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Tag: Walt Disney Company

  • Six US media firms account for 51 per cent of global content spends: Ampere Analysis

    Six US media firms account for 51 per cent of global content spends: Ampere Analysis

    MUMBAI: The big media and entertainment boys are at it, despite all round murmurings that the content production business is seeing a massive slowdown. At least, that’s what new intelligence from Ampere Analysis has revealed. 

    The research firm stated that while recent market challenges have impacted the TV and film production landscape, spending across the top six global content providers – Disney, Comcast, Google, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and Paramount Global – has grown since the pandemic. Combined spending across these groups will reach a new high of $126  billion in 2024 and account for 51 per cent of the total content spend landscape, up from 47 per cent in 2020. Original content spend remains the leading spend type across these providers, accounting for over $56 billion in investment and 45 per cent of their total spending since 2022.
    Despite announced cutbacks among its linear and theatrical brands, Disney remains the largest contributor to the media landscape at 14 per cent of global investment in TV and film content in 2024. This has been supported by the full acquisition of Hulu at the beginning of 2024, adding an additional $9 billion in to Disney’s spend total.

    Netflix is the top investor in global streaming content. It has averaged a total of $14.5 billion in annual investment in original and acquired programmes since the pandemic. Further growth is expected in 2025 through the acquisition of sports tights for NFL matches and WWE entertainment.

    In total, $40 billion of the $126 billion is currently spent on these six operators’ subscription streaming services (including Disney+, Peacock, and Paramount+). This highlights the growing importance of these platforms as audiences move away from linear television in favour of the convenience and expansive catalogues available via streaming.

    Google’s contribution to the content market comes via YouTube, and investment in programming through its revenue-sharing arrangements with content creators. While a different entity to other TV and film groups, YouTube continues to build its global presence through partnership deals with major content owners, making it the third largest contributor to the content landscape.

    Despite production shutdowns caused by the US writers’ and actors’ strikes, streamers have continued to support the production landscape by pivoting towards more global strategies. International (non-US originating) programming accounts for 40 per cent of Paramount+’s and 52 per cent of Netflix’s spend in 2024. Such content is typically cheaper to produce, and effective in motivating new and niche audiences to subscribe to a platform, supporting revenues.

    “Ongoing investment by major studios and streaming platforms into new programming will be key to keeping audiences engaged and entertained. We can expect the content landscape to see low-level growth in 2024 as production schedules recover from disruptions caused by the pandemic and the writers’ and actors’ union strikes. Looking forward however, overall growth in spend is set to plateau as companies look to refocus their output. This will include limiting commissioning volumes and prioritising strategic investments and profitability to counter the current challenges of the media market,” said Ampere Analysis investment analyst Peter Ingram, in his recent analysis made public today. 

    Pix Courtesy: The Walt Disney Company

  • Disney reveals major projects and surprises at the D23 showcase

    Disney reveals major projects and surprises at the D23 showcase

    Mumbai: The world-class storytelling engines of The Walt Disney Company took center stage at the Honda Center during the Disney Entertainment showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney fan event presented by Visa. Surprise celebrity appearances, new film and series titles, and major musical performances enthralled the audience of Disney fans from around the world, demonstrating the unmatched strength of the company’s creative studios, as well as the unique connection that generations of passionate fans of all ages have forged with its stories and characters over the past century.

    Walt Disney Company chief executive officer Bob Iger kicked off the evening to thank fans for their enduring passion, and to highlight what sets Disney apart as a global leader in creative storytelling and innovation. “Our deep bond with fans, forged over a century of storytelling, is stronger today than ever before,” he said, “driven by the unmatched strength of our creative studios, the wide appeal of our brands and franchises, and the innovative ways that we bring our stories to life in our theme parks and experiences.”

    Hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, the event featured several of Disney’s outstanding creative leaders, including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman, Pixar Animation Studios’ chief creative officer Pete Docter, Disney Animation’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee, and Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige were on stage to introduce the stars and storytellers behind new and beloved titles.

    Here are the major highlights from the D23 showcase, where The Walt Disney Studios made several exciting announcements:

    Disney Animation: Three new feature films are on the way. Moana 2 kicked off the event with a performance by Auli‘i Cravalho and introduced new songs, with the film set for release on 29 November 2024. Zootopia 2, featuring Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on a new adventure, is scheduled for 20 November 2025. Additionally, Frozen 3 was teased for a 2027 release.

    Avatar: James Cameron revealed the title of the third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, set for a 19 December 2025 release, with stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña returning.

    Pixar: Upcoming films include Elio (13 June 2025), Hoppers (2026), Toy Story 5 (19 June 2026), and Incredibles 3, which is currently in development.

    Lucasfilm: Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni gave a sneak peek of the new Mandalorian and Grogu film, slated for 22 May 2026.

    Marvel Studios: Kevin Feige shared updates on Captain America: Brave New World (14 February 2025) and introduced the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which premieres on 25 July 2025.

    Disney live-action: Announcements included Mufasa: The Lion King (20 December 2024), Disney’s Snow White (21 March 2025), a live-action Lilo & Stitch (Summer 2025), TRON: Ares (10 October 2025), and the sequel Freakier Friday (2025).

    New projects: Dwayne Johnson revealed a new movie centered around monster trucks, celebrating the popularity of monster jam truck rallies.

  • “Would like to stay” in India: Walt Disney’s Bob Iger

    “Would like to stay” in India: Walt Disney’s Bob Iger

    Mumbai: Walt Disney Company CEO said that the company “would like to stay”. He further stated that, “In India, our linear business actually does quite well. It’s making money. But we know that other parts of that business are challenging for us,” Iger made these comments during an innings call.

    While Hotstar grappled with a loss of 28 lakh subscribers in the last quarter, bringing the total loss to about 2.3 crore in a year, Disney+ globally added nearly 70 lakh subscribers, surpassing 15 crore, including Hotstar.  

    For the quarter ended September 30, Disney reported adjusted per-share earnings of 82 cents, topping an average forecast of 70 cents, according to LSEG data. Quarterly revenue of $21.2 billion was largely in line with consensus estimates. The company said it added nearly 7 million Disney+ streaming subscribers in the quarter, with the inclusion of “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3” and the original series “Star Wars: Ashoka.” Disney+ and Disney + Hotstar together boast 150.2 million subscribers, ahead of Visible Alpha’s estimate of 147.4 million.  

  • MIB secretary Apurva Chandra visits Tata Play’s technology centre

    MIB secretary Apurva Chandra visits Tata Play’s technology centre

    Mumbai: Ministry Information & Broadcasting (MIB ) secretary Apurva Chandra has visited Tata Play’s technology center in New Delhi to explore how Tata Play is leveraging technology and providing benefits to the end consumers.

    While exploring various ideas about technology that can benefit the customers, Chandra spent a considerable time understanding the complexities of a content distribution platform and steps Tata Play is taking to boost Make in India efforts for manufacturing set-top-boxes.

    During his visit, the Tata Play team demonstrated to Chandra the complete satellite communication and direct-to-home (DTH) delivery workflow and discussed other topics of mutual interest.

    Last year, Tata Play launched the first batch of Make-in-India set-top boxes in association with Technicolor Home and Flextronics. Earlier, Tata Play’s managing director & CEO Harit Nagpal had said that the India made set-top boxes would help generate employment and serve Indian consumers better.

    Tata Play has invested in advanced digital infrastructure and partnered with global leaders to provide superior technology. The company has a pan-India footprint of 23 million connections.

  • Disney taps Google’s Jeremy Doig to lead its streaming as CTO

    Disney taps Google’s Jeremy Doig to lead its streaming as CTO

    Mumbai: Media conglomerate Disney has roped in Google veteran Jeremy Doig as the new chief technology officer for Disney Streaming. In this role, Doig will report directly to Disney Streaming president Michael Paull.

    Doig brings 30 years of experience in online media to lead the technology organisation and global technology strategy for The Walt Disney Company’s portfolio of direct-to-consumer streaming services. He will play a key role in driving the next phase of technical innovation and growth for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Star+.

    During his 18 year career at Google, Doig developed new standards for online media, spanning novel compression approaches for audio and video, streaming protocols for real-time and on-demand delivery, and spatial experiences.

    “Jeremy is a true visionary that has sat at the forefront of making online video streaming possible in his nearly 30-year career at the intersection of technology and media, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Disney Streaming leadership team, ” remarked Michael Paull. “We have an exceptional team of global technologists, and Jeremy’s experience leading transformational initiatives in complex and dynamic environments will make him an incredible asset to lead this world-class group.”

    “I am thrilled to be joining The Walt Disney Company at this crucial moment in the entertainment industry, ” said Doig in a statement.

  • The future belongs to creator-led franchises: James Murdoch

    The future belongs to creator-led franchises: James Murdoch

    New Delhi: Creator-led franchises will be more powerful and more profitable in the years to come if they can take a little more risk and own their IPs, said James Murdoch former chief executive officer of 21st Century Fox and now the founder & CEO of private holding company Lupa Systems.

    As the streaming war rages on, Murdoch said it will put a lot of pressure on the content creators, leading to a huge demand for their services in near future. “The real question is what the creative output is going to look like in these conglomerates. There will be more value for creators in the future, not just in terms of selling for a high price and on a work for hire basis,” he detailed while delivering the keynote address at the annual APOS conference which began virtually on Tuesday.

    According to Murdoch, author ownership will become common, as more creators would not want to sell their work forever and a day.

    Talking about the Indian market, he noted that while some multinationals may be frustrated by bureaucracy or having the wrong local partners, ultimately India is a transparent marketplace, not very top-down but driven by ideas and entrepreneurs, and a consumer economy that is going to grow for a long time.

    “I see a lot of opportunities there, especially when you get into towns and villages where distribution revolution is most profound. Digital connectivity will open vast opportunities for society, logistics, education and it is going to be exciting for entrepreneurs as well as customers if done right,” he said. “The broader media sector is continuing to grow, but it is going to be a chaotic and tumultuous few years in terms of how it shapes in India. There is cutthroat competition in down streaming, complexities of legacy distributions, it is a very disaggregated production environment. But it will be interesting.”

    The one-time scion exited his family's media empire to found his own holding company Lupa Systems in 2019. Early this year, he announced his new venture along with former chairman & CEO of Star India and president of Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific Uday Shankar, to explore technology and media opportunities in emerging markets.

    Highlighting how several big media companies have been seeking to scale to compete in the streaming environment, Murdoch said, the question is not if it's right to scale, but how many of these companies will be more profitable than they were in the past. “Avoiding the loss of value is great, but near survival does not create value. The downstream competition is going to be intense for a long time whether it's Amazon or Netflix. If you try to compete with the mass market, you have to have an amazing user experience and lots of good programming,” he added.

    On founding Lupa Systems in 2019, Murdoch said he wanted to explore areas of long-term consequences. “The more exciting opportunity was to do something entrepreneurial with a small team, but also focus on future questions, especially with all legacy businesses adopting digital,” he shared.

    Run by the regional consultancy Media Partners Asia, the three-day conference kicked off on Tuesday, with the keynote address by Murdoch. Asia's influential media and entertainment industry conference is traditionally organised in Indonesia, but is being held virtually this year due to pandemic restrictions.

  • K Madhavan tapped as Walt Disney India & Star India president

    K Madhavan tapped as Walt Disney India & Star India president

    New Delhi: K Madhavan has been named president, the Walt Disney Company India and Star India, effective immediately. He takes on the mantle from Uday Shankar, who stepped down in October and exited the mouse house at the end of 2020.

    The announcement was made by The Walt Disney Company chairman international operations and direct-to-consumer Rebecca Campbell early on Wednesday.

    In this role, Madhavan will drive the strategy and growth of the company in India, with responsibility for the vast Disney, Star and Hotstar businesses and operations spanning across entertainment, sports and regional channels, and direct-to-consumer. This includes oversight of channel distribution and advertising sales, as well as a thriving local content production business which currently is responsible for the creation of 18,000 hours of original content across fiction, non-fiction, sports, and movies in eight languages.

    “For the past several months, I have had the pleasure of working directly with KM and have seen first-hand how he has adeptly managed our India business, which has been and will continue to be critical to our global and regional strategy,” said Campbell. “A skilled leader with an extensive background in media, KM has taken our vast Star networks and local content production businesses to new heights despite continued industry evolution and significant challenges due to the pandemic.”   

    “I am very proud to have the opportunity to lead the incredibly talented and passionate team we have in India, and to further build upon our strong portfolio of channels and high-quality programming that is a favourite with viewers across the region,” said Madhavan. “We have an exciting journey ahead of us. I am committed to continuing to move our business forward, working more closely together with colleagues across Disney to enhance our global and regional offerings.”

    Since 2019, Madhavan served as country manager of Star & Disney India, overseeing the media conglomerate’s television and studios business in India. He has been responsible for driving the growth of the business, focusing on innovation, and creating compelling content for consumers. 

    Madhavan joined Star India in 2009 as its south head. Under his leadership, the company built a thriving regional entertainment portfolio. Previously, he was the driving force behind Asianet’s growth as the undisputed leader in Malayalam with more than 50 per cent of market share, serving as MD and CEO in 2000-2008. Madhavan’s vision for the regional language network led the company to set benchmarks in quality programming in south India. Prior to his media career, he was in the banking and corporate finance sector. 

    Madhavan currently serves as president of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and as chairman of the National Committee of Media & Entertainment CII (Confederation of Indian Industry).  

  • Disney+ Hotstar to roll out in Indonesia on 5 September

    Disney+ Hotstar to roll out in Indonesia on 5 September

    KOLKATA: In the pursuit of conquering new-age entertainment, The Walt Disney Company has kept a sharp eye on the APAC market and is rolling out Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia on 5 September.

    In the last quarter, the media giant launched Disney+ in India via Disney+ Hotstar service. While at the end of the quarter, Disney+ had a paid subscriber base of 57.5 million, Disney+ Hotstar comprised about 15 per cent of it. However, Disney+ has now grown to 60.5 million as of 3 August. Disney+'s overall ARPU this quarter was $4.62 but excluding Disney+ Hotstar it was $5.31. 

    Disney+ Hotstar is not going to limit itself to sports and classic Disney+ library in India. While last year Hotstar went into original content, after rebranding, Disney+ Hotstar is chasing a larger audience with direct-to-digital premiers of Bollywood movies. The streaming service, which crossed eight million subscribers within one week of its launch, is currently looking at hundreds of millions of subscribers.

    “At Star, higher results reflect lower programming costs, partially offset by lower advertising revenue. Both of these drivers reflect the absence of cricket in the third quarter including a shift in rights costs for the Indian Premier League which we expect to be recognised in future quarters and the absence of costs for the quadrennial ICC World Cup which aired in the prior-year quarter,” The Walt Disney Company senior executive vice president and CFO Christine McCarthy said. 

  • Rewind networks expands Philippines presence with launch of Hits Movies on cignal

    Rewind networks expands Philippines presence with launch of Hits Movies on cignal

    SINGAPORE/MANILA: Rewind Networks has launched HITS MOVIES on Cignal, Philippines’ premier DTH satellite provider. The channel is available on Channel 58. HITS MOVIES joins sister channel HITS, which has been on the platform since October 2016. HITS MOVIES will be available for free to all Cignal subscribers for the first three months of the launch.

    Across Asia, HITS MOVIES is available on major pay-TV platforms in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The Cignal launch comes shortly after three major milestone launches for Rewind Networks in just the first two months of 2020: the launch of HITS on Tata Sky in India and the launch of HITS MOVIES in CANAL+ (Myanmar) and Astro (Malaysia). The launches signal a growing demand for the channel among leading pay-TV operators in the region.

    “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Cignal and bring HITS MOVIES to their viewers in the Philippines,” said Avi Himatsinghani, CEO of Rewind Networks. “We are confident Cignal subscribers will enjoy HITS MOVIES’ blockbuster line-up of top-rated Hollywood movies from the ‘60s to the ‘90s, just as they have enjoyed its sister channel HITS.”

    Guido R. Zaballero from Cignal said: “The launch of HITS MOVIES on Cignal is a testament to our commitment in giving our subscribers the best viewing experience with awesome curated entertainment. We look forward to working with Rewind Networks to replicate the success of HITS on Cignal with HITS MOVIES. We will have a three-month blowout to all Cignal postpaid, prepaid and SatLite after which, it will be made available to all postpaid plans as well as prepaid load 300 and up and SatLite 299.”

    HITS MOVIES celebrates the best blockbuster films ever made from the ‘60s to the ‘90s. The channel’s slate includes hot favorites like The Sound of Music, Sister Act, Magnificent Seven, Freaky Friday (1976), Mary Poppins, Teen Wolf, Conan The Barbarian, Halloween, Wall Street, French Connectionand Three Men and a Baby. The channel features a carefully curated selection of hit films from Hollywood majors such as The Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures and will be progressively introducing more titles from other leading studios.

  • Nikhil Gandhi quits Times Network as COO & president: reports

    Nikhil Gandhi quits Times Network as COO & president: reports

    MUMBAI: Times Network COO and president Nikhil Gandhi has resigned from his role, as per reports. Gandhi joined Times Network in February 2017 as revenue head and in July 2019 he was promoted as COO and president.

    This was his second stint with the network. He was part of the core team of Zoom during the launch of the channel.

    Prior to Times Network, Gandhi was associated with The Walt Disney Company and his last held position at Disney was vice president. He was also the business head at UTV. Gandhi began his career with Viacom18 in 2004 and moved to Bennett and Coleman and Co Ltd in January 2005.

    Gandhi has around 17 years of experience in media with revenue and business specialisation.