Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Where one preliminary junction has been shot down in the WARNAMOUNT deal, as the request was denied yesterday in the lower profile PAR+ streaming consumers case against the merger.
The same judge will hear the temporary restraining order case from the state AGs today — so I hope everyone has a great morning in court, California or otherwise.
PLUS: The U.K.’s examination of the WARNAMOUNT deal looks a bit muddled as U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy didn’t provide any updates on the matter before Parliament went on summer break, which raises some eyebrows. Deadline has all of the minutiae here at this point, as Parliament doesn’t reconvene until Sept. 1.
ALSO: It’s great to see the President of the United States taking time to address the nation in primetime about the things at the forefront of the minds of Americans like his current war with no way out / what he’s doing about continued high inflation / something called “Freedom Gas” / crackpot theories about why he lost an election 6 years ago.
- CBS and FOX aired it live.
- ABC and NBC broke into primetime programming once the tirade was over, but did not carry it live, although SINCLAIR affiliates of those networks also aired the speech.
BUT: No word on which KALSHI wagers Trump’s former teleprompter operator made on the contents of the speech before it started. Who knew there was over $100k to make on such bets?
- BTW: KALSHI continues to improve America, one bet at a time — enjoy now being able to wager on the outcomes of drug trials and FDA regulatory decisions. I’m sure CEO Tarek Mansour will ensure integrity oversight is airtight.
MEANWHILE: Over at PSKY deal backer ORACLE — its stock has now reached a new 52-week low at $124 a share, as the AI-induced Q2 market euphoria wave has worn off and then some. ORACLE’s credit rating was also downgraded this month by S&P GLOBAL to one grade above junk (which can affect the level at which a company can borrow more cash in the future), with Bloomberg setting the current state of affairs here.
- ORACLE has no official role in the PSKY business, but its shares in the Ellison Family Trust are backstopping the deal’s price tag.
- AI could certainly go on another market heater, and that family trust has plenty o’ bucks in it — but here’s the 1-year ORCL view (just for context, those heights on the left are roughly from back when PSKY initially started making bids for WBD).
WELL: The Odyssey certainly set sail with an auspicious number — Thursday “previews” did $17.6M, which is a nudge above Toy Story 5 for the biggest Thursday this year. See you on Sunday.
YEAH: Looks like CAA was a big fan of the I Play Rocky trailer this week, too.
AND: Chloe Fineman is leaving SNL after 7 seasons.
AH: APPLE really seems pretty upset with OPENAI, as it’s now sending legal letters to dozens of former employees with warnings to preserve their records.
NEW POD
💼 Get A Job
If you’re looking to hire someone — drop me a note to be included here! seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect with me on LINKEDIN here.
- META — VP, Content Studio ($449k to $472k)
- EDELMAN — EVP, Exec Producer ($200k to $275k)
- NBA — Executive Producer, YOUTUBE ($135k to $165k)
- DAZN — VP, Content Production ($170k to $200k)
- DIS+/HULU — VP Brand Marketing ($236k to $316k)
- DOW JONES — Head of Programming & Content ($275k to $330k)
- STUDIOCANAL — VP Global Marketing Strategy (in Paris)
- NWSL — VP, Content ($195k to $250k)
- CAA — Strategic Comms Manager ($95k to $140k)
- LIONSGATE — Director of Comms & Awards ($125k to $140k)
- NBA — Director, Media Partnerships ($170k to $190k)
- BBC — Head of Multimedia & Social ($180k to $200k)
- POPSUGAR — Supervising Producer ($105k to $115k)
- A24 — Publicist ($110k to $135k)
- NY TIMES — Senior Producer, International ($145k to $170k)
- AMAZON MGM — Film Publicity Coordinator (no salary listed)
- UNI TV — Coordinator, Current Programming ($56k to $60k)
- AMAZON MGM — Coordinator, Animated Series ($71k to $125k)
- LIONSGATE — Coordinator, Acquisitions ($50k to $55k)
- WBTV — Assistant to CEO ($63k to $117k)
- CLYDE STAFFING GIGS — email clyde@clydestaffing.com, mention you saw it in The Wakeup.
- Assistant to NBA Player, Houston
- Personal Assistant to Actress, Brooklyn
- Personal Assistant at High-Profile Fashion House, L.A.
📉 Earnings Season
NETFLIX can’t win with Wall Street
It’s a tricky thing when you’re clearing $3.4B in net profit a quarter (+9%) YoY, have improved your operating profit margins to over 33%, just completed your biggest quarter of share buybacks ever at $4.7B and knocked about $1.6B off your debt in 6 months . . . and Wall Street still greets you with a “Yeah, but . . .” response.
Basically, Wall Street is J.K. Simmons to NETFLIX’s Miles Teller in Whiplash right about now.
Granted, NETFLIX came in just a 🤏 below its Q2 revenue forecast — but other financial metrics came in above. It also reconfirmed it’ll hit its previous financial guidance for 2026.
SO, WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM, BRO?
Don’t stop here
Get the rest of this story — and the scoops and intelligence Hollywood reads first.
Already a subscriber?
