Alex Sherman on Disney’s Succession Crisis & the Future of Legacy Media

CNBC’s Alex Sherman joins Lachlan Cartwright at Planet Hollywood for an insider’s look at the biggest stories shaking Hollywood, Wall Street, and the media world. From Disney’s CEO succession drama to David Ellison’s billion-dollar ambitions, Sherman explains how tech money, legacy brands, and political optics are colliding to reshape entertainment. ⏱ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to Planet Hollywood and The Breaker Pod 01:00 – Disney’s Succession Crisis & the Search for Bob Iger’s Successor 04:30 – Could Disney Move to a Co-CEO Model Like Netflix? 06:45 – Has Iger Built a Company That Can’t Function Without Him? 09:15 – The Problem with Disney Culture & Finding an Heir to the Throne 11:00 – Bob Iger’s Legacy and Disney’s Underperformance vs Netflix 12:00 – David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery, and the Paramount Play 14:30 – Could Big Tech Buy Hollywood? Apple, Amazon, and the Myth of the Billion-Dollar Bid 17:10 – CNN’s Digital Struggle & Why News Is Hard to Monetize 20:30 – Ellison’s Moves: UFC, Barry Weiss, and a Political Pivot at CBS News 24:00 – Tech Money Rescuing Legacy Media: The New Normal? 26:30 – The CNBC Spin-Off and What Versa(nt) Means for the Future of TV 28:30 – Mark Lazarus Goes Shopping — What He’ll Buy Next 30:00 – Predictions for Media M&A in 2026 31:00 – Final Thoughts and CNBC Sports Plug