Latest in Corporate Affairs

Netflix and Snap Inc. will report quarterly financial results Tuesday, kicking off what is likely to be one of the most closely watched earnings seasons in recent memory for media and tech companies managing through the COVID-19 crisis. The effects of the coronavirus will show up in only part of the January-to-March…

Vudu, the digital movie and TV unit of Walmart, is being acquired by NBCUniversal’s Fandango division. Founded in 2004 and acquired by Walmart in 2010 for $100 million, Vudu offers about 10,000 movie and TV titles through a free streaming service. It also offers some 150,000 titles for rent or purchase, including new…

Peter Oillataguerre, who previously served as President of Physical Production for MGM, has been named President of Production for Spyglass Media Group, LLC, where he will run theatrical production including creative development, physical production, and post-production. This move brings Oillataguerre back under the…

With most media and entertainment companies in cutback mode due to the coronavirus, Charter Communications has promised not to implement layoffs or furloughs for at least the next 60 days. The No. 2 U.S. cable operator and a major supplier of broadband internet access said it is making the promise as part of an…

Tegna issued a preview of its first-quarter results Monday, saying they exceeded internal targets. But the local TV station owner, which is in the midst of a proxy fight with shareholder Standard General, also withdrew guidance for full-year 2020 and also its 2021 outlook, citing uncertainty due to COVID-19. Earnings…

Disney’s stock dipped more than 3% in early trading Monday after two analysts issued downgrades on its shares. The latest setback followed reports of the company’s expanded cutbacks due to COVID-19. The Financial Times reported over the weekend that 100,000 employees, mostly in theme parks, would be furloughed, a move…

UPDATED at 2:25 PM: AMC shares rebounded Friday, along with those of Cinemark, as cautious optimism grew for a return to some form of U.S. theatrical moviegoing in the second half of 2020. AMC shares finished the week at $3.20, up 31% to reach their highest level in two weeks after the company announced a $500 million…

STX Entertainment, founded in 2014 as a star-driven movie operation, is merging with India’s Eros International to form a new, publicly traded media company with operations across film, TV, streaming and other areas. The all-stock deal will give the new entity, Eros STX Global Corporation, a “revamped” capital…

Stocks of the biggest U.S. local TV station owners, among them Nexstar, Sinclair, Tegna and Gray, continue to slump badly as investors recoil from their exposure to a worsening ad market. Even so, one significant player in the station game, Fox Corp., is being touted in some corners as the best-situated U.S. media…

In a significant milestone before it launches HBO Max next month, WarnerMedia has set a deal with Charter Communications, the No. 2 U.S. cable distributor, to give its existing HBO subscribers free access to the streaming service. Similar to Disney’s deal with Verizon ahead of the launch of Disney+, the pact with…

World Wrestling Entertainment may have gotten a win this week when the state of Florida deemed its matches in Orlando “essential services,” but the company said Wednesday it is implementing a range of COVID-19 cutbacks. A combination of employee furloughs and pay cuts for board members and executives are expected to…

Imax has “multiple years of liquidity” on its balance sheet and is poised to benefit from the reopening of movie theaters in China as early as mid-May, according to one veteran analyst tracking the company. Eric Handler of MKM Partners reiterated his “buy” rating on Imax shares in a report Wednesday, though he lowered…