An interview with analyst Michael Nathanson about streaming, cable, digital advertising, and a whole lot more.
Amazon Buys MGM, The Streaming Opportunity, Anti-Monopoly vs. Antitrust
Amazon’s purchase of MGM makes sense strategically, but also points to bigger ambitions; it also highlights how a lot of antitrust talk is actually anti-monopoly.
Distribution and Demand
Distribution on the Internet is free; what matters is controlling demand. AT&T and Verizon didn’t understand the distinction.
AT&T’s Original Bad Deal, Discovery + WarnerMedia, The Streaming Landscape
AT&T bails on its streaming ambitions; they can’t undo the mistake of buying Time Warner, but merging WarnerMedia with Discovery is a nice recovery.
WarnerMedia to Stream Movies First Day, AT&T Versus HBO, Self-Disruption
WarnerMedia’s move to stream all of its movies on HBO Max appears to be value disruptive, but if the company is actually meaningfully responding to disruption, that was inevitable.
Anti-Monopoly vs. Antitrust
What matters about the Congressional report on tech and antitrust is that it exists, not the specific details.
The NBA and Microsoft, and An Interview with Adam Silver and Satya Nadella
Microsoft and the NBA are announcing a new partnership; then, an interview NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Recode Recap: John Stankey of WarnerMedia, Kevin Mayer of Disney
Highlights from Recode Media interviews of Warner Media’s John Stankey and Disney’s Kevin Mayer, including an extended discussion on sports.
HBO Max, AT&T’s Challenges, The Streaming Battleground
AT&T announced details about HBO Max, which are both safe and aggressive, and also raise questions about AT&T’s long-term stewardship. Then, why Netflix and Disney are the long-term winners.
Peacock and Flex, Seinfeld to Netflix, Big Bang Theory and HBO
Updates on TV streaming, including Peacock, Flex, Seinfeld, Netflix, Big Bang Theory, and HBO.