With summer coming to a close, much of America is in the thick of state fair season — gatherings that celebrate our roots and filling our stomachs with horrifying-yet-delicious things we wouldn't eat anywhere else.
Why it matters: Going viral with an unexpected pairing of flavors or the wackiest combo of carbs can actually mean huge business for vendors.
Apple is beginning to build its own ad empire just as its iPhone privacy crackdown weakens key ad-supported rivals.
The big picture: In the middle of a broader downturn in the online ad market, Apple’s move to limit the way apps track user behavior kneecapped competitors like Meta, even as users embraced it.
America's housing marketis broken, but the deep and structural problems can't be fixed with technology.
Why it matters: The U.S. is in desperate need of more high-quality rental housing. Homeownership works for many — and doesn't work at all for many others, who might not be ready to settle down or might not have the financial means.
The upheaval going on in college sports that has seen multiple major schools switch conference allegiances is being driven almost entirely by a lust for TV dollars.
Why it matters: The gulf between the haves and the have-nots created by the ocean of money in college sports is only going to get wider.
Boston calls itself the Hub of the World, and now it's paving the future for sports fans as the New England Sports Network (NESN) was the first regional sports network to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service. Many more are coming.
Why it matters: Live sports is one of the few remaining reasons for cable, and yet regional sports network subscribers are dwindling, perS&P Global Market Intelligence's Kagan. RSNs have been adapting with their own streaming platforms.
After years of watching traditional media dominate live sports, tech giants have decided it's time to get in the game by paying up for live sports rights.
Why it matters: The value of sports rights has been in the stratosphere and the inclusion of trillion-dollar tech giants will only lift those numbers higher.
U.S. women's sports are becoming a hot investment vehicle for networks. Soccer and basketball in particular are becoming hot-ticket rights packages.
Why it matters: For decades, women's sports were largely neglected by the media. Now that they're cultivating bigger audiences, the appeal is beginning to widen.
