Fall

Atari Shares Fall 40% on Unexpected Loss; Company's Future in Question

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 10, 2006 - 3:06am.

New York - Shares of video game publisher Atari, a unit of France-based Infogrames, fell more than 40% on Thursday after the company reported an unexpected loss of $4.8 million during its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. The loss of 4 cents per share is compared with income of $19.6 million, or 16 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier, and was far short of analysts' expectations of a 17 cents per share profit for the quarter. Atari's revenue for the period, which included the crucial holiday shopping period, was $100.8 million, down 36% from the same time last year -- which the company attributed to fewer releases and weak sales. In its quarterly filing, Atari raised "substantial" doubt as to its ability to continue operating as a viable company. Parent company Infogrames also saw its shares fall nearly 19% on the news.

LeapFrog Plug-and-Play Educational Game to Ship in the Fall

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 8, 2006 - 3:52am.

Emeryville, Calif. - LeapFrog Enterprises, a developer of educational technology products, on Wednesday introduced its LeapsterTV plug-and-play game console for children ages 3 and older. Software for the device will include titles featuring licensed characters from Disney/Pixar and Nick Jr. The $49 LeapsterTV device will be available in the fall.

Microsoft to Release Xbox 360 in Japan, Europe in Fall of 2005

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 25, 2005 - 8:25am.

Tokyo -- Microsoft announced on Monday that it plans to ship its forthcoming Xbox 360 video game console in Japan and Europe in time for the 2005 holiday shopping season. The company already plans to release the Xbox 360 in the U.S. ahead of the holiday shopping season -- part of its plan to gain an early sales lead on Sony's PlayStation 3, which won't ship until the spring of 2006.

Vivendi Universal Sales for Fourth Quarter Fall by 50%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 5, 2004 - 10:24am.

Paris -- French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal on Thursday reported that sales dropped by 50% in the fourth quarter as a strong performance in telecommunications was unable to offset a poor showing in media and entertainment. Since offloading a number of interests last year -- most notably utility unit Veolia Environnement -- the company has seen sales plummet from $20.1 billion last year to just $9.1 billion. Universal Music's sales dropped by 19% to $2.1 billion, while Universal Entertainment's sales fell by 4% to $2.1 billion as well.

tags: Vivendi Universal | Fall | Fourth Quarter |

Vivendi Universal Predicts 20% Surge in Operating Profits

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 29, 2003 - 9:48am.

Paris -- French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal announced on Monday that it expects to report a 20% increase in underlying operating profits this year. Thanks largely to an ambitious restructuring program, Vivendi was able to report sharply reduced losses for the first half of 2003. Furthermore, the company said that a resumption of dividend payments in 2005 looks increasingly likely. The company has not paid dividends since it fired former CEO Jean-Marie Messier last year.
http://www.vivendiuniversal.com/vu/en/home/index.cfm

tags: Vivendi Universal | Fall | Operating Profits |

Nintendo Slashes GameCube Price to $99

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 24, 2003 - 10:58am.

Redmond, Wash. -- Nintendo of America announced on Wednesday that it has slashed the price for its GameCube video game console from $150 to $99, making the third-place console a full $80 cheaper than its rivals, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The company, which recently temporarily halted production of the GameCube while stores clear their shelves of surplus product, expects to have 320 titles for the console available by the end of the year. "We think this represents an opportunity for us to sell a GameCube to someone who bought a [Sony PlayStation 2] three years ago and is looking for something new," Nintendo of America senior vice president George Harrison told CNET News.com. "We believe this is the best value in the history of video games."

tags: Nintendo | GameCube | Fall |

Vivendi Universal Narrows Losses, Lowers Debt

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 24, 2003 - 10:51am.

Paris -- French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal on Wednesday reported a $724-million loss for the first half of 2003, while net debt plummeted from 35 billion euro ($40 billion) to 13.7 billion euro ($15.7 billion). The company's best-performing entertainment asset was Canal Plus, which posted its first operating profit since its ill-fated purchase of rival NetHold seven years ago. The report is decidedly good news for the company, which posted more than 12.3 billion euro ($14.1 billion) in losses last year. CEO Jean-Rene Fourtou said that talks with General Electric's broadcasting arm NBC were proceeding as planned and that the merger should be completed by the second half of next year.

Bertelsmann Profits Fall 25% For 2002

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 25, 2003 - 4:14am.

Guetersloh, Germany -- The second largest media group in Europe, Bertelsmann, announced on Tuesday that the company's profits fell 25 percent last year, due mostly to declining sales and a write off for the purchase of Zomba Music Group. Net income fell to 928 million euro ($995 million), while sales dropped 3.5 percent to 18.3 billion euro ($19.5 billion), the company said. Bertelsmann has been selling assets and closing units in a bid to reduce an enormous debt load amassed during the tenure of former CEO Thomas Middelhoff, who engineered the company's investment in Napster.

tags: Bertelsmann | Fall | Profits |