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☆ As Reddit goes public, advertisers say it needs to do more to prove it can boost their sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Advertising on Reddit is rapidly evolving, and we are still in the early phases of growing this business," Reddit wrote in its IPO filing. The company said advertisers were attracted to Reddit due to its "high-intent" audience, much of which is hunting for product recommendations. And elsewhere, Reddit doesn't have the kind of e-commerce structure that Meta, TikTok, and Google have built, experts said. It has poached ad talent from companies like Pinterest and Meta to grow its ad business. Also last year, Jim Squires, a former longtime Meta ad exec, joined Reddit in a new role as EVP of business marketing and growth.

Persons: it's, Reddit, Reddit hasn't, Brad Kay, Reddit didn't, haven't, TikTok, Jerry Daykin, Daykin, Carly Carson, Reddit doesn't, Anthony Macro, Harold Klaje, Klaje, Jim Squires, Jeff MacDonald, That's, MacDonald, PMG's Carson Organizations: Google, Business, Brand, Meta, Beam Suntory, PPC, Reddit, YouTube Locations: Meta

☆ Ad insiders are buzzing about industry power broker Michael Kassan's messy split with UTA and what it means for the future of MediaLink
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

After falling out with Kassan, UTA may think twice about buying another agency. The media and ad industry will be watching to see what, if any, leadership changes UTA makes at MediaLink. The end of the ad industry schmoozefest? One industry veteran said they saw Kassan's exit as an opportunity to change how ad industry consultants operate and charge for services. At the center of the dispute between UTA and Kassan is the MediaLink founder's $950,000 annual expense account.

Persons: Michael Kassan, MediaLink, Kassan, Jeremy Zimmer, Kassan wasn't, Vianney Tisseau, headhunting, Jon Miller, Sanford Michelman, Michelman, Robinson, Ethan Miller, Julian Jacobs, David Anderson, WME, Kassan's, Wenda Harris Millard, wasn't, what's, There's, Lou Paskalis, Marc Sternberg's, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Tom Brady, Rob Norman, WPP's Organizations: UTA, Cannes Lions, Consumer, Business, Los Angeles Superior Court, Los, Judicial, Mediation Services, Variety Cannes Lions Studio, Integrated Media, Getty, Talent, Accenture, General Motors, Netflix, JUV Consulting, Madison, Endeavor, Writers Guild of America, Zimmer, Western Initiative Media Worldwide, Interpublic Group, Bank of America, AJL, Marc Sternberg's Brand, Kassan, Southwest, NFL Locations: MediaLink, Cannes, France, Madison, Droga5, Hollywood, Kassan, California, South, Austin

☆ 16 VCs that are funding the future of entertainment by backing generative AI and other disruptive tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

AdvertisementAfter a period of "wild west" investing in AI, Blank believes activity will favor AI companies that respect artists' consent and compensation. It recently co-led a $1 million seed round in Conduiit, which centralizes entertainment companies' production finance operations. Endeavor Venture InvestmentsEndeavor Venture Investments is the venture arm of entertainment and sports behemoth Endeavor. SWaN & LegendThe Virginia-based VC firm has a broad consumer portfolio that includes a number of entertainment investments. With Hollywood in contraction, SWaN has largely hit pause on new entertainment investments to get its portfolio companies on a strong footing.

Persons: Michael Blank, Blank, Jon Miller, Miller, Slack, Garnet Heraman, BDMI, Urs Cete, Michael, TMRW, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Elysian Park Ventures Jay Adya, Grant Lamos, Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra, Michael Strahan, Jay Adya, Morgan, Kushaan Ahuja, Drew Glover, Glover, Alex Harris, they've, Noah Doyle, Payback India, Jed Katz, Rich Greenfield, Rich, Ilya Pozin, Jamie Seltzer, LightShed, Steve Cohen's, it's, Sri Chandrasekar, Tripp Shriner, Ishan Sinha, That's, Wondery, Ian Doody, Raine, Gordon Rubenstein, Joe Ravitch, Jeff Sine, ‐, Fred Schaufeld, SWaN, that's, Oscar, Jose, Schaufeld, Sam Wick, Alex J, Investcorp, Paul Yoo, Edgar Bronfman Jr, Daniel Leff, Waverley, Leff Organizations: Service, Creative Artists, Connect Ventures, Business, Hollywood, Veteran, TPG, Integrated Media Co, Advancit, CAA, Bertelsmann, Waverley, Octopus Ventures, Accel, Facebook, Venture, Aperture Venture, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Fremantle, Connect, CAA Connect Ventures, New Enterprises Associates, TMRW Sports, Disney, Universal, Elysian Park Ventures, Elysian, Sports, Endeavor Venture, Endeavor Venture Investments, behemoth Endeavor, Dapper Labs, Fiat Ventures, Fiat Ventures Fiat Ventures, Fiat, Payback, Rent, LightShed, Rich Greenfield Influential, LightShed Ventures, Pluto, Apple, Octopus Ventures Octopus Ventures, Investments, Corp, Etsy, Re, Point72 Ventures New York Mets, Range Media Partners, Point72 Ventures, Sri, Powerhouse, Athletic, The New York Times Co, Evolution Media, Creative Artists Agency, Astro, Rave Digital Media, Accel Entertainment, Jose Andrés Media, Berliner, UTA Talent, UTA, UTA Ventures, Ventures, VR, Amazon, PFL Locations: blockchain, —, Conduiit, fintech, London, Australia, Papercup, Los Angeles, Virginia, UTA.VC

☆ Disney will soon own all of Hulu. Here's how the company got here and what's next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Disney has offered to pay Comcast $8.6 billion to take full control of Hulu. Disney is already in the process of rolling out a unified app that'll make Hulu's general entertainment content available in Disney+ . "With Hulu firmly in the Disney fold, they can create their own mini-bundle with kids and family (Disney +), general entertainment (Hulu), and sports (ESPN). The valuation also has to take into account that Hulu contains an entire Disney basic cable network, FX on Hulu. Netflix is set to spend $17 billion on entertainment content in 2024, while Disney is poised to spend $15 billion.

Persons: Bob Iger's, —, Bob Iger, Hulu —, what's, Comcast's NBCUniversal, pare, he's, Jonathan Miller, Brian Roberts, there's, Bernstein, Laurent Yoon, Read, Jordan Helman, Max, Puck, Disney, Bernstein's Yoon Organizations: Disney, Comcast, Hulu, Service, YouTube, News, Century Fox, Marvel, Netflix, Integrated Media, ESPN, ABC, LightShed Partners, Warner Bros, Wall, Paramount Global, Paramount, Showtime, HBO Max, Macquarie Equity Research, Media, Disney Disney, Hollywood Locations: Disney, Hulu, Canada, India, Hollywood

☆ Paramount's Shari Redstone is open for business, but business may not be open for her
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Paramount Global 's controlling shareholder is open to a merger or selling the company at the right price, according to people familiar with her thinking. Spokespeople for Redstone and Paramount Global declined to comment. Paramount Global's market value was below $8 billion as of Friday. Discovery could merge with Paramount Global, though putting together Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures may hold up deal approval with U.S. regulators. Paramount Global isn't actively working with an investment bank on a sale, according to people familiar with the matter.

Persons: Shari Redstone, David A, CNBC Shari, Jon Miller, SpongeBob, Guggenheim, Michael Morris, Morris, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Bob Bakish, Bakish, Wells, Steven Cahall, Cahall, CNBC's David Faber, Lina Khan, Laura Martin, haven't, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Sumner Redstone, NAI, Jim Cramer Organizations: National Amusements, Paramount Global, Allen & Company Sun Valley, Grogan, CNBC, Paramount, Redstone, Integrated Media, Advancit, Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Showtime, NFL, Champions League, Viacom, Berkshire, Paramount Global's, Tech, Apple, YouTube, National Football, Federal Trade, Big Tech, Comcast, NBC, Fox, Disney, Needham & Co, Netflix, Bain, Co, Warner Bros, Sky, Scripps, Discovery, Simon &, MSD Partners Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Los Angeles , California, U.S

Legacy media companies like Disney , Warner Bros. Netflix was the first streamer to report a loss in subscribers in 2022, sending its stock and other media companies spiraling. Media companies also have begun slashing content spending budgets. Yet streaming remains the focus for all of these companies as consumers rapidly cut the cord and opt for streaming. Legacy media companies scrambled to follow suit, unsure if the model actually worked.

Persons: Mario Tama, it's, Steven Schiffman, NBCUniversal, Bob Iger, Ken Solomon, Solomon, Marc DeBevoise, John Hodulik, hasn't, —, Hulu —, Peacock, Max —, HBO Max, — Ryan Murphy, Shonda, Kenya Barris, David Benioff, Weiss —, Jonathan Miller, Shonda Rhimes, Presley Ann, Patrick McMullan, Bart Simpson, esports, DeBevoise, Peter Csathy Organizations: Netflix, Getty, North, Georgetown University, Legacy, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount, Media, Marvel, Tennis Channel, Sinclair, Companies, UBS, CBS, HBO, Max, Hulu, Integrated Media, Trek, Universal Studios Television, Getty Images Disney, Wars, Fox, Hollywood's, Creative Media, Charter Communications, ESPN, & $, + + Locations: Los Angeles, North American, J.J, Abrams, Kenya, Beverly Hills , CA, Georgetown

☆ Disney, Charter’s Spectrum deal will reshape media -executives
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Disney also agreed to drop eight of its less-viewed networks, signaling the end of bloated cable TV bundles. Broadcasters could negotiate fees that included adding new cable TV channels. The new type of bundle deal combining traditional channels with streaming services provides a way forward for the media business. Pity the cable TV channels that few people watch, said one TV station group executive. Paramount Global has created numerous spin-offs of its main cable channels, with Nickelodeon siring five programming offspring, Nick Jr., Nick at Nite, TeenNick, Nicktoons and Nick Music.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, John Malone, Walt Disney, ”, Craig Moffett, “, you’re, Rich Greenfield, Jonathan Miller, Nick Jr, Nick, Nick Music, Moffett, Dawn Chmielewski, Kenneth Li, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Liberty Broadband, Charter Communications, Reuters, Disney / Charter, Disney, Broadcasters, Cable, P Global Market Intelligence, Netflix, Leichtman Research, Paramount, ESPN, FX, Integrated Media Co, Warner Bros Discovery, American Heroes Channel, Paramount Global, Nickelodeon, Nick, Thomson Locations: U.S, Greenfield, Los Angeles, New York

☆ How insiders are reacting to Mark Thompson, CNN's new CEO, and how they think he'll tackle the network's challenges: 'He wants to be involved in editorial'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

WBD named Mark Thompson as CNN's new CEO in a shift by David Zaslav to an experienced news leader. Thompson is widely credited with turning the Times into a digital powerhouse, transforming a news organization that was teetering financially. Under Thompson, there also were flops along the way to success for the Times, like the failed NYT Now mobile app. Thompson is expected to be involved in editorialObservers and insiders expressed optimism about the Thompson news. They also will be watching to see how he will carry out WBD CEO David Zaslav's commitment to providing a wider range of political viewpoints, including conservative ones.

Persons: WBD, Mark Thompson, David Zaslav, Thompson, Chris Licht, Ken Doctor, Meredith Kopit Levien, who'd, Times —, Levien, Nate Silver, Jill Abramson, Abramson, wouldn't, Mark, Donald Trump, David Zaslav's, He'll, Jeff Zucker, I've, Zaslav, Licht, he'd, Semafor, James Harding, Andrew Ross Sorkin, he's, Jonathan Miller, Miller, Amy Entelis, David Leavy, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, who's, Leavy Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Warner Bros, Discovery, Max, longtime Times, Times, ESPN, ABC, Observers, BBC, Company, Integrated Media Co, Editorial Locations: British

☆ Media insiders say ESPN's new sports-betting push could help it court a younger crowd and set up a spinoff from Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Industry insiders say ESPN's deal with Penn Entertainment could signal a potential ESPN spinoff from Disney. Disney announced a $2 billion deal with casino operator Penn Entertainment to create ESPN Bet. ESPN's $2 billion Penn Entertainment deal rocked the sports-betting world — and also renewed speculation among industry insiders that Disney could spin off its media crown jewel. For ESPN, it's not as material, but it's helpful — ESPN has locked in a 10-year partner with guaranteed pay so that improves the visibility of ESPN's revenue. To be sure, some industry watchers have questioned how the deal positions ESPN's ability to catch up in the sports-betting race.

Persons: Bob Iger, Jonathan Miller, Penn, Alex Iosilevich, it's, It's, Iger, — DraftKings, sportsbooks, LightShed, Peyton Manning's, Ashley Rodriguez Organizations: Industry, Penn Entertainment, ESPN, Disney, ESPN Bet, what's, Hearst, CNBC, NFL, NBA, MLB, Integrated Media Co, Caesars Entertainment, Penn, LightShed Partners, American Gaming Association, Amazon, Comcast, Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions, Front Office Sports Locations: Saudi

☆ How ESPN's $2 billion sports-betting deal could set it up for a spinoff from Disney, according to industry insiders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Industry insiders say ESPN's deal with Penn Entertainment could signal a potential ESPN spinoff from Disney. Disney announced a $2 billion deal with casino operator Penn Entertainment to create ESPN Bet. ESPN's $2 billion Penn Entertainment deal rocked the sports-betting world — and also renewed speculation among industry insiders that Disney could spin off its media crown jewel. To be sure, some industry watchers have questioned how the deal positions ESPN's ability to catch up in the sports-betting race. According to the American Gaming Association, sports betting grossed $7.5 billion in gaming revenue in 2022, up 75% from 2021.

Persons: Bob Iger, Jonathan Miller, Penn, Alex Ilosevich, it's, It's, Iger, — DraftKings, sportsbooks, LightShed, Peyton Manning's, Ashley Rodriguez Organizations: Industry, Penn Entertainment, ESPN, Disney, ESPN Bet, what's, Hearst, CNBC, NFL, NBA, MLB, Integrated Media Co, Caesars Entertainment, Penn, LightShed Partners, American Gaming Association, Amazon, Comcast, Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions, Front Office Sports Locations: Saudi

☆ Inside TikTok's pitch to get marketers selling on Shops, and why the biggest brands are wary of investing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US brands are testing TikTok's shopping feature that competes with Amazon. TikTok Shops charges lower fees than Amazon, but it requires too many resources from brands. Many big brands are also investing in loyalty programs that don't connect well with social commerce features, she said. He said that his agency has 25 clients that plan to use TikTok Shop, and half of those brands are already live. WPromote's early results show that running TikTok Shop ads are driving sales, Dweck said, though he did not provide specifics.

Persons: TikTok, it's, Rachel Tipograph, they've, Vic Drabicky, Drabicky, Tipograph, Carly Carlson, PMG, Digital's Drabicky, David Dweck, Dweck Organizations: Amazon

☆ CNN management focused on 'listening' and 'getting back to work' as the network moves on from Chris Licht
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Trisha Gopal | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A trio of longtime executives have taken charge at CNN following the exit of Chris Licht. There's a moment in Tim Alberta's brutal profile of CNN's now-former CEO Chris Licht where Licht awkwardly takes a jab at his predecessor Jeff Zucker. The following Monday, as Licht attempted to quell growing calls for his ouster, Licht told CNN staff: "As I read that article, I found myself thinking, CNN is not about me. Jeff Zucker and Chris Licht at an event in 2019, back when Zucker still ran CNN and Licht was the showrunner on The Late Show on CBS. If Licht was seen as mismanaging CNN's top talent, Entelis, in particular, is known to be the queen of talent.

Persons: Chris Licht, David Leavy, Amy Entelis, Tim Alberta's, CNN's, Licht, Jeff Zucker, Zucker, Donald Trump, Christiane Amanpour . Licht, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, Kara Swisher, Mike Coppola, — Licht, Virginia Moseley, Eric Sherling, Wolf, David Zaslav, Zaslav, WBD, Leavy, We're, — Leavy, I'm, Kaitlan Collins, Don Lemon's, Poppy Harlow, Licht's, PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA, Jonathan Miller, Entelis, Peter Jennings, Ted Koppel, Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, Masa Takayama, Turner, Lisa Ling's, Bell, Tapper —, CNN —, She's, — Organizations: CNN, Morning, Vox Media, CBS, ABC, Warner Bros, Warner Bros Discovery, HBO, Getty, BBC News Board, Integrated Media, CNN Worldwide, Masa Locations: Trump, Japan, America

☆ Desperate for streaming profits, media giants look to a soft ad market for help
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

(AP Photo/Universal Pictures) Photo Credit: Universal Pictures/Tippett StudioAfter spending years amassing streaming subscribers at great cost, media companies now need to make some profits. Look no further for proof of that than the most recent annual Upfronts, the events where media companies like Fox Corp ., Warner Bros. During Disney's earnings call earlier this month, CEO Bob Iger put new emphasis on ad-supported streaming. 'We need ads'There's been an uptick of consumers signing up for ad-supported streaming subscriptions. But media companies are struggling with the question of whether ad-tier subscriptions make up for other losses.

BuzzFeed wasn't the only digital media company to announce layoffs Thursday. Miller added that going public is probably not the best strategy for digital media companies like Buzzfeed. The news comes during a tough period for digital media companies as publishers are cutting staff as advertisers reduce spending. BuzzFeed will lay off 15% of staff and shut down its news unit, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in an email to staff Thursday. The digital media company scaled back its news operation in an attempt to make BuzzFeed News profitable, resulting in the departure of several editors.

☆ The digital media rollup dream is dead for the moment — now it's all about core brand strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

What's happening in the digital media space echoes trends from the biggest media companies, including Netflix , Disney and Warner Bros. The rollup dream's rise and fallFrom late 2018 to early 2022, the digital media industry had a shared goal. First, digital media companies needed more scale to compete with Facebook and Google for digital advertising dollars. Large legacy media companies such as Disney and Comcast 's NBCUniversal invested hundreds of millions in digital media in the early and mid-2010s. "The digital media rollup has proven successful only when assets are thoughtfully combined with an eye toward consumers," Goldberg said.

☆ Bob Iger's return as Disney CEO opens new possibilities for Hulu deal with Comcast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney will write "a big check" for Comcast's 33% share of Hulu, said NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell. With Bob Iger returning as Disney's CEO, Comcast is hoping for a broader conversation to seal the deal. Comcast is eyeing assets such as ESPN, FX, and NatGeo in return for surrendering its stake in Hulu. Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was unceremoniously fired on November 20, refused to hold any talks on the topic with Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, according to a Comcast insider and a high-level Hollywood executive familiar with thinking inside Disney. Representatives for Hulu, Disney, and Comcast had no comment.

Organizations: & $

☆ Advertisers begin to grill Elon Musk over Twitter 'free-for-all'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk promised advertisers he would keep Twitter from turning into a "free-for-all hellscape." This week, advertisers are beginning to demand details on how he plans to uphold the commitment. The agency's top clients are expected to join the meeting, the media buyer said. Even as Musk took meetings with major agencies and advertisers this week, he took to Twitter on Wednesday night with a poll asking users whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or "political correctness." "Those type of provocations are not helping to calm the waters," the media buyer said.

☆ Cookies might not be tracking you, but some brands are
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Leticia Miranda | Leticia Miranda Is A Business Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

And for consumers who want to cut down on corporate monitoring, hitting “decline cookies” might not make much of a difference. Ulta Beauty’s Brent Rosso, vice president of the cosmetics seller’s ad business, called retail media networks “the hottest thing in the media world.”The Home Depot app encourages users to allow tracking. Home DepotNew ways to track and targetBefore the rise of retail media networks, retailers regularly sold ad space like sponsored products or banner ads on their own digital properties. But many retail media networks combine first-party data with existing third-party information, such as demographic data, to build more detailed profiles on consumers. About $40 billion will be spent this year across retail media networks alone, the analytics firm projects.

☆ 11 best exercise bikes in 2022 for indoor cycling
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Justin Krajeski | Justin Krajeski Is An Associate Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +16 min

LEARN MORE Best exercise bikes to shopWhen it comes to deciding which stationary bike is best for you, it’s important to determine how much you’ll exercise — as well as where and when. Maybe you want to easily adjust the bike’s resistance, move its handlebars or just need something quiet for nighttime sweats. Best exercise bikes to shopWe highlighted stationary bikes that cost less than $700, focusing on those with great customer reviews. (Unlike most of the higher-end models, budget stationary bikes don’t list how many resistance levels they have.) (Unlike most of the higher-end models, budget stationary bikes don’t list how many resistance levels they have.)

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