Matthew Belloni • December 20, 2021

Life at Spotify, Ranking the Streamers & Avoiding “Docu-Mercials:” A Chat with Bill Simmons

A revealing conversation with sports media mogul Bill Simmons.

Julia Alexander • December 20, 2021

Streaming Ratings 2021: Separating Spin from Reality

A year-end analysis of what’s working for the various streamers, what the metrics actually mean, and what we still don’t know.

Matthew Belloni • December 17, 2021

Stallone Joins the Great Hollywood Cash-Out

Stallone is the latest in a long line of actors and performers—Springsteen, Dylan, Paul Simon, Stevie Nicks—to trade the revenue stream from his life’s work for one of those Publisher’s Clearinghouse-sized novelty checks.

Matthew Belloni • December 13, 2021

Marvel’s Miracle Man at a Crossroads, Part 2: Feige’s Star System

Marvel has been so successful for so long, begging the question: if we've reached Peak Marvel, how is Kevin Feige using his power?

Matthew Belloni • December 10, 2021

Marvel’s Miracle Man at a Crossroads, Part 1: Fatigue Factor

Diminishing returns seems like an inescapable endgame, especially if quality control becomes an issue and lower box office means fewer megahits to mine for spin-offs. Has Marvel passed its peak?

Matthew Belloni • December 10, 2021

Meet Disney’s Oily New Public Face

It’s not an accident that Bob Chapek picked Geoff Morrell, a former Republican operative, when so many of Disney’s battles will be waged on the political and regulatory stage.

Matthew Belloni • December 6, 2021

Peggy Siegal Has Returned to Oscar Events

Two years after Siegal's association with Jeffrey Epstein made her persona non grata, is the famed events publicist back?

Matthew Belloni • December 6, 2021

The Truth Behind the McKay-Ferrell Split

As with most public breakups, there’s more to this story of bruised egos—including a botched timeline and the threat of blowback from Lakers greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Matthew Belloni • December 3, 2021

Facebook and Hollywood: A Match Made in the Metaverse?

Premium video didn’t work for Facebook before, and it doesn’t want to be a player in that world now. But the metaverse might change Zuckerberg’s strategic thinking.

Matthew Belloni • November 29, 2021

Bob Iger Would Love to Buy an NBA Team. Could the Phoenix Suns Be It?

There are big hurdles—including a potential $2 billion price tag. But if everything falls in place, Iger could get that gracious Disney exit he has coveted.

Matthew Belloni • November 29, 2021

Miramax Just Won an Interesting ‘Pulp Fiction’ Battle

On Wednesday, a federal judge shot down the suit on statute of limitations grounds—and photographer Firooz Zahedi has Instagram to blame.

Julia Alexander • November 28, 2021

I Dug Into the New Netflix “Ratings” Data So You Don’t Have To

The next “Squid Game,” warning signs for Disney, the Ryan Reynolds calculus, and why “binge mode” might be overrated.

Matthew Belloni • November 28, 2021

UTA Quietly Filed for a $200 Million Games SPAC

The “metaverse” isn’t mentioned in the prospectus, but it’s clear UTA sees what Mark Zuckerberg sees, and they want a piece of the action.

Matthew Belloni • November 26, 2021

The Inside Conversation: Is Netflix Finally Overvalued?

A Thanksgiving digestif with Bill Cohan about the media’s subscriber obsession, Netflix vs. Tesla, Apollo’s entertainment goals, and, of course, this season of Succession.

Dylan Byers • November 22, 2021

Will MSNBC Pay Scarborough $31 Million?

The network faces a deepening talent retention crisis: As Maddow prepares to step back from primetime, will "Morning Joe" be the next payday?