Josh Curtis

WBD has a$30.68b market cap. Studios & DTC revenue is 55% of total. That implies a ~$17b valuation for the Studios & DTC business. Comcast can buy that, but so can many others.

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With a ridiculously crowded marketplace it’s nigh on impossible for adtech companies today to market without ridiculous budgets for yachts at Cannes. Other options are sponsorships at various other media and adtech events, but even these costs significant amounts and are hard to prove any ROI. But if you’re a forward thinking adtech company, and you want real engagement with your market, and the ability to have not just your brand known, but your product and value proposition actually understood by a large swathe of the market then I might just be able to help. I offer once a month Ask Me Anything’s in the following The Adtech Chat Community WhatsApp groups: Adtech Identity & Measurement Chat Adtech Retail Media Chat Adtech Sustainability Chat Adtech AI Chat Adtech Publisher Chat Adtech Advertiser Chat AMAs in these chat groups are the cheapest and most efficient way to get the industry to understand what your company does. Think of them like a Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank via the medium of WhatsApp. Comment below or DM me if you’re keen to know more.

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tl;dr: Finding external advocates for your product is one of the most foolproof ways to build developer trust. If you’re generous enough with your incentives, loyal customers don’t just become endorsers — they become revenue-generating machines. Your biggest fans could be generating 10% of your revenue. At ScraperAPI, our affiliate program did just that by converting loyal users into top salespeople. Here’s how we spotted the opportunity: We realized that a lot of our customers would outsource web scraping tasks to freelance software engineers who would use the same tool over and over again for different companies. That left us with a great opportunity to build relationships with those freelancers who had the potential to bring us more and more new customers over time. Here’s how we did it in practice: It’s super simple. We offered killer incentives to everyone involved: -25% recurring commissions for affiliates -10% first-month discount for the new customers they referred Because our product was well-designed and easy to use, freelancers were happy to recommend us over and over again.

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Wow, an appstore that only charges a 12% fee? Tim Sweeney is sharing more details about Epic Games's upcoming iOS store - aiming to offer an alternative to Apple's official store. ▶ 12% fee when using Epic's payment processing (compared to Apple's 30%) ▶ 0% fee for 3rd party payment processors, like Appcharge (hey 👋 ) ▶ Store set to launch in the EU "before the end of 2024" So what do you think? Will you release a version of your game in the new Epic store or not? #mobile #mobilegames #epicgames #ios #payments

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Dear Stretch Network Partners, Please allow me to inform you about additional changes that will take place in the global network on July 8. 🍀 All Heads-up tables will be removed 🍀 Badugi cash tables will be removed 🍀 Sonic cash tables will become 6-max 🍀 The minimum buy-in for Sonic Omaha cash tables will be 20 BB 🍀 Sonic Omaha 7 card cash tables will be added These changes apply only to cash tables and only to our Global Network. In your local networks, you decide your product strategy, but we would be happy to assist you in managing your local networks as well. If you need our help, please contact us. The above-mentioned changes are part of the new strategy for the Stretch Network Global Network, which prioritizes the comfort of novice players and casual traffic to maintain the proper balance of our ecosystem between amateurs and professionals. Caring for the ecosystem of the Global Network is our priority. The changes we are implementing now and will continue to implement will significantly improve the user experience for your players, extend their LTV, ARPU, and, of course, Revenue.

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🌟 Exciting Partnership Opportunity for Roblox Developers! 🌟 At Senior Studios, we specialize in the integration of brands in gaming, and we're looking for Roblox games to partner with! If you're behind a Roblox game with an active player base, we want to integrate our client brands into your games for limited-time campaigns. We've had the privilege of working with iconic brands like Opera GX, creating memorable, engaging experiences that captivate audiences worldwide in #Minecraft. Now, we want to bring that expertise and excitement to the Roblox community. 🚀 What We Offer: 1. Monetization Opportunities: Open new revenue streams through limited-time brand campaigns in your game. 2. Collaborative Efforts: Our team ensures the integration respects your game's integrity and enhances the player experience, our approach is always community-first. We're excited about the potential of #Roblox to create engaging, branded content that players will love. If you're interested in exploring what a partnership could look like, let's connect! 🔗 Reach out directly or drop a comment below to start the conversation. Shares are much appreciated! #Roblox #RobloxDev #RobloxDeveloper #RobloxStudio #BrandPartnership #RobloxGame

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Roblox will give 𝟐𝟓% 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐱 for non-mobile purchases — that'll tip the scales from app store (Google, Apple) to retailer (Walmart, Target, Amazon), and put more money in the hands of players & creators: The 30% transaction fee on mobile platforms, often called the 'app store tax,' has long been protested by developers. At times, this can mean a legal fight, as with Epic Games v. Apple in 2020. But lawyers need not be involved. After all, the 'tax' only applies to purchases made through mobile systems — find ways for spend to come through other avenues, and you're golden. Hence why so many games with virtual currencies have been encouraging players to purchase gift cards online or at retail stores... a plan Roblox is now doubling down on. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: 1️⃣ A win for retailers... ...and, not just for extra purchases. Sure, they'll get some margin on gift card sales, but, more importantly, this will drive major foot traffic to their stores & websites, causing tons of extra purchases (who ever just buys 1 item?) It's for this reason that retailers are the more agreeable partner — the value they gain lies beyond the gift card's price. Where app stores must take from a set pie, retailers can grow it and take from the difference. That's a winning formula. 2️⃣ Most of Roblox Traffic is Mobile While this is a major change, do remember, it will largely apply to a minority. Last we heard, 78% of sessions occur on phones, meaning even with incentive to pay otherwise, many will still purchase through them. Will +25% affect some? Sure. But given so much spending is mid session, it's a habit that needs to be built — and that's why deals which give exclusive items with gift cards, like the recent Walmart x Paramount Spongebob one, will be huge in causing the shift. Because 'more' & 'better' can be trumped by convenience. Exclusivity can't. 3️⃣ The Roblox Tax Cuts If you think about it, that's what's happening: the government (platform) is leaving more disposable income for citizens (players), which they hope will be spent on small businesses (creators). I except to see the normal accelerated growth we do IRL, but am curious how far the resemblance could go — eg, do creators start raising prices? In either case, we've seen as developer pay-outs go up (now $800+ million the last 12 months) the quality of work rises with it... So if there's any incredible projects in the next few months: we'll know why.

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Twitch's “Elusive Profitability”: Analyzing 10 Years Post-Amazon Acquisition Despite being acquired by Amazon in 2014 for $970 million, Twitch continues to navigate challenges on its path to profitability. This analysis highlights the platform's financial details, operational costs, and strategic initiatives within Amazon's broader ecosystem. 1. User Engagement and Content Volume     Active Users and Streamers: Twitch has grown to over 140 million monthly active users and 9 million broadcasters by 2023, emphasizing its dominance in the live streaming sector.     Streaming Hours: With an average of 2.1 million concurrent viewers and 3 billion watched hours per quarter, Twitch's scale is impressive but also costly in terms of bandwidth and moderation. 2. Revenue and Operational Costs     Revenue Streams: Twitch's primary revenues come from advertising, subscriptions, and virtual goods, totaling around $2.3 billion in 2020.     Infrastructure Costs: The platform spends approximately $1 per 1,000 viewer hours on bandwidth alone, leading to substantial annual expenses.     Content Moderation Costs: Investments in AIdriven tools and human moderators add millions to Twitch's operational costs annually. 3. Competitive Pressures     Rival Platforms: Twitch faces competition from YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming, which offer better terms to attract top streaming talent.     Acquisition Costs: Retaining and attracting top streamers involves costly contracts and partnership deals, often running into millions annually. 4. Amazon’s Strategic Integration     Twitch Prime: While Twitch benefits from integration with Amazon Prime, the direct profitability impact is unclear.     Advertising and AWS: Opportunities for synergy with Amazon's advertising network and AWS services are promising but underutilized. 5. Future Monetization Strategies     Innovative Advertising: There's potential for Twitch to improve its advertising model by leveraging Amazon's technology for more targeted, interactive ads.     Content and Geographic Expansion: Broadening content to include nongaming categories and expanding into untapped markets like Southeast Asia ($2.5 billion TAM), Latin America ($1.8 billion), the Middle East ($1.2 billion), India ($2.0 billion), and Africa ($0.8 billion) could significantly increase its user base and revenues.  Twitch's journey under Amazon highlights the complexities of scaling a livestreaming platform profitably. While it benefits from Amazon's resources, Twitch must innovate and expand strategically to turn its impressive engagement into sustainable profits.

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TLDR: Congrats to PDQ on raising $25m!!! I first met Avi Moskowitz and PrettyDamnQuick just over four years ago (thanks for the intro, David Stark). Of all the companies I advise, Avi and Liran Erez stick out as as textbook examples of founders that just get it done. And because of that, I've gotten so, so much more than I've given. This isn't hyperbole. A poorly disciplined woodsman could count on the fingers of one hand the number of companies that combine what Liran and Avi do, specifically: 1. The grit to see it through 2. The deep, deep (deep) walk-a-mile-in-their-shoes understanding they have of their customers (ecommerce sellers) 3. Excitement and passion that persists day in and day out 4. The understanding that customers need to get the full package - the support, the product, the brand, and the TLC 5. The openness to learn...combined with healthy conviction to stick with what they believe 6. The ability to gift advisors amazing beer 7. A founding team that lives and breathes brand PeakSpan Capital and Jack Freeman found a needle in a haystack. And that needle will deliver PrettyDamnQuickly. Congrats, Avi, Liran, Haim Moskowitz, Yonatan Mandelbaum and team. More on TechCrunch : https://lnkd.in/ebZy2WF2

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Watching Roblox evolve from a gaming hub to a full-service digital platform is truly inspiring. Their strategic initiatives, including the Walmart e-commerce pilot and video ads, highlight a forward-thinking approach to platform growth and user engagement. 🌍✨ With daily active users climbing to nearly 78 million, Roblox is on a path of significant growth. The next challenge is turning this engagement into profitability while keeping the creator community thriving. 🎮📊 This journey underscores the importance of continuous innovation and community support in the digital world. Excited to see how Roblox leverages these new features to create a dynamic, engaging, and profitable platform. 🚀🔮 Kudos to Alexander Lee at Digiday for the insightful article on how Roblox is actively pushing for platform status, and thanks to Enrico D'Angelo for the Q&A, providing valuable insights into Roblox’s strategic direction. This piece is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the Roblox platform. Check it out below: https://lnkd.in/eDde3Bxw #DigitalTransformation #Gaming #Innovation #Ecommerce #Roblox #PlatformStrategy #CommunityEngagement #TechTrends

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Kudos to SocialPeta Ltd for sharing the data on the top 20 global mobile game advertisers in November. Paid ads dominate the UA landscape, but with ever-increasing CAC, publishers must layer additional strategies on top of ads. Consider these initiatives: 1️⃣ Referral programs: Turn players into ambassadors. Referral rewards build trust and attract high-value users. Make sure both sides of the referral get something for this! 2️⃣ In-game social sharing: Let players share achievements or invite friends to amplify organic reach. The more visual things to share that capture their time investment and achievements - the better (think bite-sized Spotify Wrapped) 3️⃣ Community-building: Discord servers, Reddit, and in-game events (see the Pokemon GO coverage on our blog). 4️⃣ Content partnerships: Work with streamers and influencers for authentic exposure - share with them the KPIs you seek and get out of their way - let them communicate your value prop in their own authentic tone. In other words - let them cook! We'll also see the focus shift from acquisition to retention. More paying users >> more users who don’t pay. 

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Not exactly bullish on crypto but Stripe's latest acquisition has me humming this tune... Lyrics (ironically, it has a great Bridge (IYKYK)): (Verse 1) Sippin' sweet tea, browsin' on my phone Saw a headline, made me spit and moan Stripe done spent a billion, more'n a king's ransom On a crypto firm, ain't that somethin'? (Chorus) Bridge, oh Bridge, whatcha got that's worth that price? More'n a fancy car, more'n a house of ice Stripe done gone and bet the farm, on digital gold Hope it don't turn out to be a story told (Verse 2) Stablecoins they call 'em, steady as a rock But this ol' gal, she's seen that kinda talk Remember dot coms, tulips in the spring? Sometimes these bubbles, they don't mean a thing (Chorus) Bridge, oh Bridge, whatcha got that's worth that price? More'n a fancy car, more'n a house of ice Stripe done gone and bet the farm, on digital gold Hope it don't turn out to be a story told (Bridge) Now I ain't no expert, in finance and such But a billion dollars, honey, that's a whole lotta clutch Maybe they know somethin', we simple folk don't see Or maybe they just gamblers, wild and free (Chorus) Bridge, oh Bridge, whatcha got that's worth that price? More'n a fancy car, more'n a house of ice Stripe done gone and bet the farm, on digital gold Hope it don't turn out to be a story told (Outro) Yeah, hope it don't turn out to be a story told 'Bout the time Stripe gambled, and lost all their gold On a crypto dream, that faded in the mist Leavin' 'em with nothin', but a billion dollar kiss. Listen: https://lnkd.in/dKm-rh3p Story: https://lnkd.in/dqx5xbwv

Huge news! So excited for both teams at Outbrain and Teads. Getting married after years of dating ;) Combining best platforms for performance and branding, creating the leading open web full funnel platform. Great news for both publishers and advertisers. Some interesting numbers: * The merged entity will reach over 2 billion consumers monthly across 50+ markets, offering a comprehensive full-funnel solution for advertisers. * Expected combined Ex-TAC Gross Profit of $660-$680 million in 2024E * Projected Adjusted EBITDA of $180-$190 million in 2024E * Estimated synergies of $50-$60 million in Adjusted EBITDA annually by the second full year https://lnkd.in/dj37WSZy

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As 2024 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on an incredible year for MIXRIFT (along with my cofounders, David Pripas and Andrei Vaduva, Adriana Codin and our incredible team). Since launching at the beginning of 2024, we've made huge strides, thanks to the incredible support from our team, partners and players. This year, we’ve expanded our team with talented developers and designers who share our passion for innovation. We've also been hard at work enhancing our proprietary platforms to deliver more advanced, immersive experiences. These strategic moves have opened new horizons and helped us improve the quality of our products, bringing us closer to our goal of establishing MixRift as a leading name in the gaming industry. We launched three amazing titles - Hell Horde, Fractured and Crit Attack - all available Meta Quest and one on Apple Vision Pro. These titles are only the beginning, as we continue to build on an ambitious roadmap with even more exciting projects ahead. A big highlight this year was raising $1.6M, which is allowing us to accelerate our game development efforts and further expand our portfolio. As we wrap up this year and look ahead to Q1 2025, we're incredibly excited about what's next. But none of this would have been possible without the support of our incredible community. Thank you for believing in MixRift, and here’s to an even more exciting 2025. 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥!! 🥳 Thanks for your support: Lomax Ward, Bogdan Iordache, Steve McCann, Sean O'Sullivan, Andrei Bogdan Boghiu, Vlad Andries, Martin Kelly, Rodrigo M., Courtney Glymph (and team at Your Story PR), David Ryan and Alastair Baird (and the team at Flynn O'Driscoll), Dean Takahashi, Andreea Lupu and Denisa Popescu (at Noeland consultants) and, of course, everyone at Meta that helped us in the last 6 months (you know who you are! 🤩) #MixRift #Gaming #Innovation #2024Review #HappyHolidays #XR #GamingCommunity #LookingAhead

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Roblox's Q1 earnings report indicates steady revenue growth, which reached $801.3 million, a 22% increase year-over-year, and Daily Active Users (DAUs), now at 77.7 million, up 17% from last year. These figures highlight Roblox's solid performance and strategic use of brand partnerships, enhancing platform engagement and appeal. The platform's success in engaging younger audiences, particularly Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha, is noteworthy. These generations are increasingly making Roblox a hub for social interaction, creativity, and entertainment, facilitated by robust brand collaborations that resonate with their preferences and digital habits. Roblox's continuous efforts to connect with key demographic groups across the globe through a diverse and dynamic content strategy drive its growth and position it as a significant force in shaping digital culture and engagement strategies in the tech space. By staying at the forefront of these trends, Roblox is not just a platform but a leader, setting the pace for others to follow. #Roblox #GenZ #GenAlpha #BrandPartnerships #DigitalEngagement https://lnkd.in/eDe5tf5b

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Match3 is not the best game economy. I know some who would say it’s not even economy! Also, digital board games are just video games with terrible UX. Listen to the episode for more on these hot takes from me and the fellas.

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Late Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." Early Stage Gaming VCs: "We would be interested in companies generating $100M+ in annual revenue that are profitable." #vctalk #joke

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