Peacock's Revenue Surge Paired with Rising Losses
So Peacock reported revenues doubled in the quarter parent Comcast had the Super Bowl, Winter OLY and NBA all star game, but so did losses. Comcast shares trading up in preopen, but my question is when will Peacock reach profitability? 46 mill subs doesn’t seem big enough
Comcast Q1 Earnings Call Kicks Off with Top Executives
Comcast Q1 investor call is about to begin... Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh, Jason Armstrong are on the call... $CMCSA
Goodell Joins Disney's Push for 2027 Super Bowl
Now even NFL boss Roger Goodell is getting in on Disney's months-long bid to promote the 2027 Super Bowl (of course, the NFL is now a 10% owner of Disney's ESPN).... https://t.co/Bs6iVSzFJI via @variety
Peacock Adds Subscribers, Revenue up, Losses Widen
Peacock gained 2M subs to reach 46 million in Q1. Peacock nearly doubled revenue to $2.1 billion, while its quarterly operating loss doubled to $432 million https://t.co/ZtG8X95Lrf
Comcast Earns $2.2B From Events, yet Q1 Profit Falls
Comcast Generates an Extra $2.2 Billion From Olympics, Super Bowl, But Sees Q1 Profit Slip https://t.co/ZtG8X95Lrf
Blackout Policies Alienate Loyal Fans, Even Locals
A lot of sports leagues are alienating big portions of their fan base by making it increasingly difficult for them to watch their favorite games.
Netflix Launches $25 B Buyback to Lift Share Price
Netflix Authorizes $25 Billion Stock Buyback in Bid to Boost Share Price https://t.co/COT0WpNmfh via @variety
AI Blueprint: Choose Actions to Keep Creators on X
A manifesto for how to improve X from my AI: +++++ "Do these things, and X becomes the most important information platform in the world. Don't do them, and the best creators will keep leaving for platforms that treat them better. The choice is...
Turkey's New Law Leaves Game Developers Uncertain
This could be good or bad for game devs in Turkiye. The harsher version of the law did not materialize. But details still to be worked out. https://t.co/u3VnEy1CmC
Worried Substack Might Drop Subscribers for Followers
Surely Substack will do away with subscribers soon, sticking with followers only? That was one of my concerns.
Hastings' Board Exit May Signal Confidence in Netflix
Does Reed Hastings stepping down from Netflix board signal confidence? $NFLX The LightShed Podcast, Ep. 310. With @BrandoLightShed and @WaltLightShed https://t.co/pD4lVXS0q3
John Coogan Mastered Media, Grew YouTube to 450k Subscribers
I don’t think people realize how much @johncoogan studied the media business before starting @TBPN. He didn’t just have a good take on where media was going… He literally built a YouTube channel from zero to 450k subs first. https://t.co/32bavCdvGZ
Ticket Sales Signal Michael's Big Weekend Earnings
Looking at tickets sales for this weekend… I think #Michael is going to make a LOT of money https://t.co/yqAM2Kt0iC
Million Followers ≠ Guaranteed Brand Deals or Easy Success
As a content creator with over 1 million followers here’s a myth that I think people (including myself believe) once you hit that milestone it’s easy. All brands want to work with you. No😂 every post can still be a...
Microsoft Still Eyes Full Multiplatform Xbox Store on Android
Microsoft’s new head of gaming, Asha Sharma, says Microsoft is still pursuing the idea of evolving the Xbox App for Android into a full-fledged multiplatform game store.
Only 2% of Creators Earn Real Six‑figure Incomes.
"But here’s the reality: only 2 per cent of content creators make more than $50,000 a year. The vast majority earn little or nothing. What we see on our screens is not an accurate representation of reality. It is a...
Wondery Podcast Service Ends After May 21
Wondery has a closing date: The podcast app and service will shut down after May 21.
Michael Jackson Biopic Targets $70M Opening, Teases Sequel
MICHAEL, the Michael Jackson biopic, is tracking for a massive $70M opening and even has a title card that teases "His Story Continues." Will Lionsgate make a sequel? "It's a sensitive topic." My story w/Mia Galuppo https://t.co/68Acds8h3K
A24 to Adapt Nick Brucker’s White Smoke with Cumberbatch
EXCLU: Even though the book doesn’t drop till 2027, A24 has optioned rights for Nick Brucker’s next novel WHITE SMOKE with plans to adapt into a TV series with Benedict Cumberbatch attached to star and produce https://t.co/3e8OOt4Dx4
Spurs‑Blazers Opener Draws 5.7 Million Viewers
Strong 5.7 million viewers for Game 1 of Spurs-Trail Blazers first round series on NBC on Sunday night (1 million of those on Peacock's stream). Hopefully Wembanyama comes back soon from that concussion.
Lobbyists Absurdly Doubt Small Streamers' NFL Bidding Power
See this a lot in D.C. lobbying, where advocates test the limits of an argument to an absurd degree: Is the @NFL seriously saying to @FCC Chief of Staff @Watson__Greg that @philoTV, @AMC_TV and @Crackle_TV (owned by Chicken Soup for...
Losing Goodell’s Antitrust Immunity Could Spark NFL Chaos
In an April 17 meeting with @FCC staff, @NFL General Counsel Ted Ullyot came armed with a 17-page slide deck. This page is a visualization of the alleged ensuing chaos if @nflcommish Roger Goodell lost his antitrust immunity in the...
Gulf States Eye Takeover of CBS and CNN
Three Gulf States are about to claim ownership of companies that own CBS and CNN. Who are they exactly and what do they want? I went looking. Latest for @TheAnkler https://t.co/PtldZMTkBC
Michael Poised to Set Music Biopic Opening Record
Box office: MICHAEL is tracking to earn at least $65M to $70M domestically, which would make it the biggest opening ever for a music biopic ahead of current record-holder STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON ($60.2M) & BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY ($55M), per Pam McClintock...
One Year Strong: GamesBeat Thrives Thanks to Community
Today is the one-year anniversary of when we spun GamesBeat out of VB as an independent company. We're in better shape with a strong team. I'm grateful for the work our team has done. It's exciting to see how far...
Microsoft Hints at Discord‑Xbox Game Pass Bundle
Microsoft has started teasing a mysterious Discord and Xbox Game Pass partnership 🤔 could we see a Game Pass sub bundled with Nitro? Details here 👇 https://t.co/4ZIZ9CoHf0
Xbox Mobile Store Plans Still Alive After Two-Year Delay
remember the Xbox mobile store that was supposed to launch 2 years ago? Microsoft says the "idea" of an Xbox mobile store "is not dead" yet. Details 👇 https://t.co/UiY8cKExsK
Substack's New Translation Tools Boost Global Earnings
Starting with Notes and moving to Posts. Eager to see how this works... Will it be like Reddit or the way X does it? -> Substack adds translation tools, and says ~100K publishers earn on the platform, including ~30K outside...
A24 Taps YouTube Creators, Reshaping Film Audiences
It's interesting that A24 is not-so-quietly recruiting filmmakers like Kane Parsons, Curry Barker, the Philippou brothers, Ian Tuason -- all guys who created viral content prior to their big-screen debuts. The next generation of filmmakers will already come with their...
NHL Hits Highest U.S. Regular-Season Ratings in 14 Years
The @NHL scored its best regular-season viewership in the U.S. in 14 seasons....that dates back to 2012-13, according to my colleague @AustinKarp. That also makes it the best under the current rights deals with ESPN and TNT. https://t.co/OpvNt1craU
Parents Demand Transparency as FCC Reviews Kids TV Ratings
Years ago, Congress passed a law that empowers parents to decide the types of TV programs that are appropriate for their kids by standing up a TV show ratings system. But recently, parents have raised concerns with the industry’s approach—including with...
FAST Complements, but Won’t Replace Paywalled Live Sports
There’s nuance to “FAST’s booming popularity” and live sports economics IMHO — so let’s summarize the nuances before unpacking them further below: • FAST is best understood today as a complementary distribution and monetization layer, but not a replacement for premium...
James Gray's 'Paper Tiger' Lands Cannes Competition, Neon Acquires US
James Gray’s ‘Paper Tiger’ With Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller to Compete at Cannes as Neon Buys Film for North America (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/Viit9Cx0oT via @variety
Disney Calls for Long-Term Strategic Questions Ahead of Q2 Earnings
Five Long-Term Strategic Questions for Disney's Fiscal Q2 2026 Earnings Disney is refreshing its approach to earnings calls by seeking analysts’ long-term strategic questions for management to address on its upcoming earnings call $DIS https://t.co/IW73Ij7i75
Turning the NFL Draft Into a Profitable Business
Plus, I'll also be speaking with @dpbrugler about his annual The Beast and how he's helped make a business around the NFL Draft.
TV Q&A: VSeeBox, NCIS Ratings, Verizon Fees
TV Q&A: What’s the deal with the vSeeBox? How do the #ncis shows compare ratings-wise? Why was @Verizon attempting to charge for on demand shows that should be free? Via @TribLIVE https://t.co/SOn4JNF5sH https://t.co/xcHphXlwft
Marathon Ranks Fourth in U.S. Sales Despite $40 Price
Marathon was the fourth best-selling game in the U.S. last month. That's by revenue, which is notable given it's only a $40 game. No one knows if that's good enough for Bungie and Sony but it's far from a dismal...
DOJ Probes Sports Streaming Pricing Competition and Bidding
Antitrust attorney Charlie Beller hints at what DOJ is looking at in its probe of sports moving to streaming. "The key antitrust question is whether the process by which those prices are set remains competitive. Are multiple parties able to...
NFL Takes Fight to FCC Over Sports Streaming
As federal regulators scrutinize the migration of sports to streaming, the NFL is going on the offensive. Top execs make trip to DC for meeting with senior FCC staffers. https://t.co/8qAgNq0k3L
Brands Scrutinize Creators' Online Conduct Before Partnerships
I know every creator's objective isn’t to work with brands, so this doesn’t apply to everyone but if you want to work with notable brands, you have to be very careful about how you discuss things and critique online. PR/social...
One Bad Influencer Can Tarnish a Booming Industry
Influencer Marketing works and continues to be a booming, growing multi-billion dollar industry. You see how one influencer can give the rest a bad rep. People really just hate entitled, spoiled rude influencers which is a small subset. Notice how...
Zero Tolerance: Replace Problematic Creators Instantly
There are so many creators that you can easily be replaced on a trip or campaign. We don’t tolerate bad behavior. It’s unnecessary and slows everything down. I didn’t even let my agency finish telling me about someone problematic, I just...
Introducing a News Options Market to Fund Stories
ok media people hear me out NEWS OPTIONS MARKET -- writers sell story pitches at a fixed price -- funders get a share of story revenue (subs, ads) within a time frame (ie 60 days) -- platform takes a fee ... -- we fix news...
Netflix Aggressively Pushes Into Paramount‑Warner Merger Review
I hear that Netflix has been meddling in the regulatory review of Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery. “Frankly, I am surprised at how aggressive they’ve been with me,” a senior government official tells me. https://puck.news/is-netflix-meddling-in-the-warnermount-deal/
Government Blocks TV Reform, Risking Bankruptcy and Limited News
Exactly: if American government will not let the private sector rationalize the local TV station industry, it’s just a matter of time before a bankruptcy judge does it. And then we’re left with no newspapers and a feeble lifeline BBC-like...
Trump Media Appoints Former Hulu Exec Kevin McGurn Interim CEO
Trump’s Media Company Hires Kevin McGurn, Former Hulu and Vevo Exec, as Interim CEO https://t.co/dQ4uq3ymf6 via @variety
NHL TV Ratings Surge 30% on ESPN/ABC
Very good year for the NHL as far as viewership on ESPN/ABC. ESPN averaged 760K viewers across 54 games on ABC and ESPN, up 30 percent over last year. New measurement helps, as do increased games on ABC. But we definitely...
Microsoft Launches AI‑focused Premium Content Marketplace to Challenge Google
NEW: @Microsoft saw @Google become the dominant information marketplace over past 20 years. Now, it wants to get ahead for AI era. — The company is building a premium content marketplace for publishers, advertisers and merchants to transact on — It's...
Zaslav's Sadness Over Warner Sale Feels Contrived
Why is David Zaslav leaking that he's so sad he's selling Warner? A weird narrative to be putting out.
Live Service Model Under Scrutiny at GamesBeat Engage
One of my favorite things about being at GamesBeat is getting to bring the right people into the same room. We're doing that this month in Austin — GamesBeat Engage, April 27 — a small, debate-style evening for mobile and games...