Streaming services stay coy on data to write their own narratives
Streaming services often hide as much viewership data as they can.
Content
Substack hits one million paid subscribers
The newsletter startup officially reached one million paid subscribers.
Spotify collects audiobook platform
Spotify is moving into audiobooks with the acquisition of Findaway.
Spotify’s next frontier: video… and more advertising
Spotify is transitioning its business from a music streamer to a creator-focused platform that provides support for any audio and video content.
Mirror crowdsources publication curation on the blockchain
A publishing platform called Mirror combines blockchain tech, crowdfunding tools, and even a little Squid Game-like competition.
Ghost retailers stock up physical DTC stores
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are turning to “ghost retailers” to build one-off physical stores, allowing DTCs to bypass the headaches of getting into brick-and-mortar.
WarnerMedia’s “Project Popcorn” doesn’t fully pop
WarnerMedia’s Project Popcorn (its strategy of releasing its 2021 film slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max) produced relatively strong subscriber growth for the new streamer but paltry box office grosses.
CAA gets into a little MSCHF
Internet provocateurs MSCHF have signed with CAA to bring even more legitimacy and scope to some of the most cutting (and hilarious) satire of the Internet age.
Facebook updates to Meta
Facebook is no longer Facebook. It’s Meta. The rename is Mark Zuckerberg’s way of telling onlookers that Facebook is focused on becoming a metaverse company.
Klarna packs up Inspirock
Klarna is buying travel company Inspirock to create an all-in-one platform for vacation curation and commerce.