including Sky, to Disney. A rival offer subsequently materialised from Comcast, and the three companies began jockeying for control of the business. Comcast was ultimately successful, taking ownership

though these have generally lagged some way behind Disney's Marvel in terms of consistent commercial success, partly as a result of a generally darker and more dystopian style. Yet the majority of Warner'

ahead of the Frozen soundtrack (Walt Disney/Universal Music) with 3.5m. In the UK, the world's third biggest music market after the US and Japan, combined retail sales slipped 1.6% to £1.03bn. For the

Adbrands Weekly Update 4th Jan 2018: Walt Disney was undeniable champion of the US (and global) movie box office in 2017. On release for just the last two weeks of the year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi roared

Adbrands Weekly Update 5th Apr 2018: Disney/Marvel's Black Panther was finally toppled last week as the #1 movie in the US (by Pacific Rim: Uprising) after an extraordinary five week run, but it has nonetheless

Omnicom Media Group retained the bulk of the business of Disney's North Amerian media channels following a major global review worth over $2bn in billings. That includes the Disney, Fox, Pixar, Marvel

not least competition from Disney's own streaming service, which deprived Netflix of some important content, including major Disney, Marvel and 20th Century Studios movie releases, as well as similar

following the sale of most of that company to Walt Disney. Unlike his highly conservative father and his elder brother Lachlan, James Murdoch is positioned towards the political left, and has donated

stake in the Hulu streaming service to Disney in 2019. Jeff Shell is CEO of NBC Universal. The Covid-related cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, and the closure of cinemas and theme parks badly impacted

but a devastating blow was the loss of the Disney Princesses franchise to Hasbro in 2015. (In a major boost to morale, Mattel won back the license from 2023). The Mattel toy box holds a number of other