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Euro 50 > Leaders in broadband and pay-TV Digital TV Europe
November/December 2009
Giorgio Stock Executive vice-president and managing director, Disney Channels EMEA
This year has seen the completion of Disney’s ambitious rebrand of weather the storms. This resilience means we can continue to invest in
the Jetix channel across the EMEA region, while Disney Channel has great content when everyone else is cutting back, an approach that will
increased its distribution and the new boy-skewed Disney XD has pay dividends when the blue skies come back.
rolled out to 45 million homes across the region.
Most important industry development of the last year The sudden
Age 44 realisation – and in many cases 180-degree turn – by several players that
the free model for the distribution of digital content may not deliver the
Education BS, New York University; MBA, MIA (Master of International expected returns, even in the longer run. Quality may need to still be
Affairs), Columbia University. monetised.
Career path In 1998 I started out in finance in mergers and acquisitions Goals for the next year We’ll be focusing on further expansion of our
working for a German merchant bank. After four years I decided to fol- multiplex, a renewed focus on preschool to help realise the full potential
low my real interest in media and knocked at the door of Bertelsmann of our Playhouse Disney channel and franchises, growing the pipeline of
where I started as corporate vice-president in strategic planning in their new original productions across channels and genres – animation, live
German HQ. In 1997, I joined Disney in Paris to head European publishing action, factual.
and progressed to head its global licensing operation. One of the best
things to happen to me in that position was meeting Rich Ross, who Likely breakthrough service or technology There’s already a lot of
at the time headed entertainment at Disney Channel. He nurtures tal- buzz around Disney’s Keychest technology, which will allow consumers
ent with the same dedication and attention that he nurtures content to pay a single price for permanent access to a movie or TV show across
and in 2005 asked me to step over to TV as senior vice-president multiple digital platforms and devices. I believe the only way to address
and managing director of Walt Disney TV Italy. I oversaw the trans- issues like piracy is with truly customer-centric solutions, an idea which
formation of a single channel carried by a single platform into one of is at the heart of the Keychest concept.
the fastest growth drivers in the region. Clearly the fabulous content
in the pipeline through shows such as High School Musical and Favourite film personality Johnny Depp.
Hannah Montana helped along this process!
Life outside work With my wife and kids, ideally close to the water.
Job description I now oversee The Walt Disney Company’s TV busi-
ness across EMEA. My job is to continue to grow the channel multi-
plex in the region from both a ratings and distribution perspective
and to help capitalise on the channels’ daily dialogue with millions of
kids and families to benefit the broader Walt Disney Company.
Highlights from the last year It’s hard to believe that it’s just 12
months since we announced our intention to acquire the remainder of
the shares in Jetix to make it a fully owned subsidiary of The Walt
Disney Company. In this time we’ve not only completely integrated the
two businesses but completed an ambitious rebrand of Jetix across the
region. This process has seen Disney Channel nearly double its distribu-
tion to 60 million homes in Europe and heralded the arrival of Disney
XD, a completely new brand, which has now rolled out in 82 countries
and 45 million homes in EMEA – quite a feat. We’ve also continued our
focus on producing original content in Europe, increasing the output
from our London-based animation hub and expanding our short form
programming, driven from our hub in Italy. Highlights include the launch
of Jungle Junction, which is proving popular on both sides of the
Atlantic, and the continued success of Quelli Del’Intervalo, which has
now been produced locally in 15 countries and was one of the core
strategies for localising the channels in new markets like Israel this year.
Lessons learned from the downturn Quality pays. Having a leading
brand and a consistent track record in creative content, especially in a
demo such as kids and families allows us to show great resilience and
Visit us at at www.digitaltveurope.net
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