Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Video streaming deal, housing market predictions and the College Football Playoff
In today’s newsletter, I discuss an important video streaming deal, some predictions about the housing market in 2021 and the College Football Playoff.
MEDIA: Video Streaming Deal
Roku, which provides hardware for consumers to access video streaming services, will now carry HBO Max, the video streaming service from WarnerMedia.
It had been a contentious negotiation between Roku and HBO Max, reminiscent of some battles waged in the past between cable television networks and cable and satellite distribution companies.
Pink's Bottom LineAll of that said, it is a very positive development for HBO Max as it now has potential to reach far more customers with its new video streaming service than it had been able to reach in the past.
Roku, for its part, gets a top video streamer that it can now make available to those who use its service.
Importantly, the tough negotiations and the ultimate deal between Roku and HBO Max also show the rapid maturation of the video streaming industry.
It also indicates that top distributors and content providers truly have emerged in the past few years.
MONEY: Housing Market Predictions
Redfin, a digital real estate company, says it expects the nation’s housing market to remain robust in 2021, according to a new report from the firm.
That report lists Redfin’s top ten predictions for the housing market next year including two prognostications that are particularly notable.
First, it predicts that more Americans will relocate in 2021 than in any one year since 2004.
Second, that Redfin report predicts that most home buyers will make their purchase without ever stepping foot into the home to view it, embracing a video tour instead.
Pink's Bottom LineThe greater pace of relocation and the accepted use of video tours both are likely outgrowths of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many people have decided to relocate to less dense and less costly locales as more are now working from home and can live in a more diverse range of locations.
Video tours rapidly became acceptable as a means to view a home as it was often the only way for a prospective buyer to see a house during the height of the pandemic.
These two trends — increased relocation and widespread use of video tours — are probably durable ones that will shape the nation’s housing market for the foreseeable future.
SPORTS: College Football Playoff
We’ll know on Sunday the four teams that will make it to this year’s College Football Playoff, and one game on Saturday — Clemson vs. Notre Dame — will be pivotal to determining just who makes it.
Clemson, ranked third in the country, and Notre Dame, ranked second, play for the ACC Championship. Notre Dame is 10-0 this year while Clemson is 9-1.
Clemson’s only loss this year came at the hands of Notre Dame — 47-40 in overtime — and the Tigers played without their star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.
Pink's Bottom LineAssuming Alabama, the top team in the country, and Ohio State, ranked fourth, both win their respective games this weekend, those teams should claim two of the four College Football Playoff spots.
Here’s where it gets interesting. If Clemson beats Notre Dame this weekend, each team will have one loss, and I suspect both will make the Playoff.
However, if Clemson loses, that means the Tigers will have two losses — both to Notre Dame — and another team, like fifth-ranked Texas A&M, could sneak in to the Playoff.
While no two-loss has ever made the College Football Playoff, I still suspect that Clemson will make it even if the Tigers lose to Notre Dame again this weekend.
Whatever does happen, though, Alabama will still win the national title.
Jeremy Pink is COO of Geniecast, a leading virtual content and experience company. He is also currently an advisor to companies in media and financial tech. Jeremy 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. Jeremy 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)