Market potential for growth

Chris Spadaccini has been named Chief Marketing Officer for The CW Network, where he will oversee the network’s broadcast and digital marketing divisions. “It is very rare that any company gets to add someone of Chris Spadaccini’s stature to its team,” commented Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment for The CW Network. “When it comes to marketers who have built and defined legendary brands for decades and created passionate emotional attachment between content and audiences, Chris is a true pioneer and the best in the business. As the broadcast and digital landscape changes at a rapid pace, we are building a dream team with the excitement and experience needed to drive The CW forward. I just wish he could have brought ‘The White Lotus’ with him.” Previously, Spadaccini as the Chief Marketing Officer for Warner Media Entertainment. He was responsible for marketing HBO, TBS, TNT, truTV, and all aspects of brand and content marketing for HBO Max, the company’s … [Read more...] about Former Warner Media Exec Chris Spadaccini Joins CW As Chief Marketing Officer

UPDATED with content spend stats from annual report: Giant Amazon said its total expenses for video and music came to $16.6 billion last year, up from $13 billion in 2021. Video and music expense includes licensing and production costs associated with content offered within Amazon Prime memberships, and costs associated with digital subscriptions and sold or rented content, according to the company’s latest annual report that followed fourth quarter financials yesterday. On an earnings call Thursday, CFO Brian Olsavsky noted that Amazon spent $7 billion on originals, live sports and licensed content in 2022, up from $5 billion the year before. It’s unclear if those figures include all worldwide video content, which is increasingly central to Amazon’s strategy in driving membership for Prime, the biggest loyalty program in the world and the beating heart of the company. Amazon (which acquired MGM last year for $8.5 billion in cash) carefully evaluates its return on … [Read more...] about Amazon Praises Video As Key Driver Of Prime; 2022 Content Spend, Including Music, Hit $16.6 Billion

FRIDAY UPDATE: James Cameron ’s Avatar : The Way of Water continues to splash out at the global box office, reaching $1.169B through Thursday, on its way to a $1.3B+ cume through Sunday. With an added $48M from international markets on Thursday, WoW lifted its overseas cume to $810.6M , to overtake Top Gun: Maverick as the No. 1 international release of 2022 and No. 2 studio movie of the pandemic era offshore. It has also become the highest grossing film of the pandemic in France and Italy as well as the highest-grossing film of 2022 in France, Italy, Germany and Spain. As we’ve previously noted, the midweeks are showing great strength. The sequel has earned almost $300M globally in the four midweek days this week; that’s significantly more than last weekend’s global 3-day haul. RELATED: ‘ Avatar: The Way Of Water ’ Ringing In Healthy New Year With Potential $87M 4-Day – Saturday AM Update On Friday, and not included in the totals above (nor … [Read more...] about ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Tops $810M Overseas On Way To $1.3B+ Global Through Sunday

EXCLUSIVE : Eon Productions and MGM have set distribution plans for James Bond 25 . The most hotly sought after film franchise in recent memory has been won by Universal Pictures for international as well as for home entertainment, sources said. Domestic distribution will be handled by MGM and Annapurna through the joint venture they signed last year. The 25th installment of James Bond will first be released in the UK on October 25, 2019, and in the U.S. on November 8, 2019. Production begins December 3. The deal was just closed by EON’s Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli , MGM chairman of the board of directors Kevin Ulrich , MGM Motion Pictures Group president Jon Glickman and Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley. It puts the MGM logo front and center as distributor on a Bond film for the first time in nearly two decades. As expected, Daniel Craig is back for his fifth film as 007, and Oscar-winner Danny Boyle is now set to direct a film that his … [Read more...] about James Bond 25 Sets Distribution: Universal Wins International, MGM Releases Domestic Through Annapurna Joint Venture

2ND UPDATE, 10:31 AM: The numbers went down and then they went down even more. With specially ordered ratings now in from CBS, last night’s Grammy Awards took a double-digit blow in the key demo compared with last year’s ceremony. Among adults 18-49, the show, which ran from 8-11:39 PM, was down 14% to an 8.5 rating, and down 11% in viewers with 25.3 million. Both numbers were the lowest results in six years — the 2009 Grammys pulled a 7.4/18 rating and had 19.05 million total viewers. The dip may be in part due to the bite of the competing midseason return of AMC’s The Walking Dead last night. UPDATE,  8:50 AM: With performances from Kristen Wiig lip syncing and dancing along with Sia onstage, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett plus Paul McCartney, Kayne West and Rihanna together, among others, the 57 th annual Grammy Awards packed in a lot of action last night – and gave out some awards too. However, it looks to have taken a hit from 2014. In fast nationals, the show on … [Read more...] about Grammy Awards Ratings Fall To Lowest Results Since 2009 – Update