Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday said it saw record-breaking revenue growth in its streaming segment, anchored by HBO Max, ahead of increased scrutiny over its proposed merger with Paramount Skydance.

The media company said in its second-quarter earnings report that its streaming segment surpassed $3 billion in revenue, marking a 10% increase from the year prior, with more than $500 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

“For all that’s changing in how people consume entertainment, we have held firm to our conviction that there is no substitute for creative excellence and quality storytelling, and it’s driving strong results,” CEO David Zaslav said on a call with analysts. “Nowhere is it more evident than our streaming business, where the breadth, artistry and cultural influence of HBO programming across the globe is translating into great financial progress for HBO Max as a streaming offering.”

The company said the gains in streaming were reflective of growth in new markets for HBO Max as well as its content slate, including popular shows like “Euphoria,” “House of the Dragon” and “The Pitt.”

The second half of the year is expected to be strong with additions like “Harry Potter” and “Gilded Age,” the company added.

Zaslav said the company has “succeeded in making HBO Max a highly valuable global streaming service.”

Warner Bros. also said advertising revenue for its streaming business increased 9%, primarily due to an increase in global ad-lite subscribers. However, following a new media rights package that no longer includes NBA games for the streaming service, Warner Bros. said the lack of basketball advertising negatively impacted the year-over-year growth rate by 16%, excluding the impact of foreign currency exchanges.

Paramount CEO David Ellison said in May that he plans to merge HBO Max and Paramount+ into one streaming service under his proposed acquisition of the company. That merger has been held up by a challenge by state attorneys general and will go to trial in March.

The concept of a combined streaming business drew early criticism from lawmakers who deemed the deal anticompetitive, though Paramount and WBD say they need scale to compete with the industry giants.

Paramount+ had roughly 81 million global subscribers as of the end of its most recent quarter. A combined Paramount+ and HBO Max service would have about 200 million subscribers, Ellison previously said.

Ellison added he wouldn’t disrupt the HBO brand and that “HBO should stay HBO.”

Zaslav added on the call with analysts that CNN linear viewership increased 24% over the previous year, with minutes spent across all CNN platforms rising 19%.

“In a turbulent geopolitical moment, the quality, trustworthiness and reliability of CNN’s journalism again proved itself,” he said.

For its second quarter, Warner Bros. Discovery reported revenue of $8.72 billion, a decline of 11% from the year-ago period and falling short of Wall Street expectations of $9.29 billion, according to LSEG.

WBD posted net income attributable to the company of $149 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with $1.58 billion, or 63 cents per share, in the same quarter a year prior. The company said that drastic decrease was the result of pre-acquisition adjustments to the value of intangible assets as well as restructuring costs.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $1.88 billion, compared with $1.95 billion in the year-ago period.

Correction: Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming segment surpassed $3 billion in revenue, marking a 10% increase from the year prior. An earlier version misstated a figure.

When financial anxiety spikes, the impulse to aggressively pay off a car loan or mortgage seems like a bulletproof step toward financial freedom, but credit repair expert and influencer Micah Smith warns that suddenly paying off those loans can actually backfire and drag down your credit score.

Instead, turning around a credit score — sometimes taking a profile from the 400s into the 700s in just one month — comes down to precise timing, strategic balance targets and leveraging forgotten rules hidden inside consumer credit law.

“It really takes a deep understanding of how credit works, but 400s to 700s is very realistic,” Smith told Fox News Digital.

“The biggest thing we look at right away is, how is the positive credit being used? Is there any positive credit there? Then we take a look at the negative items. What kind of negative items are there?” she continued. “You really want to assess those two things… and are there any quick wins available on the credit report?”

MORE AMERICANS ARE RELYING ON CREDIT CARDS TO BUY GROCERIES, NEW STUDY FINDS

Smith has previously broken down how credit utilization — or amounts owed — makes up 30% of a standard FICO credit score calculation, while payment history accounts for 35%. But to see a quick improvement in your credit score, it’s important to note that credit card issuers report account balances to the credit bureaus once per month on the account’s statement closing date, not the payment due date.

A shopper pays for a purchase using a credit card in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Getty Images)

The credit expert emphasized that maintaining an overall utilization ratio below 10%, and ideally under 7%, signals low credit risk and generates maximum point gains in scoring models.

“Most people don’t realize how much their credit card usage is impacting their credit score,” she said. “You can call your credit card company and say, ‘When is my closing date?’ And… you wanna get your balance down to 6% utilization or less. So if you have a $1,000 credit card, you want that balance to be $60.”

“The other thing you can do is, if you’re eligible, you actually also can ask for a credit limit increase to widen that gap. So that way the balanced limit ratio, you can widen it by asking for a credit limit increases. If it’s an inquiry, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s two to five points. It’s nominal. But sometimes, that can actually increase a person’s credit score by not having to part ways with a ton of money.”

Smith also cited a June 2026 LendingTree survey, which found that 84% of credit cardholders who requested an interest rate (APR) reduction were successful, yet only 23% of cardholders actually asked for one.

“You can help yourself by picking up the phone, making a phone call, and you can actually pay down your debt a lot faster just by simply asking for a reduction in the interest,” she noted.

“Half the money that you win or lose in life will be done at the negotiation table. So I would take a look at all of your bills, see what can be negotiated. People underestimate — rent can be negotiated, utilities can be negotiated, credit cards can be negotiated.”

“It’s so important to know where to apply the appropriate funds. Because if you apply it in the wrong places, thinking it’s gonna drive the credit score upwards, you’re going to find yourself very, very disappointed.”

Advertisement

There are times, however, when paying off debt or loans can backfire, according to Smith. Installment loans, including mortgages, auto loans and student loans, differ from revolving credit such as credit cards. When an installment loan is paid off, the account status shifts to “closed,” which can reduce credit mix diversity — worth about 10% of a FICO score — and pause active positive payment reporting.

“The most common mistakes that we see in credit today that backfire badly would blow your mind… They will actually have enough money to pay off student loans in full. They’ll have enough to pay off their cars in full, they might have enough money to pay off their mortgage in full thinking that they’re going to drive their credit scores up. And actually, it takes the credit scores backwards,” she warned.

“When you pay off an installment loan, it’s closed. So that positive history, it stops calculating into the credit score. And so you actually end up suppressing the score,” Smith continued. “This is why it’s so important to know where to apply the appropriate funds because if you apply it in the wrong places, thinking it’s going to drive the credit score upwards, you’re going to find yourself very, very disappointed.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

While securing a rapid score boost provides an immediate surge of confidence and momentum, Smith stresses that a 30-day triage plan is only the first step. To ensure quick credit wins turn into long-term financial security, the focus must shift from temporary fixes to automated systems.

“Short-term fixes, those are amazing. We’re so grateful when we get these really quick short-term fixes, but it ultimately hasn’t addressed the underlying problem,” she said. “People need to be reminded more than they’re taught… It’s not because you understand credit so well, it’s because you don’t and you haven’t built the habits yet. And so we’re reinforcing those habits day after day, week after week, month after month. And so we’re constantly focused on reminding more than teaching, and I think that’s a very important principle that we all need to know.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

The Newcastle firm is now the UK’s largest fifth largest housebuilder

One of the North East’s largest and best-known companies is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Housebuilder Bellway, which operates around the country but has its base on the edge of Newcastle, began as a family firm in 1946 after being started by John Thomas Bell and his sons, John and Russell. It is now the UK’s fifth largest housebuilder by volume, building more than 10,000 homes last year.

Over its history it was heavily involved in the building of homes at Cramlington new town in the 1960s and expanded from its original North East base to have activities around the country. It was last year named large housebuilder of the year at The Housebuilder Awards and reported turnover of nearly £2.8bn.

The company has unveiled a refreshed brand to coincide with the anniversary and has appealed to owners of the homes it has built across the North East over the past 80 years to share their photographs to help chronicle how home designs have evolved over the last 80 years.

Chief executive Jason Honeyman said: “80 years is significant milestone in housebuilding. The industry has changed beyond recognition over the decades, and Bellway is committed to leading the way in innovation.

“We have invested in future-ready homes, including through innovative projects exploring low-carbon technologies at Energy House 2.0 at The University of Salford and Bellway’s Future Hub on-site training facility near Bolton. More recently we opened Home Space, our timber frame factory in Sutton in Ashfield, to support our commitment to build low-carbon homes, while our biodiversity policy exceeds Government requirements.

“We are proud that Bellway has remained true to its family-focused values, building connected communities while evolving our home designs to ensure our developments leave a positive legacy for people and the planet.”

Bellway is rolling out its new branding on digital channels and it will start to appear soon on developments in the North East, including DH1 in Durham; Monument Meadows in Pelton, County Durham; Hartford Edge in Cramlington; and Baydale Village, Darlington.

Marketing director Nicola Hughes added: “Everything we’ve done in evolving the Bellway brand starts with our customers. We want to make the journey simpler, more intuitive and more enjoyable at every stage – from the first online search to the moment they step through the door of their new home.”

Any homeowners who would like to share their photographs or memories of their Bellway home over 80 years in the North East are invited to email bellway.communications@bellway.co.uk. Pictures will be compiled to create a video celebrating the company’s anniversary.