Key Takeaways
- The major streamers’ stocks performed differently in 2025, with Netflix’s stock closing up at $93.76 apiece, Disney’s stock trading at $113.77 per share, and Warner Bros. Discovery rebounding from a 52-week low to $28.82 per share.
- The industry continues to struggle with a declining linear TV business and mixed success at the box office, which has weighed on media companies’ quarterly financial results and their share prices.
- Looming consolidation across the industry is expected to add more pressure in 2026 and beyond.
- Netflix plans to dive into video podcasts and has set a goal to reach a $1 trillion market cap by 2030.
- Disney will end its quarterly subscriber disclosures for Disney+ and Hulu in its first quarter of 2026 and merge the two platforms into a unified standalone app.
Introduction to the Year in Review
The year 2025 was a significant one for Hollywood stocks, marked by a major inflection point in the streaming industry as it turned the corner on profitability. However, the industry continues to face challenges, including a declining linear TV business and mixed success at the box office. These factors have weighed on media companies’ quarterly financial results and their share prices. The looming consolidation across the industry is expected to add even more pressure in 2026 and beyond.
Netflix’s Performance in 2025
Netflix’s stock closed up at $93.76 apiece on Wednesday, with its shares up 73% in the past five years, 5% in the past year, and 5.7% year to date. However, its shares have fallen 29% in the past six months and 14% in the past month. Despite this, the streamer continued to tout membership growth as it grew its ad-supported tier and increased prices in some markets. Netflix implemented a 10-for-1 stock split to make its shares more affordable for investors and employees. The company has set a goal to reach a $1 trillion market cap by 2030 and plans to dive into video podcasts through a partnership with Spotify and iHeartMedia starting in early 2026.
Disney’s Progress in 2025
Disney finished 2025 with its stock trading at $113.77 per share, rebounding from a 52-week low of $80.10 per share in April. The company made progress in growing streaming profitability, launched a new ESPN streaming service, and crossed the $6 billion mark at the global box office for the first time since the COVID shutdown. However, Disney faced challenges, including protests and calls for a boycott of its streaming services after Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from ABC’s airwaves. The company will end its quarterly subscriber disclosures for Disney+ and Hulu in its first quarter of 2026 and merge the two platforms into a unified standalone app.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Rebound
Warner Bros. Discovery rebounded from a 52-week low of $7.52 to $28.82 per share, slightly below its 52-week high of $30 per share. The company’s streaming business continues to grow its profitability and subscribers as HBO Max expands internationally. Warner Bros. Discovery saw a hot streak at the box office, becoming the first studio to cross $4 billion in 2025 and to release seven consecutive films with $40 million-plus opening weekends. However, the company faces a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount, with Netflix’s deal facing the prospect of a lengthy regulatory review and a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid from Paramount.
Paramount’s Performance in 2025
Paramount finished 2025 at $13.40 per share, down 14.7% in the past month. The company suffered multiple rounds of layoffs and was in limbo as it awaited FCC approval of its merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Despite this, Paramount saw growth in its streaming business with more than 79 million subscribers. The studio will finish 2025 with approximately $555 million in domestic grosses, 37% down from the previous year. Paramount plans to spend more than $1.5 billion on content in 2026 and will raise prices in the U.S.
Comcast’s Challenges in 2025
Comcast ended 2025 at $29.89 per share, above its 52-week low of $25.75 per share but off its 52-week high of $38.40. The company’s stock is up 12.5% in the past month, but has fallen 20% in the past year and year to date. Comcast faced pressure in its broadband, pay TV, and streaming businesses, with Peacock’s paid subscriber base remaining stuck at 41 million. The company lost out in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after submitting three bids for the company’s studio and streaming assets.
Lionsgate’s Momentum in 2025
Lionsgate Studios Corp. saw major momentum in 2025, with the company hitting a fresh 52-week high of $9.46 on Monday. Shares are up 24% in the past month, 57% in the past six months, and 34.6% year to date. At the box office, Lionsgate had a strong late-year release with "The Housemaid," which grossed $46.4 million in the U.S. and Canada over two weekends. The company may be an M&A target in 2026, with activist investor Anson Funds circling the company and considering an outright sale or asset sales. Legendary Entertainment has also mulled a potential acquisition of Lionsgate.