Farhad Massoudi Joins The Show

It was awesome to have Farhad on the show this week.

Farhad’s willingness to be frank in his assessments made the episode great.

Harry Stebbings, the host of 20VC, one of the biggest venture capital podcasts in the world, argues that the best podcasts differentiate themselves and become winners by getting guests to say things that they haven’t said anywhere else.

As I was creating the show, I hoped that the show’s unique format would get my guests to share insights and opinions that they haven’t shared elsewhere. Farhad’s honest takes on the actions of Paramount’s new executives, as well as, Walmart acquiring Vizio instead of Roku, were the exact type of honest, and timely insights that I hoped this show would cultivate. So, thank you Farhad!

Now, a couple of insights on my end regarding this week’s stories.

First, what will happen to Paramount’s networks after the merger goes through is still an open question. But, it’s pretty much certain that there will be plenty of talented people that will be out of jobs come next year. It’s a reality of a rapidly changing media landscape. However, it’s also a time of umprecented opportunity and the most talented people always seem to adapt to changing times.

Additionally, I’m not a Twitch user. That doesn’t mean I can’t recognize the absurdity of Kai Cenat’s recent month long stream. If it wasn’t clear before, Kai Cenat’s month long stream certainly confirmed that personalities, and not big, legacy media companies, are the ones influencing user behavior in this new media world. To Farhad’s point, whether other major streaming services will be able to build the necessary infrastructure to support creators is still a big unknown. They certainly will try.

Finally, Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio is part of an explosion in the retail media space in 2024. According to Emarketer, retail media will make up 2/3 of the projected $67 billion of media ad spending by 2025. As marketers continue to lean into ROI-focused marketing spend, retail media will certainly play a big role.