Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Box office blockbuster, holiday spending and NFL point differentials
In today’s newsletter, I discuss a box office blockbuster, holiday spending and NFL point differentials.
MEDIA: Box Office Blockbuster
Spider-Man: No Way Home — in only its second week of release — became the first movie since the pandemic began to earn more than $1 billion worldwide at the box office.
Notably, the movie enjoyed that box office bonanza despite the growing spread of the Omicron variant around the world.
Pink's Bottom Line
The success of Spider-Man: No Way Home movie highlights two key reasons why movies perform well at the box office these days.
First, most successful movies are part of a sustained franchise — like Spider-Man or the Avengers, for example.
Second, movies that resonate well via social media tend to appeal to a young demographic, which is a large moviegoing demographic.
MONEY: Holiday Spending
Despite the backdrop of both a pandemic and rising inflation, consumers spent more this holiday season than they did last year.
Pink's Bottom Line
Additionally, e-commerce in particular sales grew sharply, up 11% in 2021 compared to 2020.
In fact, e-commerce sales accounted for 20.9% of total holiday season spending this year — that’s a slight increase from 2020 when online sales accounted for 20.6% of total spending but up dramatically compared to 2019 when e-commerce sales made up just 14.6% of total spending.
As such, it suggests that consumer are migration to online spending for the holidays is a trend that looks likely to endure.
SPORTS: NFL Point Differentials
For many NFL experts, the most likely Super Bowl matchup this year would probably be the Kansas City Chiefs against the Green Bay Packers.
Pink's Bottom Line
Both the Bills and the Cowboys had impressive victories Sunday — the Bills beat the New England Patriots 33-21, and the Cowboys blasted the Washington Football Team 56-14.
While the Chiefs and the Packers certainly deserve to be Super Bowl favorites, teams with the best point differentials often do well in the playoffs.
As such, it’s worth watching both the Bills and the Cowboys closely this postseason — each team has the talent to make a run to the Super Bowl.
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)