Media & Entertainment

Robust growth in Microsoft's latest quarter: Strategic acquisitions and AI integrations position the tech giant for success in the quarter ahead.

Spotify has a surprise return to profitability: The company posted strong advertising and subscription revenue growth after a year of cost-cutting.

41 states and DC are suing Meta for violating children’s privacy laws. A deluge of fines and possible bans could follow if addictive algorithms aren’t altered.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss some personalization tips and tricks that emerged from research, examples of personalization done well, and how AI is accelerating it. "In Other News," we talk about why an email exhibition at a design museum made headlines and a plan to charge X (formerly Twitter) users to post content. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and Malinda Sandman, senior director of global acquisition marketing at Intuit Mailchimp.

As Meta innovates amid fierce competition, Microsoft delves into cloud gaming: Both tech titans face unique challenges heading into quarterly earnings announcements.

Time spent with connected TV (CTV) by US adults will be within 1 hour of linear next year, at 2 hours and 3 minutes (2:03) and 2:48 per day, respectively, according to our June forecast. CTV usage is outpacing ad spend on most platforms, but spend is growing rapidly as Netflix, Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime Video push more viewers toward ad-supported tiers. As the CTV ad floodgates open, advertisers need to make sure they’re maximizing ad value by thinking of CTV differently, experts suggested at last week’s Advertising Week New York.

Japan’s FTC follows the US DOJ in investigating potential abuse of market dominance in mobile search. Scrutiny could force Google to alter its business model.

Connected glasses target entertainment and gaming. Priced at $399, Xreal’s Air 2 can create more opportunities to make the technology available to a larger audience.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what AI rules the government should focus on first, what to make of AI "nutrition labels," and what concerns us most about the dark side of AI. "In Other News," we talk about a Minecraft milestone and what AI chatbots can tell about you from a conversation. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

The music industry is AI’s latest legal opponent: Universal Music Group and two other publishers sued Anthropic for allegedly using their lyrics without permission.

YouTube tries to get ahead of misinformation complaints: It launched a news hub with a content creation program as rivals like TikTok and Meta catch flak from regulators.

Retail media and connected TV (CTV) are like peanut butter and chocolate, Danielle DeLauro, executive vice president at the Video Advertising Bureau, said at Advertising Week New York last week. “Together, there’s nothing better.”

Generative AI is starting to supercharge the gaming industry: It’s revolutionizing gameplay and development. It also presents challenges in content control and potential workforce implications.

Max canceled 26.9% of its shows between January 2020 and August 2023, ahead of streaming’s overall cancellation rate of 12.2%, according to Variety Intelligence Platform and Luminate.

ESPN is the financial diamond of Disney's entertainment portfolio: As the sports leader pivots to streaming, it must balance pursuit of NBA rights with profitability.

Apple, Google, and Meta can incorporate advanced WiFi connectivity in their AR devices in the US, paving the road to expand into wearables and connected cars via WiFi 6 GHz band.

China targets tech companies for US retaliation: China may thwart Broadcom's $69 billion VMWare merger, reminiscent of past Intel acquisition stalls, amid escalating US-China AI war.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why regulators changed their mind on approving the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal, how the gaming industry will react, and what the deal means for advertisers. "In Other News," we talk about how much of political ad spending has gone digital and how Google is tightening the reins on bulk email senders. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Daniel Konstantinovic and Gadjo Sevilla.

Netflix's Q3 success: Surpassing Wall Street's estimates, the company reports record-breaking subscriber additions and strong earnings amid industry challenges.

Investors’ love of generative AI gets extreme: Balancing genAI’s potential with risks will yield better outcomes for society and the economy.