The iPhone 8 price raise was unexpected and a reminder of how much Apple values margin. Then, the cellular Apple Watch was the real glimpse of the future, and why no one should be surprised Disney didn’t make a deal with Apple.
Amazon Studios Shifts Strategy, Spotify and Hulu, Facebook to Spend $1 Billion on Video
Amazon Studios is shifting its strategy, which rationalizes Prime Video; the big winner is Netflix. Then, Spotify makes a smart move with Hulu, while Facebook is resorting to brute force in video.
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.
Disney’s Choice
Cable TV created a world where differentiated content could profit from everyone; that is why it will be hard for Disney to make the choices streaming will force on them.
Disney Shifts to Streaming, Disney Versus Netflix, ESPN
Disney is making big changes — finally. What will be fascinating to watch is if the company is willing to fully embrace the Internet and its own brand and become an aggregator.
Amazon Earnings, Amazon Logistics Services?, Netflix Earnings
A follow-up on The Athletic’s potential and challenges, then Amazon’s earnings and the mystery of its increased investment. Then, a reminder of why Amazon is a threat to Netflix in the long run.
The Athletic Expands, An Interview With ‘The Athletic’ CEO Alex Mather
The Athletic is trying to build a bundle around sports and subscription-based content, as CEO Alex Mather explains in an interview with Stratechery
Alexa and Operating Systems, Privacy, and Integration; Spotify Follow-up
Three Alexa stories point towards Amazon’s drive — and challenges — in building the operating system of the home. Then, Spotify doesn’t create fake music, it just gives consumers what they want.
Music Versus Publishing, Spotify’s Increasing Power
News publishers may want to emulate the music industry, but the only similarities that matter work in favor of the aggregators, not suppliers. Spotify is the perfect example.
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.