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Tag: Disney

  • Amazon buys Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion

    Amazon buys Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion

    KOLKATA: Content is the engine of the streaming economy. Recognising this, the streamers have been going through a dizzying series  of acquisitions and mergers. The latest to do so is tech giant Amazon which has finally signed on the dotted line to buy up Hollywood studio MGM for $8.45 billion. This is its  second largest acquisition after it bought Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion in 2017. For the last week or so, speculation was running rife that a deal between the two was on the cards.

    MGM has real gems under its brand that movie lovers have voraciously consumed across the world. The studio is behind classics such as Gone with the Wind and Rocky, the famous Bond franchise, Singin’ in the Rain, 12 Angry Men. Its library also includes popular reality TV shows like The Voice and Shark Tank.

    “The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team,” Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins has been quoted as saying in media reports internationally.

    Amazon has 200 million prime members worldwide with access to its video service, chief executive jeff Bezos revealed recently. “As Prime Video turns 10, over 175 million Prime members have streamed shows and movies in the past year, and streaming hours are up more than 70 per cent year over year,” he later said in April.

    Prime members who watch video have higher free trial conversion rates, higher renewal rates, and  higher overall engagement. The company has been ramping up  its spend on content , to stay  competitive with the fare being churned out by  Netflix and  Disney and now with the merged Discovery+Warner Media juggernaut.

     “I am very proud that MGM’s Lion, which has long evoked the golden age of Hollywood, will continue its storied history, and the idea born from the creation of United Artists lives on in a way the founders originally intended, driven by the talent and their vision. The opportunity to align MGM’s storied history with Amazon is an inspiring combination,” MGM board chairman Kevin Ulrich said in a statement.

  • Netflix dominates SVOD viewership in the US, Stowaway leads the charts

    Netflix dominates SVOD viewership in the US, Stowaway leads the charts

    New Delhi: Netflix is continuing its dream run in the United States, and it remains way ahead of its competitors Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. Well, this is what the latest report from US-based information, data, and market measurement firm Nielsen seems to suggest. Netflix is clearly showing its dominance in all three categories that include, movies, original series, and acquired shows. 

    Stowaway & Thunder Force leads the movie category

    Nielsen’s data suggests that the science fiction thriller Stowaway which is currently streaming on Netflix is the most-watched movie in the United States. Directed by Joe Penna, this film set against the backdrop of a dangerous Mars mission stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, and Toni Collette in the lead roles. 

    Stowaway is closely followed by Thunder Force in the second spot in the movie category. Despite a thumbs down from the critics, Thunder Force is still one of the most-watched movies in the United States. Thanks to the scintillating onscreen chemistry between Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer. The film is directed by Ben Falcone, and it revolves around the life of two childhood best friends who turn into superheroes in the latter part of their lives. 

    Synchronic, American Me, and The Little Rascals are the other Netflix films that are included in Nielsen’s top 10 movies list in the United States. Animated movies have saved Disney+ in the movie category with Frozen, Frozen II, Moana, and Ryan and the Last Dragon included in the Neilsen list. However, no films from Amazon Prime Video succeeded in finding a spot in this list of most-watched movies in the United States. 

    Disney+ dominates the original category

    Disney Plus’ Falcon and the Winter Soldier continues to be the most-watched original series. The series created by Malcolm Spellman is based on the Marvel Comics characters Sam Wilson / Falcon and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier. As the final episode of the series ended on 23 April, audiences are now eagerly waiting for a possible next installment, either in the form of a film or series, as Falcon has been appointed as the next Captain America. 

    Closely following Falcon and the Winter Soldier in Nielsen’s list is Shadow and Bone which is being streamed on Netflix. Even though Shadow and Bone failed to recreate the magic of HBO’s Game of Thrones, the series based on Leigh Bardugo’s novel successfully catered to the needs of fantasy lovers. 

    Amazon Prime Video’s anthology horror series Them is included in Nielsen’s top 10 list of original series. Other series that found their place in the list are The Circle, The Crown, Great British Baking Show, Lucifer, The Serpent, Life in Color, and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me, which are currently streaming on Netflix. 

    In the acquired original series category, all the ten inclusions are from Netflix’s arsenal. NCIS is topping the list followed by Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Cocomelon, The Baker and the Beauty, and Heartland. 

  • Disney Plus’ Falcon and Winter Soldier tops Nielsen’s streaming chart

    Disney Plus’ Falcon and Winter Soldier tops Nielsen’s streaming chart

    Mumbai: Netflix is the uncrowned SVOD king in the United States. This is what the latest report from US-based information, data, and market measurement firm Nielsen seems to suggest. According to Nielsen’s data, the OTT giant enjoys an unquestionable lead compared to their competitors, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in all categories that include original series, movies, and acquired shows. 

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier leads the series category

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the most popular original series in the United States. Premiered on Disney+, this six-episode series is a part of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU). The mini-series received rave reviews from all corners, and audiences are now eagerly waiting for a fourth Captain America movie which will be the continuation of this series. 

    Amazon Prime’s Them is another original series that is grabbing maximum eyeballs. Created by Little Marvin and executive produced by Lena Waithe, this horror anthology series has impressed the viewers with its raw cinematic language. The series stars Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill, and Ryan Kwanten in the lead roles. 

    Netflix has a handful of original series that are now the hottest picks among the US audiences. The OTT giant’s reality show ‘The Circle’ is enjoying a huge fan base in the country.  Amid receiving negative reviews, Netflix’s Dad stop embarrassing me has been received warmly by the US audiences. The historical drama series The Crown has also succeeded in impressing the audiences. Other Netflix series that are currently placed in Nielsen’s list of top originals in the US are The Crown, The Serpent, and Who Killed Sara. 

    Netflix’s Thunder Force creates wonders

    When it comes to movies on SVOD, Netflix’s Thunder Force topped Nielsen’s list. Directed by Ben Falcone, this film stars Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, Bobby Cannavale, Pom Klementieff, Taylor Mosby, Melissa Leo, and Jason Bateman in the lead roles. Upon its digital release on 9 April on Netflix, the film received unanimously positive reviews from audiences and critics. The movie revolves around the life of two childhood best friends who meet in the latter part of their lives, and one among them now has a formula that could give superhuman powers to ordinary people. 

    American documentary movie Why did you Kill Me? is another top pick among US audiences. The film follows the life of Belinda Lane as she tracks down those involved in the murder of Crystal Theobald, her daughter, using MySpace.

    The science-fiction movie Synchronic is another Netflix film that is topping Nielsen’s list. Directed by Justin Benson, this film stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan in the lead roles. The film revolves around the life of New Orleans paramedics and long-time best friends Steve and Dennis who discover a mysterious new drug at the scene of multiple gruesome accidents. 

    Disney+ films that enjoy a spot in the Nielsen list are Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, and Frozen. However, no movies from Amazon Prime Video were included in this list of most-watched movies in the United States. 

    According to the Nielsen data in the acquired show category, Netflix is away ahead of Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. The top show in this list is Netflix’s NCIS, followed by Grey’s Anatomy, Cocomelon, Criminal Minds, Schitts Creek, Heartland, Nicky Ricky Dicky and Dawn, The Baker, and The Beauty, Supernatural and New Girl. No acquired show available on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video made its way to the list of most-watched acquired shows. 

  • AT&T’s Warner Media & Discovery Inc closing in on merger?

    AT&T’s Warner Media & Discovery Inc closing in on merger?

    Mumbai: The growing power of Netflix, Disney and Amazon and other larger media entities is forcing strange alliances on the industry. US telecom giant AT&T, which acquired Warner Media (then named Time Warner) for around $85 billion in 2018 is all set to fuse Warner Media with Discovery Inc, which itself is valued at around $16 billion with an enterprise valuation of $30 billion. That’s according to a report by US business news channel CNBC.

    The purpose: the two want to stay relevant in the new media ecosystem in which billions of dollars are being spent on content on customer acquisition and retention.

    A new publicly traded company holding the combined assets is to be created with ownership lying with the two media giants’ shareholders. CNBC stated that insiders had informed the channel that a deal is likely to be announced Monday sometime. But it also said no one was willing to come on record on what the stock holding split would be like. It also added that the deal – while it was in the final stages – may even fall through.

    Earlier Bloomberg had reported that the two were in talks to combine the two firms to form a giant media conglomerate.

    AT&T houses brands like CNN, HBO, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, and the Warner Bros. studio. Discovery owns networks such as HGTV, Food Network, TLC, and Animal Planet. If such a deal were to be completed, it would be the largest media merger since Viacom and CBS combined their businesses to form ViacomCBS in December 2019.

    Both companies have recently entered the streaming wars. With a platter of content in entertainment, lifestyle, the combined company can create a better international footprint. Moreover, it can emerge as a strong rival to players like Disney, Netflix which are turning out to be more aggressive every day in the streaming war.

    However, there is no information yet on how the assets will be combined. Despite the ongoing discussion, there is no certainty at this moment that it would lead to an actual transaction, Bloomberg reported.

    The report also comes amid the speculation over Comcast’s NBCUniversal and AT&T’s Warner Media merger after research firm LightShed Partners said both the entities should be spun off and merged for long-term health.

    Back in February, AT&T sold 30 per cent of satellite pay-TV operator DirecTV to private equity firm TPG to offload its debt, largely caused by its acquisition spree in the last few years.

  • IPL suspension may hit Disney+ subscribers’ growth, ad revenue, says top exec

    IPL suspension may hit Disney+ subscribers’ growth, ad revenue, says top exec

    KOLKATA: When the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI)’s announced on 4 May, that it is indefinitely suspending the Indian Premier League (IPL) mid-way, the decision was backed by advertisers and broadcasters alike. The health and safety of players and staff was indeed paramount in  wake of the current Covid crisis in the country.

    But it also left media and advertising professionals guessing the impact that the suspension of one of the biggest cricket tournaments could have on the businesses, especially IPL’s official broadcaster – Star India.

    According to a top Disney executive, there could be an immediate effect on Disney+ subscriber addition guidance for the next two quarters. Despite lesser revenue with a low ARPU, Disney+Hotstar contributes significantly to the overall subscriber base of The Walt Disney Co’s biggest streaming bet since Disney’s entry in India last year merging with existing Hotstar service.

    While Disney+ paid subscribers have reached 103.6 million subscribers, Disney+Hotstar has nearly crossed around 34.5 million subscribers, which accounts for one-third of the overall base.

    The company spokespersons in the earnings call revealed that they expect “fewer net subscribers’ addition in the second half of the year given the Covid-related suspension of the IPL season and the decision to move the Star+ Latin America launch to the fourth quarter.” After the launch of Disney+Hotstar in India, the network had taken the tournament entirely behind the paywall for the first time.

    Other than millions of viewers who tune in to TV or OTT platforms to watch one of the biggest cricket spectacles, numerous brands also line up for quick reach and brand recall. Disney+Hotstar had roped in 14 sponsors for IPL 2021 and was expected to rake in higher ad revenue this year. But with the recent turn of events, IPL suspension could hit the advertising revenue too. “You could see a decrease in the ARPU and the subscribers in India if that plays out like we just said,” Christine McCarthy said during the earnings call.

    The 14th edition of the IPL was suspended after the bio-secure bubble was invaded by the Covid-19 and several players and team staff contracted the disease. The fate of the tournament now hangs in balance, as BCCI now faces the challenge of finding a suitable window to play the rest of the matches this year. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has already made it clear that there is no option, but to play the remainder of the season outside India.

    “About half of the 60 IPL matches that were expected to be played this season have already taken place. So you’re looking at the back half, 30 games to be played. So sure, if they were able to successfully relocate the tournament, we would hopefully see an impact, especially on advertising,” McCarthy replied while asked if rescheduling of IPL would change the outlook for the second half of the financial year.

    With the second wave of Covid-19 ravaging the country, and a third wave likely, it remains to be seen how BCCI will navigate through the pandemic and schedule the remaining matches in a Cricket-packed year. The big-ticket events like ICC T20 World Cup are also scheduled for October-November 2021.

    “The big issue is going to be when in the quarter and if it overlaps into q4, or if it goes into the first fiscal quarter, which starts for us and the beginning of October. So it would have an impact on it, it just depends on when it would come in. Let’s hope they can relocate it,” McCarthy added further.

  • Disney+ paid subs hit 103.6 mn, Disney+Hotstar accounts for around $34.5 mn subs

    Disney+ paid subs hit 103.6 mn, Disney+Hotstar accounts for around $34.5 mn subs

    KOLKATA: With a higher-than-ever growth of streaming services in the last year, The Walt Disney Co.’s (Disney) direct-to-consumer venture Disney+ has also grown quickly to surpass 100 million subscribers.

    Although its overall subscriber addition in q2 has fallen short of the Wall Street expectations, Disney+ paid subscribers have reached 103.6 million subscribers. Disney+Hotstar currently has nearly 34.5 million subscribers.

    In the same quarter a year ago, Disney+ had 33.5 million subscribers. Although it has not been able to reach the expected 109 million subscriber base, the growth is indeed fast amid an array of big-ticket rivals. Along with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, a bunch of new entrants HBO Max, Apple TV+ is also betting big on their streaming services.

    “Results at Disney+ were comparable to the prior-year quarter as an increase in subscribers was largely offset by higher programming and production, marketing, and technology costs. The increases in subscribers and costs reflected the ongoing expansion of Disney+ including launches in additional markets,” the earnings press release mentioned.

    Disney+ touched the milestone of 100 million subscribers in early March. It indicates the last month of the quarter has seen faster growth compared to the first two months, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said in the earnings call.

    “Between q1-q2, Disney+Hotstar was the strongest contributor to net subscriber addition and made approximately a third of total Disney+ subscriber base as of the end of q2. However, ARPU at Disney+Hotstar was down significantly compared to Q1 due to lower ad revenue as a result of the timing of the IPL cricket matches and impact of Covid in India,” McCarthy added further.

    In the quarter, Disney+ reported an ARPU of $3.99 falling 29 per cent over the same quarter of last year. The decline in ARPU has been attributed to Disney+Hotstar as overall Disney+ ARPU excluding it was $5.61. However, the average monthly revenue per paid subscribe for Disney’s other streaming services ESPN+ and Hulu grew slightly.  

    Direct-to-Consumer revenues for the quarter increased 59 per cent to $4.0 billion and operating loss decreased from $0.8 billion to $0.3 billion, the company stated. The decrease in operating loss was due to improved results at Hulu, and to a lesser extent, at ESPN+, it added. Overall, the media conglomerate has around 159 million total subscribers across its streaming services as of the end of the q2.

  • Reinvented Oscars ceremony witnesses record new low in TV viewership

    Reinvented Oscars ceremony witnesses record new low in TV viewership

    NEW DELHI: Amid the pandemic, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced winners of the 93rd Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, on 25 April. However, this year, the awards gala failed to attract eyeballs and preliminary Nielsen data suggests that the US television ratings for Sunday’s event witnessed an all-time low in TV viewership. 

    According to a Reuters report, TV viewership on Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) ABC broadcast network averaged 9.85 million, 58 per cent lower than last year’s final tally of 23.6 million viewers. The complete data regarding the final number of people who tuned into the award ceremony is expected to be released soon. 

    To draw viewers during the pandemic time, producers tried several innovative ideas in this year’s Oscars. The awards were broadcast for the first time at a historic train station in downtown Los Angeles, where only guests and award winners were present. There was a format revamp and the runtime was also shortened. These switch-ups, however, evidently failed to thrill the audiences.

    “The Oscars were a train wreck at the train station, an excruciatingly long, boring telecast that lacked the verve of so many movies we love,” wrote USA Today reviewer Kelly Lawler. 

    However, Time Magazine wrote that this year’s event, which went host-less for the third year running, was pretty much entertaining when compared to pre-Covid Oscars. 

    The dip in ratings shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to industry watchers – after all, television viewership hit an all-time low during the live telecast of this year’s Emmy Awards and Grammy Awards. TV ratings for the Golden Globes also plummeted by 60 per cent. 

    Due to the Covid outbreak, several giant production houses had to hold back their films, and as a result, small-budget movies that were streamed on OTT platforms were part of this year’s Academy Awards. 

  • Disney to pull the plug on southeast Asia/HK networks

    Disney to pull the plug on southeast Asia/HK networks

    New Delhi: In what may come as a huge surprise for viewers in southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Disney is mulling over closing as many as 18 channels in the region from October this year. The end-of-an-era move could have a major impact on the entire video entertainment supply chain in the region.

    Disney staffers were told about the decision at a town hall out of Singapore on Tuesday, according to sources close to the development. The efforts are aimed at enabling the organisation “to align its resources more efficiently and effectively to current and future business needs.” However, an official statement is yet to be released.

    The move is believed to be part of The Walt Disney Company’s global efforts towards a direct-to-consumer-first model and further stimulating the growth of its streaming services.

    A senior mediaperson said India is unlikely to be affected by the move, which, while unfortunate, is not entirely unexpected. Last year, the M&E colossus restructured its global operations; this involved separating its India and Asia Pacific businesses after APAC president and Star & Disney India chairman Uday Shankar’s departure, and hiring new talent to spearhead its SVoD push in the southeast region.

    With Disney pulling the plug, as many as 18 channels could disappear from the airwaves, which includes Fox, Fox Crime, Fox Life, and FX, movie channels including Fox Action Movies, Fox Family Movies, Fox Movies, and Star Movies China and some sports channels — Fox Sports, Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports 3, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2. Popular kids channels including Disney Channel and Disney Junior, music channel Channel V and actual services Nat Geo People; and SCM Legend could also go off air in the region. This leaves a question mark over how the other pay-TV platforms will fill the void.

    The multimedia giant is quickly gaining in the streaming space. Since its launch over a year ago, Disney+ has transformed itself into a streaming leader, with membership numbers flying past long-term forecasts.

    So far, Disney has rolled out Disney+ in Singapore along with a separate Hotstar app, and hybrid service Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia. Launches in other parts of southeast Asia and Hong Kong are likely this year. Disney+ has 2.6 lakh paying subscribers in Singapore as of April 2021 and 4.5 million in Indonesia, according to estimates presented by regional industry analysts Media Partners Asia.

  • Disney inks massive deal with Sony to stream ‘Spiderman’ & other films

    Disney inks massive deal with Sony to stream ‘Spiderman’ & other films

    NEW DELHI: After months of see-sawing and multiple rounds of negotiations, Disney has signed a deal with Sony Pictures that will allow Disney+ to stream Spiderman and other Marvel properties in the United States after they play on Netflix. Disney revealed that it will also add a significant number of Sony films to Hulu, the subscription video-on-demand service fully controlled and majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company. 

    Apart from Spiderman, Disney has also acquired streaming rights of hundreds of Sony Pictures movies including Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania. Some other movies that will be included in the deal are Marvel's Morbius, Brad Pitt's action thriller Bullet Train, and the new instalment in the Bad Boys series. 

    According to the new arrangement, Disney will be able to stream Sony movies that include Spiderman and Venom beginning 2022. After the theatrical screening, these films will be streamed on Netflix for an 18-month period and will be later streamed on Disney+ or any other Disney platforms. 

    The development comes close on the heels of Netflix inking a deal with Sony Pictures earlier this month to stream the latter’s movies after the first window of theatrical release. Similar to the Netflix deal, the new pact between Sony and Disney covers only the US market. 

    The deal between Sony Pictures and Disney was wrangled by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks, and acquisitions Chuck Saftler, and Sony Pictures Entertainment president of worldwide distribution and networks Keith Le Goy. 

    "This landmark multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels. This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences," said Saftler in a recent statement. 

    Keith Le Goy said, "We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximise the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.'' 

  • Disney executives Anastasia Ali and Jan Coleman promoted

    Disney executives Anastasia Ali and Jan Coleman promoted

    MUMBAI: In yet another rejig in the Walt Disney Company’s management, Anastasia Ali has been promoted to Disney Studios content marketing vice president, Deadline reported. Another executive, Jan Coleman, has been elevated to vice president of global marketing partnerships, promotions & multicultural.

    Ali had joined Disney as an intern in 2013 and has since worked on promotional campaigns for Marvel’s Black Panther, Disney’s live-action Aladdin, and Pixar’s Soul. Now Ali closely works with all aspects of the marketing group to develop and lead strategic marketing objectives for select theatrical films, as well as select films and series for Disney+.

    She co-founded Disney’s Black Employee Resource Group, The Bond, and along with Coleman co-founded rePRESENT, focused on scaling multicultural marketing competencies and developing diverse talent. Prior to joining Disney, Ali produced content for a global audience on digital and cable platforms including BET.com’s groundbreaking web series Buppies and TV One’s first scripted show Love That Girl!

    Coleman also worked on the marketing team for Soul and will continue to oversee and manage brand partnerships between the major Disney umbrellas such as Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, and more. Along with that, she will look into co-branded marketing campaigns and activations, placement integrations, global licensing and sponsorships of large-scale events. During her stint at Disney, she launched and managed partnerships with brands such as Porsche, Bose, Sonos, MAC Cosmetics, P&G’s My Black is Beautiful, HP, Vizio, Whirlpool, Ancestry and Blue Apron.

    Disney Studios content president of marketing Asad Ayaz said: “I am so grateful for the hard work, passion, and creativity that Jan and Anastasia have put into so many of our campaigns, and especially their dedication to authentically reaching our multicultural consumers. They are excellent leaders and I couldn’t be more excited for our road ahead as we embark on campaigns for an incredible slate of theatrical and streaming projects.”