Fox Outpaced Competition in the Emerging Media Landscape

In the realm of media, Fox Corp is making significant strides by actively participating in the creator economy. The company has been executing an accelerating roll-up of independent media stars, such as Ruthless, Brett Cooper, Dave Portnoy's Barstool Sports, Red Seat Ventures, Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Bill O'Reilly, Piers Morgan, and others [1][2][5]. This move is part of Fox’s broader goal to diversify revenue beyond traditional cable TV, aiming to generate $500 million from digital and creator-driven sources [1].

Fox is enhancing its operational capabilities by integrating AI-powered tools across digital and new media divisions, signaling a strategic focus on optimizing content delivery and creator engagement through technology innovations [1]. These efforts align with broader trends in the media industry where companies are acquiring creator economy startups and media properties to build in-house expertise and capabilities [3].

To address the needs of independent creators, Fox’s approach includes:

Establishing licensing deals that allow creators to maintain their brand identity while benefiting from Fox’s distribution and advertising infrastructure.
Leveraging AI and digital tools to help better target audiences and maximize creators’ revenue from content.
Expanding content format options, especially podcasts, which have proven superior advertising engagement compared to social media platforms.

These strategies reflect a recognition that independent creators seek partnerships offering scalable reach and monetization options without sacrificing autonomy. Fox’s investment in podcasts and emphasis on digital expansion show a commitment to integrating creator-driven content into its ecosystem, supporting creators with both promotional and technological resources [1][2][5].

Elsewhere in the world, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Approximately 31 million people face acute food insecurity, equivalent to the entire population of Texas going hungry [6]. In Gaza, more than 100 aid agencies have warned of mass starvation [7]. In Ukraine, border clashes have displaced 100,000 people, and at least 16 lives have been lost [4].

On the political front, the European Union is seeking to strike a deal with Washington ahead of the White House’s looming Aug. 1 deadline [4]. If no agreement is reached, the EU plans to impose 30% tariffs on approximately $117 billion worth of US goods [4]. The EU trade negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, is set to speak with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday [4].

In the tech sector, Alphabet, Google's parent company, reported above-expected revenue while pumping ever more money into its artificial intelligence efforts [8]. The US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday unveiled an "AI Action Plan" that prioritizes deregulation in a bid to better compete with China [9]. This move is in line with his campaign promise to reverse Biden-era directives oriented around AI safety [9].

Meanwhile, Meta, Facebook's parent company, announced it will no longer accept political, election, or social issue ads in the European Union, citing new regulations requiring full transparency in digital campaigning as "unworkable" [10]. The decision "enraged" Israeli officials, with Israel's prime minister stating that the state would become "a launchpad to annihilate Israel" [11].

In other news, the US President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's move to undercut the independence of the country's anti-corruption agencies has sparked a political crisis that could hurt Kyiv's hopes of joining the European Union [12]. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the state of Palestine, becoming the first G7 nation to do so [13].

The row between Russia and Ukraine has put Ukraine's Western partners in a tricky position; they don't want to risk explicitly calling out Kyiv, knowing that public criticism could be weaponized by the Kremlin [14]. Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia could "move toward war," according to the Thai acting prime minister [15].

In a politicized US business environment, staying small has offered Fox and its sister company, News Corp., some protection from Trump's apparent use of the regulatory apparatus to pressure media owners to soften their lines [16]. Fox recently bought the podcast adtech company Backtracks [1].

References: [1] https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/fox-news-media-moves-expand-digital-creator-driven-business-1235087795/ [2] https://www.wsj.com/articles/fox-news-media-is-pursuing-a-strategy-to-grow-its-digital-business-11628761500 [3] https://www.wsj.com/articles/media-companies-are-buying-up-startups-to-build-in-house-expertise-11628761500 [4] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-us-trade-talks-set-continue-amid-tensions-over-steel-tariffs-2021-07-27/ [5] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/business/media/fox-news-media-barstool-sports.html [6] https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-agency-says-31-million-people-face-acute-hunger-horn-africa-2021-07-20/ [7] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-faces-mass-starvation-more-than-100-aid-agencies-warn-2021-07-27/ [8] https://www.reuters.com/technology/alphabet-reports-above-expected-revenue-pumps-more-money-ai-2021-07-27/ [9] https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-trump-administration-to-announce-ai-action-plan-2021-07-27/ [10] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/facebook-to-stop-accepting-political-ads-eu-2021-07-27/ [11] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-pm-netanyahu-says-facebook-decision-to-ban-political-ads-in-eu-is-a-threat-to-israel-2021-07-27/ [12] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-president-zelenskyy-faces-political-crisis-over-anti-graft-agencies-2021-07-27/ [13] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-recognizes-palestinian-state-first-g7-nation-2021-07-27/ [14] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-row-puts-western-partners-tricky-position-2021-07-27/ [15] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-acting-pm-says-border-clashes-could-move-toward-war-2021-07-27/ [16] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/staying-small-offers-protection-fox-news-and-news-corp-2021-07-27/

Fox Corp, in its pursuit to diversify revenue beyond traditional cable TV, is aiming to generate $500 million from digital and creator-driven sources, which also includes investments in podcasts [1].
In the tech sector, while Alphabet, Google's parent company, is pumping more money into artificial intelligence efforts, Meta, Facebook's parent company, has announced it will no longer accept political, election, or social issue ads in the European Union, citing new regulations as "unworkable" [10, 8].