ITV

Tag: HLN

  • Warner Bros Discovery announces restructure; cleaves into two divisions

    Warner Bros Discovery announces restructure; cleaves into two divisions

    MUMBAI: Following in the footsteps of other gorilla media companies trying to find a way to retain value in the face of the streaming tsunami, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) announced on 12 December that it had got its board’s go ahead to cleave itself into two operating divisions, namely

    * Global Linear Networks: A premier linear television business that operates networks with compelling news, sports, scripted and unscripted programming.
    * Streaming & Studios: A globally scaled streaming platform and storied film and entertainment studios with a portfolio of intellectual property.

    WBD will serve as the parent company. The intent behind this corporate restructuring:  enhance its strategic flexibility and create potential opportunities to unlock additional shareholder value. Additionally, it  expects the new corporate structure to increase clarity and focus, with each division positioned to deliver on its specific strategic and operational objectives while executing on initiatives to further key priorities for the consolidated WBD. 

    Global linear networks will focus on maximising profitability and free cash flow to continue deleveraging, while streaming & studios will focus on driving growth and strong returns on increasing invested capital, said a corporate release. The latter will include streaming platforms Max and Discovery+  and film studios like Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinema.

    The new corporate structure will also increase optionality to pursue further value creation opportunities for both divisions in an evolving media landscape, the company statement added.. 

    What analysts are observing in this move, is the possibility of a spin off of the company’s legacy linear TV assets into a separate company as traditional cable TV and linear channels like TNT, Discovery, HLN, Animal Planet, CNN have been on a downward trajectory with cord-cutting rampant.  Last year , WBD  unveiled a $9.1 billion goodwill impairment charge to write down the value of its legacy TV assets. 

    Investors have been beating down the share prices of media companies which don’t have a clear runway for their streaming businesses.

    WBD president &  CEO, David Zaslav has been promising that he would ways to unlock better value for shareholders by strategic moves, as recently as a couple of months ago.

    Comcast beat Zaslav’s maneuvre by announcing plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, including channels like MSNBC, CNBC, and E! so that they would not be a drag on its core business which includes  residential broadband, wireless, business services and NBCUniversal’s streaming, studios and theme parks

    However, other observers say that WBD might find it challenging to do a spinoff in the near future as a lot of the cash coming into the company is via its linear television business, which is seeing declining subscribers. It struck a new multiyear distribution deal with Charter Communications and Comcast which included higher payouts to it by the two for its linear channels.   Its  D2C business is actually on a growth curve and has limited cash inflows as the streaming services expand globally.

    “Since the combination that created Warner Bros. Discovery, we have transformed our business and improved our financial position while providing world class entertainment to global audiences,” said Zaslav in a statement announcing the restructuring. “We continue to prioritize ensuring our global linear networks business is well positioned to continue to drive free cash flow, while our streaming & studios business focuses on driving growth by telling the world’s most compelling stories. Our new corporate structure better aligns our organisation and enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities across an evolving media landscape, help us build on our momentum and create opportunities as we evaluate all avenues to deliver significant shareholder value.”

    Warner Bros. Discovery expects to start the foundational steps immediately and to complete the implementation of the new corporate structure by mid-2025.In addition, the Company expects to continue to evolve the board to execute its strategy and drive future shareholder value creation. J.P. Morgan, Evercore, and Guggenheim Securities are serving as financial advisors to Warner Bros. Discovery and Kirkland & Ellis and Wachtell Lipton are serving as legal counsel.
     

  • HLN to launch new series based on Ellen DeGeneres game

    HLN to launch new series based on Ellen DeGeneres game

    MUMBAI: Heads Up!, a new television series based on the popular game and app of the same name from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is coming to HLN as a fast-paced game show.

     

    Launching in first quarter 2016, the 65-episode half-hour game show strip from Telepictures will be hosted by Loni Love — comedian, actress and co-host of syndicated talk show The Real — and will air daily, Mondays through Fridays.

     

    In the Heads Up! TV show, contestants pair up with a celebrity and try to correctly identify as many cards as they can based on clues from their teammate in categories ranging from movies and songs to actions, accents, body parts and more. In Heads Up!, (almost) nothing is off limits.

     

    Ellen DeGeneres said, “I’m so excited that Heads Up! is going to be a game show. It’s so fun and addictive. I play it on my show all the time. I play it at home. I played it last night at Jennifer Aniston’s house. She wasn’t home, so please don’t print that part.”

     

    “We’re excited to translate this innovative game app into a TV show on HLN, and create another all-screens experience for our social media audience. And to be in business with a break-the-Internet star like Ellen is incredible,” said HLN executive vice president and general manager Albie Hecht.

     

    The Heads Up! app (iOS and Android) has been downloaded more than 16 million times worldwide and been played more than a half billion times. It was Apple’s top paid app of 2014.

     

    The Heads Up! series is HLN’s second game show based on a successful app. In January, the Keywords app paved the way for the premiere of Keywords, the TV show, in March.

     

    Heads Up! is from A Very Good Production in association with Telepictures. DeGeneres, Ed Glavin, Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner and Jeff Kleeman are the executive producers of the series.

     

  • CNN opens new production centre in the Middle East

    CNN opens new production centre in the Middle East

    MUMBAI: A pivotal part of CNN’s content ownership strategy has come on stream with the launch of a new state-of-the-art production center and newsgathering hub in the heart of the Middle East. This was announced today in Abu Dhabi by CNN International MD, executive VP managing director Tony Maddox.

    He was joined for the announcement by Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEO Phil Kent and by CNN Chief International correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

    Maddox says, “The Middle East has played a significant role in CNN’s heritage and is part of our DNA, two of our earliest bureaus were in Cairo and Jerusalem. This region unquestionably plays an integral part in world affairs, and the new hub in Abu Dhabi gives us the opportunity to get to the heart of the rich and diverse stories across the political, business, social and cultural spectrums.

    “The establishment of a permanent broadcast and production center in the Middle East by CNN is a significant and unique move by a Western news broadcaster. It gives CNN a powerful base from which to coordinate seven regional bureaus and showcase a new daily news show from the Middle East.”

    The new online and TV production facility sits alongside CNN’s existing 32 international newsgathering operations which also includes digital production centers in Hong Kong, London, Mexico City and Atlanta.

    Overseen by CNN’s managing editor for the Middle East Tom Fenton, CNN Abu Dhabi will also coordinate newsgathering for the seven CNN operations in the region: Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Jerusalem, Kabul and Islamabad.

    With more than two dozen staff, CNN Abu Dhabi not only consolidates CNN Worldwide’s investment in global newsgathering, but it also underlines CNN’s growth strategy that includes the commercial launch of the CNN Wire, the unveiling of the new CNN.com and the addition of new prime-time shows across HLN and CNN International.

    Built as a fully high definition and online production facility, CNN Abu Dhabi houses a four-camera digital studio with 24/7 live capability, edit suites and fully integrated newsroom.

    First Daily News Show From the Region: For the first time in its history, CNN will broadcast a daily live news show from the Middle East. ‘Prism’, presented by Stan Grant, will air Sunday to Thursday at 12p ET/9p GST. CNN Abu Dhabi will also be the home to CNN’s perennially popular feature shows Inside the Middle East, now in its sixth year, and Marketplace Middle East which launched two years ago.

    Prism is the 10th new show to be launched on CNN International in the past 12 months. It joins the network’s new primetime line-up, uniting Stan Grant, Christiane Amanpour, Richard Quest, Becky Anderson, Fionnuala Sweeney, Michael Holmes and Hala Gorani in a schedule that between them covers off business and current affairs programming, breaking news and behind-the-scenes reportage in distinctive formats.

    Content Ownership : CNN’s content ownership strategy has provided a wealth of new material for all of CNN’s platforms across TV, online, mobile and CNN’s commercial wire service, while also allowing that content to be aggregated to affiliates.

    Since early 2008 CNN has opened seven new editorial operations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and now the Middle East, as well as placing additional correspondents in many existing operations.