Kirby chops it up with The Streaming Madman, exploring his picks for the worst mergers of all time and examining the turbulent world of media consolidations. Kicking off with the rumored Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount merger, ultimately abandoned by…
TKO, parent of UFC and WWE, posted $681.2 million in Q3 revenue, boosted by content licensing and event income. While UFC saw a revenue dip from fewer events, WWE’s media rights gains offset this, supporting TKO’s reaffirmed high-end 2024 revenue…
Shari Redstone will exit the Paramount Global board in 2025 once Skydance Media and RedBird Capital acquire her company, National Amusements Inc., and merge with Paramount. The new entity, temporarily named "New Pluto Global, Inc.," will have an 11-member board…
Comcast announced it is considering spinning off its cable TV channels into a new company, a move that led to a 4% jump in its stock on an otherwise down market day. The proposal, still in early stages, aims to…
David Ellison, Skydance CEO, will hold full voting control over the Ellison family's interests in the upcoming Skydance-Paramount merger, with the deal expected to close in mid-2025. Ellison will lead "New Paramount," with a 77.5% stake held by Ellison-controlled Pinnacle…
The proposed merger between DirecTV and Dish Network faces a setback as Dish’s bondholders resist a $1.6 billion debt reduction, jeopardizing the deal’s viability. DirecTV, aiming to create a consolidated pay-TV leader, is prepared to abandon the merger if an…
Endeavor is selling On Location, Professional Bull Riders, and IMG to TKO Group Holdings for $3.25 billion, consolidating its sports assets into one public entity as Endeavor moves toward going private. The deal boosts TKO’s portfolio in media rights and…
Jeff Schultz, Paramount Global’s chief business development and strategy officer for streaming, will depart by year-end. Schultz was instrumental in Pluto TV’s growth into a billion-dollar business and the launch of Paramount Plus, helping achieve profitability for Paramount’s streaming division.…
Our latest column, From the Archives, highlights Crunchyroll's rise from its 2006 launch by UC Berkeley grads to a global anime leader. Evolving from a fan-driven platform to a licensed subscription service, Crunchyroll now leverages a "flywheel" model integrating streaming,…
Former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell is expected to become president of Paramount Global after its merger with Skydance Media in 2025. Shell will oversee daily operations alongside Skydance CEO David Ellison, with a focus on transforming Paramount through cost-cutting and…
