On Monday, Warner Bros Discovery confirmed that it would split into two publicly traded companies, separating its studios and streaming business from its cable television networks.  

The Streaming & Studios company will consist of Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as their film and television libraries.

Global Networks will include entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the US, and Discovery, free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report (B/R).

David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, will serve as President and CEO of Streaming & Studios. Gunnar Wiedenfels, CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery, will serve as President and CEO of Global Networks. Both will continue in their present roles at WBD until the separation.

“The cultural significance of this great company and the impactful stories it has brought to life for more than a century have touched countless people all over the world. It’s a treasured legacy we will proudly continue in this next chapter of our celebrated history,” said Zaslav. “By operating as two distinct and optimized companies in the future, we are empowering these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in today’s evolving media landscape.”

Warner Bros. Discovery states that the planned separation is intended to create more value for shareholders and provide both resulting companies with greater opportunities to grow. The company claims that each business will be better positioned to act quickly and pursue strategies that enhance their competitive standing. The separation is also expected to allow for more focused leadership, enabling each entity to set and follow its own operational and financial priorities. Additionally, it may help attract investors whose interests align with the distinct growth potential and financial profiles of the two companies. The separation is scheduled to be completed by mid-2026.

“Rayo represents an important shift for us – we give listeners a modern and complete audio experience, and advertisers get better insight, documentation and distribution than ever before. This is a platform we fully own and control”, Editor-in-chief Kristoffer Vangen, told Kampanje.

Bauer Media already operates the podcast platform Podplay in Norway, which will eventually be replaced by Rayo.

The launch of Rayo marks the beginning of a new strategic phase for Bauer Media, with a focus on strengthening profitability and increasing ownership of its content. This includes a clearer emphasis on in-house production, particularly within the podcast segment.

In recent years, Bauer Media has partnered with external production companies to build a broad portfolio of podcast content. However, the company is now shifting away from this strategy.

“To create sustainable growth going forward, we must prioritize content that we own and control. This gives us both editorial freedom and better conditions for profitability,” says Vangen.

As part of this shift, Bauer Media’s collaboration with Batong Media — the producer behind the podcast Avhørt — will end after the summer.

“We have had a good partnership, but the new strategy means we need to focus more on our own initiatives and develop strong concepts with full control over both content and rights,” Vangen adds.

Rayo is also set to launch in Sweden next year. Mattias Björkman, Senior Director of Podcasts at Bauer Media Group, confirmed the plans to Dagens Media. At launch, all content currently hosted on Radioplay and Podplay will be available on Rayo. However, the future of the Podplay brand remains uncertain.

“I’m giving us a few months to kick-start the European initiative. Otherwise, we’ll start doing it in France. We can’t wait,” Macron told Politico.

Later in the evening, Macron posted on X: “I’m banning social media for children under 15. Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let’s do it.”

Greece, along with France and Spain, has pushed for the EU to impose limits on how many minutes European teenagers are allowed to spend on social media daily. The European Union would become a world leader in stopping kids from using social media under the new proposal. The issue has gained increased attention worldwide after Australia moved to set a minimum age of 16 for signing up to accounts with certain social media sites later this year.

Video consumption via social media has skyrocketed in the Nordics in recent years, not least among young people. This is leading to major changes in both how we consume video and how advertising budgets are distributed.

Mediavision will soon publish the new analysis Nordic Ad-funded Video, offering an in-depth look at the rapidly growing and increasingly competitive market of ad-funded online video, including social media. The analysis provides valuable insights into how ad-funded Video is consumed, how behavior varies across age groups, and how this impacts media companies’ ability to reach their audiences in the digital media landscape. For more information, please contact anton.ljung@mediavision.se.

Sweden: Significant overlap between Spotify, audiobook customers – Advanced Television

Så många betalar för illegal IPTV – Dagens Media

Abonnementer med reklamer buldrer frem på dansk streamingmarked – Mediawatch

Danish streaming market tops 5 million – Broadband TV News

Nordmenn kjøper flest strømme-abonnement i Norden – Kampanje

Mediavision reports a huge increase in piracy in the Nordics – Cineuropa

Stor ökning hos yngre – allt fler väljer digital tidning – Sveriges Radio

Podcastlyssnandet på ny rekordnivå i Sverige – Omni

Over 700,000 households in Sweden now have access to illegal IPTV – Nordisk Film & TV Fond