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Tag: ABC

  • Disney Q1 net profit grows on DVD sales

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Disney blew past Wall Street expectations as it reported strong first quarter earnings on gains from the sale of its shares in US Weekly magazine and the E! Entertainment channel.

    Even without the one-time gains, which boosted earnings by 29 cents per share, the media conglomerate beat analyst forecasts by 11 cents per share on strong performance from sales of DVDs, including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

    In the quarter ended 30 December 2006, Disney earned $1.7 billion, or 79 cents a share, which includes a gain of 39 cents a share from the sale of Disney’s stake in E! Networks and Us Weekly. Excluding the gains, the earnings did top analyst estimates of 39 cents a share.

    Quarterly revenues were $9.73 billion, driven by DVD sales of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Cars and High School Musical along with strong results from ABC and ESPN.

    Net income rose from $734 million in the first quarter last year to $1.7 billion. Revenue grew 10 per cent to $9.7 billion. Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “These results are particularly gratifying given the great year we had in 2006 and are another clear sign our strategy is driving growth and creating shareholder value.”

  • Disney renames video game unit to Disney Interactive Studios

     MUMBAI: Disney has announced that its video game business unit formerly known as Buena Vista Games will be renamed to Disney Interactive Studios.

    The business unit will publish both Disney and non-Disney branded video games for all platforms worldwide. Video games will be published under the company’s consumer brands including Disney, ABC and Touchstone.

    Disney Interactive Studios’ senior vice president and general manager Graham Hopper said, “This change reflects our focus on creativity, the weight of Disney content in our portfolio, and the enormous value consumers see in the Disney brand.”

    The announcement was made at the company’s investor conference in Orlando.

     

  • Oscar.com to unleash content ahead of the Academy awards

    Oscar.com to unleash content ahead of the Academy awards

    MUMBAI: With the prestigious Oscar Awards a few weeks away, Oscar.com, the official site for the 79th Academy Awards, will provide movie fans with a lot of video.

    This includes behind-the-scenes content, a sneak peek into Oscar preparations, as well as online sweepstakes and interactive games. In india the oscars will air on Star movies on 26 February.

    During Oscar Week, 19-24 February 2007 Oscar.com will feature behind-the-scenes video diaries from the host Ellen DeGeneres as she prepares to host the telecast.

    Hosted by Allyson Waterman and Greg Vaughan (star of US broadcaster ABC’s General Hospital), Road to the Oscars will cover the events that take place during the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, including footage from pre-Oscar events, interviews and post-show coverage. Road to the Oscars will feature four weekly shows and a daily show from 19 -26 February 2007.

    New to Oscar.com this year is a Q&A section with the nominees in which they answer questions. Fans can get to know the stars better. Also new is the Thank You Cam, where fans can see the first exclusive comments from the winners as they leave the stage with their Oscar statuette.

    Tom Julian, Oscar.coms official fashion trend analyst, will give fans a look into red carpet style with exclusive one-on-one visits with fashion designers. Julian will also take fans back in time with the Evolution of Style page.

    In addition Oscar.com will launch two exclusive promotions, Find the 79s and Predict the Winners. A watch-and-win contest, viewers can tune in during the live show to look for hidden 79s placed throughout the telecast. At the end of the telecast, viewers may log on to Oscar.com and submit a list of where the symbols appeared for a chance to win great prizes. Predict the Winners offers fans a chance to test their skills on their Oscar predictions. On Oscar.com fans may follow along with printable ballots.

    Users can also log on on 26 February 2007 to watch backstage interview footage with the winners of the 79th Academy Awards.

    Furthermore Oscar.com also has interactive games, including Your Perfect Oscar Date. This allows players to determine which celebrities would make their perfect Oscar night date. Which Character Are You? aims to keep players guessing about which memorable movie character they are most similar to.

    The challenge for the Academy though will be viewership. Apart from The Departed which made over $100 million the other four films nominated for best picture have not made much money at the box office. Their combined box office take is only slightly more than what last year’s nominees had made which was the lowest ever.

    In fact Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima a second world war film told from Japan’s perspective has made only a little over two million dollars. The Queen which stars Oscar favourite Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II made a modest $35 million. Babel made a little over $ 23 million.

  • ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Office’ triumph at Sag Awards

    ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘The Office’ triumph at Sag Awards

    MUMBAI: At the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) Awards in the US, ABC’s medical soap Grey’s Anatomy, which airs in India on Star World, and NBC’s sitcom The Office won the top prizes for best ensemble in a drama and comedy respectively.

    With the exception of The Office most of the other wins in television followed the same pattern as the Golden Globe awards. Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons won for their roles in HBO’s Elizabeth I.

    Alec Baldwin, who stars in 30 Rock and America Ferrera, who stars in Ugly Betty, won in the comedy categories. In the drama category the trophies went to Hugh Laurie for House and Chandra Wilson for Grey’s Anatomy.

    In film, all the acting wins were the same as the Golden Globes. So Mirren won for The Queen, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson won for Dreamgirls and Forest Whitaker won for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. The only differance is that the ensemble award went to the comedy Little Miss Sunshine which beat Dreamgirls, The Departed, The Queen and Babel.

    At the Oscar Awards which will air on Star Movies on 26 February 2007, the acting awards should mirror both the Sag and Golden Globes. With this kind of predictability a lot will depend on what the host Ellen DeGeneres and the organisers come up with to sustain viewer interest. The big one Best Picture is up in the air though Little Miss Sunshine is a little bit in front having won both Sag and the producers guild awards.

  • Global revenue from online video will grow to nearly $1.5 billion by the end of 2007

    Global revenue from online video will grow to nearly $1.5 billion by the end of 2007

    MUMBAI: Global revenue from online video sales, rentals or subscriptions will total just $298 million this year, but will grow to nearly $1.5 billion by the end of 2007.

    A report from research firm Strategy Analytics states that With more than 100 million TV shows, movies and other programs downloaded, 2006 will be remembered as the year in which online sales of prerecorded video finally became a real business.

    Kicked off by a strong push from Apple Computer and other media companies, online video sales will be driven by a fast-growing broadband audience seeking new ways to find, watch and pay for video.

    TUsing demand elasticity analysis and feedback from 1,700 broadband users, Strategy Analytics projects that by 2010 global revenue will surge to $5.9 billion, accounting for eight percent of total home video industry revenues. Regions covered in this global forecast report include Asia Pacific, Central and Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and North America.

    Companies covered in this report include ABC, Amazon, AOL, Apple, BitTorrent, British Telecom, Channel 4, CinemaNow, Deutsche Telekom, Glowria, Google, Guba, LOVEFiLM, Microsoft, MovieLink, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Starz Entertainment, Viacom, Wal-Mart, the Walt Disney and YouTube.

  • ABC to keep ‘Lost’ fans entertained through moments

    ABC to keep ‘Lost’ fans entertained through moments

    MUMBAI: To keep fans enticed until the second half of the adventure show Lost premieres in February 2007, US broadcaster ABC and ABC.com will feature Lost Moments.

    From today 15 November the first Lost Moment will premiere randomly during the new drama Day Break. Comprised of 30 seconds of footage of upcoming episodes, there will be a total of 12 Lost Moments, one during each airing of Day Break. After Day Break the Lost Moments will be available on ABC.com. In India Lost airs on Star Movies.

    How did Locke ended up in a wheelchair? Will Sawyer be killed? Did Walt and Michael make it off the island? To answer these questions fans can can help create a Lost wiki with discussions on the latest episode, updates about season three or discussions about the previous seasons; definitions; mythology; message boards; profiles of the characters and how theyre connected; and even haiku! The Lost wiki is hosted and powered by Wetpaint.

    Also recently added to the Lost site on ABC.com are the Lost Theories board and weekly audio podcasts and regular video podcasts. All six complete episodes from season three will remain on the site available to viewers for free, to keep fans connected and allow new viewers to get caught up for the second half of the season.

    There were nearly 19 million episodes initiated online at ABC.com in the first six weeks since relaunching the enhanced broadband player on 22 September 2006. The broadband video player, winner of an Interactive Emmy in the category of enhanced or interactive programming-new delivery platforms, is a permanent feature on the website. The player offers full episodes of six primetime series including Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Six Degrees and The Nine, the day after they air on ABC.

  • ABC to air ‘Ugly Betty’ full season

    ABC to air ‘Ugly Betty’ full season

    MUMBAI: The American version The Ugly Betty or the original Colombian show Yo Soy Betty La Fea or the Indianised version Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin has charmed audiences of all territories. 

    The US network ABC has given a full-season order to Ugly Betty, which has emerged as the most-watched new series of the 2006-07 season.

    Produced by Salma Hayek and stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, the show has already established itself a solid second to CBS’ Survivor at 8 pm. 

    Among the age bracket of 18-49 years, the show Ugly Betty has drawn an average rating/share of 4.7/13, while holding the top position on average with adults 18-34 year (4.0/12). The show has improved the time period for ABC by 96 per cent in total viewers (15.3 million against 7.8 million) and by 92 per cent in adults 18-49 (4.8/14 against 2.5/7) over the same nights last year, according to media reports.

    ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson noted, “In just two weeks Ugly Betty has given us an impressive foothold leading into the Grey’s Anatomy hour on Thursday night. The show has proven to be competitive in a very strong time period, and we’re thrilled with Ugly Betty’s performance.”

    In India, the version Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin aired on Sony and had won 3.6 average TVR for the first week of its launch in 2003. The show and the lead character Jassi had become the unofficial mascot for Sony. 

    SET CEO Kunal Dasgupta told to indiantelevision.com in 2004, that Jassi had fetched Sony four million new viewers in the general entertainment category, while the slot sampling too has grown by 300 per cent in the first one year. “The TVRs, naturally, have also shot up by over 300 per cent,” he says.

  • Hungama TV clocks its highest ratings; ‘Doraemon’ & ‘Shinchan’ key drivers

    Hungama TV clocks its highest ratings; ‘Doraemon’ & ‘Shinchan’ key drivers

    MUMBAI: Hungama TV has scored big yet again! A notch higher, the channel now boasts of the maximum ratings ever with 182 GRPs for week 39 (24-30 September), marking a good leap from the previous week of 155 GRPs, for the target group CS 4-14 ABC in all Hindi speaking markets. 

    The market share for the same period for Hungama TV is pegged at 29 per cent, as the key properties giving an impetus to this growth are Doraemon and Shinchan together contributing 105 out of 182 GRPs, according to the latest data from Tam. 

    The oldest player in the market Cartoon Network however, seems to be trailing behind with 139 GRPs and a share of 23 per cent. A later entrant from the Turner stable, Pogo has scored 104 GRPs with a 17 per cent share for the mentioned period. While the market shares for the other kid’s channels in India – Disney Channel, Toon Disney and Nickelodeon follow in the order outlined.

    Hungama TV also claims to have occupied the leadership position in this space for three consecutive weeks, spanning 10 – 30 September 2006, for the weeks 37-39 among both boys and girls, older (10-14 years old) and younger (4-9) kids alike.

    But the little ‘gun slingers’ seem be more glued to the channel as the ratings for boys have in fact shot up by 25 per cent, while the ratings for girls have dropped by 4 per cent over the previous week.

    The month of September appears to be a prosperous one for the channel as it has seen a ratings jump of 14 per cent from August where it had received average GRP’s of 133, says a channel spokesperson.

    What’s interesting is that among the two key properties that thrust the channel ahead, Doraemon’s GRPs have increased by 43 per cent over the previous week from 37 to 53 (week 39). Meanwhile, Shinchan has also jumped from 48 to 52 GRPs with a margin of 8.3 per cent.

    It is however, the little boys that seem to be the drivers of this success, as 78 per cent of viewing comes from boys and 22 per cent from girls. Also, 4-9 year olds contribute to 58 per cent of viewing while 10 – 14 year olds harvest 42 per cent.

  • ABC to make music video for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

    ABC to make music video for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster ABC and Epic Records have partnered to produce a music video for the show Grey’s Anatomy.

    The video will combine scenes from the third season of the medical soap and The Frays title track video from their gold debut album, How to Save a Life. In India the show airs on Star World.

    ABC senior VP marketing Mike Benson says, “Music has become an integral part of the storytelling on Greys Anatomy. Using a song like How to Save a Life really captures the tone and essence of the show. Its a great opportunity to take moments from the programme and present them in a new and entertaining way for existing fans and people not familiar with the series.”

    Epic Records senior VP, marketing Lee Stimmel says, “The partnership of The Frays How to Save a Life and Greys Anatomy is a perfect match. The use of the song in last seasons episode was truly compelling and had a huge impact with fans of the band. Both How to Save a Life and Greys Anatomy have a similar emotional connection with fans. Its exciting to expand the pairing and spotlight this connection.”

  • ABC introduces slim fast challenge on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

    ABC introduces slim fast challenge on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster ABC will pep up its reality show Dancing With The Stars next week by training a working mother in the intricacies of dancing.

    The episode will be called Dancing with the Stars the Results Show. It will follow a working mom as she lives out her ballroom dancing fantasies with hopes of improving her physical wellbeing, in the first-ever Slim-Fast Dance Challenge. Tysonia Sichinga from California was chosen from among thousands of women who answered the casting call to participate.

    Under the tutelage of ballroom dancer, instructor and choreographer Christian Perry, Tysonias’ progress will be featured on Wednesday on Dancing with the Stars the Results Show. Viewers will see her transforming as she chases her dreams and tackles the challenges of balancing a demanding training schedule, work and caring for her family.

    Sichinga. says, “I never thought I would be the one chosen. This is an amazing opportunity and I am looking forward to training, getting in shape and being on Dancing with the Stars. I am so thankful that I have the support of my family and friends as I take on this challenge.”

    Dancing with the Stars executive producer Conrad Green says, “When we met Tysonia, we knew almost instantly that she would be the one. She has a wonderful openness and warmth about her which is very endearing, and its terrific to be able to make this happen for her. We were always looking for new ways to engage the audience, and her participation adds a terrific human element to the show. We hope that her journey will reflect the life-changing experience many of our viewers have had as they have taken up dancing after watching the show.”

    Inspired by her love for the series and the physical transformation Tysonia auditioned for a chance to experience what its like to train like a pro and appear on television. As she embarks on this once in a lifetime opportunity, she will have the support of her husband, Robert, and teenaged daughters, Seko and Tyana.

    The hardworking and dedicated administrative assistant hopes to develop enough savvy ballroom dancing skills to impress her loving husband, family and friends. More importantly, her goal is to feel healthy, confident and comfortable in her own skin.

    As sponsor of the segment, Slim-Fast is making available to Tysonia Slim-Fast products and the support of a certified nutritionist/registered dietitian. Slim-Fast offers all consumers information and nutritional support at www.slimfast.com.

    In India the local version of Dancing With The Stars airs on Sony.