The fact there were two New Year’s ball drops in Times Square this year, one for 2026 and one for America 250, says a lot about what’s coming the next 12 months.
Yet, hype, patriotism, and this weekend’s US military actions in Venezuela aside, how America will celebrate the big birthday beyond a planned UFC match at the White House is just one of the big stories that will dominate headlines and algorithms.
Who will be the next boss of the Walt Disney Company? What will go down when Bad Bunny takes the Super Bowl halftime show stage? Have the Rolling Stones hit the end of the road because of Keith Richards‘ health? With so many people out of work and production still reeling, what’s on the table for the upcoming contract talks between the studios and streamers with the Hollywood guilds? When will the LA County DA decide if prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner? And of course, will it be Netflix or Paramount who ends up plunking down billions and billions to own Warner Bros Discovery after all?
All those questions will surely be answered before 2027, and probably a few more no one has considered yet – that’s right AI, we weren’t ignoring you. So, in no particular order, are the stories that will really matter in the media and entertainment worlds this year, so far.
(Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski via Getty Images)
THE NEXT DISNEY CEO IS …
With an announcement expected in the next few weeks if Dana Walden, Josh D’Amaro or someone else are getting the top gig, it’s pretty fair to assume at this point Bob Iger and House of Mouse board bossJames Gorman know who will be succeeding the two-time Disney CEO atop the Magic Kingdom at the end of this year. Still, despite a rumor mill grinding harder than a Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, that person or persons will be the suddenly very public Co-Chairman of Disney Entertainment or the smooth parks division running Chairman of Disney Experiences is a decision that’s been kept closer to the chest that an Oscar envelope on Hollywood’s big night (which BTW, won’t be something any Disney CEO will have to worry about come 2029 and YouTube taking over the ceremony).
Benefiting or burdening by her close friendship with Kamala Harris and her active role in Jimmy Kimmel’s weeklong September suspension, Walden has publicly said part of the CEO process is she doesn’t like “being pit against my colleagues, I don’t appreciate because we have incredible relationships.” At the same time, no one is going to fault the very circumspect Gorman and gang from doing everything humanly possible to avoid the fumbles, egos and backstabbing of Bob Chapek’s short-lived reign as Iger’s first successor from 2020 to 2022. If the AI-investing 74-year-old Iger really does exit (are you a betting person?) when his current contract is up at the end of 2026, the new CEO will face some of the biggest challenges of the industry in decades – especially if Netflix gobbles up Warner Bros’ studio, HBO and streaming assets.
Which is why word on the street and the Burbank lot is deep and serious consideration has gone into taking a page out of the streamer’s book and installing co-CEO’s like Netflix has with the carefully coordinated Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters. To paraphrase, Walden, that would be an “incredible relationship” to see in action with her and D’Amaro running the shop. It would make some history, play to everyone strengths and ensure stability in an era of anything but – so, stay tuned. – DP
The Washington Monument has imagery projected on to it on Jan. 2, 2026 marking America’s 250th anniversary (Photo: Getty)
AMERICA 250
The quarter-millennium anniversary of the United States will have a lot of the surface hoopla of the Bicentennial fifty years ago, but likely a lot of the same media contemplation of 1976: How united are we? The aftermath of Watergate and the Vietnam War threatened to color America’s anniversary as forced patriotism, but the enduring image of the celebration turned out to be the beauty of the tall ships sailing in New York harbor. Likewise, Donald Trump‘s divisive presidency raises doubts as to how celebratory the whole of America will be. The Trump factor has raised discord even on the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, the bipartisan body set up by Congress to plan official celebrations. As divided as the country was fifty years ago, things seemed to fall into place in the months leading up to July 4, with Americans getting a nightly history refresher via CBS’s Bicentennial Minutes and everything from fire hydrants to giant dams painted in the red, white and blue. What will the enduring image be of 2026? UFC fights at the White House, planned for Trump’s birthday, June 14? – TJ
Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, and Steve Jordan of The Rolling Stones onstage at LA’s SoFi Stadium on July 10, 2024 (Photo: Getty)
KEITH RICHARDS ROLLING NO MORE?
The mid-December missive that the Rolling Stones were pulling the plug on a planned but not officially announced 2026 UK and European tour sent shutters that not only had the greatest rock’n’roll band of all time had reached the end of the road, but that mortality had caught up with the seemingly indestructible Keith Richards. Having just turned 82 and suffering from arthritis gnarled hands, the guitarist/legendary hedonist apparently informed Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood that he just wasn’t up for the rigors of another multi-city stint. Even though the “Human Riff” had showed up in fine form for a Bruce Willis honoring mini-set at NYC’s Soho Sessions in November, worries that Richards was in dire health ran rampant.
To that, to defang the obit writers, a smiling and sturdy Keef posted a “one love” affirming NYD greeting online the other day.
On the flip side, the Stones, including the world’s greatest still living rhythm guitarist Richards, have laid down new music to be released this year in a follow up to 2023’s acclaimed Hackney Diamonds – which the band toured behind in 2024. So perhaps, the six-string pirate and the old boys are planning a special one-off to show they can still blow everyone’s wigs off. Time might just still be on their side – DP
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CAA‘S HOME NOT ON THE RANGE
In our ever shaking and quaking media landscape, the foundation and future of the agencies often gets overlooked – which is more than okay with the self-styled masters of the universes at CAA, WME, UTA …and Range. The dealmakers prefer to do most of their business under the cover of darkness, for better or worse. However, this year we may see a seismic shift in both the agency biz, who controls the purse and what an agency actually is. For the long warring Bryan Lourd and Peter Micelli run firms in particular that change will come courtesy of the courts. Locked in dispute both behind the closed (but much leaking) doors of arbitration and in the public sphere of LA Superior Court, CAA & Range Media Partners (which has some very sharp ex-CAA staffers among its upper ranks) have abandoned the ubiquitous air of Marquess of Queensberry Rules everyone likes to pretend to adhere to in public and gone bare knuckles.
Will the arbitrator decide David Bugliari, Michael Cooper, Michael Sullivan and Jack Whigham are due the “tens of millions of dollars of the former agents’ vested equity” that CAA clawed back when they jumped ship back in 2020? Will a jury decide the “unlawful” (according to CAA’s initial 2024 lawsuit) and seemingly fully loaded Range are actually a talent agency masquerading as a management group? Will the same jury also find Range guilty of poaching staff, talent and intel for its creation, as CAA alleges, or will they cut CAA down to size for violation of unfair competition law and tortious interference, as Range’s November 2025 countersuit claims?
Certain to go through rounds of appeals regardless of how wins first in the coming months, the results will likely also see rivals-down-the-road WME gloat at what some have called a CAA self-inflicted wound. Either way, no matter the final cost and verdict, there will be a culling and there will be blood. – DP
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NETFLIX BE DAMNED, PARAMOUNT’S PURSUIT OF WARNER BROS DISCOVERY ISN’T OVER
Warner Bros. Discovery heads into 2026 with a Netflix deal in hand and Paramount Skydance pounding at the door in a high stakes takeover battle with momentous consequences for TV, film, theatrical exhibition and streaming. Netflix’s accepted offer of $27.75 in cash and stock for Warner Bros. Studios, HBO and HBO Max. has an equity value of $72 billion and an enterprise value (including net debt) of $82.7 billion As the would-be parters seek necessary approvals, WBD is moving ahead with a spinoff of its linear television assets into a new company called Discovery Global.
David Ellison launched his WBD offensive shortly after closing the Paramount Skydance merger in August with a trio of unsolicited offers for the entire company, all rejected. Warner opened the process to other bidders and chose Netflix. The table was set for this showdown in 2022 when Zaslav-led Discovery acquired much larger Warner Media for $43 billion. That saddled the combined company with an untenable $50 billion in debt even as cable networks cratered and viewers flocked to streaming.
These are big numbers. Paramount’s $30 a share all-cash bid reflects an equity value of $77.9 billion and enterprise value of $108.4 billion. Rebuffed, David and his father Larry Ellison went hostile and have taken two offers directly to WBD stockholders, who have until Jan. 21 to tender their shares. WBD rejected the first and looks set to dismiss the second at a board meeting next week.
The Netflix and Paramount offers may not be that far apart financially. Paramount insists it has a better shot at regulatory approval. It has hinted at legal action, accusing WBD’s board of abandoning “the semblance and reality of a fair transaction process, thereby abdicating its duties to stockholders,” which WBD denies. Entertainment insiders are at a bit of a loss over who to back in this horserace.
But expect fireworks including a possible bidding war in 2026. Or, it could all go sideways. An unpredictable President Donald Trump, who has a serious beef with the news media including Paramount’s CBS and WBD’s CNN, has said he plans to be involved in a decision. The FTC and European regulators will weigh antitrust issues. The DOJ and state AGs may weigh in. So, there are massive breakup fees here. Both Netflix and Paramount agreed to pay WBD $5.8 billion if a deal fails to get regulatory approval. – JG
(L-R) Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner, Romy Reiner, Nick Reiner, Maria Gilfillan & Jake Reiner at Spinal Tap II: The End Continues LA Premiere in September 2025 (Photo: Getty)
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NICK REINER & THE DEATH PENALTY
Right now, pending a last minute pause, the January 7th scheduled hearing in DTLA for Nick Reiner for the December 14 killing of his parents Rob and Michele Reiner is still on the calendar. However, three unknowns still linger in this tragedy that has seen the addiction addled youngest child of the Misery director and his photographer spouse accused of two counts of first-degree murder with “special circumstances.”
The first is what the 32-year-old’s mental health is evaluated to have been at the time of the fatal attacks, and is he competent to stand trial? In now sealed medical records, Nick Reiner is said to have inflicted “multiple sharp force injuries” on his parents in their Brentwood home on the day of their deaths. The second, depending on what plea the Alan Jackson defended Nick Reiner enters next week, is when and whether there actually will be a trial? And, thirdly and lastly, when will the LA County District Attorney’s office decide if they are going to seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the Being Charlie co-writer or the death penalty?
DA Nathan Hochman said when announcing the charges against Nick Reiner on December 16 that he wanted to discuss the possible choices with the family before coming to any conclusions – as it is, that many have to occur sooner rather than later.
“We are prepared for the arraignment whether it happens or not will be decided by a judge,” Venusse Dunn of the DA’s office told Deadline. “We are communicating with the victim’s family. As with all victims of crime, we maintain ongoing contact with those affected to keep them informed throughout the legal process and to provide support during this difficult time.”
Indeed. – DP
Bad Bunny performs onstage in LA on March 17, 2025 (Photo: Getty)
NFL VS MAGA: BAD BUNNY PLAYS THE SUPER BOWL
Man, did MAGA lose their sh*t when the NFL, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, and Apple Music revealed in September that Bad Bunny would be headlining the halftime show at Super Bowl LX on February 8.
In fact, with Donald Trump and various aides and cabinet members pouring anti-immigrant, ICE threatening and racist fuel on their own fire, the MAGA meltdown continues. As NFL chief Roger Goodell found himself in October having to publicly back “one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world” being in the Super Bowl spotlight, the now Erika Kirk-run TurningPoint USA have organized their unironically named All-American Halftime Show to counter program Bad Bunny on stage in Santa Clara, CA next month.
Here’s the thing, MAGA really stepped in it here.
The leading contender to sweep this year’s Grammys, the Puerto Rico-born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio hasn’t shied away from the controversy, nor has Bad Bunny suddenly shut up about his opposition to MAGA and its policies as his one US show of this year looms.
Set to perform the first all in Spanish Super Bowl set, Bad Bunny is also a Super Bowl vet. He joined JLo and Shakira in their 2020 halftime show in Miami. So, the real question has to be is MAGA opposed to capitalism, football and rewarding success? Asking for 19.8 billion streams worldwide in 2025 alone …or as Bad Bunny said in Spanish on SNL on October 4, addressing the issue and the contributions of Latinos to American culture: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.” – DP
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AMPTP VS. WGA, SAG-AFTRA & DGA: NEW RULES, HEALTH MONEY?
Hollywood is still recovering after the historically long writers and actors strikes that defined 2023’s bargaining cycle between the major studios and the above-the-line unions. While the 100-plus-day work stoppages resulted in multiple hard-won contract achievements, they also greatly accelerated a global production contraction that has upended the film and television industry. Nevertheless, the WGA, DGA and SAG-AFTRA will sit down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers early next year to hopefully hammer out a new agreement before the current contracts expire mid-year.
SAG-AFTRA will head to the bargaining table first in early February.
Plenty of tantalizing topics, including the encroachment of AI and the pending sale of Warner Bros., are sure to grace the conversation, but they’ll almost certainly take a backseat to the financial realities the guilds are facing right now.
To that, the priorities are looking much different than three years ago as all three guilds will need to focus on one thing and one thing only: jobs, jobs, and more jobs. Well, and, relatedly, their dwindling health and pension funds, which we hear are in dire straits after several years of increasing unemployment around town. Deadline exclusively reported last month that the AMPTP is willing to offer the guilds a $110M cash infusion to get the funds back in the black, but in return they’re hoping to get the unions to agree to a five-year contract instead of the usual three, aiming to bring more stability to what is, at present, an incredibly unstable industry. Time will tell how things shake out, and most of Tinsel Town will watch these negotiations with bated breath, but don’t expect another 12-round knockout fight in 2026. Just about the only thing that’s certain in Hollywood right now is that no one can afford another strike. – KC
People cast their ballots at a vote center in Los Angeles, on November 4, 2025 – a year ahead of the pivotal 2026 midterms (Photo: Getty)
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
THE MIDTERMS VERDICT ON TRUMP 2.0
Democrats are just a few seats away from taking control of the House, but a world away from actually achieving it. There are still 11 months until the November elections, and any major electoral cycle featuring Donald Trump as a candidate or major player is fraught with unpredictable twists and turns. That won’t stop a year of polling, prognostication and punditry, as news networks and upstarts chase after potential renewed audience interest. The party out of power tends to do very well in a midterm cycle of the president’s second term, but the challenge for media outlets is in explaining the variables this year, including redistricting, new voting restrictions and the potential for post-election challenges. The stakes are whether Trump will have to grapple with a congressional check on his power, but the election also will go a long way toward defining his ultimate legacy. – TJ
(L-R) Gary Oldman & Stephen Colbert at Apple TV+ Emmy Awards Celebration for the 2025 Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025 (Photo: Getty)
STEPHEN COLBERT’S NEXT ACT
Pink slipped last July by Paramount on a pretty flimsy pretense of cost cutting just before David Ellison took over the CBS-parent company, Stephen Colbert host and the Late Night franchise itself will exit the Ed Sullivan Theater and our small screens in May 2026. No one, maybe even Emmy winner Colbert himself, is saying what will come next.
Looking to be swinging and kicking against the pricks until the very end of his CBS run and clearly not intending to hang up his gloves, Colbert jokingly threw his availability out there in August with a “Netflix, call me. I’m available in June. I will also entertain offers from Amazon.”
Now, with the former about to jump through various regulatory hoops to get the Colbert-hating Trump administration’s approval on its WB deal, and the latter, well, deep in Melanialand, Netflix and Amazon may not be the immediate next act for the Late Nighter. However, perhaps the best indication of where Colbert could end up (and he will end up somewhere) is what the man himself said a couple of months ago.
“I love creating things and I still want to work with the people I work with. I don’t know how you work with 200 people, 210, something like that, right? It’s an enormous amount of people. I love them. And I want to continue to do that with them to the degree that I can. And I want to find that with other people too. I just love making things,” Colbert said.