Ellison’s AI vision: test 15-20 cuts of a movie before release
The Ankler’s Erik Barmack reports that David Ellison told a March finance conference AI could let Paramount make 15 to 20 versions of a film, test audience reaction, then pick the winner, with Skydance carrying $80 billion in debt.
New studies show Hispanic viewers lean free, ad-supported streaming
Digiday’s Tim Peterson reports that Nielsen and Horowitz Research studies show Hispanic audiences’ share of streaming watch time roughly matches their share of the U.S. population, while still watching significant traditional TV, with free ad-supported services preferred over paid subscriptions.
WNBA playoffs post most-watched first round ever at 1.3M viewers
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that the WNBA’s first-round playoffs averaged 1.3 million viewers across ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and USA Network, the most-watched first round ever.
Lumen: cumulative attention beats frequency 8x on brand lift
The Media Leader’s Jack Benjamin reports that Lumen Research, with Amazon Ads and Cint, studied 270 streaming campaigns and found cumulative attention is 8x more predictive of brand lift than frequency, with four thresholds set for awareness, favourability, consideration and purchase intent.
Skydance CEOs split duties, defend $30B-$40B content spend amid $79B debt
Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva reports that David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz held their first press conference as Skydance co-CEOs, dividing responsibilities between creative strategy and day-to-day operations.
Omnicom Media partners with Rembrand on in-content streaming ads
Digiday’s Michael Bürgi reports that Omnicom Media has partnered with Rembrand to let brands identify, plan and activate in-content placements across premium streaming inventory, using Rembrand’s AI-driven VISTA platform.
Skydance leads TV ad share at 21%, but market stays stagnant
MediaPost’s Wayne Friedman reports that Skydance launches with a leading 21% share of U.S.
Ellison pledges original bets at newly merged Skydance-Warners
The Hollywood Reporter’s Aaron Couch reports that David Ellison, fresh off closing the $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal, said Skydance will outspend Disney and Netflix on content and still back original films like Sinners despite $80 billion in debt.
Repurposed creator content is becoming the new TV ad format
MediaPost’s Stadium Rules argues that brands should build CTV and TV spots from existing creator and social assets rather than commissioning new shoots, pairing authentic creator footage with brand B-roll and a television-grade edit. EMarketer projects U.S.
Sinclair launches national news brand on Substack
Axios’s Sara Fischer reports that Sinclair is launching The National Press, a subscription news brand on Substack built from reporting by its roughly 1,200 journalists across 60 local newsrooms.
Skydance CEOs warn of layoffs, $6B in cuts after WBD deal closes
TheWrap’s Lucas Manfredi reports that Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz told staff at their first town hall to expect “difficult decisions” as the company targets $6 billion in cost savings over three years following the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger close.
Fox News’ ratings lead over CNN and MS NOW hits an all-time high
Axios’ Sara Fischer reports that Fox News, turning 30, averaged 1.69 million total-day viewers last year versus 551,000 for MS NOW and 432,000 for CNN.
Chili’s, Disney, Alaska Air detail deeper, longer-term creator deals
Marketing Dive’s Peter Adams reports that at Advertising Week New York, marketers from Chili’s, Disney and Alaska Airlines described creators moving from campaign add-ons to central drivers of creative strategy.
UK ad-supported streaming overtakes all other TV viewing, Roku finds
Advanced Television reports that Roku’s first VOD Evolution study finds ad-supported streaming now accounts for 52 per cent of all UK TV viewing, with streamers watching 14 of their 26 weekly hours through BVoD, ad-supported SVoD, or FAST.
Disney+ ad tier tops 4,000 EMEA brands, UK revenue up 80%
Advanced Television’s Nik Roseveare reports that Disney Advertising used its UK Upfront event in London to reveal more than 4,000 brands have advertised on Disney+ across EMEA since the ad tier launched in 2023.
Skydance’s debt gets tied to shaky AI-investment markets on day one
The Ankler’s Sean McNulty reports that as the Paramount-Skydance deal closed and its stock began trading as SKYD, Wall Street linked the company’s fortunes to volatile AI investment markets, reviving interest in credit default swaps, even though Skydance has no direct data center exposure.
Skydance’s firing of WB film chiefs signals war on ‘originals’
The Ankler’s Richard Rushfield reports that Skydance’s dismissal of Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, officially blamed on overspending, actually reveals a broader shift against greenlighting original movies rather than branded, franchise-driven IP.
Netflix’s ‘Unabomber’ tops weekly charts with 24.9 million views
TheWrap’s Kayla Cobb reports that Janus Metz Pedersen’s crime drama “Unabomber,” starring Jacob Tremblay and Shailene Woodley, led Netflix’s English-language movie chart with 24.9 million views for the week of September 28.
Puck weighs whether Shawn Levy’s Disney overall deal pays off
Puck’s Julia Alexander examines Shawn Levy’s new overall deal with Disney against the backdrop of the Peak TV-era arms race that produced nine-figure pacts for Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy and others.
Ankler, MIPCOM Cannes to give creator Dhar Mann new entertainment award
The Ankler reports that CEO Janice Min will present the inaugural Future of Entertainment Award, created with MIPCOM CANNES, to Dhar Mann on Oct. 11. The award kicks off The Ankler’s Future of Entertainment 25 list, publishing Oct. 12.
‘East of Eden’ tops Netflix chart with weakest No. 1 debut since March
Deadline’s Peter White reports that Zoe Kazan’s Florence Pugh-led Steinbeck adaptation topped Netflix’s weekly chart with 6.5 million views, its lowest No. 1 opening since One Piece’s 5.9 million in late March, though Netflix touted top-ten rankings in 80 countries.
Doug Shapiro: AI agents will decide what gets watched, not distributors
The Mediator’s Doug Shapiro argues that as consumers delegate search and discovery to AI chatbots and agents like Meta’s Muse, distributors lose even more control over what content gets chosen than they already have.
The Atlantic’s CEO moonlights as a tech podcast host, straining newsroom ties
Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter reports that Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson has built a personal podcast, Most Interesting Thing, booking guests like OpenAI’s Sam Altman entirely outside the newsroom he oversees.