Deadline: Disney Says Charter Dispute Is Driving A 60% Increase In Hulu + Live TV Subscriptions Relative To Internal Expectations

Story from Deadline:

Disney has seen a 60% jump in Hulu + Live TV subscriptions relative to internal expectations since a carriage impasse with Charter began, according to figures provided to Deadline by a Disney spokesperson.

Warner Bros Discovery to close some channels in Europe by 2024

RegularCapital has tweet on X that Discovery Science and DTX (Discovery Turbo Extra) will close at the end of 2023 in the following countries and territories:

Deadline: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts “Not Completely Surprised” By Charter-Disney Carriage Feud: “Each Company Is Dealing With Their Version Of This Transformational Moment”

Story from Deadline:

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts kicked off an appearance Wednesday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference by saying he’s “not completely surprised” by the Disney-Charter carriage battle.

Deadline: Hulu Stake Sale Kickoff Moved Up To September, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Reveals; Valuation For “Scarce, Kingmaker Asset” Likely To Far Exceed Initial $27.5B Benchmark

Story from Deadline:

Comcast and Disney have modified their Hulu agreement to enable the expected buyout of Comcast’s one-third stake in the streamer to begin on September 30 instead of next January.

Deadline: Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s Fund Acquires Big Stake In Lionsgate

Story from Deadline:

Liberty Strategic Capital, a private equity fund led by former Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, has acquired a hefty 5.5% stake in Lionsgate Class A voting shares at a strategically sensitive moment for the company as it prepares to close a $500 million acquisition of eOne and plans to split up its studio and streaming businesses.

Deadline; Disney-Charter Battle Makes Pay-TV Bundle’s Fadeout A Stark Reality For Streaming-Focused Media Companies And Investors: “The Lifeboats Have Already Been Burned”

Story from Deadline:

Just as this summer’s New York City wildfire smoke, Los Angeles’ hurricane and sneaker-melting heat have brought home the reality of climate change, the Disney-Charter carriage battle is foregrounding the fragility of the pay-TV bundle.

Hollywood Reporter; Disney vs. Charter Spectrum: The Sticking Points, Where Things Stand and More

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Over Labor Day weekend — as families gathered for holiday barbecues and as ESPN was televising major sporting events like college football games and U.S. Open tennis — executives from ESPN’s parent company The Walt Disney Co. and the cable giant Charter Communications continued to have discussions about the ongoing carriage dispute that is keeping Disney’s channels off of Spectrum, Charter’s cable TV service.

Hollywood Reporter: Disney Gets Stock Price Target Cut by More Than $30 From Wells Fargo Analyst

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall cut his stock price target on the Walt Disney Co. by more than $30 on Tuesday but stuck to his “overweight” rating, predicting that investor focus would over time shift from near-term challenges to longer-term upside.

Broadband TV News: Warner Bros. Discovery rebrands Boomerang

Story from Broadband TV News:

Warner Bros. Discovery has today (September 4) rebranded Boomerang to Cartoonito across the Nordics, Turkey, Middle East and North Africa.

Broadband TV News: Warner Bros. Discovery hires Rogier van de Paverd

Story from Broadband TV News:

Rogier van de Paverd has been appointed director digital & ad sales Benelux at Warner Bros. Discovery, effective September 4.

Deadline: Warner Bros. Discovery Sees Earnings Hit From Strikes Of Up To $500 Million This Year

Story from Deadline:

The financial impact of ongoing actors and writers strikes has a number on it now, or one at least, as Warner Bros. Discovery said today it’s looking at a hit of $300 million to $500 million in adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for 2023 due to the work stoppages.

Deadline: Labor Day Weekend Has Been “A Frustrating One For Millions Of Spectrum Cable Subscribers,” Disney Says In Latest Salvo, Adding Plug For Hulu TV Service And Rival Alternatives

Story from Deadline:

Disney put a finer point on its Sunday message to Spectrum customers, urging them specifically to switch to Hulu + Live TV or even rival streaming TV bundles like YouTube TV.

Broadband TV News: ARD to drop SD distribution on January 7, 2025

Story from Broadband TV News:

German public broadcaster ARD will cease the SD distribution of its TV channels across all transmission infrastructures on January 7, 2025.

Digital TV Europe: High View takes control of SPT’s German linear channels

Story from Digital TV Europe:

German media company High View has formally announced the takeover of all linear channels from Sony Pictures Television in German-speaking countries.

Digital TV Europe: Bertelsmann resilient despite financial challenges at RTL

Story from Digital TV Europe:

RTL-owner Bertelsmann has reported group revenues of €9.7 billion, for H1 2023, up 4.5% on H1 2022.

Deadline: Disney Hits Back At Charter Claims, Says It Offered “The Most Favorable Terms” In Extension Proposal To Keep ESPN & Other Networks From Going Dark

Story from Deadline:

Disney has hit back at claims by Charter Communications execs that the media company declined to pursue innovative carriage deals and instead just wanted to ram through price increases.

Deadline: Charter Executives Say Disney Rejected Their Proposed “New Model” Distribution Deal For Spectrum; “Moving On” From The Traditional Video Business Now A Distinct Possibility

Story from Deadline:

Addressing Thursday night’s carriage impasse with Disney, Charter Communications executives told Wall Street investors on a conference call today that their linear video business is “at the edge of a precipice.”

Broadband TV News: Streaming and multiplex changes at TVP

Story from Broadband TV News:

The Polish public broadcaster TVP is encouraging viewers to switch from one of its streaming services to the main TVP VOD.

Advanced Television; Malaysia: HBO on Unifi TV

Story from Advanced Television:

Warner Bros Discovery and Unifi have announced an expansion of their partnership in Malaysia, with the launch of four HBO channels and the HBO GO streaming service.

C21 Media: MVTV to keep Boomerang on air in Thailand following deal with Warner Bros Discovery

Story from C21 Media:

Warner Bros Discovery and MVTV have agreed a deal that will keep kids’ and family channel Boomerang on air in Thailand after it had been set to go dark.