Episode 144: Rich Greenfield on the State of Dying Media and What’s Going on with Paramount

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi speak with Rich Greenfield from Lightshed Partners about the state of traditional and digital media. They discuss Paramount’s evolving strategy, Larry Ellison’s growing role in media and technology, TikTok’s U.S. restructuring, and The Trade Desk’s Ventura OS. The conversation also touches on how AI and new ad protocols may reshape advertising and what these shifts mean for the broader media landscape.

Takeaways

• Legacy media struggles with tech execution
• Larry Ellison connects media, capital, and AI
• TikTok’s U.S. setup eases advertiser uncertainty
• Ventura OS success depends on key app adoption
• AdCP could streamline agent-based transactions
• TV ads decline as digital engagement expands
• Spotify video boosts reach but product issues persist
• Ad tech contracts need better legal protection

Chapters
00:00 Intro and housekeeping
 03:30 Traditional media updates and Paramount–Skydance
 09:00 Larry Ellison’s media influence
 15:00 Why advertisers should care about these mergers
 20:30 TikTok’s U.S. ownership structure explained
 26:00 The Trade Desk’s Ventura OS and its hurdles
 33:00 Ad Context Protocol and AI in ad buying
 41:00 Shifting search behavior and Google’s AI role
 48:00 Spotify video, Netflix deal, and ad strategy
 54:00 Rich Media Club lawsuits and wrap-up

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