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    The World Of Disney Is Evolving

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2590 Views
    In this Thursday, June 16, 2016, file photo, Disney CEO Bob Iger poses for selfies with visitors on the opening day of the Disney Resort in Shanghai, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

    By Mae Anderson, Technology Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Disney has been on a tear the past few years, thanks to popular channels like ESPN, its "Star Wars" and Marvel superhero franchises, and improving results at its global parks.

    Now comes the hard part.

    CEO Robert Iger's contract runs out next year, creating management uncertainty just as Disney needs to keep its lucrative television offerings relevant in a world increasingly dominated by streaming services.

    The company faces "a time of transition" as consumers abandon expensive cable subscriptions, said Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne. That shift threatens Disney mainstays such as ABC and ESPN.

    Here's a look at Disney's evolving realities.

    LIVE TV NOT SO HEALTHY
    ESPN has been one of Disney's crown jewels, but with cable viewership on the decline, its ratings have been under pressure.

    Disney revenue and profit both fell in the October-December quarter, hurt by a decline at ESPN and tough comparisons to a year ago, when it released "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Profit dropped 14 percent to $2.48 billion on revenue that declined 3 percent to $14.78 billion.

    Cable network revenue fell 2 percent to $4.4 billion, hurt by lower ESPN revenue. Disney blamed the ESPN results on higher programming costs and lower advertising revenue, partially offset by affiliate revenue growth.

    STREAMING AHEAD
    So Disney has been working hard to adapt to the new realities of online TV watching.

    Its channels — ABC, The Disney Channel, ESPN and others — are all part of less expensive "skinny" channel bundles on streaming services such as Sling TV, Sony PlayStation Vue, and DirecTV now.

    Disney also took a $1 billion stake in BAMTech , which provides streaming for Major League Baseball. Disney plans to use that technology for an ESPN streaming service, set to launch this year, which will offer live game streaming and programming not offered on regular ESPN.

    Disney might also one day offer a standalone streaming version of ESPN, much the way HBO has with its $15-a-month-service HBO Now.

    In a conference call with analysts, Iger said Disney won't rush to offer the ESPN standalone service, in part because the company still makes a lot of money from cable and satellite fees. But he said ultimately it is Disney's "powerful intent to go out there aggressively with digital offerings directed to consumers for ESPN" and other Disney offerings.

    Nomura analyst Anthony DiClemente suggests Disney first wants to see how Hulu's live TV service, expected in the next few months, fares. Disney owns 30 percent of Hulu, and will benefit from any subscriber growth the live TV service sparks.

    IGER'S FUTURE
    Disney is also contending with the looming end of Iger's contract, which expires in June 2018. Since taking the top role in 2005, Iger has acquired Star Wars owner LucasFilm, Pixar and Marvel and driven improvements in Disney's consumer products and parks division, most recently with the opening of Shanghai Disneyland , which opened in 2016.

    Speculation has been swirling whether Iger will extend his contract in June. There's no obvious successor at Disney; one heir apparent, COO Tom Staggs, left last year.

    Iger, 65, seemed amenable to extending his contract during a conference call with analysts. "If it's in the best interest of the company for me to extend my term, I'm open to that," he said.

    Category:News
    Tags:DisneyRobert Iger



    Is “Glicked” The New “Barbenheimer”? “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” Hit Theater Screens

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    "Barbenheimer" was a phenomenon impossible to manufacture. But, more than a year later, that hasn't stopped people from trying to make "Glicked" — or even "Babyratu" — happen.

    The counterprogramming of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in July 2023 hit a nerve culturally and had the receipts to back it up. Unlike so many things that begin as memes, it transcended its online beginnings. Instead of an either-or, the two movies ultimately complemented and boosted one another at the box office.

    And ever since, moviegoers, marketers and meme makers have been trying to recreate that moment, searching the movie release schedule for odd mashups and sending candidates off into the social media void. Most attempts have fizzled (sorry, "Saw Patrol" ).

    This weekend is perhaps the closest approximation yet as the Broadway musical adaptation "Wicked" opens Friday against the chest-thumping sword-and-sandals epic "Gladiator II." Two big studio releases (Universal and Paramount), with one-name titles, opposite tones and aesthetics and big blockbuster energy — it was already halfway there before the name game began: "Wickiator," "Wadiator," "Gladwick" and even the eyebrow raising "Gladicked" have all been suggested.

    "'Glicked' rolls off the tongue a little bit more," actor Fred Hechinger said at the New York screening of "Gladiator II" this week. "I think we should all band around 'Glicked.' It gets too confusing if you have four or five different names for it."

    As with "Barbenheimer," as reductive as it might seem, "Glicked" also has the male/female divide that make the fan art extra silly. One is pink and bright and awash in sparkles, tulle, Broadway bangers and brand tie-ins; The other is all sweat and sand, blood and bulging... Read More

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