Disney and YouTube TV Reach Deal, Ending 15-Day Standoff — WSJ

0817 ET - Baytex Energy's deal to exit the U.S. with the roughly $2.31 billion sale of its Eagle Ford assets turns Raymond James bullish on the stock, arguing it should drive a sustained rerating. The deal price is right on the money, at a valuation multiple of roughly 4 times cash flow it should be immediately accretive and provide Baytex with enough cash to repay all outstanding debt and shift focus to an aggressive share buyback program, analyst Luke Davis says. He says the move repositions the company as high-return Duvernay and heavy oil producer in Canada with a best-in-class balance sheet. Raymond James shifts its call to outperform from market perform, with a target price raised to C$5.50 from C$3.50. (robb.stewart@wsj.com)

0805 ET - Disney's "Experiences" unit, which includes its theme parks and cruises, accounted for more than half of the company's profit last quarter. The company's international theme parks, most notably Disneyland Paris, posted higher attendance and increased guest spending, helping drive a year-over-year increase in operating income. The cruise-line business benefited from an increase in passenger cruise days, though the gain was partially offset by fleet expansion costs as the company builds new ships. Disney slips 4% premarket. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

0802 ET - Disney's box office revenue dropped during the recent quarter. The studio's highest grossing film this quarter, Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps," has raked in roughly $520 million worldwide, according to box office reporting service Box Office Mojo. That's far below the $1.34 billion that "Deadpool & Wolverine" grossed during last year's comparable quarter. While the recent quarter benefited from the carry-over performance of summer hit "Lilo & Stitch," last year's quarter benefited from the carry-over performance of the blockbuster "Inside Out 2." Disney is hoping to turn around its box office performance with upcoming releases "Zootopia 2" and "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Disney is off 4% premarket.(connor.hart@wsj.com)

0459 ET - Deutsche Telekom delivered a robust third-quarter performance, ING analyst Jan Frederik Slijkerman writes in a note. The German telecommunications company continues to make progress in strengthening its network leadership in both the U.S. and Germany, he says. Nonetheless, further effort are needed on the fiber roll-out in its domestic market. The company's tangible plans for applying AI are seen positively, he adds. Shares are up 0.1% at 27.33 euros.(najat.kantouar@wsj.com)

0429 ET - Cisco Systems shares are up Thursday premarket after the networking-equipment company raised its fiscal 2026 guidance and reported strong demand for artificial-intelligence products. Cisco stock closed 3.1% higher at $73.96 ahead of fiscal first-quarter results on Wednesday. Shares are up 7% at $79.17 Thursday premarket. The company said AI Infrastructure orders from hyperscaler customers totaled $1.3 billion in the three months to Oct. 25. "Not only are they selling more hardware, but they're also securing large AI infrastructure orders. That was exactly what investors wanted to hear: that AI investments are starting to show up somewhere in revenue generation," Swissquote Bank's Ipek Ozkardeskaya writes in a note. (mauro.orru@wsj.com)

0303 ET - HSBC is cautious on Chinese e-commerce companies' outlook as 4Q and 2026 growth could face tough on-year comparisons, particularly in categories supported by the government's trade-in program, the bank's analysts say in a note. Home-appliance sales growth slowed to 3% on year in September, while a high base effect for smartphones and digital products should emerge in early 2026. The tougher on-year comparisons may weigh on gross merchandise value growth for JD.com and Alibaba, though PDD could benefit from lower investment pressure. HSBC prefers Alibaba and PDD within the sector, maintaining buy ratings on both stocks with target prices of $205.00 and $155.00, respectively. Alibaba's ADRs last closed at $157.91, and PDD at $136.04. (jason.chau@wsj.com)

Net profit for the first nine months of 2025 rose 3.28% year-over-year to RMB222,323 million, with operating income up 1.87%. Asset quality improved as the NPL ratio fell to 1.27%, and capital adequacy remained strong at 17.78%.

Original document: Agricultural Bank of China Limited Class A [601288] Earnings Release — Oct. 30 2025

Net profit for the first nine months of 2025 rose 3.28% year-over-year, with strong fee and commission income growth offsetting a decline in net interest income. Asset quality improved, capital ratios remained robust, and significant capital market activities were completed.

Original document: Agricultural Bank of China Limited Class A [601288] Earnings Release — Oct. 30 2025

Margin pressure at China's largest state-owned banks could be easing, eToro market analyst Zavier Wong says in a note. Bank of China, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China have indicated that funding costs could decline in 2H as deposit rates reset lower. "If that does happen, it could help stabilize net interest margins, which have been in decline for nearly two years", he adds. Fee-based income and trading activity have become more important profit drivers, reflecting a shift toward services from traditional spread-based lending for revenue, Wong notes. In 3Q, the focus will likely change to momentum from recovery at the beginning of the year, but profitability is unlikely to surge given selective credit demand, Wong says. (jason.chau@wsj.com)

November 6 virtual conference, Quality Forge 2025, brings together quality engineering leaders from streaming, fintech, gaming and e-commerce giants including Disney, Rabobank, Lenovo, Nuvei and Stream for cross-industry knowledge exchange on software quality practices.

Riga, Latvia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 30, 2025) - Quality Forge 2025, the annual software quality conference organized by TestDevLab, will convene senior engineering leaders from 10+ global technology companies on November 6, 2025, at 10:00 AM EET. The conference is complimentary and open to everyone. It brings together quality engineering professionals (Managers, Directors, Executives) to share their practical insights on delivering reliable software across diverse industries including streaming, fintech, e-commerce, and gaming.

This year's conference expands beyond a single-industry focus to facilitate cross-sector knowledge sharing, with speakers representing companies that collectively serve billions of users worldwide. The event will feature technical presentations, management strategies, and two panel discussions focused on AI in quality engineering and fintech/banking application testing.

TestDevLab: Global Software Quality Leaders Unite at Quality Forge 2025

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/267103_267103img.jpg

An Impressive Conference Lineup

Speakers will share practical insights from their experience building and maintaining systems that millions rely on daily. Topics range from technical deep-dives on testing methodologies to strategic approaches for managing quality teams across global organizations.

There are currently seven confirmed speakers for the event so far:

• Elias Negrin, Product Owner, Rabobank

  Topic: Product-driven quality strategies in regulated banking environments

• Simon Hall, CTO, Payout/Nuvei Group

  Topic: Ensuring payment processing reliability at scale - handling billions in transactions

• David Ellison, Chief Data Scientist & Director of AI Engineering, Lenovo

  Topic: Integrating AI into quality processes and testing machine learning systems

• Martin Mitrevski, Director of Engineering, Stream

  Topic: Video SDK testing at scale - quality practices for real-time communication platforms

• Mikko Paloheimo, QA and Chapter Lead, OP Bank

  Topic: Leading QA teams and establishing quality standards in Nordic banking

• Ahmed Tikiwa, Senior Software Engineer, Disney

  Topic: Quality engineering practices for Disney+ platform reliability and content delivery

Additional speakers from other leading tech companies will be announced in the coming weeks. The full lineup will include 12 industry leaders representing streaming, e-commerce, gaming, and design platforms.

"Companies often waste time solving challenges other industries have already cracked," says Jānis Tipainis, Head of Marketing at TestDevLab. "Quality Forge brings quality leaders together for cross-industry experience sharing. What sets us apart is that you actually get to talk with the speakers - ask them the questions that keep you up at night, get practical advice you can use the next day. That's surprisingly rare at conferences these days. Last year's speakers from various startups and Fortune 500 companies exemplified cross-industry exchange, with their insights shaping this year's expanded program."

About TestDevLab

TestDevLab is a software testing and QA company helping tech companies deliver quality products and seamless customer experiences. With over a decade of experience partnering with major Fortune 500 companies across numerous industries, TestDevLab has proven that quality matters—whether maintaining market position or launching new products. TestDevLab provides comprehensive testing services including mobile and web application testing, accessibility compliance, test automation, and custom testing tool development.

Registration is complimentary but spaces are limited to ensure meaningful Q&A interaction. Register at qualityforge.io.

Contact Info:

Name: Jānis Tipainis

Email: janis.tipainis@testdevlab.com

Organization: TestDevLab

Website: http://qualityforge.io

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/267103

By Joseph De Avila

Sinclair is putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air.

The TV broadcaster, which owns dozens of ABC affiliates in markets including Washington, D.C., Seattle and St. Louis, said it will end its pre-emption of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and air the late-night show again beginning Friday.

ABC suspended the show earlier this month after remarks Kimmel made about the killing of conservative activist and podcast host Charlie Kirk. ABC brought the show back Tuesday, but Sinclair said it still wouldn't carry it at that time.

"Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence," Sinclair said Friday. "Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations."

Nexstar Media Group, another major broadcaster that pulled Kimmel from its local ABC affiliates, said earlier this week that it continues to evaluate the show and is speaking with Disney, "with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve." Nexstar didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr suggested the agency might come down on broadcasters that didn't take action against Kimmel, Sinclair and Nexstar said they would pull the show from their local affiliates. ABC then suspended it for four days.

Sinclair had initially called for Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and make a personal donation to the family and Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA.

Sinclair said it has received feedback from viewers, advertisers and others since pulling "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "remains committed to serving our communities with programming that reflects their priorities, earns their trust, and promotes constructive dialogue."

Sinclair said it has had discussions with ABC, and proposed "measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback and community dialogue." Sinclair also proposed adding a network-wide independent ombudsman, it said.

Sinclair said it respects the right of ABC and its parent, Disney, to make such decisions.

ABC hasn't made any editorial or content concessions, people familiar with the matter said.

Write to Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com