Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Most watched programming on Netflix, Best Buy earnings and the College Football Playoff

In today’s newsletter, I discuss the most watched programming on Netflix, Best Buy earnings and the College Football Playoff.

MEDIA: Most Watched Programming on Netflix

Arcane, an adult science fiction animation series, ranked as the most watched English language television program in the world on Netflix last week with more than 38 million hours viewed.

Meanwhile, Hellbound, a Korean drama series, topped the list of the most watched non-English language television program in the world on Netflix last week with more than 43 million hours viewed.

Pink's Bottom Line

Hellbound is following in the footsteps of the runaway success of Squid Game, another Korean drama series, on Netflix this year.

The success of both of these series shows that the quality of programming — regardless of language — matters most in its appeal to a global audience.

For example, in the United States this week, Hellbound ranked as the ninth most watched television program — look for that series to jump to the top spot in the United States in the next week or two.

MONEY: Best Buy Earnings

The stock price of Best Buy, the large electronics retailer, fell sharply today following the release of its quarterly earnings report.

While Best Buy reported that revenues increased last quarter, gross margins shrank, which likely was one reason for the decline in the company’s stock price today.

Pink's Bottom Line

Additionally, the company said that it expects comparable sales for next quarter to land somewhere between a decline of 2% and an increase of 1%.

Best Buy is a bellwether retailer in the United States so if it expects essentially flat sales next quarter, that could indicate a muted holiday shopping season.

SPORTS: College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings were released tonight, and for the first time, a team from a Group of Five conference, Cincinnati, was ranked in the top four in the country.

Georgia topped the rankings, followed by Ohio State and Alabama — all three are traditional football powers from top conferences. Cincinnati was fourth.

Pink's Bottom Line

The top four teams will play for the national championship, but it’s hardly certain that Alabama or Ohio State will make it to the final four because each has tough regular season games still to play.

Cincinnati, though, looks like it’s in a great position to make the CFP as it should win its final two regular season games.

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Jeremy Pink is currently an advisor to media and fintech companies around the world. He is the former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he helped lead the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC television executive in New York, London and Singapore.

The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.

(Newsletter Editor: Karina Pink)