Time Warner Entertainment was formed in 1992. The company launched a number of magazines, TV channels and theme parks in the early 1990s. In 1991, Quantum Computer Services officially changed its name to America Online and went public in the following year. Time Warner Telecommunications was launched in 1993 when Time Magazine first appeared on AOL. During 1994, AOL acquired a number of companies that specialized in internet and multimedia publishing, and by mid 1995 it had over 2.5 million subscribers. The Time Warner and AOL merger was announced in 2000.
Product
- Time Warner is a dominant media and entertainment company whose key business segments include cable, filmed entertainment, networks, and Internet access subscription services. Specifically, their inventory of brands includes AOL, HBO, CNN, Time, Fortune, People, Sports Illustrated, Time Warner Cable and Warner Brothers.
- Time Warner’s cable division includes Video services, Analog services, Digital services, On-Demand services, DVRs, High definition services, Interactive services, High-speed Data Services Road Runner, Time Warner Cable Business Class, Voice services and Digital Phone.
- The company’s filmed entertainment division includes distribution of theatrical motion pictures distribution of television shows, Animation, distribution of home video products, licensing of programs and characters plus television programming.
- Time Warner’s Network Division entails sports franchises cable networks, pay television, services, broadcast television network, and pay television programming.
- The company’s Publishing Division produces books and magazines.
- Time Warner’s Internet access subscription services are primarily operated through AOL.
Time Warner Marketing mix
Time and Warner Communications began operations in the 1920s. Henry Luce and Britton Haddon founded Time in 1922. The first issue of Time Magazine appeared in 1923. Warner Brothers (Warner Bros) was incorporated by brothers Harry, Abe, Jack, and Sam Warner in the same year. Warner Bros went public in 1925. Time merged with Warner Communications in 1989 to form Time Warner. Would you like to take a lesson on the marketing mix?
Price
- Time Warner announced cable rate increases ranging from 6 to 8 percent depending on regions of the country.
- Time Warner’s Talk ‘n’ View package, of telephone and cable television service, will rise from $100.50 to $108.95 – an increase of about 8 percent.
- “Surf ‘n’ View”, a combination of Internet and cable television, will increase from $105.50 to $111.95, an increase of 6 percent.
- “All the Best”, which combines cable, internet and phone, will rise from $135.50 to $144.95, or 7 percent.
- The projected increases are said to result from increasing carriage fees faced by Time Warner which is passing some of the cost along to customers.
- Customers can minimize price Time Warner price increases by opting for longer term agreements such as offered in the “Price Lock Gaurantee”
- In 2008 AOL increased subscriber rates by $2 to $11.99 per month, unless they decide to give up technical support by phone. AOL says the higher rate is still $3 to $10 less than monthly fees charged by other Internet service providers.
Place
- Time Warner’s Head Office is located in the Time Warner Center, New York City, New York.
- Turner Broadcasting System is located in Atlanta Georgia at the CNN Center.
- Home Box Office Warner Brothers Entertainment is based in Burbank California.
- HBO is located on the Avenue of the Americas in New York New York
- Time Warner Cable operates in 31 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
- In 2008, Time Warner Cable Business Class launched its nationwide agent channel program, a national channel strategy, allowing channel partners to deploy its services across all company markets. It will have one set of price points and one set of products.
Promotion
- In 2010 Time Warner introduced its “Online Customer Care Team, Led by Online Customer Care Manager Phil Blum, the four-person team will use e-mail, Twitter, and other forms of social media to get customers help anytime, anywhere, and on any device.
- In November of 2009 Time Warner’s Turner Classic Movies invited fans around the country to its “TCM Classic Film Festival”, scheduled for spring 2010.
- Time Warner’s Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group launched a DVD to Blu-Ray upgrade program which will let customers select from over 50 movie titles to upgrade.
- Time Warner Cable Package deals provides a toll free number and special promotion codes for specially bundled services.
People
- Time Warner has over 31 000 employees.
- Jeffery L. Bewkes is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
- Bill Nelson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HBO.
- Phillip Kent is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Turner Broadcasting.
- Ann S. Moore is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time, Inc
- Barry M. Meyer is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Brothers Entertainment.
- Each divisional CEO has an annual plan for diversity that supports multicultural market expansion, workforce diversity development, and workplace inclusion.
- People magazine reaches one out of every five Hispanics; nearly one third of HBO’s subscribers are people of color; over 20% of “Adult Swim’s” audience is African-American; and “House of Payne” on TBS is cable’s #1 ad-supported sitcom telecast of all time.
Pysicial Evidence
- Time Warner’s corporate web page www.timewarner.com provides a wealth of information on its management policies, citizenship and investor relations as well as recent news releases.
- Time Warner and its main divisions Turner Broadcasting, Home Box Office, Time, Inc, and Warner Bros. Entertainment each have unique, specially created pieces of artwork for its logos.
Process
- Time Warner Cable’s nationwide agent channel program will allow channel partners to deploy its services across all company markets. The benefits include one set of price points and one set of products.
- In December of 2009 Time Warner spun off AOL in order to streamline its operations and be more focused on creating packaging and distributing content.
- Recently Time Warner entered into a video distribution agreement with YouTube calling for YouTube to host content from a wide rage of its television shows and movies.
- Time Warner has partnered with Canon Business Solutions to provide employee training on environmentally responsible methods to use printers and copiers.
- Home Box Office is seeking to establish criteria for purchasing products that reduce the impact on the environment.
Disclaimer:
This case study has been compiled from information freely available from public sources. It is merely intended to be used for educational purposes only.