Netflix to Stream Disney-ABC TV Content

Netflix, a leading online movie rental service, today (August 3) announced an agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group to stream ABC’s popular TV series from Netflix. The agreement will add top broadcast properties to its library of over 12,000 movies and TV episodes.

The deal will allow Netflix members to instantly watch the first five seasons of the hit ABC franchise “Lost,” seasons four and five of the pop culture phenomenon “Desperate Housewives,” season five of the critically acclaimed “Grey’s Anatomy,” and seasons one and two of the syndicated epic action-adventure fantasy series “Legend of the Seeker” from ABC Studios.

Many of the episodes, including the first four seasons of “Lost,” will be available from Netflix beginning August 1. The remainder will be available in subsequent months, beginning in September.

The agreement extends the online relationship between Netflix and Disney-ABC Television Group, which announced their first digital licensing deal last September. That agreement centered on original series from Disney Channel, including the hits “Hannah Montana,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “The Suite Life on Deck,” and Disney Channel’s two newest original series, “JONAS” and “Sonny with a Chance.”

That deal, which will continue, makes episodes available day-after-broadcast.

The new agreement, which was brokered by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, adds top broadcast properties to a growing library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes that Netflix members can watch on their computers and TVs at no additional monthly cost.

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Disney to Expand in Central and Eastern Europe

The Walt Disney Company today (May 26) announced that it will re-brand its Jetix channels in five Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to become Disney Channel, a leading kids TV brand.

Kid-driven, family inclusive Disney Channel is set to launch later this year in Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, increasing the channel’s distribution to 12 million households in the CEE region, says the company. Disney Channel will be localised for the market with programming dubbed in local languages.

Disney Channel series, according to the company, joined the Jetix CEE schedule last year and has helped strengthen the channel’s position.

Targeted at two distinct age groups, kids aged 2 to 5 and kids aged 6 to 14 and their families, Disney Channel will offer CEE viewers a mix of programming including live action favourites Hannah Montana, the animated series Phineas and Ferb and Disney Channel Original Movies High School Musical and Camp Rock.

The channel will also feature a daily Playhouse Disney programming block with a range of entertaining, learning-focused programming for preschoolers, including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny.

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The Singing Game – Disney Sing It: Pop Hits

Disney Interactive Studios today (May 7) announced that Disney Sing It: Pop Hits, the third game in the video-based karaoke video game franchise, will be released this fall. It features 30 master recordings and music videos from fan favorites, including Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Demi Lovato, Hannah Montana, Jesse McCartney, Coldplay and One Republic.

“Great music, chart-topping artists and immersive gameplay are the key components in making this franchise popular with tweens and families around the world,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “In addition to an exciting new collection of songs, the fun factor has been raised with new multiplayer elements that will bring hours of enjoyment to music fans of all ages.”

In Disney Sing It: Pop Hits, fans will enjoy familiar single and multiplayer game modes such as singing solo, duet and head-to-head. Players will learn how to sing from a professional in the newly expanded “Sing It Pro” mode.

Led by Disney Channel star Tiffany Thornton from “Sonny With A Chance,” this series of voice exercises runs through the basics of pitch and breathing, all the way up to harmonizing in a duet and riffing, says Disney. These exercises are designed to teach players how to sing so they can unlock special rewards based on vocal improvements as they play.

Slated for a fall release, Disney Sing It: Pop Hits follows last year’s release of Disney Sing It and this spring’s Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year. These titles provide an interactive social experience for fans, where they can team up or compete in lively performance battles with friends, says Disney.

Developed by Zoë Mode, the game will be available for Wii and PlayStation3. It will be sold as a standalone or bundled with one Logitech microphone for all systems.

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Obsessed is at the Top

Earning $28.5 million at the box office, the April 24 release Obsessed was at the top of the chart for the weekend, April 24-26. The data comes from Rentrak Theatrical’s Box Office Essentials theatrical box office data collection and analytical service.

Obsessed has done slightly better than the last week’s top movie, “17 Again,” which collected $24 million while running at 3255 locations. However, none – not even Hannah Montana –could beat the success of Fast & Furious that earned $72 million during its first weekend April 3-5.

Here are the top 12 with their weekend (April 24-26) gross and number of locations.

     1  Obsessed ($28,500,000 – 2541)
     2  17 Again ($11,665,000 – 3255)
     3  Fighting ($11,441,095 – 2309)
     4  The Soloist ($9,715,000 – 2024)
     5  Earth ($8,554,000 – 1804)
     6  Monsters vs. Aliens ($8,524,000 – 3358)
     7  State Of Play ($6,891,185 – 2807)
     8  Hannah Montana The Movie ($6,372,000 – 3231)
     9  Fast & Furious ($6,062,200 – 3566)
    10  Crank High Voltage ($2,400,000 – 2223)
    11  I Love You, Man ($1,936,000 – 1563)
    12  Knowing ($1,935,000 – 1860)

Now all eyes are on Twentieth Century Fox picture, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, which is releasing May 1. The movie is expected to do good business.

Also, aggressive campaigns are already happening to promote the new romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” Over a dozen finalists from Warner Horizon Television’s ABC series “The Bachelor” will be hosting local events and advance screenings of the film in the U.S., beginning today, April 27. This film is also releasing Friday, May 1.

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Hello! Movie Here…I Love You, Mobile

Hello! Movie Here…I Love You, Mobile

By Rakesh Raman

The romantic infatuation between movies and mobiles is now touching serious limits, as most young movies prefer to embrace mobiles in one form or the other – trailers, promos, games, et al.

Among the recent ones is Hannah Montana Star Moves mobile game, which is available on major wireless carriers. It’s a story-driven adventure in which Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana must outsmart aspiring pop star Mikayla, all while keeping Hannah’s big secret.

Also, for Universal Pictures’ April 3 release, “Fast & Furious,” mobile interactive ad company GoldSpot Media and Solid Ground Communications of Central Europe launched an interactive mobile trailer.

The trailers are available for download free-of-charge to Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones at select cinemas and other public locations throughout Germany. The interactive trailers offer the mobile viewer a one-click access to “Fast & Furious” sweepstakes contest and allows them to purchase movie tickets for the screenings of the film in select cinema chains in Germany.

While movie makers are increasingly offering film-based mobile games, iPhone family of devices are among the most popular handsets. For example, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution offered the Last Legion Games’ ‘Watchmen: Justice is Coming’ online multiplayer game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game is based on the film Watchmen, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures.
 
As Paramount Digital Entertainment is moving aggressively in the movie-mobile convergence market by bringing a slew of games on iPhones, it brought Shooter! The Official Movie Game produced in collaboration with Artificial Life for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Mobile craze is catching up even in underdeveloped film markets like India. Here movie makers using archaic production systems roll out a large number of films without any quality. However, they’re now trying to leverage the reach of mobile devices in the country.

Last year, a free mobile entertainment service mywaves entered Bollywood (a loose term for Mumbai-based Indian film industry) by signing a deal with Mukta Arts, a leading film studio. The partnership was supposed to cover mobile marketing, trailers, interviews, music videos, and outtakes of its films, beginning with Mukta Arts’ film, Yuvvraaj.

The Indian film producer had decided to use mywaves “click to download” advertising unit to help users get free Yuvvraaj wallpapers for their phones. Ringtones of popular Hindi film songs are already being used here by millions of mobile users. 

Film vendors’ eyes are obviously on the huge global mobile market, currently hovering around 4 billion mobile connections. Though all of these devices can’t support multimedia content like games or videos, still there are millions of smartphone users who could be potential movie content consumers. Plus, mobile operators would also be keen to bring their ARPU (average revenue per user) levels up by delivering high-quality entertainment content mainly based on Hollywood movies to mobile users.

Paramount Digital Entertainment and Freeverse are offering Days of Thunder, a stock car racing game for the iPhone and iPod touch from the Apple’s App Store. Paramount says it’s an action-packed excitement of full contact stock car racing while battling the field and racing your way to the finish line.

Paramount seems to have tremendous faith in mobile phones to promote its flicks. In December last year, it had introduced Iron Man: Aerial Assault game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game is based on the 2008 Marvel Studios film released by Paramount Pictures.
 
Also last year, Paramount and mobile game developer and publisher Magmic Games had launched mobile game on Eagle Eye, based on DreamWorks’ “Eagle Eye.” The game was designed in parallel with the movie’s climactic plot.

Games vendors are equally aggressive. Glu Mobile, a leading mobile games publisher, will launch a mobile game based on the summer blockbuster movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The movie is scheduled to be released on June 26, from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, in association with Hasbro.
 
Moreover, Gameloft, a developer and publisher of video games on mobile phones and consoles, has signed a licensing agreement with Fox Mobile Entertainment to develop, publish, and distribute the mobile game of the upcoming Fox action adventure-comedy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Movies-on-mobiles market will get further impetus with the availability of movies on another category of popular smartphones – BlackBerry. Now, BlackBerry App World is launched in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on April 1. It’ll provide BlackBerry smartphone users with easy access to games, social networking, and productivity applications on-the-go.

As games are being introduced for Android-powered devices, such as the T-mobile G1, you can hope to see movie-based content on them as well.

Though there are issues such as mobile’s form factor, short battery life, weak networks in most markets, and so on, still mobile screen is fast becoming the fourth most popular entertainment screen after theater, TV, and computer.

With the evolution taking place in the mobile market, it may soon be possible to deliver full-length feature film on a mobile device. So be ready to watch the next blockbuster on your mobile handset.

Now, it’s time for intermission.

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Boxoffice Blues

After the fast and furious performance of Universal Pictures’ action-thriller, Fast & Furious, making a whopping $72 million during its first weekend April 3-5, the boxoffice response to other new releases has been quite lukewarm. Even the loud and hyped Hannah Montana during its first weekend April 10-12 couldn’t reach even half the level of Fast & Furious.

The recent weekend, April 17-19, was even slower, as the topper “17 Again” could collect just $24 million while running at 3255 locations.

Here’s the list of top 12 with their weekend gross and number of locations for the period April 17-19, as reported by Rentrak Theatrical’s Box Office Essentials theatrical box office data collection and analytical service.

1 17 Again ($24,065,000 – 3255)
2 State Of Play ($14,099,090 – 2803)
3 Monsters vs. Aliens ($12,900,000 – 3662)
4 Hannah Montana The Movie ($12,666,000 – 3118)
5 Fast & Furious ($12,289,530 – 3674)
6 Crank High Voltage ($6,510,000 – 2223)
7 Observe And Report ($4,055,000 – 2727)
8 Knowing ($3,478,000 – 2405)
9 I Love You, Man ($3,370,000 – 2202)
10 The Haunting in Connecticut ($3,150,000 – 2255)
11 Dragonball Evolution ($1,575,000 – 2181)
12 Adventureland ($1,291,000 – 1412)

Box Office Essentials provides each studio with password-protected, real-time, web browser-based and 24/7 access to data pertaining specifically to their movie release titles. A toolset allows studio distribution executives to view and analyze the information at different levels of detail and across attributes (by theatre circuit, DMA, time zone, etc.).

Also Read:
Hannah Montana Coming with 18 Tracks
Hannah Montana The Movie is a Video Game
Movies and Money: Who Earned What
Beware, Your Theater Seats can also be Fast & Furious

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Hannah Montana The Movie is a Video Game

As a player, you can perform as Miley or Hannah for 11 hit songs, including five new songs from the film, in six different concert venues. In performance mode, you can launch signature dance moves and jam with band members on the drums, guitar and keyboard.

In story mode, explore Miley’s hometown of Crowley Corners to help family and friends complete responsibilities around town. Also, select outfits seen in the movie for Hannah and Miley or create and customize unique outfits for Hannah. Hannah’s tour bus, including the bedroom, closet and make-up area, can be customized to suit your imaginations.

Surprised? Yes, Disney Interactive Studios today (April 7) announced the next installment in the Hannah Montana video game franchise, Hannah Montana The Movie. It’s now available in U.S. stores.

Debuting the same week as Walt Disney Pictures’ “Hannah Montana The Movie,” the games promise fans a mix of hit songs and new adventures with their favorite characters for some down-home fun. Also releasing from Disney Interactive Studios, Hannah Montana Star Moves mobile game will bring the franchise’s adventures to players on all major wireless carriers.

“Hannah Montana The Movie video game taps into the familiar elements that have made the Hannah Montana franchise such a success – multi-faceted characters, hit music, and popular fashion,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Fans can further expand their experience with our mobile game, all of which combine to bring hours of fun to fans worldwide.”

Hannah Montana The Movie, available now for Wii home video game system, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3 lets fans play as Miley Stewart or her superstar alter ego Hannah Montana as she returns to her hometown of Crowley Corners, TN to explore and rediscover her roots.

Also available on Nintendo DS, it follows a similar storyline as the console game and lets fans perform nine songs, including four new songs from the film.

Developed by nSPace, the game is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

In addition, Hannah Montana Star Moves mobile game is available now on all major wireless carriers. It’s a story-driven adventure in which Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana must outsmart aspiring pop star Mikayla, all while keeping Hannah’s big secret. It has a suggested retail price of $6.99.

Disney Interactive Studios, part of Disney Interactive Media Group, is the interactive entertainment affiliate of The Walt Disney Company. It self publishes and distributes multi-platform video games, mobile games, and interactive entertainment content worldwide.

Also Read:
Hannah Montana Coming with 18 Tracks

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