Commentary

Aging Cable First Steps: Rebrand, New Digital Businesses - Is That All?

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 7 hours ago

MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) is being pushed to the side as a business -- being spun out of Comcast, along with other cable networks.

There is a plan. And we can assume that other aging cable TV networks have a similar approach.

It seems there is a plan to dramatically ramp up the business for the still highly viewed 24/7 cable news TV network. 

MS NOW will have a new direct-to-consumer (D2C) offering next summer under the new brand name.

As MSNBC, the network has had its own mobile app for a while now -- as well as its sister network CNBC.

But the new business plan looks to make this D2C effort much bigger than its previous iteration.

The new service intends to offer up podcasts and YouTube-centric long- and short-form video as well as interactive content and features.

Reports suggest that MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler, under its new Versant corporate company, is opening the spigot in a push for more digital business extension going forward.

Versant becomes a publicly traded company on January 2, 2026.

Looking at the bigger picture, now we can see a different spin on what the broad spectrum of legacy and declining cable TV businesses may be doing to resurrect themselves as more independent businesses.

This would give hope to what some companies may envision for the future -- for the most part what Paramount Skydance’s future plans are to keep and revamp its cable TV networks.

This is a somewhat different approach to that of Comcast Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery, which are both currently in the process of spinning off their respective cable TV networks as separate companies.

The goal is that operating as a smaller company, these networks will in theory have better flexibility to make more aggressive, entrepreneurial, real-time changes to their operations.

Pushing more digital, social media, AI-focused business that adapts to modern media consumers makes sense.

Execution of that plan, of course, is the final judge and jury.

You can now wonder why changing its longtime seemingly valuable brand name -- MSNBC -- to MS NOW might make more sense.

Rebranding cable TV networks with new business extensions? Guessing we are only at stage one of those plans.

 

Netflix To Buy WBD's Studio, Streaming In $82.7B Deal

• by Wayne Friedman , 7 hours ago

Moving swiftly, Netflix will buy Warner Bros. Discovery's key studio and streaming operations for $82.7 billion -- securing the legendary movie studio/TV company and beating out legacy media companies Paramount Skydance and Comcast Corp.

The deal is for $27.50 per WBD share in cash and stock -- totaling $82.7 billion, with $72.0 billion coming from cash ($23.25 in cash/$4.50 Netflix shares). Early Friday morning trading of WBD stock was up 4% to $25.46. Netflix was down 3% to $100.24.

As expected, Netflix only wanted to buy the studio and streaming operations. Netflix says the deal is estimated to close after WBD's planned separation of the company.

Discovery Global will be a newly publicly traded company that will contain all the company’s global cable networks including CNN, TNT, TBS, Discovery Channel, Food Network, and HGTV, among many others.

Previously, WBD also planned to spin out its studio/streaming operations as a separate publicly traded company.

Analysts expect Netflix to see heavy analysis from the antitrust division of the Department of Justice due to its dominance in the streaming market. The Trump administration may also weigh into the deal, considering its long-time battle and criticism over CNN, the longtime cable TV news network.

Early in the week, warnings came from Paramount about the lack of transparency and the “fairness and adequacy” of the sales process that Warner Bros. Discovery was undertaking in the deal.

Analysts say those warnings and criticisms came as a prelude that the deal was going the way of Netflix. WBD was to decide on the winning bid next week.

Paramount implored WBD to appoint an independent committee of “disinterested members of its board to consider any potential transaction.”

The deal includes HBO Max, cable TV network HBO, entire movie and the film libraries of Warner Bros.

Netflix says the deal creates “more opportunities for the creative community... the company will create greater value for talent — offering more opportunities to work with beloved intellectual property, tell new stories and connect with a wider audience than ever before.”

 

shopping

Record Traffic Masks a More Calculated Holiday Shopper

• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

 

The National Retail Federation reports that a record 202.9 million people shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, easily topping last year’s 197 million and beating NRF’s own forecast by about 16 million. The trade group says the blowout weekend keeps spending on track for holiday sales growth of 3.7% to 4.2% over 2024, crossing the $1 trillion mark for the first time.

It’s not that there aren’t pressures on people, trade group execs said. It’s just that shoppers build a “moat” around December spending, even if they cut back in other areas. “Holiday spending and holiday shopping is an essential part of the budget,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said on a press call, calling the five-day stretch “a very, very solid beginning to the holiday season.”

The survey-based tally shows 129.5 million consumers shopped in stores, up 3% from last year, and 134.9 million shopped online, up 9%. Almost all weekend shoppers bought holiday-related items, spending an average of $338 — up from $316 a year ago and the highest since 2019. About two-thirds of that spending went to gifts.

Other data sets tell a similarly upbeat — if heavily promo-driven — story. Adobe Analytics says Cyber Monday generated $14.25 billion in online sales, up 7.1% year over year, with Cyber Week reaching $44.2 billion, up 7.7%. Steep discounts in electronics, toys and apparel did much of the work. Buy now/pay later usage hit a record $1.03 billion on Cyber Monday, up 4.2%, as more shoppers spread payments over time.

Mastercard SpendingPulse estimates Black Friday retail sales rose 4.1% from last year, with ecommerce up 10.4% and in-store sales up 1.7%. “Consumers are showing incredible savviness this season,” said Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute, in the announcement. “They’re navigating an uncertain environment by shopping early, leveraging promotions, and investing in wish-list items.”

The NRF's top destinations for gift shopping? Supermarkets, at 47%, followed by online at 45%.

NRF chief economist Mark Matthews said consumers are “very, very promotional, very sales-focused,” and more attuned to price comparisons than ever. For retailers, the record traffic and mid-single-digit sales gains are welcome. But with much of that strength tied to discounts and BNPL, the holiday surge looks more like a protected splurge than proof that broader consumer jitters have melted away.

 

 

Luxury Isn't Collapsing -- It's Recalibrating Downward

• by Sarah Mahoney , December 1, 2025

Luxury marketers like to boast that their customers are resilient, but the latest numbers tell a more brittle story. Bain’s newest benchmark pegs global luxury spending at €1.44 trillion — flat at best — as the consumer base contracts, active shoppers fall sharply, and profit margins sink back to levels last seen in 2009. Beneath that surface stability is a structural reset: Consumers are prioritizing experiences over goods, and brands are losing both aspirational shoppers and margin power.

The Bain–Altagamma study describes “tectonic shifts” as consumers redirect spending toward cruises, fine dining, travel adventures, safaris, and elite sports. These categories are redefining exclusivity, while anything that signals conspicuous consumption — cars, handbags, and shoes — is struggling. Even beauty, typically a bright spot, stalled and ended the year flat.

The demand problem is real. Active luxury shoppers now make up just 40% to 45% of the addressable customer base, down from roughly 60% last year. The total number of luxury consumers has fallen from 400 million in 2022 to about 340 million in 2025, and new customer acquisition slipped 5% between 2024 and 2025.

Personal luxury goods, which excludes categories like travel, automotive, and furniture, are expected to finish the year down about 2%. Apparel is likely to edge down, and both leather goods and footwear are forecast to fall 5% to 7%. Growth is limited to jewelry (up 4% to 6%) and eyewear (up 2% to 4%).

Spending patterns are also diverging by income tier. Ultra-wealthy buyers have trimmed purchases slightly, with the high-end segment (about 40% of the market) contracting by 1% to 3%, even as they spend more on cars, hospitality, fine wines and spirits, and gourmet dining. Yachts and private jets remain strong sellers. The accessible segment was flat to slightly negative, but gained share within personal luxury goods, powered by Gen Z and value-conscious shoppers.

“After the shopping spree era, experiences and emotions have become the true engine of luxury growth,” writes lead author Claudia D’Arpizio, Bain & Company senior partner in fashion and luxury. “The market remains resilient but not immune to macroeconomic complexities, navigating a fragile global balance.”

Retail behavior is shifting, too. Outlet stores are outperforming as consumers hunt for value. Online spending is stable, but physical retail footprints are shrinking sharply, with declines across monobrand stores and U.S. department stores.

Profitability is deteriorating, with margins expected to fall 15%–16%, matching the lows of 2009.

D’Arpizio calls this a crossroads, shaped by uneven regional growth paths, pricing pressure, and fragmented consumer personas. “Creativity is progressively coming back, but a broken price–value equation calls for integrity and renewed trust,” she adds. “This is luxury’s moment of truth… The winners will balance profit with purpose, creativity and conscience, turning recalibration into reinvention.”

Bain expects a modest recovery in 2026, forecasting growth of 3% to 5%. Deutsche Bank is slightly more optimistic, predicting 6% growth next year — up from its estimate of 2% for 2025 — while cautioning that the sector is unlikely to return to its prepandemic trajectory. The firm names LVMH, Burberry, and Richemont as its most preferred stocks, and lists Kering and Moncler among its least preferred.

 

shopping

Record Traffic Masks a More Calculated Holiday Shopper

• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

 

The National Retail Federation reports that a record 202.9 million people shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, easily topping last year’s 197 million and beating NRF’s own forecast by about 16 million. The trade group says the blowout weekend keeps spending on track for holiday sales growth of 3.7% to 4.2% over 2024, crossing the $1 trillion mark for the first time.

It’s not that there aren’t pressures on people, trade group execs said. It’s just that shoppers build a “moat” around December spending, even if they cut back in other areas. “Holiday spending and holiday shopping is an essential part of the budget,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said on a press call, calling the five-day stretch “a very, very solid beginning to the holiday season.”

The survey-based tally shows 129.5 million consumers shopped in stores, up 3% from last year, and 134.9 million shopped online, up 9%. Almost all weekend shoppers bought holiday-related items, spending an average of $338 — up from $316 a year ago and the highest since 2019. About two-thirds of that spending went to gifts.

Other data sets tell a similarly upbeat — if heavily promo-driven — story. Adobe Analytics says Cyber Monday generated $14.25 billion in online sales, up 7.1% year over year, with Cyber Week reaching $44.2 billion, up 7.7%. Steep discounts in electronics, toys and apparel did much of the work. Buy now/pay later usage hit a record $1.03 billion on Cyber Monday, up 4.2%, as more shoppers spread payments over time.

Mastercard SpendingPulse estimates Black Friday retail sales rose 4.1% from last year, with ecommerce up 10.4% and in-store sales up 1.7%. “Consumers are showing incredible savviness this season,” said Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute, in the announcement. “They’re navigating an uncertain environment by shopping early, leveraging promotions, and investing in wish-list items.”

The NRF's top destinations for gift shopping? Supermarkets, at 47%, followed by online at 45%.

NRF chief economist Mark Matthews said consumers are “very, very promotional, very sales-focused,” and more attuned to price comparisons than ever. For retailers, the record traffic and mid-single-digit sales gains are welcome. But with much of that strength tied to discounts and BNPL, the holiday surge looks more like a protected splurge than proof that broader consumer jitters have melted away.

 Just thought you might want to know where some of the ad dollars are going this holiday season.

and remember the importance of local-direct: Philip Jay LeNoble, Ph.D.

Radio’s Festive Flippers See Early 40% Audience Gain Across US

By

 Cameron Coats

 -

December 3, 2025

0

As Thanksgiving officially kicked off the holiday season last week, it was radio that enjoyed the feast as sleigh bells brought listeners back in force. Stations from Biloxi to LA that flipped to all-Holiday formats saw huge in-car audience spikes across 15 US markets.

The measurement, which tracked more than 1.3 million connected vehicles through Xperi’s DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal between November 25-30, showed a 40.4% average increase in audience share for holiday music stations, with consistent gains in every market measured, demonstrating the widespread seasonal lift tied to format switches.

Portland’s KKCW posted the largest share increase at 68.4%, followed by Washington, DC’s WASH (61.7%) and Cincinnati’s WRRM (56.2%). San Francisco’s KOIT and Boston’s WMJX rounded out the top five at 55.0% and 53.6%, respectively.

Other major markets mirrored the trend. Philadelphia’s WBEB rose 46.8%, Chicago’s WLIT climbed 42.1%, and Dallas’s KDGE increased 40.3%. Even smaller markets showed measurable gains: Biloxi’s WMJY up 34.0%, Salt Lake City’s KSFI up 31.5%, and Lexington’s WMXL up 22.4%.

The AutoStage dataset captured listener movement in real time as audience share rose steadily from Thanksgiving Day through the weekend. Top-performing stations saw their share nearly double by November 30. KKCW in Portland grew from 9.3% to 15.6%, while WASH in Washington, DC, increased from 3.9% to 6.3% over the same period.

All metrics came following enhancements to the DTS AutoStage Broadcaster Portal in November, which now provides audience analytics to 250 US markets.

These results even outperform Katz Media Group’s 2024 review of 102 PPM-measured stations, which found that switching to all-holiday formats drove 34.4% growth in Average Quarter-Hour listening and 17.7% gains in cumulative audience.

The best news for advertisers? That festive boom directly translates to seasonal commerce. Critical Mass Media and iHeartMedia found that 98% of holiday music listeners say Christmas radio gets them into the holiday spirit, while 90% say it makes them more excited to shop, and 83% say it signals time to start shopping. Three-quarters are more likely to purchase from companies advertised on holiday stations.

 

Commentary

Social Media Is Organic -- Why Isn't Your Content?

• by Amber Burns , Eva Wasko , December 1, 2025

Today, consumers head to TikTok before Google, and word-of-mouth often starts with content creators. Yet most social media campaigns are cut downs and crops of existing creative campaigns.

That’s a critical missed opportunity. Social offers a platform for different, and especially meaningful, content ideas and applications -- if you’re willing to start from it.

Put social teams in upfront strategy sessions. Social teams have valuable insight into what moves your consumers to move their friends. Using them as social “extensions” once copywriters and designers have developed the big idea wastes this resource (and deprives the brand of priority intel). When you put social pros at the creative table from the start, you get core ideas that can inspire a community.

Get chronically online. Younger hires often worry they’ll be judged if they appear to be on their phones too much. Flip that script. You want everyone working on content to stay on top of the dialogue and trends happening across platforms, so they can master the nuances of each. That’s what makes the work relevant. Someone who doesn’t speak French cannot prepare anyone for a trip to Paris.

Let creators create. Good creators are brand architects, not just media channels. They understand how to build a brand, they understand their audience, and they’re masters at connecting the two.

Grouping influencer marketing and creator relations into paid media fails to recognize or unleash the organic power creators provide. If you put them at the forefront of creative, they will produce ideas and meaningful content their communities will propel. Give them the autonomy to recommend real-time adjustments, and they’ll keep the brand on board with tastes and trends as they take off.

Recognize social’s big idea power. As an industry, we’re stuck in the rut of envisioning ideas in 30-second spots and heavily designed OOH campaigns. Social yields deeper clues into how communities see and express themselves; building from them produces breakthrough content. For example, Workday’s campaign for LinkedIn leans into the overuse of the phrase “rockstar” on the platform by partnering with an actual rockstar, Billy Idol, to disrupt feeds while simultaneously promoting its services. The campaign was specific to conversations taking place on LinkedIn and how the platform is uniquely used. It wins because Workday understands the culture of that space and lets natives develop an authentic language.

Social builds on connections that spread. That starts with letting insiders take the lead.