June 17th, 2022

Happy Friday and welcome back to the Dispatch.

It has been another blockbuster week in the world of marketing, media and entertainment.

Below are some of my favourite reads and listens from the past seven days, as well as some of the topics and ideas that I've been exploring with many of you.

What I've Been Reading

Books have a long track record for inspiring TV dramas, providing the storylines and characters for countless screen adaptations — and handsome paycheques for authors when their work is adapted. Yet the printed word is facing stiff competition, with the booming podcast industry emerging as a popular source of material for scripted TV producers. Tim Dams looks at the details and dynamics behind what is inspiring many of this year’s highest-profile TV dramas.

There's been a lot of coverage this week about the battle between art and commerce that is raging (again) through the music industry. Specifically as it relates to the labels' growing obsession and dependence upon social media (TikTok) moments to drive streams and sales. Keith Jopling goes further in looking at some of the second-order effects, and makes the case for labels to use their streaming-era spoils to invest in new channels and platforms that actually create opportunities and support their artists.

Alongside this week's $6.2b Indian Premier League (IPL) streaming and broadcast rights auction was another sporting rights bonanza - the $2.5b deal for Apple TV to stream all Major League Soccer (MLS) fixtures for the next ten years. As Graham Ruthven notes, "most broadcast deals fail to move the needle, and there’s no guarantee this one will change much for MLS." But not every deal has the potential upside of this new agreement, nor the potential to further shape the streaming media landscape.

The intersection of content and commerce got a lot more interesting earlier today when Roku unveiled a partnership with Walmart to make streaming television the next frontier in online retail. With many suggesting advertising and commerce are behind Netflix's reported interest in acquiring Roku, the announcement appears perfectly timed for Wall Street. Worth taking a look at this piece from Etan Vlessing at The Hollywood Reporter.

“No doubt about it, the playground is expanding,” Mattel’s president,?Richard Dickson, told Fast Company. “We want to be at the forefront of that evolution of toys in both the physical and digital worlds . . . our business leads us to wherever the consumer is, and that includes the metaverse and NFTs.” To those (me included) with healthy skepticism, Will Weinraub?predicts, a new boom is coming, which could lift crypto out of its current bear market and into its next bull run. “In the next year, I believe a lot of the projects that were funded during the first bull run, two years ago, will start to see the light of day, which will kickstart a wave of entertainment and utility around NFTs,” he says. “It just takes a while for that to be built.” A great read via Connie Lin at Fast Company.

What I've Been Listening To

I am late to Conversations With People Who Hate Me, but this is definitely one worth checking out, as Dylan Marron explores what happens when keyboard warriors put down their weapons and get to know the human on the other side of the screen. Seems like the perfect podcast (and book) for our times and the era of tweet storms, comment wars, clapbacks, and anonymous digital vitriol. And don't be fooled by the title - this is a series about fostering connections in the most unlikely of places.

What I've Been Thinking About

Earlier this week I asked why, when most of us pay happily pay for streaming music and video on demand, and many of us pay for online news and journalism, most of us won't pay for standalone podcasts or access to podcast platforms?

I have been exploring this with some people over the past few weeks and the responses have been really interesting, ranging from "subscription overload", perceived value ("podcasts feel like an extension of radio, and that's a medium we've never paid for"), to the utility of many of the podcasts platforms and apps.

To be clear, this isn't a personal statement on the value of podcasts. As many of you know, I value the medium above most other media these days. Some of the most important journalism and storytelling is in audio. Some of my favourite voices these days aren't in television, radio or print, but podcasts. However, I can think of only a handful that I would pay for. My question of "why?" is genuine...I can't explain it, even for myself.

Thanks to Mo Yusuf, Todd Konrad, Lisa Rochelle Entwisle, Monique Kawecki, Dan Fahy, Max Brearley, and Sarah Baker-White, for joining the conversation.

If you've got your own thoughts, do drop them in the comments section below.?

Who I've Been Following

After David Brooks' opinion piece, The Greatest Life Hacks in the World (for Now), in the New York Times, I've been immersing myself in the thoughts and musing of writer and thinker?Kevin Kelly, who on the occasion of his 68th, 69th and 70th birthdays, shared his life learnings on his Technium blog. From "never pass up an opportunity to hang out with musicians" to "the thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult" and "you can eat any dessert you want if you take only 3 bites", they're a joy to read. Some of my favourites are here. Take a look...you won't be disappointed.

That's it for this week.

Keep me posted and enjoy your weekend wherever in the world this dispatch finds you.

Ben