☀️SEARCHLIGHT's Late Oscar Addition, NETFLIX 🎥 Local Strategy Hits
FX goes big on 'Frankenstein' cast / NBC hits new NFL high / TV sports gambling alliances set
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 Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Where you now have just 3 months to redeem yourself, 2025.
But given that the month is starting with both a U.S. government shutdown and a YOUTUBE TV blackout — TELEVISAUNIVISION networks went dark at midnight, while NBCU set a short-term extension while negotiations continue — there’s always 2026.
Trump actually has 4 of the 8 government shutdowns that have occurred since 1990. The last one was in 2018 and lasted 35 days, and took unpaid air traffic controllers largely walking out/calling in sick to end the madness. But, ya know, thankfully, our air traffic controller employment levels are much better now. Ahem. 🤦♂️
Well, at least we finally have actual fall-like weather in NYC for the first time today. On Oct. 1.
THEN: Sending a g’mar tov to those observing Yom Kippur today.
KUDOS: To the WNBA’s LAS VEGAS ACES for beating the INDIANA FEVER in OT of a deciding game 5 last night to make the WNBA Finals. That series tips off Friday night against the PHOENIX MERCURY in a Southwest battle on ESPN.
ALSO: FOX is calling TUBI back in off the bench to simulcast its PACKERS vs. LIONS Thanksgiving for free this year in 4k.
OH: Good news for everyone at NBCU and PAR commuting to work 4/5 days a week come January in NYC 🥶 — it’s going to start costing more too.
NYC Subway rides will now be $3 and LIRR and Metro-North will be raising prices by 4.5%. NJ TRANSIT already raised prices by 15% last summer, and is doing so again 3% annually every July.
YEAH: For those keeping score at home #badpun, your fall sports gambling inundations partnerships via on-screen integrations during games, and pervasive brand partnerships and more elsewhere to enrich the lives of American young men everywhere will be:
AMAZON — FANDUEL
NBCU/PEACOCK — DRAFTKINGS
ESPN — ESPN BET (run by PENN)
AND: Gotta think this is near the top of the new PAR+ tech and brand partnerships teams’ to-do list around the time UFC and ZUFFA🥊 get in the mix, or certainly the March Madness window.
BETMGM is really the only player left here with any meaningful additional market share at this point (and maybe CAESARS) outside of the above players, although I’m sure DRAFTKINGS would be happy having 2 huge partners too.
Remember FOX also has a looming option for a notable ownership stake in FANDUEL parent co. FLUTTER.
SMALL WARNAMOUNT SIDEBAR: One of the things not really mentioned too much in the looming WARNAMOUNT situation thus far is that if PAR buys WBD as a whole — it also gets all the TNT SPORTS rights too, which is wholly complementary to CBS SPORTS/things it doesn’t have:
MLB/playoffs, French Open, NASCAR in summer (CBS SPORTS summer sports are very light), some CFP games, NHL, UNRIVALED, some college sports and more in the winter, and AEW year round.
If PAR waited for just the WB after the WB/D split — remember that the sports go to the D, not the WB, and if there’s one thing to take away from PARAMOUNT’s first 2 months . . . is that sports are very important to David Ellison.
PLUS: Lo and behold, the FCC has authorized an official review of media / TV station ownership limit rules about owning more than two stations in a market. Hmm, wonder how it’ll go.
Note that this review would also look at allowing the merging of TV networks themselves.
The pending NEXSTAR / TEGNA deal would create one company with TV stations reaching 80% of U.S. TV households across 44 states. The rule limiting reach at . . . 39% also has an FCC inquiry process pending.
It’s a bit murky as to whether Congressional approval would also be needed to make changes of that scope, according to Bloomberg.
HMM: Gotta love Travis Kelce and Trump’s granddaugher Kai Trump having reverse initials . . . but the folks behind the new logo for the 18 year old golf influencer certainly didn’t let that hold them back in their design choice (also, how did I not know that Kai’s mom / Don Jr.’s ex was dating Tiger Woods? I gotta update my subscription to the Palm Beach Post).
Eh, it’s not like they’re both using these logos in the same apparel field or something.
WELL: Add Skyscraper Climbing alongside Comedy Roasts and Hot Dog Eating on the list of NETFLIX live events! Free Solo climber Alex Honnold will attempt to climb the 1,667-foot Taipei 101 skyscraper in a 2-hour NETFLIX special coming in early 2026. Though hey, don’t go over the 2 hours, bud — NETFLIX has a new episode of Ransom Canyon right after it, and I need my stories.
AH: Jennifer Garner’s ONCE UPON A FARM filed for an IPO, with sales growing, as well as losses:
H1 2025: $111M sales, -$29M in losses
H1 2024: $66M sales, -$4M in losses
OOF: If you wanna be glad you’re not a CTV ad buyer in what sounds like a growing swamp of a CTV ad marketplace in 2025 — try reading this Digiday piece today. It’s no wonder folks just want to buy sports on linear TV.
SO: CA signed a new AI law requiring large AI developers to disclose their safety protocols publicly and to report safety incidents. Only one major AI company (ANTHROPIC) supported the bill. I mean, if CHATGPT pulls an oopsie that puts people at harm . . . do we all really need to know? It would be so embarrassing! 🫣
PLUS: Kudos to rising music star Lola Young for canceling all upcoming appearances to take some time to do some work on herself after collapsing on stage over the weekend at a concert in Central Park. I’m really digging songs on her newly released album here if you need some new tunes (I’d start with this one).
WAKEUP IRL: If you’re going to be at the DPAA Global Summit in NYC on Tuesday, October 14, I’ll be doing a conversation that afternoon with two of the biggest figures in movie marketing this year — Christian Davin and Dana Nussbaum from WARNER BROS. Come join!
FINALLY: At least be thankful you’re not a military general today with decades of experience and service to this country who now has to report into these tools, much less fly all the way in from your post to listen to this.
ESPECIALLY: Compared to what it’s probably like with one of these two as your boss. This was really great.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
