Strictly Business

Nick Vivarelli, Variety's Rome-based correspondent, and international editor Elsa Keslassy break down the significance of the Venice Film Festival lineup highlighted by Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" and A24's "The Smashing Machine" starring Dwayne Johnson. The pair discuss the increased competition for Hollywood awards contenders between Venice and the Cannes Film Festival as distributors seek to reach international voters. And they reflect on Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera's work to raise the fest's profile as a key launch pad for films on the world stage.

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Naman Ramachandran gives a report on the biggest rom-com to hit Bollywood in years, "Saiyaara," and how its performance reflects India's changing movie market. Rebecca Rubin details "Superman's" week 2 performance at the box office. And Brian Steinberg discusses the fallout from CBS' decision to ax "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" after next season.

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Alex Morgan, the recently retired soccer superstar, and her business partner Dan Levy discuss Morgan's recent moves as a partner in the women's sports brand Togethxr and other endeavors. Morgan explains that she wants to help other athletes build wealth and navigate career transitions in a conversation recording during Variety's annual Sports and Entertainment Breakfast, held July 17 in West Hollywood.

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Today's episode features a rundown of the ESPYs and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro on how the Worldwide Leader is pitching its upcoming streaming app as a big evolution for sports. And Variety's Jazz Tangcay and Carole Horst discuss their deep dive into Walt Disney Imagineering and its work in Disney parks as Disneyland marks its 70th anniversary.

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Senior business writer Jennifer Maas discusses what to expect from Netflix’s second quarter earnings report on Thursday. Business editor Todd Spangler details the “frog boiling in water” factor in his cover story on President Trump’s aggressive attacks on news media and First Amendment protections.

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Variety's Michael Schneider and Clayton Davis discuss the surprises and the final tallies for the 77th annual Emmy Award nominations. Owen Gleiberman, Variety's chief film critic, revisits Robert Altman's "Nashville" on its 50th anniversary and recalls how the movie changed his life.

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Variety previews "Daily Variety," a new podcast featuring conversations with Variety journalists and guests about news, personalities and trends making headlines in the entertainment industry. It's hosted by Cynthia Littleton, co-editor in chief of Variety and host of Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast.

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ESPN on-air analyst for both men and women's pro and collegiate hoops discusses the current state of NBA and WNBA as media properties, as well as her new Disney Plus show "Vibe Check" and her recent foray into scripted series production for Peacock. 

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On a bonus episode of Variety's Strictly Business podcast, Variety reporter Ethan Shanfeld describes the scene and the reaction after Sean Combs was acquitted on the most serious charges in his federal sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution case that has made headlines for the past two months.

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The financing of film and TV production has changed dramatically compared with how it was in previous decades. And no one knows that better than Daisy Stall, EVP & group head of entertainment finance at California Bank & Trust. Drawing on three decades of experience in this area , she outlines how traditional funding models have been disrupted by streaming services and broader changes in content consumption.

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