Felix Gillette

Why the Queen of Toddler TV Became an Activist for Gaza Ms. Rachel has enchanted millions of kids with lo-fi, educational videos. Now she’s in her “advocacy era.”

The current media climate has proven entirely hospitable to voices of misinformation, conspiracy and hatred. Can it sustain one dedicated to thoughtfulness and acceptance? Here's our feature story on the opportunities and challenges facing Ms. Rachel, the new queen of toddler TV: shorturl.at/2wDnX

Amazon to Shut Down Wondery Podcast Studio, Reorganize Audio Business As podcasting becomes video-oriented, Amazon is shuffling Wondery into Audible and a new “creator services” team while cutting approximately 110 staff members

Amazon is shutting down Wondery studio amid podcast industry’s shift to video

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Happy happy HBO Max counter-reformation day to all those who celebrate

Dr. Phil’s Media Company Files for Bankruptcy Amid Dispute Merit Street Media, the startup founded by celebrity psychologist Phil McGraw, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, according to a court filing.

Dr. Phil's media startup has filed for bankruptcy

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

such a great, trippy show. Perfect mix of bloodshed, tortoise humor, and ethnobotany references

Battle of the Cool Kids: Inside the A24, Neon and Mubi Turf War For the first time in years, there's a three-way brawl for the title of Hollywood’s ‘It’ indie outfit.

"Neon, Mubi and A24 represent three different futures of indie cinema."

www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...

Inside the ‘Dragon Age’ Debacle That Gutted EA’s BioWare Studio The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil

NEW: What went wrong with Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Why was the writing so tonally inconsistent? Why did it feel so shallow? Why were there so few choices?

Really, after ten years of turbulence, it was a miracle that anything came out at all. This is the story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Reminded today of something hilarious and spot-on that Jesse Armstrong, the creator of HBO's Succession, told us for "It's Not TV." (page 361)

Big Bird and ‘CoComelon’ Are on the Move. Who Will Follow? Warner Bros. Discovery’s pullback from kids programming leaves opportunities for Netflix and Disney.

As HBO Max's parent moves away from kids streaming content, expect Disney and Netflix to battle it out. Here's @felixgillette.bsky.social in the Businessweek Daily www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Not Every Team Deserves a Netflix Sports Documentary Customers love them, but streamers are getting choosier in what they say yes to.

I wrote about the sports doc glut

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

What if Making Cartoons Becomes 90% Cheaper?

“No part of the entertainment business has more to lose — and gain — from A.I. than animation.“

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/b...

Starting to really see the impact of Max throwing in the towel on kids programming. (1) New episodes of Sesame Street moving to Netflix. (2) Cartoon Network's new, long-anticipated reboot of Gumball making its streaming debut on Hulu.

The Sunday Long Read: Underground Opera, Biden, Cartoon Network The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.

Don't miss this week's SLR featuring @sarahzhang.bsky.social‬, @anndoritboy.bsky.social‬, @jaketapper.bsky.social‬, ‪@samiamadwar.bsky.social‬, @felixgillette.bsky.social‬, @mollyjongfast.bsky.social‬ & more! mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...

Cartoon Network’s struggles have been playing out at a time when animation at large has arguably never been more popular. From Dog Man and Inside Out 2 to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, animated features continue to rule the box office. Bluey—a cartoon series from Australia that Cartoon Network executives once unsuccessfully sought to license—has been a huge hit for Disney+. And animated shows such as Peppa Pig and CoComelon regularly attract big audiences of youngsters on Netflix. The global anime market is projected to grow from $34.2 billion in 2024 to $60.1 billion by 2030, according to research by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Surely, many animation fans still hope, there is room for the Cartoon Network brand to flourish once again.

"Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp" The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Super thorough piece by @felixgillette.bsky.social on the decline of Cartoon Network in the Age of Zaz.

But to my mind, this graf is the crux: The demand is there; WBD failed to meet it and damned the brand in the process.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Five years after its launch, Max is throwing in the towel on kids programming. What’s that mean for the future of Cartoon Network? My deep dive on the precarious state of a beloved animation brand.

tinyurl.com/3fwbpf2b

Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are struggling to survive Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and the era of streaming. Great reporting from @felixgillette.bsky.social 🎁

Illegal casinos and sports books dominated the US online gambling market -- earning 74% of gross gaming revenue (a whopping $67.1 billion) in 2024.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism [Wynn-Williams, Sarah] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

Finished the Facebook memoir. It’s great. And although it’s crazy to say this, given how much reporting there has been on this company, it raises more questions about zuckerbergs leadership than anything I’ve read. a.co/d/8vS4yVY

What is Nick Denton up to? Indignity Vol. 5, No. 53

What’s going on with Nick Denton? Why the sudden return to online combat? Naturally, the best take comes from @tomscocca.bsky.social

“That is to say, after years out of the attention racket, Denton is trying to make one more score.”

www.indignity.net/what-is-nick...

What a life
#earl #oriolesmagic #weaver

Porn on Spotify Is Infiltrating the Platform’s Top Podcast Charts The sexually explicit videos, which Spotify doesn’t allow, have shown up alongside some of the most popular podcasts on the service

Spotify's porn problem:

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Opinion | Let the chips fall where they may How a whale fall — a feast on a dying mammal descending to the ocean floor — explains the Chips Act.

Jack Shafer is back! The longtime Politico press columnist debuts his new column in the WashPost.

@jackshafer.bsky.social
@washingtonpost.com

They Were Raised to Serve America. MAGA Sees Them as Its Enemies. The latest Trump targets feel like a metaphor for the capital’s travails.

I, admittedly, grew up in this world and have both admiration for it and anger towards it. Probably only Michael Schaffer could write this so well. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Excited to read this one! Happy pub day @benwallace.bsky.social

New York Times Cooking App Finds Right Ingredients to Vanquish Rivals After launching 10 years ago, NYT Cooking has succeeded in a crowded field with its blend of sleek videos, massive recipe catalog and an active community of home chefs.

How NYT Cooking cooked Epicurious

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Spotify Signs Bill Simmons, Its $250 Million Man, to a New Deal Bill Simmons is sticking around at Spotify.

Bill Simmons re-ups with Spotify

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

YouTube’s Biggest Star MrBeast Makes More Money From Chocolate Than Videos Beast Industries is looking to raise a couple hundred million dollars to expand into new areas, including video games, beverages and wellness

The biggest YouTube star in the world (@MrBeast) makes more money from chocolate than his entertainment business, according to two different investor decks.

We took a dive into one of the most interesting creator businesses around.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NetEase’s Billionaire CEO Slashes Jobs and Games in Profit Push After years of expanding overseas, video-game billionaire William Ding is hitting the brakes at NetEase Inc., the pioneering Chinese company behind hits like Eggy Party and its newest blockbuster Marv...

New investigation inside NetEase Games. CEO is slashing games, hundreds of jobs, investment

There was even talk of not releasing Marvel Rivals. CEO wants games that generate hundreds of millions, have original IP, per sources. w/ Zheping Huang and Takashi Mochizuki www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Last week I wrote advertisers were returning to X for fear of being sued

This week WSJ reports that advertisers believe X made threats about torpedoing the IPG-Omnicom merger if marketers didn't return

Remember this when seeing stories about X's suddenly resurgent biz

www.wsj.com/business/med...

Dr. Phil’s Streaming-Era Rebrand Has Been a Struggle Merit TV has entered a crowded field of news networks. Can it find its audience?

You may have seen him chasing around ICE detainees with a camera and wondered what’s going on with Dr. Phil?? Hannah Miller has the answer. She dug deep into the story behind Dr. Phil's latest reinvention as a streaming news mogul. Spoiler alert: it's been a struggle.

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