Tag Archives: dis

Facebook’s future is straight out of ‘WALL-E’

Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg has seen the future and it’s straight out of the Walt Disney (DIS) cartoon “WALL-E.” It’s not enough that Zuck’s Facebook already has millions of users glued to their smartphones. With Tuesday’s proposed $2 billion acquisition of virtual-reality headset maker Oculus VR, Facebook wants to control users’ entire field of vision. In the 2008 animated film “WALL-E,” obese humans spend their days in floating lounge chairs and staring at computer screens hovering just inches in front of their faces. These slothful people while the hours away sipping on jumbo sodas, video chatting with buddies and playing virtual golf and tennis. Irvine, Calif.-based Oculus VR is developing a virtual reality headset for video games, but Zuckerberg sees broader applications. Last week, Oculus announced plans to sell a $350 developer kit for its Oculus Rift goggles, set to ship in July. A consumer version of the headset…

DreamWorks Animation gets fleas from ‘Peabody’ dog

Just a few years ago, DreamWorks Animation (DWA) was a clear No. 2 animated movie studio behind Walt Disney’s (DIS) Pixar. Now after a string of box-office disappointments, it might not even rank fourth in the market. DreamWorks released its latest animated feature, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” on Friday to generally favorable reviews, but disappointing ticket sales. Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz on Monday lowered his estimates for the film and the company’s upcoming slate of films in a report titled, “‘Peabody’ Turns Out to Be Just Another Dog.” “‘Mr. Peabody and Sherman’ is off to a disappointing start,” Creutz said. “We are lowering our estimates for that film, but also for all future DWA original films, based on fact that the company has been piling up an increasingly alarming film body count over the past few years.” Creutz slashed his price target on DreamWorks to 21 from …

Dish, Disney Drop AutoHop, Expand Web Streaming

Dish Network (DISH) agreed to disable its ad-skipping “AutoHop” technology for ABC programming as part of a deal with Walt Disney Co. (DIS) that gives the satellite pay-TV broadcaster more rights to whisk content in and out of homes via the Internet. Dish gained rights for a Web-based subscription service that will stream TV shows, sports and movies produced by Disney cable TV channels, ESPN and broadcaster ABC. The deal covers live content and