Looking back on media & entertainment stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Sinclair (NASDAQ: SBGI) and its peers.

Simply put, traditional media like linear TV is losing eyeballs and as a result, ad dollars as well. On the other hand, digital media such as streaming and social media are taking share of audience and ad spend. AI-driven content creation and digital advertising are continuing to evolve, which benefits companies in the sector that invest behind these themes. On the other hand, headwinds include growing regulatory scrutiny on AI-generated content, with many publishers balking at anything that gets no human oversight. Additional areas to navigate for companies in the space include the phasing out of third-party cookies, which could make traditional ways of tracking the online behavior of consumers (a secret sauce in digital marketing) much less effective.

The 16 media & entertainment stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.6% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 7.5% on average since the latest earnings results.

Sinclair (NASDAQ: SBGI)

With over 2,400 hours of local news produced weekly and 640 broadcast channels reaching millions of American homes, Sinclair (NASDAQ: SBGI) operates a network of 185 local television stations across 86 U.S. markets, producing news programming and distributing content from major networks.

Sinclair reported revenues of $836 million, down 16.7% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Sinclair delivered the slowest revenue growth and weakest full-year guidance update of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 4.5% since reporting and currently trades at $13.24.

Is now the time to buy Sinclair? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: IMAX (NYSE: IMAX)

Originally developed for World Expo '67 in Montreal as an innovative projection system, IMAX (NYSE: IMAX) provides proprietary large-format cinema technology and systems that deliver immersive movie experiences with enhanced image quality and sound.

IMAX reported revenues of $125.2 million, up 35.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.8%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

IMAX scored the fastest revenue growth among its peers. However, the results were likely priced into the stock as it’s traded sideways since reporting. Shares currently sit at $36.78.

Is now the time to buy IMAX? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: WEBTOON (NASDAQ: WBTN)

Pioneering a vertical-scrolling format optimized for mobile devices, WEBTOON Entertainment (NASDAQ: WBTN) operates a global platform where creators publish serialized web-comics and web-novels that users can read in bite-sized episodes.

WEBTOON reported revenues of $330.7 million, down 6.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.6%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

WEBTOON delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 24.2% since the results and currently trades at $8.74.

Read our full analysis of WEBTOON’s results here.

Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC)

With a vast network of creative agencies that helped craft some of the most memorable ad campaigns in history, Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) is a strategic holding company that provides advertising, marketing, and communications services to many of the world's largest companies.

Omnicom Group reported revenues of $5.53 billion, up 27.9% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 22.8%. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Omnicom Group pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The stock is up 8.4% since reporting and currently trades at $76.09.

Read our full, actionable report on Omnicom Group here, it’s free.

Getty Images (NYSE: GETY)

With a vast library of over 562 million visual assets documenting everything from breaking news to iconic historical moments, Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a global visual content marketplace that licenses photos, videos, illustrations, and music to businesses, media outlets, and creative professionals.

Getty Images reported revenues of $282.3 million, up 14.1% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 15%. Zooming out, it was a slower quarter as it recorded EPS in line with analysts’ estimates and full-year revenue guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

The stock is up 8.4% since reporting and currently trades at $0.82.

Read our full, actionable report on Getty Images here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.