Thursday, April 23, 2015

Berkshire-Hathaway

So says the trade press:

... “Disney is the new high-water mark with brands,” says Tony Wible, an analyst with Janney Montgomery Scott. “It puts them through their various distribution networks — from TV to merchandising to licensing — and the studio is the birthplace for all of that.” ...

Warner Bros. is borrowing liberally from the Disney/Marvel model by launching a series of interlocking superhero films based on its DC Comics properties. ... Sony has announced that it views its upcoming “Ghostbusters” reboot as the first step toward crafting a “shared universe” encompassing TV shows and merchandising that’s pegged to the proton-pack-wielding ectoplasm-fighters. At the same time, Hollywood players are in a mad rush to snap up anything with a whiff of franchise to it, ranging from anime series to Stephen King novels. ...

Everybody cribs from everybody, particularly when a movie is wildly successful. Star Wars brought Star Trek, the Movies to life. Profitable low-brow comedies beget more comedies. For twenty years, animated features have been a growth industry due to Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King and Toy Story.

Robert Iger raised the concept of interlocking movie companies to a high art. Now other entertainment conglomerates are trying the same thing. And Jeffrey Katzenberg is pushing to remold DreamWorks Animation into a smaller version of the multi-brand corporate octopus.

Everybody imitates winning strategies.

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