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🎥 Bidding War
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A Bidding War 🎥
💰 AI DEALS TRACKER: "Follow The Money"
Disney + OpenAI: The $1B IP Licensing Play
💰 The Deal: Disney invests $1B in OpenAI + licenses 200+ characters (Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Disney) to Sora for fan-generated content. Three-year agreement, one year of exclusivity, then open season.
🎯 Strategic Implication: Disney is testing AI monetization without surrendering training rights—they keep control while OpenAI pays in equity warrants, not cash.
âš¡ Hot Take: This is the blueprint every studio will copy. Disney protects IP while exploring new revenue streams, and that one-year exclusivity window? That's Disney keeping options open to play the field. Smart positioning beats being early.
Netflix Pursuing Warner Bros: The IP Arms Race Escalates
💰 The Deal: Netflix's $82.7B bid for Warner Bros isn't just about content—it's about owning the last major franchise library (Harry Potter, DC, Friends, HBO) before AI-generated content floods the market.
🎯 Strategic Implication: Analysts say the Warner Bros bidding war reveals studios are positioning for "Disney-OpenAI type deals"—whoever owns Batman owns AI-generated Batman.
⚡ Hot Take: Netflix sees what's coming: a future where "pre-AI content" commands premium value. They're not buying Warner Bros for today's library—they're buying irreplaceable training data and franchise rights for the AI era. This is what strategic moats look like going into 2026.
Amazon MGM Studios: Building the AI Studio Division
💰 The Deal: Amazon MGM Studios launches dedicated "AI Studios" division, hiring Creative Executives for GenAI live-action production. Also invested in Fable Studio's "Showrunner" platform (the "Netflix of AI").
🎯 Strategic Implication: Amazon is building internal AI production capability while betting on user-generated content platforms—hedging across both studio-created and fan-generated entertainment.
âš¡ Hot Take: While Disney licenses characters and Netflix acquires libraries, Amazon is building the infrastructure. They're positioning as the enabler, not just the content owner. Different strategy, same AI-first endgame.
Netflix Goes "All In" on AI: Platform-Wide Integration
💰 The Deal: Netflix declares itself "all in" on AI (Q3 2025 earnings), deploying generative AI across recommendations, advertising, and production. Used AI de-aging in Happy Gilmore 2 and pre-production for Billionaires' Bunker.
🎯 Strategic Implication: Netflix is integrating AI into every layer of the business—not just content creation but monetization, personalization, and interactive advertising rolling out in 2025.
⚡ Hot Take: Netflix isn't acquiring AI companies; they're becoming an AI company that happens to make entertainment. That's the playbook—AI isn't a department, it's the operating system.
Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/22/netflix-all-in-on-leveraging-ai-in-its-streaming-platform.html
🎯 THE FRAMEWORK: "Strategy You Can Copy"
The 5-Question AI Readiness Audit for Studios
Most studios are running AI pilots. Very few can answer these five questions. The ones that can? They're the ones positioning for acquisitions like Warner Bros, not being acquired.
QUESTION 1: Who Owns AI Strategy—And Do They Have Budget Authority?
Why It Matters:
If your AI strategy lives in IT or "innovation labs," you're building demos, not business value. Disney didn't put their $1B OpenAI deal in the CTO's hands—it went straight to Bob Iger and the business strategy team.
Your Action Item:
Map your current AI org chart. If the person leading AI can't kill a project or redirect resources, you don't have strategy—you have a committee.
QUESTION 2: Do You Know What IP You Can Legally Use for AI Training?
Why It Matters:
Disney sent Google a cease-and-desist the same day they announced the OpenAI deal. They're protecting their IP from unauthorized use while monetizing it through controlled partnerships. That's governance.
Your Action Item:
Audit your top 10 franchises. Can you use them for AI training? Do you have the rights to license them to AI platforms? If you don't know, you're leaving money on the table or walking into lawsuits.
QUESTION 3: What's Your "Pre-AI Content" Strategy?
Why It Matters:
Analysts are already dividing content into "pre-AI" (made by humans, premium value) and "post-AI" (AI-assisted, commodity). Netflix isn't paying $82.7B for Warner Bros because they need more shows—they need irreplaceable, human-created franchise IP that can't be generated by algorithms.
Your Action Item:
Look at your development slate. What percentage is human-created vs AI-assisted? Do you have a plan for maintaining a "pre-AI" library as a strategic asset? If not, you're commoditizing your most valuable content.
QUESTION 4: Can You Measure AI's Impact on Your Core Business Metrics?
Why It Matters:
"We're using AI in production" isn't a strategy—it's a status update. Netflix's AI strategy explicitly ties to subscriber growth, ad revenue, and content ROI. If you can't connect AI to money, you're running science experiments.
Your Action Item:
Pick your top 3 AI initiatives. Write down the business metric each one is supposed to move. If you can't, shut them down or reframe them. Strategic AI has measurable business outcomes, period.
QUESTION 5: Do You Have an AI Governance Framework—Or Just Guidelines?
Why It Matters:
The difference between Disney and studios that will get sued? Disney has governance. They committed to "responsible use that protects user safety and creator rights" as part of their OpenAI deal. That's not PR—that's legal infrastructure that protects the business and enables partnerships.
Your Action Item:
If you don't have a written, board-approved AI governance framework, you're one viral deepfake away from a crisis. Start with three documents: (1) AI Use Policy, (2) Talent Rights Framework, (3) Vendor Security Requirements. Everything else builds from there.
THE SCORING:
5/5 answered confidently: You're ready for strategic AI partnerships. Call me.
3-4/5: You're in the middle—some infrastructure, but gaps that could cost you. Let's talk about filling them before they become liabilities.
1-2/5: You're running pilots, not strategy. The good news? You're not alone. The bad news? Your competitors are ahead.
0/5: We need to talk. Today!
Where does your studio stand?
The Roles Studios Are Actually Hiring (And What They Pay)
Forget "AI Engineer." That's not where the battle is. Here's where studios are really investing:
1. AI Product Manager
What they do: Translate AI capabilities into revenue-generating products/features
Studio range: $182K-$900K (Netflix high end)
Why it matters: They bridge creative vision and technical execution—the rarest combo in entertainment
2. Creative Executive, AI Studio
What they do: End-to-end creative production using GenAI tools for final delivery
Studio range: Variable by experience level (Amazon hiring across all levels)
Why it matters: Traditional production experience + GenAI artistry = cinematic results without traditional budgets
3. AI Ethics Manager/Specialist
What they do: Governance frameworks, fairness protocols, talent rights protection
Studio range: $170K-$210K
Why it matters: The difference between Disney's controlled partnerships and studios getting sued
4. Generative AI Specialist
What they do: R&D on what's possible, integration with third-party studios, pushing tool limits
Studio range: $180K-$270K
Why it matters: These are your scouts—finding opportunities before they become obvious
5. AI Solutions Architect
What they do: Design enterprise AI integration across production, distribution, monetization
Studio range: $200K+ at top companies
Why it matters: This role determines whether AI is a department or an operating system
Sources:
💬 ASK THE CONSULTANT: "Your Questions, Answered"
"Netflix is spending $82.7B on Warner Bros while Disney spent $1B on OpenAI. My studio can't compete with either budget. What's our move?"
— VP of Strategy, Mid-Size Studio
Answer: You're not competing with them. You're positioning to be valuable TO them.
Here's what most studios get wrong: Netflix isn't buying Warner Bros for content volume—they're buying irreplaceable IP that AI can't generate. Disney isn't paying OpenAI for tech—they're buying first-mover advantage on AI-licensed franchises.
These are consolidation plays. The question isn't whether you can outspend them. It's: When the next wave hits, are you acquired for premium or picked up for parts?
Three positions that work:
The Niche IP Play: Own specific genres majors can't replicate (A24, Blumhouse). Your culturally-specific content becomes MORE valuable as AI floods the market with generic content.
The Production Innovation Play: Master AI-assisted production workflows. You're not selling IP—you're selling capabilities majors want to acquire.
The Licensing Partnership Play: Copy Disney's licensing strategy, not their budget. Even modest IP libraries generate new revenue through AI partnerships.
What doesn't work: Being "a smaller Netflix." That's the fatal middle.
The brutal truth: In 5 years, there will be 3-5 mega-studios and 20-30 specialized studios doing ONE thing exceptionally well. Everyone in between gets crushed.
Your 90-day move:
Month 1: Audit what makes you acquisition-worthy
Month 2: Pick your lane (Niche IP, Production Innovation, or Licensing)
Month 3: Create proof points investors/acquirers can see
The window to choose your position is 18-24 months. Not 5 years.
Got a strategic question about positioning your studio? Let’s talk strategy. Send me a DM
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