September
- Exclusive
- BOSS
Disney chief goes retro for AFL finals to reel in streaming rivals
Disney’s Australian boss Kylie Watson-Wheeler is bringing her AFL obsession into her day job as the US giant takes on the dominant players in the local streaming wars.
- Patrick Durkin
Shogun wins best drama Emmy, Hacks shocks in comedy category
A tale of political machinations, Shogun also won acting awards for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, the first Japanese actors to win their categories.
- Lisa Richwine and Danielle Broadway
Out of a job, not ready for golf: the rise of the portfolio career
Today’s public company chief executives and top leaders simply do not last as long in their jobs as they once did, so there are more unemployed high-flyers keen for work.
- Brooke Masters
How a CEO undermined his chosen successor and returned to power
When Disney’s Bob Iger stepped down as CEO, he stayed on as “creative director” and executive chair – to the ultimate dismay and downfall of his successor, Bob Chapek.
- James B. Stewart and Brooks Barnes
If you’re leaving Disneyland while it’s light, you’re doing it wrong
The world’s best-known theme park inspires awe and delight during the day, but after dark Walt’s $280 billion vision truly comes to life.
- Lucy Dean
August
Paramount, Warner slash valuations in ‘cable TV collapse’
The $23 billion in impairment charges from Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery highlight the collapse of the lucrative business model.
- Anna Nicolaou and Christopher Grimes
New signs of weakness in US economy, as consumers halt spending
Disney theme parks, Airbnb home rentals and Hilton hotels are among the latest companies seeing weaker consumer demand.
- Gregory Meyer, Anna Nicolaou and Christopher Grimes
July
Rupert Murdoch’s secret family battle for his empire’s future
The media baron has moved to change the family’s irrevocable trust to preserve his businesses as a conservative force. Several of his children are fighting back.
- Jim Rutenberg and Jonathan Mahler
- Analysis
- Billionaires
Old and new money meet at billionaires’ annual retreat
Network Ten owner Shari Redstone was in Sun Valley along with Bob Iger, a crop of Democratic presidential hopefuls and the tech elite for the annual Allen & Co gathering.
- Nick Bonyhady
Democrats back Biden as voter poll shows rising unease over fitness
A CBS News-YouGov poll shows that 72 per cent of registered voters think Joe Biden should not be running for president, up from 63 per cent in February.
- Updated
- Steff Chávez, James Fontanella-Khan, Lauren Fedor and Christopher Grimes
May
Scarlett Johansson takes on Sam Altman over ‘eerily’ similar AI voice
The Hollywood actor says she was “shocked” by the use of a voice “eerily similar” to her own in the latest worry for the ChatGPT maker.
- Rachel Metz
Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez in full bloom at Met Gala
The annual charity event for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, otherwise known as Anna Wintour’s Met Gala, is getting underway, drawing fashion’s A-listers.
- Updated
- Leanne Italie
April
New Yorkers’ unvarnished views of Donald Trump aired in ‘hush money’ trial
Hundreds of potential jurors are being sifted through as the court faces a huge challenge selecting more than a dozen people from heavily Democratic Manhattan.
- Joe Miller
‘Waterboarded with green magic’: the bizarre Gen Z cult of Shrek
The 2001 film about a lovable ogre in a swamp has found a new lease of life among young adults, many of whom weren’t even born when it first came out. But why?
- Poppie Platt
February
‘This is awful’: Entire New Zealand TV newsroom shuts, 200 jobs axed
US owner Warner Bros. Discovery said subsidising endless losses in a declining ad market “is not sustainable”.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
From Barbie to Baby Yoda: why we’re trapped in the cult of cute
Anything that reminds us of a baby triggers intense emotions and a willingness to spend money.
- Stuart Jeffries
Disney boss bets on Fortnite and Taylor Swift
CEO Bob Iger unveiled a slew of announcements as he hit back at activist investors seeking bigger profits from Disney’s streaming service and movies.
- Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine
January
Disney takes $110m more from Australia, hikes streaming price by 28pc
It will cost more to have the same service on Disney+ from March. The global entertainment giant posted a nearly 30 per cent jump in profit in Australia.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
- Opinion
- Pop culture
Is this the endgame for the age of heroes?
Who wants to watch 30 films and 10 TV series to engage with a franchise that continues to spread itself too thin at the expense of quality filmmaking?
- Maya Phillips
Mickey Mouse isn’t the only icon out of copyright this year
From a Cole Porter classic and novels by Virginia Woolf and DH Lawrence to a film of Buster Keaton’s, many significant works are entering the public domain in 2024.
- Michael Cavna