Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Netflix strength, travel stats and college quarterbacks

I discuss Netflix, travel statistics and college quarterbacks in today’s newsletter.

MEDIA: Netflix Strength

Netflix, the leading video streaming service in the United States, is showing again that its deep slate of original productions is appealing to viewers.

When I checked Netflix earlier today, I noticed that all of the top ten most popular movies or television shows overall in the United States were Netflix originals.

That’s a pretty significant development, and it attests to the popularity of the streaming service’s homegrown content.

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As some Hollywood studios struggle with how best to distribute movies to theaters because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s a different story at Netflix where it’s pretty much business as usual.

In fact, the company said this week that it would increase its subscription price by either $1 or $2 per month depending on the subscription plan.

That’s a real show of strength and confidence by Netflix.

MONEY: Travel Stats

There’s more evidence that, while travel in the United States has picked up recently, it is nowhere near its pre-pandemic levels.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that more than 618,000 travelers passed through its checkpoints yesterday — that’s about 34% of the volume compared to the same weekday a year ago.

Just two weeks ago on October 18, the TSA said that more than one million passengers went through its checkpoints, which is the first time the passenger count has topped the one million level since the middle of March.

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The travel industry, as we all know, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, although the industry has begun a fitful recovery in the past couple of months.

However, now that coronavirus cases are again hitting record levels around the country, travel restrictions could resume and consumers could again curtail much of their travel plans.

That most likely means a weak holiday travel season, which will place yet another drag on the travel industry’s performance and on the overall US economic recovery.

SPORTS: College Quarterbacks

If you follow college football, you likely heard a lot this weekend about the top two quarterbacks in the country — Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.

Lawrence missed Clemson’s game this weekend after testing positive for coronavirus — he will also miss next week’s contest against Notre Dame — while Fields enjoyed his second straight stellar performance in Ohio State’s 38-25 victory over Penn State last night.

Lawrence and Fields are widely considered the two best quarterback prospects of the 2021 draft class, but it’s a lesser known player, Trey Lance, from a less followed football program, North Dakota State, who is also generating a significant amount of interest.

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Lance declared for the 2021 NFL draft in October, and many experts consider him the draft's third best quarterback prospect behind Lawrence and Fields.

Lance led North Dakota State last year to an unbeaten season and a national championship in its college football division. In the 16 games of that 2019 season, he threw for 28 touchdowns without an interception.

Lance will be one of the most coveted players in next year’s draft, and I expect a number of NFL teams will look to make trades so they can be in a stronger position to draft him.

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Jeremy Pink is 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. Jeremy currently serves as an advisor to companies in media and financial tech.

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)