From mass layoffs to major strikes to multiplex disasters, the entertainment industry isn’t likely to forget 2023. Richard Rushfield runs through his annual Ankler 100, Hollywood’s most miserable moments of the year, as 2024 looms with even more possible disruption as a Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger raises myriad questions: Would a hypothetical deal even pass DoJ and FTC muster? What would HBO/Showtime and CNN/CBS News combos look like? And will any of these efforts even matter against Big Tech? Says Claire Atkinson, who joins Sean McNulty and Elaine Low: “It feels to me like they need to do these huge acquisitions or else the tech guys are just going to run away with the show.” 
For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here.
Note: The Ankler Podcast will not be releasing an episode next week. See you in 2024!
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The Most Blunder-ful Time of the Year!

Listen in as The Ankler team and industry insiders break down Hollywood’s latest business headlines, power struggles and trends shaping the future of entertainment.
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Hollywood descended upon New York City this week for the Upfronts, the traditional TV showcase, to promote almost everything but as sports, live events and movies dominated the stage and star power. The crew breaks it down while Richard Rushfield and Sean McNulty dive into Hollywood’s new, possibly misguided belief that sports will save Hollywood.
For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Transcript here.
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Scripted TV SOS!

Earnings season has been a rough go as Disney, Paramount, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery deliver their Q1 results. And if you thought “Sports Hulu” was a surprise, just wait for the new bundle of Disney+, Hulu and . . . Max?! Sean McNulty dives into Disney and Warners tepid earnings, their new streaming bundle, and the urgency in joining forces. Plus: Do you have to be from an Ivy League school to rise to the top of Hollywood? Maybe the opposite, says Richard Rushfield, who breaks down alma maters of the industry’s bold-faced names.
For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Transcript here.
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RSVP to the upcoming event at the link below:
May 13th – The Ankler x Backstage Screening Series: Expats
May 14th – The President & The Podium
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WBD, Disney and the New Frenemy Era

What to do in this moribund market? Elaine Low outlines TV writers’ post-strike challenges — including the rickety staffing ladder — while our new Dealmakers columnist Ashley Cullins dives into the deterioration of the overall deal — and her news that Amazon and Apple are presenting new terms to industry agents and lawyers that sound a lot like . . . backends! (Remember those?) Plus: Peter Kiefer assesses agency efforts behind the celebpreneur boom, while the crew breaks down Paramount’s ongoing drama and previews summer box office.
For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here. Transcript here.
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Link here to live stream the Milken Institute: Journalism Today: New Voices, New Models, New Methods where Janice Min (Ankler Media, CEO) will be speaking on May 7th at 4p PST.
RSVP to the upcoming events at the links below:
May 10th (Waitlist Only) – Ed Zwick and Janice Min: In Conversation
May 13th – The Ankler x Backstage Screening Series: Expats
May 14th – The President & The Podium
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TV Deal Turmoil 2024

Reacher, The Terminal List and Jack Ryan may not win Emmys, but Dad TV has become a juggernaut for a TV business desperately needing one. Entertainment Strategy Guy joins Sean McNulty to break down the truth behind Prime Video’s Dad TV crown, streaming’s corresponding Mom TV — and what the abundance of both mean for prestige TV. Also: the crew on the state of Peacock after Comcast’s earnings call; what five TV agents told Elaine Low about the state of the business; and Richard Rushfield’s marketing stunts that worked.
﻿For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here.
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How Dad TV Muscled Into Hollywood

Though the strikes ended, the fight around AI is far from over. Following the debut of her Dealmakers newsletter, new contributor Ashley Cullins joins to reveal her conversations with powerhouse entertainment lawyers and CAA, their behind the scenes maneuvering to protect Hollywood talent, and the agonizing Sophie’s Choice actors will face when deciding to allow AI replica rights (a choice the A-list can reject more easily, but not up-and-comers). Also: Elaine Low details five TV agents’ assessments of what streamers want to buy these days, and Richard Rushfield foretells A24’s dangerous trajectory.
For more entertainment news, subscribe to The Ankler here.
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The Most Blunder-ful Time of the Year!

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