I was called a pamplemousse last week. It’s French for grapefruit. I took it as a compliment. Some links to consider:
There’s been a lot of talk of Apple’s plans to “revolutionize” TV, but without access to content, that’s a near impossibility. The problem is most TV content is owned by a small group of companies that have little incentive to change what they’re already doing, because although the user interface experience is poor, it monetizes just fine. (Fortune)
FourSquare now has 135 employees, but revenue for the company remains elusive and its actual active user base is relatively small. So what exactly do 135 people do all day? The company’s VP of engineering, Harry Heymann, felt it necessary to explain. (Business Insider)
Hulu was designed as a catch-up service for U.S. content, but it’s picking up more and more high-quality content from places like the U.K., Canada and Israel. That’s a smart strategy and could help it package some compelling niche audiences for advertisers. (Slate)
Comparisons between Facebook’s ad products and Google’s AdWords are made frequently, but the fact remains that they are, and always will be, very different beasts. Searches on Google are inherently intent-focused and, therefore, easy to monetize, while searches on Facebook are not. Comparisons abound but, even the sponsored results search ads the social network launched last week really aren’t much like AdWords at all. (SearchEngineLand)
Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from Jay-Z, according to Jason Hirschhorn. Most notably, how to confront critics and piss off Noel Gallagher. (Hypebot)
More in Media
Publishers revamp their newsletter offerings to engage audiences amid threat of AI and declining referral traffic
Publishers like Axios, Eater, the Guardian, theSkimm and Snopes are either growing or revamping their newsletter offerings to engage audiences as a wave of generative AI advancements increases the need for original content and referral traffic declines push publishers to find alternative ways to reach readers.
The Guardian US is starting its pursuit of political ad dollars
The Guardian US is entering the race for political ad dollars.
How much is Possible’s future in Michael Kassan’s hands?
Some people in the know at Possible said they see the conference taking a bite out of Cannes’ attendance, most acutely by U.S.-based marketers who could save money by staying on this side of the Atlantic.