The LightShed Podcast

[0:00] Rhinestone Cowboy.

[4:23] Goodbye Joe Judge.

[5:16] Take-Two/Zynga has clear strategic rationale but execution is TBD.

[12:13] Activision Blizzard should merge Zynga with King (but won’t).

[13:06] Sinclair’s DTC pivot does not make economic sense.

[19:24] The NBA will go direct with a better product offering than Sinclair.

[23:15] Have the stars finally aligned for Dish/DTC to combine?

[28:12] Apple/MLB would be a big deal even at small dollars.

[32:05] BT Sport gives DAZN much-needed geographic diversification.

[35:20] How long can streaming platforms drive up sports rights?

[37:32] Disney should not be allocating more capital to ESPN.

[40:00] Pixar staff does not want to acknowledge changing consumer behavior.

[42:26] The NFL is still king (no kidding).

[45:27] All media companies and brands will have a place on Roblox.

[48:13] Shop Pay’s strategic role in helping merchants.

[50:28] Nielsen troubles growing by the day.

[52:42] More and more movie studios need to start thinking of China box office as a zero.

[56:31] We can’t wait for a public Triller.

[59:07] I Walk the Line.

[0:00] Moby Dick.

[1:20] The Bob Chapek era has officially begun.

[3:03] Rich called the crypto top.

[4:06] Covid is the world's greatest IQ test(s).

[8:37] Michael Rubin’s savage acquisition of Topps.

[9:58] Fanatics is a great example on how to disrupt an industry.

[12:23] Advertising and sponsorship platforms are the clear early winners in NY sports betting.

[15:12] AT&T tops table again in post-paid nets.

[19:23] Wireless impact on cable broadband intensifying.

[24:52] Why is Scott Rosenberg leaving Roku?

[29:03] The New York Times finally acquires The Athletic.

[33:40] UFC domestic rights are going higher next round.

[40:28] PlayStation has a leg up on Oculus in bringing VR to gamers.

[41:55] Metaverse wars are going to heat up in 2022.

[44:42] Podcasting still has meaningful share to take from terrestrial radio.

[48:08] HBO/HBO Max's big year.

[51:54] Candle Media’s portfolio growing at incredible speed.

[53:12] Expect even more creation of interactive experiences based on linear IP and vice versa.

[55:27] Imax is becoming the movie industry.

[58:50] Adam Aron’s expensive ticket to the Rose Bowl.

[1:01:07] Moby Dick.

Reviewing LightShed's 21 Predictions for 2021

[0:00] 2021.

[4:04] Disney and Comcast End Hulu Partnership Three Years Early.

[7:15] Amazon Acquires Thursday Night Football and YouTube TV Takes Sunday Ticket.

[10:34] HBO/HBO Max Hit 50 Million Subscribers.

[14:02] Verizon Drops To Last Place In Wireless Phone Net Adds.

[14:51] Roku Raises Equity to Accelerate Original Programming.

[18:05] Dish’s Spectrum Included in iPhone 13.

[19:43] Disney Releases All Theatrical Films Day-and-Date on Disney+.

[23:48] Apple’s IDFA Opt-In Causes Wide-Ranging Pain, Accelerating Push to Subscriptions.

[26:45] Interactive Media Platforms Become Critical for Marketers and Distribution of Content.

[31:18] Google Achieves Dominance of Connected TV Ad Spend.

[33:27] Podcast Ad Spend Gaps Up and Apple Launches Podcast Subscription.

[34:52] Snapchat Reaches 500,000 Advertisers and Bitmoji’s Importance Grows.

[39:04] MGM Studios Acquired by Comcast’s NBC Universal.

[41:51] Creator Direct-to-Consumer Platforms See Exponential Growth.

[43:29] Apple TV+ Content Budget Soars to $5 Billion.

[45:06] Sports Teams/Leagues Need New Revenue Streams as Media Rights Start to Disappoint.

[47:44] Live Events Return Strong, Movie Theaters Struggle.

[52:00] Legacy Media Stops Investing in TV Everywhere, as DTC Takes Center Stage.

[54:02] Call of Duty Multi-Experience Paradigm Replicated and Imitated.

[56:48] Verizon Sells Media Assets.

[58:55] Donald Trump Launches DTC Media Platform.

[59:32] Other topics that dominated 2021: David Zaslav, Apes, and web3.

[1:03:43] Thank you all.

[1:05:14] Auld Lang Syne.

[0:00] Jingle Bells (Dogs).

[0:15] A sequel to Rich’s Peacock TikTok.

[1:03] Happy Festivus.

[2:23] Who doesn’t want to get stuck quarantining in Vegas?

[6:14] Omicron throws Comcast’s Winter Olympics in flux.

[8:03] Jack calls out attempts to centralize the decentralized web.

[14:17] Congratulations to your Finance Charlatans of the Year!

[17:03] The Sixers have a “concrete” metaverse strategy.

Is Crypto advertising bigger than sports betting advertising?

[20:34] Does Spider-Man’s success change our day-and-date viewpoint?

[29:20] Iger knows that Disney+ needs more diverse content.

[30:41] Should Apple have bought Disney? Agree to Disagree.

[40:31] AT&T sheds another non-core asset.

[45:30] Expect Triller’s desperate public play to end badly.

[47:50] Continued increases in sports rights are a good omen for WWE.

[51:34] TBD if Zynga can be successful away from their core competencies.

[54:24] I just want a hug in the metaverseTM.

[54:34] Snow & Heat Miser.

• [0:00] Let’s Get It On.

• [3:08] Seven Fishes or Seven Phish Shows?

• [4:48] YouTube TV’s $15/month chess move.

• [8:18] Is Netflix India cutting price or pushing subs to TVs?

• [12:44] Disney cannot afford to lose IPL rights.

• [13:57] What impact will cable have in wireless next year?

• [19:03] Fubo's sports betting fantasy is evaporating.

• [22:27] We read mean (Fubo) tweets.

• [24:09] TikTok is going to catch up to Instagram far quicker than people realize.

• [26:06] The sky is falling.

• [30:38] Digital ownership is a huge opportunity for large brands.

• [32:33] Shopify is now doing for the digital world what they have done for the physical world.

• [37:00] Reddit is finally going public.

• [40:41] Spotify’s advertising opportunity is underappreciated.

• [44:02] Google’s Best Buy issues are a plus for Roku.

• [47:38] Peloton has (another) bad week.

• [49:40] I’m Still Standing.

[0:00] Around the World.

[0:42] Jingle Ball.

[2:52] BuzzFeed’s lack of consumer passion and brand equity.

[9:09] The power of YouTube.

[15:40] More fodder for the competitive wireless home broadband debate.

[21:00] Can Cable disrupt wireless?

[24:50] Discord’s low hanging monetization fruit.

[32:11] AMC CEO stock sales speak louder than his words.

[34:23] MSG Sphere is poised for innovative and flexible content creation.

[37:10] Amazon's sports ambitions are bigger than industry realizes.

[45:31] Theatrical windows are too inflexible.

[48:28] Sports books need content to lower acquisition costs.

[55:28] Gamer revolts show web3 education is still in its infancy.

[59:50] Elon teaches us how to pick the right web3 urinal.

[1:03:38] When You Wish Upon a Star.

[0:00] Soul Bossa Nova.

[1:05] Every good podcast has a donkey.

[4:23] A Twitter CEO not in a yurt.

[10:43] FCC confirmations and broadband regulation.

[13:20] Disney Comcast news sadly did not involve Hulu resolution.

[16:33] We are about to learn who Bob Chapek really is. 

[19:12] Does offering deep discounts to gain streaming subs make sense?

[23:59] Sinclair STILL does not have a viable DTC product.

[27:14] Current MLB lockout tied to compensation, not RSNs.

[28:29] The power of football vs. everything else.

[32:41] Facebook is going to have to build the metaverse without M&A.

[36:45] Gambling is not entertaining when you lose money.

[40:06] Why Amazon and Dish could disrupt telecoms.

[44:33] Theaters need to become much more special relative to the at-home experience.

[51:38] Do NFT communities have lasting power?

[59:30] Thinking about creating a DAO for stuff.

[1:00:18] The Man and the Donkey.

[0:00] On Repeat.

[2:42] COVID returns, did it ever leave? 

[5:40] Farewell Vonage.

[7:01] Sell-side wakes up to Disney+ content slowdown.

[10:28] Disney needs new movies for D+ sub growth.

[13:00] HBO Max’s targeting can improve.

[20:47] Dec 1 a big day for FCC’s Rosenworcel and Sohn.

[23:22] As FCC gets sorted, TracFone deal approval and C-Band resolutions emerge.

[28:16] Is Amazon’s NFL innovation right on schedule or a troubling delay?

[34:06] Roku’s content ambitions.

[40:36] Netflix’s content verticals on Spotify to get mimicked by other brands.

[45:33] The importance of social to build a media company.

[47:36] Roblox’s Game Fund a critical piece of their age-up strategy.

[50:32] web3 decentralization comes at a tradeoff of simplicity.

[54:30] Our takeaways from the ConstitutionDAO debacle.

[58:08] NFTs at the Thanksgiving Day parade.

[59:35] Dominick the Donkey.

[0:00] Home on the Range.

[5:55] Liberty’s managed Q&A.

[9:40] Is Malone turning against the bundle he built?

[10:13] Warner Bros. will not be a one-size-fits all offering.

[15:36] Malone is more self-aware than Charter on competition.

[19:00] Gigi Sohn should be confirmed as FCC Commish, but when?

[21:11] It is time for Bobby Kotick to wave the white flag. Where’s the Board?

[25:13] Should Activision Blizzard break up the company?

[26:28] Netflix’s viewership data is to attract talent, not advertisers.

[34:15] Disney should use last week's Viacom playbook to drive subs.

[36:20] Roblox introduces the immersive future of advertising.

[41:27] Roblox will have to eventually embrace interoperability.

[50:33] Is Tom Rutledge the next to drop Sinclair’s RSNs?

[53:28] Sports rights cost inflation now impacting streaming: EPL 2.7x last deal.

[58:43] Hulu Live + Disney bundle is likely all about vMVPD churn.

[1:03:11] Twitter is finally encouraging innovation on the platform.

[1:04:46] Star power is not always transferrable between social media platforms.

[1:07:25] Owning assets as an expression of community is a hallmark of web3.

[1:12:07] Misunderstanding.

[0:00] Silence Kid.

[1:37] Do length of EPS opening remarks correlate with stock performance?

[4:04] Everyone’s building “a metaverse.”

[10:30] Betting "now" strengthens the ESPN brand.

[13:50] Sportsbook War’s biggest winners are owners of advertising/sponsorship inventory.

[16:14] Streaming platforms becoming much more serious about sports rights.

[19:00] How many movies per year satisfy the “collective” experience?

[27:30] Disney needs to change their theatrical/Disney+ strategy.

[30:07] Should Twitter Blue features be native to all users?

[34:15] If live audio is a space to own, Twitter will own it.

[35:24] Cheaper CPE for Starlink.

[37:13] The problem with play to earn games.

[41:13] More on the C-Band delay and the rise of wireless home broadband

[43:58] John Malone wonders if cable will morph into the airline Industry.

[51:16] Spotify wants to be all things audio.

[53:30] It is Adam Aron selling, not JP Morgan.

[56:18] Jeffrey, Jeffrey Bezos.

[57:07] The Lemon Song.