Disney CEO Bob Iger (left) and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts (right).
Getty Images
Ho, ho, ho! It’s a holiday tradition at CNBC: Anonymous media executives make industry predictions for 2025.
To mark the 12 Days of Christmas, we bring you 12 predictions from some of the world’s most powerful media and entertainment executives, made anonymously so they can speak candidly about their expectations for the year ahead vision. Then, because we’re having holiday cheer, we’re giving you a bonus. A dozen bakers!
Looking back at the forecast for 2024, it is not as good as previous years. But there are some hits, or partial hits.
although Warner Bros. Discovery to the maximum extent, Netflix and disney As one participant predicted last year, not all hands were on deck to create the first major streaming bundle; Max and Disney have indeed joined forces. television and radio station group Continue to extract Regional sports rights, as another executive expected. Redbird Capital did not fully acquire Paramount Worldwidebut the private equity firm is part of the Skydance consortium, which announced a merger with the company in July.
As for other predictions for 2024, Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo didn’t win active campaigns to join Disney’s board; Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2026 The contract was not renewed after the year, Candle Media was not acquired, and Dana Walden was not appointed as his successor; NBA media rights were not owned by Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and apple — They went to Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon.
Oh, one more thing to miss: Although Comcast It did announce the spinoff of most of the cable networks, but it didn’t spin off NBCUniversal and merge it with Warner Bros. Discovery Channel.
Here’s a nice continuation of this year’s predictions:
Execution Option 1: Comcast would acquire Warner Bros. Discovery Channel’s studio and streaming assets and merge them with NBCUniversal
The second time is the charm! Warner Bros. Discovery is separating its linear properties from the rest of the company. Comcast is divesting most of its cable networks. It must mean something, right?
Executive 2: Comcast to acquire Charter and spin off remaining parts of NBCUniversal
Yes, Comcast may have SpinCo 1 and SpinCo 2! Comcast executive predicts Comcast will test Donald Trump’s regulatory administration and attempt to merge America’s two largest cable companies in 10 years abandon bid The company acquired Time Warner Cable (which, before being acquired by Charter, was the second-largest cable provider in the United States) after concluding that the government would block the deal.
Executive 3: Fox to acquire majority of Warner Bros. Discovery assets
After selling most of its entertainment assets to Disney 2019, fox The executive said that he would once again expand his scale by acquiring the streaming assets of HBO, movie studios, Turner Networks and Warner Bros. Discovery Channel, shocking the media world.
Another executive predicted Fox would sell given its value. unknown future Member of the Murdoch Family Trust.
Executive 4: Dana Walden to leave Disney at year’s end after she wasn’t offered CEO job
Disney has said it plans to delay naming a new CEO until early 2026, so this forecast assumes the company will make the announcement slightly earlier. walden, disney Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment Companyis the ultimate Hollywood insider, and many consider him to be the frontrunner for the position. The board is taking its time to review candidates after Iger’s transition to Bob Chapek didn’t go smoothly in 2020.
Dana Walden, Ryan Murphy, Bob Iger and FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf (from left) attend the premiere of Murphy’s limited series “Feud: Capote vs. Swan” on January 23, 2024.
Image source: Disney
Executive 5: Jeff Bezos will be forced to sell The Washington Post after President Trump made it clear his space company Blue Origin would suffer losses from its newspaper’s coverage
Bezos has said he is committed to the future of The Washington Post, but the paper has caught up in drama This year. Maybe in 2025, Bezos decides he’s had enough of the extra headaches.
Senior Executive 6: Several TV station groups will be sold due to financial difficulties
Companies such as EW Scripps, Label and sinclair broadcasting corp. Their shares have fallen sharply in recent years as traditional pay-TV valuations have declined as cable channels have been cut off. Executives at these companies hope the new Trump administration will clear the way for further consolidation. The executive speculated that some companies would sell out of desperation, either to avoid bankruptcy or to gain the scale they need.
Execution 7: The Trump administration relaxes TV station ownership rules, leading CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox to acquire their own affiliates
It’s a similar idea to the previous idea, but the executive took a bolder step and said the acquirer of the station would be the broadcast network itself.
August 27, 2024, Paramount World Headquarters, New York.
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Executive 8: Paramount Universal to acquire Lionsgate after it splits from Starz
If Paramount Global gets government approval to merge with Skydance Media next year, its new leadership may seek to transform the business. One of the major steps the company will take is to acquire Lionsgate The studio after Spin off from Starz The executive said that early next year.
CEO 9: A major tech company will acquire video game maker Electronic Arts
After flirting with Comcast and Disney over the past few years, Electronic Arts Will be sold to a large tech company in 2025, e.g. Netflix, letterThe executive said that whether it is Apple or Amazon. that will follow Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023.
Executive 10: The M&A hype in the industry will be overly exaggerated and the number of deals will be far fewer than anyone imagines
You are all wrong! The executive said M&A forecasts often don’t come to fruition because consolidation doesn’t provide any real fix to the transforming industry.
Executive 11: Paramount+, Peacock and Max bundled together
Executives at Paramount Worldwide, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery have all spoken out about the need to consider streaming integration options. What if there was a bundle that included all three services? The executive speculated that the three services would be sold together, either through a hard bundle on one platform or together at a discounted price.
Executive 12: Sports streaming service Venu will never launch, Fox will license its sports content to ESPN’s streaming service
Venu, a joint venture between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, was announced with much fanfare earlier this year. But antitrust litigation Submitted by fubo have Stopped service startup. Meanwhile, ESPN will launch its “flagship” streaming service in the fall of 2025.
Executive 13: Casey Kennedy is leaving Lucasfilm
Kennedy was president disney lucasfilm Since 2012, she is now in her 70s. Maybe it’s time to find a new leader for the Star Wars franchise.
May the Force be with you. Let’s see what 2025 brings. happy holidays!
Revealed: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
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