This week on Next TMT Talks, Daniel Frankel and David Bloom unpack a fast-moving media and telecom landscape where regulation, streaming strategy, AI, and franchises are all colliding.

The conversation begins with California pushing back on the FCC, as state regulators reinsert DEI-related conditions into Verizon’s $20B acquisition of Frontier — setting up a broader fight between federal authority and state power. From there, the episode moves through Hollywood, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley, examining how legacy franchises, streaming economics, and AI tools are reshaping the business.

Along the way, the hosts dig into Netflix’s theatrical strategy and earnings scrutiny, Disney’s Star Wars reset after Kathleen Kennedy’s exit, the growing influence of AI tools like Claude, and why streaming platforms are now delivering audiences once thought exclusive to linear TV.

The episode closes with reflections on Wikipedia’s role in a fact-fragmented world, Sundance’s AI reckoning, Paramount+’s breakout hit Landman, and what record-setting NFL streaming audiences signal for the future of sports media.

Topics:

California vs. the FCC and state-level regulatory power
Verizon–Frontier $20B acquisition and DEI conditions
Federal preemption vs. state oversight
Disney’s Star Wars franchise after Kathleen Kennedy
Avengers trailers and franchise-driven attention
Netflix’s theatrical strategy and earnings pressure
Investor skepticism and Wall Street signals
AI in media, including Anthropic’s Claude
AI guardrails, warfighting concerns, and regulation
Sundance and the unanswered questions about AI
Wikipedia at 25 and the fight over shared facts
Paramount+’s Landman and streaming visibility metrics
Record-breaking NFL and college football streaming audiences
The shifting economics of sports, streaming, and attention

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Technology, Media, and Telecom News

01:43 Verizon finally getting California approval to buy Frontier, DEI Policies

06:09 Star Wars franchise with the departure of Kathleen Kennedy

10:49 Netflix's Theatrical Strategy and Filmmaking Challenges

12:55 Disney's eye popping attention from a set of Avengers trailers

14:32 Netflix, Ted Sarandos commits to winning in theatrical exhibition

15:33 Matt Damon grouses that he and Ben Affleck had to tweak their script for The Rip for Mobile users

17:37 quarterly earnings today Netflix and three guesses what everyone's going to want to talk about

18:30 It's Wikipedia's 25th birthday

20:40 Sundance starts this week with an interesting doc on all the questions we should be asking about AI but aren't.

21:08 Pete Hegseth wants to know why he can't use Anthropix Claude AI tools to commit war like he wants

23:22 The Success of 'Landman' on Paramount Plus

23:47 Looper Insights says Paramount Plus's Landman, is the show of the month

25:52 Critique of Character Development in 'Landman'

29:41 The Evolution of Sports Broadcasting

California Pushes Back on the FCC as Disney, Netflix and AI Reshape Media

Next TMT Talks: The Intersection of Technology, Media and Telecom