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Broadcasters Fear the Music in Aereo Fight

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:57:34 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Walt Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger and CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves have been getting red in the face lately about Aereo, the audacious startup that's trying to make a business out of re-transmitting broadcasters' free over-the-air signal to its online subscribers.

Iger and Moonves have already unleashed their lawyers to no avail to try to put a stop to Aereo. But if recent history is a suitable guide, Big Media ought to make sure to avoid the same mistakes the music industry made 12 years ago when it went after Napster.

Also see: Fox, Disney Talk Entertainment, Rely on Sports ...

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Fox, Disney Talk Entertainment, Rely on Sports

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:01 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Fox Network unveiled its new dramas, comedies and "unscripted" (re: reality) shows for the fall and winter at Manhattan's Beacon Theatre this week, giving a packed house of advertising executives a glimpse of the new programming which its parent, News Corp., has spent many millions to produce.

Fox is coming off a rough 12 months in which advertising and ratings dropped, and Kevin Reilly, head of its entertainment division, acknowledged that bit of reality by telling ad-buyers that this year will be different. Count on it, he said.

News Corp. Beats Estimates, Shares Rise After Close ...

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'Gatsby' Gives 'Iron Man 3' Run for Its Money (Update1)

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:41:13 EDT

Updated from 11:46 a.m. EDT with additional details about weekend box office revenue.

By David Germain, AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES -- Gatsby looks almost as great as a superhero at the weekend box office. ...

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TheStreet Cuts Losses in Half as Subscription Sales Rise

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:04:07 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- TheStreet, the New York-based financial media services provider, reported a net loss of $1.7 million for the first quarter compared to a loss of $4.4 million a year ago, the company said in a statement. Revenue for the period was $12.6 million, a 2% decrease from a year earlier.

TheStreet posted a diluted net loss per share of 5 cents for the quarter ended March 31 compared to a loss of 14 cents per share for the same period a year ago. Excluding payments related to company restructuring and other items, TheStreet generated more than $800,000 in operating cash flow in the quarter.

Subscription sales grew 13% to $10.4 million in the quarter as TheStreet acquired TheDeal in September. Media revenue was $2.2 million, a decrease of 40%. The number of paid subscribers to the company's premium services grew 3.5% to 76,090. ...

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News Corp. Beats Estimates, Shares Rise After Close

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:25 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- News Corp. , the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch that is expected in June, posted first-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates on double-digit increases for subscriber fees at its cable networks, including Fox News Channel.

News Corp. reported adjusted earnings per share of 36 cents for the quarter ended in March, beating an average estimate of 35 cents in a Bloomberg survey of 19 analysts. Sales increased 14% to $9.5 billion, also beating an average analyst estimate of $9.2 billion.

Shares of the New York-based company were rising 3.3% in after-hours trading after closing at $31.86, extending a 24% advance this year, propelled in part by the upcoming split and share buybacks. ...

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AOL Tanks as Media Sites Fail to Show Profits

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:10:53 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Tim Armstrong, chief executive of AOL keeps trying new things, but until his many acquisitions start to make money, the company's stock price will continue to tumble.

AOL was losing 9.2%, dropping to $37.63 after the New York-based media company reported an operating loss for its division that includes Huffington Post, TechCrunch and Patch, its ambitious, locally-focused news operation. The $4.9 million in the red for the unit for the quarter comes after Armstrong has invested heavily in those properties to drive advertising and subscription revenue. Also see: Tesla Earnings Preview: Is the Juice Still Flowing? >>

The loss held AOL's earnings per share for the quarter to 41 cents, missing an average forecast of 45 cents per share, according to a Bloomberg survey of 14 Wall Street analysts. ...

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Disney Profits Beat Forecasts on Growth at Amusement Parks, Networks

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:27:22 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Walt Disney Co.said sales and profits that beat analyst forecasts as the world's largest entertainment company posted growth at its television networks, film studios and amusement parks.

The Burbank, Calif.-based owner of ESPN and the ABC network, said sales for the three months ended March 31 totaled $10.55 billion, beating a $10.48 billion estimate, according to the average of 25 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Revenue at Disney's amusement parks and resorts grew 14% to $3.3 billion, bolstered by its Cars Land attraction, an outgrowth of its Pixar movies. Operating profit surged 73% to $383 million. ...

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Disney Gains Heading into Earnings Call

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:10:02 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Walt Disney Co. wants you to believe that it's different, and quarterly earnings from the world's largest entertainment company are sure to show a big gain for its movie studios, a stark contrast to declines at the film units of rivals Viacom Inc.and Time Warner.

The anticipated gain for Disney's Studio Entertainment unit will be mostly due to a quarterly comparison with the $84 million writedown incurred as a result of the flop known as John Carter. The Carter fiasco placed the film in the infamous company of Ishtar and Heaven's Gate for movie losses. Disney is scheduled to report its fiscal second quarter earnings after the close of trading today in New York.

Disney gained 1.6% to $66.07 Tuesday to extend its advance over the past 12 months to 51%. ...

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'Iron Man 3' Has Knockout Domestic Debut

Sun, 05 May 2013 15:11:49 EDT

By David Germain

LOS ANGELES -- Iron Man reigns as the standard-bearer of Hollywood superheroes with a $175.3 million domestic opening weekend for his latest sequel and an overseas haul of a half-billion dollars in less than two weeks.

According to studio estimates Sunday, Iron Man 3 has raced to a worldwide total of $680.1 million. That includes $175.9 million in its second weekend overseas, where the film has rung up $504.8 million so far. ...

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Former Dow Jones Executive William Cox Jr. Dies

Sat, 04 May 2013 18:00:19 EDT

NEW YORK -- Former Dow Jones & Co. executive William Cox Jr. has died at age 82, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal report cited unnamed people close to the family. Cox was part of the Bancroft family that controlled Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal until they were sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. in 2007.

The sale was contentious because the Journal had long been independent and members of the Bancroft family were divided about whether to sell or not. But eventually, News Corp. paid about $5 billion to acquire Dow Jones, which publishes the Journal. ...

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'Pain and Gain' Tops Weekend Box Office

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 12:58:41 EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Iron Man 3 is the heavy-lifter at theaters with a colossal overseas debut that overshadows a sleepy presummer weekend at the domestic box office.

The superhero sequel starring Robert Downey Jr. got a head-start on its domestic launch next Friday with a $195.3 million opening in 42 overseas markets. ...

Boston's Globe Lowers Paywall for City's Embrace

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The media was on full display Monday in the frantic scramble for reliable information about the terrible bomb attack on the streets of Boston.

Twitter and Facebook provided anecdotes but traditional news outlets - newspapers and TV news, networks and cable - were sources of dependable information. Numbers of injured and dead were tossed around, but the hometown Boston Globe remained careful and accurate. Also see: Probe continues, Senate campaigns suspended >>

The Globe's Web site was initially overwhelmed by the surge in traffic but quickly recovered. Boston's largest newspaper took down its paywall soon after the traffic spike as the need for news, in some cases a desperate need, became more pressing. Shortly after the attacks on Monday, the Globe suspended the automatic registration requests that readers are required to fill out after reaching a certain number of page views. (The New York Times did the same while The Wall Street Journal has allowed its Boston content to run for free.) Also see: Photographer recounts scene after the blasts >> ...

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Time Sees the Future and its DrunkenStepfather

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:28:45 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Time, Fortune, People, Essence, Sports Illustrated.

Time Inc.'s roll call reads like the New York Yankees high-salaried line-up. These days, of course, the Yankees priciest players are injured or nearing retirement.

Time, the largest U.S. magazine publisher, will be spun-off later this year by its parent company, Time Warner. To thrive as a standalone business, Time may need of shot of youth and spunk to flourish in the age of tagging, following and "going viral." ...

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'Evil Dead' Wins at Box Office

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:12:40 EDT

LOS ANGELES -- Resurrected demons and resurrected dinosaurs are helping to put some life back into the weekend box office.

Sunday studio estimates put the demonic horror remake Evil Dead at No. 1 with a $26 million debut. ...

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3 Stocks Riding High With 'Game of Thrones'

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Even if you know nothing about the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones," the feverish cybertalk leading up to Sunday's premiere of Season 3 gives you an indication of the level of interest in the medieval-fantasy TV series.

Based on the popular book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin (and made more popular by the Emmy-winning show), "Game of Thrones'" fanatical fans have risen to epic proportions for a TV series. (Another hit is AMC Network's "The Walking Dead.") There is every indication that it will keep attracting viewers, so long as show creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss continue to produce gripping episodes that don't veer too far from the books, but at the same time visually tell the medieval-fantasy tale in short segments for the average viewer.

>>>Who Will Win in The Game of Thrones? ...

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