DIS Shareholders and Stock Info ONLY

[wabbott]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/bet-up-for-sale-paramount-global-vh1-1235341981/

Paramount Explores Selling Majority Stake in BET​

By Alex Weprin

Star multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry is in talks to buy the stake, though discussions are still in the early stages, a source tells THR.
March 6, 2023 10:28am PST

Paramount is exploring a potential sale of a majority stake in its BET business, which includes BET, VH1, and the BET+ streaming service, a source familiar with the matter tells The Hollywood Reporter.

A second source tells THR that Tyler Perry, a longtime partner of BET, is engaged in conversations to buy the stake. Perry’s deal with Paramount, which began in 2017, is said to be coming up, and the deal, if it happens, would give him ownership of the brand, which airs many of his shows.

The sources both cautioned that the discussions are still in the early stages, and there is no guarantee of any transaction taking place. They added that if a deal closes, Paramount expects to maintain a minority stake in the business, as well as a commercial relationship. Scott Mills serves as BET’s CEO.

BET is also unusual within Paramount’s portfolio in that some of its divisions have minority investors of their own. BET+, for example, counts Perry as an investor, while BET Studios counts Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones as stakeholders. Those deals would complicate any effort to merge BET+ or BET Studios into Paramount+ or one of the company’s other studios.

Such a deal, if it happens, would give Paramount cash as it continues to build out its main streaming offering, Paramount+, and as it reviews its holdings and figures out where things piece together in its strategy moving forward.

In January, the company announced plans to merge its Paramount+ and Showtime businesses.

For Perry, a deal would not only give him and his company a pair of widely-distributed cable channels, but also ownership of a streaming service that could grow into a business of its own.

Founded in 1980 by former cable lobbyist Robert Johnson and his wife Sheila Johnson, the BET channel was the first cable network to specifically cater to African American audiences. Paramount (then known as Viacom) acquired BET in 2000 for $2.3 billion.

A number of high-profile advertisers, including General Motors and Coca-Cola, have committed to significantly increase their ad spend on minority-owned media companies. While BET targets a minority audience, its Paramount ownership would not fit that bill.

A Tyler Perry-owned BET, however, would.

 

[RivShore]

I would almost propose that any prospective CEO of the company be required to undergo a six-weeks company history training course, and pass a test prior to interview. The same for the board members now serving.

That is a great idea, and all companies with a real legacy and history should do something like it.

 

[clarker99]

Exclusive: Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro says Tron coaster is start of more to come​

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando...a-disney-damaro-parks-magic-kingdom-tron.html

 

[wabbott]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron_Lightcycle_Power_Run

The Magic Kingdom version was first announced at the D23 Expo on July 15, 2017 as part of the unveiling of 23 improvements to Disney Parks, including 4 new rides across the theme parks.[5][6][7][8] The ride's construction began in February 2018 with land clearing.[9

On January 10, 2023, it was announced that the Magic Kingdom coaster would open on April 4, 2023.[13]

Almost six (6) years from announcement to opening.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_transcontinental_railroad

North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the "Overland Route") was a 1,911-mile (3,075 km) continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.

Also six (6) years.

Don't get me wrong, I welcome Josh's comments. But talk is cheap, and I want to see plans, I want to see dirt being moved, I want to see steel in the air.

Right now, today, this afternoon!

 

[Bovril82]

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando...or&ana=e_or_BN&j=30760153&senddate=2023-03-07

Top Disney exec dishes on Reedy Creek district, future plans​

To say the scuffle between The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been noisy would be a major understatement — especially after the fallout of the Reedy Creek Improvement District — but one of Disney's top officials is ready to get back to business.

On Feb. 27, DeSantis signed Florida House Bill 9B into law and effectively erased the long tenures of the district's five board members who oversee and govern the thousands of acres that make up Walt Disney World and its surrounding areas. The law also allowed DeSantis to name his own appointees to the board — renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — to determine any infrastructure/transportation improvements planned by the theme park giant.

After a year of the Reedy Creek district being the focus of attention, it's now time for Disney to get back to what it does best — entertain guests and generate millions of dollars in local economic impact. At least that's what Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D'Amaro is doing as the parks he oversees embark on yet another year of being Orlando's most-visited theme park destination.

D'Amaro, in an exclusive walk through the Magic Kingdom with Orlando Business Journal, said he's focused on his employees (also known as cast members) to do what they do best and for him to lead the parks through the next growth cycle, including the debut of its newest attraction — Tron Lightcycle/Run opening on April 4 in the Magic Kingdom.

D'Amaro was careful to not discuss politics too much, choosing instead to speak on the theme park segment he oversees. He said he can't control how state leaders feel about the company, so he will stick to the things he can control — Walt Disney World and its sister parks.

"We will stay focused on what we have always done," he said. "Look at how we run our business. Look at the investments we are making in our business. As long as I can keep providing that, take care of our cast members, the Central Florida community [and] take care of these guests ... I'm in good shape. I can only control what I can control."
Meanwhile, the Reedy Creek district now is controlled by a power structure that DeSantis considers the right choice to determine parts of Disney's future. The new board members have a wide mix of backgrounds including Central Florida lawyers, a Sarasota County school board member, a business executive who heads an evangelical ministry and a Tampa-based attorney who appears to lead a private investment firm that reportedly has donated to DeSantis in the past.
DeSantis, during his Feb. 27 news conference, said the new board will make sure Disney pays the Reedy Creek district's debt, not local taxpayers, as previously was speculated. In addition, DeSantis alluded to the district making sure the proper amount of property taxes are paid, and he hinted at the board keeping tabs on Disney.
"When you lose your way, you have to have people who will tell you the truth. All these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate," DeSantis said shortly after signing the bill into law.

DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern previously declined to clarify whether or not these comments mean the new district board will have a say in Disney's private business decisions: "The comments from the governor stand on their own."
D'Amaro declined to get into the politics of the Reedy Creek district dispute, possible future political contributions or if there would be any legal challenge to the law. He said he is just making sure the parks and the cast members who keep it operating are in good hands — including the new district board's hands.
"The reality is we work with different people around the world at our different theme parks. So we know how to work with different people. For all those reasons, I have to look at the situation of where we are going — I believe in where we are going — and I hope the board sees the same." It's why he said he's optimistic about the park's future, and his message to the new board is that he hopes they understand the value the district and Disney create for the region and what's needed to keep that going.
"If that new board understands the value that gets created here and how it positively impacts the Central Florida community, I think they will be aligned with our vision and will carry on the Reedy Creek soul that's been in place," he said.

As for the guests visiting the local theme parks daily, D'Amaro said Walt Disney World still embraces the differences in the world and welcomes all kinds of visitors, regardless of their political backgrounds or other beliefs. That flag is something he is holding onto tightly as Disney embarks with the new district board and that board's reported closely tied political viewpoints.
"Will there be noise on the outside? Will there be different points of view that we may not like? Sure," he said, noting the company still will find success continuing to serve all types of people even if their beliefs may be different. "I really believe that, so we are not going to get distracted."
The new board for the Reedy Creek district will meet for the first time on March 8. The new board likely will address compensation of the district's first responders, DeSantis previously said.

Officials with DeSantis' office and Reedy Creek district were not available for comment.

 

[clarker99]

Bruce Vaughn Returns to Disney as Co-Lead of Imagineering Division​

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/car...-co-lead-of-imagineering-division/ar-AA18kTX2

Hmmm

 

[wabbott]

Bruce Vaughn Returns to Disney as Co-Lead of Imagineering Division​

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/car...-co-lead-of-imagineering-division/ar-AA18kTX2

Hmmm

https://wdwnt.com/2023/03/breaking-bruce-vaughn-returning-to-imagineering-as-chief-creative-officer/

Vaughn left The Walt Disney Company in 2016 when CEO Bob Chapek didn’t want a creative at the head of the department. Vaughn has a good understanding of Disney, having been an Imagineer for 22 years. He was CCO of Imagineering from May 2007 to his departure.

 

[DeeBee3]

I'd love to believe Josh D'Amaro, but unless I see plans and construction vehicles, I'll wait to judge.

 

[clarker99]

https://wdwnt.com/2023/03/breaking-bruce-vaughn-returning-to-imagineering-as-chief-creative-officer/

Vaughn left The Walt Disney Company in 2016 when CEO Bob Chapek didn’t want a creative at the head of the department. Vaughn has a good understanding of Disney, having been an Imagineer for 22 years. He was CCO of Imagineering from May 2007 to his departure.

If they are going to go full steam ahead on new park plans this type of move makes sense. I am all in on creatives leading the way. Maybe Joe Rhode gets invited back?

Side-note: Jim Hill mentioned a major Animal Kingdom project at the front of the park in the latest Disney Dish podcast. He did not elaborate.

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd love to believe Josh D'Amaro, but unless I see plans and construction vehicles, I'll wait to judge.

Josh said much more about running the parks than just construction.

 

[wabbott]

If they are going to go full steam ahead on new park plans this type of move makes sense. I am all in on creatives leading the way. Maybe Joe Rhode gets invited back?

Side-note: Jim Hill mentioned a major Animal Kingdom project at the front of the park in the latest Disney Dish podcast. He did not elaborate.

IMO, a WDW version of Disney Sea would be big hit.

 

[wabbott]

https://wdwnt.com/2023/03/walt-disney-imagineering-being-restructured/

Josh D'Amaro's memo to cast members

As Bob Iger often says, creativity is the heart and soul of who we are and what we do at Disney. In fact, as we look at our company’s 100-year history of bringing captivating and memorable storytelling to life, the consistent thread that binds us together as a company across all segments is our ability to drive innovation through creative projects.

In Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, we continue to invest in new endeavors that deliver the most compelling experiences, immersing our guests around the world in the stories they love most. In the past few years, we have found ourselves at the crossroads of a wave of new technology and a seemingly unlimited amount of new stories and franchises, allowing us to develop groundbreaking new experiences. Of course, none of this comes to life without a strong commitment to creativity and innovation by the amazing team at Walt Disney Imagineering.

With this in mind, I’m pleased to share that effective March 20, Bruce Vaughn is returning to Walt Disney Imagineering as the Chief Creative Officer. Bruce will co-lead the organization with WDI President Barbara Bouza, with both leaders reporting directly to me.
Together, Bruce and Barbara will partner closely to connect visionary creative thinking with project opportunities and flawless execution and delivery. With significant developments under way and more on the horizon, this dedicated focus toward creativity and innovation will help us deliver next-level experiences well into the future.

To best accomplish this, they will be working together to swiftly identify the most effective way to structure Imagineering.

Many of you have had the opportunity to work with Bruce previously. He has a deep history with Imagineering, serving for more than two decades in leadership roles including with WDI R&D, as well as co-leading the entire WDI organization as Chief Creative Executive for nine years. Bruce left Disney in 2016 to become CEO and CCO of Dreamscape Immersive where he worked with teams to advance virtual reality technologies for mainstream location-based entertainment, and most recently was with Airbnb where he developed and led the Experiential Creative Product team.
Please join me in welcoming Bruce back to Disney.

 

[wabbott]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/star-wars-kevin-feige-patty-jenkins-movies-shelved-1235545774/

Mar 7, 2023 12:30pm PST
‘Star Wars’ Shakeup: Kevin Feige and Patty Jenkins Movies Shelved, Taika Waititi Looking to Star in His Own Film (EXCLUSIVE)
By Adam B. Bary

When Jon Favreau stepped onto the red carpet for the Season 3 premiere of “The Mandalorian” on Feb. 28, the Disney+ show’s creator and executive producer was feeling nostalgic.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been all together here like this,” Favreau told Variety, evoking the November 2019 premiere for the launch of the show — and of Disney+ itself. “It was before the first episode aired!”

At that time, “The Mandalorian” was a scrappy landspeeder in the vast “Star Wars” galaxy, nipping at the heels of “The Rise of Skywalker,” the culminating feature film from director J.J. Abrams that was expected just a month later to obliterate the box office like a cinematic Death Star. Instead, “The Mandalorian” became a global sensation thanks to the incandescent cuteness of Baby Yoda, blasting Disney+ into light-speed with 26.5 million subscribers in its first six weeks.

“The Rise of Skywalker,” on the other hand, imploded in spectacular fashion. The film earned just half the grosses of 2015’s “The Force Awakens” and the widespread scorn of fans, and “Star Wars” movie development has been stuck in the bogs of Dagobah ever since. Whereas Disney+ boasts a robust fleet of live-action “Star Wars” series — three streamed in 2022 alone — not a single “Star Wars” movie has received a greenlight, let alone gone into production.

The earliest a film is scheduled to debut in theaters is December 2025, six years after “The Rise of Skywalker.”

It’s not for want of trying. In December 2020, Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy announced that “Wonder Woman” helmer Patty Jenkins would direct the next “Star Wars” movie, the one-off adventure “Rogue Squadron.” But in September 2022, Disney pulled the title from its scheduled December 2023 release, and sources with knowledge of the production say it is no longer in active development at the studio. (A rep for Lucasfilm did not respond to a request for comment. In December, Jenkins said in a statement that she was still developing “Rogue Squadron,” but “I don’t know if it will happen or not.”)

Meanwhile, Variety has learned that a possible “Star Wars” feature produced by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige is also no longer in active development at Lucasfilm.

When news of Feige’s involvement with a “Star Wars” film broke in September 2019, it churned up fan speculation, since widely debunked, that he was in line to replace Kennedy as the leader of Lucasfilm. The movie remained alive as recently as May 2022, when screenwriter Michael Waldron (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) told Variety that he’d started working on a “Star Wars” screenplay for Feige. “I’m enjoying having the freedom on that to do something that’s not necessarily a sequel or anything,” Waldron said.

Five months later, Feige hired Waldron to write the script for 2026’s “Avengers: Secret Wars,” the “Endgame”-style culmination of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga. Between that project and the 19 other titles (and counting) that Marvel’s announced for theaters and streaming in the next four years, Feige’s responsibilities to the MCU are keeping him far, far away from “Star Wars” for much of the decade.

As for Rian Johnson, the in-demand filmmaker has made no secret that he still wants to make the “Star Wars” movies he first announced in 2017 before the release of his film “The Last Jedi,” and Kennedy has been clear that Lucasfilm still wants him, too. But Johnson’s immediate priorities — continuing his Benoit Blanc movies with Daniel Craig for Netflix and Season 2 of hit Peacock series “Poker Face” with Natasha Lyonne — will keep him occupied for the foreseeable future.

So what “Star Wars” movie could slot into that open December 2025 release date? Sources say “Thor: Love and Thunder” filmmaker Taika Waititi continues to work on his possible “Star Wars” feature, and he would most likely have a part in it as well, similar in prominence to his standout role as an imaginary Adolf Hitler in his Oscar-winning 2019 feature “Jojo Rabbit.” And although Lucasfilm has yet to officially confirm it, sources say the studio is committed to a “Star Wars” movie from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a two-time Oscar-winning documentarian (“Saving Face,” “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness”), who made her live-action narrative debut with two episodes of 2022’s “Ms. Marvel” for Disney+. Damon Lindelof (“Watchmen”) and Justin Britt-Gibson (“Counterpart”) were attached in October to write the script for that movie.

Whether one of those films, or some as-yet-unannounced project, lands at the front of the line has been a fiercely guarded secret at Lucasfilm, but sources say the studio will begin to unveil its plans for the future of “Star Wars” cinema at the Star Wars Celebration convention in London the weekend of April 7. That announcement, however, will compete with expected updates for at least four Disney+ series, including the final season of the critically acclaimed “Andor”; new shows from Leslye Headland (“The Acolyte”) and Jon Watts (“Skeleton Crew”); and the first major push for “Ahsoka,” a spinoff of “The Mandalorian” and the animated series “The Clone Wars” starring Rosario Dawson that aims to debut in late summer.

So, for now, Lucasfilm’s message to “Star Wars” movie fans: Patience, you must have.

Marc Malkin contributed to this story.

 

[DeeBee3]

Josh said much more about running the parks than just construction.

I was talking about his reference regarding Tron being just the beginning. To me that implies more customer interaction ie. rides, experiences, etc.

 

[wabbott]

I was talking about his reference regarding Tron being just the beginning. To me that implies more customer interaction ie. rides, experiences, etc.

As grumpy as I am about how DIS has been run the past few years, I have to say that there's a faint glimmer of hope for some love for the Parks and Experiences Division in the past couple of weeks.

 

[wabbott]

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/th...ey-technology-media-and-telecom-conference-3/


March 9, 2023

The Walt Disney Company at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference​

Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company, will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 a.m. PT.
To access the webcast live, please return here 5 minutes prior to the start of the session.
A recording of the session will be archived.

 

[wabbott]

Iger just mentioned advertising on streaming.

 

[wabbott]

Mentioned advertising again for ESPN plus.

 

[wabbott]

Parks, FINALLY!

 

[wabbott]

".... too aggressive on pricing" for parks. DUH!