Connect with us

Published

on

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, speaking to thousands of frazzled employees at a town hall meeting, scrambled to downplay speculation that the company is planning to sell a slew of key media properties including ABC and ESPN.

“I did not think everyone would run with a story that everything is being sold, which is not the case,” Iger told Disney employees at a virtual town hall in New York on Tuesday afternoon.

Iger appeared to be referring to an interview he gave CNBC in July, in which he revealed that the company was mulling a sale of its TV assets while seeking a strategic partner for sports cable empire ESPN.

At the town hall on Tuesday, Iger said that his comments were indicative of his tendency to “run things up flagpoles to see how they will fly” and to “think out loud,” according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Disney’s stock price fell further in the wake of Iger’s comments on Tuesday. The stock closed at $92.50, down 2.8%.

Iger was joined on stage at the town hall by Jimmy Pitaro, the head of ESPN; Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman; and Josh D’Amaro, who heads the company’s parks and resorts division.

The CEO said that Walden and Pitaro were examining the businesses that they oversee, including ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel and FX, so as to make them more efficient.

Iger insisted that the linear television properties were still “pretty significant” to the company.

ABC News anchor David Muir, who moderated the town hall, quizzed Iger and Pitaro over whether Disney has lined up a strategic partner for ESPN.

The two men replied that they were in discussions with sports leagues and tech companies, but would not elaborate further.

Iger said that Disney could “go it alone” and not seek partners for ESPN.

“We are fully prepared to do that,” the Disney boss said, though he added it “would be a little more challenging if we did.”

ESPN took the rare step of disclosing its financials — a move that observers say could be a precursor to Disney wooing a potential investor.

The sports network, which is said to have an enterprise value of $24 billion, revealed declining sales and profit — a byproduct of the cord-cutting trend that has seen an ever-increasing number of viewers migrating away from cable TV.

Iger has said in recent months that Disney wants to keep ESPN and will try to create a direct-to-consumer streaming app for it by either forming a joint venture or finding a buyer for a minority stake in the network.

Disney intends to roll out the new ESPN service by no later than 2025.

According to Disney’s most recent earnings report, the company’s “experience” division, which includes its theme parks, generated 13% more revenue in the fourth quarter of this past fiscal year compared to last year.

Iger told employees at Tuesday’s town hall that the profitability of the parks division was behind the company’s decision to invest an addition $60 billion.

“This is a business where you spend to succeed,” Iger told employees of the Mouse House on Tuesday.

The company has been hamstrung by steep losses in its streaming division as well as underwhelming box office returns on big-budget pictures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.

Iger has been quoted in recent months as being exasperated by the task of turning the company’s fortunes around.

The longtime executive also insisted that he “never second guessed” his decision to reassume the CEO position after the ouster of his handpicked successor, Bob Chapek.

I knew that there were myriad challenges that I would face coming back, Iger said on Tuesday.

I wont say that it was easy, but Ive never second guessed the decision to come back, and being back still feels great.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

YouTuber Jake Paul strikes defeat against former boxing champ Mike Tyson in Texas

Published

on

By

YouTuber Jake Paul strikes defeat against former boxing champ Mike Tyson in Texas

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has defeated one of the greatest-ever fighters, former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, who’s more than twice his age.

The bout was won on a unanimous points decision at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Dallas Cowboys and the biggest NFL stadium in the US.

The fight was already controversial but then arguably failed to live up to the hype. Boos were heard from the crowd in the final two rounds, after a perceived lack of action.

Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
The heavyweight boxing match took place in Arlington, Texas. Pic: AP

Boxing careers compared

This was not Paul’s first professional fight. The 27-year-old American YouTube star made his debut in 2020 with his most high-profile clash against Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy Fury last year, which he lost by a split decision.

The so-called “Problem Child” has since defeated former UFC contender Nate Diaz, professional boxer Andre August, former Gold Gloves champion Ryan Bourland and most recently MMA fighter Mike Perry.

In contrast, “Iron Mike” Tyson, 58, was ranked among the best heavyweight boxers of all time.

More on Jake Paul

During his career, he knocked out 44 opponents – retiring from professional boxing in 2005 after defeat against Kevin McBride.

He returned to the ring in 2020 for a bout against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones, which ended in an unofficial draw.

Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
Mike Tyson struggled at times against Jake Paul, 31 years his junior. Pic: AP

‘Someone’s getting put to sleep’

Earlier this week, Paul said he believed the bout would not go the distance. “No, someone’s getting put to sleep,” he said. “It’s going to be a war, and we’re both heavy hitters. It’s not going the full 16 minutes.”

Tyson was more reflective: “I’ve been through so many ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride,” he said.

“I’ve been in rehab. I’ve been in prison, been locked up. Never in a million years did I believe I’d be doing this.”

Several states would not allow the bout to go ahead, and the Texas Athletic Commission only agreed to the fight if there were changes, due to Tyson’s age.

It limited the contest to eight rounds lasting a maximum of two minutes instead of three. Both boxers were also required to wear heavier gloves, designed to lessen the force of punches.

The fight was initially scheduled for 20 July, but was postponed when Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup.

Taylor defends title

Katie Taylor, center, celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
Katie Taylor celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano in Texas. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, among the undercard fights, Irish boxer Katie Taylor successfully defended her super lightweight world title against Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.

But it was tight. Taylor claimed the rematch 95-94 for all three judges in an epic battle.

The bout came two and a half years after the pair fought at Madison Square Garden, which Taylor won on a split decision.

Bout suffered from buffering

Earlier in the evening thousands of Netflix users in the US reported problems seeing the coverage, with some posting on social media about buffering.

At one point, more than 98,000 people had reported issues according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

US

YouTuber Jake Paul strikes defeat against former boxing champ Mike Tyson in Texas

Published

on

By

YouTuber Jake Paul strikes defeat against former boxing champ Mike Tyson in Texas

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has defeated one of the greatest-ever fighters, former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, who’s more than twice his age.

The bout was won on a unanimous points decision at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Dallas Cowboys and the biggest NFL stadium in the US.

The fight was already controversial but then arguably failed to live up to the hype. Boos were heard from the crowd in the final two rounds, after a perceived lack of action.

Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
The heavyweight boxing match took place in Arlington, Texas. Pic: AP

Boxing careers compared

This was not Paul’s first professional fight. The 27-year-old American YouTube star made his debut in 2020 with his most high-profile clash against Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy Fury last year, which he lost by a split decision.

The so-called “Problem Child” has since defeated former UFC contender Nate Diaz, professional boxer Andre August, former Gold Gloves champion Ryan Bourland and most recently MMA fighter Mike Perry.

In contrast, “Iron Mike” Tyson, 58, was ranked among the best heavyweight boxers of all time.

More on Jake Paul

During his career, he knocked out 44 opponents – retiring from professional boxing in 2005 after defeat against Kevin McBride.

He returned to the ring in 2020 for a bout against fellow boxing icon Roy Jones, which ended in an unofficial draw.

Mike Tyson, left, fights Jake Paul during their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
Mike Tyson struggled at times against Jake Paul, 31 years his junior. Pic: AP

‘Someone’s getting put to sleep’

Earlier this week, Paul said he believed the bout would not go the distance. “No, someone’s getting put to sleep,” he said. “It’s going to be a war, and we’re both heavy hitters. It’s not going the full 16 minutes.”

Tyson was more reflective: “I’ve been through so many ups and downs since my last fight with Kevin McBride,” he said.

“I’ve been in rehab. I’ve been in prison, been locked up. Never in a million years did I believe I’d be doing this.”

Several states would not allow the bout to go ahead, and the Texas Athletic Commission only agreed to the fight if there were changes, due to Tyson’s age.

It limited the contest to eight rounds lasting a maximum of two minutes instead of three. Both boxers were also required to wear heavier gloves, designed to lessen the force of punches.

The fight was initially scheduled for 20 July, but was postponed when Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup.

Taylor defends title

Katie Taylor, center, celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano during their undisputed super lightweight title bout, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Image:
Katie Taylor celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano in Texas. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, among the undercard fights, Irish boxer Katie Taylor successfully defended her super lightweight world title against Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.

But it was tight. Taylor claimed the rematch 95-94 for all three judges in an epic battle.

The bout came two and a half years after the pair fought at Madison Square Garden, which Taylor won on a split decision.

Bout suffered from buffering

Earlier in the evening thousands of Netflix users in the US reported problems seeing the coverage, with some posting on social media about buffering.

At one point, more than 98,000 people had reported issues according to Downdetector, which tracks outages.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Politics

Elon Musk ‘shot down’ OpenAI’s ICO plan in 2018 over credibility concerns

Published

on

By

<div>Elon Musk 'shot down' OpenAI's ICO plan in 2018 over credibility concerns</div>

According to a court filing, Elon Musk said that the proposed initial coin offering (ICO) “would simply result in a massive loss of credibility for OpenAI.”

Continue Reading

Trending