Core Viewpoint - Paramount has increased its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery by introducing a $0.25 per share "ticking fee" for each quarter the transaction remains unclosed beyond December 31, 2026, indicating confidence in regulatory approval for the deal [1] Group 1 - Paramount will cover a $2.8 billion termination fee owed to Netflix as part of the transaction [1] - The company is also providing solutions to address Warner Bros. Discovery's debt financing costs and obligations [1]

Donald Trump gave his endorsement to Nexstar’s proposed merger with Tegna, a transaction that would create a broadcast giant reaching 80% of TV households. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks. Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar – Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level. Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this ...

Lionsgate Studios saw revenue jump 18% to $724 million with operating income at $85 million, well above Wall Street forecasts, in a solid FY26 third quarter. The company’s fiscal year ends in March. Motion Picture revenue of $421 million grew by 35% year-over-year driven by the releases of The Housemaid and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. The Housemaid came out December 19 so had just 12 days of domestic box office reflected in Q3 with most of the contribution hitting in the current fourth quarter and into ...

Core Viewpoint - Amazon's shares experienced a significant decline following the release of mixed fourth-quarter earnings and an aggressive forecast for AI spending in 2026, which exceeded analyst expectations by a substantial margin [1][2]. Financial Performance - Revenue for the fourth quarter rose 14% year-over-year to $213.4 billion, slightly surpassing Wall Street analysts' consensus estimates [1]. - Earnings per share for the quarter were reported at $1.95 on a diluted basis, missing expectations by one cent [1]. Stock Market Reaction - Amazon's stock fell 4% during regular trading and an additional 7% in after-hours trading after the earnings report was released [2]. AI Investment Strategy - The company announced plans to invest $200 billion in AI by 2026, which is over $55 billion more than what analysts had anticipated [2]. - CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that the substantial capital expenditure is justified by strong demand for existing offerings and significant opportunities in AI, chips, robotics, and low earth orbit satellites [4]. Advertising and Viewership Growth - The holiday quarter saw Prime Video achieve record viewership for Thursday Night Football, averaging 15.33 million viewers per game across 15 regular-season games [5]. - Prime Video also began streaming NBA games as part of an 11-year deal initiated last October [5]. - Advertising revenue for Prime increased by 22% year-over-year, reaching $21.3 billion, marking the latest in a series of quarterly increases exceeding 20% [6].

AI industry vet Kathleen Grace has been named Lionsgate‘s first Chief AI Officer. In the new position, Grace will work closely with Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns and other senior leaders across the studio to lead its AI strategy and executive, and provide tools to serve the creative vision of its filmmakers, create opportunities for new efficiencies in its production, marketing, distribution and administrative operations, and spearhead initiatives to protect the IP of the studio and its talent par ...

Core Insights - Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) reported revenues of $2.3 billion for its fiscal third quarter, reflecting a 12% year-over-year decline [1] - Operating income for the same period was $197 million, down 11% compared to the previous year [1] - Parent company Sony Group experienced a 22% increase in profits during the quarter, supported by growth in its music, gaming, and imaging divisions [1] Revenue and Performance - The decline in SPE's revenue was attributed to lower sales, despite a reduction in marketing costs for theatrical releases [2] - In the previous year, SPE benefited from the success of "Venom: The Last Dance," which grossed $478 million globally [2] - The top-performing release in the most recent quarter was "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc," which earned $117 million worldwide [2] Future Outlook - SPE maintained its full-year guidance, indicating stability in its projections despite the recent quarterly performance [3] - The success of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle," which grossed $312 million in the second quarter, previously contributed positively to SPE's financials [3]

As creator of The Night Agent, Shawn Ryan, who adapted the Netflix series from Matthew Quirk’s novel of the same name, wrote the pilot script, which became the series premiere. He also wrote Episode 2 and co-wrote Episode 3 of the first season and also wrote the Season 2 premiere. But Ryan is not credited as a writer or co-writer on any of the 10 episodes from the upcoming third season, premiering Feb. 19, which is unusual as he serves as showrunner on the action thriller starring Gabriel Basso. Ryan, a pr ...

Core Insights - Snap's daily active users (DAUs) decreased by 3 million to 474 million in Q4, attributed to reduced marketing investments and the impact of new regulations in Australia [1][2] - The company's net income increased significantly to $45.2 million from $9.1 million year-over-year, indicating a shift towards more profitable growth [1] - Snap's revenue rose by 10% to $1.72 billion, with advertising revenue reaching $1.48 billion (up 5%) and subscription revenue increasing by 62% to $232 million [3] User Engagement and Growth - Monthly active users (MAUs) grew to 946 million, an increase of 51 million [3] - Subscription services, including Snapchat+ and Memories Storage Plans, saw a 71% year-over-year growth, reaching 24 million subscribers [3] Augmented Reality Developments - Over 700 million Snapchat users engaged with generative AI Lenses more than 17 billion times, showcasing strong user interaction with AR features [4] - The company launched Specs Inc as a distinct subsidiary, with plans to publicly launch Specs in 2026 after five generations of development [4]

A seven-game World Series last October and continued strength at Fox News and streaming service Tubi helped Fox Corp. top revenue expectations in the October-to-December quarter. The company said Wednesday that total revenue in the fiscal second quarter inched up 2% from the year-ago period, reaching $5.18 billion. Earnings per share came in at 52 cents, and 81 cents when adjusted for one-time gains and expenses. Wall Street analysts had expected earnings per share of 52 cents and revenue of $5.03 billion. ...

Wall Street has greeted Disney‘s CEO succession news with a shrug, with analysts nodding in approval of Josh D’Amaro’s promotion but not bursting into applause. The media giant’s beleaguered stock, which has essentially been stuck in the mud since 2022, drifted down a fraction of a percentage point Tuesday to close at $103.81. On Monday, shares fell nearly 7.5%, a sharp pullback for the large-cap Dow component, in the wake of disconcerting projections in the company’s fiscal first-quarter earnings report. ...