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The Best/Most Popular Series I’ve Written
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Latest Stories...

Netflix Gives Up On The Binge (Not Really, But Kinda!)

September 16, 2025 10:32pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) I know it’s going to be a good Streaming Ratings Report issue when I argue with my editor/researcher

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Over 93 of the Biggest TV Show Flops, Bombs and Misses in the First Half of 2025

September 11, 2025 9:13pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Last week, I had dinner with a friend who works at a streamer, but doesn’t know what I do. We were chatting about TV shows, and he kept calling TV

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The (Sports) Bundle Lives!!!

September 9, 2025 5:52pm

(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Looking at the stories for July and August of 2025, a lot of them struck me as “this may happen” stories, not

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36 of the Biggest Film Flops in the First Half of 2025

September 3, 2025 7:57pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) It’s that time! Time for my semi-annual collection of all the “Flops, Bombs and Misses” on streaming for the first half of 2025.  Up first, films. (And specials…) As happens

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IP Has Taken Over Streaming (Plus, A Sanity Check on Netflix’ Actual 2025 Film Performance)

August 31, 2025 6:41pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Between school starting, summer vacations and more, we’ve got one more Streaming Ratings Report double issue this week,

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A Deep Dive Into the Biggest Streaming Film of the Summer…and Some Surprising Comparisons

August 26, 2025 9:24pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) I’m incredibly allergic to hype, and I constantly complain about people overreacting to one-off events or data points.

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LLMs Might Be Ruining Data Analysis

August 22, 2025 10:46pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) In the first few years of this blog/website-turned-newsletter, I used to write lengthy pieces of analysis, then I would follow those articles up with “Director’s Cuts” articles, sharing all the

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I Tested Whether Screenwriters Are Using AI Right Now…

August 21, 2025 12:37am

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) As I wrote in the last streaming ratings report, I love getting null results. If every data pull results in an amazing takeaway, something is wrong. Same goes for unexpected

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Crime Pays…At Least on Streaming

August 19, 2025 7:35pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) As longtime readers know, I’m a huge fan of IP and franchises in Hollywood. Even though they’re not

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The Batch Release Isn’t Dead?

August 14, 2025 11:10pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Has anyone else noticed how weird IMDb’s genres are getting? Over the last six months or so, my

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The Holiday Film Bump Is Dead. Or Is It?

August 11, 2025 8:01pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) One film’s success sort of threw me last December: Netflix’s latest Christmas week release, The Six Triple Eight. On the one hand, it did well. Of the 416 first-run films

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My Data Philosophy

August 7, 2025 4:12pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I want to lay out my approach to data in one place, explaining why my data philosophy is both unique in the streaming ratings game and, frankly, worth paying

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Squid Game is Huge…But There Is Some Weakness In the Numbers

August 2, 2025 4:18pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Usually, I wait a bit to self-congratulatorily pat myself on the back and link to all the people

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The TV Bubble Popped…

July 31, 2025 10:09pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Want to know the toughest data question I’ve been asked since I started writing about the streaming wars? How many TV shows and movies do the streamers release every year?

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The NBA’s Big Salary Cap Update, Formula 1 vs. Caitlin Clark, Bad News for the WGA, Joe Rogan’s Actual Popularity, and More

July 29, 2025 7:47pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) It’s time for another addition of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”!  I usually try to balance these articles with a mix of two or three big topics

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A Minecraft Movie vs. KPop Demon Hunters vs. Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical

July 28, 2025 8:50pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Looking at the Emmy nominees this year, I have to say: Well done, Emmy voters! No, seriously, between Adolescence,

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Checking in on the Indie Studios (Not Really) Disrupting Hollywood

July 22, 2025 8:46pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Going into today’s article, I want you to keep an open mind. I’m pouring cold water on the overheated hype train for multiple theatrical genres and mini-majors, so part of

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The Streaming Mega-Hit Show No One is Talking About

July 18, 2025 9:18pm

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) A few weeks ago, I was out and about, and I wanted to find out what F1 did

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Lilo & Stitch Has Made As Much As All 2024 Horror Films Combined

July 15, 2025 10:23pm

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Here’s how you can create disagreement online: Just talk past the other person. It’s that easy! For example, I constantly read articles about how “horror is the most bankable film

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Be Bold, Paramount! Can New Paramount Disrupt Streaming Wars?

July 11, 2025 7:14pm

(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) The story that’s drawn my attention this week will likely put me out on a limb compared to many—maybe all?—the other media

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The Entertainment Strategy Guy
The Entertainment Strategy Guy

@SriduttN I think you're two cents are right on here. My gut is their raise is similar to NFL, or maybe NHL. But not that much higher. Read More

Jul 28 2021
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The Entertainment Strategy Guy
The Entertainment Strategy Guy

@MasaSonCap Not at all, and even with the extra inventory, they aren't the NFL. But good to take control of the narrative! Read More

Jul 28 2021
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The Entertainment Strategy Guy

Yes, this headline is about the NBA. And Live Sports. Does it have implications for the streaming wars? You bet. Essentially, right as Live Sports are propping up linear bundles, the new OTT sports services need to buy sports rights. So it's boom town. Read More

Jul 28 2021
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The Entertainment Strategy Guy

🚨🚨🚨Folks, he's going threading! 🚨🚨🚨 Must read... Read More

Jul 28 2021
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The Entertainment Strategy Guy

RT @Denisgreen10: The NBA Final’s Ratings Were Down. Does It Even Matter? by @EntStrategyGuy #NBA #Finals Read More

Jul 28 2021
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The Entertainment Strategy Guy

RT @TimCushing: My employer, @techdirt, brings you great takes on Section 239, the First Amendment, and all sorts of govt malfeasance. And… Read More

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