Now Streaming: Trump calls for Disney to fire Jimmy Kimmel

“Now Streaming” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.

PLAYING THIS WEEKEND: Among this weekend’s most notable new streaming content is Netflix (NFLX) action thriller series “Man on Fire,” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Meanwhile, Apple TV (AAPL) subscribers can catch comedy horror series “Widow’s Bay,” starring Matthew Rhys.

DISNEY/KIMMEL: After “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke on his show calling saying Melania Trump has a “glow like an expectant widow,” President Donald Trump took to social media saying the comedian “should be immediately fired by Disney (DIS) and ABC,” echoing similar sentiments he expressed after Kimmel’s commentary on the assassination of Charlie Kirk last year. Following the social media post, Semafor reported that the Federal Communications Commission is moving toward a review of Disney’s broadcast licenses. Later, Disney said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg that the company received the FCC’s order on renewals and that it is “confident” that the company’s record shows its continued qualifications as licensees under the communications act.

DISNEY CEO TRANSITION: The leadership transition at Disney has quickly been marked by a series of operational setbacks and escalating political risk, The New York Times’ Brooks Barnes and John Koblin reported this week. A federal regulatory review of ABC station licenses, linked to scrutiny of diversity policies and following political pressure from President Trump, has raised the possibility of prolonged legal and regulatory uncertainty for the company’s broadcast business, even though experts note that revoking licenses would be difficult to achieve in court, according to the report.

Meanwhile, in one of the first decisions under the tenure of new CEO D’Amaro, Disney has decided not to spin off ESPN, Business Insider’s Peter Kafka reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report states that Disney now believes that the presence of ESPN will help its pivot to streaming, though D’Amaro may still revisit the decision in the future.

CW/ESPN: The CW Network (NXST) and Disney’s ESPN are teaming up to make the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events. All CW Sports will broadcast live on The CW Network as well as stream live on the ESPN App for fans with an ESPN Unlimited subscription plan, including live coverage of college football and men’s and women’s basketball from the ACC, Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, WWE NXT, PBA Bowling, PBR Bull Riding, AVP volleyball and the 2026 Arizona Bowl. Fans with an ESPN Unlimited plan subscription will have the opportunity to watch all CW Sports offerings live on any device with the ESPN App as a complement to The CW’s free over-the-air broadcast model nationwide, while advertisers will extend reach to new audiences across all digital platforms. CW Sports on the ESPN App is expected to launch in Summer 2026.

NETFLIX/ERSTE: Erste Group downgraded Netflix to Hold from Buy earlier this week. Revenues are expected to increase between 12%-15% this year, which is a lower growth rate than in the previous year, notes the analyst, who sees a “significantly higher” valuation compared to the sector limiting the potential for a further increase in the stock price.

PARAMOUNT/FCC: Paramount Skydance (PSKY) filed a petition to the Federal Communications Commission seeking permission for significant ownership by Middle East sovereign wealth funds, Jessica Toonkel and Joe Flint of Wall Street Journal reported this week. Paramount said its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) would result in foreign investors indirectly owning nearly 50% of Paramount equity interests, the Journal noted. Current FCC rules prohibit foreign investors from owning more than 25% of a company that holds broadcast licenses, unless the commission determines it serves the public interest.

PARAMOUNT/MORGAN STANLEY: Morgan Stanley analyst Sean Diffley double upgraded Paramount Skydance to Overweight from Underweight with a price target of $14, up from $11, as the analyst assumed coverage of several media and entertainment stocks. Pessimism “presents an opportunity” as the Warner deal is “transformative” and AI can “turbocharge” legacy assets, says the analyst, who sees a “clear synergy and de-levering path.”

AMC NETWORKS/MORGAN STANLEY: Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage of AMC Networks (AMCX) with an Underweight rating and a price target of $7, up from $6. GenAI has the potential to commoditize content, while proven IP “has value but must be nurtured,” the analyst tells investors.

FUBOTV/EVERCORE: Evercore ISI analyst Kutgun Maral resumed coverage of FuboTV (FUBO) with an Outperform rating and $18 price target. Fubo has emerged from the deal with Disney’s Hulu Live as a “scaled domestic virtual Pay TV distributor with a meaningfully improved programming cost curve,” the analyst tells investors.

STOCK PLAYS: Other publicly traded companies in the space include Comcast (CMCSA), Fox (FOXA), Amazon (AMZN), and Roku (ROKU).