Media Monday: Bill Simmons vs ESPN, Spotify and the Content Hierarchy, Periscope and Piracy

Today’s Daily Update is all about the media:

– ESPN will not renew Bill Simmons’ contract, which leads into a discussion of the value of individual brands, particular writers, and how that value can best be captured
– Not all content is created equally, which helps explain Spotify’s surprising decision to diversify
– Periscope presents a unique challenge to sports in particular

Facebook and the Feed

In a week where much of the Internet was all atwitter about Mobilegeddon, Google’s pre-announced algorithm change that will favor mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results, a potentially far more impactful announcement was much more of a surprise: Facebook is tweaking the News Feed algorithm. This is a big deal for publishers in particular: according […]

Daily Update: Moore’s Law at 50, BuzzFeed and Advertiser Pressure

Good morning, The French Senate approved a measure (it won’t be law, at least not yet) that would force Google to disclose its algorithm to a French regulator. If you have strong views on this (particularly if you are in favor), I’d love to hear from you as to why — with the condition youSubscribe […]

Daily Update: BuzzFeed Busted, LinkedIn Buys Lynda.com

Good morning, Late last night was Apple Watch ordering mania. A few observations: Within minutes the Apple Watch Edition quickly moved from May to June and some models to August. In China, meanwhile, they completely sold out It seemed to take about six minutes for ship dates to start slipping from 4/24-5/8 to something laterSubscribe […]

Daily Update: Learning From the Economist, NYT Now to be Free

Good morning, I know many of you had the day off on Friday (Good Friday in the West, and Tomb-Sweeping Day here in Asia), but there was a Daily Update, so check it out in case you missed it. If you have any login issues, use this link; the promised rework of the membership systemSubscribe […]

Tidal and the Future of Music

Predicting success and failure is about understanding who has leverage. In the case of music, the winners will be the labels, not the artist. But perhaps there is hope for tomorrow

The Facebook Reckoning

Publishers are wringing their hands about whether or not to utilize Facebook’s Instant Articles, but the truth is most have no choice

Daily Update: Facebook to Host Media Content, Vox’s Facebook Strategy and Keywee, Bill Simmons’s Next Move

Good morning, I apologize that this Daily Update is a bit tardy: first, it’s late temporally (sorry east coasters!), second, it’s a Media Monday on Tuesday! On to the update: Facebook to Host Media Content From the New York Times: With 1.4 billion users, the social media site has become a vital source of trafficSubscribe […]

Daily Update: Sony Launches PlayStation Vue TV Service, Pinterest Valued at $11 Billion, The Pangea Alliance

Good morning, I know yesterday’s post was a bit long, but I hope useful. As for Twitter/Meerkat, I still plan on writing it, but probably around the time Periscope comes out. There’s nothing particularly timely about my take. On to the update: Sony Launches PlayStation Vue TV Service From The Verge: Sony’s attempt to competeSubscribe […]