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Hollywood's biggest night is more than a spectacle — it's a stress test for an industry in freefall. Janice Min, CEO of The Ankler, joins Rapid Response to break down her Oscars predictions and what the show's upcoming move to YouTube signals about the future of mainstream media. Min also unpacks the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal that caught everyone off guard, what David Ellison's arrival really means for Hollywood, and why a viral AI video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise has the entertainment world more rattled than any box office bomb.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nearly 20 years ago, Spencer Pratt became reality TV infamous on the cover of Us Weekly. In this bonus episode, he sat down with Ankler Media CEO and editor-in-chief Janice Min — the editor who once put him there — to talk about his run for mayor of Los Angeles. Pratt calls Gavin Newsom a “demon” and a “reality star in charge of everything failing.” He slams the city's response to the 2025 wildfires, argues L.A. isn't ready for the Olympics — “not even ready for a USC game," claims he already has a Day One “blacklist” of city officials he'd fire and has sharp words for Hollywood unions and the CEOs who run the studios. It's classic Pratt for those who first met him on MTV's The Hills: provocative, theatrical, and strategically aware of the spotlight. But it's also a reminder that the machinery of fame and the machinery of politics are now fully intertwined. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Ankler's Janice Min and FeedMe founder Emily Sundberg join Mixed Signals for a candid roundtable lookback at a disorienting year in media. They sound off on everything from YouTube's domination, to the Charlie Kirk saga, and the increasingly niche areas of coverage for newsletters. Max and Ben also ask about Substack's evolution, creator economics, and what media moments might be top of mind for 2026. Sign up for Semafor Media's Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media For more from Think with Google, check out ThinkwithGoogle.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @maxwelltani If you have a tip or a comment, please email us mixedsignals@semafor.com
Is Hollywood truly prepared for the existential threat AI poses? The Ankler CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to dissect AI's seismic impact on the entertainment industry — from “synthetic performances” and collapsing production jobs to the buzz around OpenAI's animated film, Critterz. Min also weighs in on the brewing Warner Bros. Discovery bidding war, Netflix's expansion into video podcasts, and Disney's high-stakes standoff with YouTube.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On the ground at Cannes Lions, Janice Min and Natalie Jarvey join Elaine Low to break down the big Rumble(s) on the Riviera. First up: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan fired back at Netflix's Ted Sarandos in Janice's newsmaking interview (come for the fight, stay for the sports, pod and AI talk); then it was all those creators stealing the thunder (and money) from traditional celebrities as they sped-dated with brands amid a historical shift in ad spend. Plus: Is “authenticity” the most overused word of the era?; a spicy moment onstage with Alex Cooper; and Amazon and Netflix go back to TV basics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fresh off a successful Memorial Day weekend, fuelled by excitement around Mission Impossible and Lilo & Stitch, Hollywood anticipates a season of surprising blockbusters and bold bets from studios hungry for a hit. The Ankler's CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to peel back the curtain on Disney's gripe with Youtube, Netflix's revamped homepage, and Google's jaw-dropping AI video creator. Plus, Min explores the mounting pressure plaguing Warner Brothers Discovery – from Trump's attacks on 60 Minutes and CBS News, to a rebranding U-turn at HBO Max. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Janice Min joins to talk about building The Ankler into a focused, profitable media brand—and why she believes the future belongs to lean operators, not her past life helming glossy franchises. We talk about her transition from the high-gloss days of The Hollywood Reporter to the scrappy Substack era, the limits of venture capital in media, and how The Ankler is growing through high-impact events and B2B subscriptions. Janice shares lessons from Y Combinator, explains why editorial quality still matters, and reflects on the changing power dynamics in Hollywood.
Storytelling remains fundamental to entertainment. But who tells those stories and how is shifting. A new era of influence revealed itself at The Ankler's just-wrapped Business of Entertainment program, in partnership with NAB Show in Vegas. Execs, creators and stars behind WWE (Nick Khan and Paul “Triple H” Levesque), Tribeca Festival and Sphere (Jane Rosenthal), Universal Music Publishing Group (Jody Gerson), Webtoon (David J. Lee and David Madden) and AI startup Incention (David S. Goyer), among others, took the stage to reveal an optimistic view of opportunity outside the traditional studio system. Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey and Janice Min break it all down. Plus: How Trump's tariffs plague Hollywood. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler or apply to The Ladder, a members-only hub for early career entertainment professionals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the debut of Netflix's With Love, Meghan, longtime royal observer Tina Brown and Ankler Media CEO Janice Min joined forces for a rollicking Substack Live conversation over at Brown's Fresh Hell. Brown and Min appraise the Duchess of Sussex's new career act (“always brilliantly behind the curve,” says Brown), debrief on the Academy Awards and Demi Moore, and analyze Conan O'Brien's onstage nod to film craft that gave Hollywood “a real shot in the arm,” Min says. Plus: Why NYC's 10 percenters are still all in on Trump and Elon Musk. “They love what he's doing,” says Brown. “When billionaires get together, all they talk about is how many people they want to fire.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Oscars aren't just about filmmaking—they're a real-time look at the culture, business, and power plays shaping Hollywood and larger entertainment industry. The Ankler CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to unpack the night's biggest turning points — including how Sean Baker's Anora proved that low-budget filmmaking can outrun major studios, why Hollywood is more afraid of political controversy than ever, and how livestreaming is factoring in the streamers wars, one Hulu glitch at a time.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Oscars aren't just about filmmaking — they're a real-time look at the culture, business, and power plays shaping Hollywood and larger entertainment industry. The Ankler CEO Janice Min returns to Rapid Response to unpack the night's biggest turning points — including how Sean Baker's Anora proved that low-budget filmmaking can outrun major studios, why Hollywood is more afraid of political controversy than ever, and how livestreaming is factoring in the streamers wars, one Hulu glitch at a time.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The New York Times gave author Michael Wolff's new book a glowing review, but President Donald Trump disagrees, calling it a “total FAKE JOB, just like the other JUNK he wrote.” As with Wolff's three earlier books about the president, All or None is filled with juicy tidbits with fly-on-the-wall accounts from the chaos inside Trump's orbit. In unsparing words, he talks to Janice Min about woeful Democrats, Elon Musk, Melania, media's current panic and the threatening phone call he received from Trumpworld. Read the interview in an abridged Q&A format here. Subscribe to The Ankler for more entertainment and media news here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Veteran fashion editor, stylist, and author Sasha Charnin Morrison and Tamara sit down to get granular on fashion then and now. From magazine jobs to signature style, fashion experts and fashion week, the pair pick apart what it took (and takes) to rise to the top in fashion and in publishing – and more.When you think about your time at Vanity Fair, what story comes to mind? Learning on the job. The exclusive editorial positions at fashion magazines. You have worked with the most talented people in the business, who stands out in your mind? Talking Mirabella, Liz Tilberis, Paul Cavaco, Janice Min. Fashion shows and the 90's fashion scene in Paris. What is lacking in fashion content? What do you think makes for a great fashion editor or style expert now?Discover more + Shop The Podcast:Secrets Of Stylists by Sasha Charnin MorrisonSimone Rocha Ruffle Detail ParkaNorma Kamali Kenny JumpsuitThe Frye Company Campus Boot in silverChanel Sycomore Eau de ParfumLaura Geller Kajal Longwear Eyeliner in Deep BlackAbout-Face Smoke Stick in Smoking Gun
In this conversation, the CEO and founder of The Ankler, Janice Min, discusses the rapid growth of their “hit Hollywood newsletter,” the importance of quality content to today's readers and the evolving dynamics of the entertainment industry. Min emphasizes the significance of building a strong editorial team, the rise of the creator economy and the need for media to adapt to changing audience preferences. She reflects on her career learnings in the entertainment biz and the passion and dedication required to succeed as journalists in today's volatile media landscape. Convo Highlights Paid subscriptions for media are increasingly valued by audiences. The Ankler has grown rapidly since its inception, focusing on quality content that lives behind a paywall. Quality over quantity is essential in content creation.The entertainment industry is constantly undergoing significant disruption and change, from national crises to key players in the streaming space.The creator economy is a vital and independent sector of the media landscape, increasingly gaining momentum in Hollywood. The Ankler recently launched Like & Subscribe, a newsletter solely dedicated to the influence of creators in the entertainment industry. campaignlive.com What we know about advertising, you should know about advertising. Start your 1-month FREE trial to Campaign US.
One sure precursor to any Golden Age in Hollywood? A long fallow period preceding it, not unlike the one we've been in. Now, with a spec market for originals coming back to life, and fresh opportunities for producers and writers to make money through YouTube, branded content, podcasts and yes, AI, Sean McNulty, Elaine Low, Richard Rushfield and Janice Min take stock of where the industry is heading in 2025 with cautious optimism. Plus: The gang dissects the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni smear campaign revelations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In case you missed it, excerpts from recent interviews: Brandcenter chief Vann Graves on the lessons of earned media and Election 2024; true crime bestseller T.J. English on his latest, The Last Kilo; Hollywood insider Janice Min on cable TV's last stand.
Veteran media exec Janice Min -- now CEO of The Ankler -- on Hollywood's post-streaming-binge austerity: tanked share prices; creative risk aversion; slashed budgets, cable wires and expense accounts...and the resulting opportunity for focused upstarts.
Ratings are down 40 percent, Morning Joe's hosts are being ridiculed and the network's anchors and shows are soon to be ruthlessly reshuffled. Turns out it's time for MSNBC to take its $125 million “ratings Viagra.” Ankler contributor Lachlan Cartwright joins Sean McNulty, Elaine Low and Janice Min to discuss his scoopy, blockbuster about MSNBC, Rachel Maddow's pay cut and who's likely to be on air and off (even before Comcast spins-out the channel). Plus: Richard Rushfield's exclusive on the Attorney General's investigation into the not-yet-closed deal to buy the Golden Globes and what it could mean for CBS' broadcast. Transcript here. For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler or apply to The Ladder, a new members-only hub for early career entertainment professionals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 2024 election cycle is finally over – so, what's coming to your screens next? Today, Ben and Nayeema dissect what the media learned from 2024 and where we go from here. They first chat to Max Tani about the news media, and then sit down with Ankler Media's Janice Min – who has been reporting on (and embedded in) Hollywood culture for decades. The conversation tackles whether politics and art stay linked or divorce, if Donald Trump will wake up “wokeism” again or if Americans will turn to escapism … and why TV is chasing the “gourmet cheeseburger.” Importantly: This is our last episode of season 1 and we want your feedback! Please email us with what you've liked, not liked and want more of for season 2. We're at bsmith@semafor.com and nayeema@semafor.com. Find us on X: @semaforben, @nayeema, @maxwelltani or on instagram.com/nayeemaraza Sign up for Semafor Media's Sunday newsletter: https://www.semafor.com/newsletters/media
Janice Min interviews Tina Brown, a sharp observer of the seismic social changes that have led to our chaotic new politics, in a wide-ranging and often hilarious conversation about the journalists impressing her, the frustrating state of cable news punditry, what celebrity she'd put on the cover of a magazine in 2024, her maternal rage after Trump supporters ridiculed Gus Walz, and Harry and Meghan (buckle up for one big anvil drop of ouch). That's on top of a lot of talk about Trump, Harris, Elon Musk and the forces and figures driving our anxiety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At its peak, Vice had a valuation of $5.7 billion, two shows on HBO, 2,600 employees in more than 30 countries, and was the 10th most valuable private company in America. Its cofounder and CEO, Shane Smith rode the wave of digital media, until it crashed and burned. He talks to Janice Min about what went wrong, if he has regrets and his thoughts on the future of media — which now includes his new podcast, produced with Bill Maher. Read the interview in a Q&A format here. Subscribe to The Ankler for more entertainment and media news here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Shōgun, Hacks, and Baby Reindeer bask in their success at The Emmys, the awards reveal deeper lessons about TV's future. Janice Min, co-founder and CEO of The Ankler, guides us through the key storylines, from Disney to HBO to Netflix. We also dig deep on Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and what it says about the politics of celebrity in 2024 — for stars and for CEOs. Subscribe to the Rapid Response podcast feed: https://listen.rapidresponseshow.com/SubscribeFor more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
While Shōgun, Hacks and Baby Reindeer bask in their success at The Emmys, the awards reveal deeper lessons about TV's future. Janice Min, co-founder and CEO of The Ankler, guides us through the key storylines, from Disney to HBO to Netflix. We also dig deep on Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris and what it says about the politics of celebrity in 2024–for stars and for CEOs. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Hollywood's forays into politics are often elitist, counter-productive, and sometimes just plain cringey. But at the DNC, it wasn't just Kamala Harris and Tim Walz who seemed to nail it, but the entertainment industry as well. Ankler contributor Alison Brower joins Sean McNulty and Janice Min from Chicago, where she explains the vibe shift in Hollywood's approach, the Hollywood producers who put on the show, and the celebrity moments that worked and why. Also: Elaine Low, David Lidsky and Sean dissect the Bronfman vs. Ellison title fight for control of Paramount and how Iger will finally pass the baton at Disney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summer's not so hot at the movie theaters, and the same goes for streaming. Nothing's come close to last year's Barbie-Oppenheimer success, and Janice Min of entertainment news startup Ankler Media can't say she's surprised. Janice vets Hollywood's offerings for the summer entertainment cycle, weighs in on deals from Paramount/Skydance to the astronomical price of NBA rights, and lays out the financial reality for media companies in an age of scrambling for everyone's digital attention.Subscribe to the Rapid Response podcast feed: https://listen.rapidresponseshow.com/SubscribeFor more info, visit: www.rapidresponseshow.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Summer's not so hot at the movie theaters, and the same goes for streaming. Nothing's come close to last year's Barbie-Oppenheimer success, and Janice Min of entertainment news startup Ankler Media can't say she's surprised. Janice vets Hollywood's offerings for the summer entertainment cycle, weighs in on deals from Paramount/Skydance to the astronomical price of NBA rights, and lays out the financial reality for media companies in an age of scrambling for everyone's digital attention. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER— A good editor can, theoretically, edit any magazine, regardless of genre. But in some cases, you need an outsider to make things right. To see the forest for the trees. To that end, Janice Min has planted acres of forests—one tree at a time—on both coasts, where the Colorado-born editor considers herself an outsider.“I cared about almost none of this. I don't care about celebrities or reality stars. It was my job to just think about how to interpret what they were saying and turn that passion into stories. I don't think that the editors always have to be their audience, but I also think, as an editor I was able to be removed from it and glean like, ‘That pops. That's the most important story.'”From Us Weekly, where her instincts led to a massive increase in readership that saved the floundering publication—and likely all of Wenner Media—to The Hollywood Reporter, which was in a death spiral but is now, once again, a widely-respected and well-read industry bible, Min has played a major role in creating what we now call the celebrity-industrial complex, as well as the rise of what became social media and the influencer economy. That's all.Now, as cofounder of Ankler Media, Min is once again rethinking publishing—and celebrity. The company is centered around its newsletter, The Ankler, which bills itself as “the newsletter Hollywood loves to hate—and hates to love” and is currently one of the top three business publications on Substack.—This episode is made possible by our friends at Mountain Gazette, Commercial Type, and Lane Press. Print Is Dead (Long Live Print!) is a production of Magazeum & MO.D ©2021–2024
Earlier this year, Janice Min, CEO of The Ankler, said that she's expecting to hit $10 million in annual revenue in 2025. During a podcast recording with Digiday, Min revised that statement to say, “We have a shot of getting to that number this year.” To do that, Min's team is taking a three-pronged, straightforward approach: Make good content to attract audiences, quality audiences that are attractive to advertisers, and combine those things in-person through events. “I wish we had some AI-generated something that was going to be the thing that rains down millions of dollars on us, but it's really boring,” said Min. “Boring” — or not, it's notable that a media company that launched in January 2022 and covers Hollywood is charting revenue growth at all amid two major film industry strikes as well as a tumultuous period for advertising revenue. On the latest episode of the Digiday Podcast, Min shares how “tune-in” advertising and “for your consideration” advertising have persisted despite the strikes and how The Ankler, born on Substack, has expanded across platforms to become a full-fledged digital media outlet. Get more from Digiday with the daily newsletter, sent out each weekday morning. Visit digiday.com/newsletters to sign up.
Mediaite's Aidan McLaughlin and Diana Falzone speak with Janice Min, the veteran news editor and executive who now runs The Ankler. They discuss a turbulent year for Hollywood, her career turning around the Hollywood Reporter, the uncertain future of the big trades, and what she's doing with The Ankler.
‘Oh Judy, baby.' That's Judy Blume impersonating the many male producers who had approached her decades ago to bring her legendary book about a girl traversing puberty, family and friends to the big screen. She wasn't having it and followed advice from her son: Wait for the girls who grew up with the book to be in power. Enter director Kelly Fremon Craig. In a poignant, fun and revealing conversation, the two women tell the story of how they met, what happened after, and the power of “small” stories, as part of The Ankler's In Conversation series, hosted by Janice Min. For more about the entertainment industry, subscribe to The Ankler at TheAnkler.com/subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Writers and the major studios reached a tentative deal after nearly five months of striking. In the coming days, members of the Writers Guild of America will vote to approve the new contract, which includes pay increases to keep up with streaming and protections around the use of artificial intelligence. Geoff Bennett discussed the deal and the ongoing actors' strike with Janice Min of The Ankler. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra talks to Janice Min about The Woman King's Oscars snub; PlayStation and The Last of Us; the decision to work with Will Smith again, and Spider-Man and Kevin Feige. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
On this week's episode we hear from Janice Min, co-owner and CEO of The Ankler, a newsletter-first media brand covering Hollywood and the world of entertainment. She tells us how The Ankler's revenue streams have evolved over the last twelve months, the potential she sees in lean, newsletter-first businesses, and what lessons she's applying from her time at big-name legacy publications like the Hollywood Reporter. In the news roundup we avoid AI entirely and do a Media Voices 101 episode, going through a wishlist for what we want to see from media companies in the next year. Please look out for our new 'Humanity is pathetic: How do we monetise them?" tshirts in the near future.
It's certainly not the soap opera that went down at Disney, but Netflix's new succession plan might turn out to be just as earth-shaking. Prior to the streamer's Q4 earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings announced Greg Peters, current COO and CPO, as his replacement. Insider's Elaine Low joins hosts Sean McNulty and Janice Min to discuss her reporting on the little-known Peters, breaking down who he is (physics and astrophysics major at Yale, foodie), how he complements co-CEO Ted Sarandos (Peters is unaffected by Hollywood glamour), and what it portends for the world's biggest streamer. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
When Buffalo Bill Daram Hamlin awoke in the hospital following his dramatic medical crisis during Monday Night Football, his first words in the hospital were “Did we win?” On today's pod, Sean McNulty, Richard Rushfield and Janice Min, joined by The Bulwark's Sonny Bunch, contrast the NFL's high-stakes dramas to the deterioration of the public's interest in Hollywood's own competitions: awards shows (of the top 100 most-watched TV broadcasts in 2022, 82 were NFL games; the Oscars were 77th on the list). With the Golden Globes just days away (and likely programmed on Tuesday to no go opposite football), the four discuss the void of anticipation, who and what is owning the public mindshare right now if not for movies and TV, Avatar: The Way of the Water, and if the audience should feel optimistic about movies in this year ahead. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
In recent years, Hollywood embraced the “authorship” principle — the belief that writers and filmmakers best share the “lived experience” of their subjects to be authentic. As relayed by Peter Kiefer, the Ankler contributor whose bombshell Elisabeth Finch interview has rocked the town, the producers of medical soap opera Grey's Anatomy, Shondaland, wholly embraced this belief system. Kiefer explains to hosts Sean McNulty, Janice Min and Tatiana Siegel not only how he ended up with Finch's confessions, but how the current climate may have aided and abetted her staggering series of lies. In five hours of taped interviews, Finch confesses: “It was absolutely dead wrong to do that… Culturally it became cooler if [the pitch] was based on something in reality.” Even if the reality was fiction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Watching the fiasco consuming Twitter, Hollywood might think it's above the madness. But the mood of workers in entertainment feels more like the spiraling social media platform than anyone wants to believe. Amazon is laying off 10,000 people, Roku is cutting 200, John Malone said streaming economics have lead to “blood running down the gutters” and Vice Media seeks to cut 15 percent of its budget — which won't come from “saving paper clips,” says Janice Min, joined by host Sean McNulty. Also: the role of tech-driven economics on Hollywood chaos (10:28), Twitter's Elon Musk-fueled descent (13:46), the future of crypto stories in film and TV (23:41), and Marvel's snowballing franchise fatigue (37:30). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Roku, Lionsgate. Third-quarter earnings reports are all variations on a theme: things are bad. Layoffs are hitting every corner, and streaming “clearly [is] not making money yet and will not for another two years if it even gets to that point for some of these companies,” says host Sean McNulty (30:31), joined by Janice Min, Richard Rushfield and Tatiana Siegel, as the team lays out likely scenarios coming (including the “twin apocalypse” of a recession and a writers guild strike). Ankler contributor Peter Kiefer also joins to dissect Tuesday's election, including a town divided over Rick Caruso v. Karen Bass for mayor and a wild Los Angeles County supervisor race rife with antisemitism allegations (5:10). Also on tap: Jeff Zucker's $1 billion comeback (32:36). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Recession. Ad declines. Subscriber plateaus. The tides continue to shift since the Great Streaming Bubble's implosion of 2022. In the wake of a pessimistic Q3 earnings season, hosts Sean McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield are joined by CNBC media reporter Alex Sherman to break down the town's latest thoughts around David Zaslav (1:35); if Comcast should give up on Peacock (16:30); why Apple didn't discuss Apple TV+ on its earnings call (spoiler: there was likely no good news, 14:59); and if it make sense for Microsoft to acquire Netflix (16:30). Lastly, Sherman hits on Wall Street's confusion around it all: “Wall Street doesn't love mixed messages.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
When Bloomberg's Matt Levine sent an enticing email about “a big thing coming out about crypto in Businessweek,” Recode's Peter Kafka couldn't resist. Turns out, the “big thing” is a 40,000(!) word piece that took over the entire magazine, titled “The Crypto Story." Levine explains why he wrote a 40,000(!) word piece about cryptocurrency, which he thinks is fascinating even if the boom has turned to a bust. Plus some bonus thoughts on the end (?) of the Elon Musk Buys Twitter Saga, and What It All Means. And then, Ankler Media CEO Janice Min talks about Hollywood's favorite thing to read about: Hollywood. In 2021, Min joined Richard Rushfield to expand his Substack newsletter into a full-on media business. Min talks about how running Ankler differs from running The Hollywood Reporter, and what happens when two media journalists hit up Y Combinator for seed capital. Plus, Min reflects on the heyday of the iconic celebrity news magazine Us Weekly, where her role as editor-in-chief meant she was a celebrity who didn't plan on becoming a celebrity. Featuring: Matt Levine (@matt_levine), Reporter for Bloomberg Janice Min (@janicemin), CEO of Ankler Media Host: Peter Kafka (@pkafka), Senior Editor at Recode More to explore: Subscribe for free to Recode Media, Peter Kafka, one of the media industry's most acclaimed reporters, talks to business titans, journalists, comedians, and more to get their take on today's media landscape. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix has released more than 45 films(!) so far in 2022, the majority of which are neither loved by critics nor audience, according to Rotten Tomatoes (and as analyzed film-by-film by host Sean McNulty). Not a single one of the other streamers and studios has reached the same average level of disapproval (for the record, everyone else combined have released a total of 86 films in the same time frame). McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield discuss the quantity vs. quality debate, and if it matters for Netflix, whose Q3 earnings showed subscriber growth. The trio discuss the opposite strategy in play by David Zaslav's Warner Bros. Discovery (see: WBD: What's the Plan column) and why (try to contain your excitement!) not all debt is created equal. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Netflix took a victory lap on Tuesday with its Q3 earnings report that revealed — surprise! —the company beat its revenue forecast (or, as host Sean McNulty likes to say, Netflix underpromised and overdelivered). In a special episode recorded at Advertising Week in New York, McNulty, Janice Min and Richard Rushfield break down the ad tier (9:00); the streamer's 2.4 million subscriber growth stagnating in the U.S., but exploding in Asia (1:09); the company's not-so-subtle roasting of its money-losing competition (5:35); the comeback of Ryan Murphy with Dahmer (6:52) and its dunk on House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power; the streamer's theatrical plans for Glass Onion (12:26), and Netflix's commitment to gaming but not sports (21:57). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Today's podcast is the third of four in our “What the World Watches” audio series recorded at Singapore's APOS conference, for paid subscribers only. You can listen to earlier conversations with Formula 1's Director of Media Rights and Content Creation Ian Holmes here, and Warner Bros. Discovery International President Gerhard Zeiler here. Amazon Prime leads in Japan; Netflix in South Korea; Disney+ in India. Nowhere is the growth opportunity (some might say only opportunity) for American streamers as significant as it is in Asia. But it's not as simple as ordering up more Squid Game. Consigliere to many an entertainment C-suite exec, Vivek Couto, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Media Partners Asia, recently hosted regional players including Amazon's VP, Prime Video International Kelly Day, Netflix's Vice President, Content APAC (ex-India) Minyoung Kim and Uday Shankar, investor with James Murdoch in Viacom18, at the APOS conference in Singapore. From there, he joined hosts Janice Min and The Wakeup's Sean McNulty to discuss what will determine who wins (and how) the most important front of the streaming wars. Among the topics: * The immense scale of opportunity vs. the U.S. and Europe (9:22)* Current misassumptions about the quantity of local content necessary to win (multiple mentions)* Who has first-mover advantage where* Regional players — and potential acquisition targets for American players (multiple mentions)* Sports rights as loss leaders in the region — including cricket (33:14)* The region's wide disparity in ARPU (average revenue per user) (10:58)* Potential for imminent streaming consolidation in the Asian market (43:43) * How Warner Bros. has “one of the best libraries to monetize in…the world” (17:57)A transcript of the conversation is available here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
In lieu of our regular weekly podcast, today's edition is the first of four in our “What the World Watches” audio series from Singapore's APOS conference. Our regular format resumes next week. In five years, Formula 1 has evolved from a rich man's pastime to one of the world's fastest growing sports, thanks in large to Ian Holmes. F1's Director of Media Rights and Content Creation, Holmes struck deals with ESPN (27:44), and Netflix, whose F1 docu-series, Drive to Survive, is renewed for a fifth and sixth season (16:10). In Singapore ahead of F1's flashy Grand Prix, Holmes tells hosts Janice Min and Sean McNulty about what changed at F1 when Liberty Media took ownership (11:48), F1's new deal with China Telecom (13:26), how Drive to Survive — Holmes is an EP — happened, and why gentleman have yet to start their engines on the Brad Pitt-Joseph Kosinski Apple TV+ F1 film nicknamed “Top Gun on Four Wheels” (30:56): “We're working hard on an agreement.” Follow us (and like us!) wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, and on Twitter. Also please subscribe at TheAnkler.com for more podcasts and stories about the entertainment industry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
What does America really want to watch? In recent years, Hollywood has become obsessed with prestige content — the kind, as host Richard Rushfield puts it, that entertainment executives can talk about green-lighting to impress people at dinner parties. Richard, Janice Min, Tatiana Siegel, and The Wakeup's Sean McNulty break down surprising stats that reveal how and why Hollywood became out of touch with so much potential audience (the subject of Entertainment Strategy Guy's “The American Viewer” series), a topic with new urgency as streaming growth in the U.S. plateaus (28:19). Also, Richard and Tatiana check in from the Toronto International Film Festival (05:26), the hosts discuss the MIA marketing heads of streaming (13:04), and Sean lays out the details of Cineworld's unsurprising bankruptcy filing (23:36). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
Following Disney's Q2 earnings call, many headlines declared the company's victory over Netflix as Disney+ subscribers reached 221 million — squeaking ahead of Netflix (at 220.67 million). But in this episode, The Wakeup's Sean McNulty tells Janice Min and Richard Rushfield that, in this case, the numbers don't reveal the whole story (think India, domestic stagnation and revenue per subscriber). The trio also discuss the town's curious changing narrative around Disney chief Bob Chapek, the company's declared break-even point for streaming, and the date the company has circled in its calendar to stop losing money on streaming. All this, plus other juicy tidbits (for those who love data and analysis, that is). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theankler.com/subscribe
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