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Panthers Should Consider Aggressive Trade With Division Rival
The Carolina Panthers should consider pursuing an aggressive trade with an NFC South rival.
Why “Heated Rivalry” isn’t nominated for Emmys
The Emmys rule that impacts “foreign television productions.”
Turkey's Erdogan hosts NATO summit as political rival Imamoglu defends himself in court
ISTANBUL (AP) — As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted NATO leaders in Ankara on Wednesday, his main political rival defended himself against corruption charges in court.
Labour calls on Farage to ‘come clean’ over £5m gift and work with crime agency over money laundering concerns
Lib Dems tell Reform UK leader ‘the game is up’ as political rivals vow to boycott ‘stunt’ Clacton byelection
Nigel Farage's political rivals rule out standing in Clacton by-election
The Reform UK leader says he wants an "establishment versus the people by-election" but Labour calls it a "circus".
Report: Microsoft will make even more of its games exclusive to Xbox — as multiplatform strategy totally fails. What's going on?
Xbox's loathed "Project Latitude" strategy which saw Microsoft support its biggest rival with content is ending, with CEO Asha Sharma doubling down on exclusives.
Explaining The Comcast and NBCUniversal Divorce
(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.) I hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July in America, celebrating the country’s 250th birthday. Frankly, I am bummed the 250th wasn’t a bigger celebration, but that’s a different topic for a different Substack. While it was generally a quiet week on the entertainment/streaming/media business fronts, we still had some interesting news stories. Actually, that kinda undersells one of the stories, a huge, huge, huge divestment that could upend the entertainment landscape... So let’s get right to it. In today’s column, I’ll cover Comcast spinning off the rest of NBCUniversal, an entertainment company investing in an LLM company and an LLM-owner investing in a movie studio, the latest round of threats of digital tariffs, and more. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Most: Comcast/NBCU Breakup!!!! If I had to describe my reaction to Comcast spinning out NBCUniversal, it feels like a relationship ending, either breaking up or divorcing. Comcast’s decision to spin off the rest of NBCUniversal, after spinning off some of its cable assets into Versant last year, really does feel like a family breaking up under “irreconcilable differences”. Of my stereotypes of the entertainment moguls, my go-to for Comcast CEO Brian Roberts—heir to the Comcast fortune, but a man who’s been at the helm for 24 years now, and president for twelve years before that—is that he likes building empires. He cut his teeth acquiring cable rivals in the 1990s and tried to buy Disney repeatedly, then settled for NBCUniversal after a long court battle. (Contrast this with Rupert Murdoch, a man who also loved to buy, but would also sell when the price is right. Murdoch made Fox out of nothing, but then sold 20th Century Fox to Disney, arguably at the top of the market. So I understood why he sold.) But I don’t understand Roberts’ motivation to sell now. I have some explanations but no single, super-satisfying explanation. Strategically, it would just make more sense to have kept NBCUniversal in-house, especially for a one-time empire builder like Comcast. Yet one powerful force—arguably the decider in modern capitalism—likely overwhelmed all other considerations. At first, I thought I’d arrange my thoughts as a “Five Why” analysis, digging through each layer of the puzzle. But instead, I found myself asking, “But…why?” (And I only ended up with four sections.) So let’s look at Comcast from that angle. Then, at the end, I’ll give my biggest strategic recommendation for every company in Hollywood. It’s obvious, but sometimes, the obvious strategy is the most ignored. But…Why? The Stock Market, Conglomerations, and Sum of the Parts Analysis 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… Why Comcast could never get a “tech company” valuation The not-so-secret motivation for Comcast What Versant has to do with all of this The key strategic advice I think every entertainment exec should follow (though it’s really obvious) Some big AI investment news… Whether we’ll see digital tariffs… And more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Celebrates New Point-of-Care MRI with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards recently held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the arrival of a new point of
NC’s top business recruiter on rivals, foreign tourism dip and project pipeline
From Trump to Biden to Trump: how Christopher Chung chases jobs as federal policy shifts.
ITV sells media and entertainment arm to Sky for £1.6bn
The two broadcasters say the deal will create a strong rival to global streaming giants.
ITV sells media and entertainment arm to Sky for £1.6bn
The two broadcasters say the deal will create a strong rival to global streaming giants.
Bellingham stuns Mexico to announce World Cup arrival 🔥
Nobody had scored against Mexico at this World Cup until Jude Bellingham arrived. England face not just a tough, but a massive test against the co-hosts on Sunday evening as they travel to the storie...
Genesis Minerals Makes Rival $3.9 Billion Bid For Vault Minerals
Genesis Minerals has made a rival bid for Vault Minerals that values the Australian gold miner at $3.9 billion, trumping an agreed merger with Regis Resources.
Political rivals, Lapid, Edelstein, surprisngly align on national priorities
Both men are defining Israeli politics not through the traditional categories of Left and Right, but through questions of national responsibility, military service, and national consensus.
Warriors Are Losing Steam in LeBron James Sweepstakes
The Warriors are linked to LeBron James, but his arrival is starting to slow down.
Rams news: Top WR duos, Top 100, Taylor Swift wedding
A look at what has been going on with the LA Rams, one of the Arizona Cardinals' NFC West rivals.
49ers news: Top 100, coaching candidate, Ricky Pearsall improvement
A look at what has been going on with the San Francisco 49ers, one of the Arizona Cardinals' NFC West rivals.
I tested Google's new smart speaker with Gemini AI. Here are 3 things to know before you buy.
The new Google Home Speaker with Gemini is smart and capable, but it fails to stand out much from similar rivals.
5 Seattle sporting events to rival U.S.-Belgium World Cup match
Monday's U.S.-Belgium World Cup match could be the biggest sporting event in Seattle's history. Here are five other events that could lay claim to the title.
America has been deeply divided before. Here’s why today’s divisions are different
At 250 years, America’s fault lines are showing. Partisan and regional divisions rival the most intense internal conflicts it has faced since the Civil War.
Sky Sports: Ipswich Set To Rival Fellow Promoted Side For Ligue 1 Star
Ipswich Town Enter Emersonn Race as Premier League Newcomers Move Against Hull CityIpswich Town have moved for Emersonn, and that tells you two things straight away. First, they are not approaching th...
New Steam Machine rival offers a Ryzen 9 CPU and RX 7600 XT for $849, but you have to bring your own RAM
AOOSTAR's GODY mini PC undercuts the Steam Machine with a Ryzen 9 CPU and RX 7600 XT GPU for $849, but there's a big catch: it doesn't have RAM.
Florida politics recap: Byron Donalds strengthens grip on GOP governor's race as rivals battle in court
It was a week of escalation in Florida politics: a governor's race lawsuit, new restrictions aimed at undocumented students, and a fresh legal fight over Gov. Ron DeSantis' push to label CAIR and other groups as terrorist organizations.
AMERICA AT 250: COMPETING CELEBRATIONS REFLECT NATIONAL POLARIZATION, SAYS SMU POLITICS EXPERT
DALLAS (SMU) – As the nation marks its 250th anniversary with separate celebrations in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, SMU political scientist Matthew Wilson says the split reflects a deeper reality about modern America: the absence of a shared national narrative. Wilson argues that what should have been a unifying moment of national pride has instead become a symbol of the country's growing political polarization, with rival groups promoting fundamentally different visions of Amer
Surprise rival knocks Costco's famous rotisserie chicken off its perch as best bird
Consumer Reports named Sam's Club's rotisserie chicken the best warehouse club bird, edging out Costco's iconic $4.99 Kirkland Signature option.
Lakers' Jonathan Kuminga plans rivaled by Cavs, Bucks, Hawks
The former Golden State Warriors' phenom is a free agent.
Here's Jaylen Brown's Statement After Trade From Boston Celtics
The 10-year veteran was dealt from the Celtics to the rival Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Former Steelers RB Najee Harris linked to AFC North rival
The former Steelers running back back is still a free agent.
Live entertainment for Struthers’ Big Boy train celebration announced
Struthers is planning an all-day party to celebrate the historic train's arrival, with several thousand people expected to attend.
Live entertainment for Struthers’ Big Boy train celebration announced
Struthers is planning an all-day party to celebrate the historic train’s arrival, with several thousand people expected to attend.
Stealing one player from every division rival for the Titans
An exercise designed to pluck one player from every division rival for the Tennessee Titans.
It's hard to make sense of the Celtics trading Jaylen Brown, especially to a division rival
Vance and Rubio take different approaches as Iran tests their 2028 prospects
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump’s national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.
Colorado’s Diana DeGette concedes defeat to Democratic socialist Melat Kiros
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette — the dean of Colorado’s congressional delegation — conceded defeat in the race for the 1st Congressional District a day after losing to Democrat rival Melat Kiros in their party’s primary contest. “I want to congratulate Melat Kiros for her victory last night, and I want to wish her all the […]
Meta Plans Cloud Business to Take on Big Tech Rivals
Meta is planning a cloud infrastructure business that will sell AI computing power/model access. That’s according to a report Wednesday (July 1) by
Sony will cease production of discs for new PlayStation games in 2028
New games sold for PlayStation consoles will only be available digitally and won’t be sold on discs effective January 2028, Sony has announced. The move applies to all PlayStation games released from that point on, including those made by Sony and those released by third parties. The PlayStation group calls the change “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” according to a PlayStation blog post reviewed by Game File in advance of its publication. As movies, TV and music have shifted from physical media to an age of downloads and streaming, Sony’s move could speed the demise of physical media in a gaming. The industry has offered consumers games via cartridges, cassettes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays across a 50-year stretch. Sony has been reporting to investors in recent years that PlayStation games have been increasingly purchased as downloads, not as discs. The most recent figures show nearly four in five purchases of full games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were purchased digitally in the past year. Stats like that may cause today’s news to carry an air of the inevitable. But Sony’s declaration for 2028 is still likely to produce a shock, as the biggest gaming platform on the planet that uses game discs leaves them behind. Discs going away, but the fate of game boxes is unknown Sony is committing to still selling games in physical retailers even after they drop discs in 2028. Just how those games will be sold—in boxes with codes inside, as cards marked with digital redemption codes—is unclear. Digital games will also continue to be sold in the online PlayStation Store. New games released for PlayStation consoles prior to January 2028 will be unaffected by the policy change, Sony says. That means the PS5 games of 2027, be they a new Madden, a new God of War, a new Call of Duty, a new Sly Cooper (one can dream?), would still potentially be offered on disc. PlayStation 6 implications Sony’s timeline for a transition to a no-disc era will also spin up more speculation about the timing and configuration of Sony’s next-generation console, the probable PlayStation 6. “This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest,” Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis tells Game File. Harding-Rolls also concludes from today’s news that “the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive,” as Sony looks to keep costs down on the device. Sony itself is saying nothing about the PS6 today: not its timing, nor how it might or might not support internal or external disc drives in order to run disc-based PS4 and PS5 games, should the console be backwards compatible. The many signs this was coming Industry support for games being released on physical media has been waning. As has consumer interest in them. PC games effectively went all-digital years ago, thanks to the popularity of playing games through Steam and other digital storefronts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that kept much of the global population home helped shift shopping patterns toward downloads. Sony’s own data shows PlayStation game downloads being an uncommon consumer choice a decade ago and now becoming the norm. On consoles, physical media has been in such decline that Sony and Microsoft both launched their current gen Xbox Series and PS5 consoles in 2020 with cheaper versions that lacked disc drives. In early 2024, Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, told me that ““[w]e ship games physically and digitally, and we’re really just following what the customers are doing.” He added that the game industry had become an outlier in still supporting disc-based entertainment, even as movies and TV have bailed on discs in favor of downloads and steaming: “Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive. And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console—and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers—the cost of the drive does have an impact.” Last year, the Nintendo’s Switch 2, which uses cartridges rather than discs, introduced the concept of game-key cards, which are physical media that contain no game, just a prompt for a download. Even disc-based games aren’t what they once were, now frequently containing just stubs of games rather than the whole thing. The website Does It Play has tested over 3000 games and found that, for example, that the disc version of this year’s hit 007: First Light, only contained the game’s first mission, with the rest needing to be downloaded. Beyond all that, last week brought the news that Grand Theft Auto VI, likely the biggest game launch this decade, will debut for PS5 and Xbox Series without a disc-based version. Today’s big news comes to you for free. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and ensure more of my work is possible, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Discs helped define PlayStation However the trends in entertainment may be going, it is still remarkable to see PlayStation ditch discs given their importance in PlayStation history: In the late 1990s, the first PlayStation’s support for games on relatively cheap CD-ROMs instead of traditional game cartridges allowed the upstart console to outmaneuver cartridge-based systems from Nintendo and Sega, as it drove down game prices down in the process. (The cheaper disc format even prompted Final Fantasy VII maker Square to taunt Nintendo in a magazine ad, saying that if the game was “available on cartridge, it’d retail for around $1200.”) PlayStation devices often doubled as machines for watching movies and TV on the latest disc-based formats. In the late 2000s, for example, Sony’s pricy PS3 gained traction as a go-to device for playing then-novel Blu-Ray discs. In 2013, Sony effectively roasted the digital game-sharing restrictions proposed by rival Microsoft for its upcoming Xbox One console by showing how games could be shared for the then-upcoming PS4. In a 21-second clip that has over 20 million views on YouTube, one PlayStation executive simply handed a game box—presumably with disc inside—to another, who said “thanks.” Sony’s possible motivations The PlayStation announcement today cites “consumer preferences” and a shift away from discs among “the broader entertainment industry,” but does not delve into the decision-making process that brought Sony to this point. Sony is not discussing the economics of this move (I asked!), but there are a number of potential factors: Abandoning discs will spare Sony the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, which analysts and industry veterans I spoke to said could account for $1 or so of a game’s retail price. For first-party games, that’s direct savings for Sony, though the amount is limited by the winnowing percentage of people who were even buying the disc-based versions. For third-party games, Sony could pass the savings on to partners or just retain the better profit margin for themselves. As the 2024 comments from Phil Spencer alluded to, leaving discs behind could mean leaving disc-drives behind, allowing Sony to produce consoles more cheaply. Switching to digital-only for games could diminish the risks of copies of new games leaking. It would also seemingly make second-hand sales of used games impossible, pushing more people to buy their own copies of games. These economic benefits for Sony could be boons for the games industry overall, Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls tells Game File. Among other things, it could free publishers and retailers from having to worry about securing an inventory of game discs when trying to sell games, he noted. “If there is a way to streamline the business of games retail, I generally think it’s a good thing for the industry as it removes unnecessary costs,” Harding-Rolls said. “This will help offset pressure on margins from other directions – development and staffing costs for example.” Should the industry shift from game boxes that contain discs to smaller, cheaper game cards, Harding-Rolls said, that reduces pressure on publishers and retailers. “The advantage of everything going digital for the industry is that sales can be tracked much more easily and there is less commercial risk for publishers wanting to continue selling via retail,” he said. The shift to no discs will also likely impact game development timelines, as developers will no longer face the same urgency to have a build ready to submit to PlayStation for the production of a disc, as industry experts noted around GTA VI’s no-disc news last week. Instead, projects may gain weeks of development time, in the event delivery deadlines for platform approval move closer to release date. Preservationists’ likely worries While millions of gamers have shifted to digital, there are still people who associate game discs—and only game discs—with actual ownership of PlayStation games. That portion of the gaming community spoke up last week about wanting to buy a version of GTA VI that they could hold in their hands, could lend to a friend and could potentially pop into a well-preserved PS5 console three decades from now and still see it run. Such gamers didn’t want to worry that they’d merely purchased a digital copy that could lose access to the game if, say, the company behind the game someday turns of the servers that transmit downloadable copies. Digital copies of games are inherently less long-lasting, because consumers aren’t actually buying a game (on a disc), just buying access to the game. The fine print in online gaming shops notes this, as does a recent law that went on the books in California in 2025. That lasw requires game publishers doing business in the state to refrain from words like “sell” when offering digital copies of games, unless they explicitly tell consumers that what’s being sold isn’t the game itself but a potentially revocable license to access it. A Sony spokesperson noted to Game File that “[w]ith all digital content, including games, movies, and music, players are purchasing a personal license for non-commercial use.” Regarding the fears of PlayStation games being lost to time in an all-digital era, the rep also noted that Sony remains “committed to delivering experiences from past generations to the new platforms our players are using.” They noted that PlayStation has used emulation and remasters to keep offering its classic games to modern gamers. It’s true that many consumers have become accustomed to not having physical copies of new music albums or movies, but the relative precariousness of digital copies of games is in fact being highlighted today by…. Sony’s other big announcement: the upcoming closure of the PS3 and PS Vita online stores Sony said today that it will be closing the online marketplaces for its PlayStation 3 console and PS Vita handheld in most countries in July 2027 (sooner elsewhere: August 2026 for the PS3 store Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua; late 2026 for PS3 in other Latin American countries and the Middle East). “We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming,” Sony said in its announcement, saying the move “was not an easy decision for us to make.” Sony said that PS3 and Vita marketplaces “are no longer able” to support modern commerce systems, prompting a “need” to close the shops and focus on more modern PlayStation platform stores. The news may spark some deja vu. Sony announced back in March 2021 that it planned to take the PS3, Vita and PlayStation Portable marketplaces offline that summer. The move would have caused some 2,000 digital-only games to become unavailable for new purchasers, according to a VGC analysis at the time. Fans complained loudly. By April 2021, Sony walked back the PS3 and Vita shop closures, with then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying “it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.” This time around, Sony is giving a longer notice period in most regions. The closure of those stores is still likely to cut off access to new purchases of digital-only PS3 and Vita games. The current PlayStation 5 marketplace sells PS5 and PS4 games, as well as a selection of PS1 and PS2 games. It does not sell PS3 games, because games for that platform can’t run on the system (some are offered via a PlayStation Plus streaming option). Vita games also aren’t sold via PS5. Sony says digitally purchased PS3 and Vita games will be downloadable after the stores’ shutdowns “for the foreseeable future.” Sony’s move contrasts with Microsoft’s Xbox platform, which continues to sell and support games from all four Xbox console generations. But it puts it in line with Nintendo, which disabled purchases in the marketplace for its Wii console (a contemporary of the PS3) in 2019. Nintendo discontinued purchases in the online shop for its 3DS portable (a contemporary of the Vita) in 2023. The big questions about Sony’s 2028 post-disc era Will Microsoft follow suit, ending support for new disc-based games on Xbox platforms and therefore all game consoles, too? Whether Microsoft does or not, will third-parties that can no longer release games on discs for PlayStation, simply ditch the disc options across the board? Given the GTA VI no-disc experiment launching this November, will more game publishers decide to forgo disc-based offerings even in 2027? How will no-disc PS5/6 games be packaged and sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores? What becomes of game sharing in an all-digital era? Will Sony modify its current set-up, which currently allows some sharing of digital games across a pair of consoles, to allow more casual lending? (See for example, Nintendo’s year-old system of letting players lend a digital game to another player in a “family group” for up to 14 days.) Will there be a version of a PS6 with a disc drive? Or will a drive be offered as an add-on? And how will gamers who want to retain access to PS4/PS5 disc-based games react to whichever configurations Sony chooses to offer? What will the final disc-based PlayStation game be?
Steelers rival turns Myles Garrett loss into scary new claim
The Cleveland Browns are turning the Myles Garrett trade into a rallying point, and Jared Verse could make that bad news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Soccer-Politics aside, Mexico and Ecuador fans keep World Cup rivalry friendly
By Janina Nuno Rios and Natalia Siniawski MEXICO CITY, June 30 (Reuters) - Shrugging off a raucous midnight serenade outside their team hotel as part of football's folklore, travelling Ecuadorean fans
Politics aside, Mexico and Ecuador fans keep World Cup rivalry friendly
Shrugging off a raucous midnight serenade outside their team hotel as part of football's folklore, travelling Ecuadorean fans embraced a festive World Cup atmosphere in Mexico City on Tuesday ahead of their World Cup round of 32 clash with co-hosts Mexico.
Stripe, Visa and over 140 other businesses to launch stablecoin to rival Tether and Circle
Other big-name participants include BlackRock, American Express, and Google.
Milwaukee Brewers' Joey Ortiz Delivers Heroics in Late Innings
Facing roster pressure after a top prospect's arrival, the infielder silenced critics with a clutch eighth-inning blast to secure a vital victory and solidify his place with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Computer scientists develop a new AI tool that rivals AlphaFold 3 in mapping RNA
The method, called RNAbpFlow, was described in a study published on June 30 in Nature Methods, among the most selective journals in computational life sciences.
Watch out, Amazon: the Kobo eReader now has a Goodreads rival
Kobo users can now automatically sync their reading progress to StoryGraph, making it easier to track books, reading stats, and challenges without relying on Amazon’s Goodreads.
Unrivaled Sports to Host Inaugural Ripken National Championships Presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods at Cooperstown All Star Village
/PRNewswire/ -- Unrivaled Sports, the nation's leader in youth sports experiences, today announced the 2026 Ripken National Championships presented by DICK'S...
Comcast to split cable business from media through NBCUniversal, Sky spinoff
Comcast will split into two publicly traded companies through a spinoff of NBCUniversal and Sky, separating its cash-generating broadband arm from a media and entertainment business under pressure from streaming rivals and industry consolidation. The latest U.S. media industry shake-up follows years of cord-cutting as legacy players chase scale to better compete with Netflix while Paramount Skydance's $110 billion deal for Warner Bros Discovery is set to boost competition. Comcast, which leans on cable for much of its cash flow, is also losing broadband customers to fixed wireless offerings from T-Mobile and Verizon and to fiber rivals building out networks.
Apple accuses India of 'copy-pasting' rivals' claims in antitrust investigation
Apple has accused Indian antitrust investigators of "copy-pasting" its rivals' claims and failing to properly conduct its own investigation in concluding the U.S. tech giant breached competition laws, calling for the findings to be quashed, regulatory papers reviewed by Reuters showed.
Rams news: QB battle, power rankings, top 100, power rankings
Some stories about the NFC West rival LA Rams from the last week for Arizona Cardinals fans to know.
Claims GTA 6 is selling 8 times as many copies on PS5 as Xbox "doesn't represent pre-order data", insists Microsoft
Microsoft has refuted claims that its rival system, the PlayStation 5, is outselling the Xbox edition of Grand Theft Auto 6 by a rate of 8-to-1.
Kings’ Acuff Jr., Nets’ Brown Jr. Rivalry Continues in NBA
From high school shootouts to collegiate clashes, these elite lottery picks bring a storied history to the pros as they prepare to ignite a cross-conference professional feud.
How did EBS science show reach Netflix's top 10?
For years, South Korea’s public Educational Broadcasting System has struggled to rival the massive budgets of global streaming originals and star-driven mainstr
Alan Ritchson's New Unusually Silent 'Motor City' Movie Described as 'John Wick Meets Reacher'
Alan Ritchson's latest movie is unusual because of its almost complete lack of dialogue.
Ossoff banks on Trump attacks in purple state and takes aim at rival Collins
Inside California Politics: Former LA city councilmember weighs in on mayoral race
(Inside California Politics) — With Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass now set for a tough reelection campaign against former ally turned rival Nithya Raman, a former member of the L.A. City Council spok…
GM hires talent from rivals to solve self-driving car problem
GM has made several key executive hires since 2025 and brought back Cruise alums to ramp up its self-driving tech development in personal cars.
Trump gets the complete domination he wanted in Louisiana
Rep. Julia Letlow, his preferred candidate, won the GOP runoff for his longtime rival Bill Cassidy’s Senate seat.
Ohio State Buckeyes projected to land elite offensive lineman
Ohio State sits on the cusp of another top-5 recruiting class, and the Buckeyes could be receiving even more good news this weekend. Four-star Jackson (Miss.) offensive lineman Caden Moss is set to commit Friday night, and the Buckeyes are surging late as the favorite to land him. Over the past 24 hours, Rivals national […]
Yankees vs Red Sox: Cam Schlittler vs Connelly Early
The Yankees are back in Boston, but the rivalry is not.
Myles Garrett's Rise Could Fuel T.J. Watt's Next Steelers Surge
For years, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett have been linked in one of the NFL's defining player rivalries. Now, with Garrett pulling ahead in recent seasons and Patrick Graham arriving in Pittsburgh, Watt has fresh reasons to respond. For much of their careers, Watt's production far outpaced Garrett's. That changed in 2023 when the Cleveland Browns hired Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator and Garrett elevated his game to another level.
Jasmine Crockett’s silence could hurt James Talarico’s U.S. Senate chances in November
The Dallas congresswoman, Talarico’s erstwhile rival in the Democratic primary, has yet to say whether she’ll campaign for him in the general election against Republican Ken Paxton.
Walmart buying Vibe.co stirs big buzz at Cannes Lions: analysis
Walmart scored the deal everyone's talking about at Cannes Lions this year. Buying Vibe.co signals its intent to rival Meta, Google, and Amazon.
Yankees Rivalry Roundup: Royals drop double-digit runs on Rays
Recapping how the Yankees’ top American League opponents fared on June 23rd.
Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate's union membership sparks political finger-pointing
Democratic candidate Cindy Holscher's membership in the KNEA union raises an alarm in union-endorsed rival Ethan Corson's campaign for governor.
Roku May Help Fox Avoid Aggregeddon
(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.) Scrolling through links over the last week, I stumbled across this fun headline: Wow. Formula 1 (the sport, not the docu-series) is the perfect “dog not barking”. As a reminder, each week in my Streaming Ratings Report, I call out the shows that miss every viewership chart. I dub them “dogs not barking”—like the Sherlock Holmes mystery—because without any data, we forget they even exist. This is in contrast to something like, say, a film flop—cough The Mandalorian and Grogu cough—where even underperforming at the box office is widely discussed here, there and everywhere. In the US, Formula 1 is now in “no public viewership data, so not discussed” territory. After moving to Apple TV from its former home of ESPN, basically no one talks about it. Apple did publish an initial, unsourced, unsubstantiated, (dare I say unserious) datecdote claiming more folks are watching Formula 1 on Apple than ESPN, but we haven’t gotten any updates since. This stands in contrast to when the sport streamed on ESPN, and ESPN PR provided weekly viewership figures. Formula 1 was, at best, a niche sport in America—averaging 1.3 million viewers in the Big Data Plus era—but now it’s basically anonymous. (And yeah, after moving to Apple, I very, very, very much doubt its ratings increased.) Unfortunately, that story isn’t quite big enough to warrant a section in today’s “Most Important Story of the Week” column, but I wanted to call it out, because otherwise, no one else will! Certainly, no one will write articles about the silence/ratings decline, unlike when they wrote breathless articles connecting the rise in viewership to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, including Reuters just last month. (This is a topic I’ve tried to provide a moderate/nuanced/non-hyped take since 2022.) Anyway, on to this week’s issue. I was a bit worried I didn’t have a juicy topic, then the Murdochs went out and did their Murdoch thing: buying Roku. So that’s the story of the week, and it happens to touch on quite a few themes of the streaming wars and the disruption therein. I’ll cover that, plus why more consolidation in Hollywood media looks likely, more good news on the Hollywood labor front, whether we’ll see an uptick in production in Los Angeles, some Broadway and theme park news, cellphone prices going up in the third world (and possibly everywhere), and more. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Another Big Media & Entertainment Merger The story of the week is clearly Fox is buying Roku for $22 billion. I read a lot of good strategy takes on why Fox bought this streaming TV device maker—and I’ll have mine below—but what fascinates me more is how this deal connects to quite a few themes of the streaming wars, linking to everything from the pace of M&A to “aggregeddon” to Netflix’s recent M&A actions/inactions to the shift to advertising from pure play streaming and more. The only topic I can’t really connect it to is my old theory, “never bet against Rupert Murdoch” because he isn’t the one who did this deal; his son Lachlan inked it. (Do I think he provided advice, even at his 95 years of age? Sure.) That plus I have one additional piece of strategy for all entertainment players, inspired by this deal. So let’s dive into all those topics, starting with why I like this deal. Roku is a Great M&A Buy
‘Not Easy Bein' Green' – These pop icons rival Reflecting Pool color
Look beyond Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool to see green icons from pop culture like Kermit, Yoda and Shrek.
Yankees Rivalry Roundup: Royals’ Wacha outduels Rays’ Rasmussen
Recapping how the Yankees’ top AL opponents fared on June 22nd.
Farage says £5m gift spending details 'not public's business'
Rival parties have raised concerns over the gift received by the Reform UK leader before he became an MP.
McGuireWoods Bolsters Healthcare and Life Sciences Capabilities With Brian Bewley
McGuireWoods continues to grow its national healthcare and life sciences capabilities with the arrival of partner Brian D. Bewley, an accomplished regulatory and transactional attorney whose career includes stints in...
Trump endorses John James in Michigan governor race as GOP rival exits primary
President Donald Trump issues full-throated endorsement of U.S. Rep. John James for Michigan governor prior to the Republican gubernatorial primary
Dodgers Promote 21-Year-Old Pitching Prospect to Double-A
The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling No. 8 prospect Christian Zazueta up to Double-A, per ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Zazueta is just 21 years old, and has shot up the Dodgers’ system since his arrival ahead of the 2024 season. The…
RedMagic reveals new Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 rival with OLED display
The RedMagic Gaming Tablet 5 Pro has been revealed, and it's the company's answer to the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5. This Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 pad with OLED display is set to launch in China on June 30, 2026.
Rams news: No felony charges, potential breakout player and more
Some stories about the NFC West rival LA Rams from the last week for Arizona Cardinals fans to know.
Seahawks news: Breakout candidates, top 100 lock, more fullback
Some stories about the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks from the last week for Arizona Cardinals fans to know.
49ers news: Mike Evans impressing, rookies who impressed
Some stories about the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers from the last week for Arizona Cardinals fans to know.
Starmer is on the precipice as pressure builds for the U.K. leader to resign
Rival Andy Burnham's decisive win in a special election to the House of Commons puts him in position to challenge the prime minister.
Pressure mounts on Starmer to quit after Burnham’s by-election win
UK minister says Starmer considering 'political realities' after rival Andy Burnham secured decisive by-election win.
Seahawks' Rival Announces Parting Shot After Blockbuster Trade
It appears that despite not being in the division anymore, one Seattle rival still wants to inflict pain on the franchise.
Where do Iran’s political factions stand on the US peace deal?
Iran's rival political camps are locking horns over a memorandum of understanding with the US.
Four star edge rusher chooses Michigan over Penn State
Penn State misses out on top edge rusher Ifeanya Emedobi as he commits to Big Ten rival Michigan instead.
Binface, foxes and raving loonies: the UK’s proud history of costumed candidates
British love of silliness comes to the fore when politicians stand shoulder to shoulder with satirical rivals
‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Emily in Paris’ Outperform IP Rivals in Dentsu Fandom Intelligence Study
Streaming titles including “Stranger Things,” “Emily in Paris” and “Wednesday” outperform the average across all entertainment IP tested by 30% when it comes to converting fans into buyers, according ...
Colombia’s Right-Wing Offensive and the Politics of Order
Far-right millionaire Abelardo de la Espriella has a narrow lead ahead of Colombia’s election runoff. Left-wing rival Iván Cepeda speaks of the outgoing government’s achievements, but rising violence has made the campaign especially volatile.
Google Is Using Nvidia’s Playbook to Build a Rival AI Chip Business
Wielding its war chest to win data-center customers for its silicon, the world’s second-biggest company is taking a page from No. 1.
LSU football misses on five-star linebacker, Aggies beat Tigers
LSU football got a heat check on Thursday, missing on a five-star linebacker and losing out to a chief SEC rival.
GTA 6 Gameplay Leak Surfaces Ahead Of Trailer 3
Grand Theft Auto VI is closer to release than ever before, and the leaks continue to appear ahead of its arrival.
Microsoft Makes Big AI Inroads in China by Selling OpenAI Models
Microsoft Corp. has built a big business selling AI models to Chinese companies despite the growing rivalry between the US and China over artificial intelligence.
Trump switches support in Oklahoma congressional race as formerly endorsed pastor candidate suspends campaign
Trump withdrew his endorsement of Oklahoma GOP congressional candidate and pastor Jackson Lahmeyer to back rival Mark Tedford in a dramatic 2026 midterm reversal.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei throws shade at Sam Altman
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who famously left OpenAI in 2020, says he's "at peace" on where things stand with his chief AI rival.
Starmer warns against ‘looking backwards’ to Brexit after rivals back UK’s return to EU
Speaking at the G7 summit, prime minister says he stands by Labour’s manifesto pledge not to rejoin bloc
From The Sports Desk: Messi’s hat trick caps day of stars
On Wednesday, England and Croatia renew their rivalry.
Dorian TV Awards nominations: ‘Heated Rivalry,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Pluribus,’ ‘The Pitt’ lead the way for queer-themed shows
Now in its 17th year, the Dorian TV Awards are voted on by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.
Samsung Galaxy XR Arrives in the UK
Available now for pre-order, Galaxy XR will launch from 8th July, marking the arrival of Samsung’s first extended reality device in the UK, powered by Android XR
Marvel Rivals - The Super Hero Team-based PVP Shooter
Play for free Now!! Get ready to Ignite the Battle with Marvel Rivals!
Steam Machine Performance Benchmark Leak Signals Approaching Launch
Since the news broke that the Valve Steam Machine would be delayed, there have been countless conversations online about how the Steam Machine would be dead on arrival because of its expected pricing and aging internals—a six-core Zen 4 CPU and a Radeon Navi 33 GPU with 8 GB of VRAM—but a recent set...
Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George opens up lead in Washington, D.C., mayoral primary
Lewis George, a member of the city council, has a significant edge over her nearest rival, Kenyan McDuffie, with about two-thirds of the vote counted and the race too early to call.
Wear OS 7 drops today with Live Updates, Gemini, and more
The launch of Wear OS 7 is upon us as Google officially announces the arrival of its smartwatch platform's latest update, bringing in a handful of