Tag: Stanley Cheung

  • Disney opens first & largest store in the world in China

    Disney opens first & largest store in the world in China

    MUMBAI: Disney Store has opened the doors of its flagship store in the popular Lujiazui area of Pudong, Shanghai, China.

     

    The landmark store is the largest retail space of any Disney Store in the world featuring 5000 square meters of immersive shopping experiences and innovative product, and also features an outdoor plaza.

     

    “We couldn’t be more delighted to open our first Disney Store in China, in Shanghai. Disney Store plays a critical role in how millions around the world experience our brand and allows kids, young adults and families to have a uniquely fun and immersive experience while shopping for their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars products,” said The Walt Disney Company, Asia-Pacific president Paul Candland.

     

    The Chinese characters representing the specific date and time chosen to open its doors to the public – 20 May at 1:14 p.m., represents highly popular social media code among young people as a time to openly express love and long-term commitment to each other.

     

    In a momentous week for The Walt Disney Company in China, the opening of the Disney Store in Shanghai comes one day after the topping of the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort, which is due to open next year.

     

    “We want to thank the people of Shanghai for welcoming us to the City and could think of no better way than to open the store on 20 May at 1314 hours,” said Candland.

     

    With an estimated 40 million tourists visiting the Lujiazui area each year, the Disney Store, with its product range and entertaining, immersive and innovative design elements, is looking to become a meeting point among locals contributing to Shanghai’s reputation as a family, business, cultural, entertainment and tourism destination.

     

    “We welcome the first Disney Store in China to Shanghai’s Pudong District and are excited about the unique role it will play to bring a new energy to Lujiazui. The Disney store is a stunning new landmark of retail, tourism and culture in China,” added Pudong government deputy governor Jian Danian.

     

    The interior of the Shanghai Store was designed using Disney’s award-winning, innovative format, featuring elements unique to the area that will surprise and delight Guests and bring to life the most popular characters from across Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

     

    The store has numerous design features unique to Shanghai which include: a Disney Magic Kingdom Castle; a Marvel area with hand-sculpted statues of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and an 8-foot-tall Hulk; a character balloon area with one-of-a kind sculpted hot-air balloons featuring Disney characters; unique Mickey Mouse-shaped roof sculpted with over 8,000 LED lights visible from key tourism vantage points such as the Pearl Tower; and a landscaped plaza amongst others.

     

    Additionally, to mark the opening of its first Store in the country, The Walt Disney Company in China has announced a $100,000 (RMB620 000) charitable donation to the Shanghai Charity Foundation (Pudong Chapter) to support programs that benefit kids and families in the Pudong District, where the store is located.

     

    “Disney is proud to support our local community and do what we can to help bring happiness and magic to kids and families in need,” said The Walt Disney Company in China chairman Stanley Cheung.

  • CCTV renews deal for the Oscars

    CCTV renews deal for the Oscars

    MUMBAI: Disney’s TV distribution arm Buena Vista International Television–Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP) has announced a TV licensing agreement with China’s movie channel, CCTV-6.

    This agreement builds on the company’s existing relationship with the broadcaster.

    In the first agreement, CCTV-6 has renewed its multi-year licensing agreement with BVITV-AP to broadcast live The 79th Annual Academy Awards including the 30 minute Red Carpet pre-Show on its movie channel. Since 2003, CCTV-6 has been the exclusive broadcaster in China for the live telecast of The Annual Academy Awards® and pre-Show. In India the Oscars will air on Star Movies on 26 February 2007.

    BVITV-AP senior VP, MD Steve Macallister says, “CCTV-6 has been a key business partner for many years and so we are delighted to be continuing our relationship with this new arrangement. As the leading dedicated movie channel in China, it’s only fitting that CCTV-6’s viewers continue to enjoy exclusive and premier access to the biggest movie event of the year, the Oscars.”

    Disney executive VP, MD for China and Hong Kong Stanley Cheung says, “China is a key strategic priority for the company and with these TV licensing agreements we are delivering our strategy to bring great family entertainment to China”.

    Later this year, the movie High School Musical will air on CCTV-6, in a separate multiple movie package deal concluded with BVITV-AP.

    The High School Musical US premiere in January 2006 broke Disney Channel ratings records, and, for its 16 airings, has now been seen by over 40 million unduplicated total viewers. The movie has already reached over 100 million total viewers on a global basis and delivered best-ever ratings for a Disney Channel Original Movie on Disney Channels in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and the UK.

    In the Asia Pacific region High School Musical has been licensed to six broadcasters including Seven Australia, The Movie Network Australia, TVNZ New Zealand, 8TV Malaysia, Fiji TV Fiji, and TVB Pearl Hong Kong. The made-for-TV movie made its international terrestrial TV debut in July 2006 in primetime on Seven Network Australia as the #1 movie in 2006 for Tweens 10-15 delivering a 17.9/67% rating/share and the #2 movie on Seven Network this year with a 9.5/40 per cent rating/share for the Under 55s. It premiered on TV2 New Zealand on 19th August, and was the number one programme of the night among People 5+.

  • WDIG and Shanda to bring Disney content to China’s online game market

    WDIG and Shanda to bring Disney content to China’s online game market

    MUMBAI: Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) and Shanda Interactive Entertainment have entered into an agreement to bring Disney’s branded entertainment content to China’s online game industry via Shanda’s online game operating platform. The agreement with Shanda marks Disney’s entrance into China’s online game market.

    The agreement calls for Shanda to develop, distribute and operate an online casual game based on the magical worlds of Disney and featuring some of Disney’s most popular animated characters.
    The game, which will be developed for a broader demographic than traditional online games, as well as China’s burgeoning segment of female online gamers, will be available in China for open beta in the spring of 2007.

    “The market for online games in China is large and growing, and it was important for us to find the right partner. We’re pleased to have found that in Shanda. Disney’s rich content library, combined with Shanda’s capabilities as a leading online game operator, will bring a new, unique and fun experience for the online game consumer. We actively look to bring more of our content to the online interactive entertainment market in China,” said WDIG executive vice president and managing director, international Mark Handler.

    “The Disney brand and its lineup of animated characters are already popular in China, and through this agreement we bring this well-known content to China’s online game community in the form of an exciting new casual game. We remain firmly committed to providing our users with new and compelling entertainment content that will keep their online experience fresh and enjoyable, and we believe the addition of Disney’s wholesome content will further broaden our user demographic, thus making a significant contribution to the implementation of our home strategy. We look forward to a successful collaboration with the Walt Disney Internet Group and are excited about bringing Disney’s content to China’s online game community,” said Shanda chairman and CEO Tianqiao Chen.

    “China is a priority for the entire company, and this announcement is part of our strategy to expand our presence here. We have a huge competitive advantage, thanks to the strength of the Disney brand, which is embraced and sought-after around the world. The combination of Shanda’s strong capability in developing and operating online games with Disney’s expertise in providing compelling content breaks new ground in China, as this will be yet another way for consumers to interact with and experience the magic of Disney,” said The Walt Disney Company (China) managing director Stanley Cheung.