☀️UFC-PAR: Does This 💰 Make Sense?
More movie spec market 🔥 / Jolie + Liman at UNI / NETFLIX enters comedy competition genre
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, August 13, 2025.
Where know that it was very tough to resist chiming in on the big news to start the week yesterday . . . but I’m gonna guess you heard about Taylor’s new album anyway (sorry, UFC — it was a good run).
So, nothing quite like waiting a whole 9 months from the end of your 2-year tour to drop a new album and start up the gears all over again.
Between this and Sabrina Carpenter seemingly just continually releasing music with no break between albums — kinda makes me appreciate the Adele approach. 👏
Either way — hopefully you’re still able to access this newsletter after AOL shut down its dial-up internet service here in mid-2025 (🤯), which . . . well, should at least be inspiration for the cable TV bundle!
BUT: #Cordcutters, if you want a (potentially) cheaper way to watch just one big game or event on linear TV (outside of getting your own digital TV antenna which gives you free broadcast TV all the time):
SLING TV is now offering $5 one-day subscriptions (or $10 for the weekend, $14 for a week), although note that no packages include CBS.
BUT: If you’re a #cordcutter who just wanted to watch the NFL MNF games that aren’t on ABC this year (i.e. ones you can watch with your new digital TV antenna), you could get away with just paying say $15 in a month instead of $30 for ESPN D2C.
OR: Say just a college football fan who wants to watch the Saturday games on ESPN and FOX/FS1, that’s $20 a month vs. $40.
PLUS: AMC THEATRES CEO Adam Aron said the theaters “can shave 4 or 5 minutes” from the now reportedly nearly 30-minute pre-shows full of ads and a few trailers. I’m sure that’ll fix the issue.
YUP: For the record, I got sent directly to 2 more advertiser sites when clicking on THR and Deadline stories yesterday (sorry HOME DEPOT, I’m not in the market for anything at the moment).
SO: Extra set its next host — Derek Hough will replace Billy Bush.
OH: Vanity Fair in the Mark Guiducci era will focus on:
Entertainment, celebrities and culture
PLUS: Money, politics and style
OUT: “News aggregation, reviews and trade coverage,” including The Hive, and a winding down of the sub-brands strategy (HWD, etc.).
ALSO: Chief critic Richard Lawson and Hollywood correspondent David Canfield are no longer with the company per Variety, nor is Anthony Breznican.
ALSO: The NYFF added premieres for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Daniel Day-Lewis’ Anemone and APPLE’s Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost and Mr. Scorsese docs as well as 8 other pics.
UH: Get your toddler ready to 😱 — Cocomelon is debuting a live-action series on its YT channel next month.
AH: NETFLIX is looking to that terrible theatrical business model that their subscribers hate in order to augment the KPop Demon Hunters phenomenon, and will hold sing-along screenings the weekend of August 23/24.
IN THIS EDITION
Lotta UFC coverage out there this week . . . but I saw nothing looking at the audience size that PAR is paying $1.1B a year to buy (as this whole thing is largely predicated on the potential subscriber boost ahead for PAR+).
Nor did I see much on comps to other leagues — both on an inventory and pricetag basis (oddly, the WWE and UFC now have very similar domestic media rights deal revenue 🧐, although they have very different event/”game” inventory levels).
So, I looked out of my own curiosity’s sake really — read along below. PAR has some big coffers to fill.
There is also some new WWE NETFLIX viewing data to be had on the weekly NETFLIX chart.
Plus a busy day in sports media, from NBA details for the year ahead on NBC, a new golf deal at NBCU as well and more.
The latest KPop numbers to marvel at on the weekly NETFLIX chart.
And Hollywood is still cranking along too with news at UNI, A24, SONY, AMAZON, NETFLIX . . . and yeah, now I’m just naming a list of companies so let’s get moving.
🎥 THE SILVER TV 📺
