Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney reports Q1 revenue up 5% YoY to $26B, driven by Zootopia 2 and a record $10B revenue from Experiences; streaming operating income rose 72% YoY to $450M — Disney beat Wall Street expectations with a 5% lift in revenue for the December 2025 quarter, and its streaming biz continued …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Advanced Television, Deadline, Syracuse Post-Standard, TV Insider, Benzinga, The Wrap, Business Wire, The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Finance, Cord Cutters News, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Streaming Better, Variety, Sports Business Journal, TheDesk.net, Media Play News and Orlando Sentinel
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney says ESPN is valued at ~$30B and the NFL's 10% equity stake in ESPN valued at ~$3B; Disney has the right to buy back NFL's stake in 2034, per a filing — Disney has the right to buy back the NFL's stake beginning in July 2034, with the league holding an option to acquire more of ESPN.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Sportico, Awful Announcing and Cord Cutters News
Andrew Marchand / The Athletic:
ESPN closes the deal to acquire multiple NFL Media assets after receiving US regulatory approval; NFL will get a 10% stake in ESPN as part of the agreement — Share full article — Government regulators have approved ESPN's billion-dollar blockbuster acquisition of multiple NFL Media assets …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Marchand Sports Media, Deadline, Sportico, TVNewsCheck, ESPN, Sports Business Journal, Cord Cutters News, NBCSports.com, TV Tech, TheDesk.net, The Wrap, Washington Post, The TV Answer Man!, Barrett Media, Variety, New York Post, Cord Cutters News, Daily Mail and Awful Announcing
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Disney reports Q1 operating profit down 9% YoY to $4.6B, weighed down by high movie production costs and a 15-day YouTube TV carriage dispute that cost $110M
Disney reports Q1 operating profit down 9% YoY to $4.6B, weighed down by high movie production costs and a 15-day YouTube TV carriage dispute that cost $110M
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, Android Authority, Business Insider, Cord Cutters News, The Wrap, Front Office Sports and The Streamable
Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg:
Sources: Disney's board is aligning on promoting theme park division chairman Josh D'Amaro to CEO; Disney says “the board has not yet selected the next CEO” — The board of Walt Disney Co. is aligning on promoting theme-park division chairman Josh D'Amaro to the role …
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Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Bob Iger has told associates that he plans to step down as Disney CEO before December 31; the board plans to vote on his replacement next week
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
A profile of Josh D'Amaro, a front-runner for Disney CEO who oversees Disney parks, cruises, and video games; his unit supplied ~60% of Disney's 2025 profit
A profile of Josh D'Amaro, a front-runner for Disney CEO who oversees Disney parks, cruises, and video games; his unit supplied ~60% of Disney's 2025 profit
Discussion:
Reuters, Media Play News, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, Florida Politics, Sports Business Journal, @mediaevan, @scottgustin and Benzinga
The Wrap:
Source: CBS News may cut ties with new contributor Peter Attia, a wellness expert, after the latest trove of Epstein emails revealed Attia's Epstein links — In newly released emails, the wellness guru made crude jokes in chummy correspondence with the late convicted sex offender
Discussion:
Mediaite, Reuters, New York Post, RADAR, MedPage Today, InStyle, The Cut, @hshaban, @peterattiamd, @ariehkovler, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @drcamrx, @dinfontay.com, @thedailybeast, @dave_longevity, @shannonrwatts, @heerjeet, @samstein, @anakasparian, @drcamrx, @mlcalderone, @dave_longevity, @jeremymbarr, @marlownyc, @dave_longevity, @rockrol54750183, @rivertam.bsky.social, @doctortro, @baumann.bsky.social, Just Jared, @sarahweinman.com, @shannonrwatts, @karlbode.com, Defector, Variety, Hindustan Times and Washington Examiner
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
Amazon's Melania documentary opens with $7M at the North American box office, above pre-release estimates of $3M to $5M; Amazon spent $75M on the documentary — “Melania,” a documentary that shadows the first lady of the United States in the lead-up to Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration …
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Washington Post:
Independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort have been released from custody after their arrests for coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church — The former CNN host was taken into custody in Los Angeles. — Federal authorities arrested independent journalist Don Lemon in Los Angeles …
Discussion:
The Guardian, American Prospect, Minneapolis Star Tribune, UPI, Balls and Strikes, Ben Fertig on LinkedIn, URL Media, Cele|bitchy, @blackvotersmatterfund.org, @bettevcollins.bsky.social, @denisedwheeler.bsky.social, Associated Press, New York Times, Steady, UNICORN RIOT, Law Dork, @ac360, @attorneygriggs, @foxnews, CNN, CBS News, @prestonmitchum, @mollyjongfast, @sbg1, The Atlantic, TMZ.com, Committee to Protect …, KARE-TV, The Hollywood Reporter, Techdirt, @froomkin.bsky.social, Mediaite, The Intercept, CBS News, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, Advocate, Just Jared, @donlemonofficial.bsky.social, @andrewlevesque.bsky.social, @blackskynews.blacksky.app, Deadline, Vox, The Present Age, The Forward, @frankamari.bsky.social, USA Today, TheGrio, @stoneballs.bsky.social, Baller Alert, The Wrap, NBC News, The TRiiBE, The 19th, Free Press Action Fund Feed, Press Watch, People, Newser, The Contrarian, Deseret News, Politico, @dmcharles.bsky.social, Truthout, The Inner Circle …, @ag.state.mn.us, Investigative Reporters …, Advocate, Wonkette, Straight Arrow News, UPI, @couts.bsky.social, Hollywood Life, The Guardian, @davejorgenson.bsky.social, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, @TomSullivan@mstdn.social, Minnesota Reformer, The Washington Free Beacon and Florida's Voice
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Richard Luscombe / The Guardian:
Press freedom groups denounce the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, saying the arrests are an “unequivocal attack on the First Amendment”
Press freedom groups denounce the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, saying the arrests are an “unequivocal attack on the First Amendment”
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Democracy Now, NPR, Mirror, HuffPost, The Contrarian, Status, Lucid, Suggest, CNN, America, America, @amandabecker.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social, Real Patriotism …, Meidas+, Salon, Bossip, NABJ, @passantino.bsky.social, @passantino.bsky.social, Le Monde, Awful Announcing, @fiona-webster22.bsky.social, @davidfolkenflik, @mmpadellan, @berniesanders, MS NOW, Lisa Armstrong on LinkedIn, @jeffroushwriting.bsky.social, Poynter, ACLU, Associated Press, TheGrio, Jodie Ginsberg on LinkedIn, NPR, The Wrap, Capital B News, The Independent, Columbia Journalism Review, @theintercept.com, @freepress.bsky.social, Advocate, @notaaroncraig.bsky.social, @scanlon.house.gov, @cdarwin@c.im, @freedom.press, @pdehello@mastodon.social, NextDraft, @freedom.press, Out Magazine, Asian American Journalists …, Thinking about, @inn.org, KSTP-TV, The Independent, Freedom of the Press …, Baller Alert, The Hill, Media Nation, New York Times and NewsMax.com
Simon Hunt / City A.M.:
Source: the London Stock Exchange cancels hundreds of FT corporate subscriptions in response to the paper's retreat from London markets coverage in recent years — The operator of the London Stock Exchange has cancelled hundreds of corporate subscriptions to the Financial Times …
Discussion:
Ed Cropley on LinkedIn, Adam Taylor on LinkedIn, Talking Biz News and Telegraph
Riya Misra / Politico:
Dan Bongino returned to his podcast after a nine-month tenure as the deputy director of the FBI; the first episode featured a call-in from President Trump — “The podfather is back,” he declared, “and I'm here to take back this movement.” — Before joining the FBI last year …
Discussion:
New York Magazine, Washington Times, NewsMax.com, WLT Report, Daily Caller News Foundation and Barrett Media
Max Tani / Semafor:
A look at the clash between The California Post and Gavin Newsom, helping The Post get more attention for its content while Newsom scores points with his base — Know More — Max's View — The View From Los Angeles — Notable — The California Post is betting its buzzy launch …
Discussion:
@maxwelltani, @maxwelltani and New York Post
Trishla Ostwal / Adweek:
Amazon Ads announces the open beta of its Model Context Protocol, which lets advertisers connect AI agents to Amazon Ads through a single integration — At IAB ALM, the retail giant pitched MCP as infrastructure for AI agents to run advertising workflows more efficiently
Discussion:
MediaPost, AdExchanger, Gizmodo, Fortune, Techreport, InfoWorld, PYMNTS.com, VentureBeat and The Decoder, more at Techmeme »
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
A look at Netflix's bid for WBD and the regulatory hurdles ahead, as Ted Sarandos is set to testify before the US Senate antitrust subcommittee on February 3 — Netflix has long excelled at avoiding regulatory entanglements. That's about to change. — Happy Grammy Sunday and a special shoutout …
Discussion:
Deadline, Deseret News, Media Play News, Benzinga, NewsMax.com and Truth on the Market
CNBC:
Sensor Tower: Latin American downloads of the top 20 microdrama apps rose ~402% YoY in 2025; ReelShort and DramaBox led with 77M and 74M downloads, respectively — Latin America's media landscape is being reshaped by a new suite of entertainment producers, as short drama platforms …
Discussion:
Business Insider
