YouTube Now Drives over Half TV‑screen Engagement
Sarandos: "One of the things we saw in recent months is a real deep misunderstanding about what YouTube is and isn’t... YouTube is in the same exact game that we are... About 55% of all YouTube engagement now is on the TV through their app." https://t.co/nOsmZOnV2C
March Madness Broadcast Rights Top $1 Billion for First Time
🏀 That’s Billion With a B 🏀 March Madness Broadcast Rights Top $1 Billion for First Time https://t.co/wV2UeL7y93 via @sportico @novy_williams
Own the TV OS, Control the Consumer Journey
"there is tremendous power in owning a consumer’s journey from the moment he or she powers up the TV, to the content that’s displayed, to what they end up watching." “If I were David Ellison, I would have bought Roku,” Greenfield...
Netflix Calls YouTube a Direct Competitor to Regulators
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Warns EU Regulators: YouTube Isn’t a ‘Bunch of Cat Videos,’ It’s a ‘Straightforward Direct Competitor’ https://t.co/r4CVEqxuMc
Roku Thrives Yet Remains Unacquired Despite Profitability
Roku is scaled, growing, and profitable, so why hasn't anyone bought it? Via @loudmouthjulia. ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/dyvtlQl7RB
Bob Iger’s Transformative Disney Reign Ends, Legacy Mixed
As Disney CEO Bob Iger Steps Aside, a Look at His Tenure as a Dynamic, Transformative Leader — With an Asterisk or Two https://t.co/zmQnYUUxDV via @variety
Disney Appoints Ex‑Google Product Chief to Lead Streaming
🔥 The most interesting/exciting part of Disney's leadership reorg that is not getting talked about is that former Google/YouTube chief product officer Adam Smith has been elevated to co-head of Disney's DTC businesses. Placing a tech/product person, without legacy...
NFL Rights Deal $1B More for 2033 Certainty
What's $1 Billion More, if NFL Certainty Through 2033 is of Paramount Importance? Ultimately, each NFL media rights partner will have to decide whether they can envision life without the NFL beginning in 2030 (TLDR: doubt it) https://t.co/sBcrU0H3Og
Zaslav to Earn $887 Million From Warner‑Paramount Deal
David Zaslav to Receive $887 Million in Compensation Related to Warner Bros.-Paramount Merger https://t.co/2887qml6gI via @variety
AI Video Tools Blur Creator Lines, Upending IP Rules
Seedance 2.0 and Google's Veo 3 now produce video so good you cannot tell whether it was made by a fan messing around or a creator building a business. That is the real problem. No platform — not ByteDance, not Google, not...
Neon’s Oscar Wins Reveal Indie Film Profit Surge
Neon has been a fixture at the Oscars since its founding a decade ago. We obtained some finances that are very revealing about the state of the indie film business. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-03-16/oscars-2026-how-much-neon-made-from-a-best-picture-oscar
Jeff Shell Denies Leak Allegations, Calls Them Shakedown
Paramount’s Jeff Shell Fires Back: Exec Says Allegation He Leaked Private Corporate Info Is ‘Utterly False Tale’ Created in a ‘Shakedown’ Attempt https://t.co/o9Rol4pjXM via @variety
Oscars Ignore 20-Year Box Office Decline Trend
😱😱 The Hollywood Horror story that nobody talked about at the #oscars last night Year-to-date box office through mid-march last 20 years... https://t.co/pbmX0QAaT4
AP Pivots From Print to Streaming, Turning Correspondents Into Anchors
The Associated Press is known for its deep ties to newspapers -- but with that business in decline, it has been ramping up its efforts to join the streaming era, with live-streamed shows that make anchors out of its correspondents.... https://t.co/hZI5mvEXQZ...
FCC Chair Threatens TV Licenses over “Fake News” Claims
For Trump’s FCC Chairman, Trolling Liberals Is the Point in His Threat to Pull Licenses of TV Networks That Air ‘Fake News’ About Iran War https://t.co/IKR86ZvW81 via @variety
Low Awareness, High Interest: Summer's Persuadable Films
#TheDeathofRobinHood and #DisclosureDay are two of the summer's more interesting bets. Both have sub-26% awareness right now, but interest scores above 43%. This puts them among the strongest persuadable-audience films tracked across the past several weeks.
Trump Claims Paramount-Discovery Merger Already Finalized
Looks like Trump already views Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery as a done deal based on this infographic he shared on Truth Social https://t.co/xUKYoMv9hq
Oscars Go Digital: Streaming on YouTube, Not ABC
2029: "This is not a normal Oscars ..." because it will be on @YouTube, not on @Disney's @ABCNetwork
Democratic FCC Member Pushes Back on Carr's Broadcaster Threats
Lone Democrat on the FCC responds to Republican Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats to broadcasters: https://t.co/e9xfRAbUII
Philo Still Worth It After Recent Price Hike?
After Philo's recent price adjustment, is it still worth it? I've updated my review: https://t.co/iYD3gW75wi
Excitement Meets Skepticism: Will Budget Meet Reality?
The fan in me loves this. The analyst in me is a lot more skeptical about the commercial prospects. Hopefully the budget matches the reality.
YouTube, TikTok Eclipse Traditional TV; Shows Canceled
Sad for those who have lost a job. Daily infotainment really has been eaten alive by YouTube and Tik Tok. Yet, people have a tendency to focus on areas that really can’t be and not the ones that really are...
Paramount Skydance to Acquire BET+, Merge Into Paramount+
Paramount Skydance Buying Out Tyler Perry’s Stake in BET+; Streaming Service to Be Phased Out and Content Merged With Paramount+ https://t.co/Q19beETCv4 via @variety
Phil Saves Canceled Show by Switching to YouTube
Netflix was going to cancel the show and Phil wanted to keep doing it. Ergo, YouTube. https://t.co/S6fVQvk4QH
Oscars Betting Becomes a $100M+ Industry
Chalamet or Jordan? Oscars Betting Becoming a $100 Million-Plus Business With Kalshi and Polymarket https://t.co/lfGEXU4RM5 via @variety
Nielsen Postpones March Ratings as Streamers Cite Audience Drops
Nielsen Will Delay March ‘Gauge’ Report After Streamers Fret Over Audience Declines https://t.co/2GLpF6AZCD via @variety
CNBC Predicts Major Revenue Hikes for NFL Broadcasters
🚨🏈 CNBC reporting BIG increases coming to existing NFL broadcasters as we talked about last week on The LightShed Podcast https://t.co/xVYAmLvGDq
NBC Ends Access Hollywood, Halts First‑run Syndication
New: NBC is ending "Access Hollywood" after 30 years, as it stops producing first-run syndicated TV. "Karamo," "Steve Wilkos" also canceled.
NFL Offers CBS 50% Higher Deal, Extends Contract to 2034
The NFL has begun talking to Paramount/CBS Sports about a new deal. I'm told the current bid-ask spread midpoint is about 50-60% higher, and in return, the NFL would simply lift its current 2029-30 opt out and keep the CBS deal...
Keith Lee Launches Family Business Podcast with Vox Media
Food Influencer Keith Lee to Launch Video Podcast With Vox Media Delving Into How His Family Does Business Together https://t.co/roBxFgOhPe via @variety
Prime Video Ultra Launches, Price Rises to $4.99/month
We're writing to let you know that on April 10, 2026, Prime Video Ad Free will become Prime Video Ultra with enhanced viewing features, and your subscription price will increase to $4.99/month. If you are a Prime Annual plan member,...
Amazon Raises Prime Video Ad‑free Tier to $5 per Month
Amazon to Hike Fee for Prime Video Ad-Free Tier to $5 per Month in U.S. https://t.co/FVjZZ5ziiF via @variety
Peacock's AI Andy Cohen Signals NBCU's Entertainment Platform Shift
Peacock's AI Andy Cohen is part of NBCU's strategy to add new experiences tied to its IP to keep fans on its own platform: “Don’t think of it as a streaming platform — think of it as an entertainment platform,”...
Peacock Debuts AI Andy Cohen for Personalized Bravo Gossip
Peacock Is Launching an AI-Generated Andy Cohen That Dishes Personalized Bravo Hot Goss and Vertical Video Clips https://t.co/B1zYs5YfF6 via @variety
Disney, Apple Launched SVOD Too Cheap; HBO Max Prices Fell
This chart basically shows that Disney and Apple significantly underpriced their initial SVOD services as they were in aggressive subscriber-acquisition mode Meanwhile: The cost of HBO Max/Max actually went *down* from 2020-26 when adjusted for inflation https://t.co/exxGKeyyDA
Hegseth Urges Immediate David Ellison Takeover of Network
"The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better." - Hegseth on CNN. There are no more quiet parts. It's all said aloud. (And I'll bet he wouldn't like this shot.) https://t.co/f913T1zNVN
Teamsters Demand DOJ Block Paramount‑Warner Deal without Job Safeguards
Teamsters Union Says DOJ Must Block Paramount’s Warner Bros. Takeover Unless There Are ‘Enforceable’ Job Protections https://t.co/omvw2m3xrr via @variety
Warner Deal Deemed Pro‑Competitive, Boosts Creative Champions
All competition enforcers will find our deal is pro-competitive says Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim of Warner deal. This is opportunity to build a "true champion" for the creative community that can compete effectively global stage and streaming market.
Paramount Boosts Budget, yet Star Producer Defects to NBCU
Paramount added $1.5 billion to its Paramount+ programming budget, says Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim. And yet its most successful producer jumped ship to NBCU.
Paramount Pushes Theater Attendance to Outpace Streaming Giants
Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim says "we want customers in theaters" and to compete most effectively against "highly scaled" streaming competitors.
Paramount Warns Netflix‑Warner Merger Threatens Hollywood Future
Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim says Netflix - Warner deal would have had "serious consequences for the future of Hollywood." A Paramount-Warner deal is about "increasing the amount of content."
Paramount's $110B Move Targets Rival, Says Antitrust Lawyer
“Paramount is spending 110 billion dollars to take out a rival” — antitrust attorney Ethan Litwin at Capital Forum conference.
California AG Warns Nexstar‑Tegna Merger Harms Competition
California AG Rob Bonta blasts proposed Nexstar-Tegna deal, saying if deal goes through a "a single massive company will have outsized influence" and consumers will suffer higher prices and less access to news and sports.
Bonta Warns Against Corporate Control of Content Pipelines
CA AG Rob Bonta says we can't let a couple of mega corporations currying favor with the president control the pipelines of content.
California AG Vows Tough Review of Paramount‑Warner Merger
CA AG Rob Bonta says his office will be vigorous in its review of Paramount - Warner deal. Concern of higher consumer costs, job loss, etc.
AG Rob Bonta Assures No Paramount‑Warner Fallout at Conference
California AG Rob Bonta speaking at Future of Hollywood conference held by Capital Forum. Not expecting any bombs re: Paramount-Warner but will provide some coverage here.
Netflix M&A Aims to Fuel Engagement Through Games, Podcasts
What should be the business objectives behind any future M&A deal by Netflix $NFLX? @Adweek s Mark Stenberg (@MarkStenberg3) asked me for specific deal predictions. A few of my answers are in the On Background newsletter below, alongside some other smart...
1984 Federal Preemption Turned Cable Rights-of-Way Into Monopolies
This. Folks might want to go back and see how localities leveraged access to ROWs for cable to get franchise fees and PEG (and how fed preemption in '84 created cable monopolies with crap service.)
Gayle King's CBS Deal Only One-Year, No 2027 Lock
Scoop: Gayle King's new deal, which CBS News triumphantly announced last week, is only a one-year renewal, I've learned. It does not lock King into the network past 2027.
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