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☆ I went to SXSW and saw Netflix and Amazon competing with splashy sci-fi, while Paramount+ pitched its whole line-up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Netflix, Amazon, Paramount+, and Disney competed for attention with premieres and eye-catching installations. While there, I got to witness South by Southwest's opening weekend, which was dominated by the streaming heavyweights Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount+, with a cameo from Disney. Netflix held a premiere for "3 Body Problem," and Amazon built an interactive postapocalyptic world to promote "Fallout." AdvertisementNetflix's 3D projection for "3 Body Problem" stopped people in their tracks. Nathan McAloneLater, as the "3 Body Problem" premiere began, I heard "Game of Thrones" alum John Bradley (of Samwell Tarly fame) mutter an anxious "Oh God."

Persons: —, Max, Nathan McAlone Netflix, David Benioff, Weiss, Alexander Woo —, Doug Liman, Nathan McAlone, John Bradley, mutter, Bradley shouldn't, Palmer Haasch, Bradley, Blake Griffin, Nathan McAlone Amazon, Bass Reeves, Alex Garland's Organizations: Southwest, Netflix, Paramount, Disney, Service, HBO, Hollywood, Amazon, Paramount Theatre, Rotten, Mortal Media, Apple, Studios, Austin Convention Locations: Austin, Hollywood, United States

☆ The biggest winners and losers from the new sports streaming service
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. ESPN, Warner Bros., and Fox announced plans this week for a new sports streaming service set to launch this fall . That could put an end to cable TV as we know it , Nathan McAlone, Business Insider's deputy media editor, writes. Ashley Rodriguez, BI's media editor, has a breakdown of the six biggest questions about this new sports streamer . Games on YouTubeTV, for example, are noticeably delayed compared to cable TV broadcasts .

Persons: —, Katie Notopoulos, David Jensen, Nathan McAlone, it's, Ashley Rodriguez, Peter Kafka, BI's, Peter, Nathan, Ashley —, We've, Ashley, Fox, Rick Wilking, Reuters Leon Cooperman, Marc Rubinstein, Yi Huiman, Xi Jinping, Jordan Hart, It's, Justin Metz, Blackstone, Bob Iger, Donald Trump, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, ESPN, Warner Bros, Fox, ESPN2, ABC, FOX, Peter : Media, Nathan, Warner Bros ., NFL, Cable, Comcast, Paramount, Reuters, Signature Bank, New York Community Bancorp, Securities, Commission, that's, Apple Vision, Microsoft, BI, of Foreign Labor, Apollo, KKR, Bain Capital, Disney, Epic Games, ConocoPhillips, US Locations: New, China, Beijing, New York, London

☆ New sports streamer will change TV as we know it — and may start an industry fight. Execs tell me what they really think.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The new sports streamer that Disney, Warner Bros., and Fox announced Tuesday is a really big deal that could reshape TV . And then they charge the big pay TV distributors a ton to carry their broadcasts of those games. Which may explain why, up until Tuesday, they hadn't told any of the pay TV companies or sports leagues about their plans, industry executives tell me. But if you're the kind of person who's buying an antenna to watch sports TV, you're not going to buy this thing anyway.) Also: The big TV guys didn't like it in 2015 when HBO started competing with them by selling itself as a stand-alone service.

Persons: they're, Nathan McAlone, Nathan, Justin Casterline, Peacock, John W, I'm, Michael Nathanson, —, they'd Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, Fox, Business, NFL, CBS, NBC, Hulu, YouTube, Disney, ESPN, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Sports, McDonough, Getty, NBA, TNT, TBS, DirecTV, Verizon, AT, HBO

☆ Well, this could be what finally kills cable TV
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It could end up killing cable TV. That said, it really seems like this new service will include all the major sports offerings on cable TV. Cord cutting has been gradually chipping away at the cable TV ecosystem for years. AdvertisementBut don't cry too much yet for the cable TV companies. Last year, in a dispute with Disney, Charter, one of the biggest cable companies in the US, called the cable TV model broken and said it was willing to walk away entirely.

Persons: —, Price, it's Organizations: Disney, Fox, Warner Bros, ESPN, Service, ESPN2, ABC, FOX, TNT, TBS, truTV, CBS, NBC, NFL, Paramount, Netflix, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, P Global Market Intelligence

☆ Netflix's big bet on Korean shows makes so much sense now that we've seen the numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Netflix released a first-of-its-kind report showing viewership hours for titles in the first half of 2023. It shows why Netflix is planning on investing billions into Korean content in the coming years. Among the thousands of titles, Korean entertainment was a major standout. Korean actors want better compensation — namely, residuals on par with United States actors under SAG-AFTRA, per the LA Times. But the numbers also underscore local workers' labor concerns — and what Netflix could stand to lose without them.

Persons: —, Insider's Nathan McAlone, Cha, Queen Organizations: Netflix, Service, Los Angeles Times, United, SAG, LA Times, South Locations: United States, South Korea

☆ 5 Trends to Bet Your Career On
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Innovation undoubtedly drives business growth — but it also powers new and exciting career opportunities. Artificial intelligence probably comes to mind as one example, especially in the wake of generative AI, but that's not the only story. AdvertisementIn this series, 5 Trends to Bet Your Career On, Business Insider is highlighting five fast-moving trends that are activating new professional opportunities for those just starting out, as well as those looking for something new. Each of the trends is explained in detail, with an accompanying essay from someone who has chosen that path. Credits:Series Editors: Madeline Berg, Lauryn Haas, Julia Hood, Manseen Logan, Nathan McAlone, Josée Rose, Bartie Scott, Debbie Strong.

Persons: that's, Madeline Berg, Lauryn Haas, Julia Hood, Manseen Logan, Nathan McAlone, Josée Rose, Bartie Scott, Debbie Strong, Marta Biino, Catherine Boudreau, Alyshia, Madison Hoff, Aaron Mok, Amanda Perelli, Noah Sheidlower, Aria Yang, Jinyoung Chang, Rodriguez, Bryan Erickson, Taylor Tyson, Rebecca Zisser Organizations: Business Locations: Alyshia Hull

☆ Amazon Prime will now have ads — unless you fork over an extra $2.99 a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon announced that ads will be introduced to Prime Video in early 2024. Of course, with the introduction of ads, comes the introduction of a new ad-free subscription — Prime Video users can opt to pay $2.99 more per month for an ad-free membership, the company said in a statement. Currently a standalone Prime Video subscription costs $8.99 per month. Both Peacock and and Paramount+ raised their ad-free subscription prices by $2, from $9.99 to $11.99, this past July. Of course, as Insider's Nathan McAlone puts it — the end of cheap streaming is not here yet, but rather the end of cheap, ad-free streaming.

Persons: Amazon, Gunnar Wiedenfels, Mark Schilsky, Max, Peacock, Insider's Nathan McAlone Organizations: Amazon, Service, Warner Bros, Paramount, Bernstein Research, Disney, Hulu, Netflix, Apple Locations: Wall, Silicon, UK, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Australia

☆ Instagram's Threads never wanted to be a platform for hard news or politics. Now it's blocking searches about COVID-19.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Users on Threads are unable to search for COVID-19-related terms including "coronavirus" and "vaccines." It's the latest sign that Meta is reluctant for Threads to become a place for news and politics. Terms such as "vaccination" and "long Covid" also fail to bring up any results and redirect users to external websites. The screen Threads users currently see if they try to search for COVID-19-related topics. The social media giant has attempted to cast Threads as a positive, brand-friendly environment where topics such as news and politics are largely sidelined.

Persons: Meta, Insider's Nathan McAlone, Adam Mosseri Organizations: Service, Centers for Disease Control, The Washington, Meta, Facebook Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Even Charter thinks that cable TV sucks now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Charter, the second-biggest cable company in the US, says the cable TV model is broken. Fights like this have been common across the history of cable TV. Because Charter pays companies like Disney per subscriber, fewer cable TV subscribers meant less money coming in for TV networks. Charter might never actually say it out loud, but it's clear from the presentation that it thinks the cable TV model sucks now and has become a bad deal for customers. I could easily imagine a new type of cable TV package that mixes some live news and sports channels with access to streaming services.

Persons: it's, That's, Lucia Moses, Chris Winfrey Organizations: Service, Disney, ESPN, Netflix Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Please, Lina Khan, don't make Hollywood's crisis worse — consolidation is not the problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She blamed the industry's market structure and suggested consolidation had weakened competition. But Hollywood's problems aren't caused by consolidation, but rather a harrowing transition to streaming. AdvertisementAdvertisementFTC chair Lina Khan made some recent comments that should trouble anyone in the TV and movie business. She continued on to say that "unless those market structure questions are addressed, it seems like potentially some of these power imbalances will persist." And I worry that if Khan thinks the market structure in Hollywood is already broken, it suggests any significant media merger is likely to be challenged.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Rich Greenfield, Brandon Ross, Mark Kelley Organizations: Hollywood, Netflix, Disney, Comcast, Warner Bros, Paramount, Apple, YouTube, Morning, WBD, Paramount Global Locations: Hulu, Hollywood

☆ Streaming providers keep raising prices. So which ones are at risk of getting cut by subscribers?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Streaming services continue to raise prices, and they don't appear ready to stop anytime soon. AdvertisementAdvertisementHow much are streaming services worth to you? And two big takeaways — to Wall Street's delight and customers' chagrin — are to raise prices and crack down on password sharing. Netflix saw a surge of sign-ups in the aftermath of its password-sharing crackdown, Insider's Nathan McAlone writes. Meanwhile, analysis from Bernstein Research found the combined monthly price of a handful of popular streaming services increased 24% from last year, writes Insider's Alistair Barr.

Persons: —, Insider's Nathan McAlone, Alistair Barr, What's, Nathan Organizations: Netflix, Bernstein Research

☆ OnlyFans users spent more than $5 billion last year, as the number of creators surged 47%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OnlyFans users spent $5.6 billion on the platform in 2022, up from $4.8 billion in 2021. The total number of creators also hit 3.2 million in 2022, up 47% from 2.2 million in 2021. Gross payments made through OnlyFans increased about 17%, from $4.8 billion in 2021 to $5.6 billion in 2022. This represents the amount of money that fans are paying OnlyFans creators for photos, videos, chats, and more. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe total number of OnlyFans creators and fans has also continued to grow:The number of total creators was 3.2 million in 2022, up 47% from 2.2 million in 2021.

Persons: OnlyFans, Bryce Adams, Fenix, Leo Radvinsky, Radvinsky, Keily Blair, Ami Gan Organizations: Morning, Fenix, Bloomberg Locations: OnlyFans

☆ Sorry to report: Netflix's password-sharing crackdown has been very successful in adding new subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Netflix's password-sharing crackdown has been a huge success. New data from Antenna shows a big spike in new subscribers in May, June, and July. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis could come as unwelcome news, but it's becoming clear that Netflix's password-sharing crackdown has been a resounding success. In Antenna's new research, the firm also found enthusiasm among new subscribers for Netflix's cheaper ad-supported tier, which costs $7 per month. It seems that Netflix's two biggest recent changes, its ad tier and password-sharing crackdown, are both paying off in a major way for the streaming service.

Persons: wouldn't, Doug Anmuth, Insider's Matthew Fox, Anmuth Organizations: Netflix

☆ Even with price hikes for Netflix and Disney+, streaming is still a cheap deal and way better than cable TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But streaming TV is still a good deal. I wrote in May about why a wave of price hikes for ad-free streaming services was on the horizon. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat's really coming to an end right now is not the end of cheap streaming but the end of cheap ad-free streaming. That's why cable TV mostly has ads (with some add-on exceptions like HBO and other premium cable channels). "Streamflation" is a drag, but I'm not pining for the cable bundle — and I doubt other cord-cutters are either.

Persons: I'd, It's, Ted Lasso Organizations: Disney, Netflix, Financial Times, Nielsen, Hulu, Free, Paramount, Apple

☆ Hollywood's AI ambitions won't be stopped by a new copyright ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But a recent copyright ruling likely won't have an impact on the studios' AI ambitions. The judge ruled AI couldn't be the sole author of an artistic work, but that's not what studios want. He was pushing the boundaries by seeing whether the court would grant copyright to an AI as the sole author of an artistic work. But that's not how Hollywood studios are using AI and it's not what they're planning. But frankly, the tech just isn't good enough yet for AI to be the sole author of a work.

Persons: couldn't, shouldn't, Stephen Thaler, Beryl Howell, Howell, Thaler, — Organizations: Hollywood, US, Thaler, Machine

☆ Microsoft took down a string of embarrassing travel articles created with 'algorithmic techniques.' But it says AI isn't the problem.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Microsoft took down a string of embarrassing and offensive travel articles last week. The company said the articles were not published by "unsupervised AI" and blamed "human error." Last week, Microsoft took down a string of articles published by "Microsoft Travel" that included a bizarre recommendation for visitors to Ottawa to visit the Ottawa Food Bank and to "consider going into it on an empty stomach." "This article has been removed and we have identified that the issue was due to human error," a Microsoft spokesperson said. Based on the examples I found, whatever human controls Microsoft had in place were so minimal as to be functionally useless.

Persons: Paris Marx, isn't, Lucia Moses, Kai Xiang Teo Organizations: Microsoft, Morning, Ottawa Food Bank, MSN, CNET Locations: Ottawa, Montreal, Canada, Anchorage, Tokyo

☆ What does Elon Musk's 'Burnt Hair' perfume really smell like? We asked our newsroom to do a blind test of the new fragrance.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Elon Musk's Boring Company launched a $100 perfume called "Burnt Hair" in October. Last October, he added "perfume salesman" to his list when he began selling a scent called "Burnt Hair" to the world. The unisex fragrance is sold through The Boring Company, where it was originally listed for $100. Upon sniffing Burnt Hair directly from the bottle he concluded that it actually smelled better than most perfumes. "It's pretty gross…It does smell like burnt hair."

Persons: Elon, Elon Musk, Musk, it's, Boring, Madeline Renbarger, Nathan McAlone, Darius Rafieyan, Rafieyan, Taylor Rains, Meghan Morris, Maddie Berg, who'd, Brad Davis, Tim Levin Organizations: Elon Musk's Boring Company, SpaceX, The, Company, Twitter, The Boring Company, eBay, Boring Company, Boring, Aviation, Transportation Locations: Colorado

☆ Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, is destined to become a boring playground for brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, has surged to over 100 million users, riding a hype wave. Meta's vision of a "positive" environment will be better for brands than humans. Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, has surged to over 100 million users in less than a week, an eye-popping figure that shows the sheer size of the hype wave it's riding. But the app has a fatal flaw that will ultimately doom it to mediocrity: It's going to be boring. And that means despite the early outburst of enthusiasm, Threads — like Instagram — might end up being better for brands than for humans.

Persons: Instagram, hasn't, Adam Mosseri, Smith Organizations: Twitter, Meta Locations: Ukraine, blocklists

☆ Twitter CEO says platform had its 'largest usage day' in 5 months amid reports users are flocking to Threads
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said the platform had its "largest usage day" in five months. The Twitter higher-ups appear to be concerned by the rapid popularity of Threads. Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said Monday that last week saw the platform's "largest usage day" since February. That appeared to be a taunt aimed at Threads, the Twitter competitor app released by Meta last Wednesday which is estimated to already have reached 100 million users. This week, Musk tweeted "Zuck is a cuck" and proposed a "literal dick measuring contest."

Persons: Linda Yaccarino, Cloudflare, Elon Musk, Insider's Nathan McAlone, Mark Zuckerberg, Musk, Zuckerberg, Twitter Organizations: Twitter, Meta, CNBC, iOS Locations: Similarweb

☆ Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, has a fatal flaw: It's destined to be boring
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, has surged to over 100 million users, riding a hype wave. But the new "conversation" platform has a fatal flaw: It's going to be boring. Instagram's Twitter rival, Threads, has surged to over 100 million users in less than a week, an eye-popping figure that shows the sheer size of the hype wave it's riding. But the app has a fatal flaw that will ultimately doom it to mediocrity: It's going to be boring. And that means despite the early outburst of enthusiasm, Threads — like Instagram — might end up being better for brands than for humans.

Persons: Instagram, hasn't, Adam Mosseri, Smith Organizations: Twitter, Meta Locations: Ukraine, blocklists

☆ How much YouTubers make for 1 million subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A YouTuber with about 1 million subscribers made between $14,600 and $54,600 per month. Getting 1 million YouTube subscribers is a huge milestone, and, in practical terms, it often means a creator can earn a full-time living from the platform. How much does YouTube pay for 1 million subscribers? Finance creator Nate O'Brien said that as a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers he earned $440,000 in a year from the platform. Creators need to reach 10 million views in 90 days and have 1,000 subscribers in order to qualify.

Persons: Nate O'Brien, Read, O'Brien, Tiffany Ma, Ma, she's Organizations: YouTube's, YouTube, Finance Locations: YouTubers

☆ Influencers share how to make money with affiliate marketing and the networks they use
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Those links are often affiliate marketing links that let creators earn a commission on sales. We spoke with creators about how much money they earn from influencer affiliate marketing. What is influencer affiliate marketing? Influencers often use affiliate marketing as a way to earn income outside of sponsored posts or ad revenue on videos. Here are 9 top platforms influencers used to make money from affiliate linksThere is often no minimum follower count needed to make money from affiliate marketing.

Persons: Influencers, influencers, influencer Kara Harms, it's, Tori Dunlap Organizations: what's, Social

☆ How to create an influencer media kit to pitch brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read the simple one-page media kit nano influencer Tess Barclay uses to get deals with brands like Princess Polly and Ana LuisaBut influencer media kits can also be longer. Entrepreneur and YouTuber Marina Mogilko runs three successful YouTube channels and uses a media kit to pitch her business to brands. Read the the exact 24-page media kit a YouTuber with millions of subscribers uses when she reaches out to brandsMogilko uses a 24-page media kit. Marina MogilkoYouTuber media kit examplesRoberto Blake Roberto BlakeInstagram influencer media kit examplesAlexa Collins Alexa Collins. TikToker media kit examples:

Persons: Macy Mariano, It's, Influencers, Tess Barclay, Princess Polly, Ana Luisa, Jour'dan Haynes, Garnier, Burger King, Read Haynes, YouTuber Marina Mogilko, Marina Mogilko, Roberto Blake Roberto Blake Instagram, Collins Alexa Collins Organizations: Media, YouTube, Brands Locations: Toronto

☆ How Amazon could use a Prime Video ad tier to rake in billions of dollars a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon is reportedly plotting an ad tier for Prime Video, per The Wall Street Journal. A new ad-supported tier for Prime Video could bring in nearly $5 billion in yearly revenue for Amazon, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. "We size US Prime subscribers at ~95 million in 2025, and ourAlphaWise surveys suggest ~77% of Prime subscribers use Prime Video, implying 73 million Prime Video viewers in 2025." "We size US Prime subscribers at ~95 million in 2025, and our AlphaWise surveys suggest ~77% of Prime subscribers use Prime Video, implying 73 million Prime Video viewers in 2025." But they estimated that a Prime Video ad tier outside the US could add a further $209 million to 2025 EBIT.

Persons: Morgan Stanley Organizations: Amazon, Prime, Street, Street Journal, Netflix, NFL, Disney, US, YouTube, NBA, CTV Locations: EBIT

☆ Influencers are outranking journalists as news sources on TikTok and other platforms that win with younger audiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Journalists rank behind influencers in driving news conversation on TikTok and other younger social platforms. Journalists are getting outflanked by influencers when it comes to reaching audiences around news topics on younger-skewing platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. But "personalities" won out on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube (by a smaller margin). While TikTok was the fastest-growing network in the Reuters report, Facebook remained the most important overall, with 28% of consumers using it for news in the last week. The Reuters report also found a difference in the topics that resonated on different platforms, which could hinder the efforts of some journalists and news organizations.

Persons: TikTok, Whatsapp Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, Journalists, Reuters Institute, YouGov, YouTube, Reuters Locations: China, Asia

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