The Disney-21st Century Fox deal is official, and the antitrust questions continue to loom large: there are clear issues with regards to a horizontal merger, but is having a vertical competitor to Netflix worth it?
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.
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
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 Loses NFL Streaming, Amazon Adds NFL Streaming, Apple and the Mac Pro
Twitter lost the NFL streaming deal to Amazon; all the reasons why the deal didn’t make sense for Twitter explain why Amazon is doing it. Then, the most interesting part of Apple’s Mac Pro news is the timeline.
AT&T Launches DirecTV Now, Sling TV Adds Cloud DVR, Regional Sports Networks
AT&T’s DirecTV Now product seems underwhelming, but there is a market for it, and zero rating is a big differentiator. Plus, the problem with OTT and regional sports networks
Amazon Explores Sports Rights, Insta-Snapchat-Gram, Zuckerberg on Fake News
Amazon is looking into sports, but real changes won’t happen for a while. Then, Instagram continues to battle Snapchat, which is a useful reminder that the best Facebook antidote is competition.
Sports and TV Follow-up, Intel Licenses ARM IP
First, why I don’t think sports is a bubble, then, Intel finally gives in to reality and licenses ARM IP, a necessary step in becoming a foundry-for-hire.