Disney’s ‘Frozen’ Passes ‘Toy Story 3′ as the highest grossing  Animated Film of all time! $1.072B Worldwide. The two time Oscar winner earned 1.072B worldwide moving ahead ahead of another Disney movie,Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, to make it to No. 10 on the all-time worldwide box office chart.

It’s official,  The Walt Disney Company has agreed to buy Maker Studios, one of YouTube’s largest networks, for $500 million with a potential price tag of  $950 million if Maker hits certain performance milestones.

Maker Studios, founded in 2009, is one of the largest video production networks on Google Inc’s YouTube. Its producers target the younger millennial generation, known for its high appetite for online video. Maker helps produce and distribute videos to more than 380 million subscribers worldwide across more than 55,000 channels. Its videos now collectively garner some 5.5 billion views every month, according to the source.

This deal  makes Disney a major online video distributor and should help draw more teens into the Disney entertainment empire.

(source: Reuters)

 

Full Press Release:

BURBANK, Calif., March 24, 2014 – Furthering its goal of bringing content to consumers on all the platforms they prefer, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) has agreed to acquire Maker Studios, the leading network of online video content on YouTube.
Maker Studios shareholders will receive total consideration of $500 million, and a performance-linked earn-out of up to $450 million if the strong performance targets are met.

With more than 55,000 channels, 380 million subscribers and 5.5 billion views per month on YouTube, Maker has established itself as the top online video network for Millennials.

By acquiring Maker Studios, Disney will gain advanced technology and business intelligence capability regarding consumers’ discovery and interaction with short-form online videos, including Disney content.

“Short-form online video is growing at an astonishing pace and with Maker Studios, Disney will now be at the center of this dynamic industry with an unmatched combination of advanced technology and programming expertise and capabilities,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company.
“Disney is synonymous with the best entertainment and is the ideal partner for us, strengthening our position as the leading player in online video,” said Ynon Kreiz, Executive Chairman and CEO of Maker Studios.

Maker Studios will report to Disney Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo. Maker Studios will remain headquartered in Culver City, Calif., with operations in New York and London.

The transaction, which is subject to regulatory clearances, is expected to close in Disney’s third fiscal quarter.

Disney’s Muppets Most Wanted” will be promoted during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday February 2 in a Toyota USA commercial for the All-New 2014 Toyota Highlander.

View the Commercial HERE:

http://youtu.be/N5A3R4XqhOA

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier have been confirmed for trailer spots during Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2.

The sporting final is usually the highest-viewed television event of the year, with Fox charging over $4 million for a 30-second advertising slot.

Last year the Super Bowl attracted 108.7m viewers, and this year’s game between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks is expected to set a new viewership record.

Here’s a special teaser of new footage from Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

 

 

As the deadline looms for the close of Oscar nomination polls , today at 5pm, a large number of potential voters are still not even close to seeing the key movies, whether in theaters or making a dent in that pile of screeners at home. A more limited voting pool could lead to a surprising outcome, and this year it seems there are many members struggling to check out all the contenders. Last year then-Academy President Hawk Koch boasted on the day of nominations that with the help of the (then-controversial) new online voting system, turnout was the largest in recent Academy history. Hoping not to fall off the pace, new President Cheryl Boone Isaacs has been sending recorded messages urging voters who haven’t marked their ballots yet to get them in before the deadline.

The campaigning for votes is well underway. Millions spent on advertising. Whispering campaigns. Favors called in, articles solicited, letters written – It’s all part of the race to win Academy Awards, which in Hollywood is a sport as bloody as bullfighting and as precise as fencing.

 

On January 16th, tune into ABC’s Good Morning America for the live  2014 Oscar Nominations. The 2014  86th Oscars will be  hosted by Ellen DeGeneres  and will be presented on Sunday, March 2nd at 7e|4p only on ABC!

 

Take a first look at  this year’s Oscar Trailer: