Archive - The Business of Television Max(+)

Doing the Job: The 50/50 Pools Waterfall

Drafting the 50/50 pools waterfall into a contract doesn't require a 30-page exhibit. Here are some definitions you can consider and adapt for your own…

16 mins ago • Ken Basin

One Waterfall to Rule Them All

Discover a classic revenue sharing structure from the independent film world that might prove essential to the future of television dealmaking.

Mar 23 • Ken Basin

Negotiation Judo for Bargaining with Bullies

Five techniques for dealing with verbally abusive negotiators (none of which involve raising your voice).

Mar 19 • Ken Basin

Why Being a Bully Is Just Bad Business

Driving angry might occasionally get you there faster, but you're much more likely to crash.

Mar 16 • Ken Basin

The Paramount/Warner Bros. Deal (Part 4 of 4): No Justice, No Peace, No CEOs in Fleece

Let's try to acknowledge the people who will feel the pain here, and marvel at how much money one CEO can be paid to inflict it, without getting too…

Mar 12 • Ken Basin

The Paramount/Warner Bros. Deal (Part 3 of 4): Heads, Netflix Wins. Tails, Netflix Doesn't Lose.

How did Netflix manage to engineer a bidding war in which, whether or not the company "won," it could still declare victory?

Mar 11 • Ken Basin

The Paramount/Warner Bros. Deal (Part 2 of 4): Surely THIS Time Will Be Different!

Mega-mergers are the corporate strategy that never goes out of style — no matter how often (and consistently) they end in disaster. Can David Ellison…

Mar 10 • Ken Basin

The Paramount/Warner Bros. Deal (Part 1 of 4): The Billionaire's Heart Wants What the Billionaire's Heart Wants

Is Paramount's victory in its battle against Netflix a sign of Hollywood finally getting the kind of leadership needs? Or just the kind leadership it…

Mar 9 • Ken Basin

Welcome to The Business of Television Max(+)!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it (so far).

Mar 9 • Ken Basin

February 2026

The Stubborn Idealism of Substacking

Why would a busy working professional spend countless hours writing down everything he knows about his job for the benefit of total strangers?

Feb 14 • Ken Basin

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