The Walt Disney Company


BBC boss fears threat of digital giants

BBC director general Tony Hall is again attacking the threat of the US-based digital companies to British television. In a speech to BBC staff, Hall will say that major digital firms – which include Facebook, Apple Amazon, Netflix and Google (collectively known as FAANG) – are increasingly dominating global media. This “breaktaking, seismic change” is […]

Disney shutters Movies Anywhere service

The Walt Disney Company is closing its Disney Movies Anywhere services, though customers can transfer their downloaded films to a newer service. A message on the Disney Movies Anywhere web page urged users to move their films to the Movies Anywhere digital locker service announced last year. Disney Movies Anywhere launched in 2014 as a […]

Comcast threatens Murdoch deal with £22bn offer for Sky

US cable giant Comcast has made a £22.1 billion (US$30.9 billion) bid for Sky, marking a 16% increase on 21st Century Fox’s agreed takeover price for the company. Announcing the offer this morning, Comcast said it is making a superior cash proposal of £12.50 per share and said that the proposed combination would bring attractive […]

Netflix kids films to Chinese SVOD net through Air Bud deal

Four kids films recently produced for Netflix are headed for China through a deal on-demand service iQiyi has struck with LA’s Air Bud Entertainment (ABE). The deal comprises the Pup Star franchise and others ABE has produced with The Walt Disney Company, Air Bud and Disney Air Buddies, plus the MVP franchise. ABE is a […]

COBA: £1bn annual British TV investment under threat from Brexit

Losing access to EU markets through Brexit could cost the UK’s television market £1 billion (US$1.4 billion) per year in investment from international broadcasters, an influential broadcaster body has warned. Research from media analysis firm Oliver & Ohlbaum (O&O) for the Commercial Broadcasters Association (COBA) reveals that international networks invested £1.02 billion in the UK […]

Comcast looking again at Fox after higher bid was rejected – report

Comcast made an offer last year for 21st Century Fox that was significantly higher than Disney’s successful bid, and may make a fresh move to acquire the company, or its European pay TV arm Sky, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal, citing unnamed sources, reports that Comcast made a bid for Fox that […]

Alibaba bolsters VOD services with Disney toons deal

Chinese conglomerate Alibaba has signed a deal with The Walt Disney Company that will bolster video streaming service Youku with more than 1,000 episodes of programming. Disney and Alibaba had previously launched an SVOD service, DisneyLife, together in China, but this was closed in April under the weight of the country’s strict rules on foreign […]

Content deals bite as Hulu losses sting Disney for $250m

Hulu’s successes in acquired and original programming are coming at a cost. Hulu backer The Walt Disney Company revealed its share of the losses at the US subscription VOD service would be US$250 million. Twelve months ago, Disney predicted losses of US$100 million from the service, highlighting a significant increase in costs. Fox’s latest earnings […]

Disney’s ESPN streaming service set for US spring launch

Disney’s direct-to-consumer sports streaming service, ESPN Plus, is due to launch in the US this spring as part of a revamped ESPN app, according to Mouse House CEO Bob Iger. The app comes ahead of the launch of Disney’s entertainment-focused global SVOD service next year, which will compete directy with Netflix and Amazon. Speaking on […]

Stock trader: Giorgio Stock bets on brands

Turner EMEA continues to grow under Giorgio Stock, who is targeting consumers with investment in brands. He tells Jesse Whittock about his plans and working with sister firms HBO and Warner Bros. TBI interviews Turner EMEA president Giorgio Stock on the same day his former employer, The Walt Disney Company, announces its US$54.2 billion takeover […]