Media & Entertainment

Apple’s manufacturing shift from China: The iPhone maker is looking to India and Vietnam to manufacture its most profitable products—a sign that Apple’s long time reliance on China’s manufacturing could be coming to an end.

Privacy standards are changing under advertisers’ feet: Lawsuits from private citizens and the federal government show that a digital advertising reckoning is under way.

At what point does a branded video game become advertising to children? The recent streak of partnerships between brands like Walmart and Spotify with Roblox are finding success but raising concerns.

Podcasts go multilingual: As podcast listeners grow and become more diverse, demand for content in different languages is also picking up.

The people’s electric car: There aren’t any Teslas in India, but the country could be well on its way to EV adoption targets with Tata’s $10,000 Tiago subcompact.

The ad industry is slowing down, but political spending isn’t: Advertising ahead of the elections is skyrocketing, despite 2022 not being a presidential election year.

Apple replaces Pepsi as the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsor: As it goes back and forth on a $2.5 billion Sunday Night Football deal, Apple is stepping up to the pop culture plate.

Gaming has a brand safety problem: Major controversies on streaming platform Twitch highlight the challenge in reaching gaming audiences.

YouTube is toying with its ad strategy. The platform is beefing up Shorts by including ads; it tested users’ ad tolerance by running as many as 10 unskippable ads before videos. The experiment has been a headache for users, but the central question isn't new: How many ads and ad breaks will users put up with?

All eyes on TikTok: The social video network says it’s banning political ads and fundraising on its platform, but a poor enforcement record and ties to the Chinese government raise doubts that it can remain neutral.

Cost of the tech cold war: The FCC’s list of potential security threats grows longer with ComNet and China Unicom’s inclusion. The cost to rip and replace equipment and services may adversely affect smaller telecoms.

Spotify makes play for hip-hop devotees on Roblox: New virtual experience focused on genre that draws 44 billion monthly streams

More repairable iPhones: Easier repair earns the iPhone 14 a 7/10 score from iFixit, revealing that Apple is complying with right-to-repair, a feature other smartphones should definitely copy.

Smarter subsidies and incentives for EV adoption: Global EV adoption targets require a monumental shift for consumers. The shift can be accelerated by incentives to help bring down initial costs.

Streaming’s next big act may be consolidation: Disney looks to gain full ownership of Hulu by early 2024, and other deals could be in the offing.

Audiobooks make Spotify an “all-in-one” audio destination: Despite some hiccups, audiobooks complete Spotify’s listening super-app goal.

Walmart has big plans to grow its ad business: Its ad tech platform is working with TikTok, Snap, and Roku to measure how social media and CTV advertising affect sales.

Regulators ramp up efforts on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard buy: Inquiries into the $68.7 billion blockbuster deal are intensifying, and momentum could carry over to similar gaming mergers.

A tech cold war intensifies: A federal order protecting US tech interests highlights anxiety over China surpassing the US as a global tech superpower. Some weaknesses are closer to home.

Acast banks on layoffs to speed path to profitability: Podcast hosting service to let go 15% of staff to cut costs in softening ad market.