How Pony is Formed: Production and Business Thread

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Re: How Pony is Formed: Production and Business Thread

Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:06 pm

Tailspin wrote:
The problem isn't that said person thinks it's the "best cartoon ever", it's that they think that and then go about acting like this show will last forever.

I mean, this is what started the whole thing



Seriously?



In addition to several false claims, like Hasbro only making a billion in 2009. They made their usual 4 billion in 2009. In fact, in terms of toy companies, Hasbro is just behind LEGO. My Little Pony may be good, but it is not some life-support keeping Hasbro from collapsing.
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Postby Seven Seas (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 3:58 pm

Headless Horse wrote:Outlander has this argument well in hand, but...
+ 6 more paragraphs

:lol:
But seriously, your post was wonderful. This is the line that's at the core of why I love the show, or at least why I fell in love with it:

Headless Horse wrote:And above all, I've never seen a show where the people making it seem to be putting in so much more effort than they have to.

It's absurd, really. I remember writing about this shortly after my Season 1 binge that sent me crashing into the fandom. It's absurd in that it's a show meant to sell toys to little kids-- practically the definition of "just phone it in"-- yet everyone involved has expended stupid amounts of effort on refusing to phone it in. They do every single thing wrong. The characters are magical pastel ponies; they have no right being this well-rounded or complex or deep. The voice actresses have no right being this good. The animation has no right being this intricate or beautiful. And Daniel Ingram sure as heck had no right to close Season 1 with a full-orchestra extravaganza with five vocal soloists and a 20-part choir, and to do it for a show called "My Little Pony." Who does that? What misguided Hasbro exec greenlights these expenditures? Who on earth would pour so much of their hearts and souls into such a completely ridiculous endeavor?

And yet-- they all did, every last one of them. And bless them, because by refusing to be confined in their box, they created something that has brought far more joy and community than any other fandom I've been involved in.

--

As for our current odd debate over whether people should be allowed to express as much enthusiasm for My Little Pony as they do... can we agree that an online community designed for people who love My Little Pony is, at best, a curious place to be trying to have this discussion?
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:27 pm

Seven Seas wrote:As for our current odd debate over whether people should be allowed to express as much enthusiasm for My Little Pony as they do... can we agree that an online community designed for people who love My Little Pony is, at best, a curious place to be trying to have this discussion?


It's not about people expressing enthusiasm. This is about the business side of MLP, you know, what Hasbro is doing. Sobana has so far posted information that SD showed to be incorrect, then made claims about the show's future based on their own wishful thinking, not what Hasbro has said. And what eventually got us to this conversation is Sobana not wanting to accept that Transformers Prime is a more popular and higher rated show then MLP. This isn't something I made up, this is stuff that is known thanks to ratings Hasbro released and ShieldedDiamond has posted links about it.

You can like the show and be enthusiastic as much as you like, but acting like Transformers Prime wasn't popular and beat out MLP in ratings just because it doesn't suit you is pretty silly, don't you think?

When Sobana conitnued with the idea that no show could possibly be better then MLP, I said there are a number I think that are and mentioned Gravity Falls as one of them. It's somewhat connected to the previous conversation because it was the same kind of dissmissive attitude as toward Transformers Prime. And I, quite frankly, don't agree with it.
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Postby Bremen (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:39 pm

Tailspin wrote:
There are a number of shows that are just flat out better then Friendship is Magic.

I get it, you like the show, nothing wrong with that. But there's being a fan and there's just being delusional. I mean, you seem dead set on convincing yourself and the people here that this is the greatest show ever made. It's not.


This is the post we're objecting to, not any previous disagreement between you and Sobana. You didn't say "there are shows I personally like better than Friendship is Magic." And then implied that anyone that liked it more than other shows was delusional.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:47 pm

Actually, by delusional I was refering to phrases from Sobana's previous statements about MLP being immortal/Hasbro's most successful show or that Prime wasn't the most fan demanded show, both of which are pretty much incorrect, it's hard to tell if MLP is Hasbro's most popular show and Prime is a popular show, more popular than MLP, there's proof of this.

That's what i meant. :pinkieshrug:

The problem is basically my phrasing. I was refering the second as a general statment to Sobana's previous posts which are very unrealistic and wishful thinking at best, while my comment on there being a number of shows better then FiM was a remark on Sobana's claim that no show could top the quality of ponies, which I strongly dissagree. :pinkieshrug:
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:39 pm

Speaking of Business, apparently Pony is starting to beat Barbie in sales. This pleases me. :twiright:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/06/24/ ... -prospers/
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:45 pm

Life in the dreamhouse is a fun show, btw
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:29 pm

Tailspin wrote:Life in the dreamhouse is a fun show, btw


........

No comment.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:09 pm

I'm not kidding. Give it a watch. It barely takes itself seriously.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:15 pm

Tailspin wrote:I'm not kidding. Give it a watch. It barely takes itself seriously.


I tried couldn't get past a single episode, but maybe I was just looking at it wrong. Years of my little sister forcing us to watch Barbie DTV flicks when I was younger gives me PTSD in regards to anything regarding that plastic blond bimbo and her equally evil acomplishes.

Ecspecislly Ken. :applejargh:
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:23 pm

Also, this should probably go here as well

http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/hub-fut ... -ceo-exit/
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:57 pm

SoundMonkey44 wrote:
I tried couldn't get past a single episode, but maybe I was just looking at it wrong. Years of my little sister forcing us to watch Barbie DTV flicks when I was younger gives me PTSD in regards to anything regarding that plastic blond bimbo and her equally evil acomplishes.

Ecspecislly Ken. :applejargh:


I'm not sure you're watching the same show we're talking about. :-I LitD is basically an insane officially-sanctioned parody of itself with its tongue is far up its cheek it can taste eyeball. Think what the Lego Movie did with Batman and you've got it.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:24 am

Mattel really hasn't had anything special in the past couple of years, so this is no surprise to me. Hasbro has had movie after movie, and now half a channel, and, well, Mattel doesn't. :-I

I also feel the quality of Hasbro's toys to Mattel's is much better.
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Postby Jyu (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:27 am

Barbie Life in the Dream House is great. I'm honestly surprised how good it is and how little it makes me cringe. A lot of the humour comes from the fact that they're self-aware of the fact their dolls. Jokes like, "Barbie did you cut your hair? You know it doesn't grow back." :gonkity: and "What wonderful weather we've been having." :allears: "Yeah, what's it been like, 12 years in a row?" :v: are what make the show.
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Postby Sobana (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:02 am

With FiM being Hasbro's most successful show, if the hub goes under I wonder which channel will pick it up?
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:21 am

I was goind to say Cartoon Network, but then I remembred someone mentioning they are on bad terms after CN canceled a Transformers cartoon. Nickalodeon, maybe? Outside of the US this isn't a problem though.
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Postby londonarbuckle (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:57 am

Prediction: If the HUB folds and Discovery Family or whatever doesn't keep the show, it probably won't be picked up by another channel, and the best we can hope for is some direct-to-DVD releases.

Is there evidence that it's such a successful show that another channel would want it badly enough to negotiate with Hasbro? I just don't see it. :pinkieshrug:
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:04 pm

londonarbuckle wrote:Prediction: If the HUB folds and Discovery Family or whatever doesn't keep the show, it probably won't be picked up by another channel, and the best we can hope for is some direct-to-DVD releases.


My guess is if it doesn't get picked up by anyone, Hasbro will probably distribute what's left (aka S5) digitally and through DVDs. Would seem like a waste of money if they produce another season and then don't air it (provided they are making another season).
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:22 pm

The Disney Channel is another big possibllity. It's quite global and available (and apparently airs My Little Pony FiM in Spain), has had some big successes as of late with shows like Gravity Falls, Wander Over Yonder, the Mickey Mouse Shorts, and etc. and the channel is primarily a female centric channel (with Star And The Forces of Evil, a female centric show that looks like Steven Universe-ish coming soon) so FiM being there would actually kinda make sense.

Plus Hasbro and Disney have had toy deals for a long time, with a recent one being a toy deal where Disney gets to make revenues off the Star Wars movies (of course) while Hasbro gets to get revenue off and produce the Star Wars toys. I can totally see Disney getting the TV rights to FiM and MLP while Hasbro gets to focus on the toys.

However, I wonder how toy mandates would work if Hasbro wasn't allowed any creative control over it. But maybe in practice Hasbro and Disney would make some deal and collaborate on toy mandates.


But I guess the biggest initial concerns from fans would be:

"Are they gonna cancel FiM like they did with Spectacular Spider Man and Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes and turned them to Ultimate Spider Man and Avengers Assemble? Will they cancel FiM if it doesn't get high enough ratings like they did with Tron Uprising and Motor City and possibly Gravity Falls and Wander Over Yonder because they moved those two to Disney XD?"

Well, first off, FiM is sooooo not going to bomb view-wise so it being cancelled when it's such a cash cow is off the table. In regards to it being cancelled so Disney can make their own version aka reboot it, that's a possibility. While Spectacular Spider Man was cancelled because Sony didnt let Disney have the rights to continue it, Avengers Assemble had no studio contract issues yet was cancelled because Disney wanted to tie AA to the Avengers movie rather than continue Avengers EMH's storyline. And while I dont see any big schemes from Disney for MLP like a movie or whatever, I would not be surprised if Disney did cancel FiM and reboot it.

The fact is that FiM has lasted 5 seasons and two movies already. Disney could totally decide that the current show or the entire Generation 4 has gone on too long and decide (with Hasbro who probably have been discussing G5 by now anyway) to make MLP The Guardians of Harmony or something (G5).

But you know what? I'd actually be interested in seeing that. Disney Television Animation has produced some great shows (Gravity Falls, Wander, etc. including Kim Possible years ago) and I highly doubt they'd f' up MLP with that studio. Sure, they'll likely wont get a second lightning strike like FiM had but regardless, they probably wont 'ruin' the franchise and instead offer a good enough successor. And as a former fan of FiM, specifically S1 and S2-ish, I probably will be easier impressed with what they offer (plz direct your hate filled thoughts as PMs about how Post-Faust/Renzetti FiM is better and not in the reply posts)
:cheese:

So overall, I see Disney as a likely candidate. They'd possibly air FiM (if they can) and/or produce their own MLP show soon afterwards, both making the show and TV-side more available throughout the world, the new show wont be a BETRAYAL, and the Brony Fandom will be reduced to bone dust thanks to the copyright beast that is Disney
:smile:

Preview Edit: Well, what Disney or Lucasfilms did with Star Wars Clone Wars' last season was air it on Netflix exclusively because CartoonNetwork had the rights to the TV side. So maybe like the others said, Hasbro keeps the show and airs it on Netflix or releases the seasons in DVDs if Discovery Family is a no go or they dont negotiate with CN, Nick, Disney, etc.

Eventually though, Hasbro will want to have a show for G5 and they'll need a network to broadcast it. And making it Netflix-exclusive will only satisfy male adults or families in America and not the main demographic, young girls, plus they'd shut out the international world so... G5 will need to be on TV and they'll need to partner with a network
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:30 pm

AppleCobbler44 wrote:Eventually though, Hasbro will want to have a show for G5 and they'll need a network to broadcast it. And making it Netflix-exclusive will only satisfy male adults or families in America and not the main demographic, young girls, plus they'd shut out the international world so... G5 will need to be on TV and they'll need to partner with a network
:pinkieshrug:


I think by then they would have sorted out a deal with a broadcaster. This is more of a problem of the broadcaster going kaput while the show was ongoing, in this case online and physical distrubiton would be a good solution if all others fail.
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:46 pm

Huh, I had never even considered Disney Channel. I had always just thought it would be either Nick or CN if the Hub died.
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:00 pm

Well, as Applecobbler said, Disney Channel airs the show over here and they do a pretty good job of dubbing, localisation and promotion. Whether the US version is willing to put it on is another story.
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Postby The Outlander (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:27 pm

They certainly seem like a good match, but I think it pays to remember that Hasbro and Disney are traditionally rivals. Disney would only accept if it benefited them somehow, not just out of courtesy.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:59 pm

The Outlander wrote: Disney would only accept if it benefited them somehow, not just out of courtesy.


Viewership and ad revenue? :rariwhat:

Ok, I did a bit of reading and apparently The Disney Channel doesn't air ads from other companies. They just air promos of their products, shows, movies, and so on and that does still count as advertisement money. So it would seem that if they aired FiM or their own MLP show on TDC, they'd make money off viewers watching a promo for a showing of Little Nemo later that week.

Sounds... Rather unfair since other networks have to get ads from somewhere that's not promoting their own stuff but I'm no expert on this so who knows.

In any case, TDC would likely greatly benefit from having MLP on their network since they'd draw probably 1.5-2 million viewers and then a large sum of them would be watching those promos and giving Disney ad revenue as a result.

Yeah, this would potentially be big for the Disney Channel, so they'd definitely would get something out of it.

Edit: Oh, and imagine if they had the rights (or made a mutual deal with Hasbro) to open a MLP themed ride at the various Disney Lands and Disney Worlds
:-D (though I know that there is a MLP theme park ride at Universal or somewhere)
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Postby ROBOT B9 (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:03 pm

See, Disney Channel over here airs traditional commercials, including those for pony toys (sometimes right before or after the show airs!) so that's probably a big reason.
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Postby Wylie (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:29 pm

AppleCobbler44 wrote:
Viewership and ad revenue? :rariwhat:

Ok, I did a bit of reading and apparently The Disney Channel doesn't air ads from other companies. They just air promos of their products, shows, movies, and so on and that does still count as advertisement money. So it would seem that if they aired FiM or their own MLP show on TDC, they'd make money off viewers watching a promo for a showing of Little Nemo later that week.

Sounds... Rather unfair since other networks have to get ads from somewhere that's not promoting their own stuff but I'm no expert on this so who knows.

In any case, TDC would likely greatly benefit from having MLP on their network since they'd draw probably 1.5-2 million viewers and then a large sum of them would be watching those promos and giving Disney ad revenue as a result.

Yeah, this would potentially be big for the Disney Channel, so they'd definitely would get something out of it.

Edit: Oh, and imagine if they had the rights (or made a mutual deal with Hasbro) to open a MLP themed ride at the various Disney Lands and Disney Worlds
:-D (though I know that there is a MLP theme park ride at Universal or somewhere)


The Disney Channel (US) does air brief "commercials" for McDonalds and Chuck E. Cheese and the like during their Junior block in the morning, but they're not 30-second spots during the shows, they're more like the sponsorship clips you might see on public television.

Most of Disney Channel's profit (as far as Disney is concerned) is that it makes kids want to (a) buy Disney media/music/movies and (b) go to Disney parks with their parents for vacation, which is where the real money is.

If you know of a MLP theme park ride, I challenge you to tell me where it is. There's not one at Universal, I'm sure of that.
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Postby Bumble-B (?) » Wed Jun 25, 2014 4:37 pm

Oh yeah, forgot to mention about their big money trees, their amusement parks :facehoof: And they actually air commercials from other companies on their sister channels, Disney Jr and Disney XD.

In regards to that MLP themed ride or something... Unfortunately I cant find the video or info but I can tell you that I thoroughly remember a video interview with a African American (just as more detail) woman who worked for Hasbro. She was at an amusement park and while I cant remember the name of it nor what ride or event it was, I recall that she was asked 'how does Hasbro feel about Bronies?'to which she said that they loved Bronies and etc.

Maybe I'll try harder to find it...
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Postby Sobana (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:08 am

I'll admit there is a small chance in the distance far flung alternate future they might cancel FiM and reboot a G5. They might have plans for it now as well, but with the brand's yearly sales profits steadily increasing I can't see their CEO going "I'm getting tired of looking at these ponies and all this money. Get rid of it all. We need to be hype and new. Start G5!"

I can imagine them starting G5 if sales drop to pre-season one profits. The people at Hasbro aren't stupid, they realize this is as popular as the show is ever going to get and they realize it's because of these characters that it is so. They can revitalize any of their poorly selling brands just by slapping a pony picture on it.

With how much the show is making, I doubt even if the channel gets cancelled, they will still somehow continue to make this show. They could do like G3 and to a bunch of straight to DVD releases, give it to another channel or go a new route and make them internet exclusives.

The G3 way of going straight to DVD will work because the writers will no longer be restricted to 20 minute episodes and could have as long as they need. That is why no two episodes of G3 are the same length of time.

Internet exclusives would be even better. World wide distribution to all the fans instantly. Plus, it's the way that made it so popular to begin with.

This show has some longevity left and there is a lot of options for it.

If season six went straight to DVD, that thing would make a killing...
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:39 am

Sobana wrote:With FiM being Hasbro's most successful show, if the hub goes under I wonder which channel will pick it up?


I doubt anyone. Hasbro probably wouldn't want anyone to have some creative control over their brand. If Cartoon Network didn't work, don't expect Disney too. If the Hub goes under, expect FiM to go down with it. It's not going to save anything if the Hub was doomed.

Sobana wrote:If season six went straight to DVD, that thing would make a killing...


I don't see FiM DVDs flying off the shelves.
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Postby Dexanth (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:10 am

There's Disney, Nick, and CN as the big three potentials there. There's also the Netflix/Hulu route, though that is more of a long shot, and lastly there's straight to DVD with digital streaming following a few months later.
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Postby ilcane87 (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:52 am

ShieldedDiamond wrote:If the Hub goes under, expect FiM to go down with it.
Woah, aren't we being a little rash? :eep:
FiM is not the only show that Hasbro airs on The Hub, suggesting that they would give up on airing at all, when their policy in the latest years has been focused on driving toy sales through Tv shows, is simply preposterous.

Besides, their shows are already airing on different Tv channels in different nations, and they used to air on different channels in the US too before 2010, I don't see how it is suddenly mandatory for them to own a channel at all.
The Hub may go down, but Hasbro Studios isn't going anywhere, and nor is their current top rated show.

And no, they aren't going to reboot it any time soon, that's not something they do to an IP in its golden age, they do it when it isn't succesful anymore.
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Postby Sobana (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:46 am

ilcane87 wrote:Woah, aren't we being a little rash? :eep:
FiM is not the only show that Hasbro airs on The Hub, suggesting that they would give up on airing at all, when their policy in the latest years has been focused on driving toy sales through Tv shows, is simply preposterous.

Besides, their shows are already airing on different Tv channels in different nations, and they used to air on different channels in the US too before 2010, I don't see how it is suddenly mandatory for them to own a channel at all.
The Hub may go down, but Hasbro Studios isn't going anywhere, and nor is their current top rated show.

And no, they aren't going to reboot it any time soon, that's not something they do to an IP in its golden age, they do it when it isn't succesful anymore.

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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 4:06 pm

ilcane87 wrote:Woah, aren't we being a little rash? :eep:
FiM is not the only show that Hasbro airs on The Hub, suggesting that they would give up on airing at all, when their policy in the latest years has been focused on driving toy sales through Tv shows, is simply preposterous.

Besides, their shows are already airing on different Tv channels in different nations, and they used to air on different channels in the US too before 2010, I don't see how it is suddenly mandatory for them to own a channel at all.
The Hub may go down, but Hasbro Studios isn't going anywhere, and nor is their current top rated show.

And no, they aren't going to reboot it any time soon, that's not something they do to an IP in its golden age, they do it when it isn't succesful anymore.


I know many people would want it to continue. But let's be honest here. Hasbro doesn't like working with other channels, because that gives them control over the show. Especially Disney, they'd hate that. How do I know? Well, Mattel is Disney's preferred toy company. It was a miracle that Hasbro managed to extend their contract for Star Wars and Marvel, as I expected Disney to hand that over to Mattel.

I know it's something hard to expect, but let's be really honest here. Why would Hasbro jump through hoops to make sure the show still goes on? Why would Hasbro make a deal with Disney or Nick? This is not just "Star Wars", where Disney owns it and Hasbro just happens to make the toys. Heck, this is even their own brand, unlike Transformers where they share it with Takara. After all, this is Hasbro we're talking about. After the fallout with Cartoon Network, why would they go back to them, or another show right away? They'd have to negotiate other shows too.

Besides, why would they want to do this for a fandom that is mostly negative about what they do in the first place? Yes, they would get cartoons back up. But they would be new cartoons, because the Hub cartoons didn't last. My Little Pony is good. But this is far from a "golden age", and I think the harsh reality is that if the Hub goes down, they won't put in the effort to put FiM somewhere else, because it would also be easier for them to put a new show up from scratch.
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Postby ilcane87 (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 4:27 pm

I hate breaking down posts, but it makes this so much easier, so bear with me. :v:

ShieldedDiamond wrote:I know many people would want it to continue. But let's be honest here. Hasbro doesn't like working with other channels, because that gives them control over the show. Especially Disney, they'd hate that. How do I know? Well, Mattel is Disney's preferred toy company. It was a miracle that Hasbro managed to extend their contract for Star Wars and Marvel, as I expected Disney to hand that over to Mattel.

Granted I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, are you suggesting that Hasbro would rather stop airing shows altogether, for the sake of not making a deal with a 3rd party channel?
Isn't that a little overkill?

ShieldedDiamond wrote:I know it's something hard to expect, but let's be really honest here. Why would Hasbro jump through hoops to make sure the show still goes on? Why would Hasbro make a deal with Disney or Nick? This is not just "Star Wars", where Disney owns it and Hasbro just happens to make the toys. Heck, this is even their own brand, unlike Transformers where they share it with Takara. After all, this is Hasbro we're talking about. After the fallout with Cartoon Network, why would they go back to them, or another show right away? They'd have to negotiate other shows too.

Hasbro would jump through hoops because the show is generating profit for them in the form of toy sales and such, and that goes for Transformers and Littlest Pet Shop too; it's what Hasbro does with its core brands, air shows and sell stuff about them, that isn't going to change just because they don't own a channel anymore.
Besides, as I said, all of these shows are currently airing on several channels in different nations, so it appears they have already made such agreements.

I think we're overstating the importance of The Hub, which has only been around since 2010, while Hasbro shows have been airing on TV for decades; and they will continue no matter what, because Hasbro needs them to.

ShieldedDiamond wrote:Besides, why would they want to do this for a fandom that is mostly negative about what they do in the first place? Yes, they would get cartoons back up. But they would be new cartoons, because the Hub cartoons didn't last. My Little Pony is good. But this is far from a "golden age", and I think the harsh reality is that if the Hub goes down, they won't put in the effort to put FiM somewhere else, because it would also be easier for them to put a new show up from scratch.

Huh, nobody said they would be doing it for the bronies, they are just an incidental audience that probably doesn't contribute much in terms of profits.
But the value of the My Little Pony brand, due to its success with young girls, has been on a contant 2-digits growth ever since FiM was released, and it now represents a huge share of their whole girls line; I mean, come on, we've seen enough earnings reports, this is indeed a "golden age" for MLP, we have the data to confirm it.

And even if we were talking about a just mildly succesful brand, such as LPS, you can be damn sure they're going to go out of their way to keep it alive and kicking, because killing it in favor of new shows would require a huge investment with no rationale behind it, there is no realistic way it would be easier or more profitable for them to do so.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:25 pm

I never said Hasbro would stop making shows, but negotiating shows on channels is difficult. The reason they created the Hub was so they could avoid that. If it was so easy to just "get a show on", why isn't FiM on Cartoon Network?

ilcane87 wrote:
Granted I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, are you suggesting that Hasbro would rather stop airing shows altogether, for the sake of not making a deal with a 3rd party channel?
Isn't that a little overkill?


I'm suggesting that Hasbro would rather start a new show with a 3rd party channel, rather than giving them control over an established show. This was the issue with Transformers Animated, Cartoon Network had, to an extent, control over the show. I'm not saying Hasbro would ever stop airing shows, but relationships with other channels are tense. It's not as easy as saying "Oh, MLP will just air on another channel." As for Netflix, I wouldn't see them risking that. Straight to DVD isn't profitable either, and as I mentioned, MLP DVDs are not flying off shelves.

Hasbro would jump through hoops because the show is generating profit for them in the form of toy sales and such, and that goes for Transformers and Littlest Pet Shop too; it's what Hasbro does with its core brands, air shows and sell stuff about them, that isn't going to change just because they don't own a channel anymore.
Besides, as I said, all of these shows are currently airing on several channels in different nations, so it appears they have already made such agreements.

I think we're overstating the importance of The Hub, which has only been around since 2010, while Hasbro shows have been airing on TV for decades; and they will continue no matter what, because Hasbro needs them to.


But here's the issue, Hasbro would not want to redistribute multiple shows to multiple channels. The different nations thing is out of context, because that's in regards to that country only. I mean, when Cartoon Network cancelled Transformers Animated, could other channels in other countries pick it up just because it was airing there? No, it couldn't, hence why the core of the show does matter. The Hub is important.

I wouldn't even say "golden age" can be applied to this situation, because it just happens to be popular. Eventually, popularity will die. It happens. I'm not saying the Hub is doomed. But Hasbro would not put in the effort to keep FiM alive if the show goes. I believe that's the reality of things, even if people don't like it. There have been much better shows that got cancelled and aren't coming back, what would make FiM any different if the Hub fell?

Eventually, they're going to reboot it for G5. Could be any time, not just when popularity dips, but if they feel it would be more popular if they start fresh and go with a boom, of a new show. And they're going to want to make new dolls, because molds can wear out.

I just really feel that how much worth the show really has is blinded by the fact that it's a fad for now.
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Postby ilcane87 (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:36 pm

^ I don't know, though I'm admittedly not well informed, I just can't find your argument convincing.

Long story short, it is factually proven by the data we possess (please don't make me dig through all the investor reports for numbers :beggarshy: ) that MLP is currently extremely succesful and generating a lot of profit, this is undeniable; nothing of what you've said backs up the notion that, if The Hub were to shut down, canceling FiM in favor of a new show would be in Hasbro's best interest.

I'm sure you are making solid points and that airing their shows on a different channel would present plenty of difficulties, but... why wouldn't they do it anyway? :pinkieshrug:
That's what corporations do after all, whatever is necessary to ensure their business stays profitable and sustainable.
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:57 pm

But I'm mentioned that if the Hub shut down, they wouldn't have anyone else pick it up. Because shows have been cancelled against their will (Transformers Animated, as I said) and they didn't go out and deal with getting that back.

I also don't think anything backs it up that they would get it on a new channel. So what if it's making money? Things end. And it's happened often that when a show gets cancelled on one channel, and picked up on another, it doesn't really do well. I would imagine MLP would be no exception, and that they would just start fresh if the Hub ended. It's not really all that much of a golden show. Maybe Equestria Girls will have a few straight to DVD movies, but I'd say expect the worst.
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Postby ilcane87 (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:03 pm

ShieldedDiamond wrote:but I'd say expect the worst.

Well, I won't say your worst-case-scenario cannot happen,but I will say I find it just that, a worst-case-scenario. :-P

In the current circumstances, in light of what we keep reading in the Hasbro and media reports, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic over pessimistic, imho.
Last edited by ilcane87 on Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:04 pm

It's still to early to get all doom & gloom. Wait till after season 5 wraps up, then we can panic. :gotcha:

Also, as mentioned, It's possible Pony, LPS & Transformers will stay on the network even if it does transition from The HUB to Discovery Family.
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Postby Sobana (?) » Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:04 am

What would be considered a "golden age" if not super popular and making boat loads of money?
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