SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Sumers " 545 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Lettuce at Taco Bell confirmed as source of a diarrhea-causing parasite outbreak
The CDC warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia
Even with sentiment shaky, U.S. Bancorp says consumers and businesses look healthy
The Minneapolis-based bank is seeing accelerated discretionary spending across credit scores.
Illinois takes action against new business promoted by Chicago businessman 'Brandon Mr. Finance'
The Illinois secretary of state is warning consumers about a new business being promoted by "Brandon Mr. Finance," and has issued a cease-and-desist order against the venture.
Mourners remember George E. Johnson as builder of Black business
At his visitation service Thursday, mourners said the Johnson Products Company founder "created a demand for the city and the country to recognize that Black people are consumers." His funeral is scheduled for Friday.
Sports without politics is a fantasy and the World Cup proves it
From ancient Greece to Nazi Germany, sport and politics have long been intertwined. Nevertheless, we still imagine that international sport can be kept above the fray and serve as a neutral arena where nations compete on merit alone. In this article, diplomacy scholar Geoffrey Allen Pigman argues the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows this is a dangerous illusion. When international sport is left entirely to revenue-maximizing private bodies like FIFA, it doesn't escape politics, but rather surrenders to its worst expressions. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics fast approaching, the IOC must decide whether to learn that lesson or repeat the same mistakes. The largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup ever draws toward its climactic conclusion amidst a swirl of controversy. Team members, staff, fans, and spectators have been denied their right to enter the United States to participate, and US President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to overturn a referee’s call that Trump believed disadvantaged the US national team. It is a moment to step back and reflect on what the purposes of international sport mega-events like the World Cup, and international sport more broadly, are, and what they should be. Does international sport serve public purposes? Is there a public interest? Or is it primarily a private endeavor organized by commercial enterprises to entertain the global public (and generate profit in the process), which is occasionally used by governments and leaders for raisons d’etat? Central to the idea of sport is the principle of fair play, which in the international context demands that games be free from political interference. However, it is impossible to separate sport from politics, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. The most positive political use of international sport through the millennia has been to facilitate diplomacy. The use of international sport for diplomatic objectives has existed since at least the time of the ancient Olympic Games, around which was instituted the custom of the Ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, between participating states to facilitate fair competition and diplomatic achievements by ensuring that participants could travel safely to the Olympiad. In his seminal work On Diplomacy (1987), diplomacy scholar James Der Derian characterized the objectives of diplomacy as overcoming alienation and mediating estrangement between governments and between peoples. One increasingly important diplomatic tool in the technology-infused media environment over the past century has been public diplomacy, under which governments and non-state diplomatic actors (e.g. transnational corporations) communicate to global publics about their international policy objectives and to shape their global brand image. Political scientist Michał Kobierecki, in his important book Sports Diplomacy (2020), views sports diplomacy as falling broadly within the ambit of public diplomacy, as international sport intimately involves the participation of global publics as spectators and consumers of global media. Diplomacy scholar Stuart Murray and this author, in a 2013 article, distinguish between international sport used for diplomatic purposes and international sport-as-diplomacy, which encompasses the range of diplomacy that occurs as teams and competitors, spectators and fans, and government officials all converge for international sporting events like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Diplomacy scholar H.E. Chehabi, in a 2001 article on US-Iran sports diplomacy, describes the interaction between spectators and fans at international sporting events as “people-to-people diplomacy,” in which relationships develop independently of governments and their objectives. Diplomacy by the aforementioned definitions is often unsuccessful. Moreover, all too often the tools of diplomacy may be employed by governments and other actors to thwart or oppose the objectives of diplomacy as characterized by Der Derian. Governments routinely use the tools of public diplomacy to disseminate propaganda, spreading misinformation in the attempt to deceive global publics about their objectives and to create misleading impressions about their brand identity. Within sports diplomacy, the term “sportswashing” has been coined recently to describe how governments invest in and promote international sport to create positive global public impressions of their nations and, in doing so, to distract the global public from their deficient records in areas such as human rights and democratic governance. Murray, in his 2018 book Sports Diplomacy: Origins, Theory and Practice, introduces the concept of sports anti-diplomacy, wherein governments intentionally use international sport to advance aggressive and nationalistic objectives. Obvious historical examples include Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify his Third Reich and the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras football “war.” SUGGESTED READING The beautiful game made ugly By Emily Ryall FIFA argues that it is and seeks to be apolitical in its stewardship of international Association Football (soccer). FIFA policies governing bids to host the World Cup require uninhibited and non-discriminatory access for players, team staff, and spectators of all participating countries to host nations and venues. It became clear soon after Trump returned to power in the United States in January 2025 that Trump’s political intentions and objectives to limit non-US citizens from living and working in the United States and, in numerous cases, even visiting the country, would collide with FIFA’s host nation policies. Beginning soon after the start of the second Trump administration, US federal authorities imposed restrictions on entry to the United States of citizens of between 20 and 40 countries for any purpose, with only limited exceptions. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting non-US citizens in the United States, including persons with and without legal status, holding them in jails, concentration camps, and other detention facilities until they were deported to their home or third countries, where they faced substantive risks to their personal safety. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, in an effort to ensure the most successful and lucrative World Cup in history, engaged diplomatically with President Trump in an attempt to facilitate entry to the US for World Cup participants. Infantino did all in his power to ingratiate himself with Trump, to the extent of creating a FIFA “Peace Prize,” which he awarded to Trump in December 2025 at a ceremony in the then Trump-controlled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the World Cup draw. The prize was an ersatz consolation for someone who aspired in vain to win the rather more prestigious and well-known Nobel Peace Prize. And in the run-up to the World Cup, conditions became worse. In February 2026, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war of aggression against Iran, illegal under international law, under the false pretence that Iran’s government was preparing to attack the United States and Israel. During the US aerial bombardment of Iran, US planes bombed Azadi Stadium, the facility where Iran’s national football team trained. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, it was clear that Infantino’s efforts had been for naught: the Trump administration would not adhere to FIFA policies governing access to World Cup host nations. World Cup referee Omar Artan, a citizen of Somalia, was denied a US visa to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup. Trump’s government only granted US visas to Iran’s football team ten days before they were scheduled to arrive for the tournament. Numerous members of the support staff for Iran’s team were denied US visas. Iran’s team, which had been scheduled to train in Arizona, was directed to shift its training site to Tijuana, Mexico, notwithstanding that all three of their group stage matches took place at US venues. The US Department of Homeland Security only permitted the Iranian team to enter the US on the day before each scheduled match and then to return to Mexico immediately after playing. Members of Iraq’s and Switzerland’s football teams were delayed for hours by US officials at the US border, and an Iraqi team photographer was refused entry. Spectators and fans from Haïti and Iran were denied entry to the United States altogether. A large number of fans from a range of countries had their applications for US visas rejected. There were multiple off-ramps through which participants could have avoided the negative consequences of Trump’s decisions for the 2026 World Cup. Once it was clear that the Trump government intended to violate the established expectations for World Cup hosts, FIFA could have shifted the matches scheduled to take place in the United States to Mexico and Canada. The three nations were already designated as co-hosts, and host cities and venues had been selected. Once it was clear that FIFA, governed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s dependent and dysfunctional relationship with Trump, would never consider this option on its own, it fell to the national football federations to act. The national federations, particularly some combination of federations of the leading contenders (France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, England, Germany, etc.), could have refused to participate under the US-imposed conditions or, at the least, demanded an ironclad agreement with the Trump government that FIFA policies on access would be respected. ___ International sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. ___ Why did neither FIFA nor the national football federations act to protect the interests of players, team staff, referees, fans, and spectators? In essence, the relentless engines of capitalism prevailed over norm observance, ethics, and fair play. The revenue interests of FIFA, sponsors, global media, and host cities won out. FIFA’s managers viewed hosting another World Cup principally in the United States as a veritable pot of gold for FIFA and its collaborators. FIFA has estimated its own revenue over the 2023-26 budget cycle, which includes the 2026 World Cup, at $13 billion, revised up from an initial projection of $11 billion, and 72% higher than the previous revenue cycle. Of that total, FIFA is estimated to have generated $8.9 billion from the Cup itself in revenue from TV rights ($3.92 billion), sponsorships ($2.69 billion), ticket sales ($3.1 billion), licensing rights, and other sources. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that the World Cup will contribute over $40 billion to global GDP, including nearly $14 billion in direct visitor spending in the three host countries (but principally in the United States, which hosted the lion’s share of the matches). The FIFA World Cup is now reportedly “the single most lucrative recurring commercial property in global sport.” And yet, notwithstanding the Trump government’s uses of the World Cup for sports anti-diplomacy, and the climate of anxiety that this created for participants and spectators, diplomacy that did not depend upon governments was able to thrive at the World Cup. Examples of successful people-to-people diplomacy were legion, as citizens of towns and cities across the States, as well as in Mexico and Canada, welcomed team members, their families and supporters, to training sites across North America. Fans of different teams joined together in person in stadiums for matches, at watch parties and bars, and at welcome events sponsored by host cities. The joy and camaraderie shared between the citizenry of Boston and Scotland’s “Tartan Army” of fans is but one example of how the “Beautiful Game” brings people together. Friendships forged across continents are likely to endure well beyond the Cup final. Even those achievements cannot be seen as unalloyed, however. As South African football fan Byron Pillay commented to Al Jazeera, “Football is called the Beautiful Game for a reason, for its ability to unite people. But it’s hard to believe in that magic with the politics and war rhetoric off the field of play, especially when one of the tournament hosts is central to that.” Ultimately, the experience of the 2026 FIFA World Cup illustrates that, as international sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. As long as there is the possibility of diplomatic progress in mediating estrangement between governments or between peoples, there is a broad and overarching public interest in international sport. Likewise, as it would be difficult to put on an international sport mega-event without international sporting organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), global media firms, and companies purchasing sponsorships, public and private interests in international sport must coexist, most likely somewhere on a shifting spectrum between partnership and rivalry or cross purposes. As the World Cup wraps up, the IOC needs to consider its lessons before the scheduled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they want to avoid a media-hyped Trump version of the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees need to set conditions on and make demands of Trump’s government with clearly articulated consequences for non-compliance, up to and including cancellation of the Games. Time is running out for the IOC, as unlike with the FIFA World Cup, there is no at-the-ready alternate venue for Los Angeles.
UK Economy Grew in May Despite Energy, Political Turmoil
The UK economy unexpectedly grew in May, suggesting that consumers and businesses were more resilient than feared in the face of political turbulence and higher energy prices.
Sunscreen gets an upgrade | Investors Lab
There are hundreds of brands of sunscreen available in the United States, but not one of them contains an ingredient we all need. Bemotrizinol, a highly effective, broad-spectrum chemical ultraviolet ray blocker, has been available in Europe for decades but absent from U.S. shelves. The regulatory bottleneck was driven by a 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy classifying sunscreens as drugs. While the classification remains, consumers and innovators can welcome the news that the FDA has officially approved bemotrizinol, effective August 9, 2026. Science News's Meghan Rosen provides the coverage.
SF supes give final OK to cannabis cafes to offer food, drinks and entertainment
San Francisco may become the first city in the Bay Area to license cannabis cafes that will allow consumers to enjoy food, beverages and live San Francisco supervisors gave final approval to cannabis cafes that can serve food, beverages and entertainment alongside onsite cannabis consumption, pending the mayor’s signature.
The Common Cents Act is closer to becoming law. What would it mean for businesses and consumers?
College Football 27 and a rare victory for consumers
Until Saturday is The Athletic's free college football newsletter.
Why the $9.99 price tag still rules retail
The $9.99 price point remains a powerful strategy because many consumers perceive products under $10 as noticeably more affordable than those priced at $10 or higher, even though the difference is only a penny, The Wall Street Journal reports. Companies are increasingly struggling to maintain these prices due to rising costs from inflation, fuel, tariffs […]
The Metro: Why partisan politics makes it harder to keep the lights on in Michigan
Despite the fact that consumers won’t reap the benefits immediately, residents are having to pay for the upgrades now.
Brightspeed Business Launches 8 Gig Fiber to Power the Next Generation of AI-Driven Business
/PRNewswire/ -- As artificial intelligence transforms how businesses operate, Brightspeed, the nation's third-largest fiber builder empowering consumers and...
In Malaysia, more consumers trading entertainment for validation on Xiaohongshu
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — For a growing number of Malaysian consumers, the journey to buying a new skincare product...
Grocery Stores Lower Prices as Consumers Pare Spending
While shoppers may get better deals on some items, it’s unlikely their overall grocery bill will fall.
5 Ways Small Businesses Can Profit From America's Staycation Summer
Consumers enjoying a “staycation” aren't necessarily spending less; they’re looking to spend differently and locally. Here's how small businesses can tap in.
Mass-produced science is coming. What happens to scientists?
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers—the public, medical patients, technology users—the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
Meta Launches New Image Generation Tool for Consumers and Businesses
Meta has begun rolling out an image generation model available in Meta AI. Muse Image is the first such model developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs,
Research shows how behavioral science silently protects American consumers and patients
A new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) special feature highlights the critical role of behavioral and decision sciences in U.S. governance. The publications demonstrate how psychological ...
Better Business Bureau offers cybersecurity resources to protect businesses, consumers
Jo Ann Deal with the Better Business Bureau of Monroe joined Good Morning ArkLaMiss to talk about cybersecurity resources available to businesses and consumers.
Better Business Bureau offers cybersecurity resources to protect businesses, consumers
Jo Ann Deal with the Better Business Bureau of Monroe joined Good Morning ArkLaMiss to talk about cybersecurity resources available to businesses and consumers.
Better Business Bureau offers cybersecurity resources to protect businesses, consumers
Jo Ann Deal with the Better Business Bureau of Monroe joined Good Morning ArkLaMiss to talk about cybersecurity resources available to businesses and consumers.
Apple has already given consumers a reason to steer clear of iPhone 18 Pro
Our readers might just sit this one out.
Long Reads for the Long Weekend
(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.) Happy Fourth of July weekend! As has been a tradition of mine going back to the beginning of the EntStrategyGuy website, I’m sharing my favorite long reads of the last year, like I did in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025. Let’s dive right in! Subscribe “Different Prices for the Same Ride: How Uber and Lyft Use AI to Get More Money Out of You“ by Derek Kravitz in Consumer Reports I don’t think surveillance pricing, like the kind described in this brilliant Consumer Reports article, is long for the world—it’s toxically unpopular—but we’ll see if either party takes on this issue. If I ran a political party focused on affordability, I would focus on a few pro-consumer and pro-market policies: Banning non-compete agreements. Ending surveillance pricing Eliminating junk fees (read more here...) Ensuring “right to repair” for consumer (and military!) products Capping excessive app store fees Stopping digital/algorithmic price-fixing tools. Preventing automatic subscription price increases. And more. If you want to fight inflation, there are a lot of great ways to do it quickly. Speaking of higher prices... “Secret Documents Show Pepsi and Walmart Colluded to Raise Food Prices Across the Economy“ by Matt Stoller in BIG Again, I think a political party should focus on lowering prices for consumers. And deals like this—Walmart making a deal/forcing Pepsi to offer the lowest prices at its stores and nowhere else—hypothetically lower prices at Walmart...but raise them everywhere else. “15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road“ by Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler in CalMatters CalMatters does terrific reporting in California, something the Golden State desperately needs more of, and this article is a great example of that. “PugLips: The next insanely popular thing you’ve never heard of…” by Simon Carless in Game Discover Co I thought that this parody article (and yes, it’s a parody, but I was definitely unsure at first) was hilarious and totally nailed how much tech/business journalism feels these days. Actually, three of my favorite articles this year were on hype in the video game industry, including Georg Zoller’s “The Video Game Industries Very Dark Night”—which I linked to recently and wrote a follow-up here—and Owen Mahoney’s “Derek Zoolander, Videogame Exec”. In particular, I like Mahoney’s focus on user experience as a guide to what trends will actually grab hold of customers. “The Matrix Lies“ by Evan Shapiro in Media War & Peace Evan Shapiro’s first person account of his experience with AI was hilarious. I think LLMs capabilities have significantly grown from last summer, and yet...my editor/researcher just had an abysmal experience using an LLM to do a quite basic task (which our LLM normally does each week) and the LLM made a mistake on every single data entry...along with seven different mistakes affecting twelve of the twenty or so entries, including mistakes that are explicitly spelled out in the prompt. That’s a brutal failure rate. Again, if you use AI/LLM for data collection, you need to take a lot of extra steps to verify and check the data. “Ghosts in the Balcony: A Cross-Country Trip to 58 Theaters Fighting to Survive“ by Matthew Frank in The Ankler I thought Matthew Frank’s pitch to head across America to visit theaters sounded insane aggressive at the time—at least it felt that way to someone a decade older than him; man, to be in your twenties again, am I right?—but I knew the result would be great. And it was, a terrific feature by a great young writer. Also, I loved Matthew’s recent article on who’s getting the precious few entry level jobs in Hollywood. (Hint: nepotism.) “Disney erased FiveThirtyEight“ and “Did Las Vegas get too greedy?” by Nate Silver in Silver Bulletin I love media history and analysis, and there’s no one better to get the history of FiveThirtyEight than from Nate Silver, who wrote about his personal experience in one of my favorite pieces from this year. I also loved Nate’s breakdown of what’s causing Vegas’ woes, but I’ll offer one criticism, summarized as “Might I suggest antitrust?” Many centrists/center-right/libertarian thinkers (Nate is self-described as the latter) often don’t consider consolidation or antitrust as factors in policy issues like housing, America’s military readiness, or, in this case, Las Vegas. Even if libertarians want to debunk antitrust/consolidation concerns, I’d love to read that debunking. In this case, Vegas is incredibly consolidated (though it also has been for a long time) and I’d have loved to read Nate at least contending with this factor, since he addresses almost every other potential factor for Vegas’ decline. “Why Microsoft’s Carbon Removal Pullback Is Such a Big Deal“ by Robinson Meyer in Heatmap News I’m a big supporter of carbon removal efforts, but this nascent industry faces a lot of headwinds, including this big move most recently. I think it’s clear that solar panels and batteries should be able to get the world to its carbon footprint goals, but effective carbon renewal remains necessary to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. “AI is killing the cheap smartphone“ by David Oks LLMs and AI will impact the world in ways we’re not ready for, and already, third world countries are seeing the prices of cheap cellphones skyrocket due to the cost of chips skyrocketing. This article by David Oks is a terrific breakdown. “100 Days of Madness: Netflix, Paramount, Warner and the Future of Hollywood“ by Wade Major at Hollywood Heretic Wade Major dove deep into Hollywood/streaming’s financials in this must read piece. Not that I agree with everything in this article (read my take on Warner Bros./Paramount here) but the analysis is top notch. I think many people discount how quality thinking, regardless of the argument/conclusion, will make you a better thinker. “Erased by the UFC: Frank Shamrock, The MMA GOAT of the 20th Century“ by Nate Wilcox in The MMA Draw Newsletter Growing up playing the UFC fighting game on the Dreamcast, Frank Shamrock was my favorite MMA fighter, and this history/tribute to him was great. Other Fun Reads “The Hardest Part Of History To Tell Is How It Felt“ by Craig Fehrman at Defector “Unmasking the Sea Star Killer“ by Craig Welch at bioGraphic “What Could Save the Industry? Fin-Syn“ by Richard Rushfield in The Ankler Alex Rollins Berg in Underexposed on movie bumpers, pillow shots, Disney trash cinema, cult films, and Casablanca. David H. Montgomery in YouGov’s The Surveyor on punctuation marks, condiments, dinosaurs, and comic strips and kids media. “How Medium finally pivoted its way to profitability“ and “Why the best journalists on YouTube are all former Vox employees“ by Simon Owens in Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter “It’s Not Just You, Netflix Shows Have Gotten Slightly Shorter: Here’s What the Data Says“ by Kasey Moore at What’s on Netflix “Numlock Awards: How Diane Warren became the biggest loser in Oscar history“ by Nathaniel Rakich and “Numlock Awards: The Oscar Bait era is over. The Oscar Chum era is here.” by Walt Hickey & Michael Domanico at Numlock Awards
Probi celebrates 35 years of science and a new chapter with Symrise
Together, the companies are creating new opportunities to accelerate research, expand innovation and bring new and exciting biotic solutions to customers and consumers around the world
ALL Accor Aims At Sports, Entertainment And Food In New Loyalty Effort
Accor uses their loyalty program to give increased access to sports, entertainment and food for travel savvy consumers.
ALL Accor Aims At Sports, Entertainment And Food In New Loyalty Effort
Accor uses their loyalty program to give increased access to sports, entertainment and food for travel savvy consumers.
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?
New data shows consumers dropped health coverage after Republicans let subsidies expire
Republican officials don’t deny the accuracy of the data, though they’ve repeatedly tried to argue that the reduction is a positive development. It’s not.
States seek to lower drug prices by targeting the companies that manage them for health plans
TOPEKA, Kan. — As consumers worry about medication costs, states are trying to lower drug prices by reining in big companies that oversee prescription coverage for health insurers. Some of those companies, called pharmacy benefit managers, also own pharmacies, and one of them, CVS, has spent millions of dollars fighting
Record profits, terrible service: something’s got to give for US consumers
Experts say consolidation and market power have left consumers paying more for less
Chipotle and Cava are thriving as consumers prioritize value
Chipotle and Cava are thriving as consumers shift spending to perceived restaurant winners, focusing on quality over cost amid a "K-shaped" economy.
Growing Interest in Liver Wellness Leads Consumers to Explore PureHealth Research Liver Health Supplements
What does it actually mean to feel "off" after a heavy meal, a few too many late nights, or a season of indulgence? More often than not, the answer points back to the liver – and PureHealth Research is spotlighting growing consumer interest in liver wellness, highlighting how targeted nutritional support could play a role in maintaining healthy liver function and overall well-being.
Egg Prices Are Way Down, but That’s Hurting Farmers
An oversupply of hens has lowered wholesale egg prices. But consumers may not reap the full benefits because of producer contracts and higher costs.
Cottage Cheese Shortages Are Driven by TikTok and ‘Protein-Maxxing’
TikTok and “protein-maxxing” are driving a cottage cheese squeeze that’s left some consumers desperate.
California is getting ready to increase a health insurance tax. Will it affect your premium?
Private plans say they'll pass the cost to consumers — meaning families could pay $400 more a year to help keep Medi-Cal afloat.
Premium credit cards promise rewards, but change how consumers spend
Premium rewards cards offer points, lounge access, and luxury perks — but those rewards are also changing how consumers think about spending.
The $4 Billion Coffee Pod Business Faces Its Biggest Threat Yet
Billions of coffee pods are sold every year. Coffee giant Lavazza is betting that consumers are finally ready for a different approach.
What This Iran Deal Might Mean for American Consumers | WSJ Politics Newsletter for June 15
Plus, Kevin Warsh wants the Fed to say less, and AI deepfakes muddle the midterms
How morals influence food, health decisions
Olin’s Sydney Scott researches why consumers act the way they do in the grocery aisle – and the doctor’s office.
Apple Could Eventually Bring An OpenClaw-Like Competitor To Multiple Platforms, Offering Personalized AI Agents At Flexible Pricing
Consumers could have another reason to invest in a Mac, iPad or iPhone, as Apple could bring its own AI agent like OpenClaw in the future
Health department recalls all Clover Hill Dairy cheeses over ongoing listeria risk
Maryland health officials are warning consumers not to eat, sell or serve any cheese products made by Clover Hill Dairy in Mechanicsville after expanding a cons
Health department recalls all Clover Hill Dairy cheeses over ongoing listeria risk
Maryland health officials are warning consumers not to eat, sell or serve any cheese products made by Clover Hill Dairy in Mechanicsville after expanding a cons
DJI and Insta360 go to war in the U.S. over its action gimbal cameras
Insta360's Luna Ultra and DJI's Osmo Pocket 4 Pro can't compete among consumers in the U.S. due to the Trump admin. So, they're battling it out over patents instead.
BBB warns Alaskans about businesses pressuring customers to change online reviews
Better Business Bureau representatives are urging consumers to document and report instances in which a business pressures a customer to remove or soften an online review, warning the practice can undermine information people rely on when deciding where to spend their money.
South Florida bankruptcy filings see uptick as consumers, businesses seek relief amid war, rising prices
Amid rising inflation and surges in energy prices, South Florida many consumers and businesses are turning to bankruptcy filings for relief.
Inside Hartford HealthCare's strategy to build a safer AI front door for patients
The health system integrates PatientGPT into its patient portal and clinical infrastructure, seeking to offer consumers AI-powered health guidance while maintaining physician oversight, data governance and continuity of care.
As OpenAI leans into enterprise business, Apple and Google set sights on the masses
OpenAI's aggressive push into the enterprise, where it competes with Anthropic, coincides with efforts by Apple and Google to bring advanced AI to consumers.
Gas prices push inflation to a three-year high, squeezing consumers and businesses
Rising gas prices pushed inflation to its highest level in three years last month, a headache for the Federal Reserve and a potential political challenge for the Trump administration as midterm elections near
Inflation rose again in May as elevated energy prices squeeze consumers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the consumer price index (CPI) inflation data for May which showed that inflation rose and remained persistently high last month.
What Brands Get Wrong About Sports Sponsorships—and How to Get Them Right
Companies spend billions sponsoring major sporting events, yet many still evaluate success primarily through exposure metrics such as logo visibility and immediate brand recall. New research suggests those measures increasingly misrepresent sponsorship effectiveness because consumers form long-lasting, overlapping associations among brands, events, and competitors within crowded sponsorship ecosystems. Brands generate more enduring value when they focus less on visibility and more on authentic participation, distinctive experiences, and emotional engagement that strengthen trust and meaningful long-term recall.
NUTRITION 2026: The leading source for the latest science
When it comes to nutrition, strong science is essential to navigating the myriad of choices that confront consumers, clinicians and policy
US consumers are rethinking their spending, retailers say
U.S. consumers haven’t stopped spending money since the Iran war drove up fuel prices, but many shoppers are reassessing what they buy and where, according to company executives and retail analysts. The behavior changes observed so far are subtle, such as altered routines for buying gasoline and fewer visits to clothing and furniture stores. They […]
Dates gain popularity as health-conscious shoppers seek cleaner snacks
Consumers are increasingly turning to dates for natural sweetness and versatility, fueling a trend that could help push the market to new highs over the next decade.
The $4 billion coffee pod business faces its biggest threat yet
Billions of coffee pods are sold every year. Coffee giant Lavazza is betting that consumers are finally ready for a different approach.
Exclusive: Political pressure threatens to undercut EPA science evaluating chemical safety for consumers, sources say
Inside the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, scientists say they’re under pressure to alter safety reviews of chemicals commonly found in consumer products like household cleaners and cosmetics to make risks to human health and the environment disappear on paper.
Exclusive: Political pressure threatens to undercut EPA science evaluating chemical safety for consumers, sources say
Inside the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency, scientists say they’re under pressure to alter safety reviews of chemicals commonly found in consumer products like household cleaners and cosmetics to make risks to human health and the environment disappear on paper.
Nike’s Reset Under Elliott Hill Tests Core Sports And Investor Patience
Nike (NYSE:NKE) has launched an operational and brand reset under returning CEO Elliott Hill. New companywide programs, including "Win Now" and "Sport Offense," aim to refocus on core sports categories and refresh Nike's market approach. The reset includes renewed attention to wholesale partners, core product franchises, and updated marketing to athletes and everyday consumers. Nike, trading at $42.98, is undertaking this reset after a long period of weak share price performance, including...
The commodification of identity politics
Opinions editor Jennifer Levine traces how radical ideas of selfhood evolve to deepen divisions and isolate consumers rather than effect meaningful change.
China's global e-commerce push stalls as Iran war lifts costs, dampens demand
China's e-commerce export engine is faltering as surging jet fuel costs and weak demand from lower-income consumers in the West linked to the Iran war threaten profits for big online platforms like Temu , Shein and AliExpress .
ProBiotix Health targets long-term women’s health beyond menopause symptom support
Women’s health research is growing, and scientists are learning that supporting consumers through menopause means going beyond addressing symptoms. Cellan Davies, head of marketing at ProBiotix Health, tells Nutrition Insight which menopause-support ingredients and formulation approaches are gaining the most traction within women’s health.
From unfilled gas tanks to fewer frills, retailers see US consumers rethink their spending
U.S. consumers haven’t stopped spending since the Iran war drove up fuel prices.
Christopher Kim: Florida families and small businesses deserve the right to repair
Florida consumers deserve freedom to repair products they own.
Morning Preview: A Jobs Report Surprise, Immigration Showdown and Rising Heat Risks
Today, economists and consumers are reacting to a better-than-expected job report and regulators are rethinking how schools spend billions on internet access and classroom technology. At the same time, the first major heat waves of the season are putting pressure on public health systems as summer ...
The Supply Side: Grocery business responds to GLP-1 use
The rising use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is reshaping consumer spending, which impacts food retailers and suppliers. About 1 in 8 U.S. consumers use drugs that reduce appetites and curb...
Cannabis companies hid health issues from consumers: Federal lawsuit
The complaint targets companies in 13 states and is brought by consumers who claim the products were deceptively marketed.
Reps. Mejia, Cleaver Demand Trump Administration Automatically Refund Illegal Tariffs Collected from U.S. Small Businesses and Provide Refunds to American Consumers
Reps. Mejia, Cleaver Demand Trump Administration Automatically Refund Illegal Tariffs Collected from U.S. Small Businesses and Provide Refunds to American Consumers Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Analilia Mejia (D-NJ) and Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) led dozens of lawmakers in demanding the Trump administration make consumers eligible for tariff refunds and implement an automatic refund[...]
Cannabis companies hid health issues from consumers: Federal lawsuit
The complaint targets companies in 13 states and is brought by consumers who claim the products were deceptively marketed.
Surveillance data, arbitration bills that worried business get axe from Polis | The Sum and Substance
In veto letters, Gov. Jared Polis wrote that the bills could have harmed the very consumers that they espoused they wanted to help.
Cannabis companies hid health issues from consumers: Federal lawsuit
The complaint targets companies in 13 states and is brought by consumers who claim the products were deceptively marketed.
148 Michigan politicians sign ‘no utility money’ pledge
148 Michigan politicians pledge to refuse utility campaign donations as frustration grows over DTE and Consumers Energy's political influence.
New Federal Rule Makes Sweeping Changes to Health Insurance Marketplace Regulations
A new rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services makes a long list of changes to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces that the agency says will lead to more plan choices and lower premiums for consumers.
Motorola News | Designed for Comfort, Built for Everyday Entertainment: Introducing the new motorola edge 2026 and moto buds 2
Motorola brings the new edge and moto buds 2 to North America, designed to elevate the features that matter most to today's consumers.
Jensen Huang Says Nvidia and Microsoft Just Reinvented the PC. But There Might Be 1 Problem
For years, the PC industry has been stuck in a rut. Consumers stretched upgrade cycles from three years to five or more, smartphone sales stole attention, and innovation often boiled down to slightly faster processors and better battery life. So when Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang declares that the PC has been “reinvented,” investors should ... Jensen Huang Says Nvidia and Microsoft Just Reinvented the PC. But There Might Be 1 Problem
South Africa Business Mood Slips as Iran War Upends Rate Outlook
South African business sentiment weakened in the second quarter as consumers faced fresh pressures from the Iran war that’s clouded the outlook for inflation and interest rates.
Rising gas prices may push more household spending toward Amazon
Higher gas prices have changed how people shop. Consumers are pulling back on discretionary spending and foot traffic is in decline.
Better Business Bureau warns of alleged car dealer scam in Omaha
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about an alleged online car dealer scam using an Omaha address.
Better Business Bureau warns of fake review scam
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of a rising scam.
Glyco Harmony Drops [URGENT REPORT 2026] GlycoHarmony Shocking Complete Scientific Breakdown of Benefits Everyone Is Talking
Explore the science behind Glyco Harmony. Get a detailed explanation of its ingredients, benefits, potential effects, and how the formula may support healthy glucose metabolism. Glyco Harmony Glyco Harmony New York City, NY, May 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As awareness of metabolic health continues to rise worldwide, consumers are increasingly searching for products that can help support healthy blood sugar levels, improve overall wellness, and complement healthy lifestyle choices. Learn what’s
Business Coaching or Business Scam? FTC Shares Red Flags
FTC warns business owners and consumers to be cautious of coaching programs promising quick money, guaranteed income or little risk.
Temu Hit With Fine in E.U. Over Sales of Unsafe Goods
The Chinese e-commerce platform faces a penalty of more than $230 million for selling baby toys and other products the European Commission said could harm consumers.
Group turns in 562,000 signatures for Michigan corporate donations ban
The ballot proposal would prohibit DTE Energy, Consumers Energy and companies with state or local contracts worth more than $250,000 from contributing to politicians.
Health insurers are exiting the Marketplace again. Should consumers be worried?
Why are insurers leaving the ACA Marketplace? New exits by Cigna and others highlight growing concerns about enrollment and affordability in 2027.
Blu Ocean Innovations Introduces AI Visibility Strategy As User Habits Shift
With a majority of consumers from all generations reporting using AI as a search engine, Blu Ocean Innovations, LLC announces the launch of the ...
How Real-World Gaming Became A Business Built On Escapism
Escape rooms and immersive gaming are booming as consumers spend more on shared experiences, emotional escapism and real-world connection.
Google’s Fitbit Air Gives Whoop Some Serious Competition
The Fitbit Air, a new $100 screenless wearable from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, represents a major evolution in what consumers can expect from fitness trackers as tech companies race into an era of personalized health and artificial intelligence-powered wellness insights.
Google’s Fitbit Air Gives Whoop Some Serious Competition
The Fitbit Air, a new $100 screenless wearable from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, represents a major evolution in what consumers can expect from fitness trackers as tech companies race into an era of personalized health and artificial intelligence-powered wellness insights.
$140,000 E.V.s and Heritage Gold: The Rise of China’s Homegrown Luxury Market
As China’s economy slows, consumers are increasingly turning to domestic luxury products, challenging the dominance of long-established European brands.
Better Business Bureau: Protect yourself from deepfake scams
Artificial intelligence is changing the way businesses and consumers interact every day.
A look at rising produce prices and effects on businesses and consumers
Google is pitching an AI agent ecosystem to consumers who may not buy it
The AI agents are coming. A lot of them.
America’s shoppers are seeking revenge again
Consumers have never hated an economy as much as this one, and they’re taking out their frustrations by doing what they do best.
Better Business Bureau: Businesses must protect sensitive information
BBB of the Mid-South CEO and president Randy Hutchinson gives weekly tips about how consumers can protect assets and avoid scams.
French Business Activity Slumps at Fastest Pace Since 2020
French business activity shrank at the quickest pace in five and a half years as higher energy prices hit consumers and firms.
Money Out of Politics group ‘confident’ proposal will make Michigan ballot
Organizers seeking to ban political contributions by DTE, Consumers and large state contractors say they’re ‘very confident’ they have enough signatures to put their proposal on the Nov. 3 ballot.
City's upward trend in sales tax collection continues in April
Consumers continued to spend more than last year, driving an increase in Sioux Falls sales tax revenue in April.
Google announces glasses are back and search is getting an AI makeover
At annual I/O conference, company debuts a product for everyday consumers to create autonomous AI agents
Time to redefine healthcare “quality”
AI assistants and innovative health insurance plans are transforming how consumers and employers find their way to high-quality care.
Millions expected to lose Affordable Care Act coverage as costs spike
Congress’s refusal to continue pandemic-era subsidies for ACA beneficiaries is taking a big bite out of consumers’ pocketbooks.
Spirits brands look to sports, sponsorship and celebrity playbook to convert younger consumers
For advertisers like Chivas, Maker’s Mark and Jameson sports is the keystone of efforts to recruit younger drinkers and renew brand profiles.