Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Fox buys TMZ, a holiday retail sales forecast and the AFC and NFC West divisions
In today’s newsletter, I discuss the Fox acquisition of TMZ, a holiday retail sales forecast and the AFC and NFC West divisions.
MEDIA: Fox Buys TMZ
The deal helps move Fox further into digital media content, and it also allows AT&T, parent of WarnerMedia, to divest an asset that’s probably not key to its overall media business portfolio.
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The deal is another example of the massive change and consolidation that’s happening across all of media these days.
While the Fox-TMZ deal itself is small, it also signifies that strong brands with defined audiences — particularly those in digital media — currently are attractive acquisition targets.
MONEY: Holiday Retail Sales Forecast
Deloitte, the global consulting and tax advisory firm, forecasts a strong holiday shopping season this year.
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That forecast is an encouraging sign for the overall economy as retail sales are a major engine of economic growth in this country.
Additionally, the Deloitte forecast indicates that the holiday sales should fare well this year despite the potential lingering, negative impact of the pandemic.
Finally, the forecast also shows the enduring strength of e-commerce sales, which grew sharply during the height of the pandemic and which show no signs of slowing.
SPORTS: AFC and NFC West Divisions
With the Las Vegas victory over Baltimore last night in the final game of the first week of the NFL regular season, every team in the AFC West — Las Vegas, Denver, Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers — won its opening game of the year.
If week one is any indication, that means that the strength of the NFL clearly is in the western part of country this year.
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Interestingly, as both the AFC and the NFC each has three wildcard berths in this year’s playoffs, it’s entirely possible that every team in one of these two divisions could make the postseason.
I don’t think that’s a far-fetched scenario, particularly for the NFC West — all four teams could easily earn wild card berths this year.
In any case, look for Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams to vie for the NFC West title and for the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West this year — all three of these teams, though, definitely will make the postseason one way or another.
Jeremy Pink is currently COO of Geniecast, a leading virtual content and experience company. 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)