Walt Disney Co

Walt Disney Co on Wednesday said its new streaming service, Disney+, has reached 10 million sign-ups since launching on Nov. 12, sending shares up 3.5% to $143.53 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Walt Disney Co on Wednesday said its new streaming service, Disney+, has reached 10 million sign-ups since launching on Nov. 12. (Reporting by Helen Coster)

The benchmark S&P 500 stock index eked out a slim gain on Tuesday as President Donald Trump said the United States is close to signing an initial trade deal with China but offered no new details about negotiations.

During commercial breaks in a broadcast of World Wrestling Entertainment's WWE SmackDown, fans were shown ads for Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> new streaming service, Disney+. So were "Monday Night Football" viewers and video gamers watching Twitch.

Walt Disney Co's long-awaited debut in the streaming media wars on Tuesday was hit with technical glitches that the company said were caused by higher-than-expected demand as it takes on rival Netflix Inc.

The three major U.S. stock indexes posted record closing highs and the S&P 500 registered a fifth straight week of gains on Friday as investors brushed aside worries over the progress of U.S.-China trade talks and as Walt Disney shares rose.

* Disney rises after streaming expenses come in below projection

U.S. stock index futures dipped on Friday as doubts about a trade deal between Washington and Beijing resurfaced, although strong results from Disney underscored a robust earnings season, a major driver behind Wall Street's record rise.

Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> popular theme parks and a remake of "The Lion King" pushed earnings past Wall Street targets on Thursday, and the company spent less than it had projected on its big plunge into streaming entertainment.

Walt Disney Co beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Thursday, as strong performance in its flagship theme parks and the box office success of its films like "The Lion King" and "Toy Story 4" offset huge investments to launch its streaming service Disney+.

AT&T Inc <T.N> in May will launch its HBO Max streaming service with a new "Game of Thrones" series at the current HBO price of $15 a month in an aggressive move to battle Netflix, Disney and Apple for the future of TV.

Walt Disney Co's launch of its Disney+ streaming service will get a boost of about 50 million U.S. subscribers through a promotion with Verizon Communications Inc, the telecom provider said on Tuesday.

Walt Disney Co's <DIS.N> Marvel Entertainment said on Tuesday it would create exclusive weekly podcasts for satellite radio company SiriusXM Holdings Inc <SIRI.O> and its online music service Pandora starting next year.

Verizon Communications Inc said on Tuesday it will offer unlimited wireless and broadband customers a free one-year subscription to Walt Disney Co's soon-to-be-launched streaming service Disney+.

Netflix Inc <NFLX.O> added slightly more paying subscribers than Wall Street expected in the third quarter, a relief to investors who had worried the company might fall short just as Disney and Apple prepare to ramp up the streaming video wars.

Walt Disney Co <DIS.N> is banning advertising from Netflix Inc <NFLX.O> across its TV networks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Spider-Man, the popular web-slinging superhero currently played by actor Tom Holland, will headline a new movie in 2021 and appear in a future Marvel Studios film under a deal announced Friday by Sony Corp <6758.T> and Walt Disney Co <DIS.N>.

Walt Disney Co <DIS.N> said on Monday Catherine Powell, president of Disney Parks West, is leaving the company.

Fox Corp <FOXA.O> Chairman Rupert Murdoch was paid $42.2 million in fiscal 2019, lower than last year, following the media company's sale of its film and TV assets to Walt Disney Co <DIS.N>.