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As TV’s get thinner, bigger and better, people spend more of their entertainment time and money at home.  There’s less allure to the theaters.  For the TV Networks (and also aspiring TV/Net convergence services like Hulu) this changing dynamic represents big opportunity in the form of ad dollars.  It’s also a big risk (lower audience share if they can’t compete with rivals in programming).  To capitalize, networks are acquiring content voraciously.  Movie producers seem all too happy to oblige.  Just how big the stakes are became clearer today when News Corps FX cable network opened its coffers to buy exclusive programming rights.

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When News Corp and NBC Universal partnered to launch their own video distribution portal many thought the odd couple partnership amongst two TV rivals would be little more than an expensive joke.  These weren’t companies known for building technology.  Nor were these companies, or their brethren in traditional media, known for playing well in the sandbox with each other.  The pairing seemed so unlikely many began deriding the then unnamed company with the name:  “Clown Co.” 

In August, the jokes got cruder when the company sold a 10% stake to Private Equity firm Providence Equity Partners.  The deal valued them, an unlaunched, non-public company at a billion dollars. Click to Read More

Mini-major independent film producer Lionsgate announced Monday that they will become the third movie studio behind 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures to bundle an iTunes digital download with a DVD purchase starting in May.  According to the announcement, the packaging will begin with all special edition DVD and Blu Ray copies of Rambo.  A second movie, The Eye, featuring Jessica Alba, will also feature the bundled package when it’s released.

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Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley remains ground zero for venture capital investment.  In 2007 Silicon Valley outpaced its closest geographic competitor by a factor of nearly three to one (via PWC Moneytree).  Still, even with a smaller scale Hollywood Blvd. is getting busier, generating more investment traffic, and building buzz.  Saban Capital Group is the latest to hang up a V.C. shingle to address the SoCal market.

First reported in the Hollywood Reporter, Haim Saban’s Saban Capital Group (SCG) is expanding from a focus on broad, large, traditional private equity deals to now also include more venture oriented digital media component in their portfolio mix.

Historically, SCG has been known for large media transactions. Haim Saban himself was behind Fox Family Worldwide which News Corp sold to Disney for $5.2b in 2001. Click to Read More

Jim Keyes cut his teeth squeezing profits out of quickie marts and low cost snacks.  After about eight months trying to get Blockbuster back on track, the former 7-11 chief  and his management tactics may finally be working.

Thursday Blockbuster (BBI) reported earnings of $38.1m, or 18 cents a share on revenue of $1.57b.  Less severance related charges and other onetime costs, earnings came in at $54.9m (26 cents a share).  The numbers are a drastic improvement over the $8.3m (4 cents a share) earned during the same period last year.  The results also outpaced consensus analyst estimates of about 19 cents a share.

Much of the near term improvement is the result of cost cutting measures including scaling back advertising expenses (decreased about 26%) and closing down about 750 stores.

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From Arliss to Sex in the City to the Sopranos, HBO has a history of being experimental with the original programming they green light.   In scheduling, they haven’t historically been as daring.  Usually their broadcast timetable is relatively traditional and consistent.   With their new program “In Treatment” starring Gabriel Byrne they gambled.  Unfortunately, the five nights a week experiment hasn’t panned out with audiences. Still, even in failures there’s a perk:  the show’s struggle to catch on has opened the door to a rare opportunity for the cable network to explore online streaming of their content.

In the past streaming has been a “do not fly zone” for HBO.  Click to Read More

Disney earnings were solid earlier this month, and their online performance has been sound too but that isn’t stopping them from shifting and tweaking their Internet approach.  The changes started with the purchase of Club Penguin in August.   In November they made moves to strengthen their M&A practice.  About ten days ago, they revealed Disney Online Studios – a new organization to focus on casual games and online social networks.  Now, it’s online video getting a makeover.

In a launch story fed to the LA Times, Disney revealed their latest group: Stage 9 Digital Media.  The group is an in house studio focused on developing original short form Internet programming for syndication on both Disney and 3rd party sites.   The first show from the studio is called Squeegees.  Debuting today, it’s a comedy about window washing slackers.  It will be distributed in ten episodes on ABC.Com and on YouTube.  20 other programs are also in development.

The idea for Stage 9 follows the lead of other Hollywood elite, including former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, and others, who are applying their talents and skill to online content creation. Click to Read More