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Happy Monday, Future Party. And the happiest of Mondays to our hometown Dodgers fans, who have plenty to celebrate after the team’s first back-to-back World Series win in 25 years. The Dodgers clinched Game 7 in the 11th inning when Will Smith (not the actor) smashed a homer. Now that’s a Hollywood ending.
DAILY TOP TRENDS
YouTube – SIRĀT
X
(Twitter)– Robert EnglundGoogle – Will Smith
Reddit – Alien
Letterboxd – Bugonia
Spotify – “Love Gently”
For Podcasters, Two Voices May Not Be Better Than One
Double talk // Illustration by Kate Walker
The podcast industry is wrestling with how the new ability to clone voices could reshape the format — for better or worse.
The Big Bet: For most shows, the host’s voice is the asset — it’s what the audience tunes in for. And therein lies the tension with AI-generated voices: they could let that voice reach an unprecedented number of listeners while also risking the devaluation of the very thing people come to hear.
Behind The Mic: At this point, the question may not be whether AI is used for voice cloning, but how.
Some podcasters, like The Diary of a CEO’s Steven Bartlett, are using the tech to launch companion shows that are entirely voice-cloned.
Others feel that’s a step too far and could alienate audiences — but they are using it for things like voice tweaks when they can’t make it to the studio or to translate their voices into different languages.
And voice cloning could revolutionize the bitterest pill of all for hosts — on-air ad reads. Their AI doubles can now take that task off their plate.
It can also be used to create alternative versions of an ad to target different markets — theoretically multiplying revenue without increasing recording time.
The Future: Several platforms are making voice cloning possible — including ElevenLabs, Speechify, Respeecher, and Resemble AI. Spotify and iHeartMedia are also testing AI-powered translations with select creators like Bill Simmons and Malcolm Gladwell. Maya Prohovnik, Spotify’s head of podcast product, told The NYT that “it’s just a tool to scale yourself. It’s not replacing you.”
Time will tell if audiences feel the same way.
Next Episode: Considering that voice-cloned shows need to be fully scripted before recording, expect podcast writers to become the next hot commodity in the industry.
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MTV Wants To Get A Little Less Ridiculous
Image courtesy of MTV // Illustration by Kate Walker
MTV has surprisingly canceled Rob Dyrdek’s Ridiculousness — not only the network’s most popular show, but the one that almost makes up its entire daily programming.
The Big Picture: There’s no overstating how fundamental Ridiculousness is to MTV. Since its 2011 premiere, the clip show has been the defining program for an entire generation of viewers. So, its cancellation signals that Paramount’s new leadership is serious about a complete overhaul — something CEO David Ellison has already hinted at publicly.
Behind The Scenes: After 15 years, 46 seasons, roughly 1,700 episodes, and four spinoffs, the Ridiculousness era is coming to a close in 2026.
Newly produced episodes will continue to air throughout the year, with reruns remaining in rotation.
That leaves a massive programming gap, considering Ridiculousness accounted for 113 hours of MTV’s 168-hour weekly lineup.
And it’s not as if MTV has a deep bench of alternatives — its current lineup mostly consists of Jersey Shore, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and The Challenge.
Plus, the network won’t be saving that much by canceling Ridiculousness — the show is dirt-cheap to produce, and Dyrdek’s $32.5 million annual salary is a rounding error for a network that’s stayed afloat largely because of him.
New Network: David Ellison reportedly plans to bring MTV back to its roots — making it all about the music again. That could mean new shows, live events, and, as audiences of a certain age will recall, plenty of music videos. According to THR, Ellison also wants to get more “experimental” with programming — a fun way to shake up a tired network. He’s already sparked interest in partnerships from legendary music manager Irving Azoff and UMG CEO Lucian Grainge. Not a bad start.
Coming Soon: MTV could become the perfect playground for out-of-the-box creatives to run wild with ideas, seeing what sticks and draws young viewers back.
DEEP DIVES
Watch: Tech Things with Joanna Stern sits down with 1X Technologies CEO Bernt Børnich to talk about the capabilities of the company’s humanoid-for-the-home, Neo.
Read: THR interviews Colossal Biosciences founder Ben Lamm about the company’s recent breakthroughs in reviving extinct species — and how Hollywood is lending a hand.
Listen: The Deal chats with former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, who’s cemented a successful second act as a popular media figure and author.
How often did you watch MTV in its prime?
71.7% of you voted It’s concerning due to energy and environmental impact. in Friday’s poll: How do you feel about the rapid expansion of data centers around the world?
“About to get at least three large centers within 100 miles — each using as much power as a million homes. There aren’t even that many people within 250 miles!”
“Happening right in my backyard! We have a ‘NO DATA CENTER’ sign up, and slowly, all the neighbors are putting them up, too. No!”
“I keep seeing energy costs rise even as we try to conserve. It makes no sense that consumers are being punished for AI’s energy demands — it seems counterproductive, hurting the planet more, not less.”
“I find it concerning how many are being built. As technology advances, AI might eventually figure out how to make chips use less power — and if that happens, these data centers could turn into expensive white elephants.”
Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.
QUICK HITS
→ Entertainment / Media
🎥 Netflix has reportedly hired bank Moelis & Co. to potentially make a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business.
📺 Disney channels — including ABC and ESPN — have been pulled from YouTube TV after the two companies failed to finalize a new contract.
🗞️ With media company Puck acquiring Graydon Carter’s Air Mail, Carter will step down as the premium newsletter’s editor.
→ Technology
🤖 Tim Cook said Apple is open to pursuing M&A in the AI space to help accelerate the transformation of Siri and Apple Intelligence.
🛰️ SpaceX has received a $2 billion contract from the Pentagon to make missile-tracking satellites for President Trump’s “Golden Dome” project.
🤝 While visiting South Korea, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang closed a sweeping deal with Hyundai and Samsung — over chicken, beer, and the flash of paparazzi cameras.
→ Creator Economy
🎙️ Podcaster Steven Bartlett’s media company has been valued at $425 million following new investments from Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group.
📱 TikTok will now let users leverage AI to split longer videos into several short-form, vertical clips.
🎲 Truth Social is getting its own prediction market via a partnership with Crypto.com. What could go wrong?
Let us know how we are doing...
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.