As Netflix, Disney, and Apple duke it out for streaming supremacy, another platform is quietly amassing its own powerful stable of original content. Sony Pictures Television Network Chief Digital Officer and Crackle GM Eric Berger joins Cheddar to discuss standing out in the very crowded content landscape. Unlike many of its competitors, Crackle uses a free ad-supported model instead of a subscription plan.
Berger explains what Crackle calls its "connectors" demographic. The company's target audience consists of the intersection between gamers and streaming audiences. He says he greenlights content based on what will resonate most with those viewers.
The streaming world might be in store for quite the shakeup if Disney moves ahead with its planned content platform. Berger says it's too soon to tell what kind of effect the Disney/Fox deal will have on the streaming landscape. He says that any added attention and discussion surrounding digital programming is a good thing for the industry.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam as the company works to avoid the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on its business. Apple’s earnings for the first three months of the year topped Wall Street’s expectations thanks to high demand for its iPhones, and the company said tariffs had a limited effect on the fiscal second quarter’s results. Cook added that for the current quarter, assuming things don’t change, Apple expects to see $900 million added to its costs as a result of the tariffs.
Visa is hoping to hand your credit card to an artificial intelligence “agent” that can find and buy clothes, groceries, airplane tickets and other items on your behalf.
Skift Editor-In-Chief Sarah Kopit discusses how summer travel plans remain uncertain for most as many international travelers are leery to travel abroad. Watch!