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I’d like to buy a vowel, please. After decades as the face of Wheel of Fortune, host Pat Sajak is passing on the baton. This week, Sajak tweeted that he will be bidding farewell in 2024. Fun fact: Wheel of Fortune is one of the longest-running game shows in the United States, entertaining viewers for over 40 years. One last spin, folks. |
In other news… Golden Globes gets a behind-the-scenes reboot, Reddit’s subreddit blackout, and Netflix looks for local language stardom. |
Top Trends |
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ENTERTAINMENT |
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Dick Clark Productions wins the Golden Globes |
The Future. The Golden Globes are getting a behind-the-scenes reboot — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is disbanding, and the awards show is being sold to unscripted titan Dick Clark Productions. DCP hopes to give the embattled Globes a shot at relevance… but may be fighting against a larger cultural disinterest in most live telecasts. |
The HFPA has left the building
The Golden Globes are under new ownership… sort of. |
The Golden Globe Awards have been acquired by Dick Clark Productions (a longtime producer of the awards show) and Eldridge Industries for an undisclosed amount. The new owners will turn the brand into the Golden Globe Foundation — a move from a non-profit organization to a for-profit (while keeping up with the HFPA’s charitable giving). Speaking of the HFPA, the sort-of secretive group of roughly 100 journalists and other foreign press that voted on the titular awards is “winding down.” No word on who will actually be voting on the awards now.
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That’s a wild end to a years-long downfall for the group, which was embroiled in several controversies, experienced a revolt by actors and Hollywood publicists, and went dark for a year after it tried to rebuild its image with several membership updates. |
Oh, and Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media… which means the three major Hollywood trades (Deadline, THR, and Variety) and the second biggest Hollywood award show are all under the same roof. Expect a lot of back-patting. |
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SOCIAL MEDIA |
 | Lights out at Reddit // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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Subreddit blackout turns off Reddit |
The Future. In protest of Reddit’s new API pricing increase, over 7,000 subreddits went private or read-only yesterday, with the blackout lasting until tomorrow (though some will do so indefinitely). With Reddit angling to IPO in the near future, the battle over the platform’s API may highlight the struggle of free, community-driven platforms to actually turn a profit. |
Community control
The subreddits have struck back. |
According to Insider, the blackout “stands to affect over 2.6 billion Reddit subscribers and more than 28,000 moderators.” This protest has caused major “stability issues” (Reddit’s words) on the site, effectively crashing it for a period of time.
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Reddit has positioned the price changes as a way to keep AI systems from just using the platform as a free repository for constantly-updating data. The company wants to make some money for that access, especially as advertising has proven to be a complicated revenue generator for the platform. |
But Redditors allege that the price increases are just too astronomical to justify, forcing many apps that rely on the API to shut down because of the cost. One popular app, Apollo for Reddit, said it would now cost $20 million per year to continue operating the app. Wow. |
All the drama is apparently great news for Discord. |
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TOGETHER WITH UPWAY |
E-bike e-lert |
Why push pedals when you can effortlessly glide on an e-bike? From daily commuting to weekend beach spins, e-bikes are the chillest way to get around. |
Upway’s e-bikes are endorsed by top-tier mechanics, offer up to 60% off retail prices, and come with a one-year warranty. Talk about e-xcellent. |
Fancy one? Just take a quick 3-question quiz, and you'll get paired up with the perfect e-bike for you. And it'll ship right to your front door in 2-5 days. |
E-bikes also make a great Father’s Day gift! Right now, Upway will knock up to $600 off the price of selected bikes. Plus, you can get an extra $100 discount for being a Future Party reader. Use the code TFP and get riding. |
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ENTERTAINMENT |
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Netflix looks for local language stardom |
The Future. Netflix is shifting its strategy from “local for global” to “local for local,” meaning it wants culturally specific hits. It’s a fragmenting of the Netflix success model. While that will lead to a lot of investment in those chosen regions, it may also set off alarm bells for countries who are nervous that Netflix has the power and allure to replace their own local industries if they don’t put up guardrails. |
Little wins, everywhere
Netflix wants to make more great Korean shows for South Korea or great Brazilian shows for Brazil. |
That new international strategy allows for shows to be hyper-localized so that they speak very directly to the audience they’re made for. That makes sense when most people around the world still mostly watch shows that are in their language and are steeped in their cultural context — especially on Netflix. According to Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw, Netflix “isn’t just trying to be the largest TV network in the world; it’s trying to be the most popular TV network in every single country.”
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Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said as much last week when she declared, "We don't make global shows; we make local, authentic shows that are on a global platform." Getting a breakout show is just icing on the cake. |
And if Netflix gets really lucky, it can turn a global hit into a sprawling local language franchise, as the company has done with Money Heist and hopes to do with Bird Box. |
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Growth goals |
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Highlights |
The best curated daily stories from around the web |
Media, Music, & Entertainment |
After the debut of Tucker Carlson’s new show, Elon Musk hopes to turn Twitter into an across-the-political-spectrum news network with his attempt to woo Don Lemon and Rachel Maddow to launch shows on the platform. Read more → insider The next wave of museums could be empty rooms that can project anything. Read more → fastcompany Composed of ten ad-supported streaming companies, including Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Tastemade, a new trade group called the Independent Streaming Alliance has formed to collectively bargain for the same deals that the top FAST streaming and tech companies get. Read more → deadline
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Fashion & E-Commerce |
While generative AI could upend fashion design, young designers are skeptical of even trying the tech. Read more → businessoffashion Bernstein believes that Messi’s move to Inter Miami could boost adidas’ stock by as much as 30%. Read more → forbes Popular fashion e-commerce marketplace Revolve may finally go brick-and-mortar if its West Hollywood pop-up is successful. Read more → businessoffashion
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Tech, Web3, & AI |
In the wake of the SEC’s crypto lawsuits, Robinhood has become the first major platform to delist the Solana, Cardano, and Polygon tokens. Read more → theinformation Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode has been behind more deaths and crashes than the company has let on. Read more → wapo Major American tech firms are slowly limiting use in Hong Kong after China’s crackdown. Read more → wsj
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Creator Economy |
In the two years since the NCAA suspended its NIL rules for college athletes, deals have surged by 146% every year, with 17% of athletes in Division 1 schools signing one. Read more → thepublishpress The D’Amelios are reportedly launching a creator management firm dubbed DamGood Mgmt. Read more → tubefilter Chef Tue Nguyen, who became famous on TikTok under the handle @TwayDaBae, is launching her first restaurant, Di Di, in LA. Read more → thr
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Today's email was brought to you by David Vendrell.
Editing by Melody Song. Publishing by Sara Kitnick. |
