The Disney Channel: more than just a pretty face
LOS ANGELES, Feb 10 (Reuters) – The Disney Channel –
home to bubbly fare from “Hannah Montana” to “High School
Musical” — has emerged as a potent global engine for Walt
Disney Co after decades of quiet expansion. And it
couldn’t come at a better time for the Mouse House.
As cash cow ESPN grapples with ever-richer sports rights and
a once-reliable theme park business remains susceptible to a
tottering economy, Disney’s international presence — now in
over 375 million homes in 167 countries — is driving sales
growth and gaining ground internationally on Time Warner Inc’s
Cartoon Network.
Disney earnings beat despite shaky economy
LOS ANGELES, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
is expected to show another steady quarter of growth, driven by
healthy business at cable networks and theme parks, when the
media giant reports results on Tuesday.
The company’s shares have risen 10.2 percent since November,
when Chief Executive Bob Iger reported higher income and profits
propelled by a rise in cable advertising and theme park growth.
Disney revenue short of expectations, shares slip
(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street’s expectations after the movie studio put in a poor showing, as the largest U.S. media corporation searched for new ways to grow its struggling ABC television unit.
Disney shares fell 1.8 percent to $40.28 in after-hours trading.
The operator of television networks ESPN and ABC, a movie studio and theme parks, posted fiscal first-quarter revenue of $10.8 billion, a 1 percent gain from a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $11.2 billion. Profit grew 12 percent as the consumer-dependent media networks and theme parks held strong in an uncertain economy.
Disney parks, cable in focus with gains expected
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co (DIS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is expected to show another steady quarter of growth, driven by healthy business at cable networks and theme parks, when the media giant reports results on Tuesday.
The company’s shares have risen 10.2 percent since November, when Chief Executive Bob Iger reported higher income and profits propelled by a rise in cable advertising and theme park growth.
‘Chronicle’ wins tight box office race
Teen boys with superpowers helped lift the movie box office to unexpected heights over Super Bowl weekend as thriller “Chronicle” edged “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe’s haunted house movie “The Woman in Black.”
“Chronicle” brought in an estimated $22.0 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters, studio estimates released on Sunday showed. The movie with largely unknown actors finished just ahead of Radcliffe’s “Woman in Black,” which took in an estimated $21.0 million.
Resilient Chevy, Chrysler ads win at Super Bowl
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – General Motors scored with an Armageddon-proof Chevy truck while a Clint Eastwood pep talk for America won notice for rival Chrysler during the high-stakes brand battle at Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Other commercials from companies such as Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola repeated old themes or failed to stand out during American TV’s most valuable advertising time, according to industry experts and online comments.
Star Wars, Ferris Bueller drive Super Bowl ad buzz
LOS ANGELES, Feb 3 (Reuters) – The Super Bowl is still
two days away but some advertisers already are looking like
winners as their yet-to-be-aired commercials score millions of
hits online and rack up pre-game buzz.
A teaser for Volkswagen’s ad has drawn more than
11 million viewers on YouTube. The campaign features a pack of
dogs barking out a “Star Wars” song, repeating a theme from the
company’s well-received ad during last year’s Super Bowl. ()
More 3D coming to ESPN
Sports network ESPN is forging ahead with plans for more 3D television programming, despite the fact the technology is moving slowly into homes.
ESPN President John Skipper, speaking at a conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital blog, said the Walt Disney-owned network would produce up to 150 programs this year in 3D. Skipper acknowledged 3D television is “not a mass phenomenon” but said “with most things, there’s disappointment toward adoption before a rush to adoption.”
Neil Young: iPod inventor Jobs preferred vinyl
Neil Young wants a convenient digital device to play music — like an iPod — but with higher-quality sound than consumers hear now with digitally compressed files.
The rock legend — whose ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘Old Man’ and many others are still top-sellers on iTunes — said he had discussed the idea with late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and that he and Jobs were working on the issue before he died.
CORRECTED-Neeson’s ‘Grey’ wins box office weekend
(Corrects spelling of Ortenberg paragraph 5)
Survival story “The Grey” starring Liam Neeson in a battle against weather and wolves led the box office pack with a better-than-expected $20 million in ticket sales over the weekend.
“The Grey” knocked last weekend’s winner, “Underworld: Awakening,” to second place. The vampire and werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale brought in $12.5 million from Friday through Sunday at domestic theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.
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