Media & Entertainment

NFTs in video games aren’t a done deal: Fan backlash and the nature of gaming technology would require unprecedented collaboration between developers.

Leaders from Pandora, Roblox, Riot Games, and more are banding together to make the metaverse safer: Lack of Big Tech support could make implementation impossible.

Netflix counts on increased subscriber revenues to subsidize higher content costs: As the US streaming market matures, the company banks on hits like “Squid Game” to keep viewers from jumping ship.

Xbox makes nearly $70 billion bet on Activision Blizzard: Microsoft moves in just as the maker of Candy Crush and Overwatch saw slumping sales due to misconduct allegations.

Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, publisher of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft: The $68.7 billion deal will create a gaming behemoth but could face regulatory roadblocks.

We break down the metaverse and how it can define the future of computing, gaming, finance, social media, and business: AR and VR technologies, expanding virtual platforms and ecosystems, as well as an appetite for more immersive experiences are pushing the boundaries of reality into the virtual world.

Snap poaches Twitter, Instagram execs for ad and ecommerce roles: The platform lags behind competitors in ad revenues and social commerce partnerships, things its new hires could help improve.

Second Life founder returns to fight in the metaverse wars: The reemergence of the original virtual hangout space could be a threat—but it’s more likely a promise of the possibilities of the metaverse.

Apple is deleting copycats of a popular word game that isn’t even on the App Store: Copycat apps have long plagued Apple’s storefront, which has faced heavy scrutiny in recent years.

Mobile app gaming has managed to hold on to its pandemic-driven success and then some, reversing our previous predictions that time spent gaming with mobile apps would decline in the US after 2020.

On today's episode, we discuss when cable households will dip below 50%, an alternative search engine to Google, clickable podcast ads on Spotify, what the "superest" super app is in the West, the biggest takeaways from CES 2022, some uncommon knowledge about sustainability, where sunglasses originally came from, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, analyst Blake Droesch, and director of reports editing at Insider Intelligence Rahul Chadha.

Telemundo’s new streaming brand thins the barrier between English- and Spanish-language content: NBCUniversal and Comcast hope Hispanic viewers will turn Peacock’s luck around.

Retail media advertising had a banner year in 2021—one that will be hard to top. Although growth is expected to taper this year, there are several reasons why retailers looking to build their own media networks should take notice.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 featured a reimagined world of commerce and marketing: The products displayed in Las Vegas last week revealed new ways for marketers to blend the physical and virtual worlds.

By 2024, we expect US digital ad spend to be about $65 billion higher than what we expected before the pandemic. The biggest drivers behind these larger-than-expected increases are retail media networks and connected TV.

Spotify’s podcast studio shutdown shows how large platforms changed the landscape: Studio 4 emerged when platforms were betting big on original content, but now famous names and legacy successes are king.

“Sing 2” shows that simultaneous theatrical and streaming releases remain powerful options for film studios: The movie has already made back its budget twice at the box office, but it failed to achieve the success of its 2016 prequel or the new “Spider-Man.”

Join us to learn our outlook for digital advertising, including connected TV, retail media, search, social video, audio, out-of-home, addressable TV, and programmatic

Take-Two Interactive can make mobile and social gaming play with $13B Zynga acquisition: Merger would create one of the largest gaming conglomerates.

New podcasts are having difficulties breaking through: The industry boasts more listeners—and investment—than ever before, but new shows struggle to increase their audiences.