A wave of layoffs continues to sweep through the entertainment and media sectors, with companies from Microsoft to the BBC announcing significant job cuts. The trend, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, dual Hollywood strikes, and January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles, shows no sign of abating. Deadline is tracking the changes, which include potential mergers such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix.
In early July, Microsoft's Xbox division announced 3,200 job cuts, with 1,600 taking immediate effect and the rest spread over fiscal year 2027, representing a 20% staff reduction. At the end of April, Quixote Studios began winding down operations in Atlanta, eliminating about 70 jobs across Atlanta and Los Angeles. IAC, now renamed People Inc., plans layoffs affecting corporate staff to save $40 million annually.
Meta announced in late April it would lay off 10% of its workforce, approximately 8,000 employees, starting May 20, with 6,000 open roles unfilled. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel revealed a 16% cut in full-time staff, around 1,000 employees. The BBC's interim director general Rhodri Talfan Davies proposed redundancies affecting up to 2,000 jobs in mid-April.
Disney, under CEO Josh D'Amaro, is cutting nearly 1,000 employees in its first round of layoffs, primarily in marketing and brand departments. Marvel, impacted by Disney's cuts, is reducing staff by 8% across various departments. Sony Pictures Entertainment laid off a few hundred employees in early April, targeting junior and middle management.
Other notable layoffs include Epic Games cutting 1,000 workers in March, Spotify's podcast group reducing 15 employees, and Starz laying off 7% of its workforce in late March. CBS News closed its radio division on March 20, while William Morris Endeavor cut 30 staff (3%) in March. Axios laid off 11 newsroom staff in mid-March, and Lionsgate let fewer than 10 employees go in early March. Universal Music Group's TV and movie studio also underwent layoffs in early March.
