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Nav Now Covers All Four Major Business Credit Bureaus with New Creditsafe Partnership
Nav, a leading platform helping businesses build better financial health and access funding, today announced a partnership with Creditsafe, a global leader in business credit and data risk intelligence focused on net payment terms. The integration brings Creditsafe Risk Scores and reports directly into the Nav platform, giving business owners a more complete view of their standing across major business credit bureaus including Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), Experian, and Equifax, before they ever apply
Confido Health nabs $12.5M to scale agentic AI across PE-backed medical groups
Confido Health is expanding beyond AI voice agents to build out an agentic AI operating system that can execute administrative workflows across a medical practice. | The company secured a $12.5 million series A extension following its $10 million series A round announced in September to continue scaling an AI platform for end-to-end healthcare operations.
Are Bank Lobbies Still Relevant?
Local banking leaders say technology is changing the way customers use their banks — and their lobbies By Deborah Jeanne Post [caption id=attachment_11109 align=alignright width=300] Steve Gorczynski is M&T Bank Central New York regional president.[/caption] When was the last time you entered the lobby of your bank? If it’s been a while, you’re part of a trend of eschewing the lobby in favor of ATMs, drive-thrus, online banking and remote deposit. A 2025 study performed by the American Bankers Association revealed that only 9% of consumers use bank branches as their preferred way to do banking and 76% prefer mobile banking. The trend away from the lobby reflects consumer behavior in other areas of doing business, including online shopping instead of perusing the mall, ordering fast food at a kiosk, not at the counter and selecting curbside pick-up rather than walking into the restaurant. Consumers want convenience and going in the lobby adds another layer to the task. It also places consumers face to face with one or more representatives of the business, something less favorable to people feeling burned out from interpersonal interactions. Nixing or at least minimizing the size of the lobby isn’t necessarily negative for banks. Fewer people passing through their doors reduces overhead for building maintenance, staffing and furnishing. Greater reliance on virtual banking can mean closing brick and mortar locations and hiring fewer staffers to cover roles like teller and lending officer. “Our focus is on meeting customers where they are and giving them flexibility in how they bank,” said Steve Gorczynski, M&T Bank Central New York regional president. “While many everyday transactions can be supported digitally and through ATMs, branches remain important for more complex financial needs, offering face-to-face guidance and a more personal banking experience.” Talking with a commercial lender or working on a home mortgage are two examples where meeting face-to-face is more desirable for many people. They can receive immediate feedback to questions and can possibly reach their goals more quickly. But there’s little need to have a large seating area, long counters and numerous tellers for routine banking that’s quicker to handle virtually. Online banking can also help people on the go more readily complete banking tasks such as depositing checks, transferring funds among accounts and checking balances. [caption id=attachment_11135 align=alignright width=300] Tina M. Stephens is the vice president branch administration for Fulton Savings Bank.[/caption] “The traditional bank lobby is certainly being evaluated by most institutions today, as the typical large, open and cavernous spaces do not necessarily meet the needs of today’s customers,” said Tina M. Stephens, vice president branch administration for Fulton Savings Bank. “Traditional lobbies often bisect traditional teller stations and customer service areas, which adds confusion, especially for the demographic who routinely use online banking and only access the lobby for customer service needs.” Despite the rollback in physical locations across the industry, Fulton Savings Bank began modernizing its six branch offices in Oswego and Onondaga counties about three years ago and have finished four offices so far in Baldwinsville, Fulton, Constantia, and Phoenix. “We made the decision to build a new branch across the street from our current office in Brewerton which will be completed by the end of 2026, and we will begin the retrofit of our Central Square office in early 2027,” Stephens said. “Our efforts specifically address where we think customers will be in the next three to five years and have greater flexibility to make changes out into the future.” The bank may be onto something, as numerous reports state that screen-weary Gen Z young adults crave more in-person interactions than virtual ones. If the pendulum continues to swing in that direction, it’s hard to see all physical bank areas disappear, even if they change somewhat. Fulton Savings Bank has also consolidated its teller and customer service representative areas to larger “universal banker” areas, where the bank representative can address all customer retail needs. A one-stop-shop experience appeals to busy banking customers who want to perform a few different banking tasks in one visit. Stephens also said that Fulton Savings Bank made additional technology and security enhancements and created flex spaces to accommodate bank meetings throughout the two-county branch footprint. At Solvay Bank, Elizabeth Lavier, vice president marketing and communications manager, lauded digital and online services as convenient and flexible for managing finances; however, “technology is not meant to replace what matters most: the relationships behind every account that have always been at the heart of community banking,” she said. “Even in today’s digital-first world, people of all ages still value the opportunity to sit down with a trusted banker for personalized guidance. We understand that some of life’s biggest moments call for more than a screen.” Lavier views digital banking as another way for the organization to serve customers rather than a replacement for branches, tellers and lenders, which tend to serve customers better for transactions like buying a first car, purchasing a home, saving for a child’s education, or planning for retirement. “Those conversations, built on understanding, experience and personal guidance, are what community banking is all about,” Lavier said. “At the end of the day, banking is about more than transactions. It’s about helping our customers achieve their goals and being there for them every step of the way. By combining the convenience of digital banking with the care, commitment, and personal service of a local community bank, Solvay Bank offers customers the best of both worlds.” Are Paper Checks Destined to Disappear? With the ubiquity of debit cards, online payments, virtual checks and peer-to-peer payment platforms like Venmo, Zelle and PayPal, will paper checks become passe? “In my view, paper checks are unlikely to disappear in the near future,” said Tina M. Stephens, vice president branch administration for Fulton Savings Bank. “They continue to serve a practical purpose by providing a clear paper trail and tangible proof of payment.” According to the American Banker, a leading trade publication that covers the banking and financial industry, in 2024, checks accounted for 65% of all payment fraud losses. Paper checks should be phased out, according to the publication. “The phrase, ‘The check’s in the mail’ probably sounds strange to younger people because the era of paper checks is rapidly drawing to a close. Put bluntly, checks are an expensive, insecure legacy that is a drag on the U.S. economy. Rather than wait for them to vanish slowly, the pragmatic choice is to strategically accelerate the transition to paperless payments.”
Fairphone’s latest repairable earbuds are smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting
You can swap the buds’ batteries without a single tool.
Netflix to broadcast 2030 World Cup in Spain and Andorra
Netflix has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Andorra, marking the streaming giant’s first coverage of the men’s tournament.The platform will show all 104 match...
Why we need to rethink what causes depression
Depression is more complicated than you might think and requires a more nuanced approach.
Xbox CEO reportedly warns firm will "not survive" if it only relies on existing franchises
Platform needs to "find new ways, and courage, to have invention on new IP that reach new sets of audiences"
John Healey ‘targets tax crackdown on online marketplaces’ in first budget
Firms such as Amazon and eBay would be responsible for collecting tax owed by retailers selling on their platforms
AFP.com
Reply[EXM, STAR: REY] introduces Symbiosis , anAI-driven operating modeldesigned for enterprises integrating generative AI and agentic systems into their operating processes. Supported by adedicated platform, Symbiosisconnects strategy, portfolio management and execution, helping organisations align priorities...
Lando Norris makes big business move with investment in £500m hospitality company
The reigning Formula 1 champion has joined a £20million funding round for British hospitality platform Seat Unique
AAPS names Patrick Sinko chief science officer
The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) has named Patrick J. Sinko, Ph.D., R.Ph., as chief science officer. Sinko will set the organization’s scientific strategy, guide scientific programming across in-person and digital platforms, and guide the direction of AAPS’s portfolio of peer-reviewed journals. Sinko, a pharmacist and pharmaceutical scientist, retains his academic appointment at Rutgers,…
It looks like Apple Music is getting a new icon
This new Apple Music app looks like sheet music.
Behavioral Health Compliance Platform Brellium Raises $23M to Expand AI Auditing
Brellium, a healthcare billing compliance software provider serving mental health and autism providers, has raised $23 million. The investment
When 1 + 1 = 1: The Miserable Math Behind Many Media Mergers
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) The last few issues of this newsletter have circled two topics: September’s streaming viewership and all the Paramount/Skydance/Warner Bros./Discovery merger news. I’m happy to say on the Streaming Ratings Report front, we’ll be all caught up by early next week, then the SRR will come out on a tight weekly schedule. Then, after today, I’ll have slayed my PSWbD dragon. It’s such a big story, it demanded multiple issues. With the announcement of a name (just Skydance) and executive team, though, I think we can almost close the book on this story. In terms of topics, it becomes just another studio to cover. So today, I have one last set of takes on that merger. As I’ve sat with it, reading about who was staying and who was going, a big worry crystallized in my brain, and I gotta get that take out. Plus, I still owe you a host of “ugliness” that didn’t fit in my previous “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” takes. Let’s dive in! Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - As Paramount Shuffles Deck Chairs, Will They Build or Consolidate? On social media—I try to avoid most social media platforms, but sometimes I end up checking in—the best joke I saw about the announcement of the new name of Skydance was from fellow reporter Claire Atkinson who pointed out… Yeah, I laughed out loud at that one. Later, though, I saw another Twitter response (that later got deleted, so I can’t shout the person out) that did give me pause. The person noted that the Titanic film made the better analogy: a super expensive project everyone in the town doubted that went on to conquer the globe. So yeah: on one hand, the image of the Titanic recalls the actual ship and its infamous end, but that clip is from a movie which proved the doubters wrong. So for all the skepticism of the latest massive media merger, one could wonder which way this one goes. Does it crash like the Titanic or rise to glory like Titanic, the movie? Either way, this deal is “Titanic”, looking at the massive debt required to close the deal, which is not going well when it comes to borrowing costs for Paramount… …or borrowing costs for Oracle. But I’ve started to get worried about another outcome: the sum of this merger will be smaller and weaker and less profitable than its former parts. In other words, one plus one won’t equal three or two, but an even smaller number. Skydance paid to take a traditional studio off the board, but they won’t really capture the upside. Let me explain what I mean, but first, let’s look at the series of news that inspired this thought. Skydance Sets Its Leadership Team As soon as the Paramount-Skydance-Warner Bros.-Discovery merger closed, the new leadership team announced a new name—Skydance, which I’ll use going forward—and a new executive leadership team. You’ve probably read through all the executive shuffling, but if you haven’t, here’s a quick, incomplete summary, in rough order of importance: Mattel’s CEO Ynon Kreiz—who previously ran Maker Studios—joined as co-CEO with David Ellison. HBO/HBO Max’s Casey Bloys will stay and run streaming. Former head of streaming for Paramount-Skydance Cindy Holland—who was also at Netflix—will depart. The former heads of Warner Bros.—Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca—are out. The film studios will be run by Dana Goldstein and Josh Greenstein. George Cheeks of Paramount will run Skydance TV, controlling all the TV production units. In comic book news, the DC films will still be run by Peter Gunn and Peter Safran. Lastly, the head of CNN, Mark Thompson, will stay in place. Let’s quickly opine on the particulars before diving into the broad ramifications. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Who I like and dislike in their next gigs… Why I think this consolidation will likely leave Skydance worse off… The math behind which mergers succeed and which don’t… A lot more ugliness in this merger… And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Xbox is officially embracing the chaos of AI-powered game ports
Xbox Labs is a new group exploring emerging game technology
I don’t miss the camera on the Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses
For once, I don’t feel like a spy in these.
The Xteink X4 Pro is a great, tiny e-reader, and it’s cheaper than ever
It’s the best Xteink e-reader yet.
Google makes it easier to launch your vibe-coded apps
Google will eventually allow you to share your vibe-coded apps, too.
Terry Crews on Using His Platform to Advocate for Mental Health
Actor and mental health advocate Terry Crews and Project Healthy Minds founder and CEO Phil Schermer, join Saturday TODAY to discuss their flagship event on World Mental Health Day. Crews also shares how he uses his platform to encourage others to get the help they need and reflects on how mental health issues have been destigmatized over the years.
DLSS 5 gets toned down for its Hogwarts Legacy debut next month
DLSS 5 debuts in Hogwarts Legacy and Where Winds Meet next month.
Apple announces the HomePod Mini 2, but it isn’t ready for Siri AI at launch
We waited six years for color LEDs?
The new Apple TV 4K has built-in microphones so you can talk to Siri AI
”Hey Siri, find my remote!“
Apple launches HomeView, its first smart display for the home
Hello, HomeView. What took so long?
Tom Brady driving record numbers for Fox Sports social channels
Tom Brady is proving to be just as much a needle mover at Fox as he was during his playing days. According to Austin Karp at Sports Business Journal, Fox Sports is on pace for its best season ever in NFL content views across social media platforms, and the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has driven…
Manulife Launches Enterprise AI Platform to Scale AI Solutions and Deliver Business Value Across Global Operations
/PRNewswire/ -- Manulife today announced the launch of its proprietary enterprise AI platform, marking a significant milestone in the company's journey to...
Manulife Launches Enterprise AI Platform to Scale AI Solutions and Deliver Business Value Across Global Operations
/PRNewswire/ -- Manulife today announced the launch of its proprietary enterprise AI platform, marking a significant milestone in the company's journey to...
Rhode Island Life Science Hub and Cognito Therapeutics Launch Brain Health Collaboratory to Advance Innovation in Alzheimer's Disease
The Rhode Island Life Science Hub (RILSH) and Cognito Therapeutics today announced the launch of the Rhode Island Brain Health Collaboratory, the third Collaboratory in Cognito's growing national network, following collaborations with the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in 2025 and Ochsner Health in 2026. Together, RILSH and Cognito will partner to establish a first-of-its-kind statewide platform that brings together research, clinical care, industry, and community pa
Tencent Music Entertainment Group to Report Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results on November 17, 2026
Tencent Music Entertainment Group ("TME," or the "Company") (NYSE: TME and HKEX: 1698), the leading all-in-one music and audio entertainment platform in China, today announced that it will report its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2026 before the U.S. market opens on Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
To save democracy, you might want to go to church
The solution to some of American democracy’s biggest problems might be something old and controversial: More religion.
Candidates lay out platforms in 53rd state senate district race
While both candidates have been campaigning hard, both Joseph Griffo and Mandi Drake explained their platforms and what they bring to voters
The House speaker’s wife runs a ministry for Hill staffers. Its funding is a mystery.
Kelly Johnson’s faith-based counseling services are the centerpiece of an organization that does not disclose its donors.
Scientists have detected a strange signal that took 10 billion years to reach Earth. It has come from deep space near the dawn of time | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Discovery of FRB 20240304B, a flash of radio waves from when the Universe was 3 billion years old, the most distant fast radio burst known.
Do you want the NBA and the Suns’ advice on your business idea?
The Suns and the NBA are partnering to help Arizona entrepreneurs.
AMD releases powerful new mini-PC with 160 GB VRAM, 10 GbE and AMD Gorgon Halo
AMD has released a new mini-PC in the US. Arriving in the wake of recent Nvidia RTX Spark announcements, the new AMD Ryzen AI Halo Developer Platform hopes to surpass its predecessor with 192 GB RAM, of which 160 GB can be assigned as VRAM, and the Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 with the new Radeon 8065.
NYC launches website to connect residents with mental health care
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani launches platform to help city adults and teenagers connect with mental health services
Five Iron Golf: Launches Five Iron Lounge, a new licensing platform
BrewDog named inaugural licensing partner, with first Five Iron Lounge planned for Las Vegas
The Social Reckoning is flopping at the box office
Aaron Sorkin isn’t making many friends.
Doug Emhoff Discusses AI and the Entertainment Industry at CSUN Alumni Event
Doug Emhoff spoke to CSUN Alumni about the challenges and opportunities related to new AI platforms.
Firm Advises Oxford Science Enterprises on IP Matters Related Sensible’s $47 Million Financing
On October 6, 2026, Sensible Biotechnologies (Sensible), a biotechnology company developing a first-of-its-kind platform for naturally modified mRNA medicines, announced that it has secured $47…
Natalie Morales Joins Flow Space Women’s Health Summit in Los Angeles
Flow Space, SHE Media’s digital and live media platform dedicated to women’s health, is holding its summit Oct. 15 at Penske Media Corporation’s L.A. headquarters.
Convenience Stores Put Vertical SaaS to a Multi-Business Test
Vertical software as a service has generally benefited from specialization. A restaurant platform can be designed around menus, kitchens, ordering and
Mechanism’s first Switch 2 case is as awesome as I hoped it would be
A lot of smart design choices.
No Man’s Sky is coming to the iPhone and iPad
A decade later, and the No Man’s Sky updates just keep coming.
Latin Businesses and Organization Fighting Against ICE
These small businesses and organizations are using their platforms to support the Latin community as ICE raids continue in the U.S.
The Sixers’ business is booming, thanks in part to LeBron James
The Sixers are wasting little time cashing in on having LeBron James on their roster, at least from a business standpoint.
The OnePlus 16 is the company’s most interesting phone in years
But it’s not launching in the US or Europe.
Flo Health and Google Health Join Forces to Put Women's Health at the Center of Wearable Tracking and Personalized Coaching
/PRNewswire/ -- Flo Health, the #1 women's health platform worldwide, announces today a multi-year strategic partnership with Google Health to create a more...
CMF’s first wireless speakers look like musical milk cartons
CMF’s new speakers are not an excellent source of calcium.
Yes, scientists have captured real images showing black holes and their ferocious power. Here are some of the most spectacular | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Real images showing the locations of black holes, as seen by how they glow in wavelengths of light and fire jets out into space.
YouTube Making Nice with Legacy TV
The global video platform continues its charm offensive at TV market Mipcom, arguing it wants to be a partner, not predator of traditional TV.
Ron Perlman’s Watrfall Hands Audiences Control Of $275,000 Creator Fund
EXCLUSIVE: Watrfall, the Ron Perlman-backed creator platform, is planning to put the power in the hands of audiences. The company, which we first told you about in August last year, has opened submiss...
"Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bull****." James Hetfield explains why you won't get any political statements at a Metallica show any time soon
The Metallica frontman seemingly took a pot shot at artists who use their platforms for political means during a brief speech on stage in Las Vegas
Pedro Pina: YouTube Is Not “Invested In Producing Content”
YouTube is not “invested in producing content.” That was the message today from the platform’s European chief Pedro Pina, as he continues his tour of the biggest TV events in the world convincing trad...
For the second time this year, Steam has set a major new concurrent user record
Steam has crossed the 43 million threshold for concurrent users, setting a new record for the PC platform.
Best Accounts Payable Software for Small Business (2026): Melio Named Top Solution for Flexible Vendor Payments by Software Experts
Software Experts has recognized Melio as the top solution for flexible vendor payments, making it one of the best accounts payable software for small businesses. The review examined how the platform handles invoice capture, payment approvals, vendor transactions, accounting synchronization, and cash flow management.
AI Agents Are a Threat to Travel Businesses. Airbnb Could Still Be a Winner.
For the lodging platform’s stock to thrive in the age of bots, it has to turn repeat customers into loyal ones.
NTT DATA Business Solutions launches "Elevate", its Agentic AI-powered delivery framework, to help accelerate SAP transformations
NTT DATA Business Solutions, a leading global IT service provider and specialist in SAP solutions, today announces the launch of "Elevate", its next-generation Agentic AI-powered delivery framework. Elevate brings together the company's secure AI-enabled platform NTT DATA aXet, Natuvion's data transformation capabilities and SAP technologies, including SAP's Agent-Led Toolchain and SAP Business AI Platform. Elevate is designed to maximize the value clients gain from their investments in SAP and
Gotcha? Some said a glass of water 'proved' China faked its space station – but simple science destroyed the argument in seconds | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
A theory online claimed China's space agency was faking its space station – all because of a glass of water. Science debunked the theory.
Pro Shop Raises $24 Million Series B To Expand Golf Media, Entertainment, And Commerce Platform
Pro Shop raised $24 million in Series B financing to expand its media, entertainment, live events, and commerce businesses. Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment led the round.
Forty new games are coming to Xbox consoles next week.
Microsoft's gaming platform ecosystem is gearing up for a major expansion of its catalog. Over the next seven days, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox...
NASA dumped over 800GB of Artemis II data online
NASA’s treasure trove of images, audio, and video offers an unprecedented view inside a historic space mission.
George A. Romero’s Season of the Witch is a slow-burn feminist occult drama
After inventing the modern zombie, Romero made a feminist film about a suffering house wife turning to witchcraft.
We’re finally unlocking the biggest mysteries of the clitoris
From its anatomy to its purpose, there’s a lot we don't know about the female organ
What to expect from Apple’s ‘Welcome Home’ event
Get ready for a smart home hub, a refreshed HomePod Mini, a faster Apple TV, and maybe some LG smart locks.
Vurt wants you to look at vertical videos as a genre of their own
Vurt is bringing vertical microdramas to widescreen TVs.
Horror is big business
The genre has become a tentpole across gaming, film, and television.
Learning to use local AI is exciting, overwhelming, and frustrating
If I gotta do it I want it on my terms.
NVIDIA’s CUDA Moat Is Accelerating RTX Spark Laptop Sales, Higher 128GB Unified Memory Options Belonging To Surface Laptop Ultra Already Out Of Stock
NVIDIA’s CUDA platform is speeding up RTX Spark laptop sales, with the higher 128GB unified memory options of the Surface Laptop Ultra already out of stock
International Business Machines (IBM) Unveils Real Time App Security Collaboration
International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) announced a new collaboration with Zscaler and Red Hat to tighten application security for enterprise clients. The joint effort combines IBM and Red Hat software platforms with Zscaler threat intelligence to provide real-time protections at the application layer. The partners plan to coordinate vulnerability discovery, automated policy updates, and validated software remediation workflows for shared customers. This IBM, Zscaler and Red Hat security...
Googlebook improving ‘Better Together’ Android sync features, Samsung support rolling out
The big selling point for Googlebook is that it’s a desktop platform that deeply integrates with your Android phone but,...
Jim and Marilyn Simons lent their 68-metre superyacht to ocean scientists; an $80,000 system tested whether luxury vessels could help validate satellite data
Superyachts are usually associated with luxury travel, but the 68-metre Archimedes, owned by Jim and Marilyn Simons at the time of the research, also became a platform for marine science. During several deployments between 2018 and 2020, an autonomous measurement system aboard the yacht collected ocean-colour observations at a range of locations, including remote regions such as the Antarctic Peninsula.
Cigna Group (CI) Could Be 56% Undervalued Following Its Health Sense Rollout
Health Sense rollout and what it could mean for Cigna Group stock Cigna Group (CI) has put its Health Sense platform at the center of a push to link health data, benefits and clinical support into a single experience for oncology and cardiometabolic patients. The model ties together information on medical history, behavioral health, pharmacy coverage, prior interactions and expected costs, then uses that context to tailor outreach and care coordination through existing Cigna Healthcare...
Antimatter is leaking out of our Galaxy into intergalactic space, say astronomers | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Is antimatter leaking out of our Galaxy? Gamma-ray hotspots suggest the Milky Way is making more antimatter than we thought.
AI Shopping Is Here. Are Your Products Ready?
AI commerce platforms help small businesses make their products discoverable and purchasable across emerging AI shopping channels.
The director of Fjord takes the ‘risky position’ of moderator
With his new film about a Romanian family’s life in Norway, Cristian Mungiu wants you to consider the limits of your tolerance
Vitalize Secures $31 Million to Address Healthcare’s Staffing Chaos
Vitalize raised $31 million in a Series A funding round to accelerate the growth of its artificial intelligence (AI)-native platform that helps health
Netflix’s Summer of Bummer
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) Today, I’ve got a guest post from longtime friend of the newsletter, Brandon Katz. I’ve been trying to find time all summer to look at Netflix’s straight-to-streaming film slate, but between a pre-planned trip and Nielsen moving up their streaming data timeline, I’ve been swamped. So I reached out to Brandon, one of my favorite fellow analysts, to write about it. And I feel like he captured the tone and data focus of the newsletter perfectly. You can connect with Brandon on LinkedIn and Twitter. Enjoy! Don’t worry, folks. You’re in safe hands with me. To ease any anxieties about an interloper in ESG’s domain, I’ll start by stealing one of his best framing devices: headlines. Box office flops are covered in the same way the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eye pizza: with cartoonish insatiability. I would know. I’m a former reporter who wrote nearly identical headlines: Yet, intentionally or not, streaming misses get treated with kids gloves, filtered through a rosy lens: In the last six years, U.S. streaming viewership has become nearly as transparent as the box office, but the data often arrives weeks later, in a number of less intuitive metrics, and with nary an official budget to be found. This plays into the Wall Street-whispering narratives major streamers have been cultivating for years. They get a pass in a way that theatrical studios simply don’t. Subscribe Netflix’s Summer Slate Not a single Netflix original film released between May and August this year opened above 20 million U.S. TV hours, per Nielsen. That benchmark usually serves as the EntStrategyGuy’s floor for a streaming hit on Netflix. None of these films enjoyed a hit-cementing single week of 20-plus million hours during their runs. Netflix’s two best films were true crime docs, Maternal Instinct (16.5 million hours) and The Crash (19.7 million), the best overall week for a film this summer. Great for most other streamers, but not necessarily what we’re used to seeing from Netflix. For an overly-dramatic comparison, Happy Gilmore 2 opened last summer to around 47 million hours (celebrity cameos, baby!). Zooming out, the picture looks even worse. In 2026, Netflix’s five biggest scripted summer films posted the lowest average (28.6 million hours) and median (28.8 million hours) eight-week viewership totals of the past four years. Now, it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect Netflix to deliver a _KPop Demon Hunters-_sized hit every year. But it’s also not ideal to see the size of their hits shrinking over the last few summers. Let’s quickly run through some of the notable summer misses. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein’s perfectly fine romcom, Office Romance, fell off the charts after 20 million hours in its first two weeks. Top films usually last for four-plus weeks. Starry titles ideally don’t decay that fast either. Homegrown star Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t prevent the snappy Enola Holmes franchise from diminishing returns. At 14.3 million U.S. hours, the third film posted roughly half of what the first two films did in their first two weeks. What’s on Netflix calculated that per-day global views were down nearly 60% from the second movie. The Whisper Man did okay with more than 36 million hours over its first four weeks. But I expected a little more juice from a film featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott. Kevin Hart’s Ladies First collected just 11.2 million hours total across two weeks. That’s a big miss for one of Netflix’s go-to stars. Plopping into the same bucket are Sunny Sandler’s Don’t Say Good Luck (10.3 million in two weeks) and John Cena’s Little Brother (17.5 million). Meanwhile, English-language originals Color Book (June 19), In the Hand of Dante (June 24) and Heartstopper Forever (July 17) never sniffed Nielsen’s Top 10 at all, despite needing only 2 to 5 million hours to land in the top ten most weeks. (By my count, eleven English-language scripted original films released between May and August did chart). It’s only fair to mention that Swapped (1-May) posted nearly 42 million U.S. hours over five weeks (the longest Netflix original run this summer) and is currently their eighth most-watched English-language film ever worldwide. Remarkably Bright Creatures (37 million, 4 weeks) and Voicemails for Isabelle (27 million, 4 weeks) weren’t bombs either. Still, overall, I think it’s fair to say this was a quieter summer season than we’re used to seeing from the market-leader. You might not realize that given the language commonly used in public analysis. The Twist Despite the starkly black-and-white tone of the coverage, here’s the twist: when many box office bombs arrive on streaming, their viewership looks a whole lot like many of Netflix’s supposedly successful summer releases. Hmm, where have we heard that one before? Masters of the Universe topped out at $65 million stateside against a $170 million budget_._ I’ll admit, Skeletor ripping sleeveless curls as a gym bro and bodyslamming Adam’s co-workers was funny. But, much to the chagrin of my bank account, my laughter doesn’t launch franchises. Yet the He-Man reboot opened to 19.6 million hours (from a Wednesday five-day opening instead of just one weekend), on par with Hoppers on Disney+ (19.4 million). It put up nearly 47 million hours over its first six weeks, bigger than all of Netflix’s summer releases. Pretty darn healthy and likely to land among the 25 most-watched movies on streaming this year. Sticking with Amazon, The Sheep Detectives just barely broke even at the box office with $133 million worldwide (and only $66 million domestic). I never expected cloven-hooved, cud-chewing mammals to be able to bring me to tears. Yet that’s exactly how I found myself at the end of this surprisingly affecting movie (#NoShame). It was likely the unexpected quality in a family-friendly film that powered its streaming over-performance. Sheep Detectives delivered a solid run for Prime video netting 26.2 million hours! How about franchise IP? Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu had the lowest opening ($81 million) and lowest-grossing Disney-era live-action Star Wars film ($178 million domestic). One day before release, its Heat score (19.8%)—audiences who list their interest as a 7/7—fell behind blockbusters Wicked (21%), Superman (23%), Fantastic Four: First Steps (23%), Michael (23%), Toy Story 5 (26%) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (27%), according to Greenlight Analytics. The urgent enthusiasm just wasn’t there. On streaming, Mando opened to weeks of 12.1 million, 6.1 million and 2.7 million hours (21 million total) over its first three frames. Not the numbers Lucasfilm was hoping for nor the numbers of a streaming hit. But they’re in the same vicinity as some Netflix summer releases with $345 million at the global box office to offset a smidgen of the pain. Final Thoughts So why oh why does this nuance gap exist? Four key reasons: Data Literacy: A “$100 million opening” just makes sense. After decades of box office reporting, even casual movie fans are well-versed in the benchmarks of hits and home runs. There’s an immediate shorthand. But “16.5 million” hours doesn’t land nearly as cleanly. Despite leaps of progress, the streaming ratings era is still in its infancy compared to theatrical. The EntStrategyGuy and I met thanks to a late 2010s group chat of data nerds hungry to find a shred of certainty in nebulous streaming performance. I’m not surprised to see “No. 1 on Netflix” still getting misconstrued out in the wild. Timing: By Friday morning, we have the box office’s Thursday night previews totaled, allowing us to better project the weekend’s expectations. From there, ticket sales are reported daily. By Sunday, the film’s fate is usually finalized, at least in terms of public perception. In streaming, Nielsen recently improved its delay to…two weeks. The medium isn’t forced to contend with instant gratification as harshly. Financials: Theatrical film budgets are a mere Google away. Profit and loss is calculated in the cold and unforgiving naked light of day for all to see. But finding the vast majority of streaming exclusive movie budgets requires the forensic investigation skills of a Criminal Minds detective. Also, it’s very difficult to calculate how much revenue/value a straight-to-streaming films provides a streamer. This is why there are so few stories about streaming original movies “losing X amount of money”. On top of that, marketing budgets are far greater for theatrical movies than streaming exclusive movies, which leads to earlier and better awareness. This then translates to a wider pool of potential interest. Narrative Control: Netflix is the only major streaming service to publish weekly first-hand viewership data and annual engagement reports. Naturally, some headlines borrow their first-hand framing**.** Other streamers benefit from their comparative lack of transparency. They may occasionally announce vague performance platitudes such as Apple TV’s Mayday becoming its “biggest film debut on the platform to date over its first 18 days,” and that it ranked No. 1 with left-handed viewers in its first weekend. (Fine, I made up that second one). But, for the most part, they keep first-hand viewership shrouded in mystery to avoid bad press. Especially for outlets that demand multiple articles per day from their writers, it’s an easy (and understandable) way for some reporters to hit their daily article quota by just repeating what the streamers have told them. TL:DR version: Streaming-exclusive movies are asked to do different things than theatrical movies, but that doesn’t mean they should escape judgment. Both still need to draw enough eyeballs to justify their cost within the proper performance contexts. The more cleanly we can inject a little nuance into streaming analysis, the better we’ll understand the audience and content trends that drive this industry. And that’s what all of this is really about: knowing what audiences actually want! Brandon Katz is the Director of Insights & Content Strategy at Greenlight Analytics where he focuses on evaluating the ever-fluid media landscape to unearth understanding, opportunity and value. Greenlight Analytics is the entertainment intelligence consulting company redefining how Hollywood finds, understands, and activates audiences. Prior to joining Greenlight Analytics, he served as the senior entertainment industry strategist at Parrot Analytics, and as a full-time entertainment industry reporter covering the Xs and Os of Hollywood, most notably with TheWrap and the Observer.
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Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
A new defense tech initiative will serve Baton Rouge startups, small businesses
Baton Rouge has been included in a new federally backed defense technology initiative aimed at helping Louisiana startups and small businesses compete for military and commercial work. The U.S. Small Business Administration this week awarded $1 million to Precision Platform Solutions, the legal entity behind Monroe-based Maven Scouts, to launch the Gulf South Defense Tech […]
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A-State receives $2.2 million National Science Foundation grant
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