Strictly Business

By VarietyTV & Film Business

Strictly Business episodes

February 05 Daily Variety -- It's Heigh-Ho Time After Regime Change at Disney; Netflix's Ted Sarandos Survives Grilling in Senate
On today’s episode, host Cynthia Littleton unpacks the big leadership transition news out of Disney and what it means for Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden. Plus, highlights from Ted Sarandos’ politically charged grilling in the Senate as the Netflix co-CEO fights for the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
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21 min
February 02 Daily Variety -- Box Office Monday: 'Melania' Surprises, 'Iron Lung' Soars; Disney's 'Healthy Competition' as CEO Transition Looms
On today episode, in our Box Office segment, Variety's Rebecca Rubin breaks down the weekend numbers with “Melania” surprising, “Send Help” leading and “Iron Lung” setting a new bar for DIY creator films at the multiplexes.
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16 min
January 30 The Real 'Heated Rivalry': The Competitive State of Streaming Originals
Luminate analysts Andrew Wallenstein and Tyler Aquilina break down the Luminate Year-End Film & TV Report 2025, examining the viewership numbers and trends for streaming originals on Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon, Peacock, Disney+ and more.
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28 min
January 29 Daily Variety -- Why NBC is Reviving Pilot Season; Breaking Down Luminate's Year-End Streaming Originals Report
On today’s episode, Variety’s Joe Otterson explains the recent burst of pilot orders at NBC and why the network is returning to a TV tradition. And Luminate’s Andrew Wallenstein gives a preview of Friday’s “Strictly Business” podcast episode, which goes deep on Luminate’s just-released Year-End Film and TV Report tracking viewership of streaming originals across all major platforms.
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18 min
January 28 Daily Variety -- Voices of Sundance With Natalie Portman, Gregg Araki, Daniel Kwan, Judd Apatow and More
On today’s episode, Natalie Portman, Rob Lowe, Daniel Kwan, Kiernan Shipka, Judd Apatow, Salman Rushdie, Gregg Araki and more sound off on industry issues in interviews conducted at Variety’s Sundance Film Festival studio, presented by Audible. Music legends Kim Gordon and Kathleen Hanna also talk about the music business then and now in connection with Tamra Davis’ Sundance doc “The Best Summer.”
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15 min
January 26 Daily Variety -- The Sundance Flu and a Message About Today's Episode
A message from "Daily Variety" host Cynthia Littleton about the episode for Monday, January 26.
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1 min
January 23 AGC Studios Chief Stuart Ford on What the Independent Film Business Needs Now More Than Ever
Stuart Ford, chairman and CEO of AGC Studios and a longtime player in the global movie business, offers a blunt assessment of the problems facing independent film, and he offers thoughts on the adjustments to financial models for production and distribution that would greatly help the sector. Ford explains how AGC has managed to grow over the past seven years with investments in original ideas with commercial potential, and by expanding into television.
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28 min
January 22 Daily Variety -- Investors Fret But Netflix Fights for Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
On today’s episode, Variety’s Todd Spangler breaks down Netflix’s Q4 2025 earnings report and what the numbers reveal about the streamer’s business momentum. And he reads between the lines on what co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters had to say about the status of Netflix’s $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
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14 min
January 21 Daily Variety -- On Oscar Nominations Eve, the Politics and the Receipts for 2025's Top Contenders
On today’s episode, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin and Clayton Davis break down the art, the science and the bottom line of Academy Award nominations and how box office receipts influence film awards season.
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20 min
January 20 Daily Variety -- Sundance Film Festival to Pay Tribute to Robert Redford at its Last Waltz in Park City
On today’s episode, Variety’s Brent Lang, Peter Debruge and Owen Gleiberman discuss getting ready as film pros for the Sundance Film Festival, which begins Jan. 22. These Sundance veterans give us the long-term view of the festival and its profound impact on the film industry as the annual gathering in Park City, Utah prepares for a big move to Boulder, Colo., in 2027.
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19 min