Weekly Roundup – October 21st, 2025
Roundup Links
Netflix is adding video podcasts, marking ‘a new chapter for podcasting’
"Netflix dominates paid TV streaming, and now it’s coming for podcasts next. Netflix and Spotify have announced a new partnership that will bring a variety of Spotify’s video podcasts to Netflix.
Netflix is getting a curated selection of Spotify video podcasts soon
From Netflix’s press release:
In a new wide-ranging deal, video for The Bill Simmons Podcast as well as The Ringer’s NFL, NBA, Fantasy Football, and F1 shows will live on Spotify and Netflix. But these sports titles are just the start: Pop culture series like The Rewatchables and Dissect, as well as true crime pods such as Conspiracy Theories, are also part of this pact. The video podcasts will be available in the US in early 2026, with other markets to follow."
Our Take: Netflix understands that a substantial portion of its audience streams its content on a cellphone. While the vast majority stream Netflix content on TV, a growing chunk of the audience does so regularly on their mobile devices. Adding video podcasting to their roster is a testimony to where Netflix thinks audiences are headed (mobile – if they are not there already). On any commercial flight, look around at your fellow passengers and at least one will be paying half attention to a video podcast of some sort.
Booking Big Guests and Irked by Leaks: Bari Weiss’s First Days at CBS
"Bari Weiss, the new editor in chief of CBS News, surprised senior staff at the venerable news program “60 Minutes” during a meeting on Tuesday when she asked a provocative question:
Why does the country think you’re biased?
The inquiry was met with stunned awkwardness, according to three people who recounted details from the private session in Midtown Manhattan. The staff of “60 Minutes,” the nation’s most-watched news program, view their coverage as firmly nonpartisan and reject criticism from President Trump and his allies who argue that it has a liberal slant.
...
Since her start date on Oct. 6, Ms. Weiss has met with leading anchors and executives, impressing some and confounding others. She has mused about CBS-branded live events, booked interviews for the network with high-profile newsmakers by text message and complained about a flurry of leaks concerning her early tenure, urging executives to identify the leakers in the newsroom."
Our Take: The quasi-manic preoccupation members of the commentariat seem to have with the CBS News editor-in-chief and Free Press founder Bari Weiss pretty much all but guarantees her success. Regardless of what you feel about her politics (liberals think she is conservative while conservatives think she is liberal), mention her name in front of a news junkie and they will likely have a lot to say. I would not bet against her.
Former FCC Commissioner Helps Cumulus’ Case Against Nielsen.
"Cumulus Media is getting some help in its antitrust lawsuit against Nielsen. Former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth, an economist, has been recruited by the broadcaster’s legal team to help make its case. In a suit filed last week, Cumulus accuses the ratings giant of illegally tying its national and local radio measurement services.
In a declaration filed in federal court, Furchtgott-Roth — who served on the FCC from 1997 to 2001— lays out how he believes Nielsen’s “subscriber first” and “tying” policies exploit its dominance in the national and local radio ratings markets. He alleges Nielsen’s use “harms competition, forecloses potential competitors, and entrenches Nielsen’s market power” in the radio business."
Our Take: This case has legs.
NBC Sports president: Sunday night strategy ‘easy concept’ for viewers to understand
"For at least the next three years, there will rarely be a Sunday night when NBC isn’t airing a live sporting event.
The network has, of course, aired Sunday Night Football, the premier NFL game of the week, every year since 2006. But beginning this NBA season, NBC will add Sunday Night Basketball to the mix once football season winds to a close. And now, as a result of ESPN exiting its Sunday Night Baseball deal earlier this year, triggering a short-term reshuffling of MLB rights, NBC will be home to the league’s exclusive Sunday window for the next three years."
Our Take: The NFL’s ratings are in part due to a shortened schedule that lends playoff-like implications to regular season games. It also helps that NFL Sundays are the crown jewel of American Sports in terms of viewership and ad revenue. NBC understand that there are just too many games for casual NBA and MLB fans to follow, and so branding a ‘Sunday Sports Night’ with a seasonal rotation of sports (football, basketball, then baseball) is a deft move. There are often too many games to keep track of and having a dedicated ‘sports night’ throughout the year on one of the major broadcast networks will likely habituate a sizable audience into watching one of the major leagues.
