EM-TV kauft Muppets: Artikle aus L.A.Times mit Quelle - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[BillionDollarMan]

http://www.latimes.com/business/20000215/t000014629.html

German Firm May Soon Control Muppet
Strings
Media: EM would pay a huge premium for Henson, one
of the last independent name brands in family
entertainment, sources say.

By SALLIE HOFMEISTER, CLAUDIA ELLER


Jim Henson Co., home to such popular family franchises as "The
Muppets" and "Bear in the Big Blue House," is in talks to sell part
or all of its family entertainment business to Germany`s EM. TV &
Merchandising, according to industry sources.
EM, a fast-growing publicly held media company based in
Munich, acknowledged last month that it was close to making a
U.S. acquisition but declined to divulge the company`s identity.
Sources say the company has been looking for a source of
children`s programming for the Junior kids` channels it owns jointly
with Kirch Group.
In recent months, EM has also approached another animation
studio, DIC Entertainment, about an acquisition. Sources said talks
stalled, however, as DIC`s owner, Walt Disney Co., weighs its
options. Disney recently hired investment banker Bear Stearns &
Co. to assess alternatives for the Hollywood-based animation
studio known for such family titles as "Inspector Gadget" and
"Madeline."
The Henson sale underscores the difficulty stand-alone
companies face amid the continuing consolidation of the media
business into the hands of a few powerful conglomerates, such as
Time Warner, News Corp., Disney and Viacom, that control both
programming and distribution channels.
While terms of a potential deal between Henson and EM are
unclear, sources said the German company is willing to pay a huge
premium for one of the last independent name brands in family
entertainment, whose library includes 400 hours of TV
programming. One source suggested that EM bid $800 million for
the company, beating out Hollywood studios that had offered half
that.
Several industry insiders doubted the figure because of Henson`s
spotty performance and weak cash flow. The privately held
company, owned by the five children of its founder, late puppeteer
Jim Henson, is said to be profitable, with annual revenue of more
than $200 million. About 25% to 30% of the revenue is
Muppet-related.
In 1989, Walt Disney Co. had agreed to buy the company for
$150 million. The deal fell apart after Henson`s sudden death in
May 1990, with both companies suing each other before settling in
May 1991, with Disney paying $10 million for limited theme park
rights to the Muppets.
Executives who work in family entertainment say Henson`s
biggest asset is its brand name and its characters` ability to attract
viewers to television screens, Internet sites and theaters.
However, Henson has struggled in recent years to invent new
characters, reinvigorate its existing ones and generally grow the
brand, industry sources suggest. For instance, Henson produced no
successful programs under a long-term production partnership with
ABC that is soon to expire and that industry sources call one of the
most lucrative deals in television.
The failure of Henson`s last two movies, "Muppets From Space"
and "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" and the misfiring of its
last Muppets TV series, "Muppets Tonight," illustrate the difficulty
of keeping evergreen characters fresh and relevant at a time when
young viewers prefer edgier fare such as "The Rugrats" and
"Pokemon."
EM Chief Executive Thomas Haffa did not respond to an
interview request, and Henson Co-President Charles Rivkin
declined to comment on what he termed "rumors." But sources say
EM has been talking to Henson for several months.
EM has been on a buying binge since going public in October
1997 in Germany`s red-hot public market. Sources say the
company, which raised $10.4 million in its IPO, is worth several
billions of dollars today and has been using its rising value to
aggressively buy and license programming. Haffa, who formed the
company with his brother Florian, have aspirations to turn EM into
a global media giant.
EM shares soared after the company formed the 50-50 venture
a year ago with Kirch, under which the partners agreed to launch
Junior channels and EM received rights to 20,000 half-hour shows,
including "Bugs Bunny," "The Simpsons" and "The Flintstones."
EM has also taken stakes in the German film production
company Constantin Films and bought 45% of TeleMuenchen
Group, which owns TV channels in Germany, Austria and Hungary.

EM also owns 50% of Plus Licens, a major licensing outfit in
Sweden with rights to the "Peanuts" and "Dilbert" cartoons.
Sources said Henson has run out of capital to further expand its
businesses.
In July, Rivkin and his co-president partner, Brian Henson, son
of the late "Muppets" creator, acknowledged they were seeking
financing for the company`s core TV and movie businesses.
Henson`s respective TV and movie production deals with
Disney-owned ABC and Sony Pictures both expire in August,
leaving the company with no one to underwrite the operations.
Henson also lacks a major distribution outlet, despite ownership
stakes in Odyssey Channel, Kermit Channels overseas and a
passive interest in Noggin, Nickelodeon`s U.S. educational channel.
Henson also owns the historic Chaplin Studios in Hollywood, which
the family purchased in November from Seagram Co. for $12.5
million.
Henson`s special effects Creature Shop in London and Burbank
is said to be a profit center.
Currently, the Henson company has three shows on the air in
the U.S.--"Bear in the Big Blue House" (Disney Channel),
"Farscape" (Sci-Fi Channel) and "Donna`s Day" (Odyssey)--and
two in Britain--"Mopatop`s Shop" and "Construction Site" (ITV).

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[toska]

Vielen Dank Billi fuer diese Infos.
Von wann genau ist der Artikel aus der L.A. Times.
Ansonsten warten wir jetzt gespannt darauf, was wir
aus Muenchen zu hoeren bekommen.

Schoenen Tag noch
toska

[toska]

Ein kurzes "SORRY" an Billie, wegen der Frage
nach dem Datum des Artikels.
Ich habe inzwischen selber auf der WEB-Site
der L.A.Times nachgesehen: Der Artikel ist
vom 15.2. und authentisch - falls daran hier
jemand zweifeln sollte.

Gruss
Toska

[Abaco]

Also umger. 1,6 Mrd. DM für die Muppets?? Hoffentlich stimmt das nicht. Viel zu riskant (siehe "Muppets From Space"). Noch ist EM.TV kein "globaler Mediengigant", mit dem Haffa nach Lust und Laune alles kaufen kann.

Abaco