Ben Young
Ben Young
August 25, 2023

Edition #413

Brand partnerships, Threads meets the open web and a new entrant into adtech? Hint its Sports.


A tid bit from the MediaMath sale was that Sports Genius had also bid. A sports data company coming into advertising, or exploring ways to do it. Makes sense. Another in the trend of verticalized solutions.

Threads opened up to the web, it feels funny that this was such a demand, but the web/desktop is where a lot of heavy users spend their time. So it makes sense. I’m still tentatively dipping my feet in, the content is different, and it is nice seeing people you haven’t seen sharing thoughts doing so. And as many point out, getting in early on the next big thing pays off.

I also liked the Adam Savage (of Mythbusters) brand partnership this week. He and his team bring to life a scene/model from an upcoming game. Just a reminder that content partnerships come in all shapes and sizes.

Notable stories this week

Deals/M&A

  • Arena Group gets a new majority owner. Arena is the rebranded TheMaven.
  • Infillion emerges as buyer for bankrupt adtech company MediaMath.
  • Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life raises $2m.
  • Blue Wire looks to raise $1m in community round.
  • After Record Downturn, Media M&A Shows Signs of Rebound.

Campaign of the week

  • Adam Savage’s Tested with Bethesda Game Studios, they bring to life one of the scenes from the game in a cutaway model. Neat partnership.

  • Shout out to Home Depot who launched their new HomeOwners hub.

View all 2023 best campaigns.

Smartest commentary

  • “Newsletter and podcasting media startups have reached an inflection point. Which is to say, they’re asking themselves: “Shouldn’t we be making real money with this by now?”James Hercher, AdExchanger

Datapoints of note

That’s it for this week.


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