Simon Owens
@simonowens.bsky.social
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Media industry journalist who runs a newsletter and podcast. You can reach me at
[email protected]
A car is one of the largest purchases youâll likely make as a consumer. If you choose to spend that $50,000 on a Tesla, youâre choosing to support child genocide. Not buying a Tesla is one of the easiest things you can do to not be a garbage human being.
about 22 hours ago
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Hello from Santorini
2 days ago
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Clown show
add a skeleton here at some point
11 days ago
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reposted by
Simon Owens
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
11 days ago
What a wild lie from Musk as well, given that USAID funding was completely halted virtually everywhere, and this was extremely publicly reported.
add a skeleton here at some point
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YouTube has shown a willingness to bid on live sports rights but often loses out on them because it wonât overpay. Whereas most other streamers need live sports content, YouTube benefits from the fact that every major sports creator and athlete already publishes their content to its platform.
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YouTubeâs Skinny Sports Rights Diet
For a while, it seemed as though YouTube was coming to eat everyoneâs lunch in the sports media business. But after its recent miss on a suite of NFL games, many media insiders are wondering how much ...
https://puck.news/is-youtube-done-chasing-sports-rights/
11 days ago
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Weâre entering a new golden age for hefty print magazines that cost a pretty penny and are only published a few times a year. A lot of them host splashy launch parties to help imbue them with an aura of prestige.
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/s...
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A New Magazine With Political Heft, and âReal Styleâ
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/style/equator-magazine-launch-party.html
11 days ago
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Instagram is reportedly planning to open up to longform, horizontal content so it can compete with TV streaming services, but of course thereâs no hint yet that it actually plans to share meaningful revenue with its creators, which means its leaders still donât understand why YouTube was so successf
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Instagram looks to take on streaming services with longer-form, episodic and live formats for its TV app | TechCrunch
Instagram is coming for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as it sets its ambitions for living room viewing.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/22/instagram-looks-to-take-on-streaming-services-with-longer-form-episodic-and-live-formats-for-its-tv-app/
11 days ago
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Congrats to all the journalists who convinced their employers that the public really cares about Cannes so they can have a full-expenses-paid trip to Cannes.
12 days ago
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One of the things I suspect but donât have the hard data to prove is that the post-pandemic rise of remote work has made the US economy more nimble and helped reduce the negative effects of Trumpâs tariffs and foreign policy blunders with Iran.
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/o...
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Opinion | The Secret Reason Bosses Want Everyone Back in the Office, Every Day of the Week
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/opinion/office-work-wfh-bosses.html
12 days ago
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Me visiting DC's Reflecting Pool
12 days ago
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The independent news site The Lever has published some impressive investigative journalism over the last few years. Recently it reduced its output from five reported pieces per week to just one or two longform articles â the idea being that deeper investigations will pack a bigger punch. Itâs kind o
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How slow journalism is paying off for The Lever under Trump Two
The Lever is intentionally slowing down its output in response to the Trump-era news cycle having a higher bar for reader attention.
https://pressgazette.co.uk/north-america/how-slow-journalism-is-paying-off-for-the-lever-under-trump-two/
12 days ago
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Nothing encapsulates how much of a clown show this administration is than them essentially live tweeting the negotiations over the past three months, trying to receive credit for things that just never get formally announced.
add a skeleton here at some point
12 days ago
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The Atlantic is doubling down on video podcasts, expanding its video team from 10 to 20 and launching new shows. My guess is this isnât just about growing its video revenue, but that the magazine also believes that the parasocial relationships engendered through podcasts helps it with its paid subsc
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Exclusive: The Atlantic beefs up its video podcasts
One of Americaâs oldest magazines is investing in video after seeing notable growth in its audience.
https://www.semafor.com/article/06/21/2026/the-atlantic-beefs-up-video-podcasts
12 days ago
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Over the course of its history, the company now known as People Inc has been incredibly reliant on intent-based Google searches, yet itâs managed to keep revenue steady over the past year despite search traffic plummeting. Now itâs doubling down on highly-produced video content, with a particular em
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The Giant Test Kitchen Where Cooks Battle A.I. Slop
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/business/media/people-inc-ai-test-kitchen.html
12 days ago
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Anti-AI people have twisted themselves in a pretzel to where they're arguing that non-AI stuff is somehow bad because it looks like something AI could have generated.
12 days ago
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Also didnât help that the Left didnât invest much in building out its own information infrastructure and instead focused on getting the large platforms to censor right wingers, a project it largely failed at.
add a skeleton here at some point
12 days ago
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Wired interviewed the guy who will be satirizing Alex Jones once The Onion completes its takeover of Infowars. I watched the first video and the resemblance in their voices and speaking cadence is uncanny!
www.wired.com/story/the-bi...
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Tim Heidecker Wants to Turn Infowars Into Adult Swim for the Internet
Infowarsâ would-be creative director talks Sandy Hook, comedyâs MAGA turn, and why the future of satire may look more like a streaming startup than a late-night show.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-big-interview-podcast-tim-heidecker/
15 days ago
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The Economist continues to be one of the most aggressive publishers at placing its video and podcast content behind a paywall. Most other outlets â even those with robust subscription models â make their podcasts and videos freely available.
pressgazette.co.uk/paywalls/eco...
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Premium video has boosted subscriber retention for The Economist
The launch of The Economist's premium video strand Insider last year has led to a "significant improvement" in subscriber retention.
https://pressgazette.co.uk/paywalls/economist-insider-retention/
15 days ago
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This doesnât come as a big surprise: not only had it been previously reported that Penske was considering acquiring the remaining Vox properties, he had also invested $100 million in the company in 2023. As far as media owners go, these outlets could do worse than being owned by Jay Penske. Yes, l
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Eater, The Verge and SB Nation Sold to Penske Media
The deal formally winds down an era at Vox Media, which had sold its namesake site and podcast assets as well as New York magazine to James Murdoch.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/eater-verge-sbnation-sold-penske-media-1236624828/
15 days ago
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Madonna partnered with Grindr to stream a live performance on the app. 877,000 users tuned in.
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
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Even Madonna Has to Fight for Every Scrap of Internet Attention
Even if youâre one of the biggest pop stars in history, Grindr and Bilt can help you sell albums
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-06-18/even-madonna-has-to-fight-for-every-scrap-of-internet-attention
15 days ago
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Kevin Roose is leaving the New York Times to launch a new podcast with independent journalist Casey Newton. The two are taping their last Hard Fork episode in August. Seems clear from this announcement that the show will operate as a separate business from Newtonâs Platformer newsletter.
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Leaving The Times
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https://kevinroose.substack.com/p/leaving-the-times
15 days ago
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Axios CEO Jim VandeHei detailed how he uses AI to write. He basically uploaded his entire archive of writing + Axiosâs âsmart brevityâ framework to train the AI, and then enters a series of prompts to prevent it from simply flattering him.
www.axios.com/2026/06/18/j...
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Jim VandeHei: Writing with AI
Used with persistence and skill, AI can enhance both your thoughts and expression.
https://www.axios.com/2026/06/18/jim-vandehei-ai-writing-tips-claude-chatgpt
15 days ago
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Robinhood plans to eventually shut down the Sherwood website and publish all content in the newsletters and the Robinhood app. This makes sense. By distributing content through the newsletters and app, itâll be much easier to measure the ROI of that content as it relates to Robinhoodâs core busines
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Exclusive: Robinhood cuts Sherwood News staff in app content push
The fintech giant shifts its media strategy despite reporting record trading volumes this month amid its 10% staff reduction.
https://www.investmentnews.com/fintech/exclusive-robinhood-cuts-sherwood-news-staff-in-app-content-push/267068
15 days ago
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YouTube started demonetizing many âfacelessâ channels because of their propensity to publish AI slop, so some of those channels are either paying cheap actors to appear on screen or even generating fake faces using AI. You sort of have to feel sorry for the faceless creators who are actually p
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Faceless Creators Take a Hit As YouTube Cracks Down on AI Slop
Just a few years ago, they were raking in clicks and cash. But now that the platform tweaked their algorithm, theyâre suddenly collateral damage.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/faceless-creators-youtube-ai-damage-1236617586/
15 days ago
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â[Netflixâs] most recent Engagement Report revealed total hours viewed in the second half of 2025 increased by just 2 percent while MoffettNathanson estimated that the global user base grew by 10 percent, âwhich translates to an 8 percent decline in daily engagement per subscriber.ââ
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Netflixâs Invincible Era Ends and More Burning Questions in Hollywood
Plus: Did Quinta balk at the prospect of the Ellisons? Where are we on a Wasserman deal? Is Tom Hardy really trying to get back into Mobland? And more of readersâ hottest questions answered in a mailb...
https://puck.news/mailbag-netflixs-invincible-era-ends/
15 days ago
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For more than a decade, Erin Millar has been trying to answer a question that has plagued the journalism industry: What should replace the local newspaper model after it collapses? Her first attempt came with The Discourse, a Canadian media company that experimented with new approaches to community-
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This platform is powering over 180 local newsrooms
YouTube video by Simon Owens
https://youtu.be/kY1R58uMlUI?si=VYJ3mWH25ZGwGT2q
15 days ago
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Snapchat is one of those weird platforms where it supposedly has nearly a billion users and yet I don't know anyone, either virtually or IRL, who talks about using it. I also rarely encounter any media coverage about stuff that happens on Snapchat. It's a cultural black hole.
15 days ago
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reposted by
Simon Owens
Josh Sternberg
16 days ago
One of the reasons media companies lose readership is because publishers choose ad revenue over user experience. Treat your reader like shit and let alone they wonât click on your ads, theyâll stop coming to your site.
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Manga is quickly becoming one of the most popular genres in libraries. âManga readers are the most reliable readers, because they want the next volume, and the only way to get the next one is to return the last one."
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...
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Mangaâs the Hot Category Bringing Cool Kids to the Library
Librarians across the country say manga is bringing in young patrons, along with a host of unique challenges.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/100557-manga-s-the-hot-category-bringing-cool-kids-to-the-library.html
16 days ago
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This is an interesting breakdown of how a historical fiction series became a bestseller without the early boosting from social media book influencers. Hint: church book clubs played a role.
romancingthephone.substack.com/p/who-is-emm...
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Who is Emma M. Lion?
And how and where are you hearing about her?
https://romancingthephone.substack.com/p/who-is-emma-m-lion
16 days ago
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This is a fascinating breakdown of the economics behind prediction markets and why a small number of users take home the lionâs share of the profits (spoiler: itâs not all due to insider trading).
youtu.be/E_V7m_lnybY?...
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Prediction markets are a trap
YouTube video by Christophe
https://youtu.be/E_V7m_lnybY?si=x3_Yv8sekK-JSKai
17 days ago
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reposted by
Simon Owens
David Roberts
17 days ago
Substacks are pretty overwhelmingly left-leaning.
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Substack Data | Chaotic Era
A newsletter about politics, media, and online influence in Democracyâs chaotic era. Written by Kyle Tharp.
https://www.chaoticera.news/substack-data
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I brought the receipts.
17 days ago
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âI may just look like Iâm walking or meeting with people, but it all has an art to it. I might randomly race somebody out of nowhere in the middle of the street. Then Iâll try their national dish. The food is not even settled, then boom, I might race someone again. Iâm truly doing activities the wh
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Streamer IShowSpeed Is Gen Zâs ESPN
At 21, Speed has pushed the limits of streaming by transforming a distinctly solo format into a global group chat. His song for this yearâs World Cup is becoming the tournamentâs unofficial anthem.
https://www.wired.com/story/big-interview-ishowspeed-world-cup/
17 days ago
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A gaming YouTuber with over 5 million subscribers has seen a drastic decrease in his average views per video, but he says he doesnât care. In his view, YouTube is getting better at surfacing videos to the people who are most likely to enjoy them. It also helps that he diversified his revenue streams
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đ´ How this creator planned his own exit
Jerome Aceti spent 18 years turning distribution into ownership â and started winding down at his peak.
https://www.creatorspotlight.com/p/jerome-aceti
17 days ago
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The author Tim Ferris published his book sales data that shows a precipitous decline that correlates with rising AI adoption rates. He posits that the self-help category of nonfiction is being hit hardest.
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Has AI Already Killed How-To Nonfiction? Sales Trends, My Personal Data, and What It Might Mean for the Future - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
My head has been spinning after getting a spreadsheet roughly a week ago. Before we dive into my dirty laundry, letâs state the obvious: millions of people have a vague sense that AI is changing thing...
https://tim.blog/2026/06/12/has-ai-already-killed-nonfiction/
17 days ago
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The speaker company Bose is launching its own music label. âThe plan isn't to go toe-to-toe with the âBig Threeâ label conglomerates, but rather to help break underappreciated or new artists and â crucially â not have to pay for music rights when they feature in Bose commercials.â
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Bose is becoming a media company and launching a record label
Bose is launching a new entertainment division, Bose Studios, which includes the creation of a record label.
https://www.businessinsider.com/bose-becoming-media-company-launching-record-label-2026-6
17 days ago
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Hollywood likes to draw all the wrong lessons from surprise blockbuster successes. If I were a hungry producer looking for the next filmable IP, I wouldnât be looking at Reddit â Iâd be looking to places like Webtoons, Amazonâs self publishing ecosystem, and, yes, YouTube.
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âBackroomsâ Sends Hollywood Running to Reddit for New Ideas
The old-school forum that originated A24's 'Backrooms' is embracing its role as an idea incubator where "fandoms can grow organically."
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/reddit-backrooms-hollywood-ip-1236622594/
17 days ago
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Lots of publishers are launching their own FAST channels but I think itâs largely a waste of resources. The streaming market is incredibly saturated and thereâs very little organic content discovery there. Youâre probably better off licensing your content to established FAST channels and/or putting
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Exclusive: New York Post to launch its first FAST channel
Streaming helps the publisher reach new audiences and attract connected TV ad dollars.
https://www.axios.com/2026/06/16/new-york-post-fast-channel-video
17 days ago
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Hotter take: consumers' persistent unwillingness to actually pay for journalism is having a deeply destructive impact on our society.
17 days ago
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This is a cool trailer
add a skeleton here at some point
17 days ago
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reposted by
Simon Owens
Walter Olson
17 days ago
Noah Smith: Iran is Trump's Katrina
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Iran is Trump's Katrina
Thoughts on the fallout from the Iran debacle.
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/iran-is-trumps-katrina
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When Mike Rogge purchased Mountain Gazette in early 2020, he wasnât acquiring a thriving media business. For $5,000 and the cost of a couple beers, he bought a dormant outdoor magazine brand whose main assets consisted of a URL, a trademark, decades of archives, and boxes of old issues sitting in st
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This print magazine is thriving by treating itself like a collectorâs item
YouTube video by Simon Owens
https://youtu.be/PBn7aI6w-kI?si=TcrsatjHlcE6wGVK
17 days ago
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How many times did we have to listen, ad nauseum, to MAGA Republicansâ claim that Obamaâs nuclear deal gave Iran $150 billion?
17 days ago
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Back when I was a freelance marketing consultant, I once had a client demand that I drop everything during a Paris vacation to incorporate his edits for an article Iâd written for him â which I did end up doing.
18 days ago
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Netflix must be seeing some sort of positive subscriber metrics from its video podcast inventory because it continues hammering out new deals. Anecdotally, while I do dip into video podcasts occasionally on YouTube, Iâve yet to click on one hosted by Netflix. In fact, I donât even know if itâs even
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Netflix and iHeartMedia Expand Podcast Deal With Martha Stewart, Kate Hudson and More
The streaming giant will debut the new podcast 'Suite 305 with Lele Pons' among others.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/netflix-iheartmedia-martha-stewart-kate-hudson-1236622094/
18 days ago
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After many months of anticipation, Substack finally rolled out its initial framework for how itâs going to incorporate sponsorships into its creator ecosystem, and I just want to offer a few observations and thoughts. The first is that itâs only offering this service to Substack âbestsellers,â at l
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A business model that works for creators
On subscriptions, sponsorships, and learning from our customers
https://on.substack.com/p/a-business-model-that-works-for-creators
18 days ago
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The South Korean film industry is more open than Hollywood to using AI in the filmmaking process. One film that was originally projected to cost $85 million was produced for as little as $165,000. The juryâs still out on whether any of these films will be entertaining.
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South Koreaâs Floundering Movie Business Turns to AI for Help
Two films built largely with generative AI tools are on view in South Korean theaters
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-06-14/south-korea-s-floundering-movie-business-turns-to-ai-for-help
19 days ago
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Ok, I have a few observations on this. The first is that Fox has adopted a pretty differentiated approach to the streaming wars compared to its peers. Rather than bundling its entire IP library under a single subscription streamer â like Peacock, Paramount+, and HBO Max â it instead launched/acquir
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Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $25 Billion Deal
Competition for streaming audiences has been heating up, and the deal provides significant scale for both Fox and Roku.
https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/fox-roku-deal-f6e564f9
19 days ago
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