The Media Play News Podcast

Netflix is rethinking its original programming strategy as audiences consume content differently—and that's just one of the major stories reshaping media this week. In this episode of Next TMT Talks, David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down: Why World Cup TV rights could become the biggest bidding war in sports media Netflix's shift toward shorter-form and more efficient programming What the Sun...

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel welcome back Robert Rose, independent producer and creator of Raw Travel — syndicated in 97% of the country and heading into its 14th season — for a wide-ranging conversation ahead of the Stream TV Denver conference, where Next TMT will be publishing show dailies and daily wrap-ups all week. 📺 The Independent Producer's Dilemma — Rob has 200 episodes of mostly everg...

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the week's biggest stories in media, tech, and telecom. 🚀 SpaceX's $1.75 Trillion Valuation — What's actually driving it: Starlink's satellite-to-device dominance, NASA contracts, and government policy tailwinds from the FCC. Plus, what it means for Elon Musk becoming the world's first trillionaire — and why Daniel has complicated feelings about it. 🌊 Un...

Vancouver ate Hollywood — and TV's upfront revolution AI is upending how television sells ads, EchoStar is breathing its last, and Vancouver just quietly became the world's animation capital. David Bloom reports live from Web Summit. 00:00 TV upfronts 2025: impressions are out, ROI is in NBC Universal, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery all pitched agentic AI ad systems this week — promising advertis...

Ted Turner, the man who transformed television, is gone — and the industry he shaped is still evolving at warp speed. David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the week's biggest stories in technology, media, and telecom on this episode of Next TMT Talks . In this episode: 🎙️ Ted Turner's Legacy — Remembering the giant who revolutionized broadcast and cable television. 📺 Disney's Super App Strate...

  Is Disney about to walk away from broadcast television? What does Jimmy Kimmel's FCC trouble actually mean for free speech and media? And what does the former head of EA and Unity think about the future of gaming? David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break it all down on this episode of Next TMT Talks — your go-to podcast for technology, media, and telecom analysis. In this episode: 🎙️ Jimmy Kimmel &...

As live sports rapidly shift to streaming, one of the biggest questions facing the industry is simple: Can the networks actually handle it? In this Next TMT Talks x Media Play News episode, David Bloom and Daniel Frankel sit down with Sig Luft, CEO of NetSkrt , to discuss the biggest technical and business challenges facing live sports streaming today. From CDN bottlenecks and edge delivery to lat...

This week on Next TMT Talks , David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down why Apple Inc. continues to tighten its grip on the U.S. smartphone ecosystem — despite all the noise around AI, Siri, and hardware innovation. The conversation then shifts to the business of media and entertainment , including: Why Apple's ecosystem keeps winning The rise of Formula 1 as a billion-dollar media property Apple...

Next TMT's David Bloom and Daniel Frankel are back for their midweek check-in on the biggest stories in technology, media, and telecom. On MLB Opening Day, they dig into the final collapse of the regional sports network business — from Sinclair's costly 2019 acquisition through Diamond Sports Group's prolonged bankruptcy — and what it means for local baseball fans going forward. They also cover Di...

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel of Next TMT sit down for their weekly check-in with Media Play News, covering a packed week in media, entertainment, and sports. They break down what's next for Disney under new CEO James Marshmello — from a potential Roblox acquisition to the future of ESPN and ABC — and whether the company should finally spin off its legacy TV assets. Then it's a look back at the O...

The NFL wants more money — again. Just five years into its record $111 billion TV and streaming deal, the league has reopened broadcast rights talks after seeing what the NBA scored in its new $75 billion package. In this week's Next TMT Talks , David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the NFL's early renegotiation, what Looper Insights' new "Who Will Control Sports Streaming in 2026?" report rev...

Hollywood may be witnessing one of the largest and riskiest media mergers ever attempted. In this episode of Next TMT Talks , hosts David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the massive $110+ billion Warner Bros.–Paramount merger effort backed by David Ellison and Skydance — and why the deal could reshape the future of streaming, sports rights, and Hollywood studios. The discussion explores the re...

From AI search to micro-dramas and ultra-efficient movie marketing, the media business is changing faster than anyone expected. In this Next TMT Talks midweek check-in , David Bloom and Daniel Frankel report from DEG InTech Fest in Los Angeles, where studio executives, technologists, and creators explored how AI is reshaping entertainment production, marketing, and distribution. One big takeaway:...

This week David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the rapidly evolving battle surrounding Paramount, Netflix, and Skydance — and why the outcome could reshape the future of media consolidation. With billions in debt, competing offers, shareholder pressure, and global regulatory hurdles, the panel explains what's really happening behind the headlines and why timing, leverage, and scale matter mor...

The Super Bowl delivered — and so did the business story behind it. In this episode of Next TMT Talks , hosts David Bloom and Daniel Frankel , in partnership with Media Play News , break down the record-setting Super Bowl ratings and what they mean for NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, and the global streaming battle vivians-studio-zl31x_mpn-podcas… From Bad Bunny's halftime impact to Olympic momentum and...

Disney's CEO transition reveals a deeper truth about modern media: content alone is no longer the business. In this episode of Next TMT Talks , David Bloom and Daniel Frankel , alongside partner Media Play News , break down Disney's leadership shift and why the company's experiences division now drives the majority of profits . As streaming margins tighten and content costs rise, Disney is betting...

Netflix continues to dominate streaming charts — but are the numbers telling the full story? In this Media Play News (MPN) episode, Next TMT co-founders David Bloom and Daniel Frankel examine Netflix's latest streaming performance, the growing limitations of Nielsen measurement, and why comparing streaming platforms with vastly different audience sizes still distorts industry rankings. The convers...

Netflix has gone all cash in its bid for Warner Bros — but investors aren't convinced. In this Media Play News × Next TMT episode, Daniel Frankel and David Bloom break down why Wall Street is questioning Netflix's strategy even as the company doubles down. Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee financing on the Paramount–Skydance side, lawsuits are flying as discovery tactics ramp up...

In this final episode, we revisit the Hollywood writers and actors strike and Netflix makes another foray into game streaming by bringing two games to PCs and TVs   Subscribe to the MPN Newsletter   Articles: Corporate Fence Straddling on Hollywood Strike is Entertaining Netflix Expanding Video Game Access to Televisions, PCs, and Macs Adam Conover Explains the SAG-AFTRA & WGA Strikes, Writing Res...

SAG-AFTRA announces a simultaneous strike with the writers of Hollywood and Disney is disrupting itself with theatrical releases tripped up by Disney+.   Subscribe to the MPN Newsletter   Articles: Actors Set to Join Writers in Strike Against Studios, Streamers Disney's Harsh New Reality: Costly Film Flops, Creative Struggles and a Shrinking Global Box Office   Jazzy Abstract Beat Music by Coma-Me...

We're back with a new episode, this time covering how successful Netflix's crackdown on password sharing has been since launch. Disney+ has removed about 30 titles from its service since last month, and Apple has debuted a state of the art AR headset for…$3,500. Should you buy one to watch movies at home? Probably not! But we'll talk about details anyway.   Twitter : @podcastmpn   Subscribe to the...

The writer's strike brings Hollywood production to a standstill, Mario and Avatar come to streaming, and Xbox's gaming console is on the ropes. All that and more on this month's episode!   Twitter : @podcastmpn   Subscribe to the MPN Newsletter   Writers Guilds Authorize Strike Following Unsuccessful Contract Negotiations With Streamers The entire Super Mario Bros. movie keeps getting posted to Tw...

We welcome Erik back to the podcast for his second appearance! Erik quickly covers the Warner Bros 100th anniversary sales happening on Vudu including some recent releases like  Renfield and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves before diving into the meat of the interview: CinemaCon 2023. He saw pre-screenings of some upcoming high-profile movies like The Flash and  Joyride as well as teaser pr...

We dig in deep on this one. Jeff has been collecting physical media since 2012 and hosts the podcast and Youtube channel Films at Home where he reviews movies, interviews special features producers, and discusses the trends of the industry. This could have easily been a 3 hour episode, there's so much ground we covered. Films at Home - Youtube Films at Home - Spotify Jeff Rauseo on Bloody Disgusti...

We're back! We've switched to a monthly release schedule for now, which means there's a lot to catch up on. Mario movie review and where to expect it on streaming, the Max service orders a full 10-year Harry Potter series, and an interview with Jeff Rauseo from the podcast Films at Home.   Twitter : @podcastmpn   Subscribe to the MPN Newsletter   Articles: 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Sets 2nd Weeken...