jason hirschhorn's @MediaREDEF: 08/02/2019 - Robocalls, Streaming Wars and Netflix Debt, Sleep Biz, Invention of Money, CIA Spies and Gadgets, Olympian Molester...

Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.
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Explore life at "Shangri-La" with the one-of-a-kind music legend Rick Rubin. I don't have idols, but I'd love to meet him. He's brought me much happiness. REDEF is named after DEF JAM. On Showtime now...
(Showtime)
Friday - August 02, 2019 Fri - 08/02/19
rantnrave:// I'm pissed. F***ing robocalls. I now get close to 40 calls per day on my mobile and house lines. It's a scourge. It is now affecting my day. My nerves. The phone companies should be ashamed of themselves and proverbially beaten. Whatever marketers have sold away our numbers should be tarred and feathered. Legislation? So we hear. Apps? Yeah, I used them. it still rings once. Nothing is working. Hacks? Scams? Well, when one-third of the calls are in MANDARIN CHINESE, it makes one think given I sadly don't speak the language. Sadder given their future dominant hegemonic status. It's crisis time. I'm staying on this one... Can you believe we're in the third decade of streaming video? Time flies and it looks like the pace is only going to pick-up because let's be frank, the media companies were minimum 10 years late. To help break this down, MATT BALL presents his overview "The Streaming Wars: Its Models, Surprises, And Remaining Opportunities," in which he argues: no one ever went after Netflix; that HULU, AMAZON, APPLE, AT&T, and DISNEY+ all have the same business model; what each player needs to do to win; that most new services are now focused on "creating problems so that their services can then solve them"; and why Big Media's biggest mistake wasn't ignoring consumer wants but incorrectly believing they had one "deal cycle" left in Pay-1 movies, sports rights, and pay-TV distribution. In short, not a thing has played out the way we expected it to in streaming video. Read up for why... We're run by a government 20-30 years behind its citizens and commerce... You've by now read it everywhere. The new death march. NETFLIX had a bad quarter - "bad" mostly meaning it lost 0.16% of US subscribers. Most of these subs will be back. And the service still has tens of millions more monthly subscribers than any other digital service, audio, video, text, gaming. You name it. The US and abroad. Their competitors, new and old, are talented. And they've learned from its success and their own mistakes. But Netflix has a huge head start. Everyone else is starting from zero. And like all of us - they'll have their own stumbles, their misses. Despite its recent troubles and miss, don't think Netflix isn't the envy of every traditional media company. Still, doubts remain. They have a lot of debt! They keep burning cash! Their content obligations keep growing! And without enough growth (I'm ready for analysts to suggest Netflix becomes polygamist so they can have more children that add to the population and thus subscribers. Yeah, the comments are often nutty fiction), what happens? What if a recession hits? All valid concerns. Real concerns. But while Netflix needs to keep minding its store, these risks are overblown. Recession would make them stronger. It's cash losses are misunderstood. Its debt isn't a threat until 2027, and its obligations easy to make. The real story, as we get into in Part 8 of our awesome "Netflix Misunderstandings" series: "Netflix Won't Be Felled By Recession, Bond Markets, Debt Or Cash Losses," is not just how it can survive its financial trappings, but how it wielded a financial advantage it didn't have, against competitors that had one and never used it. Netflix might be bruised today, but never underestimate the scrappy... LIL NAS X falls in love with a banjo. KERMIT THE FROG takes over for JIM HENSON in the vocal booth. ALESSIA CARA works out her insecurities, guitar in hand. And more stories from the other side of the microphone. MusicREDEF's MATTY KARAS explores in MusicSET: "Behind the Song, Vol. 11"... Friends doing well: JENNIFER MORRISON delivers stellar work directing the first season of HBO's EUPHORIA. A visually stunning show with some tough, tough subject matter... DR. JENNIFER JOHNSTON-JONES and her book TRANSFORMATIONAL PARENTING... SCOTT MACARTHUR comedically murders it in HBO's THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES... LAWRENCE LONGO and OFF THE MENU delivered a delicious and successful WINGFEST in LA... It was early 2018 when I realized that I don't know everything... Happy Birthday to JAMES PITARO (one of my fav humans who I never see), STAN CHUDNOVSKY, ALEX ISKOLD, MAYA BARATZ JORDAN, and JOSEPH LAFALCE.
- Jason Hirschhorn, curator
these are the day of miracle and wonder
REDEF
MUST READ: The Streaming Wars: Its Models, Surprises, and Remaining Opportunities
by Matthew Ball
Three decades in and a lot of bucks spent, OTT competition has clarified. Though not in ways that were expected.
REDEF
MUST READ: Netflix Won't Be Felled by Recession, Bond Markets, Debt or Cash Losses (Netflix Misunderstandings, Pt. 8)
by Matthew Ball
The most enduring argument for Netflix's eventual fall isn't about content rights or competition, but of balance sheets and downturns. And it was valid. Was.
British GQ
The business of sleep
by Stuart McGurk
On a Wednesday afternoon, in a darkened room on the ground floor of the vast PricewaterhouseCoopers building on the bank of the Thames, sleep expert Dr Guy Meadows took to the stage and set about giving the crowd nightmares. He started, in fairness, with a joke.
The New Yorker
The Invention of Money
by John Lanchester
In three centuries, the heresies of two bankers became the basis of our modern economy.
CAFE
CIA Spies & Gadgets (with Michael Morell)
by Preet Bharara and Michael Morell
On this 8/1/19 episode of Stay Tuned, Preet answers your questions about: How the El Chapo case ended up with the federal prosecutors in Brooklyn The limits, if any, on indicting a sitting President Why grand jury materials are kept secret The role of congressional staffers during hearings John Ratcliffe's qualifications for the role of Director of National Intelligence Michael Morell, a 33-year veteran of the CIA who served as the agency's Deputy Director and twice as its Acting Director,...
The Washington Post
How music took down Puerto Rico's governor
by Verónica Dávila and Marisol LeBrón
Underground music overcame censors to gain popularity and political power.
ESPN
44 years. 41 Allegations. How the past caught up to a former Olympian
by Mike Kessler and Mark Fainaru-Wada
A 13-month reporting effort by Outside the Lines uncovered 41 allegations of molestation against Conrad Mainwaring, a 1976 Olympian and former coach for a two-time gold medalist.
The Verge
New legislation is putting social networks in the crosshairs
by Casey Newton
Republicans and Democrats have ideas for regulating big tech platforms -- and their bills are now moving through Congress.
The Outline
It's time to get rid of the lottery
by Leah Muncy
States should not rely on a scam to fund much-needed services.
The Ezra Klein Show
Is big tech addictive? Nir Eyal and I debate
by Ezra Klein and Nir Eyal
"How do successful companies create products people can't put down?" That's the opening line of the description for Nir Eyal's bestselling 2014 book "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products." "Hooked" became a staple in Silicon Valley circles -- it was even recommended to me when I started Vox -- and Eyal became a celebrity.
this is the long distance call
Benedict Evans
Netflix and software
by Benedict Evans
Way back in 1992, just as the 'Internet' was starting to sound interesting, a company in the UK used technology to disrupt television.
The New Yorker
How the Cover Song Conquered Movie Trailers
by Alex Pappademas
The production of custom-tailored, trailer-ready, high-drama cover songs has become a cottage industry.
Fast Company
The department store of the future is using actors to sell you stuff
by Katharine Schwab
Showfields, an 'experiential' store in New York, is running a theatrical performance similar to 'Sleep No More'--but for selling you things.
strategy+business
China's herd of unicorns
by Jianbin Gao and Yuqing Guo
About 200 Chinese startups have valuations of $1 billion or more, and many are preparing to go global.
Poynter
The scary trend of internet shutdowns
by Daniela Flamini
In July of 2016, the young militant commander Burhan Wani was shot dead by government forces in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Wani belonged to the separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, a pro-Pakistani militant organization that has been designated a terrorist group by India, the United States and the European Union.
Vox
Could just-add-water products save us?
by Alden Wicker
From mouthwash to kitchen cleaner, environmentally friendly dehydrated products are coming to your home.
JSTOR Daily
The Man Who Tried to Claim the Grand Canyon
by Adam M. Sowards
Ralph H. Cameron staked mining claims around the Grand Canyon, seeking to privatize it. When the federal government fought back, he ran for Senate.
BuzzFeed News
A History Of Women In Quentin Tarantino Movies
by Alison Willmore
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has reignited discussion about how Tarantino depicts women. Until he's willing to talk about it, his characters will have to speak for themselves.
VICE
Americans Are Making Phone Farms to Scam Free Money From Advertisers
by Joseph Cox
Ordinary Americans are using armies of phones to generate cash to buy food, diapers, and beer through ad fraud.
The New York Times
What America Gets Wrong About Tracy Flick
by A.O. Scott
In "Election," she's preyed upon by a teacher and almost cheated out of her rightful victory. But somehow she's the villain.
Foreign Policy
How China Lost Hong Kong
by Antony Dapiran
Compromise or crackdown are the only options left for Beijing.
POLITICO
The print reader in chief: Inside Trump's retro media diet
by Daniel Lippman
His newspaper habit is a tool for the president to reward allies and punish foes -- and a weapon for those trying to influence him.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) [Pomo Remix]"
Daryl Hall & John Oates
a remix that's at home in Ibiza.
"REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'"
@JasonHirschhorn


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