MotorTrend Group’s Post

Very good insight! I agree, the landscape is shifting. Adapt or die. As a TV and movie production company we can align with the streaming platforms, and with half a dozen companies reach HALF of the entire world's population. By doing so we can also control our own destiny and costs. That is alluring. The media distribution marketplace will dramatically change in the next 36 months. Is there a place for cinema, theatres, streaming, and other alternative delivery methods to co-exist? Time will tell, we all adapt, we all evolve, that is the nature of business. Here is a prelude of things to come...

As a young boy, I remember recording myself speaking english. Except it wasn't actually english. It "sounded" like english, so I thought. Let me explain. In Romania when I was seven, and later in France, I was fascinated with cartoons and movies. I would watch them constantly and then recorded myself speaking some of the parts. Except, I didn't know how to speak english so I recorded gibberish that I thought sounded right. If only I could find those tapes! So you can imagine that working at Warner Bros. Discovery is truly like a dream. So many of the movies and cartoons I ultimately learned english from were from this storied organization. It changed my life. So how did I get here? The short story is that I joined You.i TV in Ottawa after leaving my own app startup and part of the deal was that the company would move me and my family to Los Angeles. We made it happen and ultimately the startup was acquired by Warner Media ahead of the Warner/Discovery merger a year later. A few months after the merger, I was presented with a stellar opportunity to take on the role of a lifetime as Director, Product Management - Technical (PM-T) for the Video Player SDK at Warner Bros. Discovery. As soon as I met with the leaders of the org, I knew I had finally found my people and the perfect role. It is a deeply technical role that also leverages my love of people and building bridges and relationships across orgs and external partners. A few months in, I was also given the green light to split my time between the player team and the ad tech team to help build a strong partnership between the orgs and also help usher in new advanced ads, a passion of mine when I was at You.i. I've been so busy, I forgot to post a role update but the recent Barbie launch on Max was so beautifully done, I was reminded how fortunate I truly am to work here. It has been a wild year. We launched Max in May, followed up with TNT Sports in Europe (as part of Discovery+) then added live news and sports to Max (CNN and Bleacher Report Sports) while also prepping for LATAM and EMEA launches in 2024 which includes a lot of sports and streaming of the summer Paris Olympics! I've always loved hard problems! Maybe another young child who loves movies and cartoons will be inspired to pursue his or her dreams because of the work we do. Many thanks to Jason Flick for believing in me at You.i (mostly people don't hire entrepreneurs) and Mark Ramberg Alan Ramaley Sudheer Sirivara Robyn Peterson Avi Saxena and all my colleagues across the org for trusting me and my team with the important role of doing our part to deliver moving pictures on screens globally. Happy Holidays everyone!

Inclusion at our core at WBD

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Here are the scores on the doors as we entered the weekend. Barbie streams (😎) ahead, with 4.1m Oppenheimer on 2.6 but with a similar share of on-platform viewing - i.e. share of current subscribers. Two important metrics to track over the coming weeks: 1 - Total views, both Barbie and Oppenheimer will see a boost in viewing due to Oscars publicity - but how much of a lead will the Best Picture (and 6 other awards) grant for Oppenheimer compared to an effective snub, only the Best Original Song win for Barbie. 2 - With Disney timing a range of discounts and offers across the globe, to tie in with Poor Things core streaming window, how many of these big budget titles will become the "first watched" show, i.e. how many subscribers will be drawn into a sub specifically because of these movies. We'll check back in to reveal all, in a couple of weeks time once the data-dust has settled! #oscars2024 #oppenheimer #barbie #imjustken

It's a little scary to think about how much of our future success in retail is largely dependent on something that's totally out of our control. As this article points out, the high-flying movie theater business has been derailed by the lack of "blockbuster movies" coming out of Hollywood. No Marvel? No Star Wars? No Pirates? No rush to pay $10+ and go to the mega-screen. Even though those theaters did their part - they created good if not great experiences - people won't pay to go see something at a theater they can enjoy just as much at home. They need the blockbuster to make it worth their while. Your challenge as a retailer: Is creating a great experience enough for you to maintain a bright and successful future? What out-of-your-control forces could darken that future and how can you guard against it? (At a macro and micro level?!) Let us hear your thoughts ...

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From the Journal; Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired the eclectic dine-in theater chain Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a bet on the future of moviegoing. The deal, an unusual example of a studio owner buying a theater chain, gives Sony control over a popular date-night destination that bills itself as a magnet for cinephiles. Most Alamo locations are in big U.S. cities like New York; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Boston. It comes amid a summer box office slump and as #Hollywood grapples with how to convince audiences to leave their couch to go to the movies. Alamo, which offers a blend of mainstream and lesser-known #films, is North America’s seventh-largest theater chain, with locations in 25 metro areas and more than 10 million visitors annually, Sony said. At Alamo theaters, moviegoers can order food and drinks, including movie-themed alcoholic beverages, which are served seat-side. The deal marks Sony’s first foray into live events, with the establishment of a new division known as Sony Pictures Experiences. For years, Sony has licensed the rights to some of its most-popular franchises to live-events producers overseas. For now, the new division will focus on the moviegoing experience. More than half of Alamo’s revenue comes from concession sales, and perks including food and drink have helped the brand develop a loyal fan base, Sony said. #cinema Movie theaters are increasingly offering creative menus and new attractions to make trips to the theater more exciting. Streamers and studios are also investing more in experiences as a way to deepen fans’ connections to beloved franchises and make additional revenue off ticket sales, merchandise and concessions. 

Warner Bros. Discovery reported disappointing quarterly earnings, down 10% in shares, primarily due to underperforming movies like #TheColorPurple and #Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Q4 revenue was $10.28B, below the estimated $10.35B, with a loss of 16 cents per share, exceeding the expected 7 cents loss. Despite challenges in the film sector, the direct-to-consumer segment, including streaming, saw a 3% revenue increase to $2.53B. Free cash flow rose 33% to $3.31B. However, concerns persist about the company's long-term growth, leading to a 24% year-to-date decline in shares, closing at $8.61 on Friday. #BoycottWBD #FireJamesGunn #WarnerBrosDiscovery #DCComics #DCUniverse #WBD