Hunting for the next hit YouTube IP

<p dir="ltr">Kim Masters talks to Kori Adelson, whose company produced <em>Backrooms</em>, and Roy Lee, producer of <em>Weapons</em>, about the hunt for the next hit YouTube IP. Adelson and Lee share their observations about the effect movies like <em>Backrooms</em>, <em>Obsession</em>, and <em>Iron Lung</em> have had on what studios are looking for; the filmmakers behind those three had large followings on YouTube. Adelson and Lee also explain how those same studios need to embrace creative risks&ndash;at the smaller budgets those films operated under&ndash; while taking care to understand the Gen Z audience.</p>

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<p dir="ltr">Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss a federal judge pausing the Warnermount merger, and Peacock&rsquo;s newfound profitability. Peacock&rsquo;s numbers are believed to be due, in part, to having streaming rights for the NBA playoffs, and the Spanish-language broadcast for the World Cup.</p>

<p><span data-slate-node="text"><span data-slate-leaf="true"><em class="css-1msjh1x" data-slate-leaf="true"><span data-slate-string="true">[NOTE: This episode was posted after </span></em></span></span><span data-slate-node="text" data-slate-fragment="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"><span data-slate-leaf="true"><em class="css-1msjh1x" data-slate-leaf="true"><span data-slate-string="true">Paramount announced that they will halt the merger until next June, at the latest, while the court weighs its decision.]</span></em></span></span></p>