 Welcome back to What I’m Hearing...
Hello again. A reminder that I love hearing from readers, and I always respect confidentiality. Just email me at matt@puck.news, DM me on Twitter at @MattBelloni, text me at 310-804-3198, or ask me for my Signal info.
Discussed in today’s email: Bob Bakish, Ava Duvernay, Jeff Zucker, Ben Silverman, Alan Ladd, Jr., Drake, John Malone, Dolly Parton, Reed Hastings, and Putin’s ‘girlfriend.’
Who Won the Week: Toby Emmerich and Walter Hamada
Yes, a Batman movie is pretty much a sure thing, but the leaders of Warner Bros.’ motion picture and DC units must love the timing of the $248.5 million global debut of The Batman–especially considering that incoming Warner Bros. Discovery C.E.O. David Zaslav is currently deciding their futures at the company.
Today’s announcement that Netflix is shutting off its service in Russia came as I was looking into the company’s deal with the country’s National Media Group…
 Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos’ deal with a Russian media partner tied to Vladimir Putin was already deeply controversial inside Netflix, even before Putin invaded Ukraine.
Back in early 2020, Netflix was deciding whether to go all-in on Russia. At the time, the streamer offered only a very limited product in the territory. But a proposed deal with the country’s National Media Group, the Kremlin-friendly media association, would potentially supercharge its effort, allowing for popular regional shows, payment options in rubles, and Russian subtitles.
Given its goal of becoming a truly global service, the Russia push made strategic business sense, despite the radioactive politics associated with the move. But three Netflix sources tell me that the NMG aspect of the move was very controversial internally...
FOUR STORIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT  If theaters are going to survive, they badly need to evolve the model. Does Adam Aron have a solution, or just another schlocky ploy? MATTHEW BELLONI  How to contextualize the atrocities from the first week of Putin’s war on Ukraine? Is this Europe’s 9/11, or the next Syria? JULIA IOFFE  With his Senate bets struggling to gain traction, Thiel heads to Palm Beach for help making good on a $10 million investment. THEODORE SCHLEIFER  Barry McCarthy, Peloton’s new C.E.O., is on a mission to recover the other 80 percent of his company's left-for-dead stock. WILLIAM D. COHAN
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