Comcast agrees to pay $3.8 billion for Dreamworks Animation

[cannastop]

$3.8 Billion source:

https://variety.com/2016/biz/news/dreamworks-animation-3-8-billion-nbcuniversal-comcast-1201762634/

Edited April 28, 2016 by cannastop

[cannastop]

If this deal goes through, it might give Dreamworks Animation the stability it needs.

[department store basement]

They already own Illumination, why would they need to buy an animation house that's doing worse?

[Jonwo]

The IP like Shrek and KFP likely where the value rather than the company itself. I think should the deal go through, Katzenberg should step down

[cannastop]

5 minutes ago, department store basement said:

They already own Illumination, why would they need to buy an animation house that's doing worse?

Dreamworks still has the staff to create good movies. It would be wasteful to just let them all lose their jobs.

 

Also, Disney has proven that you can have three animation studios (Walt Disney Animation Studios, DisneyToon and Pixar) under the same ownership.

[department store basement]

3 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

The IP like Shrek and KFP likely where the value rather than the company itself.

 

So basically Universal wants to attract more tourism to their theme parks?

[cannastop]

3 minutes ago, department store basement said:

 

So basically Universal wants to attract more tourism to their theme parks?

Not only that, the staff at Dreamworks can still make hits!

[Jonwo]

3 minutes ago, department store basement said:

 

So basically Universal wants to attract more tourism to their theme parks?

 

Universal already licenses Shrek so adding more of the characters wouldn't be an issue. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the theme parks in Dubai and Russia gets kiboshed in the deal.

[MrFanaticGuy34]

I would rather have Dreamworks Animation be distributed by a company that knows how to properly market these films and market them very much.....than those who picks some bad & unsmart decisions.

 

So......i would not be surprised if this happens. If it happens.....it would probably turn out better for upcoming Dreamworks movies.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

I'm assuming they are going to want Dreamworks to make them a Shrek 5 also. 

[cannastop]

1 hour ago, CaptainJackSparrow said:

I'm assuming they are going to want Dreamworks to make them a Shrek 5 also. 

Nah, no one wants that shit.

[Sir Tiki]

Quote

DreamWorks Animation’s sale talks with Comcast slowed today, we’re told, following last night’s disclosure of the cable giant’s interest. After a period of fast-track conversations, negotiators now taking a step back to weigh details including the deal terms and how DWA would fit into Comcast’s NBCUniversal. For example, they still haven’t worked out who would run the animation studio.

 

One scenario is to combine DWA with Comcast-funded Illumination Entertainment, allowing its chief Chris Melendandri to oversee it while DWA’s Jeffrey Katzenberg exits the company he founded 21 years ago.

 

https://deadline.com/2016/04/dreamworks-animation-comcast-slow-deal-negotiations-1201745201/

 

I don't know, I can't imagine a scenario where Jeffrey Katzenberg just steps down after selling.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Sir Tiki

[cannastop]

3 minutes ago, Sir Tiki said:

 

https://deadline.com/2016/04/dreamworks-animation-comcast-slow-deal-negotiations-1201745201/

 

I don't know, I can't imagine a scenario where Jeffrey Katzenberg just steps down after selling.

He might step down if he gets the $$$$.

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Dang, Illumination and Dreamworks Animation combining?? 

[cannastop]

25 minutes ago, CaptainJackSparrow said:

Dang, Illumination and Dreamworks Animation combining?? 

No, just perhaps under the same ownership. It's not like Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios combined.

[Jonwo]

4 hours ago, Sir Tiki said:

 

https://deadline.com/2016/04/dreamworks-animation-comcast-slow-deal-negotiations-1201745201/

 

I don't know, I can't imagine a scenario where Jeffrey Katzenberg just steps down after selling.

 

4 hours ago, cannastop said:

He might step down if he gets the $$$$.

 

Katzenberg does seem to be the reason why these deals fall through. I think he should step down and let someone else run DWA

[Sir Tiki]

A bit more detail as to what's going to happen next:

 

Quote

Rather than continuing as an independently run subsidiary, DreamWorks Animation would be mined for intellectual property ranging from “Madagascar” to Lassie that could be used in toys, T-shirts and theme-park attractions, the people said. In addition, the studio has in the past few years built a small but potent television business that NBCUniversal hopes could make it more competitive in children’s programming and help it to adapt other movie properties, from “Fast and Furious” to “Pitch Perfect,” for the small screen.

 

When it comes to DreamWorks’ movie-production assets, Comcast executives haven’t yet determined what to do with them going forward. They plan to leave that decision to Chris Meledandri, the producer who oversees Universal’s animation business Illumination Entertainment.

 

[...]

 

Mr. Meledandri, the knowledgeable people said, would be tasked with looking under the hood of DreamWorks Animation and determining what movies it should produce as part of Universal. Illumination, which is releasing two films this year and in 2017, and DreamWorks would remain separate consumer brands.

 

Layoffs, including cuts in production and administrative overhead, at DreamWorks are likely following a sale, the knowledgeable people said.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/movies-arent-main-motive-in-comcasts-pursuit-of-dreamworks-animation-1461792315

[cannastop]

11 minutes ago, Sir Tiki said:

A bit more detail as to what's going to happen next:

 

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/movies-arent-main-motive-in-comcasts-pursuit-of-dreamworks-animation-1461792315

It probably wouldn't be an outright abandonment of film production by Dreamworks. Dreamworks has hundreds of highly skilled workers, so it would make little sense to flush that down the drain.

[Jonwo]

It looks like Comcast is planning to do DWA what Warner Bros did with Hanna Barbera and MGM Animation which only exist in name only, the studios themselves were folded into Warner Bros Animation. 

[cannastop]

11 hours ago, Jonwo said:

It looks like Comcast is planning to do DWA what Warner Bros did with Hanna Barbera and MGM Animation which only exist in name only, the studios themselves were folded into Warner Bros Animation. 

If this deal goes through, they might cancel a bunch of current Dreamworks projects.