TV Grim Reaper

"It’s a great business model when a whole bunch of people pay for something they don’t really care if they have or not” - Rob Manfred, on the cable bundle

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

I await the Mike Schur essay on the far more existential threat to writers:

[The Hollywood Reporter @THR]

Mike Schur: The Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Is Existential for Writers https://t.co/yL9AyDBr6c

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Spoiler alert: No.

[Lucas Shaw @Lucas_Shaw]

Hollywood is having its best year at the box office since 2019.

I spoke to four industry leaders about what we should learn from the success -- and what we shouldn't -- for this week's Screentime.

https://t.co/YtE3H524yu

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

The price increases will continue until morale improves.

[Sports Media Watch @paulsen_smw]

ESPN Unlimited sets first price increase for next month: https://t.co/f1uOoxlODA

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@ScottMo43480713 @bkoo This is the move. Their website is fine.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@JT_Hume @McCannSportsLaw Not sure how their search is divided, but it was in the NYT.

[Katie Robertson @katie_robertson]

News: An Alabama jury says The New York Times defamed former college basketball player Kai Spears in a 2023 article, awards $9.25 million in damages -- full story to come https://t.co/0PEzNGuuM8

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Nielsen US Streaming Video Top 10s, viewing via TVs, week ending 7/26/26

#TheHawk (#1 original)
#TheBigBangTheory (#1 acquired)
#MastersOfTheUniverse (#1 movie)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Nielsen US Streaming Video Top 10s, viewing via TVs, week ending 11/2/25

#NobodyWantsThis (#1 original)
#GreysAnatomy (#1 acquired)
#AHouseOfDynamite (#1 movie)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Nielsen US Streaming Video Top 10s, viewing via TVs, week ending 7/19/26

#LittleHouseOnThePrarie (#1 original)
#TheBigBangTheory (#1 acquired)
#ProjectHailMary (#1 movie)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

More like the biggest and one of the smallest.

But it’s good news for melting ice cube number tracking. Charter releases its video subscriber numbers. Cox did not.

[Mediagazer @mediagazer]

Charter closes its $34.5B Cox acquisition, announced in May 2025, uniting two of the biggest US cable and broadband providers, and completes its Liberty deal (@georgszalai / The Hollywood Reporter)

(Visit Mediagazer dot com for the link and full context!)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

My Nielsen subscriber friend tells me that this latest change will not be PR beneficial for live sports, and instead will mostly benefit non-sports programming on cable.

The NFL PR people have reason to be upset!

[Front Office Sports @FOS]

First at FOS: The NFL is not happy about Nielsen changing its methodology for the upcoming 2026–27 television season.

The league told FOS that the changes, taking effect Aug. 31, are “overly rushed.”

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@SFLTVBossMan @Michaeloptv There’s already countless ways of legitimately getting Peacock at no extra cost.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

The price increases will continue until morale improves.

[Mediagazer @mediagazer]

Peacock raises prices for the fourth time in four years: Premium Plus to $19.99/month from $16.99, Premium to $12.99 from $10.99, and Select to $8.99 from $7.99 (@xpangler / Variety)

(Visit Mediagazer dot com for the link and full context!)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@GmwuLocal Need it? No.

But had WBD just done their deal as usual in their exclusive negotiating window (like ESPN did), Silver doesn’t get the magnitude of the increase he did.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

John sees it.

I’d go a step further. The NFL doesn’t need one “extra” bidder overall. They need one “extra” bidder that’s willing & able to take any specific package.

It’s all relative, but SNF/MNF/TNF are “easy” packages to take. The Sunday afternoon packages are “hard”.

[Peter Kafka @pkafka]

The NFL keeps multiple TV networks alive, so the NFL always gets the deals it wants.

That *might* be changing, says @Ourand_Puck

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@GmwuLocal I hardly think Adam Silver is a genius, but he got PR cover from Zaslav’s public belligerence in being able to bring in both NBC & Amazon over WBD.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@GmwuLocal You’re the first person to tell *me*?

lol

I’ve long maintained that the NFL should have driven a tougher bargain in 2021, and tried to get another tech replacement and threatened a legacy rights holder then.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

The Empire Strikes Back

This belies the “YouTube doesn’t care if they lose a few creators to Netflix” narrative.

They care!

[Lucas Shaw @Lucas_Shaw]

The YouTube-Netflix battle is upon us.

YouTube is offering to fund channels that post videos there first. Conversely, it will punish channels that post to YouTube & Netflix at the same time.

The full story in a special edition of Screentime -->

https://t.co/piAB3lm8jg

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Nielsen’s enhancements are a boon to PR departments everywhere!

Sadly, not much of a boon to finance departments.

[Nielsen @nielsen]

Nielsen just leveled up its game.

7 enhancements to Big Data + Panel currency, live August 31. Wearables, smarter demographics, sharper Hispanic methodology, cleaner ACR data.

More accurate TV measurement, right on time for fall.

🔗 Full release: https://t.co/bLO2l38JXf

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@sherman4949 I’d argue they’re not causing anyone to do anything. I’m convinced that the products targeting the cord nevers/ cutters don’t produce meaningful uptake, or we’d hear much more about them.

I agree it’s not much money, so (on the bright side) it could be worse!

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

“the member launch was the first of a slate of direct-to-consumer features and offerings the network planned to introduce.”

I continue to be amused by Versant management’s shareholder cash incineration in their attempts to diversify out of the monopoly bundle.

[Max Tani @maxwelltani]

First in @semafor : MS Now is launching a $7.99 monthly membership program offering members-only content verticals, opportunities for subscribers to interact with the network’s personalities, and community features for members to engage with each other.

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Study:

Whether the deal happens or not.

[Mediagazer @mediagazer]

Study: the Paramount-WBD merger could result in the loss of ~4,500 film and TV jobs in LA over the next three years, representing a $2.78B hit in economic value (@lmanfredi7 / The Wrap)

(Visit Mediagazer dot com for the link and full context!)

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@Mark_Sutton2 @UshioTheOmega Ha!

Guardian link fame!

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

That chart explains 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈..

Today’s number: ~62 million

[Kendall Baker @kendallbaker]

Another tough day for ESPN. This chart explains a lot

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

@pitdesi The old CAA HQ?

I either renewed a drivers license or vehicle registration there when it was possible. Saved going to the DMV!

[TV Grim Reaper @TVGrimReaper]

Mark’s best point, on how team values will continue to increase even with media rights potentially softening:

Leagues will just expand what capital can be used to buy teams. Higher PE %, sovereign wealth, corporations, the sky’s the limit!

[John Ourand @Ourand_Puck]

New pod: Venture capitalist Mark Ein (@Markein), who holds stakes in the Commanders, Orioles and Leeds United, opens up about why team values are skyrocketing.

https://t.co/M6nwyZHvBh