Tick Tock Clockin' Gains | What happened and why... First, you thought it was just for kids, then the vids started landing in your feed... now you just can't get enough. And you're not alone. TikTok, our favourite home for pranks, magic, and operatic gummies-bears is more than a bit of fun. It's a commercial colossus. And Tik-Tok's owner, ByteDance, just reported monster numbers that finally landed the Chinese a seat at the social media top-table... ➿ Doublin' in 2019... revenues more than doubled to hit $17bn in 2019, with reported profits of $3bn.👀 Just can't get enough... over 800 million daily active users - which still lags Facebook brags 1.73bn daily active users. It's more than hearsay but as a privately held company, ByteDance does not officially release their financials. However, these are numbers are going viral and ByteDance aren't denying them. With 2020, looking like another 'breakout' year for TikTok, revenues are expected to surpass Instagram as lockdown sparks the generational spread of the micro-vid-sharing platform and the algorithm learns more about what we want. | The Takeaway ⏱️ Matter of time... While the COVID-19 pushed back a possible IPO, it feels like a matter of time until ByteDance does land itself a monster IPO. Current speculation has a valuation anywhere in between $100-$180bn, whatever it is, investment banks will be scrambling for their signature. You Can't Always Tweet What You Want... | What happened and why... No man or woman is above the law. Unless you're the President of the United States and that law doesn't fit so well. Then you can try and change it. Trump has a lot to thank Twitter (-3.08%) for. The platform was pivotal in making Trump the most powerful man on Earth but in an attempt to protect the truth, the social media platform has reignited a feud with a President, that is determined to pave the way for his giant uncensored e-megaphone. 💾 Rolling back to 1996... when Oasis and Blur were going head-to-head, America had the foresight to draw up the Communications Decency Act and for the most part, it has stood the test of time. Specifically, Section 230. Stay with us here... TLDR... Section 230 is about protecting the freedom of expression on the internet and more recently, social media platforms. If it wasn't there, Facebook, Insta, and Twitter would never have gotten out of 1st gear and would have been liable for all the maniacal chatter hitting the social airwaves. More controversially, it also landed social media players the power to 'man those airwaves' and remove any content as they see fit. 🥊 You can see where this is going... so here's how Trump and Twitter returned to war: On Tuesday... Twitter - in its maiden presidential move - flagged two of Trump's tweets and added links for additional information, regarding the President's tweet about mail-in voting "potentially misleading."2 days later... Trump signed an order in Congress targeting social giants and ripping up their immunity powers. And if Trump gains the support to rip-up Section 230, social media could be a very different place. | The Takeaway 🌀 But investors don't see this going viral... Trump's tit-for-tat response - reminiscent of Rugrats series 3 - nudged Twitter's stock down just 4% in the process as analysts grow weary of the regulatory threat to big tech that has been discussed for years. More realistically, Trump's order is expected to be challenged and end up in the hands of Congress. 1st Draft Of Streaming | What happened and Why... Fantasy football is not what it used to be. And unsurprisingly, America is home to the most innovative movements of the Fantasy fanatics. The country's leading fantasy sports player, DraftKings (+35.11%), has investors placing bigger bets since it went public last month, even if the field is still empty. DraftKings has come a long way, very quickly. From a collection of hooded-keyboard warriors to gambling juggernaut... 🌍 Global game... Serving up Daily and weekly fantasy sports contests based on individual and team performances across the MLB, NFL, the NBA, the Premier League, and the Champions League.📆 In August 2018... DraftKings launched its Sportsbook in New Jersey becoming the first legal mobile sports betting operator in the state. And then last month, the fantasy took moved closer to reality... as DraftKings went public on the New York Stock Exchange. And to keep investors gleaming this week, the company launched its in-app live-streaming of sports coverage, starting with the recently returning German Bundesliga. Perfect test-bed... While the timing looks a little odd at first glance, there's plenty to admire. The smaller samples in place are the perfect test-bed to fine-tune the experience before the return of the major leagues and the Premier League. With live streaming and fantasy gambling in one place, investors are expecting closed-stadiums to fall in favour of DraftKings. | The Takeaway Sports may never be the same again... And with more sports fans staying at home, they may be looking for something to replace that game-day electricity. Throw into the mix, the likelihood of pubs and bars remaining in lockdown, and DraftKings might just have their timing just right. Instagram To Split Winnings | What happened and why... Facebook (-6.16%) - or should we say, Instagram - is turning to video-foe Youtube for inspiration to monetise its flying IGTV video content. Since inception... Youtube has been splitting its winnings with the content creators. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em... After launching IGTV two years ago to rival Youtube, Insta will introduce ads and shave off 55% of the revenues into creators back-pockets. 😋 Influencers must be licking their lips... but controlling the brand will be harder than ever. Influencers who sign up for IGTV ads will be reliant upon algorithms that build an association with their own brand. Very different from the pick and choose the way of today. | The Takeaway Insta Ads... Advertising is far from a new game to IG, the sharing-giant raked in north of $20bn from feed-placed ads last year but owner, Facebook, has never been one for sharing. And this shift to share revenues with creators could be a game-changing shift for the corporation as a whole.
