Dsiney

SPOTLIGHT: Content vs. carriers at Mobile Entertainment Live!

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Content squared off against carriers at Monday's Mobile Entertainment Live! event as Walt Disney Internet Group executive vice president of development and operations Larry Shapiro debated Virgin Mobile USA general counsel and founder Peter Lurie on the present state of the mobile content industry. According to data supplied by Nielsen Mobile and cited by moderator Tom Wheeler, managing director of Core Capital Partners, about 90 percent of wireless subscribers now have devices capable of doing more than making phone calls, but only 33 percent of subscribers pay for data plans and only 13 percent use them regularly. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Apple premieres iTunes Movie Rentals

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:17:41 -0500

During his annual Macworld keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the launch of the much-rumored iTunes Movie Rentals service, which will offer digital rentals from major studios including 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM, Lionsgate and New Line Cinema. Rentals are compatible with Macs or PCs as well as current-generation iPods, iPhone and Apple TV--following download, customers have up to 30 days to begin watching a film, and once viewing begins, they have 24 hours to complete it or screen it again. Apple promises the iTunes Movie Rentals catalog will expand to more than 1,000 films by the end of February--while library titles are priced at $2.99, new releases are $3.99. High-definition versions complete with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound are also available for some features--library titles are $3.99 and new releases are $4.99.

Apple also unveiled at Macworld an iPhone software update highlighted by a redesigned Maps application enabling users to triangulate their position via nearby Wi-Fi base stations or cellular towers. The new hybrid map view combines map view and satellite view featuring major street names overlaid on satellite imagery. Additional iPhone updates enable users to text multiple recipients in one message, create web clips for their favorite websites, customize their home screen and, of course, view iTunes Movie Rentals. According to Jobs, the iPhone has sold four million units to date.

For more on iTunes Movie Rentals:
- read this release

Disney debuts ad-supported mobile portal

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

The Walt Disney Internet Group launched a new ad-supported mobile content portal, Disney.co.uk. The Mouse said the portal features Disney Arcade, which offers about 60 games, the majority of them free. Other dedicated areas of the site feature movies, music, TV and community features, with jump navigation enabling single-click movement between them. Besides an emphasis on popular Disney franchises including Hannah Montana and Pirates of the Caribbean, WDIG also promises a "distinct" editorial style, enabling users to build and interact with social communities and personalize the site. Disney said it is working with operators to make the portal accessible directly via their branded portals. "Disney is uniquely positioned to provide this type of service because our customers engage not only with our extensive range of entertainment experiences, but with our brand itself--which is trusted to deliver high quality family entertainment," said WDIG's senior VP and managing director for EMEA Cindy Rose in a prepared statement.

For more on the Disney WAP portal:
- read this release

Related articles:
Disney expands European mobile gaming efforts
Disney signs on with Softbank for Japanese MVNO
Walt Disney to launch MVNO in U.K.

C&L: The Walt Disney Co. names Tim Connolly VP of mobile distribution

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

The Walt Disney Co. names Tim Connolly VP of mobile distribution.

FusionOne appoints Mike Mulica CEO.

JumpTap names Paran Johar CMO.

Disney to launch Japanese MVNO on March 1

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:55 -0500

The Walt Disney Co. announced it will launch its Japanese MVNO service Disney Mobile on March 1. The service will roll out in conjunction with Japanese operator Softbank Mobile--handset maker Sharp will produce three devices for the launch, each emblazoned with silhouette patterns of Mickey Mouse. The Japanese MVNO's scheduled debut follows roughly six months after Disney pulled the plug on its U.S. Disney Mobile venture. In an interview with AFP, Walt Disney Internet Group Asia-Pacific VP Duncan Orrell-Jones blamed the venture's failure on a business model "where we did everything on our own," and said the Softbank partnership is a "much more powerful model that gives us collaboration across everything from handsets to service to distribution."

For more about Disney's Japanese MVNO launch:
- read this AFP article

Related article:
On the Hot Seat with Disney's Larry Shapiro

Apple premieres iTunes Movie Rentals

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

During his annual Macworld keynote today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the launch of the much-rumored iTunes Movie Rentals service, which will offer digital rentals from major studios including 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM, Lionsgate and New Line Cinema. Rentals are compatible with Macs or PCs as well as current-generation iPods, iPhone and Apple TV--following download, customers have up to 30 days to begin watching a film, and once viewing begins, they have 24 hours to complete it or screen it again. Apple promises the iTunes Movie Rentals catalog will expand to more than 1,000 films by the end of February--while library titles are priced at $2.99, new releases are $3.99. High-definition versions complete with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound are also available for some features--library titles are $3.99 and new releases are $4.99.

For more on iTunes Movie Rentals:
- read this release

Related articles:
Apple to standardize iTunes pricing across Europe
Report: Jay-Z, Apple to partner on record label
Apple to launch ringtone service via iTunes?
Apple, EMI lift DRM; still no Beatles on iTunes

Disney opens floodgates for content, goes D2C

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:01:38 -0400

Walt Disney's Internet Group and Starwave divisions introduced a host of content deals today, including mobile applications based on the Wayans Brother's "Dozens" show and Scarface. Additionally, it announced plans to develop a mobile video game based on superstar diva Beyonce, somehow focusing on her fashion line. Even more interesting, Disney is now making its entire mobile content catalog available to direct-to-consumer services Thumbplay and QMobile.

Read more about Disney's mobile moves:
- See the Scarface press release
- Wayans Brothers release
- QMobile release
- Thumbplay release

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SPOTLIGHT: Navio syncs content across devices

Mon, 22 May 2006 20:01:34 -0400

Navio Systems has recently signed deals with Fox Sports Mobile, Walt Disney and Atom Entertainment to format content that can be used on a large variety of devices, from PCs to cell phones to iPods. "We have provided an answer to piracy, one that is in sync with what the users want," said CEO Stefan Roever. However, it remains to be seen if Navio can gain enough traction with users and providers alike to reach the critical mass needed to succeed as a content distribution/DRM system. Article

Disney: 'Jury still out' on ESPN Mobile

Tue, 09 May 2006 20:01:39 -0400

During Walt Disney's second-quarter conference call, CEO Bob Iger said that the initial results were a little bit lower than expected for the launch of its ESPN Mobile MVNO, "but we have changed our pricing approach; we have strengthened and redirected our marketing; we are expanding our presence of retail." Iger added that "it is clear that the jury is still out" on the future of the MVNO. Disney CFO and SVP Tom Staggs reaffirmed that the company would spend $130 million in total expenses to start up the ESPN Mobile MVNO--that figure includes the roughly $25 million in losses the ESPN unit disclosed in the second-quarter call. Staggs said, "It is very early going, so I would hesitate to sort of qualify what we have seen so far, other than to say that we are still at it."

For more on Disney's strategy for the ESPN Mobile MVNO:
- see this conference call transcript from SeekingAlpha

Editor's Corner

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:13:44 -0400

Yesterday, Walt Disney ruffled a few feathers by unveiling plans to upload some of its hit ABC TV shows to the Internet the day after they air--for free. The crux of the whole arrangement is, of course, advertising. But the advertisers aren't necessarily the same that signed on to sponsor the content distributed to the television. Disney said sponsors for the online content include AT&T, Cingular, Ford and Proctor Gamble. Given the media hype around the shift, the original sponsors are sure to reach a smaller audience than they would have if the show wasn't going to be available online 24 hours later. Disney's cable partners are also in a pickle now: Since cable providers pay content companies like Disney for the right to carry its content, they are probably looking to lower those fees considerably or do away with them completely.

The mess Disney created is a timely one. It's especially exciting for the mobile content industry, because once the online game is figured out the mobile one should follow. Given Disney's recent push into the mobile world with its second MVNO, Disney Mobile, I hope they will lead the way into ad-supported mobile content, too. At CTIA, Disney Mobile's SVP and general manager George Grobar told me the MVNO was waiting to offer video content to its subscribers until the technology has more time to mature. There's a good chance he wants to wait until the ad-supported versus subscription-based content conversation takes place, too.

Final thought: Cable companies pay content providers like Disney around 30 cents a subscriber a month to offer a network like Disney's Soapnet, which carriers reruns of soap operas; and yet, Internet service providers are looking to charge content providers to carry the content. So is content no longer king, or are Internet service providers completely out of their element? - Brian

Disney Mobile MVNO unveiled today

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:58:28 -0400

Walt Disney revealed plans for its second MVNO, Disney Mobile. As reported previously, the service gives parents the option to take strict control of their children's mobile phone usage. One feature is a GPS tracking app that allows parents to know the exact location of their child, or at least their child's cell phone. As Red Herring notes, location-based services have long summoned the specter of "Big Brother," but a family-friendly brand like Disney pushing for it to better protect kids is a huge win for the technology. The commercial launch of the MVNO service is set for June. Disney's other MVNO uses the ESPN brand for sports fans.

The talk around MECCA yesterday suggested MVNO services would be met with lukewarm fanfare. I even heard from one reliable source that one of the major MVNO's that has launched in the past few months only has about 22,000 subscribers so far. While the MVNO shakeout is inevitable sometime this year or early next, their emergence is still important. I'll have more on the Disney Mobile MVNO tomorrow.

For more on Disney's newest MVNO:
- see this article from Red Herring