Top News:
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 …
Discussion:
Sports Business Journal, Cord Cutters News, Benzinga, NewsMax.com and Adweek
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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 — Disney's board is planning to meet next week, where it is expected to vote on a new CEO — Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger …
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 — “Josh, can I get a quick one?” — It was the seventh time that Josh D'Amaro had been asked to pose for a photo as he wove his way through Disneyland.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Reuters, Sports Business Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Benzinga, @mediaevan and @scottgustin
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 …
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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.
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:
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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”
Discussion:
Mirror, NPR, Status, The Contrarian, America, America, NABJ, Lucid, HuffPost, @amandabecker.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social, Real Patriotism …, Meidas+, Salon, Bossip, CNN, @passantino.bsky.social, @passantino.bsky.social, Le Monde, Awful Announcing, @fiona-webster22.bsky.social, @davidfolkenflik, MS NOW, Poynter, Lisa Armstrong on LinkedIn, @mmpadellan, @berniesanders, @jeffroushwriting.bsky.social, ACLU, NPR, Associated Press, TheGrio, Jodie Ginsberg on LinkedIn, Columbia Journalism Review, The Wrap, @theintercept.com, Capital B News, @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, New York Times, Freedom of the Press …, Baller Alert, The Hill, Media Nation, Mediaite, TheGrio, NewsMax.com, KARE-TV, PinkNews, The Daily Signal and URL Media
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 …
Discussion:
CNN, New Yorker, Deadline, Poynter, The Hollywood Reporter, Dexerto, NBC News, @lucas_shaw, Rolling Stone, Consequence, @ellenenders.bsky.social, TechCrunch, The Wrap, CNBC, @ichotiner, Comic Book, @benfritz, Screen, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg, TMZ.com, Vanity Fair, @dtgeek@mastodon.social, Mediaite, Fox News, People and Mashable
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 …
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:
Adam Taylor on LinkedIn and Telegraph
Jesse Whittock / Deadline:
Ampere expects global sports streaming spend to hit $14.2B in 2026, with Prime Video contributing 27%, DAZN 22%, YouTube TV 14%, Paramount+ 8%, and Netflix 5% — Prime Video is set to replace DAZN as streaming's largest investor in sports rights. — The global platform will contribute 27% …
Discussion:
Advanced Television, The Wrap and Broadband TV News
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:
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 …
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Business Insider
