Are the Billionaires Smothering HBO?

This week: The war in Iran has caused a dramatic spike in global oil prices. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck discuss the international repercussions of the oil shortage and how central banks are responding. And: With the dust settling on the Paramount-Warner Brothers deal (including a $700 million payout to David Zaslav for some reason), the biggest loser in the megamerger might be HBO. The hosts discuss how billionaire dealmaking and rebrand fatigue is hurting the network's reputation for edgy, prestige TV. And later: Reuters published a very long story “revealing” Banksy’s real name—which, Felix will tell you, has been public knowledge since 2008. So what was the point? In the Slate Plus episode: Claude is not an accountant. Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can

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Are the Billionaires Smothering HBO? is an episode from Slate Money by Slate Podcasts.

This episode is 47:32 long.

This episode was published on Mar 21, 2026.

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