HOLLYWOOD
Kim Masters
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November 3, 2025
Have We Reached Peak Ellison Anxiety?
The surest sign that the Ellisons are still frontrunners in the WBD sweepstakes? The chorus of industry critics is growing—and fantasizing about other options. Meanwhile, the PSKY team might be looking to take its bid over the top with help from abroad.
Matthew Belloni
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October 31, 2025
Taylor Sheridan Burning Questions and Smoking Guns
My recent reveal of the ‘Yellowstone’ creator’s jump from Paramount to NBCUniversal unleashed a torrent of questions, most of which can be answered here.
Eriq Gardner
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October 28, 2025
Iger’s Shutdown Timing & Roberts’s WBD Opening
News and notes on how the government shutdown might disproportionately benefit Disney’s ability to close its Fubo deal, and why Comcast co-C.E.O. Brian Roberts still has options to circumnavigate Trump’s perceived veto power on the WBD deal.
Matthew Belloni
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October 26, 2025
The David Ellison Resistance Takes Shape
Paramount Skydance is pitching itself as Hollywood’s last hope. Yet as layoffs mount and the WBD mega-merger beckons, a growing alliance of industry people are talking about pushing back.
Matthew Belloni
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October 26, 2025
Taylor Sheridan Is Leaving Paramount
TV’s top creator has just closed a massive deal with rival NBCUniversal for film and TV when his commitments with Paramount are up. It’s a major move for the ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Landman’ creator, but perhaps an even bigger coup for NBCU’s Donna Langley—and suggests that her company is still playing to win.
Eriq Gardner
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October 21, 2025
MrBeast’s $100M Day in Court
The yearslong legal feud between YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson and restaurateur Robert Earl is headed back to court this week, with Donaldson arguing that he’s defending his brand and personal integrity—and Earl insisting that Beast Industries cares only about cash.
Kim Masters
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October 21, 2025
Comcast Answered—and Created—a Succession Question
The ostensibly orderly elevation of Mike Cavanagh to co-C.E.O. alongside Brian Roberts obscures a slightly more complex situation one level down on the org chart, at NBCUniversal, which has been without a clear leader since 2023.
Matthew Belloni
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October 17, 2025
David Zaslav’s Beginning of the End
The pool of potential Warner Bros. Discovery acquirers has seemingly dwindled by two, and if the promised “bidding war” fails to materialize, Larry and David Ellison could make a compelling case for a quick sale.
Eriq Gardner
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October 14, 2025
After Sora 2: New Fronts in the A.I. Legal Wars
One area of the law likely to draw more fire is the messy question of who has legal standing to object to A.I. outputs—an issue inflamed, of course, by OpenAI’s unveiling of Sora 2, which sent Hollywood into a familiar panic, scrambling to figure out how to opt out.
Matthew Belloni
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October 14, 2025
The Saudi Money Has Arrived in Hollywood
A new $1 billion studio backed by entities tied to Mohammed bin Salman and run by producer Erik Feig likely marks the largest investment in a traditional entertainment company by the controversial kingdom.
Scott Mendelson
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October 14, 2025
‘Tron’ Fails the Franchise Test
Disney’s ‘Tron: Ares’ shows what happens when studios keep resurrecting half-dead I.P., mistaking brand recognition for audience demand, and doubling down on nostalgia plays that nobody asked for.
Matthew Belloni
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October 10, 2025
Disney’s C.E.O. Race Amid the Great Hollywood Walk-Back
A new H.R. tweak, which comes in the wake of Kimmelgate and an MPA sponsorship of the group behind the president’s military parade and rallies, provides the latest sign of just how far the once proudly progressive entertainment industry has pivoted during Trump II. Implications for the Disney leadership bake-off are becoming clear.
Eriq Gardner
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October 7, 2025
Dish, Disney & The $4.99 Lawsuit From Hell
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are suing Dish over Sling TV’s “day passes,” reviving a decades-old grudge match just as ESPN launches its long-awaited stand-alone app—and the industry braces for more existential threats.
Kim Masters
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October 7, 2025
Can Peter Friedlander Fix Amazon TV?
The former longtime Netflix executive was beloved for greenlighting blockbusters and passion projects, alike. At Prime Video, he’ll need to work within new constraints: financial discipline, less prestige, a company that covets scale more than Emmys. And he’s never been a guy who likes saying no.
Matthew Belloni
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October 2, 2025
A.I.’s ‘Lazy Sunday’ Moment
OpenAI’s new video generator, Sora 2, trained on copyrighted material and celebrity likenesses, has thrust Hollywood into uncharted legal territory and put Sam Altman on a collision course with studios like Netflix and Disney.
Eriq Gardner
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September 30, 2025
Netflix’s $15M ‘Inventing Anna’ Mistake
The streamer’s decision not to secure the life rights for one of the key players in the fake heiress saga could prove costly. Plus, news and notes on a $10 million ‘Housewives’ jingle battle and Disney’s next day in court.
Julia Alexander
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September 30, 2025
Kimmel & The Disney+ Cancellation Epidemic
Beyond the shabby politics and Hollywood outrage, Disney’s decision to reinstate its late-night host was also evidence that “churn events” matter more than ever.
