Tag: Disney

  • BARC week 10: Pogo’s Chhota Bheem on top of the program list

    BARC week 10: Pogo’s Chhota Bheem on top of the program list

    MUMBAI:Pogo TV’s Chhota Bheem and the Incan Adventure topped the program list for week 10, which saw Viacom 18’s Nick staying strong at its top position as per  Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s all India (U+R) data in NCCS All 4-14 Individuals category.

    Nickl bagged  77946 (000s sums) ratings, followed by Pogo TV with 74796 (000s sums) and Disney Channel was next with 58329 (000s sums) ratings. Turner’s Cartoon Network  took the fourth spot with a viewership rating of 56442 (000s sums), while Hungama came last among the five most watched channels in the genre with a rating of 53974 (000s sums).

    Amongst the top five programs in the kids genre, as mentioned above, Pogo TV’s  Chhota Bheem and the Incan Adventure took the lead with a rating of 713 (000s sums) closely followed by Nickelodeon’s  Motu Patlu Mission Moon  with 695 (000s sums) ratings. POGO TV’s  Tashi  took the third spot with a slightly lower rating of 665 (000s sums), while  its Chhota Bheem Dholakpur Maha Mela  followed after 643 (000s sums) ratings. Last but not the least among the top five program’s list was Nick’s Motu Patlu Deep Sea Adventure  with a ratings of 573(000 sums) . It must be noted that the top program ranking is based on average rating across all airings in the week, including original telecasts and repeats.

  • Disney India cooperated with Crime Branch to check fake Disney products

    Disney India cooperated with Crime Branch to check fake Disney products

    MUMBAI: As the world’s leading entertainment brand, consumers trust the Disney brand to signify authentic products that are of the highest quality and safety standards. To ensure this, Disney works closely with multiple agencies around the world to protect the Intellectual Property and Brand. These agencies identify piracy at all levels and then take the appropriate action to stem it.

    As part of its ongoing enforcement campaign, Disney India today cooperated with the Crime Branch Control and the officers of Pydhonie Police Station in their raid against three targets namely Parth Collection, Swastik Collection, and Tip Top Plastic, wholesale dealers in school products, stationery and other products operating out of Abdul Rehman Street in Mumbai. 1313 units of goods were seized at Parth Collection, 138 units of goods were seized at Swastik Collection and 596 units of goods were seized at Tip Top Plastic respectively. The owners/ proprietors of the stores, Mr Jaisil Mohan Patkar of Parth Collection, Mr Ramesh Kanji Gami of Swastik Collection and Mr Jitender Doshi of Tip Top Plastic, were arrested on charges of criminal counterfeiting. Investigations are ongoing to identify the source and/ or locations of the manufacturers of these seized goods, who will also be prosecuted as appropriate.

    “We see this as a good first step to protect the integrity of the products that consumers buy from a trusted brand.  Disney’s consumer products in India spans across multiple lines including, fashion apparel, home, toys, consumer electronics, stationery, food, health and beauty and publishing. We applaud the efforts of the Crime Branch Control in not only protecting the rights of trusted brand owners, but also protecting Indian consumers from purchasing falsely branded and inferior products”, said Disney India consumer products VP and head Abhishek Maheshwari .

    Disney has renewed its focus on counterfeiting within India.  Disney’s efforts include working with government agencies and local police.  To assist in these efforts, Disney asks that the public report any suspected infringements through an email account Tips@DisneyAntipiracy.com, which it has set up for this purpose.  Disney takes seriously any suspected violation of its intellectual property rights and cooperates with the appropriate agencies to pursue reported violators.  

  • Disney India cooperated with Crime Branch to check fake Disney products

    Disney India cooperated with Crime Branch to check fake Disney products

    MUMBAI: As the world’s leading entertainment brand, consumers trust the Disney brand to signify authentic products that are of the highest quality and safety standards. To ensure this, Disney works closely with multiple agencies around the world to protect the Intellectual Property and Brand. These agencies identify piracy at all levels and then take the appropriate action to stem it.

    As part of its ongoing enforcement campaign, Disney India today cooperated with the Crime Branch Control and the officers of Pydhonie Police Station in their raid against three targets namely Parth Collection, Swastik Collection, and Tip Top Plastic, wholesale dealers in school products, stationery and other products operating out of Abdul Rehman Street in Mumbai. 1313 units of goods were seized at Parth Collection, 138 units of goods were seized at Swastik Collection and 596 units of goods were seized at Tip Top Plastic respectively. The owners/ proprietors of the stores, Mr Jaisil Mohan Patkar of Parth Collection, Mr Ramesh Kanji Gami of Swastik Collection and Mr Jitender Doshi of Tip Top Plastic, were arrested on charges of criminal counterfeiting. Investigations are ongoing to identify the source and/ or locations of the manufacturers of these seized goods, who will also be prosecuted as appropriate.

    “We see this as a good first step to protect the integrity of the products that consumers buy from a trusted brand.  Disney’s consumer products in India spans across multiple lines including, fashion apparel, home, toys, consumer electronics, stationery, food, health and beauty and publishing. We applaud the efforts of the Crime Branch Control in not only protecting the rights of trusted brand owners, but also protecting Indian consumers from purchasing falsely branded and inferior products”, said Disney India consumer products VP and head Abhishek Maheshwari .

    Disney has renewed its focus on counterfeiting within India.  Disney’s efforts include working with government agencies and local police.  To assist in these efforts, Disney asks that the public report any suspected infringements through an email account Tips@DisneyAntipiracy.com, which it has set up for this purpose.  Disney takes seriously any suspected violation of its intellectual property rights and cooperates with the appropriate agencies to pursue reported violators.  

  • FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    BENGALURU: Technicolor revenues increased 12 per cent at current currency and 4.7 per cent at constant currency for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (current year, FY-2015). The company says that its growth reflects growth across the Entertainment Services and Technology segments and broadly stable Connected Home revenues. Technicolor revenue for the current year was €3,652 million as compared to €3,332 million in FY-2014.

    Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said, “In 2015, our teams closed successfully, and in parallel, a number of large acquisitions, while remaining focused on delivering a very strong free cash flow. Moving forward, Technicolor is a much more balanced company built on three leading operating businesses and a core licensing business underpinning our material upgrade of Drive 2020 objectives.”   

    Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations reached €565 million in FY-2015, up 3.1 per cent at constant currency compared to 2014, representing a margin of 15.5 per cent, down by one point year-on-year (YoY). Technicolor says that the adjusted EBITDA increase reflected a solid Licensing revenue performance, combined with strong organic growth in Production Services, partially offset by a weak DVD Services performance in the first half, the impact of unfavourable € versus US$ exchange rate fluctuations on procurements for Connected Home in the second half, as well as a lower contribution from exited activities.

    Segment performance

    Connected Homes

    Connected Homes segment revenues totalled €1,451 million in FY-2015, up five per cent at current currency and, and up 0.3 per cent as compared to the reported €1,382 million in FY-2014. Excluding Cisco Connected Devices (CCD), revenue declined 1.2 per cent as reported and declined 5.7 per cent at constant currency in FY-2015 to €1,3,65 million as compared to $1,382 million in the previous fiscal.

    Technicolor says that even without the contribution of CCD, Connected Home continued to outpace the global CPE market despite adverse business conditions experienced in some regions, driven by a number of new awards and customer wins, including high-end products. The segment achieved in particular a sustained performance in Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific, both regions reporting a double digit YoY growth in revenues, benefiting notably from a mix improvement associated with the introduction of new products and a further ramp up in the value chain. Connected Home faced however lower levels of activity in both North and Latin America, primarily reflecting cautious customer approach towards product orders and inventory management, due to pending industry consolidation in the US and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions in Brazil.

    Adjusted EBITDA reached €76 million in FY-2015 compared to €77 million in FY-2014, with a negative forex impact of €6 million. At constant currency, adjusted EBITDA was €82 million, up by 5.8 per cent compared to 2014, with a margin of 5.9 per cent, up by 0.3 point YoY.

    Entertainment Services

    Entertainment Services revenue, excluding exited activities, was €1,639 million, up 10 per cent YoY in FY-2015 at constant currency, resulting from strong organic growth, the contribution from recent acquisitions in Production Services and solid revenues recorded by DVD Services.

    Production Services recorded a strong double-digit increase in revenues in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014 says Technicolor. Revenues expanded by almost 40 per cent YoY at constant currency, as a result of a strong double digit organic revenue growth, mostly due to a record level of activity in Visual Effects for feature films, and the additions of Mr. X, OuiDo Productions, Mikros Images and The Mill.

    The company says that VFX for commercials and Animation activities also recorded higher revenues, resulting from increased levels of activity across facilities, while Postproduction revenues improved year-on-year.

    Technicolor provided VFX and/or Postproduction services to 10 of the top-16 grossing films of the year worldwide, including some of the best box office performers such as Furious 7 (Universal), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney), Spectre (Sony) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate).

    DVD Services revenues were generally stable at constant currency in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, driven by resilient total Standard Definition DVD, Blu-ray and CD disc volumes, which were down less than one per cent YoY, reflecting a marked improvement compared to the 11 per cent volume decline recorded in FY-2014. Blu-ray disc volumes were up by eight per cent in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, supported by the aforementioned factors and the ongoing growth in Xbox One games volumes, while Standard-Definition discs declined by five per cent YoY. Overall FY-2015 volume trends in Europe continued to be generally better than in North America, mostly due to regionally specific promotional activity for selected studio customers, as well as to the ongoing adoption of Blu-ray in this region (as compared to the more mature and stable US Blu-ray market).

    Total Games volumes declined by 11 per cent YoY, with ongoing erosion in prior generation video game console demand outpacing growth for the current generation Xbox One platform. Going forward, prior generation video games volumes have now reached an immaterial level and should not influence future trends to the same degree.

    Excluding exited activities, Adjusted EBITDA was €190 million, down 2.1 per cent at constant currency YoY, as the stronger Production Services contribution was almost fully offset by lower DVD Services performance. However, the free cash flow generation in DVD Services was stable year-over-year notwithstanding the adjusted EBITDA decline says the company.

    Technology

    Technology revenues excluding M-GO, which was sold in early January 2016 to Fandango, a business unit of NBCUniversal, amounted to €490 million, up 3.3 per cent year-over-year at constant currency, primarily driven by higher revenues from the MPEG LA pool, which represented 59 per cent of total Licensing revenues in FY-2015 compared to 45 per cent in FY-2014. The Group’s direct licensing programs recorded a solid performance in the first half, particularly for Digital TV, which benefited from the strong level of new contracts and contract renewals in the course of 2014. In the second half, direct licensing programs posted a lower performance as the Group did not sign any major contract renewal or new contract as some ongoing discussions with manufacturers were delayed to leverage the joint licensing program with Sony in Digital TV (DTV) and Computer Display Monitor (CDM) that was announced in September.

    Excluding M-GO, Adjusted EBITDA reached €389 million, up 3.4 per cent at constant currency year-on-year, driven by the strong contribution of the MPEG LA patent pool.

  • FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    FY-2015: Technicolor reports improved numbers

    BENGALURU: Technicolor revenues increased 12 per cent at current currency and 4.7 per cent at constant currency for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (current year, FY-2015). The company says that its growth reflects growth across the Entertainment Services and Technology segments and broadly stable Connected Home revenues. Technicolor revenue for the current year was €3,652 million as compared to €3,332 million in FY-2014.

    Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said, “In 2015, our teams closed successfully, and in parallel, a number of large acquisitions, while remaining focused on delivering a very strong free cash flow. Moving forward, Technicolor is a much more balanced company built on three leading operating businesses and a core licensing business underpinning our material upgrade of Drive 2020 objectives.”   

    Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations reached €565 million in FY-2015, up 3.1 per cent at constant currency compared to 2014, representing a margin of 15.5 per cent, down by one point year-on-year (YoY). Technicolor says that the adjusted EBITDA increase reflected a solid Licensing revenue performance, combined with strong organic growth in Production Services, partially offset by a weak DVD Services performance in the first half, the impact of unfavourable € versus US$ exchange rate fluctuations on procurements for Connected Home in the second half, as well as a lower contribution from exited activities.

    Segment performance

    Connected Homes

    Connected Homes segment revenues totalled €1,451 million in FY-2015, up five per cent at current currency and, and up 0.3 per cent as compared to the reported €1,382 million in FY-2014. Excluding Cisco Connected Devices (CCD), revenue declined 1.2 per cent as reported and declined 5.7 per cent at constant currency in FY-2015 to €1,3,65 million as compared to $1,382 million in the previous fiscal.

    Technicolor says that even without the contribution of CCD, Connected Home continued to outpace the global CPE market despite adverse business conditions experienced in some regions, driven by a number of new awards and customer wins, including high-end products. The segment achieved in particular a sustained performance in Europe, Middle-East & Africa and Asia-Pacific, both regions reporting a double digit YoY growth in revenues, benefiting notably from a mix improvement associated with the introduction of new products and a further ramp up in the value chain. Connected Home faced however lower levels of activity in both North and Latin America, primarily reflecting cautious customer approach towards product orders and inventory management, due to pending industry consolidation in the US and unfavourable macroeconomic conditions in Brazil.

    Adjusted EBITDA reached €76 million in FY-2015 compared to €77 million in FY-2014, with a negative forex impact of €6 million. At constant currency, adjusted EBITDA was €82 million, up by 5.8 per cent compared to 2014, with a margin of 5.9 per cent, up by 0.3 point YoY.

    Entertainment Services

    Entertainment Services revenue, excluding exited activities, was €1,639 million, up 10 per cent YoY in FY-2015 at constant currency, resulting from strong organic growth, the contribution from recent acquisitions in Production Services and solid revenues recorded by DVD Services.

    Production Services recorded a strong double-digit increase in revenues in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014 says Technicolor. Revenues expanded by almost 40 per cent YoY at constant currency, as a result of a strong double digit organic revenue growth, mostly due to a record level of activity in Visual Effects for feature films, and the additions of Mr. X, OuiDo Productions, Mikros Images and The Mill.

    The company says that VFX for commercials and Animation activities also recorded higher revenues, resulting from increased levels of activity across facilities, while Postproduction revenues improved year-on-year.

    Technicolor provided VFX and/or Postproduction services to 10 of the top-16 grossing films of the year worldwide, including some of the best box office performers such as Furious 7 (Universal), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney), Spectre (Sony) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate).

    DVD Services revenues were generally stable at constant currency in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, driven by resilient total Standard Definition DVD, Blu-ray and CD disc volumes, which were down less than one per cent YoY, reflecting a marked improvement compared to the 11 per cent volume decline recorded in FY-2014. Blu-ray disc volumes were up by eight per cent in FY-2015 compared to FY-2014, supported by the aforementioned factors and the ongoing growth in Xbox One games volumes, while Standard-Definition discs declined by five per cent YoY. Overall FY-2015 volume trends in Europe continued to be generally better than in North America, mostly due to regionally specific promotional activity for selected studio customers, as well as to the ongoing adoption of Blu-ray in this region (as compared to the more mature and stable US Blu-ray market).

    Total Games volumes declined by 11 per cent YoY, with ongoing erosion in prior generation video game console demand outpacing growth for the current generation Xbox One platform. Going forward, prior generation video games volumes have now reached an immaterial level and should not influence future trends to the same degree.

    Excluding exited activities, Adjusted EBITDA was €190 million, down 2.1 per cent at constant currency YoY, as the stronger Production Services contribution was almost fully offset by lower DVD Services performance. However, the free cash flow generation in DVD Services was stable year-over-year notwithstanding the adjusted EBITDA decline says the company.

    Technology

    Technology revenues excluding M-GO, which was sold in early January 2016 to Fandango, a business unit of NBCUniversal, amounted to €490 million, up 3.3 per cent year-over-year at constant currency, primarily driven by higher revenues from the MPEG LA pool, which represented 59 per cent of total Licensing revenues in FY-2015 compared to 45 per cent in FY-2014. The Group’s direct licensing programs recorded a solid performance in the first half, particularly for Digital TV, which benefited from the strong level of new contracts and contract renewals in the course of 2014. In the second half, direct licensing programs posted a lower performance as the Group did not sign any major contract renewal or new contract as some ongoing discussions with manufacturers were delayed to leverage the joint licensing program with Sony in Digital TV (DTV) and Computer Display Monitor (CDM) that was announced in September.

    Excluding M-GO, Adjusted EBITDA reached €389 million, up 3.4 per cent at constant currency year-on-year, driven by the strong contribution of the MPEG LA patent pool.

  • Shemaroo ropes in Disney’s Kaushal Nanavati as VP – international biz

    Shemaroo ropes in Disney’s Kaushal Nanavati as VP – international biz

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment has appointed Kaushal Nanavati as vice president – international business.

    Nanavati will be responsible for driving the business in the international markets and scaling up Shemaroo’s international business on television and digital platforms.

    Prior to joining Shemaroo Entertainment, Nanavati was with Disney India as director – international distribution & syndication. He has also worked with several other media companies including UTV and Zee Telefilms.

    Nanavati has an extensive experience of 18 years, of which more than 15 years has been in the television space having handled roles encompassing international channel distribution, content syndication & domestic distribution.

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo said, “We are glad to welcome Kaushal to the family of Shemaroo Entertainment. Shemaroo has a vast and diverse content library, whose demand has been growing phenomenally in the international markets. Kaushal will lead the team to leverage the opportunity and scale up the business.”

  • Shemaroo ropes in Disney’s Kaushal Nanavati as VP – international biz

    Shemaroo ropes in Disney’s Kaushal Nanavati as VP – international biz

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment has appointed Kaushal Nanavati as vice president – international business.

    Nanavati will be responsible for driving the business in the international markets and scaling up Shemaroo’s international business on television and digital platforms.

    Prior to joining Shemaroo Entertainment, Nanavati was with Disney India as director – international distribution & syndication. He has also worked with several other media companies including UTV and Zee Telefilms.

    Nanavati has an extensive experience of 18 years, of which more than 15 years has been in the television space having handled roles encompassing international channel distribution, content syndication & domestic distribution.

    Shemaroo Entertainment director Jai Maroo said, “We are glad to welcome Kaushal to the family of Shemaroo Entertainment. Shemaroo has a vast and diverse content library, whose demand has been growing phenomenally in the international markets. Kaushal will lead the team to leverage the opportunity and scale up the business.”

  • Disney’s ‘Doraemon’ second most watched program: BARC Kids week 6

    Disney’s ‘Doraemon’ second most watched program: BARC Kids week 6

    MUMBAI: Week 6 proved to be a considerably good one for channels in the kids genre in terms of viewership. Viacom18’s Nick stayed strong in its top position as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s all India (U+R) data in NCCS All 4-14 Individuals category.

    With 81634 (000s sums) ratings, Nick saw a considerable jump from last week’s ratings of 77521 (000s sums).

    Pogo TV overtook Cartoon Network for the second position in the chart with a viewership rating of 57635 (000s sums), followed by Cartoon Network, which secured 54735 (000s sums) ratings.

    Hungama with 54535 (000s sums) ratings jumped one spot to perch at the fourth spot, while Disney Channel dropped down one place to the fifth spot with 52422 (000s sums).

    Among the top five most watched programs in the kids genre, Nick’s Motu Patlu Kungfu Kings continued to rule the number one spot with 876 (000s sums) ratings.

    Disney Channel’s Doraemon The Movie: Toofani Adventure with 652 (000s sums) maintained its second position and was followed by Pogo TV ‘s Chhota Bheem & Krishna: Pataliputra – City of the Dead with 615 (‘000s sums) in the third spot.

    Nick’s flagship teen show Shiva secured the fourth spot with ratings of 515 (000s sums). The fifth spot was yet again dominated by Pogo TV’s Chhota Bheem Aur Ganesh In The Amazing Odyssey with 514 (000s sums) ratings.

  • Disney’s ‘Doraemon’ second most watched program: BARC Kids week 6

    Disney’s ‘Doraemon’ second most watched program: BARC Kids week 6

    MUMBAI: Week 6 proved to be a considerably good one for channels in the kids genre in terms of viewership. Viacom18’s Nick stayed strong in its top position as per Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s all India (U+R) data in NCCS All 4-14 Individuals category.

    With 81634 (000s sums) ratings, Nick saw a considerable jump from last week’s ratings of 77521 (000s sums).

    Pogo TV overtook Cartoon Network for the second position in the chart with a viewership rating of 57635 (000s sums), followed by Cartoon Network, which secured 54735 (000s sums) ratings.

    Hungama with 54535 (000s sums) ratings jumped one spot to perch at the fourth spot, while Disney Channel dropped down one place to the fifth spot with 52422 (000s sums).

    Among the top five most watched programs in the kids genre, Nick’s Motu Patlu Kungfu Kings continued to rule the number one spot with 876 (000s sums) ratings.

    Disney Channel’s Doraemon The Movie: Toofani Adventure with 652 (000s sums) maintained its second position and was followed by Pogo TV ‘s Chhota Bheem & Krishna: Pataliputra – City of the Dead with 615 (‘000s sums) in the third spot.

    Nick’s flagship teen show Shiva secured the fourth spot with ratings of 515 (000s sums). The fifth spot was yet again dominated by Pogo TV’s Chhota Bheem Aur Ganesh In The Amazing Odyssey with 514 (000s sums) ratings.

  • Disney’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ crosses $2 billion global box office mark

    Disney’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ crosses $2 billion global box office mark

    MUMBAI: Star Wars: The Force Awakens has crossed the $2 billion mark worldwide on 6 February, which was its 53rd day of release, thus becoming only the third film ever to do so and just the second to do it in original release. 

    Additionally, the movie also crossed the $900 million mark at the North American box office and is the only film in history to reach this milestone.

    “This is a historic moment for Star Wars, for Lucasfilm, and for Disney, and all of us here are extremely gratified to be a part of this journey with fans around the world who have made Star Wars: The Force Awakens such an extraordinary success. The film’s achievements are truly astounding, and it’s our great honor to relaunch this cinematic galaxy not only for all the devoted decades-long fans but for a new generation who will keep the Star Wars legacy alive for many years to come,” said The Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn.

    Through 4 February, Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned an estimated $899.1 million in North America and $1,095.6 million internationally for a global total of $1,994.7 million. Opening internationally 16 December and in the US on 18 December, Star Wars: The Force Awakens posted the all-time biggest global and domestic debuts with $528.9 million and $247.9 million respectively.

    Over the course of its eight-week run, it has set numerous other records, including:
    – Biggest domestic preview gross ($57 million)
    – Biggest opening day domestically ($119.1 million)
    – Biggest domestic second weekend ($149.2 million)
    – Biggest domestic third weekend ($90.2 million)
    – Biggest opening week domestically ($390.8 million)
    – Biggest opening weekend in 18 territories: UK (4-day), Australia, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria, Poland (3-day), Denmark (5-day), Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Serbia, New Zealand
    – Fastest film to $1 billion globally (12 days)
    – Biggest film of all time in the US and the UK

    Directed by J.J. Abrams, written by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams and Michael Arndt, and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams and Bryan Burk, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was named one of AFI’s top ten films of 2015 and has received five Academy Award nominations, for film editing, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, and for series composer John Williams’ original score.

    The Star Wars Saga continues 15 December, 2017, in Star Wars: Episode VIII, picking up in the wake of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Later this year, Rogue One, a new adventure detailing events prior to Star Wars: A New Hope, will take flight on 16 December, 2016.