ITV

Tag: Jurassic World

  • Sony PIX hosts the premiere of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ before its India and US release!

    Sony PIX hosts the premiere of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ before its India and US release!

    Sony PIX, home to Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and premieres, is back with its biggest on-ground experiential event – Sony PIX Premiere Nights premiering the most-awaited movie franchise of the year, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. On June 6, 2018, a day before its India release and weeks before its US release, the dino park has opened first for Sony PIX viewers for a jaw dropping experience!

    ‘Sony PIX Premiere Nights’, is the finest on-ground Hollywood movie extravaganza where viewers get to exclusively watch the premiere of the latest Hollywood movies before their theatrical release in India. This time, the event is bigger and grander than ever before as the channel is hosting the multiple screenings across 10 cities Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and Kochi.

    This is also the first time that Sony PIX tied up with multiple platforms like insider.in, kasakaimumbai, dailyobjects et al so that more people get the opportunity to watch the movie before anyone else in India! With an unprecedented 25,000 entries, thousands of people will attend the Sony PIX Premiere nights including Bollywood and TV celebrities, making it one of the biggest Hollywood on-ground event of the year!

  • Sony Pix to telecast ‘Jurassic World’ on 22 October

    Sony Pix to telecast ‘Jurassic World’ on 22 October

    MUMBAI: Sony Pix will take the viewers on a thrilling, adventurous journey with cloned dinosaurs in their Billion Dollar Premiere property. The channel plans to air Jurassic World on 22 October at 1 pm and 9 pm.

    Owing to its visual spectacle and nail-biting narrative, the movie got an opening of over US$500 million worldwide.

    “Jurassic World is the second highest grossing film of 2015 with Rs 1.6 billion in revenues. It was a natural choice for us to showcase a film of this scale first on our channel as Sony Pix is synonymous with Hollywood Blockbusters. In fact, other blockbusters of 2015 like Furious 7 and Minions also premiered first on Sony Pix. So our strategy is to invest in great content that will leave our viewers Amazed,” said Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) English entertainment cluster executive vice-president and business head Saurabh Yagnik.

    Apart from having A-listers actors like Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Brian Tee, the movie also stars veteran actor Irrfan Khan in a suave role of Simon Masrani.

    Khan said, “I have always enjoyed working in Hollywood movies and being a part of a record breaking movie – Jurassic World was a great opportunity. I am glad that Sony PIX will be airing the movie for the first time on Indian Television and this must-watch family entertainer will surely reach out to a larger audience. Kids, teens or grown-ups, this film is sure to be loved by all those who watch it!”

  • Sony Pix to telecast ‘Jurassic World’ on 22 October

    Sony Pix to telecast ‘Jurassic World’ on 22 October

    MUMBAI: Sony Pix will take the viewers on a thrilling, adventurous journey with cloned dinosaurs in their Billion Dollar Premiere property. The channel plans to air Jurassic World on 22 October at 1 pm and 9 pm.

    Owing to its visual spectacle and nail-biting narrative, the movie got an opening of over US$500 million worldwide.

    “Jurassic World is the second highest grossing film of 2015 with Rs 1.6 billion in revenues. It was a natural choice for us to showcase a film of this scale first on our channel as Sony Pix is synonymous with Hollywood Blockbusters. In fact, other blockbusters of 2015 like Furious 7 and Minions also premiered first on Sony Pix. So our strategy is to invest in great content that will leave our viewers Amazed,” said Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) English entertainment cluster executive vice-president and business head Saurabh Yagnik.

    Apart from having A-listers actors like Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Brian Tee, the movie also stars veteran actor Irrfan Khan in a suave role of Simon Masrani.

    Khan said, “I have always enjoyed working in Hollywood movies and being a part of a record breaking movie – Jurassic World was a great opportunity. I am glad that Sony PIX will be airing the movie for the first time on Indian Television and this must-watch family entertainer will surely reach out to a larger audience. Kids, teens or grown-ups, this film is sure to be loved by all those who watch it!”

  • FY-2015: Comcast Cable’s Q4-2015 video subscriber additions retard video subscriber decline

    FY-2015: Comcast Cable’s Q4-2015 video subscriber additions retard video subscriber decline

    BENGALURU: Comcast Corporation’s (Comcast) cable communications segment reported its best ever video results in terms of subscriber decline over nine years for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (FY-2015, current year). Video subscriber increase or retard, at least for the current quarter, seems to be a trend in the US, if one were to go by the results declared by a couple of other television signal carriers.

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million =1 crore

    Comcast Cable numbers

    Comcast Cable reported net additions of 89,000 in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q4-2015, current quarter) as compared to net additions of 6,000 during the corresponding prior year quarter. In the previous quarter (Q3-2015), Comcast Cable had reported a decline of 48,000 video subscribers. For FY-2015, the segment reported 223.47 lakh video subscribers as compared to 223.83 lakh in FY-2014, a decline of just 36,000 as compared to the 196,000 subscribers that Comcast Cable had lost in FY-2014 vis-?-vis FY-2013.

    Customer relationships increased by 281,000 to 270.35 lakh during Q4-2015, a 57.6 per cent improvement compared to an increase of 178,000 in the fourth quarter of 2014, driven by increases in double product and triple product relationships. Video customer net additions of 89,000 were the best result for a quarter in eight years, high-speed Internet customer net additions of 460,000 were the best result for a fourth quarter in nine years, and Voice customer net additions improved to 139,000.

    For FY-2015, customer relationships increased by 666,000, an 85.9 per cent improvement compared to net additions of 358,000 in FY-2014. Video customer net losses of 36,000 improved by 81.7 per cent year-over-year and were the best result in nine years. High-speed Internet customer net additions of 1.4 million marked the tenth consecutive year of more than one million net additions, and were the best result in eight years. Voice customer net additions slowed to 282,000.

    Revenue for Cable Communications increased 5.9 per cent to $11,980 million in Q4-2015 compared to $11,313 million Q4-2014, driven by increases of 9.8 per cent in high-speed Internet, 4.4 per cent in video and 18.9 per cent in business services, partially offset by a 9.3 per cent decline in advertising due to lower political advertising revenue. Comcast says that the increase in Cable revenue reflects increased customer relationships (see below), customers receiving higher levels of service, customers taking additional services, as well as rate adjustments.

    For FY-2015, Cable revenue increased 6.2 per cent to $46,879 million compared to $44,140 million in FY-2014, driven by growth in high-speed Internet, business services and video.

    Company speak

    Comcast chairman and chief executive officer Brian L. Roberts said, “I am exceptionally proud of our results this year, which were driven by strong performances in each of our core businesses. At Comcast Cable, our focus on delivering the most innovative products and improving the customer experience led to fantastic operating metrics, including our best video customer results in nine years, and our best high-speed Internet customer results in eight years. NBCUniversal had a remarkable year, with record-breaking results at both Theme Parks and Film, and continued success at NBC, which was number one in primetime for the second consecutive season. As we enter 2016, the momentum we see across our portfolio is truly exciting. We are executing at the highest level, investing prudently, and energized and focused on driving growth and shareholder value. Underscoring our confidence in our company, we are increasing our dividend by 10 per cent to $1.10 per share and we also plan to repurchase $5.0 billion of our stock this year.”

    Overall numbers

    Consolidated Revenue for Q4-2015 increased 8.5 per cent to $19,245 million as compared to $17,732 million in Q4-2014. Consolidated Operating Cash Flow increased 6.7 per cent to $6,272 million from $5,877 million in Q4-2014. Consolidated Operating Income increased 5.7 per cent to $4,002 million as compared to $3,787 million in the previous year. On 13 November, 2015, Comcast acquired a 51 per cent interest in the Universal Studios theme park located in Osaka, Japan (Universal Studios Japan). Q4-2015 and FY-2015 results include $169 million of revenue and $80 million of operating cash flow attributable to Universal Studios Japan from its acquisition date.

    Consolidated revenue for Q4-2015 excluding Universal Studios Japan increased 7.6 per cent. Consolidated operating cash flow excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $22 million of costs associated with a change in the presentation of amounts payable for a contractual obligation in Q4-2015 and $99 million of Time Warner Cable and Charter transaction-related costs in Q4-2014, increased four per cent.

    For FY-2015, consolidated revenue increased 8.3 per cent to $74,510 million as compared to $68,775 million in FY-2014. Consolidated operating cash flow increased 7.7 per cent to $24,678 million as compared to $22,923 million in FY-2014. Consolidated operating income increased 7.3 per cent to $15,998 million as compared to $14,904 million in the prior year. Consolidated revenue for FY-2015 excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $376 million of revenue generated by the broadcast of the NFL’s Super Bowl in the first quarter of 2015 and $1.1 billion of revenue generated by the Sochi Olympics in the first quarter of 2014, increased 9.3 per cent. Consolidated operating cash flow excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $178 million of transaction-related costs in 2015 and $237 million in 2014, and $22 million of costs associated with a change in the presentation of amounts payable for a contractual obligation4 in the fourth quarter of 2015, increased 7.1 per cent.

    Other segments

    NBCUniversal

    Revenue for NBCUniversal increased 13.0 per cent to $7,477 million in Q4-2015 compared to $6,615 million in Q4-2014. For FY-2015, NBCUniversal revenue increased 11.9 per cent to $28.5 billion compared to $25.4 billion in FY-2014.

    Cable Networks

    For Q4-2015, Cable Networks segment revenue increased 3.4 per cent to $2,407 million as compared to $2,327 million in Q4-2014. These results reflect a 6.8 per cent increase in distribution revenue, partially reflecting NASCAR Comcast’s sports network, NBCSN, which was more than offset by a modest 0.3 per cent decline in advertising revenue and an increase in sports programming costs, reflecting the impact of NASCAR and higher programming costs for the English Premier League.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Cable Networks segment increased 0.7 per cent to $9,628 million from $9,563 million in FY-2014.

    Broadcast Television

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Broadcast Television segment increased seven per cent to $2,498 million compared to $2,335 million in Q4-2014, reflecting a seven per cent increase in advertising revenue, primarily driven by higher rates, a 34.9 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, and higher retransmission consent fees.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Broadcast Television segment was stable at $8,530 million as compared to $8,542 million in FY-2014. Excluding $376 million of revenue generated by the NFL’s Super Bowl in the first quarter of 2015, as well as $846 million of revenue generated by the 2014 Sochi Olympics, revenue increased six per cent, reflecting a 13.7 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, a 4.1 per cent increase in advertising revenue, and higher retransmission consent fees.

    Filmed Entertainment

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Filmed Entertainment segment increased 25.8 per cent to $1,6 29billion compared to $1,295 million in Q4-2014, reflecting a 74.9 per cent increase in home entertainment revenue driven by the strong performances of Minions and Jurassic World, as well as a 22.7 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, partially offset by a 37.5 per cent decline in theatrical revenue.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Filmed Entertainment segment increased 45.5 per cent to $7,287 million compared to $5,008 million in FY-2014, driven by higher theatrical revenue from the record performances of Minions, Jurassic World, and Furious 7. Operating cash flow increased 73.5 per cent to $1.2 billion compared to $711 million in 2014, reflecting higher revenue, partially offset by a 40.9 per cent increase in operating expenses, primarily driven by an increase in the amortisation of film costs and higher advertising, marketing and promotion expense due to a larger film slate.

    Theme Parks

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Theme Parks segment increased 38.6 per cent to $1,019 million compared to $735 million in Q4-2014. These results reflect higher guest attendance and per capita spending, driven by the continued success of Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, Hollywood’s Fast and Furious: Supercharged, as well as Halloween Horror Nights at the Orlando and Hollywood parks, partially offset by an increase in operating costs to support new attractions.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Theme Parks segment increased 27.3 per cent to $3,339 million compared to $2,623 million in FY-2014.

  • FY-2015: Comcast Cable’s Q4-2015 video subscriber additions retard video subscriber decline

    FY-2015: Comcast Cable’s Q4-2015 video subscriber additions retard video subscriber decline

    BENGALURU: Comcast Corporation’s (Comcast) cable communications segment reported its best ever video results in terms of subscriber decline over nine years for the year ended 31 December, 2015 (FY-2015, current year). Video subscriber increase or retard, at least for the current quarter, seems to be a trend in the US, if one were to go by the results declared by a couple of other television signal carriers.

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million =1 crore

    Comcast Cable numbers

    Comcast Cable reported net additions of 89,000 in the quarter ended 31 December, 2015 (Q4-2015, current quarter) as compared to net additions of 6,000 during the corresponding prior year quarter. In the previous quarter (Q3-2015), Comcast Cable had reported a decline of 48,000 video subscribers. For FY-2015, the segment reported 223.47 lakh video subscribers as compared to 223.83 lakh in FY-2014, a decline of just 36,000 as compared to the 196,000 subscribers that Comcast Cable had lost in FY-2014 vis-?-vis FY-2013.

    Customer relationships increased by 281,000 to 270.35 lakh during Q4-2015, a 57.6 per cent improvement compared to an increase of 178,000 in the fourth quarter of 2014, driven by increases in double product and triple product relationships. Video customer net additions of 89,000 were the best result for a quarter in eight years, high-speed Internet customer net additions of 460,000 were the best result for a fourth quarter in nine years, and Voice customer net additions improved to 139,000.

    For FY-2015, customer relationships increased by 666,000, an 85.9 per cent improvement compared to net additions of 358,000 in FY-2014. Video customer net losses of 36,000 improved by 81.7 per cent year-over-year and were the best result in nine years. High-speed Internet customer net additions of 1.4 million marked the tenth consecutive year of more than one million net additions, and were the best result in eight years. Voice customer net additions slowed to 282,000.

    Revenue for Cable Communications increased 5.9 per cent to $11,980 million in Q4-2015 compared to $11,313 million Q4-2014, driven by increases of 9.8 per cent in high-speed Internet, 4.4 per cent in video and 18.9 per cent in business services, partially offset by a 9.3 per cent decline in advertising due to lower political advertising revenue. Comcast says that the increase in Cable revenue reflects increased customer relationships (see below), customers receiving higher levels of service, customers taking additional services, as well as rate adjustments.

    For FY-2015, Cable revenue increased 6.2 per cent to $46,879 million compared to $44,140 million in FY-2014, driven by growth in high-speed Internet, business services and video.

    Company speak

    Comcast chairman and chief executive officer Brian L. Roberts said, “I am exceptionally proud of our results this year, which were driven by strong performances in each of our core businesses. At Comcast Cable, our focus on delivering the most innovative products and improving the customer experience led to fantastic operating metrics, including our best video customer results in nine years, and our best high-speed Internet customer results in eight years. NBCUniversal had a remarkable year, with record-breaking results at both Theme Parks and Film, and continued success at NBC, which was number one in primetime for the second consecutive season. As we enter 2016, the momentum we see across our portfolio is truly exciting. We are executing at the highest level, investing prudently, and energized and focused on driving growth and shareholder value. Underscoring our confidence in our company, we are increasing our dividend by 10 per cent to $1.10 per share and we also plan to repurchase $5.0 billion of our stock this year.”

    Overall numbers

    Consolidated Revenue for Q4-2015 increased 8.5 per cent to $19,245 million as compared to $17,732 million in Q4-2014. Consolidated Operating Cash Flow increased 6.7 per cent to $6,272 million from $5,877 million in Q4-2014. Consolidated Operating Income increased 5.7 per cent to $4,002 million as compared to $3,787 million in the previous year. On 13 November, 2015, Comcast acquired a 51 per cent interest in the Universal Studios theme park located in Osaka, Japan (Universal Studios Japan). Q4-2015 and FY-2015 results include $169 million of revenue and $80 million of operating cash flow attributable to Universal Studios Japan from its acquisition date.

    Consolidated revenue for Q4-2015 excluding Universal Studios Japan increased 7.6 per cent. Consolidated operating cash flow excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $22 million of costs associated with a change in the presentation of amounts payable for a contractual obligation in Q4-2015 and $99 million of Time Warner Cable and Charter transaction-related costs in Q4-2014, increased four per cent.

    For FY-2015, consolidated revenue increased 8.3 per cent to $74,510 million as compared to $68,775 million in FY-2014. Consolidated operating cash flow increased 7.7 per cent to $24,678 million as compared to $22,923 million in FY-2014. Consolidated operating income increased 7.3 per cent to $15,998 million as compared to $14,904 million in the prior year. Consolidated revenue for FY-2015 excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $376 million of revenue generated by the broadcast of the NFL’s Super Bowl in the first quarter of 2015 and $1.1 billion of revenue generated by the Sochi Olympics in the first quarter of 2014, increased 9.3 per cent. Consolidated operating cash flow excluding Universal Studios Japan, as well as $178 million of transaction-related costs in 2015 and $237 million in 2014, and $22 million of costs associated with a change in the presentation of amounts payable for a contractual obligation4 in the fourth quarter of 2015, increased 7.1 per cent.

    Other segments

    NBCUniversal

    Revenue for NBCUniversal increased 13.0 per cent to $7,477 million in Q4-2015 compared to $6,615 million in Q4-2014. For FY-2015, NBCUniversal revenue increased 11.9 per cent to $28.5 billion compared to $25.4 billion in FY-2014.

    Cable Networks

    For Q4-2015, Cable Networks segment revenue increased 3.4 per cent to $2,407 million as compared to $2,327 million in Q4-2014. These results reflect a 6.8 per cent increase in distribution revenue, partially reflecting NASCAR Comcast’s sports network, NBCSN, which was more than offset by a modest 0.3 per cent decline in advertising revenue and an increase in sports programming costs, reflecting the impact of NASCAR and higher programming costs for the English Premier League.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Cable Networks segment increased 0.7 per cent to $9,628 million from $9,563 million in FY-2014.

    Broadcast Television

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Broadcast Television segment increased seven per cent to $2,498 million compared to $2,335 million in Q4-2014, reflecting a seven per cent increase in advertising revenue, primarily driven by higher rates, a 34.9 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, and higher retransmission consent fees.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Broadcast Television segment was stable at $8,530 million as compared to $8,542 million in FY-2014. Excluding $376 million of revenue generated by the NFL’s Super Bowl in the first quarter of 2015, as well as $846 million of revenue generated by the 2014 Sochi Olympics, revenue increased six per cent, reflecting a 13.7 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, a 4.1 per cent increase in advertising revenue, and higher retransmission consent fees.

    Filmed Entertainment

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Filmed Entertainment segment increased 25.8 per cent to $1,6 29billion compared to $1,295 million in Q4-2014, reflecting a 74.9 per cent increase in home entertainment revenue driven by the strong performances of Minions and Jurassic World, as well as a 22.7 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, partially offset by a 37.5 per cent decline in theatrical revenue.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Filmed Entertainment segment increased 45.5 per cent to $7,287 million compared to $5,008 million in FY-2014, driven by higher theatrical revenue from the record performances of Minions, Jurassic World, and Furious 7. Operating cash flow increased 73.5 per cent to $1.2 billion compared to $711 million in 2014, reflecting higher revenue, partially offset by a 40.9 per cent increase in operating expenses, primarily driven by an increase in the amortisation of film costs and higher advertising, marketing and promotion expense due to a larger film slate.

    Theme Parks

    For Q4-2015, revenue from the Theme Parks segment increased 38.6 per cent to $1,019 million compared to $735 million in Q4-2014. These results reflect higher guest attendance and per capita spending, driven by the continued success of Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, Hollywood’s Fast and Furious: Supercharged, as well as Halloween Horror Nights at the Orlando and Hollywood parks, partially offset by an increase in operating costs to support new attractions.

    For FY-2015, revenue from the Theme Parks segment increased 27.3 per cent to $3,339 million compared to $2,623 million in FY-2014.

  • North American box office crosses $11 billion mark for first time ever

    North American box office crosses $11 billion mark for first time ever

    MUMBAI: The North American box office crossed the $11 billion benchmark for the year on 29 December, 2015, making 2015 the highest-earning year at the North American box office in movie history, according to Rentrak.

    A wide assortment of movies brought enthusiastic patrons to movie theaters across the US throughout the year, giving the industry its biggest overall revenue in North American box office history, with a total of $11.1 billion projected for the calendar year through 31 December. The previous record was set in 2013, which brought in $10.919 billion to the North American box office at year-end.

    “Hollywood built the perfect box office beast in 2015, with one hit movie after the next, week after week, exceeding expectations with a regularity that made it look easy. With records falling like dominoes, the revenues just kept building as audiences flooded multiplexes in huge numbers. A diverse and compelling selection of great titles, big and small, from every studio fuelled an extraordinary level of interest by patrons who seemingly could not get enough of the big screen experience in 2015,” said Rentrak senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

    Many notable records fell this year, with virtually every month posting a new benchmark for North American box office revenue. The year’s records included: the biggest January weekend gross with American Sniper, the biggest February opening weekend with Fifty Shades Of Grey, the biggest April opening weekend with Furious 7, the best June opening weekend with Jurassic World, the biggest September debut with Hotel Transylvania 2, and December’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens taking over the top spot for all-time opening weekend.

    Below is a list of the top 10 highest-earning years at the North American box office:

  • ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ takes biggest ever opening weekend

    ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ takes biggest ever opening weekend

    MUMBAI: The opening weekend for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially the biggest in North American box office history, ahead of its India release on 25 December.

     
    The movie’s first weekend in theaters, the seventh film of the franchise brought in $238 million. The previous record-holder was Jurassic World, which made $208.8 million during its debut weekend over the summer.

     
    Globally, Star Wars brought in $517 million, coming in just under the $525 million that Jurassic World made. However, the latter had the advantage of opening in China as well; The Force Awakens doesn’t come out there until 9 January, 2016.

     
    Star Wars: The Force Awakens posted the highest Thursday preview gross ($57 million), the highest single-day and Friday gross ($120.5 million), and it is the first film to surpass $100 million in a single day. It also posted the highest theater average for a wide release with $57,568.

     
    Marking the biggest opening weekend ever in numerous key territories, including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Russia, Star Wars: The Force Awakens posted an estimated international opening weekend of $279 million (third highest reported opening weekend in industry history, behindJurassic World at $316 million including around $97 million China and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 at $314 million) and topping the previous December record held by Avatar ($164.5 million).

     
    Star Wars: The Force Awakens storm-trooped its way across the global landscape (except for China) this weekend to post an amazing estimated $517 million global gross.

     

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens also generated a record-breaking estimated $48 million from Imax screens globally, beating the previous Jurassic World record of $44 (which included China).

     

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens was on over 30,000 screens internationally this weekend. It opened at #1 in all markets throughout the world with the exception of Korea and Vietnam, where it was the #1 western films.

     

    In the Asia-Pacific, the movie raked in $75.7 million, whereas in Latin America, it totted $36.0 million.

     
    Star Wars: The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams and stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.

     

    The movie opens in India on 25 December in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

  • Q3-2015: Comcast Cable revenue up 6.3%, loses 48K video subs; NBCU shines

    Q3-2015: Comcast Cable revenue up 6.3%, loses 48K video subs; NBCU shines

    BENGALURU: Comcast Corporation’s (Comcast) Cable Communications reported revenue growth of 6.3 per cent at $11,740 million in the quarter ended 30 September, 2015 (Q3-2015, current quarter) as compared to the $11,041 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. The segment’s revenue in the current quarter was almost flat (increased by 0.09 per cent) as compared to $11,729 million reported for the immediate trailing quarter.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    Subscription numbers have been mentioned in lakhs and revenue and other financial numbers in millions of US dollars.

     

    Operating cash flow of Comcast’s Cable Communications in Q3-2015 improved 6.4 per cent to $4748 million (40.4 per cent margin) as compared to the $4,464 million (40.4 per cent margin) in Q3-2014.

     

    In terms of decline in video customers, Comcast’s Cable Communication reported the best quarter among the last nine quarters. The company lost only 48,000 video customers in Q3-2015 as compared to the decline of 69,000 in Q2-2015.

     

    Comcast NBCUniversal segment reported a 20.8 per cent growth in revenue at $7,151 million in the current quarter as compared to the $5,921 million in Q3-2014. Operating cash flow of the segment in Q3-2015 improved 17 per cent to $1,657 million as compared to the $1,416 million in Q3-2014.

     

    Overall, Comcast reported a 11.2 per cent growth in consolidated revenue (excluding Olympics and Super Bowl) at $18,669 million as compared to the $16,791 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. Operating Income in Q3-2015 increased 6.9 per cent to $4001 million as compared to the $3745 million in Q3-2014, while Free Cash Flow increased 6.8 per cent to $2663 million as compared to $2494 million in Q3-2014. Earnings per share in the current quarter however declined 19.2 per cent to $0.80 as compared to $0.99 in Q3-2014.

     

    Comcast chairman and CEO Brian L Roberts said, ”I’m pleased to report that our businesses generated outstanding revenue and operating cash flow growth for the third quarter of 2015. At Cable Communications, overall customer relationships increased 156,000, a 90 per cent improvement compared to last year, video subscriber results were the best for a third quarter in nine years, high-speed Internet subscriber results were the best for a third quarter in six years, and churn across all product categories continues to improve. NBCUniversal also delivered terrific results, including another record-breaking box office quarter driven by Minions and Jurassic World, the highest summer attendance ever at our theme parks, and maintaining the #1 broadcast network ranking for five summers in a row. These outstanding results from our unique portfolio of complementary businesses underscore our confidence that we are well positioned to compete, continue our strong performance and drive shareholder value.”

     

    Cable Communications numbers

     

    Six sub-segments contribute to Comcast’s Cable Communications – Video; High Speed Internet; Voice; Business Services; Advertising; and ‘Other.’

     

    Growth in revenue was driven by increases of 10.2 per cent in high-speed Internet revenue, 19.5 per cent in business services and 3.3 per cent in video. The company says that the increase in Cable revenue reflects increased customer relationships, customers receiving higher levels of service and customers taking additional services, as well as rate adjustments.

     

    Customer relationships

     

    Overall, Cable Communications customer relationships in Q3-2015 increased to 274.21 lakh as compared to 268.57 lakh in Q3-2014. During Q3-2015, the segment saw net addition of 156,000 customer relationships as compared to the net addition of 82,000 in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Single, double and triple play customers

     

    While the number of single product customers in the current quarter was lower at 83.67 lakh, it grew by 24,000, as compared to the 84.44 lakh in Q3-2014, which saw a decline of 66,000. Double Product customers were higher at 90.66 lakh in Q3-2015 as compared to 86.50 lakh in Q3-2014. In Q3-2015, the number of double product customers increased by 130,000 as compared to the increase of 76,000 in Q3-2014. Triple Product customers in Q3-2015 increased to 99.88 lakh as compared to 97.63 lakh in the corresponding year ago quarter. Q3-2015 saw the number of triple product customers’ increase by a mere 1,000 as compared to the increase of 72,000 n Q3-2014.

     

    Video

    Revenue from Video improved 3.3 per cent to $5,348 million in Q3-2015 as compared to the $5,179 million in Q3-2014. For the current quarter, the company reported a net loss of 48,000 customers, while its customer base declined by 118,000 to 222.58 lakhs as compared to the 223.76 lakh customers in Q3-2014.

     

    High Speed Internet

    High Speed Internet revenue in the current quarter increased 10.2 per cent to $3,129 million as compared to the $2,840 million in Q3-2014.

     

    The company added 320,000 high speed internet customers in Q3-2015 and reported a customer base of 228.68 lakh. In Q3-2014, Cable Communications had added 315,000 customers and reported a high spend internet customer base of 215.86 lakh.

     

    Voice

    Despite a higher customer base, Voice revenue in Q3-2015 declined 1.4 per cent to $900 million as compared to the $913 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    Voice customer base in Q3-2015 increased to 113.36 lakh as compared to the 110.70 lakh in the corresponding quarter of last year. In Q3-2015, Cable Communications added only 17,000 customers as compared to the 68,000 in Q3-2014.

     

    Business Services revenue in Q3-2015 increased 19.2 per cent to $1,208 million as compared to the $1,011 million in Q3-2014.

     

    Advertising revenue in the current quarter was almost flat (declined 0.2 per cent) to $593 million as compared to $596 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

     

    ‘Other’ revenue increased 11.2 per cent to $562 million in Q3-2015 as compared to the $ 502 in Q3-2014.

     

    NBCUniversal

     

    As mentioned above, NBCUniversal division revenue increased 20.8 per cent YoY in the current quarter, while Operating Cash Flow increased 17 per cent driven by strong results at Filmed Entertainment and Theme Parks.

     

    Four sub-segments add to NBCUniversal’s revenue – Cable Networks; Broadcast Television; Filmed Entertainment; and Theme Parks.

     

    Cable Networks reported seven per cent growth in operating revenue at $2,412 million in Q3-2015 as compared to the $2,255 million in the corresponding year ago quarter, driven by an 8.6 per cent increase in distribution revenue and a two per cent increase in advertising revenue, partially reflecting the introduction of NASCAR on Comcast’s sports network, NBCSN, as well as a 17.6 per cent increase in content licensing and other revenue. Operating cash flow decreased 3.9 per cent to $835 million compared to $868 million in Q3-2014, reflecting higher revenue, more than offset by increased sports programming costs, driven by the impact of NASCAR., informs the company.

     

    Broadcast Television revenue in the current quarter increased 11.3 per cent in Q3-2015 at $1,971 million as compared to the $1,770 million in Q3-2014 reflecting a 33.5 per cent increase in content licensing revenue, higher retransmission consent fees, and a 2.8 per cent increase in advertising revenue. Operating cash flow increased 6.1 per cent to $150 million compared to $142 million in Q3-2014, reflecting higher revenue, partially offset by an increase in programming and production costs associated with the timing of content provided under NBCUniversal’s licensing agreements and studio production costs.

     

    Filmed Entertainment revenue increased 64 per cent to $1,946 million in Q3-2015  as compared to the $1,186 million in the corresponding year ago quarter driven by higher theatrical revenue from the record performances of Minions andJurassic World, continuing on the earlier success of Furious 7. Operating cash flow increased $225 million to $376 million compared to $151 million in Q3- 2014, reflecting higher revenue, partially offset by an increase in the amortisation of film costs and higher advertising, marketing and promotion expense due to a larger film slate.

     

    Theme Parks revenue increased 14.1 per cent to $876 million as compared to the $786 million in the corresponding year ago quarter reflecting higher guest attendance and per capita spending, driven by the continued success of Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, as well as Fast and Furious: Supercharged at the Hollywood park. Q3-2015 operating cash flow increased 14.1 per cent to $458 million compared to $402 million in the same period last year, reflecting higher revenue, partially offset by an increase in operating costs to support new attractions and $18 million of transaction-related costs associated with the development of a theme park in China.

  • MSM inks multi-year film content deal with NBCUniversal for Pix

    MSM inks multi-year film content deal with NBCUniversal for Pix

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has entered into a multi-year content partnership with NBC Universal International Distribution.

     

    As a result of this agreement, MSM’s English movie channel Sony Pix will now have access to Universal Pictures’ new US theatrical release. 

     

    Multi Screen Media CEO NP Singh said, “We always strive to get top quality content for our viewers. With access to Universal’s movie titles, we have put ourselves in a position to get the best movies that Hollywood has to offer. I am confident that with this deal, viewer needs will be well-met and their enhanced movie experience will steadily increase viewer loyalty to Sony Pix – our English movie channel.”

     

    NBC Universal has had a landmark year in 2015 and is the first studio ever to have three films namely Minions, Jurassic World and Fast & Furious 7 each cross over the $1 billion mark in the worldwide box office in a single year.

     

    The studio also recently passed the $5.53 billion mark at the worldwide box office, breaking the record for highest-grossing year – ever – for a studio in industry history. The current worldwide total to date is an unprecedented $6.38 billion.

     

    This strategic multi-year deal will give Sony Pix access to Universal’s latest movie releases such as Fast & Furious 7, Jurassic World, Ted 2, Pitch Perfect 2 and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions, as well as the first installment in the studio’s various blockbuster franchises such as Jurassic Park, The Mummy, The Fast & Furious, The Hulk and Despicable Me.

     

    Sony Pix will also provide viewers with access to other hit films from the studio such as Gladiator, the first three films in the Rambo franchise, King Kong, Schindler’s List, Ted and Notting Hill amongst others.

     

    Sony Pix EVP and business head Saurabh Yagnik added, “Sony PIX is on a strong growth path and our objective is to consistently operate in the top two slots of the category. We strive to keep our audience amazed with investment in the right content and continuously innovate to break clutter. We have been aggressively strengthening our library through the right investments and our existing long-term deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM and Lionsgate have been successful. Now, our association with NBCUniversal is another step in consolidating our leadership position.”

     

    NBC Universal International Distribution & Networks president Belinda Menendez  said, “With one of the world’s fastest growing major economies, we see tremendous growth potential in India and this deal reinforces how important this market is to NBC Universal. Further, we have always had a wonderful relationship with MSM/Sony PIX and are thrilled to partner with them to expand our reach in India and bring Universal’s new blockbuster hits and beloved library titles to their viewers in India.”

  • Q2-2015: Forex pulls down Hasbro revenue; Licensing & Entertainment op income halves

    Q2-2015: Forex pulls down Hasbro revenue; Licensing & Entertainment op income halves

    BENGALURU: American multinational toy and board game company Hasbro, Inc., (Hasbro) reported 3.8 per cent decline in net revenue to $797.66 million in the quarter ended 28 June, 2015 (kQ2-2015) as compared to the $829.26 million in the corresponding year ago quarter  (quarter ended 29 June, 2014) impacted by negative forex of  $71.5 million says the company. If the forex loss was neglected, net revenue in Q2-2015 grew 4.8 per cent in the current quarter as compared to the previous quarter. 

     

    For the six month period ended 28 June, 2015 (6M-2015), Hasbro reported almost flat revenue(0.2 percent higher) at $1511.16 million as compared to the $1508.72 million in 6M-2014 (six months ended 29 June, 2014).

     

    Hasbro’s Licensing and Entertainment segment contributes around six per cent to Hasbro’s revenue. The segment reported almost flat revenue in Q2-2015 $47.64 million as compared to the $47.66 million in the corresponding year ago quarter. However, its operating income halved (declined by 49 per cent) to $7.44 million in Q2-2015 as compared to the $14.65 million in Q2-2014, primarily due to digital gaming expenses, including the final quarter of amortization expense from certain digital gaming rights says the company.

     

    Company speak

     

    Net earnings attributable Hasbro increased 22.7 per cent to $41.81 million (5.2 per cent of net revenue) in Q1-2016 as compared to the $33.48 million (four per cent of net revenue in Q2-2014).

     

    “Our second quarter results continue a strong start to the year with good underlying momentum in our Franchise and Partner brands across geographies,” said Hasbro chairman, president and CEO Brian Goldner. “The execution of our brand blueprint strategy, including our recent decision to sell our final manufacturing locations and the continued development of new relationships in content development, furthers the transformation of Hasbro into an organization focused on global brand building. We are well positioned for the remainder of 2015, but importantly we continue to develop our capabilities for the long-term execution of our strategy toward unlocking the full potential value of our brands.”

     

    “Our second quarter results came with numerous challenges, including a significant negative foreign exchange impact and difficult year-over-year comparisons in several brands,” said Hasbro CFO Deborah Thomas. “Even with these challenges, we delivered a strong second quarter and a good first half of 2015. We continue to make important investments across our business to promote brand initiatives and to further improve the global efficiency of Hasbro. Some of these investments will be more prominent in the second half of 2015 than they were in the first six months of the year.”

     

    Segment Revenue

     

    Licensing and Entertainment segment

     

    Hasbro’s Licensing and Entertainment segment numbers have been mentioned above.

     

    US and Canada segment

     

    Hasbro’s US and Canada segment net revenues increased one per cent to $385.2 million compared to $383 million in Q2-2014. The segment’s results reflect growth in the Boys and Preschool categories says Hasbro. The US and Canada segment reported operating profit of $47.1 million, essentially flat with $46.9 million in Q2-2014.

     

    International segment

     

    International Segment net revenues were $362.8 million compared to $396.8 million in 2014. Growth in the Preschool category was more than offset by declines in the Boys, Games and Girls categories. On a regional basis, growth in Latin America was offset by declines in Europe and Asia Pacific. Emerging markets revenues declined 11 per cent in the quarter. Excluding an unfavourable $69.5 million impact of foreign exchange, of which approximately two-thirds of the impact was in Europe and the remainder in Latin America, net revenues in the International Segment grew nine per cent and approximately nine per cent in emerging markets.

    The International Segment reported operating profit of $25.4 million compared to  the $29.2 million in 2014, which was also negatively impacted by foreign exchange.

     

    Category Performance

     

    Boys category

     

    Q2- 2015 net revenues in the Boys category increased one per cent to $340.4 million. This growth was driven by year-over-year revenue gains in Hasbro franchise brand Nerf, as well as shipments in support of Jurassic World and growth in Marvel and Star Wars products. These increases more than offset the anticipated decline in Transformers, which faced difficult comparisons versus the 2014 shipments in support of the theatrical release of Transformers: Age of Extinction.

     

    Games category

     

    Games category revenues declined six per cent in the quarter to $211.6 million. Magic: The Gathering declined in the quarter as the major set release occurred in the first quarter 2015 versus the second quarter 2014. 

     

    Over the first six months of the year, Magic: The Gathering revenues increased. Additional revenue declines in Duel Masters and Angry Birds products were partially offset by gains in franchise brand Monopoly as well as in several other games brands including Trouble, Clue and Twister.

     

    Girls category

     

    The Girls category revenues declined 22 per cent in the second quarter 2015 to $127.5 million. Furby was the leading driver of this decline, along with smaller declines in Franchise Brands My Little Pony and Nerf Rebelle in the quarter. Growth in Play-Doh Dohvinci and shipments of Disney Descendants partially offset these declines.

     

    Preschool category

     

    Preschool category revenues increased 14 per cent in the second quarter 2015 to $118.1 million. Growth in Franchise Brand Playdoh and shipments of Jurassic World more than offset revenue declines in core Playskool products.