☀️Why COMCAST Stock was -9% on WBD Deal Day
SIRIUSXM shifts back to cars / WB 2025 slate changes / AMAZON sets new NFL high
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 TUESDAY, December 10, 2024.
Where a congrats to all of the recipients of a Globes nomination yesterday, whose list was nicely distributed among studios . . . just like the campaign spending.
AH: OPENAI’s SORA is now available to the public . . . as soon as they can solve the bottleneck of people who rushed to sign up for an account to use it.
Paying CHATGPT customers also get access for free, and can create up to 50 videos at 480p resolution or fewer videos at a higher resolution per month.
ALSO: DISNEY raised its dividend by 33% to $1 a share per year ($0.50 in Jan., $0.50 in July), just 1 year after restoring the dividend in the first place. DISNEY suspended its dividend in 2020 during Covid.
THEN: Hey, if I was writing my own hit TV Western show — I’d certainly write a scene about me winning a strip poker scene with a supermodel as one of the women playing, too.
OH: The #3 and #4 ad agencies (OMNICOM and INTERPUBLIC) are merging in a deal expected to close in H2 2025 (WPP and PUBLICIS will now be 2 and 3 if the deal is approved).
This is a stock deal with OMNICOM leading the way, paying about $12.4B. OMNICOM shareholders will have about a 60% interest in the new company, which will keep the OMINICOM name.
As for the employees — $750M of “cost savings” is coming, so get those resumes ready.
Thus creating the largest ad agency in the world with $25B of revenue (roughly the size of PARAMOUNT). What? You thought Hollywood had a trademark on mergers?
HUH: For all of those with dreams of drinking mayonnaise — a Japanese company has you covered. Ya know, sometimes there are bad ideas.
PLUS: Sorry, Rupes — the Nevada commissioner overseeing his attempt to change the family trust to favor Lachlan said, nice try, bro . . . but nah ✋.
Rupert plans to appeal, and of course could always sell FOX CORP too to avoid the situation. 👀
AND: Here are your NETFLIX NFL coverage teams:
Studio: Kay Adams, Drew Brees, Mina Kimes and Manti Te’o
1:30 p.m. game (CHIEFS vs. STEELERS): Ian Eagle, Nate Burleson and JJ Watt, with Melanie Collins and Stacey Dale on the sidelines
4:30 p.m. game (RAVENS vs. TEXANS): Noah Eagle & Greg Olsen, with Jamie Erdahl and Steve Wyche on the sidelines
Ian Rapaport and rules analyst Gene Steratore will be appearing on both.
AND: Bert Kreischer will be a “tailgate correspondent” and Nate Bargatze will also be involved as a correspondent.
TEAMWORK: Gotta love HULU with the Dune series promo assist, thanks bud! 🤝
THEN: New Gauge, who dis? Latest video usage snapshot for the month of November from the folks at NIELSEN — although this ended Nov. 24.
So it doesn’t include Thanksgiving viewing . . . but does include World Series games and a ton of NFL, which put Broadcast +3% for the period.
Streaming hit a new high share of 41.6%. (#ThanksTyson🥊!)
YOUTUBE had its biggest share ever at 10.8%. (#thanksElection?)
ROKU CHANNEL also had a nice bump up to 1.9%, tying DIS+.
PEACOCK also saw a bump to 1.5%, with Despicable Me 4 playing a big role in that. See ya on NETFLIX, kids!
📺 THE SILVER TV SET 🎥
