Bob Iger: Last News

Four days after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Netflix rolled out the blue carpet for the first post-strike Hollywood premiere of a major studio production attended by talent, Season 6 of the streamer’s British royal drama The Crown.

Reviews weren’t strong (62% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and neither was audience reaction. “The Marvels” is only the third MCU release to receive a “B” CinemaScore from moviegoers, following “Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania.”“The Marvels,” which added $63.3 million in overseas ticket sales, may go down as a turning point in the MCU. Over the years, the franchise has collected $33 billion globally — a point Disney noted in reporting its grosses Sunday.But with movie screens and streaming platforms increasingly crowded with superhero films and series, some analysts have detected a new fatigue setting in for audiences.

Media stocks popped Thursday, well outperforming the broader market, after news that the months longs SAG-AFTRA strike has been settled, with the actors’ guild and the AMPTP announcing a agreement last night. Halted productions can soon look to restart, the theatrical release calendar can stop shifting and the industry begin to get back to normal after a tough summer and fall.

EXCLUSIVE: Bob Iger finally had his wish come true today

EXCLUSIVE: With the end of 118-day actors strike at 12:01AM tonight, as well as a 148-day WGA strike back in September, global Hollywood feature productions can now resume.

After 118 days of the actors guild being out on strike, SAG-AFTRA and the studios have reached a tentative deal on a new contract that could see Hollywood up and running again within weeks.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says next month’s beta launch of a combined Hulu–Disney+ app will help acclimate families to the concept of Bluey being a couple of clicks away from American Horror Story.

Don’t expect to see Andor or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Netflix any time soon.

This was not how David Zaslav and Bob Iger wanted today to go.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney+ topped 150 million streaming subscriptions by the end of its fiscal fourth quarter of the year, up from 146.7 million in the previous quarter. On Wednesday, Disney reported Core Disney+ subscriptions are at 112.6 million subs, as of the quarter ended Sept. 30, and the India-based Disney+ Hotstar is at 37.6 million.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney, which is in the home stretch of swinging the deal to become the full owner of Hulu, will launch a beta test of an app next month that combines Disney+ and Hulu into a single experience, CEO Bob Iger said. Disney still needs to close its deal with Comcast to buy out NBCUniversal’s 33% stake in Hulu. In a filing last week, Disney said it would pay at least $8.61 billion to Comcast for the Hulu stake, with the final price tag — which could be much higher — to be based on an assessment of Hulu’s market value by each parties’ bankers.

Marvel Studios have introduced a special disclaimer to try and retain current audiences and hopefully inspire new viewers in wake of their box office struggles.The studio, which has produced some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, including Iron Man and Spider-man: Far From Home, has seen a decline in ticket sales in recent years.Their latest release, The Marvels, which will hit theatres on Friday November 10, is set to open to $75-80 million against a $250 million budget, a far cry from the success of Avengers: Endgame which grossed $1.2 billion worldwide in its opening weekend.According to The Independent, Disney CEO Bob Iger argued that the quantity of output from the studio has “diluted” audience interest. This dipping enthusiasm could reportedly be down to viewers feeling overloaded by information, and unprepared if they haven’t watched the preceding movies to the one they’re about to watch.To help resolve this possible issue, Marvel will be launching a series of projects called Marvel Spotlight.

The lead negotiators for SAG-AFTRA and the studios are set to meet later today in what could be the final phase to sealing a new deal and the end to the 117-day actors guild strike.

Streaming‘s challenging economics will make industry consolidation “inevitable,” in the view of Candle Media Co-CEO Kevin Mayer, but Big Tech and Hollywood are likely to remain in separate camps.

EXCLUSIVE: A deal may not be in the cards tonight, but SAG-AFTRA and the studios could be heading back to negotiations within hours.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney has recruited Hugh Johnston, a 34-year veteran of PepsiCo, as chief financial officer. He steps into the role left vacant after former CFO Christine McCarthy’s exit from the Mouse House was announced earlier this year. Johnston assumes the Disney CFO job effective Dec.

Disney today named Hugh F. Johnston its new chief financial officer as of Dec. 4, replacing interim CFO December 4, 2023, Kevin Lansberry, who will return to his position as EVP and CFO of the company’s Experiences segment.

ongoing strike to an end. The offer comes at the end of a renewed wave of negotiations between the two groups, which have been taking place over the past 12 days.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The studios told SAG-AFTRA on Saturday that they have made their “last, best and final” offer, as they seek an end to the 114-day actors strike. The offer includes an enhanced residual bonus for high-performing streaming shows. Under the proposal, actors who appear on the most-watched shows on each platform will see their standard streaming residual doubled.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple has promoted Zach Kahn, who previously managed the tech giant’s podcast and audiobooks PR, to lead public relations for content on Vision Pro, the company’s forthcoming AR/VR headset. According to his LinkedIn bio, Kahn will head communications for apps, services and entertainment on Apple Vision Pro, which is slated to feature apps for Apple TV and Apple Music when it launches in early 2024. Apple unveiled the Vision Pro at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, to be priced at a whopping $3,500 apiece.

EXCLUSIVE: There’s real movement in talks between SAG-AFTRA and the studios for a new three-year contract,