During the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City, NYT Columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin and C.E.O. of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger addressed the gathering. This followed Sorkin’s third annual anonymous media and entertainment executive predictions list. Sorkin collected 12 predictions from past and present executives at the planet’s most significant media and entertainment companies, and then asked an additional executive for 13 predictions altogether.

Some executives’ guesses from the previous year were proven correct, such as Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger extending his contract, Paramount Global not selling as previously anticipated, and YouTube acquiring the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket”. However, some predictions were not as accurate, such as the media industry not rebounding from recession as expected, Netflix not merging with another company, and Apple not banning TikTok from its app store.

One executive forecasted Comcast spinning off NBCUniversal and merging it with Warner Bros. Discovery, as the latter faces the approach of its two-year anniversary of its 2022 merger. Another executive predicted that Bob Iger would once again extend his contract as Disney CEO. Yet another guessed that Nelson Peltz and Jay Rasulo would join the Disney board. Another executive foresaw Iger naming Dana Walden his successor as CEO, while a separate guess anticipated Disney buying Candle Media and positioning Kevin Mayer as a leading internal candidate to take over for Iger. Other predictions were the NBA rights going to Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Apple, and the College Football Playoff not receiving the rights fee increase it desired as ESPN would be the only significant bidder.