☀️UNI Enlists Sabrina, NETFLIX Re-Enlists ‘Luther’
Adele set for Tom Ford pic / Kevin Reilly goes AI / NETFLIX scores with GDT, Leanne Morgan
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, November 12, 2025.
Where Hollywood streaming losses of yore don’t look quite as bad anymore — thanks, AI!
Yes, it seems OPENAI is projecting an annual operating loss of $74B by 2028 . . . but don’t worry, the AI says it’s all good!
The company is projecting to go from $3.7B of revenue in 2024 to $145B of revenue in 2029, according to documents reviewed by the WSJ — a revenue turnaround that has never been seen by a public company of comparable size in the U.S. going back to 1950, according to DealBook.
But, if it could become the “GOOGLE of AI” in that time period (i.e., one player in a market), hey — ya never know, amirite? Just don’t tell GOOGLE that plan.
THEN: Michael Caine made a deal with AI company ELEVENLABS to utilize his voice in work where he . . . doesn’t have to show up. Noted pitchman Matthew McConaughey is an investor in the company.
AND: The WSJ has ya covered on everything you need to know about VistaVision and why it’s become the RED cameras of the mid-2020s.
OH: TNT SPORTS is quadrupling down on its 3-on-3 women’s hoops league, UNRIVALED — it’ll be TRUTV’s primetime programming every Friday through Monday when the season starts on Jan. 5 . . . and also be on TNT Fridays and Mondays.
All games will also stream on HBO MAX.
THEN: VERSANT is branding all of its sports offerings under the USA SPORTS umbrella.
AH: French music streaming service DEEZER now gets 50k AI-generated song uploads a day. Up from 30k in September, and 10k in January.
70% of plays on these AI tracks are thought to be fraudulent (i.e., scams to generate royalty payments), although the AI songs only get 0.5% of all streams on the platform.
PLUS: CRAIN cut 25 folks from the employee rolls across various publications.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Couple new ones for ya today:
The median age of a first-time homebuyer is up to 40 . . . and no, that wasn’t a slow rise (that new “finally paying off your first mortgage when you’re 80” idea isn’t going to solve things either).
The share of car owners with “subprime” credit ratings (low FICOs / eh credit history) who are at least 60 days past-due on payments hit its highest share in October since the data started being collected in 1994, at 6.65%.
Yes, meaning higher than in 2008-2009.
Subprime borrowers have a 14.4% share of the consumer base, up from 13.9% in Q3 2024.
Eh, at least the majority of folks who I would think are likely to be in that group (those making under $100k a year) are totally feeling confident about their employment situation these days. Again — just a poll of about 2,000 folks . . . but still. #TheTwoEconomies
Although it’s also interesting that the $100k+ contingent is slightly higher than the next tranche in the “very concerned” about losing their jobs.
BUT: Despite all of your HULU series hater talk — Kim Kardashian is doing just fine, thank you. SKIMS was valued at $5B in a new fundraising round, up from $4B in 2023.
The company is profitable thanks to all of you people, and is expected to hit $1B+ in net sales for 2025. #AllsFair
FINALLY: Just a nice, heartfelt remembrance from someone who lost a person close to them this week, and a reminder of the power and importance of friendship.
THANKS!: To the PARAMOUNT TV folks for the opportunity to check out the new season of my favorite Friday night show that’s on Sundays, Landman (seriously — perfect end of the week hang show). Can’t wait to watch the rest.
And a special nod to Cindy Holland for taking time in her opening remarks to thank American service members, including the veterans in the audience at the premiere.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
