Eight Brands Melting Away, Saved Only
Don’t know about you, but I counted about eight of these brands that are clearly melting ice cubes that survived only because the cable bundle was the only game in town.
Create a Low‑budget Album, Not Endless Touring
1) They wouldn't make the same amount of money because their own time has a cost. 2) How is Garbage going to meaningfully expand their base at this stage in their career? But i'll give it to you as...
Chalamet’s Oscar Hopes Survive Despite Modest Box Office
1. Was never a lock. 2. Movie didn’t and likely will not get to $100m domestic 3. Still might win.
Netflix May Spend $600M on Affleck's AI Studio
Netflix Could Pay as Much as $600 Million for Ben Affleck’s AI Film Start-Up: Report https://t.co/EMp2y3V3u0 via @variety
AI Video Demand Lags as OpenAI Embeds Sora in ChatGPT
#OpenAI is putting #Sora inside #ChatGPT. Existing data suggests consumer demand for AI video may underwhelm relative to ChatGPT's 920 million weekly chatbot users. For Disney, its licensed 200-plus characters will be available to these audiences under strict conditions that...
Tilman Fertitta in Exclusive Talks to Acquire Caesars at $34
SCOOP: Billionaire Tilman Fertitta has been in exclusive talks to buy Caesars Entertainment for around $34/sh. https://t.co/Mz8usEYgRm
Ellison Empire Threatens Media Plurality with Massive Consolidation
Aren’t a lot of these media assets just melting ice cubes that can’t cut it outside the (withering) cable bundle?
Lionsgate Inks First-Look Deal with Brandon Sklenar’s Vista Lane
EXCLU: Following the success of THE HOUSEMAID, Lionsgate is getting in business for the long term with one of its stars as Brandon Sklenar and his Vista Lane banner has signed a first look deal with the studio https://t.co/JCZqVaaTu0
Ellison and Paramount's Decisive Move Reveals Winning Strategy
The one BIG move that will tell us if Ellison and Paramount are playing to win. $PSKY $WBD $AMZN The LightShed Podcast, Ep. 304. With @BrandoLightShed and @WaltLightShed https://t.co/YJZW8CaF1O
Barry Diller Blames Ten Years of Paramount Mismanagement
Barry Diller says in interview with Graham Bensinger that Paramount was mismanaged for ten years. https://t.co/5f66zaehm7 via @YouTube
Barry Diller Says He'd Overhaul CNN if He Buys It
Barry Diller on hopes to buy CNN: "I would change everything" Interview with Graham Bensinger. https://t.co/mkgyjN8GTY via @YouTube
Agents Chase Gross, Artists Learn Business Basics
This has always been true. Net vs. gross. Agents and managers are paid on gross, not net. They are incentivized to fill schedules with breakeven shows. Classic principal-agent problem. If you pay attention as an artist, you end up with...
Xbox Next‑gen Games Built on PC Platforms
Microsoft says you build next-gen Xbox games by building them for PC. My colleagues @StarFire2258 and @jaypeters are in line for the Xbox GDC keynote, but look at what they spotted. "Next-gen game preservation" and building for PC for next-gen...
Digital Creators Cash In on Brands as Agencies Multiply
Creators Go Pro: Digital Stars Bank Brand Bucks While Talent Agencies and Support Firms Proliferate https://t.co/P1OMksQCSC via @variety
Paramount Aims to Challenge Netflix as Daily Streaming Hub
Game of Streams: David Ellison's Plan to Compete with Netflix called Paramount+HBO Paramount wants to be more than a survivor in the streaming wars. It believes it can catapult itself into a daily use streaming platform that can compete head-on...
Epic's $0‑to‑$1M Tax Boosts Dev Activity, Avoids Waste
Companies like Meta subsidize third party developers in various ways to help grow their platforms, then take 30% of the developer revenue right back with the platform tax, which is a wasteful churn. Epic’s tax structure of zero for the first...
Hollywood Faces Choice: Reform or Total Collapse
In 2019, I wrote a piece titled the Slow Death of Hollywood. People have caught up, but still draw the wrong conclusions. The choice is re-regulating the industry, or letting the whole thing die. https://t.co/q35U4DXR0S
Rebel Audio Debuts Invite-Only AI Podcast App, Adds Mark Burnett
AI Podcast Start-Up Rebel Audio Launches App With Invite-Only Access, Taps Mark Burnett as Adviser (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/C0nR4IG3VQ
Discussed Spotify Royalties and Loud & Clear with LA Times
had a great chat with the @latimes about everything loud & clear and spotify artist royalties. appreciated the nuanced convo —
Skydance CEO Misspells
" Paramount Skydance Chief David Ellison addressed Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav as “Daivd” over text last year while trying to strike a deal" https://t.co/MuseqOSmYe https://t.co/v8pi9V4wvQ
NFL Expands Thanksgiving Eve Slot, Seeks New TV Windows
New: The NFL is plotting a new Thanksgiving Eve game and other potential new windows as it continues to dominate the TV landscape. https://t.co/5gWYad1A2P
Finance Lessons From Disney+ Launch: Forecast, Retention, Board Clarity
The surprisingly true story of launching Disney+ (as told by their finance team) 👇 Here are 5 lessons that stuck with me. 1. Even a beloved brand doesn't make the forecast easier 2. A good launch number can hide a...
Big Platforms Already Embrace Agentic Commerce and Advertising
Platforms and native agent proximity One can’t consider the future of agentic commerce, or agentic advertising, as a competition between nimble upstarts and inflexible, staid incumbents: the largest platforms have embraced agentic interaction models. If you believe that consumers will demand...
Bath & Body Works to Amplify Influencer Reach Tenfold
Bath & Body Works plans to increase influencer activity 10x as part of its brand transformation. 🧴 During its Q4 earnings call, CEO Daniel Heaf said the company wants thousands of creators posting about its products in their own voice. Another sign...
Policy Roundup: FCC, NFL, BEBE, and Network Upgrades
Policyband Headlines ■ @BrendanCarrFCC: @Disney’s ABC Insisting The View is a Bona Fide News Show ■ @NFL’s Antitrust Exemption Might Not Cover Streaming Deals, Carr Suggests ■ Key House Democrats Want Answers from @ArielleRothNTIA on BEAD Billions ■ @GrayMediaGTN Explains Why Free TV Is...
Spotify Reveals Unprecedented Global Artist Earnings Growth
excited to publish our annual loud & clear report today, sharing troves of 2025 royalty data. 5+ years in, we're still the only streaming service that shares transparent $$ data like this — including exactly how many artists are generating different...
David Levy on Streaming Wars, Paramount‑WBD Impact, Women’s Sports Rise
New pod: Former Turner chief David Levy gives his view of the sports media business--from the streaming rights arms race to the sports implications of the Paramount –WBD deal to the continued growth of women's sports. https://t.co/tMMRVrLN2f
Spotify’s Freemium Fuels Growth; Subscriptions Sustain Profits
Spotify started with free music and ads. Ad revenue failed to cover high label fees, and free users saw no reason to upgrade. So Spotify put mobile, offline downloads, and no ads behind Premium. By the 2020s, about 85% of revenue came from...
YouTube's 2025 Ad Revenue Eclipses Major Media Giants
YouTube’s ad revenue in 2025 was $40.4B. More than Disney, NBC, Paramount, and WBD’s combined. (@THR)
BTS and Spotify Launch Interactive ARIRANG ‘SWIMSIDE’ Campaign
.@BTS_twt is teaming up with @Spotify to ensure #ARIRANG is more than just a passive listening experience with their 'SWIMSIDE' campaign Full details via @Forbes: https://t.co/eoJU7dgNsJ
Ellison Declares Deal Turbulence Over, Hails HBO as Gold Standard
Paramount’s David Ellison Addresses Warner Bros. Execs at Town Hall: CEO Says ‘Turbulent’ Deal Process Is ‘Now Behind Us,’ Praises HBO as ‘Gold Standard’ in TV https://t.co/lNtW2mfuLg via @variety
Buy DIS on Dips: Parks Expansion Drives Cash Flow
Macro: Disney reshuffles; Thomas Mazloum named Chair of Disney Experiences as D’Amaro becomes CEO. Risk: parks/cruise execution, capex. Trade: buy DIS on dips—parks expansion underpins cash flow. 📈 — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
James Wan to Direct Paramount Remake of Korean Thriller
And guess who’s back at the director’s chair? #JamesWan has just signed with #Paramount to Co-produce & direct the remake of Korean 2019 action thriller hit #TheGangsterTheCopTheDevil, which starred #DonLee aka #MaDongseok, who will reprise his role in the American remake...
CNN-CBS Merger Explained After Four Decades of Planning
🎙️ NEW @PuckNews: A CNN-CBS News tie-up is 40 years in the making... curious how it would work? @SamFeistDC, the C-SPAN C.E.O. and 33-year CNN veteran, breaks it down: https://t.co/mPte9ax0DE
Get Expert Media, Radio, Playlist Support for Releases
If you’re planning a new release and want help reaching more media outlets, radio shows, and playlists, I’d be happy to help. I’ve spent decades working with artists at every stage of their careers. Feel free to reach out at...
Patreon CEO: Amazed by AI, Furious Over Unpaid Creator Contributions
Patreon CEO Sounds Off on AI: ‘I’m Both Amazed and Furious’: As a Creator, ‘I’m Angry That We Aren’t Being Paid’ for Value of Contributing to AI Models https://t.co/rYw6dV5WNW via @variety
Hoppers' Strong Opening Poised to Outpace Elemental
#Hoppers took in $2.7M on its first MON (down 79% vs SUN) lifting 4-day domestic #boxoffice to $48.1M. Full opening week 7-day total on track for about $56M+ with possible $85M after 2nd wknd. Has a good shot at finishing above Elemental....
Netflix Move Stalls Barstool's YouTube Growth, Fans Upset
Only two months after some @barstoolsports podcasts went to Netflix, their YouTube growth has seriously slowed. Audiences also aren’t happy with the change. This is the trade-off shows have to consider — little growth on YouTube vs. reach on Hollywood’s biggest streamer...
Music Assets Surge While Public Music Stocks Slump
Music is more popular than ever as an asset class in private markets, but publicly-traded music companies are near their all-time low stock prices. Quite the paradox.
Roku to Disclose Platform Revenue Segments for First Time
⚡️ Roku to Breakout Platform Revenue for the 1st Time Ever ⚡️ Investors have been asking @Roku to breakout the components of platform revenue for as long as we can remember. Earlier today, at an investor conference, $ROKU CFO, Dan Jedda,...
Gracenote Sues OpenAI over Stolen Metadata Structure
Scoop: Nielsen's Gracenote sues OpenAI for copyright infringement —Lawsuit is unique because it alleges not just that OpenAI stole its metadata, but that it also stole the proprietary sequence/structure that organizes that data & makes it useful @axios https://t.co/eeupqVybEE
Philo Relaunches $25 Plan After Price Backlash
In a recent video, I asked if Philo pushed it too far with its $33/month price. Now, the service has brought back a $25/month plan + free trial. The cheaper plan has no additional apps. Smart move. Here is my...
Pokopia Fuels Nintendo's Switch 2 Sales Surge
Can confirm Pokopia is a hit for Nintendo (& Koei Tecmo + Game Freak) Sold out at retail (retailers underestimated demand), record digital sales uptake, visible boost to Switch 2 hardware sales at retailers. Looks like the system seller they needed...
Whalar Launches Lighthouse Studios, Partners with Lyrical Lemonade
Whalar Group Launches Lighthouse Studios to Build a TV-Like Schedule of Creator Content, Sets Joint Venture With Cole Bennett’s Lyrical Lemonade https://t.co/V4y1XtspOC via @variety
CNN and Variety Reunite for Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show
After Viral Timothée Chalamet Town Hall, CNN and Variety to Partner Again on Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show https://t.co/Wa14dUYbni
2026 Box Office 27% Lower, Attendance Drops Over 50%
2026 box office is 27% below pre-pandemic 2019 with attendence (butts in seats) down well over 50% https://t.co/Ad0ElorHUv
Disney Uses Omar Raja To
Disney is betting on ESPN's Omar Raja to keep NBA fans tuned in to ABC as its Oscars red-carpet coverage starts, part of the company's growing focus on managing audiences around live telecasts.... https://t.co/ngxhWMK75a
Amusement Parks Shift to Mechanism‑Driven Marketing, Raising Concerns
Amusement Parks are now marketing based on underlying mechanisms: (In theory no different than “Fun Land” or whatever but something feels off about this) https://t.co/oPrDxbJNLS https://t.co/qCYQVtjC4M
Meta Adds DST Fees; Advertisers Must Manually Adjust Budgets
Meta announced today that it will begin applying "location fees" to ads run in countries that charge digital service taxes (DST) on digitally fulfilled ads. Those countries are: Austria: 5% France: 3% Italy: 3% Turkey: 5% UK: 2% Notably, automated campaign budget allocation logic will not take...
State AGs Turn Into Media Antitrust Enforcers
New @axios: State AGs becoming bigger media antitrust cops: 🎸EVENTS: 27 states +DC still suing to break up Live Nation/Ticketmaster 📺LOCAL TV: State AGs considering lawsuit to block Nexstar-Tegna 📽️HOLLYWOOD: Cali state AG is vocal about concerns re: WBD/Paramount https://t.co/rXMsHy4JxJ