Weekly Recap: Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Top takeaways from this week's newsletter plus my NFL pick of the week

Here are the top takeaways from the this week’s newsletter plus I give my NFL pick of the week.

MEDIA

• HBO and HBO Max subscribers grew nicely outside of the US market last quarter, suggesting that the global market remains strong for these two video services.

• New research shows that more than 71% of all television households in the United States have some type of pay television service, but only 64% of tv households of those age 18 to 44 have such a service.

• Ad revenue at YouTube rose 43% to $7.2 billion last quarter compared to the third quarter a year ago, the latest piece of evidence that consumers are embracing digital video at a breakneck pace.

MONEY

• Working from home, a trend that began at the onset of the pandemic, looks like it will continue for the foreseeable future.

• Confidence among the nation’s consumers increased this month, which is an encouraging sign for the health of the overall economy.

• Home prices rose 19.8% on an annual basis in August, but the rate of that increase could slow in the coming months, which, in turn, could lead to a cooling of the red-hot US housing market.

SPORTS

• Here’s why the epicenter for high quality football — both college and professional — just might be Cincinnati these days.

• The Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by elite quarterbacks Josh Allen and Tom Brady, respectively, are currently the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, which underscores the importance of the quarterback position in the NFL.

• Though the NBA began its regular season only last week, the Golden State Warriors already have emerged as a surprisingly strong team — and the Warriors look like they will get even better as the season progresses.

NFL Pick of the Week

Jacksonville Jaguars (+3.5) at Seattle Seahawks

Jacksonville will enter this game after a bye week with some positive momentum as the Jags won their first game of the season two weeks ago in London against Miami.

Notably, Jacksonville’s rookie quarterback and the overall top pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence, is now playing really well after a slow start to the season.

As for Seattle, the Seahawks are currently on a three-game losing streak, and they will play against the Jaguars without star quarterback Russell Wilson who is injured.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Seattle has one of the weaker defenses in the league.

As such, I expect the the Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence will have a terrific day while the Seattle offense will struggle to score without Wilson playing.

So, I am taking the points with the Jaguars, and I am also picking Jacksonville to win the game outright.

NFL Pick of the Week Record

Outright: 5-2

Against the Spread: 5-2

---

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)