☀️NETFLIX Buying Spree Surges
CBS NEWS layoffs hit / FCC, DOJ stamp TEGNA-NEXSTAR / 'Zootopia 2' big DIS+ debut
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, March 20, 2026.
Where we start our Friday by pouring one out for the former NETFLIX BROS. shareholder deal vote day. Simpler times.
But at least today brings a chance for you to redeem your “predictions” expertise with the start of women’s March Madness on ESPN! (Assuming you still have $30 left to pay for it).
Yes, it seems perfect brackets exist for only .04% of entries in ESPN’s men’s March Madness bracket challenge after 1 day; the same is true for those who made brackets in the NCAA’s system.
YAH: As foretold, the next big round of layoffs at CBS NEWS has begun this morning. No details yet on headcount that’s now out of a job — although Deadline cites a “source familiar with the plans” who puts it around 6% of the staff (likely about 70 folks), and the brief memo from Bari and Tom is in the link.
CBS NEWS Radio is being shut down entirely as part of the cuts.
This follows roughly 100 people losing their jobs in October.
Remember that PSKY is still in the midst of realizing its full $3B of “cost savings” from the PAR-SKYDANCE deal this year.
PLUS: ARTISTS EQUITY is launching a bi-annual writers’ room program for invited writers to pitch film ideas across genres, with rooms then launched around selected ideas with input from Matt & Ben, naturally, and screenwriter Eric Roth.
The idea is to have some scripts eventually packaged with talent and financing by the company.
YEAH: Here’s how WBD is leveraging HBO MAX in the big UK/IRE launch next week — if you sign up for a TNT SPORTS SVOD annual subscription plan for $35 a month, you can get HBO MAX (with ads) for just an extra $2.70 a month.
TNT SPORTS costs $41.50 a month if you pay month-to-month — in case you thought ESPN D2C here was too pricey.
You can get HBO MAX (with ads) and TNT SPORTS together for $50 a month on a month-to-month plan.
For $50 a month here, you can get HBO MAX, NETFLIX, PEACOCK, PAR+ and DIS+ (all ad-tier) and have $2 left over.
GOOD NEWS!: 2 of America’s richest men are making moves this month to, uh, make more money using AI to eliminate jobs.
META will increasingly use AI as FB & INSTA content moderators instead of hiring 3rd party vendors (i.e., paying humans) to evaluate the variety of graphic content, illicit drug sales and scams that happen daily on INSTA and FB.
This, as META is considering a massive layoff of its own staff to reduce costs and leverage AI-enabled “greater efficiency” for the workers who will remain, according to Reuters.
Jeff Bezos seems to be putting that $500M super yacht to good use, going around to the Middle East #naturally, Singapore and other markets to raise money from other rich folk for a $100B investment fund to invest in/buy manufacturing companies in fields like aerospace, chipmaking and defense according to the WSJ, and use AI to make them more ‘efficient.’
I.e., increase output while paying fewer people.
And let’s add good ol’ CRYPTO.COM to the list here, as it laid off 12% of its staff in “roles that do not adapt in our new world” of AI-enabled efficiencies.
Don’t worry, America! Remember that just 10 months ago, Jensen Huang — the CEO of the company largely driving (and profiting from) all of this “efficiency” — told us that “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
Turns out that “someone” . . . is increasingly an AI bot.
AH: Nothing quite like America’s pastime of MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, a sport that has banned one of its most famous players for life for betting on games, making an official gambling deal with an offshore “predictions market” app that still isn’t legal in the U.S., reportedly worth anywhere from $150M to $300M over 3 years. Now, where’s my apple pie? That’s probably made in Mexico.
ALSO: FOX got 10.8M viewers (incl. FOX DEPORTES channel) for the WBC ⚾️ championship game, over 2x the 2023 edition (which was on the FS1 cable channel, not broadcast TV).
That’s also significantly bigger than the Globes (8.7M), and bigger than every NBA Finals game last year except for Game 7.
BTW: If you want Team ITALY’s dugout espresso machine — it’s one of the WBC items now up for auction after the tournament . . . although hopefully you won some money on the games to top the $3,000 top bid so far. #MoneyWellSpent
YAH: Over at the NBA — ABC’s Saturday night games were -21% YoY this season (2.2M), but the ABC Sunday afternoon games were +20% at 2.6M.
That leaves ESPN/ABC +12% YoY at 2M viewers for NBA games this season, with a few weeks left in the regular season (and note that 3 of the Saturday games featured a Steph Curry-less WARRIORS team).
BUT: You better hope your favorite sports bar has good wifi this season — bars & restaurants will no longer be able to show NFL Sunday Ticket games through DIRECTV satellite service. The package will be streaming-only through EVERPASS, as the 2 sides could not reach a new deal.
EVERPASS is owned by REDBIRD, TKO and the NFL’s investment arm.
THEN: Kids & Family genre data & insights guru, Emily Horgan, just released her big Netflix Kids Content Performance Report for H2 2025, with Paw Patrol in the top seed as the most-popular kids show on NETFLIX with a big YoY leap — see how it stacks up to the other big players (Gabby’s Dollhouse, Ms. Rachel, Cocomelon, etc.) . . . plus she has insights into how libraries from some Hollywood studios do on NETFLIX and more.
REST IN PEACE: Goes out to Chuck Norris, who died at the age of 86 in Hawaii today after being hospitalized yesterday.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Know that I’m very tempted to go with the 18% on AMAZON MGM’s Project Hail Mary especially with the PLF factor . . . but the 2.5hr running time factor also looms a bit in my brain. We’ll see where the American public puts it Sunday!
NEW POD
IN THIS EDITION
A busy day of movie buying and signing up directors for new pics around Hollywood.
A look at NETFLIX’s March Madness buying (no, it didn’t also buy the tournament — but place your bets come 2035), augmented yet again in the past 24 hours.
What long held FCC principals Brendan Carr is simply overlooking in stamping the TEGNA-NEXSTAR deal and what’s still ahead here, plus much more on a busy Friday to round out the week.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
