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Make-A-Wish works to cut backlog of "wishes" to Disney World

Jun 5, 2023
The pandemic drastically slowed down the number of critically ill children the Make-A-Wish Foundation could send to its top destination.
“More than half of our wishes are Disney wishes," said Chris Winter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina.
Olga Thompson/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images

Want to perform your own version of "The Little Mermaid"? These sisters will sell you a tail

May 26, 2023
Disney’s live-action "The Little Mermaid" is expected to bring in big bucks at the box office — and for the real-life mermaid industry, which is an actual thing.
Twin sisters Bryn Decker and Abby Roberts take photos and videos of professional mermaid Danielle Houston in their newest tail design, "Ariel's Melody."
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace

If ESPN goes to streaming, what happens to cable?

May 19, 2023
Leaders at Disney, which owns ESPN, say it’s an inevitability that the cable channel will migrate to streaming. Such a move would shake up the cable industry.
The CEO of Disney, which owns ESPN, has called the migration of ESPN to streaming “an inevitability.” Above, ESPN College Gameday hosts in 2020.
Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images

Some advertisers say they're ready to spend again — and media platforms stand to gain

May 9, 2023
Many platforms saw declines in ad revenue over the past year and had to cut costs and staff. Now there's optimism about a rebound.
"Whether it's television, cable, streaming, as well as audio, any company that accepts advertising will benefit," says media analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich.
Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images

Streaming giants target European market for growth and expansion

Mar 28, 2023
With growth tapering in the U.S., American streaming giants are tapping into growing European markets in countries like France.
The growth of European regional content on streaming platforms like Netflix is helping companies break into those markets.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Disney “leans in” to existing franchises

Feb 9, 2023
Because if people liked a "Frozen 2," wouldn’t they like a "Frozen 3?"
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

How do companies pick their CEOs?

Nov 21, 2022
Sometimes a boomerang, or returning, chief executive — like Disney's Bob Iger — means the company's in crisis or it needs to rejigger its succession plan.
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is back at the helm of the entertainment giant.
Rich Fury/Getty Images

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As streaming subscriptions fall, media giants turn to theme parks, live events for lost revenue

Aug 25, 2022
Pent up demand for in-person experiences may make up for slipping subscriber numbers.
The interest in live events and theme park tickets has skyrocketed as the industry receives pent up demand from the pandemic.
(Photo Walt Disney World Resorts via Getty Images)

How the "vertical integration" of streaming studios today evokes old Hollywood's power

Aug 13, 2021
Abraham Ravid, finance professor at Yeshiva University, thinks more contract disputes like the one between Scarlett Johannsen and Disney will pop up as streaming overtakes the movie theater experience.
Attendees visit the Disney+ streaming service booth at the D23 Expo, billed as the "largest Disney fan event in the world," Aug. 23, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Disney laying off 28,000 employees, mostly at theme parks

Sep 30, 2020
The head of Disney’s theme parks unit said that uncertainty over the pandemic’s duration had made cuts unavoidable.
The company says two-thirds of those who will be laid off are part-time employees.
Derek Lee/Disneyland Resort via Getty Images

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