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 —Disney (NYSE: DIS) rebrands toon channel as Disney XD: In a push to reach school-aged (6-14) boys, the WSJ says Disney is rebranding its Toon Disney cable channel as Disney XD, and building out an accompanying Website. The new Disney XD brand aims to mesh TV, videogames, social media and online video, with original series for both the channel and the site. The first piece of IP will be Aaron Stone, an action-adventure show. The Journal says Disney is hoping to recreate the multi-platform success it has had with girl-centric franchises like Hannah Montana and High School Musical.
—WB.com readies new series Rockville, CA: TheWB.com is slated to launch Rockville, CA, a new original Web series focusing on a fictional nightclub in California, Variety reports. The show will feature scripted scenes as well as performances from real indie bands like the Kooks and Frightened Rabbit. Though only short snippets of a given band's set will run during each episode, theWB.com will post a clip of of the entire two-song performance on the site afterward. Gossip Girl and The OC creator Josh Schwartz is behind the show, which premieres March 17.
—CookieMag.com bulks up video offering: Conde Nast's CookieMag.com is beefing up its video content: adding sponsored editorial clips (advertisers TBA), as well as clips promoting the Smart Cookie Awards (which honor moms that devote time/energy to charity). The videos will showcase them at work, and readers get to vote for the mom that they feel should win $35K for her charity. Video ad firm TurnHere will produce all the videos.
—NIN frontman "leaks" concert footage to torrents : The latest digital play from Nine Inch Nails comes in the form of concert footage. Techdirt reports that NIN frontman Trent Reznor gave fans details about 400GB worth of HD concert footage that had been "leaked" to torrents in a blog post—and challenged them to find it: "If any of you could find a LINK to that footage I'll bet some enterprising fans could assemble something pretty cool," he wrote. After parting ways with longtime label Interscope last year, the band released its instrumental album "Ghosts I-IV" online, with some tracks available for free; and even uploaded parts of it to The Pirate Bay, a torrent sharing site.
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 The ABC.com episode player has delivered more than a half-billion episodes and a billion ads while ABC and Disney (NYSE: DIS) have sold "tens of millions" of episodes through iTunes, Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney-ABC Television Group, said during an Industry Insider session at CES this afternoon.
The numbers came along with an early Valentine to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) (with iTunes' Eddy Cue sitting in the audience), as Sweeney talked about the value of a simple user experience after showing screenshots of the way she uses her own iPhone: "We can't just build it and hope viewers will come. ... One of the reasons so many of us have iPhones and iPods is because Apple gets this fundamental fact. The user interface is intuitive." The two companies have close ties: Steve Jobs is on the Disney board and Disney was the launch tenant in the iTunes video store. Sweeney referred back to that decision: "We upset a lot of people but it was a new way to give consumers what they wanted."
When I went back to check the iTunes video launch date, it was almost a shock to realize we're more than two years into the portable video download era. Sweeney came at it a little differently: "It's hard to believe that just three years ago we were still debating the possibility –and wisdom – of putting TV content on other platforms." What she didn't mention is that the debate continues in a variety of ways, including the Time Warner Cable-Viacom fee dispute "settled" in the wee hours of the new year without really addressing TWC's contention that online video devalues the programming delivered via cable.
Sweeney's simple message—we'll provide good content, you make it easy to find, watch and navigate—was aimed at CEA members, not financial analysts or the consumer press. Revenue was mentioned in only the vaguest terms: "What we haven't seen yet is how much content we will consume, and how much revenue we can generate from it. But all indications are that the more ways consumers have to watch content, the more their appetite for it grows. How fast and how much it grows is up to us."
—International efforts: Sweeney said they closed more than 50 new media deals abroad last year. One international example is a Disney Channel partnership with Starhub in Singapore—a linear channel, a VOD service and a mobile loop service.
The rest of our coverage is on our CES 2009 channel
Related
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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Syndication is coming back with a vengeance in this new frugal reality for the news industry: first the recent announcements about newspapers sharing copy in their local areas—the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram being one example; and now, it is coming to TV. One of the first major examples: starting next month, ABC News, part of Disney (NYSE: DIS), will rely on the BBC for reporting, correspondents and support staff for breaking news in Iraq, according to an internal e-mail by David Westin, president of ABC News, picked up by B&C.
ABC News will continue to operate a bureau there, though no full-time correspondent. Also, Martha Raddatz will continue to do her recurring "Where Things Stand" series of embedded reports with U.S. forces, the story says.
The two news orgs have been working together for a while, and this is an expansion of this relationship. BBC has extensive news operations in Iraq, as one would expect. Expect such non-exclusive arrangements to proliferate this year across all kinds of media orgs, including, as someone's predicting, even magazines.
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 Move over ABC. Harpo Films, the original film division of Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, has found an edgier, less commercially-cluttered platform for its movies: HBO. The AP says Harpo Films and HBO have brokered a three-year deal to make movies, documentaries and TV series. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Karen Forte, president and executive producer of Harpo Films said the decision was influenced by two key points:
-- The company wanted to do a more "eclectic" mix of programming than was available on broadcast TV
-- Harpo Films wanted to work without the constraints of traditional commercial interruptions
LA-based Harpo Films has released a number of films under the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner, including an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry, as well as the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Jack Lemmon flick Tuesdays with Morrie. ABC wanted to extend the deal, but Forte said the company felt HBO was a better choice. The new deal may signal a shift toward product placement or other sponsorship models, as well as less family-friendly fare. It's Oprah's second large-scale deal with a cable network: OWN—the Oprah Winfrey Network—is slated to replace Discovery (NSDQ: DISAB) Communications' Discovery Health network next year.
Related
Mark Logic Digital Publishing Summit, Thursday November 6, Westin Times Square. Insight and perspective from Outsell, Gilbane, Simon & Schuster, BusinessWeek.com, more. Evening cocktail reception. Cost is complimentary. Register now!
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 Even though the global financial meltdown has been affecting Russia as well, media companies still see enough growth potential to make entering that market worthwhile. The Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company has entered into a joint venture with Russian cable company Media-One to create a free-to-air Disney channel. The channel, which will be available on 30 local stations in Russia, will also feature Disney kids and family fare as well as content acquired in Russia. Though the deal's specifics weren't disclosed, Disney will retain a 49 percent share of the company for its cash investment. Release
Photo Credit: erin MC hammer
Related
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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 ESPN.com's year-long revamp is finally ready today and set for its formal debut on January 5. Aside from emphasizing video and smarter search, as the company have talked about over the past few months in previews, execs at the Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) sports unit tell the NYT that the site's overarching ethos is all about reducing ad clutter. As John Skipper, ESPN's EVP for content, explains: "If we are frustrating people, they're not going to spend as much time as we want on the site." Some of the key changes include:
-- The revamped home page has done away with the big block of 36 links at the top, and reduced it to 19 tabs for Fantasy (a rollover unveils about 16 sub-categories), NFL (which unfolds to offer eight links that take users to the "scoreboard" or "blog network") and a "More" tab, which has 20 links to areas such as Olympics, poker and cricket news.
-- With fewer links taking up space on the site, advertisers are getting more display options. The most popular pages will feature eight spots for advertisers, instead of the usual three. Next month, ESPN.com will add a new ad choice for video that will largely be targeted to movie studios. And in a sign that Ford believes it will survive the current financial crisis gripping its Detroit competitors, it has signed up as the revamped site's initial sponsor.
-- ESPN.com is also creating more spaces for user customization, such as personalizing what scores are displayed.
Related
Mark Logic Digital Publishing Summit, Thursday November 6, Westin Times Square. Insight and perspective from Outsell, Gilbane, Simon & Schuster, BusinessWeek.com, more. Evening cocktail reception. Cost is complimentary. Register now!
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 We've been hearing that layoffs are coming at the Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company but CFO Tom Staggs told the lunch crowd at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference not to expect the same kind of announcements made last week by Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and NBC Universal (NYSE: GE). Asked if Disney would be following those examples, Staggs said: "The answer is we're actually taking a look at a lot of things. I'm not going to make a lot of sweeping announcements today. ... You'll see us taking some of those steps." But it sounds like Disney will avoid setting an across-the board target like NBCU's 3 percent and rely more on unit management: "We don't think it makes a lot of sense from a corporate point to set an artificial bogey."
No grand pronouncements on M&A either. Disney is still acquiring—the company just announced an agreement to buy the remainder of Jetix—but CEO Bob Iger and Staggs are sticking to their emphasis on strategic acquisitions. Staggs: "It's about building the portfolio and staying competitive."
Photo Credit: erin MC hammer
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Our streamlined mobile application for the BlackBerry and other smart devices brings you the latest headlines quickly on the go. Click here to download.
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 The new ESPN.com is slated to go live in January, but ESPN (NYSE: DIS) Insiders (i.e. paid subscribers) are already getting a preview. And the sports network is asking them for feedback on the redesign and its functionality.
John Skipper, ESPN's EVP of Content, told us that the revamp would focus on video and it does: a wider, more prominent video player replaces both the main photo at the center of the screen and the smaller player that's currently nestled on the right pane. There are tons of links to additional videos, including a "Top Videos" tab above the player and links to clips interspersed with the related articles below the fold. Some aesthetics have also changed, as Mediapost notes that the site's background is a darker hue of red and featured columnists are promoted with larger modules.
ESPN asks for Insiders' opinions on the upgrade via a link at the bottom of the screen, which launches a new page where they can rate factors like design, usability, the site's loading speed and ease of navigation. ESPN is also using the feedback loop to get a better read on the primary reasons visitors come to the site (checking scores, reading top stories, watching video, etc).
Skipper made an appearance at our EconSports conference last October, where he talked up the growing ESPN360 and ESPN The Magazine, among other topics. Video is embedded after the jump (and RSS readers will have to click through)
Related
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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The mouse is extending his control of kids channel Jetix Europe, buying more shares, taking its share from 74 percent to 96 percent. It is then expected to control 100 percent through a compulsory takeover. That would see Disney (NYSE: DIS) take Jetix, which it first gained through buying Fox Family Worldwide from News Corp (NYSE: NWS) in 2001, off Amsterdam's Euronext exchange. Disney reckons the buy-up will help it roll out more targeted branding, more integrated management and "company-wide synergies". Disney-ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney, in the release: "Television continues to be a strong brand builder for Disney around the world and this investment enhances our efforts to reach kids and families. By achieving operating efficiencies, we will have additional opportunities to create more family-friendly programming and locally-produced content across Europe."
Related
Mark Logic Digital Publishing Summit, Thursday November 6, Westin Times Square. Insight and perspective from Outsell, Gilbane, Simon & Schuster, BusinessWeek.com, more. Evening cocktail reception. Cost is complimentary. Register now!
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 Earlier this year in June, Fandango, the online movie tickets service which is part of Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA), bought out movies info site Movies.com from Disney (NYSE: DIS), for an undisclosed sum at that time. Now the amount has come out, in Disney's latest annual 10-K filing with SEC: The movies.com business was sold for $17 million on June 18, 2008, resulting in a pre-tax gain of $14 million.
Movies.com, under its previous name MrShowbiz.com, was one of first online movie news and info sites. Then, after it morphed into Movies.com, Disney partnered with Fox to turn it into an online movies-on-demand site, but it didn't go past planning stages. Since Comcast bought it, not much extra has been done with the site, which now serves as a feeder info site to Fandango.
Some other details in the filing:
-- Disney had a $91 million loan receivable from Lehman Brothers, the bank that went under. The company says it is pursuing collection of this amount, but has fully reserved the amount. Unlikely it will recover it.
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 For most of the sports-viewing world, the big news in the deal announced today between ESPN (NYSE: DIS) and the Bowl Championship Series is the price tag—an estimated $500 million—and the apparently inexorable move of major sports from free over-the-air broadcast to subscription-supported cable. But, as we suggested here yesterday, it includes some digital news as well: the package of exclusive TV, radio, digital, international and marketing rights from 2011 through 2014 covers broadband and mobile simulcasts.
The digital media component includes:
-- the right to simulcast the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and National Championship Game on broadband service ESPN360.com and through ESPN Mobile TV. Translation: ESPN isn't locked into providing the games that way but can.
-- "significant content rights" for ESPN.com, which will take over operation of the official BCS site now managed by Fox Sports.
-- ESPN VOD will distribute archived games through audio and video podcasts, in addition to affiliate VOD platforms. ESPN/ABC Sports sold condensed iTunes downloads of BCS games for $1.99 in 2006.
I have a query out on whether digital rights are included for international and will update when that answer comes in.
Update: An ESPN spokesman says the network has the same broad digital rights internationally as it does in the U.S.
Related
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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 The details are still sketchy and the official announcement has yet to be made by ESPN (NYSE: DIS) and the Bowl Championship Series Group but Fox Sports said today that it will not be hosting the premiere college football games after its current contract expires in 2010. That leaves ESPN, which I'm told is willing to pay $125 million annually for four years to carry the games. This amount has not been confirmed with ESPN but represents the 50 percent increase the BCS governors are said to be seeking. Fox, which is paying $82.5 million a year currently, offered about $100 million a year during its exclusive renewal period. The BCS opened negotiations with ESPN, then, as per the current deal, returned to Fox with the material differences, which decided none of them-- including the addition of international rights—were worth the considerable uptick in price.
The Fox contract covers three bowls and the championship game; ESPN/ABC already has the rights to the Rose Bowl. As SBD reported last week, moving any of the other games to cable would allow the Rose Bowl to be moved—which could put all five major bowl games on cable for the first time starting in 2011.
So what is ESPN getting? Like we said, the details are still sketchy but Fox already has some digital rights. This deal includes those and likely expands them. Not sure yet if the international rights include digital but, given ESPN's recent deals, it would be surprising if that's not the case.
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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 ESPN (NYSE: DIS) and The R&A, organizers of the British Open, have a new eight-year deal that expands digital and international rights—and a combo that isn't always the case in these deals—digital international rights. The package covers The Open, as they call it, the Senior Open Championship, and the next two Walker Cups held in the UK. For the TV types, the biggest news is that all four rounds of the classic golf tournament will be played live on ESPN starting in 2010 while continuing the connection with long-time media partner ABC via six hours of highlights; viewed another way, live coverage of the Open no longer will be shown over the air in the U.S. On the digital side, ESPN continues to expand its multiplatform rights as it adds or extends contracts. This one includes broad and comprehensive rights for digital platforms—40-plus hours live on ESPN360.com and Mobile ESPN—along with expanded digital media rights for ESPN International. Digital rights for all territories include "live streaming of all events, expansive multiplatform highlight rights (e.g. online, broadband, and wireless); television and digital VOD; interactive television and mobile TV." Now if they could only agree on a simulcast that would let us switch between the U.S. and UK commentators.
Photo Credit: SN#1
Related
Social Media Deals Report: This 199-page report, filled with charts and data, examines the categories, number and size of VC and M&A deal in social media from 2007 through 2008. Visit the ContentNext Reports page
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 Lifetime Networks is expanding its casual gaming with the acquisition of South Korean dress-up site Roiworld for an undisclosed amount and the simultaneous launch of Lifetime Games Studio Korea. Lifetime, a 50-50 joint venture of Hearst and The Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company, plans to launch a U.S. version of Roiworld.com in early 2009. The site mixes "casual" virtual worlds, user-generated content and social networking with fashion. Lifetime says the Korean version had 2.8 million uniques and 117 million page views in September, with visitors averaging 50 minutes a month. At the same time, Lifetime is investing further in casual gaming by launching Lifetime Games Studio Korea with headquarters in Seoul and a San Francisco office focused on biz dev, technology and sales. Lots more after the jump...
Roiworld founder Kiseo Kim will head the new studio as CEO, extending Roiworld and developing new games. Kris Soumas, head of Lifetime Games, adds the new venture to her portfolio. Plans call for integrated ad packages and micro-transaction technology, in addition to more social networking.
It's the company's second digital acquisition. The first was ParentsClick in August for a price we reported at about $10 million. But gaming already plays a significant role for Lifetime, with Lifetime Games as the leading content section for myLifetime.com. Lifetime partners with RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) on casual online and downloadable games from Real Arcade, promoting titles and sharing revenue. Lifetime Games also has published its own games with partners. Downloadable game sales were up 100 percent for 2007 over 2006 and the company says growth is still strong in 2008.
A promo of the upcoming site should go live this morning. Tag line: Dress Up Games Are About To Grow Up. Lifetime promises 1,000-plus "fashion and style" games. It's all about digital escapism, giving women an excuse to play with virtual "paper dolls" and share the results. The same kind of games could be used to promote Lifetime shows—giving the Army Wives makeovers, for instance—but Soumas says that's not the initial intent.
Related
Mark Logic Digital Publishing Summit, Thursday November 6, Westin Times Square. Insight and perspective from Outsell, Gilbane, Simon & Schuster, BusinessWeek.com, more. Evening cocktail reception. Cost is complimentary. Register now!
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You're reading it here first ... Lifetime Networks is expanding its casual gaming with the acquisition of South Korean dress-up site Roiworld for an undisclosed amount and the simultaneous launch of Lifetime Games Studio Korea. Lifetime, a 50-50 joint venture of Hearst and The Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company, plans to launch a U.S. version of Roiworld.com in early 2009. The site mixes "casual" virtual worlds, user-generated content and social networking with fashion. Lifetime says the Korean version had 2.8 million uniques and 117 million page views in September, with visitors averaging 50 minutes a month.
At the same time, Lifetime is investing further in casual gaming by launching Lifetime Games Studio Korea with headquarters in Seoul and a San Francisco office focused on biz dev, technology and sales. Roiworld founder Kiseo Kim, will head the new studio as CEO, extending Roiworld and developing new games. Kris Soumas, head of Lifetime Games, adds the new venture to her portfolio. Plans call for integrated ad packages and micro-transaction technology, in addition to more social networking.
It's the company's second digital acquisition. The first was ParentsClick in August for a price we reported at about $10 million. But gaming already plays a significant role for Lifetime, with Lifetime Games as the leading content section for myLifetime.com. Lifetime partners with RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) on casual online and downloadable games from Real Arcade, promoting titles and sharing revenue. Lifetime Games also has published its own games with partners. Downloadable game sales were up 100 percent for 2007 over 2006 and the company says growth is still strong in 2008.
A promo of the upcoming site should go live this morning. Tag line: Dress Up Games Are About To Grow Up. Lifetime promises 1,000-plus "fashion and style" games. It's all about digital escapism, giving women an excuse to play with virtual "paper dolls" and share the results. The same kind of games could be used to promote Lifetime shows—giving the Army Wives makeovers, for instance—but Soumas says that's not the initial intent.
Related
Mark Logic Digital Publishing Summit, Thursday November 6, Westin Times Square. Insight and perspective from Outsell, Gilbane, Simon & Schuster, BusinessWeek.com, more. Evening cocktail reception. Cost is complimentary. Register now!
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