Local interest: Social app Nextdoor saw usage spike during the pandemic, and it's chasing that interest with greater access for users and expanded ad options for brands looking to tap local audiences.
A federal judge sided with telecoms and temporarily blocked NY’s law requiring a low-cost $15 per month broadband service—a huge blow to NY’s law that could derail other state attempts to regulate broadband pricing.
On today's episode, we discuss how time spent watching TV is changing, how TV ads favorability stacks up against other formats, and what's contributing to TV ad spending's resilience. We then talk about Paramount+ introducing a new tier with ads, how much time people spend with subscription-based vs. ad-supported video, and how much money are people willing to spend for the video streaming entertainment. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Ross Benes.
Netflix wants to sell you more than streaming: The company launched a merch site with carefully curated collections of show-related clothing, jewelry, and even figurines as it turns toward a potentially Disney-like diversified future.
Affirm partnered with Shopify to give customers access to a BNPL solution, and Klarna got a $639 million cash injection to fund expansion.
For content execs, it’s all about clicks
The pandemic accelerated mobile trends by years, and these changes should stick even as the pandemic wanes. Many people were forced to use apps for food delivery, finance, fitness, and shopping, and they’ve become accustomed to these new behaviors. Even app categories that were hurt during the pandemic, such as travel or dating apps, have been resilient. People have acclimated to new forms of mobile shopping and activities, and they’ll be more willing to try mobile interfaces for other activities going forward.
Presenting customers with a range of coverage options will boost satisfaction, and this partnership reflects Nationwide’s insurtech ecosystem strategy, which we will see replicated in the wider US insurance market.
Lydia adds savings account: The French fintech went into neobank territory with a new product that it’s offering through intermediary Cashbee—it could cross sell the offering to its large customer base as a retention play.
Sunwest Bank goes full-digital in business banking: Its wholly digital business product is rare for the space and something established players will need to offer to compete with challengers.
CIBC places first in mobile: The banking giant topped J.D. Power’s Canadian mobile app customer satisfaction survey—a designation it may have earned in part due to some recently rolled-out features.
Pharma companies are finding it difficult to hire data science talent—we think it’ll make AI drug discovery startups like Valo (who is going public via a $2.8B SPAC merger) attractive partners.
Apple is reportedly adding its most advanced sensors ever to its Series 7 Watch (temperature, glucose sensors)—here’s how its leadership in the wearables space could help prop up its healthcare play.
A localized offering: New details have emerged about Sinclair Broadcast Group's standalone sports streaming service, one that could present new opportunities to reach a growing digital live sports audience.
Microsoft is making its biggest push yet into subscription-based cloud gaming. While it may have the best shot at popularizing cloud gaming, connectivity gaps and unequal broadband access could lead to piecemeal adoption.