More than four years after cable sports powerhouse ESPN launched its WatchESPN streaming service, DirecTV remains the only major pay-TV provider whose subscribers are unable to access it. But thanks to a new deal between the satellite company and ESPN’s parent company Disney, DirecTV customers will finally be able to get more value out of the most expensive channel on basic cable. [More]
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Broadcasters Get Court To Stop Consumers From Seeing How Much Cable Companies Pay For Content
By 11.14.14
The FCC is currently mulling over whether to give its stamp of approval to two huge mergers — Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV — and is intending to make information available to third parties about the deals that that these pay-TV giants make with broadcasters. But even though you and every other cable subscriber wants to know exactly how much Comcast pays for access to channels like ESPN, MTV, and the major networks, the broadcasters want that info kept under lock and key — and they’ve asked the court to stop it from possibly going public. [More]
Disney Has Sold 3 Million ‘Frozen’ Character Costumes, Plans To Sell More
By 11.4.14
As we shared before Halloween, this year some of the most popular costumes for girls (and a few boys) were the lead characters from the animated Disney movie “Frozen.” While the movie came out last winter, Disney announced that it remains popular, and they’re going to be putting even more “Frozen” merchandise, including costumes, on the shelves for the holiday season. [More]
Disney’s Search Engine Patent Lumps Movie Piracy In With Child Porn
By 10.31.14
The folks at Disney have patented a search engine that ranks and filters out results based on “authenticity” metrics, allowing it to exclude “undesirable” results, which it describes only as “results referencing piracy websites, child pornography websites, and/or the like,” lumping in people trying to watch Finding Nemo for free with dangerous sexual predators. [More]
Disney Wants Drone Patents So Puppets Can Fly Around In Air Shows
By 8.26.14
If the idea of hot air balloon creatures causes you to tremble — all those huge, leering smiles floating above like some kind of slow-moving demons just biding their creepy time — you might not want to think about puppets gamboling around in the sky controlled by drones. That’s exactly the future Disney is envisioning with three drone-related patents it’s working on. [More]
Amazon Picks Fight With Disney, Stops Pre-Orders Of Studio’s DVDs, Blu-Rays
By 8.11.14
Add another big media name to Amazon’s “enemy” list. Already this year, the online retail giant has picked fights with book biggie Hachette and home video superpower Warner, refusing to take pre-orders for these companies’ highly expected new releases while battling it out in boardrooms over a few pennies on the wholesale price. Now Amazon is using the same tactic to fight an even bigger media monster — Disney. [More]
Disney To “Significantly” Increase Star Wars Presence At Theme Parks
By 8.6.14
When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, it wasn’t just doing us all a favor by wresting the Star Wars films from the tinkering hands of George Lucas, nor was Disney merely thinking about box-office revenues from the eventual Star Wars sequels it would produce. Disney also has a few theme parks you might have heard of, and it thinks people might be interested in checking out a Star Wars attraction or two at these parks. [More]
Pirates Of The Caribbean Briefly Shut Down After Man Loses Fingers On Ride
By 7.11.14
Visitors to Disney World may have been a bit disappointed yesterday to find the Pirates of the Caribbean ride temporarily out of operation, but probably not as disappointed as the man who lost pieces of two fingers on the ride. [More]
Dish Network’s Internet TV Service Could Be Available This Summer
By 4.23.14
While a number of companies have been contemplating the launch of an Internet-only pay-TV service, it looks like Dish may be the first U.S. provider to do so, as reports say the satellite company is looking to start offering this stand-alone service as soon as this coming summer. [More]
Disney World Proposes Raising Starting Wages To $10/Hour
By 4.18.14
While lawmakers in D.C. argue over whether or not to raise the federal minimum wage, Walt Disney Co. has made an offer to the unions representing thousands of employees at its Disney World park in Florida that would raise employees’ starting pay from $8.03 to $10 over the course of the next two years. [More]
Parents Of Autistic Kids Sue Disney Over New Waiting Line Policy
By 4.10.14
In an effort to discourage some ethically questionable visitors who had been hiring disabled “tour guides” (or who pretended to be disabled themselves) in order to skip long lines at Disney park attractions, the company instituted a policy change last October. Rather than moving directly to the front of the line, these guests are given tickets that tells them when to come back so they don’t have to endure a wait in line. But some parents of autistic children have sued Disney over the policy, saying it goes too far and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. [More]
Dish & Disney Jump Into Bed Together With Deal That Limits DVR Ad Skipping On ABC Shows
By 3.4.14
While broadcasters have been grumbling over and fighting against Dish Network’s ad-skipping DVR in court, at least one company is getting awfully cozy with Dish. Walt Disney Co. signed a long-term deal with Dish to curtail the use of Hopper for ABC shows, the two companies confirmed last night. [More]
Disney Stops Providing Funding To Boy Scouts
By 3.3.14
For years, Disney’s Ears to You program has rewarded Disney employees’ volunteer efforts by donating money to various organizations for each volunteer hour worked. Until recently, various Boy Scout troop had benefited from these funds, but that appears to be put on hold because of Boy Scouts of America’s stance on homosexuality. [More]
Doritos Means “Little Golden Things,” And They Were Invented At Disneyland
By 1.31.14 — Updated: 6.12.17
People might have freaked out when a Starbucks opened within the Main Street Bakery at Walt Disney World, but how soon we forget. Cross-branding is nothing new. When Disneyland opened, it featured a Mexican(ish) restaurant called Casa de Fritos run by the Frito company. It was on New Orleans Street, near another product-placement eatery: Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House. It at the Casa de Fritos that the beloved Dorito was invented. Yes, really. [More]
Disney’s New Guest Bands Are Either Crazy Awesome Or Super Creepy
By 1.3.14
On the one hand, if you love large, furry, costumed characters, you’ll probably be tickled pink if Goofy waltzed up to you at Disneyland with your name on his lip’s as a greeting. But if you’re terrified of talking animals well then a Goofy who says “Hello, [Your Name]!” is the epitome of all your worst nightmares combined. Thus is the reality of Disney’s new trackable guest bands. [More]
Celebrate Public Domain Day… By Realizing That Not A Single Published Work Will Become Public Domain Until 2019
By 1.2.14
As happens every January, various pieces of literature, scholarship, film, music, plays, and other copyrighted works of art enter into the public domain, meaning the public has the right to publish, perform, use, and display these works without seeking permission. That is, except in the U.S., where not a single published work will be joining the public domain until 2019. [More]
Sure, You Bought a Disney Digital Movie from Amazon, But You’ll Never Own It
By 12.18.13
Instantly accessible movies, TV shows, and games are one of the most convenient inventions of the early 21st century, but they’re not without their problems. One big problem? Just because you bought and paid for a digital good doesn’t mean you actually get to keep it. [More]
Hulu Looking To Partner Up With Cable, Wireless Providers
By 11.13.13
In a move that could stem the tide of cord-cutting while also broadening Hulu’s subscriber base, the streaming video service is reportedly in talks with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and others to bring Hulu to cable customers through their set-top boxes. [More]
