Nielsen examines Harry
Potter impact on
entertainment industry



MUMBAI: With the release of the new Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well as the upcoming book release on 21 July of the seventh and final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, US media research firm Nielsen has released a multi-dimensional overview into the young wizard's strong impact on the entertainment industry.

Since 1998 when Nielsen began measuring book sales in the UK, the six Harry Potter   more...books have sold more than 22.5 million copies in the UK alone. In the US the Harry Potter titles published after 2001 have sold more than 27.7 million copies.

The first four Harry Potter films have grossed more than $3.5 billion worldwide. The first film, "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone," is the fourth all-time highest grossing film worldwide.


In the US ad spend for all Harry Potter branded merchandise (including books, movies, DVDs and other promotional products) totals $269.1 million from 1998 to date. Outside of the U.S. from 2000 to date, $119.3 million was spent on total advertising for all Harry Potter branded merchandise in Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK.

All three Harry Potter DVDs/Videos - Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban - debuted at number one and remained the number one family film for the first 3 weeks of each release. The Warner Bros. "Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix" Web site drew 446,762 unique visitors in May. On blogs, the final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is generating more ‘buzz’ than the latest movie installment.

The four Harry Potter soundtracks combined have sold more than 1.1 million copies in the US and almost 100,000 copies in Canada since the initial release back in October 2001. There have been a total of 180,000 downloads of individual songs that tied to the four Harry Potter soundtracks.

Since 2002, the Harry Potter movies have aired on US television a total of 366 times. A recent survey of moviegoers shows that 51 per cent of persons age 12+ are aware that the new book is coming out next month. 28 per cent of persons 12+ in the US have read one or more of the previous Harry Potter books, and 15 per cent have read all of the Harry Potter books-to-date.

More than $11.8 million has been spent by U.S. consumers on Harry Potter-licensed trademark cookies, candy and gum products since June 2002. Audio titles of the Harry Potter series have been popular, with total sales of more than 1.34 million audio copies in the U.S. (818,000) and the UK (525,000) to date. In the UK, audio releases of Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone have sold the most volume to date (128,280 units). Since 2001, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (452,000 units) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (349,000 units) are the best-selling audio books in the US.

Since 2000, international advertisers have spent $659,019 promoting the Harry Potter books (print books and audio books), with the bulk of the ad dollars going towards audio books ($543,412). The top spending category outside the U.S. has been theatrical releases ($57.3 million). Ad spending for Harry Potter among DVD/Video releases came in second at $31.9 million. Advertisers for video games spent $11.8 million and toys/games spent almost $11.6 million, while advertising for Harry Potter magazines reached $3.8 million.

Cross Promotion in the US: The Harry Potter brand has partnered with products as diverse as bubble bath to electronic games to cross-promote and sell more merchandise. In total, $54 million was spent promoting Harry Potter products excluding the core businesses of books and movies over the last seven years.  less

Girls Gone Wild may need a new boss!

Any ideas?


Federal Tax Rap for "Girls Gone Wild" Boss
IRS: Joe Francis caught in $20 million corporate evasion scheme
Joe Francis, the "Girls Gone Wild" founder, was indicted on federal tax evasion charges for illegally deducting more than $20 million in phony business expenses from his 2002 and 2003 corporate tax returns. According to a two count indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Reno, Nevada, Francis, 34, sought to conceal income through the use of   more...offshore companies and nominees. At one point, he transferred $15 million from one offshore bank account to a California brokerage account in the name of a Cayman Islands corporation he controlled. Below you'll find a copy of the indictment filed against Francis, who is pictured in the mug shot at right. If convicted of the federal charges, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. Francis was arrested on an unrelated federal warrant stemming from a civil lawsuit brought against him by seven underage women who were filmed by "Girls Gone Wild" cameramen in Florida in 2003. The contempt citation was issued after Francis rebuffed a judge's order to settle the case with the aid of a mediator.


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(O)
Ray Ray  less

Kurt Vonnegut's favorite piece of writing was a letter
that his daughter wrote in protest to a restaurant
where a waitress had been fired. She had expressed
why she thought the girl shouldn't be fired - it was
direct, earthy and to the point. He held it out as
an example of perfect writing.

My other favorite Vonnegut anecdote came from Reader's
Digest of all places. Vonnegut was introduced at a
party with great fanfare to a writer from Chili.
They stood there looking at each other both silent.   more...
Finally, Vonnegut said, "It must be nice to come
from a country that is long and narrow. "
http://www.bartcop.com/  less

Master of the Obvious


1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let
the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen.   more...Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is
with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county;
to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measureed by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away.

Plus don't forget to brush your teeth 3 times a day, clean the litter box
and take out the garbage.

^-^
O
Ray Ray

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