3-D: Coming to a Theater Near You (at a Glacial Pace)

Kara Swisher — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:38:41 +0000

A billion dollar investment in digital technologies, struck between a handful of Hollywood studios and a consortium of big theater chains, got little notice earlier this week.

Under terms of the deal, the entertainment companies agreed to help defray the costs of rolling out more advanced digital technologies in 20,000 theaters, which will eventually lead to being able to see more movies using technologies like 3-D.

Even though there will be about two dozen 3-D movies released in the next few years–think Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers in concert popping out of screens–a very small number of theaters across the U.S. can handle the advanced technology 3-D requires.

Why? Well, it apparently costs about $70,000 to upgrade a screen. While studios are only paying a small fraction of that cost, one hopes they understand that upgrading theater facilities will be increasingly important in the years ahead.

Because while the gimmick of getting audiences to wear polarized lenses–yes, you still need them–3-D alone is probably not what will prompt most people to up their movie theater attendance (although 3-D movies do attract more people and command much higher prices).

But, even as digital technologies have exploded everywhere, the theater experience has changed in a negligible way over time.

While questions swirl around whether such upgrades pay off, there is no question it will be hard to know without some effort on behalf of the entertainment industry.

One might imagine a much more immersive theater experience or new ideas from filmmakers–I am not creative enough to come up with any good ones–to amplify a movie.

So we’ll just have to wait for Hollywood to come up with something–well beyond Miley Cyrus or Nick Jonas jumping right into the seats.

Disney Combines Digital Units (Here's the Iger Memo)

Kara Swisher — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:52:17 +0000

In what is likely to turbocharge its heft in the digital space, according to an internal email sent out by Walt Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger, the entertainment company is combining its Disney Interactive Studios and the Walt Disney Internet Group.

The new unit, called Disney Interactive Media Group–will be headed by WDIG’s Steve Wadsworth.

WDIG has a wide range of properties, like Club Penguin and Disney.com. Disney Interactive Studios makes a range of games for Disney brands like “Hannah Montana” and “Wall-E.”

Here’s the memo, with email address removed:

From: Bob Iger
Sent: Wed Jun 04 19:44:22 2008
Subject: Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG)

In order to take advantage of rapid advancements in interactive digital media across all platforms as well as the convergence of connected console, Internet and mobile-based games, the company is combining Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) and the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) into a new unit–Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG)–effective immediately.

This new unit, which will be led by Steve Wadsworth, will have global responsibility for development and distribution of all Disney-branded interactive digital media and entertainment for all digital interactive platforms. Existing management teams will continue to run the combined group, and Steve will work with [DIS EVP and GM] Graham Hopper and the WDIG and DIS management teams to optimize for new opportunities this creates.

Digital media is a high priority for our company, and focusing all of our Disney-branded interactive digital media efforts in one group will ensure we are best positioned to maximize this emerging and dynamic opportunity. We have made fantastic progress through the efforts of Disney Internet Group and Disney Interactive Studios, and the combined organization will maximize the experience, expertise and talent of both groups across all platforms to be a world-class interactive digital media company.

The uniqueness of the Disney brand provides us an opportunity and an imperative to create a unified Disney-branded experience and community across all connected devices. Additionally, as console and handheld games become more connected to the Internet, and as Internet and mobile become increasingly robust destinations for games and a range of interactive entertainment, we are taking this opportunity to integrate these activities.

We have strong momentum in place in all of our digital media areas, and I’m confident that the newly combined DIMG management team will create one new organization that is well-integrated to maximize the opportunities that we have before us.

Thank you for your great work to date and for what you will do in the future, as we strive to be the very best in the digital media and entertainment space.

Bob

BoomTown » Hannah Montana

3-D: Coming to a Theater Near You (at a Glacial Pace)

Disney Combines Digital Units (Here's the Iger Memo)