Mattel Inc. $MAT, the global toy manufacturer, has announced the unification of its film and television production arms under a newly branded division: Mattel Studios. The strategic move comes as the company seeks to capitalize on the cross-media potential of its iconic intellectual property (IP), following the box office success of Barbie (2023), and aims to diversify its USD-denominated revenue streams through entertainment content.

The Walt Disney Company $DIS has initiated another wave of layoffs, affecting several hundred employees across its film, television, and corporate finance divisions. This development follows a broader organizational restructuring prompted by changing media consumption patterns and the accelerating shift away from traditional cable television toward digital streaming platforms.

U.S. equity markets continue to explore alternative routes to public listing. On Monday, Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp and Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company JVSPAC Acquisition Corp $JVSAU announced they have received regulatory approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to move forward with their planned business combination.