On September 22, the board of Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) accepted a non-binding term sheet with Sony Pictures Networks India to consolidate their businesses, with Sony’s promoters investing Rs 11,615 crore ($1.57 billion) in the merged entity as growth capital, making it India’s most extensive entertainment network with approximately $2 billion in revenues and a 26% viewership share. The statement resulted in a 9.99 per cent increase in Zee stock.
Following the infusion of growth money, ZEEL shareholders own around 47 per cent of the combined company, while Sony India promoters own 53 per cent.
Zee-Sony Merger – Division of the Shares and Profits
Punit Goenka- CEO of ZEE
Based on the current anticipated equity values of ZEEL and Sony India, the stated merger ratio would have been 61.25 per cent in favour of ZEEL.
In exchange for current ZEEL backers and their affiliates pledging not to compete with the combined firm, Sony India’s promoters agreed to transfer roughly a 2% interest in the merged entity. The Subhash Chandra family would own 4% of the amalgamated business, which established India’s first private sector entertainment network, with the opportunity to grow their holding to 20%. The family liquidated their ZEEL shareholding to repay Rs 13,000 crore in loans from Indian banks for failed diversifications such as infrastructure projects.
While Sony’s promoters will have the right to appoint the majority of the board’s directors, Punit Goenka, ZEEL’s CEO and MD will lead the amalgamated firm.
The nomination compensation committee, the board of directors, and the shareholders of the combined firm must all approve Goenka’s appointment.
Sony Pictures N is attempting a deal with ZEE for the second time. SPN was one of the few shortlisted strategic investors with whom ZEE was negotiating to sell the promoters’ shareholding and infuse funds for development.
ZEE could not reach an agreement with a strategic investor in 2019 and was obliged to settle for a financial one due to a liquidity shortage. Even though most of the promoters’ debt had been paid off, the firm still needs development capital.
During the lockdown, ZEE was considering various funding possibilities, including loans, as it is a debt-free firm. However, the board of directors and promoters believe that a strategic investor will be the first choice.
According to those familiar with the situation, when the transaction with ZEE fell through owing to value issues, SPN attempted to combine with Viacom18. That contract fell through in October of last year, and SPN’s parent business began hunting for new partners, they added.
Due to the rough treatment of stockholders, the purchase was likely to face legal challenges, with the Subhash Chandra family receiving an extra 2.1 per cent stake from Sony promoters as a non-compete fee.
Zee-Sony Merger – Challenges Companies may confront
The merger conditions include a non-compete agreement between the ZEEL promoters and Sony Pictures Networks India, with the ZEEL promoters receiving an additional 2.1 per cent interest in the combined firm.
Obtaining ZEEL shareholders’ approval for the planned merger and the continuance of ZEEL’s MD and CEO as the head of the merging company for the next five years may also pose hurdles, considering the tense relationship between certain institutional owners of ZEEL and the ZEEL board.
However, the amalgamated entity’s planned structure’s board of Directors may assuage institutional shareholders’ worries. Because the Sebi Takeover Code exempts the acquisition of interest via a Scheme of Arrangement for amalgamation/merger, there will be no open offer for ZEEL shares.
The sale was accelerated when Invesco, one of ZEEL’s significant owners, requested an emergency general meeting within three weeks to remove Goenka. After proxy advice companies reported corporate governance issues in the business that ZEEL later funded, two directors, Manish Chokhani and Ashok Kurien resigned from the ZEEL board.
Zee-Sony Merger – How is it Beneficial for Both Companies?
Analysts estimate that the transaction will create a new media and entertainment powerhouse in India, with revenues of Rs 15,000 crore.
According to analysts, the deal is a strategic match since Sony is a big player in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) market, mainly non-fiction. Zee is strong in movies of all genres and the regional GEC area. Zee has a 17% network viewing share, whereas Sony has a 10-12% share. As a result, it would be a solid strategic match in broadcast, digital, and content.
In terms of synergies, Sony is performing well in sports and mainstream GEC, but Zee has a high recall on regional genres, which Sony has less of or none of. Sony’s foreign repertoire would be available for ZEE to exploit and monetize.
With this acquisition, ZEE Entertainment’s corporate governance issues should be resolved, boosting investor trust. Both companies have a robust film library that can be exploited for OTT and TV offerings. The combined firm will be better positioned to compete with Disney on both the distribution and advertising fronts.
According to Zee’s annual report, its network in India connects over 3,000 brands with their customers.
According to ZEEL’s aggregated figures, the company made a profit of Rs 800 crore on revenues of Rs 7,730 crore in the fiscal year ending March this year.
In March 2020, Sony Pictures Network India made a profit of Rs 976 crore on revenues of Rs 5,846 crore, with cash on books of Rs 11,000 crore.
Following the announcement of the merger, ZEEL’s shares soared 32% to Rs 337 per share, valuing the company at Rs 32,378 crore.
ZEE and SPN are two of India’s most popular media and entertainment companies, having strong consumer appeal across genres, languages, and platforms. The combination of these two companies will bring together the media industry’s most powerful leadership teams, content creators, and high-quality series and film libraries, resulting in a combined content platform that can compete with domestic and global platforms while also accelerating the region’s digital transition.
FAQs
Is Sony and ZEE merging?
Zee had announced merger with Sony on September 22.
Who is the owner of Zee Entertainment?
News Corporation is the parent organization of Zee Entertainment and owns it.
You would be living under a rock if you don’t know what Netflix is. It is the world’s most popular subscription based video streaming service. Founded in 1977 and was originally a DVD rental service. In 2007 it began streaming cinema online (OTT Service) and became the Netflix that we know today.
Streaming services such as Netflix have changed the way we consume media in the world today. With the emergence of “binge watching” we now have access to and can consume more entertainment than ever before. But how are these new opportunities affecting our culture as a whole? As of July 2021, Netflix has 209 million subscribers. That is a huge number and It grows around ten percent every year. With this number of viewers watching everything that Netflix produces, there are some “after effects” too. Effects that continue even when your favourite movie or series come to end. So what are these Effects and how are they relevant to us and the Environment/Economy around?
We are talking about the Netflix Effect. This term can be used to describe several events that are the consequences of the culture that borns out of Netflix’s shows and movies. For instance Actors that became a sensation overnight or certain products after being used in a film or show getting huge demand from everywhere. With a huge audience waiting eagerly for the next season of shows or sequels, this effect is obvious and inevitable in all senses. To get more clear let us take an example.
The Queen’s Gambit is a TV series, released on Netflix in October last year. The plot was about an orphan chess prodigy who dreams of becoming a chess grandmaster someday. The show soon became one of the most popular shows on Netflix. Before its release, if you’d asked the general public whether a show about chess could bring in millions of viewers and break Netflix records, chances are most wouldn’t have believed you. YES, A record-setting 62 million households chose to watch The Queen’s Gambit in its first 28 day.
With this rising viewership, the show created a cult, a culture that interested a lot of people. The after effects of this huge Fandom were many. To count a few, the show soared sales of chess boards, people all of a sudden began learning how to play chess, The original novel became a bestseller and Chess-dot-com (Online Chess platform) saw huge sign ups, Chess apps downloads went up by many folds. This is what happens when a show becomes immensely popular, People start copying and imitating their favourite characters in the show.
Google Trends showing splurge in “Chess” term in UK
Squid Games in Real
The most recent Netflix blockbuster “Squid Games” has become a pop culture phenomenon. Released in September, It is a Korean Horror-Survival series. Striking a chord with the audience, The show has produced massive ripple effects in trends. From Squid games themed fashion lines to viral challenges on Tik-Tok.
Squid Game Costume
All of a sudden everyone is mentioning a reference from the show. People are cosplaying the characters, Learning korean, Not to mention Dalgona candy sales are at an all time high, and oh my gosh !! White sneakers are generating 7800 percent more sales than before. Vans(Shoe store) is having a good boom after this. Duolingo’s Korean learners increased by around 40% and everyone just wants to jump into the fashion.
A character from the show “HoYeon Jung” became an overnight sensation when her IG followers jumped to the sky, was roped in by Louis Vuitton and was made the face of the luxury brand.
HoYeon Jung Instagram
Squid Game is still producing viral benefits for brands.
The show was viewed by over 142M households worldwide and generated an estimated $900M in value for Netflix. (The series cost Netflix only a little over $21M.)
As google is synonymous and an official “Verb” for searching, Netflixing has become a synonym to “binge watching”. Ask for binge recommendations and most and all you get is Netflix produced stuff. It has changed how we consume media for entertainment. Online streaming is not killing cinephilia, but rather it is changing the way we view movies and interact with that particular medium. I would also say that cinephilia is not dying and, in some ways, I would say it is stronger than ever.
The reason why I have named this para as ‘Imitation Game’ is that people imitate what they find superior or heroic or just greater-than-life. There is a quote that goes here very smoothly
– “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” – Jim Morrison.
When people watch their favourite characters doing something, they seek to imitate them. Like the prodigy that plays chess in “Queen’s Gambit”, Made people like chess, play it more and speak about it more. “Squid games” made people hop into themed jumpsuits and play challenges and imitate the show. The behaviour of liking and copying people’s favourite, can or maybe has already become a business marketing technique. How far it can go and how dynamic it can be, we will witness.
The Future of Advertising
The instances of Netflix’s rocketing sales of on screen products proves the point that it can be a marvellous advertising powerhouse. Brands can take note of these effects and market their products as a story, or woven as a story, a series, show or any piece of cinema to lure cinephiles.
Netflix Is Ad Free, but It Isn’t Brand Free – A Tribune Article
In another recent cross-promotion, Netflix charged the clothing company Diesel a license fee to make outfits inspired by “La Casa de Papel,” one of Netflix’s most popular shows. Online ads from Diesel hammered home the connection by showing the Netflix name, mentioning “La Casa de Papel” and featuring characters in the distinctive red jumpsuits worn by the show’s protagonists.
Netflix Effect on Diesel Clothing Company ad
Conclusion
Netflix doesn’t run ads on its platform but has somehow magically has become a coveted marketing platform in the world. The top streaming service provider restrains commercials but is trying to figure out a way on how it can work with brands to direct the crowd. Netflix is highly cautious about his brand image too and even continues to refute the idea of introducing an advertising model similar to the majority of other streaming services have adopted.
Nevertheless as per studies and reports and as per viewers’ own discretion we can discuss and establish that sooner or later Netflix can approach brand advertising and product placement in maybe a different manner than the rest. This expansion in this scope is going to give a strong back support to the company, providing them with more options and more stability. If this happens then the world of advertising will surely see a splurge. The advertising will be more specific and widespread, the characters more colourful and the Fandom more wholesome. In the meantime, marketers should pay attention to what’s taking the streaming world by storm – it may help them to boost sales.
FAQs
How many customers does Netflix have?
Netflix has about 209 million paying customers globally.
Which country uses Netflix the most?
Netflix is most watched in South America.
How much money does Netflix make?
Netflix generated total revenue of over 7.3 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2021.
Which Netflix series has the most views?
Netflix top 5 series by total view in 1st month of release are:
Punit Goenka, MD, and CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) are in charge of growing the company’s foreign footprint to 173 countries and 1.3 billion viewers. His foresight and expertise in the field of new media have propelled the organization to worldwide prominence today.
Punit Goenka examines the media conglomerate’s progress in FY2019, the development of digital video viewership, ZEE5’s good performance, and much more in his address to ZEEL’s shareholders.
The following is a copy of his address:
“FY19 was another year of outstanding overall performance. In a short period, ZEE5 had amazing growth, and our Domestic Broadcast company solidified its leading position. The film and music industries have grown in size thanks to the solid foundation they’ve laid. International and live enterprises have taken steps to prepare for a new growth phase. The company’s operating success resulted in a positive financial outcome. We’ve had phenomenal growth over the previous few years, but we’re aware of the changes taking place around us and the opportunities they bring. We’re putting in the work to stay on track and flourish in this changing environment.”
By continually increasing its content offering, ZEEL has evolved from a single-channel network to a multi-faceted entertainment content firm. Until recently, television was the primary means of disseminating fresh content to the general public. Our growing industries, such as digital, movies and music, and live events, present us with new touchpoints for reaching consumers as well as access to previously untapped audiences. This has given content consumption new dimensions, allowing us to experiment with new genres of material and build formats tailored to smaller audiences.
To take advantage of this new potential, we have dramatically increased our content efforts. The distribution landscape is developing in tandem with the increasing content repertoire, as audiences consume information across different devices and platforms. We’re forming collaborations with new-age content distributors, gadget manufacturers, and other digital actors to expand the reach and engagement of our goods.
ZEE5 Partners with TVF
ZEE5- Building New Competencies to Maintain Growth
In this changing environment, we must adapt our procedures and build new competencies to maintain growth and capitalize on new opportunities. Changes in the television distribution landscape, as well as an increase in the share of direct to consumer firms, particularly digital, provide us more insight into customer favorites. While consumers have always been at the centre of content development, these insights will help us provide better service to them. To harness consumer insights for content production and product design, we’re investing in data and analytics capabilities.
Even conventional tasks like marketing and customer service are changing dramatically, and we are preparing our workers to succeed in this new environment.
ZEE5- Adapting in New Digital World
As the internet’s reach expands and consumers spend more time-consuming information, digital video viewership continues to soar. User-generated and TV content, which is funded through advertising, have been the main drivers of development thus far. I believe that the material created by digital platforms will fuel the next phase of growth. The subjects, talent ensembles, and production value of these series set them apart and have piqued the interest of a group of viewers who previously found TV shows to be too slow. Digital platforms will be able to drive subscription models as they scale up their production of original content. Younger audiences, mainly from urban regions, were among the first to adopt SVOD, and digital material reflects their preferences. As more people pay for content, the number of options available will grow to meet the needs of a wide range of users. Bundling of SVOD with telecom and other services, tiered pricing, and payment innovation would be crucial to growing the paid subscriber base in a market with low ARPU and resistance to online payments. Though advertising is presently the primary source of digital money, I believe subscription will become a long-term revenue generator.
In a saturated Indian industry, It is thrilling to see ZEE5 emerge as one of the fastest-growing OTT platforms, with 61 million monthly users within a year of introduction. The strength of ZEE5’s content inventory has been the key driver of its growth. The website, which is powered by India’s largest television network, is used by millions of people to catch up on their favourite web series and movies. ZEE5 is committed to investing in content to establish SVOD leadership, and it has already established itself as India’s largest producer of digital content with over 60 original episodes and movies. Consumers have an additional reason to visit ZEE5, regularly thanks to our growing library of commercial and specialized films in 12 languages. ZEE5 has established itself as the go-to entertainment destination thanks to a vast and differentiated content collection. The significant connections that ZEE5 has with significant participants in the digital ecosystem will help it improve its position even more.
In India, television is the primary source of entertainment and continues to expand in terms of reach and engagement. Although 50 million families have purchased a television set in the last four years, a third of Indians (100 million households) have not, providing an expanded runway for growth. Constantly improving material selections and quality across languages has resulted in an increase in time spent. The new tariff regulation has increased the value proposition of television for customers by allowing them to choose and pay for the programming they want. It also permits broadcasters to set their prices for their material, which encourages innovation. The significant shift in content distribution dynamics posed several difficulties, making the transition to the new regime unequal. However, once the change is complete, all stakeholders will benefit.
The digitization of the distribution space resulted in proper accounting of the subscriber base, and this tariff order ensures that revenue is distributed fairly across the value chain. This increase in transparency will hasten the growth of India’s subscription business.
Conclusion
ZEE5- TVF Shows
Pitchers Season 2, Tripling Season 3, Humorously Yours Season 3, and other popular titles like Engineering Girls Season 2, The Aam Aadmi Family Season 4 are among ZEE5’s exciting and exclusive news seasons of hugely popular and critically renowned TVF shows. ZEE5 will add 13 fascinating TVF series to its AVOD platform, adding to the platform’s bouquet of content offers of authentic, relevant, and poignant stories. In addition to the current seasons of the mentioned shows, classics such as Permanent Roommates, Tech Conversations with Dad, Awkward Conversations, PA-Gals, Inmates, Weekends, The Insiders, and Zeroes will be available to anyone.
FAQs
Which TVF shows will stream over ZEE5?
Permanent Roommates
Tech Conversations with Dad
Awkward Conversations
Pitchers Season 2
Tripling Season 3
Humorously Yours Season 3
Engineering Girls Season 2
The Aam Aadmi Family Season 4
PA-Gals
Inmates
Weekends
The Insiders
Zeroes
Who is Punit Goenka?
Punit Goenka is the CEO and MD of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL).
Who is the founder of TVF?
Arunabh Kumar is the founder of TVF (The Viral Fever).
Audio editing software refers to software that lets editing and generation of audio data. It can be implemented as a library, computer application, web-application. It can edit music, effects, adjust channels, etc. Additionally, audio editing software also provides a multitrack editing feature that allows us to mix audio from different tracks and modify them using effects and filters in real-time. Many companies are providing customized software as per the requirement of customers for better consumer satisfaction.
The market size is directly proportional to the demand for products and services. Growing demand for advanced quality audio products across enterprises in the media and entertainment industry is the key market driver of audio editing software. Likewise, the increasing emphasis of entertainment industries for delivering noise cancellation and strong sounding audio content is increasing the market for audio editing software. Rising adoption of audio editing software across applications such as recording, playback, audio optimization, production, and audio is improving the income possibilities for merchants in the software market. Furthermore, a large number of newcomers and established podcasters actively using audio editing software to improve audio quality is also stimulating the growth of the market.
Multiple Functions of Audio Editing Software
Market Dynamics
Increase in the rate of content creation and grow in over-the-top platforms. The expanding adoption of smartphones and an increase in internet surfing speed has influenced the growth of social media content. The rising number of connected devices has boosted the growth of the Global OTT streaming market. This compelled the necessity for audio editing software among video streaming merchants, thus, driving the growth of the global audio editing software market. There is a lot of free editing software available in the market. The rise in the application of such editing software is expected to restrain the growth of the global audio editing software market.
Segments Of Audio Editing Software Market
Cloud-Based Delivery Models
The cloud-based delivery models are going to influence audio editing software market growth. Cloud-based delivery models are the models that allow users to edit music or audio anywhere in the Globe. These models provide cloud services and solutions, which include advanced uptime, enhance IT services, reliability, improved operational speed, and high data approachability. It can be accessed on both mobile and desktop devices. Cloud-based audio editing software offers various services to the end-users, such as easy import, secure sharing, storage, also editor collaboration. These benefits of the cloud-based audio editing software will increase end-users, thus increasing market growth.
Growth of The Market
Best Audio Editing Softwares In the Market
There are various software for editing and creating audio is available in the market. Some are free, while others are chargeable. Major Players in the Global Audio Editing Software Market are given below:
Adobe Audition CC(windows, macOS)
It is the most widespread audio editing software in the market. It is originally a song editing application.
The software has the best editing tools for editing and completing any audio project. When it is used with Windows, it provides users a complete recording studio experience. It allows multiple recordings at a time simultaneously.
Price of the software: Its price is $20.99/month. Customers can pay monthly or annually for the subscription.
Sound Quality: It produces good quality audio when used with MATLAB.
It has all the basic features, and also advanced features.
It also has a flex-time tool that allows users to edit the timing of a single note in a waveform individually. It automatically converts chords into arpeggios.
It has the availability to automatically match the timing of different tracks in a project using Smart Tempo.
Price: $199
Availability: macOS
AUDACITY
It is a free music editing software that supports both Mac and windows. It is considered as the most popular editor for windows.
It supports a VST plug-in. It has built-in tools that let customers edit pre-recorded files, record audio through microphones, and stream podcasts.
It can be used to create a shot, remove noise, apply effects for professional results.
Allows importing and exporting of MP3, WAV, and AIFF.
Price: Free
Avid Pro Tools
It provides a solution for professional audio editing work for music, film, games, and broadcast. Over 750 voice audio tracks are available to create mixes; without HDX hardware.
Price: $699. The subscription price is $74.99/month.
Pro tools comes with UVI Falcon 2 that allows users to create amazing sounds.
Multichannel support with 64 channels in each track.
It allows users to directly record mono, stereo, and multichannel audio with the ability to record multiple disks at the same time.
Price: $60
Availability: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Ocenaudio
It is accessible on Windows, Linux, and Mac. It has a wide range of filters, a clear interface, and no stacking effect. It comes with built-in filters and supports VST to add more filters.
It is a cloud-based audio editing software.
Price: Free.
Availability: Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Wavepad
It enables the users to record and edit music as well as voice.
Users can cut, copy, and paste parts of the recordings under wavepad software.
Supports general audio formats- MP3, WAV, VOX, WMA, AU, etc.
Price: Free
Availability: Windows & macOS.
Growth Of The Market
36% Growth From North America
The audio editing software market is expected to grow by $2.5 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR rate of 11%. The rise in content creation will offer enormous growth opportunities. To make the most of the opportunities, market merchants should focus on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments.
FAQs
What is audio editing software?
Audio editing software is software which allows editing and generating of audio data.
What is audio editing used for?
Audio editing software allows users to edit and generate audio files. These tools are used by audio editors and engineers to mix or delete audio sections, edit and rearrange audio regions, and record and generate new audio components.
What are the types of audio editing techniques?
Amplification.
Compression.
Limiting.
Panning.
Equalization.
Normalization.
Stereo Imaging.
What audio editing software do professionals use?
Ableton, Adobe Audition, and Logic Pro X are among the most popular tools amongst professionals in the music, radio, podcast, etc. industries.
What are some free or open-source audio editing tools?
A popular, free audio editing program that is known for also being very robust and easy-to-use, is Audacity. Other popular free or open-source audio editing tools are Audiotool, Ocenaudio, and GoldWave.
What does audio editing software do?
Audio editing software enables users to edit or create audio files. Audio editing software has a variety of uses from the music industry to radio and podcasts.
AMC Entertainment Holdings is an American-based movie theatre chain, and is the largest movie theatre chain in the world. The company was founded in the year 1920, with its headquarters located in Leawood, Kansas. It has faced a lot of financial downturns due to the recent Covid-19 crisis. Let’s look at how AMC Entertainment has seen a surge in its share price of around 2,900% in this year.
The AMC Entertainment had seen a recent surge in its share price, which touched an all-time high on 2nd June 2021. The stock is considered to be a meme stock as the increase in the stock price was driven because of the hype over the social media channels.
The hot rally on the stock price is believed to be driven by the retail investors of Reddit. However, it is considered that one of the minor reasons for the surge in the share price is because certain investors are optimistic about the theatre chain as the Covid cases have come under control and the crowd would venture back into the theatres.
Share price of AMC Entertainment
The stock had seen a surge of around 120% on 2 June 2021, which hit the all-time high of USD 70 and fell slightly. The stock provided a return of around 90% in one session. The next day the rally was interrupted due to the company itself.
On 3 June 2021, the company had sold around 11 million shares and raised more than USD 500 million, where the investors did not stay with the company’s decision. The share had seen a fall on that particular day of around 18 % and closed at USD 51.34.
The company was under a potential bankruptcy in the year 2020 and now has seen a surge in its stock price of more than 3000% for the year 2021. In this quarter alone the stock price of AMC has provided a return of 500% and 140%, as seen in the first week of June 2021. The market capitalization of the company has increased to more than USD 32 billion.
Reason for the Extreme Rise in Share price of AMC Entertainment
Most of the analysts have agreed that the stock price of AMC has seen a surge not because of the fundamentals but because of the hype created on the social media platforms. They have conveyed that the surge in the price of stocks can be seen as long as it gets attention.
It is said that the retail investors on Reddit had joined back together in order to hurt the professional short sellers that were betting against the AMC stock. At the same time, AMC had announced that they would provide free popcorns to their new investors who had backed them when they visit AMC for watching a movie.
AMC Entertainment Warning to its Investors
The company’s stock price had been trading at 20% up and saw a fall of 18% soon after they announced the sale of 11 million stocks. The sale of 11 million stocks has further helped the company in increasing its share price to USD 584 million as capital.
AMC has also recognized the strangeness of the situation which was claimed by the experts. As a result, the company had issued an unusual warning to its shareholders. The company warned its shareholders against investing in its Class A common stock. It has conveyed that if the shareholders were ready to incur the risk of losing the entire amount invested in the shares or a partial amount, they could continue to stay invested.
The share of AMC has received a lot of attention from the Indian investors as well as those from South Africa. The largest theatre chain was one of the five most traded stocks on the American stock exchange on Vested Finance and Stockal. These are two Indian focused trading platforms, and AMC was much more popular than Tesla, Facebook and Shopify.
FAQ
What is the biggest movie theater company?
AMC Entertainment is one of the biggest movie theater company with 959 around the world.
Who are AMC Theaters’ competitors?
Regal, Cinemark, and Cineplex are some of the top competitors of AMC Entertainment.
What is the Revenue of AMC Entertainment?
The Revenue of AMC theatre in 2020 was 1200 million US dollars.
OTT platforms have been growing in India at a fast pace. The OTT market in India is expected to emerge as the world’s sixth-largest by 2024. The OTT market is also expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.6% in the next four years. There are currently about 40 providers of over-the-top-platforms (OTT) in the country.
India saw a 30% rise in the paid subscribers on OTT platforms. The total number of subscribers is now at 29 Million (around INR 212 crores). The increasing viewership and the exponential growth of the OTT platforms in the country have led the government to put in new rules and regulations for the OTT platforms. The government wants OTT platforms to be accountable for their content.
The recent issues by certain communities on the web series released by the OTT platforms and considering various other reasons, so the government has come up with the new regulations and rules.
OTT platforms will have to formulate a grievance mechanism which will consist of three levels. The rules require two levels of self-regulation.
First level
First level is a self-regulation by the OTT platform by appointing a grievance redressal officer. The officer will be responsible for redressals from various individuals. This will be part of the OTT platform.
Second level
Second level is an institutional self-regulatory body. It will comprise the industry experts in the field of OTT. This self-regulatory body will be headed by a retired supreme court or high court judge. It can also be headed by other famous or respected personalities in the relevant industry.
Third level
Third level is a regulatory body which will be interdepartmental. The committee will be set up by the government. This committee will hear the appeals arising out of the decisions taken at the second level. This regulator body will also take up complaints referred by the Ministry of Information and Broadcast (MIB).
The Ratings
Last year the government had issued rules to provide ratings for the OTT contents proposed by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India). They will be similar to the age-sensitive categorizations which are U/A, U/A7+, U/A13+, U/A16+, etc.
The OTT platforms are required to self-categorize the contents on these five age-based categories. It is an initiative by the government to bring in censorship to the OTT platforms.
The OTT platforms are required to differentiate all films, series, and other shows based on certain parameters.
First parameter
First Parameter would be the age of the viewers. The OTT platforms will have to classify their contents based on a different age. This is mainly to avoid children from watching A-rated films, series, or other shows.
This method is already part of the movies released in the theatres. An individual who is below the age of 18 will not be allowed to watch an A-rated movie in a theatre.
Second parameter
Second parameter would be according to the themes and messages. Again, it is a step by the government to ensure that the children are watching relevant content.
Third parameter
Third parameter would be to classify the OTT contents would include based on violence, nudity, sex, language, substance abuse, horror, content, tone, and impact the target audience
Fourth parameter
Fourth Parameter would be enabling of parental locks. Certain OTT platforms like Netflix already have parental lock enabling features. With the introduction of these new rules, it will be mandatory for all the OTT platforms to provide a parental lock for their contents. Parental locks are supposed to be activated for contents classified as U/A 13+ or above.
Dealing with complaints of the users will be a big challenge for the OTT platforms in India. India has a diverse culture and beliefs. A certain community would find an issue with a content while others would be fine with it. The demand will differ according to the communities.
It is not clear how OTT platforms are expected to practically address grievances from different users. While some content may be found offensive by a certain community, it would be popular among the other community.
FAQ
What is an OTT platform?
OTT (over-the-top) is a means of providing content over the internet at the request and to suit the requirements of the individual consumer.
How many OTT platforms are there in India?
There are currently over 40 providers of over–the–top media services (OTT) in India.
Is YouTube an OTT Platform?
Yes, YouTube comes under OTT Platform.
Conclusion
The oversight mechanism introduced by the government will increase the power of government in the overall operations of the OTT platforms in India. However, an institutional self-regulation mechanism will help the users to express their concerns. It will help them express it through a formal channel within certain time frames.
The fine print of the rules is yet to be made public. Some experts said that regulation of OTT is considered Unconstitutional. It is expected that India’s new rules on the OTT platforms will increase the content-related quarrels.
Until now the content on the OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, etc. was unregulated, it wouldn’t be the same moving forward.
For the people born in the 21st century, Disney has been the main part of our childhood, we grew up watching their cartoons and animated movies. Disney which is also known as the Walt Disney Company is an American conglomerate which is headquartered in Burbank, California. The company is a leader in the sectors of entertainment and one of the largest media companies because of its subsidiaries and acquisitions like ABC, ESPN, Pixar, 21st Century Fox, Lucas Films, Marvel, National Geographic, etc. The company is known to have over 210,000 people and generated total revenue of $65.39 Billion in 2020 alone.
The company was founded by the famed Disney brothers, Walt and Roy Disney in the year of 1923. The new CEO of the company is Bob Chapek. The company is popular for its International theme parks, an animation studio that has made iconic movies, numerous business franchises, top-notch media and entertainment under its belt. Disney’s business is divided among its different acquisitions and subsidiaries.
The four main parts are Disney’s media networks: Parks, Resorts, experiences and products; Studio and entertainment and direct to consumer and international. Walt Disney is usually given the credit of being one of the pioneers in film making.
The company is not only one of the best in the animation industry but also live-action film production and television. The company is also into publishing, consumer products, and international operations and is recently getting big in the sector of the direct-to-consumer with Over The Top/streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Hotstar.
It so far has 14 theme parks, many resort hotels, cruise lines across the world among which the most popular are the Disney theme parks and amusement parks. Disney created the iconic character Mickey Mouse (the first sound cartoon) in 1928 that is recognized by everyone around the world.
The Walt Disney Company was created by Walt and Roy Disney, they first opened the Disney Brother Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California in October 1923. After that Walt Disney started drawing cartoons for many publications and became interested in animation during this time period. They then went on to produce short films like Laugh O Gram and Alice’s wonderland. In 1928 it came out with the Steamboat Willie, which introduced the first sound cartoon Mickey Mouse, today Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognized cartoons around the world.
The next hit by them was the famous Snow White and the seven Dwarfs in 1937 which was a chart buster. In the 1950s the company made its first live action film called Treasure Island, then made the animated movies of Cinderella and the series of Mickey Mouse Club which catapulted the company into the limelight.
Walt Disney passed away in 1966 and was survived by Roy Disney who continued the supervision of the company. By that time Disney had already opened many theme parks but its first international theme park was opened in 1982.
In 1980’s the company started its own channel (Disney Channel) on Cable TV. Michael D Eisner became its chairman in 1984 and helped the company grow to new heights. Since then the company continued making show stopping movies which was acclaimed by everyone and at the same time helped the animation industry grow.
It then diversified into other sectors like the Action film production, television and theme parks. The animation studio changed its name to the Walt Disney Production in 1986 so it could focus on its different sectors which were theater, radio, music, merchandising, publishing and media.
Net income of Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Subsidiaries and Acquisitions
In the 1950’s it built many hotels, amusement/theme parks and started acquiring many media and entertainment properties in the 90s. In 2006, the company acquired Pixar which is known for making digital animated movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc. In 2009, Disney sold Miramax Studios in order to downsize the Touchstone Pictures. The same year it also brought Marvel Entertainment which is known for making many superhero franchises like Iron Man, Spiderman, Deadpool, etc. Disney also acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 which is known for the Star Wars franchise.
The company now owns the big names in the entertainment and media industries like ABC broadcast television network, ESPN, A+E Networks, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucas films, 20th FOX, etc. The company started with a couple of animators who made short children cartoon films, today is one of the most popular companies in the world. The company is trying to make it corporate because it wants to market to a larger audience by providing mature content. The company subsidiaries and acquisitions are divided under three main business sections which are:
This division is headed by Kareem Daniel and is mainly responsible for the distribution, operations, sales, advertising and promoting the other three sectors of Disney which are its Parks and products, Walt Disney Studios, Disney’s Entertainment Sector and Sports sector.
This division was formed in October 2020. This sector also manages the Disney’s direct to consumer business which includes its various streaming platforms. The main OTT/ streaming platforms of Disney are Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Hotstar. This also manages other sectors of Disney international holding such as Star India and other television networks, Disney’s music group and the company’s media distribution.
Disney +
Disney plus is an OTT and subscription-based video on demand service that is owned and operated by Disney. It was made available in India through Hotstar in April 2020 and then rebranded in as Disney+Hotstar.This platform was initially made to distribute films and televisions shows that are made from its wide range of its entertainment companies under Disney which are the Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Television and subsidiaries Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic and more.
Disney plus was launched in November 2019 for US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and September 2020 for the European countries, November 2020 for Latin American countries. As of January 2021, the platform has over 94.9 million subscriptions. The cost of Disney+ in the US costs $6.99 per month and $69.99 per annum, while in India the Disney+ Hotstar VIP is Rs. 399 per year and Disney+ Hotstar Premium costs Rs. 299 per month/Rs 1,499 per year. Disney+ is now one of top ten OTT platform in the world.
Hulu
Hulu is also one of most well know OTT platform/ subscription video on demand service that is owned by both The Walt Disney Company and Comcast’s NBC Universal according to equity. In 2010, Hulu became the first OTT platform to upgrade to plus that provided extra services like earlier access to episodes and programs from different partners.
As of December 2020, Hulu had over 16.6 million subscribers. It was only in 2019 that Hulu was brought by Disney as it then acquired the 21st Century giving it the 60% majority stake. The other stake holder of Hulu is comcast which made a deal with Disney to purchase 33% stake in the company by 2024. The cost of Hulu basic in the US is $5.99 per month, with the Premium costing $11.99 per month, however Hulu is not available in India.
Hulu Subscribers 2015 to 2020
ESPN+
ESPN plus is the OTT/subscription video streaming service that is the online version of the ESPN TV channel. ESPN+ is owned by Disney in partnership with the ESPN Inc. ESPN is also one of the most known OTT platforms in the US. Like Hulu and Disney plus, ESPN plus also uses the technology of the company’s subsidiary the BAMTech.
Unlike the TV version the ESPN+ covers sports such as the Golf, Cricket, Rugby, Soccer, Combat sports like top rank boxing, hockey league, other basketball leagues that are sometimes exclusive and not aired on TV. As of November 2020, ESPN plus has over 10.3 million subscribers. The cost of ESPN+ in the US is $6 per month and $60 annual.
The Disney Parks, Experiences and Products are one of the most important parts of the company. This sector mainly includes Walt Disney’s Theme parks/amusement parks, cruise lines, resorts and other consumer products. Josh D’Amaro is the head of this division. Some of the most popular holdings are the Walt Disney World, Disneyland resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hongkong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Vacation Club, Disney Cruise Line and Adventures of Disney.
The company uses its own and its subsidiary’s brands and franchise such as Disney studios, Marvel, LucasFilms, Pixar, ESPN, 20th FOX and the National Geographic and incorporates in its holding in order to create magical moments for its visitors. It makes global products in 100 categories such as figures, toys, jewellery, tech, etc that bring stories and characters to life.
Disney is also known to be one of the leading providers of family’s travel and leisure experiences with the help of 6 international resort destinations, 12 theme parks and 53 resorts.
Disney is also known for making high quality games on mobile and console platforms for all ages which are based on the character’s and stories it owns. The company’s publishing sector is the world largest publisher especially for the children books and magazines. It is also a leader in licensing as it is present in 68 countries and done in 45 languages. It also has a top-rated cruise line that is popular and other unique vacation experiences like vacation clubs and adventures by Disney.
One of the main divisions of Disney’s business as it has many of its main acquisitions and subsidiaries under it. The Walt Disney Studio consists of big names in the film and entertainment industry besides Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios such as the Pixar, Marvel Studios, LucasFilms, 21th Century FOX, Blue Sky Studios and Searchlight Pictures. The studios were founded in 1923 and is one of the oldest film studios now headed by Alan Bergman.
Disney is known to have a industry record of about $13.2 billion at the global box office thanks to its subsidiaries. Six of the top ten highest grossing films worldwide are produced under Disney as they also have two of the highest grossing film franchises of all time.
Disney also has two further division which are the Disney general Entertainment Content and the ESPN and sports content. These both are integral part of the company and have companies like ABC signature and ABC news, Fox networks, National Geographic and ESPN under it.
21st Century Fox is one of the biggest and popular media and entertainment company that was acquired by Disney in March of 2019 for $71 billion. Earlier know as 20th Century Fox the News corporation was under Robert Murdoch. The 20th Century studios was one of the best American film studios for more than 80 years.
The company was initially formed in 1935 with the merging of Fox Film Corporation and 20th Century Pictures. In 1985, the company became the 20th Century Fox because it was acquired by a news corporation then spilt again 2013.
It then changed its name to 21st century Fox in January of 2020, after the Disney acquisition. The company is headquartered in the Century City area of Los Angeles, California. When Disney brought the company its also got its franchises like its TV studios, The Fox networks, National Geographic, Hulu and international networks like Star. This acquisition was important for Disney as it helped the company cater to a larger audience by providing different content.
ABC Broadcast Network
This is one the most powerful media companies in the world that was acquired by Disney in July of 1995 for $19 billion dollars. The company was formed in 1985 after Capital Cities acquired ABC for $3.5 billion. It wasn’t until 1995, that Disney acquired the company bringing together the two leaders of media and entertainment together. After Disney acquired this company it also the control of many Tv channels, Radio stations, high equity in ESPN, History channel, A&E Network, etc.
Disney acquired abc for $19 billion dollars
The company rebranded itself in 1996 as the ABC television group. It is now headquartered in Burbank California, while the headquarters of the news division is in New York City. ABC has over eight owned and operated main TV station and over 232 affiliated TV stations in the US alone.
When it comes to the ABC News sector it is also one the best news channels in the world. Few of the most famous shows of ABC news are ABC tonight with David Muir, Good Morning America, Primetime, 20/20, Sunday morning political affairs program, Nightline, etc.
Pixar Animation Studios
Everybody has watched Pixar movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall E, Cars, Ratatouille etc. Pixar one of the most recognized and acclaimed animation studio which was acquired by Disney in January 2006 for $7.4 billion.Pixar was created by the iconic Steve Jobs (former CEO and founder of Apple) in 1986. The company was formed when apple first brought the animation film technology of LucasFilms. Because of Steve Jobs effort Pixar became one of the biggest animation film producers.
Steve jobs Bought Pixar in 1986.
The company has its headquarters in Emeryville, California. Pixar has so far made 23 feature films and many short films with its most recent movie being the Soul in 2020. Pixar has earned over $14 billion at the worldwide box office un till 2019. 15 movies of Pixar like Toy Story, Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4 are among the highest grossing animated movies of all time. The company has also awarded with 20 academy awards and 9 Golden Globe Awards including 11 Grammy’s and many other awards.
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Movies like Spiderman, Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Civil War, Infinity War, have been a part of our life growing up. Marvel is an entertainment giant and one of the most globally loved film and television studio that was acquired by Disney in 2009 for $4 billion.
The marvel studios are known for its movies that are based on superheroes of the marvel cinematic universe that characters taken from the original marvel comics. The company initially went through many ups and downs of many name changes, different ownership, bankruptcy, before becoming a household name.
Marvel’s headquarters are based in New York. The company has over 5000 characters such as Spider Man, Iron Man, X men characters, Captain America, Fantastic Four characters, and many more in the marvel cinematic universe. The marvel Studios have till now produced 23 movies based on different superheroes and its most recent one being its first television series called WandaVision in 2021. There are many marvel movies that have crossed the $1 billion box office mark. A fun fact about Marvel is, In the early 1990s, Michael Jackson tried to purchase Marvel Comics, because he wanted to produce Spiderman to play as Peter parker.
Michael Jackson tried to purchase Marvel comics
LucasFilms Ltd
LucasFilms is also one the most famous Television and Film production company that was acquired by Disney in October 2012 for $4.1 billion. Lucas Film was first created in 1971 by the filmmaker George Lucas. LucasFilms has its headquarters in San Francisco, California. The studio is known for its popular and blockbuster franchises of Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
LucasFilm Logo
The company has been credited for its development in the sectors of special effects, sound and computer animation. Disney acquired this company to cater to the need to a wider consumer base and to get an access to highest grossing franchises. Disney also has theme parks and resorts that are based on Star Wars.
FAQ
Who was the founder of Disney and When was it founded?
The company was founded by the famed Disney brothers, Walt and Roy Disney in the year of 1923.
What are the main sections of Disney’s business?
Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, The Walt Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Walt Disney Studios are the main sections of Disney’s business.
What are the top five subsidiaries of Walt Disney?
LucasFilms Ltd, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar Animation Studios, ABC Broadcast Network and 21st Century Fox are the top five subsidiaries of Walt Disney.
What are the Three main OTT/subscription video streaming service of Disney?
Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu are the Three main OTT/subscription video streaming service of Disney.
Conclusion
Disney is one of the biggest entertainments and media conglomerates in the world. This is because the company has made strategic decisions in acquiring some of the biggest companies as its Subsidiaries. No matter which industry Disney has excelled at putting out its best work. The company is so successful because it managed to change the lives of people around the world. May it be movies or its amusement parks Disney has not failed in making peoples dreams into reality.
PV Vyshnavi
