Communications-services companies were lower.
Organizers of the Grammy Awards called off "music's biggest night" scheduled for later this month due to uncertainty around the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
Internet conglomerate IAC/InterActiveCorp. hired Christopher Halpin, a National Football League executive, as its next finance chief. He succeeds Glenn Schiffman, who resigned last year.
Shares of AT&T were higher after the telecom and media giant said its core wireless unit added about 880,000 postpaid phones in the fourth quarter, topping the 800,000-phone gain seen the prior year. The WarnerMedia unit ended 2021 with 73.8 million global HBO subscribers, ahead of its earlier target.
In deal news, Nexon is taking a minority stake in AGBO, the production company co-founded by "Avengers: Endgame" directors Joe and Anthony Russo, the two sides said, giving the game developer a foothold in the rush for Hollywood content companies. Tokyo-based Nexon said it would invest $400 million for a 38% stake in AGBO, which has produced the Netflix hit "Extraction" and has several film and TV projects in development at streaming services.
Advertising technology provider Smartly.io Solutions Oy said it is buying Ad-Lib.io, a company that offers creative tools for various Google platforms, for more than $100 million, as it seeks to widen its offerings beyond social media.
Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-05-22 1728ET
