CHICAS PRODUCTIONS: October 2013

Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. It was once so rich that Concorde used to fly from Caracas to Paris. But in the last three years its economy has collapsed. Hunger has gripped the nation for years. Now, it’s killing people and animals that are dying of starvation. The Venezuelan government knows, but won’t admit it!!! Four in five Venezuelans live in poverty. People queue for hours to buy food. Much of the time they go without. People are also dying from a lack of medicines. Inflation is at 82,766% and there are warnings it could exceed one million per cent by the end of this year. Venezuelans are trying to get out. The UN says 2.3 million people have fled the country - 7% of the population.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Signs of things to com? Paramount to Lay Off 110 Employees

Paramount Pictures has announced it will be eliminating 110 positions on its lot and internationally, slicing 5% of its workforce of 2,200.

Paramount CFO Frederick Huntsberry said in a memo to employees that the cuts represented an organizational realignment in select areas and the departments that will be most affected by these cuts will be primarily in the finance, human resources, information technology, international home media distribution, legal and marketing departments.

Paramount is having a bounce back year after having hardly any major successes in 2012. "Star Trek Into Darkness," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "World War Z" have all grossed more than $350 million worldwide.

"As our industry continues to adapt to an increasingly competitive environment, we are always ensuring that Paramount is conducting its business as efficiently and productively as possible," Huntsberry said.

"Change is always difficult and we never take these steps lightly," he added. "We are confident that these changes will allow us to manage our business with greater speed and flexibility and fully capitalize on opportunities in the global entertainment market."

The layoffs are not a major surprise in light of recent statements by Philipp Dauman, CEO of studio parent Viacom, stressing the need to keep expenses down.

On Sept. 24, Dauman told investors at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference that Paramount would focus on "low risk," even on high-budget franchises such as Transformers and Mission: Impossible. He also said that the risk on the sequel to "World War Z" would be alleviated by bringing in co-financing.

"We have a history even in tough times of maintaining or growing margins," he also said.

Dauman said means keeping "a tight lid on expenses, including in programming."

In May, Dauman sounded similar themes at the Nomura U.S. Media & Telecom Summit, saying that Paramount would "focus on profitability" by integrating with other Viacom businesses.

"For the most part we're going to greenlight films with consumer products potential," he said, citing plans to reboot the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise.

It's the second time in two years that Paramount has sliced more than 100 slots from studio staff. In October, 2011, Paramount cut about 120 staff positions as part of a consolidation effort in the face of declining DVD revenue as it merged its DVD, television and digital divisions and moved headquarters of its international operation to Los Angeles from London.

Thank you Variety

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U.K. Supermarket Giant Tesco Enters Tablet Market With Hudl Launch...

The $191 device includes a button that allows users to watch movies and TV shows via the company's Blinkbox online video service.

LONDON – U.K. supermarket giant Tesco on Monday launched its own tablet, the Hudl, in a challenge to Apple's iPad and Amazon.com's Kindle.

U.K. Retailer Tesco Buys Digital Music Service Co-Founded by Peter Gabriel

U.K Supermarket Tesco Moves into Video on Demand With BlinkBox Deal
The seven-inch Android-operated Hudl will go on sale Sept. 30 and cost about $191 (£119), less than the iPad, but around the same as the Kindle and Google Android devices.
The Tesco tablet, which comes in four colors, has a button that allows users to watch movies and TV shows via the supermarket company's Blinkbox online video service, listen to music, shop or check their Tesco club card points. Club card holders can also watch free video content via the company's Clubcard TV service.
"Hudl is a colorful, accessible tablet for the whole family to enjoy," said Tesco CEO Philip Clarke. "The first stage in our tablet offering, it's convenient, integrated and easy to use with no compromise on spec. Customers are quite rightly very discerning about the technology they buy, so we knew we had to be competitive on all fronts."
Addressing the tablet competition in Britain, he said: "Being online is an increasingly essential part of family life, and whilst tablets are on the rise, usage is still quite limited. We feel the time is right for Tesco to help widen tablet ownership and bring the fun, convenience and excitement of tablets to even more customers across the U.K."
According to U.K. media regulator Ofcom, three quarters of British households do not have a tablet yet. "Tesco's research found that many feel that the technology is too expensive or intimidating," the supermarket firm said.
The Wifi-enabled Hudl has 16GB of memory, which can be extended to 48GB. It includes apps for the likes of YouTube and Google Chrome.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

Study: Only 14 Percent of Cable Customers Satisfied; 73 Percent Want a la Carte

PwC finds that though customers want changes, they aren't willing to pay much for them: "With TV in such a state of flux, companies must revisit their business models," says PwC analyst Matthew Lieberman.

A la carte television programming is a popular concept among consumers who presume they'd save money by ditching channels they don't watch, but given that only 38 percent would be willing to pay more than $3 per channel each month, it's not likely the idea will catch on with TV providers who aren't inclined to stray from bundling. Not at that price.

Hollywood, Take Note: Here's What TV Viewers Really Want (Guest Column)

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman Doesn't Expect A La Carte Cable Law

A new study out Wednesday from PricewaterhouseCoopers says that 44 percent of consumers would like a total a la carte system and that 73 percent of consumers would prefer a la carte or at least more customization of packages than is currently offered. Only 14 percent are satisfied with the status quo.

When it comes down to it, though, even customers who want such changes aren't willing to pay much for them. Sixteen percent, for example, say they won't pay more than 99 cents a month for a channel they want, while 24 percent will pay $1.99 and 22 percent will pay $2.99.
At $8 a month per channel, the highest option offered in the PwC survey, only 5 percent say they'd pay up.

The survey also indicates that 57 percent would not pay more than 99 cents a month for access to an individual show each month, while 20 percent would pay $1.99 and 12 percent would pay $2.99. Only 2 percent would pay $8 a month for a show.

Despite the lowly amounts that surely would be dismissed as unfeasible by distributors and content providers alike, TV executives would be wise to note the popularity of the a la carte concept, says PwC entertainment, media and communications analyst Matthew Lieberman.

GUEST COLUMN: Hollywood, Take Note: Here's What TV Viewers Really Want

"With TV in such a state of flux, companies must revisit their business models," says Lieberman. "The winners will be those that offer custom services or curate content in the most appealing ways."
For its study, PwC also held focus groups. "I have a bunch of channels that just sit there," one participant said. "If they could take them off and lower my bill each month, that would be great."
If given the a la carte option, 65 percent say they would subscribe to 10 or more channels, the most popular being basic cable offerings, followed, in order, by premium cable, sports, lifestyle, news, premium sports and children's programming.

The comprehensive PwC report also explores ways that consumers currently watch television, how they discover new shows and the amount of advertising they're willing to view in lieu of subscription fees. In regard to the latter, the rule is simple: The smaller the screen, the fewer the number of ads viewers will tolerate.

TV online is dominated by Netflix to the tune of 63 percent, while 49 percent go to the websites of the TV networks for their online viewing, 35 percent to Hulu, 28 percent to Amazon Prime, 25 percent to iTunes and 24 percent to HBO Go. Three percent go to Pirate Bay.

Only 14 percent say they prefer a web service for their TV viewing, but 31 percent acknowledge that the availability of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others decreases the value of television to them.
PwC found that 55 percent of TV viewers use their mobile devices while watching television and, of those, 56 percent use them for activities specific to a particular TV show.

Lieberman said focus groups revealed that consumers want more programming guidance from TV service providers. For now, 59 percent say they find new shows through recommendations from friends or family, 45 percent through channel flipping and 42 percent via advertisements. Only 4 percent discover new shows through social media.

Not surprising, DVRs are hugely popular, with 57 percent of consumers saying they record most of their shows for later viewing. Ten percent say they engage in "binge viewing" and 7 percent acknowledge that they often record shows but never watch them.

PwC surveyed 1,008 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 59. Seventy percent of the respondents have cable TV, 41 percent have Netflix, 26 percent subscribe to satellite, 18 percent use Amazon Prime, 16 percent use iTunes and 8 percent use Hulu.

"This study shows that during the next five years, an even greater portion of viewing of and interaction with TV and film content will take place on multiple screens and devices," says Lieberman. "Hollywood must adapt accordingly."

Thank you Hollywood Reporter

Mobile platforms fuel spending growth in U.S. advertising...

Advertising spending in the U.S. and Canada is expected to grow 4% next year, according to newly released forecast by ad giant ZenithOptimedia.

This year, spending is expected to inch up 3.4% in North America, slowing a bit after last year's infusion of spending to capitalize on viewer interest in the London Olympics, ZenithOptimedia said in its Advertising Expenditures Forecast, released Monday.

"Consumer confidence, retail sales, job numbers and house construction are all trending encouragingly upwards," ZenithOptimedia's report found.

Mobile advertising is fueling the growth. ZenithOptimedia predicts that advertising geared for smartphones and tablets will account for half the total growth in ad expenditures in North America this year. The mobile advertising market is estimated at $6.2 billion.

Although it is the fastest-growing segment, mobile ads still represent less than 4% of the total ad spend in North America.

Internet advertising continues to outpace growth in traditional ad platforms of television and print media. Television remains marketers' favorite medium, collecting nearly 40% of the total ad spend.

Worldwide ad spending is expected to grow 3.5% this year, surpassing the $500 billion mark -- thanks to a strengthening European economy and continued growth in developing nations, ZenithOptimedia found.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

The firm is predicting larger gains -- 5.1% in 2014 and 5.9% in 2015 -- as European economies continue to stabilize and improve.

Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe are posting the highest rates of expansion. Commercial spending in Latin America is expected to swell 9.6% this year, while Eastern Europe and Central Asia is on track to notch growth of nearly 11%.

However, the peripheral Eurozone region -- which includes the reeling economies of Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland -- is on track to post a 16% decline this year, ZenithOptimedia found.

Thank you Los Angeles Times