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Buffering

Insider news and analysis on the streaming industry from Vulture’s Joe Adalian.

buffering

The State of Netflix’s Comedy Business, 2025

 More Mulaney? Yes. Endless synergy? Duh. Its own SNL? “We’d be open to it,” says the streamer’s stand-up boss.

More From Buffering

  1. Why Max’s Ad-Supported Plan Just Got a Lot Less AttractiveWBD needs to keep finding revenue streams, after all.
  2. Fighting the Streaming Wars With Prestige CartoonsThe literal Godzilla of Japanese entertainment companies bought GKIDS. What does that mean for the future of international animation?
  3. Why SNL Still Matters to NBCNetwork TV may be fighting for its life, but not on Saturday night.
  4. Are You Ready for Some Tubi?Here’s how the free streamer plans to win Super Bowl LIX.
  5. What I Saw at the Streaming RevolutionAnd what the next five years hold for the industry that took over TV.
  6. 4 Predictions for Hollywood in Another 4 Years of TrumpLike most sequels, this one will be worse.
  7. Biden’s Giving a ‘Last Word’ to MSNBCThe outgoing president’s “final interview” has been set.
  8. Can TV Procedurals Save Streaming?Max and Netflix are making old-school hospital dramas from network veterans. Is this the next front in the streaming wars?
  9. ‘Subscribers Were Overwhelmed’: How Disney Made Streaming ProfitableDana Walden and Alan Bergman on the past, present, and future of Disney+.
  10. Bob Iger’s Grand Streaming Vision Is Finally Coming TogetherSlowly but surely, Disney will convince you to return to the bundle.
  11. Star Wars and Slam Dunks: Here’s How Disney+’s ESPN Integration Will WorkEverything you need to know about Bob Iger’s new streaming vision.
  12. Netflix’s Live-TV Strategy Remains a Work in ProgressMike Tyson wasn’t the only person who had a bad night.
  13. Welcome to SpinCoNotes on the debundling of NBCUniversal.
  14. What the SNL ‘Equal Time’ Drama Was Really AboutTrump’s man at the FCC tried to turn Kamala’s SNL moment into a scandal. Get ready for four more years of such nonsense.
  15. Hollywood Faces a Reboot of the Trump ShowFrom merger prospects to the fortunes of cable news, here are the 5 key questions facing the industry under the next administration.
  16. ‘I Wanted to Promise a Twist’: How CBS Got People to Watch a Matlock Reboot“We certainly would never set out to disparage what Matlock was,” says CBS’s head of marketing.
  17. Are You Smarter Than an Amazon Streaming Executive?Prime Video is launching a slew of game shows using an old broadcasting trick: block scheduling.
  18. What If You Didn’t Have to Choose Between Cable and Streaming?“Free HBO” isn’t really the full picture of WBD’s new Charter bundle.
  19. The Limits of a Twice-Yearly Netflix Viewing ReportHere’s how the streamer could do better.
  20. Jokes Amber Can Tell (on CNN)On Have I Got News for You, Amber Ruffin is playing to win — especially when the news “is utter chaos.”
  21. Hallmark Finally Joins the Streaming WarsThe cable titan’s new Hallmark+ service is coming. Will the subscribers follow?
  22. Why Disney+ Has Succeeded While Other Netflix Rivals StruggleTo one analyst, Disney’s streaming future looked inevitable back in 2016. Here’s what he thinks now.
  23. Our Judges Will Now Review NBC’s Final ScoresPeacock’s highly rated Olympics coverage has proven comprehensive — but not always perfect.
  24. ​​A Tale of Two KingdomsThis week’s quarterly earnings reports from Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery could not be more different.
  25. Inside the 1995 Media Merger That Changed Disney ForeverA longtime ABC exec who worked closely with Bob Iger remembers what happened when Michael Eisner arrived.
  26. Dial Acorn for (Cozy) MurderHow one streamer made a name for itself by delivering a very specific (and often British) kind of television.
  27. It’s Tubi’s TimeHow the weird, free streamer won the internet’s heart.
  28. The Emmys in the Age of Gourmet CheeseburgersWhat will the awards show look like as the streaming era matures?
  29. Notes on L’Affaire ParamountWith Skydance out, what happens now?
  30. It’s the End of Paramount+ As We’ve Known It (and That’s Fine)Why Paramount’s new streaming strategy makes a Peacock merger more likely.
  31. The 2024 Streaming Power RankingsWe asked 29 critics, executives, agents, producers, and analysts who they think is winning the streaming wars — and who’s struggling to survive.
  32. The 8 Biggest Takeaways From Netflix’s Latest Ratings DumpNo one watched your favorite prestige movie, but everyone ate up One Piece.
  33. What All the Big Streamers Are Telling AdvertisersEveryone wants ad money now. Here’s how they’re planning to get it at next week’s upfronts.
  34. Netflix Has Finally Cracked the Talk-Show CodeThe streamer has figured something out with its John Mulaney experiment.
  35. What’s Your Favorite Streaming Service’s Personality?Insights from a new national survey about streamers.
  36. Can 400 Comedians Convince You to Keep Netflix?Talking to the streamer’s head of stand-up about live events, SNL, and Matt Rife.
  37. What Show Airs Where? Inside the Hulu–ABC Programming Machine“For the Hulu customer, it’s a small difference between what’s a Hulu Original and an ABC show. They’re just watching shows.”
  38. Why CBS (Yes, CBS) Thinks It Can Survive the Streaming WarsNetwork boss George Cheeks talks Tracker, Star Trek, an unexpected new soap — and life alongside Paramount+.
  39. Why Aren’t There More Game Shows on Streaming?It’s the $64,000 question, but the answer might soon change.
  40. Do Nielsen Ratings Really Reflect What People Want From Streamers?How many people are actually streaming Suits and Young Sheldon?
  41. Made in Spain: How the Country Became Key to Netflix’s International Strategy“I couldn’t remotely imagine we could be where we are,” says Money Heist creator Álex Pina.
  42. How Much Will People Pay for Just Sports?A newly announced streaming bundle aims to find out.
  43. The Truth Behind Max’s Cancellation Spree“You didn’t get many things that were broadening out from HBO. You got things that were adjacent to HBO.”
  44. The Week Netflix Put the Smackdown on Its RivalsCan you smell what Ted Sarandos is cooking?
  45. How Jury Duty Helped Freevee Win the Year in (Free) StreamingAnd four other smart strategies that shaped 2023.
  46. Netflix Just Published Viewing Data for Nearly Every Title It HasWith an asterisk: It’s the platform’s most transparent report yet, but it’s not everything.
  47. How Netflix Became the New King of Reality TVUnscripted chief Brandon Riegg on building a dating show universe, adapting Squid Game, and the live reunion that wasn’t.
  48. How the Networks (Barely) Survived the Fall TV Season“The networks all did what they needed to crawl through the tunnel of crap at the end of The Shawshank Redemption,” says one insider.
  49. Four Books About TV and Movies to Read Right NowAn oral history of The O.C., the inside story of Marvel, and more.
  50. Nobody Told Hallmark Channel That Cable Is DeadThe network that produces dozens of Christmas movies a year refused to join the streaming wars. It’s paid off big time.
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