MUMBAI: ContentFilm plc, a global entertainment media company with a library of more than 3,200 hours of television programming, 800 television movies, 200 feature films and 300 hours of digital content, has been renamed Content Media Corporation plc (Content) to better reflect its growing leadership in multi-platform distribution.
The company will consist of three divisions namely Content Television (formerly the Fireworks International brand); Content Film (previously ContentFilm International brand); and Content Digital now becomes a separate standalone division to handle a growing portfolio of multi-platform content. It will continue to license content to digital media platforms worldwide, including on-demand, broadband and mobile.
The new name and logo unifies the company’s brand and reinforces the commitment to all three areas. Notwithstanding the changes of name and branding, there will be no changes in the staffing, reporting lines or the business operations within each of the film, television and digital divisions.
Greg Phillips will continue to oversee Content Television and Content Digital, and Jamie Carmichael will run Content Film. Jonathan Ford, who has been responsible for the company’s digital efforts as Executive VP, Digital Acquisitions and Distribution, will continue to report to Phillips and manage Content Digital on a day-to-day basis. Phillips and Carmichael will report to Schmidt, who co-founded ContentFilm in 2001. Rounding out the management team are longtime Content executives Geoff Webb, CFO, and Erick Kwak, Head of Worldwide Business and Legal Affairs.
Further, Content provided a trading update to the London Stock Market today, noting that trading across the Group has been solid for the financial year ending 31 March 2011. Following on from the pleasing results last year, the company expects to have another similarly positive year with results that will meet management’s expectations. Content CEO John Schmidt noted that the television and digital divisions in particular had traded well over the last year.
“Across our television, film, and digital divisions, our distribution and sales efforts have grown more unified over recent years and, as a result, Content has naturally grown more integrated. This is a welcome development as we find digital properties crossing over to television and film, and film and television producers more eager to use our digital distribution capabilities. As a result, we feel it is time to unify our operations under a common name so our partners in each of these divisions are aware that we are active and successful in all three areas,” said Schmidt.
“It was anachronistic to call the parent company, ContentFilm, so we’ve let that go. We have been called Content by our staff and the industry for some time, and we’ve brought the Content name to the television division, so everyone knows we operate in all three areas, particularly our film friends in North America who are increasingly looking to expand into television. We say goodbye to the Fireworks brand with some sadness but guarantee that the same strong values, staff and systems will continue uninterrupted at Content Television,” he added.
