Charting ESPN’s rise, including how it build leverage over the cable TV providers, and its ongoing decline, caused by the Internet.
Disney Earnings, A Split Disney?, ESPN’s Advertising
Disney’s earnings point to the importance of advertising going forward; that’s also the best argument for keeping Disney a conglomerate.
Disney’s Taylor Swift Era
Not even Taylor Swift can fight the devaluation of recorded music, but she makes it up in physical experiences; Disney isn’t much different, but it looks much worse given the company’s old business model.
Meta Blocks News in Canada, LK-99, YouTube and TV Advertisers
Meta is blocking news in Canada after another law requiring Aggregators to pay for links; it’s still an upsetting idea. Then, a brief primer on LK-99, the potential superconducting material.
Streaming Residuals and Spotify, Llama 2 Open-Sourced, Llama’s License
Streaming residuals might end up looking like Spotify. Then, Meta makes Llama 2 open source — mostly.
Bob Iger on CNBC, The End of Linear TV, ESPN and Strategic Partnerships (and Apple?)
Bob Iger teased what might be next for Disney in an expansive interview, including the end of linear TV and hints about the future of ESPN.
An Interview with Ben Thompson at the MoffettNathanson Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference
An interview with me about my background, Aggregation Theory, AI, streaming, and more.
Cord-Cutting and YouTube TV, Disney Earnings, Pay TV’s Vision Cycles
YouTube TV may be the sports bundle, and then Disney’s earnings offer a framing to discuss how and why the bundle unraveled, and the best way to rebuild around streaming.
The Phoenix Suns Go Over-the-Air, Fans and Franchise Valuation, Attention and Customer Acquisition
The Phoenix Suns are skipping RSN’s and broadcasting games over the air; this is the smartest thing an NBA team has done since the Internet came around.
What the NBA Can Learn From Formula 1
Formula 1 has done an impressive job earning fans; the NBA should study it, because the pay TV bundle is slowly disintegrating