The religious thriller Persecuted has pulled in a mere $900,000 since it hit theaters on July 18, but the film is making waves online due to its premise that Christianity is under attack in modern-day America. Many of those panning the film also are noting the appearance of Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, who makes her acting debut in Persecuted, a clip of which can be seen above. She spoke to The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul Bond about her role in the film and her critics, both those who've taken issue with her Persecuted performance and those who've taken
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- 7/22/2014
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York Magazine's Gabriel Sherman is under fire from the conservative media, and from Fox News's Brit Hume, over his reporting on internal emails regarding Fox News' weekend coverage of gun control in the wake of Friday's horrific mass shooting. Much of that criticism is based on a story, from The Hollywood Reporter's Paul Bond, that purports to debunk Sherman's reporting, but a review of what Sherman actually wrote, and how Fox News actually covered the issue of gun control this past weekend, reveals that THR didn't check their facts, or didn't care.
- 12/19/2012
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
Adam Carolla is a podcaster extraordinaire, a Dancing with the Stars alum and a creator and star of numerous TV shows. He’s also the newest pundit on the Fox News Channel, where he’s usually seen bantering with Bill O’Reilly on the top-rated cable news show, The O’Reilly Factor. He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul Bond about the presidential election, wine, race cars and his new gig on Fox. The Hollywood Reporter: What will you be doing on Bill O’Reilly’s show? Adam Carolla: I just show up on Mondays when there’s nothing going on and he throws the topic
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- 11/7/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For the third time, the Fox News Channel has made Chris Wallace part of its team covering the presidential nominating conventions for the two parties. Before heading to Tampa for the Republican National Convention, he talked politics with The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul Bond. THR: There are 15,000 journalists in Tampa. Is that overkill? Wallace: What else better could they be doing in the last week of August? I know people complain that the convention has turned into a TV show, but it’s better than reruns. And if conventions aren’t the battle for the soul of the party like they
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- 8/27/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fans of Sylvester Stallone and/or entertainment properties rated “M” for “Manly” just concluded one exciting news week. First, Lionsgate released the full trailer for Expendables 2. The upcoming sequel to Stallone’s shameless, self-indulgent, but still lovable romp ridden with explosives and other action stars is set to debut in theaters August 2012. [Editor’s Aside: It’s also worth noting the Expendables 2 trailer was exclusively released not in theaters as a preview to another high-octane, armed forces flick, nor as a spot on some television property like Entertainment Tonight, but on IGN’s YouTube Channel. This also isn’t the first young-male-oriented film to release its trailer exclusively on a young-male-oriented channel on YouTube. The Rock premeired the trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation on YouTube.com/Machinima in December 2011.] Second, Paul Bond at the Hollywood Reporter broke the story Stallone may star in an animated original web series. Lionsgate is said to be working on Stallone's online video vehicle, which is set to be called Soul Survivor. The program would feature Stallone in the familiar role as a “last-of-his-kind mercenary.”
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Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 5/7/2012
- by Joshua Cohen
- Tubefilter.com
October Baby, a movie with a miniscule marketing budget and controversial (at least in Hollywood) for its pro-life message surprised the industry with a $4,300 per-screen opening last weekend at 390 theaters. The movie stars former Dukes of Hazzard heartthrob and practicing Christian John Schneider, who also stars in another film with a similar theme called Doonby, set for a summer release. The Hollywood Reporter’s Paul Bond caught up to Schneider on the set of TV Land’s Happily Divorced to ask him: what’s up with all the anti-abortion message movies? Photos: 10 Entertainers Democrats and
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- 3/29/2012
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hanks, who narrates a short film for Barack Obama's re-election campaign, has been criticised for sharing a stage with a man in blackface in 2004
Tom Hanks has vehemently refuted suggestions that he is a racist and should be removed from a campaign video aimed at assisting President Obama's re-election.
Hanks's involvement with Obama's re-election team has been called into question by rightwing Us websites after a video emerged of the actor sharing a stage with a man in blackface on the conservative-leaning Daily Caller website.
The home video, described as "nauseatingly racist" by conservative blogger John Nolte, shows Hanks – onstage at a 2004 charity event for his child's school – joking with investment banker James Montgomery, who is dressed in an afro wig and animal-print costume and has his face blackened. The event also saw Hanks and his co-host, Eagles rock star Glenn Frey, mock rightwing commentator Bill O'Reilly and...
Tom Hanks has vehemently refuted suggestions that he is a racist and should be removed from a campaign video aimed at assisting President Obama's re-election.
Hanks's involvement with Obama's re-election team has been called into question by rightwing Us websites after a video emerged of the actor sharing a stage with a man in blackface on the conservative-leaning Daily Caller website.
The home video, described as "nauseatingly racist" by conservative blogger John Nolte, shows Hanks – onstage at a 2004 charity event for his child's school – joking with investment banker James Montgomery, who is dressed in an afro wig and animal-print costume and has his face blackened. The event also saw Hanks and his co-host, Eagles rock star Glenn Frey, mock rightwing commentator Bill O'Reilly and...
- 3/21/2012
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Paul Bond
Apple's iPhone was the most-searched term of the year, Yahoo is set to report Thursday. In its 10th annual Year in Review, the online portal and search company says the iPhone marks the second time in a decade that a gadget has topped its list, the first time being in 2002 when Sony's PlayStation 2 was the most-searched term on the Internet. Photos: Apple Products in TV and Movies Last year's winner was the Bp Oil Spill, the year before that it was Michael Jackson, and four years in a row prior to that it was Britney Spears
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Apple's iPhone was the most-searched term of the year, Yahoo is set to report Thursday. In its 10th annual Year in Review, the online portal and search company says the iPhone marks the second time in a decade that a gadget has topped its list, the first time being in 2002 when Sony's PlayStation 2 was the most-searched term on the Internet. Photos: Apple Products in TV and Movies Last year's winner was the Bp Oil Spill, the year before that it was Michael Jackson, and four years in a row prior to that it was Britney Spears
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- 12/1/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
The Walt Disney Co., which has been one of the stingier media conglomerates in terms of its dividend yield, said Wednesday its board approved a 50 percent hike in its annual dividend. Disney said it will pay its shareholders 60 cents for each share they own as of Dec. 16, up from 40 cents. Disney, said CEO Bob Iger, "had a great creative, strategic and financial year in fiscal 2011 with record revenue, net income and earnings per share." Disney stock advanced 5.4 percent Wednesday to $35.85. At that price and prior to the 50 percent dividend
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The Walt Disney Co., which has been one of the stingier media conglomerates in terms of its dividend yield, said Wednesday its board approved a 50 percent hike in its annual dividend. Disney said it will pay its shareholders 60 cents for each share they own as of Dec. 16, up from 40 cents. Disney, said CEO Bob Iger, "had a great creative, strategic and financial year in fiscal 2011 with record revenue, net income and earnings per share." Disney stock advanced 5.4 percent Wednesday to $35.85. At that price and prior to the 50 percent dividend
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- 11/30/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
By almost any definition, Netflix has been the great disruptor of the entertainment business during the past decade. The company has turned more than 20 million Americans into regular consumers of premium streaming video, changed the value proposition for movies and TV shows and helped reshape Hollywood's traditional release windows. And it did this after already having turned the DVD industry into a largely subscription-based business, bringing about the destruction of countless movie-rental storefronts. Photos: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time It's an impressive résumé that Wall Street rewarded by turning Netflix into a mega-growth
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By almost any definition, Netflix has been the great disruptor of the entertainment business during the past decade. The company has turned more than 20 million Americans into regular consumers of premium streaming video, changed the value proposition for movies and TV shows and helped reshape Hollywood's traditional release windows. And it did this after already having turned the DVD industry into a largely subscription-based business, bringing about the destruction of countless movie-rental storefronts. Photos: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time It's an impressive résumé that Wall Street rewarded by turning Netflix into a mega-growth
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- 11/30/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
This story first appeared in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. At a breakfast hosted by the Wall Street Journal in early November, Sony CEO Howard Stringer talked about building "a different kind of TV set." A week later, the Journal reported that Sony might launch "an Internet-based alternative to cable TV." Like Netflix, Hulu and others, Sony's own PlayStation Store already makes dozens of TV shows available on-demand after they air on TV, but Sony and others know that the holy grail is to create a service so compelling that consumers would
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This story first appeared in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. At a breakfast hosted by the Wall Street Journal in early November, Sony CEO Howard Stringer talked about building "a different kind of TV set." A week later, the Journal reported that Sony might launch "an Internet-based alternative to cable TV." Like Netflix, Hulu and others, Sony's own PlayStation Store already makes dozens of TV shows available on-demand after they air on TV, but Sony and others know that the holy grail is to create a service so compelling that consumers would
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- 11/23/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
Conservatives have been beating up on Jay Leno ever since he conducted what they perceived as a softball interview of President Obama three weeks ago. If Leno wasn’t aware of it, he probably is after Monday night’s show with comedian/radio talk-show host Dennis Miller. Miller wasted no time broaching the subject by laying into Leno, in a good-natured way, the moment he sat down as a guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Photos: Actors Who've Played Politicians “This is exciting. Is this the seat the president sits in?” Miller asked. “You guys have quite a bromance
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Conservatives have been beating up on Jay Leno ever since he conducted what they perceived as a softball interview of President Obama three weeks ago. If Leno wasn’t aware of it, he probably is after Monday night’s show with comedian/radio talk-show host Dennis Miller. Miller wasted no time broaching the subject by laying into Leno, in a good-natured way, the moment he sat down as a guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Photos: Actors Who've Played Politicians “This is exciting. Is this the seat the president sits in?” Miller asked. “You guys have quite a bromance
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- 11/23/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
Viewers of Fox News – and to a lesser extent MSNBC -- are less informed about some current events than are those who watch no news, according to a new poll being hailed by some and dismissed by others. Pollsters at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey asked 612 New Jerseyans five questions pertaining Occupy Wall Street, the Republican primary race and events in Egypt and Syria to figure out which news outlets claim the best- or least-informed audience. Photos: The Most Talked-About TV News Faces The question getting the most attention, and being trumpeted loudest on left-wing
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Viewers of Fox News – and to a lesser extent MSNBC -- are less informed about some current events than are those who watch no news, according to a new poll being hailed by some and dismissed by others. Pollsters at Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey asked 612 New Jerseyans five questions pertaining Occupy Wall Street, the Republican primary race and events in Egypt and Syria to figure out which news outlets claim the best- or least-informed audience. Photos: The Most Talked-About TV News Faces The question getting the most attention, and being trumpeted loudest on left-wing
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- 11/23/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul Bond
Perhaps it's the aftermath of big content deals or the expectations of more to come, but Netflix said Monday it is raising cash, and after-market traders are taking the revelation as a bad sign. The company said in a regulatory filing that it will sell about $200 million in convertible bonds to Technology Crossover Ventures with an initial conversion price of $85.80 per Netflix share. Photos: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time Netflix shares lost 5 percent to $74.47 on Monday, and the stock was down an additional 6 percent after the closing bell, sinking
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Perhaps it's the aftermath of big content deals or the expectations of more to come, but Netflix said Monday it is raising cash, and after-market traders are taking the revelation as a bad sign. The company said in a regulatory filing that it will sell about $200 million in convertible bonds to Technology Crossover Ventures with an initial conversion price of $85.80 per Netflix share. Photos: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time Netflix shares lost 5 percent to $74.47 on Monday, and the stock was down an additional 6 percent after the closing bell, sinking
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- 11/21/2011
- by Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Paul Bond)
Analysts and subscribers decry company's decision to create a new brand that's already controversial courtesy of a foul-mouthed tweeter.
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Analysts and subscribers decry company's decision to create a new brand that's already controversial courtesy of a foul-mouthed tweeter.
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- 9/20/2011
- by edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Paul Bond)
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Paul Bond)
The company's controversial price increase will cost it about 1 million subscribers.
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The company's controversial price increase will cost it about 1 million subscribers.
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- 9/15/2011
- by edit@hollywoodreporter.com (Paul Bond)
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated.
"In the crawlspace between the mockumentary and the documentary, there exists a group of movies that can tentatively be described as 'false cinema,'" suggests Jaime N Christley in Slant. "They look exactly like fly-on-the-wall documentaries, but they are, from the ground up, total fabrications. Recent examples can include Catfish and (as it has been suggested) Exit Through the Gift Shop, though the real point of origin is either Peter Watkins's The War Game (which won the documentary Oscar for 1967) or Luis Buñuel's Land Without Bread, depending on where you draw the fault lines. The group, which also can be said to include The Blair Witch Project, most of Watkins's other films (up to and including La Commune (Paris, 1871)), and a handful of others, is barely large enough to form a cohesive unit, yet a few distinct tendencies bind them together. They favor a cinéma vérité, you-are-there approach and,...
"In the crawlspace between the mockumentary and the documentary, there exists a group of movies that can tentatively be described as 'false cinema,'" suggests Jaime N Christley in Slant. "They look exactly like fly-on-the-wall documentaries, but they are, from the ground up, total fabrications. Recent examples can include Catfish and (as it has been suggested) Exit Through the Gift Shop, though the real point of origin is either Peter Watkins's The War Game (which won the documentary Oscar for 1967) or Luis Buñuel's Land Without Bread, depending on where you draw the fault lines. The group, which also can be said to include The Blair Witch Project, most of Watkins's other films (up to and including La Commune (Paris, 1871)), and a handful of others, is barely large enough to form a cohesive unit, yet a few distinct tendencies bind them together. They favor a cinéma vérité, you-are-there approach and,...
- 6/15/2011
- MUBI
We all knew Ricky Gervais' headline-grabbing turn at this year's Golden Globes would be some kind of defining moment for the British comic. But here's an unexpected result: Gervais has, according to The Hollywood Reporter, "scored with one demographic: political conservatives." In a THR story dubbed "Conservatives Rally Behind Ricky Gervais," writer Paul Bond describes the interesting fallout from Sunday night's celebrity mocking performance at the Globes:...
- 1/19/2011
- by Mark Joyella
- Mediaite - TV
Carl Icahn, the activist investor who has been focused on Lionsgate and MGM of late, has dumped his Yahoo stock and purchased shares of Mattel, maker of Barbie, Ken and Hot Wheels.
Icahn's stake in Mattel was revealed late Monday, and Tuesday the toymaker said it was raising its annual dividend 11% to 83 cents and that it would begin paying its dividend quarterly instead of annually.
The company also said it was increasing by $500 million the amount of shares it can buy back. Since 2003, the company has purchased $2.3 billion worth of its own shares.
Whether Icahn's interest in Mattel had anything to do with the company's announcement wasn't clear Tuesday, but investors viewed all the developments positively. On a day when the Dow and Nasdaq tumbled nearly 2% apiece, Mattel shares were up more than 3%.
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Drew Crum called Mattel's actions "aggressive" and said that "it's possible" they were a response to Icahn's purchases.
Icahn's stake in Mattel was revealed late Monday, and Tuesday the toymaker said it was raising its annual dividend 11% to 83 cents and that it would begin paying its dividend quarterly instead of annually.
The company also said it was increasing by $500 million the amount of shares it can buy back. Since 2003, the company has purchased $2.3 billion worth of its own shares.
Whether Icahn's interest in Mattel had anything to do with the company's announcement wasn't clear Tuesday, but investors viewed all the developments positively. On a day when the Dow and Nasdaq tumbled nearly 2% apiece, Mattel shares were up more than 3%.
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Drew Crum called Mattel's actions "aggressive" and said that "it's possible" they were a response to Icahn's purchases.
- 11/16/2010
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- The current appetite for acquisitions -- or in their stead more stock buybacks and bigger dividends -- is expected to be a key focus at Goldman Sachs' 19th annual Communacopia conference, which runs Tuesday through Thursday in New York.
While corporate America has seen a slew of recent big acquisition announcements in other industries -- Dell, Intel, Hp and Ibm have made multiple and fairly large acquisitions this summer -- activity in media and entertainment has been more restrained, with notable exceptions.
-- Disney agreed to buy social gaming firm Playdom for at least $563.2 million after purchasing music games maker Tapulous.
-- News Corp. has offered to buy full control of U.K. satellite TV provider BSkyB.
-- Cable giant Comcast still is waiting for permission from regulators, expected late this year, to purchase NBC Universal.
Since most see the proposed BSkyB buy-in as a clarification of News Corp.
While corporate America has seen a slew of recent big acquisition announcements in other industries -- Dell, Intel, Hp and Ibm have made multiple and fairly large acquisitions this summer -- activity in media and entertainment has been more restrained, with notable exceptions.
-- Disney agreed to buy social gaming firm Playdom for at least $563.2 million after purchasing music games maker Tapulous.
-- News Corp. has offered to buy full control of U.K. satellite TV provider BSkyB.
-- Cable giant Comcast still is waiting for permission from regulators, expected late this year, to purchase NBC Universal.
Since most see the proposed BSkyB buy-in as a clarification of News Corp.
- 9/19/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TiVo unveiled research offerings Wednesday that include the ability to measure what percentage of its DVR users exposed to a TV program promo ultimately tune in to watch it.
The new product comes as TiVo said it continues to lose money and shed subscribers.
During its fiscal second quarter, the DVR pioneer lost $15.3 million, compared with a loss of $2.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue fell 10% to $51.6 million. Its subscriber base has sunk to 2.4 million from 3.1 million a year ago.
Dwindling subscribers makes TiVo's research and measurement business all the more important. Its newest product along those lines launches next month and is part of a new version of the company's anonymous StopWatch commercial ratings service.
TiVo said the new services will help improve marketers' and TV networks' "ability to more clearly understand how viewers watch TV, going beyond what other research companies are able to offer."
Among the other...
The new product comes as TiVo said it continues to lose money and shed subscribers.
During its fiscal second quarter, the DVR pioneer lost $15.3 million, compared with a loss of $2.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue fell 10% to $51.6 million. Its subscriber base has sunk to 2.4 million from 3.1 million a year ago.
Dwindling subscribers makes TiVo's research and measurement business all the more important. Its newest product along those lines launches next month and is part of a new version of the company's anonymous StopWatch commercial ratings service.
TiVo said the new services will help improve marketers' and TV networks' "ability to more clearly understand how viewers watch TV, going beyond what other research companies are able to offer."
Among the other...
- 8/25/2010
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An agreement in principle has been reached for Disney to sell the Miramax Films name and its 611-picture library for about $650 million to a group led by construction executive Ronald Tutor and Colony Capital, a privately held institutional investment firm run by founder and CEO Thomas Barrack Jr. But it is not a done deal.
Tutor and Colony together have committed to investing more than $300 million in equity, with additional capital to be raised from minority partners including James Robinson, chairman of Morgan Creek Prods., and Gulf Capital, an investment firm based in Abu Dhabi.
That still would leave a significant amount, probably $200 million, to be raised in the form of debt.
Tutor brought in Colony only about a week ago, after which the negotiations were led by Colony principal Richard Nanula, a former CFO of Disney. The buyers have entered a period of due diligence, in which they will...
Tutor and Colony together have committed to investing more than $300 million in equity, with additional capital to be raised from minority partners including James Robinson, chairman of Morgan Creek Prods., and Gulf Capital, an investment firm based in Abu Dhabi.
That still would leave a significant amount, probably $200 million, to be raised in the form of debt.
Tutor brought in Colony only about a week ago, after which the negotiations were led by Colony principal Richard Nanula, a former CFO of Disney. The buyers have entered a period of due diligence, in which they will...
- 7/8/2010
- by By Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The TV advertising industry is thriving, three CEOs told Wall Street analysts Wednesday.
CBS chief Les Moonves said he's seeing "a very strong marketplace" with a variety of sectors stepping up their ad buys, Disney topper Bob Iger called the upfront market "good," and Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman called it "pretty good."
All three were addressing questions about the health of TV advertising posed to them during the 26th annual Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference.
"We are optimistic," Dauman said of the upfronts, "and we also think the scatter market will continue to show strength."
Moonves again hailed retransmission fees as a boon to network TV.
"Where the viewers go is where the money should go," he said, not that he expects CBS to approach the $4-a-sub fee Espn gets anytime soon.
Moonves also said he doesn't expect the pay TV services to pass along new network retransmission fees to their customers.
CBS chief Les Moonves said he's seeing "a very strong marketplace" with a variety of sectors stepping up their ad buys, Disney topper Bob Iger called the upfront market "good," and Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman called it "pretty good."
All three were addressing questions about the health of TV advertising posed to them during the 26th annual Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference.
"We are optimistic," Dauman said of the upfronts, "and we also think the scatter market will continue to show strength."
Moonves again hailed retransmission fees as a boon to network TV.
"Where the viewers go is where the money should go," he said, not that he expects CBS to approach the $4-a-sub fee Espn gets anytime soon.
Moonves also said he doesn't expect the pay TV services to pass along new network retransmission fees to their customers.
- 6/2/2010
- by By Paul Bond and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cable is still king when it comes to driving the revenue and profits of Hollywood's entertainment giants -- and the degree to which they do will become clear as the conglomerates report first-quarter earnings in a few weeks.
Thanks to their dual revenue streams, many cable units held up better than other media businesses during the recession. Plus, several, including the divisions at Time Warner and Viacom, have managed costs closely and shifted money from overhead into program development.
Still, parts of the cable channel universe have faced ratings challenges. A look at where the congloms and their units stand:
Time Warner
The cable channel unit -- with such brands as TBS, TNT, Cartoon, HBO and CNN -- edged out the film unit $11.7 billion to $11.1 billion in 2009 revenue after the latter was on top of the conglom's remaining content businesses in 2008. A 3% ad decline was more than offset by 10% in subscription revenue growth,...
Thanks to their dual revenue streams, many cable units held up better than other media businesses during the recession. Plus, several, including the divisions at Time Warner and Viacom, have managed costs closely and shifted money from overhead into program development.
Still, parts of the cable channel universe have faced ratings challenges. A look at where the congloms and their units stand:
Time Warner
The cable channel unit -- with such brands as TBS, TNT, Cartoon, HBO and CNN -- edged out the film unit $11.7 billion to $11.1 billion in 2009 revenue after the latter was on top of the conglom's remaining content businesses in 2008. A 3% ad decline was more than offset by 10% in subscription revenue growth,...
- 3/29/2010
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Media has fared well during a two-day stock market swoon, but Blockbuster has been an exception.
Stock in the nation's top video chain sank 33% on Thursday -- and 36% in the past couple of days -- to 49 cents a share.
The company warned late Wednesday that it experienced a weak gift-giving quarter, prompting Wall Street analysts to downgrade the stock and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services to lower its outlook to negative.
Blockbuster was the worst-performing stock on The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index during the trading sessions, followed by Crown Media and Sinclair Broadcast, each off 11%.
Since Tuesday, the S&P 500 and the Dow each has fallen 3%, but 31 stocks among the Showbiz 50 have outperformed those indexes.
The biggest winners have been Liberty Media and Entercom Communications, each up 5% in the two-day frame. Others on the upside include Sirius Xm Radio, Imax, Belo Corp., Electronic Arts, Sony, TiVo and DreamWorks Animation, which hit...
Stock in the nation's top video chain sank 33% on Thursday -- and 36% in the past couple of days -- to 49 cents a share.
The company warned late Wednesday that it experienced a weak gift-giving quarter, prompting Wall Street analysts to downgrade the stock and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services to lower its outlook to negative.
Blockbuster was the worst-performing stock on The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index during the trading sessions, followed by Crown Media and Sinclair Broadcast, each off 11%.
Since Tuesday, the S&P 500 and the Dow each has fallen 3%, but 31 stocks among the Showbiz 50 have outperformed those indexes.
The biggest winners have been Liberty Media and Entercom Communications, each up 5% in the two-day frame. Others on the upside include Sirius Xm Radio, Imax, Belo Corp., Electronic Arts, Sony, TiVo and DreamWorks Animation, which hit...
- 1/21/2010
- by By Paul Bond and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Q&A: Cyrus Nowrasteh
With tumult roiling the streets of Tehran, the filmmakers behind Iranian martyrdom drama "The Stoning of Soraya M." find themselves in a rare spot: with a new release seemingly ripped straight from the headlines.
But as distributor Roadside Attractions readies a platform rollout this weekend, it must attempt to capitalize on that interest without appearing to overlap it.
"This is a story that everyone thinks they can see on the news, but they really can't," Roadside president Howard Cohen said. "Our job is to make sure people know that."
The pic centers on a journalist (James Caviezel) and his discovery of a story about a woman stoned to death in 1986 Iran because of presumed infidelity. The milieu of Cyrus Nowrasteh's film is highly specific, but producer Stephen McEveety notes a strong parallel with current events.
"Anyone watching TV can see this is about a certain...
With tumult roiling the streets of Tehran, the filmmakers behind Iranian martyrdom drama "The Stoning of Soraya M." find themselves in a rare spot: with a new release seemingly ripped straight from the headlines.
But as distributor Roadside Attractions readies a platform rollout this weekend, it must attempt to capitalize on that interest without appearing to overlap it.
"This is a story that everyone thinks they can see on the news, but they really can't," Roadside president Howard Cohen said. "Our job is to make sure people know that."
The pic centers on a journalist (James Caviezel) and his discovery of a story about a woman stoned to death in 1986 Iran because of presumed infidelity. The milieu of Cyrus Nowrasteh's film is highly specific, but producer Stephen McEveety notes a strong parallel with current events.
"Anyone watching TV can see this is about a certain...
- 6/22/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Wall Street is holding its breath in anticipation of the Dow finally closing at a gain for the year. On Monday, it was still 12 points shy of positive territory.
Meanwhile, most big-media stocks are up year-to-date amid signs that the worst of the recession is over and the ad market is stabilizing, not to mention the booming film boxoffice. The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index is up 10% this year, compared with the Dow's less-than-flat performance.
Among the sector biggies, CBS shares are up 8% year-to-date, Disney is up 12%, Viacom is up 20% and News Corp. is up 24%. Sony's American depository shares are 26% higher so far.
Time Warner is the exception. When dividends and a separation from Time Warner Cable are factored in, the stock is down 4%, according to Yahoo Finance.
Unfortunately for shareholders, when the time frame is extended to the past 12 months, most big-media stocks are down.
On that criteria, Time Warner is the outperformer,...
Meanwhile, most big-media stocks are up year-to-date amid signs that the worst of the recession is over and the ad market is stabilizing, not to mention the booming film boxoffice. The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index is up 10% this year, compared with the Dow's less-than-flat performance.
Among the sector biggies, CBS shares are up 8% year-to-date, Disney is up 12%, Viacom is up 20% and News Corp. is up 24%. Sony's American depository shares are 26% higher so far.
Time Warner is the exception. When dividends and a separation from Time Warner Cable are factored in, the stock is down 4%, according to Yahoo Finance.
Unfortunately for shareholders, when the time frame is extended to the past 12 months, most big-media stocks are down.
On that criteria, Time Warner is the outperformer,...
- 6/8/2009
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Up" is not just Hollywood's latest blockbuster-in-waiting, it's also the direction media stocks -- and, many hope, the overall fortunes of studio congloms -- are headed after a decidedly downbeat period.
This earnings season, U.S. entertainment execs have started to sound cautiously bullish on the ad market and the overall economy. No doubt that's because stocks have been so buoyant since early March, in many cases outpacing gains in broader markets.
"Commentary from management on second-quarter calls was virtually unanimous that the bottom is in for the economy and advertising growth," says Steve Birenberg of Northlake Capital Management and SNL Kagan's media blogger.
The key questions now are: Is the stabilization for real, and how can the congloms best position themselves for the stock rally to continue?
Indeed, the bounce might be a temporary bear-market rally, as evidenced by declines this week and persistent skepticism from European and Canadian execs at ad-reliant media companies.
This earnings season, U.S. entertainment execs have started to sound cautiously bullish on the ad market and the overall economy. No doubt that's because stocks have been so buoyant since early March, in many cases outpacing gains in broader markets.
"Commentary from management on second-quarter calls was virtually unanimous that the bottom is in for the economy and advertising growth," says Steve Birenberg of Northlake Capital Management and SNL Kagan's media blogger.
The key questions now are: Is the stabilization for real, and how can the congloms best position themselves for the stock rally to continue?
Indeed, the bounce might be a temporary bear-market rally, as evidenced by declines this week and persistent skepticism from European and Canadian execs at ad-reliant media companies.
- 5/14/2009
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The disc maverick is at it again.
Universal's Craig Kornblau was alone among home-entertainment presidents in refusing to embrace Blu-Ray Disc until HD DVD had quit the high-def format war. Now Kornblau is battling a new adversary: Redbox, the kiosk retailer whose $1 DVD rentals give the normally even-tempered exec conniptions.
Co-founded by McDonald's -- which recently sold out to Coinstar -- Redbox rents DVDs at kiosks situated in 14,000 fast-food outlets and other retail locations nationwide. Its dollar-rentals program has proven popular with recession-wracked consumers.
But Kornblau worries that dollar rentals will eat into studio DVD profits, and he refuses to supply Redbox with Universal releases. That in turn prompted Redbox to sue Universal, which has responded with a motion to dismiss on grounds the legal action is meritless.
A ruling is expected soon from U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del.
"Anybody who knows anything about the law knows I...
Universal's Craig Kornblau was alone among home-entertainment presidents in refusing to embrace Blu-Ray Disc until HD DVD had quit the high-def format war. Now Kornblau is battling a new adversary: Redbox, the kiosk retailer whose $1 DVD rentals give the normally even-tempered exec conniptions.
Co-founded by McDonald's -- which recently sold out to Coinstar -- Redbox rents DVDs at kiosks situated in 14,000 fast-food outlets and other retail locations nationwide. Its dollar-rentals program has proven popular with recession-wracked consumers.
But Kornblau worries that dollar rentals will eat into studio DVD profits, and he refuses to supply Redbox with Universal releases. That in turn prompted Redbox to sue Universal, which has responded with a motion to dismiss on grounds the legal action is meritless.
A ruling is expected soon from U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del.
"Anybody who knows anything about the law knows I...
- 2/18/2009
- by By Carl DiOrio
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Can DirecTV and Sirius Xm Radio create value in working together more closely?
That is a key question now that John Malone's Liberty Media, which already controls DirecTV, the largest U.S. satellite TV firm, is providing Sirius Xm with as much as $530 million in funding, in return for a stake as high as 40%.
The satellite radio company avoided a bankruptcy filing ahead of a debt-repayment deadline Tuesday thanks to the Liberty deal, but neither side was willing to discuss methods of increased cooperation.
With Tuesday's agreement, Malone, for now, has beaten out Charles Ergen's EchoStar, which has amassed Sirius Xm debt and proposed financing the company in return for a controlling stake.
Liberty gave $250 million to Sirius Xm on Tuesday so the company could pay $172 million in debt while pocketing the extra cash. Liberty has pledged an additional $280 million -- not enough to satisfy the $750 million Sirius Xm owes this year,...
That is a key question now that John Malone's Liberty Media, which already controls DirecTV, the largest U.S. satellite TV firm, is providing Sirius Xm with as much as $530 million in funding, in return for a stake as high as 40%.
The satellite radio company avoided a bankruptcy filing ahead of a debt-repayment deadline Tuesday thanks to the Liberty deal, but neither side was willing to discuss methods of increased cooperation.
With Tuesday's agreement, Malone, for now, has beaten out Charles Ergen's EchoStar, which has amassed Sirius Xm debt and proposed financing the company in return for a controlling stake.
Liberty gave $250 million to Sirius Xm on Tuesday so the company could pay $172 million in debt while pocketing the extra cash. Liberty has pledged an additional $280 million -- not enough to satisfy the $750 million Sirius Xm owes this year,...
- 2/17/2009
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- Image Entertainment is getting a makeover. The home video and music outfit is being sold to media investment group subsidiary NYX Acquisitions in a $100 million deal, and will operate as a privately held entity.
The deal includes the assumption of Image's outstanding debt: $31.74 million as of the last reported quarter. Image stockholders are getting a good deal in these rough economic times. Each will receive $2.75 per share in cash under the merger terms, a 299% premium to the Nov. 20 closing share price of $0.69 and a 267% premium to the latest 30-day average closing price of $0.75.
Nyx is a subsidiary of new media investment group Q Black, LLC, led by co-founder and CEO Joe Bretz. Image Cfo Jeff Framer says Bretz has followed the company since producing its Rob Schneider-toplined feature "The Chosen One," and his interest in digital technology dovetailed with Image's distribution strengths. Image's 3,500 DVD titles and...
The deal includes the assumption of Image's outstanding debt: $31.74 million as of the last reported quarter. Image stockholders are getting a good deal in these rough economic times. Each will receive $2.75 per share in cash under the merger terms, a 299% premium to the Nov. 20 closing share price of $0.69 and a 267% premium to the latest 30-day average closing price of $0.75.
Nyx is a subsidiary of new media investment group Q Black, LLC, led by co-founder and CEO Joe Bretz. Image Cfo Jeff Framer says Bretz has followed the company since producing its Rob Schneider-toplined feature "The Chosen One," and his interest in digital technology dovetailed with Image's distribution strengths. Image's 3,500 DVD titles and...
- 11/20/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Yahoo will lay off at least 1,500 people in the next few months.
The announcement came Tuesday as the company reported quarterly earnings that reveal its growth has slowed to a crawl.
Performing better was Apple, which also reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday and even offered up CEO Steve Jobs -- a rarity -- during a conference call with analysts.
Apple reported record iPhone and Mac sales for its fiscal fourth-quarter, as well as record quarterly profits and revenue. However, the company said it can't gauge the potential hit from an economic downturn, leaving it to provide a broad guidance range for the current quarter.
More dire was Yahoo's pronouncement that it will lay off at least 10% of its staff before year's end as it tries to slice more than $400 million out of its $3.9 billion in annualized costs.
Yahoo earned $54.3 million in the third quarter, 64% lower than a year ago. Revenue rose just 1% to $1.79 billion.
The announcement came Tuesday as the company reported quarterly earnings that reveal its growth has slowed to a crawl.
Performing better was Apple, which also reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday and even offered up CEO Steve Jobs -- a rarity -- during a conference call with analysts.
Apple reported record iPhone and Mac sales for its fiscal fourth-quarter, as well as record quarterly profits and revenue. However, the company said it can't gauge the potential hit from an economic downturn, leaving it to provide a broad guidance range for the current quarter.
More dire was Yahoo's pronouncement that it will lay off at least 10% of its staff before year's end as it tries to slice more than $400 million out of its $3.9 billion in annualized costs.
Yahoo earned $54.3 million in the third quarter, 64% lower than a year ago. Revenue rose just 1% to $1.79 billion.
- 10/21/2008
- by By Paul Bond and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- Some smaller media and entertainment companies have started preserving cash amid the continuing credit and financial markets crisis, but most sector biggies seem to be weathering the storm.
One special case is NBC Universal parent General Electric. The conglomerate Wednesday unveiled an offering of at least $12 billion in common stock. Also, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy $3 billion in preferred stock from Ge in a private offering. Both are ways for Ge to boost its capital cushion given its big exposure to turbulent financial markets via its finance arm, which accounts for nearly half of its overall revenue.
Buffett seeing value in Ge shares, and Ge's ability to raise such a large amount of money was seen by some as a bullish development. Bears, though, wondered why Ge would need such a wad of cash and noted that Buffet was buying Ge shares below market value.
One special case is NBC Universal parent General Electric. The conglomerate Wednesday unveiled an offering of at least $12 billion in common stock. Also, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy $3 billion in preferred stock from Ge in a private offering. Both are ways for Ge to boost its capital cushion given its big exposure to turbulent financial markets via its finance arm, which accounts for nearly half of its overall revenue.
Buffett seeing value in Ge shares, and Ge's ability to raise such a large amount of money was seen by some as a bullish development. Bears, though, wondered why Ge would need such a wad of cash and noted that Buffet was buying Ge shares below market value.
- 10/1/2008
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Advertising spending in the U.S. fell slightly in the first half of the year as movie studios and a couple of other key industries scaled back their ad buys.
Overall, ad spending dropped 1.4%, with pockets of strength being outgunned by severe weakness in spot radio, down 10.1%, as well as in most print media categories.
According to the data from Nielsen Monitor-Plus, cable TV was the star category, showing 8.1% growth, followed by syndication TV at 7.2%.
Spanish-language TV showed a 4.5% increase, while more modest gains were notched by spot TV and network radio.
Nielsen said the top 10 product categories spent $20.71 billion in the first half, down fractionally from a year ago.
Like last year, automotive companies spent the most, though their $5.33 billion ad spend was down 8% from a year ago. Of the 10 categories, the pharmaceutical and motion picture industries were the only other two to cut back on advertising. The movie industry spent $1.73 billion,...
Overall, ad spending dropped 1.4%, with pockets of strength being outgunned by severe weakness in spot radio, down 10.1%, as well as in most print media categories.
According to the data from Nielsen Monitor-Plus, cable TV was the star category, showing 8.1% growth, followed by syndication TV at 7.2%.
Spanish-language TV showed a 4.5% increase, while more modest gains were notched by spot TV and network radio.
Nielsen said the top 10 product categories spent $20.71 billion in the first half, down fractionally from a year ago.
Like last year, automotive companies spent the most, though their $5.33 billion ad spend was down 8% from a year ago. Of the 10 categories, the pharmaceutical and motion picture industries were the only other two to cut back on advertising. The movie industry spent $1.73 billion,...
- 9/18/2008
- by By Paul Bond and Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With their stocks in freefall for the second time this week, the response from media moguls Wednesday was along the lines of: What? Me worry?
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, speaking along with other executives at an investor conference, set the tone early by predicting the movie industry will weather just about any economic storm.
"Both traditionally as well as recently, we have seen that our product is, at worse, recession-resistent and, more optimistically and historically, has actually been recession-proof."
As the CEO spoke, the Dow was well on its way to Wednesday's 450-point decline. And that 4.1% drop made it the best-performing index of the day. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were off 4.7% and 4.9%, respectively, while The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index dumped 5%.
Echoing Katzenberg's optimism in various ways were News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes and CBS' Leslie Moonves.
Ironically, the executives were speaking in New...
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, speaking along with other executives at an investor conference, set the tone early by predicting the movie industry will weather just about any economic storm.
"Both traditionally as well as recently, we have seen that our product is, at worse, recession-resistent and, more optimistically and historically, has actually been recession-proof."
As the CEO spoke, the Dow was well on its way to Wednesday's 450-point decline. And that 4.1% drop made it the best-performing index of the day. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were off 4.7% and 4.9%, respectively, while The Hollywood Reporter Showbiz 50 index dumped 5%.
Echoing Katzenberg's optimism in various ways were News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes and CBS' Leslie Moonves.
Ironically, the executives were speaking in New...
- 9/17/2008
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warner Music Group, which plays in a troubled and declining industry, was the second-best performer in Thr's Showbiz 50, writes Paul Bond. Full story...
Yahoo shares fell below the $20 mark during Tuesday's first trading session of the second half of the year, while a team of influential analysts suggested that a takeover of AOL could make sense for the Internet giant.
Yahoo shares fell as low as $19.59 before closing down 2.2% at $20.20. That gave the company a market value of $27.79 billion, according to Bloomberg. The stock hadn't traded below $20 since a $31-per-share buyout offer by software giant Microsoft first became public Feb. 1.
Tuesday's decline moved shares of Yahoo -- whose shareholders will vote next month on a slate of board members proposed by management and a competing slate nominated by dissident shareholder Carl Icahn -- closer to their 52-week low of $18.58, which it hit Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, Citigroup Global Markets released a report dated Friday in which analysts Jason Bazinet and Mark Mahaney called an acquisition of Time Warner's AOL by Yahoo a possibility.
Among the key advantages to such a deal, they cited $900 million in annual synergies -- mainly driven by cost savings -- Yahoo's "clear interest in remaining independent" and the chance for Tw to gain Internet scale via a passive stake in the merged entity.
Bazinet estimated that AOL could fetch a price tag of $8 billion-$12 billion, thereby creating 33 cents-$3.45 per Tw share in upside value potential.
In December 2005, Google bought a 5% stake in AOL for $1 billion, thereby valuing all of AOL at $20 billion.
For Yahoo's stock, an AOL deal would be mixed, with investors' reaction likely to be "muted," the Citi analysts argued. "Share of synergies could be worth between 74 cents and $3.06 per Yahoo share," they said. "However, (the) transaction would likely remove any remaining Microsoft-inspired M&A premium (of about $2 per share)."
Meanwhile, Yahoo has its hands full trying to get antitrust regulators to sign off on its pact with Google. The partnership, if approved, would have Google deliver advertising to searches made on Yahoo.
That deal could provide Yahoo with as much as $450 million in additional operating cash flow and help prove to investors that Yahoo's claims of being undervalued by Microsoft are accurate.
Georg Szalai reported from New York; Paul Bond reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo shares fell as low as $19.59 before closing down 2.2% at $20.20. That gave the company a market value of $27.79 billion, according to Bloomberg. The stock hadn't traded below $20 since a $31-per-share buyout offer by software giant Microsoft first became public Feb. 1.
Tuesday's decline moved shares of Yahoo -- whose shareholders will vote next month on a slate of board members proposed by management and a competing slate nominated by dissident shareholder Carl Icahn -- closer to their 52-week low of $18.58, which it hit Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, Citigroup Global Markets released a report dated Friday in which analysts Jason Bazinet and Mark Mahaney called an acquisition of Time Warner's AOL by Yahoo a possibility.
Among the key advantages to such a deal, they cited $900 million in annual synergies -- mainly driven by cost savings -- Yahoo's "clear interest in remaining independent" and the chance for Tw to gain Internet scale via a passive stake in the merged entity.
Bazinet estimated that AOL could fetch a price tag of $8 billion-$12 billion, thereby creating 33 cents-$3.45 per Tw share in upside value potential.
In December 2005, Google bought a 5% stake in AOL for $1 billion, thereby valuing all of AOL at $20 billion.
For Yahoo's stock, an AOL deal would be mixed, with investors' reaction likely to be "muted," the Citi analysts argued. "Share of synergies could be worth between 74 cents and $3.06 per Yahoo share," they said. "However, (the) transaction would likely remove any remaining Microsoft-inspired M&A premium (of about $2 per share)."
Meanwhile, Yahoo has its hands full trying to get antitrust regulators to sign off on its pact with Google. The partnership, if approved, would have Google deliver advertising to searches made on Yahoo.
That deal could provide Yahoo with as much as $450 million in additional operating cash flow and help prove to investors that Yahoo's claims of being undervalued by Microsoft are accurate.
Georg Szalai reported from New York; Paul Bond reported from Los Angeles.
- 7/1/2008
- by By Georg Szalai and Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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