☀️DISNEY Drops AI Bomb in SORA Deal
ORACLE stock pummeled as PSKY makes 2nd push / SONY looks at 3rd '28 Years' pic / FOCUS sets AI doc
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
Where Vogue set Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams as co-chairs of the MET Gala on May 4. Alas, I had a newsletter writing schedule conflict.
HUH: WBD Auction #FunFact — TCM is in the WB STUDIOS business that NETFLIX is buying, so the streamer will potentially be running two linear TV networks (HBO being the other).
ALSO: In some local Cali news — Palisadian Post owner Alan Smolinisky announced that the publication is shutting down after 97 years.
OH: The Vanity Fair Oscars party this year will be at LACMA.
YUP: NETFLIX set Kelly Clarkson to open its NFL Christmas Day games with a performance of “Underneath the Tree.”
THEN: Here are the 90 films coming to the last Sundance in Utah — including 2 films with Charli XCX and Olivia Wilde (respectively, although one of Wilde’s is as director), and the 10 pics in the U.S. Dramatic Competition (just scroll down a bit on this page).
SO: Who had 3 Fed interest rate cuts in 2025? The 3rd and final one was made yesterday, with a lot of differing internal opinions at the Fed.
Mortgage interest rates went from about 6.7% a year ago to 6.2% last week — we’ll see if this rate does anything to finally get it under 6% at some point in early 2026. Naturally, the new Fed leader is to come in 2026.
PLUS: TKO set its 3rd big new sponsorship partnership in Q4 (on top of DOORDASH and POLYMARKET), enlisting DODGE RAM as the Official Truck Partner of WWE, UFC, and PBR.
WELL: Gotta love the creativity from the A24 folks on this movie campaign! Keep it coming. So, $25 for Wheaties, anyone?
YAH: COMCAST streamlined its cable TV bundle pricing . . . and is raising the price of its News & Sports bundle by $10 a month for 2026. Prices include the various “cable fees” and cost of the X1 cable box (but presumably not taxes).
💻THE MEDIA BIZ
DISNEY goes big on AI, fires YOUTUBE warning flare at GOOGLE
Well, it seems OPENAI has gotten a lot more motivated in its Code Red phase.