AMCX News & Events

"Now Streaming" is The Fly's weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.COMCAST SEPARATION:Comcastannounced its intention to separate into two independent publicly traded companies through a tax-free spin-off of NBCUniversal and Sky. Upon completion of the transaction, Comcast shareholders will own shares in both Comcast and NBCUniversal, creating two focused industry leaders, each with significant scale, strong financial profiles and distinct strategic opportunities. Brian L. Roberts will continue to be actively involved in the leadership of Comcast and NBCUniversal, working in partnership with the CEOs of both companies. Mike Cavanagh will be the Chief Executive Officer of NBCUniversal and Comcast's former Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis will become the Chief Executive Officer of Comcast, following completion of the separation and in the interim will join as a Strategic Advisor.The separation is expected to be completed through a tax-free spin-off to Comcast shareholders in approximately one year, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including final approval by Comcast's Board of Directors, receipt of tax opinions, regulatory approvals and completion of financing arrangements. NBCUniversal will have the same dual-class share structure as Comcast. Comcast expects to retain a stake of up to 19.9% ownership position in NBCUniversal for up to one year after the completion of the spin, which it intends to monetize in a tax-efficient manner over time.PARAMOUNT/WARNER BROS.:Britain's culture minister Lisa Nandy, who set a July 6 deadline for the companies to respond, said that the United Kingdom could intervene in Paramount Skydance'sproposed takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, reported Reuters. Nandy is quoted as having stated: "I am mindful of the need to reach a final decision in a timely manner, and I will endeavour to do so as appropriate." Paramount said on Tuesday it was confident the deal did not pose any issues on media plurality and it remained confident in its stated timeline, noted Reuters.Meanwhile, Reuters' Foo Yun Chee reported that Paramount has offered remedies to address EU concerns related to its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount is "confident that this remedy directly and comprehensively addresses any concerns expressed in the European Commission's preliminary assessment and support the path for timely clearance."SEAPORT UPGRADES WARNER BROS.:Seaport Research upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery to Buy from Neutral with a $31 price target, arguing that the risks to closure of the $31 per share cash acquisition by Paramount Skydance "appear to be waning somewhat." The multinational regulatory approval process seems to be moving as quickly as Paramount telegraphed, with "primarily workable potential conditions," the analyst tells investors.DISNEY+/MALAYSIA:Disney+has struck a content-swapping agreement with an expansion of its deal with Malaysia's Astro, Deadline's Max Goldbart reported. Disney+ content such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Maleficent, Brave, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs and New Girl will head to Astro's platforms including Astro TV, Astro GO and NJOI, while Disney+ in Malaysia gets local titles like Zombi Kampung Pisang, Polis Evo 1 & 2, Ola Bola, Khun:Sa - Che Khun Che Nisa, Takdir Itu Milik Aku, Syurga Itu Bukan Mudah, Travelawak: Projek Bapak Bapak and Didi & Friends, according to the report.ADEIEA/FUBO:Adeiaannounced that its wholly owned subsidiary has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against FuboTVand certain of its subsidiaries in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. In its complaint, Adeia alleges that the Fubo defendants infringe four U.S. patents in Adeia's media intellectual property portfolio. The asserted patents relate to technologies that enable key features of advanced media delivery and streaming experiences used by consumers across a broad range of video platforms. Although Disney is a controlling shareholder of Fubo, Adeia's previously announced settlement and license with Disney is separate and independent from the claims asserted in this lawsuit regarding Fubo's unauthorized use of Adeia's patented technologies. This lawsuit is a distinct matter between Adeia and Fubo.NETFLIX/'PERSONA':Netflixis working on a live-action series based on Sega's"Persona" franchise of video games, Variety's Joe Otterson reported. "Star Trek: Picard" co-executive producer Christopher Monfette is slated to write the adaptation and serve as executive producer and showrunner, while "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy will also executive produce along with Robert Atwood, Dmitri Johhnson, Michhael Lawrence Goldberg, and Timothy Stevenson. Sega's Toru Nakahara will executive produce the project as well, the author notes.STOCK PLAYS:Other publicly traded companies in the space include AMC Networks, Roku, Amazon, and Apple.

"Now Streaming" is The Fly's weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.PLAYING THIS WEEKEND:This weekend's biggest new streaming content is the fifth and final season of Hulu'scomedy-drama series "The Bear." Meanwhile, Netflixsubscribers can catch season two of the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," while HBO Maxusers can watch the first episode of sketch comedy series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Happiness," starring Larry David and produced by Barack Obama's Higher Ground Productions.PARAMOUNT/WARNER:Paramount Skydanceis preparing for opposition to its proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery and anticipates that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York AG Tish James will argue that the deal violates antitrust laws that are allegedly being ignored by Washington, the New York Post's Charles Gasparino reported. Executives at Paramount "wake up every day thinking a lawsuit is being filed" by the pair of AGs and possibly a handful of other state AGs, the author said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance is ready to divest its movie distribution joint venture with Universal Picturesto assuage EU antitrust worries about its proposed takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Reuters' Foo Yun Chee reported this week, citing a person familiar with the matter. The concession offer, which follows a meeting with the bloc's antitrust regulators this week, will be submitted next Tuesday, according to Chee.ABC/FCC:Disney-owned broadcast network ABC has launched an on-air campaign calling on viewers to weigh in against the Federal Communications Commission's early review of its licenses and a separate probe of talk show 'The View', the Wall Street Journal's Joe Flint reported, citing the campaign. The FCC has said the license review is linked to an investigation into the company's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, while its probe into 'The View' focuses on whether the show violated equal-time rules for politicians, ABC argues both investigations threaten free speech.ROKU/FLORIDA:Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Rokuannounced a negotiated resolution of Florida's enforcement action filed under the Florida Digital Bill of Rights. Under the agreement, Roku will enhance its child protection features by offering parents greater control over their children's streaming experience. This resolution does not include any finding of wrongdoing or civil fine. Roku has agreed to invest in the engineering resources necessary to implement these changes, estimated at $25M, reflecting a significant financial and operational commitment to this effort. Implementation efforts are expected to begin immediately, with full deployment nationwide anticipated within twelve months.INSTAGRAM FOR TV:Netflix shares slipped to start the week, with the streaming giant extending a recent selloff after Meta Platformsannounced it is expanding Instagram for TV to SamsungTVs across the U.S. Meanwhile, Bloomberg noted that research firm M Science cautioned about user trends at Netflix, saying data indicates the weakest global net additions quarter for the company since 2022. "Churn has picked up in the US and appears worse than what we saw during the 2025 price hike," the firm wrote.NETFLIX/UNHINGED:Netflix announced that Unhinged, a horror video game, will be available to play on June 30. "You can play Unhinged starting June 30, exclusively on Netflix, with no ads or in-game purchases. Just select it from the Games tab, scan the QR code to link your phone, and try to survive the night," the company said in a statement.STOCK PLAYS:Other publicly traded companies in the space include AMC Networks, Fubo, Amazon, and Apple.

"Now Streaming" is The Fly's weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.ROKU/FOX:Earlier this week, Fox Corporationand Rokuannounced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which FOX will acquire Roku for $160.00 per share in a combination of cash and FOX Class A common stock, valuing Roku at approximately $22B in enterprise value. The transaction combines FOX's sports, news and entertainment content and the Tubi service, with Roku's connected TV platform, The Roku Channel, first-party data and direct relationship with more than 100M global streaming households. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of calendar year 2027. Meanwhile, Semafor's Rohan Goswami reported that Netflixlost the bidding war for Roku.NETFLIX/LIONSGATE:On Tuesday, Semafor also reported that Netflix is also one of a number of media companies interested in buying Lionsgate Studios, but the company has not put in a formal indication of interest, according to a person familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, The Wrap's Lucas Manfredi reported that Netflix has no plans to pursue a takeover of Lionsgate Studios. Additionally, the Semafor report said that Netflix dropped plans to acquire Roku, which agreed to be acquired by Fox, but a spokesperson for the streaming giant said it "did not make a bid," according to The Wrap.DOJ APPROVES PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS. DEAL:The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement earlier this week in connection with the closing of the Division's investigation into the proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discoveryby Paramount Skydance, giving approval to the deal. The DODJ determined that the proposed acquisition is "not likely to harm competition" for linear television or film production, nor does it raise serious antitrust labor concerns.Following the news, the Wall Street Journal reportetd that thte DOJ ended its review of the deal before career antitrust staffers completed their investigation or issued a formal recommendation, Dave Michaels, Dana Mattioli, according to people familiar with the matter. The team of lawyers reviewing the transaction had spent months examining the deal and was reportedly leaning toward recommending a legal challenge, arguing that a combination of the two studios could reduce competition and violate antitrust laws. However, the staff had not yet reached a final conclusion when they were informed Friday that the department would close the investigation.Meanwhile, Chinese regulators have cleared the proposed merger, Dawn Chmielewski of Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.NETFLIX/IHEARTMEDIA:iHeartMediaand Netflix announced the next phase of their exclusive video podcast partnership with the addition of a new collection of iHeartPodcasts from some of today's most influential and culturally resonant voices, including Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, Lele Pons and Martha Stewart launching as video shows on the streaming service. The agreement includes all new episodes from the podcast lineup, as well as select library episodes from each show. The shows now joining the existing lineup on Netflix include the new "Suite 305 with Lele Pons" hosted by fan-favorite Latin multihyphenate and social media star Lele Pons who is joined by Shakira in the first episode; "The Martha Stewart Podcast" featuring fascinating conversations between the culinary and culture icon and her extraordinary guests; and "Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson," an insightful, hilarious and often poignant show from a famous brother and sister duo going deep into all topics with other siblings.AMC NETWORKS CFO:AMC Global Mediaannounced Hozefa Lokhandwala has joined the company as CFO, effective immediately. Lokhandwala joins AMC Global Media with more than two decades of financial leadership experience across media, corporate strategy and investment banking. He will be based in New York and will report to AMC Global Media's CEO Kristin Dolan. Lokhandwala most recently served as an independent director for MSG Networks. Lokhandwala succeeds Patrick O'Connell, the company's former CFO who stepped down in March as part of a planned departure announced in January.FUBO/BIG3:FuboTVand BIG announced an agreement to stream the league's 2026 season live on Fubo Sports Network, Fubo's FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel. Beginning June 20, Fubo Sports Network will stream 16 live games for the duration of Season 9, with two games each week. Through the agreement, Fubo Sports Network will also be home to BIG3's library of over 100 archived game telecasts from Seasons 6 through 8.STOCK PLAYS:Other publicly traded companies in the space include Disney, Comcast, Amazon, and Apple.

AMC Global Media (AMCX) announced Hozefa Lokhandwala has joined the company as CFO, effective immediately. Lokhandwala joins AMC Global Media with more than two decades of financial leadership experience across media, corporate strategy and investment banking. He will be based in New York and will report to AMC Global Media's CEO Kristin Dolan. Lokhandwala most recently served as an independent director for MSG Networks (MSGN). Lokhandwala succeeds Patrick O'Connell, the company's former CFO who stepped down in March as part of a planned departure announced in January.