Free Daily Podcast Summary
Ankler Agenda: Daily Summaries Delivered
by TheAnkler.com
"Ankler Agenda" breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment. The show is hosted by Elaine Low, author of Ankler Media’s popular “Series Business” Substack newsletter, who is joined weekly by her colleagues Sean McNulty (“The Wakeup”) and Natalie Jarvey (“Like & Subscribe”) -- in addition to Richard Rushfield, the Ankler himself.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago32 min
The Waiting Game at WBD; SpaceX’s L.A. Mansion Rush
What a difference a month makes. With Paramount’s bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery now in limbo, 35,000 Warners staffers have plenty of time to reconsider their options. Could HBO chief Casey Bloys or WBTV head Channing Dungey be tempted by more stable pastures? Is Warners still a haven for top showrunners? As confidence in the deal crumbles, Hollywood is taking sides. (Case in point: Ari Emanuel‘s WSJ op-ed dismissing the state AGs’ lawsuit as “trash.”) The Ankler’s Lesley Goldberg joins Elaine Low and Sean McNulty to break down the quiet panic inside WBD, and why anyone senior at the company who hasn’t spoken with David Ellison yet might want to be looking for a new job. Then, Degen Pener pops by to talk about the 4,000 newly minted SpaceX millionaires in L.A. and the luxury real estate they are about to snap up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 5 days ago13 min
BONUS EP: California AG Rob Bonta on the Coming Paramount Trial: 'We're Not Talking Settlement'
What could Paramount Skydance do to make a dozen attorneys general drop their lawsuit against the Warner Bros. Discovery merger? Sell off CNN? Paramount Pictures? According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta: not much. “We’re not talking about settlement. We’re going to be telling the judge when we want a trial date,” he tells Elaine Low on Friday, shortly after Paramount announced it would delay the merger until June 2027 or until a pair of antitrust lawsuits against it work their way through the courts — whichever comes first. “We’re not going to have oligarchs or kings in the economy,” says Bonta. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 5 days ago45 min
BONUS EP: Paramount’s Looming Debt Bomb — With Analyst Robert Fishman
David Ellison may be calling Paramount’s agreement to delay its $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition a “significant win.” Wall Street appears less convinced. Paramount Skydance shares sank to a new low after the company agreed Friday not to close the deal until the antitrust lawsuits brought by 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America are resolved — or until next June, whichever comes first. The delay starts an expensive clock. Beginning in October, Paramount must pay WBD shareholders roughly $7 million a day, or about $650 million per quarter, while the acquisition remains unfinished. Even a resolution early next year could cost close to $1 billion. A fight stretching to June would push the bill toward $2 billion — on top of the nearly $80 billion in debt the combined company is already expected to carry. “The state AGs are clearly making a lot more noise than they probably were expecting,” MoffettNathanson senior analyst Robert Fishman tells Sean McNulty on a special bonus episode of Ankler Agenda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 1 weeks ago28 min
Why A24 Wants Letterboxd — and the Impossible ‘Odyssey’ Ticket
Who’s buying Letterboxd? The social media platform, prized for its Gen Z audience and movie fan bona fides, is on the market for a rumored $250 million — with multiple studios circling. Dealmakers columnist Ashley Cullins, who broke the big news of A24 pursuing the platform, joins Elaine Low to reveal the other potential buyers and why the price tag is raising eyebrows, and what other M&A moves could come next — including likely outcomes for Lionsgate and whether Disney might split up a la Comcast-NBCU. Plus: Elaine, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey dissect IMAX’s sudden resurgence as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey keeps the box office in a chokehold – and turns access to premium screens into the summer’s biggest FOMO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 1 weeks ago35 min
BONUS EP: Rob Bonta: How We Plan to Kill the Paramount-WBD Deal
States, 1. Paramount, 0. The $111 billion Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger has hit its first real wall after a coalition of 12 states won a temporary restraining order blocking the deal. And California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading the charge, isn’t interested in helping Paramount find a way around it. “We love the judge’s order,” Bonta tells Elaine Low in an exclusive interview recorded just hours after the ruling. The decision gives Paramount as many as 28 days to choose among three bad options — settle, fight or walk away — and Bonta argues it has already undercut one of the company’s central defenses: that the merger would help it compete with Netflix, Amazon and Apple, even if it reduces competition in theatrical film and cable. He explains why more states may now join the challenge, what happens at the pivotal preliminary-injunction hearing and whether any concession could persuade him to stand down. His answer, essentially: Don’t merge. Plus, Sean McNulty and Richard Rushfield join Elaine to explain why the deal is no longer inevitable — and whether this is merely a two-week delay or the beginning of the end for Paramount-WBD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago33 min
The Case Against Paramount-Warner — From the People Fighting It
It’s a bad week for David Ellison, with Paramount Skydance facing two concurrent lawsuits seeking to block its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — plus a shareholder case accusing Ellison and his father, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, of corruption. On Monday, 12 state attorneys general — led by California AG Rob Bonta — filed their long-expected lawsuit, claiming the proposed merger was “unlawful.” On Tuesday, the Writers Guild of America stepped up, saying the combined company “threatens the economic and creative health of the American entertainment industry.” Former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya and WGA West board member Adam Conover join Elaine Low to explain the states’ and WGA’s respective suits — and the harms they see the deal causing to an entertainment industry already under strain. Plus, all good things must come to an end: Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down the power of Love Island USA and the ratings bonanza that is the World Cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 2 weeks ago41 min
BONUS EP: Netflix’s Next Deal? Spotify Is Hiding in Plain Sight
Welcome to Netflix’s hard pivot. Faced with lagging engagement from its users and signs of audience disinterest in some of its top shows between seasons, Netflix’s next big thing might be… cable television. Live channels, more talk shows (via video podcasts) and creator content and bundles with other streamers (including perhaps Peacock) to recreate the lean-back appeal of watching TV on the couch. Certainly, it’s possible Netflix makes a play for another company — perhaps NBCU now that Comcast has split the film and television studio from its broadband company, or Starz. But Jessica suggests there’s an even better fit for M&A hiding in plain sight: Spotify. Listen to today’s bonus episode for more from Sean and Jessica on Netflix and the next steps for Paramount, plus hear Sean’s conversation with Fandango’s Shawn Robbins about the weekend box office, where Disney’s live-action Moana added another flop to the summer tally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago33 min
Nolan’s ‘Odyssey,’ Taylor Swift’s Wedding & the Summer of Spectacle
Monoculture may not be dead after all — it just needed Taylor Swift in a wedding dress and Christopher Nolan in IMAX. Elaine Low, Sean McNulty and Natalie Jarvey break down an old-fashioned July of cultural spectacle, from the Swift-Travis Kelce nuptials to Nolan’s star-studded Odyssey, which arrives with sold-out premium-format screenings and billion-dollar expectations. Is this the summer moviegoing comes back? And is Nolan the last director in Hollywood whose name alone can make audiences show up? Plus: hot takes on this week’s Emmy nominations — including big love for Widow’s Bay and another tough year for YouTube’s contenders as they inch into the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Get Ankler Agenda summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Listeners also like.
The Town with Matthew Belloni
A Hollywood insider explores the business and power dynamics behind movies, TV, and streaming with executives, dealmakers, and journalists.
Pivot
Sharp, unfiltered analysis of tech, business, and politics with bold predictions and lively debate.
The Best One Yet
Daily business news explained through sharp analysis and witty commentary, delivered in concise 20-minute episodes.
The Rest Is Entertainment
Richard Osman and Marina Hyde offer insider perspectives on TV, film, and pop culture with behind-the-scenes insights and industry analysis.
Wait a Second...
Breaks down bizarre and viral news stories with humor and deep dives into internet culture.
HOLLYWOODLAND
Explores the intersection of Hollywood and true crime through the lives of celebrities affected by murder, scandal, and conspiracy.
Pop Culture Crisis
A daily podcast navigating pop culture with hosts Brett Dasovic and Mary Morgan.
The Latest with Loren LoRosa
A daily breakdown of trending topics, celebrity news, and pop culture conversations shaping the current cultural landscape.
Uncanny Valley | WIRED
A weekly look at Silicon Valley’s tech, power, and influence through interviews and insider reporting from WIRED journalists.
The A24 Podcast
Discusses films and series from A24’s acclaimed catalog, exploring the creative vision behind their storytelling.
Nerdrotic
Gary Buechler
The Daily Zeitgeist
A daily comedy-news podcast where hosts break down the week’s biggest stories with sharp analysis and humor to help make sense of the chaos.
About Ankler Agenda
"Ankler Agenda" breaks down the headlines, trends and creativity shaping the evolution of Hollywood, the creator economy and entertainment. The show is hosted by Elaine Low, author of Ankler Media’s popular “Series Business” Substack newsletter, who is joined weekly by her colleagues Sean McNulty (“The Wakeup”) and Natalie Jarvey (“Like & Subscribe”) -- in addition to Richard Rushfield, the Ankler himself.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from Ankler Agenda in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Ankler Agenda daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Ankler Agenda as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Ankler Agenda podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Ankler Agenda product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by TheAnkler.com.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts. Upgrade to Pro for 15, or Premium for 50. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Ankler Agenda release new episodes?
Ankler Agenda publishes weekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Ankler Agenda cover?
Ankler Agenda covers topics including News, Business, Entertainment. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting Ankler Agenda summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.