Deal Memo

PODCAST · business

Deal Memo

A strategy-driven look at the business of film and television. We track where capital is flowing, which companies are consolidating, what genres are performing, and how distribution models are evolving.

  1. 19

    Deal Memo — May 1, 2026

    • Consumers Sue to Stop Paramount-WBD Merger, Invoking 'Save CNN' • Kaufman Astoria Studios Faces Foreclosure as Production Real Estate Corrects • StudioMonowa: CJ ENM, Japan's TBS, and U-Next Build a Korea-Japan Content Joint Venture • Roku Q1 2026: Ad Revenue Hits $612.7M, Up 27% • Apple Services Crosses $30B — Best March Quarter Ever • 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Tracking $80M+ for Memorial Day • Netflix Adds Vertical Video 'Clips' Feed to Mobile App • Carrie Coon, Ben Platt, Lukas Gage Lead 'I Am Not Your Mother' — Cannes Market Preview

  2. 18

    Deal Memo — April 24, 2026

    • Ellison Hosts Trump — Merger as Political Access Play • Bob Iger Rejoins Thrive Capital — The Post-Disney Pivot • RTL Seals Sky Deutschland — Europe Runs the U.S. Consolidation Playbook • Michael Breaks International Records with $18.5M First Day • Mortal Kombat II Tracking $40-50M Opening — Gaming IP Keeps Working • Sony Affirm Sets Brazilian Flywheel Remake — Faith-Based Goes International • Heart Eyes 2 — Paramount Books Valentine's Horror for 2028 • Focus Features Sets The Uprising for September 11 — Smart Calendar Chess

  3. 17

    Deal Memo Special Edition: CinemaCon 2026 — The Theatrical Reckoning

    • The Theatrical Window Compact • The IP Monoculture Problem • The Merger Subtext — What Exhibitors Actually Heard • Amazon MGM's CinemaCon: The Streamer-Owned Studio That Believes Hardest • Neon at CinemaCon: All Originals, Main Stage • Street Fighter: Video Game IP as the Next Franchise Frontier • Snoop Dogg Biopic: Universal, Death Row Pictures, Craig Brewer • Cat in the Hat: WB Bets on Dr. Seuss After Two Decades

  4. 16

    Deal Memo — April 21, 2026

    • Sean Baker's Twenty-Two Million Dollar 'Indie' Deal • Disney Outsources Japanese Production to The Seven • Netflix's European Action Play with 'Play Dead' • Prime Video Grabs Embassy Rights in Six Territories • Sister Group Takes Majority Stake in After Party Studios • Amazon Poaches Apple's Oliver Jones for UK Scripted • ICS Nordic Expands into Live Comedy

  5. 15

    Deal Memo — April 17, 2026

    • Duffer Brothers Signal Creator Confidence Shift in Paramount Legacy Video • Ellison Commits Paramount to 45-Day Theatrical Window at CinemaCon • Sarandos Reframes Netflix's Failed Warner Bros Bid as M&A Training • Brendan Fitzgerald Steps Down as Secuoya Studios CEO • Sarandos Says No Palace Intrigue Over Reed Hastings Exit • Netflix Q1 Beats Expectations But Shares Still Drop • Legend of Aang Film Leaks Online

  6. 14

    Deal Memo — April 14, 2026

    • NewsNation Partners With Nexstar For California Gubernatorial Debate • Hollywood A-Listers Sign Letter Opposing Paramount-WBD Merger • Neon Sets Christmas Day Release For Chloe Domont's 'A Place In Hell' • Urban Sales Boards Cannes ACID Opener • Paramount Acquires Wahlberg-Abdul-Mateen Crime Thriller • StudioCanal Unveils CinemaCon Slate • Angel Studios Expands Twenty Twenty-Six Slate

  7. 13

    Deal Memo — April 10, 2026

    • Mexico's New Production Incentive: Financing Tool or Band-Aid? • Paramount Refinances Bridge Facility Ahead of WBD Merger • Netflix Buys Chris Bremner Spec 'Ram' — Are Specs Back? • MK2 Boards Rwandan Cannes Film — Prestige Distribution as Business Model • Pan's Labyrinth Gets 20th Anniversary Re-Release • Comcast Expands StreamSaver Bundle • Paramount Details Jeff Shell Severance • DOJ Investigating NFL Media Deals

  8. 12

    One Battle, Two Takes

    • The Art Argument: Is This What $150M Looks Like? • The Politics Fight: What Message Did Anyone Actually See? • The Business Reality: What Do the Numbers Actually Say? • The Bigger Question: Who Gets to Decide What Movies Mean? • The DiCaprio Factor • The Chase Infiniti Breakout • The International Numbers • The Streaming Afterlife • What This Means for PTA's Next Film

  9. 11

    Deal Memo — April 7, 2026

    • The Iron Lung Illusion: Creator-Driven Theatrical Success Story or System Mirage? • Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds Lock Down Paramount-WBD Deal Financing • Bill Ackman's Sixty-Four Billion Dollar Universal Music Gambit • Emerald Fennell Circling Basic Instinct Reboot • Glen Powell's Judd Apatow Country Western Comedy Gets a Title • SAG-AFTRA Back to the Table with AMPTP • MMA Star Anderson Silva Signs with Paradigm • Theater Playwright Edward Graczyk Dies at 84

  10. 10

    Deal Memo — April 3, 2026

    • FilmHedge Launches Two Hundred Million Dollar Film Fund • Meryl Streep: Devil Wears Prada Had to 'Scrabble for Budget' Due to Chick Flick Label • IATSE Strikes Jonathan Majors Daily Wire Production Over Labor Issues • Michael Jackson Biopic Tracking for Record Fifty-Five Million Opening • Sam Altman Says Disney Partnership Scrapped After Sora Shutdown • OpenAI Acquires Business Series TBPN • Super Mario Galaxy Movie Opens with Sixty-Eight Million Global First Day • Blake Lively Sexual Harassment Claims Against Justin Baldoni Dismissed

  11. 9

    Deal Memo — March 31, 2026

    • Nexstar-Tegna Merger Blocked: When Local TV Can't Consolidate • UK Production Financing Tightens: Allegro's Survival Mode Raise • Disney's Digital Strategy in Freefall • Disney+ Italy Deal: More European Scrambling • Streaming Revenue Growth Slowing Despite Price Hikes • ITV Studios Backs New Drama Label • Scott Budnick Expands Development Team

  12. 8

    Deal Memo — March 24, 2026

    • Row K's Executive Exodus Signals Mid-Tier Distribution Collapse • Statham's Beekeeper 2 German Sale Reveals Studios' Defensive International Strategy • Democratic Senators Target Paramount-WBD Deal Over Foreign Investment • Dhurandhar Posts Eighty-One Million Dollar Global Opening • Walmart-Vizio Unveil Unified Streaming Ad Platform • Project Hail Mary Lands Eleven Million in Previews

  13. 7

    Deal Memo — March 20, 2026

    • Ellison's Lobbying Letter Reveals Paramount-WBD Deal Isn't Done • Swiss Distribution Merger Shows How Consolidation Actually Works • Quiver Bets on Comfort Food Theatrical with 'A Love Like This' • Netflix's Dan Lin Asks For More Time on Theatrical Strategy • Care Bears Gets 'People We Meet on Vacation' Writers • Artists Equity Launches Writers' Room Program • Project Hail Mary Tracking $100M Plus Opening • Tubi and TikTok Launch Creator Incubator

  14. 6

    Deal Memo — March 13, 2026

    • Universal Cuts Theatrical Window to 45 Days • Megan Ellison's Annapurna 2.0 Launches International TV Division • Angel Studios Acquires 'Salt & Honey' with Amy Redford Directing • Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Cookie Documentary Finds Home • RZA Launches Distribution Label with Tarantino Partnership • Sony Pictures Classics Dates Summer Comedy • Range Media Partners Expands Into Microdramas • Propagate Acquires Creator Agency

  15. 5

    Oscars Preview - What To Watch

    • The Real Best Picture Race: Art vs. Business Models • Horror's Prestige Moment and Genre Barriers Breaking Down • The Wicked Snub and Franchise Fatigue Reality Check • International Cinema's Academy Breakthrough Moment • Must-Watch Films Before Sunday • The New Casting Category Wild Card • Netflix's Best Picture Problem Continues • Upset Predictions Worth Considering • What Sunday's Results Mean for the Business

  16. 4

    Deal Memo — March 10, 2026

    • Phil Rosenthal Takes 'Somebody Feed Phil' to YouTube, Partners with Banijay • Mike Flanagan Signs Exclusive Multi-Year Deal with Amazon MGM Studios • Arnold Schwarzenegger and Christopher McQuarrie Set New 'Conan' Film at 20th Century Studios • Wasserman Rebrand Underway as Bidding Begins for Casey Wasserman's Empire • Gulf Eid Al Fitr Box Office Season Faces Uncertainty Amid Middle East Conflict • Sumerian Acquires Sundance Darling 'Josephine' • Podimo Expands European Podcast Empire with German Acquisition

  17. 3

    Deal Memo — March 8, 2026

    • Banijay-All3Media: Eight Billion Dollar Bet on Global Production Dominance • WGA Drops Contract Demands Three Weeks Before AMPTP Showdown • State AGs Take Last Shot at Killing Paramount-Warner Bros Deal • Fifteen-Year-Old Gen Alpha Creator Signs With Three Major Reps • Former Gersh Executive Closes Seven-Figure Funding Round • Lynne Ramsay Still Questioning Her Latest Film's Ending • Japanese Animator's Solo Feature Gets North American Deal • UK Financiers See Positive Future Despite Industry Correction

  18. 2

    Deal Memo — February 16, 2026

    • Constantin's Oliver Berben Bets on 'Triple-A' Indie Filmmakers • Disney Hits $1B Worldwide — But Is This Recovery or Disney Exceptionalism? • Warner Bros Discovery May Finally Engage With Paramount's Takeover Bid • Japan's Streaming Market Hits $7.2B, Dwarfs Theatrical Recovery • Spirit Awards Honor 'Train Dreams' and Indie Filmmaking • Arsenal's Eberechi Eze Launches Production Company With Fremantle • France TV Distribution Picks Up Crime Drama 'The Ones Left Behind'

  19. 1

    Deal Memo — February 13, 2026

    • Netflix's Product Division Cuts Clash With Major IP Spending • Sony's 'Lord of the Flies' Global Sales Blitz Reveals Market Dynamics • Valentine's Weekend Box Office Test: 'Wuthering Heights' Aims for $70M Global Opening • Hulu Orders Elisabeth Moss Legal Drama from David Shore • Surfing Giant Opens European Animation Hub in Canary Islands • Italian Royalty Inspires Competition Reality Series

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

A strategy-driven look at the business of film and television. We track where capital is flowing, which companies are consolidating, what genres are performing, and how distribution models are evolving.

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Deal Memo

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