Disney names new CEO as UK streaming shows early lift February 3, 2026 Walt Disney has ended its long-running succession drama by appointing parks chief Josh D’Amaro as its next chief executive, as the group begins to see tentative signs of recovery in its UK streaming business. D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, is to take over from Bob Iger at Disney’s annual meeting on 18 March. Iger, who [...]
Disney streaming gains momentum as Hollywood pressure builds February 2, 2026 Disney beat Wall Street expectations in its latest quarter, buoyed by an unexpected improvement in its streaming business, despite rising costs hitting the entertainment industry. The media giant reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.63 for its first fiscal quarter, ahead of estimates of around $1.56. Revenue rose five per cent year on year to [...]
Podcast group Goalhanger nets US investor backing January 28, 2026 US-based investment firm The Chernin Group (TCG) has taken a minority stake in Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger Podcasts, becoming the first outside investor in the podcasting giant. The investment will support Goalhanger’s “next phase of growth”, which includes accelerating its expansion into the US and developing new IP from its hit shows. The transaction was completed [...]
Hakluyt taps Lord Sedwill and Economist’s Lara Boro for board roles January 28, 2026 Lord Mark Sedwill and the Economist Group’s chief executive officer have joined the board of strategic advisory firm Hakluyt. Lord Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and head of the Home Civil Service under both Prime Ministers Theresa May and Boris Johnson, also served as a national security adviser. The company describes him as “one of [...]
Wealth app Chip raises £17m as Channel 4 backs TV push January 27, 2026 Channel 4 Ventures has invested in UK wealth app Chip as part of a £17m funding round, marking the company’s first institutional backing and funding a major TV advertising campaign, City AM can reveal. The round values Chip at £208m and combines £6m of media-for-equity from Channel 4 Ventures, with £11m raised from more than 9,000 retail investors [...]
Liz Kendall welcomes X’s Grok changes as Ofcom probe continues January 15, 2026 The government has welcomed new safety measures introduced by Elon Musk’s X to curb abuse linked to its Grok AI tool, as the UK’s online safety regulator presses ahead with a formal investigation into the platform. Tech secretary Liz Kendall said she “welcomed” X’s move to restrict Grok’s image generation capabilities, but stressed that regulators [...]
Netflix flashes the cash to end Hollywood’s bidding war January 14, 2026 Netfix is reportedly readying an all-cash offensive to secure its long-awaited $83bn takeover of Warner Bros, in a move set to kill off a persistent hostile bid from rival Paramount Skydance. The Los Gatos streaming giant is set to snub the cash and stock bid in favour of a simpler, hard-currency deal, as it aims [...]
Ofcom investigation launched into Grok AI deepfakes on X January 12, 2026 The media and online safety watchdog has announced an investigation into Elon Musk’s X, to determine whether the platform has done enough to protect Brits from explicit deepfakes generated by its Grok AI. Ofcom pointed to “deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images [...]
Steve Coogan’s TV maker returns to profit before High Court settlement January 6, 2026 Steve Coogan’s production company returned to profit ahead of settling a High Court defamation claim, it has been revealed. Baby Cow Productions has reported a pre-tax profit of £358,628 for the year to 31 March, 2025. The profit comes after the business posted a pre-tax loss of £374,081 for the prior 12 months. New accounts [...]
GTA 6: Rockstar Games’ UK profit rises ahead of release January 6, 2026 Profit at the UK arm of Rockstar Games has risen ahead of the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). The business has posted a pre-tax profit of £26.9m for the year to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The latest figure is up from the £19.4m [...]