LT Weekly: June 07, 2024

Advertising/Ad Agencies/Ad Tech

• Advertising industry analyst Brian Wieser has updated his ad spending outlook. He now sees US ad spending rising 6.3% in 2024, up from his Sept 2023 benchmark of a 4.3% increase. And as robust as that sounds, it doesn’t even include political, which is expected to be well into record territory by the end of the current election cycle. (Insideradio.com)
• Yahoo Advertising annc’d the launch of Unified TV Audiences, a blended dataset to offer advertisers insights into connected TV and linear audience viewership. Unified TV Audiences enable advertisers to more effectively plan, activate, and measure across 108mn US households in the Yahoo DSP. Unified TV Audiences combine extensive TV datasets, including automatic content recognition (ACR) and linear STB viewership data. (ADVANCED-TELEVISION)

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning

• Anthropic’s chief of staff has joined the growing list of senior tech professionals to weigh into our existential crisis. “I am 25. The next three years might be the last few years that I work,” Avital Balwit wrote. “I stand at the edge of a technological development that seems likely, should it arrive, to end employment as I know it,” Balwit explained. (Fortune)

• Ericsson ConsumerLab released a high-level study of AI that takes in trends on everything from generative fashion to AI childcare and human digital twins. Ericsson said 51% of the total sample identify as “AI hopeful” and are happy to use early AI digital assistants and more. However, 34% of the sample identify as “AI fearful” even among early adopters – and these respondents are fearful of AI-based respondents. (Fierce Network)
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot went down again during a multi-hour outage but wasn’t the only AI provider affected. On the morning of June 4, both Anthropic’s Claude and Perplexity began seeing issues, too, but these were more quickly resolved. Google’s Gemini appears to be operating at present, though it may have also briefly gone offline. This could signal a broader infrastructure issue or internet-scale problem. (TechCrunch)
• Instagram is testing “ad breaks” that force you to stop and look at an ad for a period of time before you can continue scrolling. Several X and Reddit users reported seeing the feature, and Instagram spokesperson Matthew Tye confirmed to The Verge that ad breaks are being tested. Tye said Instagram would “provide updates should this test result in any formal product changes.” (The Verge)
• Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang said that the co’s next-generation artificial intelligence chip platform was called Rubin and would be rolled out in 2026. Huang was speaking at National Taiwan University in Taipei as part of the Computex trade show. (Deccan Herald)

Audio/Music/Podcast

• Spotify and Nebula are teaming up on a video content initiative. The partnership will bring videos from Nebula to Spotify’s 615mn+ global users. Creators who are part of the initial Nebula slate include CinemaWins, Charles Cornell, Hello Future Me, Captain Midnight, Tale Foundry, Game Makers ToolKit, Todd in the Shadows, Adam Neely, The Closer Look, FD Signifier, and Kat Blaque. (Deadline)

Broader Connectivity

• Germany sold a €2.5bn ($2.7bn) stake in Deutsche Telekom, the latest in a series of moves by the cash-strapped govt to divest from some of its corporate holdings. State-owned bank KfW sold 110mm shares to institutional investors. While the placement trims the aggregate holding of KfW and the govt to a combined 27.8%, they remain Deutsche Telekom’s largest shareholders. The finance ministry said the net proceeds will be used to strengthen the equity of state rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG. (Yahoo Finance)
• NTT is pulling together its various assets, projects and plans associated with space, satellites and high-altitude platform station (HAPS) developments under one brand, NTT C89, as it takes the next steps in its “space integrated computing network” strategy. The Co says it has created C89 as a collaborative effort between various group operating units to strengthen its business in the field of space, creating synergies, and developing new markets, by creating integral connections for their services and businesses and proposing solutions that meet their customers’ needs. (TelecomTV)
• SpaceX has confirmed it is working with T-Mobile in the US to launch its Starlink direct-to-cell (DTC) service commercially “this autumn”. Starlink has a global broadband user base of more than 3mm and is now adding DTC satellites to its existing fleet of more than 6,000 satellites. Starlink is expected to have a minimum of 300 suitable DTC satellites by the autumn, and expanding rapidly to a reported fleet of 840 which they have mentioned in FTC filings.(ADVANCED-TELEVISION)

Broader Media & Entertainment

• Bloomberg Media now has 540,000 subscriptions to its website, up from 500,000 six months ago. 30% of   Bloomberg’s traffic comes direct to the homepage, making this an important area of development for the title.     This is a key strength of the site, as was the fact that the avg reader visits the site ten days /mo. The Co’s reader acquisition strategy is focused heavily around attracting loyal readers.(Talking Biz News)

Broader Technology

• Leaders in the US House of Representatives are debating a proposal that would dramatically limit speech on the internet. Backed by two powerful house leaders, the proposed “Legislative Proposal to Sunset Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act” would eliminate the protections granted to internet platform providers under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. (Fortune)
• An internal Google database obtained by 404 Media shows Google recording childrens’ voices, saving license plates from Street View, and many other self-reported incidents, large and small. Google has accidentally collected childrens’ voice data, leaked the trips and home addresses of car-pool users, and made YouTube recommendations based on users’ deleted watch history, among thousands of other employeereported privacy incidents, which tracks six yrs worth of potential privacy and security issues. (404 Media)
• Cisco Systems plans to invest $1bn in startups that are working on what it calls “secure and reliable” artificial intelligence svs, part of a push to be a bigger player in AI technology. Like other Silicon Valley mainstays, Cisco is looking for ways to tap into the frenzy of interest in AI computing. The maker of networking hardware and software has already committed about $200mm of the money and is making investments in Mistral AI, Scale AI and Cohere, the Co said. (Yahoo Finance)
• Microsoft annc’d layoffs reportedly affecting around 1,000 employees. As reported previously by CNBC, the mixed reality department working on HoloLens 2 is one of the areas affected. Separately, Business Insider reported that Azure for Operators and Mission Engineering has also seen cuts of “hundreds” of employees. This round of layoffs comes more than a yr after Microsoft laid off more than 10,000 people, and CEO Satya Nadella said the co was changing its hardware portfolio. (The Verge)

Cable/Pay-TV/Wireless

• Cogeco Communications has restructured its operations, combining the “commercial, operational, and technical” functions of its Canadian and Breezeline-branded US telecoms bizs into one North American unit. With the change, Breezeline president Frank van der Post will depart. Sean Brushett, VP of customer services and technical operations for Breezeline, will become COO of the combined North American group. (NextTV)
• Dish Network, saddled w/ $20bn+ in debt, is holding confidential talks w/ some of its convertible holders about potential new financing, per sources. Dish has received financing offers from convertible noteholders to provide fresh capital tied to wireless spectrum held at a so-called unrestricted subsidiary, people said. Negotiations are reportedly ongoing, and no final decision has been made. (Yahoo Finance)
• T-Mobile US has launched a backup fixed-wireless access (FWA) svs. Called Home Internet Backup, its       essentially an entry-level FWA subscription. Priced at $30 /mo, it comes w/ a bundled home gateway and          undercuts T-Mobile’s cheapest Home Internet package by $20. Citing data from CivicScience, T-Mobile said nearly 20% of US Internet users experience outages “at least a few times per month.” (TELECOMS)
• Vodafone Spain is collaborating w/ Ericsson to promote the transformative capabilities of private 5G networks for enterprises. The initiative includes a series of conferences across Spain, showcasing the technology’s potential to revolutionize various industrial sectors. Despite the advantages, widespread adoption in industries has been slow, w/ many viewing the tech as beneficial but not essential. (VoIP Review)
• The Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox are leaving NBC Sports Chicago, and setting up new distribution, starting in Oct. The new channel, Chicago Sports Network will be launched in partnership w/ Nashville, Tennessee-based broadcaster Standard Media Group w/ distribution agreements in place w/ “traditional cable providers, streaming svs and be available via free, over-the-air broadcast.” CHSN will launch in Oct, in conjunction w/ the Bulls’ and Blackhawks’ respective NBA and NHL preseasons. (NextTV)

Cloud/DataCenters/IT Infrastructure

• President Joe Biden’s administration is asking big tech Cos to invest in new climate-friendly power generation to cover their surging demand. The talks come as a surprising surge in electricity demand has been driven by the adoption of techs like gen AI that require power-hungry data centers. This could complicate Biden’s target of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 to fight climate change. (The Hindu)

Cybersecurity/Security

• CrowdStrike stock is higher after the cybersecurity Co beat expectations for its Q1 and issued a strong outlook. In the three months ended April 30, CrowdStrike’s rev increased 33% y/y to $921mn and its EPS was up 63.2% from the yr prior to 93 cents. The results easily beat analysts’ expectations. According to Yahoo Finance, Wall Street was anticipating rev of $905mn and earnings of 89 cents per share. (KIPLINGER)
• A Ticketmaster data breach that allegedly includes details for 560.0mm accounts and another one affecting Santander have been linked to their accounts at Snowflake, a cloud storage provider. However, Snowflake says there’s no evidence its platform is at fault. A post from Snowflake says, “To date, we do not believe this activity is caused by any vulnerability, misconfiguration, or malicious activity within the Snowflake product. Throughout the course of our ongoing investigation, we have promptly informed the limited number of customers who we believe may have been impacted.” (The Verge)
• The data breach at Santander Bank affected millions of customers, and all of its staff. Santander recently issued a breach notification letter saying following a supply chain attack, an unauthorized third party had accessed a database w/ sensitive customer information. As per the hackers’ sales ad, the database contains personal information of 30mm customers and employees, as well as 28mm credit card numbers, as well as 6mm account numbers and balances. The asking price is $2mm. (TechRadar)

eCommerce/Social Commerce/Retail

• Amazon bolstered its grocery offer in the UK. Customers in 100+ towns and cities nationwide can now receive groceries delivered by Amazon from its own Fresh stores, Morrisons, Co-op, and Iceland. The initiative, which launches later this month, will offer as much as 50% off on a rotation of products in store and online each week, alongside an addt’l 10% off “Price Cut” products in store. (Retail Gazette)
• Amazon Buy with Prime users are seeing mixed results nearly a yr and a half since the svs launched, per sellers who spoke w/ Business Insider. That jibes w/ internal Amazon emails from last yr that discussed “dissatisfaction” w/ unit sales off target “by a wide margin.” Still, executives are sticking with the initiative and are confident in its long-term outlook. (Business Insider)
• Amazon launched a Private Investigator powered by AI that can scan products leaving its warehouses to spot issues before they get to end users. Using a combo of gen AI and computer vision tech, Project PI is able to uncover defects before products reach customers. Amazon hopes this will greatly reduce the number of returns and refunds it needs to pay by helping customers get the correct item the first time every time. (Cord Cutters News)
• Costco Wholesale ushered in a new era w/ its new CFO Gary Millerchip hosting his first earnings call for the Co. Net sales jumped 9.1% to $57.39bn for the Co’s FQ3 ended May 12. During the call, Millerchip signaled that Costco was staying the course on the hot-button hot dog and soda combo pricing. “To clear up some recent media speculation, I also want to confirm the $1.50 hot dog price is safe,” Millerchip said. (Retail Dive)
• Instacart annc’d a new $500mn share repurchase program. The board approved the buyback plan on Jun 2, per a regulatory filing. Instacart had completed its two previous authorizations for $1bn in repurchases, equivalent to ~34mn shares or 10%+ of those outstanding, the co said. “Our business is performing well and we remain focused on deepening our lead as the largest online grocery marketplace,” CFO Emily Reuter said. (Yahoo Finance)
• Lululemon’s growth in the Americas, its largest mkt, appears to be stalling after the Co reported flat comparable sales in the region and weak guidance for the current qtr. The Co handily beat Wall Street’s earnings estimates, but only narrowly topped rev expectations. Lululemon’s full fiscal-yr guidance suggests the Co is betting conditions will improve in the back half of the yr. (CNBC)
• In-store retail media ad spend in the U.S. is expected to pass $1bn by 2028, but it’s still less than 1% of the total omnichannel retail media investment, according to eMarketer. In its latest report “In-Store Media 2024,” eMarketer adds that 99% of retail media ad dollars will go to online channels this yr, even though 80% of the $7tn in US retail sales are expected to occur in physical stores this yr. The researcher also expects in-store shopping to become more digital, which creates opportunities for integrating digital media.(Cynopsis Media)
• Nearly every shopper, 95%, has abandoned an e-commerce cart and 62% of shoppers cited high delivery cost as a top reason. These findings from a nShift consumer study which also revealed 63% of shoppers cite delivery choice as the most important factor when shopping online. More than half (62%) would not buy again after a single bad delivery experience. Almost a quarter (23%) of shoppers blamed a complicated checkout process while unsatisfactory returns policies were also highlighted as an issue for around 20% of shoppers. (www.retailcustomerexperience.com)
•  Qu!ck, a new autonomous supermarket concept, has opened in Argentina, offering a cashierless shopping experience. Customers scan groceries using a mobile app and pay directly within the app, eliminating checkout lines, according to a report from La Nacion. This scan and go model is similar to Amazon Go stores. Qu!ck offers various store formats, including full-size locations and micro stores within office buildings or gated communities.(www.retailcustomerexperience.com)
• Shein is preparing to file a prospectus w/ Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority for approval ahead of a potential London float which could value it ~ 50bn pounds ($63.70bn), Sky News reported. The confidential filing could take place as soon as the coming week, the report added, citing sources. Shein, in response, has said it is strengthening governance and compliance.(CNBC)
• The bank holiday weekends provided a small boost to retail sales in May, helping to offset a more challenging performance across the rest of the month. The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG show that total sales rose 0.7% in the four weeks to May 25, compared to 3.9% in 2023. Food sales increased 3.6% over the three months to May, against a growth of 9.5% last yr. Total non-food sales came under pressure once again as it dropped 2.4% over the quarter, steeper than the 12-month average decline of 1.7%. (Retail Gazette)
• Walmart boosts InHome delivery reach by nearly 30%. The expansion bolsters access to the svs in the greater Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and San Bernardino, California, areas. The growth of InHome, which is an add-on to the retailer’s Walmart membership, marks a big step for Walmart’s growing grocery ecommerce biz. With this expansion, Walmart said InHome is now available to 45mm households across more than 50 markets — a nearly 30% increase in customer reach.(Retail Dive)
• Zara will expand its live shopping broadcasts to the UK, Europe and the US this yr, testing a format that is already wildly popular in China but one w/ which Western shoppers are less familiar. Zara is investing in new ways to engage shoppers as analysts expect sales to grow less strongly after an extraordinary postpandemic surge. TV shopping channels where viewers phoned in to buy featured products were popular – but social media and ecommerce have triggered a new era of livestreaming. (Yahoo News)

EV/ Autonomous Vehicles

• GM’s Cruise is redeploying a small fleet of robotaxis in Dallas as part of the Co’s previously stated goal to validate its self-driving systems and win back public trust. Dallas is the second city that Cruise is easing its way back into after pulling its entire US fleet late last yr following an incident where a pedestrian was run over and dragged by a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco. (TechCrunch)

• Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving unit, is bringing its autonomous vehicles to more cities. The Co annc’d plans to begin testing in Austin and Miami this summer. The two cities mark Zoox’s fourth and fifth test cities, following Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Seattle. The news comes as federal regulators increase their scrutiny of selfdriving car Cos like Waymo and Zoox, both of which are under investigation over safety issues. (TechCrunch)

Film/Studio/Content/IP/Talent

• Domestic box office rev YTD is $2.68bn, down a whopping 24% over the same corridor last year and 42% behind 2019, the last normal year before the COVID-19 crisis, per Comscore. Without the usual parade of tentpoles, including a Marvel superhero pic to kick things off over the first weekend of May, the early summer box office is in tatters after a tough winter and spring. (The Hollywood Reporter)

FinTech/InsurTech/Payments

• Robinhood Markets annc’d that it will purchase Bitstamp. In a press release, the Co said that it expects to pay ~$200mn in cash as part of the deal to become the owner of the cryptocurrency exchange. It is aiming to complete the acquisition sometime in the first six months of next yr. The deal comes as Robinhood works to boost its international footprint and expand into institutional biz offerings. (Robinhood)

Macro Updates

• US job openings fell in April to the lowest level since 2021. The Labor Department reported that employers posted 8.1mn vacancies in April, down from a revised 8.4mn in Mar. But they remained at historically strong levels despite high interest rates and signs the economy is slowing. Layoffs fell, and the number of Americans quitting their jobs, a sign of confidence in their prospects, rose in April. (AP News)

• US manufacturing activity slowed for a second straight month as new goods orders dropped by the most in nearly two yrs, and spending on construction projects slipped unexpectedly the month before indicating that a gradual slowdown in the economy is taking hold. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers index for May fell to 48.7 from 49.2 in Apr. Construction spending fell for a second month in Apr., although there was an improvement in single-family home building.(Yahoo Finance)

Metaverse/AR & VR

• Meta’s Quest v66 update “significantly” reduces Quest 3’s passthrough distortion and warping. The v66 update also brings an experimental option to use wrist-mounted menu buttons instead of the pinch gestures     when using hand tracking, background audio and media controls, the ability to hide apps in your library, and a new sleep mode. As always, keep in mind that Quest system software updates “roll out” gradually. (UploadVR)

Regulatory

• Joe Biden signed a veto of a House Joint Resolution that would have repealed the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, he annc’d. SAB 121 is a controversial piece of SEC accounting guidance that directs financial institutions holding crypto for customers to keep the assets on their own balance sheets. Critics of the guidance say it makes it too difficult for financial institutions to work w/ crypto Cos. (Yahoo Finance)

Satellite/Space

• China landed a spacecraft on the Moon this weekend for the fourth time, successfully placing its Chang’e 6 lander in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon. After the landing, the autonomous spacecraft will spend about 48 hours collecting samples. It will do so by two different means, drilling to collect material from beneath the ground, as well as using a robotic arm to gather regolith from the surface. (Ars Technica)

Social/Digital Media

• TikTok is testing streaks that are similar to what people see on Snapchat. TikTok confirmed that it is testing the feature but didn’t provide any statement related to it. The Co said that it is experimenting w/ the streaks feature in limited mkts and w/ select users. The rules for getting a streak are simple: Users have to DM someone for 3+ days in a row. (TechCrunch)
• TikTok took measures to stop a cyberattack targeting several well-known brand and celebrity accounts, including news network CNN, a spokesperson said. Hackers had launched the cyberattack by sending a malicious link through private messages to hijack prominent accounts. TikTok said that the number of accounts compromised is “very small”, and it is taking steps to mitigate the incident and stop it from happening again. (Yahoo Finance)
• Former President Trump has joined TikTok, the social media platform that he once tried to ban during his yrs in the White House. Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign joined TikTok in Feb, but the president signed a law in Apr forcing TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app w/in a yr or face a ban in the US Trump, in 2020 during his last yr as president, tried to ban the app in the US market over national security concerns. (Fox News)
• New York is poised to pass a law that will bar social media platforms from showing algorithmic feeds to teens without parental consent. The WSJ reports that lawmakers in the state have reached a “tentative agreement” on a bill that will be voted on later this week. State officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul, introduced a bill requiring parental consent for algorithmic feeds last yr. (Engadget)

Software

• Databricks said that it would buy data-mgmt startup Tabular for $1bn+. The annc’mnt comes at a time when Cos are doubling down efforts to build an ecosystem for clients to use open-source AI models, in a bid to gain mkt share from rivals such as Snowflake and Cloudera, among others. Databricks said Tabular’s team of ~40 members will join it after the transaction is completed in its Q2 ending July 31.(Yahoo News)

Sports/Sports Betting

• Diamond reportedly annc’d it had found a new naming rights partner for its regional sports networks in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy hearing. The partner was said to be FanDuel. The terms are still reportedly being finalized, but the multiyr deal is expected to involve FanDuel-related programming. Bloomberg says FanDuel would sell Diamond’s streaming svs to fans and take an equity stake in the Co.(Fox Business)
• Michael Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor and billionaire media mogul, joined the investor group headed by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez that is seeking to acquire a majority stake in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. The addition of Bloomberg is a major coup for Lore and Rodriguez, who are locked in a battle with current T-Wolves majority owner Glen Taylor over control over the team. (New York Post)
• The flagship Pac-12 Network, as well as its various regional sister channels, will leave the pay TV programming grid at the end of June, per a letter sent by distribution partner Charter Communications to its subscribers. Last week’s Arizona vs. Stanford conference tournament baseball game was the network’s final live broadcast. (NextTV)
• The NBA and NHL are concerned over Diamond Sports’ future and whether the regional sports network owner can put together a viable business plan ahead of their upcoming seasons this fall. Lawyers for each league raised their concerns during a status conference in bankruptcy court after Diamond said it was delaying its hearing to confirm its reorganization plan from mid-Jun until late Jul. (CNBC)
• Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been banned for life for MLB’s gambling policies, the league annc’d. Kelly bet on MLB (not involving the A’s) when he was in the minor leagues, while the other three players, all of whom are in the minors, bet on major league games. Marcano’s banishment comes at a time when professional sports are reckoning w/ the effects of legalized betting and an increase in betting-related incidents. (Front Office Sports)
• Tickets for the NBA Finals are at an all-time high, as the Boston Celtics aim to capture an 18th NBA championship against the Dallas Mavericks. The average price for the NBA Finals is $4,150 the most expensive NBA Finals since ticket reseller website TicketIQ began tracking such data in 2011. The previousmost expensive finals was the 2019 series between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. (Boston Business Journal)

Tech Hardware

• Intel agreed to sell a stake in a venture that controls a plant in Ireland to Apollo Global Management for $11bn. This will help bring in more external funding for a massive expansion of Intel’s factory network. Under terms of the deal, Apollo will take a 49% share of a joint venture that operates Intel’s Fab 34. It’s the second such investment program that Intel has annc’d. (Apollo
• Tesla will likely spend between $3-4bn on its purchases of Nvidia hardware this yr, CEO Elon Musk said on X. Musk also said that out of the $10bn in AI-related capital expenditure this yr, around half would be internal spend. Tesla reportedly told Nvidia to prioritize shipments of AI processors to his Cos X and xAI over Tesla. The development also comes ahead of a crucial shareholder vote on Musk’s pay package at Tesla. (Investing.com)

Towers/Fiber

• Swisscom AG’s Italian unit agreed to sell its stake in Telecom Italia SpA’s fiber Co to KKR & Co, which is    expanding its holdings in the country’s telecoms network. Fastweb SpA signed a deal w/ KKR subsidiary  Optics Bidco for its 4.5% holding in Telecom Italia’s FiberCop SpA for €438.7mn ($477mn) in cash, the Italian Co said in a statement. The deal is expected to close in Q3. (Bloomberg

Video Games/Interactive Entertainment

• GameStop stock surged as a Reddit user ‘Roaring Kitty’ linked w/ its biggest booster appeared to reveal  a new bold bet on the video game retailer. GameStop shares traded hands at $38 each in early trading before they were temporarily halted for volatility. The account also appears to own 120,000 options contracts that expire on Jun. 21. These contracts confer the right to buy GameStop shares at $20 each, a position worth $65.7mm. The surge comes after GameStop rallied 180% over a span of two days back in mid-May.(Yahoo Finance)

Video Streaming

• Amazon annc’d that it is raising the price of Amazon Kids+ monthly subscriptions. Customers who subscribe to the yearly annual subscription will continue to pay the same $48 a month. The price of Amazon Kids+ is going up from $4.99 a month to $5.99 for new customers and on or after July 8 for existing customers. (Cord Cutters News)
• Amazon has agreed to acquire key assets of Indian video streaming svs MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet. This marks the latest step by Amazon to make its svs and brand popular in smaller cities and towns in India, a key overseas mkt. The deal reportedly values MX Player at less than $100mn, far short of the $500mn valuation at which the Co raised its last capital. (TechCrunch)
• Apple reportedly held talks w/ China Mobile, w/ a view to launch Apple TV+ in China, per The Information. If a deal is struck, Apple TV+ would be the only US streaming svs w/ a presence in China. The Information says the proposed deal would see China Mobile offer Apple TV for a monthly fee and feature its content prominently on China Mobile set-top boxes. Apple and China Mobile would split the rev from the arrangement. (9to5Mac)
• Disney and Comcast closed a deal that would give Disney full control over Hulu. The problem is that the final price has yet been agreed on, and the two sides are looking for more help to settle the matter. Comcast wants more, but Disney wants to stick closer to the original valuation of Hulu. If the two valuations are not within 10% of each other, the two firms will then select a third firm to determine its own figure. (Cord Cutters News)
• Fable’s new AI-powered streaming svs, Showrunner, is allowing users to create that shows they want. With Fable’s new streaming svs, Showrunner users can answer a collection of questions, and its AI will create a TV show. The svs is in limited beta testing, and people will need to join a wait list to be able to use it. Once they get in, they’ll be able to use it to create their own dream TV show. (Cord Cutters News)
• Free ad-supported streaming TV channels have fast become a big part of how Americans consume content, per Xumo and FASTMaster Consulting. A study found that a third of American adults said they regularly watch FAST channels during primetime hours, and they spend as much time w/ FAST channels as w/ other entertainment options. The avg FAST viewer spends one hour and 40 minutes watching FAST channels in the evening. (Broadcasting Cable)
• Lionsgate said it has made a deal w/ Nielsen to make its MovieSphere channel the first major free adsupported TV channel to get traditional linear audience metrics from the measurement Co. Nielsen will provide Lionsgate w/ detailed demographic data on MovieSphere’s audience, allowing the Co to better understand its viewers and make informed content decisions.(Broadcasting Cable)
• Netflix started rolling out the first major revamp of its television app in a decade. The Co revised the home page by enlarging title cards, reorganizing information, and highlighting easy-to-read tidbits such as a show or movie “spent 8 weeks in the top 10.” Among other tweaks to the TV app, the menu button was moved from the left to the top of the screen and a new “My Netflix” tab was added.(New York Post)
• Peacock is running a special scheme that gives new subscribers a $40 discount on Peacok Premium. New subscribers can sign up for a Peacock Premium annual plan and lock in the whole year for only $19.99. The discount is only for annual plans, and users have to enter the code: STREAMTHEDEAL to receive the savings. A subscription to Premium is usually $5.99 per month or $59.99 per yr. (Decider)
• Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker report currently tracks churn data for 89 total svs, of which 85 are SVOD svs. The report found streaming giant Amazon Prime Video has the lowest churn rate at 8%, while Warner Bros. Discovery streaming svs discovery has the highest churn rate at nearly at 43%. (Digital TV Europe)