Part I: The Curse of the Mogul
A must-read for followers of Big Media – or would it be High Media given the mogul personalities involved(?) – The Curse of the The Mogul delivers an academic treatment on how digital media is forcing the studio or communication mogul’s work to be more transparent and hence more competitive. It’s argued that in the past, the lure or image of Hollywood allowed more mogul leeway as running a studio, handing the creative industry, “managing a Jennifer Lopez,” etc. was harder to quantify. With digital both making the studio returns or numbers easier to read, public and shareable, creating transparency; and, lowering the cost of entry for new digital companies to immediately step into publishing, video and home entertainment, creating more competition, the mogul is more and more clearly “wearing the emperor’s clothes” in a quickly diminishing empire or moguldom. Read more >>
Jim Cameron’s Avatar Movie Video
Jim Cameron’s latest – click here for the exclusive video link via UK’s The Sun. Good to see News Corp controlling the exclusive, although surprised MySpace didn’t get the first placement. With very strong anticipation tracking, Avatar cries out for some understanding of the main character – not the 3d or special effects – but the actual blue creatures.
Looking forward to some viral backstory on this tribe. Audiences want to live and breathe these characters, and their human counterparts. It’s all about conditioning people online in advance of the big picture pay-out. 20th Century Fox has the right team, imho, to pull this off brilliantly. View the video: The Sun link
Simon Cowell, America’s Idol-Maker
UPDATED: Ryan Seacrest just received $15 million in 3 year contract with CKX, parent of 19 Entertainment/”Idol” Producer. (7/13/09) It’s not a bad time to be the “bad boy” of American Idol, or better the “British invasion of blunt taste,” i.e., Simon Cowell. With a recession-proof request to re-up at Idol - from Cowell’s current $36 million per year (we’re assuming little if any individual merchandising tied to the show) to $144 million a year, and a newco deal with Sir Philip Green, a UK retail magnate, in Greenwell Entertainment, Cowell seems poised to take advantage of a struggling tv, talent and reality marketplace. Similar to what the falling fallen music business is doing, media studios are presumably locking in 360-degree deals with their talent, whereby the economics become all-inclusive and hedged beyond a single property.
Per Silicon Alley Insider, by way of the New York Post:
While $36 million may seem like a lot of money for five months worth of snarky comments and eye-rolls, it’s only a fraction of the estimated $900 million that “Idol” rakes in a year. As the lynchpin of the show — without him there would be no one to hate and no dramatic tension with Paula Abdul — Cowell believes he’s due for a raise.
Credit goes to Simon and Sir Philip for seeing an opportunity. Cowell brings contrast to Idol - among other spectacles – and really shines a light on the US celeb fascination. While everyone else fawns, he weaves in hyper criticism to the aspiring young singers (and Abdul and Seacrest).
MySpace Facelifts COO+CPO: Michael Jones, Jason Hirschhorn
Fox Chief Digital Officer Jon Miller is a busy recruiter these days. After bringing in Owen Van Natta as new CEO, Michael Jones (formerly of Userplane which sold to Miller’s AOL, and recently Tsavo Agency) and Jason Hirschhorn (formerly President of Sling Media and CDO of MTV Networks) as COO and CPO (Chief Product Officer), respectively. Think “AOL + MTV [x Facebook] = New MySpace.” After the jump, insight into where this troika takes MySpace to innovate the social network/portal. Read more >>
Peter Chernin to Exit Murdoch’s News Corp., Who Wins?
We wouldn’t have predicted such a move with the succession plans of most studio heads being ‘muddled’ at best, but Rupert Murdoch (Innovator/Benefactor) has made a industry-loud judgment call. Based on Murdoch’s legacy plan for his son, James Murdoch, to take over from Chernin, News Corp. President & COO, this leaves Chernin with a 6-year production deal, $40M in severance and a number of other high-flying amenities. So, who wins? Chernin or Murdoch? More after the jump… Read more >>