disney

On the heels of moves by CBS and NBC, The Walt Disney Company is going to put some of its classic TV programming online, according to Bloomberg.

The shows will be accessible on Disney.com, either for free or for a subscription price, Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger told shareholders at the company's annual meeting Thursday.

"Providing physical goods on DVD is tougher and tougher these days because shelf space is limited," Iger said.

Not to mention that people are increasingly expecting to find TV programming online.

Disney offers some ad-supported ABC and the Disney Channel programs … Read more

To: Disney executives From: Michelle Meyers, an aggravated mom Re: Your Hannah Montana shenanigans

Cut it out.

Are you intentionally trying to drive us parents crazy with what seems like the latest ploy to squeeze profit out of your youngest and most passionate consumers?

I'm referring to the Hannah Montana 3D concert movie, which you promoted last week as an exclusive seven-day theater release. The film subsequently broke online sales records, sold out in many venues, and sent parents into a frenzy amid concerns they might not get tickets for their excited young tweens. Some had to settle for … Read more

Sometimes it seems that Japanese phone makers target their products at children as much as adult consumers--in some cases even before they're born.

Disney Japan is no exception, of course, so it's no surprise that the Magic Kingdom of the Pacific is coming out with yet another mobile handset for kids. But its new DM001SH model, which MobileWhack says is produced jointly with Tokyo-based Softbank, looks decidedly more grown-up and polished than previous phones and other gadgets aimed at the kodomo market.

In fact, we wouldn't mind having one of these handsets either, with its 2.6-inch … Read more

Most any other day, this gold-plated MP3 player would likely be subjected to a good measure of disgust and ridicule. But compared with the horrendous Valentine's version that assaulted our senses recently, it actually looks decent.

This limited-edition collaboration of iRiver and Disney is oddly described as an "'assassin's mace' of a device," according to Engadget. Whatever that means, it's double the price of the regular 1GB MPlayer at about $123. ("Assassin's mace"?)

Once again, the concept of "one step too far" seems to have eluded yet another gadget maker. And this time, appropriately enough, it involves one of the all-time leaders of marketing excess, the Magic Kingdom.

We agreed with fellow Craver Jasmine France in appreciating the clever and simple design of the "MPlayer," Disney's latest MP3 homage to Steamboat Willy (and much more appealing than previous players, we might add). Now the bad news: There's a hot pink version festooned with ears covered in Swarovski crystals, according to Tokyomango, apparently a misguided "Valentine edition&… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Studios know how to make money in the traditional way--in the theater, via broadcast television. But the Internet still has them slightly flummoxed.

True, most of the major film and television studios are embracing the Web. But the exact formula for distributing their content while still making money remains somewhat up in the air.

Here at CES during a panel sponsored by Hollywood trade pub Variety, the heads of digitial distribution for Disney/ABC, Fox, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. discussed what is and isn't working for them.

All present were adamant that there is no one good … Read more

iParenting Media has become Disney's latest Mouseketeer. The Walt Disney Internet Group announced Tuesday it acquired iParenting Media.

The mouse house plans to integrate iParenting's content, reviews, and services into Disney Online's family oriented Web sites such as FamilyFun.com, Wondertime.com, and Family.com.

Besides offering content generated by various experts and professional writers, as well as users, iParenting operates a product review site, iParenting Media Awards. That, too, will be integrated into the Disney sites.

And financial terms of the deal? The mouse ain't talking.

NEW YORK--In his keynote speech on Wednesday morning at the Media and Money conference hosted by Dow Jones and Nielsen, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner talked about writers as though they were a minority group that he didn't particularly understand well. "I like writers. Some of my best friends are writers," he said as though attempting to save face. But nevertheless, his foremost epithet for the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike was "stupid."

"I see stupid strikes, and I see less stupid strikes. I see smart strikes," Eisner said in the … Read more

Disney has long had the reputation of being the ultimate control freak when it comes to its brand, which is no mean feat considering the endless stream of its products worldwide. In TVs alone this year, for instance, the Magic Kingdom has released themed models for everything from Pirates of the Caribbean to High School Musical.

But if branding is so important, then why not go straight to the source? That's what the company has done in Japan with the release of a 20-inch HDTV that features The Mouse himself, complete with a pair of his trademark four-fingered gloves … Read more