AT&T's WarnerMedia & Discovery merger streaming consolidation 2 2

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 6/10/2022 at 9:22 AM, Bosco685 said:

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group COO Carolyn Blackwood Departing

Does that mean Hamada is out of the picture?

I thought that it was already-known that Hamada will be getting demoted, no?

[Bosco685]

On 6/10/2022 at 10:06 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

I thought that it was already-known that Hamada will be getting demoted, no?

No. Nothing official was announced on his place in WB other than DC will be a separate film division.

[Bosco685]

Quote

Warner Bros. Discovery’s brutal year in the stock market hit a new bottom, as shares of the media conglomerate sank 8.1% Thursday — taking a bigger punch than peers.

 

With the stock drop Thursday, to close at $13.65/share, WBD’s market cap stands at about $33.1 billion. That’s well under its current debt load of some $55 billion. The share price is down 45% since WBD began trading April 11 following the close of Discovery’s deal for WarnerMedia.

 

On Thursday, JPMorgan downgraded Warner Bros. Discovery stock from “overweight” to “neutral,” citing uncertainty about its direct-to-consumer streaming strategy. With the streaming wars in full throttle, “coming to the party late is a challenge for any DTC provider but particularly onerous” for WBD, which may not be able to be competitive in a “cluttered marketplace,” JPMorgan analyst Alexia Quadrani wrote in a research note.

 

Overall, major U.S. market indexes were down again Thursday. That came after Wednesday’s brief rally following the Federal Reserve’s move to raise its key interest rate by 0.75 percentage point, the biggest increase since 1994, in a bid to control inflation.

 

[kimik]

On 6/10/2022 at 8:06 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

On 6/10/2022 at 7:22 AM, Bosco685 said:

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group COO Carolyn Blackwood Departing

Does that mean Hamada is out of the picture?

I thought that it was already-known that Hamada will be getting demoted, no?

One can only hope he is finally gone. 

[Bosco685]

Quote

House of the Dragon, The Sandman and Harley Quinn will be showcased in a big way as Warner Bros. Discovery, still fresh from its merger, hits its first ever San Diego Comic-Con next month.

 

Yet the company, headed by CEO David Zaslav, is making big changes to its approach to Comic-Con as Warner Bros. divisions make their first appearance at the annual pop culture celebration in three years, due to pandemic reasons. For the first time, Warners, including DC, will have no presence on the convention floor, a move that breaks with decades of precedent. The company had one of the bigger presences on the floor, with movie and TV costumes on display. In some years, A-list stars such as the cast of Justice League or Watchmen appeared for signings.

 

Another big change: the CW shows, such as Flash, Superman & Lois, or the upcoming Supernatural prequel, will be absent as that broadcast network is facing a possible sale and had cancelled many of its shows.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s presence at Comic-Con is intended to reassure fans that the company still has them top of mind,  even as the merger remakes executive ranks and aligns the company’s divisions — including HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures and DC — in a new direction.

 

It’s still unclear what Warners’ theatrical division will bring, as those plans are still being hashed out, according to multiple insiders. The studio has a number of DC films due out later this year, such as DC League of Super-Pets, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, all of which open in July, October, and December respectively. These could all make appearances. Movies that are to open in 2023, such as The Flash and Blue Beetle, will not have panels, regardless of the presence, as they are considered too far out for any panel to have a meaningful impact.

 

[Buzzetta]

On 6/27/2022 at 3:04 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

I have said it numerous times.  The pandemic taught companies that there are different ways to do business and they no longer have to pay the exorbitant fees associated with the floor and hall space required to showcase their projects and products.  I like to use Hasbro as a model and the toy collecting community continues to crave more weekly announcements and "drops" than the once or twice a year comic con unveiling.  All it costs Hasbro is a couple of cameras and studio space at their headquarters. 

 

[Bosco685]

Quote

Nexstar Media Group Inc., NXST -0.89%▼ the nation’s biggest owner of local television stations, is close to a deal to acquire majority control of the CW Network from co-owners Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. WBD 1.90%▲ and Paramount Global, PARA -1.59%▼ according to people familiar with the matter.

 

Under the terms being discussed, Nexstar would acquire 75% of the CW, a broadcast network aimed primarily at teens and young adults, with Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining 12.5% stakes, the people said.

 

Nexstar isn’t expected to pay cash for the CW but instead would assume at least a significant portion of the network’s current losses, which could exceed $100 million, some of the people said. The talks could still fall apart, but the people familiar with the matter say an agreement could be finalized in the coming weeks.

 

[paperheart]

blame Ezra

Warner Bros. Sees Big Covid Outbreak As Rising Cases Hit Studios & Networks

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

We'll see how this plays out. But the one mention of DC Studios not being announced was made without speaking to it on the investor call.

 

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

"Zasipants"

[Bosco685]

Quote

Amid the shelving of the HBO Max film Batgirl and the clear desire of Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav to find new leadership for the DC universe, DC Films president Walter Hamada has come to the verge of exiting the studio and consulted with counsel, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Hamada has now agreed to remain in his post at least until the Oct. 21 release of the Dwayne Johnson film Black Adam, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. “He’s pausing,” says a source. “The decision has not been made to make this adversarial, yet.” Hamada could not be reached for comment.

 

An insider says Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who are overseeing DC until Zaslav settles on new leadership, informed Hamada at a recent Black Adam test screening that Batgirl, a $90 million film that was in post-production, would be shelved. The explanation was that given Zaslav’s strategy, the picture wasn’t strong enough to release theatrically and was too expensive for a streaming release. The company, under pressure to cut costs, elected to take a write-down on the project.

 

A source with knowledge of the situation says Hamada was upset at not being consulted, and concerned about the impact on those involved in making the film. On Aug. 2, before talent and their representatives had been informed of the decision, the New York Post broke the news that the film had been shelved. The Post reported that the film had low test scores and said a source described it as “irredeemable.”

 

[Gatsby77]

WBD stock is down nearly 17% this morning in early trading.

[kimik]

Why is Hamada still there if he is basically powerless? If he is no longer part of the leadership team, can him and bring in someone to helm the 10 year vision asap.

 

[Bosco685]

Quote

A day after unveiling its quarterly earnings, Warner Bros. Discovery shares were falling sharply in Friday trading as investors and analysts debated the Hollywood giant’s outlook for its combined streaming, or direct-to-consumer (DTC), strategy and cost-savings plan.

 

Some financial observers saw the need to reduce their stock price targets, and at least one expert also downgraded his stock rating, while others stuck to their ratings and targets. Here is a look at analysts’ actions and commentary after WBD’s Aug. 4 earnings disclosure.

 

Analyst: Wells Fargo’s Steven Cahall
Call: Downgrade to “equal weight,” slashed target from $42 to $19.
Report title: “A Glitch in the Matrix”

 

The analyst downgraded his rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery on Friday with movie references. “A Glitch in the Matrix,” he called his report, cutting his rating from “overweight” to “equal weight” and slashing his stock price target from $42 to $19. Management’s reduced 2023 financial guidance and more cautious streaming outlook “indicates a company going through a lot of post-merger growing pains,” he argued. “The assets are great, but the risks and capital structure create a greater range of outcomes.”

 

[kimik]

On 8/5/2022 at 11:31 AM, Bosco685 said:

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with WBDisc going forward. Their debt load is going to cripple them, and if Zaslav cuts too much from the HBOMax production budget he will not have enough new content to keep subscribers. Financially, the newco is going to struggle for a while as they do not have the power of the largest online retail business/iPhone and app store/SW and theme parks to cover losses like their main competitors do.

[Bosco685]

On 8/5/2022 at 1:36 PM, kimik said:

It will be interesting to see what happens with WBDisc going forward. Their debt load is going to cripple them, and if Zaslav cuts too much from the HBOMax production budget he will not have enough new content to keep subscribers. Financially, the newco is going to struggle for a while as they do not have the power of the largest online retail business/iPhone and app store/SW and theme parks to cover losses like their main competitors do.

That was part of the pre-April close date

On 3/10/2022 at 1:48 PM, Bosco685 said:

Discovery Raising $30 Billion In Mega Debt Sale To Fund Pending WarnerMedia Merger

It really has only been a little over 4 months since 'newco' was completed, allowing for go-forward restructuring.

Did anyone expect this decades of complexity to get sorted out that rapidly? Though what they are doing with streaming consolidation and production cancellations could have been handled much smarter.

[Lpgk]

 

On 8/5/2022 at 8:05 AM, Bosco685 said:

That was part of the pre-April close date

It really has only been a little over 4 months since 'newco' was completed, allowing for go-forward restructuring.

Did anyone expect this decades of complexity to get sorted out that rapidly? Though what they are doing with streaming consolidation and production cancellations could have been handled much smarter.

They are saying 10 year plan. Knowing how inept Warner and DC is, it will probably take 15 years to get to the culmination of a live action event such as Justice League or Infinity War type event. By that point, I'll be retired and hopefully sold off my collection. Most of the fans now that lovingly follow comic movies are probably in the same demographic. These guys really have no clue and no idea on how to redo anything.