Media & Entertainment

The big star of the television upfronts, an ancient artifact of a marketplace where big television networks pre-sell advertising to big advertisers, was… wait for it… ad-supported streaming services. You say you like your ad-free streams, you can keep them. If you want "free" streams, try AVOD (advertising video on demand). Continue Reading →

There have been rumors about Amazon (and pretty much every other big tech firm) kicking the tires at MGM for quite a while, but Variety is reporting that "Amazon’s interest in acquiring MGM has taken on a new tenor beyond the usual rumor mill. The deal is said to be being orchestrated by Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Amazon Studios and Prime Video, directly with MGM board chairman Kevin Ulrich, whose Anchorage Capital is a major MGM shareholder." Continue Reading →

Unsurprisingly, AT&T has figured out that it has no business being in the content business. It plans to merge its WarnerMedia business with Discovery. David Zaslav will head the newco. Continue Reading →

As she approached the entrance to the club, she gave the frame of her new prescription AR glasses a gentle squeeze. When she got to the door, it appeared to turn green, indicating recognition that she was over 21 years of age. Then, a message appeared along with a friendly voice asking for the 5 ADA cover charge. She shook her head yes. A moment later, the door opened, which indicated that the transaction had cleared. And so begins a story about life in a trustless, decentralized world − a tale from under the Merkle tree. Continue Reading →

I am pleased to announce a new Mark Cuban company that, once again, is both on trend and perfectly timed. NBA Low Shot, which you will find at nbalowshot.com, offers GIFs of the worst moments from NBA history as fake NFTs that you can pretend to own. Importantly, a GIF you download from NBA Low Shot is indistinguishable from a GIF you'd download that is tied to an NFT. Continue Reading →

From a financial perspective, the pandemic has hit the creator class hard. With the usual venues for live performances and exhibitions closed, artists, musicians, singers, actors, and creators of every description have been forced to fend for themselves. But something very new, and kind of amazing, has happened over the past year. The result may be the emergence of a first-time-ever, self-sufficient, profitable creator class. Continue Reading →

Do you support a favorite artist or creator using Patreon, Cameo, or OnlyFans? Have you purchased an NFT for a new album or to add to your digital art collection? If so, you are in the vanguard of the nascent creator economy. Continue Reading →

Disney, Warner Bros, and Universal each disclosed a bit about the future of their respective theatrical release plans. Disney will offer a mixed bag of "additional fee" online Disney+ releases and traditional movie theater releases, Warner Bros is going back to the old way with a shortened (90-day down to 45-day) exclusivity window, and Universal will shorten its window to 31 days for big films and 17 days for low-grossing films ($50 million and under domestically). Continue Reading →

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sold an NFT of his first tweet for more than $2.9 million. Wait, what? He sold a tweet? Yes, but the 15-year-old post was sold as an NFT (non-fungible token): a digital certificate of authenticity that confirms this particular digital file is the one the buyer paid for. Continue Reading →

Whenever I'm asked about the fate of the television business, I always answer, "As goes the next NFL deal, so goes TV." Well, as everyone with even the slightest interest in the subject already knows, the NFL/TV deal is done—but times have changed. Continue Reading →