Concepts

Media and Advertising

  • More Spectacles Mea Culpas; The Athletic in the New York Times; Google, Facebook, Apple, and Subscriptions

    More mea culpas about Spectacles, then the CEO of The Athletic gives an explosive interview to the New York Times. Plus, more news about Google and Facebook’s subscriptions offerings, and Apple’s interference.


  • Goodbye Gatekeepers

    Harvey Weinstein was a gate-keeper — a position that existed in multiple industries, including the media. That entire structure, though, is untenable on the Internet, and that’s a good thing.


  • Everything is Changing; So Should Antitrust

    WPP is dealing with not only a changing advertising industry but a changing world, thanks to the Internet. Antitrust needs to change as well.


  • Publishers and the Pursuit of the Past

    The newspaper industry is seeking an antitrust provision to negotiate for a return to a world that is gone and never coming back; worse, it is an approach that could ruin publishing’s true future.


  • The Local News Business Model

    Subscriptions are the future of local news: the key, though, is getting rid of newspapers.


  • Jeff Bezos’ Annual Letter, Facebook Messenger and Payments, Facebook Instant Articles Fizzing?

    Jeff Bezos’ annual letter is as illuminating as ever, particularly on how to achieve alignment in a business. Facebook demonstrates that, both positively and negatively.


  • The Great Unbundling

    It’s trivial to say that the Internet changed media; what is more interesting is unpacking how different types of media were affected, and why — and what might happen to TV.


  • Media Monday: Bill Simmons’ HBO Show Cancelled, Axios Unveiled (Kind-of)

    It’s the return of Media Monday, including the cancellation of Bill Simmons’ TV show and the unveiling of Axios, and what both say about finding value in media.


  • Facebook Versus the Media

    Facebook is in trouble with the media again, guilty of stupidity by apathy. Still, the media itself hasn’t exactly caught up with the reality of the Internet.


  • BuzzFeed Reorganizes, WhatsApp Eases Privacy Rules

    BuzzFeed reorganizes and thus reemphasizes their new business model. Unfortunately, it’s a business model that doesn’t necessarily need news. Then, WhatsApp predictably eases their privacy policy, their CEO’s previous declarations notwithstanding.