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My last newsletter sparked a lot of feedback on social media as well as in email.
I apparently annoyed NY Post columnist Charles Gasparino, who took a shot at me on X (see below). FWIW, he is definitely not familiar with the concept that you should punch down.
I also heard from a number of other reporters and media analysts, and the reactions ranged from “You shouldn’t pick a fight, it looks bad,” to “Good job, they deserve it.” Honestly, I wasn’t trying to cause trouble. But as someone who is independent and isn’t concerned with annoying potential advertisers, it felt like something I am well equipped to do.
I also heard from someone with a great deal of TV ratings expertise, who passed along this feedback on my questions about the ratings for USA Network’s Anna Pigeon:
Looks like 1the show from eight years ago is The Purge which premiered on both USA and Syfy. The USA run alone did just beat out the three network total for Anna Pigeon. However even if we compare USA-only numbers, which is 1.61M for Anna Pigeon, it is still the highest scripted drama in 8 years, as The Purge is still the most recent higher title.
So while they are trying to have their cake and eat it too - by summing to the highest number and making the 8-year claim - it comes across as bogus but actually it’s pretty legit (I didn't expect that)
Also your point about the cable bundle is a bit off. It is "accurate" to compare to 8 years ago and, in fact, its brave because it puts the current show at a big disadvantage, so for them to actually have a legit claim here makes a bigger statement about Anna Pigeon. If anything is "inaccurate" its that the numbers now are using Big Data and eight years ago is not. There is no great way around that though.
That is really helpful and if any of you ever have a comment, feedback or news tip, you can reply directly to this newsletter or email me at [email protected]. I’ll consider anything you tell me off-the-record unless you tell me otherwise.
And this is a fitting opportunity to remind you that if you value my independent journalism and would like to invest in the newsletter, an annual paid subscription is a modestly priced $40. You can also buy me a coffee or two here, if that is easier.
Tomorrow, I am writing about dog movies…..
No, Really David Ellison Wants To Negotiate. The Details Are Just A Bit Murky
On Friday, Paramount (A Skydance Corporation) sent out a press release touting the nearly 70 countries worldwide who have approved the company’s plans to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.
The press release also includes a statement from David Ellison complaining the 12 state AGs who filed a lawsuit to block the merger refuse to negotiate.:
Paramount urges these 12 State AGs to engage with us in good faith, as we have repeatedly sought to do, to resolve this litigation and clear the way to bring these two companies together. “While we remain confident that the law and the facts are on our side, we have offered commitments and concessions and remain open to working constructively with the State AGs to find a path forward in the interest of our employees and the creative community in California and across the world – just as we have with the regulators in 68 countries worldwide,” said Ellison.
Rather than support a stronger Hollywood and deliver tangible commitments to invest in for the benefit of labor, talent and other industry participants, the current path the 12 State AGs are on inflicts harm without benefit to their own constituents.
The unwarranted eight-plus month additional delay for a trial beyond the engagement of the last 9 months will impose needless costs from penalty fees, litigation expenses and business disruption. As a business with many stakeholders, including pension and state retirement funds, Paramount is required to consider how it can absorb the unnecessary additional financial costs while preserving the longer-term strength of the combined company. The better path would be to resolve this through a settlement that would serve the interests of workers, consumers and the consumers in each of the 12 states.
The press release prompted quite a few “David Ellison Says The State AGs Won’t Negotiate” headlines, along with quite a few pieces arguing that the lawsuit will take too long, and that “Hollywood Needs To Get Back To Work.”
But none of the coverage mentioned any specifics about what Ellison wanted to negotiate about.
From what I can tell - based on unsourced comments from people “familiar with Ellison’s thinking” - he seems to be wanting to negotiate on things such as how many movies the combined companies will make, theatrical windows and his commitment to keeping the two companies based in California.
You’ll notice what isn’t mentioned -the spinning off of various parts of the combined companies in order to win approval from the state AGs. Because Ellison can’t afford to do that.
Even if he wanted to spin off CNN, there is no guarantee anyone would want to pay a fair price. The truth is he can’t spin off CNN, because that channel is arguably the most valuable network Paramount would own. And you can’t expect to use the breadth of the combined cable TV portfolio to bludgeon live TV platforms into submission during carriage negotiations if you are spinning off the biggest cable network you have.
And he certainly can’t agree to somehow separate the two movie studios or not drastically cut back-end employees. That is a big part of what makes this proposal theoretically profitable in the long run.
The truth is that David Ellison doesn’t have a lot of cards to play in a negotiation over merger terms. All he can do is offer up some small assets that won’t have any perceptible impact on the consumers or the entertainment industry. And promise to increase production while somehow also cutting $6 billion worth of spending from the combined company.
And honestly, if your biggest argument for a merger is “if we don’t complete the merger, then we may go out of business,” then if anything, that’s really another reason not to allow the merger to take place. Because if your company is already so weakened you are concerned about its future as a standalone business, then allowing you to combine with a larger company that could make it alone sounds like a bad idea for consumers, investors and the entertainment industry at large.
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The Battle Between Influencers And The Entertainment Press Is Real
I’ve previously written about the tension about the difference in access given to the entertainment press by the various streamers versus the access given to people seen as influencers. It’s increasingly common to see small events happen with influencers receiving access to the various show creatives while the entertainment press is only given red carpet access and sometime not even that much.
Which is why I was amused to see this very passive-aggressive comment in Deadline about Netflix’s End Of Summer Bash Event, which notably didn’t include invitations to the traditional entertainment press outlets:
In what could be looked at as a response to Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest at the end of June at Nya Studios, the streamer trotted out talent from films dating as early as 2018 like Sierra Burgess Is A Loser and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before alongside the main trio of stars of My Life With the Walter Boys on a small red carpet of which Deadline was not a part beyond filming arrivals.
Hey, I feel you.
Charles Gasparino Is Mad At Me
In my Friday newsletter, I talked about not wanting to be seen as a journalist that is regularly used to funnel information to the public in service of a particular person or individual.
NY Post columnist Charles Gasparino took offense to my point of view and took a shot at me on X:
And this was my response. Which I thought was respectful, but made my point of view clear:
I would never say Gasparino or other reporters receiving regular leaks from Paramount are bad reporters. In fact, most of them are being used as Ellison whisperers because they are considered good reporters.
I never even suggested the “inside” perspective was wrong, although I’ll just say that every reporter gets things wrong sometimes.
But I think readers should be aware of a reporter’s bias in the same way you should whether or not your financial advisor has a friendly relationship with a company whose stock they are recommending.
Context and perspective matter. And arrogantly answering questions about your reporting that I didn’t ask isn’t going to make readers any more confident in your ability to be unbiased.
I Don’t Think This Is Going To End Well
Odds & Sods
VisionQuest premieres Wednesday, October 14th on Disney+. The series picks up the story of Vision after the events of WandaVision and Agatha All Along. Here is a look at the trailer.
Marvel’s Spidey & His Amazing Friends has been renewed for a seventh season by Disney Jr. and Disney+. Season five debuted last month, season six is set to debut in 2027, followed by season seven in 2028.
The special Spidey and the Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! premieres Thursday, September 24th on Disney Jr.
Season Two of Ashoka premieres Wednesday, January 20th, 2027 on Disney+. Here is a first look at the trailer.
MTV has renewed RuPaul’s Drag Race for season nineteen, along with the companion series RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked. Paramount+ has renewed RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars for twelfth season , as well as its companion series RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: Untucked.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH, 2026:
Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration (ABC/Disney+)
Home Safe (Lifetime)
Lanterns Series Premiere (HBO)
MONDAY, AUGUST 17TH, 2026:
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season Eighteen Premiere (FX/FXX)
Lion (NatGeo)
Little Singles Season Finale (TLC)
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys Season Three Finale (Bravo)
The 1% Club Season Three Finale (Prime Video)
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