Darkbeer
02-11-2004, 11:32 AM
Comcast Changes Channels On Disney (http://www.forbes.com/business/2004/02/11/cx_ah_0211dis.html) - Forbes, 2/11/04
QuikQuote: On a conference call, Comcast Vice President Stephen Burke outlined the company's plans for a combination with Disney. The first job, he said, would be to get Disney back to profitability levels of the past. It's an operation he knows well: He was president of Disney's ABC from 1996 to 1998. Burke said that profits at ABC are lagging those of rival networks like General Electric's NBC, and Viacom's CBS, saying the combined operations of the ABC networks and its affiliate TV stations are just breaking even. He called ABC's Family Channel "a major drag" on its operations. "We think we understand the cable business and that we can address this," Burke said.
Burke also said a newly combined Comcast and Disney would extend a new hand of friendship to Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs walked away from talks to extend the successful Disney-Pixar partnership in producing, financing, promoting and distributing computer animation feature films like the Toy Story series and last year's hit Finding Nemo. The move was widely seen as a powerful blow to Disney and to Eisner. "Ten years ago Disney was an animation powerhouse," Burke said. "But in the last five years Disney's biggest hits have come from Pixar. Our goal would be place Disney Animation once again at the center of the company."
Less clear were Comcast's plans for Disney's theme park business, which has struggled in recent years. On that topic Burke said only that the combination would present an opportunity to promote the theme park to Comcast's customers. "It's a good business and one that can get better."
QuikQuote: On a conference call, Comcast Vice President Stephen Burke outlined the company's plans for a combination with Disney. The first job, he said, would be to get Disney back to profitability levels of the past. It's an operation he knows well: He was president of Disney's ABC from 1996 to 1998. Burke said that profits at ABC are lagging those of rival networks like General Electric's NBC, and Viacom's CBS, saying the combined operations of the ABC networks and its affiliate TV stations are just breaking even. He called ABC's Family Channel "a major drag" on its operations. "We think we understand the cable business and that we can address this," Burke said.
Burke also said a newly combined Comcast and Disney would extend a new hand of friendship to Pixar CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs walked away from talks to extend the successful Disney-Pixar partnership in producing, financing, promoting and distributing computer animation feature films like the Toy Story series and last year's hit Finding Nemo. The move was widely seen as a powerful blow to Disney and to Eisner. "Ten years ago Disney was an animation powerhouse," Burke said. "But in the last five years Disney's biggest hits have come from Pixar. Our goal would be place Disney Animation once again at the center of the company."
Less clear were Comcast's plans for Disney's theme park business, which has struggled in recent years. On that topic Burke said only that the combination would present an opportunity to promote the theme park to Comcast's customers. "It's a good business and one that can get better."