Activision-Blizzard acquisition rocked by UK antitrust probe: A prolonged investigation could have wide implications as regulators study whether the deal will lead to higher prices, lower quality, and fewer consumer options.
Gamers take a break: After a multi-year boom, the gaming industry’s lackluster year in 2022 is just a correction. With big titles in development, 2023 could be a blockbuster.
HBO Max is facing cuts, shifting strategies: The streamer could be in for a challenging second half.
Can Meta sustain its VR headset dominance? It has 90% market share, but its Horizon Worlds metaverse apps are only accessible in the US and Canada, leaving room for new entrants to compete.
Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard faces fresh scrutiny: UK’s antitrust regulator is examining whether the deal will stifle competition in the latest challenge to the $68.7 billion acquisition.
Meta reverse: Seven months after an all-in pivot to the metaverse, the company is on shaky ground. Downsizing staff and freezing hiring and investments signals an uncertain future for the metaverse.
Connected TV to draw users and time spent in the US: CTV is vying with smartphones and tablets for consumer attention while generating advertiser interest, our forecast shows.
Merck seeks AI and ML health startups: 12 health tech incubees will participate in a 10-month sprint to develop new technologies and could buck the trend of startups failing to produce clinical outcomes.
On today's episode, we discuss what to expect from Prime Day 2022, Instagram's projected growth, what Americans watch on TV, the latest social commerce moves, movie theater ads 2.0, an unpopular opinion about comparing TV and digital video, how much time we spend doing meaningless work tasks, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Blake Droesch and Paul Verna and senior director of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.
Spotify seeks incremental revenue from the creator class: The audio giant is expanding Marquee, its self-serve ad units.
NBCU has a successful upfront season: The media giant secured $1 billion for its streamer, Peacock.
Apple TV+ competes on quality: Meanwhile, Prime Video is adjusting its strategy, while Disney+ maintains the status quo.
The rise of mobile shopping gives retailers a reason to invest in AR: Walmart, Ikea, and others make incremental improvements to the mcommerce experience to boost consumer confidence.
Think ByteDance is just TikTok? Think again: The Chinese tech giant is aiming to make inroads into the mobile gaming market, particularly in the US.
NBCU is stepping up its measurement game: The media giant is creating a new certification for emotion and ad quality.
Ad industry’s spending winners: Google and Meta command a dominant share of the US digital ad market for now, but TikTok and Apple are among the companies that are muscling in.
Come 2024, the number of cord-cutters and cord-nevers, at 138.1 million, will surpass the pay TV viewership, at 129.3 million, in the US. The gap will continue to widen as more people say goodbye to traditional cable, satellite, or telecom live TV services.
Gen Z listeners aren’t big on podcasts: That’s a problem for Spotify, which is trying hard to get young listeners on board.
Haptic suits beat bobble-headed avatars in VR: Technologies like MetaTouch could be the gateway to all sorts of sensory delights in VR and kick-start a trend for remote medical diagnostics.
On today's episode, we discuss how much Netflix and Disney+ will make from ads, what Snapchat+ is, how best to prevent customers from leaving you and trading down, Facebook's algorithm change to take on TikTok, why Apple and Google are coming for your car, an unpopular opinion about email newsletters, what the new "Squid Game" game show will look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Max Willens and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.