It’s the most wonderful time of the year to catch one’s boss in shorts, as industry chieftains from Mike Cavanagh to Lachlan Murdoch to Josh D’Amaro mingled with tech powers, finance titans and sports royalty at Herb Allen’s annual Sun Valley conference. What was going through their minds as they paraded past the cameras on bikes, in denim ensembles (see: David Zaslav) and aggressively casual billionairewear? We tapped Emmy-nominated writer Joel Stein to imagine their inner dialogue — and no one from Alex Karp to Sam Altman was spared:
Meanwhile, as Ted Sarandos hobnobbed in Idaho, Hollywood at the same time was buzzing about Netflix’s next moves amid signs of weakening engagement — and Team Ankler dug in:
- First, Richard offered strong theories about what’s behind the streamer’s sophomore slump for top series:
- Next, Sean McNulty made an incisive case for Netflix to get into the “lean-back” business with FAST channels:
- Then, Lesley Goldberg talked to reps and Netflix insiders about the engagement challenges — and why the company’s creative and product teams don’t necessarily agree on how to solve them:
Still, Hollywood, including Netflix, also had plenty to celebrate with this week’s Emmy nominations. Be sure to check out Prestige Junkie Katey Rich’s smart, funny and deeply informed take, plus her savvy day-of breakdown of the snubs and surprises with Christopher Rosen for NBC New York. Truly the best awards analysis in the biz:
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business
↑ Zoloft to Instagram: How Laid-Off Veterans Are Finding a Way Forward “Stunned” Disney and WBD refugees share with Elaine Low their shock, hope and advice for the next chapter.
‘A Colony of America’: How British TV Is Falling Into U.S. Hands Manori Ravindran digs into the biggest deal in U.K. broadcasting in decades: Comcast’s $2.1 billion Sky-ITV swoop, which leaves just two of five big Brit broadcasters in local control.
HBO’s Emmy Reign Is About to Face Its M&A Reckoning Fresh off Emmy noms, Lesley reveals how the coming wave of mergers could reshape the leaderboard for good.
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
↑ Lost Producer: I Gave L.A. 33 Years. Now I’m Leaving — Here’s Why Emmy winner Javier Grillo-Marxuach explains why he’s pulling up stakes, even as “the 7-year-old boy” with dreams “hates 56-year-old me for making this choice.”
Richard Rushfield
↑ Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce: Let Them Eat Cake Amid the wedding fervor, Richard makes a desperate plea to Hollywood’s celeb class: Knock it off with the Marie Antoinette routine.
Dealmakers
↑ Stars, Come on Down! Game Shows Are the New Hot Payday As formats boom, Ashley Cullins dishes out the intel on who’s in demand to host, why so many actors are answering the call — and what these deals actually pay.
Paging Men Who Read!
↑ Men Who Don’t Read Books: MrBeast, Clavicular — and Me Chris takes stock of the storytelling slump and compiles recs from Bruce Bozzi, Al Roker, Chuck Klosterman and four more men who defy the data.
Optionist’s Hot Properties
↑ 6 Summer Reads Begging to Be Put Into Development The Optionist’s Andy Lewis reveals his hit list of screen-ready IP that (somehow) hasn’t yet been snatched up.
The Wakeup
Amid yet more expansion to Nielsen viewership methodology, Sean lays out why the era of real, accurate historical TV viewership comps likely ends in 2026:
Thursday → ☀️ AMAZON’s Next TV Exec Shakeup
Wednesday → ☀️ NETFLIX Films in July 4 Fizzle Too
Tuesday → ☀️ New Hot Mess: TV, Sports Viewership Data
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Elaine, Sean and Natalie Jarvey survey an old-fashioned July of cultural spectacle, from the Swift-Kelce nuptials to Christopher Nolan’s star-studded Odyssey:
Shows
Monday Morning QBs
Sean and Chris explore why Minions & Monsters opened well below expectations, and why the studio’s low-budget model still makes the film a financial win:
Rushfield Lunch
The Hangover producer Scott Budnick joins Richard to explain how he became one of the key figures behind California’s expanded film and TV tax credit — and why he’s authentically optimistic about the state and future of Hollywood:
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New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
↑ 70 Deals & Counting: Creator Economy M&A Sets Record Pace in 1H 2026
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
↑ A Bodybuilding Eastbound & Down That’s Perfect for Alan Ritchson
