Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Podcasting, small business optimism and the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year

In today’s newsletter, I discuss a new entrant in podcasting, small business optimism and the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

MEDIA: New Podcast App

The brutally competitive world of podcasting looks like it will soon have a very high profile entrant.

Billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and an investor in a number of other companies, reportedly is a co-founder in a new app that has a bit of a twist to its service.

Cuban’s app, called Fireside, will reportedly allow individual podcasters to speak directly to listeners and to interact with that live audience.

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The service is a combination of two hot areas in the broader media industry — podcasting and direct-to-consumer.

A number of companies — notably Spotify and SiriusXM — have made major purchases in podcasting in the past year or two.

Meanwhile, direct-to-consumer monetization is growing dramatically, notably among video streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.

Cuban’s new offering could potentially shake up both the podcasting business and create a different way to monetize using the direct-to-consumer approach.

MONEY: Small Business Optimism

Optimism among the nation’s small businesses fell sharply in January, according to the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index that was released earlier today.

According to that index, optimism in January fell to 95.0 from 95.9 in December and landed well below 98, the historical average of the index.

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Importantly, among those businesses surveyed, the outlook for the short term does not appear rosy as a measure of expectations for the next six months hit its lowest mark in more than seven years.

Small business, which has struggled mightily during the course of the pandemic, is an engine of job creation and economic growth in the United States.

If small businesses continue to struggle during the pandemic and if no meaningful fiscal stimulus ultimately reaches these companies, the US economic recovery will sputter.

SPORTS: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

As the world focused on the Super Bowl and quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors Saturday in convincing fashion.

Herbert received 41 of 50 votes following his breakout year where he set the rookie record for most touchdown passes in a season and averaged the most yards passing per game in history for any rookie.

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Additionally, Herbert helped lead the Chargers to a strong second half of the season as he gained more experience — the Chargers won their last four games of the year.

Herbert plays in the same division — the AFC West — as Mahomes, the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs who’s considered the best player at his position in the league.

As such, we can look forward to two games a season between Herbert and Mahomes for many years, which means we are probably at the beginning of a long and entertaining rivalry between these two.

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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)