The future of media is bright. So bright that I decided to launch a new entrepreneurial media venture called Big Swing Media. There isn’t much optimism in media these days, especially from those of us in our fifties who have worked in the industry for decades. So why am I so sunny about the business? … Continue reading Taking A Big Swing
Media
Posts about the crazy, exciting, ever changing world of media
TikTok and the Real Dangers of Social Media
I’m all for the TikTok ban. To be clear, I have nothing against it. I use it myself. However, allowing a hostile foreign power to own and control the dominant media platform used by America’s youth presents an obvious national security threat. It’s the same reason why foreign individuals or companies are forbidden to own … Continue reading TikTok and the Real Dangers of Social Media
A Requiem for Venu
For a brief moment last week Venu had new life. But then Disney, Fox and WBD hammered the final nail in the coffin and buried it for good. According to reports, the threat of continued litigation from DirecTV and Dish was too big a risk for Venu’s founding partners. They feared that if the satellite … Continue reading A Requiem for Venu
Woj – A Peak Years Role Model
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) I wanted to give a quick shout out to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He's a Peak Years role model. After a stellar career in journalism and while still at the top of his profession, in his mid 50s he walks away from ESPN and millions of dollars to pursue … Continue reading Woj – A Peak Years Role Model
Venu is Dead, Long Live Venu
There’s been a lot of speculation about the future of Venu, or its lack thereof, since a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing its launch. Given the snail’s pace of the appeals process, there is virtually no chance the product will be available this football season. It's a massive setback, no matter how you … Continue reading Venu is Dead, Long Live Venu
The Silver Lining of the “Cable-pocalypse”
The bloodbath of cord-cutting and advertising declines in legacy media continues to accelerate. Following the latest round of dismal quarterly reports, Matt Belloni at Puck cleverly labeled these times the “cable-pocalypse.” That about sums it up. From the moment video first appeared on the Internet it was clear that the cable party was living on … Continue reading The Silver Lining of the “Cable-pocalypse”
AI and Your Next Salary Negotiation/Have We Reached Peak NFL?
A two for one this week at Peak Years - thoughts on AI and the NFL. Let's start with AI. Like so much else in our world, AI has revolutionized the job search process in a short period of time. ChatGPT writes resumes and cover letters. It is a powerful research tool. And it’s great for interview prep. … Continue reading AI and Your Next Salary Negotiation/Have We Reached Peak NFL?
Stop Trashing Spulu
Trashing “Spulu,” the new sports streaming venture from ESPN, Fox and WBD, is the favored pastime of people from across the business. The leagues are pissed. Analysts think it’s dead in the water. Competitors dismiss it. The politicians suspect collusion. According to pretty much everyone, Spulu is a train wreck waiting to happen – which … Continue reading Stop Trashing Spulu
The World Is Flat
"The world is flat!" So claim the conspiracy theorists. Don’t worry, this isn’t an endorsement of the unorthodox opinions about the shape of our planet espoused by people like Kyrie Irving. My feet are planted firmly in the “world is round” camp of Columbus and science. But while the shape of the planet is round, … Continue reading The World Is Flat
A Not So Happy Birthday
Some birthdays are better than others. Twenty years ago, I was fortunate to be part of the team working on ESPN’s huge marketing and sponsorship initiative to celebrate the network’s 25th anniversary. It was a hugely successful project, in part because the company had built so much trust, affinity and admiration among sports fans since … Continue reading A Not So Happy Birthday
You Are Looking Live
It’s Brent Musburger’s fault. If you watched the NFL in the 1980s Brent’s open for The NFL Today on CBS is the stuff of legend. I can hear him now: You are looking LIVE at Soldier Field in Chicago where today the Bears take on their arch divisional rival the Green Bay Packers… Except for the … Continue reading You Are Looking Live
Dear Bob, Think YouTube, Not the NFL
According to reports, ESPN and the NFL are in the final stages of negotiations for the league to become a part owner of the worldwide leader. Iger has talked publicly about his desire to find a “strategic partner” for ESPN, and it appears he’s done it. Here’s the thing, however, I think he’s picked the … Continue reading Dear Bob, Think YouTube, Not the NFL
Dear Shari, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
No media company entered ’24 the subject of more rumors and speculation than Shari Redstone’s Paramount. Will she sell to David Ellison and the team at Skydance? (Seems increasingly unlikely if you follow Bill Cohan at Puck, his column alone is worth a subscription.) Will the ever ambitious and acquisitive David Zaslav and WB Discovery … Continue reading Dear Shari, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Dear Netflix – Partner with ESPN and CNN in ‘24
To kickoff 2024, we here (ok, it’s just me) at For What It’s Worth are offering free advice to some of the major players in media. I’m starting with Netflix, which may seem like an odd choice given it is the undisputed leader in streaming, the company that brought traditional media to its knees. What … Continue reading Dear Netflix – Partner with ESPN and CNN in ‘24
Meet The New Boss
“Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss.” Pete Townshend wrote this lyric as a cynical rebuke to the flower-power idealism of the 1960s. For all the rallies, sit-ins, and protest music, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a savage, blistering reminder to the “hippie” generation that in the end, leadership matters. If the … Continue reading Meet The New Boss
Job #1 in Media – Own AI
It’s been a tough year in the media business: bad ratings, declining revenues, mass layoffs, and unprecedented labor unrest. 2023 will be a year everyone wants to forget, and we still have four months to go. Much of the tension can be attributed to the industry failing to adequately prepare and adapt to changing viewing … Continue reading Job #1 in Media – Own AI
What Golf Must Do Right Now
Golf has dominated the headlines in a way we haven’t seen since Tiger Woods burst onto the scene. Even people who don’t know the difference between a birdie and a bogey have an opinion about the PGA Tour/PIF agreement. I’m sure you do. Regardless of how one feels about the deal, I think it’s fair … Continue reading What Golf Must Do Right Now
ESPN on the Trading Block
When Bob Iger orchestrated the coup that returned him to the top of Disney the media industry and Wall Street were jubilant. The general narrative was the most successful CEO of his generation was returning to right a floundering ship and save the company from a failed leader who clearly had lost the confidence of … Continue reading ESPN on the Trading Block
Trump, Twitter, and the Death of Television
Should CNN have hosted a town hall with Donald Trump last week? Everybody has an opinion, I’m sure you do. Inside CNN this question has prompted an existential crisis. According to numerous reports the atmosphere resembles a toxic cauldron of confusion, anger, bitterness, and embarrassment. Only those close to CNN head Chris Licht and his … Continue reading Trump, Twitter, and the Death of Television
Send Lawyers, Guns and Money
Wow. Wow. Wow. Monday, April 24th was a day like no other in recent history in the media business. By now you surely know what happened: Tucker Carlson bounced from Fox. Don Lemon bounced from CNN. Jeff Shell bounced from NBC Universal. (This happened the preceding weekend, but many people didn’t learn of it until … Continue reading Send Lawyers, Guns and Money
We Don’t Need No Education
Don’t stop reading, I promise this isn’t another blog post about Pink Floyd, or music in general. I’m only borrowing one of the band’s most famous refrains to make a point about the value of a college education in today’s workplace. Pretty much any parent who has written a college tuition check recently, or will … Continue reading We Don’t Need No Education
Time for Mandatory One Year Severance
There is a moral and ethical decay in many media boardrooms and c-suites today. Its most obvious manifestation is the massive wave of layoffs across the industry in recent months. Disney, WB Discovery, NBC Universal, Meta, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon – virtually every company across the ecosystem is letting people go. And lots of them. In … Continue reading Time for Mandatory One Year Severance
Good, Fast, Cheap
It’s a classic adage in business: “Good, fast, cheap – pick two.” If you want something fast and good, it won’t be cheap. If you want something fast and cheap, quality will suffer. And if you want something cheap and good, it will take longer. While this adage holds true for most things, it doesn’t … Continue reading Good, Fast, Cheap
Nobody Does It Better
Like millions of other people, I’m a big James Bond fan. Seen all the movies. Read all the books. Ian Fleming, the author who created James Bond, wrote his stories during the height of the Cold War. Sadly, Fleming died just a few months before the first Bond movie, Dr. No, premiered in 1962. For … Continue reading Nobody Does It Better
“The Answer to All Your Questions Is Money”
Why are world class athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Dustin Johnson playing in clearly inferior leagues when they can still compete at the highest level? Why is the college football playoff expanding to 12 teams? Why is the NFL considering hosting the conference championship games in neutral venues? Why is it becoming increasingly necessary to … Continue reading “The Answer to All Your Questions Is Money”
What’s On Tonight
That question was probably never uttered by any human until the mid-twentieth century and the arrival of the television set into the American home. But once watching television became our favorite pastime, I’d bet no question has been asked more often by more people. In the days before SVOD and AVOD services, when your choices … Continue reading What’s On Tonight
Bob, It’s Time to Sell ESPN
When I started writing this post, I had a different Bob in mind. But even though Bob Chapek is out and Bob Iger is in, the sentiment remains. Disney should sell ESPN. Like many others I’m not buying the company line that Bob Iger returned to stabilize investors and the creative community before resetting the … Continue reading Bob, It’s Time to Sell ESPN
Let’s Put An End to the “Streaming Wars”
Everywhere you turn in the media business people are talking about the “streaming wars.” It’s the catch-all label for journalists, bloggers (including yours truly) and analysts when writing about the latest developments with Netflix, Disney, or any of the other players in the space. As someone who is actively engaged daily in this so-called “war,” … Continue reading Let’s Put An End to the “Streaming Wars”
Backstage with the Brand Podcast
Recently I joined Andy Wiedlin's "Backstage with the Brand" podcast to talk media, weather, sports and my book All The Lies We Believe. Thanks to Andy and the team at Magnet Media for having me. You can listen to the interview here.
How Netflix Made the 2022 Upfront Completely Irrelevant
You probably saw the press announcements: Disney booked a record $9 billion. NBC Universal took home “its largest ever” upfront haul at $7 billion. WarnerMedia Discovery made a splash coming together as a combined company for the first time. They all boasted of record CPM increases and, most importantly, a massive shift of money to … Continue reading How Netflix Made the 2022 Upfront Completely Irrelevant
Roe v Wade, The NFL & The SEC
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, how would it impact the NFL and big-time college football? Before addressing this question, I want to make clear that I fully recognize that for millions of people, especially women, how football or sports in general would be impacted by a change in the country’s abortion policy is completely … Continue reading Roe v Wade, The NFL & The SEC
Why CNN+ Failed
CNN+ met an ignominious end last week, canceled after barely a month in existence. Since then, the industry has been awash in epitaphs and explanations for the collapse. To me, it boils down to one simple reason. No, it’s not because Jeff Zucker, the architect and primary advocate for CNN+, got ousted. Nor is it … Continue reading Why CNN+ Failed
Reed Hastings – The Ultimate “Mad Man”
The headlines last week were head-spinning. Elon Musk is buying Twitter, CNN+ shuttered barely a month into its existence, and Netflix took a pounding after announcing its first loss of subscribers in more than a decade. Consuming media is our national pastime so it uniquely captures the attention of millions of consumers in ways no … Continue reading Reed Hastings – The Ultimate “Mad Man”
The Streaming Wars – Return of the Aggregators
One of the fun parts of my current role as CMO at The Weather Group is it affords me a seat at the front line of the most contentious battle in the history of the media business – the race for market share in streaming television. If you’re in media or marketing you are bombarded … Continue reading The Streaming Wars – Return of the Aggregators
In Praise of Small Ball
Game 6 of the World Series is tonight. As a Yankee fan I admit to having a chronic case of Northeast provincialism when it comes to baseball, and sports in general. Basically, that means I believe that no championship contest truly matters unless a New York team is participating. But you’re not here to read … Continue reading In Praise of Small Ball
What If You Were Mark Zuckerberg
Imagine for a moment you woke up this morning and found yourself the founder and CEO of Facebook. You are one of the richest people in the history of humanity. You are world famous. You have absolute control of the most powerful social media company on the planet. The decisions you make impact billions of … Continue reading What If You Were Mark Zuckerberg
TV Strikes Back
Streaming, streaming, streaming. The traditional TV business model is dead. The future is streaming. If you work in media, frankly even if you don’t, it’s been impossible to avoid talk about how the pandemic finally put the final nail in traditional TV’s coffin. The future belongs to Netflix and the “pluses” – Disney+, Paramount+, etc. … Continue reading TV Strikes Back
Getting Paid to Call a Game
Why do networks pay their top sports broadcasters so much? It’s a part of the business that continues to mystify me. Increasingly it seems that conversations – and decision making – about the appropriate compensation for the “face of the network” are out of touch with reality. I thought of this when I read the … Continue reading Getting Paid to Call a Game
2029: The End of the World As We Know It
If you follow my blog you know how I feel about the NFL rights deal. But this is not another rant about the NFL. Now that the deal is done we can do what the industry loves to do after a major rights negotiation concludes: begin speculating about what it all means. And predicting what … Continue reading 2029: The End of the World As We Know It
Television’s Royal Mess
Were you one of the 21 million people that watched Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan last week? I was. Without question it’s one of the most talked about television events in quite some time. But as someone who’s worked in media for two decades, I found the experience frustrating. For all the positives, it … Continue reading Television’s Royal Mess