Inside the Kimmel Crisis; Mid-Market M&A Frenzy; AI Talent Agents

SubscribeSign inICYMIInside the Kimmel Crisis; Mid-Market M&A Frenzy; AI Talent Agents Plus: The Ankler announces a Letterboxd partnership Alison BrowerSep 21, 2025112ShareShareSubscribeBig news this week for The Ankler! Our CEO Janice Min announced a brand new partnership with Letterboxd on Thursday that encompasses joint events, shared ad sales through awards season and a new newsletter about audience, Crowd Pleaser, that combines Ankler reporting with Letterboxd data. Janice announced the multi-faceted offering at Axios Media Trends Live in New York (to audible murmurs of approval among the sold-out crowd); moderator Kerry Flynn characterized our big reveal as such: “As some legacy outlets chase scale, independent media brands are succeeding by going niche and pairing sharp editorial voices with passionate communities.” Contact Ankler’s London Sanders ([email protected]) for more information, and thank you to our launch sponsor, FX’s Alien: Earth. IN CROWD Janice Min, center, announced Ankler Media’s new partnership with Letterboxd at Axios Media Trends Live on Sept. 18, in a session moderated by Kerry Flynn, and alongside Feed Me author Emily Sundberg. (Axios/Edin Studios)(Read more about it all here👇🏼)Introducing ‘Crowd Pleaser’: New From The Ankler & LetterboxdSep 18Read full storyMeanwhile, the dark chill that swept through the industry this week with ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely” had Team Ankler all over it. In an emergency episode of The Ankler podcast (review us, like us and subscribe here), Lesley Goldberg laid out to host Elaine Low and Natalie Jarvey new details about what actually went down behind the scenes between Disney’s Dana Walden and the company’s marquee star:Richard Rushfield renewed his call for industry leaders to — excuse my language — grow a pair. In a Rushfield Lunch attended live by more than 3,000 people, he also spoke with The Bulwark’s Jonathan V. Last about just how dark this situation really is and the only way to resist authoritarianism: “These things are only ever really stopped by just bodies. Masses of bodies,” Last said: The Kimmel Capitulation: We’re in F*** CityRichard Rushfield·Sep 18Read full storyAnd what if Disney hadn’t backed down? Sean McNulty’s trenchant analysis of just how very, very little ABC parent Disney had at stake and the actual financial costs of pushing back on Carr will blow your mind. Let this be an object lesson to everyone else potentially in the crosshairs: ☀️What if DISNEY Called Carr’s Bluff — a Look at the RamificationsSean McNulty·Sep 19Read full storyAnd as hundreds of protesters showed up outside Disney’s Burbank HQ, Elaine and Lesley were on the scene and will have more for paid subscribers on Monday about the tick-tock of this crisis and what the demise of late night — even if Kimmel finds his way back — means for careers in comedy and entertainment.Now, ICYMI, here’s the rest of our best of the week:SubscribeSeries Business: AI Talent Agents; ATX RevivalAs Hollywood players try to get ahead of the AI curve, Elaine reveals how one talent agency owner is harnessing the tech to scale his client roster from 300 to 1,000; how “Ari,” the AI agent he built, nails the job of a human (and how it fails); plus, how other industry execs and creatives have made ChatGPT part of their routine:Meet ‘Ari’, the AI Talent Agent Helping 300 ActorsElaine Low·Sep 15Read full storyAfter Penske Media Corporation and ATX TV Festival organizers broke up, fest founders Emily Gipson and Caitlin McFarland tell Lesley exclusively about what went wrong and how they’re plotting ATX’s expansion, finding investors and recruiting sponsors. (Plus, don’t miss Lesley’s scoop about a juicy new Julie Plec-Andre Agassi tennis drama!):Jay Penske Bought a Beloved TV Fest Then ‘Didn’t Invest’. Its Founders Took It Back Lesley Goldberg·Sep 17Read full storySCOOP: Julie Plec, Andre Agassi Team for Amazon YA Tennis DramaLesley Goldberg·Sep 18Read full storyShareSubscribeRichard Rushfield’s 5-Alarm Fire Even before they came for Kimmel, Richard sounded the alarm way back on Tuesday (what a week!). Showbiz has become the Joe Biden of industries, convinced we’re winning when we’re losing, unable to change our ways or even acknowledge the chaos enveloping us:Hollywood: Now the Joe Biden of Industries Richard Rushfield·Sep 16Read full storyShareGet 10% off a group subscriptionDealmakers: Mid-Market M&A is on Fire At a time when, per one dealmaker, “there is such an appetite to scale,” Paramount and Warners aren’t the only ones exploring new pacts — Hollywood’s mid-market companies are also seeing heavy activity. Ashley Cullins surveys top players on the future of Neon, Black Bear, Bleecker Street, North Road and the Candle Media of it all (oof):Neon to North Road: Mid-Market M&A Frenzy Is About to Ignite Ashley Cullins·Sep 16Read full storyShareESG: The Case for Ellison’s Shopping SpreeAs Paramount Skydance plants its flag with big content investments and a possible bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Entertainment Strategy Guy thinks David Ellison is sitting on the most undervalued asset in Hollywood, and tells us what the potential WBD acquisition really means: Paramount Playbook: Risky, Murky — and Likely to Work. Here’s Why Entertainment Strategy Guy·Sep 18Read full storySubscribePrestige Junkie: Emmys into OscarsPost-Emmys, Katey Rich recaps the hit-or-miss telecast, with high highs (surprise wins for Jeff Hiller and Katherine LaNasa), low lows (Nate Bargatze’s speech-tightening gimmick that could’ve also used some trimming) and everything in between. Plus: Katey’s early Oscar picks:These 10 Movies Will Be Best Picture Nominees (I Think)Katey Rich·Sep 19Read full storyThe Good, Bad & Bargatze of the EmmysKatey Rich·Sep 15Read full storyShareGive a gift subscriptionThe WakeupThis week, YouTube unveiled Veo 3’s new AI integration into podcast video and Shorts creation (the tech will take your raw footage, put together a first cut for you and dub your videos, as just one example). Sean McNulty predicts the alarming effect this development could have on Hollywood jobs:☀️ More AMAZON TV Exec TumultSean McNulty·Sep 18Read full story☀️ What YOUTUBE’s New AI Tools Mean for JOBSSean McNulty·Sep 17Read full story☀️ NETFLIX, Emmys, NFL: Understanding Our New TV Ratings WorldSean McNulty·Sep 16Read full story☀️ ‘Demon Slayer’ Win Masks Barren Box OfficeSean McNulty·Sep 14Read full storySubscribeOur ShowsMonday Morning QBs: This week on our live box office show, Richard and Sean bemoan the lack of depth and volume at multiplexes — and why one-offs like Demon Slayer and KPop Demon Hunters won’t save us:Remembering