13 April 2023

Media Man Int Blog: Business and Entertainment news

Media Man Int Blog







Google becomes online advertising king... Gooogle has become the US market leader in online display ads, and now leads all categories for internet advertising including search and mobile, a market research firm said today. The firm eMarketer said Google will top the market for online display advertising with $US2.31 billion ($2.2 billion) in revenues -- 15.4 per cent of the market -- in 2012. Google will thus overtake Facebook in display, after the social network dethroned longtime leader Yahoo! last year, eMarketer said. The milestone means Google now holds more share than any other company in each of the US search, display and mobile advertising markets. Google will see a 38 per cent jump in online display ad revenue this year, the report said. Facebook, the consultancy said, will earn $US2.16 billion in US display ad revenues this year, up 24.4 per cent from billion last year. Facebook's share will be 14.4 per cent. Yahoo! will see nearly flat revenues for display ads, which will mean its market share will fall to 9.3 per cent this year from 11 percent last year and 14 percent in 2010. The eMarketer estimate said the overall US display ad market will grow 21.5 per cent to $US14.98 billion from $US12.33 billion in 2011, aided by mobile growth; and increased spending growth on digital video advertising, especially on Google-owned YouTube.

 


Renner: Avengers stunts were blast'...

Jeremy Renner has raved about his time in Hollywood blockbuster Avengers Assemble - because he loved the catering. The Hurt Locker star plays Hawkeye in director Joss Whedon's action movie, which also stars Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L Jackson and Mark Ruffalo. Jeremy revealed: "Shooting the Avengers was a blast... there's much better food on set." Of the stunts and training, Jeremy admitted: "I actually didn't have to do very much archery training because I was using CGI arrows and I was shooting CGI monsters." He added: "It's like learning a new language or a dance." Co-star Tom Hiddleston, who plays villain Loki, also expressed his joy at the film's action scenes. He said: "I love doing the stunts and flying around on wires. At the very beginning, the first I had to do was jump off a platform, do a 30-foot leap and spear somebody in the chest. "Joss [Whedon] wanted me to fly beyond the horizontal, so they attached a harness to me under my costume, which enabled me to dive headfirst towards the camera. I felt like I was part of a circus trapeze act! It was fantastic." Avengers Assemble is out now on DVD.
 

Joss Whedon: 'The Avengers isn't a perfect movie'...

Joss Whedon has claimed that The Avengers isn't "a great movie".

The film has met with critical acclaim and outstanding commercial success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time in just a few months, but Whedon, the superhero blockbuster's writer and director, is determined to keep his feet on the ground.

In an interview with Vulture, the 48-year-old claimed that the box office numbers became, ultimately, "meaningless".

He said: "They're large, and you can't really count that high."

Describing what his goals were with The Avengers, he claimed: "I felt like I had a particular mission in making what I felt was a slightly old-fashioned movie, because I grew up wanting to make summer movies and wanting to make superhero movies, and I got to do both at once.

"I felt like summer movies haven't been what I remember them to be, so I felt like I would love to evoke something that's less hip and ironic and more heartfelt and character-driven, and apparently, other people cared about that in a large way."

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator then conceded: "I don't think it's a perfect movie. I don't even think it's a great movie. I think it's a great time, and I'm proud of it, but for me, what was exciting is that people don't go to see a movie that many times unless it's pulling on something from within, unless there's a need there. That's very gratifying."

The film is set to increase its box office even further this weekend, after being re-released in the US to take advantage of the Labour Day holiday.

Whedon will oversee a Marvel-produced SHIELD television show for ABC, before starting work on the Avengers sequel, due for a summer 2015 release.


The Avengers Crosses $1.5 Billion At Worldwide Box Office...

While the re-release of The Avengers at the U.S. box office might have failed to break into the top ten Labor Day weekend movies, it did help The Avengers reach another major milestone. The Avengers has become the third movie in history to cross the $1.5 billion mark at the worldwide box office.

While retaining its number three position on the worldwide box office list, The Avengers took in another estimated $1.7 million over Labor Day weekend, which brought The Avengers U.S. box office total to $619.5 million and The Avengers worldwide box office total to $1.501 billion.

Interestingly enough, The Dark Knight Rises also reached a milestone today, surpassing $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which means that combined The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises have accounted for $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office this year. If you add in The Amazing Spider-Man, which currently sits at number four on the 2012 worldwide box office list with $734.9 million, then the total rises to $3.2 billion. It’s definitely a good time to be in the superhero movie making business.









New Trailer For Marvel Heroes...

Gazillion Entertainment is proud to show off a new trailer for Marvel Heroes. The new trailer announces 3 new playable heroes in the game – Daredevil, Punisher, and Squirrel Girl. The trailer made its debut at the Marvel Heroes panel at PAX 2012. The panel featured Gazillion President David Brevik (one of the creators of Diablo!), legendary Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man! Avengers vs. X-Men! And) and Marvel’s mighty VP of Games Production TQ Jefferson. If you look closely, you’ll also see a bunch of villains were also revealed in the trailer, including Mr. Fisk the notorious crime lord.



About Marvel Heroes...

Marvel Heroes is a FREE-TO-PLAY action-packed massively multiplayer online game created by David Brevik, the visionary behind Diablo and Diablo 2. Set in the iconic Marvel Universe, Marvel Heroes combines the core game-play style of Diablo and MMOs with the expansive library of heroes from the Marvel Universe. In the game, players can collect and play as their favorite Marvel Superheroes (including Iron Man, Thor, Wolverine, Hulk, Spider Man, Captain America and many others). Team up with friends and try to stop Doctor Doom from devastating the world with the power of the Cosmic Cube in a story crafted by comic-book super-scribe Brian Michael Bendis.



Echo CEO Larry Mullin in shock exit as Packer target loses second key player...

Echo Entertainment has risked further antagonising its key investors with the shock decision to replace chief executive Larry Mullin in a bid to repair damaged relations with the NSW government and bring a more operational focus to the management of the embattled casino group. The board's decision agreed over the past week to replace Mr Mullin, which is understood to have also prompted the surprise resignation of long-serving director Brett Paton on Tuesday, was yesterday questioned by some of Echo's institutional investors who were taken by surprise by the decision.

Australian TV Ratings - 25th September 2012... 1. Seven News (7) 1.29 million 2. Nine News (9) 1.14 million 3. ABC News (ABC) 1.03 million 4. A Current Affair (9) 1.02 million 5. Big Brother, Nominations (9) 979,000 6. 2012 Brownlow Medal (7) 956,000 7. Today Tonight (7) 955,000 8. Big Brother, Daily Show (9) 938,000 9. Australian Story (ABC) 932,000 10. Four Corners (ABC) 847,000
 

Crown execs paid more despite warning - 26th September 2012


Most of Crown's senior executives received pay rises last financial year despite a rejection of the previous year's pay policy by shareholders. Casino operator Crown has made no changes to its executive pay policy despite the threat of a board spill in the event of another shareholder backlash. Four of the company's six senior executives received a larger pay package in the 2011/12 financial year, and all base salaries rose or remained the same as in 2010/11. Crown's executive pay report for the 2010/11 financial year received a 55 per cent `no' vote from Crown shareholders, and a `no' vote of at least 25 per cent against the 2011/12 report would result in the majority of board positions being vacated and put up for re-election. But Crown said in its 2011/12 annual report, released on Wednesday, it had made no change to its pay policy and had instead focused on providing a clearer explanation of its pay structure. "The Crown board remains confident that Crown's remuneration policy and the level and structure of its executive remuneration are suitable for the company and its shareholders," it said in the report. Chief executive Rowen Craigie was paid $6.875 million in the 2011/12 financial year, including a bonus of $800,000, up from $600,000 in the previous year. Mr Craigie's remuneration totalled $7.7 million in 2010/11, due to the inclusion of a $1 million benefit from the revaluation of share-based long-term incentives. His base salary remained stable at $2.98 million in 2011/12. Executive deputy chairman John Alexander's total remuneration also remained steady, at $1.5 million. Chief financial officer Ken Barton, Burswood CEO Barry Felstead, Crown Melbourne deputy CEO Greg Hawkins and executive vice president of strategy Todd Nisbet all received an increase in salary and total pay in 2011/12. Executive chairman James Packer receives no remuneration or bonuses from Crown. In the event of a board spill, Mr Packer could use his major stake in the company to effectively ensure the re-election of those board members forced to vacate their positions. Crown shareholders will vote on the report at the company's annual general meeting on October 30.
 

Star Casino boss Larry Mullin quits, moves back to America - 27th September 2012...

 

A Star casino spokesman has confirmed Mr Mullin will leave his job on January 31 “by mutual agreement” with the board of Echo Entertainment, the parent company of The Star. He will be leaving the job almost one year to the day after the man he brought in to run the Star, Sid Vaikunta, was sacked over a sexual harassment scandal. The casino spokesman said Mr Mullin was from America and had not intended to stay in Australia forever. He denied it was linked to the Vaikunta scandal or attempts at a takeover by billionaire James Packer. Since Vaikunta quit, the board has rolled chairman John Story in favour of John O’Neill, another non-executive director Brett Paton left this week and now Mr Mullin is departing.