Meta faces litany of fines in EU: Ireland fines Instagram $403 million for exposing underage users’ personal data. Persistent privacy penalties and lack of user protection could diminish Meta’s wider metaverse ambitions.
Triller’s in trouble: Despite a $200 million raise, legal turmoil has eliminated any comparisons to TikTok.
Among US podcast ads, pre-roll spots generated about 5% more website visits during Q2 than those in the middle of an episode. While that margin is fairly slim, both placements produced better results than post-roll, likely because earlier spots catch listeners before they drop off.
US-China conflict over chips intensifies: AMD and Nvidia stocks plunge on reports of new government sales restrictions of chips to China and Russia. US chipmakers could be forced to abandon potential sales.
Snap in survival mode: Snap is laying off some of its augmented reality hardware and software talent, stalling years of innovation and putting its leadership position in AR at risk.
Even The Washington Post feels the ad downturn: Long-standing problems with digital publishing are combining with lower ad spending to create a perfect storm for the industry.
On today's episode, we discuss whether sports streaming is making us all lose, how much time younger and older folks spend watching TV, California passing tough internet privacy rules for kids, how much recessionary fears have taken their toll on brand loyalty, what happens when robots create ads, an unpopular opinion about the new social media app BeReal, some interesting facts about real-life dragons, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Oscar Orozco and analysts Blake Droesch and Dave Frankland.
DOJ vs. Apple: The US justice department is considering a challenge to Apple’s market dominance. Developer restrictions, payments ecosystems, and anticompetitive business practices could be key areas of conflict.
Sony expands its empire into mobile: Its latest acquisition will be a testing ground for in-game ads and mobile service games.
Shipments of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices will increase more than sixfold worldwide over the next four years, from 14.3 million this year to 87.7 million in 2026.
TikTok and YouTube are taking short-form video to CTVs: Strong viewer growth is making TV screens the next battleground for digital video dominance.
Zuckerberg’s slipup is a bad omen for its metaverse: Meta’s CEO shared an ugly photo of its metaverse platform that kicked off a week of mockery and concern.
Roku’s in a “Weird” situation: When your best chance to grow is a “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic, things can’t be going that well.
China blasts $52B CHIPS Act: Beijing is calling out the US’ efforts to boost chipmaking, citing violation of fair market practices. Manufacturers are caught in the middle of an intensifying conflict.
Streaming hits a major milestone: Time spent streaming beat out broadcast and cable for the first time ever last month.
The state of public EV charging leaves much to be desired: Why would consumers invest in EVs when there’s a dearth of working public chargers? A study shows reliable charging could be the biggest hurdle to future EV adoption.
Apple’s return to office could kickstart industry mandates: Companies are heading into their busiest quarter, requiring all hands on deck. Job uncertainty could complicate employees’ shift from remote to office work.
On today's episode, we discuss the most pressing questions related to The Walt Disney Co.'s streaming platforms: what should we make of the recent price increase announcement, will Hulu soon become a tile within the Disney+ app, and what is the significance of Disney+ expecting to sign up fewer subscribers in the future? "In Other News," we talk about whether streaming will save sports or kill it and why folks are more likely to put TV subscriptions on the chopping block. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes.
Smart TVs are staring down a very different landscape: Hardware sales will recover this year as the industry addresses concerns about miscounting ads.
TikTok’s growth could be stifled by ties to China: Intense demand and repeated scandals have the company twisted in a knot.