📺 I want my MTV back. Paramount Skydance is on the hunt for a strategic partner to help revive the cable network, which has lost steam over the past two decades and now averages fewer than 200,000 primetime viewers. The company has talked to major music industry figures about acquiring a stake, hoping access to music rights and artist connections could return MTV to its roots. The network launched as a music video channel in 1981 before becoming a reality TV fixture with 'The Real World' and 'Jersey Shore.' David Ellison has made revitalizing brands like MTV and CBS News a priority, and if this works, it could become a template for other Paramount properties.
📱 Disney+ wants in on the TikTok action. The streaming giant announced at CES that it's rolling out a vertical video feed later this year in a play for a bigger slice of the mobile video business. The feed is designed to turn the app into a daily destination rather than just a place for two-hour movie nights. It’ll serve up a mix of original short-form clips, repurposed social content, edited scenes from existing titles, and potentially AI-generated content from Disney's recently announced OpenAI deal. The move follows Disney's "Verts" launch on ESPN last August and speaks to a larger reality: streaming services aren't just competing with each other anymore. They're fighting for attention against the infinite scroll.
📽️ IMAX just had its best year ever. The premium format giant hit a record $1.28B in global box office for 2025, up 40% from last year and 13% above its pre-pandemic high in 2019. A big part of that success came from going global: local-language releases surged 65% to $405M worldwide, with Chinese animated epic 'Ne Zha 2' ($167M) and Japanese anime 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle' ($96M) landing in the company's top five films. IMAX now captures 3.8% of the global box office from just 1,800 locations, a sign that even as overall theatrical attendance lags, audiences are increasingly willing to pay up for premium experiences.
Is IMAX your preferred movie theater experience? Does an IMAX release make you more likely to see a movie in theaters? Let us know in the comments below.
