ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ crosses $500 million worldwide

    Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ crosses $500 million worldwide

    MUMBAI: Disney’s Cinderella crossed the $500 million threshold at the global box office on 6 May 2015. 

     

    Since its stellar $67.8 million domestic debut on 13 March, Cinderella has taken in nearly $195 million and is the third highest grossing film of the year. Its international gross to date is more than $308 million.

     

    Cinderella most recently opened at first position in its final international market, Japan, on 25 April with the biggest opening day and weekend of the year for a Western release, and it remained the top Western release in its second weekend. 

     

    The film enjoyed a phenomenal performance in China with $71.1 million, where it opened with $25 million for the biggest March debut of all time. Other top markets include the UK ($29.2 million), Japan, ($21.6 million), Italy and Australia ($16.5 million each), Brazil ($15.5 million), and Mexico ($15.4 million).  

  • Forex impact lowers Viacom Q2-2015 revenue

    Forex impact lowers Viacom Q2-2015 revenue

    BENGALURU:  Viacom Inc. reported three per cent increase in its Media Network revenue to $2452 million in the quarter ended 31 March, 2015 (Q2-2015, current quarter) from the $2375 million reported for the corresponding year ago quarter. The $77 million increase was more than offset by a two per cent negative impact of foreign exchange (forex) and a 21 per cent decline in revenue to $659 million in Q2-2015 from  831 million in Q2-2014. Overall, the company’s revenue in Q2-2015 declined three per cent to $3078 million as compared to the $3174 million reported for Q2-2014.

     

    The company reported a six per cent lower adjusted operating income (excluding restructuring and programming charges) of $822 million in the current quarter as compared to the $872 million in Q2-2014. Factoring in restructuring and programming charges of $784 million, the company’s adjusted operating income for Q2-2015 was just $38 million. 

     

    The company reported a loss attributable to Viacom of $210 million in Q2-2015 as compared to a profit of $502 billion in Q2-2015.

    Viacom executive chairman Sumner M. Redstone said, “Viacom’s outstanding brands deliver great entertainment content on every screen, from film to television, mobile and beyond. We have the global footprint and the expert leadership to continue our success.”

     

    Viacom president and chief executive office Philippe Dauman added, “We are deeply committed to investing in more and more original content, expanding in international growth markets, where we are launching networks at a rapid pace, and adapting to changes in technology and consumer behavior. In the quarter, Viacom’s Media Networks delivered higher advertising and affiliate revenues, and new hits like Lip Sync Battle set the stage for even more exciting, original programming across our networks. Paramount Pictures also continues to be a proven hit maker. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was the first title from our brand new Paramount Animation division and a box office success around the world, and we look forward to the releases of Terminator Genisys and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation this summer.

     

    “With our strategic realignment largely complete, Viacom is in excellent position to take full advantage of the many opportunities in the rapidly evolving media environment. The $175 million in savings to be achieved in fiscal 2015 and substantial ongoing annual benefit will allow us to move efficiently through the second half of the year and beyond,” added Dauman.

     

    During the six month period ended 31 March, 2015 (6M-2015), Viacom revenue improved slightly by 0.8 per cent to $6422 million from $6371 million in 6M-2014. Comprehensible Income attributable to Viacom for 6M-2015 was $169 million, which was less than a sixth (1/6.4 times) the $1082 reported for 6M-2014.

     

    Media Networks

    Media Networks revenues increased $77 million, or three per cent, due to higher advertising revenues in Q2-2015, driven by the acquisition of Channel 5 Broadcast Limited in September 2014, and affiliate fees, partially offset by the impact of foreign exchange. Excluding an unfavourable four per cent and two per cent impact of foreign exchange, Filmed Entertainment revenues declined 17 per cent and Media Networks revenues increased five per cent, informs Viacom.

     

    Media Networks adjusted operating income declined $46 million, reflecting an increase in programming and promotional expenses, partially offset by higher revenues. 

    Within Media Networks, advertisement revenues increased four per cent in Q2-2015 to $1172 million from $1124 million in Q2-2014, Affiliate fees improve three per cent to $1146 million in Q2-2015 from $1114 million in Q2-2014, while Ancillary revenue reduced three per cent to $134 million from $137 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Filmed Entertainment

    The company says that lower Filmed Entertainment segment revenue was because of lower license fees and home entertainment revenues. Filmed Entertainment adjusted operating income declined $10 million due to the number and mix of available titles in the television licensing windows.

     

    Within Filmed Entertainment, Theatrical revenues went down $24 million or 10 per cent to $205 million in Q2-2015, on the back of lower mix of prior period releases and 35 per cent lower international theatrical revenues. The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge out of water and Selma helped spike revenues up by $41 million. Worldwide home entertainment revenues decreased $63 million, or 25 per cent, to $194 million in the quarter. Revenues from current quarter titles decreased $32 million driven by the mix of releases. Domestic home entertainment revenues decreased 16 per cent and international home entertainment revenues decreased 35 per cent. Foreign exchange had a seven percentage point unfavourable impact on international home entertainment revenues.

  • ‘Homeland’ season 4 on Star World Weekend Binge

    ‘Homeland’ season 4 on Star World Weekend Binge

    MUMBAI: Star World is all set to air season four of Homeland for the first time on its Weekend Binge slot.

     

    Every weekend the line-up of the shows include latest seasons and series premieres of shows like Two and A Half Men, New Girl, Modern Family, Fresh off the Boat, Black-ish, Agents of SHIELD and The Bridge amongst others.

     

    Homeland season four will air this weekend from 12 noon onwards on Star World.

     

    Showtime and Fox 21 Television Studios have announced today that season five of Homeland will shoot on location in Germany, becoming the first American television series to shoot a full season entirely in Germany.

     

    Produced by Fox 21 Television Studios, season five of Homeland picks up two years after Carrie Mathison’s (Claire Danes) ill-fated tenure as Islamabad station chief. Struggling to reconcile her guilt and disillusionment with years of working on the front lines in the “war on terror,” Carrie finds herself in a self-imposed exile in Berlin, estranged from the CIA and working for a private security firm.

     

    Developed for American television by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, Homeland is based on the original Israeli series Prisoners of War by Gideon Raff. Along with Gansa, Gordon and Raff, the executive producers for season five are Alexander Cary, Chip Johannessen, Meredith Stiehm, Patrick Harbinson, Lesli Linka Glatter, Avi Nir and Ran Telem.

     

    In India, the series is set to premiere season five this fall on Star World Premiere HD, at the same time as its US premiere.

  • Q1-2015: Turner record results overcome Warner Bros, HBO downturn for Time Warner

    Q1-2015: Turner record results overcome Warner Bros, HBO downturn for Time Warner

    BENGALURU: Turner’s record adjusted operating income growth of 26 per cent to $1128 million for Q1-2015 as compared to the $895 million in Q1-2014 was offset in part by declines at Warner Bros. and Home Box Office (HBO) says Time Warner Inc.

     

    Time Warner’s adjusted operating income grew 11.6 per cent to a record $1814 million during the quarter ended 31 March, 2015 (Q1-2015, current quarter) as compared to the $1626 million in Q1-2014. Time Warner revenue was up 4.8 per cent to $7127 million in Q1-2015 as compared to the $6803 million during the corresponding quarter of last year. The revenue increase was due to growth in all divisions says the company.

     

    Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “We got off to a very strong start in 2015, with revenues up five per cent, and adjusted operating income growing 12 per cent to a quarterly record of $1.8 billion. This led to a 23 per cent increase in adjusted EPS and puts us on track to achieve our goals for the year. We accomplished a lot in the quarter, led by Turner, which had its best quarter ever, with audience growth across a number of its networks. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was a huge multiplatform success, with its highest average television viewership in over two decades helping make TBS the #1 ad-supported cable network in primetime among adults 18-49 in the quarter. And March Madness Live served more than 80 million live video streams and grew its usage by almost 20 per cent over last year’s tournament. Warner Bros. led the domestic box office for the quarter on the strength of American Sniper, which brought in well over $500 million globally. Warner Bros. also continued to lead the industry in television production, including the #1 comedy and unscripted series among adults 18-49 on television this season. HBO once again grew domestic subscribers in the quarter while continuing to gain acclaim for groundbreaking programming such as the recent documentaries Going Clear: Scientology and The Prison of Belief and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. The return of Game of Thrones reached a new premiere high, while also providing the backdrop for the highly-anticipated launch of HBO Now, our standalone streaming version of HBO – which is off to a great start. Reflecting our strong commitment to provide direct returns to shareholders, we returned more than $1.4 billion in dividends and share repurchases year-to-date.”

     

    Segment Results

     

    Turner

    Turner reported 4.5 per cent growth in revenue to $2710 million in Q1-2015 from $2593 million in Q1-2014. Turner’s adjusted operating income has been mentioned above.

     

    The company says that Turner benefited from growth of four per cent ($42 million) in advertising revenues, three per cent ($38 million) in subscription revenues and 25 per cent ($37 million) in content and other revenues.

     

    Turner advertising revenues benefited from growth at Turner’s domestic businesses mainly due to the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament (NCAA Tournament) and growth at Turner’s news businesses. Subscription revenues grew due to higher domestic rates partially offset by lower domestic subscribers. Both international advertising and international subscription revenue growth were more than offset by the impact of foreign exchange rates. The increase in content and other revenues was due to higher subscription video-on-demand revenues.

     

    Turner’s adjusted operating income increased 26 per cent primarily due to higher revenues and lower expenses, including lower marketing, programming and general and administrative costs, largely as a result of operational efficiency initiatives and timing. Programming costs declined three per cent due primarily to timing and lower syndicated programming expenses as a result of the abandonment of certain programming in 2014.

     

    HBO

     

    Home Box Office revenue in Q1-2015 was up 4.4 per cent to $1398 million as compared to the $1339 million in Q1-2014. Adjusted operating income fell 1.3 per cent to $458 million in Q1-2015 from $468 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    According to the company, HBO revenues grew four per cent and reflect increases of four per cent ($49 million) in subscription revenues and five per cent ($10 million) in content and other revenues. Subscription revenues increased primarily due to higher domestic rates, partially offset by the transfer to Turner of the operation of HBO’s basic cable network in India. The increase in content and other revenues reflected higher home entertainment revenues and higher international licensing revenues.

     

    HBO adjusted operating income declined one per cent ($6 million) to $458 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by higher programming, distribution and marketing costs. Programming costs grew nine per cent, primarily due to increased expenses for original programming. Distribution costs increased primarily due to higher participation expenses. The increase in marketing costs was primarily related to the launch of HBO Now.

     

    Time Warner informs that through the first two weeks, the fifth season premiere of Game of Thrones totalled 18.1 million gross viewers, over one million more viewers than the prior season’s first episode after the same period of time. In April 2015, Home Box Office launched HBO Now, its stand-alone streaming service, in the US.

     

    Warner Bros

     

    Warner Bros revenue grew 4.3 per cent to $3199 million in the current year from $3066 million in Q1-2014. Adjusted operating income declined 13.2 per cent to $330 million in Q1-2015 from $380 million reported in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Warner Bros revenue increase, reflects higher television licensing revenues primarily due to the subscription video-on-demand sale of Friends and higher revenues from videogames. Revenues also benefited from growth in theatrical revenues led by the strong performance of American Sniper. The increase was partially offset by the effect of foreign currency exchange rates.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income declined 13.2 per cent, as higher revenues were more than offset by higher film and advertising costs due to the mix of theatrical releases and videogame product.

     

    Through 27 April, American Sniper grossed over $540 million at the worldwide box office. On 9 April, Warner Bros., its TT Games business and The Lego Group announced Lego Dimensions, a videogame experience that combines physical Lego brick building toys based on multiple franchises, including Warner Bros.’ DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings and The Lego Movie, with interactive console gameplay.

     

  • HBO Defined to premiere ‘The Casual Vacancy’

    HBO Defined to premiere ‘The Casual Vacancy’

    MUMBAI: HBO Defined is all set to premiere the three part miniseries The Casual Vacancy, which is based on the novel by J.K. Rowling.

     

    The first part of the miniseries will premiere in India on 28 April, while the remaining two episodes will be aired on 29 and 30 April at 10 pm.

     

    The Casual Vacancy is directed by Jonny Campbell and written by Sarah Phelps. The ensemble of actors is led by Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie, Keeley Hawes, Rory Kinnear, Rufus Jones, Emily Bevan, Simon McBurney, Monica Dolan and introduces Abigail Lawrie in her acting debut.

     

    The miniseries is executive produced by Paul Trijbits, Rick Senat, Neil Blair and Rowling and produced by Ruth Kenley-Letts.

     

    The Casual Vacancy is the story of a village tearing itself apart, revealing the townspeople’s idiosyncrasies, and addressing social responsibility and one’s response to the poor and disadvantaged. At times darkly funny, it portrays a town whose residents are selfishly stuck in their beliefs and traditions, unaware they have the power to change. This sadly comical selfishness comes to play an important role as events unfold.

     

  • Star World unleashes marketing blitzkrieg for ‘Weekend Binge’

    Star World unleashes marketing blitzkrieg for ‘Weekend Binge’

    MUMBAI: Star World is all set to launch its new Weekend Binge slot from 25 April.

     

    Weekend Binge is a property, which is designed to bring a new TV viewing experience to Indian viewers. To take this innovation to the next level, Star World has created an integrated marketing campaign with the channel’s first-ever mascot – Binge Baba, to add fun and excitement to the campaign.

     

    Keeping in mind the growing need for uninterrupted entertainment, Star World Weekend Binge will give viewers a chance to watch all seasons of television’s popular series at one go, thereby showcasing more than 1200 hours of shows and premiering more than 30 shows across 52 weekends for its viewers.

    The Binge line-up includes popular shows like How to Get Away with Murder, Homeland, 2 Broke Girls, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men and Agents of Shield, among several others.

     

    The mascot Binge Baba is positioned as the epitome of an indulgent lifestyle. Star World has conceived Binge Baba to drive home the maxim of the property – it is for those who can’t have enough and want more, in this case, the complete story of a show at one go. As the brand’s voice, Binge Baba will spread the message of ‘indulgence is good’ every weekend. The channel is leading all marketing efforts for the property through Binge Baba.

     

    With the support of various engagement activities for this flagship property, multi-dimensional efforts have been initiated across cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Apart from leveraging the network strength to drive visibility for this innovation, the channel is also undertaking a cinema campaign across 120+ screens in its core markets to capitalize on the buzz around Avengers: Age of Ultron. Star World will not only run promos during the screening of the movie but will also be using branding opportunities to build visibility.

     

    The new initiative will also be promoted in upscale shopping malls across metros and at major domestic airports. In addition to this, to gain further visibility in Bangalore, the channel is also launching an outdoor campaign. Star World will also be taking the digital route with a powerful reach campaign that is being rolled out to target core consumers. 

     

    To mark the launch of this innovative property Star World is also rolling out an office contact program with focus on trade in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore by giving key offices and their employees a chance to binge on their favorite ice creams as they get ready to binge watch the biggest international shows on the channel starting 25 April from 12 pm.

     

    A Star spokesperson said, “Star World Weekend Binge will mark a new beginning and set a new trend for consuming content in India and to support this innovative initiative, we have ensured that no stones are left unturned with the marketing of this property. Our objective was to create a differentiated marketing campaign and developing a mascot like Binge Baba is a step in that direction. The character has already gained popularity amongst our core target audiences on digital and we are very excited with the positive response and sentiments that are being built for this weekend innovation of ours.”

  • Vh1 unveils summer line-up of shows

    Vh1 unveils summer line-up of shows

    MUMBAI: This summer, Vh1 has lined up a slew of shows to enthrall viewers. Vh1 has commenced its non-stop summer entertainment with Asia’s Got Talent. The talent hunt will be followed by the launch of Vh1’s Get with It movement, new seasons of Catfish: The TV Show, 2015 Billboard Music Awards, Hollywood Film Awards and the new season of Britain’s Got Talent.

     

    Viacom18 executive vice president and business head, English entertainment Ferzad Palia said, “Our previous showcase of international reality shows and LIVE international awards on Vh1 have received overwhelming response. We take the mandate of entertaining our viewers forward with fresher and more eclectic offerings. New seasons of the immensely popular Catfish and Britain’s Got Talent, a simulcast broadcast of Asia’s Got Talent and the 2015 Billboard Music Awards airing live – we are excited to present our new summer line-up to our audiences.”

     

    The first-ever season of Asia’s Got Talent premiered in India on 18 April, with Grammy-winning musician David Foster and UK pop sensation & former Spice Girl, Melanie C seated on the judges’ thrones. The new season will see hopefuls from across Asia showcasing their talent to the world – celebrities in their own right, Indian sand-artist Nitesh Bharati, martial-arts experts Bir Khalsa, Opera singer Toshanbor, popular child artiste Akshat Singh, will be among contenders for the Asia top title.

     

    Vh1’s Get with It movement brings to its followers a plethora of new activities with a resounding message to rebel against the lazy. With this movement Vh1 will guide people through the various activities, programs and events out there associated with being “cool”. From skydiving to mixed martial arts, this movement is all about getting people out of their comfort zones and discovering and participating in activities which they would have never otherwise imagined or considered.

     

    The reality fever on Vh1 will continue with latest season premieres of Catfish: The TV Show Season 4, which will launch on 4 May and Britain’s Got Talent Season 9, which will go on air on 1 June. While Catfish returns with its fourth season with more peculiar characters and fresher stories, Britain’s Got Talent gears up for its ninth season with its popular judging panel comprising Simon Cowell, David Williams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. The peppy pack will be joined once again by the famous duo Ant and Dec.

     

    The channel will air the Hollywood Film Awards on 27 April and the 2015 Billboard Music Awards LIVE from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 18 May. The evening, hosted by Hip Hop artist and actor Ludacris along with TV host and supermodel Chrissy Teigen, will showcase this year’s favourite musical acts and biggest music stars.

  • ‘BBC First’ block to launch on AXN Mystery in Japan

    ‘BBC First’ block to launch on AXN Mystery in Japan

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and Sony Pictures Television Networks in Japan have launched BBC First on AXN Mystery, marking the global debut of the BBC First-branded programme block.

     

    AXN Mystery is Japan’s only dedicated mystery channel, bringing together premium mystery drama from around the world.

     

    The BBC First block, which will launch in Japan on 7 May at 10 pm, will provide a home for award-winning and premium crime, mystery, and thriller programmes from the UK. The block will air for two hours every Thursday. Viewers will also be able to catch-up on some of their favourite programmes on the block via AXN Mystery Plus, a free on-demand service for AXN Mystery subscribers on their TVs, PCs, tablets and smartphones.

     

    AXN Mystery viewers will have access to top rated and awarding winning British dramas including Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman; Doctor Who, the longest running science fiction series in the world;  as well as The Game, the stylish edgy spy thriller set in the Cold War, which will make its Asia premiere on the channel. 

     

    “AXN Mystery has had great success with British dramas, which have attracted a strong Japanese following with their high production value and unique style of storytelling, so it made perfect sense to create a destination for them on our schedule. We are confident that the carefully curated programme lineup for BBC First will bring even more audiences to the channel,” said Sony Pictures Television Networks, Japan general manager – AXN Mystery Hiroko Ozawa.

     

    “The BBC has a world-class reputation for drama. With this at its core, the BBC First programme block will offer Japan’s audiences an unrivalled opportunity to view a wealth of original and unforgettable British content. Over the months ahead, we will be offering viewers more opportunities to catch the best and latest crime, suspense and mystery dramas from the UK,” added BBC Worldwide, North East Asia VP and GM Soojin Chung.

     

    The BBC First programming block in Japan is the second launch of the genre brand worldwide. In August 2014, BBC First channel launched in Australia on Foxtel’s pay TV platform.

  • FX India to launch ‘Doctor Who’ series in May

    FX India to launch ‘Doctor Who’ series in May

    MUMBAI: Even as the leaked emails from Sony Pictures Entertainment have revealed the studio is planning a Hollywood movie on the cult sci-fi series Doctor Who, FX India is all set to air the series this May. 

     

    FX India will launch the series on 15 May and will air it from Monday to Friday at 9 pm.

     

    Doctor Who series first aired in 1963 and has become a cult favorite among many. Over the years, 13 actors have featured in the series as the Doctor.

     

  • Outdoor Channel Asia to expand in APAC, starts with Singapore

    Outdoor Channel Asia to expand in APAC, starts with Singapore

    NEW DELHI: Multi Channels Asia (MCA), which is one of Asia-Pacific’s largest independent channel provider, will bring its Oudoor Channel (Asia) to Brand New Media’s newly launched Multi-Channel Internet TV Network (MCN) across selected Asia-Pacific territories. 

     

    Under a new agreement, the territory-by-territory roll-out will commence with the immediate launch in Singapore, followed quickly by a number of other markets.

     

    The move will see Outdoor Channel’s outdoor sports content becoming a part of BNM’s recently launched 4ME network of lifestyle channels. MCA will work closely with BNM – a global content company that owns, creates and operates digital channels for the world’s leading brands and broadcasters – to offer select Outdoor Channel programming, as well as develop original and branded content aimed at the fast-growing outdoor lifestyle entertainment category.

     

    Multi Channels Asia MD Gregg Creevey said, “With the proliferation of mobile devices, advanced infrastructure, changing media consumption habits and the convergence of social and digital media, the launch of Outdoor Channel’s dedicated MCN with Brand New Media in Singapore is part of our digital-first strategy for the region.  The specific in-market MCNs will allow us to accelerate Outdoor Channel’s market penetration, and to better reach and engage with the underserved and passionate communities of people who embrace the outdoor lifestyle and its myriad of pursuits.”

     

    Multi Channels Asia director network distribution and marketing Kevin Sim added, “Singapore, which has the highest consumption of digital videos per capita across the Southeast Asia, was the logical market for the first Outdoor Channel MCN.  Access to Outdoor Channel online and through multiple devices has become a crucial part of our growth strategy, which is typified by our 2015 #WhatsYourStory programming and marketing strategy.  In the longer term, this vertical approach will allow us to work more closely with brands to create richer and more relevant localized content across multiple platforms.”

     

    Brand New Media global director Damien Bray said, “Indicators for digital video consumption globally and in Asia are growing at an incredible rate, and brands have transitioned their spending increasingly to online and mobile video, which is a trend that is expected to continue over the next few years. We have earmarked a handful of lifestyle content genres that will be able to command a loyal community, and Outdoor Channel ticks all the necessary boxes, and its compelling content and positioning will allow us to build deep audience engagement and interaction.”