9% of the films total gross domestically[15]. The film went on to gross $56.2 million worldwide, making a total of $105.7 million, which is a huge success not only for Focus Films, but also for the small Oregon based stop-motion animation house Laika Studios, which carried out the animation for “The Boxtrolls.”[15][16] The small animation studio also produced “ParaNorman” and “Coraline” for Focus Features, which are both in Focus Feature’s top 5 for most successful domestic grossing films[5]. Only days after the opening of “The Boxtrolls”, Focus Features signed an agreement with Laika to work with them on 3 more feature length films[17]. This agreement proves to be especially wise when looking at the fact that all three of the films that Laika and Focus have teamed up on have grossed over $100 million world wide, making them highly profitable[17]. There is still room for more success in the coming months, seeing that “The Boxtrolls” received 13 nominations in this years Annie Awards, and is only expected to receive more nods as award season get underway[18].

Upcoming

Focus Features consistently releases 10-12 films a year, making them a highly productive production house for the scale of their operation[5]. As of now, Focus has announced a few new projects that will be coming up in 2015 which will have the potential to make quite a splash in the market place in the upcoming year.

[25] 50 Shades of Grey Poster

One of the more anticipated Focus Features releases of 2015 is the adaptation of the novel 50 Shades of Grey. The popular 3 part book series will be treated as a trilogy by focus and will follow the saga of the novels quite closely. The film is scheduled to be released on Valentines Day, offering an interesting option for holiday viewing[19].

[26] Black Sea Poster

Another highly anticipated 2015 Focus release is the upcoming release starring Jude Law, “Black Sea”. The apparent action movie casts Law as a submarine captain who is working with a team of Russian and English crew members to salvage Nazi gold in a sunken U-boat. The film is scheduled to be released January 23 of 2015[20].

Future of Focus Features

The future for Focus Features appears to be very bright. With a recent 3 film deal with Laika Studios, this is a air of optimism, because with the success of the studio’s earlier films, we can only assume that with the proper marketing and distribution the next 3 should be just as successful. Also with the “50 Shades of Grey” series on the horizon, there are multiple prospects for continued growth. As we see the success of Comcast and NBCUniversal and their continued growth, the potential for the expansion of Focus Features is exponentially increased.

Citations:

1. Focus Features Announces More Key Senior Hires, hollywoodreporter.com, RT; 12/01/14

2. Brokeback Mountain, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

3. Brokeback Mountain Awards, imdb.com, RT: 12/01/14

4. Studio Market Share, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

5. Focus Features, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

6. Contender: Lead Actor Preview, Variety.com, RT: 12/01/14

7. How Oscar Nominations Affect the Box Office, Businessinsider.com, RT: 12/01/14

8. Comcast Earnings Release, cmcsk.com, RT: 12/01/14

9. The Theory of Everything, Rottentomatos.com, RT: 12/01/14

10. The Theory of Everything, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

11. Kill the Messenger, Rottentomatos.com, RT: 12/01/14

12. Kill the Messenger, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

13. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

14. The Boxtrolls, Rottentomatos.com, RT: 12/01/14

15. The Boxtrolls, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/01/14

16. Laika Studios, Laikastudios.com, RT: 12/01/14

17. Focus Features, Laika Ink Three-Film Pact, hollywoodreporter.com, RT; 12/01/14

18. Boxtrolls leads Annie Award nominations, bbc.com, RT; 12/01/14

19. 50 Shades of Grey, fiftyshadesmovie.com, RT; 12/01/14

20. Black Sea, focusfeatures.com, RT; 12/01/14

21. Focus Features Logo, thewrap.com, RT; 12/01/14

22. The Theory of Everything Poster, imdb.com, RT; 12/01/14

23. Kill the Messenger Poster, imdb.com, RT; 12/01/14

24. The Boxtrolls Poster, imdb.com, RT; 12/01/14

25. 50 Shades of Grey Poster, imdb.com, RT; 12/01/14

26. Black Sea Poster, imdb.com, RT; 12/01/14

Hulu

Posted on October 5, 2014 by kdtinder

by Kay Tinder

OVERVIEW

Photo Courtesy of: technobuffalo.com

Hulu is a streaming video on demand (SVOD) service that allows the public to see clips, television series (scripted and reality), and movies virtually anywhere. Hulu offers free, ad-sponsored content as well as a membership package called Hulu Plus—a $7.99 monthly fee that gives a user a broader selection of content, lessens the burden of ads, and allows access to more platforms to view the content. Since the company is private, Hulu is not forced to disclose their financials. However, the company did announce that they reached $1 billion in revenue in 2013 [1].

Disney, 21^st Century Fox, and Comcast’s NBCUniversal share ownership in the company that has six million subscribers and has over 100,000 episodes and 5,400 films streaming [2]. The video streaming company has added more content, strengthened ties with various networks, interacted with the community, and experimented with new advertising models in order to stay competitive with ever changing new media.

NEW CONTENT

Photo Courtesy of: blog.hulu.com

James Franco released his much anticipated Saturday Night Live (SNL) documentary exclusively to Hulu’s Plus subscribers. Saturday Night started as Franco’s NYU Film School Project that gave a behind-the-scenes look at a week of SNL and the production process of a single episode [3]. Since its original film festival debuts, the documentary has received mostly positive reviews. Releasing content with such high buzz on a private service urges Hulu users to upgrade to Plus and pay a little extra to be part of the limited audience that sees exclusive content.

Photo Courtesy of: books.usatoday.com

Stephen King’s best-selling novel, 11/22/63, has just been ordered as a miniseries [4]. The Hulu Original will be split into nine, hour-long episodes. The drama follows Jake Epping, a high school English teacher, who travels through time to the late 50’s. His goal is to prevent the President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Both King and J.J. Abrams (Bad Robot Productions) are working as executive producers, with Bridget Carpenter and Bryan Burk as writers [5]. This will also be the first time Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) and Hulu will collaborate on original programming [4]. Having big names on this project will certainly add hype to the new show and bring more traffic towards Hulu.

Casual is a straight-to-series, half-hour comedy series about a brother and sister, the first single and the latter newly divorced, who navigate the modern dating world while also raising a teenager under one roof. The ten episode, single-camera production is to be produced by Oscar-nominated director Jason Reitman and through Lionsgate Television [6]. Lionsgate adds to Hulu’s content connections while Reitman’s name and reputation bring in more customers.

Photo Courtesy of: www.projectcasting.com

ABC’s show Selfie , starring John Cho, was ordered to produce 13 episodes, but the comedy was cancelled after its seventh. Hulu decided to pick up the series and promised to release the six remaining episodes once a week, similar to its original television format [7]. It’s becoming more and more common for streaming services to save shows that are cancelled from traditional cable. Often they will finish whatever content they have produced or buy the rights and continue to produce more seasons.

Around the same time FX announced they would be streaming every the Simpsons episode ever produced, Hulu released that all 17 seasons of South Park would be available on Hulu, with new episodes available the day after they air [8]. This is just one of the many series Hulu makes binge-able while also keeping it up-to-date, a service that other streaming competitors do not provide.

Big names with a reputation of consistently producing good content litter Hulu’s upcoming shows. No doubt, Hulu’s continuous name-dropping will continue to draw people to its streaming services.

VIACOM

Photo Courtesy of: tvweek.com

Hulu has just expanded its deal with Viacom, increasing the amount and diversity of content on both Hulu and Hulu Plus. Viacom owns a diverse array of networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, and TVLand. Already streaming shows like the Colbert Report, Breadwinners, and Awkward, Hulu will be adding Invader Zim, Workaholics, Spongebob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—the final two being streamed in Spanish. They will also be refreshing already present content to include full past season of the Jersey Shore, Catfish, and many more [9]. This strengthened relationship could lead to more exclusive content in the future that would entice consumers to purchase Hulu Plus over other competitors.

APP UPDATES

Hulu has upgraded its free iOS app for Hulu Plus subscribers. Three new panels have been added to the initial screen. “Home” gives a selection of the best or popular content handpicked by Hulu. “Shows you Watch” keeps track of the shows you watch and makes them easily accessible. “Navigation” provides the categorized list of all of Hulu’s content.

Photo Courtesy of: blog.hulu.com 2

“Cast to TV” allows members to throw whatever they’re watching onto their television. Now, the new app will allow your phone to become the remote [10]. As more people turn to their phones and tablets to view content, Hulu’s refined app will serve as a plus for users.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

On October 16^th, 2014, the streaming service showed its support for the LGBT community when converting its usual green accents to purple for a day.

Photo Courtesy of: blog.hulu.com

To celebrate national #SpiritDay, Hulu highlighted LGBT-inclusive television series and films, including Ugly Betty, uncensored Sailor Moon, and Hulu Origianl East Los High—which also has an all-Latino cast. On this day, Hulu also reminded the public their partnership with GLADD, and Hulu’s ambition to have all backgrounds and cultures represented in their services [11]. Hulu is trying to show that they truly care about their audience and not just their money. They want all to feel relevant and welcome to their services.

ADVERTISING

Advertising on Hulu is affective, interactive, and integrated. Hulu has brought creative advertising techniques into their services that often leave competitors in the dust. Using choice-based ads allows the user to feel some power in what they watch and also helps advertisers target their market. Less wasted impressions means more money from advertisers, more money for Hulu, and less advertisements.

Photo Courtesy of: jinglepunks.com

Subway produced 4 to 9ers, six ten-minute episodes about high schoolers and their first part-time jobs. The main character works in a Subway and the business’s logo is in almost every frame. The integrated marketing technique was a huge hit and topped as Hulu’s most popular short-form comedy series [12]. Despite its success with unique advertising, Hulu is having some doubts.

Mike Hopkins, CEO of Hulu, is reconsidering the amount of ads shown on Hulu Plus. In December 2013, Hulu would show an average of 82.3 ads per month, versus YouTube’s 32.3 ad average per viewer [13]. Showing this amount of ads may bring in money, but is incredibly risky, especially on a service that’s paid for. If too many ads are shown, users will ditch Hulu, much like cable, and opt for a service that’s cheaper or shows fewer ads. Hulu is on the right track by constantly looking for new methods of marketing. Replacing traditional advertisements with integrated marketing, like 4 to 9ers, makes advertising seem more like content rather than harassment.

[1] http://blog.hulu.com/2013/12/18/a-strong-2013/

[2] http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/hulu-renews-viacom-deal-expanding-selection-of-nickelodeon-shows-1201341031/

[3] http://blog.hulu.com/2014/09/26/james-francos-snl-documentary-debuts-on-hulu/

[4] http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/hulu-orders-stephen-kings-112263-kennedy-assassination-thriller-series-from-j-j-abrams-1201310792/

[5] http://nypost.com/2014/09/22/stephen-kings-book-on-jfk-assassination-to-be-hulu-series/

[6] http://blog.hulu.com/2014/10/30/jason-reitmans-casual-comes-to-hulu/

[7] http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/showbiz/tv/selfie-hulu-episodes/

[8] http://blog.hulu.com/2014/09/26/all-seasons-of-south-park-now-on-hulu/

[9] http://www.cnet.com/news/happy-happy-joy-joy-hulu-scores-cult-toon-classics/

[10] http://blog.hulu.com/2014/10/01/introducing-the-reimagined-hulu-plus-app-for-iphone/

[11] http://blog.hulu.com/2014/10/16/hulu-goes-purple-for-spiritday/

[12] http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/subway-serves-up-second-season-of-hulus-4-to-9ers-exclusive-1200325496/

[13] http://nypost.com/2014/10/08/hulu-ceo-mulls-cutting-number-of-ads-running-on-hulu-plus/

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].