Disney is merging its live TV streaming service, Hulu + Live TV, with FuboTV, a streaming company focused on sports. This will create the second-largest online pay-TV service in North America, with 6.2 million subscribers. Only YouTube TV will be bigger. Hulu + Live TV and Fubo are both virtual multichannel video programming distributors (VMVPDs). This means they offer live TV channels over the internet instead of through traditional cable or satellite. Hulu + Live TV provides access to about [...]

The first weekend of 2025 in the United States recorded a total gross of $105.5 million, marking a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2024, which brought in $85.9 million. While still far from pre-pandemic levels—such as the $219.5 million in 2016 led by Star Wars: The Force Awakens—the American film market is showing signs of recovery. ("Mufasa") Claims the Top Spot Disney’s Lion King prequel, (Mufasa), dominated the American box office with $24 million from 3,925 theaters in its third weekend, bringing its [...]

On December 17, the Academy unveiled the shortlists for ten categories for the 97th edition of the Oscars, giving Italy four reasons to cheer as projects with national ties advance in the race for the golden statuette. The categories announced include International Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Live Action Short Film, Original Score, and Original Song. On January 17, the Academy will narrow these shortlists, selecting only five nominees per category, with the Oscars ceremony set to take place on March [...]

Skydance Acquires Paramount and the Year’s Other Major Agreements   In 2024, Hollywood experienced a wave of transformative mergers and deals that reshaped the entertainment industry. Recognizing these pivotal moves, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the standout players and agreements in its annual "Top Dealmakers of 2024" list. Undoubtedly, the most significant transaction of the year was Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global. David Ellison's Skydance struck a deal to absorb Redstone's National Amusements and plans to merge Skydance with [...]

TikTok has filed an urgent appeal with the Supreme Court, requesting an injunction to block a federal law that would enforce a U.S.-wide ban on the app unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its stake by January 19, 2025. The move follows a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The court concluded that national security concerns outweigh TikTok’s argument that the law infringes [...]

The year 2024 proved turbulent for Hollywood, marked by box office disappointments (Joker: Folie à Deux and Kraven the Hunter), widespread layoffs, prolonged labor strikes, and shrinking production opportunities amid a broader industry downturn. Yet, amidst the struggles, a few key players and projects managed to emerge victorious. Disney faced significant hurdles at the start of the year: slumping stock prices, a money-losing streaming division, and a renewed proxy fight from activist investor Nelson Peltz. However, the entertainment giant staged [...]