A review of why Google bought Zagat, what The Infatuation might do with the review site, and the parallels with the AMP project.
More on Chrome and AMP, The Case Against Google, Decentralization and Paradigm Shifts
More on Chrome and AMP, and what The Case Against Google gets wrong about Microsoft. Then, why decentralized networks are aggregator kryptonite.
The Aggregator Paradox
Google is winning with AMP and blocking ads in Chrome: both seem bad, but aren’t they actually good for consumers? That is the paradox of aggregation.
Snap Earnings, Fox Signs Deal for Thursday NFL Football, The Sports Linchpin and Snap et al.
Snap had strong results that build on progress made last quarter; the company is looking less like Twitter, at least for now. Then, FOX spends on football, even as the Sports Linchpin weakens.
Apple’s Middle Age
For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
More on the Switch, Apple Music and the HomePod, Songwriter Royalties Increase
More on the Nintendo Switch, and how Apple Music is more strategic than I appreciated. Then, Spotify hits another obstacle — is the streaming service an acquisition target?
Amazon Go and the Future
Amazon Go exemplifies how Amazon is building its monopoly in three ways: horizontally, vertically, and financially. Plus, why automation is worth being optimistic about.
Regional Sports Networks, ESPN + RSNs, TechDirt’s Response on Title II and Net Neutrality
Understanding regional sports networks, and why they make sense with ESPN — but why ESPN makes less and less sense with Disney. Then, a brief — and final — follow-up on Title II and Net Neutrality.
ESPN’s Cuts, ESPN’s History, ESPN: From Franchise to Business
ESPN’s cuts are not a surprise if you understand how ESPN has made money in the past, and where it must go in the future
Twitter, Live, and Luck
Last night’s Academy Awards show was another event that showed how special Twitter is; the fact that you had to be there shows just how badly the company has failed to evolve.