What you need to know in advertising today
The way CEO Randall Stephenson describes the competitive environment in the pay-TV sector, one might think his company, the world's largest telecommunications company, is an underdog.
On stage at the Code Conference at Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. on Wednesday, Stephenson bemoaned the massive forces lined up against his company - as well as against Comcast, and Verizon- as omnipotent internet players move into their turf.
To read more about what Stephenson said, click here.
In other news:
MARY MEEKER'S TECH STATE OF THE UNION: Everything happening on the internet in 2018. The report, now in its 23rd year, compiles and crunches data from a wide range of sources to provide insights into the biggest trends in digital.
Facebook's CTO made one tiny remark that's sure to fire up the advertising industry. Mike Schroepfer played down the prospect of regulation by calling its ad business "very small."
A Los Angeles startup is trying to convince Hollywood that artificial intelligence is better than networks and studios at picking hit shows. Fresno Unlimited says its proprietary tech can also be used to distribute these shows directly to audiences who are most likely to watch.
A new insight about Hulu shows how Netflix has helped drive a market for ad-free TV. 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch said about half of Hulu's subscribers pay $4 extra to eliminate ads from the service, though a Hulu source later said it is actually under 40%.
Amazon has given Whole Foods employees blue Prime outfits to wear as discounts roll out to stores across the country. They come with an apparent new slogan for the Prime discounts: "Savings to smile about."