What subscriber reporting change means

The best way to get investors to stop focusing on something is to stop telling them at all. Netflix said Thursday it will no longer report quarterly membership numbers and average revenue per membership starting in the first quarter of 2025. This is a significant change for the company and for the so-called “streaming wars,” … Read more

Details of David Ellison bid

Shari Redstone, president of National Amusements, speaks at the WSJ Tech Live conference in Laguna Beach, California, on Oct. 21, 2019. Mike Blake | Reuters Skydance Media’s offer to acquire National Amusements and merge its studio with Paramount Pictures isn’t a conventional takeover. The question for Paramount Global shareholders might be: Is it better than … Read more

Jim Cramer updates his media stock ranking and puts Fox over Disney

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Thursday updated his ranking of major media stocks, putting Fox at the top of the list, trailed closely by Disney. Five months ago, Cramer ranked Disney as No. 1, with Fox in second, followed by Warner Bros Discovery and then Paramount. But according to him, it’s time to revisit this ranking … Read more

Paramount stock slumps on reports of equity raise for merger

Paramount Global‘s stock slumped 8% on Thursday after CNBC’s David Faber reported the company would need to raise as much as $3 billion in new equity if it were to merge with David Ellison’s Skydance Media, according to sources familiar with the deal. This deal comes as media mogul Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of … Read more

Streaming platforms are shrinking their content libraries

Every day the streaming landscape is looking more and more like the beast it sought to slay — cable. Looming talks of platform bundles come as major streamers push ad-supported plans, limit password sharing and lean into live sports coverage. The goal of exponential subscriber growth, fueled by pandemic lockdowns, has shifted. Wall Street wants … Read more

Mattel Barbie strategy can revitalize American Girl, Fisher-Price, CEO says

Margot Robbie is Barbie in Warner Bros.’ “Barbie.” Warner Bros. If there’s one thing Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz wants shareholders to take away on Thursday, it’s the power of Barbie. As the toymaker faces activist pressure from Barington Capital, particularly around its strategy with the Fisher-Price and American Girl brands, it’s putting forth Barbie as … Read more

Part Two’ hits theaters Friday amid box office drought

Timothee Chalamet stars as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.” Warner Bros. | Legendary Entertainment LOS ANGELES — Movie theater operators are hoping that Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dune: Part Two,” due out in theaters Friday, will be the much-needed oasis amid a drought of blockbuster content. Since the start of the … Read more

5 things to know before the stock market opens Monday

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day: 1. The Fed vs. Nvidia The week ahead will tell whether the Federal Reserve can damper investor enthusiasm. A rally fueled in large part by blowout Nvidia earnings pushed the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all to … Read more

Markets brace for Fed’s key inflation gauge

A trader works during the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 17, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.  Johannes Eisele | Afp | Getty Images This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they … Read more

Wall Street on edge over Fed’s key inflation gauge

A trader works, as a screen displays a news conference by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell following the Fed rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 13, 2023.  Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our international markets … Read more