Media & Entertainment

Spotify’s ad sales are going to make up more of its revenue as time passes: The company is making key strategic hires in Europe to bring that vision to life.

Intel earns Nvidia’s vote as potential foundry partner: Future Intel chip fabs could boost capacity for GPUs and other chips, taking away TSMC and Samsung’s dominance and bringing production closer to home.

NFTs come to the fore in China: However, the country’s regulatory scrutiny could add complexities to engaging with them.

YouTube is the leading podcast platform among US adults who listen to 5 hours or more of these shows per week, with 55% tuning in there. Streaming audio platforms Spotify and Apple Podcasts take second and third place, respectively, while Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Facebook round out the top five.

The definition of cinema changed this weekend: With a Best Picture win for “CODA,” Apple showed that a streamer can deliver high-quality movie-going experiences—without going to the movies.

Snap’s AR acqui-hire spree continues: Buying companies is easy—getting disparate technologies into a suite of products is hard. Snap can still be first to market with hands-free AR Spectacles.

TV audiences are fragmented, and the Oscars won’t change that: Though the 2022 ad inventory is sold out, a modest bounceback from last year’s disappointing show is probably the best ABC can hope for.

Spotify’s Greenroom rebrand consolidates its live audio products: Greenroom’s confusing branding and separate download hampered its success.

YouTube’s free TV shows will boost its watch time and appease nervous advertisers: Ad-supported TV is an obvious move, but the platform lacks access to today’s biggest hits.

Yuga Labs is betting big on NFTs despite skeptics: Bored Ape Yacht Club parent company raises $450 million and plans to create NFT metaverse.

Disney is hit hard by “Don’t Say Gay” because of its previously stated commitment to inclusion: Employees walk out amid a #DisneyDoBetter campaign.

Sony continues its streak of gaming acquisitions: The publisher’s latest deal is smaller than recent ones that have attracted regulator attention.

The creator economy is podcasting’s next battleground: Apple Podcasts is rolling out features that rival existing ones offered by Spotify.

Subscription over-the-top (sub OTT) video viewing has become one of the most common digital activities on Earth. We forecast 1.88 billion people worldwide will use a sub OTT service at least once per month in 2022. That figure has nearly doubled from just four years ago.

A new bill targets acquisitions, but could struggle to get passed: Democrats are backing an antitrust measure that would let them block mergers of over $5 billion.

Fear is a great motivator, even in the metaverse: Accenture has launched a business group aimed at brands that don’t want to miss out on the metaverse’s commercial opportunities.

“The Batman” is the latest superhero flick to soar domestically: The film brought in $300 million in North America and had an underwhelming Chinese release.

Learn what the holy grail of connected TV (CTV) might be. "In Other News," we discuss which Nielsen ratings alternatives are leading the pack and what the biggest viewership challenge for baseball is. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Paul Verna.

SXSW’s return reemphasized the importance of experiential marketing activations: Prime Video and others made big splashes, though pandemic-era virtual experiences remain.