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[RivShore]

No, I think she was saying that she expected the neighbors to bring in that diversity, but they did not. I don't know if the writer didn't want to change it. Maybe there were no neighbor characters at all, though there usually are. I don't know - it doesn't seem that hard though - there are always many types of characters that can be used.

Ah, I read it as she was saying it wasn't enough. Your right though, it should not be that hard!

 

[jade1]

Seems weird, how is it a good story under thier terms, if it's about a white family?

Wouldn't a good story under their terms allow it to apply to any family breakdown?

 

[BrianL]

Seems weird, how is it a good story under thier terms, if it's about a white family?

Wouldn't a good story under their terms allow it to apply to any family breakdown?

I think they were saying that it was a good story about a white family but the the writer didn't inject any other characters into the mix to increase diversity, something they easily could have done. I can't really understand how it was a dealbreaker though unless the writer flat-out refused to make adjustments, which is unfortunate if so.

 

[Jwaire]

No, I think she was saying that she expected the neighbors to bring in that diversity, but they did not. I don't know if the writer didn't want to change it. Maybe there were no neighbor characters at all, though there usually are. I don't know - it doesn't seem that hard though - there are always many types of characters that can be used.

That's not what she was saying. "For onscreen representation, the guidelines called for 50 percent or more of regular and recurring characters to come from underrepresented groups and the same percentage for the actors who play those parts."

Ah, I read it as she was saying it wasn't enough. Your right though, it should not be that hard!

That's exactly what she meant. She's saying she's not picking up a show about a white family with minority neighbors no matter how good it is. They want at least 50% of the principal characters to be from an underrepresented group.

By those standards, much of ABC's previous sitcoms and shows would have never been greenlit including shows like The Middle, The Goldbergs, Boy Meets World, Step by Step, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, 8 Simple Rules, Home Improvement, Full House, etc. Even Grey's Anatomy, which is a fairly diverse show now, wouldn't have met those requirements in the first few years.

Would Modern Family even qualify?

ABC is currently in third place, and even that is volatile as Fox has beaten it several times for third place over the past few years.

Seems like cutting off your nose despite your face.

 

[The Jackal]

That's not true either. All segments of TWDC were profitable in Q1 2024 except Sports.

Sports was not profitable because of Star India, which they are desperately trying to dump/merge with partners.

Parks just has the momentum (partly due to higher prices, cost cutting like entertainment and guest services and a lack of serious investment at least domestically).

Wow. One whole quarter. Let’s just forget about the years of millions ( probably billions) of dollars of losses. That only happened because of the writers strike, in which the actors joined in and guess what Disney wasn’t spending money on making movies and shows.

Star India lost the rights to Cricket which is probably the most popular sport in India, so every one dumped it. So they could watch it on the provider that has it

Parks are down in attendance. Disney is just charging more for everything to make up for it. This is not a sustainable plan if attendance gets smaller and smaller. Remember when Genie + was $15 a day. I do, it’s a lot more now. Guess what is opening up next year in Orlando. A new theme park. Disney is gonna have to do something special to get people to come. Free arrival day water park passes isn’t enough and most will not use them because they can’t. Water parks close at between 6:00 PM, a lot of people arrive too late to use them.

I’m sorry if you think I am anti Disney, I’m not. I own 550 DVC points. I have had an AP since 2017. I own some Disney stock. All I can say is prior to Peltz announcing his proxy fight. My Disney stock was doing much better under Chapek than Iger after his return. Was I a fan of Chapek, no, it looked like he just cut and removed things from the parks. In reality it appears he was just doing what his boss wanted.

 

[Jwaire]

Wow. One whole quarter. Let’s just forget about the years of millions of dollars of losses.

Do your research, it's not one quarter. They were profitable EOY 2023, 2022 and 2021 too. They haven't had a net loss since 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Some segment (Entertainment, Parks and Sports) revenue has been depressed compared to previous years (mainly due to Disney+), but overall the company has been profitable and it's not just because of parks.

Just because linear networks or the studio is not making the same revenue it made pre-COVID, doesn't mean it's not still profitable.

You can dig through all the quarterlies here: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/investor-relations/

 

[irlandaise]

Deal Talks Between Paramount and Skydance Heat Up​

Shari Redstone is getting one step closer to selling her media empire.

Paramount, home to one of Hollywood’s most storied movie studios as well as CBS and cable networks like Nickelodeon, has been discussing entering into exclusive talks with the media company Skydance for a potential deal, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions. Moving to exclusive talks would be a significant step forward in a process that has been shrouded in uncertainty for months.
.....

Full story here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/02/business/media/paramount-skydance-exclusive-talks.html

 

[fatmanatee]

My Disney stock was doing much better under Chapek than Iger after his return.

Chapek was the beneficiary of a stock market that valued streaming growth above all else, even if they lost money doing it (and D+ was losing a lot of it).

 

[jade1]

Walden cited an example of receiving a script centered on a white family with the assumption that the diversity would come with the neighbors. “Pass,” she said.

Probably a rich white family from Brentwood, but only one black neighbor that played for the Bills.

 

[Jwaire]

It's over.

Disney prevails over Trian in board fight: Reuters​

Walt Disney Co has secured enough shareholder votes to defeat a challenge against its board mounted by Nelson Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Management, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney’s board directors safely ahead of Trian’s two challengers, that included Peltz and former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo, the sources said.


Blackwells Capital, another hedge fund that nominated three board director candidates at Disney, was also unsuccessful in its attempt, the sources said.

The result of this year’s most high-profile board fight will be announced at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, and the sources cautioned that there was always a possibility that some shareholders may change their vote. They requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

Spokespeople for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trian and Blackwells had no comment.

...

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/03/disney-prevails-over-trian-in-board-fight-reuters.html

 

[clarker99]

Wow. One whole quarter. Let’s just forget about the years of millions ( probably billions) of dollars of losses. That only happened because of the writers strike, in which the actors joined in and guess what Disney wasn’t spending money on making movies and shows.

Star India lost the rights to Cricket which is probably the most popular sport in India, so every one dumped it. So they could watch it on the provider that has it

Parks are down in attendance. Disney is just charging more for everything to make up for it. This is not a sustainable plan if attendance gets smaller and smaller. Remember when Genie + was $15 a day. I do, it’s a lot more now. Guess what is opening up next year in Orlando. A new theme park. Disney is gonna have to do something special to get people to come. Free arrival day water park passes isn’t enough and most will not use them because they can’t. Water parks close at between 6:00 PM, a lot of people arrive too late to use them.

I’m sorry if you think I am anti Disney, I’m not. I own 550 DVC points. I have had an AP since 2017. I own some Disney stock. All I can say is prior to Peltz announcing his proxy fight. My Disney stock was doing much better under Chapek than Iger after his return. Was I a fan of Chapek, no, it looked like he just cut and removed things from the parks. In reality it appears he was just doing what his boss wanted.

Media is still very profitable and is rebounding as we approach streaming profitability. Parks are trending on a similar path as pre-covid.

Disney is a cash generating machine.

 

[clarker99]

It's over.

Disney prevails over Trian in board fight: Reuters​

Walt Disney Co has secured enough shareholder votes to defeat a challenge against its board mounted by Nelson Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Management, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney’s board directors safely ahead of Trian’s two challengers, that included Peltz and former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo, the sources said.


Blackwells Capital, another hedge fund that nominated three board director candidates at Disney, was also unsuccessful in its attempt, the sources said.

The result of this year’s most high-profile board fight will be announced at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, and the sources cautioned that there was always a possibility that some shareholders may change their vote. They requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

Spokespeople for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trian and Blackwells had no comment.

...

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/03/disney-prevails-over-trian-in-board-fight-reuters.html

Not all that shocking. Media made it seem close when it never really was. Now Peltz will take credit for why the stock has rebounded.

 

[Jwaire]

Not all that shocking. Media made it seem close when it never really was. Now Peltz will take credit for why the stock has rebounded.

Then he'll dump it.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/business/disney-peltz-trian-proxy-vote.html

Disney’s Annual Meeting Will Include a Thrill Ride

A nasty and expensive fight over board seats will come to a climax Wednesday when shareholders vote on Nelson Peltz’s bid for influence.
By Brooks Barnes
Reporting from Los Angeles
April 3, 2024, 5:04 a.m. ET

“Disruptive and destructive.” That is how Disney has referred to the activist investors who are pushing for seats on its board and influence over its strategy.

In return, the activists have called Disney “stupid” and mocked its purported turnaround as “a fanciful tale.”

Which side will prevail?

One of the largest, priciest and nastiest proxy contests in history will come to a head on Wednesday, when Disney is scheduled to virtually host its annual shareholder meeting. Trian Partners, an activist hedge fund run by Nelson Peltz, 81, has demanded two board seats and spent roughly $25 million pressing its case to other shareholders — to get them to vote for its candidates. A smaller activist investor, Blackwells Capital, is seeking three seats.

Disney has put forward its own slate of 12 directors and has said its get-out-the-vote campaign would cost up to $40 million.

At first, Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, seemed poised to easily defeat Trian. (Blackwells was never much of a threat.) Prominent Disney shareholders like George Lucas and Laurene Powell Jobs lined up to back him. Disney family members, including Abigail E. Disney, blasted Trian and Blackwells as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Analysts (Guggenheim, Macquarie) and shareholder advisory firms (Glass Lewis, ValueEdge) threw cold water on Mr. Peltz’s campaign.

But it has evolved into a much closer contest.

Mr. Iger’s job is not at stake. Now 73 and in his second stint as chief executive, he has vowed to leave Disney for good at the end of 2026. A loss, however, would taint his legacy — and potentially disrupt the company’s approach to streaming, theme park expansion and even the messages embedded in its movies.

 

[wabbott]

Balance of article:

Here is what to know.

Disney is likely to win, but there are no guarantees.​

In recent days, Disney has received crucial support in its effort to keep the dissidents off its board. BlackRock, which owns about 80 million Disney shares, voted to elect Disney’s slate on Monday, as did T. Rowe Price, which owns about nine million. Vanguard, which owns about 146 million shares, gave Disney its vote on Tuesday.

But the activists also have supporters. ISS, an influential proxy advisory firm, partly sided with Mr. Peltz, criticizing Disney’s succession planning. Mr. Peltz also won the backing of Egan-Jones, another advisory firm; it faulted Disney for unnecessarily veering into what it called “the killing fields of the culture wars.”

In voting for Mr. Peltz, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS, which owns about 6.6 million Disney shares, said the company would benefit from “fresh eyes.” It added that Mr. Peltz was “capable of leading needed change in corporate governance.”

Voting can take place until the last minute.​

Soon after the meeting starts at 10 a.m. Pacific time, Trian and Blackwells will have an opportunity to speak. Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s general counsel, will then announce that the polls have closed and announce the preliminary results.

Close elections are sometimes contested. In 2017, Procter & Gamble announced that its preliminary count of proxy votes showed that it had fended off Mr. Peltz, who was seeking a board seat. A subsequent vote tally showed that Mr. Peltz won with a margin of 0.0016 percent. The company later said that certified results showed Mr. Peltz losing but added him to its board anyway.

The election is a referendum on Mr. Iger’s leadership.​

While Mr. Peltz and Blackwells have sharply different views on how Disney should be managed — one wants “Netflix-like margins” of up to 20 percent in streaming, the other has floated splitting up the company — they have expressed the same basic motivation: Disney’s stock price is not high enough. The reason? Mr. Iger, they say, has not charted the proper course for Disney.

Shares were trading at about $122 on Tuesday, down from their peak of $197 three years ago.

Mr. Iger has responded like Captain America battling the ruthless Red Skull — that is, with startling force. He insists that a turnaround plan has taken hold and points to sharply improved financials, a new strategy for ESPN in the streaming age and a retrenchment at Marvel Studios to improve movie quality, among other initiatives.

Yes, Disney’s stock is down from three years ago, Mr. Iger has conceded. But it’s up from $81 six months ago.

Brooks Barnes covers all things Hollywood. He joined The New York Times in 2007 and previously worked at The Wall Street Journal. More about Brooks Barnes

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I'm staying long as I've been for years but this reeks of a sell the news for those playing Disney as a trade. Would look to add more in the 1teens.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

Can’t believe Disney spent $60 million on the board election. What a waste of money.

 

[Jwaire]

Can’t believe Disney spent $60 million on the board election. What a waste of money.

Reeks of desperation, to be honest. But look what happened to Eisner too. Iger didn't want a repeat of that. The Web site was so over-the-top though, votedisney.com.

More characters on that Web site than at Walt Disney World.

 

[RivShore]

It's over.

Disney prevails over Trian in board fight: Reuters​

Walt Disney Co has secured enough shareholder votes to defeat a challenge against its board mounted by Nelson Peltz’s hedge fund Trian Fund Management, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney’s board directors safely ahead of Trian’s two challengers, that included Peltz and former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo, the sources said.


Blackwells Capital, another hedge fund that nominated three board director candidates at Disney, was also unsuccessful in its attempt, the sources said.

The result of this year’s most high-profile board fight will be announced at Disney’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, and the sources cautioned that there was always a possibility that some shareholders may change their vote. They requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

Spokespeople for Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trian and Blackwells had no comment.

...

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/03/disney-prevails-over-trian-in-board-fight-reuters.html

CNBC said this morning that the disclosure of voting results before the close of voting may be illegal and is certainly inappropriate for the company advisors to be releasing it. What a mess...

 

[RivShore]

Where is the $60M number coming from? They certainly did not spend much on outreach to individual shareholders, i hold what I consider a healthy number of shares and only got a few mailings and no calls (did receive one call from Trian). Where was all that money spent?