Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon menu of Puck’s freshest reporting. First up today, Matt Belloni chronicles the bloodletting at studios across Disney, Warner Bros., and Paramount as executives prepare for a new post-strike, post-Peak TV streaming chapter in which fewer films and shows get made. Alas, pink slips are a grim consequence of the new austerity era, and foreshadow what Hollywood will look like in the years to come: a lot smaller and leaner. Plus, below the fold: Julia Ioffe gets to the bottom of the conspicuous silence emanating from the State Department. John Ourand chronicles how the battle for sports rights turned streamers into advertising juggernauts—and brought linear TV closer to death. And exclusively for Inner Circle members, Lauren Sherman dissects the myriad challenges facing Dior’s new creative director, Jonathan Anderson. Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt rings up veteran publicist Lewis Kay on The Town to discuss the brave new world of celebrity P.R. On The Grill Room, Dylan Byers and Julia Alexander break down the slippery audience engagement metrics of the streaming era. On Fashion People, Lauren and Newmark’s Jonathan Schley explore the fashion industry’s real estate arms race. And on The Powers That Be, Julia Alexander and Eriq Gardner dissect The New York Times’s surprising A.I. licensing deal with Amazon.

Disney’s layoffs and the coming consolidation of Hulu, in addition to cuts at WBD and Paramount, all coalesce around a dreary reality: Less content requires fewer people. The studios avoided these cuts for years. Now, they don’t have any other choice. Read Now

Once upon a time, State Department officials would register dissent by writing a memo, or even resigning in protest. But what good would that do under Trump, where debate is squashed, and 20 percent of the agency is about to be laid off? Read Now

In a crowded landscape, Seth Meyers consistently offers the sharpest take. Anchored by the indispensable “A Closer Look,” his Late Night delivers whip-smart commentary and incisive interviews that cut through the noise. It’s the destination for viewers craving intelligent satire that doesn’t pull punches, with Meyers as a vital and unflinchingly honest voice in an era that demands it. Segments like “Day Drinking” and “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” remind viewers that in an unpredictable world, laughter is still the best medicine. For Your Emmy Consideration in all eligible categories including Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

The full impact of a post-monoculture world, where sports are viewed on multiple platforms, is beginning to emerge. To no one’s surprise, the streamers, who are younger and new to the ad game, are already starting to dominate. Read Now

After quietly working at Dior for several months, Jonathan Anderson has officially and publicly taken over the men’s and women’s collections. Now he’ll have to achieve something that’s never been done before, at arguably the most challenging time in Dior’s history. Read Now

Matt is joined by Lewis Kay, veteran publicist and co-C.E.O. of Kovert Creative, to discuss how much the game has changed in the world of celebrity P.R., including how the modern media landscape has impacted the celebrity press tour, what works and what doesn’t, and why that’s so hard to predict these days. Listen Now

In a crowded landscape, Seth Meyers consistently offers the sharpest take. Anchored by the indispensable “A Closer Look,” his Late Night delivers whip-smart commentary and incisive interviews that cut through the noise. It’s the destination for viewers craving intelligent satire that doesn’t pull punches, with Meyers as a vital and unflinchingly honest voice in an era that demands it. Segments like “Day Drinking” and “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell” remind viewers that in an unpredictable world, laughter is still the best medicine. For Your Emmy Consideration in all eligible categories including Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Julia Alexander reunites with Dylan to unpack the shifting logic behind sports streaming deals—and how platforms are rethinking the way they value audience engagement and viewership. They also discuss how generative A.I. is poised to disrupt the advertising business and the unexpected opportunities it could create. Listen Now

Lauren welcomes Jonathan Schley, vice president of Newmark’s global retail advisory, to the pod to discuss real estate’s place in the global fashion industry, from the role of physical stores in today’s shopping journey to the reasons certain retail developments look the way they do. It all comes down to real estate, and Jonathan explains why. Listen Now

Eriq Gardner joins guest host Julia Alexander to dissect The New York Times’s intensifying legal battle with OpenAI—and how its surprise A.I. licensing deal with Amazon could strengthen its case. Listen Now

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