#profitable franchises

[drawfee-quot3s]

i played as- i played as carl for a short stint

hoT CARL FROM LOVE ACTUALLY???

his name is carl clover?🤓

carl clover??

jimmy neutron ass name

his sister is a doll??🤓

jimmy! you wanna see a frawg? i- i love it when carl says that

- julia, karina, jacob, + nathan

[national-hockey-gay]

Making an Edit for Every Team in the NHL: The Chicago Blackhawks (7/32)

Voting as Fire Extinguisher (suggested by @ghostgeno)

[andrevasims]

Okay here's my EA conspiracy theory lol:

You know how they've tried implementing online features in every Sims game but held back due to negative reaction, same with microtransaction DLC, and they've been increasingly focused on mobile gaming (where online connectivity is basically a given and microtransactions are more "accepted")?

I think their choices with the franchise have been attempting to shift the game's userbase to one that wants multiplayer and will pay for microtransactions. That's why they put so many resources into The Sims Mobile and made TS4 on console virtually identical to the PC version, why they introduced Kits, and showed mobile connectivity in the TS5 announcement.

Not every Sims player likes those things, but the ones who do are the ones giving them money, and at this point I think they've managed to shift the userbase towards that enough that they may actually manage to make a multiplayer, microtransaction Sims installment that will receive positive reception this time. And I think they'll accomplish that by catering to mobile gamers and build out from there, maybe even cross-platform support or whatever.

So basically I think The Sims 5 will be like Fortnite lol

[squidkidnerd]

oh my god what is wrong with this fandom sometimes. just bc we're in the second half of splatoon 3's update cycle now doesn't mean the game is dying and nintendo is horrible and all that... look, i get side order was kinda disappointing, but in all fairness i don't think people had the right expectations of it either. it was never going to be like oe because oe had way more building up to it and side order just... doesn't. and that's okay! okay, guys? okay. literally just chill out, step away from your phone, and take a walk. splatoon 3 is fine. the world is not ending. there will most certainly be a splatoon 4 because nintendo wants to make more money. relax. seriously, relax.

[moghedien]

This is what funko pops are used for btw

[bluewritinghood]

I absolutely love Icemav so I made a fan edit of them, this song fits them so well!

Disclaimer:

I do NOT own Top Gun, or Top Gun Maverick, nor do I claim to. I do not own any characters in this fan fic or from Top Gun. This transformative
work has been created purely for
entertainment purposes. No profit is
made or sought. No copyright
infringement is intended. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I don’t own Anything to do with the Top Gun franchise.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Hozier or any of his music nor do I claim to. I do not own anything from Hozier in this fan edit or from Hozier. This transformative
work has been created purely for
entertainment purposes. No profit is
made or sought. No copyright
infringement is intended. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I don’t own

I am purely a fan and this is purely a fan edit shared for the enjoyment of others and no profit is sought in any way or form.

[blackstarising]

the most unprepared demigods you ever did see

children of a miracle, don diablo and marnik / the weight, kathleen graber / unfold, porter robinson and totally enormous extinct dinosaurs / "church and state", succession (2023) / tiktok user blaineunderstudy / his stillness, sharon olds / dune: part two (2024) / andrei tarkovsky, journal 1970-1986 / electra, sophocles / the world was wide enough, lin-manuel miranda and leslie odom, jr. / little miss sunshine (2006) / soldier, poet, king, the oh hellos

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

i think harry potter specifically is one you probably shouldnt post characters from even with all that stuff considered because at the end of the day making posts about it and encouraging engagement with those posts will make it trend and add to the popularity

I’m not sure if this makes sense from a practicality perspective, harry potter is in like the top 10 most profitable franchises in the world and I’m a relatively small tumblr blog. I don’t see how a poll asking whether you like or hate a hp character gives any money to j k shitting or increases the medias ability to do harm. It trends on tumblr like every week without my help, and like. if you have never heard of Harry potter before and learn about it through me you are probably too young to be on tumblr

[eaglesnick]

Private Sector Good, Public Sector Bad?

The reigning ideological economic theory within the Conservative Party is, and has been ever since Margaret Thatcher came to power, that “markets know best”

This was made abundantly clear when Kwasi Kwateng, the Chancellor of Liz Truss’s short-lived government, dismissed anything resembling a “planned economy”. Rather, growth and economic success depended on:

“…the power of our treasured free-market economy to leverage private capital and unleash Britain’s unique entrepreneurial spirit to grow new industries." (The Conversation: 13/04/22)

The key words here are “to leverage private capital”. What this means in ordinary speech is to encourage private investors to participate financially in “projects that benefit the economy, society or the environment”.  This has resulted in private investors running (and in many cases, owning) most of our public utilities and services. But rather than “benefit the economy, society and environment" these private investors have devastated it.

Over the next few blogs I intend to look at various British/English public utilities and services and to see how they have fared under the private sector.  First up are the railways.

Britain’s railways are organised within a mishmash of private and public ownership, and has been described as “broken" and no longer fit for purpose.

“The UK's train network is not only one of the worst in Europe, it is also one of the most expensive.” (euronews: 20/05/21

This is no surprise given its complex and chaotic structure.   The railway tracks and rail network are owned and operated by Network Rail, which is a “non-departmental public body of the Department for Transport, (DFT) with no shareholders"

 Non-departmental public bodies are a strange entity. They are national or regional bodies that work independently of government, are not staffed by civil servants, and yet are still accountable to government ministers. It is the Secretary of State for Transport who sets the strategic direction of the railways, allocating funding, and it is the secretary of state  who has to approve major investments in the railway system.

The companies that operate the trains are privately owned and are either awarded franchises from the DFT, or they are “open access” operators that provide passenger services on a particular route or network, but with no exclusive rights enjoyed by franchise holders.

To complicate matters further, the actual trains, passenger carriages and railway wagons, known collectively as “rolling stock”, are owned by the rolling stock leasing companies” (ROSCOs) who lease out their stock to the privately owned rail operating companies.

Freight train operators are totally separate from passenger trains, have no contracts with government but do need permission from Network Rail to run their services.

For year 2022/23 the railways received £11.9bn of government funding and Network Rail has secured £27.5 bn of government funding over the next five years. In short, we the taxpayer invest heavily in our rail network which the private passenger, rolling stock and freight companies use to make a profit.

A 2019 report by the TUC found that:

“Rail firms have paid over £1bn to shareholders in the last 6 years.” (TUC: 02/01/2019)

In 2022 Avanti West Coast received a taxpayer subsidy of £343m, despite having the worst punctuality record amongst train operators and paying out £12m to its shareholders. Avanti West Coast is owned by First Group, who also own Great Western Railway and South Western Railway. Great Western paid out the largest dividend in 2021/22, £33m, while South Western paid out  £13m. 

More recently:

“UK rail operator Govia awards $79m in dividends amid UK rail dissatisfaction.” (Railway Technology: 08/01/24)

Govia is largely foreign owned, the three largest shareholder companies being Australian, Spanish and French. In 2022 it was fined £23m “over financial irregularities" having failed to return £25m in taxpayer funding. Why on earth any government would want to go on subsidising such a company is beyond understanding, especially as the Transport Minister at the time said the company had:

“…committed an appalling breach of trust...behaviour was simply unacceptable and this penalty sends a clear message that the government, and taxpayers, will not stand for it." (BBC News: 17/03/22)

Clearly the minister (Grant Shapps) didn’t mean what he said as Govia is still operating trains two years later and still courting controversy

Turning to the train-leasing companies, we find:

“Profits of UK’s private train-leasing firms treble in a year. More than £400m paid in dividends in 2022-23 while rest of railway faced cuts and salary freezes.” (Guardian: 18/02/24)

These companies saw their profit margins rise to 41%, a profit that we as taxpayers and passengers pay for. It is estimated that "taxpayers are now effectively paying the £3.1bn spent last year on leasing trains.” To actually run a passenger rail service yet not own a single locomotive or passenger carriage is bazaar to say the very least.

Finding overall profit figures for freight train operators is a little more difficult but Colas Rail UK’s revenue in 2022 was £15,529m, up 17% on the previous year, an operating profit of £460m.

 Overall, taxpayer subsidies to the rail industry run at £6bn per year. However, these massive subsidies have not led to lower fares, an end to over-crowed trains, or an efficient service. According to TaxPayers Alliance 02/01/23) "rail subsidies cost taxpayers £1300 each by March 2023.” Meanwhile the private companies that operate the highly fragmented and disjointed system continue to reap profits and pay out dividends.

Maybe this would not be so bad if the British taxpayer subsidised dividend payouts went to British owned companies, but this is far from the case:

“According to the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, 70% of Britain’s railways are now under foreign ownership to some degree.” (CityA.M.: 11/01/17)

The figure of 70% foreign ownership is disputed, not least because some companies have gone bust since 2017, with five lines now being effectively run by the government as “operators of last resort.”  As the 1993 Railways Act forbids the UK state from running the railways these lines are likely to be franchised out to private firms in the future.

“…many foreign state-owned enterprises of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Hong Kong now run rail franchises in the UK." (The Standard: 11/05/23)

While other countries have no philosophical problem with running railways for the benefit of their citizens, and clearly have no qualms about investing state money in foreign ventures, the Conservative Party is ideologically opposed to state intervention in running UK public services and is vehemently opposed to setting up a UK sovereign wealth fund.

In summary, successive Tory governments have continued to pay taxpayers money into the coffers of private enterprise regardless of how efficient, honest or effective these firms are at providing an essential public service. Clearly, where the railways are concerned, they are not run to “benefit the economy, society and environment" but for the benefit and interests of private investors, in the mistaken Tory belief that private enterprise is always better than public stewardship despite evidence to the contrary.  

[dieselocelot]

ive never been so repelled by a trailer

[milfbrainrot]

on a practical level the g@il simone situation is just such a bad look professionally because do you really want the people who employ you to see you talking shit about decisions they've approved

[washmarts-blog]

Low investment and high profit franchise in India

In the dynamic and fast-growing Indian market, aspiring entrepreneurs often seek opportunities that require minimal initial investment but offer high returns. Low investment and high profit franchises provide an attractive pathway for individuals looking to start their own businesses without the hefty financial burden typically associated with new ventures.

https://washmart.in/low-investment-and-high-profit-franchise-in-india/

[sammydem0n64]

I need to study but I keep getting hit with oc visions. Crimson we are really in it now

[bambiswhitespots]

Tbh I still don't buy that they're actually making a live action for HTTYD but the way the rumors are spreading everywhere I look now is beginning to scare and anger me—

This franchise and these characters mean the WORLD to me; I've grown up beside them and they've brought so much joy and meaning into my life and none of the magic it holds would work in live action like it does in animation. Honestly... to me even just the mere thought of anyone wanting to try to replicate or iMpRoVe on this story by turning it into a live action is violating and offensive to animation and the fandom as a whole. It's making me angry beyond words. Literally nobody asked for this or even wants it.

These rumors better stay that way— rumors. I'm so tired. We're so tired. Please. For the last time, let animation do its thing in peace. Leave it alone. Leave my dragons alone.

[angeltannis]

So… apparently Overwatch, as we know it, was never intended to stop at being a FPS. The FPS was apparently intended to be the “infant” stage of the franchise (the “crawl”) and that it was eventually going to “grow up” into a PVE game (the “walk”) and then its ultimate form was planned to be, of all things, an MMO (The “run”).

But when the FPS became such a runaway hit, their plans got muddied. They tried to stick to their goal, but that led to where we are now, with an anemic FPS and years of pipe dream PVE work down the drain.

I have to say, I’ve always felt like the Overwatch world was vastly overdeveloped for a non-canonical FPS. To me, the game always felt almost more like it was a tie-in to an established franchise, like when a movie comes out and they rush out a game to go along with it. And apparently I had a solid reason for thinking that, because it’s not all that far from the truth.

[justanotherfanartist]

if I ever become the creator of some really big hit series or creative work im gonna hire fanfiction writers of said thing to help me write the thing don’t let me forget guys hold me to it