Econ 101: WarnerBrothers goes online, and Buffet buys Gum
Apr 29th, 2008 by nancyzimmerman
Some micro economics today:
Warner Brothers is going online!
As in, being a television network, but online only. We’ll be able to view shows like Smallville plus a lot of original made-for-online content. The premier sponsor of this online network is Johnson & Johnson. It, like traditional tv, will be supplemented with adverts (no idea if these will be banner ads, or please, no! interupt-the-show ads). Perhaps this should be macro economics not micro, as it really marks the new world of web 2.0. If they’re smart enough to let us watch on our computers, I hope they also know to let us watch it at a time that works for us, plus, include online forums to respond to the shows. Time will tell.
And in other news, Wrigley’s gum is going private again. Mars, Goldman Sachs and Warren Buffett are all going to own the chewing gum company. In typical, wry humour (or not) Buffett commented that he understood the gum business better than he could understand bank balance sheets. Wrigley stock surged by over 20% when the announcement was made.
Readers: what’s your guess? Will WarnerBrothers do it right? (I’m thinking they will). Will you be watching online? I sure will.
