US-INDUSTRY Summary

"The Croods" animate DreamWorks after "Guardians" flop

(Reuters) - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by the worldwide success of its animated film, "The Croods", sending its shares up 9 percent in after-hours trading. "The Croods," which tracks a prehistoric family on a road trip and features the voices of Nicholas Cage and Ryan Reynolds, raked in nearly $479 million worldwide, of which about 66 percent was from international markets.

Aereo targets 30 percent of U.S. broadcasters' market: Diller

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Barry Diller, the billionaire media mogul who is backing the startup Aereo TV service, said on Monday it expects to reach between 25 and 30 percent of the U.S. television audience with the wireless service that broadcasters say undermines the economics of their business. On April 1 a federal appeals court denied a motion by major media companies to shut down Aereo, which uses large numbers of TV antennas to capture broadcast signals for its subscribers, who do not want to pay cable and satellite operator's higher cable fees.

CBC's English-language chief leaving for Twitter job

TORONTO (Reuters) - The head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp's English-language service is leaving the public broadcaster to join micro-blogging company Twitter, the CBC said on Monday. Kirstine Stewart, the CBC's executive vice-president of English services, will leave immediately and a recruitment process for her replacement has been launched.

InterMedia fires new salvo in fight for Outdoor Channel

(Reuters) - Leo Hindery's InterMedia raised its offer for cable network Outdoor Channel Holdings Inc to $237 million in cash, outbidding a rival offer from Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC. Outdoor shares rose above Intermedia's offer price in extended trading, signaling that investors expect a counter bid from Kroenke for the cable channel, which features programs aimed at hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Former AOL's CFO Minson returns to Time Warner Cable

(Reuters) - Arthur Minson, a former senior officer at online media company AOL, has been named the new finance chief of No. 2 U.S. cable provider Time Warner Cable Inc. Minson, who had worked as a deputy chief financial officer at Time Warner Cable from 2007-09, will start his new post May 2, replacing Irene Esteves.

Macmillan to pay $26 million to settle antitrust class action

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Publishing house Macmillan moved on Friday to settle a raft of antitrust suits accusing it of conspiring with other publishers to raise e-book prices, hammering out a $26 million settlement with a group of states and individuals, court filings show. The agreement requires Macmillan to pay not only a $20 million fine, but legal fees and a small award as well to the individual plaintiffs for their participation.

Bertelsmann offers RTL shares at 55.50 euros each

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German media conglomerate Bertelsmann has set the placement price for part of its stake in RTL Group at 55.50 euros, bringing it gross proceeds of up to 1.42 billion euros ($1.86 billion), RTL said on Monday. Privately-owned Bertelsmann is looking for cash to fund growth as well as an overhaul of its business to catch up with rapidly-changing markets.

Iraq watchdog suspends 10 TV channels for inciting violence

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has suspended the licenses of satellite news network Al Jazeera and nine other channels, accusing them of inciting violence through their coverage of recent sectarian clashes. The Communication and Media Commission (CMC) regulator criticized their reporting of violence triggered by a security forces raid on a Sunni Muslim protest camp in Hawija on Tuesday.

Time Warner Cable shifts away from "triple play"

(Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc, the second-largest U.S. cable provider, will no longer aggressively push "triple play" packages of Internet, video and voice on its customers, moving away from the long-held industry practice of bundling the services together. Time Warner Cable is the first cable company in the U.S. to acknowledge that customers would prefer to only pay for television and Internet, as demand for landline service has been declining steadily with many people only using cellphones, even at home.

NY Times to roll out new products in search of revenue

(Reuters) - New York Times Co reported a decline in quarterly revenue on weak advertising sales but said it would try to grow out of the slump by expanding its suite of digital products. The 11.2 percent drop in advertising revenue in the first quarter underscores the pressure that the New York Times faces to increase its subscription revenue, especially for its digital products, and find new veins of income.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-industry-summary-005820105.html

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