Sun Valley, a sleepy ski resort nestled between Idaho’s mountain peaks, is about to see an invasion of Gulfstreams ferrying an embattled species of mogul. These media and tech CEOs are facing threats on several fronts — from labor strikes to plunging share prices to a possible recession. So they’re likely in need of some R&R when they hit Allen & Co.’s annual conference this week. The cloistered event is an off-the-record affair, with reporters cordoned off from the captains of industry. But it remains closely watched, having been the setting for major mergers and acquisitions over the years, from Comcast’s purchase of NBCUniversal to Disney’s deal for ABC. Here’s what’s on the minds of the C-suite set as they embark on their high-altitude retreat.
Succession Isn’t Just an HBO Drama
Bob Iger returns to Sun Valley after briefly ceding control of Disney to Bob Chapek. Well, Chapek may be out after a disastrous tenure that saw him alienate Hollywood stars and fail to prop up Disney’s stock. But the questions that plagued Iger during his time atop the Magic Kingdom remain. Namely, who will assume the throne once he finally, actually (this time he’s really serious) retires? Two possible candidates will be at the conference: Dana Walden, the head of the company’s TV business, and Josh D’Amaro, the theme parks czar. How will they handle the Sun Valley heat?
How Do I Make Money Now?
The path to profit in the media sector has long been well defined. Make a great movie or TV show, generate crowds and reap millions in box office or advertising before repurposing the property in the aftermarket. Thanks to streaming, however, there is no aftermarket, and the big audiences that Madison Avenue demands have been splintered beyond repair. Media moguls will have to test new models, even ones that send properties tied to a single outlet into the arms of rivals. See Warner Bros. Discovery’s moves to send HBO shows to Netflix, or the FAST channel made from NBCU’s “Saturday Night Live” that will play on Amazon’s Freevee.
No Easy Cure for These Labor Headaches
Screenwriters are on strike, and actors could join them if talks between the studios and the SAG-AFTRA conclude July 12 without a contract. That threatens to shut down Hollywood, halting production and upending plans for movies and shows. It’s hard to make money without anything to release.
Breaking News Boom
With more fans of scripted shows streaming them as they wish, live programming and news, which can be made more cheaply than sports, are set to become an even bigger mainstay. NBC and ABC have begun populating their afternoon schedules with news programs. But getting younger viewers to tune in will be tough. This generation of consumer is likelier to visit social media or mobile devices for the latest headlines, and a new anchor hire or a primetime talent shuffle isn’t enough to get them hooked.
Meta’s Musk Moment
Why wait for a cage match between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk? The Meta chief has leveled a frontal assault on the Tesla creator’s foray into social media, launching a direct Twitter rival in Threads. Things have gotten ugly … fast. Musk’s lawyers sent a scathing cease-and-desist letter to Zuckerberg accusing him of poaching former Twitter employees and stealing “trade secrets” for his text-based app. At the same time, Threads leveraged Meta’s Facebook and Instagram user base to sign up 30 million accounts, a direct challenge to Twitter amid the service’s tech glitches and embarrassing headlines. “Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it,” Zuckerberg wrote on a Threads post. Oh, it’s on.
