☀️ What YOUTUBE’s PEACOCK Deal Actually Means

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 Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

Where 2026 is really looking like a year of great change across some of our biggest forms of entertainment!

Not only is the box office finally having its first somewhat “normal” year since Covid — though I still see you, sparse January and February (and thank you, Peter Kafka, for reminding us amid Odyssey-mania that Hollywood is still selling more than 300M fewer movie tickets vs. 2002).

But also in sports.

There’s the KNICKS ending a 53-year title drought this summer, of course (#LGK) — but also INDIANA winning a national college football championship for the first time ever and even the SEAHAWKS getting their revenge on the PATRIOTS in the NFL to start the year. And now Ireland is getting in on the fun!

Congratulations to MAYO for winning its first All-Ireland title in Gaelic football since 1951, when — according to a legend that couldn’t be more Irish if it tried — the team was cursed by a local priest because its players failed to pay their respects at a funeral in a town they were passing through.

Nicely done, MAYO — and yes, the announcers calling the match totally lost it in true Irish fashion as much as you’d hope for when the moment of victory arrived.

YES: Jon Stewart and Pete Davidson are putting together a big benefit comedy show at MSG for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 called NYC Still Rising After 25 Years, taking place Sept. 10.

• Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Ronny Chieng, Nikki Glaser and Josh Johnson are all also performing. Tickets go on sale Friday.

AND: BUZZFEED, HUFFPO and TASTY are laying off 180 folks, or about 35% of the staff, as the Byron Allen-led future takes root.

PLUS: SAG-AFTRA has lodged its official objection against the WARNAMOUNT deal, unless there are “enforceable safeguards” against a drop in productions and a guarantee that more projects shoot in America. Yes, this just came out yesterday — why do you ask?

• Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong and Alan Cumming put out an op-ed statement in The Guardian yesterday asking U.K. regulators to block the WARNAMOUNT deal. U.K. Parliament is currently on summer break until Sept. 1, although obviously now it has more time to chime in with thoughts.

ALSO: Here is your latest NIELSEN Gauge for May 2026, with streaming hitting its highest percentage in at least the last 12 months, and Broadcast nearly tying its smallest share.

• The NBA playoffs (and NASCAR and WNBA) lifted AMAZON PV to its highest share ever at 4.5% (with an assist from The Boys).
• PAR+ was +0.7% vs. April thanks mainly to Dutton Ranch.
• YOUTUBE also hit a new high of 13.8%, and as always, that includes things like podcast and music listening to Shorts that other platforms don’t have.

AH: NETFLIX is doing a live darts event on Oct. 30 in the U.K. called Beat Luke Littler, which puts the British 19-year-old darts prodigy against amateurs competing for $666K (it uh, translates differently into Pounds).

THEN: Here are more CBS TV series fall premiere dates, essentially launching the week of Oct. 4 (ex. 60 Minutes, Survivor and Amazing Race, which will debut in late September), and CBS says farewell to its Monday 8 p.m. sitcom block.

• Mark your calendars on Sept. 13 for the debut of 60 Minutes, the first Sunday of the NFL.

AND: Here are your ABC fall premiere dates . . . which are pretty spread out from mid-September to mid-October.

OH: Johnny Depp reduced his payday to about $5M for his first studio movie in 8 years with PAR’s Ebenezer, instead opting for a bigger cut of revenues, according to the NY Times. The Times takes a look at Depp’s first real debut back in the public eye at last weekend’s Comic-Con in San Diego, the first time he’s made a massive splash since his noteworthy time on the courtroom stage.

FINALLY:

Thanks to Robert Fishman from MOFFETTNATHANSON for giving the Wall Street analyst perspective on the PSKY ticking fee, the state of NETFLIX stock and the NBCU business in my summer podcasting endeavor.

AND: To Sean Fennessey of THE RINGER for joining me to give some thoughtful context on where Christopher Nolan’s career is at with these Odyssey numbers — as well as Alan Ritchson‘s future prospects at the box office.

---

💻 The Media Biz