Wayne, if it seems as if the Netflix purchase of WB/HBO is going through, the next really big target will probably be NBC/Peacock/Universal Studios and the most likely suitors will be Amazon or Google--to counter Netflix and ensure themselves of access to quality content. 

Ha! Always good to meet another PJ fan.
Some things just hit different when you get it.

There’s a kernel of truth here: bold ideas often need room to breathe before data can validate them, and short-term metrics can sometimes stifle originality. But not all ideas are good just because they’re “different,” and KPIs aren’t the enemy, they’re how marketing earns its seat at the business table.

When boldness becomes the goal instead of business impact, it risks becoming theater, a pitch for a Cannes Lion over business outcomes. Marketing, like every function, competes for resources. Strategy means balancing instinct with accountability.

Test bravely, measure honestly, scale what works.

Mr. Beast audience tons have Netflix or their parents have Netflix so I think many of Mr. Beast fans will watch his Netflix show in my opinion. I've seen some clips of what he does from media as I don't watch him on YouTube and don't follow his YouTube channel.

Melissa:  Spot on from a former CBS employee.  As consistently demonstrated, "no experience" and "proven to lack the qualifications and intellect necessary for the job" pervades the current administration who Weiss unequivocally has demonstrated she serves.  

Good piece.  The problem with Weiss can be summarized easily -- she was hired for a job for which she has no experience and has proven to lack the qualifications and intellect necessary for the job.  In her memo, she should have apologized for making a mistake, blamed her lack of experience, and welcomed input from established media professionals to avoid making mistakes in the future.  CBS stockholders shouldn't be expected to tolerate incompetence.

@Dan C. from MS Entertainment: Heh-heh, I can always count on you to express something debasing, can't I. Not sure how it helps the discussion, but just to fact-check a couple of points you may not understand: 1) I've covered political media and marketing for nearly half a century at Adweek, Ad Age, and yes -- even journalistically at MediaPost. It has always been one of my beats. That might be why my publisher asked me to take over "Red, White & Blog" to provide my own opinion-based commentary. By the way, opinions are inherently biased and Ive never implied mine were any different. As always, if you don't like reading them, why do you -- and why do you take the time to troll -- er, I mean comment -- about them?

Lastly, opinions have always been a part of journalist. In fact, news organizations often have whole sections devoted to them. They're called "op-eds" and even though we call "Red, White & Blog" a blog, it is an op-ed commentary.

Hope that clarifies things for you, but I'm sure this comment will be repeated in some form sometimes soon.

Happy New Year!

It's unlikely Beast's massive YouTube audience is going to fork over $$$ to watch Netflix when he has so much content on his own channel.  Starbucks must have paid him a sick amount of money because even he knows that any long term benefits to Starbucks are unlikely and he gets a boatload of money and doesn't offend his YT audience with such a blatantly unecessary plug for the chain.

Weiss' internal memo which was made public was very clear about "what was missing" and why she felt the story was biased and where it needed to be stretched before it could be aired.  Where are you getting your (mis)informatiion?

Referring to yourself as a "political media trade reporter" is pretty rich.  I don't see reporting.  I see lots of biased commentary, but I don't see any actual journalism.

Would love to see the numbers behind your most read posts which are commentaries vs. actual MP news.

Transparency and all that.

Joe: Another brilliant year of reporting - and a well deserved standing "O" and thank-you.  Elbows-up! 

Wayne: An excellent balanced assessment of the shameful blatant political decision by Bari Weiss driven by the current regime and its goal of muzzling the "quality news media" and their  efforts to deliver honest truthful reporting on its on-going failures - per Sharon Alfonsi of 60 Minutes! The deportations and payments to El Salvador surely mark an indelible stain on the US, the details of which all its citizens need to fully understand.  

The 60 Minutes investigation should've aired and not spiked in my opinion, I don't ever watch 60 Minutes only seen it a handful of times when I was kid watching with my parents. And if I'm ever interested in a report from the show I can just watch it on YouTube.

Sorry Doug. She was there, and saw it all unfold. Nothing fake about the experiences she shared from that terribly sick family. As for Rosenbaum's piece, that is by definition OPINION. But as a registered Republican that voted for Trump in 2016, figuring ENTIRELY INCORRECTLY that he couldn't be much worse than the liars that preceded him (Obama, W, and Slick Willy,) it quickly became clear as a bell that Trump was far worse, PATHOLOGICALLY AND PSYCHOPATHICALLY way worse. I read the book... it clearly explains the degree to which scumbaginess reigns supreme in TrumpWorld. How absent intervention, Trump would not be able to get out from under what a piece of dog shit he has really become. 

No problem. Thanks for acknowledging my comment. 

Ever try to watch a movie on Pluto TV?   Coming OUT of an ad, I once tracked  the ad load: 26 minutes of film, 20 minutes of ads. A horrible experience.  

Lou, thanks also for calling out Joe Mandese giving voice to opinion pieces like this in MediaPost. It is the only publication in our industry that supports opinion like this, which try to get  folks outside of their day job thinking a bit to broader issues that shape our business and society significantly. I am so fortunate to have been able to write for MediaPost for almost 25 years. Also, I am very thankful for the amazing editing of Phyllis Fine, who brings her magic to my all-to-frequently jumbled writings.

This headline falls woefully short: tariffs matter—but they’re only one piece of a much larger picture. Spirits overall are facing declining consumption among younger consumers, competition from THC products, and a natural post-boom correction in American whiskey after years of rapid growth. Production pauses right now reflect smart inventory management in a cyclical business, not a loss of confidence in the category’s long-term strength. Consumer tastes evolve, volume shifts, and the strongest brands adapt without abandoning their core.

Thanks Lou. It means a lot coming from such a student of history as yourself.

I would like to thank Mr. Dave Morgan for taking the time to write this rather insightful piece and Mr. Joe Mandese for giving it voice in MediaPost!

I'm surprised that AVF hasn't been in syndication forever I don't ever remeber it being cleared on broadcast syndication in West Michigan I know it was on cable USA in the late 90s & FOX/ABC Family. I feel that AVF will be on ARC-WMI, CW-WMI, or WXSP, same for American Mayhew as well. I could see Adam's Law going to WZZM as they air the CBS Media Ventures court shows Hot Bench, & Judge Judy forever since season 2 as season 1 was aired on WZMI FOX17 in 1996-97 syndication season.

Just to add one thing to Joe's excellent response:  The Biden administration was doing a public service, Mark.  That is the government's role.  Trying to stop the spread of wrong and mis-information during a pandemic in an effort to minimize preventable deaths is surely a worthwhile goal, don't you think?  What could be more important?

A good article Gord sad that your dad died when you were a year old didn't get to meet the materernal grandfather. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.