Sports Is Going Social | Gen Z Fandom with Jon Giegengack

Jon Giegengack of Hub Entertainment Research joins Daniel Frankel to unpack the latest wave of their ongoing study tracking how Americans consume sports — and the numbers tell a surprising story about who's actually watching more.

Half of 13-17 year olds say they're watching more sports than a year ago, compared to just 16% of viewers 55 and older. Giegengack explains why: social media has turned sports from something you passively watch into something you participate in, more like joining a community than tuning into a broadcast. Leagues are leaning in hard, and platforms are taking notice — YouTube reportedly out-drew the national broadcaster for World Cup viewership in Brazil.

The conversation also covers how streaming has made sports fandom radically more personal, from the rise of women's sports to niche, long-tail content like local youth lacrosse games available to anyone willing to pay for it. Giegengack breaks down the strategic thinking behind major streaming sports bets — Netflix's "tent pole" approach across the NFL, MMA, and boxing, Paramount+'s exclusive UFC rights deal, and how Peacock retained half its NFL-driven subscriber surge by pairing the game with strong new original content timed to launch alongside it.

From Inertia to Innovation: Inside Broadcast's Cloud Reckoning with Graham Sharp (BCNEXXT)

US broadcast has been promised the cloud for over a decade — so why are most operations still running the same infrastructure they had ten years ago?

In this extended conversation, David Bloom sits down with Graham Sharp, VP of Sales & Marketing at BCNEXXT and head of its US operations, for a wide-ranging look at what's actually holding the broadcast industry back — and where it's headed next.

Topics covered:

The Inertia Engine — Why early "lift and shift" cloud migrations left broadcasters burned, and the real reasons the industry has stalled: sunk cost in legacy hardware, a cloud engineering skills gap, and long-standing distrust between IT and broadcast engineering teams.

The Lift and Shift Mistake — A breakdown of the architecture and economics behind cloud-native playout. Graham explains how containerization and intelligent resource scaling can cut infrastructure costs by roughly 60%, and how it breaks the old one-channel-one-server model for good.

Cutting Through the AI Hype — Why Graham calls his approach "IA" — intelligent automation — rather than AI, and why narrow, purpose-built automation trained on decades of operator knowledge is outperforming generalist AI tools in production workflows.

The Next 3-5 Years — A look ahead at where broadcast engineering is headed: automating out of the industry's cost overhang, avoiding cloud vendor lock-in, and why the pressure to change has finally caught up with the industry.

Whether you're an engineer, a station executive, or just trying to understand why "moving to the cloud" means something different than it did five years ago, this conversation covers the real economics, the real obstacles, and the real opportunity.

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Everyone's talking about Nvidia's $13 billion acquisition of Hugging Face — but there's one angle getting far less attention. This week on Next TMT Networks, editor Dan Jones sits down with Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates, to unpack the risk that Nvidia could quietly tilt the scales toward its own hardware on what has been the most open platform for AI models. Despite Nvidia's claims that it won't exert undue pressure, Gold lays out exactly what warning signs — like shifting GPU usage stats — would signal the platform is becoming less open.

The conversation then turns to the proposed Trump administration tariffs on semiconductors — and why Gold argues they could backfire badly, potentially pushing smartphone prices from $1,000 to $2,500, while accidentally strengthening China's domestic chip industry (including Huawei) at the expense of U.S. companies like Qualcomm, AMD, and Nvidia.

Later, Gold makes the case that Nvidia's dominance in AI may be nearing an inflection point, as the industry shifts from GPU-heavy training toward inference and agentic AI workloads better suited to CPUs — a shift that could benefit Intel, ARM, and Qualcomm over the next 6-12 months. The episode wraps with a discussion of the growing security risks posed by enterprise AI agents, and why Gold says he's personally "scared" about what's coming next.

Whether you're a chip industry watcher or just trying to understand how these decisions could affect your next phone bill, this is a candid, no-punches-pulled conversation about where AI hardware and policy are headed.

#Nvidia #HuggingFace #AIChips

Want me to tweak the tags to match too, or are the existing ones still solid?

With streaming’s global digital shelf growing more complex by the day, how can content merchandisers and distributors harness artificial intelligence to ensure their content gets seen?

In this hour-long panel discussion featuring guest Lucas Bertrand (Looper Insights) alongside industry experts, sharp technologists, and media distributors, we dive deep into the mechanics of digital shelf management, discoverability, and media placement value on connected TV devices.

In this episode, we cover:

Whether you're a streamer, content creator, or media technologist, this conversation provides a practical playbook for navigating the future of AI-driven media distribution.

Episode Links & Resources

Data centers, edge infrastructure, and AI RAN economics with Earl J Lum

Dan Jones talks with Earl J Lum, President of EJL Wireless, about how New York’s new data center moratorium could shape future state policy, what it means for mega watt and gigawatt builds, and whether edge data centers can fill the gap. They also dig into the practicality of Elon Musk’s small cell approach, and whether Nokia’s AI RAN plans will deliver enough performance to justify the cost.

Key topics

Timestamps

00:00 - Introductions and the data center policy conversation 01:12 - Why New York’s moratorium could set a national precedent 02:09 - Renewable energy targets and long term compliance requirements 03:31 - Environmental impact, water use, and the pressure on other states 04:19 - Texas grid concerns and the energy burden of hyperscale builds 05:44 - What counts as a large data center versus edge scale infrastructure 06:57 - Containerized edge data centers and liquid cooling 08:28 - Why Starlink plus small cells creates mobility problems 10:18 - Why small cells are not a practical first choice for operators 11:47 - Transition to Nokia’s AI RAN plans 12:40 - ReefShark, Marvell, Broadcom, and Nokia’s silicon stack 14:15 - How NVIDIA based AI RAN cards could fit into AirScale 15:31 - The cost hurdle for operators and the need for real performance gains 16:22 - Why field trials matter more than lab claims 17:33 - What kind of AI operators actually need in the RAN 18:03 - Energy savings, software subscriptions, and operating cost pressure 21:24 - Why AI RAN is more likely to land in major metro markets 22:29 - Closing thoughts and wrap up

Notable quotes

Join Next TMT co-founders David Bloom and Daniel Frankel as they break down the biggest structural shifts hitting media, entertainment, and tech this week. From the slow death of lucrative local sports networks to high-stakes antitrust negotiations, streaming shakeups, and the evolving mechanics of digital distribution, David and Daniel unpack what these industry moves mean for the future.

Key Topics Covered in This Episode:

Timestamps

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What will the television and streaming business look like three years from now?

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the forces reshaping the media industry — from the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery deal and the accelerating decline of cable TV to Netflix’s push into live sports, the future of ESPN, and the next battle over NFL rights.

The big question: Is linear TV declining gradually — or could it collapse much faster than the industry expects?

They also examine:

• Why the Paramount–WBD deal depends on squeezing more value out of declining cable networks
• Why streaming could overtake linear TV faster than expected
• The future of Fox, Fox One and the NFL
• Netflix’s strategy for live sports and why the Field of Dreams game may have missed the mark
• What baseball’s changing distribution model says about the future of sports media
• Whether ESPN will remain part of Disney
• The changing value of ABC and broadcast television
• Why live events may become increasingly important to streamers
• How Korean content, vertical programming and lower-cost productions could shape the next era of streaming
• What happens to Hollywood as the traditional TV ecosystem continues to shrink

The media business is entering a major transition — and the next three years could reshape television, streaming, sports rights and Hollywood.

Next TMT Talks is hosted by David Bloom and Daniel Frankel in partnership with Media Play News.

Subscribe for more analysis of technology, media and telecom.

In this episode of Next TMT Talks, David Bloom and Daniel Frankel are joined by Rick Ellis of All Your Screens (soon launching Too Much TV) to break down the massive $112B proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.

They dive deep into the media spin, state AG pressure, and why selling off CNN or moving studio production out of California isn't as simple as it sounds. Plus, the team covers:Charter & Cox Deal: Charter moves to acquire Cox, forming an integrated communications powerhouse. Reed Hastings’ Next Chapter: The Netflix co-founder reflects on leading through AI innovation while rehabbing a ski lodge.

Creator AI Debates: Hank Green faces fan backlash over AI use, coinciding with strict new EU disclosure rules. Disney D23 & Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: John Favreau revives Disney’s original 1927 classic.

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00:02 The Big Merger: Charter and Cox
02:17 Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Merger Insights
05:41 The Role of Unions in Media Mergers
10:02 Financial Struggles and the Future of Warner Bros.
12:26 CNN's Digital Transformation and Challenges
15:32 The Stakes of the Paramount Merger
19:40 Public Pressure and the Future of the Merger
24:08 Disney's New Ventures and Franchise Challenges
28:01 The Quest for New Franchises in Media
31:50 Adapting Popular Media: The Case of Squid Game
36:14 Exploring Humor in Recent Shows
37:42 Rediscovering Hidden Gems in Streaming
39:42 The Future of Cable and Mergers
43:34 The Evolution of Content Creation and AI
48:38 Reflections on the Streaming Industry's Past
56:29 Navigating the Challenges of AI in Journalism

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel dive into the biggest shifts reshaping media, tech, and sports entertainment:

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Ericsson, Samsung, and Nokia are racing to put AI directly into the RAN, but the real question is which approach actually survives the jump from 5G Advanced to 6G. Daryl Schoolar — Analyst & Director at Recon Analytics breaks down what AI RAN really means, why some vendors are betting on CPUs while others push GPUs, and why the biggest opportunity may not be cost savings at all, but entirely new services and revenue streams.

Dan Jones and Daryl Schoolar unpack Ericsson's AI RAN deal with SK Telecom, how South Korea is becoming a proving ground for next-gen network trials, and why these announcements are more than just vendor theater. You will discover the difference between AI for RAN, AI RAN, and the even more ambitious idea of RAN for AI, plus why each one creates very different business models for operators.

They also get into the timing. If 6G is really coming around 2028 to 2030, these partnerships are the early proof points that will shape what the network stack looks like by then. Along the way, they compare Ericsson's and Samsung's CPU-heavy approach with Nokia's more aggressive GPU strategy and explain why inferencing could become a key part of the next phase.

Then the conversation shifts to SpaceX and Starlink's much-discussed "FEMTO frenzy" - and the reality check behind it. Daryl explains why becoming a mobile operator is a lot harder than announcing one, why small cells alone are unlikely to cut it, and why low-band and macro coverage would be essential if Starlink is serious. He also lays out the hidden complexity of spectrum, zoning, customer service, billing, OSS, and device provisioning that can sink even the best technology story.
If you're following AI in telecom, next-gen RAN architecture, or the chances of a Starlink mobile play, this episode is packed with sharp analysis and zero hype. Essential listening if you want to know what's real, what's marketing, and what's coming next in wireless.