Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend – October 11, 2025

Podcast: Bloomberg Businessweek
Episode: Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend - October 11th, 2025
Hosts: Carol Massar & Tim Stenovec
Special Coverage: Highlights from the Bloomberg Screen Time event, Los Angeles
Date: October 11, 2025

Overview

This episode features in-depth conversations from the 2025 Bloomberg Screen Time event, gathering top executives, creators, and trendsetters at the intersection of business, technology, and entertainment. The central theme is the ongoing transformation of media and entertainment—how streaming, consolidation, artificial intelligence (AI), and changing audience behaviors are reshaping Hollywood and the broader creative industries.

The episode takes listeners behind the scenes with industry leaders including:

• David Ellison (CEO, Skydance Media) on taking over Paramount
• Pam Abdy & Mike DeLuca (Co-Chairs, Warner Bros. Pictures) on blockbuster filmmaking
• Jimmy Kimmel (Late Night Host) on satire in a polarized era
• Mark Duplass (Filmmaker/Actor) & Elena Mayo (Head of Orion Pictures) on indie filmmaking in a post-streaming-boom world
• Greg Peters (co-CEO, Netflix) on diversifying streaming engagement
• Ryan Coogler & Sev Ohanian (Proximity Media) on creative empowerment and innovation

Each interview explores how major players are adapting strategies for content creation, distribution, technological disruption, and cultural shifts.

Key Segments & Insights

1. David Ellison (CEO, Skydance Media): Transforming Paramount for the Streaming Age

Host: Lukas Shaw
[03:00 – 31:00]

Paramount's Legacy and Potential

• Asset Strength: Paramount owns 80 million streaming subscribers across Paramount+, Pluto TV, and BET+, plus a top-tier legacy content library (Paramount & CBS).
  • "We have 80 million streaming subscribers. We have one of the best content libraries in existence with Paramount and CBS." — David Ellison [04:45]
• Linear vs. Streaming: Distinction between declining cable networks and strong CBS broadcasting, which remains profitable.
  • "Cable... has been in decline, but if you look at CBS, it actually is a remarkable asset that's been number one in primetime for 17 straight seasons." — Ellison [06:00]
• Leadership & Tech Investment: Bringing in executives with Silicon Valley tech chops, like Dane Glasgow (ex-Meta), to build competitive streaming platforms.
• Content Partnerships: Early successes include securing UFC broadcast rights and collaborations with Activision (Call of Duty) and high-profile filmmakers (James Mangold).
• Consolidation: Open about exploring M&A but committed to creating "more, not less" content post-merger.

Platform & Tech Overhaul

• Inefficiency: Paramount inherited "three streaming platforms, three separate tech stacks on two clouds," which is "inefficient and wildly expensive."
  • "We're in the process right now of basically consolidating all of those onto a single stack." — Ellison [14:30]
• User Experience: Improving recommendation algorithms and platform usability, but emphasizing that "technology is really in service of the content."

Content & Sports Strategy

• Year-Round Sports Calendar: UFC acquisition plugs summer gaps, complementing NFL, NCAA, and the Masters.
• Long-Term Talent Partnerships: Emphasizing decade-long collaborations instead of project-by-project deals.

Notable Moment

• On Company Culture: "We want to build a relationship with you over a decade... Invest for long term growth... that's all opportunity." — Ellison [09:45]
• On Mergers: "You actually need more content to yield more engagement." [28:50]

2. Pam Abdy & Mike DeLuca (Co-Chairs, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures): Navigating the New Blockbuster

Host: Lucas Shaw
[33:00 – 56:30]

Output, Economics, and Originality

• Production Scales Up: Increased output from 6 to 12 movies a year, aiming for 18, and hit $4 billion in global box office—matching pre-pandemic levels with fewer films.
• Diversity in Budget: Not every movie is a $200M tentpole, but budgets adapt to the filmmaker's vision and potential audience.
  • "It's really about balancing the slate... Based on vision of the filmmaker." — Pam Abdy [38:50]

Betting on Talent

• Paul Thomas Anderson Film: Greenlit a $135M satirical action comedy based on its bold, original vision and Leonardo DiCaprio's star power.
  • "If it's a bold, provocative swing, our DNA is to lean in and give it a shot." — DeLuca [41:40]

Audience Shifts and Marketing

• Adapting to Virality: Hits like Minecraft and Sinners gained momentum through online buzz.
  • "You can't plan for it, but you can arrange the chess pieces to take advantage of it." — DeLuca [53:00]

IP vs. Original Stories

• Video Games to Blockbusters: Success with Minecraft reflects the value of marrying the right filmmakers to strong IP.
  • "Anything can become a great movie if the filmmakers are cast well." — Abdy [46:30]
• On Filmmaker Ownership: Gave Ryan Coogler a unique 25-year ownership window on Sinners to honor the project's originality.

Notable Moment

• Storytelling Power: "That's the power of storytelling." — Abdy on the Sinners/Clarksdale, MS community project [50:00]
• Sequels: Minecraft sequel on the way; Sinners stands alone as an auteur achievement.

3. Jimmy Kimmel (Late Night Host): Satire, Scandal, and the Divided US Media Landscape

Host: Lucas Shaw
[59:00 – 1:25:00]

Responding to Controversy

• Recent Suspension: Discusses his ABC suspension following a controversial joke about Charlie Kirk, and the process of internal reflection with network leadership.
  • "I have problems all the time... sometimes you think, oh, this is not a problem, and then it turns into a big problem." — Kimmel [1:01:40]
  • On the return: "I wanted to kind of cover every base if I could... it had to be truthful." [1:06:10]

Politics and Comedy

• Personal & Social Shifts: Kimmel explains his evolution from sports-focused comic to a more political, socially conscious late-night host.
  • "I think maturity is part of it... I think this is a very different situation that we're in now." [1:12:30]
• Trump Era: The omnipresence of Donald Trump creates both endless material and new complications for satire.
  • "He's on TV all day, every day... It's just more focused in one area." — Kimmel [1:16:00]
  • "You want to make people laugh and not necessarily be on a crusade." [1:18:30]

Responsibility and Line-Drawing

• Interview Ethics: Gave Aziz Ansari a heads-up before asking about performing in Riyadh.
  • "Nothing's black and white. It's not something I would do, but I do understand the idea..." [1:21:00]

Notable Quotes

• "My job, as I see it, is to talk about the news of the day." — Kimmel [1:13:45]
• "You don't have to do this. I choose to do it." [1:18:40]
• Would invite Trump on the show, remains friends with Adam Carolla despite different politics.

4. Mark Duplass (Filmmaker/Actor) & Elena Mayo (Head, Orion Pictures): Indie Filmmaking & Industry Upheaval

[1:28:00 – 1:51:00]

The Changing Indie Landscape

• Production Democratized, Distribution Constrained: Easier to make content cheaply; far harder to monetize or distribute in the post-streaming-boom era.
  • "You have it a lot better than me on [tech], but way worse... distribution channels are not there." — Mark Duplass [1:30:15]
• The Death of Peak TV: A rebalancing as the "hyperbolic television movement" fades, reminiscent of previous media shifts.

Sustainability and Experimentation

• Alternative Models: Emphasizing shared backend, lower upfront fees, and aligning with niche streaming services.
  • "It was creative communism." — Duplass [1:33:00]
• Industry Stress: Well-established talent face economic hardship as content oversupply resets the market.

Elena Mayo on Studio Adaptation

• Legacy to Innovation: Orion's mission is to survive the inflection point and safeguard creative voices for "whatever is on the other side."
  • "This is a little bit corrective... it's not completely just the earth has fallen out underneath us." — Mayo [1:44:00]
• Production Location & Policy: Mixed feelings on tariffs/promoting local filmmaking; balancing economic, artistic, and global realities.

Notable Quotes

• "I feel a deep responsibility for my brothers and sisters... who are just getting choked out by this business." — Duplass [1:35:00]
• "It’s been ever-changing... which is why I think it's not falling—it's not all falling apart." — Mayo [1:49:10]

5. Greg Peters (Co-CEO, Netflix): Evolving from Streaming Dominance to Long-Term Engagement

Host: Lucas Shaw
[1:52:00 – 2:17:40]

Guarding Against Complacency

• Never 'Won': Netflix refuses to accept it has "won" anything; sees risk in complacency and notes the increasing competitiveness of the entire entertainment ecosystem.

Platform, Product, and Content Strategy

• Engagement Plateau: Acknowledges flat user engagement amid rapid TV/streaming evolution, but points out that Netflix built the on-demand model others are only now adopting.
  • "If you don't maintain the sense that you are constantly vulnerable, I think you will lose." — Peters [1:55:00]
• UI Overhaul: Major backend and algorithmic update to make discovery and recommendations real-time, and to support new types of "live" and interactive content.
  • "Now we do [recommendations] dynamically on the fly." [1:58:40]

Expansion into Live & Interactive

• Live Sports and Events: Early experiments (NFL, boxing) are about attracting subscribers and fostering shared 'event' moments—not about buying entire leagues.
  • "We're still really learning in the space." [2:03:00]
• Cautious on Big Sports Rights: Strategic about not overpaying for major packages (NFL, etc).
• M&A Unlikely: Netflix is "builders, not buyers" but keeps an open mind on deals; skeptical about mega-mergers.
  • "Big media mergers... don't have an amazing track record." — Peters [2:09:50]

Gaming as Engagement

• Gaming Strategy: Early innings; still a "B minus" effort but plans to leverage Netflix IP for games and interactivity to deepen engagement.
  • "It's a big market... we think it's a real opportunity for us..." [2:13:00]

6. Ryan Coogler & Sev Ohanian (Proximity Media): Creative Ownership, Theatrical Experience, and Multiplicity

Host: Lucas Shaw
[2:20:00 – 2:50:00]

Company Origins and Mission

• Filmmaker-Led Ownership: Coogler, Ohanian, and Zinzi Coogler formed Proximity to enable stories and creators outside the "Ryan Coogler brand".
  • "The only way we would do this is if we could have Sev come join it with us. We can kind of reunite the team..." — Coogler [2:23:00]
• First Three Films: Space Jam: A New Legacy, Judas and the Black Messiah, Creed 3—all greenlit with varied directors, not just Coogler.

Theatrical vs. Streaming

• COVID-Era Dilemmas: Their major releases during the pandemic were hybrid theatrical/streaming, which altered impact but was necessary given circumstances.
  • "People were dying, bro... We didn't even know if our careers would exist anymore, to be honest." — Coogler [2:31:00]
• Personal Bias: Remains deeply invested in theatrical releases, feeling a responsibility to preserve "the experience," though not ruling out streaming in the future.

Audience, Technology & Outreach

• Transparency: Viral outreach (e.g., Kodak film format explainer) was about "letting audiences know why we shot the film the way that we did." [2:41:00]
• Modern Marketing: Audiences need a compelling reason to see films outside the home in a world full of digital distractions.

Notable Quotes

• "The theatrical experience is one that means a great deal to me... and I feel a duty to try to protect that." — Coogler [2:36:00]
• "We never thought that millions of people would see [the technical explainer video]...but it really took off in a way we couldn't have imagined." [2:44:00]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• David Ellison:

  • "We have the opportunity to... turn Paramount into a leader in streaming." [07:00]
  • "Bringing in the appropriate leadership... to actually build platforms that are competitive with Netflix." [13:00]

• Pam Abdy:

  • "It really leads with being based on vision of the filmmaker." [39:00]
  • "David was completely supportive of every film and of Mike and I and the choices we made." [45:30]

• Mike DeLuca:

  • "You can't plan for [virality], but you can arrange the chess pieces to take advantage if it happens." [53:20]

• Jimmy Kimmel:

  • "Sometimes you think, oh, this is not a problem, and then it turns into a big problem." [1:01:45]
  • "You don't have to do this. I choose to do it." [1:18:40]

• Mark Duplass:

  • "The democratization of the technology has made it so wonderful... but the distribution channels are not there." [1:30:15]
  • "It was creative communism." [1:33:00]
  • "I feel a deep responsibility for... my brothers and sisters in LA... who are just getting choked out by this business." [1:35:00]

• Elena Mayo:

  • "This is a little bit corrective. It's not completely just the earth has fallen out underneath us." [1:44:00]

• Greg Peters:

  • "If you don't maintain the sense that you are constantly vulnerable, I think you will lose." [1:55:00]
  • "We used to calculate everyone's recommendations overnight... now we do it dynamically on the fly." [1:58:40]
  • "Big media mergers... don't have an amazing track record." [2:09:50]

• Ryan Coogler:

  • "The theatrical experience is one that means a great deal to me... and I feel a duty to try to protect that." [2:36:00]
  • "[On the viral Kodak video] We never thought that millions of people would see it..." [2:44:00]

Flow & Takeaways

• Industry at a Crossroads: From old-guard studios to new media disruptors, everyone acknowledges an era of uncertainty, technological acceleration, and need for creative risk.
• Emphasis on Talent Relations: Long-term partnerships, creative freedom, and fair compensation/ownership are increasingly central.
• Distribution Anxiety: With streaming’s growth flattening and theatrical faltering, everyone is searching for sustainable business models.
• Tech & Content Synergy: Data, recommendation engines, and UI overhauls are deemed essential, but always with the reminder that tech "serves content, not the other way around."
• New Power Structures: Indie filmmakers, legacy studios, and tech giants alike are experimenting with models to empower creators, reach fragmented audiences, and thrive amidst consolidation and disruption.
• Uncertainty as Opportunity: A throughline—executives and creators see risk but also vast possibility in the business model shake-up.

For listeners:
This packed episode captures a rare, panoramic view of the forces shaping modern entertainment—from boardroom M&A to late-night cultural battles and from indie DIY to billion-dollar streaming wars—directly from those making the decisions and telling the stories.