*By Madison Alworth*
People around the world will spend more time online than watching television next year as global internet usage climbs in countries where smartphones have become more readily available than TV, according to new data from Zenith [cited by Recode](https://www.recode.net/2018/6/8/17441288/internet-time-spent-tv-zenith-data-media).
Advertisers' dollars are set to follow: Globally, they're expected to spend $60 billion more on Internet ads in 2019 than TV advertising.
However in the United States, the largest media consumption market in the world, television is still king.
"Americans still spend far more time watching television than on the internet," said Sara Fischer, a media reporter for Axios. Though many Americans seem to spend more time on their phones, Fischer said, is not necessarily engaged time.
"If you were to take a look at it from a minute-by-minute basis, more often than not, people spend more media consumption time on television than they do with some of their mobile properties," Fischer said in an interview with Cheddar. "Even though they might check them up to 100 times a day, it's not like they're sitting there, spending a ton of time."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/internet-consumption-outpacing-television).
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services around airports and runways once again. This comes after major U.S. airlines voiced their concern over the rollout of 5G technology, warning of an impending "catastrophic" aviation crisis. Peter Andersen, Chief Investment Officer, Anderson Capital Management joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Earnings season kicks into high gear this week as big players are on tap to report their Q4 numbers. Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, United Airlines, and Netflix are just a few of the companies we're keeping a close eye on to give us a better idea of how they're dealing with the Omicron variant, inflation and interest rates. David Nelson, chief strategist at Belpointe, gives a preview of what to expect.
Thomas Hayes, Chairman at Great Hill Capital, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down what to look for on the economic front in the coming months amid an Omicron surge and planned interest rate hikes.
Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he believes we'll eventually see Bitcoin reach the $100,000 mark despite its recent struggles, and explains why Bitcoin will be less volatile than the Nasdaq.