☀️PSKY Middle East 💰 Grab; NETFLIX, Wahlberg Re-TeamSweeney rep exits PARADIGM / CNN meets KALSHI / Christmas or bust on NETFLIX
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LINKEDIN here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Where good news! It was a banner quarter in Q3 for . . . DOLLAR TREE. Sales were up nearly 10% YoY, with the average total purchase amount +4.5% YoY. That’s on top of a Q3 where WALMART indicated that its good numbers were fueled in part by growth in business from higher-income customers and more folks buying groceries there. So, take all of those “Black Friday sales were strong!” headlines this week with a grain of salt, and remember that 49% of this country’s consumer spending was done by just 10% of Americans in Q2. If they overspend, that can mask a lot of underlying issues.
ALSO: NBCU is sending Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers over to Milan in February as part of its Winter Olympics “influencer” content efforts. OH: Here are your Independent Spirit Award nominations. THEN: ANTHROPIC AI is exploring going public. It’s also exploring not losing money for once . . well, about 2 Christmases from now. YAH: 42% of all shot attempts in the NBA this year so far have been 3-point shots. Through November, teams are averaging their highest point totals per game since the 1960s. DE-FENSE! YEAH: These men were all terrible at their football coaching jobs, btw. Quite a racket!
SCORE: BANK OF AMERICA strategists are now raising a 🚨 that sports gambling and “predictions markets” are becoming a real risk they need to account for in lending and potential loan defaults, especially for younger men and lower-income customers. BUT: Missouri gonna Missouri . . . here is some Day 1 sports gambling data.
BTW: KALSHI also made its new $1B fundraising round official, going from a $5B valuation a couple of months ago to $11B in this round. SO: I’m 95% sure that PRADA buying VERSACE for $1.4B isn’t a plot point in Devil Wears Prada 2 . . . but it would be kinda cool for me if it were. No word yet about “efficiencies” forthcoming.
PLUS: HBO MAX will launch in Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland (i.e., the former SKY deal territories) and Luxembourg and Liechtenstein (big Entourage fans) on Jan. 13. Still no word on UK/IRE.
YO: “Hey Steve, are you sure you checked those Mad Men 4K episode files before you sent ’em to HBO?” “Yes, I’m sure — and stop hounding me about it!!”
AH: Here is where Stranger Things will be playing in a theater near you on New Year’s Eve. But uh — no tickets . . . instead you buy “concession vouchers” and thus NETFLIX is not making any theatrical revenue on this — just the theaters do. And you say AMC and REGAL are on board with this NETFLIX stunt, eh? THANKS: To the folks at LIONSGATE for the invite to check out The Housemaid premiere in NYC last night. That Long Island sure is one crazy place — but that Paul Feig sure is a talent!
AHA: Like YOUTUBE — SPOTIFY is also calling it a year on 2025 . . . a month early, with its annual Wrapped listening results. People once again listened to a lotta Bad Bunny across the world this year.
BONUS: This JKL on  REST IN PEACE: Goes out to 2 folks in the executive community.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
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