Amazon will survive the HQ2 fiasco. Its bigger problem is winning over reluctant advertisers

Hello! First, if you're a Prime subscriber, we'd love to hear what you think. Please take our quick survey here. What a week it’s been for Amazon. The company accustomed to being slobbered over by local municipalities got a cold welcome when it tried to expand to New York City, and ended up pulling out. It was another sign that the public's goodwill toward big tech is fading.   Amazon's business will be just fine without New York City. But more crucial to its business, and less publicly, it’s t...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, New York City, US, Trends, Netflix, Comcast, The New York Times, Times, Jonah Peretti, Kenshoo, DirecTV, Amdocs, Meredith Levien

Orai raises $2.3M to make you a better speaker

Orai, a startup building communication coaching tools, is announcing that it’s raised $2.3 million in seed funding. CEO Danish Dhamani said that he co-founded the company with Paritosh Gupta and Aasim Sani to address a need in his own life — the fact that he was “held back personally and professionally” by lackluster “communications skills and public speaking skills.” Dhamani said he attended Toastmasters International meetings hoping to improve those skills, where he concluded that he could bui...
Tags: Startups, Mobile, Apps, Funding, Tech, Comcast, Philadelphia, Comcast Ventures, Nancy Duarte, Orai, Lift Labs, Dhamani, Paritosh Gupta, Aasim Sani

Super Mario park coming to Universal

Nintendo fans who have dreamed of stepping into their favorite video game to ride flying turtles and hang out with Princess Peach are in for a treat. Late last year, photos allegedly leaked from a Comcast employee town hall meeting revealed plans for a new Universal theme park in Orlando. The photos appear to show plans for a new park called Fantastic Worlds with a focus on Super Mario World. While Nintendo has officially declined to comment, its website does admit that “Nintendo-themed are...
Tags: Travel, Disney, Comcast, Nintendo, Universal, Cinderella, Orlando, Universal Studios, All, Magic Kingdom, Super Mario World, Universal theme park, Universal Studios Hollywood These, Super Mario Theme Park, Universal Studios Japan Universal Orlando Resort

Pay TV distributors are looking to new video packages after another disastrous quarter, and it might be their only option

The pay-TV industry just had its second-worst quarter of subscriber losses. To blunt the damage, MVPDs will try to appeal to viewers with more specific content bundles. It might be the only option available to them as they fight against subscriber losses. Pay TV had another disastrous quarter of subscriber losses. Some analysts are projecting the industry lost almost 1 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, the second worst only to a quarter before, when the sector lost more than one m...
Tags: Google, Hollywood, Time Warner, Africa, Disney, US, Trends, Comcast, Zimbabwe, Frost Sullivan, DirecTV, Rayburn, Dan Rayburn, Amdocs, Darcy Antonellis, Matt Strauss

After another disastrous quarter for pay TV, distributors are looking to new video packages – and it might be their only option

The pay-TV industry just had its second-worst quarter of subscriber losses. To blunt the damage, MVPDs will try to appeal to viewers with more specific content bundles. It might be the only option available to them as they fight against subscriber losses. Pay TV had another disastrous quarter of subscriber losses. Some analysts are projecting the industry lost almost 1 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, the second worst only to a quarter before, when the sector lost more than one m...
Tags: Google, Hollywood, Time Warner, North Korea, Africa, Disney, US, Trends, Comcast, Kim Jong Un, Zimbabwe, Frost Sullivan, DirecTV, Rayburn, Dan Rayburn, Amdocs

AT&T signed an '8-digit' deal that isn't good news for VMware, Cisco or Huawei — but could be great for Google Cloud (VMW, CSCO, T)

AT&T is spearheading an ambitious project called Airship that could have a massive impact on the $350 billion telecom equipment industry. AT&T has signed an "8-figure" three-year deal with a company called Mirantis in service of this project. Airship is a new way to build a cloud that doesn't rely on expensive hardware and software from traditional vendors — meaning AT&T is likely going to be buying less from companies like Cisco or VMware.  The outcome of the joint project will be used to bui...
Tags: Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Trends, Cisco, Comcast, Ibm, Huawei, SK Telecom, Amazon Web Services, Vmware, Mirantis, Kubernetes, Open Compute Project, AT T, Google Google

How to cast videos to Roku from your phone onto your TV

When you cast to Roku, you're quickly queuing up content from your phone to play on your TV. First-time set-up for casting to Roku requires a few steps. Casting plays content from supported channels and is not the same as screen mirroring. You may already know of the conveniences of casting video from your phone to your TV using a Google Chromecast device. But did you know you can also cast content to a Roku? Casting to a Roku is as simple as tapping an icon, once you set it up. It may...
Tags: Apple, Amazon, Trends, Netflix, Comcast, Xiaomi, Roku, Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku Rest, Roku Casting to Roku

Cord-Cutting Sped Up in 2018: Biggest Pay-TV Ops Shed 3.2 Million Subscribers Last Year

Cord-cutting inflicted a heavier toll on big cable and satellite TV providers last year — and analysts expect the pain to continue into 2019. The five biggest U.S. pay-television providers saw their traditional subscriber rolls shrink 4.2% in 2018, as they collectively lost around 3.2 million customers for the year. That’s an acceleration from estimated sector-wide declines […]
Tags: Verizon, News, Comcast, AT&T, Dish Network, Charter Communications, DirecTV

5G opportunities underscored US telecom Q4 earnings (VZ, S, T, TMUS)

This story was delivered to Business Insider Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers hours before appearing on Business Insider. To be the first to know, please click here. The Big Four US carriers — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint — experienced mixed results across the board in Q4 2018. While all the carriers experienced positive revenue growth, 5G was top of mind during the quarter as they battled over wireless net phone adds to grow their subscriber volumes. Here’s how the B...
Tags: Verizon, Fcc, US, Samsung, Trends, Comcast, Sprint, Business Insider Intelligence, Verizon AT T T Mobile, Mike Sievert, Comcast Charter AT T, Business Insider Intelligence Apps, Verizon New T Mobile

Gen Z prefers traditional media outlets over millennial-targeted ones like BuzzFeed and HuffPost

Hello! Thanks for subscribing. If you got this newsletter forwarded, sign up for your own here. Something to mull this week: Brands and publishers have been obsessing forever over how to reach millennials, but a new study by The Atlantic’s creative marketing group Atlantic Re:think, Comscore, and Harvard College Consulting Group should challenge their thinking on people 18-24. The study has big implications for media and brands as they look for their next generation of users and customers. The ...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Hbo, Hollywood, Microsoft, Youtube, Time, Disney, US, Trends, Netflix, Atlantic, Comcast, Imran Khan, Jeremy Darroch, The New York Times

BuzzFeed cut 15% of its staff, and some critics are now taking shots at CEO Jonah Peretti's strategy

BuzzFeed just laid off 15% of its staff, including its first big cuts in its news division, BuzzFeed News. The cuts were a reckoning for a company that seemed like it had cracked the code and figured out how to support high-quality, online journalism with advertising. Now, critics are blaming CEO Jonah Peretti, saying that in his quest to make a 21st-century journalism company, he didn't recognize the limitations of the business model for news. Last month, 43 staffers at BuzzFeed News, the ne...
Tags: Google, Facebook, UK, London, Buzzfeed, Australia, North Korea, France, Politico, Disney, US, Trends, Nike, Spain, Netflix, Comcast

BuzzFeed just cut 15% of its staff, and some critics are now taking shots at CEO Jonah Peretti's strategy

BuzzFeed just laid off 15% of its staff, including its first big cuts in its news division, BuzzFeed News. The cuts were a reckoning for a company that seemed like it had cracked the code and figured out how to support high-quality, online journalism with advertising. Now, critics are blaming CEO Jonah Peretti, saying that in his quest to make a 21st-century journalism company, he didn't recognize the limitations of the business model for news. Last month, 43 staffers at BuzzFeed News, the ne...
Tags: Apple, Google, Facebook, UK, London, Buzzfeed, Australia, France, Politico, Disney, US, Trends, Nike, Spain, Netflix, Comcast

Jim Steyer runs the powerful nonprofit Common Sense Media; now he’s using his influence to battle big tech

California Governor Gavin Newsom earlier today proposed a so-called digital dividend that would let consumers share in the profits generated by California-based tech companies that have been “collecting, curating and monetizing” their users’ personal data. Newsom added that he has asked his administration to develop a proposal for a “new data dividend for Californians, because we recognize that data has value, and it belongs to you.” It’s an idea that tech companies will surely argue against if ...
Tags: Google, Amazon, TC, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, New York, Media, California, Youtube, Stanford, Politico, Disney, Alabama, San Francisco, Tech, Gop

Dandelion Energy, the Alphabet X spinout, raises another $16M led by GV and Comcast

As tech companies continue their race to control the smart home, a promising energy startup has raised a round of funding from traditionally-tech and strategic investors, for a geothermal solution to heat and cool houses. Dandelion Energy, a spinout from Alphabet X, has raised $16 million in a Series A round of funding, with strategic investors Comcast Ventures leading the round along with GV, the investment arm of Alphabet formerly known as Google Ventures. Lennar Corporation, the home building...
Tags: Apple, Amazon, Energy, Fundings & Exits, TC, Gadgets, New York, Science, Hardware, America, Tech, Comcast, Smart Home, Geothermal Energy, Comcast Ventures, Maguire

As cable companies try to differentiate themselves in a competitive market, Comcast thinks its secret weapon is an app that lets it talk directly to consumers

Comcast is making Xfinity XFi its biggest priority this year. XFi is a mobile app that lets Comcast customers set up wifi networks, troubleshoot network issues, and see what devices are connected to their networks. The company believes having a product that promotes engagement with consumers will keep them subscribing. Cable companies want to differentiate themselves in a broadband market rife with competition. To set itself apart from competitors, Comcast is prioritizing Xfinity XFi...
Tags: Google, Europe, Disney, US, Trends, Comcast, Donald Trump, Stirling, AT T, Michael D Antonio, Fraser Stirling, Comcast SVP

Comcast thinks its secret weapon is an app that lets it talk directly to consumers

Comcast is making Xfinity XFi its biggest priority this year. XFi is a mobile app that lets Comcast customers set up wifi networks, troubleshoot network issues, and see what devices are connected to their networks. The company believes having a product that promotes engagement with consumers will keep them subscribing. Cable companies want to differentiate themselves in a broadband market rife with competition. To set itself apart from competitors, Comcast is prioritizing Xfinity XFi...
Tags: Apple, Google, Europe, Disney, US, Trends, Comcast, Xiaomi, Stirling, AT T, Fraser Stirling, Comcast SVP

The State Of Internet Privacy In 2019

Internet privacy is something that more and more people are becoming concerned with, and for good reason. While our use of websites and apps skyrockets, so does the chance of someone violating your privacy. This is because the incentives are all messed up. It’s common practice for businesses to try and acquire as much personal information about you as possible. That’s because this data is more powerful than ever. When a business has a ton of data about you they can be more effective with their m...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Facebook, Privacy, Eu, Netflix, Comcast, Vpn, Branding, Napster, FastPeopleSearch, Comcast Xfinity AT T Verizon Fios

Net neutrality advocates testified before Congress on the FCC’s dismantling of the 2015 Open Internet Order

This story was delivered to Business Insider Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers hours before appearing on Business Insider. To be the first to know, please click here. Net neutrality advocates including former FCC chairs Tom Wheeler and Michael Powell testified before House lawmakers from the Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday on the FCC’s dismantling of the 2015 Open Internet Order in June. The Open Internet Order  — which enacted net neutrality rules —  classifi...
Tags: Google, Verizon, Facebook, Fcc, Congress, California, US, Trends, Comcast, House, Tom Wheeler, Ftc, Nbc Sports, Netflix Amazon, Energy and Commerce committee, Business Insider Intelligence

The TV industry is excited about making advertising addressable, but there are big obstacles to it becoming mainstream

The growth of digital TV offers the promise of reinventing advertising by personalizing it to the viewer. But addressable or dynamic advertising hasn’t taken off because approaches are fragmented and marketers aren’t equipped to do it or don’t see the value. One buyer called addressable advertising “a little bit of Wild West.” At a Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement summit Thursday, ad buyers, sellers, and measurement wonks found common ground on one thing: The industry is far from ac...
Tags: Americas, Trends, Unilever, Comcast, Nielsen, North America, Donald Trump, Comscore, Groupm, Cohen, Michael D Antonio, Radha Subramanyam, Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement, Ed Gaffney, Turner Fox Viacom, David Cohen Magna

Comcast has been bleeding cable subscribers along with the rest of the TV industry — here's how it plans to win them back

Comcast, along with the rest of the pay-TV industry, continues to bleed cable subscribers. While some companies have dropped prices to stymie customer churn, that's not a solution for Comcast, Matt Strauss, EVP of Xfinity Services, told Business Insider. Instead, Comcast plans to win back customers by differentiating its products with price and skinnier bundles. The linear TV business has suffered as people cut the cord and get their entertainment fix from streaming services like Netflix...
Tags: Trends, Netflix, Comcast, Morgan Stanley, Nbcu, Strauss, Matt Strauss, Business Insider Instead, Xfinity Services, Comcast Matt Strauss EVP, Business Insider Instead Comcast, YouTube Comcast, Xfinity Services Comcast, Strauss Comcast

RHOC’s Shannon Beador Is Dating Comcast Executive Rick Stanley

Shannon Beador is off the market! The Real Housewives of Orange County star is dating Comcast executive Rick Stanley, Us Weekly can confirm. Shannon and David Beador’s Divorce Battle: Everything We Know Radar Online reports that the Bravo personality, 54, and the Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales at Comcast Spotlight, 55, have been seeing each other for “a few months,” but are “taking things slowly.” A source notes also notes to Us that “Shannon is happy and in a good place....
Tags: Religion, David, Comcast, Philadelphia, Stella, Celeb Gossip, US Weekly, Sophie, Shannon, Rick Stanley, Adeline, Real Housewives of Orange County, RHOC, Shannon Beador, David Beador, Comcast Spotlight

Meet the power players of Comcast who will do battle with Disney and Google in the year ahead

Comcast closed a $39 billion acquisition of Sky in 2018 and announced priorities that all of media and telecom will be watching. We spoke to industry experts and Comcast to identify the executives who are leading the most important initiatives there. From Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch to NBCU CEO Steve Burke, here are the power players of telecom behemoth Comcast. Comcast was at the center of the megadeals that came to define media and telecom in 2018. It made a failed bid for 21st Century Fox a...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Ge, Nbc, Time Warner, Disney, US, Trends, Fox, Netflix, Pandora, Comcast, Premier League, Sky, Jeremy Darroch, Watson

Notary Startup Notarize Lands Wayfair, HubSpot Executive As COO

Notarize, the Boston-based online notary startup, has hired Elizabeth Graham, a former Wayfair and HubSpot executive, to be its new chief operating officer.Graham told Xconomy in an interview that her focus will be on refining the company’s Web app that connects users with one of its notaries based in Virginia, Texas, or Nevada, and helping position the platform as an attractive tool for companies that rely on notary services.“Customer experience is paramount for us,” Graham said. “Job number o...
Tags: Startups, Texas, Boston, Virginia, Trends, Tech, Comcast, South Dakota, Graham, Nevada, Coo, HubSpot, Redfin, Operations, Polaris Partners, Wayfair

FreeWheel and NBCUniversal Connect Linear TV and Digital Video Ad Delivery Systems as Part of Broader Initiative to Unify Ad Decisioning

Marks important step forward in “one order, one report” ad buying across all video Greater automation and holistic, results-driven advertising delivery will open up access to TV for more companies NEW YORK — FreeWheel, A Comcast Company (Nasdaq: CMCSA), announced it has completed the first stage of a technology unification initiative with NBCUniversal (NBCU) to extend FreeWheel’s […] The post FreeWheel and NBCUniversal Connect Linear TV and Digital Video Ad Delivery Systems as Part of Broader In...
Tags: New York, Advertising, Comcast, Video Ads, Press Releases, Ad & Media Strategies, Ad Metrics, Ad Operations, Ads by Creative, Ads Taxonomy, Ad Products, TV & Cable Advertising, Ad Serving, CMCSA, Linear TV, FreeWheel

New Net Neutrality Bill Headed To Congress

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) said today he would "soon" introduce a bill to permanently reinstate the net neutrality rules that were repealed by the Federal Communications Commission, led by chairman Ajit Pai, in 2017. From a report: Markey's announcement comes as a federal court is set to hear oral arguments over the FCC's repeal of net neutrality regulations in 2017. Markey, who is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, has previously introduced a bill that would permanently reinstate net neut...
Tags: Verizon, Fcc, Congress, Senate, Tech, Comcast, House Of Representatives, Mozilla, Federal Communications Commission, Markey, Ajit Pai, Senate Commerce Committee, Ed Markey D MA

The Super Bowl gets voice-enabled

Amazon, Dish, Comcast and others are hoping to turn Super Bowl 2019 into a way to show off the potential for their voice technologies and TV integrations. The companies this week have been touting new features and a variety of voice commands that will allow viewers to get prepared for the big game, learn about players and teams, tune into NFL news and highlights, set their recordings, and more. In some cases, this may be as simple as asking your TV to tune to the Super Bowl, record the event,...
Tags: Google, Amazon, TC, Football, Sports, NFL, Tech, Comcast, Super Bowl, Tom Brady, Alexa, Voice Assistant, Jared Goff, Rams, Julian Edelman, Google Home

Digital TV advertising may have duopoly problem — and it could get worse as ad-supported streaming explodes

Comcast's Freewheel and Google are the only two options that can serve OTT ad campaigns at scale. That's a problem because some publishers say neither option fully suits their needs. The situation could get worse as ad-supported, video-on-demand options proliferate in 2019. Digital TV advertising may have its own duopoly problem. As OTT and connected television explodes, there are only two options for serving ad campaigns at scale: Google and Comcast's Freewheel. The industry wishes ...
Tags: Google, Amazon, China, Trends, Comcast, Gm, Roku, Hulu, Morgan Stanley, Nbcu, Ott, Campbell, AT T, Tubi, Dave Clark, Digital TV

Caring Causes: Community Impact and Comcast NBCUniversal

A new year is a chance to start fresh and evaluate how we want to improve our lives. Those in Community Impact at Comcast NBCUniversal are always thinking about how they can better strengthen efforts to help others, and their commitment to improving communities is as unwavering as ever. This month they celebrated National Mentoring Month.Brought to you by: Frugal Focus
Tags: Comcast, Frugality

Charter slashes network spending by $2B, but makes up for it by charging its customers more

When Trump FCC Chairman (and former telcoms executive) Ajit Pai murdered Net Neutrality, he told us the slaughter was necessary, otherwise the ISPs wouldn't invest in their networks. A year later, Charter has joined Comcast in announcing major cuts to its capital expenditures budget, slashing spending from $8.9 billion under Net Neutrality to $7 billion under Net Discrimination, which allows the company to extort funds from online services on pain of having their data slowed down when Chart...
Tags: Post, News, Cable Company Fuckery, Net Neutrality, Obama, Comcast, Federal Communications Commission, Charter, Trumpism, Pai, Ripoffs, DOCSIS, Ajit Pai, Grifters, Late Stage Capitalism, Trump FCC

Tubi Wants to Enter the Streaming Wars in a Big Way

Tubi, a streaming service with a terrible name but some surprisingly strong content, is stepping up their game. The free streaming service plans to invest $100 million-plus on content this year, and expand internationally. The service already offers 12,000 movies and TV series, and that number will only expand with this new initiative. Have you heard of Tubi? I have, but I’ll confess I’ve never used it – mostly because the name Tubi sounds weird to me. But this streaming service is worth che...
Tags: Movies, Netflix, Canada, Comcast, Pluto TV, VUDU, Tubi, Netflix/Streaming Video, Farhad Massoudi, Roku Apple TV Amazon Fire TV, Roku Channel Walmart, Paramount Lionsgate MGM