As the media industry plays a prolonged game of merger musical chairs, it seems wise to ask: What would Bezos do?

Source: ‘Who thought they would buy Whole Foods?’: Industry insiders see Amazon as the ultimate wild card in the media merger wars

MoviePass parent Helios & Matheson says it paid back an emergency loan and still has “power at the box office.” Investors disagree.

Source: MoviePass Pays Back Emergency Loan, Touts “Power At The Box Office”; Stock Continues Its Swan Dive

CharterCEO Tom Rutledge made it clear that his company’s video business was no longer built to go it alone.

Source: Charter CEO says video is no longer a standalone product

Comcast lost another 140,000 net video customers during the second quarter and its video revenues slumped slightly, down 1.6% to about $5.6 billion.

Source: Comcast loses 140K cable subscribers and swings to video revenue decline

Those briefed on Katzenberg’s new venture describe it as a Netflix service for mobile devices — a subscription service that will deliver compelling content across a variety of content verticals including news, sports and entertainment.

Source: Jeffrey Katzenberg Raises $1 Billion For NewTV Mobile Video Startup

In a desperate attempt to compete with Netflix (and each other), moguls like AT&T’s John Stankey are talking big, flying blind and generally giving their staffs a bad case of angst.

Source: The “Tough Year” Ahead: Why Top Hollywood Execs Are So Spooked

The average movie ticket price in North America hit a record high of $9.38 in the second quarter — up nearly 5 percent from the same three-month period in 2017, reported the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) on Wednesday.

Source: Movie ticket prices hit all-time high in Q2

Walmart’s Vudu has set a Q4 launch for a low-cost streaming video subscription service that will include original productions, sources say.

Source: Walmart Eyes Q4 Launch of Vudu-Branded Service to Rival Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)

Consumers cite frustration with high cable prices and having to pay for never-watched channels as primary reasons for cutting the cord.

Source: Five million Americans will ditch pay TV this year, new study says

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings effectively shrugged off his company’s missed subscriber growth estimate, but a larger lesson looms in the loss.

Source: 13 reasons why Netflix’s disappointing quarter merits scrutiny

Netflix registered more than a million fewer subscribers than it expected in the second quarter, a sign that the streaming-video site’s strong momentum may be slowing.

Source: Netflix Reports Weaker-Than-Expected Number of New Subscribers

Netflix’s success is the main reason for the costly takeover battle between Comcast and Disney for 21st Century Fox assets.

Source: The Netflix Squeeze

The Washington Post is looking to Twitch’s livestreaming gamers of all places to reach new video audiences, with a new channel starting this week.

Source: The Washington Post is starting a channel on Amazon-owned Twitch – Digiday

In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, Edward J. Markey and Richard Blumenthal expressed concern that Samba TV wasn’t transparent with viewers about data it collected.

Source: Two Senators Call for Investigation of Smart TV Industry