Strictly Business

Latest Episodes:

How Maria Taylor Juggles NFL, NBA, WNBA and More for NBC Sports Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

On today’s “Strictly Business Daily,” Maria Taylor, host of NBC’s “Football Night in America” talks about how she’s adjusted to big increase in her on-air duties with NBC’s addition of NBA and WNBA packages. Taylor also discusses her prep for the start of NFL season and what she’s looking forward to at the LA 28 Summer Games.

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Who is Rob Bonta and Why is California's Attorney General Doggedly Pursuing Paramount? Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

On today's episode,Variety's Gene Maddaus interviews Rob Bonta, California's crusading Attorney General who is doggedly pursuing the antitrust case to block the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Bonta details his background growing up in a family of social justice activists, attending Yale on a soccer scholarship and other formative experiences that shaped his worldview. "I believe in justice. I believe in following the rules," Bonta says.

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Holywater Tech Chief Bogdan Nesvit on the Explosive Growth of Microdramas: 'We Are Well Positioned to Win' Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, Bogdan Nesvit, co-CEO and co-founder of Holywater Tech, walks through the explosive growth of the company’s My Drama and My Muse apps and details what he sees as the key to making vertical media more mainstream. “Studios and creators are knocking on our doors right now,” Nesvit says.

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It's Time to Say Goodbye to 'Daily Variety' and Hello to 'Strictly Business Daily' Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

On today's episode, host Cynthia Littleton,Variety's co-Editor in Chief, brings the curtain down on the "Daily Variety" podcast after 13 months and more than 200 episodes. Starting Sept. 8, this show will be rebranded "Strictly Business Daily" and feature a stronger emphasis on business analysis, data and insights. We'll also go deep on emerging markets, including the creator economy, vertical media and AI.

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Daily Variety -- A Grand Celebration of 'Big Brother' With Julie Chen Moonves, Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

On today's episode,Variety's Michael Schneider speaks with the pillars of "Big Brother" as the U.S. rendition of the franchise hits its milestone 1,000th episode. Chen Moonves remembers the first time she saw herself referred to as the "Chen Bot." And showrunners Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan reflect on the "crazy social experiment" that has become a hallmark of CBS' summer schedule.

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Daily Variety -- A New Chapter for Variety's ‘Daily Variety’ and ‘Strictly Business’ Podcasts Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, host Cynthia Littleton details the plan to streamline Variety’s business podcast offerings under the “Strictly Business” brand. And we pay tribute to a titan of music and pop culture, Dolly Parton, and to Shelley Fabares, the “Coach” and “Donna Reed Show” star who helped define the image of young America in the late 1950s and ‘60s.

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Amazon Courts Creators to Build Businesses and Scale the Attention Economy for Brands Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

On today's episode, Matt Sandler, Amazon's general manager of creator services, and Angie More, Amazon's head of creator ad partnerships, explain why Amazon is making a push into the creator economy and how they're working with some of the boldest names in the sector. The goal is to use the digital behemoth's considerable resources to build businesses that last and to scale creator content ad buying options for the largest marketers. "We're not looking to buy a show," Sandler says. "For us it's about, what business do you want to build?"

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Daily Variety -- Documentary Filmmaker Rory Kennedy Sounds the Alarm About Air Safety With 'Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing' Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

On today's episode, Variety's Marlow Stern speaks with documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy about her latest film, "Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing." She sees real urgency around the company's failures and lack of accountability for the deaths of more than 300 people in devastating 737 Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019.

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Daily Variety -- How ‘Dateline’ Became a Multiplatform Content Dynamo for NBC News Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, “Dateline” leaders Liz Cole and Paul Ryan discuss the ever-expanding footprint of the NBC News newsmagazine that has become a ubiquitous presence in media and pop culture. “The audience knows what to expect from us. They’re going to get storytelling. They know very reliably that we’re taking them on a journey to justice,” Ryan says.

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Daily Variety -- Ryan Murphy Talks Norman Lear, Emmy-Nominated Showrunners Weigh in on TV’s Future Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

On today’s episode, highlights from Variety’s annual Showrunners Breakfast include heartfelt remarks from Ryan Murphy on how he was inspired by Norman Lear and “All in the Family" as he received Variety's Norman Lear Creative Conscience Award. And five Emmy-nominated showrunners discuss television then and now as they offer advice to next-generation creatives. The participants are Ashley Nicole Black (“Shrinking”), Debora Cahn (“The Diplomat”), Dan Harmon (“Rick and Morty”), Jeff Luini (“Welcome to Wrexham”) and Jonathan Tropper (“Your Friends and Neighbors”).

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