Shows / Ankler Agenda
Ankler Agenda
"Ankler Agenda" breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment. The show is hosted by Elaine Low, author of Ankler Media’s popular “Series Business” Substack newsletter, who is joined weekly by her colleagues Sean McNulty (“The Wakeup”) and Natalie Jarvey (“Like & Subscribe”) -- in addition to Richard Rushfield, the Ankler himself. Episodes will also be available every Thursday on YouTube.
Episodes
Ankler AgendaDisney’s Endless Layoffs: What’s D’Amaro’s Plan?
Last month, when asked about Disney’s seemingly endless rounds of layoffs, Dana Walden called it an “exaggeration” to suggest the company was cutting jobs…
Ankler AgendaWho Can Save Netflix Films? Richard Rushfield Has Two Names
How do you solve a problem like Netflix Film, and who is best positioned to figure it out? “As currently constructed, it’s an impossible job,” Richard…
Ankler AgendaNetflix Hits Every Panic Button. Now What?
To hear Ted Sarandos tell it, things are going great at Netflix. “Our business and our business flywheel are working,” the co-CEO said on this week’s earnings…
Ankler AgendaSteve Hilton on Hollywood’s Future: ‘We Cannot Let It Collapse’
Steve Hilton has been talking with David Ellison, Ted Sarandos and Trump Hollywood ambassador Jon Voight about how to bring production back to California. And…
Ankler AgendaDavid Ellison’s Promise to Outspend Netflix and Disney
David Ellison has an ambitious pitch for Hollywood: Skydance will spend more on content than Netflix or Disney, crank out roughly 190 series and 30 movies a…
Ankler AgendaKreiz In, Bloys Wins: Paramount’s Head-Spinning New Order
The new Paramount is taking shape fast. On the eve of the Warner Bros. deal concluding, David Ellison is bringing in fresh blood — and bloodletting. Former…
Ankler AgendaMike Schur: Paramount-WBD Is a ‘Nightmare Scenario’
Mike Schur calls Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. a “nightmare scenario” for Hollywood — and now that David Ellison has cleared the biggest obstacle to…
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Emergency Pod! Paramount-WBD Chaos: The Settlement, the Layoffs, the Superstreamer
So after months of big talk about only settling for structural remedies, i.e., selling off assets, what did California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the 11…
Ankler Agenda1,000 Sony Hacks at Once? Hollywood’s AI Doomsday
A dire warning from Anthropic and OpenAI that increasingly autonomous AI agents could launch cyberattacks – or worse – has an especially chilling implication…
Ankler AgendaWho’ll Save the Film Industry? France Is Trying
Inside President Macron’s summit, where Ted Sarandos, Dana Walden and Hollywood power players attended — very quietly French President Emmanuel Macron summoned…
Ankler AgendaStudios Ghost the Film Festivals; Trump's Hollywood Rescue Plan
It wasn’t long ago when studios took the biggest jewels of their fall slates — the Gravitys and Jokers and First Mans — to the Venice Film Festival to kick off…
Ankler AgendaYouTube’s Netflix Death Match Levels Up
Hollywood’s newest talent war isn’t over movie stars. For years, YouTube was treated as a “farm league,” in Ted Sarandos‘ words — a place where talent dreamt…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: ‘Sleep in the Bed They Made’: Bonta Fires Back as Paramount Talks Collapse
So much for détente. California Attorney General Rob Bonta canceled Monday’s planned meeting with Paramount after accusing the company of leaking — and…
Ankler AgendaHayden Panettiere’s Child-Star Tragedy; Bonta on Paramount ‘Playing Cute’
Hayden Panettiere worked in Hollywood since she was 11 months old, and by the time Heroes made her a household name at 16, she was already navigating the…
Ankler AgendaPrivate Equity Has Billions Ready for Hollywood. Who Gets It?
“Everyone has dry powder for sports,” Ashley Cullins heard while reporting her recent look at the private equity firms circling Hollywood. It’s a truism Bob…
Ankler AgendaHow Zendaya & Tom Holland Won Summer; Ellison on the Defensive
It’s been a while since Hollywood has seen a power couple quite like Zendaya and Tom Holland. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, the newlyweds…
Ankler AgendaThe Waiting Game at WBD; SpaceX’s L.A. Mansion Rush
What a difference a month makes. With Paramount’s bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery now in limbo, 35,000 Warners staffers have plenty of time to reconsider…
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BONUS EP: California AG Rob Bonta on the Coming Paramount Trial: 'We're Not Talking Settlement'
What could Paramount Skydance do to make a dozen attorneys general drop their lawsuit against the Warner Bros. Discovery merger? Sell off CNN? Paramount…
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BONUS EP: Paramount’s Looming Debt Bomb — With Analyst Robert Fishman
David Ellison may be calling Paramount’s agreement to delay its $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition a “significant win.” Wall Street appears less…
Ankler AgendaWhy A24 Wants Letterboxd — and the Impossible ‘Odyssey’ Ticket
Who’s buying Letterboxd? The social media platform, prized for its Gen Z audience and movie fan bona fides, is on the market for a rumored $250 million — with…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Rob Bonta: How We Plan to Kill the Paramount-WBD Deal
States, 1. Paramount, 0. The $111 billion Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger has hit its first real wall after a coalition of 12 states won a temporary…
Ankler AgendaThe Case Against Paramount-Warner — From the People Fighting It
It’s a bad week for David Ellison, with Paramount Skydance facing two concurrent lawsuits seeking to block its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Netflix’s Next Deal? Spotify Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Welcome to Netflix’s hard pivot. Faced with lagging engagement from its users and signs of audience disinterest in some of its top shows between seasons…
Ankler AgendaNolan’s ‘Odyssey,’ Taylor Swift’s Wedding & the Summer of Spectacle
Monoculture may not be dead after all — it just needed Taylor Swift in a wedding dress and Christopher Nolan in IMAX. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie…
Ankler AgendaThe Books Hollywood Is Obsessed With This Summer
Books run on word-of-mouth. So what are the people who shape what gets made, watched, read and bought reading? Elaine Low, Natalie Jarvey and Sean McNulty dig…
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BONUS EP: Comcast Is Leaving Hollywood. What Now for NBCU?
Another Monday, another huge deal in Hollywood. Two weeks ago, Fox Corp. announced its intentions to acquire Roku for $22 billion. Now, it’s Comcast’s turn —…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: What Is Cannes Lions — and Why YouTube vs. Netflix Was All the Talk
Oprah flew in to close deals, FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade came to talk up his investment in creator-led programming and even the Teletubbies arrived, ready…
Ankler AgendaThe World Cup’s Streaming Cash Machine
Leave it to the U.S. sports-TV machine to turn three-minute hydration breaks at the FIFA World Cup — a new feature to prevent players from collapsing in the…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Roku’s Charlie Collier on Fox Deal & Beating Big Tech for Ad Dollars
At Cannes Lions, the exec tells Ankler CEO Janice Min how the hardware behemoth became a streaming empire — 'We really do have almost Super Bowl-size audiences…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: The Nithya Raman Interview: ‘Let’s Celebrate Making Things in L.A. Again’
Los Angeles mayoral candidate and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is acutely aware of what’s at stake as local Hollywood production craters —…
Ankler AgendaWould You Rather: Spend $18B on Shows or $22B on Roku?
Would you rather spend $18 billion a year on content like Netflix does, or $22 billion once to buy the remote? That’s the bet Fox Corp. is making with its…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Sean McNulty & Peter Kafka on Fox Buying Roku and What it All Means
Nothing like a $22 billion deal to start a week, as Fox was revealed as the mystery buyer for the Roku business — furthering Lachlan Murdoch’s company’s…
Ankler AgendaThe New Podcast Wars: Streaming Now
It’s a deal that would have been unimaginable a decade ago — maybe even two years ago. But last month, motivational speaker and On Purpose host Jay Shetty…
Ankler AgendaA24’s ‘Backrooms’ and the Rise of YouTube Filmmakers
“I would not be feeling good right now if I was sitting in my corner office over at Disney after this weekend,” one source tells Like & Subscribe’s Natalie…
Ankler AgendaCan L.A.’s Next Mayor Save Hollywood?
Angelenos are on the clock. The Los Angeles mayoral election is set for June 2, and even those who don’t live in SoCal should pay close attention to the…
Ankler AgendaSpidey, Nolan, Spielberg — Hot Movie Summer Is Here
The summer box office is already popping, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael raking in millions before Memorial Day — and with new movies coming from…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Markiplier, M3GAN and the Scary-Smart Business of Horror
People still want to be scared out of their minds together, and Atomic Monster president Michael Clear, M3GAN writer Akela Cooper and YouTuber-turned-filmmaker…
Ankler AgendaTV’s YouTube Era Wags the Upfronts’ Dog
It’s the end of Upfronts week, better known as Hollywood’s annual pilgrimage to woo Madison Ave. Formerly about broadcast TV schedules, Upfronts has become a…
Ankler AgendaDisney's Super App Era Arrives. What Does It Mean?
Quarterly earnings season isn’t just MBA word salad. Earnings calls are where Hollywood’s biggest companies tell Wall Street what matters most — and where…
Ankler AgendaThe Fight For Wasserman Intensifies
The agency formerly known as Wasserman — made infamous in recent months by founder Casey Wasserman’s flirtatious emails with Jeffrey Epstein accomplice…
Ankler AgendaL.A.’s Mayoral Race Becomes a Fight for Hollywood Jobs
The entertainment industry’s economic and existential tailspin is playing out on the political stage, as Los Angeles’ mayoral candidates curry favor with the…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: The TV Chiefs Who See Microdramas As the Future
Everyone talks about taking big swings again, but few Hollywood execs feel like they’re actually in a position to do it — without fearing for their jobs. But…
Ankler AgendaThe Merger Drama That Won’t Stay in Vegas
During Warner Bros.’ supersized CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas, the studio’s sale to Paramount went unmentioned — even as it touted a theatrical slate…
Ankler AgendaThe WGA’s Surprise Deal — SAG and DGA, You’re Up
The tentative deal between the Writers Guild and Hollywood’s major studios has quelled fears of another strike — all while shaking up the major guilds’…
Ankler AgendaNo Jobs, No Ladder, No Relief — Except, For Some, a Cigarette
Sean Penn, puffing away inside the Beverly Hilton at the Golden Globes. Kylie Jenner, with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth, on the cover of Vanity Fair…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: ‘Silicon Valley’ Creators: Tech Bros ‘Don’t Give a Flying F--- About Humanity’
Silicon Valley was supposed to be satire. In 2026, it plays more like a warning. In a look back on the iconic 2010s HBO comedy, co-creator Mike Judge and exec…
Ankler AgendaDisney’s ‘Bachelorette’ Mess Gets Messier
Casting Taylor Frankie Paul on The Bachelorette was supposed to revive the wilting franchise. Instead, a 2023 video of Paul attacking her ex-boyfriend…
Ankler Agenda27 Cable Channels. How Many Survivors?
Here’s the irony: Even in the age of streaming, about 85 percent of profits from a merged Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros. Discovery still would come from…
Ankler AgendaOscar Week: Prestige and Panic
“It’s a crazy irony that your reward for incredible artistic success in modern Hollywood is that you then get to lay off a bunch of your employees,” Prestige…
Ankler AgendaThe Paramount-Warners Plan They Won’t Say Out Loud
Talk about whiplash: A week ago, a Netflix–Warner Bros. deal looked likely. Turns out, the winning combo may be… Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery…
Ankler AgendaParamount vs. Netflix: Your Big Questions Answered
Just how much longer can the Netflix vs. Paramount merger madness go on? (Cue the eye rolls.) Paramount made a fresh $31-per-share offer to acquire Warner…
Ankler AgendaHollywood Is Back on Strike Watch
What are the odds of another Hollywood strike in 2026? The answer to who has more leverage — the guilds or the studios — may surprise you. With AI, healthcare…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: ‘Us Weekly’ to City Hall? Spencer Pratt Makes His Case to Janice Min
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…
Ankler AgendaThe Epstein Files Hit Hollywood
“So what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?” Casey Wasserman — founder of the Wasserman Agency, chair of the LA28 Olympic Committee, and…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: Who Made ‘Heated Rivalry’ Possible? The Exec Who Greenlit the Hit Tells All
Bell Media President Sean Cohan tells The Ankler’s Elaine Low onstage at NATPE Global/Realscreen Summit in Miami about the pitch process for ‘Heated Rivalry,’…
Ankler AgendaWhite Smoke Over Space Mountain: Disney Crowns Josh D’Amaro
Disney finally did it: Bob Iger has a successor. Parks chief Josh D’Amaro is taking the throne, with runner-up Dana Walden annexing more territory at the Mouse…
Ankler AgendaBONUS EP: 'MeidasTouch' CEO Ben Meiselas on Building an Anti-Trump Pod Empire in the Age of 'Fascism'
'MeidasTouch' podcaster and progressive media exec Ben Meiselas joins Like & Subscribe's Natalie Jarvey for a fiery discussion of the risks and new rules for…
Ankler AgendaDisney’s CEO Race: Down to the Buzzer
Disney CEO Bob Iger is ready to abdicate the throne. Again. Six years after Iger first stepped down as CEO, and 38 months after he regained control of Disney…
Ankler AgendaWhat ‘Heated Rivalry’ Reveals About Minting Stars
Meryl, Leo, Scarlett, Zendaya — every generation produces its breakout stars. But minting the next one has never been harder amid the collapse of monoculture…
Ankler AgendaHollywood’s New Gamble: Interactive TV Goes All In
Nothing stirred more outrage at the Golden Globes than the integration of prediction market (read: betting platform) Polymarket in the telecast — Katey Rich…