By Pamela McClintock May 28, 2018 | Lucasfilm and Disney are facing a moment of reckoning. Solo: A Star Wars Story's initial performance marks a rare loss for Disney. Moreover, it is forcing the studio to reexamine its strategy for the iconic Star Wars franchise, which Disney took over when it bought Lucasfilm for more than $4 billion in 2012. Most box-office analysts say the...
By Shalini Ramachandran and Erich Schwartzel May 23, 2018 | Comcast Corp. is escalating its threat to disrupt Walt Disney Co.’s megadeal to buy the bulk of 21st Century Fox Inc.’s assets, a potential move that could reshape the power structure in the entertainment industry. The cable giant said on Wednesday it is in advanced stages of preparing a cash offer that would top Disney’s all-stock,...
By John Archer May 22, 2018 | The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format has taken another important step forward today with the announcement by Redbox that it’s starting to include 4K titles in its disc rental service. The first 4K Blu-ray titles will be appearing initially in 2,500 Redbox kiosks in six test markets across the US: Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New...
By Dawn C. Chmielewski May 16, 2018 | MGM its working to reposition the also-ran subscription service Epix into a legitimate competitor to other premium pay TV channels and streaming services. “At the time acquired Epix from our joint-venture partners three things were true: it was under-distributed, it was under-subscribed and it was under- monetized,” Chief Operating Officer Chris Brearton old investors during MGM’s first quarter investor...
By Stephanie Prange May 14, 2018 | Warner Bros. has promoted Jim Wuthrich to president of worldwide home entertainment and games. Wuthrich will report to Ron Sanders, president of worldwide theatrical distribution and home entertainment. David Haddad, who serves as president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, will now report to Wuthrich. Read more on Media Play News. Related Articles: Warner Bros. Digital Networks Taps Patty Hirsh to...
By Mark Sweney May 7, 2018 | The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV have held discussions about joining forces to create a British streaming service to combat the increasing power of Netflix and Amazon in the UK. The early-stage talks, which are also understood to involve NBC Universal, the US TV and film group that owns the maker of Downton Abbey, are focusing on how...
By Ben Munson May 9, 2018 | Netflix won’t be the only service missing out on Disney content once the company launches its own streaming service in late 2019. Disney CEO Bob Iger said that the company will be pulling back all of its content that is distributed and monetized on third-party platforms. “We are fully committed to not only bringing the product to...
By Amol Sharma May 8, 2018 | Cable giant Comcast Corp. is getting the pieces in place to make a hostile bid for 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets should it choose to do so, according to people familiar with the situation. Fox agreed in December to sell the assets in question to Walt Disney Co. for $52.4 billion in stock. Read more on The...
By Eric Guenwedel May 6, 2018 | NEWS ANALYSIS – When Apple last year announced it would start selling access to 4K Ultra HD movies (at the same price as HD) on Apple TV through iTunes, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment was not among participating studios. With Disney relinquishing (some) control in the rebranding of the Movies Anywhere digital platform, retail member Vudu.com...
By Joe Mayes April 26, 2018 | With Comcast formalizing its 22 billion-pound ($31 billion) offer for Sky on Wednesday -- 16 percent above Fox’s existing bid -- investors are expecting a response from Fox or Disney, which has a $52.4 billion deal to buy most of Fox. Complicating matters is an expected regulatory decision on Fox’s bid and the question of...