Disney CEO Bob Iger (left) and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts (right).
Getty Images
Ho, ho, ho! It's a holiday tradition: Anonymous media executives make their industry predictions for 2025.
In honor of the 12 Days of Christmas, we bring you 12 predictions from some of the world's most influential media and entertainment executives, on the condition of anonymity so they can speak openly about their vision for the year ahead. And because we're celebrating the holidays, we're giving you a bonus. A dozen bakers!
Looking back, the forecasts for 2024 were not as good as in previous years. But there were some hits or partial hits.
While Warner Bros. Discovery's Max, Netflix And Disney Max and Disney haven't all teamed up for the first major streaming package, as one participant predicted last year. Groups of television networks continued to snap up regional sports rights, as another executive expected. RedBird Capital didn't quite make it Paramount Globalbut the private equity firm was part of the consortium with Skydance, which announced a merger with the company in July.
As for other 2024 predictions, Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo didn't win their activist campaign to join the Disney board; Disney boss Bob Iger did not extend his contract beyond 2026, did not buy Candle Media and did not appoint Dana Walden as his successor; and the NBA media rights did not go to Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Apple – They went to Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon.
Oh, and another mistake: While Comcast Although the company has announced a spinoff of most of its cable networks, it has not spun off NBCUniversal and merged it with Warner Bros. Discovery.
This is a nice transition to this year's forecasts:
Executive 1: Comcast will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming assets and merge them with NBCUniversal
The second time is the charm! Warner Bros. Discovery separates its linear assets from the rest of the company. Comcast is spinning off most of its cable networks. It has to mean something, right?
Executive 2: Comcast will acquire Charter and spin off the rest of NBCUniversal
That's right, Comcast may have SpinCo 1 and SpinCo 2! This executive predicts that Comcast will test regulator Donald Trump and seek to combine the two largest U.S. cable companies, 10 years after the company dropped its bid to buy Time Warner Cable – the second largest before its takeover US cable provider was charter – once completed the government would block the deal.
Executive 3: Fox will acquire most of Warner Bros. Discovery's assets
After selling the majority of its entertainment assets to Disney in 2019, fox will shock the media world by once again gaining size and acquiring HBO, the film studio, the Turner networks and Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming assets, this executive said.
Another manager predicted Fox would sell given the uncertain future of the Murdoch family fund.
Executive 4: Dana Walden will leave Disney at the end of the year if she no longer gets the CEO job
Disney has already announced that it will delay the appointment of a new CEO until early 2026, so this forecast assumes that the company will push the announcement forward slightly. Walden, Disney's co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, is the ultimate Hollywood insider who many consider to be a leading candidate for the job. The board is taking its time reviewing candidates after the handover from Iger to Bob Chapek in 2020 didn't go very well.
A second executive posited that NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios Chairman Donna Langley was being considered for the job as a challenge to Walden and other internal candidates.
Dana Walden, Ryan Murphy, Bob Iger and FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf (from left) attend the premiere of Murphy's limited series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” on January 23, 2024.
Photo credit: Disney
Executive 5: Jeff Bezos is being pushed to sell The Washington Post after President Trump made it clear that his space company Blue Origin will suffer because of his newspaper's coverage
Bezos has said he cares about the Post's future, but the paper has been embroiled in drama this year. Maybe 2025 will be the year Bezos decides he's had enough additional headaches.
Executive 6: Several TV station groups will sell themselves due to financial distress
Companies such as EW Scripps, label And Sinclair broadcast have seen their stocks tumble in recent years as ratings for traditional pay-TV networks have fallen due to cord-cutting. Executives at these companies are confident that a new Trump administration will pave the way for greater consolidation. Some will sell out of desperation, either to avoid bankruptcy or to achieve the necessary size, this manager suspects.
Executive 7: The Trump administration is loosening television network ownership rules, leading to CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox buying up their own affiliate networks
A similar thought to the last one, but this manager took the bolder step and said that the broadcasters would acquire the stations themselves.
The Paramount Global headquarters in New York on August 27, 2024.
Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Executive 8: Paramount Global will acquire Lionsgate after it splits off from Starz
If Paramount Global gets government approval to merge with Skydance Media next year, new leadership will likely look to transform the company. A big step for the company is the takeover Lionsgate studio after it spins off from Starz early next year, this executive said.
Executive 9: A large technology company will acquire video game maker Electronic Arts
After flirting with both Comcast and Disney in recent years, Electronic Arts will sell in 2025 to a large technology company like Netflix, alphabetApple or Amazon, this executive said. This would follow in the footsteps of Microsoft Acquired by Activision in 2023.
Executive 10: The M&A hype in the industry will be way over the top and there will be far fewer deals than anyone thinks
You are completely wrong! This executive said M&A predictions generally don't come true because consolidation won't provide real solutions to an industry in transition.
Executive 11: Paramount+, Peacock and Max are bundled
Executives at Paramount Global, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery all recognize that streaming consolidation options need to be considered. What if there was a package that included all three services? This manager expects the three services to be sold together, either through a hard bundle on one platform or together at a discount.
Executive 12: Sports streaming service Venu will never launch and Fox will license its sports content to streaming service ESPN
Venu, a joint venture between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, was announced with much fanfare earlier this year. But an antitrust lawsuit filed by Fubo has blocked the service's launch. Meanwhile, ESPN will launch its “flagship” streaming service in fall 2025. That will lead to companies abandoning Venu, this manager predicts.
Executive 13: Kathy Kennedy will be leaving Lucasfilm
Kennedy has been president of Disney's Lucasfilm since 2012 and is now in her 70s. It might be time for a new leader in the Star Wars franchise.
May the Force be with you. Let's see what 2025 brings. Happy Holidays!
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
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