Felix Gillette
@felixgillette.bsky.social
media and entertainment editor at Bloomberg News; co-author of “It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO”; longform scribbler for Bloomberg Businessweek
"In the game, available via a web browser, players pretend to be sexual assault victims trapped on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious island.“ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
‘Five Nights at Epstein’s’ Game Goes Viral at US School Campuses
Merve Lapus’s 13-year-old daughter told her dad she was horrified: This month, whenever her teacher stepped out of the room, kids in the class used their devices to play a new online game called Five ...
bloomberg.com
"Automakers have long tried to eliminate AM radio capabilities from new vehicles. But after years of tussling between Detroit and Washington, lawmakers appear poised to pass legislation this year that would mandate automakers keep AM receivers in cars." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Facing Slow Fade in Cars, AM Radio Sees Path to Legal Mandate
Randy Brooks will never forget the day he had to break the news — live on the air — to a woman that her husband had perished in a tornado.
bloomberg.com
This is a terrific profile of FCC chairman Brendan Carr, brimming with new and previously unreported details about his rise to power.
“At a time when the Trump administration has mostly annihilated the already feeble funding for public media in the US, the success of Heated Rivalry is a major victory for the Canadian government’s unique system for nurturing homegrown entertainment." Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The Sexy, Steamy Canadian Public Funding System Behind Heated Rivalry
The cultural phenomenon might not have been possible without the country’s taxpayers.
bloomberg.com
The current media climate has proven entirely hospitable to voices of misinformation, conspiracy and hatred. Can it sustain one dedicated to thoughtfulness and acceptance? Here's our feature story on the opportunities and challenges facing Ms. Rachel, the new queen of toddler TV: shorturl.at/2wDnX
Why the Queen of Toddler TV Became an Activist for Gaza
Ms. Rachel has enchanted millions of kids with lo-fi, educational videos. Now she’s in her “advocacy era.”
shorturl.at
Amazon is shutting down Wondery studio amid podcast industry’s shift to video www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Amazon to Shut Down Wondery Podcast Studio, Reorganize Audio Business
As podcasting becomes video-oriented, Amazon is shuffling Wondery into Audible and a new “creator services” team while cutting approximately 110 staff members
bloomberg.com
Happy happy HBO Max counter-reformation day to all those who celebrate
The Verge@theverge.com · last yr.HBO Max is officially HBO Max again
such a great, trippy show. Perfect mix of bloodshed, tortoise humor, and ethnobotany references
Alan Sepinwall@sepinwall.bsky.social · last yr.I belatedly caught up on Common Side Effects, a dazzling, confounding mix of animated action thriller, corporate satire, dry buddy comedy, and drug trip, among many other things that shouldn't work together, but do:
"Neon, Mubi and A24 represent three different futures of indie cinema." www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Battle of the Cool Kids: Inside the A24, Neon and Mubi Turf War
For the first time in years, there's a three-way brawl for the title of Hollywood’s ‘It’ indie outfit.
hollywoodreporter.com
NEW: What went wrong with Dragon Age: The Veilguard? Why was the writing so tonally inconsistent? Why did it feel so shallow? Why were there so few choices? Really, after ten years of turbulence, it was a miracle that anything came out at all. This is the story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Inside the ‘Dragon Age’ Debacle That Gutted EA’s BioWare Studio
The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil
bloomberg.com
Reminded today of something hilarious and spot-on that Jesse Armstrong, the creator of HBO's Succession, told us for "It's Not TV." (page 361)
As HBO Max's parent moves away from kids streaming content, expect Disney and Netflix to battle it out. Here's @felixgillette.bsky.social in the Businessweek Daily www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Big Bird and ‘CoComelon’ Are on the Move. Who Will Follow?
Warner Bros. Discovery’s pullback from kids programming leaves opportunities for Netflix and Disney.
bloomberg.com
“No part of the entertainment business has more to lose — and gain — from A.I. than animation.“ www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/b...
What if Making Cartoons Becomes 90% Cheaper?
nytimes.com
Starting to really see the impact of Max throwing in the towel on kids programming. (1) New episodes of Sesame Street moving to Netflix. (2) Cartoon Network's new, long-anticipated reboot of Gumball making its streaming debut on Hulu.
Don't miss this week's SLR featuring @sarahzhang.bsky.social, @anndoritboy.bsky.social, @jaketapper.bsky.social, @samiamadwar.bsky.social, @felixgillette.bsky.social, @mollyjongfast.bsky.social & more! mailchi.mp/sundaylongre...
The Sunday Long Read: Underground Opera, Biden, Cartoon Network
The week's best journalism. Every Sunday.
mailchi.mp
Super thorough piece by @felixgillette.bsky.social on the decline of Cartoon Network in the Age of Zaz. But to my mind, this graf is the crux: The demand is there; WBD failed to meet it and damned the brand in the process. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Five years after its launch, Max is throwing in the towel on kids programming. What’s that mean for the future of Cartoon Network? My deep dive on the precarious state of a beloved animation brand. tinyurl.com/3fwbpf2b
Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp
The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.
tinyurl.com
Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are struggling to survive Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav and the era of streaming. Great reporting from @felixgillette.bsky.social 🎁
Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp
The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.
bloomberg.com
Illegal casinos and sports books dominated the US online gambling market -- earning 74% of gross gaming revenue (a whopping $67.1 billion) in 2024. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Finished the Facebook memoir. It’s great. And although it’s crazy to say this, given how much reporting there has been on this company, it raises more questions about zuckerbergs leadership than anything I’ve read. a.co/d/8vS4yVY
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism [Wynn-Williams, Sarah] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
a.co
What’s going on with Nick Denton? Why the sudden return to online combat? Naturally, the best take comes from @tomscocca.bsky.social “That is to say, after years out of the attention racket, Denton is trying to make one more score.” www.indignity.net/what-is-nick...
What is Nick Denton up to?
Indignity Vol. 5, No. 53
indignity.net
Jack Shafer is back! The longtime Politico press columnist debuts his new column in the WashPost. @jackshafer.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com
Opinion | Let the chips fall where they may
How a whale fall — a feast on a dying mammal descending to the ocean floor — explains the Chips Act.
washingtonpost.com
I, admittedly, grew up in this world and have both admiration for it and anger towards it. Probably only Michael Schaffer could write this so well. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
They Were Raised to Serve America. MAGA Sees Them as Its Enemies.
The latest Trump targets feel like a metaphor for the capital’s travails.
politico.com
