Caracal Daily | December 12
Caracal Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry. Caracal is here to help.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Thursday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Ross Rant ***
Key findings from the Navigator Election 2024 media environment survey
The Global Strategy Group conducted an online survey of 5,000 registered voters to analyze the media consumption landscape ahead of the 2024 US federal election. The study reveals significant shifts in how voters consume media, with important implications for audience engagement strategies.
Key communications trends:
+ Traditional cable news continues its decline, with only 54% of voters reporting regular viewership across major networks (Fox News 36%, CNN 31%, MSNBC 25%). However, Trump base voters remain highly engaged with Fox News, maintaining 53% regular viewership.
+ Streaming platforms have emerged as the dominant method of television consumption, with 55% of voters primarily accessing content through streaming services or a hybrid streaming-cable approach. This trend is particularly strong among swing voters, where 61% prefer streaming platforms compared to 42% with cable subscriptions.
+ Social media platforms show robust engagement, led by Facebook, which has 78% daily usage across all voters and 80% among swing voters specifically. YouTube (75%), TikTok (73%), and Snapchat (71%) follow as preferred platforms among swing voters. Alternative media sources, including social media and podcasts, reach 52% of swing voters.
Audience segmentation patterns:
+ Harris base voters predominantly consumed broadcast news (50%) and CNN (38%)
+ Trump base voters concentrated on Fox News (51%) and showed high Facebook engagement (81%)
+ Swing voters split attention between social media (45%) and streaming services (61%)
+ Traditional broadcast news shows had the most substantial Harris support (+17 points)
+ Digital platforms, especially podcasts and social media, demonstrated more substantial Trump support
+ Streaming services emerged as the most politically balanced medium
Communications implications:
The findings indicate a need for a multi-platform approach to reach different voter segments effectively. Organizations must prioritize digital-first platforms while maintaining a targeted traditional media presence where demographically appropriate.
The data suggests three key strategic priorities:
+ Immediate focus on establishing and strengthening streaming platform presence
+ Development of comprehensive, integrated social media strategies across multiple platforms
+ Targeted maintenance of traditional cable presence for specific demographics
Long-term recommendations include investing in streaming content infrastructure to support growing digital demand and developing platform-specific content strategies. Organizations must maintain operational flexibility to adapt to the continuously evolving media landscape and changing voter information preferences.
The survey results underscore a fundamental transformation in media consumption patterns, requiring organizations to adopt a high-low, holistic approach to achieve comprehensive audience reach.
Success in this evolving landscape demands careful attention to platform selection and the adoption of a "high-low" communications strategy. This strategy focuses mainly on digital platforms while maintaining an effective traditional media presence.
You can read the full memo and access the presentation deck here.
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
The fall of Bashar al-Assad is a major blow for Iran: Will the weakened regime reform, or race for the bomb? Economist
What the future of Syria might actually look like: An Israeli military legend lays out potential scenarios for a new Middle East. Politico
Analysis: Bashar Assad's fall reminds Xi Jinping of a Donald Trump bombshell: China's president was with Trump in Florida in 2017 when US missiles struck Syria. Nikkei
US-China relations are wild: President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month, CBS reported, citing multiple sources.
US-China officials to hold economic talks before Trump return: AFP reports economic officials in outgoing President Joe Biden's administration are set to meet their Chinese counterparts this week for talks, in a final effort to strengthen ties before Donald Trump's White House return.
China is considering letting the yuan weaken next year, as it braces for higher US tariffs. Donald Trump has promised a 60% tariff on Chinese imports into the US.
China AI military use spurs latest US chip export controls, analysts say: Nikkei reports lessons from Ukraine and Israel show rapid escalation in speed and scale of combat.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned China's dispatch of ships to nearby waters and urged Beijing to immediately stop its "military intimidation."
Ukraine launched an attack on Russian infrastructure, causing a fire at an oil refinery in Bryansk, a region in the west which hosts pipelines transporting oil to Europe.
Russia could launch its lethal new intermediate-range ballistic missile against Ukraine again soon, the Pentagon said Wednesday, as both sides wrestle for a battlefield advantage that will give them leverage in any negotiations to end the nearly 3-year war.
Putin’s regime may be closer to a Soviet collapse than we think: Russia’s resurrected military industrial complex is cannibalising the rest of its economy. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
ElevenLabs’ AI voice generation ‘very likely’ used in a Russian influence operation: TC reports one recent campaign was “very likely” helped by commercial AI voice generation products, including tech publicly released by the hot startup ElevenLabs, according to a recent report from Massachusetts-based threat intelligence company Recorded Future.
+ The report describes a Russian-tied campaign designed to undermine Europe’s support for Ukraine, dubbed “Operation Undercut,” that prominently used AI-generated voiceovers on fake or misleading “news” videos.
Ranking the most influential people in Europe: Class of 2025 - Politico 28: The doers, disrupters, and dreamers shaping European politics and policy in the year ahead. Politico
+ The most powerful person in Europe = Giorgia Meloni
Macron eyes political truce to calm turmoil in France: President negotiates with party leaders of left and right to ensure survival of next government. FT
British politics enters the “death zone”: Every party in British politics is in danger, whether they think it or not. Economist
Could the next pope come from Africa or Asia? Those are the regions where the Catholic church is growing fastest. Economist
Ethiopia, Somalia reach compromise to end feud, Turkey says: DW reports the two East African sides have been fighting with each other since January. The agreement was reached with the assistance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Qatar’s $500bn wealth fund targets bigger deals as LNG windfall looms: New chief says QIA will deploy cash ‘more aggressively’ as it conducts investment review ahead of huge influx. FT
DW: Brazil's President Lula to require further surgery
Bloomberg: Brazil ‘goes big’ with jumbo hike set to lift battered currency
+ Policymakers raise rates, signal two more similar hikes
+ Real likely to outperform as BCB seeks to restore confidence
Milei promises inflation will soon be a 'bad memory' in first anniversary speech: President touts US trade deal with Trump, vows to remove currency controls and says “happy times” lie ahead in national broadcast marking first year in office. BAT
College graduates are turning on Milei after helping him win power: Argentina’s libertarian president derides universities as bastions of wokeness and elitism. But publicly funded higher education is a point of civic pride. Bloomberg
Canada central bank makes half point rate cut to 3.25%: AFP reports Canada's central bank on Wednesday lowered its key lending rate by 50 basis points to 3.25 percent, seeking to aid a slowing economy facing uncertainty following a tariff threat from US President-elect Donald Trump.
Bank of Canada warns Donald Trump’s tariffs will ‘dramatically’ hit growth: FT reports the central bank has slashed borrowing costs five times this year in an effort to combat unemployment and boost growth.
Reuters: Trump tariff plan puts $3 billion in Diageo, Becle tequila imports at risk
Mitch McConnell: ‘We’re in a very, very dangerous world right now’: The Republican Senator on his plans to spend the last two years of his term fighting back against an increasingly isolationist GOP. FT
AI weapons and the dangerous illusion of human control: America must let autonomous systems operate more freely in war. Sebastian Elbaum + Jonathan Panter
WP: NASDAQ index breaks 20,000 for first time as Big Tech carries the benchmark
The best of books 2024: This year’s top picks from Foreign Affairs’ reviewers. FA
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Trump’s day one will unleash over 25 executive orders, sources say: FC reports while some of the moves would face delays due to court challenges, there are dozens of actions that Trump can take with the stroke of a pen.
Donald Trump is expected to be named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” Politico reports.
Why is Joni Ernst coming around on Pete Hegseth? A lifeboat arrives for Republicans. Charles P. Pierce
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that he is stepping down at the end of the current administration.
Good luck reforming the Department of Defense Harlan Ullman
FTC: President-elect Donald Trump tapped Federal Trade Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to lead the consumer protection and antitrust agency. Trump also selected Mark Meador, a former aide to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to be confirmed as the third Republican on the FTC.
The criminal’s ‘go-to cryptocurrency’ has a new friend in the White House: Howard Lutnick has defended the stablecoin company which has been used by gangs and US adversaries. FT
America can’t break its wellness habit: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fits into a long history of Americans who have waged battle against conventional medicine. Shayla Love
How tech's right-wing elite made 'debanking' claims into a political rallying point: Highly influential figures in tech, including Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen, allege the cryptocurrency industry is a victim of banking discrimination. NBC News
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) will chair the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX-36) was selected to chair the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Anthony Weiner is running for New York’s city council.
45: A new survey found that 45% of “Swing voters” in the US presidential election reported getting most of their news from social media. Just 39% cited local news as their primary source of information, and 38% cited broadcast news.
New: Launch of ETO AGORA ( Emerging Technology Observatory - AI Governance and Regulatory Archive): A living collection of AI-relevant laws, regulations, standards, and other governance documents from the United States and worldwide. Updated regularly, AGORA includes summaries, document text, thematic tags, and filters to help you quickly discover and analyze key developments in AI governance. Access here.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
Price of coffee to skyrocket as weather hits global market: WP reports cost of arabica beans reached a near 50-year high this week while the price of robusta beans has also risen.
Honda to end self-driving tie-up with GM as Cruise unit founders: Nikkei reports the US partner's exit from robotaxis strands plans for Japan launch.
Bloomberg: Microsoft sees $800 million charge on stake in GM’s Cruise
ExxonMobil announced plans to increase oil production. The American oil giant said it will produce 5.4m barrels of oil per day by 2030, up from 3.7m last year, and increase annual capital expenditure from roughly $29bn a year to $33bn a year.
AI thinks differently than people do. Here’s why that matters. Generative AI isn’t the strategic oracle many say it is. Like any other form of AI, it is a mirror that reflects patterns, trends, and decisions of the past. It cannot reliably break new ground or generate truly novel solutions given that it relies on pre-existing data and learned probabilities. Teppo Felin + Matthias Holweg
Microsoft’s Mustafa Suleyman hires ex-DeepMind staff for AI health unit: FT reports the rival companies are racing to create lucrative applications from cutting-edge technology.
What do the gods of generative AI have in store for 2025? OpenAI and Google have unveiled their next generation of products. Economist
Adobe fell in extended trading after giving a disappointing annual sales outlook, underscoring anxieties that the creative software company may lose business to emerging artificial intelligence-based startups.
Google introduced Gemini 2.0, which the company says is twice as fast as its predecessor and more powerful than the larger "pro" version of Gemini 1.5.
Google launched Gemini 2.0, its new AI model for practically everything: The Verge reports Gemini 2.0 can generate images and audio, is faster and cheaper to run, and is meant to make AI agents possible.
Google unveils AI agent that can use websites on its own: The experimental tool can browse spreadsheets, shopping sites and other services, before taking action on behalf of the computer user. NYT
Google rolls out faster Gemini AI model to power agents: Company expects AI assistants will follow its users around the web. Bloomberg
Google races to bring AI-powered ‘agents’ to consumers: FT reports the tech group unveils Gemini upgrades as it battles Apple and OpenAI in making practical AI assistants for the masses.
Google’s new AI projects aren’t ready for the masses yet. Good! Google DeepMind is showing off an AI assistant that sees and a Chrome extension that can browse the web on its own. They’re for testing purposes only—and that makes sense. FC
The GPT era is already ending The Atlantic
Their job is to push computers toward AI doom: It’s largely up to companies to determine whether their AI is capable of superhuman harm. At Anthropic, the Frontier Red Team looks for the danger zone. WSJ
Character dot ai is being sued for encouraging kids to self-harm: FC reports the lawsuit alleges that Character dot AI “poses a clear and present danger to American youth.”
Get ready for ‘long thinking,’ AI’s next leap forward: A new generation of AI models will take its time to reason, providing more reliable answers to increasingly complex questions. Steven Rosenbush
Movie stars, matchmakers, and aunties: How WhatsApp became an unstoppable cultural force: The world’s most popular messaging platform is synonymous with the internet for millions of people. ROW
SpaceX has reached a valuation of $350bn after the company agreed to purchase $1.25bn of employees’ shares at $185 each.
A new pair of satellites are set to create ‘solar eclipses on demand’: WP reports two satellites from the European Space Agency are designed to create eclipses on demand, which scientists hope will lead to breakthroughs in solar studies.
*** Culture ***
Paris is replacing 60,000 parking spaces with trees: ‘Our motto is, imagine that every parked car is a tree.’ FC
Two decades after ‘The Simple Life,’ Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are ready for an encore LAT
80 colleges could close by 2029, even as elite Ivy League schools thrive: FC reports many colleges are struggling financially as enrollment falls. Blame skyrocketing tuition and growing doubts about the value of a degree.
*** Sport ***
Brazilian football looks like the next Premier League: Awash with money, the country’s teams are conquering South America. Economist
FIFA announced a $1 billion (£785,000) broadcast deal with DAZN for next year’s Club World Cup.
Saudi Arabia 2034 World Cup explained: Why FIFA’s awarding of the competition is controversial TA
Saudi Arabia 2034: Another FIFA World Cup of migrant worker abuse, repressed human rights and ‘sham’ processes Henry Bushnell
Why I believe the time is right for Cadillac to join Formula One Mark Phelan
How go-karting has become a multi-million dollar path to F1 racing WP
NFL + Nike: The NFL has announced a 13-year extension with Nike to continue as their official uniform partner.
Private equity firms Ares and Arctos buy NFL team stakes: FT reports the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills are the first US football franchises to strike deals with powerful Wall Street funds.
CNBC: NFL approves sale of minority stake in the Philadelphia Eagles at $8.3 billion value
+ The National Football League has approved the sale of a minority stake in the Philadelphia Eagles to two family investment groups.
Bill Belichick calls his next play: Heading to college at 72 years old: The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach is on the verge of taking over at the University of North Carolina. WSJ
Bill Belichick finalizing deal to become UNC football coach: WP reports Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles over 24 seasons with the Patriots, turns 73 in April and will coach in college for the first time.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal Daily | December 11
Caracal Daily | December 11
Caracal Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry. Caracal is here to help.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group that toppled Bashar al-Assad in Syria, appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as caretaker prime minister.
New Syrian prime minister calls for 'stability and calm': DW reports Syria's new caretaker prime minister has said the time has come for Syrians to enjoy a period of calm after over a decade of war. He also met with members of a transitional government.
Israel says Syrian navy and weapons stockpiles wiped out in strikes across country: WP reports more than 350 Israeli strikes across Syria Monday and Tuesday “successfully destroyed the Syrian fleet” and hit “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country, Israel said.
+ Over 300 Israeli airstrikes on Syria since Assad's fall
Israel takes advantage of Syrian regime's fall to extend its control of strategic areas: Le Monde reports claiming to aim to guarantee its own security, Israel has deployed troops beyond the UN-monitored buffer zone with Syria. While 'temporary,' according to Israel's Foreign Minister, the move raises several questions.
Exploiting disarray in Syria, Israel grabs more of the Golan Heights: The incursions are neither justified nor necessary. Economist
US scrambles to contain Syrian chaos: WP reports the sudden rebel offensive leading to the collapse of Assad’s government and military forces has left governments around the world reeling.
Russian forces stay put at key military bases in Syria: FT reports satellite imagery shows no signs of withdrawal from air and naval facilities.
Syrian rebels have dealt a blow to Vladimir Putin’s naval ambitions: The loss of a key Mediterranean port could hobble the Russian navy. Economist
In Syria, the fight to preserve evidence of Assad regime's crimes: Le Monde reports several organizations are calling on the rebels not to destroy evidence of the regime's crimes, partly to help in the search for the thousands of people who disappeared in Assad's prisons.
+ A senior Russian official told US broadcaster NBC on Tuesday, December 10, that deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is being hosted in Russia, giving Moscow's first public confirmation of his whereabouts.
In Indonesia, smartphone makers want sales, Jakarta wants investment: Nikkei reports Oppo, Samsung, and Apple see growth potential but the price is more local manufacturing.
Japan's digital trade deficit heads for record high of over $39bn: Nikkei reports the country embraces services from Google, Netflix but new value creation lags.
Japan plans to provide defense equipment to the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Djibouti under its official security assistance to the armed forces of like-minded countries that share its values, a government source said Saturday.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nihon Hidankyo accepts honors: NHK reports a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors has received one of the world's highest honors. Nihon Hidankyo accepted this year's Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. It comes as tensions rise around the world -- raising fears over the use of nuclear weapons.
AFP: US offers $10 mn reward for wanted Chinese hacker
+ Guan Tianfeng, 30, is believed to be living in China's Sichuan Province, according to the State Department.
From TikTok to Nvidia, the tech war is getting uglier: ByteDance's current dilemma is a taste of what's to come as more firms will get pinched from both the US and Chinese sides. Catherine Thorbecke
Xi Jinping says China will remain world’s ‘growth engine’: FT reports stocks rise after Beijing signals more measures to boost economy.
China loosens monetary policy stance for first time in 14 years: FT reports markets rally as Communist party officials to meet in coming days to discuss country’s economic policy.
China launches antitrust investigation into Nvidia: Nikkei reports Beijing alleges chipmaker also violated terms of Mellanox acquisition approval.
From Apple to Starbucks, Western firms’ China dreams are dying: Economic growth is slowing, competition is stiffening, and geopolitical tensions loom. Economist
NHK: China President Xi says there will be no winners in trade war
China reveals its playbook for dealing with impending Trump trade war: Beijing is responding to Biden administration actions decisively and swiftly — a warning to Donald Trump that it will play hardball this time, analysts say. WP
Chinese carmakers are taking Mexico by storm while eyeing US: NYT reports BYD and other manufacturers are importing cars from China and scouting factory sites in Mexico as part of a global expansion that, for now, excludes the United States.
Russia’s elite sound the alarm on the economy amid high interest rates: WP reports squeezed by Western sanctions and astonishingly high interest rates, Russia’s businesses fear bankruptcies as Putin pushes ahead with the Ukraine war.
Fortune: Russia has disciplined 30,000 soldiers for corruption this year as bribery threatens to undermine Putin’s war economy
Le Monde: US disburses $20 billion Ukraine loan backed by profits from Russian assets
Ukraine asks if Telegram, its favorite app, is a sleeper agent NYT
+ Roughly 70 percent of Ukrainians use Telegram as a primary news source, according to a recent survey.
Macron aims to name prime minister 'within 48 hours': Le Monde reports French President Emmanuel Macron met with party leaders on Tuesday for talks on the formation of the new government.
'The Paris AI summit will act against the risks and for the benefits of AI': Anne Bouverot is tasked by the Elysée Palace with organizing an AI summit in February, bringing together companies, NGOs, and 100 heads of state. Le Monde
DR Congo mystery illness: What we know: An undiagnosed 'Disease X' is spreading in a remote region of DR Congo. Can it be treated? DW
Brazil President Lula 'stable' after emergency surgery: BAT reports Brazil's 79-year-old President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering from emergency surgery after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage.
Tirades and trolls: How Milei changed Argentina's political rhetoric: According to a September poll by consulting firm Zuban Córdoba, 65.7% of Argentines believe that "hate and intolerance are on the rise" since Javier Milei took office. BAT
A year into office, Milei’s ‘shock’ therapy takes hold on Argentina: President Javier Milei marks his first year in office Tuesday and intends to celebrate his government's achievements in a national broadcast later this evening. BAT
Argentina: Has Javier Milei proved his critics wrong? In his first year, the libertarian president has stabilised a turbulent economy, while retaining the support of half the population. But big challenges loom. FT
Trump has a new favorite foreign leader. He’s known as ‘the madman.’ Michelle Goldberg
Donald Trump is not as tough as he thinks: Bullying allies who need good relations with America is easier than intimidating rulers with far darker aims. Economist
With tariff threat looming, Michigan's Pete Hoekstra is in the hot seat John Lindstrom
US Steel + Nippon: President Joe Biden plans to formally block the $14.1 billion sale of United States Steel Corp. to Nippon Steel Corp. on national security grounds once the deal is referred back to him later this month, people familiar with the matter said.
*** US Politics + Elections ***
US aim to lead on AI threatened by land shortage: Power-hungry high-tech industries are driving demand for sites with ready access to the power grid. FT
+ In a 2024 survey by the Site Selector's Guild, nearly two-thirds of the people involved in securing US industrial sites cited their scarcity as the top factor impeding new projects.
+ President-elect Donald Trump said his administration would help expedite permits for any person or company that invested at least $1 billion in the US.
Who is David Sacks, Trump’s pick for AI and crypto czar? The tech investor made his money through early bets on Uber and other startups. He built his reputation as a conservative provocateur. WSJ
The PayPal Mafia is taking over America’s government: America’s right-wing tech bros are celebrating Donald Trump’s victory. Economist
‘Friendlier climate toward new technology’ expected under Trump, venture capitalist says. What that means for AI, crypto CNBC
Eric Trump promises the ‘most pro-crypto president’ in history: NYT reports speaking at a Middle East conference, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s son said his family had embraced cryptocurrency because some banks stopped doing business with them after Jan. 6.
AP: Elon Musk signifies he’ll go beyond supporting Trump to serve as his political enforcer
+ Elon Musk said his political action committee would “play a significant role in primaries.”
Kennedy’s war on corn syrup brings a health crusade to Trump country: NYT reports when Donald J. Trump said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could “go wild” on health, he might not have expected his pick for health secretary doing battle against the president-elect’s own voters.
CNBC: Trump’s mass deportation plan could threaten workforces in industries from agriculture to health care
AP: Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump’s mass deportation effort
+ @Redistrict: Fact: in 2024, the House majority was decided by just 7,309 votes across three districts (#IA01, #CO08 and #PA07) out of 148 million votes cast nationwide.
Don’t assume AI is always the answer, says US Space Force data and AI chief: Generative AI technology is exciting and full of sci-fi potential, but it’s good old GPS and weather data that keeps Chandra Donelson up at night. Fortune
Detroit News: Pete Buttigieg weighs political future with top Michigan Democrats
+ US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has met in recent months with several prominent Michigan Democrats, some of whom believe the former presidential candidate is considering a campaign for governor.
BGov: Kroger’s $24.6 Bbillion Albertsons deal blocked by federal judge
US moves to add monarch butterfly to the endangered species list: WP reports the major US Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal would declare the iconic species as threatened, with federal scientists saying the species is on the decline.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
An AI companion suggested he kill his parents. Now his mom is suing. WP reports a new Texas lawsuit against Character dot ai, alleging its chatbots poisoned a son against his family, is part of a push to increase oversight of AI companions.
Years of Reddit posts have made the company an AI darling: WSJ reports the social-media veteran is profiting from feeding artificial-intelligence companies’ insatiable appetite for conversational text.
OpenAI’s video generator, Sora, aims to kickstart the AI video era: WP reports the artificial intelligence video creation tool can be used to make commercials, films — and maybe deepfakes.
In 2025, AI will elevate the CIO role. Here’s why: In 2025, internal pressures within enterprises will accelerate the move to mandatory AI governance. FC
Fortune: Motorola Solutions CTO says AI-powered ‘smart’ surveillance cameras will make the world safer
Gentrace makes it easier for businesses to test AI-powered software: The company’s new framework lets even non-coders tweak parameters and find ways to optimize AI performance. FC
CNBC: Alphabet shares jump 6% after Google touts ‘breakthrough’ quantum chip
Alphabet, Meta, + Amazon now account for 41% of global ad sales. More than $400 billion in sales.
+ The emergence of ad-supported tiers for streaming services such as Netflix Inc. and Comcast Corp.’s Peacock is “great news” for the advertising industry.
+ Global advertising revenue is projected to climb 9.5% to $1.04 trillion this year, topping that milestone for the first time, according to a new report from ad buyer GroupM.
WSJ: Walgreens in talks to sell itself to private-equity firm Sycamore
CNBC: Mondelez made a takeover approach for Hershey, sources say
How an app selling secondhand clothes went from near collapse to worth $5 billion: Vinted is wildly popular in Europe and disproving the conventional wisdom about the resale market. Can it eventually crack the US? WSJ
LVMH is betting on a small but high-end French hotel group with properties in tourist hot spots like Tuscany and Minorca for its latest expansion in luxury travel. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE has bought a stake of about 20% in Les Domaines de Fontenille.
A24 is giving its club members tickets to all its movies on opening weekend: A24’s AAA24 2.0 membership club seeks to deepen the relationship between fans of the studio and its movies. FC
Detroit News: GM halts funding for Cruise robotaxi program
Detroit Free Press: GM dumps Cruise robotaxi plans; shifts autonomy work to personal cars
+ The Detroit automaker cited the increasingly competitive robotaxi market, capital allocation priorities and the considerable time and resources necessary to grow the business as reasons for its decision.
+ GM said it plans to instead “realign its autonomous driving strategy” to focus on advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous systems for use in personal vehicles.
*** Culture ***
Catholic church in Switzerland finds an opportunity for a spirited debate about AI: NPR reports an art installation by a Catholic church in Switzerland allowed visitors to step into a confessional and have a conversation with a digital Jesus that gave AI generated answers.
A filmmaker, a spy, and France’s richest man meet in a Paris court: Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, squared off with a documentary maker in a case of espionage gone wrong, a showdown that had been brewing for years. NYT
Sugarcane — an outstanding documentary about Canada’s brutal treatment of indigenous children: National Geographic film is an uncompromising interrogation of systemic abuse in the country’s residential schools. FT
Michelin New York finally welcomes a Korean restaurant to the three-star club: The Seoul transplant Jungsik is the big winner in this year’s rankings, and a famed French dining room gets demoted. Bloomberg
San Francisco, Paris named best cities for urban transportation: Technology and innovation weighed heavily in this year’s assessment of the global cities best preparing for future mobility. Bloomberg
*** Sport ***
Caitlin Clark is Time's athlete of the year.
Bill Belichick is considering an offer to become the next coach at North Carolina, four people briefed on the situation told The Athletic on Tuesday.
Ski racers keep crashing. So they’ve been fitted with airbags. The international ski federation now requires World Cup racers in the speediest disciplines to wear the crash-sensing tech. WSJ
FIFA bends own rules to give Saudi Arabia coveted 2034 World Cup: NYT reports critics have objected to the bidding process, and human rights groups have raised concerns about workplace safety for the migrants who will build the stadiums needed to host the event.
Gianni Infantino finally delivers his dream: A Saudi World Cup: Saudi Arabia will be confirmed as 2034 World Cup host at special FIFA Congress on Wednesday with no vote and fears of ‘unimaginable human cost’ to migrant workers. Martyn Ziegler
Why the Saudis want a second World Cup in the Gulf Bloomberg
NHL near 2026 Olympic deal and seek 2028 Hockey World Cup: AFP reports NHL officials said Tuesday they are nearing a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on sending players to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
How the Olympics helped transform Salt Lake City into a tech hub CNBC
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal