Netflix Raids YouTube for Kids (Again); A-List Squeeze on Animation Voice Roles
I break down science star Mark Rober’s crash into paid streaming and take a tough look at the VO booth. Plus: a new survey where I want you to sound off
I write about TV from L.A. and host Ankler Agenda with Elaine Low. I reported on the hot adult animation market, covered the microdrama boom, including a look at Disney-backed app DramaBox, and wrote about sports doc fatigue. Email me at elaine@theankler.com
Today I have a great variety pack newsletter of news for you:
I break down Netflix’s latest kids-and-family play with Mark Rober, semi-swiped from YouTube.
I’ll tell you about my conversation with a top agent about the growing squeeze on animation voice actors as A-listers flood the field (far beyond Zootopia 2).
How is AI shaping the next WGA and SAG-AFTRA negotiations? Believe it or not they’re about to begin, and I have an early scope on the fight.
Before we get into all that, I’ve got one last survey for you as we close out the year.
Hollywood survived ’til ’25 and then some: There were mergers, GPT-5 in the writers room, and, somehow, a touch of optimism as work picked up again for many — but certainly not enough — folks in town. Now, with 2026 just weeks away (hey, send me your slogan ideas), I want to hear where you think the industry is headed.
Are you bracing for a drought? Betting big on your own projects? Wondering which part of your job the machines will eat first? What trend has to die in the new year — and what deserves a resurrection?
Whether you’re in a writers room, a studio tower, or the mailroom, tell me what’s hot, what’s not and what’s coming, using this Google Form by Monday, Dec. 15.
As you think about your year ahead, here’s what I’ve been reporting on:
Netflix is quietly testing its next move in kids-and-family by tapping YouTube science star Mark Rober — borrowing from both Ms. Rachel’s and MrBeast’s playbooks to pry young viewers away from its biggest rival.
And in animation, a veteran voiceover agent walks me through the forces reshaping the field: how A-listers have crowded out longtime pros, why AI may hit this genre faster than others and what’s on the table as WGA and SAG-AFTRA gear up for 2026 negotiations. It’s not unlike the state of affairs for commercial actors that I wrote about last week, but, believe it or not, the career and creative stakes are even higher.