DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Yet the idea of building rosters of paid political contributors took off with cable news. MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel are, in large part, political talk channels and seek experts to help fill the time. Being on call to opine can be lucrative work; several reports had NBC agreeing to pay McDaniel $300,000 a year. Even NBC News, whose MSNBC cable outlet appeals to liberals, has more than a dozen Republican contributors. John Kasich and Bulwark founder Charlie Sykes — either predate Trump in their active political work or oppose him, or both.

Persons: —, Ronna McDaniel, Donald Trump, McDaniel, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, Cesar Conde, ”, Mark Whitaker, Shana Alexander, James Kilpatrick's, George Stephanopoulos, Tim Russert, Michael Steele, John Kasich, Charlie Sykes —, MAGA, Reince Priebus, Mick Mulvaney, Mulvaney, Priebus, Tom Bossert, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Trump, David Urban, Mark Esper, Griffin, Mike Pompeo, Alex Conant, Mark Lukasiewicz, ” Lukasiewicz, “, Jay Rosen, NBC's Conde, McDaniel didn't, Joe ”, Mika Brzezinski, That's, ” Conant, Brian Roberts, Conde, Rebecca Blumenstein, Rashida Jones, Carrie Budoff Brown, Jones, Margaret Sullivan, ___ David Bauder Organizations: NBC News, Republican National Committee, GOP, Republican, NBC Universal, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, NBC, RNC, Ohio Gov, Trump, CBS, ABC News, Trump Homeland Security, Networks, Hofstra, “ Journalists, New York University, ” Networks, Republicans, Comcast, Washington Post, Center for Journalism, Columbia University, Guardian, Associated Press Locations: Washington, MSDNC

☆ NBC’s Ronna McDaniel disaster is dragging Comcast into the political firestorm
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It’s difficult to succinctly summarize the disastrous state of affairs at the news division, given that multiple engines are failing simultaneously. sand and refusing to dump McDaniel until after his top television personalities, including Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow, went on the air and excoriated the hire. Ironically, NBC News’ attempt to make inroads with Republicans through the hiring of McDaniel has had the opposite effect. On Wednesday, Trump spent part of the day ranting on Truth Social against the Comcast boss over the McDaniel disaster, characterizing Roberts as a weak leader whose employees are running amok. I asked Comcast spokespeople on Wednesday if either Roberts or Cavanagh were taking any action.

Persons: Brian Roberts, Cesar Conde, Conde, “, Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow, Puck’s Dylan Byers, Byers, Carrie Budoff Brown, Republican Richard Walters, Todd, ” Brown, Richard Walters, Stephen Labaton, Labaton bashed, Labaton, Rashida Jones, Jones, Rebecca Blumenstein, Blumenstein, I’m, Elon Musk, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Tom Cotton, Roberts, Trump, ” Trump, It’s, can’t bode, Conde’s, Michael Cavanagh, Cavanagh Organizations: New York CNN, Comcast, NBC News, NBC Universal News Group, Republican National, NBC, MSNBC, NBC News ’, Republican, NBCU, Fox, The New York Times, NBCU News, –, Comcast spokespeople Locations: New York, Miami, Washington, MSDNC

☆ YouTube could be worth $400 billion — that's more than Disney and Comcast combined. We should be paying more attention.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Now YouTube could be worth as much as $400 billion, per analyst Michael Nathanson. You're still not getting close to the $375 billion to $400 billion value Nathanson is talking about. AdvertisementOr, alternately: You could combine Comcast ($172 billion) and Disney ($224 billion, after a big ramp-up this year — Nelson Peltz, your services are no longer needed) and end up with a $396 billion company. (You would also get to watch a funny wrestling match between Disney CEO Bob Iger and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts who have a long-standing enmity.) So if you're talking about video, and the internet, and advertising and audience and value and you're not talking about YouTube?

Persons: Michael Nathanson, —, ANDREW CABALLERO, REYNOLDS, let's, you'll, Lucia Moses, Nathanson, — Nelson Peltz, Bob Iger, Brian Roberts Organizations: Google, YouTube, Service, Big Tech, Meta, Twitter, Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, Fox, Comcast, Disney

☆ CNBC invited Trump on its air. The network didn’t even try to stop his lies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I believe on the ‘Squawk’ news line, we are joined by former President Donald J. Trump, DJT 45. It’s been a while, Mr. President,” Joe Kernen, co-host of “Squawk Box,” greeted Trump on the air. Almost immediately after commencing the interview, Trump launched into one of his trademark, fact-free rants. Instead, the outlet quickly spliced Trump’s comments into a handful of clips and posted them online, amplifying his comments further. “We appreciate all the time you’ve given us this morning, Mr. President,” Kernen said.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Donald J, Trump, It’s, ” Joe Kernen, ”, Kernen, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Trump, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin, Brian Roberts, Rachel Maddow, “ Biden, Fani Willis, Jean Carroll, ominously, ” Kernen Organizations: New York CNN, CNBC, Monday, Republican, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Trump, NBCU News Group, Comcast, NBC, MSNBC Locations: New York, Joe Biden’s State, U.S, Trump, China, Fulton County

☆ Comcast tops revenue and profit estimates despite broadband subscriber losses, raises dividend by 7%
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"For the third consecutive year, we generated the highest revenue, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS in our company's history," Comcast Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts said in a statement. Comcast lost 34,000 domestic broadband subscribers — less than the average analyst estimate of about 62,000 as compiled by StreetAccount. Average revenue per user jumped 3.9% as customers connected more devices and spent more for higher Internet speeds. The company lost 389,000 video subscribers -- a narrower loss than the average analyst estimate of nearly 458,000. Theme parks adjusted EBITDA rose 11.6% to $872 million, which trailed analyst estimates of roughly $897 million.

Persons: Omar Marques, Brian Roberts, Brian L, Roberts, StreetAccount Organizations: Lightrocket, Getty, Comcast, LSEG, Revenue, Parks Locations: U.S

☆ The Chiefs-Dolphins game on Peacock was the most-streamed live event in US history
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The “Peacock Exclusive Wild Card” game garnered 23 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. NBC said in a release that the game sets records for the “most-streamed live event in US history” and was also responsible for the most internet usage ever in the US on a single date, consuming 30% of internet traffic during the Saturday night game. That number also includes viewership figures from the local NBC affiliates in Miami and Kansas City and on the NFL+ mobile app, where the game was also shown outside of Peacock. Notably, the ratings for the exclusively streamed game was up 6% over last year’s primetime AFC Wild Card Game that was shown on NBC’s broadcast network. It recorded an average of 27 million viewers overall, which NBC said at the time made it the most-watched Sunday show since the 2023 Super Bowl.

Persons: New York CNN — Peacock, Peacock, ”, Brian Roberts, “, Roger Goodell, Taylor Swift’s, Travis Kelce, Swift, CNN’s Ramishah Maruf Organizations: New, New York CNN, NFL, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Nielsen, NBC, Kansas City, Comcast, English Premier League soccer, MLB, WWE, “, NBC Sports, Chiefs, Jets Locations: New York, Miami, Peacock

☆ Big M&A and Bob Iger's future: 13 media executives make their anonymous 2024 predictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-20 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Executive 2: Bob Iger will, again, extend his contract as Disney CEO Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger renewed his contract through 2026. This executive predicted "fool me five times, shame on me." This executive predicted Peltz and Rasulo will win their campaign and both join the board. This person predicted Disney would purchase privately held Candle Media to acquire Moonbug Entertainment, the owner of CoComelon. This executive predicted Yaccarino would either lose patience or find her job increasingly pointless and leave the company in 2024.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Walt Disney Company Bob Iger, Michael M, David Zaslav, Slaven Vlasic, NBCUniversal, Brian Roberts, Roberts, Donna Langley, Bob Iger, Iger, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, Marco Bello, Peltz, Rasulo, Disney's, Dana Walden, Dana Walden Jason Laveris, Disney Entertainment Dana Walden, Walden, Bob Chapek, Andrew Wilson, Wilson, Chris Licht wouldn't, McCarthy, Andrew Wilson Michael Newberg, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Terada, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Alec Martinez, Gray, Discovery's Max, Jeff Zucker, Lady Michelle Obama's, Michelle Obamas, Cheriss, Gerry Cardinale, Jeff Shell, RedBird, Shari Redstone's, David Ellison, Byron Trott, Zucker, Mark Thompson, Linda Yaccarino, X Linda Yaccarino, Vox, Jerod Harris, Yaccarino, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Boorstin, Elon Musk's, Jason LaVeris, Barbie, Mario, Oppenheimer, LightShed's Greenfield Organizations: Walt Disney Company, New York Times, Santiago, Getty, Jazz, Lincoln Center, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Warner Bros, Discovery, Disney, Trian Fund Management, Future Investment Initiative, Summit, Bloomberg, Filmmagic, Disney Entertainment, Electronic Arts, CNBC, Candle Media, Iger, Media, Moonbug Entertainment, Apple Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, USA, National Basketball Association, NBA, Apple, The College, ESPN, College, NHL, MLB, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Mobile, National Hockey League, Diamond Sports Group, Scripps, Gray Television, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, Phoenix Suns, Street Journal, Netflix, Hulu, Max, Paramount, RedBird, Paramount Global, CNN Worldwide, CNN, NurPhoto, BDT, The Ritz, Carlton, FilmMagic, Mario Bros Locations: New York City, Disney, Miami , Florida, Las Vegas , Nevada, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point , California

☆ Will 2024 bring good tidings to media and telecom companies? That's unlikely
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Still, legacy media companies including Disney, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Since the "Great Netflix Correction" of 2022, there isn't a unifying growth narrative for media and entertainment companies. Disney, Paramount Global and NBCUniversal have all pegged 2025 as their flagship streaming services' first full year of profitability. Beyond financial metrics, several executives privately acknowledged morale has become an increasing concern at legacy media companies. One executive noted he's increasingly hearing from peers that running media and entertainment companies just isn't as fun as it was five or 10 years ago.

Persons: Corey Martin, Granderson Des Rochers, Martin, Jerome Powell, Liu Jie, Shari Redstone, David A, CNBC Shari Redstone, Biden, Sinclair, Lina Khan, Joe Biden, Khan, There's, John Harrison, Brian Roberts, Drew Angerer, Donald Trump, Trump, David Zaslav, Michael M, Disney, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, Bob Iger, he's, LightShed's Rich Greenfield Organizations: Universal Studios, Warner Bros . Discovery, Disney, Paramount Global, Comcast, Granderson, U.S, Federal, Washington , D.C, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Allen, Co . Media, Technology Conference, Grogan, CNBC, Trump, Nexstar, Gray Television, Federal Trade, Verizon, Mobile, NBCUniversal, CBS, NBC, EY, Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Trump's Department, Justice, Time Warner, Republican, Democratic, Netflix, Cable, Warner Bros, New York Times, Santiago, Getty Images Media, Management, Paramount Locations: Washington ,, United States, Sun Valley , Idaho, Tegna, Europe, U.S, EY Americas, New York City

☆ Disney will soon own all of Hulu. Here's how the company got here and what's next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Disney has offered to pay Comcast $8.6 billion to take full control of Hulu. Disney is already in the process of rolling out a unified app that'll make Hulu's general entertainment content available in Disney+ . "With Hulu firmly in the Disney fold, they can create their own mini-bundle with kids and family (Disney +), general entertainment (Hulu), and sports (ESPN). The valuation also has to take into account that Hulu contains an entire Disney basic cable network, FX on Hulu. Netflix is set to spend $17 billion on entertainment content in 2024, while Disney is poised to spend $15 billion.

Persons: Bob Iger's, —, Bob Iger, Hulu —, what's, Comcast's NBCUniversal, pare, he's, Jonathan Miller, Brian Roberts, there's, Bernstein, Laurent Yoon, Read, Jordan Helman, Max, Puck, Disney, Bernstein's Yoon Organizations: Disney, Comcast, Hulu, Service, YouTube, News, Century Fox, Marvel, Netflix, Integrated Media, ESPN, ABC, LightShed Partners, Warner Bros, Wall, Paramount Global, Paramount, Showtime, HBO Max, Macquarie Equity Research, Media, Disney Disney, Hollywood Locations: Disney, Hulu, Canada, India, Hollywood

[1/2] A smartphone with displayed "Disney" logo is seen on the keyboard in this illustration taken March 24, 2020. Disney said it expected to pay NBCUniversal (NBCU) parent Comcast about $8.61 billion by Dec. 1. Hulu had 48.3 million subscribers at the end of Disney's third quarter, compared with 28 million paid subscribers for Comcast's Peacock streaming service at the end of Comcast's third quarter. Disney+ had 146.1 million global subscribers at the end of Disney's third quarter. If the value is determined to be greater than the guaranteed floor value, Disney will pay NBCU the difference.

Persons: Dado, Walt Disney, Disney, Bob Iger, Goldman Sachs, Brian Roberts, Dawn Chmielewski, Helen Coster, Sriraj Kalluvila, Sayantani Ghosh, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, ANGELES, Wednesday, Disney, Comcast, Hulu, Goldman, Thomson Locations: Hulu, Burbank , California, U.S, Los Angeles, New York

☆ Comcast, Disney hire investment banks to value Hulu as sale process makes progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Comcast and Disney have hired investment banks to value Hulu, the next step in what's been a nearly five-year process to put the streaming service under one owner. Comcast, which owns one-third of Hulu, has hired Morgan Stanley , and Disney, which owns the other two-thirds, has hired JPMorgan Chase . Spokespeople for Comcast, Disney, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan declined to comment. That deadline represents the final date at which Hulu's valuation will be assessed by both Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase. On Nov. 1, Comcast can force Disney to acquire its 33% stake in Hulu and/or Disney can trigger its option to acquire the stake from Comcast.

Persons: what's, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Hulu —, Brian Roberts, Goldman Sachs, Roberts Organizations: Comcast, Disney, Hulu, JPMorgan, JPMorgan Chase Locations: Hulu

☆ Bob Iger's grand plan for Disney is moving fast with reported talks to sell ABC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Madeline Berg | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney is in talks to sell ABC to Nexstar, Bloomberg first reported. But the reported talks are another sign that Iger means business when it comes to Disney's streaming future. The company's direct-to-consumer business reported a loss of $2.2 billion in the first nine months of the year — 12% less than during the same period last year. But even if he does sell ABC — and manages to get a good price for it, despite its ominous future — his challenges are far from over. AdvertisementAdvertisementSo, then, what does the deal to sell ABC mean?

Persons: Bob Iger's, Bob Iger, Iger, Peter Csathy, he's, ABC's, Brian Roberts, there's, it's Organizations: Disney, ABC, Nexstar, Bloomberg, Service, Nexstar Media Group, Walt Disney Company, CNN, ESPN, Hulu, Hollywood, Magic Locations: Wall, Silicon, Sun, Iger, Hulu —, Hollywood, Magic Kingdom

Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu, while Comcast owns the rest. "Hulu has far greater value than when they struck the $27 billion agreement with Disney ... Comcast wants to get maximum value out of this." Hulu had 48.3 million subscribers at the end of the most recent quarter, compared with 24 million paid subscribers for Comcast's Peacock streaming service and 105.7 million global subscribers for Disney+. Greenfield applauded Disney CEO Bob Iger for agreeing to accelerate the Hulu purchase, saying that waiting until next year is hampering Disney's strategic flexibility. "Whatever Disney chooses to do, having partial ownership of Hulu with Comcast makes anything else they want to do more challenging," Greenfield said.

Persons: Mike Blake, Brian Roberts, ” Roberts, Roberts, Goldman Sachs, ”, Rich Greenfield, Greenfield, Bob Iger, Disney, Iger, Samrhitha, Helen Coster, Dawn Chmielewski, Nick Zieminski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Comcast NBC, REUTERS, Comcast, Disney, “, Technology, Hulu, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Hulu, Bengaluru, New York, Los Angeles

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Comcast (CMCSA.O) has moved up the date for the sale or purchase of its remaining stake in Hulu to Disney (DIS.N) to Sept. 30 this year, CEO Brian Roberts said on Wednesday. Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu, while Comcast owns the rest. Under a 2019 agreement, either company can trigger a sale or purchase of Comcast's 33% stake to Disney as early as January 2024. Hulu had 48.3 million subscribers at the end of the most recent quarter, compared with 24 million paid subscribers for Comcast's Peacock streaming service and 105.7 million global subscribers for Disney+. (This story has been corrected to say that Comcast has pulled forward the date, not extended, in the headline.

Persons: Mike Blake, Brian Roberts, ” Roberts, Roberts, Goldman Sachs, ”, Samrhitha, Helen Coster, Arun Koyyur, Anil D'Silva, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Comcast NBC, REUTERS, Comcast, Disney, “, Technology, Hulu, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Hulu, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Comcast, Disney move up deadline to decide Hulu future ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The timeline to decide Hulu's ownership fate has been moved up, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said Wednesday. Comcast and Disney are set to begin those discussions on September 30, months earlier than the initial January 2024 deadline. Under the original 2019 agreement, Comcast can force Disney to buy (or Disney can require Comcast to sell) that remaining 33% stake in January 2024, at a guaranteed minimum total equity value of $27.5 billion. In May, Roberts said at an investor conference that Comcast would likely sell its 33% stake in Hulu to Disney at the beginning of next year. For Disney, the move to add Hulu content to Disney+ came as it focuses on its ad-supported Disney+ option to attract more subscribers and advertising revenue.

Persons: Brian Roberts, Roberts, Goldman Sachs, we've, Disney didn't, Bob Iger, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Iger Organizations: Comcast, Disney, Technology, Hulu, Netflix, ESPN, CNBC Locations: Hulu, U.S

☆ Comcast and Disney Agree to Speed Up Hulu Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | More About Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The tug of war over Hulu, one of the world’s most popular streaming services, might be over sooner than expected. Brian Roberts, the chief executive of Comcast, said on Wednesday at an investor conference that his company had agreed to move up negotiations to sell its stake in Hulu to the Walt Disney Company, which owns the majority of the streaming service. Mr. Roberts said Comcast and Disney had agreed to conclude their negotiations over how much Hulu was worth at some point after Sept. 30, when a formal appraisal process for Hulu’s valuation would begin. That process had been expected to conclude at some point after January. “It will take a little time for this to play out, but both companies wanted to get it behind us,” Mr. Roberts said.

Persons: Brian Roberts, Roberts, ” Mr, ” Organizations: Hulu, Comcast, Walt Disney Company, Disney Locations: Hulu

☆ How much is Hulu worth? As Disney gears up to buy Comcast's share of the streamer, analysts say Bob Iger may have to pay a hefty price.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

When it comes to Hulu, value is in the eye of the holder. However, Comcast claims Hulu is worth double what Disney is saying, according to Bloomberg — even in a tough media environment. "It's what would a willing buyer in a robust auction pay," Roberts said of Hulu's valuation at a MoffettNathanson conference in May. Another way to value Hulu is by comparing its EV-to-subscriber ratio with that of Netflix. By buying all of Hulu, Disney can position itself for the next big trend in media, Noell said.

Persons: Bob Iger, Bloomberg —, Peacock, Brian Roberts, Roberts, financials, maven, Hulu, Tim Nollen, Netflix's, Nollen, Iger, Matthew Thornton, who's bullish, Barton Crockett, Crockett, Brandon Nispel, Nispel, Jason Bazinet, Bazinet, Davis Noell, Noell Organizations: Disney, Comcast, Hulu, Bloomberg, Wall Street, Macquarie, Netflix, Rosenblatt Securities, Citigroup, Star Wars, Marvel, Providence Equity Partners Locations: Hulu

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger called Hollywood strikers 'not realistic.' His critics are calling his $27 million pay package unrealistic.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently called strikers' expectations "not realistic," quickly drawing criticism. Iger could make over $27 million this year, 535 times the median pay of his employees. An average CEO in 1978 made around 31 times what their average worker made, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In 2020, the average CEO made 346 times what their average worker made. At Disney, the median worker pay is $54,256, according to the company's latest proxy statement.

Persons: Bob Iger, Sean Gunn, Fran Drescher, Iger, Gunn, Drescher, Sen, Bernie Sanders, he'd, Variety, David Zaslav, Reed Hastings, Brian Roberts Organizations: Disney, SAG, Morning, Hollywood, CNBC, Sun Valley Conference, Writers Guild of America, Guardians, Economic, Warner Bros, Netflix, Comcast Locations: Idaho, Los Angeles

☆ Disney is open to finding a new strategic partner for ESPN, Iger says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Disney has held off from putting its prime ESPN content on its ESPN+ streaming service as it continues to make billions of dollars in revenue each year through traditional cable TV. Disney has held early conversations with potential partners that could improve an ESPN streaming service by extending its distribution and adding content, Iger said. Disney is open to potentially selling an equity stake in ESPN and is looking for a strategic partner in the business as it prepares to transition the sports network to streaming, CEO Bob Iger said Thursday. But in the traditional cable TV business model, ESPN made money per cable subscriber — whether a person watched or not. In addition to finding a strategic partner for ESPN, Iger said he was open to selling or spinning off Disney's legacy cable networks, including FX and NatGeo, and its broadcast group, ABC Networks.

Persons: Iger, CNBC's David Faber, Bob Iger, Brian Roberts, Bob Chapek Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Hearst Communications, CNBC, FX, ABC Networks, Comcast, Apple, Google, Amazon, National, YouTube, Major League Soccer Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Hulu

☆ The top Hollywood exec made $498 million in the last 5 years—384 times as much as the average writer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That's a staggering 384 times the average pay of a Hollywood writer. Overall, average pay for Hollywood's top execs climbed to $28 million in 2021, up 53% from 2018 (and roughly 108 times the average writer's pay) according to the analysis, which uses compensation data from the research firm Equilar and includes stock options, base salaries, bonuses and other perks. Meanwhile, average pay for Hollywood writers has remained virtually flat at about $260,000 as 2021, the Times reports. Hollywood executive pay dropped in 2022 due to stock market volatility and investor pressure to make streaming profitable. From 1978 to 2021, CEO pay grew by 1,460%, adjusted for inflation, versus just 18.1% for the typical worker.

Persons: David Zaslav, That's, Ari Emanuel, Reed Hastings, Bob Iger, Walt, Ted Sarandos, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, Brian Roberts, Joseph Ianniello, Patrick Whitesell, Kaitlin Fontana, Kelly Evans Organizations: Hollywood, Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros, Discovery Inc, Times, Writers Guild of America, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc, Netflix, Walt Disney Co, Fox Corp, Comcast Corp, Paramount Global, Endeavor, Paramount, Disney, Company, WGA, Alliance, Television Producers, LA Times, Economic, Comcast, CNBC Locations: U.S, California

☆ Comcast likely to sell Hulu stake to Disney by early 2024 - CNBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 16 (Reuters) - Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) will likely sell its 33% stake in streaming platform Hulu to Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) early next year, CNBC reported on Tuesday, citing Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts. Disney said in 2019 it would take full control of Hulu in a deal with Comcast that ascribed a minimum equity value of $27.5 billion to Hulu, allowing either company to trigger a sale or purchase of the stake as early as January 2024. According to the CNBC report, Roberts suggested the final price for Hulu will likely be higher than the valuation set in 2019. Comcast, Disney and Hulu did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Disney CEO Bob Iger said last week in an earnings call that he had "constructive" talks with Comcast about Hulu.

Comcast will likely sell its 33% stake in Hulu to Disney at the beginning of 2024, Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said Tuesday. Comcast and Disney struck a deal in 2019 that allowed Disney the option to buy out Comcast's minority stake in 2024. Roberts also suggested the final price for Hulu will likely be higher than the $27.5 billion valuation initially set in 2019. Comcast and Disney have already held talks about Hulu this year, Iger said last week. Comcast executives had assumed Disney would buy out its 33% stake in Hulu when Bob Chapek was Disney's CEO last year.

The departure of ads chief Linda Yaccarino to Twitter has thrown NBCU into chaos. The exit comes on the heels of the departure of NBCU CEO Jeff Shell after sexual harassment allegations. One advertising executive who works closely with NBCUniversal described the situation inside the company as a "Cuban missile crisis." NBCU does have a deep bench of ad executive talent that's highly regarded in the ad industry. Although Yaccarino's departure from NBCUniversal to Twitter was a surprise, she had been close with the company and its billionaire owner.

☆ Disney boss races to hold back the dam
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

How that unfolds is in the hands of Comcast (CMCSA.O) boss Brian Roberts, whose cable operator owns the studio behind the cinematic video game hit as well as one-third of Hulu. The shift is understandable, however, considering what Disney is up against. In the quarter ended April 1, the division that houses Disney+ narrowed its operating loss from a year earlier, but subscribers also fell 2% to 158 million compared to the previous quarter. A rare bright spot was the theme parks, particularly overseas, but Iger has a growing number of holes to plug to ensure the dam holds. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Inside NBCUniversal, female execs are eyeing leadership's next moves after CEO Jeff Shell's ouster over 'inappropriate relationship': 'We're watching'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NBCUniversal insiders are reeling after chief Jeff Shell's stunning departure and asking questions about what's next for the Comcast division. News of Shell's hasty exit dropped April 23 after an investigation into what he called an "inappropriate relationship" with a company employee. "It's shocking," said one employee, wondering how an executive at Shell's level would take such a risk with his career. Two staffers also grumbled that the company hasn't widely addressed the matter internally since its terse statement announcing Shell's exit. Keeping Cavanagh atop NBCU could serve another purpose — to help bring about a merger of Comcast with Warner Bros.

Search resuls for: "Brian Roberts"

25 mentions found