JOLTS: Gen X Gut Punch; Colbert Bombshells; Netflix K-Pop Shock
Plus: ‘Smurfs’, Kalshi & the degenerate economy
It’s a done deal. After 13 grueling months, Trump settlements and cost cutting — including the curiously-timed cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show — the sale of Paramount Global to David Ellison’s Skydance finally got the FCC stamp of approval this week. For what’s next at the new company set to trade on the NASDAQ as PSKY (a ticker symbol ripe for another South Park takedown), check out Sean McNulty’s sharp analysis, always leading the pack. It’s also time to revisit Ashley Cullins’ insider report on what New Paramount’s likely org chart will look like and Lesley Goldberg’s report on the seismic return there of Cindy Holland. And for behind-the-scenes Beltway intrigue about how Paramount leaned on the feds ahead of the deal, investigative reporter Dave Levinthal does the math on the company’s lobbying spend in Trump’s D.C. (and how Netflix DOUBLED its spend from last year, plus the Trump-approved lobbying firm raking it in from across Hollywood).
As Colbert’s announced exit sends shockwaves across the industry, Lesley broke big news of who knew what and when, how manager James Dixon held the news from his star, the exact economics that drove the decision, and the quiet cutbacks that already happened on the show and at CBS along the way (plus the ones still coming). With TV late night’s economics just not adding up anymore, Natalie Jarvey reports at Like & Subscribe on how YouTube stars from Adam Friedland to Theo Von are filling the talk void.
Meanwhile, in this flurry of blows to the traditional TV industry, one demo is getting hit particularly hard: Gen X. Elaine Low explains it all in her report on the tough choices facing the town’s 40- and 50-somethings: the pain points, the pivots and their fight to reset their future.
Now, without further ado, ICYMI, even more best of the week:
Series Business: Inside Streamers’ Europe TV Deals
Three streamer-broadcaster cross-carriage deals (Netflix & TF1, Disney & ITV, Amazon & France Télévisions) have emerged out of Europe in the span of one month. Why now? Manori Ravindran dives into Netflix’s real game in Europe; the next markets to fall; what sports rights have to do with it; and what this means for producers, compensation and financing:
Richard Rushfield: Right Move, Wrong Reasons
In normal times, if the networks wanted to round up all the late night shows and drop each off the Santa Monica Pier, Richard would be the first to give them a Medal of Honor (he hasn’t been a fan of the genre since Letterman exited NBC). But these are not normal times — and he calls foul on the cancellation of Colbert:
Rotten Tomatoes Roulette
People are betting big money on Rotten Tomatoes scores and box office numbers via Kalshi and Polymarket as this film-focused slice of the “degenerate economy” largely hinges on Hollywood fails. Matthew Frank paints the full picture — and chats with the now-retiring GOAT bettor:
Dealmakers: How Reps Can Beat AI for Clients
Dan Neely’s Vermillio is partnered with WME and is helping hundreds of stars protect their images in the AI era. He lays out for Ashley Cullins the four things every rep should watch for in AI deals; how much money chatbots are earning on celebs; and how “getting comfortable with pennies” is Hollywood’s key to monetizing it all:
Prestige Junkie: KPop Oscar Hunters; TIFF Primer
Katey Rich details why Netflix juggernaut KPop Demon Hunters isn’t just coming for an original song Oscar — it’s gunning for animated feature, too. Plus, she breaks down the titles to keep an eye on at TIFF and chats with The Daily Show’s Desi Lydic about how she “Foxsplains”:
The Wakeup
As always, Sean McNulty’s smart analysis starts every day right. This week: He dove deep into Netflix’s first half of 2025 data dump and then some:
Weekly Shows
Monday Morning QBs: This week, in our live show with Richard & Sean about what just happened at the box office, the duo takes stock of the summer so far — one without a true zeitgeist hit and looking poised for a down year. On a more optimistic note: why Superman soared to success:
The Rushfield Lunch: Longtime journalist and Epic founder Joshuah Bearman, whose Wired reporting was adapted into the Oscar-winning Argo, joins Richard for a chat about growing up in Altadena and reporting on the fires, the joys of a "free-range" Gen X childhood and much more:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
Gen X Career Crisis & Colbert Collapse Peak TV is over. Now what happens to everyone who built it?
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
MARTINI SHOT
No One Knew How Johnny Carson Voted Rob Long on what viewers do and don’t want before bed:
📱 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE FROM NATALIE JARVEY
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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