As 2025 draws to a close, Scott Simmons, Katie Hinsen, and Michael Kammes take a look back at the year’s big events and looks forward to 2026. Their discussion touches on shifting media landscapes, technological advancements, and economic trends shaping the entertainment and production sectors.

A dominant theme is the ongoing consolidation within the entertainment industry, epitomized by high-profile mergers such as the proposed Netflix acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery’s streaming and studio assets and the Paramount-Skydance bid. Parallel to these media shifts is the meteoric rise of YouTube as a dominant content platform. They also discuss the continued integration of AI tools into content creation.

Their conversation captures an industry at a crossroads but also underscores the industry’s resilience and capacity for innovation that promises to enable a continued transformation in 2026 and beyond.

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One cool thing: 

KH: AI-robotic powered fisheries https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewwatman/2024/10/02/introducing-seremoni-grade-fish-a-new-ai-powered-standard-in-high-quality-seafood/

https://shinkei.systems/

SS: Netflix Games (and Amazon Luna) https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/new-netflix-games-play-on-tv-2025

MK: Apple ml-sharp: https://apple.github.io/ml-sharp/