Walt Disney Co.

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Shanghai Disney Under Way
 Shanghai Disney Under Way 

Shanghai Disney Under Way

CEO: It will be 'both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese'

(Newser) - After a long wait , Mickey’s new home in China is officially under construction. The iconic mouse joined Disney CEO Robert Iger and top Shanghai officials—as well as Goofy, Princess Jasmine, and other friends—for a groundbreaking ceremony today at the future site of Shanghai Disneyland, the Los Angeles ...

Disney's New Plan: Stalk the Maternity Ward

Parents will be subjected to onslaught before leaving hospital

(Newser) - Picture this touching moment: You’re in the hospital, aglow from the birth of your first child … when a Disney rep accosts you, offering you free stuff in exchange for joining an email list. That’s basically the plan Disney came up with after realizing, to its utter dismay,...

Watchdog: Disney Bags Have Too Much Lead

Shopping bags exceed federal limit for kids, says group

(Newser) - An environmental watchdog group says two versions of plastic Disney shopping bags go way over the federal limit for lead in kids' products. The Center for Environmental Health tested the reusable Toys Story and Cars bags sold by Safeway—the chain says the bags are no longer for sale—and...

Now You Can Live in Disney World
 Now You Can Live 
 in Disney World 
real estate dept

Now You Can Live in Disney World

In an $8M vacation home built on theme park land

(Newser) - For the child in all of us who happens to have a very adult-size bank account, Walt Disney Co. will offer vacation homes in its Florida theme park. The company, which unveiled the proposed 980-acre Golden Oak development today, is gambling on a rebounding luxury real estate market in a...

Hulu to Add $9.95 Subscription Plan

But some content will still be free

(Newser) - Hulu is done giving out all its content for free. The web's second most popular video site plans to implement a $9.95-per-month subscription service as soon as May 24, sources tell the LA Times . But don't panic, cheapskates; the most recent five episodes of most shows will still be...

Disney Reinventing Stores as 'Imagination Parks'

Apple's expertise will help transform shopping into entertainment

(Newser) - Disney has unveiled ambitious plans to bring the theme park to the shopping mall by turning its network of stores into interactive "Imagination Parks." The overhaul—designed using the expertise of Steve Jobs and his Apple Stores team—will cost some $1 million per store and focus...

Disney to Buy Marvel for $4B
 Disney to Buy Marvel for $4B 

Disney to Buy Marvel for $4B

(Newser) - The Walt Disney Co. says it is acquiring Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man into the Disney family. Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters. Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash plus...

DreamWorks Nails Down Disney Deal
DreamWorks Nails Down
Disney Deal

DreamWorks Nails Down Disney Deal

Spielberg's studio to get financing, distribution for six films a year

(Newser) - Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks has secured a distribution deal with Disney, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under the agreement, Disney will handle marketing and distribution for six live-action DreamWorks films per year and give Spielberg’s studio access to $150 million in financing.

Disney's Worldly Approach Makes HSM a Global Smash

(Newser) - The success of High School Musical 3 proves that 293 million tweens can't be wrong. The series’ third installment debuted No. 1 in 19 international markets, confirming Disney's success with a strategy that marries the franchise’s universal themes to local cultures, Time reports. “You weave it together, forming...

Ex-Bush Aide: Swing Vote Stole My Story

Talking head sues, saying he gave similar script to Grammer

(Newser) - An ex-Bush aide has sued Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, and Disney, claiming the plot and marketing elements of the recently released movie Swing Vote were originally his, the AP reports. Bradley Blakeman, now a TV commentator, says in a federal lawsuit that he gave Grammer a screenplay that the Frasier...

Google Weighs New Venture Capital Arm

Search engine giant may look to seed start ups

(Newser) - Google is planning to launch a venture capital arm, the Wall Street Journal reports, and has hired an entrepreneur who's also been an investor to head the project. Other tech firms, including Intel, Motorola, and Comcast, already have VC units. Just how big a commitment Google will make and what...

Disney Now Offering Free Movies Online

Ad-supported films a new strategy for company

(Newser) - Disney has launched a new internet service streaming full-length movies for free, CNET reports. The company will be offering one movie a week on its website, making it available for a few days after it's shown on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney. This week's offering is Finding Nemo.

Disney Bucks Economy, Sees Net Rise 22% in Q2
Disney Bucks Economy,
Sees Net Rise 22% in Q2
Earnings Report

Disney Bucks Economy, Sees Net Rise 22% in Q2

Recession, gas prices can't stop entertainment giant's gains

(Newser) - Even rising gas prices couldn’t dent Disney’s second-quarter earnings. The company’s theme park earnings climbed 33%, helping push its overall net up 22% from a year ago, reports the Wall Street Journal. Disney also recorded a 61% jump in earnings from its movie arm and a 14%...

Networks Wrangle Over Project Runway
 Networks Wrangle 
 Over Project Runway 
OPINION

Networks Wrangle Over Project Runway

Show's switch is Buffy all over again

(Newser) - The upcoming switch of the smash hit Project Runway from Bravo to Lifetime could be Buffy the Vampire Slayer all over again, Andrew Wallenstein writes in the Hollywood Reporter. Buffy's switch from the WB to UPN "spelled the death knell for a once-mighty brand." Meanwhile, Bravo parent NBC...

Disney Monorail Gets a Facelift
Disney Monorail Gets a Facelift

Disney Monorail Gets a Facelift

First of many '08 cosmetic upgrades set for February

(Newser) - Disney's once-futuristic elevated train has gotten its first facelift in 20 years, with the arrival at Disneyland Thursday of the first new cars in a series of planned upgrades to the monorail. The cars, to be unveiled in February, feature blue glass windows and red stripes that change color in...

Disney Ditches Cellphone Service
Disney Ditches Cellphone Service

Disney Ditches Cellphone Service

Company may lose big after second mobile marketing flop

(Newser) - Walt Disney Co. has just announced the closure of its Disney cellphone service, which it launched last year with high hopes of targeting a family market with features like Mickey Mouse ring tones and tools enabling parents to locate their children. The news follows on the heels of Disney's decision...

Disney Goes Native in New Markets
Disney Goes Native in New Markets

Disney Goes Native in New Markets

No more force-feeding US product in India, China, Latin America

(Newser) - The Walt Disney Co., failing in its efforts to sell American product in foreign markets, is retooling its overseas strategy to partner with local players.  With an eye on five enormous markets—India, China, Latin America, Russia, and South Korea—the entertainment icon is abandoning its go-it-alone approach to...

Stories 61 - 77 | << Prev