☀️NETFLIX Got a Steal On Its NFL Deal 💰Betting Markets go big on ‘Mufasa’, ‘Sonic’ / Richard Parsons, RIP / NBA thrives in NFL shadow
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect here on LINKED-IN if ya like or email me seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com) and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on FRIDAY, December 27, 2024. Where alas, Kim Kardashian and private equity have broken up. Yes, I’m afraid Kim is no longer helping to manage the PE firm SKYY PARTNERS which she cofounded in 2022. The goal was to raise $1B to buy consumer companies after the success of SKIMS . . . but SKYY only drew around $120M of interest and its only notable investment was in a hot sauce about a year ago. Kim remains a “senior operating advisor” on company documents but is no longer a managing partner — and yes, it’s entirely possible that “Santa Baby” video from earlier this week was her way of trying to tell us that.
HOWEVER: If Santa gave you a cool $200M in your stocking this week like always, you can buy the plot of land next to the Bezos compound on Indian Creek Island in Miami. Although note that the owner is “willing to negotiate” according to the real estate broker, because nothing says “reasonable” like a person selling 1.8 acres for $200M. ALTHOUGH: Given that scientists are apparently at a bit of a loss to explain why 2024 was as hot as it was (and yes, it’s the new “hottest year ever”) . . . only having enough money left over to build a very high treehouse on that land may turn out to be prescient. PLUS: Zuck and META found just the right lobbying mix 🫰 for the Mike Johnson-led House of Representatives to shelve the Kids Online Safety Act from a vote before the end of the year — a bill which passed the Senate with a 91-3 approval. Who knew $1M in inauguration committee “insurance” went so far?
HUH: Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of one of the deadliest disasters ever — the tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean and killed about 230,000 people. Oddly enough, on my plane back from London earlier this month, I kinda randomly rewatched The Impossible pic that J.A. Bayona made about it (co-starring a young Tom Holland), and was reminded yet again not just about what a tremendous disaster this was but also what a talented filmmaker Bayona is. (It’s currently avail on PAR+ or for $4 rental and highly recommend if you haven’t seen it — and here’s where things stand on the alert systems for tsunamis since.)
REST IN PEACE: Goes out to legendary media exec Richard Parsons, who died at the age of 76 of bone cancer yesterday in NYC (after also battling multiple myeloma for many years). Never flashy, he always brought a rather level-headed leadership approach that was a much-needed calming force at companies in times of tumult — in Parsons’ case most memorably at TIME WARNER after the AOL debacle, and again briefly at CBS during the Moonves scandal (as well as at CITIGROUP in 2009, and the LA CLIPPERS post-Donald Sterling). Plus, in this era of increased focus on earnings reports — gotta love this quote from Parsons describing his first year at AOL-TW to remind us just how exponentially bad that deal was, and the size of the tanker he ended up navigating: “For the year 2002, my first annual report, we took a write-down of $99 Billion. Stunning.” Plus keep in mind — that’s $99B in 2002 money. Parsons was also another kind of media exec that they don’t really make many of anymore — maybe Tony Vinciquerra at SONY at least kinda fits in this mold (btw, here’s an exit interview with Tony in the L.A. Times this week) — but a presence in the media business that will be both missed and remembered for certain. FINALLY: This was just a nice illustrated story about the nature of pets, loss and love in a year-end recap of stories from the NYT that I was glad I clicked on. NEW ANKLER PODCAST EPISODEWherein The Ankler crew creatively combines Lively-Baldoni week with dashes of optimism! And wherein I position the return of advertising in 2024 as a positive, as the NETFLIX NFL numbers today make me feel even more confident in my main assertion about what 2024 will be predominantly known for in the annals of media biz history — APPLE 👇, SPOTIFY here or just search “The Ankler” wherever you listen to pods.
IN THIS EDITION
🎄 THE CHRISTMAS SPORTS AUDIENCE REPORT
The raw numbers are one thing — but the audience and 💰 comps here are what really stand out, as well as what both the NFL and NBA Christmas tactics indicate about the sports media ecosystem at the end of 2024. Let’s dive in... Subscribe to The Ankler. to unlock the rest.Become a paying subscriber of The Ankler. to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
|
