Tag Archives: dwa

Mom Survey: Upside For Netflix, Toy Makers, Disney In Media Trends

Netflix ( NFLX ) has a growing audience among kids, and there’s upside in merchandising for programming partners Dreamworks Animation, Walt Disney ( DIS ) and others, says a Piper Jaffray report on trends in family media and toy purchases. According to the Piper Jaffray survey of 428 mothers on media and consumer products, Netflix accounted for 19% of kids’ video viewing, up from 14% a year earlier. “We believe Dreamworks ‘ ( DWA ) massive output deal to Netflix positions the company right in the center of a paradigm shift in youth entertainment,” said Stan Meyers, a Piper Jaffray analyst. Netflix has been investing in kids’ programming , including deals with Disney and Dreamworks. Piper Jaffray has buy ratings on Dreamworks, Disney and toy-maker Hasbro ( HAS ). It rates Mattel ( MAT ) at neutral. UBS, meanwhile, initiated coverage on toy makers Thursday, rating Mattel a buy with a price point of 36. UBS rates Hasbro neutral. IBD’s Leisure Toys-Games group is ranked No. 47 out of 197 industry groups. Hasbro has a Composite Rating of 94 out of a possible 99, while Mattel’s CR is 87. According to the Piper Jaffray survey, frequent moviegoers spend $481 annually on toys, 90% more than the occasional moviegoers. Nearly 80% of mothers picked Disney and its Pixar unit as their most preferred brand when selecting a film for their child.

Tech Firms Draft Neeson, Schwarzenegger For Super Bowl 50 Ads

Last year, tough-guy actor Liam Neeson made a splash in a Super Bowl ad promoting mobile video game “Clash of Clans” from Super Cell. But this year, he’s switched teams. For Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, he will be promoting LG Electronics’ flagship OLED TV. The spot is LG’s first-ever Super Bowl ad. Several tech companies, including LG, are using star power in their Super Bowl 50 commercials to increase their buzz factor. Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger will be hawking Machine Zone’s war-themed smartphone game, “Mobile Strike.” During last year’s big game , Machine Zone advertised its mobile game, “Game of War: Fire Age,” in a spot that featured model Kate Upton. Website-hosting service Squarespace recruited the comedy team of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele for a Super Bowl ad and to provide live commentary online during the big game. Amazon.com ( AMZN ) roped in actor Alec Baldwin, football great Dan Marino and hip-hop artist Missy Elliott for an ad to promote Amazon’s Echo smart-speaker with Alexa voice controls. Amazon is a first-time Super Bowl advertiser this year along with LG and PayPal ( PYPL ). Wireless carrier T-Mobile ( TMUS ) hired rapper Drake to spoof his hit song “Hotline Bling” in a Super Bowl 50 ad. Apartments.com is using its regular pitchman Jeff Goldblum in an ad that features hip-hop star Lil Wayne. Website-hosting company Wix.com ( WIX ) took a different approach, commissioning a computer-animated ad from DreamWorks Animation ( DWA ) that also serves as a tie-in to DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 3,” now in theaters. Super Bowl ads are pricey, but generate considerable press and social media interest. This year, 30-second spots are selling for upward of $5 million. Other tech companies advertising during Sunday’s game include financial software firm Intuit ( INTU ) and action-camera maker GoPro ( GPRO ).  

Can This Film Studio Crack China’s Movie Market?

With core franchises like “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” Dreamworks Animation (DWA) has “universal appeal that’s playable, repeatable and available.” That’s according to Macquarie, which reiterated an outperform rating on the animated-film studio Wednesday. Macquarie says Dreamworks is expected to capitalize on the Chinese movie market, which is projected to become the largest in the world by 2018.