Spotify proves raising fees won’t stop listeners February 10, 2026 Spotify’s latest results show that despite prices rising and costs climbing, users are not leaving. The Swedish group added a record number of users in the final quarter of 2025, pushing monthly active users to 751 million and paid subscribers to 290 million. Revenue rose 13 per cent year on year on a constant-currency basis [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
£13bn streaming boom defies sluggish UK economy January 7, 2026 The UK’s digital entertainment sector emerges as a rare diamond in the rough for a stuttering national economy, with revenues surging more than four times faster than sluggish GDP growth in 2025. Streaming services and retail drove UK revenues from video, music and games to new highs of £13.3bn, according to a recent report by [...]
Warner Bros slides ahead of takeover deadline December 30, 2025 Warner Bros Discovery has been trading lower in the days leading up to the 21 January offer deadline, as investors weigh the chances of a successful deal amid competing bids from Netflix and Paramount Skydance. Shares slipped 0.04 per cent to $28.79 (£21.30) on Monday, trading around four per cent below Paramount’s $30 cash offer. [...]
Pressure mounts as Ellison stakes $40bn for Warner Bros December 23, 2025 In the latest twist in Hollywood’s own corporate soap opera, tech billionaire Larry Ellison has personally guaranteed $40.4bn (£30bn) to support Paramount Skydance’s $108.4bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), in a bid to outflank Netflix in the fight for the entertainment giant. Warner Bros urged shareholders last week to reject Paramount’s all-cash offer, citing [...]
Warner Bros to snub Paramount’s takeover in favour of Netflix December 17, 2025 Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is preparing to urge shareholders to reject a $108bn (£81bn) hostile takeover bid from Paramount, after one of its key financial backers pulled out of the deal. Affinity Partners, the investment firm owned by Jared Kushner, said it would no longer support Paramount’s offer, citing a shift in circumstances. “The dynamics [...]
Can Spotify and Lloyds and Uber and Deliveroo and Apple and everyone stop wrapping my year, please! December 17, 2025 From Spotify to banking, data 'wraps' are taking over the festive period and exposing all our bad habits. Anna Moloney wants out.
Netflix holds Hollywood’s crown, but at what cost? December 9, 2025 If you have so much as glanced at any headlines in the past few days, you will have seen that Hollywood is entering a new era of streaming consolidation, with Netflix leading the way. The US giant has agreed a mega $72bn (£54bn) deal to acquire Warner Bros Discovery’s film and TV studios, HBO Max, [...]