

Downstream
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Jason Snell and a rotating group of experts break down the present and future of television. Hosted by Jason Snell.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 16, 2025 • 58min
105: Another Piece of Red Yarn
Hulu goes worldwide, Apple drops the plus and explores a relationship with Formula 1, the Lakers get immersive, the NBA is everywhere all at once, and our TV Picks.
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Claude: Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code downstream50off
Guest Starring: Will Carroll
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks:
Will: Passenger Princess (YouTube)
Jason: Travel Man with Richard Ayoade (YouTube)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback Hulu Becomes Global General Entertainment Brand on Disney+ on Oct. 8 | The Walt Disney Company Disney has big plans for Hulu - Fast Company Apple and NBCUniversal introduce the Apple TV and Peacock Bundle - Apple Apple wants “to own a sport end to end” – Six Colors Immersive live NBA games coming to Vision Pro – Six Colors NBA on X: "2025-26 NBA Season Watch Guide ✍️ The 2025-26 regular season begins Tuesday, October 21 on NBC and Peacock! https://t.co/oz69eJiJdR" / X

7 snips
Oct 3, 2025 • 45min
104: Like a Vaccination
Josef Adalian, an entertainment journalist from Vulture, dives deep into the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and the fraught dynamics between TV networks and affiliates. He discusses Disney's strategic pause for Kimmel, the political backlash from conservatives, and the potential for this situation to serve as a deterrent against future FCC overreach. Adalian also explains how affiliate compensation works and why networks struggle to go direct-to-consumer. The conversation offers a revealing look at the complexities of modern television.

Sep 18, 2025 • 1h 17min
103: Apologies to Yugoslavia
The possibility of David Ellison buying Warner Bros. Discovery to add to his collection, the threat and promise of spread-out sports rights, sponsorships that might become forbidden fruit, Netflix live boxing success, TV picks, and your letters!
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Claude: Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code.
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code downstream50off
Guest Starring: Will Carroll
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks:
Will: The Breakthrough (Netflix)
Jason: Emmy winners Somebody Somewhere and The Pitt (HBO Max)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback Relay for St. Jude

Sep 6, 2025 • 47min
102: Just Like Television
Now that David Ellison owns Paramount, what's next? Also, your letters and our TV picks! [Downstream+ subscribers also get: K-Pop Demon Hunters, Wheel and Jeopardy and Sesame Street stream, Apple TV+ price hike, and binging "The Paper."]
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Relay for St. Jude
Guest Starring: Josef Adalian
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks
Joe: Irish Blood (Acorn TV), Leanne (Netflix)
Jason: Platonic (Apple TV+)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback

Aug 22, 2025 • 51min
101: Do They Not Know It's ESPN Day?
ESPN has left the exclusivity of the cable bundle at long last, and we break down what it all means. Also: TV Picks and your letters! (Downstream+ listeners also get: MLB's complex new TV deals, and can Jason cut the cord for real?)
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code downstream50off
Guest Starring: Steven Schapansky and Will Carroll
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks:
Will: Video Nasty (BBC)
Steven: Old World Series (YouTube), Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Jason: Stick (Apple TV)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback

Aug 6, 2025 • 56min
100: The Streaming Service Draft
To celebrate our 100th episode, we draft streaming services!
Guest Starring: Will Carroll, Steven Schapansky, and Josef Adalian
Links and Show Notes: Draft picks:
Joe: Apple TV+
Steven: MLB.tv
Will: YouTube Premium
Jason: HBO Max
Joe: Prime Video
Steven: BritBox
Will: Disney+
Jason: Hulu
Joe: Acorn TV
Steven: Kanopy/Hoopla
Will: Netflix
Jason: Paramount+
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback

Jul 23, 2025 • 59min
99: Stephen, If You're Listening...
The real motivators behind CBS's cancellation of The Late Show; why the current era of late-night talk is ending; CBS makes a South Park deal; the future of PBS; why 'Pulse' was not 'The Pitt'; a Peacock price hike; and Jessica Fletcher vanishes.
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Jiiiii: All your anime stream schedules in one place. Free to download, unlock your anime-watching-superpowers today!
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door.
Guest Starring: Josef Adalian
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks:
Joe: "Stick" (Apple TV+)
Jason: James Acaster "Repertoire" (Netflix)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback Stephen Colbert Fired? Why CBS Is Cancelling ‘Late Show’ ‘South Park’ Saved as Paramount Inks 5-Year Deal with Creators Trump Can Hurt PBS and NPR, But He Can’t Kill Them What is PBS Passport? : PBS Help What Netflix’s ‘Pulse’ Should Have Learned From ‘The Pitt’ Peacock Is Hiking Prices More Than It Ever Has Before ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Mysteriously Disappears From Peacock

Jun 27, 2025 • 1h 9min
98: You Couldn't Pay Me To Go Camping
Why American sports is so dominated by gambling content, DAZN and the Club World Cup, TNT gets spun off but may still bid for sports rights, Netflix gets into French broadcast TV, the NFL faces an existential crisis in court, and our TV picks.
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door.
Guest Starring: Will Carroll
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks
Will: Alone (History)
Jason: Dark Winds (AMC+, Netflix)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback What Will TNT Sports Do After the WBD Divorce? - Puck Netflix TF1 France Deal Marks Next Step to Be New Cable TV Radio Shows - Monocle Joey Chestnut Breaks Popcorn Eating Record on Video, Eats 42 Servings in 8 Minutes Sphere Revenue Falls, MSG Networks Bankruptcy on Table

Jun 16, 2025 • 44min
97: Brand Destruction
Zaz splits WBD, the neverending Paramount sale, listener letters, and TV picks! [Downstream+ subscribers also get: Apple TV stasis, Clooney on CNN, and the Great Netflix User Migration.]
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door.
Guest Starring: Josef Adalian
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks:
Joe: Murderbot and Stick (Apple TV+)
Jason: Dept. Q (Netflix)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback

May 30, 2025 • 56min
96: Hollywood Rabbit Hole
The dominance of YouTube, Disney grabs more kids content, TV's mumbling problem, Amazon's identity, the fate of SpinCos, and our TV picks.
This episode of Downstream is sponsored by:
TRMNL: Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only.
Guest Starring: Josef Adalian
Links and Show Notes: TV Picks
Joe: Netflix comedies: The Four Seasons, Running Point, Nobody Asked for This, A Man on the Inside
Jason: “Welcome to Wrexham” (Hulu)
Get Downstream+ and don't miss a segment! Submit Feedback CoComelon is headed to Disney Plus in 2027 | The Verge Netflix Welcomes 'Sesame Street' and 'The World of Peppa Pig' - About Netflix How YouTube Became the Most Popular Streaming Service on TVs - The New York Times YouTube Creators Compete With Hollywood Studio Sitcoms - Bloomberg