Very interesting…
https://www.ft.com/content/f9e8ccc2-dd84-11e8-9f04-38d397e6661c
A free link to a report on the article. Interesting reach into traditional media by Apple if true. Though 20bn in debt sounds like a hole that will keep growing.
A free link to a report on the article. Interesting reach into traditional media by Apple if true. Though 20bn in debt sounds like a hole that will keep growing.
I don’t think Apple would want to eat into its humongous stash of billions to buy the company when it’s about to go into bankruptcy reorganization. Though the MacRumors and Financial Times articles focus on just radio, though IHeartMedia is by far the biggest US radio company, they don’t mention another very important media channel iHeartMedia is huge in… out of home media. They were, and still are, a pioneer and leader in digital billboards, including traditional and full motion digital multi displays…the ones you see in Times Square on TV every New Year’s Eve. They also have deals with a lot of big sports stadiums, and if I remember correctly, NFL stadiums, including Super Bowl venues. Airports are another big venue, as are transit systems. They also do geotargeted mobile, including interactive billboards.
Their iHeartDigital local and national ad sales division is crackerjack. This could really benefit Apple, who has been a lot less than successful, to put it mildly, in ad sales. So cutting an across the board deal, not just a radio show or two, might be the way for Apple to go.
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Interesting insights there Marilyn. I’ve often wondered about whether Apple’s approach to privacy has hampered their ad sales, whether the data other companies offer had kept it down the food chain. Interesting to consider that the overall mix and team might present the issue.
November 3Interesting insights there Marilyn. I’ve often wondered about whether Apple’s approach to privacy has hampered their ad sales, whether the data other companies offer had kept it down the food chain. Interesting to consider that the overall mix and team might present the issue.
Apple’s privacy policies have definitely pretty much eliminated them from becoming a serious competitor Google, Facebook, Amazon and every other smaller ad network (including Microsoft), although Google is paying Apple $3 billion a year to be the default search engine in Safari. Privacy is a big selling point for Apple, and personally speaking, one I hope will never change. At least in the next few years, this is unlikely to happen.
What I think will be a big benefit will be the ability to do promotions and advertising, especially exclusives, for Apple’s products and services in outdoor venues - signage, special events, pop up Stores, transit takeovers, etc.
It could be a win-win situation along with the ability to create more ad free channels for Music.