Weekly Roundup – Week of November 27th, 2023

"More states are likely to consider legalizing sports betting next year.
Why it matters: Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in 2018, the majority of states have acted to legalize the activity.
In 37 states, along with Washington, D.C., retail and online sports betting is now legal and in operation.
Per Legal Sports Report, more states are expected to revisit or introduce new legislation in 2024."

"...But it starts to skewer American holiday institutions. Why do we do our silly little holidays, it seems to ask, from the 4th of July to Valentine’s Day—just because we’re told they’re “tradition”? Why do we “feel the need to light things on fire every July?” the narrator asks. Or to “shell out a month’s rent in the name of love?” Well, he explains, because these “traditions connect us.” Duh!
In case you feared this ad was a cutting cultural critique, don’t worry, it was quite the opposite. Amazon was pitching viewers a “new American holiday tradition”—the one that it was airing right at that very moment. “Welcome to America’s newest holiday,” the narrator says. “NFL football on Black Friday.” Brought to you by Amazon Prime."

"...Advances in internet connectivity, the ubiquity of the smartphone, and the emergence of digital channels have created fierce competition for rights and subscribers, fundamentally altered consumption habits, and challenged long-established economics. Gen Z, social media, and streaming have upset the status quo.
Simply put, understanding the US market has never been as important. With that in mind, SportsPro has examined the state of play stateside and identify the key things to watch out for now and in the coming years."

"The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote on rules, including cost-sharing, regarding utility pole attachments at its December meeting.
The Federal Communications Commission wants to revise its rules about attaching equipment to poles to speed up broadband deployment. Utility and telecom companies are in disagreement about who should shell out the money for pole attachments needed to run fiber, for example.
“The Commission will consider rules to make the pole attachment process faster, more transparent, and more cost-effective,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a note outlining next month’s open meeting agenda."

"The First Amendment does not protect messages posted on social media platforms.
The companies that own the platforms can – and do – remove, promote or limit the distribution of any posts according to corporate policies. But all that might soon change.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear five cases during this current term, which ends in June 2024, that collectively give the court the opportunity to reexamine the nature of content moderation – the rules governing discussions on social media platforms such as Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter – and the constitutional limitations on the government to affect speech on the platforms."

"The change was so remarkable that it almost seemed like a mistake: In a poll of residents in battleground states by The New York Times and Siena College this fall, 22 percent of Black voters said they would support former president Donald Trump over President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 matchup. Mr. Trump carried 8 percent of the Black vote in 2020."

"In a recent nationwide study, we at Harker Bos Group asked over 900 radio listeners whether they watch the news and how they watch the news. The results demonstrate that a diverse array of news delivery technologies are used to consume video news, as well as emergent trends such as the increasing primacy of streaming over cable..."