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Subscription fatigue. Last month, we asked if traditional publishing giants are your go-to news sources. The vote was split almost 50/50 with 233 out of 454 of you saying yes. Our follow-up question is: are you paying for that news? Axios reports that a subscription news slowdown has caused “new models to take shape that still seek direct revenue from readers but don’t prevent news outlets from reaching wide audiences.” So, are you into membership programs? Or, are donations more your speed? Personally, we aren’t into paywalls, so we got you covered not just in this newsletter but also in our weekly podcast, which you can check out here. |
In other news... NTWRK is acquiring Complex to create a new destination for superfan culture, the Apple Sports app does excellent play-by-play, and ChatGPT has lost its mind.
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Top Trends
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MEDIA |
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NTWRK collabs with Complex on a new company |
The Future. NTWRK’s acquisition of Complex is meant to combine the ecommerce power of the former with the expert curation of the latter — a move that strengthens both companies by diversifying their lines of revenue. If successful, other digital publishers may look to find a commerce partner that helps them wean off their reliance on ads. |
Back to classics
Complex is entering its new era of content and commerce. |
NTWRK is acquiring the company from BuzzFeed for $108.6 million… but without the First We Feast brand (Hot Ones), which will operate independently under BuzzFeed. NTWRK and Complex will combine to form a new company, which already has backing from Main Street Advisors, Jimmy Iovine, Goldman Sachs, and Universal Music Group. Speaking of UMG, the new company has struck a “strategic partnership” with it on co-branded experiences and collaborations.
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The new Complex will be a lot like the old Complex — a diversified focus on editorial, commerce, and live events, spearheaded by new CEO Aaron Levant (former NTWRK CEO). |
For BuzzFeed, the short sale (it had bought Complex for $300 million in 2021) is meant to help keep the embattled company afloat, which is now worth only $30 million — a far cry from almost selling to Disney for $650 million a decade ago. |
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SPORTS |
 | Courtesy of Apple |
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Apple games the lock screen |
The Future. Apple’s new “Apple Sports” app delivers instantly updated scores and stats of every game from nearly every major global sports league currently in season. If the app boosts engagement on AppleTV+, expect it to become a unique “second screen” to the streamer’s live sports offerings. |
Push points
Apple Sports — available as a free, standalone app in English, Spanish, and French — will deliver updated scores, the game clock, play-by-play info, and team stats. |
It also includes the betting odds for each game, which could get some major traction as legal sports betting expands. Users can customize their “scoreboards,” so that they can easily follow their preferred teams, leagues, and tournaments. Updates can be shown on a user’s lock screen as a Live Activities feature, so that they don’t even have to open their phone to keep tabs on a game.
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Apple hopes that the app drives engagement to live sports on Apple TV+ — there’s a button on the scores for each game that directs users to “Watch on Apple TV” if it’s available on the service. |
It’s no mistake that the app is dropping on the same day the new season of Major League Soccer kicks off. Messi will be pleased. |
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |
 | This is fine… // Illustration by Kate Walker |
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ChatGPT lost its mind |
The Future. ChatGPT went a little cuckoo over the past couple of days, answering queries with gibberish as if the tech was experiencing one big “hallucination.” As ChatGPT starts to power AI agents from various high-profile companies, a future breakdown could cause an internet-wide freakout that makes some services nearly unusable. |
Code corruption
Several users have reported that ChatGPT has been going off the rails with responses to prompts. |
The chatbot has been answering in incoherent Spanglish, writing nonsense sentences, and endlessly repeating phrases. One response to a prompt asking about the difference between mattresses in the East and West was especially wild. OpenAI is aware of the issue, posting on its status dashboard that it was “investigating reports of unexpected responses from ChatGPT.”
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While hilarious, the breakdown of ChatGPT — however brief — has likely sent chills down the spines of enterprise customers, who are using the chatbot as the foundation for company-wide transitions to AI. If ChatGPT can just go insane, their own customers may think twice about using their products. |
But, hey, a newly announced deal with Match Group could at least make online dating very interesting. |
So, now we want to hear from you… |
YOUR DAILY POLL |
We ask the hard-hitting questions. |
Do you use ChatGPT? |
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60.1% of you voted No in yesterday’s poll: Are you into facial recognition tech? |
“The tech makes too many mistakes.” |
“I have a nefarious twin sister (not really nefarious, but I do have an identical twin sister).” |
“It’s going to happen anyway. So, why not?” |
“Feels like it’s gonna bite me in the ass one day.” |
“Is there really a choice?” |
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Highlights |
The best curated daily stories from around the web |
Media, Music, & Entertainment |
Beyoncé’s new single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart — making her the first Black woman to ever do so. Read More → hypebeast Fubo TV has filed a billion dollar antitrust lawsuit to cancel Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox’s plan to create a joint, sports-focused streaming service. Read More → thr Jason Reitman has recruited 36 of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood to help save the famed Village Theater in LA. Read More → deadline
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Fashion & E-Commerce |
Tyler, the Creator dropped a capsule collection with Louis Vuitton — the first menswear collab at the luxury brand since Pharrell took over as creative director. Read More → highsnobiety Fear of God Athletics, the adidas-produced label, is the official jersey designer for Indiana University’s basketball team. Read More → hypebeast Men are getting their own spas — cheekily called “anti-spas” — with a focus on athletic recovery. Read More → bof
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Tech, Web3, & AI |
Nvidia’s stock supercharged after a blockbuster Q4 earnings report, reaching an above-expectations $22.1 billion in revenue — 265% more than a year ago. Read More → axios Google released the new diet version of its Gemini AI system, a model called “Gemma,” as an open-source tool. Read More → engadget Astroscale, a Japanese space startup, has launched its first mission in hopes of building “tow trucks” in space to clean up orbital debris, like out-of-commission satellites. Read More → bloomberg
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Creator Economy |
Reddit may give its biggest users the opportunity to take part in its upcoming IPO. Read More → techcrunch Pinterest is leveraging AI to help users discover “inspirational images” of models that look like them. Read More → bof Roblox announced that it paid $741 million to creators on its platform last year. Read More → tubefilter
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JOBS OF THE WEEK |
Explore a weekly curated list of the latest and greatest opportunities in business, tech, and entertainment. For more listings, check out the complete job board. |
Senior Production Manager
Live Nation
Beverly Hills, CA |
VIP Account Manager
FanDuel
Toronto, Canada |
Senior Product Operations Lead
Cohere
Remote, USA |
Senior Designer, Footwear
Adidas
Los Angeles, CA |
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Boye Akolade. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar. |
