ITV

Tag: Disney

  • Disney and Kudelski Group ink patent license agreement

    Disney and Kudelski Group ink patent license agreement

    MUMBAI: The Kudelski Group has inked a multi-year patent license agreement with The Walt Disney Company. While the specific terms remain confidential, this agreement provides Disney with a license to the Kudelski Group’s patent portfolio, subject to certain limitations.

     

    “The Kudelski Group continues to invest heavily in developing technology and intellectual property that help enable industry leaders like The Walt Disney Company to deliver their popular, world-class video and entertainment platforms to the market through streaming video properties, such as ESPN.com and ABC.com. We’re very pleased to enter into this agreement with The Walt Disney Company, a market leader in video distribution. This agreement further underpins the relevance of our patent portfolio in an expanding technology footprint,” said Kudelski Group senior vice president of intellectual property and innovation Joe Chernesky.

     

    With over 60 years of experience in pioneering innovative technologies, the Kudelski Group offers a comprehensive intellectual property licensing program that provides its customers and partners with access to many fundamental technologies, enabling them to build compelling devices, applications and services that work seamlessly together.

  • Dolby Vision to debut on Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘Inside Out’

    Dolby Vision to debut on Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘Inside Out’

    MUMBAI: Disney’s Tomorrowland, which releases in theatres on 22 May, 2015, and Disney Pixar’s Inside Out, which releases on 19 June, 2015, will be the first Dolby Vision titles to be shown at Dolby Cinema locations around the globe.

     

    In addition, Disney’s The Jungle Book, due on 15 April, 2016, will also be presented in Dolby Vision, with more titles to be announced.

     

    Dolby Cinema, featuring Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, is a premium cinema offering for exhibitors and moviegoers that combines spectacular image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.

     

    “Dolby is thrilled to collaborate with Disney and Pixar to push the cinematic boundaries through the powerful combination of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Dolby Cinema delivers an unforgettable cinema experience that transports moviegoers into the heart of the action,” said Dolby Laboratories president and CEO Kevin Yeaman.

     

    Dolby Cinema begins with the filmmaker’s vision—using the full storytelling capabilities that Dolby offers in image and sound production to transform the way movies are made. Combined with state-of-the-art image, sound, and acoustic capabilities, the movie comes alive to deliver cinema in its purest form.

     

    “The Dolby Cinema experience is a very exciting prospect for both filmmakers and film fans. Dolby has been so vital to the advancement of cinema sound, it makes complete sense for them to turn their attention to enhancing and improving the quality of motion picture images as well. Our team was delighted to collaborate with Dolby, and we are proud thatTomorrowland is the first film to be presented in their stellar new Dolby Vision process. The brightness and clarity of the images, yet with richness and detail in the blacks—WOW. The picture quality, especially in 4K laser projection, is nothing short of stunning,” said Tomorrowland director Brad Bird.

     

    Dolby Cinema features the Dolby Vision projection system, which uses state-of-the-art optics and image processing, to deliver high dynamic range with enhanced color technology and a contrast ratio that far exceeds that of any other image technology on the market today. The result is a richer, more detailed viewing experience that delivers strikingly vivid and realistic images that make viewers feel like they are in the movie’s world. Dolby Cinema also includes the award-winning Dolby sound technology, Dolby Atmos, which moves audio around the theatre, even overhead, with amazing richness and depth. Dolby Atmos debuted in 2012 on Disney Pixar’s Brave.

     

    “Our studio and our filmmakers put so much into creating high-quality, immersive experiences for audiences, and that includes using the latest, cutting-edge technology to enhance the stories we tell. Disney has been a longtime collaborator of Dolby, and we’re excited for the continued storytelling possibilities that technologies like Dolby Cinema deliver,” said The Walt Disney Studios EVP – theatrical distribution Dave Hollis.

  • LAFF inks film licensing deals with Sony, Disney, Miramax

    LAFF inks film licensing deals with Sony, Disney, Miramax

    MUMBAI: Continuing to assemble impressive programming assets as it prepares to debut on 15 April, over-the-air broadcast television network devoted to comedy – LAFF – has inked three individual film licensing agreements with Sony Pictures Television, The Walt Disney Studios and Miramax. The deals will bring the network some of the biggest comedic stars and performances of recent times.

     

    Stars and titles headed to LAFF from the Sony Pictures Television library include: Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise; Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle, Punchline and Nothing in Common, which co-stars Jackie Gleason; Gleason’s classic pairing with Richard Pryor in The Toy; Pryor and Gene Wilder teaming for Stir Crazy; Steel Magnolias starring Julia Roberts; Robin Williams in The Fisher King and Moscow on the Hudson; Steve Martin in Roxanne and Mixed Nuts; John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Neighbors and also This is Spinal Tap, About Last Night and St. Elmo’s Fire.

     

    Library movies from The Walt Disney Studios include: Splash, starring Tom Hanks; Robin Williams and John Travolta in Old Dogs; Ellen DeGeneres chasing Mr. Wrong; Jungle 2 Jungle, starring Tim Allen and Martin Short; Eddie Murphy as The Distinguished Gentleman; John Cusack in High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank as well as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Cool Runnings, Mr. 3000 and The Ref.

     

    Films and stars from the Miramax library include: Kevin Smith’s breakthrough comedy Clerks; Flirting With Disaster, starring Ben Stiller; Keeping Up With The Steins with Jeremy Piven and Cheryl Hines; Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, and Bill Hader in Adventureland; Robert Altman’s Pret-A-Porter, with Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins; an all-star cast in Beautiful Girls; Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Jason Biggs in Jersey Girl; Matthew Broderick in The Night We Never Met and William H. Macy and Steve Zahn in Happy, Texas.

     

    LAFF will feature a mix of contemporary off-network sitcoms and popular theatrical motion pictures, with a target audience of adults 18-49.

  • Disney shareholders re-elect board; reject split of CEO & chairman roles

    Disney shareholders re-elect board; reject split of CEO & chairman roles

    MUMBAI: Shareholders of The Walt Disney Company at the 2015 Annual Meeting today elected all 10 members of the Board of Directors and supported Board recommendations on the Company’s auditor and the advisory vote on executive compensation, based on preliminary results.

     

    Shareholders agreed with the Board in rejecting two shareholder proposals, one regarding the future selection of an independent Board chairman, and the other limiting accelerated executive pay.

     

    Disney chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger welcomed shareholders to the meeting at The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco and introduced independent lead director Orin C. Smith and the other members of the Board of Directors.

     

    “We’ve had four straight years of record results. Driven by extraordinary creativity, innovative technology and global expansion, 2014 was in fact the best year in our history. Our revenue was up 8 per cent to $48.8 billion, our net income was up 22 per cent to $7.5 billion, and our EPS was up 26 per cent to $4.26.

     

    “Total shareholder return for the year was 38 per cent — almost double the 20 per cent return delivered by the S&P 500 during the same period—and we also paid our 59th straight year of dividends, increasing the dividend per share by 34 per cent,” Iger noted.

     

    Iger introduced Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios chief creative officer John Lasseter, who announced that Disney will be making Frozen 2, reuniting the same creative team and cast from the first film. 

     

    Iger also announced that Star Wars: Episode VIII will be released 26 May, 2017, and that the first stand-alone Star Wars movie featuring characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga will be titled Rogue One and released in December 2016.

     

    Based on preliminary results, all Disney Directors standing for election were re-elected to the Board: Susan E. Arnold, John S. Chen, Jack Dorsey, Robert A. Iger, Fred H. Langhammer, Aylwin B. Lewis, Monica C. Lozano, Robert W. Matschullat, Sheryl K. Sandberg and Orin C. Smith.

     

    Shareholders ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company’s independent accountants for the fiscal year ending October 3, 2015. They also approved the advisory resolution on executive compensation.

     

    Final voting tallies from this year’s annual meeting are subject to certification by the company’s inspector of elections, and will be included in the company’s report to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within a week.

  • Repackaging propels Zee Studio up the ladder

    Repackaging propels Zee Studio up the ladder

    MUMBAI: It was in October last year when Zee Studio underwent a makeover and had changed its tagline from Hollywood on Television to See It All. The move seems to have paid off for the channel as it has tasted success recently.

     

    Zee Studio content and marketing head Sharlton Menezes says that in the last two weeks (weeks 05-06) of 2015, the channel holds sway at the number three position with 15 per cent market share. The channel is at the number three position in the English Movie genre in eight Metros, CS AB 15-44 and All India at 1 million plus, CS AB 15-44.

     

    “Before November, we stood at seven per cent and now we are at 15 per cent. So we have seen a growth of 100 per cent for the channel,” Menezes tells Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Menezes attributes the recent success to the channel’s acquisition of strong library with series like Kung-Fu Panda, Madagascar and Mission Impossible. He believes that when packaged well to the right audiences, impressive numbers for the channel can show up. “We have been ahead of HBO according to this week’s data,” Menezes claims.

     

    As part of its content line up for the year ahead, Zee Studio has partnered with Disney and Paramount studios for content. One of the key properties it will showcase for this year will be the Godfather series. “We are looking at the age group of 16 to 30, who have not heard of this series and promote it in a way that 17,18, and 19 year olds would love to watch it since this is a sizable audience that has come onto TV over the last two or three years,” informs Menezes.

     

    The other movie include Iron Man 3, G.I Joe Retaliation and Thor amongst others.

     

    The channel has seen increased viewership numbers in markets like Mumbai and also has sizable numbers in Delhi and Kolkata. “We are looking at enhancing distribution in Chennai over the coming months. We need analogue connectivity there since it is an analogue market,” Menezes informs.

     

    Speaking about the content strategy followed by the channel, Menezes says that Zee Studio’s aim is to offer movies, which can be watched by the entire family. The channel does not showcase movies of specific genres like action or romance but showcases movies across genres standing true to its new tagline of – See It All.

     

    Another reason for the rise of Zee Studio is being attributed to Star India undergoing its RIO packaging as their current numbers are low.

     

    The channel also has a successful micro property called Studio Binge, which is a marathon movie property where movies are showcased back to back. “Binge viewing is something wherein families can watch ample movies at one go. For example on Republic Day one can watch movies, which have a patriotic sentiment attached to it,” says Menezes.

     

    As part of the channel’s marketing plan, trade campaign will be undertaken in the coming week targeting 25 years and above, for audiences in the key cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

     

    Shedding light on the channel’s game plan ahead, Menezes says, “We are looking at being a strong number two if not number one. We are going to be a lot more aggressive and continue making noise around our properties. Plans are also to focus on the 11 pm slot and try and get higher numbers during the IPL.”

  • Disney unveils second Startup Accelerator programme

    Disney unveils second Startup Accelerator programme

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company is now accepting applications for its second Disney Accelerator programme powered by Techstars. Disney Accelerator will select a class of 10 startup companies for a three-month mentorship and investment programme beginning 6 July, 2015 and concluding with a Demo Day on 6 October, 2015.

     

    The programme is open to technology-based startups with a vision for making an impact on the world of media and entertainment. Participants will be offered $120,000 in investment capital along with mentor support from top Disney executives, entrepreneurs, investors and other notable business leaders from the entertainment and technology communities.

     

    In 2014, Disney launched its first Disney Accelerator with companies focused on a range of products including connected toys, mobile video, STEM applications, social media, advertising technology and more. Disney continues to work with many of the alumni from the inaugural class, which included Choremonster, Codarica, Jogg, Naritiv, Sidelines, Smart Toy, SnowShoe, Sphero, Twigtale and TYFFON.

     

    The 2014 Disney Accelerator class reached a number of significant milestones during the programme. SnowShoe secured $2.2 million in seed financing; ChoreMonster and Codarica both launched mobile apps; Sphero introduced its new Ollie product and Smart Toy was acquired by Cartwheel Kids, a Los Angeles-based manufacturer of children’s products.

     

    “The Disney Accelerator was born of Disney’s long term commitment to innovation and its position at the intersection of technology and entertainment. The 2014 Disney Accelerator demonstrated that pairing Disney’s creative and business talent with entrepreneurs can produce an energizing and valuable exchange of ideas and promote tremendous innovation. We look forward to working with a new group of start-ups in the months to come,” said Disney executive vice president, corporate strategy and business development Kevin Mayer.

  • ‘Pokemon’ resonates with Hungama’s audiences: Vijay Subramaniam

    ‘Pokemon’ resonates with Hungama’s audiences: Vijay Subramaniam

    MUMBAI: Fun, adventure, friendship, sportsmanship, are all part and parcel of childhood. Bringing a smile on kids’ faces is none other than a series called Pokemon which follows the quest of the main character, Ash Ketchum (known as Satoshi in Japan) a Pokemon master in training, as he and a small group of friends travel around the fictitious world of Pokemon along with their Pokemon partners.

     

    The anime has been running successfully since its debut on Hungama with Pokemon: Indigo League in May 2014 with a new Hindi dub cast. Since its premiere, targeted at the age group of 4-14 years old, it has been consistently ranked on top among kids’ preference.

     

    There are several reasons to it, according to Disney India media networks content and communications VP Vijay Subramaniam, who states that the premise of Hungama has always been to represent the spirit of kids in an unapologetic and unrelenting manner. “Hungama has always delivered on this promise and all our efforts were primarily to consolidate ourselves and deliver a certain style of narrative in the kids’ space.”

     

    The handpicked characters like Ninja Warrior, Doremon or now Pokemon have been a success on the channel because of the interesting narrative, states Subramaniam.

     

    In terms of popularity, the show in its launch week garnered 489 TVTs and ranked number one in total TV among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC) in Hindi speaking market (HSM) during its prime play time slot. Moreover, since launch till date, it has ranked number one in total TV among all kids (CS 4-14 ABC) in HSM and has reached out to 96.9 million individuals (CS4+) out of which 32.9 million are kids (CS 4-14) in all India.

     

    He further expresses that, from May to November, the anime 1.5 million kids tuning in for it, which has lead to an increase of 15 per cent in total viewership.

     

    So how it all began? It was in January 2014, where the channel was brainstorming on what other dimensions it can add to the current portfolio. “The first was to make the promise more active. Naturally, the next dimension we wanted to open up was with action-adventure. Pokemon was out first choice which is a mixture of action, comedy and fun,” says Subramaniam.

     

    The thought that revolved was that all young kids have a fantasy world filled with a lot of imagination. The channel recognised the fact that if Pokemon had captured the imagination of one whole generation about 10 years ago, it was time to bring another generation in contact with the series.

     

    When the network bought the television rights of Pokemon, it needed to get a couple of things right. Firstly, it looked at the complementary strengths of Pokemon and Hungama and how can one fuse them to create companion for the kids.

     

    So, for the first time, the channel launched a weekly series (Monday – Friday) at 1 pm. “It was a conscious decision. The story has a linear track and it is important to keep pace with the kids.”

     

    Apart from the original run at 1 pm, the channel also gives opportunity to kids to sample the content by airing repeats during the day.  He believes that the conversation around ‘Pokémon’ is a real currency for kids.

     

    According to him the complementary strengths of Hungama has been always to keep the conversations, dialogues colloquial and casual. And that’s the exact treatment that the channel has applied in dubbing the Pokemon series. The voices and dialogues are all in tune with how the kids interact today.

     

    Apart from this, the biggest shot in the arm for any successful series on Hungama has been the unique treatment given to the campaigns around it. With Pokemon, the entire campaign was done by using rap-battle. “Rap music has become quite popular with kids today and through rap-battle, the first campaign told the story of Pokemon and what it means to capture all the Pokemon and become the Pokemon master and when the title is given to you.” Once, it became popular, the channel decided that it is the time now to follow up with another rap-battle. This time around, the rap-battle was between two kids.

     

    To maintain and retain the number one position, the channel does consumer research four times in a year to meet different needs. “We are constantly feeding off the insights that we are drawing from consumers. It’s important to know what they like and dislike and not just liberate to getting our answers for programming. It’s the fact that we are engaging and conversing with them and not just researching them.”

     

    On the advertisers’ front, Hungama enjoys a strong run. “Even when we launched Pokemon, we had the support and confidence of the advertisers has only grown further considering the show is now performing a rock solid which is taking the overall Hungama performance up.”

     

    Brands like Heinz, Piramal, Dabur, ITC Foods have associated with the series in the past four months.

     

    According to Subramaniam, this property is not going to see curtains down anytime soon. He believes there are a lot of interesting stories yet to be told. “It is not even a year, and we have so many Pokemon worlds to display to our young audiences. We have got new dimensions and out of those, we will premier one in Early January 2015. Properties such as Pokemon, once when they endure themselves, they have the tendency to stay on for a very long time. This is the property which is going to continue to resonate Hungama’s audiences for a long time,” signs off Subramaniam.  

  • Time Warner reports y-o-y increase in Q3-2014

    Time Warner reports y-o-y increase in Q3-2014

    BENGALURU: Time Warner Inc (Time Warner) posted 34 per cent higher adjusted EPS for Q3-2014 (quarter ended 30 September 2014) at US$ 1.22 (on a lower adjust outstanding share base) and better than last quarter’s US$ 0.98.

     

    Diluted income per share in Q3-2014 was US$1.11 (average 870.2 million diluted shares outstanding) versus the US$ 1.25 (average 938.8 million diluted shares outstanding) in Q3-2013 and US$ 0.98 (average 894.2 million diluted shares outstanding) in Q2-2014.

     

    For Q3-2014, Time Warner reported total revenue (TIO) of US$  6243 million, which was 3.3 per cent more y-o-y at US$ 6042 million, but 8 per cent less that the US$ 6788 million in Q2-2014. Total adjusted operating income at US$ 993 million in Q3-2014 was 37.5 per cent less than the US$ 1589 million in Q3-2013 and 38.6 per cent lower than the US$ 1618 million in Q2-2014.

     

    Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “We had another good quarter, featuring solid revenue growth as well as strong growth in Adjusted EPS. As we discussed at our Investor Event last month, we’ve refocused the company over the past few years to aggressively pursue the huge global opportunities we see in video content. And once again, we are seeing the benefits of our increased investments in great content and storytelling. In the quarter, both Turner and HBO had double-digit increases in subscription revenues, reflecting the growing strength and appeal of their programming. HBO received 19 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most of any network for the 13th straight year, including five Emmys for newcomer True Detective. At Turner, TNT ranked as ad-supported cable’s #1 primetime network for the second consecutive quarter, TBS was the #2 ad-supported cable network in primetime among adults 18-49 and 25-54, and Adult Swim again shined as ad-supported cable’s #1 total day network among its key adult demos. Turner’s extension last month of its longstanding relationship with the NBA through the 2024-25 season is another great example of investing in distinctive programming that will serve us well for years to come. This fall, Warner Bros. is once again the number one producer for broadcast television, including a strong slate of new shows. Season-to-date, Gotham ranked as broadcast’s #2 new show among adults 18-49, while The Flash had the most-watched telecast ever on The CW. These shows are among five series featuring DC characters that will air this season. DC is also a key component of the ambitious film slate that Warner Bros. recently unveiled. Further demonstrating our continuing commitment to shareholder returns, so far this year we’ve returned over $5.7 billion to our shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends.”

     

    Time Warner has three segments that contribute to its numbers – Turner, Home Box Office (HBO) and Warner Bros (WB). Turner, which contributes about 40 per cent of TIO, disappointed with a drop in its share of adjusted operating income to 35.2 per cent versus the approximately 60 per cent during Q2-2013, Q3-2013 and Q2-2014. All of Time Warner’s segments reported y-o-y reduction of adjusted operating income in Q3-2014.

     

    Let us look at the numbers reported by the segments of Time Warner for Q3-2014

     

    Turner

     

    Turner reported revenue of US$ 2556 million (39.2 per cent of TIO), which was 4.6 per cent more than the US$  2338 million (38.7 per cent of TIO), but 11.1 per cent lower than the US$  2750 million (40.5 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter ended June 30, 2014.

     

    Adjusted operating income from this segment fell a massive 64 per cent to US$ 350 million (35.2 per cent of total adjusted operating income) from US$ 971 million (61.1 per cent of total  operating income) and was 62.8 per cent lower than the US$ 940 million (35.2 per cent of total adjusted operating income)in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its Turner segment results:

     

    Revenues rose 5 per cent (US$ 108 million) to US$ 2.4 billion, mainly due to growth of 10 per cent (US$ 117 million) in subscription revenues and 17 per cent (US$ 12 million) in content revenues, offset in part by a decline of 2 per cent (US$ 18 million) in advertising revenues. The increase in subscription revenues was primarily due to higher domestic rates and international growth. Advertising revenues decreased due to declines at Turner’s international networks. Advertising revenues at Turner’s domestic networks were essentially flat.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income declined 64 per cent (US$ 621 million) to US$ 350 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by higher programming costs and increased restructuring and severance costs. Programming costs grew 84 per cent due to the current year quarter’s US$ 482 million of charges related to Turner’s decision to no longer air certain programming. Excluding these charges, programming costs increased in the low double digits due to higher costs associated with increased volume of original programming and the first year of Turner’s new agreement with Major League Baseball. The current year quarter included US$ 199 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 30 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the programming and restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 1.0 billion.

     

    HBO segment

    HBO reported 9.9 per cent increase in revenue in Q3-2014 at US$   1304 million (20.9 per cent of TIO) from US$   1186 million in Q3-2013, but was 8 per cent less than the US$   1417 million (20.9 per cent if TIO) in Q2-2014.

     

    HBO’s adjusted operating income at US$   380 million (38.3 per cent of total adjusted operating income) was 4.3 per cent lower than the US$   397 million (25 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q3-2013 and 31.2 per cent lower than the US$   552 million (34.1 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its HBO segment results:

     

    Revenues grew 10 per cent (US$ 118 million) to US$ 1.3 billion, reflecting increases of 10 per cent (US$ 106 million) in subscription revenues and 7 per cent (US$ 10 million) in content revenues. The increase in subscription revenues resulted from higher domestic rates and subscribers as well as the consolidation of HBO Asia and HBO South Asia (collectively, HBO Asi”). The growth in content revenues was primarily due to increased home video revenues.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income decreased 4 per cent (US$ 17 million) to US$ 380 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by increased expenses due to higher programming and distribution costs as well as increased restructuring and severance costs. Programming costs grew 16 per cent due to increased expenses for original and acquired programming as well as the consolidation of HBO Asia. Distribution costs increased primarily due to higher participation expenses. The current year quarter included US$ 48 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 24 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 428 million.

     

    Operating Income declined 24 per cent (US$ 122 million) to US$ 380 million. The prior year quarter included a US$ 105 million gain related to Home Box Office’s acquisition of its former partner’s interests in HBO Asia in September 2013.

     

    Warner Bros (WB)

    WB reported 3 per cent growth in revenue in Q3-2014 to from US$   2775 million (44.4 per cent of TIO) from US$   2694 million (44.6 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2014, but was 3.3 per cent lower than the US$   2870 million (42.3 per cent of TIO) in Q2-2014.

     

    WB’s adjusted operating income at US$   241 million (24.3 per cent of total adjusted operating income) was 20.2 per cent lower than the US$   302 million (19 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q3-2014, but 2.1 per cent higher than the US$   236 million (14.6 per cent of total adjusted operating income) in Q2-2014.

     

    Here is what the company has to say about its WB segment results:

    Revenues increased 3 per cent (US$ 81 million) to US$ 2.8 billion, mainly due to growth in subscription video-on-demand revenues for television product, higher licensing of theatrical product, growth in television production, including from the acquisition of Eyeworks Group’s operations outside the U.S., and revenues from a patent license and settlement agreement. These increases were partly offset by softer performance of current year quarter theatrical releases compared to the prior year’s slate, which included Pacific Rim, The Conjuring and We’re the Millers, and lower domestic off-network television license fees.

     

    Adjusted Operating Income decreased 20 per cent (US$ 61 million) to US$ 241 million, as higher revenues were more than offset by increased restructuring and severance costs, higher film costs for television product and a value added tax accrual. The current year quarter included US$ 45 million of restructuring and severance costs compared to US$ 2 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding the restructuring and severance charges, Adjusted Operating Income would have been US$ 286 million.

     

    Operating Income declined 23 per cent (US$ 70 million) to US$ 237 million.

     

    Through 2 November, Annabelle grossed over US$ 230 million at the worldwide box office. Season-to-date, Gotham ranked as broadcast’s #2 new drama series among adults18-49. The premiere of The Flash had a total of 6.8 million total viewers in final live +7 ratings, making it The CW network’s most-watched telecast ever.

     

  • Rentrak to launch box office tracking service in India

    Rentrak to launch box office tracking service in India

    MUMBAI: Rentrak recently announced the launch of its India box-office tracking service, aiming to bring independently verified box-office data in the country. The announcement was made at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival.

    Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, Rentrak’s vice present for Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, Arturo Guillen said, “This can be a win-win situation for all parties involved — producers, distributors and exhibitors.”

    Even with almost 11,000 screens in the country, the box-office data is still largely based on figures reported by distributors and producers rather than being directly sourced from cinema locations. The company will collect and analyze data from cinemas directly, according to media reports.

    According to industry estimates, India clocks around 3.5 billion admissions per year with total revenues touching $1.5 billion. With the demand for Indian films getting huge overseas as well, Rentrak is already tracking Bollywood titles in 44 countries while the company’s India client base will include local arms of Hollywood studios that have become active in local productions such as Disney, Fox Star Studios and Viacom18, in addition to Indian banners, the report added.

     “As we have seen in other markets, cinemas benefit from our data as it helps them track footfalls, which is helpful for in-cinema advertising and programming decisions,” said Rentrak India MD Rajkumar Akella, in an interview to The Hollywood Reporter.

    “A leading Indian producer once told me that data is the basis to define reality,” added Guillen, referring to how data can also help in tracking consumer tastes.

    This is Rentrak’s second attempt at entering India after its now-defunct 2007 pact with Mumbai-based Bigtree Entertainment, which provides entertainment ticketing applications and solutions.

     

  • Audiences watch less TV as they grow younger, says Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz

    Audiences watch less TV as they grow younger, says Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz

    CANNES: Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz is noticing the emergence of short format content. “This side of business is growing at double digits,” he said during his keynote at the ongoing MIPCOM 2014.

     

    According to Kreiz, consumption habits are changing. “There is a massive shift from linear to online,” he added. Citing a survey, he said that while 12-24 year olds watch one third less linear TV than adults aged between 25 and 49, it is less than half of what adults aged 50-65 watch.“It’s not that they watch more as they grow older, but that they watch less as they grow younger,” said Kreiz.

     

    Talking about Maker’s acquisition by Disney he said, “Disney being the number one company of the world and Maker being the largest short form company, we both had to do something to remain relevant. So for Disney, this gives an opportunity to extend their business to short form, while for us, this gives the opportunity to move to traditional media.”

     

    The reach of Maker Studios and Disney taken together is third only to Google and Facebook.

     

    “The current generation of kids hasn’t grown up with TV, the way we did. Kids control what they want to watch, where, why and how. Against this, there is a demographic which is hard to find,” he added.

     

    Millennial kids watch 50 per cent more video online as compared to others. So the big question is how do they reach them? Said Kreiz, “When we say short form, it is a different medium in which you make, monetise, consume and market content. There is a difference in movies and TV and TV and short form.”

     

    Talking about the duration of the short formats he said, “If you take the top 100 properties in the US, right from Google to Netflix to Amazon etc, the average duration of content is 4 minutes. And this doesn’t include mobile, this is just desktop.”

     

    According to a study conducted by Netflix, almost 90 per cent of Netflix content consumed on mobile is 10 minutes of duration. “Maker specialises in the genre, which started off as a group that wanted to build the DNA of a media company that understood content in short form and that’s what separates the company from the rest,” he opined.

     

    Kreiz feels that Maker inspires expressions, while also entertaining global audiences. “We enable global brands to engage with the millennial audience,” he added.   

     

    Maker currently has 55,000 creators in more than 100 countries. “It’s a large network of people creating content. But we put great emphasis on quality of content. We get 10,000 to 15,000 people who want to join the network, of which we take 100 people every day,” he said.

     

    According to Kreiz, what makes their work exciting is that they are inventing a new medium. “Everyone in the company is a Maker. With Disney we can accelerate growth and become mainstream,” he expressed hopefully.

     

    Talking about advertisement, he said, “In some cases the CPM we get is higher than TV. But this is a nascent industry. We are in the business of monetising advertising inventory. The growth is in double digits and a lot of credit for this goes to YouTube.”

     

    As per Kreiz, advertisers are now moving 10-25 per cent of the TV advertising budgets to digital. “We can monetise in several ways which could be through ad integration, branded entertainment amongst others. We have created our own platform to bring a market place which brings the advertisers and makers together.”

     

    While everyone is running behind the millennials, they are running behind content. The challenge for most of the platforms is to remain relevant. “With Disney, we feel we are at a good place to achieve it,” concluded Kreiz.