Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon compendium of Puck’s best new reporting.

Today, we lead with Julia Alexander’s data masterclass on why Peacock executives decided to pivot from a weekly release schedule for The Paper—Greg Daniels and Michael Koman’s new The Office spinoff—to an all-at-once binge drop. As Julia notes, The Paper has all the makings of a breakout hit for the subscale streamer, and the calculus reveals the latest C-suite philosophizing around release strategies in the Netflix era.

Plus, below the fold: Legendary fashion reporter Teri Agins swings by Line Sheet to illuminate a sea change in the luxury menswear market. John Ourand presages how Bill Belichick’s UNC era might reshape the college football landscape. And Abby Livingston and elections analyst Dave Wasserman break down the winners and losers of the redistricting arms race.

Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt Belloni reunites with Lucas Shaw on The Town to assess Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters theatrical release strategy. On The Grill Room, former MSNBC chairman Andy Lack joins Dylan Byers to evaluate the sweeping changes at his alma mater. On Fashion People, Lauren Sherman and Sarah Shapiro dig into the latest trends in the activewear market. And on The Powers That Be, Julia Ioffe and Leigh Ann Caldwell scrutinize Trump’s latest diplomatic maneuvers with Putin and Zelensky.

HOLLYWOOD

Peacock’s decision to change its Office spinoff, The Paper, from a weekly release to an all-at-once drop reflects the latest scholarship on streaming viewer habits—and, of course, a chance to control the media narrative.

FASHION

Men started ditching their pricey suits long before the pandemic, but only now are they spending serious money on luxury casual wear, led by Loro Piana’s ubiquitous billionaire quarter-zips, polo knits of all varieties, and sportswear cuts for a fitter man of means.

SPORTS

A spirited, mediated, and unsanctioned debate between two of college football’s leading analysts over the viability of Bill Belichick at UNC, the potential pitfalls of recruiting a head coach from the professional ranks, the never-ending Jordon Hudson intrigue, and much more.

WASHINGTON

A scintillating conversation with redistricting wiz Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report on the fate of the current mid-decade arms race and its effects on the midterms and beyond.

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Netflix’s surprise hit KPop Demon Hunters, which has become their second-most-watched English-language film. Unexpectedly, Netflix decided to release KPop Demon Hunters in theaters, where it brought in nearly $20 million over two days despite being released on streaming in June. Matt and Lucas discuss why Netflix did this despite its very clear view on movie theaters, whether the movie could have been a massive hit had it gone straight to theaters, and why AMC refused to show it.

MEDIA

Andy Lack, former chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, joins Dylan to pore over the myriad existential crises rattling television news, from CBS’s messy Trump settlement to the Versant spin that leaves MSNBC in the wilderness—and more. He also discusses his new act as a purveyor of local news startups across the Deep South, and his bid to build sustainable outlets at a time when local journalism is facing significant headwinds.

FASHION

Puck retail correspondent Sarah Shapiro joins Lauren to run through what’s happening in the activewear market, from struggles at Lululemon and Nike to Alo’s and Vuori’s prospects, and the relaunch of Outdoor Voices.

WASHINGTON

Julia Ioffe joins guest host Leigh Ann Caldwell to dissect Donald Trump’s latest diplomatic maneuvers with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, and why his failure to deliver security guarantees or a trilateral meeting may embolden Russian aggression and strain U.S.-Europe relations. They also examine the strange role of Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff—fresh off delivering a medal for Putin—and the wider geopolitical currents involving China and India.

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