Cordkillers 585: The Algorithm Is Raising Your Kids
YouTube leans hard into creators, AI, and TV dominance, while streamers and studios chase new formats, new audiences, and new money—from microdramas to vertical video to Senate hearings.
This week on The FULL Experience: Star Trek: The Animated Series (108 - "The Magicks of Megas-Tu")
Next week: Star Trek: The Animated Series (206 - "The Counter-Clock Incident")
YouTube: https://youtu.be/9lWuPiVuemA
Supply Run
YouTube lays out its 2026 vision
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s annual letter positions creators as the new studios, doubles down on Shorts-to-TV viewing, teases customizable YouTube TV multiview and niche channel bundles, and outlines new AI tools for likeness control, autodubbing, and creator monetization—while pledging stronger systems to curb low-quality AI content.
BBC embraces YouTube-first originals
The BBC confirmed it will produce original content specifically for YouTube, launch new youth-focused channels, and partner with YouTube to invest in UK creators through training and development—underscoring YouTube’s growing industry pull.
Search Party (What to Watch)
For All Mankind – Season 5
Apple TV+’s alt-history space drama returns March 27.
Masters of the Universe trailer drops
Amazon MGM and Mattel released the first full trailer for the live-action He-Man film, hitting U.S. theaters June 5.
Darth Maul series gets a date
A standalone Darth Maul series premieres April 6 on Disney+, set between The Clone Wars and Rebels.
American Idol adds social voting
Season 24 introduces live social media voting alongside text and phone votes.
K-Pop Demon Hunters dominates Netflix
The animated hit has crossed 518 million views in six months, more than doubling any other Netflix title in that period, as Korean-language content overall tops 4.5 billion streams.
The Traitors heads to the West End
Following the conclusion of season four, the Mafia-style reality competition is being adapted for London’s West End.
Wonder Man lands well
Marvel’s Wonder Man is out, and early reactions are surprisingly positive.
Buried Treasure
Brian: Fallout Season 2 catch-up
Tom: Can This Love Be Translated?
Scanning the Horizon
Microdrama apps explode
Short-form drama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox are pulling in billions, with TikTok launching PineDrama and a new Hollywood-backed entrant raising $14 million—despite widespread skepticism about quality.
Netflix leans into vertical video
Netflix plans to expand its vertical clips experiment to podcasts and other content, alongside a redesigned mobile app coming later this year.
Netflix–Warner Bros. deal faces Senate scrutiny
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery executives will testify February 3 on the $83B acquisition and its antitrust implications.
Samsung TV Plus crosses 100M users
The FAST platform topped 100 million monthly active users globally, with streaming hours up 25% year over year.
Oscar nominations shake things up
Apple’s F1 landed a Best Picture nod, Netflix scored nominations for Frankenstein and Train Dreams, and K-Pop Demon Hunters picked up animated and song nominations. The Oscars air March 15 with Conan O’Brien hosting.
New looks at big 2026 films
Fresh footage dropped for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, including the first look at Yoshi and Birdo.
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars still alive
Kathleen Kennedy confirmed Waititi has turned in a script she calls “hilarious and great,” even as she prepares to exit Lucasfilm.
Chatter
Listener mail covers Starfleet Academy marketing whiplash, love for Cordkillers’ cartoon deep dives, musical callbacks in Lower Decks, curiosity about whether Sanford and Son still holds up, and at least one listener who paused the show to go listen to Smack My Bitch Up instead.