Ratings are down for the Olympics, which could be bad news not only for TV but industries everywhere.
TV Advertising’s Surprising Strength — And Inevitable Fall
TV advertising is having a good week at the upfronts, and it may be more resilient than expected. That, though, means the crash will be even more abrupt.
Star Wars Grosses >$500 million, Disney: Cable or Content?, Goldman Sachs Recants on Microsoft
Star Wars has significantly exceeded expectations, yet Disney’s stock is down. The question is what matters: content, or cable networks? I argue it is the former, and that Disney’s future is bright.
Apple Drops Planned Live TV Service, YouTube’s Top Ten Videos of 2015, Apple and the NFL?
Apple gives up on its rumored live TV service, which should come as no surprise to Stratechery readers. YouTube’s top video list is a hint as to why. Might apple bid on the NFL to get the train rolling?
Ballmer’s Bad Bundle Economics, Netflix Loses Epix Movie Deal
The Daily Update is back with a renewed focus on streaming, bundling, and over-the-top offerings. First up is an analysis of Steve Ballmer’s rumored plans to launch an over-the-top network for Clippers games, and more broadly, a discussion about why bundling works. Then, Netflix loses movies, but it’s the content companies that are losing more from a lack of alignment.
Why Disney and ESPN Will Be OK
An increasing number of questions are being raised about the future of the pay-TV bundle, and of ESPN. The former may indeed be doomed, but that doesn’t mean the latter is in as much trouble as people think: after all, Disney is the master of differentiated content.
Daily Update: Understanding TV Unbundling, The Dying Appeal of Undifferentiated Content, The Special Case of HBO
Good morning, Over the weekend BuzzFeed reinstated the Dove article and editor-in-chief Ben Smith apologized internally. Smith reiterated that the post was not pulled because of pressure from advertisers, and from what I understand, Dove hasn’t advertised on BuzzFeed for over a year (and I wasn’t able to easily find other Unilever advertising). So perhapsSubscribe […]
The Changing — and Unchanging — Structure of TV
The way we get TV may be changing, but the importance and defensibility of great content will persist
Daily Update: The NBA and the State of TV, Sony WebTV, Privacy versus User Experience
Good morning, As I noted, this week’s Daily Updates might be irregular; indeed, today’s is arriving several hours late. I apologize for the delay. I also apologize that the first two items are U.S. centric (yep, TV again). On to the update: The NBA and the State of TV The NBA’s ratings have been decliningSubscribe […]
Daily Update: Apple’s iCloud Press Release, Fantasy Sports Site Raises $70 million, TV’s Golden Age (and Journalism)
Good morning, Yesterday I wrote the first of two planned pieces on Apple’s upcoming announcement – The iPhone 6: From Louis Vuitton to Chanel. The main thrust of my article was about the idea of “Veblen Goods” – goods that increase in demand with price. However, I think wasn’t quite precise enough in my article.Subscribe […]