The Spread

Redbox preparing to sell movie tickets: analyst

May 17, 2012 , ι

Redbox is planning to sell movie tickets through its discount DVD rental kiosks, according to one Wall Street analyst.Parent company Coinstar announced a new venture that it plans to test this year... Read on

Redbox is planning to sell movie tickets through its discount DVD rental kiosks, according to one Wall Street analyst.
	 
Parent company Coinstar announced a new venture that it plans to test this year at an analyst briefing yesterday, but Coinstar wouldn’t identify the new business concept.
	 
According to Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter, Coinstar “intends to sell movie tickets through its Redbox kiosks, helping its studio partners to drive higher-margin theatrical exhibition sales, while driving awareness of films that will ultimately come to DVD,”
	 Deadline Hollywood reports.
	 
Indeed, this move could improve relations with studios that have objected to Redbox’s business model if Redbox helps them boost ticket sales.
	 
Earlier this year, Redbox ended its deal with Warner Bros. instead of agreeing to the 56-day delay the studio wanted to impose. Other studios, like Universal, make Redbox wait 28 days to rent its DVDs.

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iHeartRadio reaches 10 million users faster than Facebook or Twitter

May 17, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

One Internet radio service has become incredibly popular at a faster rate than Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.Clear Channel-powered digital radio platform iHeartRadio added 10 million... Read on

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Robert Downey Jr. set to make $50M from 'The Avengers': report

May 16, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

The Avengers may work together to fight evil in the blockbuster film currently ruling the box office. But the man behind Iron Man is set to make more money from the superhero smash than the rest of... Read on

The Avengers may work together to fight evil in the blockbuster film currently ruling the box office. But the man behind Iron Man is set to make more money from the superhero smash than the rest of the team.
	 
Robert Downey Jr. is on track to make $50 million from "The Avengers," once box-office bonuses and back-end deals are factored in — a far larger sum than his superstar co-stars will take home, according to
	 The Hollywood Reporter.
	 
Downey's reps struck a sweet deal with Marvel after the first "Iron Man" movie turned out to be a hit. His agents and lawyers renegotiated his deal to include a portion of Marvel's revenue from future movies in which he plays Iron Man. One source pegged Downey's cut at 5 to 7 percent.
	 
But Marvel struck smaller deals with the film's other superheroes. Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo all signed on for small upfront fees and will ultimately make $2 million to $3 million on "The Avengers" with bonuses. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson are said to be making roughly twice that.
	 
The film itself has already made more than $1 billion worldwide.

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Consumers feeling friendlier towards Netflix than they did last year: survey

May 13, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Netflix's reputation has improved after it was damaged last year when the company mishandled a price increase and attempt to spin off its DVD business, according to a new survey measuring consumer... Read on

Netflix's reputation has improved after it was damaged last year when the company mishandled a price increase and attempt to spin off its DVD business, according to a new survey measuring consumer satisfaction.
	 
The streaming service got a slightly higher score than it received at the end of last year on the annual Top 100 E-Tail Satisfaction Index put together by analytics company Forsee,
	 according to CNNMoney.
	 
At the end of last year, Netflix got a 79. Now its score is 81. Both of these are down from the 85 and 87 the company received last year and the year before.
	 
Forsee president and CEO Larry Freed attributed Netflix's lower score to the company still "paying the price of its PR fiasco last year."
	 
"Once the darling of the e-commerce world in terms of customer satisfaction, Netflix clearly has a lot more ground to make up," Freed wrote. "What remains to be seen is whether this small increase of two points is the result of successful efforts to satisfy customers, or whether so many customers have jumped ship that only the most satisfied remain. Only time will tell."
	 
Amazon topped the list with a score of 89, and Apple got an 85, up from the 80 it received last year.

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Facebook's IPO could make $127 million for Friendster

May 11, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Facebook's IPO could produce hundreds of millions for smaller companies it acquired, including Friendster, according to a new report.In May 2010, Facebook bought a bunch of patents from Friendster's... Read on

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Former Universal exec Scott Stuber may be up for Disney studio head job: report

May 11, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Former Universal vice chairman Scott Stuber may be in the running for Disney's now vacant studio head job, according to a new report.Vulture claims that Stuber personally interviewed for the job with... Read on

Former Universal vice chairman Scott Stuber may be in the running for Disney's now vacant studio head job, according to a new report.
	 
Vulture claims that Stuber personally interviewed for the job with Disney CEO Bob Iger, but a source close to the situation told The Post that the two never met. Neither Stuber nor Iger's PR reps would comment to
	 Vulture, which first reported that Stuber was up for the job.
	 
Stuber is admired for his ability to get things done as an executive, indicating that he could manage the various companies that produce films Disney distributes including Marvel, Pixar and DreamWorks. But, he doesn't typically develop family-friendly properties of the sort Disney is known for, instead producing R-rated fare like "Your Highness," "Role Models," and Universal's upcoming "Ted."
	 
"I don't know why you'd hire someone who doesn't instinctively do what [Disney] is known for," one producer told Vulture.
	 
However, Stuber is about to have a family of his own, as wife Molly Sims is pregnant with their first child. He currently runs an eponymous production company based at Universal and is producing the studio's summer tentpole "Battleship."
	 
Former Disney chairman Rich Ross resigned under pressure last month after the studio took a $200 million write-down on "John Carter." Since then, potential candidates have been discussed but there have been no reports of people actually being approached for the job.
	 
Vulture also notes that Marvel production chief Kevin Feige was approached by Iger to run Disney's film studio but he turned down the job.

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Oprah rallies the troops

May 10, 2012 , ι By Claire Atkinson

Oprah Winfrey is rallying the troops as only she can. Buffeted by several days of headlines covering her cable channel’s struggles, the former talk-show queen sent a rah-rah e-mail to her staff today... Read on

Oprah Winfrey is rallying the troops as only she can.
	 
Buffeted by several days of headlines covering her cable channel’s struggles, the former talk-show queen sent a rah-rah e-mail to her staff today, telling them better days are ahead.
	 
During an earnings call this week, Discovery Communications, her financial partner in the venture, said the money-losing network would break even in the second half of next year.
	 
“This is a very big step and another clear indication to the market that we are growing this business and there is real, tangible growth on all fronts,” Winfrey said in her e-mail.
	 
Despite lackluster ratings, the Discovery-backed network is getting a much-needed boost from new cable deals and higher fees from pay-TV providers.
	 
Sources said that Discovery is securing affiliate fees from cable and satellite-TV providers of around 20 cents a subscriber per month, on par with rivals such as Scripps’ HGTV.
	 
Previously, they paid pennies for OWN and its predecessor, Discovery Health.
	 
OPRAH’S E-MAIL:
	 
Dear Team OWN... LA/Chicago/New York…
	 
I’m sure you’ve been aware of all the press the past couple of days swirling around our partner Discovery’s earnings call. We promised at our last meeting to keep you informed. Here’s what all the talk and headlines really mean:
	 
[Discovery CEO] David Zaslav’s statement “OWN will break even in the 2nd half of 2013 “ marks a significant milestone for our company. This is a very big step and another clear indication to the market that we are growing this business and there is real, tangible growth on all fronts.
	 
Collectively, we have made real progress in all areas of our business: programming, operations, improved distribution with Comcast, retention and growth of our advertiser base and the digital innovation that is happening with our network. All phases of our business are improving.
	 
Over the past few months we have made some tough choices with both companies, but from a ratings and financial point of view we are making more and more progress. This momentum will continue as we keep our laser focus on the tasks that are right in front of us and never lose sight of the vision and mission that we are on.
	 
When you look at the facts and performance, you see that our momentum is real and growing, this will continue. In fact this week will be our 16th CONSECUTIVE week of year-over-year growth in total day! When you look at our Q1 performance, we were ahead of last year by 14% in prime and 25% in total day! And in Q2, that momentum continues as we are already pacing ahead of last year’s prime numbers and up 17% in total day. 
	 
It’s happening….
	 
You’ve often heard us say we’re in a marathon not a sprint. Those of you who are runners know what it’s like to find your rhythm and feel traction. That’s where we are right now. We are well trained, but it’s early in the race. We are steadily building momentum. And that’s how we’re going to cross the finish line. Your continued energy and creativity will make it so.
	 
Thank you all, 
	 
Oprah

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Fired Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz takes jab at embattled replacement Scott Thompson

May 10, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has commented on the controversy surrounding her replacement Scott Thompson, who was found to have falsely claimed that he earned a computer science degree and is now... Read on

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Bob Iger says Rich Ross' departure 'had absolutely zero' to do with 'John Carter'

May 09, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Disney CEO Bob Iger says no one's to blame for "John Carter's" disappointing performance at the domestic box office, and former studio head Rich Ross was not forced out because of the film's much... Read on

Disney CEO Bob Iger says no one's to blame for "John Carter's" disappointing performance at the domestic box office, and former studio head Rich Ross was not forced out because of the film's much-publicized failure.
	 
Ross' departure "had absolutely zero to do with 'John Carter,'" Iger says in
	 a revealing profile in Fortune. Instead, Iger says Ross, who had excelled at the Disney Channel but had never run a movie studio, was simply the wrong fit for the job, indicating that Ross, who technically resigned, was, in fact, pushed out.
	 
"Once you conclude that person is not right for the long term, you have to move," Iger says. "I take full responsibility for it. I made the decision to put him in."
	 
Former Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenberg, who now runs DreamWorks Animation, notes that his friend Iger has the killer instinct that's sometimes required of an executive.
	 
With respect to "John Carter," on which Disney said it would take a $200 million write-down, Iger says its failure belongs to everyone. "The leadership moment for me, he says, "was making sure that we...accepted it for what it was, which was clearly a big disappointment and failure, and that we moved on."
	 
Ross has moved out of Disney, but when Fortune senior editor Jennifer Reingold was working on
	 the story, she interviewed Ross the day Disney announced its "John Carter" write-down, noting that although the then-studio head answered questions "gamely," he looked "as if he would rather be having a root canal."
	 
The extensive profile offers insight into Iger's management style, revealing him to be accessible and calm at handling the Mouse House's many divisions.
	 
Indeed, Iger holds a weekly management lunch in Burbank on Mondays with the heads of Disney's business units. Iger typically does more listening than talking, allowing the heads of Disney's different divisions to run their own companies.
	 
Iger characterizes himself as "the brand manager of Disney," seeing his job as building more "brand deposits" than withdrawals, a philosophy shared by his late friend, Steve Jobs.
	 
"Bob is just very effective," Warren Buffett says of Iger. "He's always calm and rational and makes sense, and therefore he gets things done through other people. He runs things without a heavy hand."
	 
However, Iger was deeply involved in ESPN's recent negotiations with the NFL and the major college conferences.
	 
ESPN is now Disney's single largest profit driver, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Drew Borst.
	 
The channel's executive chairman George Bodenheimer says Iger is available 24/7.
	 
Iger also discusses his decision to step down as CEO in 2015 saying that he didn't want to commit to the longer contract Disney's board presented to him.
	 
"To have the opportunity of a lifetime to run this company is extraordinary, and I will forever appreciate it," he says. "But it is also all-consuming."
	 
Iger says no decision has been made about a successor and he has "made no decisions about life after Disney."
	 
But while some have speculated that Iger could run for governor of California,
	 Fortune notesthat some have said he could return to New York and run for mayor.

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Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan tops list of worst bank CEOs in US

May 09, 2012 , ι By HILARY LEWIS

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan is the worst big bank boss in the country, an analyst claims.Moynihan is at the bottom of a ranking by Credit Agricole analyst Michael Mayo of bank CEOs by the... Read on