Disney Channel

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:48am on Friday, November 13th, 2009

Cable Network Revenues Drive 18 Percent Rise In Disney Profit, the Wall Street Journal reported on November 13, 2009:

"Walt Disney Co. said fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 18%, driven by strength at its cable networks, and its key theme parks division showed signs of improvement.

The results followed news of a management shake-up in which Disney said Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs would switch positions with the head of its parks division, Jay Rasulo.

It's unclear how the move might fit into any succession plans for chief executive Robert Iger, 58 years old. People close to the company said the job swap didn't indicate a succession horserace."

The full story:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703811604574531793819250038.html

Eric Kallgren    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 12:36pm on Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Mickey goes to Moscow...

On December 16, 2008, the New York Times reported that Disney will launch a channel in Russia:

"Disney said on Tuesday that it would introduce a broadcast version of the Disney Channel in Russia, a market the company has identified as part of its growth strategy and one that Western entertainment companies have been trying to crack for a decade with little success.

“We believe there is vast growth to come out of this market, despite the near-term economic turmoil,” said Andy Bird, president of Walt Disney International.

The 24-hour branded channel, set to make its debut next year, will immediately give Disney a larger entertainment foothold in Russia than any of its rivals, analysts said. The closest is Viacom, which licenses certain MTV content to a broadcast channel owned by a Russian media company. Other channels, like VH1, appear on cable and satellite, but those delivery routes reach only about 5 percent of the country.

Disney plans to introduce its channel by working with Media-One Holdings Limited, a Russian broadcaster that operates 30 television stations that reach 75 percent of the country and the bulk of its population."