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It is time for everybody’s favourite vacation custom — CNBC’s annual nameless media govt predictions!
CNBC spoke with 16 of essentially the most highly effective and influential executives in U.S. media, sports activities and leisure, who all supplied a prediction for the 12 months forward, underneath the situation of anonymity so they might communicate freely and make daring bets.
This 12 months, we break the forecasts into three classes: M&A predictions, sports activities predictions and miscellaneous. Earlier than we start, just a few shoutouts from final 12 months’s listing. (You could find the complete slate right here.)
One govt predicted Comcast would purchase the studio and streaming belongings of Warner Bros. Discovery and merge them with NBCUniversal. Shut! Comcast did bid on these belongings, however WBD in the end selected a proposal from Netflix. It is now dealing with a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance. Extra on that to return on this 12 months’s predictions, as you’d think about.
One other govt predicted 2025 would see a number of TV broadcast mergers, and that is type of been the case — Tegna and Nexstar introduced a deal, and Sinclair has made a to date unsuccessful hostile bid to amass E.W. Scripps.
Yet one more guessed a giant tech firm would purchase videogame maker Digital Arts. Not dangerous. The client wasn’t massive tech, however EA did promote to a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund and personal fairness agency Silver Lake.
And one govt final 12 months just about nailed it. They mentioned the sports activities streaming service Venu would by no means launch (it did not), and that Fox would license its sports activities content material to Disney’s ESPN (Fox did launch a bundle with ESPN for $39.99 monthly that mixes the 2 corporations’ sports activities programming for those who stream).
With out additional ado, here is this 12 months’s listing:
M&A predictions
Government 1: Paramount will purchase all of Warner Bros. Discovery
Needed to get this one out of the way in which. This govt predicted Paramount will in the end persuade the WBD board to nix its cope with Netflix and promote your complete firm to the Ellison household and their monetary backers.
Government 2: Apple will purchase NBCUniversal
Now we’re getting daring! This govt predicted that whereas Comcast Chief Government Officer Brian Roberts loves the media enterprise and wished to personal and management a mixed NBCU-WBD, he’ll have to simply accept that with Warner Bros. out of the image, there’s merely no deal left for him. This govt mentioned Apple each needs and must bulk up in media to remain related, and NBCU is one of the best prize accessible.
Frankly, it is simply good to listen to an Apple M&A prediction that is not Disney.
Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast, attends the annual Allen & Co. Media and Know-how Convention in Solar Valley, Idaho, July 9, 2025.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
Government 3: Amazon or YouTube will purchase NBCUniversal belongings
Alongside related strains, this govt mentioned WBD will set a brand new, increased EBITDA a number of for media belongings. That would lead Roberts to promote NBCU now — or at the least, Peacock and Common, the streaming and studio belongings of NBCU. This govt hedged their prediction, although, and mentioned the theme parks could or might not be a part of a sale.
To move off potential antitrust questions, this govt hypothesized {that a} tech firm is likely to be allowed to run a broadcast community like NBC if NBC’s owned-and-operated stations had been offered individually.
Government 4: Paramount will lose WBD, divest CBS, purchase NBCUniversal
Sure, a deal involving NBCU was fairly standard this spherical. If Paramount would not find yourself with WBD, it wants a backup plan to realize scale. NBCUniversal and Peacock can be a pleasant comfort prize, however regulators virtually actually would not permit Paramount to personal each CBS and NBC. So, this govt guessed Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison will hive off CBS (extra on CBS Information Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss later) and maintain NBC to entice Roberts to promote.
Government 5: Comcast will purchase Roku
Not so quick on promoting NBCU, mentioned this govt. Comcast nonetheless has one other transfer to make. Roku has a market capitalization of about $16 billion. It is a transfer Roberts could make that each will get Comcast into nationwide video distribution whereas additionally including Roku’s media belongings to NBCU.
Sports activities predictions
Government 6: Paramount will lose WBD and purchase Major Avenue Sports activities
This is an attention-grabbing one — this govt predicted Paramount will purchase the corporate previously referred to as Diamond Sports activities Group. That may make Paramount an proprietor of 15 regional sports activities networks (and a partial proprietor of the YES Community), one other manner of pushing ahead Ellison’s sports activities aspirations.
A element of a Wilson basketball is seen with the “March Insanity” emblem seen throughout observe day previous to the First Spherical of the NCAA Males’s Basketball Match at Lenovo Enviornment on March 20, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Pictures Sport | Getty Pictures
Government 7: Each Males’s March Insanity and the School Soccer Playoffs will increase subsequent 12 months
Not the boldest prediction on the listing, however maybe one of the best guess at coming to fruition. The NCAA is contemplating upping the variety of males’s groups within the tourney from 68 to 76. The CFP could increase from 12 to 16 groups — or maybe much more. This govt thinks it would occur in 2026.
Government 8: The NFL will ink new, prolonged offers with its present media companions
Plenty of ink has been spilled on the aggressive threats of YouTube and Netflix to the standard media corporations. The epitome of that menace is taking stay NFL video games away from the broadcasters and ESPN.
This govt predicted the NFL will be sure this does not occur by extending contracts with CBS, NBC, ABC/ESPN and Fox in 2026. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell instructed CNBC in September he is open to beginning these renewal talks as quickly as subsequent 12 months.
Government 9: Amazon will purchase a brand new NFL worldwide package deal
Goodell has talked about increasing the league’s worldwide video games to 16 per season involving all 32 groups. This govt estimated the league will store this package deal of video games subsequent 12 months to 1 purchaser, and Amazon Prime Video will complement its Thursday Evening Soccer package deal with a Sunday package deal of video games overseas.
Government 10: The NFL’s acceleration of media rights talks will push MLB and NHL to additionally pull ahead their talks to 2026
This govt figured there’s solely a lot cash to go round for the massive media corporations. As an alternative of ready for the NFL to do its deal in 2026 and having to stay off what’s left over, it could be a greater strategic transfer for the MLB and NHL to remain forward of the NFL to maximise media rights worth.
Roger Goodell, NFL Commssioner, talking with CNBC on the annual Allen & Co. Media and Know-how convention in Solar Valley, Idaho on July tenth, 2025.
David A. Grogan | CNBC
Government 11: Conventional media corporations will make extreme cuts to their linear community leisure spending to afford holding on to the NFL and different sports activities
It is the identical logic right here by way of the limitation of media budgets. This govt predicted media corporations can be pressured to slash their non-sports budgets to afford a large enhance coming from the NFL — and the fallout will start in 2026.
Government 12: Each the WNBA and MLB will announce lockouts
The WNBA’s collective bargaining negotiations are already underway with a brand new deadline of Jan. 9. The Ladies’s Nationwide Basketball Participant’s Affiliation Government Director Terri Carmichael Jackson instructed CNBC this week she’s been annoyed with the tempo of discussions.
MLB’s collective bargaining settlement expires Dec. 1, 2026. This govt predicted each leagues can have lockouts as house owners and gamers cannot agree on new CBAs in time.
Miscellaneous predictions
Disney CEO Bob Iger (R) and Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, talking on CNBC’s Squawkbox on Might seventh, 2025.
CNBC
Government 13: Disney will title Josh D’Amaro to be its subsequent CEO, changing Bob Iger on the finish of the 12 months
You knew there’d be a Disney CEO prediction on the listing. Disney is meant to call Iger’s successor in early 2026. Josh D’Amaro runs the parks and resorts division and is taken into account to be one among two favorites, together with co-chair of Disney Leisure, Dana Walden.
Government 14: Marjorie Taylor Greene turns into a member of “The View”
Hey, a few of these are out of the field! Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia introduced in November that she would resign from Congress efficient Jan. 5. Her subsequent cease might be ABC’s daytime discuss present “The View,” in line with this govt.
U.S. Consultant Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) broadcasts her resignation from her place, on this display seize from a press release launched on social media, November 21, 2025.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Through X | Through Reuters
Government 15: Bari Weiss will develop into the anchor of her personal new eponymous CBS Information program
CBS Information’ Weiss, named editor-in-chief in October, is already moderating city halls on the community and has promised “many extra conversations like this within the weeks and months forward.” This govt predicted Weiss will use this as a launch pad for her personal hosted present.
Government 16: “In 2026, Hollywood goes to stage a mass boycott of the ‘digital trades’ after discovering they’re irrelevant, inane and continuously inaccurate.”
I am together with this one, phrase for phrase, so the “digital trades” (Puck, The Ankler, and so forth.) can have one thing to invest about of their subsequent newsletters and podcast episodes. Which firebrand Hollywood govt made this brash prediction? Free content material, from me to you. Now that is a Christmas present!
Completely happy holidays!
Disclosure: Comcast is the mother or father firm of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would develop into the brand new mother or father firm of CNBC upon Comcast’s deliberate spinoff of Versant.
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