DIS Shareholders and Stock Info ONLY

[Cfabar1]

If Alan Bergman or Dana Walden (I don't know about Josh D'Amaro) became the new Disney CEO, I'm hoping they'd just quit competing with Comcast in the park business.

Not sure I understand what you mean there... The Parks and Experiences business is THE profitable business at DIS... They have to keep up with the competition here if their desire is to have the cash cow continue to do what it is doing...

I personally wish they'd quit spending hundreds of millions of dollars on films hoping and praying that fickle audiences and marketing budgets convince them to go see them and allow them to double their money....

 

[Elijah Abrams]

Not sure I understand what you mean there... The Parks and Experiences business is THE profitable business at DIS... They have to keep up with the competition here if their desire is to have the cash cow continue to do what it is doing...

I personally wish they'd quit spending hundreds of millions of dollars on films hoping and praying that fickle audiences and marketing budgets convince them to go see them and allow them to double their money....

What I meant was that, under either Dana or Alan, I am hoping Disney would stop trying to 1up Universal and take it easy with putting their IP in the parks, in terms of new builds and rethemes. They need to come up with original ideas/stories for new attractions. I’d say they should leave the IP over abundance to Uni.

 

[Cfabar1]

What I meant was that, under either Dana or Alan, I am hoping Disney would stop trying to 1up Universal and take it easy with putting their IP in the parks, in terms of new builds and rethemes. They need to come up with original ideas/stories for new attractions. I’d say they should leave the IP over abundance to Uni.

Gotcha.... that would be nice....

 

[Jwaire]

What I meant was that, under either Dana or Alan, I am hoping Disney would stop trying to 1up Universal and take it easy with putting their IP in the parks, in terms of new builds and rethemes. They need to come up with original ideas/stories for new attractions. I’d say they should leave the IP over abundance to Uni.

IP isn't inherently bad. It's what makes Disney great—their stories.

Some of the best attractions are IP based—Peter Pan's Flight, Splash Mountain, Pooh's Honey Hunt (at TDR), Pinocchio, Alice and Wonderland, Canal Boats, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Cinderella castle, Sleeping Beauty castle, Beauty and the Beast (TDR), etc.

Attractions are becoming more and more expensive. If you want a ride that cost $500 million dollars (Cosmic Rewind), it's going to have to have IP in order to make up the initial investment.

They sell a lot more Marvel and Guardians merch at Cosmic Rewind than Yeti merch at Expedition Everest (which is actually a sequel to Matterhorn, that's based on Walt's film Third Man on the Mountain, an IP).

You don't get to have it both ways.

What they need to do is quit shoving Frozen, Moana, Soul, Pixar, etc. down people's throats. If you want to give Moana a proper attraction (like is rumored for Adventureland at Magic Kingdom), go for it.

She doesn't need to be the star of every parade, firework show, cupcake, etc.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/29/nelson-peltz-sells-disney-stake.html

He gone!

 

[BrianL]

IP isn't inherently bad. It's what makes Disney great—their stories.

Some of the best attractions are IP based—Peter Pan's Flight, Splash Mountain, Pooh's Honey Hunt (at TDR), Pinocchio, Alice and Wonderland, Canal Boats, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Cinderella castle, Sleeping Beauty castle, Beauty and the Beast (TDR), etc.

Attractions are becoming more and more expensive. If you want a ride that cost $500 million dollars (Cosmic Rewind), it's going to have to have IP in order to make up the initial investment.

They sell a lot more Marvel and Guardians merch at Cosmic Rewind than Yeti merch at Expedition Everest (which is actually a sequel to Matterhorn, that's based on Walt's film Third Man on the Mountain, an IP).

You don't get to have it both ways.

What they need to do is quit shoving Frozen, Moana, Soul, Pixar, etc. down people's throats. If you want to give Moana a proper attraction (like is rumored for Adventureland at Magic Kingdom), go for it.

She doesn't need to be the star of every parade, firework show, cupcake, etc.

The funny thing about IP is, that if they were to make an original ride like, say The Haunted Mansion, then that immediately becomes an IP! So, you know, anything that they do make, they are going to seek that synergy. Space Mountain is receiving a movie treatment currenrtly. At the end of the day, it barely matters as everything is going to get a multi-media push. So, IP it up - or don't - I don't care as long as the ride is good.

 

[OKW Lover]

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/29/nelson-peltz-sells-disney-stake.html

He gone!

But with a significant profit. I now wonder if the whole point of the campaign was to pump up the DIS stock so he could make a killing.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

But with a significant profit. I now wonder if the whole point of the campaign was to pump up the DIS stock so he could make a killing.

The skyrocketing stock price isn't due to the steady hand of a brilliant board of directors and incredible CEO leadership? That was my impression.

 

[wabbott]

The skyrocketing stock price isn't due to the steady hand of a brilliant board of directors and incredible CEO leadership? That was my impression.

Another dream shattered...

 

[wabbott]

But with a significant profit. I now wonder if the whole point of the campaign was to pump up the DIS stock so he could make a killing.

Peltz has never said that he wasn't in it for the money, just like just about every other investor that puts their money on the line. He also sold a big part of his DIS position in early 2023 when the price got to the $110/share range. He then began buying the middle of last year when the price was below $100. I suspect he will do the same thing a third time if/when the price gets much lower than it is now.

And if it isn't him, it will be someone else, maybe Brian Roberts. As long as DIS is perceived to be at a price below its potential value, there will be buyers willing to take it over.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/b...without-the-nba-disney-max-bundle-1235911721/

David Zaslav Talks TNT Without the NBA, Consolidation, and That Disney-Max Bundle
The Warner Bros. Discovery chief addressed a wide range of topics at a Bernstein conference Thursday morning.

May 30, 2024 - 6:35am PDT
by Alex Weprin

Will TNT survive without the NBA? Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav seems confident that it will.

While acknowledging that the company is still talking to the NBA about a new rights deal (the league appears poised to give packages to Disney, NBC and Amazon, though WBD has some “matching” rights), Zaslav said that the company has been trying to bolster the sports lineup on its channels.

And he addressed the question of consolidation, telling the Bernstein conference that as his company improves its balance sheet, WBD plans to be “opportunistic” but also “disciplined.”

 

[clarker99]

So much negative noise around $DIS. 25% eps growth YoY has been guided and people are selling off. Lol. Just crazy to me.

Disney are probably going to report the best operating profit since like 2018 this FY and Free cash flow looks like it will be the best since FY2019.

We are talking about a company that was devastated by a worldwide pandemic and on the macro is fully back financially with runway to grow out on the media side and the parks/cruises side.

No, not all is perfect and the Entertainment division is going through a paradigm shift BUT it is still churning ~$5B in operating profit over the last 12 reported months.

This is not an endorsement or knock on the Disney CEO or board. These are just the numbers.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Whether this means anything come November is tbd, but some stats on views for the Moana 2 Teaser:

‘Moana 2’ Trailer Breaks Record As Most Watched Ever For Disney Animated Pic With 178M Views In 24 Hours
Their Moana 2 trailer which dropped Wednesday has become the studio’s most watched ever for an animated movie, clocking 178M views in 24 hours.

That traffic sails by previous record holders Inside Out 2 (157MM) and Frozen 2 (116MM).

The figure also comes in above Pixar’s Incredibles 2(113MM).

Views are solely from online across TikTok, YouTube, X, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. There were very positive reactions for the animation, love of the original film and character fanship. Moana, Maui, and Pua were standout characters with audiences calling out how Moana is one of their favorite Disney characters of all-time. All this is very good considering this was a project originally conceived as a Disney+ series that the studio flipped to the big screen.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

IP isn't inherently bad. It's what makes Disney great—their stories.

Some of the best attractions are IP based—Peter Pan's Flight, Splash Mountain, Pooh's Honey Hunt (at TDR), Pinocchio, Alice and Wonderland, Canal Boats, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Rise of the Resistance, Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Cinderella castle, Sleeping Beauty castle, Beauty and the Beast (TDR), etc.

Attractions are becoming more and more expensive. If you want a ride that cost $500 million dollars (Cosmic Rewind), it's going to have to have IP in order to make up the initial investment.

They sell a lot more Marvel and Guardians merch at Cosmic Rewind than Yeti merch at Expedition Everest (which is actually a sequel to Matterhorn, that's based on Walt's film Third Man on the Mountain, an IP).

You don't get to have it both ways.

What they need to do is quit shoving Frozen, Moana, Soul, Pixar, etc. down people's throats. If you want to give Moana a proper attraction (like is rumored for Adventureland at Magic Kingdom), go for it.

She doesn't need to be the star of every parade, firework show, cupcake, etc.

Hmm, that all appears to be true. It’s just that I think if either Dana or Alan in charge, one of them should at least set a balance of IP and original stories when it comes to making new attractions/lands. Heck, if Disney went with the idea for a Latin America land at Animal Kingdom I envisioned (rides, shows, and live animal habitats/trails) instead of replacing DinoLand, it should be presented/hosted by National Geographic. The shoehorning of IP in Disney parks/areas, especially ones that could be considered "out of place", is also an issue.

 

[wabbott]

https://deadline.com/2024/05/skydance-sweetens-offer-for-paramount-1235944892/

Skydance Sweetens Offer For Paramount Global
By Jill Goldsmith, Anthony D'Alessandro
May 30, 2024 - 11:14am PDT

David Ellison‘s Skydance has sweetened its offer to acquire Paramount Global, Deadline has learned, in an attempt to make it more palatable to the company’s Class B stockholders after they trashed the outlines of a previous deal and threatened to sue.

Ellison’s original offer was to buy out Par’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone for a significant premium, resulting in a windfall for her, and then merge Skydance into Paramount keeping the combined company public. Stockholders wanted to be bought out at a premium as well.

The parameters of the revised bid couldn’t be learned immediately but Deadline understands that Skydance is putting more money in and restructuring the deal to make it more palatable to the Class B folks.

 

[RivShore]

No real surprise...

https://seekingalpha.com/news/41120...aid-to-hit-stalemate-on-hulu-valuation-report


Disney, NBCUniversal said to hit stalemate on Hulu valuation: report
May 31, 2024 12:58 PM ETThe Walt Disney Company (DIS) Stock, CMCSA StockBy: Chris Ciaccia, SA News Editor5 Comments
HBO Max, Disney+ and hulu streaming service app icon on screen

Robert Way

Walt Disney (NYSEIS) and NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), have reached a stalemate in how to value the jointly owned Hulu streaming service, The Wall Street Journal reported.

If the two parties are unable to resolve the valuation matter, it could wind up going to the courts to settle the matter, the news outlet added, citing people familiar with the situation.

Disney and Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the two companies were in talks to hire a third financial adviser to evaluate the worth of Hulu.

Disney announced in November that it would take 100% ownership of Hulu, paying at least $8.61B for the part that Comcast owns. Disney has already made the payment and the battle is to determine how much more, if any, Disney has to pay Comcast.

Hulu, which now has more than 50M subscribers, was initially set up as a joint venture between Disney, Comcast, Fox and Time Warner. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) eventually sold its stake, and Disney acquired Fox's media assets, which left Disney owning 67% of Hulu and Comcast the remaining 33%.

The two parties came to an unusual put-call deal in 2019 to resolve the joint venture by 2024, with a "floor valuation" for Hulu set at $27.5B.

The two companies agreed to offer their own estimates of Hulu's worth, and that they would hire a third adviser to settle the matter if their takes were more than 10% apart — something that has come to pass.

Disney and its representative J.P. Morgan have valued Hulu near the floor value of $27.5B, according to Reuters, while Comcast and its rep Morgan Stanley see the valuation at more than $40B.

Seeking Alpha's Jason Aycock contributed to this story.

 

[clarker99]

No real surprise...

https://seekingalpha.com/news/41120...aid-to-hit-stalemate-on-hulu-valuation-report


Disney, NBCUniversal said to hit stalemate on Hulu valuation: report
May 31, 2024 12:58 PM ETThe Walt Disney Company (DIS) Stock, CMCSA StockBy: Chris Ciaccia, SA News Editor5 Comments
HBO Max, Disney+ and hulu streaming service app icon on screen

Robert Way

Walt Disney (NYSEIS) and NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), have reached a stalemate in how to value the jointly owned Hulu streaming service, The Wall Street Journal reported.

If the two parties are unable to resolve the valuation matter, it could wind up going to the courts to settle the matter, the news outlet added, citing people familiar with the situation.

I am kind of confused. I thought there was an agreed upon 3rd party that was to evaluate Hulu and that is how this would be decided? Hmmm.

 

[wabbott]

Apologies for posting entire article, as WSJ has paywall.

https://www.wsj.com/business/media/...se-in-final-lap-of-hulu-negotiations-eedcfc92

Disney and Comcast Hit Impasse in Final Lap of Hulu Negotiations

Companies are discussing a Disney buyout of Comcast’s stake in streaming service; with a big valuation gap, the prospect of a court battle looms

By Amol Sharma, Lauren Thomas and Jessica Toonkel
May 31, 2024 - 12:40 pm EDT

Disney and Comcast’s NBCUniversal have clashed in their negotiations to resolve ownership of Hulu, with a significant disagreement over how to value the streaming service raising the prospect of a court battle, according to people familiar with the situation.

The entertainment companies are in the late stages of a complex process to determine how much Disney, which owns two-thirds of Hulu, should pay to acquire the remaining one-third stake held by Comcast.

Each side hired banks to appraise Hulu’s total value. Comcast side’s pegged it at north of $40 billion, and Disney’s estimate was around $27.5 billion, the floor price the two sides had set under a pact they struck several years ago.

Those figures have now been presented to an independent appraiser, RBC Capital, whose mandate is to referee a deal, the people said.

Disney and Comcast have a significant disagreement over how that valuation process should move forward, which has thrown the talks off course, the people familiar with the situation said.

Hulu, with over 50 million subscribers, is known for broadcast content like ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” series such as “Only Murders in the Building” and “The Bear” and a deep library of TV and movie classics.

It is central to Disney’s plans as the company tries to expand its direct-to-consumer streaming business and turn a profit on it. Disney recently added Hulu as a tile within its Disney+ app and it offers the services together in bundled packages meant to help limit customer defections.

Chief Executive Bob Iger said the company is on track to achieve streaming profitability in the final quarter of the fiscal year that ends in September, after posting a narrow loss in that unit for the March quarter.

Comcast’s NBCUniversal, meanwhile, is focused on its own streaming service, Peacock, which had 34 million subscribers as of the March quarter. It is anchored by sports, including the NFL, Big Ten college sports and English Premier League Soccer. Peacock posted solid growth in the quarter but lost $639 million.

NBCUniversal is closing in on a major pact with the NBA for rights to league content beginning after the 2024-2025 season, people close to the talks said. (Current NBA partner TNT, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, is weighing whether to match offers from rivals.)

Disney gained control of Hulu in 2019 when it acquired entertainment assets from Fox, including its Hulu stake. That year Disney struck a deal with Comcast laying out how, starting in 2024, either side could trigger the sale of Comcast’s stake to Disney.

First the two sides must agree on valuation. Under the terms of the pact, the third party appraiser, in this case RBC, will come up with its own independent valuation estimate. Disney’s ultimate payment will be determined by averaging that figure with whichever company’s estimate is closest.

Disney already has made an $8.61 billion payment to Comcast. The companies are in a process to determine how much more, if any, it owes.

Write to Amol Sharma at Amol.Sharma@wsj.com, Lauren Thomas at lauren.thomas@wsj.com and Jessica Toonkel at jessica.toonkel@wsj.com

 

[RivShore]

am kind of confused. I thought there was an agreed upon 3rd party that was to evaluate Hulu and that is how this would be decided? Hmmm.

3rd party was only needed in this case:

The two companies agreed to offer their own estimates of Hulu's worth, and that they would hire a third adviser to settle the matter if their takes were more than 10% apart — something that has come to pass.

I think we all assumed it would come to this so it seems to be a bit of a non-story.

 

[wabbott]

I think we all assumed it would come to this so it seems to be a bit of a non-story.

In one of my old Uncle Scrooge comics, there's a couple of panels where Scrooge is "actively negotiating" the price of a Persian rug with a shopkeeper in a Middle East bazaar. Funny how this event made me think of Uncle Scrooge's negotiating skills. Carl Barks was a masterful storyteller.