Latest news with #KevinMayer
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OnlyFans owner in talks to sell UK-based adult content platform for £5.9bn
The owner of OnlyFans, the subscription platform used by millions for its adult content, is in talks to sell the UK-based business for $8bn (£5.9bn). The site's owner, Fenix International, is in discussions with a consortium led by the US investment firm Forest Road Company (FRC), whose board members include Kevin Mayer, who was an executive at Disney for nearly 15 years and also briefly ran TikTok. Fenix is owned by Leonid Radvinsky, a 43-year-old Ukrainian-American entrepreneur, who has received dividends of just under $1.3bn from the highly profitable site since 2020. Related: OnlyFans owner paid £359m dividend as company's revenues grow 20% in a year OnlyFans has more than 4m accounts registered to creators who charge subscribers for access to their content, with the proceeds split 80/20 with the platform. The site has 305m fan accounts, enabling users to buy videos from, and send messages to, their favourite performers. Although OnlyFans points to a breadth of content that includes comedy, lifestyle and celebrity material, it is synonymous with pornography and has a strict 18+ age limit. In its most recent accounts, OnlyFans posted revenues of $1.3bn in the year to 30 November 2023, an increase of 20% on the previous year, while its pre-tax profit rose by a quarter to $658m. The number of creator accounts and fan accounts each grew by nearly 30% and content creators received $6.6bn in 2023. At the time, Keily Blair, the chief executive of OnlyFans, said the company had cemented its place as a 'leading digital entertainment company and a UK tech success story'. OnlyFans declined to comment and FRC has been contacted for comment. Fenix is also in talks with other suitors, according to Reuters, which first revealed the takeover talks. It is also understood that a flotation of the platform is an unlikely option. OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely, backed by a loan from his investment banker father, and Radvinsky bought the company in 2018. Little is known about Odesa-born Radvinsky, although his personal website states that he holds a degree in economics from Northwestern University in the US and he lives in Florida. Before acquiring OnlyFans he owned an adult webcam business. In March the UK communications regulator fined Fenix £1m for failing to accurately respond to requests for information about age-checking measures on the platform, specifically facial estimation technology that gauges a user's age via a selfie. Ofcom said Fenix was a large, well-resourced company that was 'well aware of its regulatory obligations' and should have avoided its failings. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Mint
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
CoComelon to leave Netflix? Here's where you can stream your child's favourite show
Walt Disney Co. has secured the exclusive streaming rights to the children's TV series CoComelon, according to people familiar with the matter, taking one of the most popular kids' programs in the world away from Netflix Inc. Starting in 2027, Disney will have every season of CoComelon, a compilation of nursery rhymes for toddlers, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a deal that hasn't been announced. The Burbank, California-based movie, TV and theme-park company will pay tens of millions of dollars annually for the rights, one of the people said. CoComelon has been one of the most-popular kids' programs in the world for almost a decade. Its flagship YouTube channel has 193 million subscribers and averages more than 2 billion views a month, according to Social Blade. It was the second-most-watched program on Netflix in 2024, trailing only the Bridgerton shows. The series adds to an already strong lineup of kids' programming on Disney , which is home to most-watched preschool show on streaming, Bluey, as well as classic Disney films and TV shows. Disney had three of the most-watched preschool shows in the US in the first quarter of this year with Bluey, Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Former advertising executive Jay Jeon created the YouTube channel in 2006 to entertain his child and sold it to UK-based Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. Moonbug was later acquired by Candle Media, an independent media firm led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug, which declined to comment, will continue to post videos of CoComelon on YouTube while Disney will be the exclusive paid streaming home. The popularity of CoComelon on Netflix has waned over the last 12 to 18 months. While the show was the fifth most-watched program in all of streaming in 2023, it didn't appear in the top 10 last year. Viewership has declined by almost 60% over the last couple of years. Netflix will continue to be the home of CoComelon Lane, an original series, as well as Blippi, another property owned by Moonbug. Disney has been the biggest brand in kids' entertainment for a century, producing beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse and the Little Mermaid. But many of the most popular new properties for kids began outside of Hollywood. Bluey, for example, is from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and BBC Studios. Disney is placing renewed emphasis on kids' programming as it competes with Netflix and YouTube, which is the most popular video service in the world, especially with viewers under age 30. Disney had 126 million subscribers at the end of March, up 1.4 million from the three previous three months. In addition to CoComelon, Disney is licensing several seasons of Little Angel and a couple seasons of JJ's Animal Time, two other Moonbug shows. Little Angel will remain available on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. Streaming services that once focused primarily on signing up new customers are increasingly occupied with keeping customers for as long as possible. The longer that subscribers stay with a service, the less likely they are to cancel and the more valuable they are to advertisers. Kids' programming drives a lot of engagement for streaming services. It accounts for about 15% of all viewing on Netflix, the company said last week. Netflix closed 2024 with more than 300 million paid subscribers. On May 19 the company announced an agreement to begin carrying new episodes and old episodes of the children's classic Sesame Street and also has the hit kids' show Gabby's Dollhouse. CoComelon will arrive on Disney the same year that a movie based on the property will be released in theaters by Universal Pictures. (With inputs from Bloomberg)
Irish Examiner
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Disney takes the toddler hit ‘CoComelon' away from Netflix
Walt Disney has secured the exclusive streaming rights to the children's TV series CoComelon, according to people familiar with the matter, taking one of the most popular kids' programs in the world away from Netflix. Starting in 2027, Disney+ will have every season of CoComelon, a compilation of nursery rhymes for toddlers, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a deal that hasn't been announced. The Burbank, California-based movie, TV and theme-park company will pay tens of millions of dollars annually for the rights, one of the people said. CoComelon has been one of the most popular kids' programs in the world for almost a decade. Its flagship YouTube channel has 193 million subscribers and averages more than 2 billion views a month, according to Social Blade. It was the second-most-watched program on Netflix in 2024, trailing only the Bridgerton shows. The series adds to an already strong lineup of kids' programming on Disney+, which is home to most-watched preschool show on streaming, Bluey, as well as classic Disney films and TV shows. Disney had three of the most-watched preschool shows in the US in the first quarter of this year with Bluey, Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Former advertising executive Jay Jeon created the YouTube channel in 2006 to entertain his child and sold it to UK-based Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. Moonbug was later acquired by Candle Media, an independent media firm led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug, which declined to comment, will continue to post videos of CoComelon on YouTube while Disney+ will be the exclusive paid streaming home. The popularity of CoComelon on Netflix has waned over the last 12 to 18 months. While the show was the fifth most-watched program in all of streaming in 2023, it didn't appear in the top 10 last year. Viewership has declined by almost 60% over the last couple of years. Netflix will continue to be the home of CoComelon Lane, an original series, as well as Blippi, another property owned by Moonbug. Disney has been the biggest brand in kids' entertainment for a century, producing beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse and the Little Mermaid. But many of the most popular new properties for kids began outside of Hollywood. Bluey, for example, is from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and BBC Studios. Disney is placing renewed emphasis on kids' programming as it competes with Netflix and YouTube, which is the most popular video service in the world, especially with viewers under age 30. Disney+ had 126 million subscribers at the end of March, up 1.4 million from the three previous three months. In addition to CoComelon, Disney is licensing several seasons of Little Angel and a couple seasons of JJ's Animal Time, two other Moonbug shows. Little Angel will remain available on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. Streaming services that once focused primarily on signing up new customers are increasingly occupied with keeping customers for as long as possible. The longer that subscribers stay with a service, the less likely they are to cancel and the more valuable they are to advertisers. Kids' programming drives a lot of engagement for streaming services. It accounts for about 15% of all viewing on Netflix, the company said last week. Netflix closed 2024 with more than 300 million paid subscribers. On May 19 the company announced an agreement to begin carrying new episodes and old episodes of the children's classic Sesame Street and also has the hit kids' show Gabby's Dollhouse. CoComelon will arrive on Disney+ the same year that a movie based on the property will be released in theaters by Universal Pictures. Bloomberg
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Disney takes preschool hit ‘CoComelon' away from Netflix
Walt Disney Co. has secured the exclusive streaming rights to the children's TV series 'CoComelon,' according to people familiar with the matter, taking one of the most popular kids' programs in the world away from Netflix. Starting in 2027, Disney+ will have every season of 'CoComelon,' a compilation of nursery rhymes for toddlers, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified discussing a deal that hasn't been announced. The Burbank-based movie, TV and theme-park company will pay tens of millions of dollars annually for the rights, one person said. 'CoComelon' has been one of the most-popular kids' programs in the world for almost a decade. Its flagship YouTube channel has 193 million subscribers and averages more than 2 billion views a month, according to Social Blade. It was the second-most-watched program on Netflix in 2024, trailing only the 'Bridgerton' shows. The series adds to an already strong lineup of kids' programming on Disney+, which is home to the most-watched preschool show on streaming, 'Bluey,' as well as classic Disney films and TV shows. Disney had three of the most-watched preschool shows in the U.S. in the first quarter of this year with 'Bluey,' 'Spidey and his Amazing Friends' and 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.' Former advertising executive Jay Jeon created the YouTube channel in 2006 to entertain his child and sold it to U.K.-based Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. Moonbug was later acquired by Candle Media, an independent media firm led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug, which declined to comment, will continue to post videos of 'CoComelon' on YouTube while Disney+ will be the exclusive paid streaming home. The popularity of 'CoComelon' on Netflix has waned over the last 12 to 18 months. While the show was the fifth most-watched program in all of streaming in 2023, it didn't appear in the top 10 last year. Viewership has declined by almost 60% over the last couple of years. Netflix will continue to be the home of 'CoComelon Lane,' an original series, as well as 'Blippi,' another property owned by Moonbug. Disney has been the biggest brand in kids' entertainment for a century, producing beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse and the Little Mermaid. But many of the most popular new properties for kids began outside of Hollywood. Bluey, for example, is from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. and BBC Studios. Disney is placing renewed emphasis on kids' programming as it competes with Netflix and YouTube, which is the most popular video service in the world, especially with viewers under age 30. Disney+ had 126 million subscribers at the end of March, up 1.4 million from the three previous three months. In addition to 'CoComelon,' Disney is licensing several seasons of 'Little Angel' and a couple seasons of 'JJ's Animal Time,' two other Moonbug shows. 'Little Angel' will remain available on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. Streaming services that once focused primarily on signing up new customers are increasingly occupied with keeping customers for as long as possible. The longer that subscribers stay with a service, the less likely they are to cancel and the more valuable they are to advertisers. Kids' programming drives a lot of engagement for streaming services. It accounts for about 15% of all viewing on Netflix, the company said last week. Netflix closed 2024 with more than 300 million paid subscribers. On May 19 the company announced an agreement to begin carrying new and old episodes of the children's classic 'Sesame Street' and also has the hit kids' show 'Gabby's Dollhouse.' 'CoComelon' will arrive on Disney+ the same year that a movie based on the property will be released in theaters by Universal Pictures. Shaw writes for Bloomberg.
Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Disney takes the hit kids TV series CoComelon away from Netflix
Disney+ will have every season of CoComelon starting 2027, according to the people familiar with the matter. PHOTO: NETFLIX Walt Disney Company has secured the exclusive streaming rights to the children's TV series CoComelon, according to people familiar with the matter, taking one of the most popular kids' programme in the world away from Netflix. Starting in 2027, Disney+ will have every season of CoComelon, a compilation of nursery rhymes for toddlers, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a deal that hasn't been announced. The Burbank, California-based movie, TV and theme-park company will pay tens of millions of dollars annually for the rights, one of the people said. CoComelon has been one of the most-popular kids' programmes in the world for almost a decade. Its flagship YouTube channel has 193 million subscribers and averages more than 2 billion views a month, according to Social Blade. It was the second-most-watched programme on Netflix in 2024, trailing only the Bridgerton shows. The series adds to an already strong lineup of kids' programming on Disney+, which is home to most-watched preschool show on streaming, Bluey, as well as classic Disney films and TV shows. Disney had three of the most-watched preschool shows in the US in the first quarter of this year with Bluey, Spidey and his Amazing Friends and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Former advertising executive Jay Jeon created the YouTube channel in 2006 to entertain his child and sold it to UK-based Moonbug Entertainment in 2020. Moonbug was later acquired by Candle Media, an independent media firm led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug, which declined to comment, will continue to post videos of CoComelon on YouTube while Disney+ will be the exclusive paid streaming home. The popularity of CoComelon on Netflix has waned over the last 12 to 18 months. While the show was the fifth most-watched program in all of streaming in 2023, it didn't appear in the top 10 last year. Viewership has declined by almost 60 per cent over the last couple of years. Netflix will continue to be the home of CoComelon Lane, an original series, as well as Blippi, another property owned by Moonbug. Disney has been the biggest brand in kids' entertainment for a century, producing beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse and the Little Mermaid. But many of the most popular new properties for kids began outside of Hollywood. Bluey, for example, is from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and BBC Studios. Disney is placing renewed emphasis on kids' programming as it competes with Netflix and YouTube, which is the most popular video service in the world, especially with viewers under age 30. Disney+ had 126 million subscribers at the end of March, up 1.4 million from the three previous three months. In addition to CoComelon, Disney is licensing several seasons of Little Angel and a couple seasons of JJ's Animal Time, two other Moonbug shows. Little Angel will remain available on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. Streaming services that once focused primarily on signing up new customers are increasingly occupied with keeping customers for as long as possible. The longer that subscribers stay with a service, the less likely they are to cancel and the more valuable they are to advertisers. Kids' programming drives a lot of engagement for streaming services. It accounts for about 15 per cent of all viewing on Netflix, the company said last week. Netflix closed 2024 with more than 300 million paid subscribers. On May 19 the company announced an agreement to begin carrying new episodes and old episodes of the children's classic Sesame Street and also has the hit kids' show Gabby's Dollhouse. CoComelon will arrive on Disney+ the same year that a movie based on the property will be released in theaters by Universal Pictures. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
