Netflix turned in another quarter of disappointing earnings (as expected); the company’s planned foray into gaming, meanwhile, highlights how digital businesses are different.
ESPN+ Rights Deals, ESPN+ Increases Prices, Black Widow’s Streaming Numbers
Disney’s tactics around ESPN+ are coming into line with streaming’s strategic opportunities; plus, Black Widow streaming numbers show how release windows are changing.
Amazon Buys MGM, The Streaming Opportunity, Anti-Monopoly vs. Antitrust
Amazon’s purchase of MGM makes sense strategically, but also points to bigger ambitions; it also highlights how a lot of antitrust talk is actually anti-monopoly.
Distribution and Demand
Distribution on the Internet is free; what matters is controlling demand. AT&T and Verizon didn’t understand the distinction.
AT&T’s Original Bad Deal, Discovery + WarnerMedia, The Streaming Landscape
AT&T bails on its streaming ambitions; they can’t undo the mistake of buying Time Warner, but merging WarnerMedia with Discovery is a nice recovery.
An Interview with Brad Stone about Amazon Unbound
An interview with Brad Stone about his new book about Amazon, how the company has changed, and his outlook for a post-Bezos future.
Roku’s Earnings, Roku and YouTube’s Streaming Ads, Roku and YouTube’s Dispute
Both Roku and YouTube are winning in advertising; Roku, though, wants to win its negotiation with Google, and use PR to do so.
Netflix Earnings, Competition and Buybacks, Sony Signs Netflix Deal
Netflix grew more slowly than it expected because it had fewer hits than it expected; then, Sony is winning in streaming by not playing.
The NFL’s New Rights Deals, Amazon’s Rumored Deal, Post-Pandemic Sports
The upcoming renewal of NFL rights is a marker in what will be a decade of upheaval in TV.
Netflix’s Increased Subscribers, Netflix’s Decreased Costs, Elastic Changes License
More on Netflix’s earnings, and why it won’t give back pandemic gains. Then, Elastic follows MongoDB’s example.