Latest news with #WarnerMedia
Buzz Feed
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Stellan Skarsgård Took Pay Cut For Crew To Get Lunch
Stellan Skarsgård is opening up about accepting a lower salary on the set of his new movie, Sentimental Value. As well as taking a pay cut, Stellan said he became an executive producer because he wanted to ensure that the crew received good lunches on set. 'I wasn't supposed to be [an executive producer] at first, but I said I'd never film in Norway without having a special contract,' he explained at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, per Variety. Stellan then claimed that after a negative experience shooting Erik Skjoldbjærg's Insomnia (1997), he vowed never to film in Norway again unless good lunches were provided. 'I lost eight kilos on Insomnia. We would usually get a loaf of bread, that's pre-sliced, and a plastic salami. That's it!' Stellan claimed. 'I've made other films in Norway since then, but it has always said in my contract that everybody should get lunches of the highest European standard. And that's expensive. Norway, they're the richest country, but they don't want to spend money on food.' 'I went down, I think, half a million kroner in my salary to pay for this, for the food for everybody,' he continued. 'And the producer said, 'You'll get credit for that.' Also, the food has to be served on real china – no plastic, paper bags or whatever. And you're not standing in line, you sit down and eat. It makes everybody happier and makes the film much better. I haven't made one bad film in Norway since.' Stellan isn't the only actor who has accepted a pay cut for the benefit of others. Will Smith, for example, paid the King Richard cast bonuses out of his own pocket in 2021 after WarnerMedia chose to release the film on streaming services and in theaters simultaneously, resulting in a loss of theatrical returns. Keanu Reeves once reportedly gave the visual effects crew of The Matrix a 'very hefty bonus' to ensure that they were fairly compensated for their hard work. Back in 2017, it was reported that the original five stars of The Big Bang Theory — Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, and Simon Helberg — all agreed to $100,000 per episode pay cuts to allow their costars Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch to receive higher salaries. Meanwhile, the screenwriters behind Deadpool (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) once claimed that Ryan Reynolds paid for them to be on set during filming because the studio refused to. Stories like these absolutely restore my faith in Hollywood. If you can think of more examples, let me know in the comments.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
HBO Max Name Returns After Rebranding To Max
Streaming service Max has reverted back to its original name, HBO Max, effective on July 9. The HBO Max name is back. I'm confused. And I bet you are also. Launched in May 2020, HBO Max did what any logical marketer would do. It had HBO in the title to accentuate the HBO brand, which for the new streaming service included content from HBO, Warner Bros., and other WarnerMedia properties. Wouldn't you want to be affiliated with the HBO? Then, in 2023, following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc., the service was rebranded as simply Max for reasons unknown to this writer or anyone else. Now, the streaming service's website and mobile apps display the HBO Max branding once again. redirects to while both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have updated their listings. The change, perhaps, is driven by Warner Bros. Discovery's recognition of the value of the HBO brand and a desire to refocus on high-quality content, rather than trying to compete on sheer volume of content. But is it beneficial to mess with the heads of the consumers who don't know what to call this? Historically, changing the name of a platform typically has no impact. Remember when ABC Family became Freeform? Or Sci-Fi Channel became Syfy? Or, deep breath, Nashville Network (TNN) to The New TNN to Spike TV to Spike to Paramount Network? In June, meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it was splitting into two companies. The first the HBO Max streaming service and Warner Bros. movie studio; and the second consists of the TV networks, including CNN, HGTV, TBS, truTV and TNT. This move, which is expected to be completed in 2026, is intended to address the declining linear cable networks and focus on the growth potential of streaming and studio operations.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
HBO Max Name Returns After Rebranding To HBO Max
Streaming service Max has reverted back to its original name, HBO Max, effective on July 9. Warner Bros/Discovery I'm confused. And I bet you are also. Launched in May 2020, HBO Max did what any logical marketer would do. It had HBO in the title to accentuate the HBO brand, which for the new streaming service included content from HBO, Warner Bros., and other WarnerMedia properties. Wouldn't you want to be affiliated with the HBO? Then, in 2023, following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc., the service was rebranded as simply Max for reasons unknown to this writer or anyone else. Now, the streaming service's website and mobile apps display the HBO Max branding once again. redirects to while both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store have updated their listings. The change, perhaps, is driven by Warner Bros. Discovery's recognition of the value of the HBO brand and a desire to refocus on high-quality content, rather than trying to compete on sheer volume of content. But is it beneficial to mess with the heads of the consumers who don't know what to call this? Historically, changing the name of a platform typically has no impact. Remember when ABC Family became Freeform? Or Sci-Fi Channel became Syfy? Or, deep breath, Nashville Network (TNN) to The New TNN to Spike TV to Spike to Paramount Network? In June, meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery announced it was splitting into two companies. The first the HBO Max streaming service and Warner Bros. movie studio; and the second consists of the TV networks, including CNN, HGTV, TBS, truTV and TNT. This move, which is expected to be completed in 2026, is intended to address the declining linear cable networks and focus on the growth potential of streaming and studio operations.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
T Optimizes Portfolio With Strategic Divestiture: Will it Fuel Growth?
AT&T, Inc. T recently announced that it has completed the divestiture of its remaining 70% stake in DIRECTV. In the second half of 2024, AT&T inked an agreement with TPG Capital, a prominent private equity firm, to sell off its ventured into the media business with the buyout of DIRECTV in 2015. It also acquired WarnerMedia in 2018. However, its venture into the media business was plagued by a constant decline in subscriptions. Continued cord-cutting remains a perennial challenge as consumers increasingly cancel pay TV packages for cheaper streaming options from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other services. Several factors, such as easy multi-device access and personalized recommendations, gave customers more transparency and control, making them a more lucrative choice for new era audiences. DIRECTV was playing catch-up with Netflix, Amazon and others and constantly losing subscribers in the DIRECTV became a non-core asset for AT&T. The acquisition led to higher debt and also diverted capital from its core business of 5G wireless and fiber network. Hence, the offloading of DIRECTV is a prudent decision from AT&T's management. It will allow AT&T to focus on its primary growth engines. The company has received $19 billion through prior TPG distributions and will also receive an additional $7.6 billion by 2029. The cash infusion is set to lower the debt burden and improve liquidity. AT&T is placing strong emphasis on strengthening its 5G portfolio and also aggressively pushing for fiber network expansion nationwide. The gain from divestiture will likely help in accelerating such faces stiff competition from other major players, such as Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR and Comcast Corporation CMCSA, on multiple fronts, such as broadband Internet, wireless services, enterprise and B2B services. Both Charter and Comcast and steadily investing to expand their network infrastructure. Charter's Spectrum Mobile has expanded 5G coverage nationwide. As of March 31, 2025, the company served 10.4 million mobile lines. In an attempt to stay competitive, Comcast has ventured into the U.S. wireless industry with the nationwide rollout of its wireless services under the Xfinity Mobile both companies are struggling to retain subscribers in the cable TV and video content front. Online video streaming service providers, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime and YouTube, have become a significant threat to cable TV operators due to their extremely cheap source of TV programming and solid content. AT&T has gained 51.8% over the past year compared with the Wireless National industry's growth of 26.7%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Going by the price/book ratio, the company's shares currently trade at 13.27 forward earnings, lower than 13.53 of the industry but above its mean of 10.67. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have remained unchanged for the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research AT&T currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AT&T Inc. (T) : Free Stock Analysis Report Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Globe and Mail
04-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
T Optimizes Portfolio With Strategic Divestiture: Will it Fuel Growth?
AT&T, Inc. T recently announced that it has completed the divestiture of its remaining 70% stake in DIRECTV. In the second half of 2024, AT&T inked an agreement with TPG Capital, a prominent private equity firm, to sell off its stake. AT&T ventured into the media business with the buyout of DIRECTV in 2015. It also acquired WarnerMedia in 2018. However, its venture into the media business was plagued by a constant decline in subscriptions. Continued cord-cutting remains a perennial challenge as consumers increasingly cancel pay TV packages for cheaper streaming options from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other services. Several factors, such as easy multi-device access and personalized recommendations, gave customers more transparency and control, making them a more lucrative choice for new era audiences. DIRECTV was playing catch-up with Netflix, Amazon and others and constantly losing subscribers in the process. Hence, DIRECTV became a non-core asset for AT&T. The acquisition led to higher debt and also diverted capital from its core business of 5G wireless and fiber network. Hence, the offloading of DIRECTV is a prudent decision from AT&T's management. It will allow AT&T to focus on its primary growth engines. The company has received $19 billion through prior TPG distributions and will also receive an additional $7.6 billion by 2029. The cash infusion is set to lower the debt burden and improve liquidity. AT&T is placing strong emphasis on strengthening its 5G portfolio and also aggressively pushing for fiber network expansion nationwide. The gain from divestiture will likely help in accelerating such initiatives. AT&T faces stiff competition from other major players, such as Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR and Comcast Corporation CMCSA, on multiple fronts, such as broadband Internet, wireless services, enterprise and B2B services. Both Charter and Comcast and steadily investing to expand their network infrastructure. Charter's Spectrum Mobile has expanded 5G coverage nationwide. As of March 31, 2025, the company served 10.4 million mobile lines. In an attempt to stay competitive, Comcast has ventured into the U.S. wireless industry with the nationwide rollout of its wireless services under the Xfinity Mobile brand. However, both companies are struggling to retain subscribers in the cable TV and video content front. Online video streaming service providers, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime and YouTube, have become a significant threat to cable TV operators due to their extremely cheap source of TV programming and solid content. T's Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates AT&T has gained 51.8% over the past year compared with the Wireless National industry's growth of 26.7%. Going by the price/book ratio, the company's shares currently trade at 13.27 forward earnings, lower than 13.53 of the industry but above its mean of 10.67. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have remained unchanged for the past 60 days. AT&T currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops." Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.5% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AT&T Inc. (T): Free Stock Analysis Report Comcast Corporation (CMCSA): Free Stock Analysis Report Charter Communications, Inc. (CHTR): Free Stock Analysis Report
