Cordkillers 590: Paul Anka’s Vegas Bid
Paramount’s sweetened offer for Warner Bros. Discovery spooked Netflix into an immediate exit, turning the “bidding war” into a one-horse race. Meanwhile, streaming’s arms race keeps rolling with subscriber updates, crackdowns, and a cable mega-merger getting an FCC green light.
This week on The FULL Experience: Lost (212 - "Fire + Water")
Next week: Lost (618 - "The End")
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7BHppUOlNZo
Supply Run
Paramount’s bid beats Netflix, and Netflix walks immediately. WBD deemed Paramount’s revised offer superior, gave Netflix a match window, and Netflix declined right away, calling the deal a “nice to have” at the right price.
Paul Anka’s “old Vegas trick” theory looks awfully prescient. Anka suggested Netflix’s involvement might’ve been more about stirring the pot than sealing the deal, and he still pegged Paramount as the likely winner.
CNN leadership tells staff not to assume the ending yet. Mark Thompson urged employees not to jump to conclusions while the merger process plays out.
Political pressure ramps up for antitrust scrutiny. Multiple politicians (and officials) call for investigations into the WBD-Paramount-Skydance deal.
Search Party (Shows and Channels - What to watch)
Two different G.I. Joe movies are in early development. Deadline says separate projects are in the works tied to Danny McBride and Max Landis.
Apple TV and Netflix will both stream F1: Drive to Survive Season 8.
Heated Rivalry Season 2 is coming in April 2027.
Zootopia 2 becomes 2025’s top domestic box office title. It passes A Minecraft Movie with $424M domestic.
Ted Lasso Season 4 is expected in August.
The Boroughs hits Netflix May 21. The Duffer Brothers’ supernatural mystery series gets a premiere date.
Buried Treasure
Brian: Salvador Dali museum (field trip energy)
Tom: How Dare You? (iQiyi)
Got something we should be on the lookout for? Email cordkillers@gmail.com
Scanning the Horizon
Paramount+ subscriptions rise to 78.9M (up 4% YoY).
WBD says its password-sharing crackdown goes global this year, as HBO Max cites 131.6M subs.
FCC approves Cox-Charter merger, with more approvals still needed.
AMC plans “preferred premier seating” blocked off first for top-tier members at no added charge.
Chatter
Patreon upgrade question: Listener can’t find the option to switch from per-episode to monthly. (We should point them to membership settings and available tiers, and note that some creators don’t offer monthly for legacy tiers.)
Whip-around skepticism: “Are you guys sure you didn’t just invent the news?” (Fair, but we promise we only curatechaos.)
Star Trek-ish AI music video recommendation: “Tin Man,” a metal tribute to Commander Data.
More whip-around ideas: fantasy-player cams, prediction-market feeds, traffic cams, bar-door security cam drama, plane/train spotting, even shipment-truck surveillance (Bond would approve, the SEC might not).