tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28861864672031916242024-03-19T09:29:45.985+11:00Media Man IntMedia Man International is the international arm of Media Man, the media, publicity, talent management and internet portal development company.Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comBlogger3223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-6008060702499119832024-03-18T19:21:00.004+11:002024-03-19T09:29:09.517+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Casino Movie; Bruno Mars in Casino<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOBgCr7lO_aGCVrBz3Tq9LvbkVZQAH-N_4uj4jm6oTULpFki8JKth0Cjq5vDn5VucUfo37ZxAmo_1gjXJvxExb_pHHBC-XyjfnBLC9-9DBBmwvYiOQqN-zbu7nmeXXsCqpPreO9TOD8gKPDrXJy8f6CPqHb8wUO6d2CF5CKrgrgqHoh2S94kmscVy0XY9/s800/blog_gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOBgCr7lO_aGCVrBz3Tq9LvbkVZQAH-N_4uj4jm6oTULpFki8JKth0Cjq5vDn5VucUfo37ZxAmo_1gjXJvxExb_pHHBC-XyjfnBLC9-9DBBmwvYiOQqN-zbu7nmeXXsCqpPreO9TOD8gKPDrXJy8f6CPqHb8wUO6d2CF5CKrgrgqHoh2S94kmscVy0XY9/s320/blog_gold2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P450L7opnt83NRA0061zCpxm73fLhI01I-2XvyGHIiCV4o631E5JpVlGWFQPsAZ9-tqXzEKA0dJfm041d1ShAzW_bcme02qlA1_96rqvl0SjIQ4_ZTn0dlHJGY44jXaajbpfbYbhRYQYeJmm2t-awEfPnqSA9koRilMxrBu4YW-pczOrvvzXDr28X6Rg/s249/bloggers_gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="249" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4P450L7opnt83NRA0061zCpxm73fLhI01I-2XvyGHIiCV4o631E5JpVlGWFQPsAZ9-tqXzEKA0dJfm041d1ShAzW_bcme02qlA1_96rqvl0SjIQ4_ZTn0dlHJGY44jXaajbpfbYbhRYQYeJmm2t-awEfPnqSA9koRilMxrBu4YW-pczOrvvzXDr28X6Rg/s1600/bloggers_gold.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Casino News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Casino was my last good role, says Sharon Stone</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Sharon Stone has said she never got a good part again after 1995's Casino and described herself as "the invisible actress".</p><p><br /></p><p>The Basic Instinct star, 66, has since appeared in films such as Catwoman, Lovelace and Basic Instinct 2.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stone lost out on winning an Oscar for Martin Scorsese's crime thriller Casino to Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking.</p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Stone said The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola warned her in advance that this would be the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>She said: "Francis put his hand on my shoulder and he said: 'I need to talk to you.'</p><p><br /></p><p>"He said: 'You're not going to win the Oscar.'</p><p><br /></p><p>'I want you to feel like you're going to cry now. I don't want you to cry in the room, and that's why I'm doing this, and it feels so mean right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>"'But I didn't win for The Godfather and Marty didn't win for Raging Bull, and you're not going to win for Casino."</p><p><br /></p><p>Coppola said none of them won because the Academy couldn't "hear opera", she remembered.</p><p><br /></p><p>"'This is not the level of films they want," she remembers him saying.</p><p><br /></p><p>Discussing attending the Oscars when she knew she was going to lose, she said: "You have to pretend it's fantastic and it's not fantastic.</p><p><br /></p><p>"And then I didn't get any good parts ever again for the rest of my entire life."</p><p><br /></p><p>When Theroux replied: "That can't be true. I'm sure there were other movies you did that were good," she replied: "No, and guess what? I hate it."</p><p><br /></p><p>She continued: "It's easier to say: 'She's cold', or: 'I don't like her', or: 'She's difficult', or: 'She must be sick', or: 'She's too old', or that 'she's hard to cast', or: 'We don't know what to do with her.'</p><p><br /></p><p>Stone also described her experiences with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, who is in prison for sex offences and with whom she she crossed paths at events for the Aids charity Amfar.</p><p><br /></p><p>She said: "I had a long time of dealing with Harvey and I'm really glad that he's in prison and I think he should stay there with the rest of the people who are like him. Harvey's a pig. He's an octopus and you're just always getting one of his tentacles off you."</p><p><br /></p><p>Asked if she was too powerful for him to try to coerce into sex, she said: "He would say things to me like: 'You know, you think you're such a princess, Sharon,' as I would unwind him off me.</p><p><br /></p><p>"And I'd say: 'Yeah, I think I'm the queen of France. F*** off.'</p><p><br /></p><p>"But he was certainly comfortable with throwing me across the room. He was physically violent to me on more than one occasion because he was so angry at me because I wouldn't do what he wanted me to do."</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpR813CaCmWdn5FZarxF5vNZdFT4NUOKm_cIvRfnPOuFhz9Hhw9-dvexnOR6QBjK5i5pAB4ryFpy4Aw2U6wNFkBqnc-qDs1V1sbD9sYSfojdhuM_IIbTxlhPu0LpI3P7KN02M6aB3xokD5__syIGTiym44p_ldwHZ-Cm8s8jxVjY7xodvjGeoQdMIi8Tst/s450/casinos450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="450" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpR813CaCmWdn5FZarxF5vNZdFT4NUOKm_cIvRfnPOuFhz9Hhw9-dvexnOR6QBjK5i5pAB4ryFpy4Aw2U6wNFkBqnc-qDs1V1sbD9sYSfojdhuM_IIbTxlhPu0LpI3P7KN02M6aB3xokD5__syIGTiym44p_ldwHZ-Cm8s8jxVjY7xodvjGeoQdMIi8Tst/s320/casinos450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bruno Mars' shocking $50 million gambling debt report sparks wild fan jokes: 'He is high on…'</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bruno Mars owes millions to MGM casino for hefty poker debts, risking long-term partnership: Report</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Mars is renowned for lighting up the stage, but recent reports alleging a staggering $50 million gambling debt at the MGM Grand have fans buzzing for a different reason. In 2016, the singer-songwriter announced a 'multi-year residency deal' with MGM Grand in Las Vegas. However, the recent report suggests that the collaboration between Mars and the hospitality brand has soured due to mounting debt.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Mars reportedly in $50 million debt to MGM Grand</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On March 16th, it was reported that Bruno Mars now owes millions of dollars to the MGM casino after reportedly accumulating hefty poker debts. The Talking to the Moon singer had a multi-year residency agreement with Park MGM in Las Vegas, where he performed on a regular basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Citing that MGM “basically owns him,” they continued, “He earns $90 million a year from the casino deal, but then he has to pay back his debt... after taxes (Mars earns $1.5 million per night).”</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s going on between Bruno Mars and MGM Grand</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2016, it was announced that the hospitality industry had entered into a long-term partnership with Mars, which will feature his exclusive performances across an extensive portfolio of world-class entertainment venues. The president of MGM Grand delivered a statement claiming, “Bruno is among the most talented performers in the world and we are excited to start a long-term relationship with him.” Now, the once mutual relationship appears to have evolved into a feud due to piled-up casino debts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Mars’ casino debt sparks meme frenzy</p><p><br /></p><p>While the 24K Magic singer has never shied away from admitting that he supported himself by playing poker before pursuing music, fans are shocked that news of his casino debt has made its way onto the top of headlines. “Bruno Mars having $50 million gambling debt lets me know his next album gonna be a classic, real degenerate.” A user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Others chimed in too, “Bruno Mars needs a movie about his life cause ik my mans be wylin… 50 MILLION DOLLARS in GAMBLING DEBT ?”, “Bruno Mars walking through MGM casino undercover trying to avoid that $50m gambling debt”, “He is high on debt”, “Bruno mars when the dealer gets blackjack.”</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-63901051714285025232024-03-18T15:37:00.001+11:002024-03-18T15:37:20.961+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Media Man Web Tips<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man Web Tips</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrYDcU4wgTIFn3abFKrfC47ixapsu7YEQnMiI7a2BwcuRWkTXwx9PAaqlCWeRkI0WYzPojweWXe0x3Yg3hOi8URIeQgkNU6BKe6X8XsI5USoQJAKRd0eAppgA4ne3Rmv85mDmKOBB-1BpG6rYXsedHv-rozVjIY4nf0zRJbTg3sLOuxqzhV8HbA/s800/blog_gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrYDcU4wgTIFn3abFKrfC47ixapsu7YEQnMiI7a2BwcuRWkTXwx9PAaqlCWeRkI0WYzPojweWXe0x3Yg3hOi8URIeQgkNU6BKe6X8XsI5USoQJAKRd0eAppgA4ne3Rmv85mDmKOBB-1BpG6rYXsedHv-rozVjIY4nf0zRJbTg3sLOuxqzhV8HbA/s320/blog_gold2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSgOesBt0E7Zodc8HuNhW_OyK9sPfOCEKjdAyFcUUVM2OeBW_XQgSDnNpwTTxRRdUkUDqr-WQAH1Eh_z4_es9Gd-FVaUIjwERjl253-chYdSnoA5wjHzqSAeeIksah9LWvd9ueD5qChDHYJBDv0V__aj466h7oEj9M98Cm3_qtiIVvIvKl8t2rw/s249/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="249" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSgOesBt0E7Zodc8HuNhW_OyK9sPfOCEKjdAyFcUUVM2OeBW_XQgSDnNpwTTxRRdUkUDqr-WQAH1Eh_z4_es9Gd-FVaUIjwERjl253-chYdSnoA5wjHzqSAeeIksah9LWvd9ueD5qChDHYJBDv0V__aj466h7oEj9M98Cm3_qtiIVvIvKl8t2rw/s1600/blog1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>SEO Terms</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Keywords: Keywords are the words that users plug into a search engine whenever they seek out information over the web.</p><p><br /></p><p>Organic traffic: Organic traffic is any traffic that comes to your site over a search engine search, excluding those who click on PPC links.</p><p><br /></p><p>SERP: Search engine results page.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPC: Pay-per-click advertising is an advertising strategy to rank products or landing pages above the normal Google SERP results. These links will say “ad” next to them.</p><p><br /></p><p>User intent: The intent of the keyword search (e.g., is the user asking a question or looking to buy a product).</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta tags: Snippets of text designed to describe a webpage to a search engine. For example, the title of the page is contained in an HTML title tag attribute.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ranking factors: Any algorithmic factor designed to influence a page’s ranking in a search engine for a particular keyword search.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crawling: The ability of search engines to find web pages on your site.</p><p><br /></p><p>Indexation: The ability of search engines to include your web pages in its web index.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technical SEO: The backend details of a website, including a web page’s speed and mobile rendering, which impacts its search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>On-page SEO: A list of ranking factors, including meta tags and header tags, designed to help a page rank higher in search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Off-page SEO: A list of ranking factors, including link building and acquisition, designed to improve your website’s visibility and authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>Link building: The manual process of building backlinks or hyperlinks to a website, which is a vital ranking factor for most search engines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Algorithm updates: Any update to Google’s core algorithm (e.g., Penguin, Panda) that influences a broad range of search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Core Web Vitals: Technical SEO factors that Google finds important in determining a page’s potential user experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-A-T: Expertise, Authority, Trust. A set of guidelines Google suggests to marketers to evaluate whether their content meets these criteria.</p><p><br /></p><p>UX: User experience.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-69639849501979966692024-03-17T12:24:00.002+11:002024-03-17T12:24:39.156+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Media Man Int LinkTree. Media, Sports and Advertising Agency Business Networking<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://linktr.ee/mediamanint" target="_blank">Media Man Int LinkTree</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDi9pvIGSquYJXsDOOKgsmUaBu_J7jpOjbG7mDWIVMQuLJTz3gwCrQ3jmlyKa2HjzZJJXFmoCICs_oLWlBhXxATNwHO2G2iHeLeIO7N4enYQ3lmkCkS9Zb5g0LDkQ7ehpmZbdqeVY9NdZmP_Jzw_0ZFc90PhaIoKsj_tJxxZBBBKfkE4UIzA1Nw/s320/google_blogger320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="320" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDi9pvIGSquYJXsDOOKgsmUaBu_J7jpOjbG7mDWIVMQuLJTz3gwCrQ3jmlyKa2HjzZJJXFmoCICs_oLWlBhXxATNwHO2G2iHeLeIO7N4enYQ3lmkCkS9Zb5g0LDkQ7ehpmZbdqeVY9NdZmP_Jzw_0ZFc90PhaIoKsj_tJxxZBBBKfkE4UIzA1Nw/s1600/google_blogger320.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Australian and international opportunities, threats and unknowns</a></p><p> <a href="https://www.mediaman.com.au/articles/network_be.html" target="_blank">Network: Be Your Own Network Says Media Man Group</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediaman.com.au/articles/seo_helping.html" target="_blank">SEO helping boost website rankings</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediaman.com.au/articles/seo_news.html" target="_blank">SEO News</a></p></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4g1fJNtriS9xBoC3ooyc63MLaisSdxnjtpwU0031anWmr68QapB8vd8_mZFYT990RslzgWeLkPCmHhCSblixtJprn8cASE1htcSjRNAbCTfv4NvhRzwRuuiLRgrUOSXKq86K-gNSQHJB5-3e8vzTZf2pI-XSSvk2Lwl-rOKNyeITAz3myr_ZVA/s120/blogger_gold120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="120" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4g1fJNtriS9xBoC3ooyc63MLaisSdxnjtpwU0031anWmr68QapB8vd8_mZFYT990RslzgWeLkPCmHhCSblixtJprn8cASE1htcSjRNAbCTfv4NvhRzwRuuiLRgrUOSXKq86K-gNSQHJB5-3e8vzTZf2pI-XSSvk2Lwl-rOKNyeITAz3myr_ZVA/s1600/blogger_gold120.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjouPe1fPA_RikwsSyzXV2GZin-uhy7kTbY-_Qdx0bSsRYmJ1LDFxtY31mkobNGPxs8MKJkXjsGmTEq7hOuIk3ATmiuoYPvwUd76Q55FmPW6wiKrVfjfqArKBrBWi0tc7rq4WvILHYiqX1_koIEacsUlVZiWHZq5Ujz3mmJLHcFehyphenhypheno97GGHeYA/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjouPe1fPA_RikwsSyzXV2GZin-uhy7kTbY-_Qdx0bSsRYmJ1LDFxtY31mkobNGPxs8MKJkXjsGmTEq7hOuIk3ATmiuoYPvwUd76Q55FmPW6wiKrVfjfqArKBrBWi0tc7rq4WvILHYiqX1_koIEacsUlVZiWHZq5Ujz3mmJLHcFehyphenhypheno97GGHeYA/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMeOin9Ut7azggtgIJp8pL4S7uJ-IkSpBlCrJYVMQBofchkCYcP05Qm5brnUdO4XDxOOeeBXcqqpntqImJ31V9MJ2x0nPB4G29lMNFGF8UwDHFKOK3eT88NK_R6DP0Jr2yQnzwqae81XlFgt_7_aaVHompgXK_jYLFQpdoBuu3pXDG7N0Cc2Z4A/s379/mediamanint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="379" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMeOin9Ut7azggtgIJp8pL4S7uJ-IkSpBlCrJYVMQBofchkCYcP05Qm5brnUdO4XDxOOeeBXcqqpntqImJ31V9MJ2x0nPB4G29lMNFGF8UwDHFKOK3eT88NK_R6DP0Jr2yQnzwqae81XlFgt_7_aaVHompgXK_jYLFQpdoBuu3pXDG7N0Cc2Z4A/s320/mediamanint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-17669883712793548102024-03-12T16:02:00.002+11:002024-03-12T16:02:26.873+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Niche media, marketing and media campaigns the way to go says Media Man agency<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPJl4ZQOy5ybZJrszHlPnQ37oCHi7Dx02GS-KoAzx1j74uIyp3Z5wPHdW3nPbI_LHH3Byj6x6C2cJl96hEZ459Fhu3WMDEKM-FfKFCIJkBTPyhkTHp325VFn0MbpCYUNpy_1_7OMhy21cHlku-liKkQ49-8qHsw-5LwZQ5inbBtzXi41IMNKzAA/s509/niche_media3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="509" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPJl4ZQOy5ybZJrszHlPnQ37oCHi7Dx02GS-KoAzx1j74uIyp3Z5wPHdW3nPbI_LHH3Byj6x6C2cJl96hEZ459Fhu3WMDEKM-FfKFCIJkBTPyhkTHp325VFn0MbpCYUNpy_1_7OMhy21cHlku-liKkQ49-8qHsw-5LwZQ5inbBtzXi41IMNKzAA/s320/niche_media3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/niche_media.html" target="_blank">Niche media, marketing and media campaigns the way to go, says Media Man agency</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/find_your.html" target="_blank">Find Your Niche</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/link_builder.html" target="_blank">Link Builder</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/seo_news.html" target="_blank">SEO News</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/pop_culture.html" target="_blank">Pop Culture</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/networking_directory.html" target="_blank">Networking Directory</a></p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-68537403293426906202024-03-10T21:12:00.002+11:002024-03-10T21:12:46.087+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbz8ZvD9w-oXaZQVGCs6cCCnjsnuQtQh7DPWsUz_4TpRxSqD6JUBckl3IaptOpBO6aN7tLx2U4z7qMwktUQJ75wfJzcmKOr_1Zn33nBJUn15l7txX93GvlBqv3bx0s4BJu_Ik9Wo-8UaYcZvJH27B9rn8qAIr1q-HD6U1wmMn1KLnAh1hcibU_A/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbz8ZvD9w-oXaZQVGCs6cCCnjsnuQtQh7DPWsUz_4TpRxSqD6JUBckl3IaptOpBO6aN7tLx2U4z7qMwktUQJ75wfJzcmKOr_1Zn33nBJUn15l7txX93GvlBqv3bx0s4BJu_Ik9Wo-8UaYcZvJH27B9rn8qAIr1q-HD6U1wmMn1KLnAh1hcibU_A/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month' award - March 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Social Media News</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine and News Corp bosses reveal impact of Meta’s withdrawal from content agreements in new documentary ‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’</p><p><br /></p><p>A new documentary will blow the lid on the ruthless side to the billionaire boss of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and the bosses of two of Australia's major commercial news outlets share just how devastating Meta's decision to withdraw from news deals will be to local journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>The devastating impact from Facebook’s bombshell move to stop paying for news content in Australia is revealed in an exclusive Sky News investigation.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’, which premieres on Wednesday 13 March at 8.30pm AEDT on Sky News Australia, blows the lid on the ruthless side to the billionaire boss of Facebook, and parent company Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and his declaration of war on Australian news.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky News Investigative Reporter Jonathan Lea uncovers how Facebook’s decision to pull the plug on news content will affect millions of Australian social media users, while also exposing them to the growing dangers of misinformation.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a rare television event, Lea speaks to both leaders of the nation’s biggest commercial media giants – Executive Chairman of News Corp Australia Michael Miller, and the CEO of Nine Entertainment Mike Sneesby – on the threat to Australia from Zuckerberg and Meta, a company worth almost two trillion dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lea also hears from the whistleblower who bravely exposed Facebook’s malicious business tactics to US Congress, as well as Australian Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland, on her fight to protect the future of Australian news.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a contemptuous move against government legislation, Facebook temporarily blocked Australian news pages in 2021, and did the same in Canada last year. Will Facebook again seek to shutdown Australians’ access to credible news content from all its platforms?</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’ premieres on Sky News this Wednesday, 13 March at 8.30pm AEDT. Watch live on Foxtel or through the http://SkyNews.com.au Streaming Subscription.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Sky News Australia)</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Sky News Australia</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media Giant Meta Getting A Bashing From Aussie News Media and Politics</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Meta facing hefty fines over walking away from news media deal</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook’s parent company Meta could soon face major fines for breaching the news media bargaining code.</p><p><br /></p><p>This comes after the tech giant walked away from commercial deals with Australian news outlets last week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The deals – worth around $250 million a year for Australian news publishers – were due to expire later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>A fine for Meta would depend on which sections of the code it breaks.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the company could face fines of more than a billion dollars if it is found to break all sections of the code.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group management had documented what the likes of Facebook was doing to the Australian news media and online news media industries for a former Prime Minster and very high level News Corp chiefs over a decade ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Under The Watercooler: "In the space we operate in and around we freqently see and experience trends, paterns and such well before others. It took additional time for more traditional Australian newsrooms, creative and advertising agencies to feel the full effect. You can't say we didn't warn you. Now the likes of Meta have changed their business model after taking from Australia what they intended to. That company remains extremly embattled and with good reason. Surely a strong case can be made against the Big F and Big M. We could even be witness and present findings from the coalface if called upon"</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: MAD)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Play hardball and make Meta pay fair share for news</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that Facebook’s owner has thrown the ball back into the government’s court, it must be “designated” in the interests of professional newsrooms and serious public journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian government is set to go head-to-head with one of the world’s most powerful companies in one of the world’s most ubiquitous industries. Last week, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta told the federal government it will no longer pay for the news content that it and other social media like Google had once swept up from Australian news mastheads for free.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under a world-first News Media Bargaining Code enforced by the federal government in 2021, Meta and Google agreed deals worth $200 million a year to compensate for copyrighted content from Nine Entertainment, News Corp, the ABC, Seven West Media and many others.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s $70 million or so share has been an important boost for Australia’s professional newsrooms and serious public journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now Meta has thrown the ball back into the government’s court. Under the Code, the government can “designate” Meta and make it pay. Meta claims that its audience has largely drifted away from news and politics to family and friends.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it has also reduced the presence of news on its home pages, and will take away the news tab. Facebook users will still be able to share news stories on its sites, and Meta has not dropped Australian news pages altogether as it did in a first clumsy attempt to avoid paying before the code deal was struck in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Brazenly, it is sending signals that it is walking away from news, if only as a bargaining ploy, even though sites such as Facebook depend on being everywhere and about everything.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quitting news altogether is what Meta has just done in Canada, where the government had set up a similar agreement following Australia’s example. After Canada demanded the pay deal continue, Meta blocked all news content.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means the Australian government may have to play hardball in return. It might put a new special levy or restrictions such as age verification on the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>And Meta is on politically tricky ground too. In the US, social media is under pressure over online harm it enables while avoiding the responsibilities and disciplines of being a “publisher”. Facebook is used by fringe political groups, and it’s hardly a good look to throw the responsible mainstream media off the same site.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian Financial Review benefits from this code, too, even if our business model is based more on premium subscriptions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The code was created because, as Anthony Albanese put it last week, “the idea that research and work done by others can be taken for free is simply untenable”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Traditional newsrooms which expensively gather, edit and present news are more essential than ever in the babble of unfiltered social media that pollutes politics. Not only did publishers have their copyrighted intellectual property swept up for free, it was put onto digital platforms that have infrastructure-like monopoly reach, and which had also destroyed mainstream publishers’ digital advertising markets on the way through.</p><p><br /></p><p>It also goes to the even bigger debate about the virtues of democracy over authoritarian and repressive rule. Democratic choice depends on flows of fresh and original trusted, reliable information and news. That’s expensive to produce, which is why it is assigned a limited property right in the form of copyright.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the emergence of technology that allows the almost costless digital copying and distribution of content at mega scale has upset the balance between providing sufficient incentives and returns to create public interest information and the benefits of encouraging its widespread dissemination.</p><p><br /></p><p>Where is the incentive to keep producing when what is produced can be readily copied and distributed effectively for free? Especially when technology allows private interests other than the creators to profit?</p><p><br /></p><p>The code and the payments are a practical way to help restore that balance. But it may only be a first round of the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI will lift the issue to new heights. ChatGPT, which mashes up other peoples’ copyrighted content to produce its results, is now being sued for damages in US courts by The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Traditional, professionally reported news helps fund democracy. The Albanese government ought to insist that mega social media platforms pay their share.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency and Business News via FxPro and Media Man</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 6, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bitcoin spooked by highs, Ethereum still climbing</b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The cryptocurrency market is building capitalisation towards the 24-hour level, but it's a relatively modest +0.6% to $2.51 trillion. That's close to, but still below Tuesday's highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin briefly topped $69K on Tuesday, setting a new all-time high, but has since corrected by more than 15%.</p><p><br /></p><p>The size, speed and nature of the decline indicate a desire for "weak hands" to exit Bitcoin. At its lowest point, the price fell below $59K due to large orders that the market was unable to quickly digest. Excluding this spike, we can assume that the price fell to $62K - last week's consolidation area - wiping out all the recent gains. </p><p><br /></p><p>We saw these 15% corrections for a long time after the first update of the highs in the last cycle in 2020. It's worth bracing for up to several weeks of consolidation in the 15-20% range.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many altcoins have pulled back significantly from recent highs, looking back at BTC. But not Ethereum, which hit new highs since January 2022 at $3865 on Wednesday morning. The second most important cryptocurrency very quickly crossed the key $3500 threshold (161.8% of the year-end rally and local April 2022 high). According to the Fibonacci model, the next upside target is the 261.8% level, which is just above $4600 and close to historical highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum's cumulative stakes have surpassed $117 billion. Ethereum validators have blocked more than 31.5 million ETH in stakes, according to The Block. The total ETH supply is around 120 million coins with a capitalisation of ~$450 billion, so around 26% of the asset issuance is involved in securing the network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC has delayed a decision on BlackRock and Fidelity's spot Ethereum ETFs. The commission will continue to gather comments from the public. Experts are divided on when the regulator will make a positive decision on Ethereum ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the past 90 days, investors have invested the equivalent of 133,000 BTC in various regulated bitcoin products. Their total assets under management (AuM) rose to 1 million BTC, according to ByteTree. Outflows from gold and bond-based ETFs accompanied the trend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael van de Poppe, founder of MN Trading, pointed out that this is the first time in history that a new ATN has been reached before rather than after a halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>The upcoming halving in April will reduce the daily mining of new bitcoins from 900 BTC to 450 BTC, which will affect trading strategies, market cycles and mining, according to Glassnode. Historically, halves have preceded bullish rallies. Heavy buying of spot bitcoin ETFs could add to the increased demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deutsche Börse has launched an institutional-focused regulated platform for spot trading, settlement and custody of cryptocurrency assets, Deutsche Börse Digital Exchange (DBDX). Settlement and custody services will be provided by Crypto Finance (Deutschland), a BaFin-licensed subsidiary.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gold and Commodities News via Media Man and FXPro</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b>March 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold is primed for a substantial move, second only to cryptocurrencies in amplitude but lacking their enduring strength. </p><p><br /></p><p>At the end of last week, we saw a swift technical completion of a bullish pattern. Sometimes, gold avoids volatility for weeks, but at certain moments, strong multi-day trends are born, and the movement becomes almost one-sided, as we saw this time. </p><p><br /></p><p>After breaking through the resistance of the descending channel, gold quickly moved higher, gaining almost 2% on Friday, another 1.5% on Monday and over 0.5% since the start of the day on Tuesday. </p><p><br /></p><p>Current levels at $2126 are around all-time highs. The higher price was off-market at the start of trading on the 1st, with a history-making short squeeze of 3.5%. After Monday's strong rally above $2088, which rewrote the closing highs, the current working scenario for gold is for a rally to the $2255 area, which is the 161.8% level from the initial October-December impulse. The price has made a classic corrective pullback to 61.8% of the initial rally at the start of the year. One of the warning signs is the overbought RSI. At 77.7, the Relative Strength Index is at its highest level since March 2022, where it remained for the following 14 months. </p><p><br /></p><p>The RSI reached even higher levels in July-August 2020, and we see more similarities with this particular episode. The overbought RSI then, as it is now, coincided with the entry into the historical high area above $1800. Technically, it wasn't an all-time high, as it is the case now, but it was a move out of a steadily traded range (then $1800, now $2050), and that is what matters. </p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports: Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis "The Predator" Ngannou </p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing Promoters Borrow Pages Out Of Pro Wrestling Playbook: World class production, animated storylines and FN's Great promos and insider look etc </p><p><br /></p><p>Cross-Over Trend Continues As Elite Fighters Aim To Cash In; Public Demand Remains Solid. Gamification hype machine tipped to deliver says Media Man Fight Details </p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou 20lbs heavier (272.6lbs) than Anthony Joshua at weigh-in for hyped Saudi fight</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will take place on Friday, March 8 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia </p><p><br /></p><p>PPV: Main Event and Kayo Sports in Australia DAZN in many parts of the world</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>“The mindset is still the same. This is just my second boxing match, even though I’m taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing. I’m the underdog, I’m going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Sometimes it just makes me laugh a little bit, because we’re going to fight in boxing rules, but what would happen if it was a ‘free’ fight? I would smoke these guys! I’m the only one to go into their backyard.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My official prediction is me leaving the ring with the victory.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I deliver, I’m the postman!”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I have learnt a little bit from the last fight, the last camp, and leading up to this one, so I get a little bit of experience, but the mindset is still the samed”</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is just my second boxing match, even though I am taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am the underdog, I am going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground”</p><p><br /></p><p>Back Story</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Predator last competed in MMA (mixed martial arts) in January 2022, when he retained the UFC heavyweight title against ex-teammate Ciryl Gane. He then vacated the belt upon leaving the UFC in early 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Later in the year, Ngannou signed with a rival MMA promotion, the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The Cameroonian who escaped the sand hills way back when - is expected to continue his MMA career with the PFL before the end of 2024. However, Saudi adviser Turki Al-Sheikh has apparently advised Joshua and Ngannou that the winner of their bout will challenge the winner of "Gypsy King" Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off against each other in Riyadh in February, but the Brit suffered a cut two weeks before the bout. This led to tons of speculation whether it was a "set up" or "work", meaning intentional and an "own goal". As a result, the fight was delayed until 18 May. The victor of that clash will be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury has said there is a rematch clause to ensure a second bout against the Ukrainian in 2024, complicating Joshua and Ngannou’s potential involvement in the title picture.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>“He brings two arms, a body, like every other fighter does. But it’s his mind that is different. Everyone has their own unique mind. In terms of the frame and make up, I’ve seen people like him and he’s seen people like me many times before, but it’s his mind that I have to conquer in the ring. You have to take their soul and spirit, and I am looking for the challenge for sure, it’s going to be good, explosive. There’s many ways to skin a cat, I can counter-punch, he can counter-punch. We can both box, we can both trade, it’s going to be a good fight - and shout out to His Excellency, my promoter, my team at 258 for getting me in this position to showcase why I am the top Heavyweight in the UK. I’m not really concerned about the world, I’m trying to conquer where I live and make everyone know that I am the one that puts boxing on the map.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou quotes</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you to my brother, His Excellency, for once again putting me in this position to live my dream and have all those great experiences like I had in Riyadh two months ago, it was amazing. Hopefully this will be the same thing.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been sitting here and listening to people talking and even Eddie praising me, and I appreciate that, but at the same time, I am not sure if he wants me to sleep on his guy - but that’s not going to happen. I am just a beginner out here that’s going to train really hard and do everything as the underdog to win the fight. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t take my last fight as a reference, I know exactly where I am at, I’m going to get better and better and that’s how I see things. I’m preparing for a tough fight, the Fury fight was great, but that’s in the past and I have a new challenge in front of me, and I take it more serious now than before because now I think there’s something more on the line, which is probably the Undisputed fight. So let’s see, I will do something that no-one has done before and I believe I have the tools to do that, starting with having the win over ‘AJ’ on March 8 in a big fight - not an easy fight, but a possible one and I am going to take it.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to fight him, so what do you think I am going to do? I will look for his chin. That’s what you do in a fight, you try to hit someone on the chin or wherever to try to hurt him. I heard he doesn’t have a chin, I don’t know if it’s true or not, we’re going to find out and I hope that I have the opportunity to test that - that’s my wish.”</p><p> </p><p>Eddie Hearn (promoter) quotes</p><p> </p><p>“Just to echo what Frank said, our thanks to the Crown Prince and of course, His Excellency. I likened this earlier, the whole experience, to Football Manager. Imagine being the biggest fan in boxing and having the ability to sit in a room and put fights together at the drop of a hat that the fans want to see. In just five months we’ve seen Fury vs. Ngannou, The Day of Reckoning, Fury vs. Usyk and ’AJ’ vs. Ngannou, and so much more to come. This is such an incredible opportunity for boxing and it’s being delivered by someone that has an incredible passion for the sport, someone that’s unbelievably knowledgeable. I thought Ngannou and Fury was going to be a mismatch, and His Excellency told me I would be wrong. I said Callum Smith was going to beat Artur Beterbiev and he told me I was wrong. It shows he knows his boxing.</p><p> </p><p>“I met Francis under a year ago in Las Vegas where he told me about his ambition to be in big boxing events. A guy with an unbelievable story, a very strong mind, but if I’m honest, I didn’t take him seriously. I have never known anyone to walk into a sport and compete and, in my opinion, and it was close, beat Tyson that night. It’s never been done before, and he might be unlucky that he’s not sitting here as the World Lineal Heavyweight champion on his professional debut.</p><p> </p><p>“So now, we take him very seriously, and after that fight that we give him unbelievable props for, I said that the biggest fight out there outside of Fury vs. Usyk, is Joshua vs. Ngannou. We had signed the Joshua vs. Ngannou fight and as soon as that show finished on December 23, His Excellency said to myself and Frank, ‘we need to talk - what is the biggest event we can do on March 8?’ The answer was this and in my opinion you have the two biggest fights in the Heavyweight division happening within three weeks of each other in Saudi Arabia. It’s an incredible opportunity. For ’AJ’, there’s big jeopardy in this fight. I truly believe he’s going to be the Undisputed Heavyweight champion, but he’s doing it the difficult way, going through what some might call immovable objects in the giant of a man to my left. The former UFC Heavyweight World champion, but now, a guy we take very, very seriously in the sport of boxing. ’AJ’ is on a roll, he’s with a great team, and we cannot wait. This is a dream opportunity for the sport and we’re all so invested to give the fans incredible nights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If your the slightest big confussed, we're got two words for you - That's Boxing!</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Matchroom Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Knockout Chaos</p><p><br /></p><p>INCREDIBLE 👾 Anthony Joshua Vs Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Promo 🎥</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=y8KO_5pldbM&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>About Matchroom Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Promoted by Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing promote events around the globe in locations including UK, USA, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Australia and further afield. Their fighter roster includes Anthony Joshua, Canelo Alvarez, Katie Taylor, Dmitry Bivol, Conor Benn, Callum Smith, Leigh Wood, Josh Warrington, Ebanie Bridges and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua Vs Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Weigh In Live</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCxVqaUZWfE&t=8s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Inside Look - Knockout Chaos: Joshua Vs Ngannou & Zhang Vs Parker</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=JsxN5ae0Qz0&t=11s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>It's almost time for Knockout Chaos! Get the Inside Look from Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou, Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker ahead of the colossal Heavyweight double header topping the show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Ngannou Worries Me Vs Anthony Joshua!"- Eddie Hearn On Knockout Chaos</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=r9M5TvUimx8&t=151s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Eddie Hearn sits down with Matchroom Boxing in Riyadh to preview Friday's blockbuster between Anthony Joshua & Francis Ngannou and the full Knockout Chaos card, live worldwide on DAZN. Hearn also reflects on Ray Ford's World Title victory over Otabek Kholmatov, the latest on Canelo developments, plus Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano & Haney-Garcia.</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anything Can Happen": Joshua vs. Ngannou Preview</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=-BJuJqsIXYc&t=40s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury: I'd like to back Anthony Joshua against Francis Ngannou, but..</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=ab6FINoPmBs&t=12s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>"As Far Back As I Can Remember I Wanted To Be A Fighter" - Off The Cuff With Francis Ngannou</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=wO8hjmaxPDA&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube Ngannou Trolls Tyson Fury https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAqKpMU7-hg</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>JOSHUA VS NGANNOU! ⚖ | FULL WEIGH-IN</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFx55fdyY8I&t=3s&ab_channel=SkySportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>BISPING reacts: Francis Ngannou THREATENS Tyson Fury! | Joshua vs Ngannou Press Conference</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=jtkmut6YIT8&ab_channel=MichaelBisping</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting? You Bet Punter!</p><p><br /></p><p>Joshua vs. Ngannou fight card, odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua -345 vs. Francis Ngannou +270, heavyweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Ball -190 vs. Rey Vargas (c) +158, WBC featherweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Israil Madrimov -400 vs. Magomed Kurbanov +310, vacant WBA super welterweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Zhilei Zhang (c) -240 vs. Joseph Parker +195, WBO interim heavyweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Chamberlain -278 vs. Gavin Gwynne +222, lightweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres, heavyweights. TBA</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Bet On Anything (Media Man Int) http://mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>https://mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/boxing_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Matchroom Boxing, DAZN, Main Event an Kayo Sports </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Fight Night 238</p><p><br /></p><p>Apex Centre</p><p><br /></p><p>Enterprise, Nevada</p><p><br /></p><p>March 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Rozenstruik vs Gaziev Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeats Shamil Gaziev by TKO (referee stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 4</p><p><br /></p><p>Vitor Petrino defeats Tyson Pedro by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Mokaev defeats Alex Perez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Umar Nurmagomedov defeats Bekzat Almakhan by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)</p><p><br /></p><p>Steve Erceg defeats Matt Schnell by KO (left hook) at 0:26 of Round 2</p><p><br /></p><p>Eryk Anders defeats Jamie Pickett by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Vinicius Oliveira defeats Benardo Sopaj by KO (flying knee) at 4:41 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>Aiemann Zahabi defeats Javid Basharat by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Christian Leroy Duncan defeats Claudio Ribeiro by TKO (elbows) at 1:57 of Round 2</p><p><br /></p><p>Ludovit Klein defeats AJ Cunningham by TKO (strikes) at 4:36 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Loik Radzhabov defeats Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady by KO (strikes) at 0:49 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via official UFC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Jairzinho Rozenstruik Post-Fight Interview | UFC Vegas 87</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lshymgv4Sck&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Vitor Petrino Post-Fight Interview | UFC Vegas 87</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCNFnm20tQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Pedro Post-Fight Interview | UFC Vegas 87</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCNFnm20tQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 87: Post-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZt44out4o&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Pedro quotes:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn't want to take away from his win - I had a bit of a different plan"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you to all the fans, I want to say a huge thank you to the UFC for everything they've done on this journey, and especially thanks to my team"</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's been amazing, but it's always been my intention to show my daughter that as long as you work your arse off, you can do anything you can dream of. I think my dreams have just changed at this point and that's it for me in the UFC"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think it's goodbye - just see you later. Until then, thanks, everyone"</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Thank you Tyson Pedro. In the conversation for greatest Aussie mixed martial artist ever, right next to Volk of course. Australia has been represented by living legends and masters of the craft. Well done to all and thank you as always to Team UFC. Fans for the win!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCFightNight #FightNight #UFCFightNight238 </p><p>#Rozenstruik #Gaziev #VitorPetrino #TysonPedro #tyson #MuhammadMokaev #AlexPerez #ThankYouPedro #UFC #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #interviews #highlights #moments #ufcnews #ufcmedia #press #pressconference #mediaconference #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QCNFnm20tQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 87: Post-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZt44out4o&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Pedro quotes:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn't want to take away from his win - I had a bit of a different plan"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you to all the fans, I want to say a huge thank you to the UFC for everything they've done on this journey, and especially thanks to my team"</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's been amazing, but it's always been my intention to show my daughter that as long as you work your arse off, you can do anything you can dream of. I think my dreams have just changed at this point and that's it for me in the UFC"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think it's goodbye - just see you later. Until then, thanks, everyone"</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Thank you Tyson Pedro. In the conversation for greatest Aussie mixed martial artist ever, right next to Volk of course. Australia has been represented by living legends and masters of the craft. Well done to all and thank you as always to Team UFC. Fans for the win!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCFightNight #FightNight #UFCFightNight238 </p><p>#Rozenstruik #Gaziev #VitorPetrino #TysonPedro #tyson #MuhammadMokaev #AlexPerez #ThankYouPedro #UFC #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #interviews #highlights #moments #ufcnews #ufcmedia #press #pressconference #mediaconference #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency and Gold News via Media Man and FXPro</p><p><br /></p><p>March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Is it time to take a closer look at altcoins?</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The cryptocurrency market has corrected by 2%, dropping below $2.3 trillion in market capitalisation. Now, this looks like a technical correction, with the biggest coins pulling back from Thursday night's highs and holding their positions at the start of Friday's trading. Bitcoin and Ether are drawing their seventh consecutive daily growth candle, albeit at a distance from the previous two days' highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin rose 44.7% in February, the strongest monthly gain since December 2020. This coming March is not considered favourable from a seasonal perspective.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the past 13 years, bitcoin has ended March with eight declines and only five gains. The average decline was 15%, while the average gain was 17.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins such as Uniswap and Theta have gained around 90% in the last 30 days, including +50% in the last seven days. The same can be said for Dogecoin, which has added around 50% over the month and 42% over the last seven days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is this the season for altcoins? We doubt it, given that the first cryptocurrency still accounts for over 50% of total market capitalisation and that this figure has been rising since the beginning of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from Bloomberg and BitMEX Research, net daily inflows into bitcoin ETFs reached a record $673 million, of which $612.1 million came from BlackRock's IBITs. The previous high of $655.2 billion was set on the instrument's first day of trading on 11 January.</p><p><br /></p><p>ETF demand for bitcoin (2,800 BTC per day) is three times greater than its mining (900), according to CoinShares. The resulting demand shock contributed to a further decline in bitcoin balances on centralised exchanges.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Coinbase exchange suffered a technical failure due to the frenzy of demand for cryptocurrencies. The problem occurred amid a "huge" influx of users.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Gemini exchange will pay a $37m fine for "serious compliance violations" and refund $1.1bn to users of its Earn staking programme as part of a settlement with the New York State Department of Financial Services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two top Binance executives were arrested in Nigeria as the country cracks down on cryptocurrency exchanges.</p><p>El Salvador's unrealised profit from bitcoin investments was 40%, or about $41.6 million, according to the country's president, Nayib Bukele. The country's leaders do not yet intend to sell the coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold tries to break through historical resistance</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold has gained less than 1% over the past two days, but the gains are significant because they mark a break in the downtrend since late December. Thursday's and Friday's gains also reaffirm gold's ability to rise above its 50-day moving average, which it failed to do a month ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since peaking at the very end of last year, gold has been in a downtrend, forming a series of declining local highs and lows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since mid-February, risk appetite has been growing in financial markets, as evidenced by the synchronised increase in buying in European and Asian markets and the ongoing rally in cryptocurrencies since the beginning of the month.</p><p><br /></p><p>But there is no need to rush, as we can only call a break of the downtrend corridor after a consolidation above the previous high. Gold is currently testing this top at $2055, which is a substantial level from which selling has intensified since early January. Moreover, the price has failed to consolidate above this level since August 2020. It could well be called a historical resistance.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be possible to talk about the realisation of the bullish scenario for gold after the daily candle closes above $2055. In this case, the first target for growth will be in the region of $2088 - the December high.</p><p><br /></p><p>But there is an even longer-term scenario. The pullback from the beginning of the year to mid-February is a classic Fibonacci retracement of 61.8% of the first growth impulse from the October lows. The realisation of this scenario will be the advance to $2255 (161.8% of the first advance).</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html </p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int) http://mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold News (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/gold_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>March 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Collision Highlights and Moments</p><p><br /></p><p>Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama</p><p><br /></p><p>Could Chris Jericho talk sense into Undisputed Kingdom’s Wardlow? | 2/2/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltpMUc0QDnQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Looks like I finally got someone's attention around here, huh" Wardlow</p><p><br /></p><p>"Two years ago I won the Face Of The Revolution ladder match. One year ago I choked out your king. This year, finally, I get my shot at the World Heavyweight Championship after I beat all the other all-stars in the match. But's here's the real question. Whose it gunna be? Wardlow vs Hangman Adam Page. Doesn't matter. I'll slap the cowboy's mustache into the third row and send him back into depression. Maybe it'll be Wardlow vs Swerve. You guys like him huh? It's Swerve's house right? I'm gunna kick the front door of your house down" ... "this is war" Wardlow</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well wait a second"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Somebody has other ideas" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tony, I'm glad your back here with us because there seems to be a difference of opinion" Kevin Kelly</p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to ask you a question. What exactly is it that your talking about?"... Chris Jericho</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not an All Star. I'm one of the greatest ever to do this"! ... Chris Jericho </p><p><br /></p><p>"Maybe the reason people stopped chanting your name - you just wearn't good enough" CJ</p><p><br /></p><p>"You just wearn't as good as you think you are, Mike" CJ</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wo" commentators</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm done eating your scraps".. Wardlow</p><p><br /></p><p>After weeks of provocation, Mark Briscoe becomes UNHINGED vs HOB! | 2/2/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsxRDWHT__g&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MASSIVE 8-Man ACTION on the eve of AEW Revolution! | 2/2/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NesJ552J8sw&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>EXCLUSIVE! Post match words from Dante Martin, Daniel Garcia, & Roderick Strong! | 2/2/24, Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUbhRU-dwgs&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AEW Women’s Champ Thunder Rosa is on FIRE! | 2/2/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOwRJSvE-q8&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Were the Bang Bang Scissor Gang able to coexist vs Dark Order? | 2/2/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOWvsu8q6zE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Penta El Zero Miedo vs Bryan Keith vs Dante Martin for a spot at Revolution! | 2/2/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-8icHlAeWA&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>A Farewell to The Icon Sting | AEW Revolution, LIVE on Pay-Per-View</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1Ry-wpS4Fg&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is the legend. This is the icon. This is Sting" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: AEW appears to have a shot of new energy. There's more excitement in the air, even if many Mexican luchadores can't get through custom with working visas and the like at present. This may present more opportunities for home grown talent and AEW mainstays. Change is constant in the world, and the business of pro wrestling is no different - for better or worse. An enjoyable show and the anticipation keeps growing as we head towards AEW Revolution. We're booked in for a broadcast, thanks to the good folks at TrillerTV @FiteTV How about you? Sting's retirement at the huge PPV and you know that Ric Flair and the EVPs are going to stir things up. AEW creative has got a shake up, in a good way, in our view. Is that Jennifer looking over the formats?! Inside stuff, we know. Hopefully Sting goes out a winner. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEWRevolution #Wardlow #ChrisJericho #Sting #PowerhouseHobbs #MarkBriscoe #BBSG #JayWhite #Switchblade #ThunderRosa #PentaElZeroMiedo #Penta #BryanKeith #DanteMartin #prowrestling #wrestling #TNT #highlights #moments #broadcast #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #YouTube #Video #Videos #TrillerTV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Alabama #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling (Luche Libre)</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL @CMLL_OFICIAL Martes De Glamou</p><p><br /></p><p>February 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>6 Man Tag Team Match</p><p>Calavera Jr I, Calavera Jr II & Temerario defeated Astro Oriental, Gallo Jr & Rafaga Jr</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Team Match</p><p>Dulce Kitty & Natucia defeated Sexy Sol & Valkiria</p><p><br /></p><p>6 Man Tag Team Match</p><p>Dark Magic, Elemental & Yutani defeated Arlequin, Bestia Negra & Furia Roja by DQ</p><p><br /></p><p>6 Woman Tag Team Match</p><p>Adira, La Catalina & Mystique defeated Japan Women’s Champion Dark Silueta, La Maligna & Persephone</p><p><br /></p><p>6 Man Tag Team Match</p><p>Occidente Tag Team Champions Dulce Gardenia & La Fashion & Brillante Jr defeated Los Amos De Las Tormentas (Mr Trueno & Rey Trueno) & Infierno</p><p><br /></p><p>6 Man Tag Team Match</p><p>World Historic Light Heavyweight Champion Atlantis Jr, World Historic Middleweight Champion Mistico & Flip Gordon defeated Los Infernales (Averno & Euforia) & Soberano Jr</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL - EUFORIA - MEPHISTO - AVERNO VS DRAGON ROJO JR.-TERRIBLE-B. CAVERNARIO /ARENA MÉXICO/01-03-24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHJ_CeGy54Y&ab_channel=VideosOficialesCMLL</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL - MANO A MANO / TIGER MASK VS ÚLTIMO GUERRERO / ARENA MÉXICO/01-03-24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7eI01oOci4&ab_channel=VideosOficialesCMLL</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL-GRAN GUERRERO-SOBERANO JR.-TEMPLARIO VS MÁSCARA DORADA-ATLANTIS JR.-MÍSTICO/A. MÉXICO/01-03-24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-FFkpt1Ckw&ab_channel=VideosOficialesCMLL</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL INFORMA DEL 28 DE FEBRERO DE 2024 LA VOZ OFICIAL DEL CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqskuNWu5_k&ab_channel=VideosOficialesCMLL</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Certainly a variation of the traditional U.S pro wrestling with catch as catch can, showbiz and the like. Some luchadores have recently had some difficulties getting over the U.S boarder to due visa and legal type reasons, so thank god the official CMLL YouTube channel has come to the rescue of lucha fans the world over. Hopefully the lucha's can get their papers in order soon. Great in-ring action as always. The announcers call of the action add to the drama also, as is the case in major U.S based promotions. Great team effort and result. Much respect.</p><p><br /></p><p>About CMLL</p><p><br /></p><p>Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL "World Wrestling Council") is a lucha libre professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) (Mexican Wrestling Enterprise). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest professional wrestling promotion still in existence.</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL currently recognizes and promotes 12 World Championships in various weight divisions and classifications, six national level and six regional level championships. The CMLL Anniversary Show series is the longest-running annual major show, starting in 1934, with the CMLL 87th Anniversary Show being the most recent. CMLL also regularly promotes major events under the names Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to two legends"), Sin Piedad ("No Mercy"), Sin Salida ("No Escape"), Infierno en el Ring ("Inferno in the Ring") during the year. CMLL has promoted their regular weekly Super Viernes ("Super Friday") on a regular basis since the 1930s. Founder Salvador Lutteroth funded the building of Arena Coliseo in 1943, making it the first building in Mexico built specifically for professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Lucha Libre: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/lucha_libre.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMLLMartesDeGlamou #LuchaLibre #prowrestling #wrestling #CalaveraJr #CalaveraJrII #Temerario #AstroOriental #GalloJr #RafagaJr #DulceKitty #Natucia #SexySol #Valkiria #DarkMagic #Elemental #Yutani #Arlequin #BestiaNegra #FuriaRoja #Adira #LaCatalina #Mystique #DarkSilueta #LaMaligna #Persephone #DulceGardenia #LaFashion #BrillanteJr #LosAmos #DeLasormentas #MrTrueno #ReyTrueno #Infierno #AtlantisJr #Mistico #FlipGordon #LosInfernales #Averno #Euforia #SoberanoJr #entertainment #popculture #culture #YouTube #YT #video #videos #broadcast #broadcasting #legends #trend #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (North America)</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Dune: Part Two - $81.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Bob Marley: One Love - $7.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Ordinary Angels - $3.9 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Madame Web - $3.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The Chosen at No. 5 - $3.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Migration - $2.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Demon Slayer - $2.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Wonka - $1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Argylle - $1.4 million </p><p><br /></p><p>10. The Beekeeper - $1.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#BoxOffice #movienews #Dune2 #DunePart2 #BobMarleyMovie #OrdinaryAngelsMovie #MadameWeb #TheChosen #MigrationMovie #DemonSlayer #Wonka #WonkaMovie #Argylle #TheBeekeeper #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #popculture #showbiz #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling </p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW Revolution </p><p><br /></p><p>Zero Hour now broadcasting!</p><p><br /></p><p>Zero Hour: AEW Revolution Pre Show | Sunday March 3 - 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm PT</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=5IYp_3_yHS0</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tonight we will witness history. We witness what is one of the final matches of the absolute greatest to ever do it. No man is history has made the impact of Sting, The Icon. All of the action is happening here tonight. His final match here in the historic Greensboro Coliseum here. We are sold out here tonight. Over 16,000 fans here to witness history being made by Sting. Greensboro Coliseum. So much rich history here. I mean you look at Sting and the Nature Boy Ric Flair and their 45 minute classic took place right here in this building" Renee Paquette</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH</p><p>TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale (w/ Stokely Hathway)</p><p><br /></p><p>12-Man TAG TEAM MATCH</p><p>The Bang Bang Scissor Gang will take on Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal, Willie Mack, and Private Party</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>and then following will be the full card available on Pay-Per-View</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting's Last Match! March 3, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Greensboro Coliseum. Greensboro, North Carolina </p><p><br /></p><p>Sting & Darby Allin (c) vs The EVPs aka The Young Bucks – AEW World Tag Team Titles </p><p><br /></p><p>and much more. See the official AEW website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Full card available worldwide via Pay-Per-View. Media Man: We're booked in via TrillerTV @FiteTV</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This card looks great and will be one for the ages. History will be made. Stacked card with something for everyone, and of course, Sting's last match! We're hoping Samoa Joe retains the world title as he is such a tremendous world champ - but, Swerve Strickland has the goods to be excellent in his own right and a title change would draw a massive live reaction as well as be the talk of the pro wrestling world. It's been a while since we've been this amped for an AEW supercard. </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEWRevolution #prowrestling #wrestling #Sting #DarbyAllin #FTR #ChristianCage #DanielGarcia #ThunderRosa #SammyGuevara #DonCallis #DonCallisFamily #YoungBucks #EVPS #SwerveStrickland #SamoaJoe #BCC #BlackpoolCombatClub #JonMoxley #CSRO #WillOspreay #KonosukeTakeshita #OrangeCassidy #RoderickStrong #ToniStorm #DeonnaPurrazzo #AllStarScramble #ChrisJericho #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #Video #Videos #TrillerTV #PPV #PayPerView #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Star half-year net profit falls to $9.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Casino operator The Star has posted a $9.1 million half-year net profit amid an ongoing legal inquiry.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New South Wales Casino Commission ordered an investigation into the group to determine if it is fit to retain a license to operate.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company have said higher levels of risk and compliance resourcing, higher remediation costs, increased competition, and weaker discretionary spending have smashed its profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenue is reported as being down 14 per cent to $865 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Net profit before significant items is down 42 per cent to $25 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>And their $9.1 million profit proves small in comparison to its loss of $.1264 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheStar #StarSydney #SydneyStar #casinonews #casinomedia #gamingnews #gamingmedia #businessnews #propertynews #propertynewsmedia #casinonewsmedia #hotelnewsmedia #trends #finance #casinohotel #hotelcasino #biznews #businessnews #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Social Media Bytes</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta vs Gvt; Spy vs Spy</p><p><br /></p><p>Who do you trust?</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie trend to publish own websites; X up, Meta down states Elon Musk creative media contacts DogeDesign</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Matrix-like Fun And Games'; Agent Smith, The Oracle, The Frenchmen - Truedi and Zuc The Trainman</p><p><br /></p><p>Citizen Journalists; You Be The Neo's and Trinity's</p><p><br /></p><p>Crack The Code Of Boring Big Tech News; Gonzo Last Edition</p><p><br /></p><p>News That Hits You Right Between The X And Eye Balls; No FB/Meta Goggles Required</p><p><br /></p><p>Bring Our Your Own Inner Hunter S. Thompson</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook and Google inked dozens of deals with media companies worth about $250 million a year combined under the Aussie Coalition-legislated News Media Bargaining Code, which was introduced in 2021. The code gives the Treasurer the power to designate major tech platforms and force them to negotiate compensation for publishers. The code has not yet been used.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has argued people don’t come to its platforms for news, and that its Facebook News tab was not a driver of user engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The number of people using Facebook News down under in Australia and the US has declined by over 80 per cent last year. We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content,” Meta scribed.</p><p><br /></p><p>“News makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribed at The Speed Of Thought.</p><p><br /></p><p>#socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #socialmediaplatforms #socialmediawars #Meta #AI #politics #bigtech #code #webcode #digitalwarfar #TheMatrix #scifi #gonzo #gonzojournalism #gonzoblogger #technews #politics #polticsnews #ads #onlineads #onlineadvertising #onlinenews #comms #commsnews #communicationsnews #newsmedia #newsbiz #Algorithm #popculture #Doge #creative #creativity #creativenews #hunter #HunterSThomspon #trend #trends #AI #XNews #Aussie #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 3</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Qp5pL3ovA&ab_channel=WarnerBros.Pictures</p><p><br /></p><p>You are not prepared for what is to come. </p><p><br /></p><p>Dune: Part Two - Only in theaters March 1.</p><p><br /></p><p>The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. </p><p><br /></p><p>The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.” </p><p><br /></p><p>The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Wonka,” “Call Me by Your Name”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Malcolm & Marie,” “Euphoria”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Avengers: End Game,” “Milk”), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis,” “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (“Black Widow,” “Little Women”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Thor: Love and Thunder”), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter,” “Hairspray”), Léa Seydoux (the “James Bond” franchise and “Crimes of the Future”), Souheila Yacoub (“The Braves,” “Climax”), with Stellan Skarsgård (the “Mamma Mia!” films, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Being the Ricardos”).</p><p><br /></p><p>“Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick. The executive producers are Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson serving as creative consultant. Villeneuve is again collaborating with his “Dune” creatives: Oscar-winning director of photography Greig Fraser; Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermette; Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker; Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West. Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is again on hand to create the score. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present A Legendary Pictures Production, A Film By Denis Villeneuve, “Dune: Part Two.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The film is slated for a March 1, 2024 release in theaters and IMAX nationwide and internationally beginning on 28 February 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Warner Bros Pictures @warnerbros )</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dune: Part Two Soundtrack | Travel South - Hans Zimmer | WaterTower</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGbCv544BDU&ab_channel=WaterTowerMusic</p><p><br /></p><p>About Dune: Part Two: The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.” “Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: WaterTower Music)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Dune #DuneMovie #DunePart2 #movienews #EntertainmentNews #boxoffice #movietrailer #trailer #showbiz #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussie Social Media Bytes</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Meta vs Gvt; Spy vs Spy</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Who do you trust?</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie trend to publish own websites; X up, Meta down states Elon Musk creative media contacts DogeDesign</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Matrix-like Fun And Games'; Agent Smith, The Oracle, The Frenchmen - Truedi and Zuc The Trainman</p><p><br /></p><p>Citizen Journalists; You Be The Neo's and Trinity's</p><p><br /></p><p>Crack The Code Of Boring Big Tech News; Gonzo Last Edition</p><p><br /></p><p>News That Hits You Right Between The X And Eye Balls; No FB/Meta Goggles Required</p><p><br /></p><p>Bring Our Your Own Inner Hunter S. Thompson</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook and Google inked dozens of deals with media companies worth about $250 million a year combined under the Aussie Coalition-legislated News Media Bargaining Code, which was introduced in 2021. The code gives the Treasurer the power to designate major tech platforms and force them to negotiate compensation for publishers. The code has not yet been used.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has argued people don’t come to its platforms for news, and that its Facebook News tab was not a driver of user engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The number of people using Facebook News down under in Australia and the US has declined by over 80 per cent last year. We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content,” Meta scribed.</p><p><br /></p><p>“News makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribed at The Speed Of Thought.</p><p><br /></p><p>#socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #socialmediaplatforms #socialmediawars #Meta #AI #politics #bigtech #code #webcode #digitalwarfar #TheMatrix #scifi #gonzo #gonzojournalism #gonzoblogger #technews #politics #polticsnews #ads #onlineads #onlineadvertising #onlinenews #comms #commsnews #communicationsnews #newsmedia #newsbiz #Algorithm #popculture #Doge #creative #creativity #creativenews #hunter #HunterSThomspon #trend #trends #AI #XNews #Aussie #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Women's Legend Natalya Neidhart Comments On The Promotion, Locker Room etc</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Natalya Assesses WWE's Women's Division In Fallout Of Mr. McMahon Allegations</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The allegations against Vince McMahon (former on screen character, Mr McMahon) have turned a spotlight, if not blowtorch, on the professional wrestling industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>McMahon's exit from the world's leading (financial, perception, marketing etc etc) promotion has certainly offered many in the WWE Women's Division some peace of mind, as well as some of the fellas it's understood, be it wrestlers, commentators or other.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a recent interview with the "Gorilla Position," Natalya commented on the toll the allegations have taken on the women in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalya, one of the most respected wrestlers in the entire company, believes she has strong relationships with all the women in the locker room but that WWE should now focus on boosting the women's division. </p><p><br /></p><p>"For me, the biggest focus is inclusion for the women and making sure that the women in WWE, right now, shine brighter than they ever have before."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite this, she believes everyone can move forward and that it's tough to process everything they see about the allegations online. "I think what grounds me is my relationships with the girls in the locker room. How we can stay positive for each other, how we can stay supportive of each other, just being there to talk to each other [and] work through feelings."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Natalya is quick to point out that the situation likely affects everyone differently, but now is a time for empathy and giving people chances to impress on the big stage. "We got a women's division in WWE that's better than it's ever been. The best thing we can do is to give women as many opportunities as we can to shine right now and for women to feel safe, included, and welcome."</p><p><br /></p><p>McMahon resigned from TKO Group Holdings following the lawsuit, though he still owns shares in the company. Federal prosecutors are reportedly investigating the former WWE boss in the fallout of the allegations, of which there are many.</p><p><br /></p><p>What exactly is in McMahon's future is unclear, but there are plenty of legal dealings going on behind the scenes.</p><p><br /></p><p>As human's, people can make mistakes. Clearly a pattern had been occuring in the WWE under Mr. McMahon for decades and some incidents were an open secret. Too many incidents and too much damaged caused.</p><p><br /></p><p>The current WWE is a happier, safer and more harmonious place for workers, both in and out of the squared circle. Many fans and those in and around the wrestling and sports news sector think that the overall product has improved over the past year or two and that their is an improved vibe which is evident at live events as well as demostrated in worldwide broadcasts</p><p><br /></p><p>Women and men of the WWE can feel safe, empowered, and know that wrestling fans, media and friends of the business around the world have their back.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH - Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya - WWE Women's Title Match: WWE Payback 2016</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTWdIMVOk88&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH - Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya – Raw Women’s Title Match: Raw, December 24, 2018</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-94cAPchwds&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalya vs. Shayna Baszler: SmackDown, Feb. 24, 2023</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEaOU8vBIhE&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#NatalyaNeidhart #Natalya #wrestingnews #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #wwewomen #womenswrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #sportsnews #wellbeing #sportsbusiness #mindbodyspirit #mbs #workplace #careers #Video #Goat #legend #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency and Gold News via Media Man and FXPro </p><p><br /></p><p>March 4, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Two drivers of crypto growth</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market capitalisation rose 5% in 24 hours to $2.44 trillion, driven by extreme greed. The crypto market had a higher capitalisation for a few days in May and October-December 2021, but that was in an ageing bull market compared to a relatively young one now.</p><p><br /></p><p>The current growth wave can be broken down into two drivers. The first is the demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum. They are favoured by large investors concerned about a new wave of problems at US regional banks. This buying interest also applies to gold. Almost exactly a year ago, we saw a similar move that saw the price of BTC rise by a third in a week.</p><p><br /></p><p>In early trading on Monday, the price of bitcoin was above $65K. That's about 5% off the all-time high, but the cryptocurrency has only been above that level for a few hours, and we've only seen three daily closes above that level.</p><p><br /></p><p>The other half of the rise is the demand for meme coins, which goes hand in hand with FOMO. Despite the meteoric rise, the market has not yet reached the absurd highs to start talking about reversal risks.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Influential logger and analyst PlanB has declared the beginning of a FOMO bull market period according to his Stock-to-Flow model. According to him, "The accumulation phase is over. There are no more easy buying opportunities in orderly and slow-growing markets". The crypto market has been in FOMO for about ten months: "extreme price spikes combined with multiple 30% drops," PlanB believes.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Solana-based meme token dogwifhat (WIF) is up 390% in a week, a record high among the top 100 cryptocurrencies. With a capitalisation of nearly $1.7 billion, it ranks 62nd on CoinMarketCap.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Lookonchain, an unidentified crypto investor sold all PEPE's accumulated 1.97 trillion meme tokens for $6.07 million and bought other altcoins - netting $3.49 million. PEPE rose 310% in one week. Lookonchain has a whale wallet that is classed as 'smart', meaning that most of the trades on the address are profitable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Macroeconomic factors could prove to be the main obstacles to further BTC growth in the short term, according to Grayscale. If inflation remains stubbornly high, the Fed may delay a rate cut. A higher interest rate is likely to be positive for the dollar and negative for Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bank for International Settlements has issued recommendations on the regulation, supervision and oversight of global stablecoins (GSCs) to address the financial stability risks posed by GSCs both domestically and internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #Gold #GoldNews #BitcoinETF #Metalpha #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #altcoins #Ethereum #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #CoinShares #Tether #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #IMF #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oil and Commodities News via Media Man and FXPro</p><p><br /></p><p>March 4, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Did oil find its way up?</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil is correcting 0.2% on Monday after closing almost 2% higher on Friday and peaking at 3.4%. WTI’s high of $80.3, last seen in November 2023, and a consolidation above $79 would indicate a break of long-term horizontal resistance, something the bulls have failed to do over the past four months.</p><p><br /></p><p>Friday’s rally allowed a widening gap to the 200-day moving average, which should also be seen as a demonstration of bullish strength. Technically, there is no significant obstacle to oil rallying to the $89-92 area.</p><p>Of course, this bullish outlook is only valid if the coming days confirm oil’s ability to grow from current levels, which has not been the case since November.</p><p><br /></p><p>OPEC+ is openly playing on the Bulls’ side by extending and strengthening (Russian) oil production and export quotas. The production recovery is postponed indefinitely “depending on market conditions”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This could be a golden opportunity for the US to regain oil market share, but it is in no hurry to do so. Friday’s data showed that the number of oil drillers rose to 506. That’s the highest since September, but only adding 9 units from the low of 497, which is more stagnation than growth. Just over a year ago - in January 2023 - there were 623 oil and 152 gas-producing wells in operation, compared to 123 now.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps the price rise will encourage oil producers who are still wary of the green agenda and new sudden price falls. Simply put, America has so far been highly sluggish in playing on the Bears’ side.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mining Directory (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mining_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Commodities Directory (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/commodities_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Oil #BitcoinNews #BTC #commodities #GoldNews #BitcoinETF #OilNews #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #resources #Ethereum #markets #CryptocurrencyNews #OPEC #OilMarket #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #CoinShares #Tether #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #IMF #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw </p><p><br /></p><p>March 4, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>San Antonio, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins to confront The Rock & Roman Reigns on SmackDown: Raw, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAv9cQGbwFk&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know whether you heard him 'cause 20 minutes is a long time to listen to that idiot. But he said he made professional wrestling cool again. Oh yeah, The Rock. Rock our saviour guys, he saved us! He made it cool. Diarrhoea Dwayne, I don't know if you know this or not, but you ain't been cool in 20 years"... Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins suggests a new nickname for The Rock: Raw highlights, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjMeVUTn2pI&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio: Raw highlights, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WG8nw1DvU4&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Katana Chance & Kayden Carter vs. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark: Raw highlights, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YwxY3BG5Fg&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax lays waste to Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch: Raw highlights, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4r4MVctq9M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade wins Raw return against Apollo Crews: Raw highlights, March 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jJibqzxDh8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins respond to The Rock?: WWE Now, Mar. 4, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdlOrcLdSfc&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and even more updates via the official WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As we expected, a super hot Raw, and its broadcasting as we go to web. How good was Rhodes and Rollins on the mic. Great heat and emotion during the broadcast. Announcers Michael Cole and Pat McAfee also killed it. Great teamwork.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SethRollins #CodyRhodes #TheRock #TheBloodline #DwayneJohnson #WrestleMania #wrestlemania40 #DirtyDom #NiaJax #LivMorgan #PatMcAfee #Andrade #ApolloCrews #KatanaChance #KaydenCarter #ShaynaBaszler #ZoeyStark #prowrestling #wrestling #broadcast #socialmedia #entertainment #PopCulture #YouTube #video #socialmedianews #trends #trending #TrendingNow #buzz #TV #SanAntonio #Texas #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p> Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man X</p><p><br /></p><p>Pop Culture, Pop Art, Trends.. (Media Man)</p><p>www.mediaman.com.au/articles/pop_culture.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Link Builder</p><p>www.mediaman.com.au/articles/link_builder.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#popculture #popart #entertainment #entertainmentnews #top10 #Algorithms #streaming #MMA #BTC #SEO #links #textlinks #trend #trends #buzz #AI #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int X</p><p><br /></p><p>Pop Culture, Pop Art, Trends.. (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/pop_culture.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Link Builder</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/link_builder.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#popculture #popart #entertainment #entertainmentnews #top10 #Algorithms #streaming #MMA #BTC #SEO #SEM #links #textlinks #trend #trends #buzz #AI #X #xnews #newsmedia #newsbiz #onlinenews #onlinepublishing #sportsbiz #biz #seotips #blog #blogs #blogger #agency #medianews #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Play hardball and make Meta pay fair share for news</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that Facebook’s owner has thrown the ball back into the government’s court, it must be “designated” in the interests of professional newsrooms and serious public journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian government is set to go head-to-head with one of the world’s most powerful companies in one of the world’s most ubiquitous industries. Last week, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta told the federal government it will no longer pay for the news content that it and other social media like Google had once swept up from Australian news mastheads for free.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under a world-first News Media Bargaining Code enforced by the federal government in 2021, Meta and Google agreed deals worth $200 million a year to compensate for copyrighted content from Nine Entertainment, News Corp, the ABC, Seven West Media and many others.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s $70 million or so share has been an important boost for Australia’s professional newsrooms and serious public journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now Meta has thrown the ball back into the government’s court. Under the Code, the government can “designate” Meta and make it pay. Meta claims that its audience has largely drifted away from news and politics to family and friends.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it has also reduced the presence of news on its home pages, and will take away the news tab. Facebook users will still be able to share news stories on its sites, and Meta has not dropped Australian news pages altogether as it did in a first clumsy attempt to avoid paying before the code deal was struck in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Brazenly, it is sending signals that it is walking away from news, if only as a bargaining ploy, even though sites such as Facebook depend on being everywhere and about everything.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quitting news altogether is what Meta has just done in Canada, where the government had set up a similar agreement following Australia’s example. After Canada demanded the pay deal continue, Meta blocked all news content.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means the Australian government may have to play hardball in return. It might put a new special levy or restrictions such as age verification on the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>And Meta is on politically tricky ground too. In the US, social media is under pressure over online harm it enables while avoiding the responsibilities and disciplines of being a “publisher”. Facebook is used by fringe political groups, and it’s hardly a good look to throw the responsible mainstream media off the same site.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian Financial Review benefits from this code, too, even if our business model is based more on premium subscriptions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The code was created because, as Anthony Albanese put it last week, “the idea that research and work done by others can be taken for free is simply untenable”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Traditional newsrooms which expensively gather, edit and present news are more essential than ever in the babble of unfiltered social media that pollutes politics. Not only did publishers have their copyrighted intellectual property swept up for free, it was put onto digital platforms that have infrastructure-like monopoly reach, and which had also destroyed mainstream publishers’ digital advertising markets on the way through.</p><p><br /></p><p>It also goes to the even bigger debate about the virtues of democracy over authoritarian and repressive rule. Democratic choice depends on flows of fresh and original trusted, reliable information and news. That’s expensive to produce, which is why it is assigned a limited property right in the form of copyright.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the emergence of technology that allows the almost costless digital copying and distribution of content at mega scale has upset the balance between providing sufficient incentives and returns to create public interest information and the benefits of encouraging its widespread dissemination.</p><p><br /></p><p>Where is the incentive to keep producing when what is produced can be readily copied and distributed effectively for free? Especially when technology allows private interests other than the creators to profit?</p><p><br /></p><p>The code and the payments are a practical way to help restore that balance. But it may only be a first round of the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI will lift the issue to new heights. ChatGPT, which mashes up other peoples’ copyrighted content to produce its results, is now being sued for damages in US courts by The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Traditional, professionally reported news helps fund democracy. The Albanese government ought to insist that mega social media platforms pay their share.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Facebook #Meta #MetaNews #AFR #bigtech #onlinenews #newsmedia #politics #content #contentnews #contrentcreators #socialmedia #socialmediaplatforms #socialmedianews #trend #trends #AI #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media Giant Meta Getting A Bashing From Aussie News Media and Politics</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Meta facing hefty fines over walking away from news media deal</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook’s parent company Meta could soon face major fines for breaching the news media bargaining code.</p><p><br /></p><p>This comes after the tech giant walked away from commercial deals with Australian news outlets last week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The deals – worth around $250 million a year for Australian news publishers – were due to expire later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>A fine for Meta would depend on which sections of the code it breaks.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the company could face fines of more than a billion dollars if it is found to break all sections of the code.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group management had documented what the likes of Facebook was doing to the Australian news media and online news media industries for a former Prime Minster and very high level News Corp chiefs over a decade ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Under The Watercooler: "In the space we operate in and around we freqently see and experience trends, paterns and such well before others. It took additional time for more traditional Australian newsrooms, creative and advertising agencies to feel the full effect. You can't say we didn't warn you. Now the likes of Meta have changed their business model after taking from Australia what they intended to. That company remains extremly embattled and with good reason. Surely a strong case can be made against the Big F and Big M. We could even be witness and present findings from the coalface if called upon"</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: MAD)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Facebook #Meta #MetaNews #bigtech #onlinenews #newsmedia #politics #content #contentnews #contrentcreators #socialmedia #socialmediaplatforms #socialmedianews #trend #trends #AI #Aussie #Australia #AustralianNews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cross-Over Trend Continues As Elite Fighters Aim To Cash In; Public Demand Remains Solid says Media Man</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Fight Details</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will take place on Friday, March 8</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>PPV: </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Main Event and Kayo Sports in Australia</b></p><p><b>DAZN in many parts of the world</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Turning pro in 2013, Ngannou joined the UFC in 2015. He went 12-2 with the promotion and had 10 wins via knockout.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We were doing the promo and he was very chilled, very relaxed,” Predator Ngannou told news media at a workout on Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I asked him if he was OK, because he looked a little nervous or something. I asked him if he was OK, because I was OK. I had no problems. I was just talking around, laughing.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think we are both professional enough to know what we have to do to get to where we want to go.”</p><p><br /></p><p>AJ vs Francis Ngannou in do or die fight for the British superstar.</p><p><br /></p><p>The bout will be a ten-round boxing match, with the former two-time heavyweight champion and the former UFC (MMA) star competing in what's another big coup for Saudi dealmaker and super promoter Turki Alalshikh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joshua bested a cunning southpaw Otto Wallin on another blockbuster bill in the Middle East at the end of last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prior to last month's top notch fight card, Joshua was expected to fight long-term rival Deontay Wilder after his meeting with the Swede killer.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hopes of a deal were killled after the Bronze Bomber was on the wrong end of a shock defeat to Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou meanwhile surprised some (but not all) in the boxing biz following his impressive (but losing - officially) debut against Tyson Fury FKA Batman (insider stuff) in October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many thought the UFC legend got the better of the Gypsy King on the night, decking him on his ass the third round before losing a split decision in controversial fashion to say the least. WWE's Undertaker was careful with his words when he was quizzed on the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury now faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title on May 18. But, anything can happen in boxing folks. Both men have put on lots of cash and all sorts of legal paperwork has been put in place as a safeguard on the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>And the winner between Joshua and Ngannou are then set to challenge for the unified belts.</p><p><br /></p><p>We are on the Road To The Riyadh Rumble with reps and title shots on the line. </p><p><br /></p><p>Who will be King Of The Kingdome and Castle, at least for one night? That's why you have to order the PPV so you set to see it live before spoilers kick in punter!</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou — heavyweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker — WBO interim heavyweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball — WBC featherweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov — vacant WBA super welterweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain — WBA international lightweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims: 4pm UK</p><p><br /></p><p>Jack McGann vs. Louis Green — super welterweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores — super lightweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrii Novytski vs. Juan Torres — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mac Life YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury argue: “Without boxing rules, you are NOTHING in front of me”</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=QfsSwhi0x9Y</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had to tell him OFF! He should be thanking me" 😡 | Tyson Fury on Ngannou exchange</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=folQY88mee8</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>JOSHUA VS NGANNOU! 🔥 | PRESS CONFERENCE</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=cm0cnP2rAa8</p><p><br /></p><p>The FIRST face-off of fight week! 🥶 | Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=5nkSwGZLih0</p><p><br /></p><p>"I hope Joshua is not your friend" 😂 | Francis Ngannou has a message for Thierry Henry</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=-6quSaZ2Xak</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou Trolls Tyson Fury</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAqKpMU7-hg</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bet On Anything (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: DAZN, Main Event an Kayo Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>#BoxingNews #boxing #FrancisNgannou #AnthonyJoshua #ThePredator #KO #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #DAZN #MainEvent #KayoSports #Video #Videos #YouTube #promo #popculture #boxingpromoter #trends #trending #TrendingNow #buzz #hype #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW Dynamite</p><p><br /></p><p>March 6, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Gas South Arena. Duluth, Georgia</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve addresses AEW Revolution & AEW Champ Samoa Joe answers! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2Ai4AC8ao&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swere. Listen to the fans brother. They live this man. There is no question about it" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"You know. I don't know if I deserve that Tony. You know, what's Swerves house without the keys"... Swerve Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Will Ospreay takes on ROH TV Champion & Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O3_HGxj3n8&t=10s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rainmaker OKADA is ALL ELITE?! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gp22yN_8xU&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of my profound pleasures is to call him a co-worker these past few years"</p><p><br /></p><p>FTW Championship Match! Mogul Embassy’s Brian Cage faces champion Hook! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNPyMhmzzHY&t=8s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get out of the way" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"The chair driven into the spine of the FTW champion" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After their confrontation at AEW Revolution, Daddy Magic takes on Killswitch! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkk1J55LSeQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Killswitch. He's biting Killswitches hand"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think we sould congratulate Christian Cage. Still being the TNT champion"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Long overdue"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former AEW Women’s Champ Riho vs Former TBS Champ Kris Statlander! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufdCZTGOgSc&t=9s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada in AEW! AEW Timelines </p><p>https://youtu.be/78xj6IQ9lFo?si=Dr8ZQUUO2bGwHuOa</p><p><br /></p><p>"Went for that moonsalt but Hangman, release German suplex" Excalibur "Oh my God".. "Flippy floppy in trouble"...Jim Ross "Ring awareness Cyrus" "You you how the buckshot lariat feels don't you" Tony Schivone "Shut up Tony" Don Callis "Buck shot lariat" Excalibur "That will do it..and it does" Jim Ross "Great win. Great match" TS "Shut the dam music off right now. Boys and girls whose ready for storytime with Adam Cole baby" Adam Cole "Here's Switchblade Jey White - not ready for storytime" Excalibur "One of the greatest of all modern time* Kazuchika Okada" Jim Ross Media Man: Tremendous collection of world class footage. Strong action and drama. This feature helps demonstrate well just how excellent Okada is. Well done AEW for signing up this once in a lifetime taken. Bring on more dream matches. AEW with a ton of positive momentum right now. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And more great pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWDynamite #AEWRevolution #WillOspreay #AdamCole #JayWhite #Switchblade #Okada #KazuchikaOkada #Rainmaker #TheRainmaker #KyleFletcher #SwerveStrickland #DaddyMagic #BrianCage #Riho #KrisStatlander #AEW #FTW #NJPW #IWGP #AEWTimelines #prowrestling #wrestling #Video #YouTube #TNT #TBS #broadcast #broadcasting #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #popculture #trend #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Georgia #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW Dynamite</p><p><br /></p><p>March 6, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Gas South Arena. Duluth, Georgia</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve addresses AEW Revolution & AEW Champ Samoa Joe answers! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2Ai4AC8ao&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swere. Listen to the fans brother. They live this man. There is no question about it" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"You know. I don't know if I deserve that Tony. You know, what's Swerves house without the keys"... Swerve Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Will Ospreay takes on ROH TV Champion & Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O3_HGxj3n8&t=10s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rainmaker OKADA is ALL ELITE?! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gp22yN_8xU&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of my profound pleasures is to call him a co-worker these past few years"</p><p><br /></p><p>FTW Championship Match! Mogul Embassy’s Brian Cage faces champion Hook! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNPyMhmzzHY&t=8s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get out of the way" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"The chair driven into the spine of the FTW champion" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After their confrontation at AEW Revolution, Daddy Magic takes on Killswitch! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkk1J55LSeQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Killswitch. He's biting Killswitches hand"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think we sould congratulate Christian Cage. Still being the TNT champion"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Long overdue"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former AEW Women’s Champ Riho vs Former TBS Champ Kris Statlander! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufdCZTGOgSc&t=9s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada in AEW! AEW Timelines </p><p>https://youtu.be/78xj6IQ9lFo?si=Dr8ZQUUO2bGwHuOa</p><p><br /></p><p>"Went for that moonsalt but Hangman, release German suplex" Excalibur "Oh my God".. "Flippy floppy in trouble"...Jim Ross "Ring awareness Cyrus" "You you how the buckshot lariat feels don't you" Tony Schivone "Shut up Tony" Don Callis "Buck shot lariat" Excalibur "That will do it..and it does" Jim Ross "Great win. Great match" TS "Shut the dam music off right now. Boys and girls whose ready for storytime with Adam Cole baby" Adam Cole "Here's Switchblade Jey White - not ready for storytime" Excalibur "One of the greatest of all modern time* Kazuchika Okada" Jim Ross Media Man: Tremendous collection of world class footage. Strong action and drama. This feature helps demonstrate well just how excellent Okada is. Well done AEW for signing up this once in a lifetime taken. Bring on more dream matches. AEW with a ton of positive momentum right now. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And more great pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWDynamite #AEWRevolution #WillOspreay #AdamCole #JayWhite #Switchblade #Okada #KazuchikaOkada #Rainmaker #TheRainmaker #KyleFletcher #SwerveStrickland #DaddyMagic #BrianCage #Riho #KrisStatlander #AEW #FTW #NJPW #IWGP #AEWTimelines #prowrestling #wrestling #Video #YouTube #TNT #TBS #broadcast #broadcasting #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #popculture #trend #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Georgia #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports: Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis "The Predator" Ngannou </p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing Promoters Borrow Pages Out Of Pro Wrestling Playbook: World class production, animated storylines and FN's Great promos and insider look etc </p><p><br /></p><p>Cross-Over Trend Continues As Elite Fighters Aim To Cash In; Public Demand Remains Solid. Gamification hype machine tipped to deliver says Media Man Fight Details </p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou 20lbs heavier (272.6lbs) than Anthony Joshua at weigh-in for hyped Saudi fight</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will take place on Friday, March 8 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia </p><p><br /></p><p>PPV: Main Event and Kayo Sports in Australia DAZN in many parts of the world</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou Quotees</p><p><br /></p><p>“The mindset is still the same. This is just my second boxing match, even though I’m taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing. I’m the underdog, I’m going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Sometimes it just makes me laugh a little bit, because we’re going to fight in boxing rules, but what would happen if it was a ‘free’ fight? I would smoke these guys! I’m the only one to go into their backyard.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My official prediction is me leaving the ring with the victory.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I deliver, I’m the postman!”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I have learnt a little bit from the last fight, the last camp, and leading up to this one, so I get a little bit of experience, but the mindset is still the samed”</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is just my second boxing match, even though I am taking on the two best guys in the world in boxing.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am the underdog, I am going out there to prove that you can be an underdog and stand your ground”</p><p><br /></p><p>Back Story</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Predator last competed in MMA (mixed martial arts) in January 2022, when he retained the UFC heavyweight title against ex-teammate Ciryl Gane. He then vacated the belt upon leaving the UFC in early 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Later in the year, Ngannou signed with a rival MMA promotion, the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The Cameroonian who escaped the sand hills way back when - is expected to continue his MMA career with the PFL before the end of 2024. However, Saudi adviser Turki Al-Sheikh has apparently advised Joshua and Ngannou that the winner of their bout will challenge the winner of "Gypsy King" Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off against each other in Riyadh in February, but the Brit suffered a cut two weeks before the bout. This led to tons of speculation whether it was a "set up" or "work", meaning intentional and an "own goal". As a result, the fight was delayed until 18 May. The victor of that clash will be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury has said there is a rematch clause to ensure a second bout against the Ukrainian in 2024, complicating Joshua and Ngannou’s potential involvement in the title picture.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>“He brings two arms, a body, like every other fighter does. But it’s his mind that is different. Everyone has their own unique mind. In terms of the frame and make up, I’ve seen people like him and he’s seen people like me many times before, but it’s his mind that I have to conquer in the ring. You have to take their soul and spirit, and I am looking for the challenge for sure, it’s going to be good, explosive. There’s many ways to skin a cat, I can counter-punch, he can counter-punch. We can both box, we can both trade, it’s going to be a good fight - and shout out to His Excellency, my promoter, my team at 258 for getting me in this position to showcase why I am the top Heavyweight in the UK. I’m not really concerned about the world, I’m trying to conquer where I live and make everyone know that I am the one that puts boxing on the map.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou quotes</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you to my brother, His Excellency, for once again putting me in this position to live my dream and have all those great experiences like I had in Riyadh two months ago, it was amazing. Hopefully this will be the same thing.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been sitting here and listening to people talking and even Eddie praising me, and I appreciate that, but at the same time, I am not sure if he wants me to sleep on his guy - but that’s not going to happen. I am just a beginner out here that’s going to train really hard and do everything as the underdog to win the fight. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t take my last fight as a reference, I know exactly where I am at, I’m going to get better and better and that’s how I see things. I’m preparing for a tough fight, the Fury fight was great, but that’s in the past and I have a new challenge in front of me, and I take it more serious now than before because now I think there’s something more on the line, which is probably the Undisputed fight. So let’s see, I will do something that no-one has done before and I believe I have the tools to do that, starting with having the win over ‘AJ’ on March 8 in a big fight - not an easy fight, but a possible one and I am going to take it.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to fight him, so what do you think I am going to do? I will look for his chin. That’s what you do in a fight, you try to hit someone on the chin or wherever to try to hurt him. I heard he doesn’t have a chin, I don’t know if it’s true or not, we’re going to find out and I hope that I have the opportunity to test that - that’s my wish.”</p><p> </p><p>Eddie Hearn (promoter) quotes</p><p> </p><p>“Just to echo what Frank said, our thanks to the Crown Prince and of course, His Excellency. I likened this earlier, the whole experience, to Football Manager. Imagine being the biggest fan in boxing and having the ability to sit in a room and put fights together at the drop of a hat that the fans want to see. In just five months we’ve seen Fury vs. Ngannou, The Day of Reckoning, Fury vs. Usyk and ’AJ’ vs. Ngannou, and so much more to come. This is such an incredible opportunity for boxing and it’s being delivered by someone that has an incredible passion for the sport, someone that’s unbelievably knowledgeable. I thought Ngannou and Fury was going to be a mismatch, and His Excellency told me I would be wrong. I said Callum Smith was going to beat Artur Beterbiev and he told me I was wrong. It shows he knows his boxing.</p><p> </p><p>“I met Francis under a year ago in Las Vegas where he told me about his ambition to be in big boxing events. A guy with an unbelievable story, a very strong mind, but if I’m honest, I didn’t take him seriously. I have never known anyone to walk into a sport and compete and, in my opinion, and it was close, beat Tyson that night. It’s never been done before, and he might be unlucky that he’s not sitting here as the World Lineal Heavyweight champion on his professional debut.</p><p> </p><p>“So now, we take him very seriously, and after that fight that we give him unbelievable props for, I said that the biggest fight out there outside of Fury vs. Usyk, is Joshua vs. Ngannou. We had signed the Joshua vs. Ngannou fight and as soon as that show finished on December 23, His Excellency said to myself and Frank, ‘we need to talk - what is the biggest event we can do on March 8?’ The answer was this and in my opinion you have the two biggest fights in the Heavyweight division happening within three weeks of each other in Saudi Arabia. It’s an incredible opportunity. For ’AJ’, there’s big jeopardy in this fight. I truly believe he’s going to be the Undisputed Heavyweight champion, but he’s doing it the difficult way, going through what some might call immovable objects in the giant of a man to my left. The former UFC Heavyweight World champion, but now, a guy we take very, very seriously in the sport of boxing. ’AJ’ is on a roll, he’s with a great team, and we cannot wait. This is a dream opportunity for the sport and we’re all so invested to give the fans incredible nights.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If your the slightest big confussed, we're got two words for you - That's Boxing!</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Matchroom Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Knockout Chaos</p><p><br /></p><p>INCREDIBLE 👾 Anthony Joshua Vs Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Promo 🎥</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8KO_5pldbM&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>About Matchroom Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Promoted by Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing promote events around the globe in locations including UK, USA, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Australia and further afield. Their fighter roster includes Anthony Joshua, Canelo Alvarez, Katie Taylor, Dmitry Bivol, Conor Benn, Callum Smith, Leigh Wood, Josh Warrington, Ebanie Bridges and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua Vs Francis Ngannou: Knockout Chaos Weigh In Live</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCxVqaUZWfE&t=8s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Inside Look - Knockout Chaos: Joshua Vs Ngannou & Zhang Vs Parker</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsxN5ae0Qz0&t=11s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>It's almost time for Knockout Chaos! Get the Inside Look from Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou, Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker ahead of the colossal Heavyweight double header topping the show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Ngannou Worries Me Vs Anthony Joshua!"- Eddie Hearn On Knockout Chaos</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9M5TvUimx8&t=151s&ab_channel=MatchroomBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Eddie Hearn sits down with Matchroom Boxing in Riyadh to preview Friday's blockbuster between Anthony Joshua & Francis Ngannou and the full Knockout Chaos card, live worldwide on DAZN. Hearn also reflects on Ray Ford's World Title victory over Otabek Kholmatov, the latest on Canelo developments, plus Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano & Haney-Garcia.</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anything Can Happen": Joshua vs. Ngannou Preview</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BJuJqsIXYc&t=40s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury: I'd like to back Anthony Joshua against Francis Ngannou, but..</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab6FINoPmBs&t=12s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>"As Far Back As I Can Remember I Wanted To Be A Fighter" - Off The Cuff With Francis Ngannou</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO8hjmaxPDA&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube Ngannou Trolls Tyson Fury https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAqKpMU7-hg</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>JOSHUA VS NGANNOU! ⚖ | FULL WEIGH-IN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFx55fdyY8I&t=3s&ab_channel=SkySportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>BISPING reacts: Francis Ngannou THREATENS Tyson Fury! | Joshua vs Ngannou Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtkmut6YIT8&ab_channel=MichaelBisping</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting? You Bet Punter!</p><p><br /></p><p>Joshua vs. Ngannou fight card, odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua -345 vs. Francis Ngannou +270, heavyweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Ball -190 vs. Rey Vargas (c) +158, WBC featherweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Israil Madrimov -400 vs. Magomed Kurbanov +310, vacant WBA super welterweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Zhilei Zhang (c) -240 vs. Joseph Parker +195, WBO interim heavyweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Chamberlain -278 vs. Gavin Gwynne +222, lightweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrii Novytskyi vs. Juan Torres, heavyweights. TBA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Bet On Anything (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/boxing_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Matchroom Boxing, DAZN, Main Event an Kayo Sports </p><p><br /></p><p>#BoxingNews #boxing #FrancisNgannou #AnthonyJoshua #ThePredator #MatchroomBoxing #EddieHearn #RiyadhSeason #Riyadh #KingdomArena #KO #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #DAZN #MainEvent #KayoSports #Video #Videos #YouTube #promo #popculture #boxingpromoter #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #ppvstreaming #promo #promoter #promoters #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #TrendingNow #buzz #hype #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine and News Corp bosses reveal impact of Meta’s withdrawal from content agreements in new documentary ‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’</p><p><br /></p><p>A new documentary will blow the lid on the ruthless side to the billionaire boss of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and the bosses of two of Australia's major commercial news outlets share just how devastating Meta's decision to withdraw from news deals will be to local journalism.</p><p><br /></p><p>The devastating impact from Facebook’s bombshell move to stop paying for news content in Australia is revealed in an exclusive Sky News investigation.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’, which premieres on Wednesday 13 March at 8.30pm AEDT on Sky News Australia, blows the lid on the ruthless side to the billionaire boss of Facebook, and parent company Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, and his declaration of war on Australian news.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky News Investigative Reporter Jonathan Lea uncovers how Facebook’s decision to pull the plug on news content will affect millions of Australian social media users, while also exposing them to the growing dangers of misinformation.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a rare television event, Lea speaks to both leaders of the nation’s biggest commercial media giants – Executive Chairman of News Corp Australia Michael Miller, and the CEO of Nine Entertainment Mike Sneesby – on the threat to Australia from Zuckerberg and Meta, a company worth almost two trillion dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lea also hears from the whistleblower who bravely exposed Facebook’s malicious business tactics to US Congress, as well as Australian Communications Minister, Michelle Rowland, on her fight to protect the future of Australian news.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a contemptuous move against government legislation, Facebook temporarily blocked Australian news pages in 2021, and did the same in Canada last year. Will Facebook again seek to shutdown Australians’ access to credible news content from all its platforms?</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Tech Tyrants: Facebook’s War on Australia’ premieres on Sky News this Wednesday, 13 March at 8.30pm AEDT. Watch live on Foxtel or through the www.SkyNews.com.au Streaming Subscription.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Sky News Australia)</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Sky News Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>#TechTyrants #Meta #Facebook #SkyNewsAustralia #documentary #socialmedia #socialmediaplatforms #socialmedianews #bigtech #technews #NewsCorp #journalism #politics #newsmedia #digitalnews #broadcast #trend #trends #Australia #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports: Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Date: July 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium. Arlington, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast via Netflix @netflix </p><p><br /></p><p>Paul via X </p><p><br /></p><p>“Promotion, promotion, promotion — if I’m being honest, it don’t need that. The biggest fight of the 21st century, in the biggest NFL stadium in the U.S., broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world, that’s the MVP way. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re Team Paul or Team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put ‘Iron’ Mike to sleep.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions Partner on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, a Global Live Sports Event To Stream Exclusively on Netflix on Saturday July 20</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Release</p><p><br /></p><p>The Live Professional Sports Event Will Take Place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced their first-ever partnership in a heavyweight boxing mega-event headlined by The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) vs. the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs). Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson will stream live globally, exclusively on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson marks Jake Paul’s most-anticipated fight to date and his second fight of 2024 following back-to-back sensational knockouts against professional boxers and Golden Glove winners Ryan Bourland this past Saturday, March 2 and Andre August in December 2023. Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion, but now will take on one of the best and most dangerous boxers of all time in Mike Tyson.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons,” said Jake Paul. “Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event. I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson, the legendary former undisputed world heavyweight champion, is one of the biggest stars the sport of boxing has ever seen. The “Baddest Man on the Planet” is recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time, ESPN’s #1 hardest hitter in heavyweight history, and the youngest heavyweight champion ever at just 20 years old. His explosive power and ferocious fighting style led to a staggering run of 37 consecutive victories, with 33 of those wins coming by knockout.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” said Mike Tyson. “He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT. It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Since establishing MVP in 2021, Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul have disrupted combat sports, producing some of the world’s biggest events, making history in women’s boxing and giving a new platform to young fighters. Partnering with Netflix to bring Paul vs Tyson to audiences worldwide is a strategic decision to ensure this once-in-a-lifetime event that connects six generations of sports fans is distributed globally to hundreds of millions of fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and we hope it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” said Nakisa Bidarian, founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Partnering with Netflix for this deal presents an unparalleled opportunity to bring Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson to the world on an unprecedented scale and we look forward to delivering this incredible clash of two of sports biggest names. Six generations of boxing fans will have a stake in the outcome and will be able to watch an anti-hero, Jake Paul, put it all on the line against the baddest man on the planet, Mike Tyson. Thank you to Netflix for their vision and trust in MVP to put on this historic event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is the premier home for great sports entertainment with hits like Untold that featured "Jake Paul the Problem Child" episode last year, along with Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Full Swing, NASCAR: Full Speed, Quarterback, Tour de France: Unchained, Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team and Six Nations: Full Contact. And beginning in 2025, Netflix will become the new home of WWE Raw. Paul vs. Tyson will be Netflix’s third live sports event, following The Netflix Cup and The Netflix Slam.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” said Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional information, including the co-main event and undercards, will be announced at a later date. For the opportunity to sign up for presale tickets, click here. https://www.mostvaluablepromotions.com/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>About Jake Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion. Since turning pro in 2020, Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also recently announced a partnership with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions. In November 2020, Paul faced Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul also continued his record-breaking streak in his latest fight, MVP’s Serrano vs. Meinke feat. Paul vs. Bourland by achieving the highest boxing gate in Puerto Rico history. Previously, Paul vs. August in December 2023 was the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Orlando’s history, and broke the record for highest average ticket price, matching the average ticket price of Paul’s fight vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson’s legacy is undisputed. As the former undisputed heavyweight champion and one of the most feared boxers in the ring, Mike Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA, and IBF world heavyweight titles and the first heavyweight boxer to hold the titles simultaneously, earning him nicknames as "Iron" Mike, Kid Dynamite, and The Baddest Man on the Planet. In 2011, Tyson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he was inaugurated into the Las Vegas Hall of Fame. Tyson returned to the ring to face Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition fight in November 2020 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. The boxing match was the 8th highest viewed on pay-per-view in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson’s enduring mass appeal garnered multiple successful entrepreneurial, film, and TV ventures, including The Hangover, The Hangover 2, Vendetta, and Asphalt City, Bollywood hit Liger, as well as documentary projects and his critically acclaimed one-man Broadway show Mike Tyson: UNDISPUTED TRUTH. Tyson launched his premier cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, in 2021, runs merchandise company the Mike Tyson Collection and boxing apparel and equipment company Tyson Pro, and recently announced his latest venture, testosterone treatment protocol Iron Remedy. Tyson also hosts the HotBoxin' podcast, launched in 2018, talking with some of the world's greatest sports legends, actors, and more. HotBoxin' has garnered over 40 million listeners, while Tyson's expansive digital footprint reaches over 400 million people and notably accumulated over 1.4 billion impressions on social media in 2019. Tyson's memoir Undisputed Truth, written with Larry Sloman, is a NYT best seller.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 260 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. Since inception MVP has consistently produced the biggest combat sports pay-per-view events. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. The company signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which is the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AT&T Stadium</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world's largest HDTV video board cluster, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandability for up to 100,000, over 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year-round. Outside the stadium, the Miller Lite® House is a branded destination that boasts a 70-yard Cowboys turf field featuring field games, four video boards and over 60 television screens, two fantasy football screen walls and over 87,000 outdoor square-footage for event day experiences. The space also features two beer gardens and a walk-in beer cooler. The stadium is also home to a world-class collection of contemporary art, made up of over 92 works of art by 62 established and emerging artists displayed on the walls and in the grand public spaces of the venue. In addition to being the home of the Dallas Cowboys since opening in 2009, the stadium has hosted Super Bowl XLV, the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2015 inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game, the 2015 50th Anniversary Academy of Country Music Awards show and WrestleMania 32 & 38. The venue has also played host to high school and college football, concerts, championship fights, international soccer matches and other special events. For more information, go to www.attstadium.com</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Netflix)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul as the -360 betting fav</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson is +300 as the underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul Official YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/@jakepaul </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm Fighting Mike Tyson.</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKx1LebwBLs&ab_channel=JakePaul</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson. Yes you read that right... watch me fight one of the two most famous boxers to ever exist, Mike Tyson, July 20 at the AT&T Stadium Arlington, Dallas Texas. Streaming LIVE and globally on Netflix. (Credit: Jake Paul)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix Neherland and Belgie</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@Netflixbenelux</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson | Live Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VLCOThWl2g&ab_channel=NetflixNederland%26Belgi%C3%AB</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix en Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) hebben vandaag hun allereerste samenwerking aangekondigd in een zwaargewicht boks-evenement met als headliner The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul versus de slechtste man ter wereld , Mike Tyson. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson wordt wereldwijd live gestreamd, exclusief op Netflix in juli 2024 vanuit het AT&T Stadium met 80.000 zitplaatsen in Arlington, Texas, de thuisbasis van de Dallas Cowboys. (Credit: Netflix)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Valuetainment Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"Elderly Abuse" - Chael Sonnen Reacts to the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Fight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyqjAkMHsc0&t=505s&ab_channel=Valuetainment</p><p><br /></p><p>Patrick Bet-David, Adam Sosnick and Vincent Oshana are joined by former MMA Fighter Chael Sonnen, in this clip they react to the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight. (Credit: Valuetainment)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Bet On Anything (Media Man Int) http://mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int) *in progress www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News (Media Man Int) *in progress www.mediamanint.com/articles/boxing_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>#BoxingNews #boxing #JakePaul #MikeTyson #IronMikeTyson #MVP #MostValuablePromotions #ATTStadium #Netflix #NetflixNews #netflixsports #sportsstreaming #streamingsports #KO #combatsports #streamingindustry #streamingbusiness #streamingentertainment #streamingbiz #sportsbusiness #Video #Videos #YouTube #legend #legends #popculture #boxingpromoter #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #promo #promoter #promoters #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #TrendingNow #buzz #hype #Texas #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc 299</p><p><br /></p><p>Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida, USA</p><p><br /></p><p>March 10, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley vs Marlon 'Chito' Vera</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos, Media and Card</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299: Pre-Fight Press Conference Highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKo7pjMOqXA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, I'm very calm going into this fight" Sean O’Malley</p><p><br /></p><p>Athletes competing in the main card at UFC 299 took the stage in Miami to answer questions from the press</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley & Rob Whittaker praise each other ahead of Chito Vera fight | UFC 299</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgSxy3CUoXQ&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Niko Pajarillo and Robert Whittaker interview 'Suga' Sean O'Malley ahead of the bantamweight champion's title fight against Marlon Vera.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley - Journey to UFC Champion</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZYRSkr8nnU&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley's first UFC fight came in December of 2017, as an undefeated prospect, after getting a viral KO on Season 1 of Dana White's Contender Series. By 2023, O'Malley's ascension came to fruition as he became the undisputed Bantamweight champion with a knockout victory over Aljamain Sterling.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK_Sda7D77E&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Joanna Jedrzejczyk cameos as Dustin Poirier, Kevin Holland, and Mateusz Gamrot check in. Champ Sean O’Malley does media. Gilbert Burns goes courtside. Jailton Almeida trains, Michael “Venom” Page talks striking and Marlon Vera fights for Ecuador.</p><p><br /></p><p>More great background and newsworth videos to be added to the official UFC YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/ufc</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Card</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:</p><p><br /></p><p>135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>155 lbs.: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis</p><p>170 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page</p><p>170 lbs.: Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena</p><p>135 lbs.: Petr Yan vs. Yadong Song</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Late ‘Prelims’ Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>265 lbs.: Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida</p><p>125 lbs.: Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber</p><p>155 lbs.: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos</p><p>135 lbs.: Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Fight Pass/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET)</p><p><br /></p><p>205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Philipe Lins</p><p>185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk</p><p>265 lbs.: Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian</p><p>125 lbs.: C.J. Vergara vs. Asu Almabaev</p><p>125 lbs.: Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Solid line-up. Vera for the win! It's time! Time for new blood and new hair to represent UFC. One day a rooster, next day a feather duster! New Peacock on the rise. Feathers are going to fly folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC299 #UFC #SeanOMalley #ChitoVera #DustinPoirier #BenoitSaintDenis #KevinHolland #MichaelPage #GilbertBurns #JackDellaMaddalena #PetrYan #YadongSong #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #ESPN #ESPNPlus #combatsports #MMA #mixedmartialarts #pressconference #PressConferenceHighlights #mediaconference #mmanews #mmamedia #broadcast #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #trends #trending #buzz #Miami #Florida #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - Gaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 @WWEgames is available on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. There are three digital editions: standard, deluxe, and cross-gen, with the standard being released this Friday. </p><p><br /></p><p>There is also a WWE 2K24 40 Years of WrestleMania Edition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans have begun to play early versions of the game and have noticed that Mr McMahon has been blurred out in some WWE 2K24 Showcase cutscenes.</p><p><br /></p><p>It should be noted that not all of the scenes feature him blurred out.</p><p><br /></p><p>McMahon was also dropped from the WWE 2K24 roster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Relive 40 Years of WrestleMania in WWE 2K24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6lI2FztyDw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Finish your story and recreate some of the biggest moments in WrestleMania history in WWE 2K24, available starting March 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Games YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Step Into The Story | WWE 2K24 Official Launch Trailer | 2K</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8SiQKottLo&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>Legacy | WWE 2K24 Official Gameplay Trailer | 2K</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIK0-cBlilM&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>The story’s not finished. Take your first look at WWE 2K24’s all-new match types, environments, Superstars and more, including the 2K Showcase… of the Immortals. (Credit: WWE Games)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“FINISH YOUR STORY” IN WWE® 2K24 DELUXE EDITION AND FORTY YEARS OF WRESTLEMANIA EDITION NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE</p><p><br /></p><p>Join iconic Standard Edition cover Superstar “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and Deluxe Edition cover Superstars Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, with historic 2K Showcase… Of The Immortals, four new match types, Executive Soundtrack Producer Post Malone, and much more</p><p><br /></p><p>Today, 2K announced the Deluxe Edition and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition of WWE® 2K24, the newest installment of the flagship WWE video game franchise developed by Visual Concepts, are available now on PlayStation® 5 (PS5®), PlayStation®4 (PS4®), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.* The Standard Edition and Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition will be available on Friday, March 8, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>“WWE 2K24 is a testament to the development team’s world champion-level commitment to excellence,” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “Topping our best efforts each year has become a challenge we look forward to, and we’re especially proud of what we’ve achieved in our improvements to gameplay and overall quality.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 boasts an array of new features and improvements on existing fan-favorites:</p><p><br /></p><p>2K Showcase… Of The Immortals: For 40 years, WrestleMania set the scene for unforgettable moments - from Hulk Hogan going toe to toe with The Rock in a contest of “Icon vs Icon,” to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin refusing to tap out to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter, to “Mr. WrestleMania” Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon innovating the ladder match, and many more. 40 years in the making, the WWE 2K24 Showcase…of the Immortals puts players in control, playing through the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history as 2K’s distinctive Slingshot Tech seamlessly morphs gameplay to live-action footage and back again for the most immersive WrestleMania video game experience to date. A host of unlockable content adds challenge and replay value to this historical experience. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbiy2I5jt90&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Iconic Roster: WWE 2K24 boasts a star-studded roster of 200+, featuring WWE Legends including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Rock, Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, and Andre the Giant, alongside current WWE Superstars including “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Bianca Belair, John Cena, Rhea Ripley, and Roman Reigns, whose larger-than-life entrances and signature moves are heightened by ultra-realistic graphics. Also joining the roster is boxing icon, “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali. The complete roster list is available here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/roster-list/</p><p><br /></p><p>Four New Match Types: Players asked, and WWE 2K24 delivers, with four new, chaotic match types: Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, and Gauntlet Match. In addition, the Backstage Brawl now features 4-player support and new interactive environmental elements - including a working elevator, breakable control room glass, and a vending machine with throwable water bottles - while the Royal Rumble now offers support for eight online players in 30-Superstar online matches. All of the familiar WWE 2K match types, such as WarGames, Extreme Rules, TLC, Submission, Hell in a Cell, and many more also return. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIK0-cBlilM&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MyRISE: WWE 2K’s unique career mode experience offers two new storylines: the women’s division Unleashed experience and the men’s division Undisputed experience. Players are tasked with creating an original Superstar to forge their career path and leave an unforgettable legacy, with 80 rewards to be unlocked, including arenas, Paybacks, entrances, MyFACTION cards, and championship belts. Between the two experiences, there are over six hours of original dialogue, featuring franchise-first voiceover performances from Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Mick Foley, Shotzi, and more. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEvXZ7YJofo&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>MyFACTION: The team-building mode in which players collect, manage, and upgrade an array of WWE Superstars and Legends to create their ultimate four-person factions returns with a new direct purchase card market and updated multiplayer experience. Players can now compete in ranked online QuickPlay with unique rewards and seasonal leaderboards, challenge themselves with Weekly Towers, and take on a revamped Faction Wars 2.0, featuring more real-world factions, more 4v4 match types, a Faction Wars specific reward shop and more. New themed card packs and goals will continue to roll out regularly throughout the year with seasonal content refreshes**;</p><p><br /></p><p>MyGM: The popular WWE brand management simulation continues to expand with new GMs and brands to choose from, more match types, more Dramas, more Championships, talent scouts, Superstar trading between brands, Superstar contract management and the new Superstar Journey, which allows Superstars to earn XP, train, and level up to gain new benefits after participating in matches;</p><p><br /></p><p>Universe: The ultimate WWE Universe sandbox that puts players in charge of Superstar rosters, feuds, champions, weekly shows, and Premium Live Events now features expanded Rivalry actions, including run-ins, Money in the Bank cash-ins, scenarios, and brawls, as well as new cutscenes, Special Guest Referee support, Double Title Matches and a Loser Leaves Town stipulation;</p><p><br /></p><p>Creation Suite: The crown jewel of the WWE 2K franchise, the best-in-class, most detailed and robust creation suite returns with all-new support for Create-A-Referee and Create-A-Sign, as well as new parts and animations to design custom Superstars, GMs, arenas, entrances, move sets, championships and more;</p><p><br /></p><p>Soundtrack: Curated by Executive Soundtrack producer and music icon Post Malone, WWE 2K24 features an eclectic soundtrack including artists across an array of genres, including rock, metal, country, electronic music, and rap;</p><p><br /></p><p>DLC Character Packs: Fan-favorite celebrities and Superstars including CM Punk, Pat McAfee, Post Malone, Jade Cargill, Iron Sheik, Diamond Dallas Page, Mr. Perfect, and more take to the ring in DLC packs, rolling out over the months ahead and available individually, or via Season Pass. These DLC offerings, alongside frequent MyFACTION updates, offer extensive post-launch content and replayability for players to enjoy. More info on Season Pass is available here.</p><p><br /></p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/season-pass/</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 Editions</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 features four editions of the game: Standard Edition, Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Standard Edition will be available for $59.99 on previous-gen platforms (PS4, Xbox One consoles) and PC and for $69.99 on current-gen consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S);</p><p><br /></p><p>Pre-Order Bonus Offers: Players who pre-order the WWE 2K24 Standard Edition will receive the Nightmare Family Pack*** a bonus pack of content including four playable Superstars - two alternate versions of Cody Rhodes (The “Undashing” masked Cody and the flamboyant Stardust), as well as the 1976 version of his father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, plus one of Dusty’s greatest rivals, “Superstar” Billy Graham, all available as playable characters. Additional MyFACTION content includes three MyFACTION cards - a Mattel “Bruised” Cody Rhodes Gold Rarity card and, for the first time ever, Cody’s dog, Pharaoh, appears in WWE 2K as a Gold Rarity Manager card. In addition, all Digital Pre-Orders of any edition of WWE 2K24 will include the Standard Edition of WWE 2K23****, the highest-rated game in franchise history according to Metacritic*****;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition will be available for $69.99 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition includes the Standard Edition across previous and current-gen platforms within the same console family and the same PlayStation or Xbox account;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Deluxe Edition is available for $99.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The Deluxe Edition includes the Standard Cross-Gen Edition, Nightmare Family Pack, plus a Season Pass to all five post-launch DLC content packs******; the MyRISE Mega-Boost and SuperCharger; Gold Rarity Rhea Ripley MyFACTION Card, Gold Rarity Bianca Belair MyFACTION Card, and alternate attires for Bianca and Rhea. The Deluxe Edition is available now – three days ahead of Standard and Cross-Gen Editions!;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition is available for $119.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. In addition to the Standard Cross-Gen Edition and all bonus content included in the Deluxe Edition, the Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition includes the Forty Years of WrestleMania Pack, which features alternate attires for “Macho King” Randy Savage (WrestleMania 6), Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania 22), Triple H (WrestleMania 30), Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 33), and Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania 36), as well as Gold Rarity MyFACTION cards for each, instant unlocking of all playable Showcase characters, and the WrestleMania 40 Arena, which will be available after launch******. The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition is available now – three days ahead of Standard and Standard Cross-Gen Editions!;</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on WWE 2K24, visit the game’s official website, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on TikTok, X, Instagram, and subscribe on Twitch and YouTube. Official campaign hashtags #WWE2K24 and #FinishYourStory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Visual Concepts is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).</p><p><br /></p><p>"PlayStation", "PS5", and "PS4" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>*Deluxe Edition digital version available March 5. Deluxe Edition physical version available March 5 in select territories, and March 8 for the rest of the world. For further details on physical availability of WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition, please visit wwe.2k.com/2k24/deluxe-edition-release-dates.</p><p><br /></p><p>**WWE 2K24 and internet access required to play MyFACTION content. Online Account (13+) required to access online features. See www.take2games.com/legal and www.take2games.com/privacy for additional details.</p><p><br /></p><p>***Nightmare Family Pack pre-order bonus offer available through March 7, 2024. Pre-order WWE 2K24 Standard Edition and receive the Nightmare Family Pack, which includes four playable characters and three gold-tier MyFACTION cards (Dusty Rhodes ’76, Mattel Cody Rhodes, and Pharoah (Manager). The Nightmare Family Pack is included with Deluxe and Forty Years of WrestleMania editions. For digital pre-orders, items will be automatically entitled in-game. For physical pre-orders, items will be redeemed in game via code provided in box. Terms apply.</p><p><br /></p><p>****Pre-order WWE 2K24 Standard Edition (Digital) on any platform through March 7, 2024, and receive a digital copy of WWE 2K23 Standard Edition for the same platform. Digital copy of WWE 2K23 will be automatically entitled and available to download following pre-order. WWE 2K23 must be downloaded to the platform account used to pre-order WWE 2K24 and is non-transferable. Offer not available to platform accounts that already own WWE 2K23 on the same platform. Terms apply.</p><p><br /></p><p>*****Based on WWE 2K23's Metacritic scores on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC as of March 3, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>******For digital orders, post-launch Forty Years of WrestleMania Pack content and DLC will be automatically delivered on release for PC users, available for download in the PlayStation store/Library tile for PS4 and PS5 users, and available for download in Microsoft Store for Xbox users. For physical orders, post-launch DLC will be available upon release and redeemed in game via code provided in box. DLC will also be available for purchase separately.</p><p><br /></p><p>About 2K</p><p><br /></p><p>Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber and HB Studios. 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K; renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises; as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2K.com and on the Company’s official social media channels.</p><p>2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).</p><p><br /></p><p>About Take-Two Interactive Software</p><p><br /></p><p>Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher, and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products principally through Rockstar Games, 2K, Private Division, and Zynga. Our products are currently designed for console gaming systems, PC, and Mobile including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms, and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO.</p><p><br /></p><p>All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders. (Credit: 2K)</p><p><br /></p><p>Website</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 Website</p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWE2K24 #WWEGames #WWE #2K #wrestlinggames #Playstation #Xbox #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #gaming #gamesnews #gamerelease #entertainment #homeentertainment #FinishYourStory #FinishTheStory #popculture #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE Games/2K</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports: Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Date: July 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium. Arlington, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast via Netflix </p><p>@netflix</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Paul via X </p><p><br /></p><p>“Promotion, promotion, promotion — if I’m being honest, it don’t need that. The biggest fight of the 21st century, in the biggest NFL stadium in the U.S., broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world, that’s the MVP way. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re Team Paul or Team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put ‘Iron’ Mike to sleep.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions Partner on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, a Global Live Sports Event To Stream Exclusively on Netflix on Saturday July 20</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Release</p><p><br /></p><p>The Live Professional Sports Event Will Take Place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced their first-ever partnership in a heavyweight boxing mega-event headlined by The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) vs. the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs). Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson will stream live globally, exclusively on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson marks Jake Paul’s most-anticipated fight to date and his second fight of 2024 following back-to-back sensational knockouts against professional boxers and Golden Glove winners Ryan Bourland this past Saturday, March 2 and Andre August in December 2023. Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion, but now will take on one of the best and most dangerous boxers of all time in Mike Tyson.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons,” said Jake Paul. “Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event. I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson, the legendary former undisputed world heavyweight champion, is one of the biggest stars the sport of boxing has ever seen. The “Baddest Man on the Planet” is recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time, ESPN’s #1 hardest hitter in heavyweight history, and the youngest heavyweight champion ever at just 20 years old. His explosive power and ferocious fighting style led to a staggering run of 37 consecutive victories, with 33 of those wins coming by knockout.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” said Mike Tyson. “He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT. It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Since establishing MVP in 2021, Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul have disrupted combat sports, producing some of the world’s biggest events, making history in women’s boxing and giving a new platform to young fighters. Partnering with Netflix to bring Paul vs Tyson to audiences worldwide is a strategic decision to ensure this once-in-a-lifetime event that connects six generations of sports fans is distributed globally to hundreds of millions of fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and we hope it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” said Nakisa Bidarian, founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Partnering with Netflix for this deal presents an unparalleled opportunity to bring Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson to the world on an unprecedented scale and we look forward to delivering this incredible clash of two of sports biggest names. Six generations of boxing fans will have a stake in the outcome and will be able to watch an anti-hero, Jake Paul, put it all on the line against the baddest man on the planet, Mike Tyson. Thank you to Netflix for their vision and trust in MVP to put on this historic event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is the premier home for great sports entertainment with hits like Untold that featured "Jake Paul the Problem Child" episode last year, along with Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Full Swing, NASCAR: Full Speed, Quarterback, Tour de France: Unchained, Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team and Six Nations: Full Contact. And beginning in 2025, Netflix will become the new home of WWE Raw. Paul vs. Tyson will be Netflix’s third live sports event, following The Netflix Cup and The Netflix Slam.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” said Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional information, including the co-main event and undercards, will be announced at a later date. For the opportunity to sign up for presale tickets, click here. https://mostvaluablepromotions.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About Jake Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion. Since turning pro in 2020, Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also recently announced a partnership with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions. In November 2020, Paul faced Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul also continued his record-breaking streak in his latest fight, MVP’s Serrano vs. Meinke feat. Paul vs. Bourland by achieving the highest boxing gate in Puerto Rico history. Previously, Paul vs. August in December 2023 was the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Orlando’s history, and broke the record for highest average ticket price, matching the average ticket price of Paul’s fight vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson’s legacy is undisputed. As the former undisputed heavyweight champion and one of the most feared boxers in the ring, Mike Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA, and IBF world heavyweight titles and the first heavyweight boxer to hold the titles simultaneously, earning him nicknames as "Iron" Mike, Kid Dynamite, and The Baddest Man on the Planet. In 2011, Tyson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he was inaugurated into the Las Vegas Hall of Fame. Tyson returned to the ring to face Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition fight in November 2020 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. The boxing match was the 8th highest viewed on pay-per-view in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson’s enduring mass appeal garnered multiple successful entrepreneurial, film, and TV ventures, including The Hangover, The Hangover 2, Vendetta, and Asphalt City, Bollywood hit Liger, as well as documentary projects and his critically acclaimed one-man Broadway show Mike Tyson: UNDISPUTED TRUTH. Tyson launched his premier cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, in 2021, runs merchandise company the Mike Tyson Collection and boxing apparel and equipment company Tyson Pro, and recently announced his latest venture, testosterone treatment protocol Iron Remedy. Tyson also hosts the HotBoxin' podcast, launched in 2018, talking with some of the world's greatest sports legends, actors, and more. HotBoxin' has garnered over 40 million listeners, while Tyson's expansive digital footprint reaches over 400 million people and notably accumulated over 1.4 billion impressions on social media in 2019. Tyson's memoir Undisputed Truth, written with Larry Sloman, is a NYT best seller.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 260 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. Since inception MVP has consistently produced the biggest combat sports pay-per-view events. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. The company signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which is the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AT&T Stadium</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world's largest HDTV video board cluster, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandability for up to 100,000, over 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year-round. Outside the stadium, the Miller Lite® House is a branded destination that boasts a 70-yard Cowboys turf field featuring field games, four video boards and over 60 television screens, two fantasy football screen walls and over 87,000 outdoor square-footage for event day experiences. The space also features two beer gardens and a walk-in beer cooler. The stadium is also home to a world-class collection of contemporary art, made up of over 92 works of art by 62 established and emerging artists displayed on the walls and in the grand public spaces of the venue. In addition to being the home of the Dallas Cowboys since opening in 2009, the stadium has hosted Super Bowl XLV, the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2015 inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game, the 2015 50th Anniversary Academy of Country Music Awards show and WrestleMania 32 & 38. The venue has also played host to high school and college football, concerts, championship fights, international soccer matches and other special events. For more information, go to http://attstadium.com</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Netflix)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul as the -360 betting fav</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson is +300 as the underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul Official YouTube</p><p>http://youtube.com/@jakepaul </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm Fighting Mike Tyson.</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=WKx1LebwBLs&ab_channel=JakePaul</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson. Yes you read that right... watch me fight one of the two most famous boxers to ever exist, Mike Tyson, July 20 at the AT&T Stadium Arlington, Dallas Texas. Streaming LIVE and globally on Netflix. (Credit: Jake Paul)</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix Neherland and Belgie</p><p>https://youtube.com/@Netflixbenelux</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson | Live Event</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=-VLCOThWl2g&ab_channel=NetflixNederland%26Belgi%C3%AB</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix en Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) hebben vandaag hun allereerste samenwerking aangekondigd in een zwaargewicht boks-evenement met als headliner The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul versus de slechtste man ter wereld , Mike Tyson. Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson wordt wereldwijd live gestreamd, exclusief op Netflix in juli 2024 vanuit het AT&T Stadium met 80.000 zitplaatsen in Arlington, Texas, de thuisbasis van de Dallas Cowboys. (Credit: Netflix)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>American Airlines Center</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline Continues To Evolve</p><p><br /></p><p>Are tensions getting tested between champion and Tribal Chief Roman Reigns and Dwayne Johnson (DJ on the TKO Group board of directors)?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wiseman" Paul Heyman is getting indicted into the WWE Hall of Fame 2024. But, who will induct him?</p><p><br /></p><p>Uso Brothers Jimmy and Jey are still separated but secretly do they wish to mend the fence?</p><p><br /></p><p>Are the rumours true about one or two more Samoans set to join the WWE ranks and will The Bloodline look to recruit them? - or, has the deal already been done on the quiet? Could be on a need to know basis!</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown GM Nick Aldis has a lot on this plate as usual.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE announces Corey Graves and Wade Barrett will have plenty of action and conspiracy theories to discuss. "Sort of refreshing" to call the action under the leadership of Triple H right Mr Graves. Gorilla communication channels via The Internet Matrix Of Things. On the verge of breaking down the fourth wall. WWE - NFL like combine with high drama and plenty of room for rule breaking and ultra heels. Ain't that so right Mr Logan Paul. Watch out for those Prime Hydrate energy drinks bottles boys and girls. May cause brain snaps on occasion the eagles and crows told us!</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestlers have frequently been getting slammed into the announcers table frequently as of late. Don't be surprised if it happens again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Maybe Logan Paul and/or Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross will weaponize the table or perhaps use another foreign object. Oh, LP has brass knux. Is Kevin Owens lurking, or does LP have a different foe to be concerned about?</p><p><br /></p><p>How well behaved will the femme fatales on the women's roster be on this hot Friday Night in Texas? Resident white witch of The Final Testament, Scarlett - partner of Mr Karrion Kross may be looking to cast a spell or two, perhaps throw in some poisonous dust and God knows what else. Unbridled passion, fury and combat in and around the squared circle await. Texas braces itself for trauma and torment. Local medical facilities at the ready!</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown is going to be a madhouse as the Road To WrestleMania continues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos from the official WWE YouTube channel just to warm you up for the latest chapter of Samoan tribal warfare and a full blown assault in the WWE and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline complete story: 2 HOUR WWE Playlist</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=z19Cad44Jdo&t=9s</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline story in 2023: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=2yvsrNv1fRU&t=138s</p><p><br /></p><p>Best of The Rock full matches marathon</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=7ITD7hJ20ZU&t=141s</p><p><br /></p><p>Rikishi, Jimmy Uso, Afa and Sika comment on Roman Reigns and Jey Uso: SmackDown, Sept. 25, 2020</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=FhuBng_tM_E&t=3s</p><p><br /></p><p>Anoa’i family debuts: WWE Top 10, May 1, 2022</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=qW7kQTIambc</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns puts Tribal Chief status on the line against Jey Uso: SummerSlam 2023 Highlights</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=CMx393qtkjY</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL-LENGTH MATCH - Championship Wrestling - The Wild Samoans vs. Tony Garea & Rene Goulet</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=vxv8VlaI-Mg&t=6s</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>New Pay-Per-View Announced</p><p><br /></p><p>Numerous Dream Matches Possible And Likely: Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW </p><p>@AEW</p><p> Dynasty</p><p><br /></p><p>April 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>St. Louis, Missouri</p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcasting worldwide via TrillerTV </p><p>@FiteTV</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication there are solid indications that the following from the AEW will make an appearance, however the match line-up has not been released yet:</p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe</p><p>Wardlow</p><p>Swerve Strickland</p><p>Adam Page</p><p>Kazuchika Okada</p><p>Will Ospreay</p><p>Bryan Danielson</p><p>Young Bucks aka The MVP aka The Elite</p><p>Eddie Kingston</p><p>Blackpool Combat Club</p><p>Darby Allin</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: With the recent full-time editions of world class wrestlers there are numerous opportunities to creative what many fans and promoters call dream matches. Could we get Danielson vs Okada? Ospreay vs Strickland?! The AEW roster is so loaded at present and many wrestlers have also returned from injury. If dream matches are high on your agenda, this looks like a must see supercard.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW YouTube highlights and moments to give a glimpse into the future</p><p><br /></p><p>EXCLUSIVE! We hear from AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, EVPs & Okada, and more! | 3/7/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=LNpKoavlPZ0&t=14s</p><p><br /></p><p>"You see, when your dealing with men like Wardlow, supposed walking wars, you only deal with them one way - decisively, effectively and with ultimate prejudice" Samoa Joe</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Ospreay takes on ROH TV Champion & Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=3O3_HGxj3n8&t=17s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Blow for blow. Will Ospreay, heavy hitter" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not a lot on that one. I think Kyle's hurt guys" Don Callis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, that's a good call Don. Getting up slowly" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ospreay sacrificing himself for that"... Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency and Business News via FxPro and Media Man </p><p><br /></p><p>March 7, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto: Bulls cautious steps after pause</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market cap remains at $2.52 trillion, close to Tuesday's highs. It is also worth noting the positive market momentum in the last few hours after the lull, which looks like the first tentative steps of buyers. We would not be surprised if they have enough strength to push Bitcoin to new highs, as is now happening with gold.</p><p><br /></p><p>We continue to believe that an essential driver of buying in Bitcoin and gold is the uncertainty of large investors in US regional banks. There was a similar buying spree a year ago, which was only halted by the Fed's capital injection. But the fear is that a domino effect has already been set in motion for the entire industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin's new all-time high triggered a wave of selling that was amplified by liquidations in the open-ended market. According to Santiment, the correction caused the OI on bitcoin derivatives to fall by 12%, or $1.42 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin's brief collapse helped to normalise financing rates in the open-ended cryptocurrency futures market, removing excessive leverage. Over the day, exchanges unwound about 300,000 traders' margin positions worth about $1 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Analysts interviewed by Bloomberg expressed confidence in bitcoin's long-term upside, in part due to the excitement surrounding the ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock's bitcoin ETF has increased its investment in BTC, catching up with MicroStrategy, the world's largest corporate bitcoin holder, in terms of initial cryptocurrency holdings. Inflows into the BlackRock ETF exceeded $788 million on a day when BTC hit an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto asset manager Grayscale Investments announced the launch of an investment fund that will generate income by stealing cryptocurrencies. The fund's portfolio consists of nine tokens, with income distributed and rebalanced on a quarterly basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - Gaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 </p><p>@WWEgames</p><p> is available on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. There are three digital editions: standard, deluxe, and cross-gen, with the standard being released this Friday. </p><p><br /></p><p>There is also a WWE 2K24 40 Years of WrestleMania Edition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans have begun to play early versions of the game and have noticed that Mr McMahon has been blurred out in some WWE 2K24 Showcase cutscenes.</p><p><br /></p><p>It should be noted that not all of the scenes feature him blurred out.</p><p><br /></p><p>McMahon was also dropped from the WWE 2K24 roster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Relive 40 Years of WrestleMania in WWE 2K24</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=l6lI2FztyDw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Finish your story and recreate some of the biggest moments in WrestleMania history in WWE 2K24, available starting March 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Games YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Step Into The Story | WWE 2K24 Official Launch Trailer | 2K</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=W8SiQKottLo&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>Legacy | WWE 2K24 Official Gameplay Trailer | 2K</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=pIK0-cBlilM&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>The story’s not finished. Take your first look at WWE 2K24’s all-new match types, environments, Superstars and more, including the 2K Showcase… of the Immortals. (Credit: WWE Games)</p><p><br /></p><p>“FINISH YOUR STORY” IN WWE® 2K24 DELUXE EDITION AND FORTY YEARS OF WRESTLEMANIA EDITION NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE</p><p><br /></p><p>Join iconic Standard Edition cover Superstar “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes and Deluxe Edition cover Superstars Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, with historic 2K Showcase… Of The Immortals, four new match types, Executive Soundtrack Producer Post Malone, and much more</p><p><br /></p><p>Today, 2K announced the Deluxe Edition and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition of WWE® 2K24, the newest installment of the flagship WWE video game franchise developed by Visual Concepts, are available now on PlayStation® 5 (PS5®), PlayStation®4 (PS4®), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.* The Standard Edition and Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition will be available on Friday, March 8, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>“WWE 2K24 is a testament to the development team’s world champion-level commitment to excellence,” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “Topping our best efforts each year has become a challenge we look forward to, and we’re especially proud of what we’ve achieved in our improvements to gameplay and overall quality.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 boasts an array of new features and improvements on existing fan-favorites:</p><p><br /></p><p>2K Showcase… Of The Immortals: For 40 years, WrestleMania set the scene for unforgettable moments - from Hulk Hogan going toe to toe with The Rock in a contest of “Icon vs Icon,” to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin refusing to tap out to Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter, to “Mr. WrestleMania” Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon innovating the ladder match, and many more. 40 years in the making, the WWE 2K24 Showcase…of the Immortals puts players in control, playing through the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history as 2K’s distinctive Slingshot Tech seamlessly morphs gameplay to live-action footage and back again for the most immersive WrestleMania video game experience to date. A host of unlockable content adds challenge and replay value to this historical experience. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=vbiy2I5jt90&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>Iconic Roster: WWE 2K24 boasts a star-studded roster of 200+, featuring WWE Legends including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Rock, Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, and Andre the Giant, alongside current WWE Superstars including “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Bianca Belair, John Cena, Rhea Ripley, and Roman Reigns, whose larger-than-life entrances and signature moves are heightened by ultra-realistic graphics. Also joining the roster is boxing icon, “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali. The complete roster list is available here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/roster-list/</p><p><br /></p><p>Four New Match Types: Players asked, and WWE 2K24 delivers, with four new, chaotic match types: Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, and Gauntlet Match. In addition, the Backstage Brawl now features 4-player support and new interactive environmental elements - including a working elevator, breakable control room glass, and a vending machine with throwable water bottles - while the Royal Rumble now offers support for eight online players in 30-Superstar online matches. All of the familiar WWE 2K match types, such as WarGames, Extreme Rules, TLC, Submission, Hell in a Cell, and many more also return. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=pIK0-cBlilM&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>MyRISE: WWE 2K’s unique career mode experience offers two new storylines: the women’s division Unleashed experience and the men’s division Undisputed experience. Players are tasked with creating an original Superstar to forge their career path and leave an unforgettable legacy, with 80 rewards to be unlocked, including arenas, Paybacks, entrances, MyFACTION cards, and championship belts. Between the two experiences, there are over six hours of original dialogue, featuring franchise-first voiceover performances from Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Mick Foley, Shotzi, and more. Check out the trailer here;</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=BEvXZ7YJofo&ab_channel=WWE2K</p><p><br /></p><p>MyFACTION: The team-building mode in which players collect, manage, and upgrade an array of WWE Superstars and Legends to create their ultimate four-person factions returns with a new direct purchase card market and updated multiplayer experience. Players can now compete in ranked online QuickPlay with unique rewards and seasonal leaderboards, challenge themselves with Weekly Towers, and take on a revamped Faction Wars 2.0, featuring more real-world factions, more 4v4 match types, a Faction Wars specific reward shop and more. New themed card packs and goals will continue to roll out regularly throughout the year with seasonal content refreshes**;</p><p><br /></p><p>MyGM: The popular WWE brand management simulation continues to expand with new GMs and brands to choose from, more match types, more Dramas, more Championships, talent scouts, Superstar trading between brands, Superstar contract management and the new Superstar Journey, which allows Superstars to earn XP, train, and level up to gain new benefits after participating in matches;</p><p><br /></p><p>Universe: The ultimate WWE Universe sandbox that puts players in charge of Superstar rosters, feuds, champions, weekly shows, and Premium Live Events now features expanded Rivalry actions, including run-ins, Money in the Bank cash-ins, scenarios, and brawls, as well as new cutscenes, Special Guest Referee support, Double Title Matches and a Loser Leaves Town stipulation;</p><p><br /></p><p>Creation Suite: The crown jewel of the WWE 2K franchise, the best-in-class, most detailed and robust creation suite returns with all-new support for Create-A-Referee and Create-A-Sign, as well as new parts and animations to design custom Superstars, GMs, arenas, entrances, move sets, championships and more;</p><p><br /></p><p>Soundtrack: Curated by Executive Soundtrack producer and music icon Post Malone, WWE 2K24 features an eclectic soundtrack including artists across an array of genres, including rock, metal, country, electronic music, and rap;</p><p><br /></p><p>DLC Character Packs: Fan-favorite celebrities and Superstars including CM Punk, Pat McAfee, Post Malone, Jade Cargill, Iron Sheik, Diamond Dallas Page, Mr. Perfect, and more take to the ring in DLC packs, rolling out over the months ahead and available individually, or via Season Pass. These DLC offerings, alongside frequent MyFACTION updates, offer extensive post-launch content and replayability for players to enjoy. More info on Season Pass is available here.</p><p><br /></p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/season-pass/</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 Editions</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 features four editions of the game: Standard Edition, Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Standard Edition will be available for $59.99 on previous-gen platforms (PS4, Xbox One consoles) and PC and for $69.99 on current-gen consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S);</p><p><br /></p><p>Pre-Order Bonus Offers: Players who pre-order the WWE 2K24 Standard Edition will receive the Nightmare Family Pack*** a bonus pack of content including four playable Superstars - two alternate versions of Cody Rhodes (The “Undashing” masked Cody and the flamboyant Stardust), as well as the 1976 version of his father, WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, plus one of Dusty’s greatest rivals, “Superstar” Billy Graham, all available as playable characters. Additional MyFACTION content includes three MyFACTION cards - a Mattel “Bruised” Cody Rhodes Gold Rarity card and, for the first time ever, Cody’s dog, Pharaoh, appears in WWE 2K as a Gold Rarity Manager card. In addition, all Digital Pre-Orders of any edition of WWE 2K24 will include the Standard Edition of WWE 2K23****, the highest-rated game in franchise history according to Metacritic*****;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition will be available for $69.99 on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition includes the Standard Edition across previous and current-gen platforms within the same console family and the same PlayStation or Xbox account;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Deluxe Edition is available for $99.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The Deluxe Edition includes the Standard Cross-Gen Edition, Nightmare Family Pack, plus a Season Pass to all five post-launch DLC content packs******; the MyRISE Mega-Boost and SuperCharger; Gold Rarity Rhea Ripley MyFACTION Card, Gold Rarity Bianca Belair MyFACTION Card, and alternate attires for Bianca and Rhea. The Deluxe Edition is available now – three days ahead of Standard and Cross-Gen Editions!;</p><p><br /></p><p>The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition is available for $119.99 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. In addition to the Standard Cross-Gen Edition and all bonus content included in the Deluxe Edition, the Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition includes the Forty Years of WrestleMania Pack, which features alternate attires for “Macho King” Randy Savage (WrestleMania 6), Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania 22), Triple H (WrestleMania 30), Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 33), and Rhea Ripley (WrestleMania 36), as well as Gold Rarity MyFACTION cards for each, instant unlocking of all playable Showcase characters, and the WrestleMania 40 Arena, which will be available after launch******. The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition is available now – three days ahead of Standard and Standard Cross-Gen Editions!;</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on WWE 2K24, visit the game’s official website, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on TikTok, X, Instagram, and subscribe on Twitch and YouTube. Official campaign hashtags #WWE2K24 and #FinishYourStory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Visual Concepts is a 2K studio. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).</p><p><br /></p><p>"PlayStation", "PS5", and "PS4" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>*Deluxe Edition digital version available March 5. Deluxe Edition physical version available March 5 in select territories, and March 8 for the rest of the world. For further details on physical availability of WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition, please visit http://wwe.2k.com/2k24/deluxe-edition-release-dates.</p><p><br /></p><p>**WWE 2K24 and internet access required to play MyFACTION content. Online Account (13+) required to access online features. See http://take2games.com/legal and http://take2games.com/privacy for additional details.</p><p><br /></p><p>***Nightmare Family Pack pre-order bonus offer available through March 7, 2024. Pre-order WWE 2K24 Standard Edition and receive the Nightmare Family Pack, which includes four playable characters and three gold-tier MyFACTION cards (Dusty Rhodes ’76, Mattel Cody Rhodes, and Pharoah (Manager). The Nightmare Family Pack is included with Deluxe and Forty Years of WrestleMania editions. For digital pre-orders, items will be automatically entitled in-game. For physical pre-orders, items will be redeemed in game via code provided in box. Terms apply.</p><p><br /></p><p>****Pre-order WWE 2K24 Standard Edition (Digital) on any platform through March 7, 2024, and receive a digital copy of WWE 2K23 Standard Edition for the same platform. Digital copy of WWE 2K23 will be automatically entitled and available to download following pre-order. WWE 2K23 must be downloaded to the platform account used to pre-order WWE 2K24 and is non-transferable. Offer not available to platform accounts that already own WWE 2K23 on the same platform. Terms apply.</p><p><br /></p><p>*****Based on WWE 2K23's Metacritic scores on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC as of March 3, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>******For digital orders, post-launch Forty Years of WrestleMania Pack content and DLC will be automatically delivered on release for PC users, available for download in the PlayStation store/Library tile for PS4 and PS5 users, and available for download in Microsoft Store for Xbox users. For physical orders, post-launch DLC will be available upon release and redeemed in game via code provided in box. DLC will also be available for purchase separately.</p><p><br /></p><p>About 2K</p><p><br /></p><p>Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment for video game consoles, personal computers, and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber and HB Studios. 2K’s portfolio currently includes several AAA, sports and entertainment brands, including global powerhouse NBA®️ 2K; renowned BioShock®️, Borderlands®️, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®️ and XCOM®️ brands; popular WWE®️ 2K and WWE®️ SuperCard franchises; as well as the critically and commercially acclaimed PGA TOUR®️ 2K. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at http://2K.com and on the Company’s official social media channels.</p><p>2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).</p><p><br /></p><p>About Take-Two Interactive Software</p><p><br /></p><p>Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, publisher, and marketer of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products principally through Rockstar Games, 2K, Private Division, and Zynga. Our products are currently designed for console gaming systems, PC, and Mobile including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms, and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO.</p><p><br /></p><p>All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders. (Credit: 2K)</p><p><br /></p><p>Website</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE 2K24 Website</p><p>https://wwe.2k.com/2k24/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> 299</p><p><br /></p><p>Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida, USA</p><p><br /></p><p>March 10, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley vs Marlon 'Chito' Vera</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos, Media and Card</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299: Pre-Fight Press Conference Highlights</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=nKo7pjMOqXA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, I'm very calm going into this fight" Sean O’Malley</p><p><br /></p><p>Athletes competing in the main card at UFC 299 took the stage in Miami to answer questions from the press</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley & Rob Whittaker praise each other ahead of Chito Vera fight | UFC 299</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=lgSxy3CUoXQ&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Niko Pajarillo and Robert Whittaker interview 'Suga' Sean O'Malley ahead of the bantamweight champion's title fight against Marlon Vera.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley - Journey to UFC Champion</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XZYRSkr8nnU&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O'Malley's first UFC fight came in December of 2017, as an undefeated prospect, after getting a viral KO on Season 1 of Dana White's Contender Series. By 2023, O'Malley's ascension came to fruition as he became the undisputed Bantamweight champion with a knockout victory over Aljamain Sterling.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=PK_Sda7D77E&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Joanna Jedrzejczyk cameos as Dustin Poirier, Kevin Holland, and Mateusz Gamrot check in. Champ Sean O’Malley does media. Gilbert Burns goes courtside. Jailton Almeida trains, Michael “Venom” Page talks striking and Marlon Vera fights for Ecuador.</p><p><br /></p><p>More great background and newsworth videos to be added to the official UFC YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/ufc</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Card</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:</p><p><br /></p><p>135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Main Card On ESPN+ PPV (10 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>155 lbs.: Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis</p><p>170 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page</p><p>170 lbs.: Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena</p><p>135 lbs.: Petr Yan vs. Yadong Song</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Late ‘Prelims’ Card On ESPN/ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>265 lbs.: Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida</p><p>125 lbs.: Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber</p><p>155 lbs.: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos</p><p>135 lbs.: Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 299 Early ‘Prelims’ Card On Fight Pass/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET)</p><p><br /></p><p>205 lbs.: Ion Cutelaba vs. Philipe Lins</p><p>185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk</p><p>265 lbs.: Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian</p><p>125 lbs.: C.J. Vergara vs. Asu Almabaev</p><p>125 lbs.: Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Solid line-up. Vera for the win! It's time! Time for new blood and new hair to represent UFC. One day a rooster, next day a feather duster! New Peacock on the rise. Feathers are going to fly folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports: Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Date: July 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium. Arlington, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast via Netflix </p><p>@netflix</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Paul via X </p><p><br /></p><p>“Promotion, promotion, promotion — if I’m being honest, it don’t need that. The biggest fight of the 21st century, in the biggest NFL stadium in the U.S., broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world, that’s the MVP way. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re Team Paul or Team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. Time to put ‘Iron’ Mike to sleep.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions Partner on Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, a Global Live Sports Event To Stream Exclusively on Netflix on Saturday July 20</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Release</p><p><br /></p><p>The Live Professional Sports Event Will Take Place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced their first-ever partnership in a heavyweight boxing mega-event headlined by The Problem Child, Jake “El Gallo” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) vs. the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs). Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson will stream live globally, exclusively on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the 80,000-seat capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson marks Jake Paul’s most-anticipated fight to date and his second fight of 2024 following back-to-back sensational knockouts against professional boxers and Golden Glove winners Ryan Bourland this past Saturday, March 2 and Andre August in December 2023. Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion, but now will take on one of the best and most dangerous boxers of all time in Mike Tyson.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons,” said Jake Paul. “Within just two and a half years of founding MVP, we’re about to produce the biggest fight in history, a fight in the biggest NFL stadium in the US, broadcast live, on the biggest streaming platform in the world – a testament to all we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. Whether you’re tuning in on Netflix or showing out in person, whether you’re team Paul or team Tyson, or whether you’re a lifelong boxing fan or watching your first fight, you’re not going to want to miss this event. I could not be more excited to make this amazing fight available to all Netflix subscribers alongside the hardest hitter of all time, Mike Tyson, on Saturday, July 20th. My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson, the legendary former undisputed world heavyweight champion, is one of the biggest stars the sport of boxing has ever seen. The “Baddest Man on the Planet” is recognized as one of the greatest fighters of all time, ESPN’s #1 hardest hitter in heavyweight history, and the youngest heavyweight champion ever at just 20 years old. His explosive power and ferocious fighting style led to a staggering run of 37 consecutive victories, with 33 of those wins coming by knockout.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” said Mike Tyson. “He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT. It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Since establishing MVP in 2021, Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul have disrupted combat sports, producing some of the world’s biggest events, making history in women’s boxing and giving a new platform to young fighters. Partnering with Netflix to bring Paul vs Tyson to audiences worldwide is a strategic decision to ensure this once-in-a-lifetime event that connects six generations of sports fans is distributed globally to hundreds of millions of fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dream matchup and we hope it will be the most-watched boxing event in modern boxing history,” said Nakisa Bidarian, founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Partnering with Netflix for this deal presents an unparalleled opportunity to bring Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson to the world on an unprecedented scale and we look forward to delivering this incredible clash of two of sports biggest names. Six generations of boxing fans will have a stake in the outcome and will be able to watch an anti-hero, Jake Paul, put it all on the line against the baddest man on the planet, Mike Tyson. Thank you to Netflix for their vision and trust in MVP to put on this historic event.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is the premier home for great sports entertainment with hits like Untold that featured "Jake Paul the Problem Child" episode last year, along with Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Full Swing, NASCAR: Full Speed, Quarterback, Tour de France: Unchained, Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team and Six Nations: Full Contact. And beginning in 2025, Netflix will become the new home of WWE Raw. Paul vs. Tyson will be Netflix’s third live sports event, following The Netflix Cup and The Netflix Slam.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” said Gabe Spitzer, Vice President, Nonfiction Sports, Netflix. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event and we can't wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix."</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional information, including the co-main event and undercards, will be announced at a later date. For the opportunity to sign up for presale tickets, click here. https://mostvaluablepromotions.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About Jake Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion. Since turning pro in 2020, Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also recently announced a partnership with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions. In November 2020, Paul faced Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul also continued his record-breaking streak in his latest fight, MVP’s Serrano vs. Meinke feat. Paul vs. Bourland by achieving the highest boxing gate in Puerto Rico history. Previously, Paul vs. August in December 2023 was the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Orlando’s history, and broke the record for highest average ticket price, matching the average ticket price of Paul’s fight vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson’s legacy is undisputed. As the former undisputed heavyweight champion and one of the most feared boxers in the ring, Mike Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA, and IBF world heavyweight titles and the first heavyweight boxer to hold the titles simultaneously, earning him nicknames as "Iron" Mike, Kid Dynamite, and The Baddest Man on the Planet. In 2011, Tyson was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, and in 2013 he was inaugurated into the Las Vegas Hall of Fame. Tyson returned to the ring to face Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition fight in November 2020 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. The boxing match was the 8th highest viewed on pay-per-view in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson’s enduring mass appeal garnered multiple successful entrepreneurial, film, and TV ventures, including The Hangover, The Hangover 2, Vendetta, and Asphalt City, Bollywood hit Liger, as well as documentary projects and his critically acclaimed one-man Broadway show Mike Tyson: UNDISPUTED TRUTH. Tyson launched his premier cannabis company, Tyson 2.0, in 2021, runs merchandise company the Mike Tyson Collection and boxing apparel and equipment company Tyson Pro, and recently announced his latest venture, testosterone treatment protocol Iron Remedy. Tyson also hosts the HotBoxin' podcast, launched in 2018, talking with some of the world's greatest sports legends, actors, and more. HotBoxin' has garnered over 40 million listeners, while Tyson's expansive digital footprint reaches over 400 million people and notably accumulated over 1.4 billion impressions on social media in 2019. Tyson's memoir Undisputed Truth, written with Larry Sloman, is a NYT best seller.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 260 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. Since inception MVP has consistently produced the biggest combat sports pay-per-view events. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. The company signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which is the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AT&T Stadium</p><p><br /></p><p>AT&T Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world's largest HDTV video board cluster, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandability for up to 100,000, over 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year-round. Outside the stadium, the Miller Lite® House is a branded destination that boasts a 70-yard Cowboys turf field featuring field games, four video boards and over 60 television screens, two fantasy football screen walls and over 87,000 outdoor square-footage for event day experiences. The space also features two beer gardens and a walk-in beer cooler. The stadium is also home to a world-class collection of contemporary art, made up of over 92 works of art by 62 established and emerging artists displayed on the walls and in the grand public spaces of the venue. In addition to being the home of the Dallas Cowboys since opening in 2009, the stadium has hosted Super Bowl XLV, the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the 2014 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2015 inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game, the 2015 50th Anniversary Academy of Country Music Awards show and WrestleMania 32 & 38. The venue has also played host to high school and college football, concerts, championship fights, international soccer matches and other special events. For more information, go to http://attstadium.com</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Netflix)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul as the -360 betting fav</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson is +300 as the underdog</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling </p><p>@AEW</p><p> Dynamite</p><p><br /></p><p>March 6, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Gas South Arena. Duluth, Georgia</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve addresses AEW Revolution & AEW Champ Samoa Joe answers! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2Ai4AC8ao&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swere. Listen to the fans brother. They live this man. There is no question about it" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"You know. I don't know if I deserve that Tony. You know, what's Swerves house without the keys"... Swerve Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Ospreay takes on ROH TV Champion & Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=3O3_HGxj3n8&t=10s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rainmaker OKADA is ALL ELITE?! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=3gp22yN_8xU&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of my profound pleasures is to call him a co-worker these past few years"</p><p><br /></p><p>FTW Championship Match! Mogul Embassy’s Brian Cage faces champion Hook! | 3/6/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=eNPyMhmzzHY&t=8s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get out of the way" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"The chair driven into the spine of the FTW champion" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>After their confrontation at AEW Revolution, Daddy Magic takes on Killswitch! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fkk1J55LSeQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Killswitch. He's biting Killswitches hand"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think we sould congratulate Christian Cage. Still being the TNT champion"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Long overdue"</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AEW Women’s Champ Riho vs Former TBS Champ Kris Statlander! | 3/6/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=ufdCZTGOgSc&t=9s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada in AEW! AEW Timelines </p><p>https://youtu.be/78xj6IQ9lFo?si=Dr8ZQUUO2bGwHuOa</p><p><br /></p><p>"Went for that moonsalt but Hangman, release German suplex" Excalibur "Oh my God".. "Flippy floppy in trouble"...Jim Ross "Ring awareness Cyrus" "You you how the buckshot lariat feels don't you" Tony Schivone "Shut up Tony" Don Callis "Buck shot lariat" Excalibur "That will do it..and it does" Jim Ross "Great win. Great match" TS "Shut the dam music off right now. Boys and girls whose ready for storytime with Adam Cole baby" Adam Cole "Here's Switchblade Jey White - not ready for storytime" Excalibur "One of the greatest of all modern time* Kazuchika Okada" Jim Ross Media Man: Tremendous collection of world class footage. Strong action and drama. This feature helps demonstrate well just how excellent Okada is. Well done AEW for signing up this once in a lifetime taken. Bring on more dream matches. AEW with a ton of positive momentum right now. </p><p><br /></p><p>And more great pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling </p><p>@AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada in AEW! AEW Timelines </p><p>https://youtu.be/78xj6IQ9lFo?si=Dr8ZQUUO2bGwHuOa</p><p><br /></p><p>"Went for that moonsalt but Hangman, release German suplex" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh my God"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"Flippy floppy in trouble"...Jim Ross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ring awareness Cyrus"</p><p><br /></p><p>"You you how the buckshot lariat feels don't you" Tony Schivone </p><p><br /></p><p>"Shut up Tony" Don Callis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Buck shot lariat" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"That will do it..and it does" Jim Ross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Great win. Great match" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"Shut the dam music off right now. Boys and girls whose ready for storytime with Adam Cole baby" Adam Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Here's Switchblade Jey White - not ready for storytime" Excalibur </p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the greatest of all modern time* Kazuchika Okada" Jim Ross</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tremendous collection of world class footage. Strong action and drama. This feature helps demonstrate well just how excellent Okada is. Well done AEW for signing up this once in a lifetime taken. Bring on more dream matches. AEW with a ton of positive momentum right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou</p><p><br /></p><p>Cross-Over Trend Continues As Elite Fighters Aim To Cash In; Public Demand Remains Solid says Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Fight Details</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou will take place on Friday, March 8</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV: </p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event and Kayo Sports in Australia</p><p>DAZN in many parts of the world</p><p><br /></p><p>Turning pro in 2013, Ngannou joined the UFC in 2015. He went 12-2 with the promotion and had 10 wins via knockout.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We were doing the promo and he was very chilled, very relaxed,” Predator Ngannou told news media at a workout on Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I asked him if he was OK, because he looked a little nervous or something. I asked him if he was OK, because I was OK. I had no problems. I was just talking around, laughing.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think we are both professional enough to know what we have to do to get to where we want to go.”</p><p><br /></p><p>AJ vs Francis Ngannou in do or die fight for the British superstar.</p><p><br /></p><p>The bout will be a ten-round boxing match, with the former two-time heavyweight champion and the former UFC (MMA) star competing in what's another big coup for Saudi dealmaker and super promoter Turki Alalshikh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joshua bested a cunning southpaw Otto Wallin on another blockbuster bill in the Middle East at the end of last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prior to last month's top notch fight card, Joshua was expected to fight long-term rival Deontay Wilder after his meeting with the Swede killer.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hopes of a deal were killled after the Bronze Bomber was on the wrong end of a shock defeat to Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou meanwhile surprised some (but not all) in the boxing biz following his impressive (but losing - officially) debut against Tyson Fury FKA Batman (insider stuff) in October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many thought the UFC legend got the better of the Gypsy King on the night, decking him on his ass the third round before losing a split decision in controversial fashion to say the least. WWE's Undertaker was careful with his words when he was quizzed on the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury now faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title on May 18. But, anything can happen in boxing folks. Both men have put on lots of cash and all sorts of legal paperwork has been put in place as a safeguard on the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>And the winner between Joshua and Ngannou are then set to challenge for the unified belts.</p><p><br /></p><p>We are on the Road To The Riyadh Rumble with reps and title shots on the line. </p><p><br /></p><p>Who will be King Of The Kingdome and Castle, at least for one night? That's why you have to order the PPV so you set to see it live before spoilers kick in punter!</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou — heavyweights</p><p><br /></p><p>Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker — WBO interim heavyweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Rey Vargas vs Nick Ball — WBC featherweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Kurbanov — vacant WBA super welterweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Gavin Gwynne vs. Mark Chamberlain — WBA international lightweight title</p><p><br /></p><p>Justis Huni vs. Kevin Lerena — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Fury vs. Martin Svarc — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims: 4pm UK</p><p><br /></p><p>Jack McGann vs. Louis Green — super welterweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Ziyad Almaayouf vs. Christian Lopez Flores — super lightweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrii Novytski vs. Juan Torres — heavyweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mac Life YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury argue: “Without boxing rules, you are NOTHING in front of me”</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=QfsSwhi0x9Y</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had to tell him OFF! He should be thanking me" 😡 | Tyson Fury on Ngannou exchange</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=folQY88mee8</p><p><br /></p><p>Sky Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>JOSHUA VS NGANNOU! 🔥 | PRESS CONFERENCE</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=cm0cnP2rAa8</p><p><br /></p><p>The FIRST face-off of fight week! 🥶 | Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=5nkSwGZLih0</p><p><br /></p><p>"I hope Joshua is not your friend" 😂 | Francis Ngannou has a message for Thierry Henry</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=-6quSaZ2Xak</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Ngannou Trolls Tyson Fury</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAqKpMU7-hg</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bet On Anything (Media Man Int)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: DAZN, Main Event an Kayo Sports</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown March 8, 2024 American Airlines Center Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Cody Rhodes confront The Bloodline?: WWE Now, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH4luVSUQwk&t=212s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Now previews a huge confrontation between The Rock and Roman Reigns and Seth “Freakin” Rollins and Cody Rhodes that hangs in the balance, United States Champion Logan Paul’s return, Bobby Lashley battling Karrion Kross and so much more. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline's Rock and Roman Reigns have challenged Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins to a match at WrestleMania @WrestleMania We may be hearing from "The American Nightmare" and "The Visionary" tonight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton and Kevin Owens vs Austin Theory and Grayson Waller</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul returns to SmackDown for the first time since WWE Elimination Chamber. Did LP bring the brass knucks?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross of The Authors of Pain/The Final Testament Faction vs Bobby Lashley of The Street Profits. An unholy war is almost upon us. What side are you taking?</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO's Rey Mysterio is set to spring into action tonight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Damage CNTL. This young ladies may not be quite ideal to introduce to a Mum or to those types who offend easily. But, when it comes to pro wrestling, this fiesty lassies are amoung the world's best. Damage set to live up to their name.</p><p><br /></p><p>God give mercy to Triple H and Nick Aldis, as well as Corey Graves @WWEGraves and Wade Barrett @StuBennett who have to call the action to this Pandora's box of dangerous sports entertainment - fighting, grappling with some rules and plenty of high drama!</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RomanReigns #TheRock #TheBloodline #DwayneJohnson #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #RoadToWrestleMania #PaulHeyman #SoloSikoa #TamaTonga #RandyOrton #KevinOwens #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #NiaJax #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #NickAldis #TripleH #KarrionKross #BobbyLashley #AOP #Goat #Goats #prowrestling #wrestling #broadcast #socialmedia #entertainment #PopCulture #legends #YouTube #video #FOX #socialmedianews #trends #trending #TrendingNow #buzz #TV #Dallas #Texas #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 8, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Dallas, Texas</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Wade, we have been around this game for a long long time and there is still absolutely nothing like experiencing The Rock in person" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Cody Rhodes taking back the main event of WrestleMania" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"Awakened a side of The Rock that has laid dormant for over 20 years. Man, what a treat for a couple of old school fans like us to be here to witness it Corey" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"No doubt about it" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Acknowledge us" Roman Reigns</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes music hits</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wait a minute. Cody Rhodes making his entrance from through the WWE Universe".CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"We saw earlier Nick Aldis and his security crew realise Cody and Seth had gone awol" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well Nick Aldis is trying to save a few bucks on security" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I feel very lucky to be standing in this ring". Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rock I have heard your challenge and I've heard the stipulations that come with said challenge.. for a tag team match at WrestleMania".. Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"I got to ask..Do you have the authority to make that stipulation" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"I only ask because only last week you acknowledged Roman as your Tribal Chief. I think we can cut through all this" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"You shut your mouth, and you walking clown show, you shut your mouth"..The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p>"Diarrhea" fans chant</p><p><br /></p><p>"Because you were a mistake" The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p>"Let 'em go" The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins accept: SmackDown, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNRJDEkZ4sQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #wwesmackdown #TheRock #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #FOX #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great stuff WWE. Hot crown and blue hot SmackDown with something for everyone.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: WWE with AI)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown </p><p><br /></p><p>March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown's most electrifying moments: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_UQUBX-pO8&t=365s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh wait a minute. From behind. Look out Logan"! Corey Graves @WWEGraves </p><p><br /></p><p>"Viper got KO'ed in the Elimination Chamber by a brass knux clan" Wade Barrett @StuBennett </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul may have forgotten about it, but Randy Orton sure didn't" CG </p><p><br /></p><p>How's that for product placement Bad News" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffiny Stratton can simply do it call" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dare say, the more confident she becomes,the more dangerous she becomes" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"After getting steamrolled for 75 percent of this match"</p><p><br /></p><p>"The wounds of war" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh no, The Street Profits are here" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"Michin came out of the gate strong but was unable to solve the center of the universe" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"Newcomers like Tiffany Stratton are quite simply not supposed to be this good, this quickly. She's already looking like a dominant force".. WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins accept: SmackDown, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNRJDEkZ4sQ&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas "Wade, we have been around this game for a long long time and there is still absolutely nothing like experiencing The Rock in person" Corey Graves "Cody Rhodes taking back the main event of WrestleMania" Wade Barrett "Awakened a side of The Rock that has laid dormant for over 20 years. Man, what a treat for a couple of old school fans like us to be here to witness it Corey" Wade Barrett "No doubt about it" Corey Graves "Acknowledge us" Roman Reigns Cody Rhodes music hits "Wait a minute. Cody Rhodes making his entrance from through the WWE Universe".CG "We saw earlier Nick Aldis and his security crew realise Cody and Seth had gone awol" Wade Barrett "Well Nick Aldis is trying to save a few bucks on security" CG "I feel very lucky to be standing in this ring". Cody Rhodes "Rock I have heard your challenge and I've heard the stipulations that come with said challenge.. for a tag team match at WrestleMania".. Cody Rhodes "I got to ask..Do you have the authority to make that stipulation" CR "I only ask because only last week you acknowledged Roman as your Tribal Chief. I think we can cut through all this" CR "You shut your mouth, and you walking clown show, you shut your mouth"..The Rock "Diarrhea" fans chant "Because you were a mistake" The Rock "Let 'em go" The Rock Video WWE YouTube FULL SEGMENT – Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins accept: SmackDown, March 8, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton remains undefeated: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5Md2K0RCLQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton RKOs KSI onto the PRIME logo: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkrEqu1Np8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Drumroll please" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alternate angles of Randy Orton's RKO onto KSI: SmackDown exclusive, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZlGVsKBZbU&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma beatdown Dragon Lee: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvUaLLEONqE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross tear each other apart: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIUZ4OeBEEE&t=37s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Almighting talking Cross" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Scarlett got caught red handed" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross suggests Montez Ford be the leader of The Pride: SmackDown exclusive, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV_tVRmSc0A&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What are you talking about? This is the desired outcome. Everybody around here is so wound up about winning. I have to win. I have to win the match or the fans aren't going to cheer for me. Bobby's obsessed with winning. Always have been. That's got him far, but now he's starting to make mistakes. And can you really afford to be making mistakes Bobby when your the leader of the pride. Your responsible for their careers"..."and now, you won, but how does it feel to win when your unconscious? Tell me Bobby? Put it in black and white!".. Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton steals Logan Paul's brass knuckles: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfwtiLlCVJg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Always ready to strike" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul from behind" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Massive thumbs on on a blue and red hot WWE SmackDown. And if you didn't see The Rock's most recent postings on social media including X, check it out. No wonder wrestlers are on trigger edge at present!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #wwesmackdown #TheRock #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #WrestleMania #LoganPaul #KSI #Prime #PrimeHydrate #DrinkPrime #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #RKO #AOP #KarrionKross #BobbyLashley #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #DragonLee #Angel #LDF #FOX #moments #highlights #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #video #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #Dallas #Texas #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross tear each other apart: SmackDown highlights, March 8, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=QIUZ4OeBEEE&t=37s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross suggests Montez Ford be the leader of The Pride: SmackDown exclusive, March 8, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV_tVRmSc0A&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What are you talking about? This is the desired outcome. Everybody around here is so wound up about winning. I have to win. I have to win the match or the fans aren't going to cheer for me. Bobby's obsessed with winning. Always has been. That's got him far, but now he's starting to make mistakes. And can you really afford to be making mistakes Bobby when you're the leader of the pride. Your responsible for their careers"..."and now, you won, but how does it feel to win when your unconscious? Tell me Bobby? Put it in black and white!".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #wwesmackdown #AOP #AuthorsOfPain #KarrionKross #Scarlett #TheLastTestament #BobbyLashley #MontezFord #KrossCult #KrossKult #Doomsday #TickTock #BlackAndWhite #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #video #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #Dallas #Texas #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am the secret sauce, and the WWE business has boomed" Logan Paul @LoganPaul </p><p><br /></p><p> “You could say WWE is in its’ PRIME" @PrimeHydrate LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smile back there. Maybe I'll tag you, probably not" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Drumroll please" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the secret sauce, and the WWE business has boomed" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could say WWE is in its PRIME" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Boy, Dallas, do I have a surprise for you'all" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"No Dallas, you're not dreaming. My company Prime Hydration has partnered with the WWE to be the first ever center ring sponsor of this great organisation" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>#smackdown #wwesmackdown #loganpaul #quote #quotes #ksi #prime #drinkprime #PrimeHydrate #sponsor #sponsorship #prowrestling #wrestling #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #ring #inring #trends #trending #ad #advert #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #cafenews #energy #energydrink #cafenewsmedia #cheers #buzz #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediasuperstar #socialmediamegasstar #socialmediastar #Influencers #media #Dallas #Texas #USA #media</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: WWE with Media Man AI)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling </p><p><br /></p><p>AEW </p><p>@AEW</p><p> Collision</p><p><br /></p><p>Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia</p><p><br /></p><p>March 9, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The new Elite, EVPs & Okada, make their in-ring AEW Debut! PAC returns! | 3/9/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=9GYxUuhNhcw&t=6s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Okada, The Rainmaker is All Elite. What an absolute blockbuster announcement that was made on Wednesday night".. Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL’s Titan makes his AEW debut vs the Lionheart Chris Jericho! | 3/9/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=s_qmxbdjnho&t=3s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tita with a parlay kick to the floor. How about that" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tita, wants to follow up" Nigel McGuiness</p><p><br /></p><p>"Here he goes. What great body control that was" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>CMLL Megastar, Mistico, returns to AEW to face Angelico! | 3/9/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=e-QExjtfCBE&t=3s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Using the top rope as his springboard" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"Mistico back in his wheelhouse" NM</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson faces STP’s heavy hitter, Shane Taylor! ENTER WILL Ospreay! | 3/9/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=VshQRgU-AEA&t=3s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now working on the hamstrings but still working on the left leg" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swing and a miss by Taylor" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"He's trying to get more punishment, more revenge" NM</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Copeland interrupts The Patriarchy’s Nick Wayne’s moment! | 3/9/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=4nNZN0oqdmU&t=4s</p><p><br /></p><p>"Trained by his late father, Buddy Wayne. Now he's got a better father whose never late" NG</p><p><br /></p><p>"So agile. So incredibly athletic is Nick Wayne" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"There's mum and hm dad watching on" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"Security, get some security out here" NM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Is this a luchador? Is this somebody from CMLL?".. TS</p><p><br /></p><p>ATLANTA STREET FIGHT! House of Black vs Briscoe, Lethal, & Jarrett! | 3/9/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=iweidRmLn4U&t=4s</p><p><br /></p><p>"They're going to use a table here on Jeff Jarrett" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"You are looking at House Of Black. Right now dominating this street fight" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, look at that, That's nitro fluid" NM</p><p><br /></p><p>"No, no, no" TS</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great to see some fresh match-ups. The roster is stacked. Let's leave it with the AEW powers that be for the creative. Chris Jericho remains our top AEW pick. Still loving the CMLL cross-over. Very solid. The anticipation for the next AEW supershows is massive. </p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Official YouTube channel offers highlights and moments to give a glimpse into the future </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Box Office News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Kung Fu Panda 4 vs Dune 2 and the rest</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Semi Gonzo Journalism With Numbers</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Franchise Movies Reduce Risk; Proven Formula</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Panda Spirited Fans Will Walk Up In Droves; Call Of The Wild</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Dune's Space Cadets Will Gladly Beam Into Cinema Regardless of reviews, trends or buzz etc</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bulls, Bears and Pandas - Horror Remains Tough Sell Not Nor For Hardcore Obsessed Fans; Goth's Must Exercise Their Inner Demon</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A Hunting We Will Go - The Hero's Journey Formula Remains Tried, True and Tested</p><p><br /></p><p>Cinema Remains A Form Of Escapism From Often Crazy World</p><p><br /></p><p>Panda-Mania</p><p><br /></p><p>Jack Black Po is back baby.</p><p><br /></p><p>The audience missed you, they really, really missed you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kung Fu Panda 4 started off its run on the big screen with a Friday opening gross of $13.8 million, including $3.8 in Thursday previews. </p><p><br /></p><p>Panda opening to a near-series best $55 million over Oscar weekend in a win for the family sector, as well as for DreamWorks Animation and parent company Universal (the studio behind Sunday’s Academy Awards frontrunner Oppenheimer, as well as Focus Features’ The Holdovers). </p><p><br /></p><p>The only other Kung Fu installment to open higher was the virgin one in 2008 with $62 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Along with Black, returning members of the Kung Fu 4 voice cast include Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master Shifu, James Hong as Po’s adoptive father, Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father Li, and Ian McShane as Shifu’s former student and arch nemesis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Along with Black, returning members of the Kung Fu 4 voice cast include Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master Shifu, James Hong as Po’s adoptive father, Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father Li, and Ian McShane as Shifu’s former student and arch nemesis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dune In Search Of Numbers</p><p><br /></p><p>Box office experts... aren't we all, think Dune 2 could earn $40 million, give or take its second week, but now that number looks to rocket as high as $44 million for a drop of just 47 percent. Call it part of the Imax factor with audiences loving large-format screens to fully take in the universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step In Right Or Wrong Direction With 'Imaginary'</p><p><br /></p><p>Got To Watch Those Stepfamily Dynamics</p><p><br /></p><p>Lionsgate and Blumhouse’s Imaginary also entered the movie matrix and earned $725,000US on Thursday previews. Horror remains a niche, but studios know there's an audience for it. Tipped to get up to about $9 mill. Jason Blum remains in the top tier at what he does - scaring the hell out of people! Sweet dreams hey.</p><p><br /></p><p>Numbers Mania</p><p><br /></p><p>More solid numbers in 12 to 24 hour folks. Research and preparation helps offer accuracy</p><p><br /></p><p>IMDb and Box Office Pro preparing solid numbers for release, media and those on a need to know basis!</p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Trailers</p><p><br /></p><p>KUNG FU PANDA 4 | Official Trailer</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=_inKs4eeHiI</p><p><br /></p><p>This spring, for the first time in almost a decade, comedy icon Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4. After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Golden Globe nominee Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position. Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm. So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Golden Globe winner Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places. The film features the voice talent of returning stars Academy Award® winner Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master, Shifu; James Hong (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Po’s adoptive father, Mr. Ping; Academy Award® nominee Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li, and Emmy Award nominee Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Shifu’s former student and arch-nemesis. Oscar® winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joins the ensemble as a new character, Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves. Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by Mike Mitchell (DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls, Shrek Forever After) and produced by Rebecca Huntley (DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys). The film’s co-director is Stephanie Ma Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power). In 2008, the Academy Award®-nominated 2008 inaugural chapter, Kung Fu Panda, became DreamWorks Animation’s highest-grossing original animated film and launched a franchise that has earned more than $1.8 billion at the global box-office.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Universal Pictures)</p><p><br /></p><p>Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 3</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=U2Qp5pL3ovA&t=1s</p><p><br /></p><p>You are not prepared for what is to come. #DunePartTwo - Only in theaters March 1. Tickets are on sale NOW. </p><p><br /></p><p>The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.” The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Wonka,” “Call Me by Your Name”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Malcolm & Marie,” “Euphoria”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Avengers: End Game,” “Milk”), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis,” “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (“Black Widow,” “Little Women”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Thor: Love and Thunder”), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter,” “Hairspray”), Léa Seydoux (the “James Bond” franchise and “Crimes of the Future”), Souheila Yacoub (“The Braves,” “Climax”), with Stellan Skarsgård (the “Mamma Mia!” films, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Being the Ricardos”). “Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick. The executive producers are Joshua Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson serving as creative consultant. Villeneuve is again collaborating with his “Dune” creatives: Oscar-winning director of photography Greig Fraser; Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermette; Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker; Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West. Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is again on hand to create the score. Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Present A Legendary Pictures Production, A Film By Denis Villeneuve, “Dune: Part Two.” The film is slated for a March 1, 2024 release in theaters and IMAX nationwide and internationally beginning on 28 February 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing/Sports Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson announced match for July 20, 2024, in Texas for streaming on Netflix </p><p>@netflix</p><p> draws mixed reaction from boxing purists, insiders, casual and non-fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"A Live Global Sports Event" (Netflix Marque)</p><p><br /></p><p>"Problem Child" vs "Iron" Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Generous Remuneration Package aka Purse For Competitors</p><p><br /></p><p>Depends who you ask: Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuation of big live event deals for Netflix after fans and niche media pitches for years</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix - WWE Raw Deal Set To Commence January 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Brother Logan May Be Double WWE Pro Wrestling Champ Within 15 Months</p><p><br /></p><p>This Is The Influencer Boxer Era (on steroids)</p><p><br /></p><p>Demonstrates Power Of Streaming Sports Over Traditional PPV (Pay-Per-View)</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports Participants and Promoters Watching This Space With Eagle Eye</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul Still Enjoys Strong Relationship with PFL (Professional Fighters League) As Far As Everyone Knows</p><p><br /></p><p>Will A.I and/or Special Effects and Hollywood Type Staging Play Role In Bout?</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Tyson's CBD Products Get An On Screen Plug?</p><p><br /></p><p>Contest/Exhibition Will Make History (Hopefully Positive Beyond Payday)</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcast Purists Having Field Day!</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix's Success With F1 'Drive To Survive' May Have Played Role In N's Investment In Pro Wrestling aka Sports Entertainment, followed by Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>What's Next For Netflix! ; The Mind Boggles!</p><p><br /></p><p>*Media Man management have worked in and around sports and combat sports broadcasting in a full time capacity for many years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Copy created to help stand out from the pack in an action packed combat sports weekend!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Netflix Nederland & België</p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson | Live Event</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=-VLCOThWl2g</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Dallas, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am the secret sauce, and the WWE business has boomed" Logan Paul </p><p>@LoganPaul</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> “You could say WWE is in its’ PRIME" </p><p>@PrimeHydrate</p><p> LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smile back there. Maybe I'll tag you, probably not" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Drumroll please" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the secret sauce, and the WWE business has boomed" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could say WWE is in its PRIME" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Boy, Dallas, do I have a surprise for you'all" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"No Dallas, you're not dreaming. My company Prime Hydration has partnered with the WWE to be the first ever center ring sponsor of this great organisation" LP</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul's 'Prime' becomes WWE's largest sponsor in company history, will be first in-ring ad</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul is currently the WWE's United States champion</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Paul brothers are continuing to build on their empires, both in business and combat sports.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jake has become a successful boxer and promoter, recently announcing a bout with Mike Tyson slated for July 20 - his older brother, Logan, is a WWE superstar and current holder of the United States Championship.</p><p><br /></p><p>Both Paul brothers are heavily invested in the energy drink business, as well - Logan is a co-founder of Prime, while Jake is a partner with CELSIUS.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Both drinks boomed in 2023, and for Logan, he's about to get a lot more ad time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul and the WWE came to an agreement for Prime to become the official hydration drink partner of the wrestling company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, it's the largest sponsorship deal in WWE's history, and the Prime logo will soon be featured in the center of the ring - it will be the first advertisement ever placed in the WWE ring.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Combining two of my greatest achievements into one knockout partnership is a dream come true," Paul said in a statement. "We’ve worked incredibly hard at Prime to build a brand that disrupts the beverage industry and it’s time to join forces with the global leader in sports entertainment."</p><p><br /></p><p>"What Logan and his team have built in a short time is phenomenal and we’re excited to help showcase Prime Hydration across our biggest events," WWE chief content officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque added.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the secret sauce, and the WWE business has boomed," Paul said in the ring on Friday's "Smackdown," ironically in Dallas where his brother will fight Tyson. </p><p><br /></p><p>"One can say, the WWE is in its prime."</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul said the ads in the ring will start at WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prime launched in 2022 and brought in over $1 billion in sales last year. Other partners include Patrick Mahomes, Auston Matthews, and Israel Adesanya.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing legend Mike Tyson to face off against Jake Paul in July bout: 'I plan to finish him'</p><p><br /></p><p>The July 20 fight will be streamed on Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson, one of the greatest fighters to ever step into the boxing ring, will do so again this summer when he takes on one of the sport's most polarizing new faces in what will surely be the most anticipated sporting event of the year. </p><p><br /></p><p>Jake Paul, a YouTube star-turned-boxer, will take on the former heavyweight boxing champion on July 20 at the Dallas Cowboys' home, AT&T Stadium, in a match that will be streamed exclusively on Netflix. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard. Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons," Paul said in a statement released by Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime."</p><p><br /></p><p>The fight will mark Paul’s second bout of the year and Tyson’s first since his exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT," Tyson’s statement read. </p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him."</p><p><br /></p><p>According to ESPN, it has not been determined if the fight will be classified as an exhibition or pro match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul, 27, is coming off a first-round victory over Ryan Bourland in Puerto Rico. It marked his ninth victory in 10 professional fights, each of the last two having come against fellow boxers after fights against MMA fighters like Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva. </p><p><br /></p><p>His lone loss is to Tommy Fury, the brother of Tyson Fury. </p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson’s return to the ring follows his 2020 bout against Jones, which marked his first professional fight in over 15 years. He will be 58 when he faces off against Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Boss Dana White On Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou - March 9, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>“I did not,” White responded. “I mean I saw it on social media. What did I make of it (the finish)? Yea, I mean, going into the Fury fight… If Fury trained for the fight and didn’t show up looking like he ate Tyson Fury, that’s probably the way that fight would have ended too. I mean listen, the crossover, you know how I feel about crossovers in boxing and that’s how they end. Just like that.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE ® & PRIME HYDRATION STRIKE RECORD-SETTING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FEATURING FIRST-EVER RING MAT BRANDING</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Logan Paul and KSI-Founded PRIME Hydration Becomes First Official Partner to Activate Across TKO Group Holdings Companies</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., March 8, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), and Logan Paul and KSI’s widely popular beverage brand PRIME today struck a record-setting global partnership that will see PRIME Hydration become the exclusive “Official Hydration Drink Partner” of WWE and the first partner to ever appear on the center of the WWE ring.</p><p><br /></p><p>As WWE’s exclusive “Official Hydration Drink Partner,” PRIME Hydration will receive unprecedented exposure and integration within key WWE assets, highlighted by never-before-seen center mat branding at Premium Live Events (PLEs) such as WrestleMania and Money In The Bank. Further, PRIME Hydration will earn key brand placement within WWE events including WrestleMania XL and Survivor Series, match sponsorships, co-presenter designations at future PLEs, product activations at live events, social support from WWE Superstars across retail and digital activations, and more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, PRIME Hydration will be the first official partner to activate across both TKO companies. In January 2023, UFC struck an exclusive global partnership with PRIME Hydration that features a number of branded integrations and entitlements, including the Official Hydration Drink of UFC and Official Partner of the UFC Performance Institute. Earlier this year, TKO brought together the global partnerships teams at UFC and WWE to form a singular global partnerships unit with a unified sponsorship strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition, official Money In The Bank Priority Passes are now available through exclusive partner On Location. Money In The Bank Priority Passes offer fans the chance to be ringside for every exhilarating mo“What Logan and his team have built in a short time is phenomenal and we’re excited to help showcase PRIME Hydration across our biggest events,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Combining two of my greatest achievements into one knockout partnership is a dream come true,” said PRIME Co-Founder Logan Paul. “We’ve worked incredibly hard at PRIME to build a brand that disrupts the beverage industry and it’s time to join forces with the global leader in sports entertainment. Thank you to everyone on both sides who have played an important role in bringing PRIME Hydration to the ring.”</p><p><br /></p><p>With bold, thirst-quenching flavors to help refresh, replenish, and refuel, PRIME Hydration's goal is to create a drink that can fuel any lifestyle. Available in a range of flavors that include orange, grape, ice pop, blue raspberry, lemon lime and tropical punch, each drink comes with added nutritional benefits to compliment taste. PRIME Hydration has a coconut water base and boasts BCAA to aid muscle recovery, B vitamins, antioxidants, and electrolytes.</p><p><br /></p><p>About PRIME</p><p>Founded in 2022 by entrepreneurs and influencers, Logan Paul and KSI, PRIME is a global lifestyle beverage brand focused on providing better fuel for any endeavor. PRIME offers its highly coveted flagship product, PRIME Hydration, a healthier sports drink alternative with zero added sugar in both bottled and powdered form for on-the-go, as well as PRIME Energy, its caffeinated energy drink. PRIME products can be found at Target, GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, Walmart and Kroger Family Stores nationwide as well as select retailers globally. For more information on PRIME and where it is sold, please visit https://drinkprime.com/pages/where-to-buy</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE,® SURPASSES 100 MILLION SUBSCRIBER MARK ON YOUTUBE</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Accelerates WWE’s Growth On Platform</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., March 8, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today surpassed 100 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel, becoming one of only 10 channels worldwide to achieve the milestone.</p><p><br /></p><p>The return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has helped supercharge the channel’s subscriber total in recent months, highlighted by the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event in Las Vegas on Feb. 8 which added more than 100,000 subscribers in a day. Further, every segment featuring “The Rock” since his surprise Friday Night SmackDown return on September 15, 2023, has drawn more than one million views. Prior to The Rock’s return to WWE television in September, the company was tracking to reach the 100 million subscriber milestone in late April.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more than 100 million subscribers and 81 billion lifetime views, WWE is the largest sports channel on YouTube and No. 10 overall. The new subscriber total is more than the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL combined. An early adopter of the platform, WWE joined YouTube in 2007 and has since created and curated exclusive and original content to super serve the WWE Universe. Today, the channel combines premiere in-ring action highlights from Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, NXT and premium live events, archival premium live event footage, exclusive interviews and content featuring WWE Superstars, weekly episodes of The Bump, post-event press conferences, and more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much of WWE’s success on the platform is owed to original programming created specifically for YouTube. Productions such as WWE Playback where Superstars rewatch classic matches, WWE Now, a news series covering all things WWE, and popular highlight compilations like WWE Top 10 and WWE Playlist have driven massive growth for the channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MAIN CARD RESULTS | UFC 299: O'MALLEY VS VERA 2 - March 10, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>See The Fight Results, Watch Post-Fight Interviews With The Main Card Winners And More From UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2, Live From Kaseya Center In Miami</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Following a thoroughly entertaining preliminary card slate, the action at Kaseya Center in Miami shifted to pay-per-view and was ratcheted up a notch or two.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bantamweights Petr Yan and Song Yadong opened the main card in style before Jack Della Maddalena made a statement, Michael “Venom” Page impressed in his debut, and Dustin Poirier reminded everyone why he’s been a fixture in the lightweight title picture for the last five years. And then, in the main event, bitter rivals Sean O’Malley and Marlon “Chito” Vera settled their differences with the bantamweight title hanging in the balance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: O'Malley vs Vera 2 Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean O’Malley defeats Marlon Vera by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-44)</p><p>Dustin Poirier defeats Benoit Saint Denis by KO (strikes) at 2:32 of Round 2</p><p>Michael Page defeats Kevin Holland by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28. 29-28)</p><p>Jack Della Maddalena defeats Gilbert Burns by KO (knee and elbows) at 3:43 of Round 3</p><p>Petr Yan defeats Song Yadong by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p>Curtis Blaydes defeats Jailton Almeida by TKO (strikes) at 0:36 of Round 2</p><p>Maycee Barber defeats Katlyn Cerminara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)</p><p>Mateusz Gamrot defeats Rafael Dos Anjos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)</p><p>Kyler Phillips defeats Pedro Munoz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p>Philipe Lins defeats Ion Cutelaba by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p>Michel Pereira defeats Michal Oleksiejczuk by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:01 of Round 1</p><p>Robelis Despaigne defeats Josh Parisian by TKO (strikes) at 0:18 of Round 1</p><p>Asu Almabayev defeats CJ Vergara by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p>Joanne Wood defeats Maryna Moroz by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google fires employee who interrupted tech conference with anti-Israel rant: 'Not okay'</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The pro-Palestinian employee interrupted an Israeli speaker affiliated with Google</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Google employee who interrupted a tech conference by unleashing an anti-Israel rant and accusing his company of "power[ing] genocide" has been terminated, FOX Business has learned.</p><p><br /></p><p>The disruption happened at New York City's "Mind the Tech" conference on Monday. Google Israel managing director Barak Regev was giving a lecture at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>The employee, whose name was not released by Google, abruptly interrupted Regev's speech to reference the war between Hamas and Israel. The conflict began on Oct. 7, after Hamas terrorists massacred Israeli civilians on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm a Google cloud software engineer, and I refused to build technology that powers genocide or surveillance!" the employee said, referring to the Israeli military's bombardment of Gaza.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Project Nimbus puts Palestinian community members in danger," the Google employee shouted, as the audience appeared to groan at his speech. "I refused to build technology that powers genocide."</p><p><br /></p><p>Audience members were heard mocking the employee, who was quickly escorted out of the room by security.</p><p><br /></p><p>"See ya later!" one woman yelled back.</p><p><br /></p><p>Project Nimbus is a $1.2 billion contract between Amazon Web Services, Google and Israel. The project helps provide cloud services for the Israeli government and military.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Regev handled the interruption coolly and commended Google for being a "democratic" institution that allowed different opinions before he continued with his speech.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google confirmed the termination of the employee to FOX Business.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Earlier this week, an employee disrupted a coworker who was giving a presentation – interfering with an official company-sponsored event," the Google spokesperson explained.</p><p><br /></p><p>"This behavior is not okay, regardless of the issue, and the employee was terminated for violating our policies."</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Paul Heyman to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As first reported by the Associated Press, Paul Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>The outspoken, brusque New Yorker first gained enemies under the guise of Paul E. Dangerously in WCW. Managing Steve Austin, Arn Anderson and Rick Rude in a stable he dubbed his Dangerous Alliance, Heyman used a Big Apple attitude and an oversized 1980s cell phone to help his charges run through the likes of Sting and Ricky Steamboat.</p><p><br /></p><p>After WCW released the hothead in 1993, Heyman found an opportunity in failure, turning a modest Philadelphia-based independent promotion called Eastern Championship Wrestling into the notoriously daring Extreme Championship Wrestling. Inspired by alternative rock music and MTV, the innovator took ECW from public access to national pay-per-view by endorsing brutal bouts showcasing the rare combination of misfit warriors alongside cutting-edge athletes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Credited with inspiring WWE’s landmark “Attitude Era,” the controversial brand became the third-largest wrestling company in the world before it was crippled by financial problems in 2001. Heyman joined WWE as Jim Ross’ broadcast partner, but it wouldn’t be long before the nonconformists of ECW reemerged in WWE as part of the infamous “Invasion.” Aligning himself with Stephanie and Shane McMahon, Heyman came frighteningly close to overthrowing WWE but ultimately failed to bring down his competition.</p><p><br /></p><p>Time and again, however, Heyman was able to find his way back in, forming alliances with Superstars like CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Big Show and Kurt Angle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the summer of 2020, Heyman has been firmly entrenched as the Special Council to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, where he lends his opinion and uses his outspoken nature to advise one of the most impressive title reigns in WWE history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Heyman’s influence on sports-entertainment has become immeasurable, as his brash, in-your-face attitude has paved the way for multiple generations of managers and Superstars. With a resume that is unmatched, Heyman now takes his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Congratulations to Paul Heyman on becoming a WWE Hall of Famer!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bull Nakano to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As first reported by ESPN, Bull Nakano will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nakano was a warrior, plain and simple, and the women who survived their run-ins with her have the scars to prove it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Debuting as a competitor in the notoriously stern world of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling when she was only a teenager, Nakano became familiar to WWE fans when she terrorized Alundra Blayze in 1994. She competed in WWE long before that, however, teaming up with powerhouse Dump Matsumoto as The Devils of Japan on a series of shows in 1986.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even back then, Nakano was already carving out her persona as a black-hearted villain with a captivating appearance that was equal parts Tokyo scream queen and Bowery punk rocker. Shaving the sides of her long hair before it was popular, Bull rocked leather vests and fright makeup to draw the crowd's attention, but she was much more than that.</p><p><br /></p><p>A singles champion in Japan, Mexico, and WWE, Nakano intimidated opponents with her unbridled intensity and put them down with her imposing frame. Taking obvious pleasure in causing pain, she’d grab a handful of hair and fling a rival across the ring in tribute to The Fabulous Moolah.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nakano became a revered sports-entertainment figure following a string of physical encounters against formidable opponents like Aja Kong and Manami Toyota in Japan. It was this international reputation that brought her to WWE in 1994 for a rivalry with Blayze that revitalized the long-stagnant Women’s Title. The two battled exhaustively throughout the year with Nakano’s biggest victory coming on Nov. 24, 1994, when she won the Women’s Championship in front of more than 42,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nakano and Blayze rumbled again in WCW in 1995, but her in-ring career began to wind down soon after. Following a brief stint as a professional golfer, Nakano officially retired from wrestling on Jan. 8, 2012. </p><p><br /></p><p>Her iconic career both domestically and abroad influenced multiple generations that followed, cementing her legacy as one of the all-time greats as she now takes her rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The U.S. Express to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As reported first by The Ringer, The U.S. Express will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Competitors at the first WrestleMania with deep family ties in the sports-entertainment industry, Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham changed tag team wrestling forever when they debuted together as The U.S. Express.</p><p><br /></p><p>Entering the arena with rock ‘n’ roll legend Bruce Springsteen’s iconic “Born in The U.S.A.” blasting on the speakers, The U.S. Express was one of the most entertaining and exciting duos of the ’80s.</p><p><br /></p><p>As two-time World Tag Team Champions in their career, Rotunda & Windham battled many WWE legends including the team of Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik as well as The Dream Team composed of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine & Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake.</p><p><br /></p><p>As real-life brothers-in-law, family was essential to both Superstars as Windham’s father, Blackjack Mulligan, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of The Blackjacks. Windham himself was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of The Four Horsemen in 2012.</p><p><br /></p><p>Their legacy continued into the newer generation as Rotunda’s two sons, Windham (named after Barry) and Taylor, notably competed in WWE as Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a pioneering tag team, Windham & Rotunda helped pave the way for decades of tag team excellence to come and for their incredible contributions, they will be immortalized in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>'One Of The Greatest Of All Time' - MMA Fighters & Fans React After Joanna Jędrzejczyk Joins 2024 UFC Hall Of Fame Class</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Jędrzejczyk is to be honored at this year's HOF ceremony.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The MMA community took to social media to give their reactions after former women's strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk was announced as the latest addition to the UFC Hall of Fame.</p><p><br /></p><p>At recent pay-per-view events, the promotion has been revealing this year's inductees into the HOF. And joining Frankie Edgar and Wanderlei Silva in the Modern Wing will be Jędrzejczyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Polish great won the 115-pound belt with a victory over Carla Esparza in 2015 and went on to defend it five times consecutively against the likes of Cláudia Gadelha and Jéssica Andrade.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>While she was unable to regain the strap after being dethroned by Rose Namajunas, Jędrzejczyk went on to figure in one of the greatest fights of all time opposite Zhang Weili at UFC 248 in 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>Her induction was announced at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, during the UFC 299 broadcast. She'll join former bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey as the only females inducted.</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA Community Reacts To Joanna Jędrzejczyk's UFC Hall Of Fame Induction</p><p><br /></p><p>Unsurprisingly, the addition of a legend and pioneer like Jędrzejczyk to the UFC Hall of Fame drew out plenty of reactions from fighters, fans, and pundits on social media, with many flocking to brand the induction more than deserving.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bloody Elbow News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>No more Google business for us, no more Bloody Elbow for me</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I’ve have sold BloodyElbow.com, the social media accounts, trademarks and content.</p><p><br /></p><p>The press release from our acquirer is below.</p><p><br /></p><p>The buyer did not acquire this Substack newsletter, the podcast and our YouTube channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>We will have to rebrand but we plan to continue to bring you the independent combat sports news coverage, analysis, and opinion that made Bloody Elbow a respected name in the community.</p><p><br /></p><p>More on that after this press release from GRV Media:</p><p><br /></p><p>GRV Media Ltd is pleased to announce that it has acquired the website and social media assets of Bloodyelbow.com. No staff or contributors will be coming across to GRV following the sale.</p><p><br /></p><p>The critically acclaimed website was founded by Nate Wilcox in 2007, and he acquired the rights to Bloody Elbow, purchasing the site from its former parent media company Vox in March, 2023. The site is notable for its investigative reporting, breaking news coverage, opinion and analysis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nate said: 'We have worked hard over the last year to try to preserve the Bloody Elbow legacy. After much thought, and with a heavy heart, I have decided to sell the website assets. Like many online publishers in the last year or so, we have faced economic headwinds, increased regulation and dramatic shifts in major platform algorithms. It's been quite a journey, but it's now time to move on'.</p><p><br /></p><p>'I would like to thank our readers, partners and contributors who have supported us through the years. My thanks, too, to the team over at GRV Media, who have been professional and understanding during the sale process. The company has kindly agreed that I can continue to operate in this space should I elect to do so'.</p><p><br /></p><p>GRV Media Executive Chairman Vic Daniels said: 'Bloodyelbow will complement our existing portfolio of sports brands, which operate in football, F1, golf, NFL, tennis and wrestling. We will be changing the Bloody Elbow content strategy, and will be producing MMA news and views with a different slant as we build the reader base'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Graham Morris, GRV's CEO, said: 'We are delighted to be adding the Bloody Elbow brand to our existing portfolio of websites. This deal demonstrates what we are committed to a strategy of growing our business both organically and via acquisitions. We wish Nate and all his team the very best for the future'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Abner of WeBrokr.com advised GRV Media on this deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>When I was laid off from Vox Media in January of last year and was presented the opportunity to buy Bloody Elbow from them I jumped at the chance.</p><p><br /></p><p>My initial inclination had been to run Bloody Elbow as a subscription-based collective modeled on The Defector.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately, the cost of buying the assets from Vox and building a new website pushed me in the direction of forming a corporation, raising money from investors (friends and family) to cover the costs of the launch and once I’d made those decisions, I committed to running the way Vox had, as a corporate entity, primarily dependent on Google’s programmatic search traffic and programmatic ad monopoly.</p><p><br /></p><p>We launched this Substack in March of 2023 and quickly raised (almost) enough money to pay for the site redesign and rebuild. But as soon as we launched the new BloodyElbow.com in April, the subscriber money rapidly dropped off and I had to raise additional investor money.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’ve been a long-time skeptic of ad-driven, Google-dependent media but had hoped to use the site’s ad revenue to fund the development of alternate revenue streams — subscriptions, direct sales, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter — unfortunately, we had much less lead time than I had anticipated.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we initially launched our traffic improved dramatically year-over-year. Unfortunately, the start-up costs and my enthusiasm for buying content meant we weren’t profitable until August.</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s when I drew my first paycheck (and so far only) from the new company — I paid myself roughly 30% of what I had drawn at Vox and was only the 2nd or 3rd best-paid member of the team.</p><p><br /></p><p>If things had held steady for a few more months we might have had a chance but…</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s when Google updated its algorithm. It wasn’t their best work.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The new algorithm killed us. Traffic fell by 50% or more and revenue fell even further.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is just the latest downgrading of Bloody Elbow in Google’s search results that has been going on for over a decade. This Reddit thread has a succinct explanation:</p><p><br /></p><p>Google sucks so much now because around a decade ago, they abandoned the measurement known as "Page Utility" which just measured the usefulness of the site itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, they migrated to "Expertise-Authority-Trust" which had good intentions of stopping the proliferation of bad info, but instead it basically resulted in prioritizing large corporations and capital over any sites created by average people.</p><p><br /></p><p>The contract workers known as "raters" they employed to help determine the best search results became an echo chamber, as there were strict demands on exactly what the right answers were in most cases, and straying from the expectations of Big G resulted in poor reviews and possible firing. Of course, we were not allowed to say the G word - we could only say "The Client."</p><p><br /></p><p>It's about to get worse, too - they just laid off a huge swathe of them.</p><p><br /></p><p>We tried multiple fixes including a change in ad partner, new web servers, an emphasis on direct sales rather than programmatic advertising…nothing worked.</p><p><br /></p><p>By the end of January, we were hemorrhaging money and I had to tap out.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’ll be keeping this newsletter going under a new name with contributions from the best Bloody Elbow alumni I can afford along with submissions from new writers and creators.</p><p><br /></p><p>We’ll be offering paid subscribers a chance to choose our new name from four finalists. But that’s for a future email.</p><p><br /></p><p>The dream of independent combat sports media is not dead, it just won’t be dependent on Google anymore.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Bloody Elbow)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Alphabet to Present at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference</b></p><p><br /></p><p>MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (February 8, 2024) – Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced that Philipp Schindler, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Google, will participate in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. The session is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:05 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Alphabet Inc.</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet is a collection of companies, the largest of which is Google. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in September 1998 and the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. Billions of people use its wide range of popular products and platforms each day, like Search, Ads, Chrome, Cloud, YouTube and Android.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Results</p><p><br /></p><p>MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – January 30, 2024 – Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced</p><p>financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sundar Pichai, CEO, said: “We are pleased with the ongoing strength in Search and the growing contribution from</p><p>YouTube and Cloud. Each of these is already benefiting from our AI investments and innovation. As we enter the</p><p>Gemini era, the best is yet to come.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer; CFO said: “We ended 2023 with very strong fourth quarter</p><p>financial results, with Q4 consolidated revenues of $86 billion, up 13% year over year. We remain committed to our</p><p>work to durably re-engineer our cost base as we invest to support our growth opportunities.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Q4 2023 Financial Highlights</p><p><br /></p><p>The following table summarizes our consolidated financial results for the quarters and years ended December 31,</p><p>2022 and 2023 (in millions, except for per share information and percentages). </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>News start-up will lose half a million readers if Meta goes nuclear - March 10, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The founders of The Daily Aus have warned that young Australians will turn to ill-informed but opinionated influencers if Meta blocks news from its platforms, as the Instagram-led outlet faces the prospect of losing touch with half a million of its followers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zara Seidler and Sam Koslowski started the digital news outlet as a social media account in 2017 and have gradually built a following of 530,000 people on Instagram. The start-up now has a website, newsletter, podcast and 18 full-time staff.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But the audience and revenue The Daily Aus gets from Instagram is in serious jeopardy. There is a very real possibility Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, will take the nuclear option and block news on its platforms in coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>This would echo a similar but short-lived ban in 2021, which came as a result of a war with the federal government and major news publishers. Meta has permanently blocked news in Canada after a similar battle to force it to pay for content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has declared it will not renew $70 million in annual deals compensating Australian news outlets for content. The Albanese government said it would move to force it to negotiate.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It would hurt [if Meta blocked news], but it wouldn’t be the end,” Ms Seidler said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Obviously, our biggest audience remains there. But we think about it as the front door ... We could have grown Instagram to double what it is – but didn’t.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had to find where else we could create the relationships.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Publishing primarily on Instagram, Ms Seidler and Mr Koslowski were told by potential investors, when they were raising capital in 2021 and 2022, to protect their business from being at the whim of a global social giant. In 2017, the year they started The Daily Aus, Facebook changed its algorithm and virtually killed off viral, social-led publishers – Buzzfeed, for example – within months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Aus has spent the past three years building audiences outside Meta’s platforms – including a newsletter audience of 180,000 people and a daily podcast that reaches 125,000 monthly listeners – but its biggest presence is still Instagram. It has 120,000 followers on TikTok and 8000 on Facebook.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ms Seidler and Mr Koslowski say a news ban would “influence future hiring decisions” but they insist the publication would survive. Their gravest concerns are about where younger Aussies will get their news if a ban does go ahead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think it’ll be disastrous. We’ll see a rise of influencer-led commentary – I imagine Meta won’t include those accounts in a blanket ban,” Ms Seidler says.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got all of this opinion and a very little foundation of knowledge accompanying it. We’ll have a void. We can’t expect young people will move elsewhere. Every bit of research says they use these platforms to inform themselves.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Aus didn’t do a deal with Facebook in 2021. It did, however, receive money from the platform through its $15 million Meta Australian News Fund, which was managed by The Walkley Foundation. It has also joined an industry group for digital news publishers, the Digital Publishers Alliance.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In 2021, we did not have a seat at the table. We’re in a much better position. The DPA means we even get a voice in these things,” Ms Seidler said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The DPA will run a full-page open letter to Facebook in some Australian newspapers, including The Australian Financial Review, on Monday, saying there was “a lot to dislike” in the platform’s decision not to renew commercial deals with newsrooms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Your decision … will lead to a rise in mis- and disinformation on your platforms, less trusted sources, fewer journalists and a weakened society,” the letter, signed by 35 digital news outlets, says.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why James Packer is the luckiest billionaire in Australia - Feb 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Resorts may have given him plenty of heartburn, but the latest ugly numbers from Star Entertainment show how well-timed the sale really was. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>James Packer has had his share of misfortune during his life, including some huge mental health challenges. But the delayed December half results from Star Entertainment also make it clear that Packer enjoyed an incredible stroke of luck when US private equity giant Blackstone finally took casino operator Crown Resorts private for $8.9 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Based on what we’re seeing at Star, it seems highly unlikely Blackstone would have agreed to pay that much in the current regulatory and economic environment. Crown gave Packer plenty of heartburn, but his $3.3 billion share sale was also a great escape.</p><p><br /></p><p>Compare Star’s results for the six months ended December 31 with its results for the same period in 2019. Revenue was $1.3 billion in 2019, while EBITDA was $331 million. Four years later, that has shrunk to $866 million, with EBITDA just $113 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>What explains the difference?</p><p><br /></p><p>For starters, Star says it has been forced to adopt a higher rate of exclusions – translation: blocking undesirables from gambling at their casinos – and introduce time management for some patrons – or, prevent problem gamblers from spending too long punting.</p><p><br /></p><p>RELATED QUOTES</p><p>SGRThe Star Entertainment Group</p><p>$0.550</p><p> </p><p>3.77%</p><p><br /></p><p>1 year</p><p>1 day</p><p>Mar 23</p><p>Jun 23</p><p>Sep 23</p><p>Mar 24</p><p>0.300</p><p>0.600</p><p>0.900</p><p>1.200</p><p>1.500</p><p>Updated: Mar 10, 2024 – 7.48pm. Data is 20 mins delayed.</p><p>View SGR related articles </p><p>Second, Star has been required to wind back freebies to punters, such as complimentary drinks and rebates for wealthy gamblers. The free drinks are back on (under improved controls) but rebates are unlikely to return for at least 12 months, while Star works on a compliance program for them.</p><p><br /></p><p>Third, Star has been required to spend a lot of money to remediate and improve its risk and compliance, with operating expenditure rising from $534.7 million in 2019 to $541.6 million in 2023 – and that’s after a few recent rounds of savage cost cuts.</p><p><br /></p><p>As an example of the company’s focus on remediation, Star chief executive Robbie Cooke said on Thursday that staff numbers in its anti-money laundering team had expanded from 26 to 115 full-time staff. Given a fresh inquiry was launched into Star’s operations last week, after the NSW regulator decided the company was still not suitable to hold its Sydney licence, it feels unlikely that these higher regulatory costs will fade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cooke is also dealing with a more difficult macroeconomic environment than existed back in 2019, when interest rates were sitting at 0.75 per cent. But Thursday’s numbers are evidence that Star and Crown were very clearly over-earning in 2019 by running businesses that simply weren’t being to the standards that regulators and the broader community would have expected.</p><p><br /></p><p>Punters that shouldn’t have been allowed in the doors were allowed to gamble. Problem gamblers who should have been protected were allowed to keep punting. The risk and compliance systems and processes that should have been in place simply were not.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cooke raised another challenge on Thursday, arguing that regulators need to be careful that the problems that existed in casinos are not simply transferred to the pubs and clubs sector; he wants the regulatory playing field to be levelled, and noted pubs and clubs in Brisbane, where Star is set to open its new Queens Wharf property, have invested in venue upgrades and loyalty programs ahead of that launch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown’s financial results are no longer available since it was taken private, but it will be facing similar challenges. Blackstone has said it is pleased with its progress in remediation, but it has also conceded it underestimated the level of work required.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Packer sold out in June 2022, he noted there had been “ups and downs and challenges” with the business, but said Blackstone’s deal was “confirmation that we have built one of the country’s best tourism, entertainment and leisure companies”.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may still be true. But the 80 per cent fall in Star’s share prices since the Blackstone deal raises questions as to whether the business would still attract that sort of price.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>NRL</b></p><p><b>Not even 100,000 Americans watched the NRL’s Las Vegas matches - March 6, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s historic Las Vegas double-header struggled to land American television audiences, failing to find more than 62,000 viewers per game for the two matches that took place on Saturday in prime-time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said earlier this week success would not be about the number of ticket-holders who went to Allegiant Stadium to watch the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeat South Sydney Rabbitohs 36-24, and Sydney Roosters beat Brisbane Broncos 20-10 in person.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s on who watches it on TV tonight in America,” he told The Australian Financial Review. “If we are really going to capture any new audience it’s going to be through that way.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Nielsen’s rating figures, released to Fox on Tuesday, show the NRL struggled to find that audience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Just 61,000 viewers watched the match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles, which was broadcast on Fox Sports 1, the Murdoch family-controlled Fox Corp’s main cable sports television network. It is unclear how a 17-minute delay to the broadcast, caused by the channel sticking with overtime of a college basketball match, affected viewing.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first match was the most popular of the two – just 44,000 viewers tuned in subsequently to watch the Sydney Roosters defeat the Brisbane Broncos.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ratings figures are available on TV ratings websites in the US, and were confirmed to this masthead by US sources with direct knowledge of the numbers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrew Abdo, chief executive of the NRL, said the sport was proud of what it had achieved in the first year.</p><p><br /></p><p>“These are the two most watched NRL matches in the US on record. These are positive signs in the first year of the long-term venture,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>By comparison, the most watched sports program on Saturday night in the US was a Western Conference finals basketball rematch that had 3.05 million viewers on ABC. Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf, which was broadcast on the same day, attracted 221,000 viewers.</p><p><br /></p><p>When the USFL – a professional American football minor league – was trying to get off the ground, it was averaging more than 300,000 viewers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Abdo said the first match’s audience compared to some US Major League Soccer games, which run on Fox Sports 1.</p><p><br /></p><p>John Kosner, who ran broadcasting at ESPN for 15 years, said the result was to be expected. “I think based upon awareness – or lack thereof outside the core audience – it’s what I’d expect.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Gaming analyst Dustin Gouker said in a post on social media platform X: “National Rugby League has grand designs of making an impact in the US ... and while you have to start somewhere, not sure that qualifies as somewhere.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Still popular at home</p><p><br /></p><p>The US figures were considerably smaller than the Australian audiences that watched the Las Vegas matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>The match between Manly and South Sydney, which was aired exclusively on Fox League and streaming service Kayo Sports, had 838,000 viewers. The second match attracted 786,000 viewers on Fox League and 784,000 viewers on Channel Nine (Channel Nine is owned by Nine Entertainment, which publishes this masthead).</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 40,000 fans went to the game. The event, which will run for at least five years, is part of a strategic push to attract new American fans to the sport. Mr V’landys hopes that if successful, this will generate more broadcast revenue and an increase in subscribers for its offshore viewing platform, Watch NRL.</p><p><br /></p><p>”It’s not going to happen in the first 12 months, it will take three or four years, but I am more confident than ever that we can make tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars for the game that’ll go back into grassroots,” Mr V’landys told Fox League at the weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>The other way the NRL anticipates it will make money in the US is through a deal with a corporate bookmaker such as FanDuel or BetMGM.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is still unclear how the NRL will make money from bookmaking. In Australia, the NRL is paid millions by bookmakers so that punters can gamble on matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the US, sports bookies do not pay product fees to major sports such as the NBA and NFL. Mr V’landys said the way he expects a deal would take place was a revenue share from streaming the NRL on a wagering app.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Chris Grove, of Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, said last year he expected that even in the medium term, gambling on NRL would make up less than 1 per cent of total wagering volume, even if a deal was put in place by the code to sell its streaming rights to an online bookmaker.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Abdo said he remained focused on the long-term opportunity for the game.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The exposure the game received and the reviews of the matches by US fans and media will be a massive boost for year two and beyond,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TikTok facing ban or forced sale in US - March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A US congressional panel has approved a bill that would force ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, to sell the social media app within six months or face a ban.</p><p><br /></p><p>The measure, introduced by another House of Representatives committee and backed by the White House, cites national security concerns.</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, TikTok has said the proposed legislation would hurt free speech and small businesses that rely on the app – and has urged its users to call members of Congress to voice their opposition.</p><p><br /></p><p>The bill is set to go to a full House floor vote in the coming days.</p><p><br /></p><p>It has initally been proposed by a cross-party group of 20 lawmakers who form the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. It was approved unanimously 50-0 on March 7th by the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Senate will need to approve it before it became law.</p><p><br /></p><p>“America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States,” commented committee chairman Mike Gallagher, a Republican of Wisconsin.</p><p><br /></p><p>A previous attempt by former US President Donald Trump hit several legal obstacles and never came into force.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Forecast: LatAm to add 55m SVoD subs - March 7, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Latin America will have 165 million SVoD subscriptions by 2029, up from 110 million at end-2023, according to the Latin America OTT TV and Video Forecasts report from analyst firm Digital TV Research. Brazil will provide 59 million SVoD subscriptions by 2029, with Mexico bringing in a further 43 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven US-based platforms (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Star+, Paramount+, Apple TV+ and Max) will account for 83 per cent of the region’s paying SVoD subscriptions by end-2029. Netflix will add 9 million subscribers between 2023 and 2029, with Disney+ up by 8 million, Max by 10 million and Paramount+ increasing by 6 million. Globoplay, only available in Brazil, will take another 8 per cent of the total.</p><p><br /></p><p>“All of the major US platforms are very active in Latin America,” notes Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>‘Back soon’: Alan Jones’ return to streaming channel on the cards - March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For the small but dedicated audience of streaming news channel ADH TV, the big question is: where is Alan Jones? Jones, who remains in London, was removed from ADH’s banners on YouTube and Facebook for the fringe channel’s relaunch for the year to the dismay of the outlet’s online fans.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Where is Alan Jones??” said one user on the channel’s Facebook page. “Alan Jones needs to be there, he is the man,” said another individual.</p><p><br /></p><p>Responding to several comments, the ADH admin cleared up the confusion, insisting Jones would be returning shortly.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Alan will be back soon. Thank you!” they wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company’s chief executive, Jack Bulfin, did not respond to a series of questions put to him about Jones’ return.</p><p><br /></p><p>Taking centre stage in promotions is former Australian Broadcasting Authority head and conservative figure David Flint, who hosts a twice-weekly program Save the Nation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flint insists he is not the network’s star, and says Jones’ on-air return is imminent. “Alan is returning,” Flint says. “I know Alan is coming back.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones has been in London since before Christmas, however was due to return in February to take up his role on ADH, before later cancelling his plans, as reported by this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In December, this masthead revealed allegations that Jones used his position of power as Sydney’s most high-profile broadcaster to prey on a number of young men, allegedly indecently assaulting them, groping or inappropriately touching them without their consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones denies the allegations, and although he threatened to sue for defamation, he is yet to commence legal action.</p><p><br /></p><p>He joined ADH in late 2021 after departing Sky News Australia and has been its highest-profile star since pulling back from four nights a week to two. Despite several of the social channels being listed under Jones’ name, he has no financial involvement in the operations of the business, another source with knowledge of the relationship told this masthead, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p><p><br /></p><p>An article on realestate.com.au reported that Jones sold his Brisbane investment property for just over $1.3 million this month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another absent figure has been former Seven Network Sydney news director Jason Morrison, previously reported as having been offered the role of chief executive at ADH.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morrison continued to deny the links to the digital startup, telling this masthead he remains unable to take part in any discussions while on gardening leave. He says he has not spoken with Jones for “six to nine months” despite filling in for him on ADH in late 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>He was expected to again fill in for Jones in his continued absence.</p><p><br /></p><p>A senior source at Seven not authorised to speak publicly said Morrison was no longer contracted at the network. He left in June last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>ADH TV was launched by Bulfin and two friends in 2021, one of those being Jones’ protegee Jake Thrupp, who he is currently with in London. Former ABC chair Maurice Newman is the network’s chair.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since launching two years ago, its YouTube page has amassed 43,000 subscribers, and its videos are viewed an average of 2099 times, a far cry from Sky News Australia’s nearly four million subscriber base.</p><p><br /></p><p>Default advertising revenue per 1000 views means it would net around $4.39 to $10.94 per video on YouTube – but the platform can be lucrative.</p><p><br /></p><p>Piers Morgan recently quit his nightly program syndicated on Sky News Australia to focus on his YouTube channel. Sky News told this masthead the show had garnered close to 150 million views for the network across its channels during its run.</p><p><br /></p><p>Likewise, former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson has gone digital since being sacked by Fox News in 2023, with his show, Tucker Carlson Uncensored, regularly attracting millions of views on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>ADH only broadcasts several hours of content each weeknight, with partners including Spectator Australia, right-wing think tanks The Menzies Research Centre and the Institute of Public Affairs, the Conservative Political Action Conference and right-wing Falun Gong-operated American outlet The Epoch Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flint is also a columnist for Spectator Australia; Nick Cater, a senior fellow at the Menzies Research Centre and columnist for The Australian, also hosts a weekly show; and former federal Liberal Candidate James Mathias, now chief of staff at the think tank, hosted a run of shows in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin on the ‘most incredible run’: Ross Greenwood - March 8, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood says Bitcoin has had “the most incredible run” in the last little while.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Greenwood revealed Bitcoin has risen 205 per cent over the past year.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is largely, as we said last week, partly because the big exchange-traded funds are having to buy Bitcoin to back their own products.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And secondly, in April they are going to halve Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could have got it for the best part of $20,000 this time last year, now $US67,200 – well above $100,000 AUD per Bitcoin."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The billionaire with a cult following you have probably never heard of</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Frank Slootman, who just stepped down as Snowflake chief executive officer, isn’t a name that springs to mind as one of the tech industry’s most prominent CEOs. But Slootman has parlayed his time atop three companies into a net worth higher than tech leaders like Apple’s Tim Cook or Microsoft’s Satya Nadella.</p><p><br /></p><p>As Slootman leaves his CEO post at the software company, he has a fortune of about $US3.7 billion ($5.7 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. That tops Cook, who is worth about $US2 billion, and Nadella, who was not yet a billionaire as of July 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s rare for a non-founder in the tech industry to amass that level of wealth — Slootman did it by leading Snowflake and ServiceNow through initial public offerings and was head of data-storage firm Data Domain when it was taken over by EMC Corp. in 2009.</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, he developed a cult-like reputation in the software industry for being a tough leader with a to-the-point communication style. CEOs need to be “insanely confrontational,” he said in an episode of the No Priors podcast in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Frank understands how hard it is to build companies and he’s done it repeatedly,” said David McJannet, CEO of HashiCorp Inc., another software infrastructure company, in a September interview. “People like that are relatively unflinching in their views and they are right a lot of times, so people tend to want follow them.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The news he was leaving the CEO role alongside an underwhelming sales outlook caused Snowflake stock to plummet 18 per cent Thursday, marking its worst day ever. That drop alone dented Slootman’s net worth by about $US500 million. The company declined to comment on his net worth.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is no doubt concerning to see Mr. Slootman, who has a strong track record and is well regarded by investors, step down after five years in the role,” wrote Brad Zelnick, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, in a note Thursday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another analyst, Bernstein’s Mark Moerdler, wrote that he wondered if the sudden change was due to recent disappointments in the company’s revenue growth. Slootman said in an interview with Barron’s that the idea his departure was related to a poorly received growth guidance was an “absurd notion.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the last four years, Slootman has sold shares at an average weighted price of about $US268 — well above the drop to $US188. He first joined Snowflake in 2019, and led the company through what was the largest software IPO ever the following year. At one point his stock awards were worth $US108 million per month.</p><p><br /></p><p>His statements have elicited controversy. In 2021, Slootman was criticised for saying that diversity goals were secondary to merit in hiring, though he later apologised, saying he didn’t intend to imply that diversity and merit were mutually exclusive. He has donated to Republican and Libertarian politicians, including in Montana, where he spends much of his time and Snowflake relocated its executive office to in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Slootman’s replacement, Sridhar Ramaswamy, a former executive at Alphabet’s Google, is seen as a technical leader. Ramaswamy will be awarded about $US100 million in stock awards over the next five years in addition to a $US750,000 annual salary, according to a filing Wednesday. He’ll also get an annual incentive bonus targeted at 100 per cent of his salary.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other non-founders who became billionaires through leading tech companies include Steve Ballmer, one of Microsoft’s first salespeople who went on to become CEO, and is now the sixth-richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Palo Alto CEO Nikesh Arora recently became a billionaire as the company’s share price has surged.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Larvotto delivers high-grade gold assays in NSW</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Channel sampling at Larvotto Resources’ Hillgrove gold-antimony project in New South Wales has delivered sparkling assays going as high as 63 grams per tonne gold, 13.82g/t silver and more than 30 per cent antimony.</p><p><br /></p><p>Management says the impressive results highlight the high-grade nature of the operation, while samples from the 1.5-million-tonne historical tailings facility recorded gold grades exceeeding the average of many operating open pit mines.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company recently kicked off metallurgical test work at Hillgrove after completing auger drilling at its tailings facility and collecting several tonnes of underground samples from the development-ready zones of the Metz mining area. Auger results showed consistent grades of more than 1.3g/t gold, with peak values from the tailings dam greater than 2g/t gold and 2 per cent antimony.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional underground results from 28 samples returned positive results including 22.5g/t gold, 14.63g/t and 11.89g/t from within three zones – the footwall, ore zone and hanging wall at the Metz mine, which has been highlighted by the company as its major focus for underground mining.</p><p><br /></p><p>“These samples will be subject to a detailed metallurgical study and TIMA mineralogy to determine the potential extraction rate.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Larvotto Resources managing director Ron Heeks</p><p>The Hillgrove project lies 23km east of Armidale in NSW and comprises four exploration leases and 48 granted mining leases across its 254 square kilometres of tenure. As the mine’s new operator, Larvotto says it aims to enhance recoveries by producing a higher-grade and cleaner concentrate product.</p><p><br /></p><p>Management believes its latest testwork has the potential to generate a significantly more valuable product for sale. It has estimated the work is likely to take several months to complete.</p><p><br /></p><p>Larvotto Resources managing director Ron Heeks said: “Previously, most of the processing focus was on antimony rather than gold, resulting in a considerable amount of gold deposited in the tailings dam. These samples will be subject to a detailed metallurgical study and TIMA mineralogy to determine the potential extraction rate in the case of the tails and optimal processing route for the underground mineralisation.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The company acquired the 1.4-million-ounce gold equivalent operation after entering into a binding term sheet with the administrators of former owner Red River Resources for a purchase price of less than $6 per ounce.</p><p><br /></p><p>With a grade of more than 6g/t gold equivalent – which can be broken down to 4.5g/t gold and 1.2 per cent antimony – the project cost Larvotto just $3 million, with about a further $5 million required to for the replacement of environmental bonds in compliance with NSW laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Significantly, the acquisition also includes an operational processing plant, which was put on care and maintenance in 2021. It features a 250,000 tonnes per annum capacity and came with associated infrastructure.</p><p><br /></p><p>That makes it a serious financial bonus for the company as it would be looking at a bill likely to be north of $200 million to build the plant from scratch.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 204 individual mineral occurrences have been identified to date in the greater region, with the mineralisation developed as strike-extensive veins extending through 20km, with potentially depth-extensive, steeply-dipping fissures.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area has been mined since the 1870s and the Hillgrove operations have produced more than 740,000 ounces of gold and about 40,000 tonnes of antimony. It is believed to be Australia’s biggest antimony deposit and also sits in the world’s top 10 resources for the silvery metalloid.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition, more than 2000 tonnes of scheelite concentrate, the principal ore mineral of tungsten, have been produced from the area.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the production years at the operation from 1982, most processing focus was on antimony production rather than gold, which management says resulted in a considerable amount of gold being deposited in the tailings dam.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the latest testing and sampling results set to be used to complete an upcoming preliminary feasibility study – not to mention recent record price highs for both gold and antimony – the market will be keeping a close eye on what Larvotto can deliver as it looks to bring Hillgrove back into production.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk deletes X post blasting Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott over her charitable giving - March 8, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk has lashed out at Jeff Bezos' ex-wife while responding to a post that disparaged her for donating to left-leaning political groups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk blasted Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott for her charitable donations in an X post that he deleted a short time after it went online Wednesday evening.</p><p><br /></p><p>“‘Super rich ex-wives who hate their former spouse’ should filed be listed among ‘Reasons that Western Civilization died,'” the Tesla boss wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which Musk acquired for $44 billion in late 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk wrote the post in response to an X user who complained that Scott, who divorced the Amazon founder in 2019 after 25 years of marriage, was giving away money to organizations that “deal with issues of race and/or gender.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Her fund ought to be called The AWFL Fund. It’s the ultimate aspirational expression of the most awful group in the US,” the X user who goes by the name “i/o” wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk deleted the post hours later. The Post has sought comment from the X owner, Scott and Bezos.</p><p><br /></p><p>The root of Musk’s animus toward Scott appears to be her charitable giving to political action committees aligned with the Democratic Party.</p><p><br /></p><p>In May 2022, Musk wrote on social media that Scott was giving money to “PACs posing as charities.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s safe to say that Mackenzie [ahem] Scott is not exactly a big fan of her ex-husband. Unfortunately, a lot of others are getting caught in the crossfire,” Musk wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to her website, Scott has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations devoted to causes such as “racial equity,” “LGBTQ+ equity,” “gender equity,” public health, climate change and “functional democracy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The recipients of her largess include the Obama Foundation, Movement for Black Lives, Jackie Robinson Foundation, Morehouse College, Howard University, Planned Parenthood and the George W. Bush Presidential Center.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott’s net worth was pegged by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $36 billion as of Wednesday. The 53-year-old writer’s wealth is derived from her 1.9% ownership stake in her ex-husband’s e-commerce company.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to SEC filings, Scott received a 4% stake in Amazon as part of her divorce from Bezos. At the time, the stake was worth $36 billion — making her one of the richest women in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In late January, Bloomberg News reported that Scott sold 65.3 million shares of Amazon — or around 25% of her stake in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the time she sold her shares, they were worth $10.4 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott, who pledged in 2019 to donate half her fortune to charity, has given millions of dollars to various causes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since divorcing Bezos, Scott has donated more than $16.5 billion to several charities.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the last year alone, she has published a list of more than 360 organizations that have received a total of $2.15 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott is a signatory to the Giving Pledge, a non-binding promise in which billionaires commit to donating the bulk of their wealth.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” Scott wrote in a letter on the Giving Pledge website.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk has also donated some of his wealth to philanthropy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tesla mogul, who as of Wednesday was the third-richest person in the world with a net worth valued by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $189 billion, gifted $5.7 billion worth of Tesla shares to a charity he co-founded with his brother, Kimbal Musk.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Musk Foundation has donated tens of millions of dollars to various causes including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and XPrize, an organization that awards prize money to aspiring innovators and entrepreneurs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott married teacher Dan Jewett in March 2021. They finalized their divorce in January 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last year, Bezos became engaged to Lauren Sanchez, his girlfriend of four years.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk says he will not donate to Joe Biden or Donald Trump despite tearing into US immigration policies - March 7, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk has revealed he will not support Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the lead up to November's presidential showdown. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday said that he will not donate money to the campaigns of President Biden or former President Trump in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President," the tech mogul wrote on his social media platform, X.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Politics is tribal, rather than logical," he wrote in a separate post.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk's announcement comes a day after The New York Times reported Trump met with the Tesla CEO and wealthy Republican donors over the weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>The former president is seeking a financial boost for his White House bid, according to the Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>With a net worth of $196.5 billion, Musk is the second-richest person in the world, according to Forbes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk's declaration that he will not donate to either presidential candidate comes a day after Super Tuesday, when Biden and Trump each won decisive victories in their parties' respective primaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>The results mean a rematch between Biden and Trump for the 2024 general election is all but certain, despite polls showing Americans are not excited about either of the candidates who faced off in 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Just 32% of all voters are enthusiastic about Biden becoming the party nominee, and 37% of all voters are enthusiastic about Trump becoming the GOP nominee, according to a Monmouth University poll conducted in September.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk has been an outspoken critic of Democrats and the Biden administration over the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border, fueling speculation that he might throw his support behind Trump, who is campaigning on the promise to close the border.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has said repeatedly he believes Democrats have allowed illegal migrants to pour into the country so that they will vote blue at some point in the future — and that they are reluctant to deport any who commit crimes since it would be akin to losing potential voters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk reiterated that view on Wednesday in a post on X:</p><p><br /></p><p>"Until the loss of votes from ushering in vast numbers of illegal immigrants exceeds the likely gain of votes over time (as they are gradually legalized), the Democratic Party has a strong incentive to maximize illegal immigration."</p><p><br /></p><p>Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Clare O'Connor contributed to this report.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE on A&E is Back with New Seasons of 'WWE Rivals' and 'Biography: WWE Legends' Premiering Sunday, February 25</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE ON A&E IS BACK WITH KNOCK-OUT NEW SEASONS OF “WWE RIVALS” AND “BIOGRAPHY: WWE LEGENDS” PREMIERING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>THE SERIES CONTINUE TO DELVE INTO THE ICONIC RIVALRIES AND LEGENDARY CAREERS OF SOME OF THE MOST REVERED WWE SUPERSTARS</b></p><p><br /></p><p>New York, NY—January 10, 2024—WWE on A&E steps back into the ring this winter beginning Sunday, February 25 with a knock-out new season of “WWE Rivals” at 8pm ET/PT followed by a new season of “Biography: WWE Legends” at 9pm ET/PT. The series continue to explore the lives and careers of some of the most beloved and well-known WWE Superstars and give viewers unparalleled access through in-depth interviews and archival footage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kicking off the night, “WWE Rivals” returns with actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. leading a roundtable discussion of WWE Superstars to explore the storylines and characters at the helm of epic rivalries that built the WWE. Each one-hour episode features a roundtable of former WWE Superstars who discuss the dramatic storylines that defined the WWE, speak with Legends who watched these rivalries unfold and analyze archival footage from WWE’s library. In the season premiere, the series will examine the infamous animosity between Superstars Triple H vs. The Rock beginning with their heated rivalry over the World Championship in the early 2000s. The season continues with other iconic rivalries including Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage; Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels; John Cena vs. Randy Orton; Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian; as well as The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following at 9pm ET/PT, “Biography: WWE Legends” continues to convey the intimate, distinctive stories of the lives and events that molded some of the most beloved WWE Legends into the stars they became. Through archival footage and first-hand account interviews, each episode will examine a different Legend and showcase their career highlights and the effect they had on the industry and fans. The season begins with examining the enthralling life and career of the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history, Randy Orton, with other Legends featured this season including Sgt. Slaughter, Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon, Diamond Dallas Page, British Bulldog, and the longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>*Join the conversation by following @WWEonAE and using #WWEonAE*</p><p><br /></p><p>All series will be available on demand and to stream on the A&E App and aetv.com</p><p><br /></p><p>“Biography: WWE Legends” and “WWE Rivals,” are produced by WWE for A&E Network. Executive producers for WWE are Kevin Dunn and Chris Kaiser. Executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant, Brad Abramson, and Jonathan Partridge. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>About “Biography”</p><p>The celebrated “Biography” brand continues to highlight newsworthy personalities and events with compelling and surprising points-of-view and remains the defining source for true stories from some of the most accomplished non-fiction storytellers of our time. Biography.com is the home to hundreds of profiles of notable cultural figures and influencers.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>NRL</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>‘It’s the old problem’: One dirty word threatens NRL’s American takeover - March 2, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL is breaking new ground in Las Vegas, but there’s one “old problem” rugby league still has to overcome to truly make it in America.</p><p><br /></p><p>As the NRL gears up for its historic season opening double header in Las Vegas, it’s clear there’s one key battle rugby league needs to win before it can truly make a mark in America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manly will take on South Sydney in the first game of the NRL season on Sunday afternoon before the Roosters play the Broncos.</p><p><br /></p><p>The two matches will be held at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders and the same venue where last month’s Super Bowl was held.</p><p><br /></p><p>A slightly smaller rugby league field has been rolled into the venue and there are hopes of a crowd over 40,000 for the double header.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL is hoping the overseas venture will tap into a potentially enormous source of gambling revenue if it can regularly attract American eyeballs to watch and bet on NRL games.</p><p><br /></p><p>But as Fox League’s Bryan Fletcher told news.com.au, many Americans don’t know what rugby league is and many think it is the same as rugby union.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The ones I spoke to, it’s the old problem of distinguishing between rugby and rugby league,” Fletcher said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I suppose the first year, I was hoping we would just advertise it as NRL.</p><p><br /></p><p>“At least most of Americans know what rugby is. It’s no pads.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’ll take time. And once they can compare the two, it’s two totally different sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Fletcher said the NRL’s brutal tackles will catch the eye of US sports fans, but it will take some time for Americans to learn the rules of the game.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I was lucky enough in 1995 at the Chooks (Sydney Roosters), Gus (Phil Gould) brought two NFL college guys to play with the Roosters,” Fletcher recalled.</p><p><br /></p><p>“One ended up playing reserve grade, which was a huge effort. But what they really struggle with is they don’t understand how you pass the ball backward to go forward. That’s the hardest thing that they have to comprehend.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I remember talking to our players back in ‘95, they really struggled to run forward and pass backwards without stopping. It’s just these things we’ve grown up with.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It makes sense Americans know rugby union better than league, given the United States has fielded a team at eight Rugby World Cups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nonetheless, it’s long been a bugbear of Aussie NRL fans that Americans continue to refer to the 13-man code as “rugby”, instead of NRL or even just footy.</p><p><br /></p><p>When players from the four NRL teams playing in Vegas visited Sin City last year to promote the event — US TV hosts repeatedly referred to rugby league as “rugby”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Steeden will be emblazoned with an American flag this weekend and the goalposts at Allegiant Stadium will be yellow like gridiron posts, in a bid to connect with diehard NFL fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL will ultimately measure its Vegas success on the audience that tunes into FOX1 to watch the game, but explaining to US fans that it is its own unique sport is arguably just as crucial.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There are Americans out there who know rugby league,” Fletcher said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“But there are also the ones looking at the billboards and the crowds wondering, ‘Why are there so many Aussies here?’ then googling what rugby league is and they come back and go, ‘Geez it’s a fast game’.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s going to take time. They’ve got their four sports that they all love. If we can get a little piece of that, it would be remarkable.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Fletcher said the big hits and the four star fullbacks on show (James Tedesco, Reece Walsh, Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell) will help attract American audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think the tackling is the biggest attraction for the NFL fans,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s one-on-one. They like the big hits but all their big hits come when the other guy’s not looking (off the ball).</p><p><br /></p><p>“A running back’s catching the ball above the head. That’s going to be a selling point. Our players will run straight and three or four of them will pick the attacking player up in the collision.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the vibe in Vegas, Fletcher said there were Australians and English fans galore with a sprinkling of Americans.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s unbelievable,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I know there’s a lot of Aussies here ripping into it. But I’ve even chatted to a few Americans who I supposed are interested in it, but are just wondering what it is and they’re getting around it as well.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That fan day last night, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like Magic Round but on steroids. You’re excited anyway before the footy’s starting, but you add in another country for the first time ever, and that country happens to be America.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s actually quite remarkable. We’ve spoken about coming to America but now it’s happening, it’s quite surreal.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When are the Las Vegas NRL games?</p><p><br /></p><p>$2.9bn Vegas stadium detail blows fans away</p><p><br /></p><p>Journo slapped down over NRL GF call</p><p>Manly Sea Eagles vs South Sydney Rabbitohs — Sunday 1.30pm AEDT</p><p><br /></p><p>Sydney Roosters vs Brisbane Broncos — Sunday 3.30pm AEDT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mining star Fortescue turns biggest loser, thanks to China slump - March 4, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Iron ore behemoth Fortescue’s months-long stock rally suffered a big pullback last month, as investors turned sour on the company’s earnings growth and high exposure to slumping metal prices amid China’s rocky recovery.</p><p><br /></p><p>The world’s fourth-largest iron ore miner is tipped for the greatest earnings slowdown over the next year compared with peers BHP, Rio Tinto and Brazil’s Vale, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of the Australian firm founded by billionaire Andrew Forrest have surged almost 30 per cent in the past six months, outpacing peers. But since the start of this year, its shares have tumbled alongside iron ore, one of 2024’s worst-performing major commodities.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a relatively high-cost producer, the miner is more sensitive to iron ore price swings compared to its peers, according to Mohsen Crofts, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst based in Sydney.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Fortescue’s operating margins are slimmer than BHP or Rio Tinto’s. Any change in the iron ore price will therefore have a greater [earnings] impact for Fortescue,” Crofts said. “While BHP and Rio now get a material share of their revenue from base metals, Fortescue is, for now, still fully reliant on iron ore.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The metal comprises about 91 per cent of Fortescue’s revenue, compared to about half each for BHP and Rio Tinto.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘While we believe management has done an excellent job operationally, Fortescue’s share price will be highly dependent on the iron ore price.’</p><p><br /></p><p>Jefferies research analysts</p><p><br /></p><p>Fortescue’s iron ore business propped up its half-year earnings released in February, bucking a trend of declining profits among its diversified rivals. But now Fortescue’s earnings growth is in doubt, with analyst estimates suggesting a 14 per cent downside for next year, the worst among its peers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Perth-based miner’s bumper stock run has also been halted by dwindling metal prices. China’s property woes have weighed on the steelmaking ingredient, which lost 10 per cent last month. Post-Lunar New Year demand for iron ore remains disappointing amid a slow recovery to construction activities, wintry conditions and sluggish home buying.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While Fortescue has benefited from significant unit cost reductions, cost inflation is kicking in now,” Jefferies analysts led by Mitch Ryan wrote in a February 28 note, which downgraded the miner to underperform after its result.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we believe management has done an excellent job operationally, Fortescue’s share price will be highly dependent on the iron ore price.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The stock has no buy ratings and an average 12-month price target that was 16 per cent below at Friday’s close, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, price targets for rivals BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale all point to potential upside.</p><p><br /></p><p>Still, the stock slump isn’t unique to Fortescue. Miners are the biggest laggards on the local sharemarket this year as commodity prices from iron ore to lithium and nickel crater.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite lacklustre demand in recent weeks from China, the world’s largest steel manufacturer, analysts expect iron ore futures to regain lost ground in the short and midterm.</p><p><br /></p><p>UBS, which has a sell rating on Fortescue, estimates the metal’s price will trade at around $US120 ($184) a tonne for the remainder of 2024, before a plateau. Demand will be propped up by a growing appetite in India and South-East Asia thereafter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve always said that we would see China steel demand peaking, and it’s exactly what we’ve said,” Rio Tinto chief financial officer Peter Cunningham said in an analyst call last month.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Then you just see demand from elsewhere in ASEAN [the Association of South-East Asian Nations] and in India growing as well. So, I think all of this is playing out exactly pretty much as we thought it would play out over time.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man SEO in today’s digital landscape</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SEO for News Media, Pop Culture, Online Business and Traditional Business Models</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Media Man SEO is important for every business looking to compete on a broader scale. Media Man SEO does not just consist of ranking higher in search results but also includes strategically optimizing your online presence. Similarly, it helps to captivate audiences across an entire country. So, get ready to look into the world of Media Man SEO, where we’ll explore what Media Man SEO is all about in this blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Keyword Research Strategies for Media Man SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>When it comes to Media Man SEO, keyword research is the most important part of your strategy. Here are some of the ways to find the right keywords every time:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1. Identifying high-volume news media keywords</p><p><br /></p><p>Start by finding high-volume keywords relevant to your local, state and international audience. News media and beyond! These are terms with a higher search volume and are commonly used by people across the country. You can use a range of different tools, including Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs, to identify the right keywords.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>2. Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities for National Optimization</p><p><br /></p><p>Along with high-volume keywords, you must never overlook the power of long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are usually longer than high-volume keywords and are more specific. Even though they have a lower search volume individually, but collectively, they can drive targeted traffic to your site. Long-tail keywords often have less competition, which makes it easier to rank for them. You can make use of tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s Autocomplete feature to find long-tail keyword options.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3. Competitor Analysis and Keyword Gap Identification</p><p><br /></p><p>Always start by analyzing your competitors’ keyword strategies. This can help you understand what’s working in your company and what’s not. Identify your main competitors and carefully examine the keywords they are ranking for. Look for gaps in your competitors’ keyword strategies so that you can capitalize on them. You can use tools like SEMrush and SpyFu to conduct competitive keyword analysis and identify keyword gaps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>By using all these keyword research strategies, you can find the most useful and relevant keywords for your Media Man SEO campaign. You can ensure that you’re targeting the right audience and maximizing your online presence.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>On-page optimization techniques</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Boosting your website’s visibility and relevance in national search queries requires different on-page optimization strategies. By using SEO-friendly meta tags and titles, you create the first impression for users. Then, you can draw them in with short but catchy descriptions while seamlessly integrating targeted national keywords. These tags, including meta titles and descriptions, significantly influence user click-through rates in search engine results and highlight the need for both accuracy and relevance in their creation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When structuring content for media relevance, it’s important to balance readability with search engine visibility. You must use clear headings and subheadings to help organize the content for easy navigation by users and indexing by search engines. Similarly, integrating targeted national keywords smoothly throughout the content is also equally important. However, it requires finesse to ensure that the language flows naturally and aligns with the intent of the audience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Always avoid keyword stuffing. Utilizing variations of targeted keywords increases the scope of covered search queries and boosts the content’s national relevance. Furthermore, optimizing on-page aspects such as image alt text, URLs, and internal links with important keywords contributes to reinforcing the website’s overall SEO performance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Off-Page SEO Tactics for Media, Online Media and News Media Visibility</b></p><p><br /></p><p>It’s important to focus on off-page SEO tactics that help your website’s authority and reach to enhance your media and news media visibility. Building authoritative backlinks from relevant national websites involves strategic outreach efforts aimed at creating relationships with industry influencers and bloggers. By offering valuable content or insights, you can incentivize them to link back to your site and increase its credibility in the eyes of search engines. You must also actively participate in industry forums and online communities, which provide opportunities to earn backlinks from respected national sources.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social media platforms play a very important role in promoting your brand on a national scale. It’s essential to maintain a consistent and engaging presence across relevant platforms. You can do this by producing and sharing content that resonates with your target audience. Interacting with followers and joining industry conversations also increases community engagement. Using paid advertising options on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) can expand your brand’s reach to a local, state and international audience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, guest blogging and content syndication are effective off-page SEO strategies that can notably boost your national visibility. By contributing insightful guest posts to different national publications or industry blogs, you not only demonstrate your expertise but also attract new audiences. It also helps you earn valuable backlinks to your website. Similarly, distributing your content to authoritative national platforms, such as industry-specific websites, broadens your reach and increases your brand’s visibility across the country. However, it’s important to ensure that any syndicated content is original and optimized for each platform to avoid duplication and maximize its impact on your media SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Content Strategy for Media Man SEO Success</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A strong content strategy is important for achieving success innational SEO. Here are some key points you need to consider:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1. Audience Research: Understand your national audience’s demographics, interests, and pain points. It helps to craft content that resonates with your audience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>2. Keyword Optimization: Conduct thorough keyword research to find the most relevant national keywords. Then, incorporate them naturally into your content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3. Content Planning: Develop a content calendar outlining topics, formats, and publication schedules to maintain consistency and relevance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>4. High-Quality Content Creation: Focus on producing high-quality, informative, and engaging content. This will help provide value to your audience and encourage social sharing and backlinking.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>5. Localized Content: Tailor some content to specific regions within the country to address local interests and preferences. The key is to increase media and audience relevance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>6. Content Distribution: Implement a strategy to distribute your content across various channels. These include your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and industry-related forums or communities.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>7. Content Promotion: Actively promote your content through all social media advertising platforms, influencer partnerships, and more. You can also reach out to industry publications and blogs to increase visibility and attract backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>8. Regular Updates and Maintenance: Continuously monitor and update your content. It helps to make sure it remains relevant and up-to-date with current trends and industry developments.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>9. User Experience Optimization: Prioritize the user experience by ensuring your content is easily accessible to everyone. Always make your content mobile-friendly and structured for readability.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>10. Analytics and Optimization: Track key metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions to measure the effectiveness of your content strategy. Use this data to refine your approach and optimize future content efforts for better results.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In conclusion, mastering Media Man including Media Man News (media) SEO is extremely important for sustainable online growth in today’s digital landscape. Businesses can build a strong local, state and international (global) presence, draw in targeted guests, and increase conversions by putting into practice a complete plan that includes keyword research, on- and off-page optimization, content production, and ongoing monitoring and improvement. As search engines constantly evolve and user behaviors change, staying up-to-date and adapting strategies will be key to enhancing national visibility over time. You will be ready to make use of the full potential of Media Man SEO and pave the way for the long-term success and growth of your business with these strategies.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sectors include but not limited to online news, pop culture, gaming and casino, combat sports, digital trends, industry and trade events, cryptocurrency, property/real estate, lifestyle and the news media business.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(via Media Man with A.I)</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-41872676211756400652024-03-06T09:18:00.005+11:002024-03-06T09:18:58.813+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Social Media Giants and Content Creators Battle For Eyeballs, Hearts, Minds and Advertising Budgets<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Social Media Giants and Content Creators Battle For Eyeballs, Hearts, Minds and Advertising Budgets</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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By Greg Tingle. Google Australia Conference<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hVu5kEQjGdw/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/hVu5kEQjGdw?si=x8FQlxdkt82wpOQk" frameborder="0"></iframe>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-3734308270400956012024-03-02T20:47:00.000+11:002024-03-02T20:47:02.147+11:00Media Man Int Blog: FULL SEGMENT – The Rock and Roman Reigns respond to Cody Rhodes: SmackDown<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/PWtFlb4naHY?si=5NZYpkAMVcn7onsO" frameborder="0"></iframe>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-80312188844803929502024-03-02T16:48:00.001+11:002024-03-02T16:48:17.400+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Battle For Sports Entertainment<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog </b></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Football sports entertainment?! </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Forms of wealth, lifestyle and freedom</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Challenger Brands vs Traditional Brands</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Ancient knowledge in today's modern world: "Stocism" and "Mind, Body and Spirit"</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Online Publishing and Publishers vs Legacy Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>National Wrestling Alliance b2b streaming with The CW and reality TV based show </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Freethinking vs Mass Hypnosis</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Truth in Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Social norms</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Secrets Of The News Media Industry; Why so much distrust </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bet On Anything but not in Alabama or Massachussets as per Gambling911 news</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Business Of Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC best business partners and clients are? ...</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>CBD and Canna news media and event listing and variations</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Man/Human vs Machine</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"The Great Dictator" - Charlie Chaplain movie</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"The Man In The Arena" - Theodore Roosevelt and JFK</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Donald Trump compared to Robert F. Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Disruptors Of The Month' shortlist: Dana White, Elon Musk, Logan Paul, Peter Thiel, Billy Corgan </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Streaming Movie News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roadhouse Hits Amazon Prime March 21, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor and Daniela Melchior)</p><p><br /></p><p>Road House is open for business March 21 on Prime.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto News and Business News via Media Man and FX Pro</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Feb 28, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Early flight to the moon</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In an impressive surge of more than 7.3% in 24 hours, the crypto market capitalisation reached $2.32 trillion. The crypto market hasn't been worth this much since late 2021. Back then, it took two months to get from current valuations to a peak of $3 trillion. But it's worth remembering that the rally then started from a higher point of around $1.9 trillion versus the current $1.5 trillion. This means that we're likely to see some profit-taking before the all-time highs are reached.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday, Bitcoin broke above $64.25K, followed by a sharp but short-lived pullback to $59K. In the early hours of Thursday morning, the price moved back up and was again at $63K by Thursday morning.</p><p><br /></p><p>The main catalysts for Bitcoin's rise above $60K were the influx of big money into spot ETFs and the multiplied liquidation of short positions. BTC has already hit all-time highs against local currencies in many countries. Now, investors are waiting for the milestone to happen with the US dollar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is showing smoother growth, adding 5.9% for the day against Bitcoin's 8%. On the chart, however, the rise is smooth and reminiscent of the period when professional players were accumulating coins. We attribute this behaviour to the ongoing speculation around the launch of Ethereum ETFs, given the success of Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, the second cryptocurrency's exchange rate approached $3500, close to Wednesday's intraday high and a return to the April 2022 peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>Solana, the market favourite at the end of last year, is showing double-digit growth overnight, rewriting December's highs. Here, we see a classic Fibonacci pattern at work: the September-December growth momentum ended with a 38.2% pullback, and on Wednesday evening, the price retraced the highs. Now, the growth target for this pattern is $194 (161.8%).</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dogecoin (DOGE) soared 30% in two days. DOGE developers reported that they are ready for the new Dogecoin Core 1.14.7 update, which includes security improvements.</p><p><br /></p><p>Toncoin (TON) jumped 30% after the announcement of payments for Telegram channel owners to display ads. From March, the Telegram Ads platform will be open to all advertisers in nearly one hundred new countries. Users will receive 50% of the revenue that the messenger earns from displaying ads on their channels.</p><p><br /></p><p>The dynamics of capital flows, exchange activity, leverage and institutional demand all point to a surge in risk appetite among bitcoin investors, Glassnode said. The current situation is reminiscent of the 2020-2021 boom.</p><p><br /></p><p>The introduction of digital currencies in the countries of Oceania can solve many problems, but do not resort to the use of "unsecured private crypto assets" for this purpose, the IMF experts warned in their report.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kraken Exchange announced the launch of Kraken Institutional, a new service offering comprehensive solutions for institutional clients</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>America is stockpiling oil, but prices are stuck</b></p><p><br /></p><p>America continues to build up its oil reserves, albeit at a relatively slow pace and from a low base. Last week, commercial oil inventories rose by 4.2 million barrels. About ¾ million barrels were added to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a pace the government has been pursuing since mid-December. At this rate, it would take more than seven years of replenishment to bring the reserves back to their April 2021 plateau. Admittedly, this is unlikely to happen at all, as America has become a net exporter and needs these reserves less than it did at the end of the last century.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the short term, the increase in reserves has been a deterrent for oil prices in recent weeks. Yesterday, the price of WTI failed to break away from its 200-day moving average. </p><p><br /></p><p>However, the report of rising inventories acted as a catalyst, while the main reason was comments from an influential energy advisor from Russia. Mr Novak, who previously played a crucial role in coordinating OPEC+ efforts, said that extending production cuts into the second quarter was not yet a done deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>The net result of these swings is that oil has been stuck at the 200-day average for the past two weeks. This has also been the area of resistance since the second half of November: all this time, WTI oil has been held by the bears as they approach $80.</p><p><br /></p><p>A defence of this level looks fundamental, as it could inspire speculators to step up their buying, breaking away from the 200-day and turning it to the upside. The current 3% sideways range in oil is very narrow, so we expect a trend to start soon in either direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>But we should not forget that oil has been stuck in the 5-8% range for several months in recent years.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Rising incomes and slowing inflation in the US support the markets</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This week, the markets were mostly looking forward to the release of the US personal income and spending data, with a focus on the accompanying price index. The Personal Expenditure Price Index, excluding food and energy, rose 0.4% m/m and slowed from 2.9% y/y to 2.8% in January, in line with expectations.</p><p><br /></p><p>A 1% rise in personal income came as a surprise, against expectations for a 0.4% rise. However, personal disposable income rose by 0.3% m/m, which did not break the trend of recent months.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, there was no acceleration in spending, which rose by 0.3% m/m. They rose by 5.2% y/y, against a 4.8% rise in total income and a 4.5% rise in disposable income. A worrying result - the savings rate of 3.6% is about half the pre-pandemic level. But the good news for markets is that this won't cause inflation to accelerate, meaning the Fed won't have to fight it and delay policy easing.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the wake of this report, gold is storming through the resistance of the downward channel, and the Nasdaq100 and S&P500 indices are testing all-time highs again.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: AEW maintains a gritty and edgy genre which is most welcome. Having points of difference remains a reason for success of challenger brands in many forms of business including sports and showbiz. Will Ospreay is AEW confirmed! Yes. Lucha's are always an interesting diversion from the American style of pro wrestling. Language lessons from Chris Jericho, in and around of the ring! Strong emotions on display. FTR going up the ratings. Plenty of teams gunning for them! Risk management required for AEW powers that be with so much action in and out of the ring! Momentum building and more dream match scenario's on the horizon.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA News</b></p><p><b>UFC </b></p><p><b>Joining the dots fight fans...</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Connor McGregor vs Michael Chandler?!</p><p><br /></p><p>"There is no date" Dana White </p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm hoping for the fall" Dana White, UFC top brass to Pat McAfee </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"We get it done in the fall. We get it done in the fall" DW</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm a mark" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody has a date" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Buzz: If you play "Join The Dots" it may well be UFC 306. That's The Sphere </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>That would be September 14 in Las Vegas if your trying to solve the riddle!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sphere is a $2billion + venue!</p><p><br /></p><p>White is looking to make a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Other promoters can't do this"X "can't afford to do this"* are just a few of the supposed Dana White quotes leaking to media and and news media websites and channels.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some fight fans will be aware that Chandler made a public call out (challenge) to "There's A Man From Ireland"</p><p>- "The Irishman" via WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Raw out of Anaheim, California on February 19.</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA /Pro Wrestling (WWE connection)</p><p><br /></p><p>"We got some unfinished business boys" Michael Chandler via live mic on WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>"You can tell he has the adrenaline coursing through his veins a little bit" Seth Rollins via Submission Radio </p><p><br /></p><p>Other</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 303 will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight world awaits a firm fight card - hard to do these days with a high injury list, and injuries throwing around card line-ups for PPVs/PLEs has been a problem for pro wrestling promoters also. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media And Entertainment Gems</b></p><p><br /></p><p>What's worse than being talked about? Not being talked about!</p><p><br /></p><p>The right business finds you!</p><p><br /></p><p>There are plenty of things more important than money, like staying true to self and personal beliefs for example.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep doing your best.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dare to dream, and keep putting in the work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>Greg Tingle is the founder and director of the Media Man Group including Media Man Australia and Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Fox Corporation Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Murdoch to Participate in Upcoming Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) today announced that Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Murdoch will participate in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Monday, March 4, at approximately 9:30am (Pacific), 12:30pm (Eastern).</p><p><br /></p><p>A live and archived webcast of the presentation will be available at http://investor.foxcorporation.com</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About Fox Corporation</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Fox Corporation produces and distributes compelling news, sports, and entertainment content through its primary iconic domestic brands, including FOX News Media, FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment, FOX Television Stations and Tubi Media Group. These brands hold cultural significance with consumers and commercial importance for distributors and advertisers. The breadth and depth of our footprint allows us to deliver content that engages and informs audiences, develop deeper consumer relationships, and create more compelling product offerings. FOX maintains an impressive track record of news, sports, and entertainment industry success that shapes our strategy to capitalize on existing strengths and invest in new initiatives. </p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about Fox Corporation, please visit http://FoxCorporation.com</p><p><br /></p><p>SOURCE: Fox Corporation</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Crypto: Extreme greed is not a sell signal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>27th Feb, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The cryptocurrency market is developing gains, rising 2.2% on the day to $2.17 trillion. These levels replicate the April 2022 peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is now only 15% below its all-time high, while total capitalisation is 38% below its peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>A further move higher would be a repeat of the early 2022 highs. The Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index rose to 82 by Wednesday - the highest since November 2021 - extreme greed. This time, the active rally came at the start of the European session, as Bitcoin moved to update the November 2021 highs, so it would not be surprising to see the index rise further.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to the indicator's design, this state makes it look for a turning point for a correction. However, we believe that short-term corrections only fuel the greed of buyers. Looking at Bitcoin's chart alone, the dynamics are like what we saw in the second half of 2020. The index was above 90 then, and getting out now, just since greed levels are at 82, could be a painful mistake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fundamentally, it is more logical to expect weak performance before a halving, but that is not the case, and investors must accept this reality with a false start to the market due to the influx of institutionalisation via comfortable spot ETFs. Demand is also being helped by strong risk appetite thanks to all-time highs in the major indices.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The main reason for BTC's growth is the trading volume of spot bitcoin ETFs (excluding GBTC), according to Metalpha. The index reached a record $2.4 billion at the beginning of the week, almost doubling the previous daily average.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg does not rule out that bitcoin ETFs will overtake gold ETFs in terms of accumulated capital within the next two years.</p><p><br /></p><p>BitMEX Research notes that outflows from GBTC slowed to $44 million, the lowest since 11 January. The structure has lost $7.5 billion in AUM since becoming an ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum has taken the most significant share among cryptocurrencies in financial institutions' investment portfolios due to the upcoming Dencun upgrade, Bybit noted. According to The Block, open interest in Ethereum options on the top 5 exchanges (excluding CME) reached an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the growing competition between blockchains, Grayscale Research believes the launch of the Dencun update will help Ethereum "mature" by reducing transaction fees and increasing the network's scalability.</p><p><br /></p><p>The value of assets locked in the Lido liquid-stacking protocol has reached $30.56 billion, according to The Block. Lido dominates the segment, controlling 32% of Ethereum's total stakes.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling/Streaming/Live Entertainment Business</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TKO Group (WWE and UFC) Investor Call Highlights Massive Success</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE's Nick Khan and Ariel Emanuel, Chief Executive Officer of TKO Group</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE </b></p><p><b>@WWE</b></p><p><b> President Nick Khan recently contributed in the TKO Earnings call.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Mr Khan covered the WWE RAW shifting to Netflix </b></p><p><b>@netflix</b></p><p><b> in 2025.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“For us, a global localized product has always been a priority. We think Netflix helps us with that. If you look at the premium live event schedule for this calendar year; Perth, Australia this past weekend. Berlin, France, Riyadh, Canada, all over the world. Look for, down the road, more local stars from those markets as we expand our tryouts to international markets so we feel confident over time that will be covered and be part of the Netflix deal.” Nick Khan</p><p><br /></p><p>"TKO's strong results reflect robost demand for our premium content and live events. Throughout 2023 we achieved multiple viewership and attendence records including 10 highest grossing event records for UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> , as well as viewership records for each WWE premium live event during the year".. Ari Emanuel</p><p><br /></p><p>Overview Intel and quote by Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>The company also released guidance for 2024, advising investors that it is targeting revenue of $2.575 billion to $2.650 billion; adjusted EBITDA of $1.150 billion to $1.170 billion; and free cash flow conversion in excess of 50 percent, doubling down on the company’s strategic rationale as a cash-generating machine.</p><p><br /></p><p>“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,” said Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO, in a statement. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC, delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Video/Audio Stream</p><p><br /></p><p>Fightful Wrestling With Sean Ross Sapp Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Where Will WWE Raw Be In Q4? Vince McMahon Selling Shares ? WWE/TKO Earnings Call</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=9EoAdnPW3g4&ab_channel=FightfulWrestlingWithSeanRossSapp</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Corporate Website</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</b></p><p><b>https://corporate.wwe.com/news/company-news/2024/01-23-2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</b></p><p><b>https://tkogrp.com/press/netflix-to-become-new-home-of-wwe-raw-beginning-2025/</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>via TKO Investor Website</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Reports Full Year 2023 Results</p><p>https://investor.tkogrp.com/files/doc_financials/2023/q4/TKO_4Q23-Earnings-Release_2-27-24_FINAL.pdf</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tama Tonga (son of King Haku) to join WWE </b></p><p>@WWE</p><p> ; Just in time for WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> Season; Triple H secured from New Japan Pro-Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Shawn Spears returns to WWE NXT </p><p>@WWENXT</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Good Brothers (Gallows and Anderson) return to WWE NXT; Confrontation with Breakker and Corbin. NXT Roadblock?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey returns from All Japan Pro Wrestling </p><p>@alljapan_pw</p><p> to win the NTX Heritage Cup; Drew Gulak quicky reminds CD he's known him over eight years!</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania Appearanace Wish List includes Tama Tonga, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone, Steve Austin and Lexis King.</p><p><br /></p><p>Related: TKO Group - WWE/UFC </p><p>@UFC</p><p> cross-over well received by fans, media, industry. Could we get Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler at WrestleMania in some capacity? Seth Rollins says McGregor would need a "Roman Reigns-like schedule" (per Submission Radio).</p><p><br /></p><p>"Maybe. Never say never, but he would have to be on a Roman Reigns-like schedule," Rollins said, referring to Reigns' ongoing part-time contract with WWE. "He'd be showing up every 6 months to have a match. He'd be on that Logan Paul contract. I don't know that doing what I do would be for Conor McGregor. It's tough dude. It is a difficult transition to make. So if he would want to give it a shot, we'd love to have him, but I don't know, man. I couldn't jump into their world and do what they do, so I would not expect them to be able to do the same with us." Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Wrestling Executive Eric Bischoff of 83 Weeks </p><p>@83Weeks</p><p> covering potential appearance of Sylvester Stallone appearance at WrestleMania. EB also covers the news of exeecutive/writer, Jennifer Pepperman joining AEW as Vice President of Content Development.</p><p><br /></p><p>Were the excellent WWE press conferences inspired or influenced by the bloody 'Hulk-A-Mania: Let The Battle Begin' (Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair) press conference of Sydney, Australia in 2009? Media Man taped and sold the footage to Channel Seven for approx $700AUD. Now you know! </p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber fallout:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s all I wanted, Drew. A little recognition for helping you win. Coz let’s not forget who knocked out Randy Orton that allowed you to win.” Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE SmackDown: The Rock and Roman Reigns understood to be locked in for a red hot show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Potential Dream Matches for WrestleMania or other PLEs: </p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Tama Tonga </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Streaming Entertainment Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix </b></p><p><b>@netflix</b></p><p><b> Set to Raise Prices in 2024 as It Continues to Gain Share of TV Viewing</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Grappling with prices and ultra completive and saturated market</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix remains Profitable; The exception to the industry norm</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix To Get WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Raw In 2025; Drive To Survive sports and pop culture connection was akin to a test drive</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's Nick Khan has been working on Netflix powers that be behind the scenes as customers, fans and media gave thumbs up to pro wrestling staple via Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is expected to hike prices on its streaming plans in 2024 - a move that should accelerate its revenue and earnings growth — as it continues to take a bigger bite out of overall TV viewing, according to analysts at UBS Securities.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We expect to see rate increases this year” by Netflix, UBS analysts led by John Hodulik wrote in a Feb. 27 research note. That, along with a ramp-up in revenue from its ad-supported tier and healthy subscriber gains, should push the company’s total revenue growth in 2024 to 15%, per the analysts’ estimates, compared with 7% growth in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last October, Netflix increased the price of the Basic plan from $9.99 to $11.99 per month in the U.S., and also hiked prices of the tier in the U.K. and France. Netflix hasn’t announced specific plans to hike subscription prices in 2024, but execs have said rate increases are on the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the company’s Q4 2023 earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters noted that last year the streamer had “largely put price increases on hold” while it was rolling out the paid-sharing program — “because we saw that as a form of substitute price increase. Now that we’re through that, we’re able to resume our sort of standard approach toward price increases. And price increases, you’ve seen us do that in the U.S., U.K. and France. Those changes went well better than we forecasted.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Peters continued, “We will continue to monitor other countries and try and assess… when we’ve delivered enough additional entertainment value” to “ask [customers] to pay a bit more to keep that positive flywheel going and we can invest in more great films, series and games for those members. So, you know, the summary statement might be, ‘Back to business as usual.'”</p><p><br /></p><p>In the note, the UBS team raised their 12-month price target on Netflix shares from $570 to $685 per share, maintaining a “buy” rating on the stock. Shares of Netflix were up 1.5%, to over $596 per share, in midmorning trading Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>In outlining the bull case for the streamer, UBS cited Nielsen data showing Netflix’s share of U.S. TV viewing rose to 7.9% in January 2024, up from 7.7% in December. And Netflix currently has strong pricing power relative to other streaming services, because on average its prices are lower than rivals on a per-hour basis, according to UBS.</p><p><br /></p><p>The analyst firm estimates Netflix’s price per hour of consumption at about 30 cents/hour on ad-free tiers, versus 56 cents/hour for Hulu, 58 cents/hour for Peacock, 73 cents/hour for Disney+ and 81 cents/hour for both Max and Paramount+.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Netflix is the “main beneficiary of structural changes in media,” the analysts wrote in the note. Traditional media companies, as their linear TV businesses have declined, have shifted to focus on profitability in streaming. As the UBS team wrote, “The new playbook includes 1) price increases, 2) platform consolidation, 3) library curation (with attendant asset write-downs), 4) cuts to content spending (adjusting for strike-related declines in 2023) and 5) a renewed focus on content licensing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“As the objective in streaming shifts from subscriber growth to profitability for the traditional media companies, we see Netflix as the ultimate beneficiary of this industry rationalization,” the UBS analysts wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also Tuesday, UBS upped its estimates for Netflix net subscriber adds in 2024 from 18 million to 20 million “to reflect continued momentum in subscriber trends, upside to [average revenue per membership] and higher operating leverage.” The company added 29.5 million net new subscribers in 2023, up from an annual average of 21 million in 2020-22 as it “successfully implemented” the paid sharing program across the globe, the analysts wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we expect net adds to slow, we believe Netflix still has significant runway as it continues to convert users to paid subs and attracts new cohorts,” the analyst wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>UBS also raised estimates on Netflix’s free cash flow generation through 2027. The analysts expect operating margins to expand on average 300 basis points per year over 2024-27, driving a 26% compound annual growth in operating income.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assuming cash content spending of about $17 billion in ’24 and $18 billion-$21 billion in ’25-’27, UBS projects Netflix’s free cash flow will see a CAGR of about 20% (up from 18%) through 2027, “supporting a ramp in [stock] buybacks.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT </p><p>@WWENXT</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson confront Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=iVzDHV3YOlw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I have an airbrush guy. Can we do something with this. It's plain Jane"? BB</p><p><br /></p><p>"No. it's not Spring Break '99. I'm not spraypainting my jacket" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ok, can you put some tanner on. You're pale"? BB</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rough night boys" Gallows</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tag divisions got a little depth huh" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Look big LG. Comedian Corbin actiting like he loves this place" Anderson</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, he's so funny" Gallos</p><p><br /></p><p>"They got jokes. Look, NXT reinvigorated my career" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Reinvigorated his career"! BB..</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you can, Good Brothers be waiting" Gallows</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes discuss the NXT Championship: Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=YMK_3uuc93U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Von Wagner vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=sAD7M7QoxM4&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, and Von got caught again"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Lexis King right not is focussing on chopping down Von Vagner. We're seen him go low a few times. And right here with that knee breaker"</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King wants to destroy Mr. Stone’s life: WWE NXT exclusive, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=85TnY5Qr8AQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey wins the NXT Heritage Cup: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=rnFUF0ws7Fo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he catch up at the right place, at the right time, he can catch you out... but he still young Vic. He's still working on his craft" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey is proud to be the Heritage Cup Champion: WWE NXT exclusive, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=2EulcxQ-_X8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"This cup right here. It means more than any title here" .."There years in the making and I've got it" Charlie Dempsey</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, Charlie, I've known you about eight years now" .. "even before I started working at WWE".. "I've seen you go from behind the scenes, to not having a foot in the door, to becoming one of the most dominant professional wrestlers I've ever expierenced in my career".. "we'll show no mercy, we'll show no mercy. We'll show no quarter" Drew Gulak</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak vs. Luca Crusifino: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=J4u5wEFJU-M&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"He's stepping in the ring tonight wiht the diabolical Dijak" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Solid thumbs up today. As is usually the case in quality pro wrestling, the storylines add so much to the overall entertainment and fan investment element. Wolf Dogs 4 Life... until Breakker goes after the WWE World Title! SS has found himself back home! These NXT ladies are real femme fatals. Who will rise up and fill the void left by "Tiffy Time"? Time to barge thru Roadblock and purpose a Road To WrestleMania if at all possible. And "The Don" Tony D'Angelo crashes Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov's face-to-face, forces a No. 1 Contender's Match at Roadblock. Tony D apparently still in the king of the wise guys. Nothing quite like family business. And Dempsey the shooter and stretcher the cup. And you ain't seen the best and worse of Mr King yet. King ain't finished till he's the king of this kingdom. Massive upside to Lexis. This is pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Canada's antitrust watchdog expands probe into Google's ad services - March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Canada's antitrust watchdog said on Thursday it had obtained a court order to gather information and advance an ongoing investigation into Google's online advertising services in the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Competition Bureau Canada opened an investigation in 2020 to probe whether the Alphabet-owned (GOOGL.O), opens new tab search engine giant had engaged in practices that harm competition in Canada's online ads industry.</p><p>It has now expanded that investigation to examine Google's advertising technology services and if the U.S.-based firm was using predatory pricing, the bureau said in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court order was granted by the Federal Court of Canada and requires Google to produce records and information relevant to the bureau's investigation, according to the statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>A spokesperson for Google said the firm "will continue to engage constructively with the Canadian Competition Bureau and demonstrate the benefits of our products to Canadian businesses and consumers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Canadian businesses choose to use our advertising products because they're effective and reliable at helping them reach their customers and grow," the spokesperson said in an email.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>2023 Commercial Gaming Revenue Reaches $66.5B, Marking Third-Straight Year of Record Revenue</p><p><br /></p><p>Industry Contributes All-Time High $14.4B in State and Local Gaming Taxes</p><p>Press Release</p><p>FEBRUARY 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Washington, D.C. – U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached an annual record of $66.5 billion in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. The total surpasses 2022’s previous high of $60.5 billion by 10 percent, marking the industry’s third-straight record revenue year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The year was punctuated by all-time high quarterly revenue of $17.4 billion in Q4 2023, anchored by $6.2 billion in revenue in December, the highest grossing month in industry history.</p><p><br /></p><p>“From the traditional casino experience to online options, American adults’ demand for gaming is at an all-time high,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Sustaining our momentum will take unified industry efforts around combating pernicious illegal operators and growing responsible gambling efforts in tandem with the growth of the legal market—both of which the AGA is committed to lead on throughout 2024.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The commercial gaming industry continues to evolve, with online gaming making up nearly one-quarter (24.7%) of nationwide commercial gaming revenue in 2023, a new annual high. Looking at each sector:</p><p><br /></p><p>Traditional Gaming: Brick-and-mortar casino slots and table games grossed a record $49.4 billion in 2023, up 3.3 percent over 2022. On a state level, 19 out of 27 traditional gaming markets saw record annual revenue.</p><p>Sports Betting: In 2023, sports betting achieved new records for handle ($119.8B) and sportsbook revenue ($10.9B), up 27.8 and 44.5 percent respectively. This growth was largely fueled by continued maturation across most existing markets as well as several new markets, particularly in Massachusetts and Ohio.</p><p>iGaming: 2023 online casino revenue grew 22.9 percent year-over-year to $6.2 billion in the six states with full-scale legal iGaming.</p><p>In 2023, 12 of the top 20 commercial casino gaming markets reported revenue growth compared to the previous year, with the top market—the Las Vegas Strip—seeing the strongest year-over-year gains. New Jersey maintained its spot as the second-highest grossing market, while Chicagoland (third) flipped rankings with the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. market (fourth) and Mississippi Gulf Coast (fifth) rounded out the top five.</p><p><br /></p><p>The commercial gaming industry also contributed more to state and local governments’ coffers than ever in 2023. Throughout the year, commercial gaming operators paid an estimated $14.4 billion in direct gaming revenue taxes, an increase of 9.7 percent year-over-year. The industry also contributes billions of additional tax dollars to states each year in the form of income, sales, payroll and various other corporate taxes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gaming’s success translates directly to the success of the states, cities and towns in which we operate,” continued Miller. “We are proud to be in 47 U.S. jurisdictions, acting as economic drivers, creating jobs and providing the funding that makes critical public education programs, infrastructure projects, problem gambling resources and more possible.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Miller will make additional remarks on full-year 2023 commercial gaming revenue figures and preview AGA’s priorities for the year ahead in AGA’s annual State of the Industry webinar on Feb. 20 at 11:30 AM ET/8:30 AM PT.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>TKO Group Holdings to Participate in Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>02/29/2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company, announced that its President and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Shapiro, will participate in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time (7:15 a.m. Pacific Time).</p><p><br /></p><p>A link to the live session, as well as a replay available for at least 30 days, will be accessible on the company’s investor relations website at investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Reports Full Year 2023 Results</p><p>TKO Transaction Highlights</p><p>On September 12, 2023, Endeavor and WWE closed the transaction to combine UFC and WWE to form</p><p>a new, publicly listed company, TKO Group Holdings, Inc. The reported results presented in this earnings</p><p>release cover the period from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 for UFC and the period from</p><p>September 12, 2023 through December 31, 2023 for WWE.</p><p>Full Year 2023 Highlights and Recent Developments</p><p>• The UFC segment delivered record financial results. Revenue increased 13% to $1.3 billion and Adjusted</p><p>EBITDA1</p><p> increased 11% to $756 million</p><p>• UFC live events revenue increased 34% to a record $168 million, driven by growth in ticket revenues</p><p>and site fees. UFC held 43 events that generated significant viewership gains and set several all-time</p><p>records for gross revenue at respective arenas</p><p>• UFC sponsorship revenue increased 18% to a record $196 million, driven by new brand partners and</p><p>renewal increases</p><p>• UFC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a series of events commemorating its history and current</p><p>standing as the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization</p><p>• Each WWE premium live event set a viewership record; total WWE domestic viewership and hours</p><p>viewed on Peacock increased 25% and 22%, respectively, as compared to the prior year</p><p>• WWE live event average attendance increased 34%</p><p>• In January 2024, WWE entered into a long-term media rights agreement with Netflix beginning in</p><p>January 2025 for Raw in the United States and all WWE shows and specials outside the United States</p><p>Full Year 2024 Guidance</p><p>• The Company is targeting revenue of $2.575 billion to $2.650 billion</p><p>• The Company is targeting Adjusted EBITDA of $1.150 billion to $1.170 billion</p><p>• The Company is targeting Free Cash Flow Conversion2</p><p> in excess of 50%</p><p>New York, NY, February 27, 2024 – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (“TKO” or the “Company”) (NYSE:</p><p>TKO) today announced financial results for its year ended December 31, 2023. The reported results</p><p>presented in this earnings release cover the period from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 for</p><p>Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”) and the period from September 12, 2023 through December</p><p>31, 2023 for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (“WWE”).</p><p>“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,”</p><p>said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of TKO. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC,</p><p><br /></p><p>2</p><p>delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our</p><p>international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination</p><p>of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful</p><p>free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”</p><p>Full Year Consolidated Results</p><p>Revenue increased 47%, or $534.9 million, to $1.7 billion. The increase reflected an increase of $152.1</p><p>million at UFC, to $1.3 billion, and the contribution of $382.8 million of revenue at WWE associated with</p><p>the period from September 12, 2023 through December 31, 2023.</p><p>Net Income was $175.7 million, a decrease of $213.3 million from $389.0 million in the prior year period.</p><p>The decrease primarily reflected an increase in operating expenses partially offset by the increase in</p><p>revenue. The increase in operating expenses primarily reflected an increase in selling, general and</p><p>administrative expenses of $339.0 million, an increase in direct operating costs of $189.0 million, an</p><p>increase in depreciation and amortization of $104.6 million, and an increase in interest expense of $99.4</p><p>million. To a lesser extent, higher income taxes also contributed to the decrease in net income.</p><p>Adjusted EBITDA1 increased 29%, or $180.4 million, to $809.1 million, due to an increase of $75.1</p><p>million at UFC and the contribution of $163.0 million of Adjusted EBITDA at WWE associated with the</p><p>period from September 12, 2023 through December 31, 2023, partially offset by an increase of $57.7</p><p>million in corporate expenses.</p><p>Cash flows generated by operating activities were $468.4 million, a decrease of $33.3 million from</p><p>$501.7 million, primarily due to lower net income.</p><p>Free Cash Flow2 was $419.8 million, a decrease of $69.5 million from $489.3 million, primarily due to</p><p>the decrease in cash flows generated by operating activities and an increase in capital expenditures, which</p><p>was primarily related to WWE’s new headquarter facility.</p><p>Cash and cash equivalents were $235.8 million as of December 31, 2023. Gross debt was $2.761 billion</p><p>as of December 31, 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Full Year 2023</p><p>Revenue increased 13%, or $152.1 million, to $1.3 billion, primarily driven by a $76.2 million increase</p><p>in media rights and content fees, a $42.6 million increase in live events revenue and a $29.5 million</p><p>increase in sponsorship revenue. The increase in media rights and content fees was primarily related to</p><p>higher domestic and international rights fees resulting from increases in contractual revenues, higher fees</p><p>associated with international renewals and one additional pay-per-view event in 2023 as compared to the</p><p>prior year period. The increase in live events revenue was primarily related to 5 additional events with a</p><p>live audience (26 in 2023 as compared to 21 in the prior year) and higher site fees. The increase in</p><p>sponsorship revenue was primarily related to new sponsors and increases in fees from renewals.</p><p>Adjusted EBITDA increased 11%, or $75.1 million, to $755.7 million, as the increase in revenue (as</p><p>described above) was partially offset by an increase in expenses. The increase in expenses primarily</p><p>reflected an increase of $57.8 million in direct operating costs. The increase in direct operating costs was</p><p>primarily due to an increase of $45.7 million in athlete costs from different matchups as well as higher</p><p>production costs associated with having one additional pay-per-view event and five additional</p><p>international events as compared to the prior year. Marketing and venue costs also increased due to five</p><p>additional events with live audiences in 2023. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by</p><p><br /></p><p>4</p><p>$16.9 million, primarily driven by higher personnel costs from greater headcount and increased travel and</p><p>other expenses associated with the additional pay-per-view event and international events.</p><p>Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased to 58% from 60%.</p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Full Year 2023</p><p>Revenue was $382.8 million for the period from September 12, 2023 through December 31, 2023.</p><p>Including WWE activity for the periods from January 1, 2023 through September 11, 2023 and for the</p><p>full year 2022, WWE combined revenue3 was $1.326 billion, as compared to $1.292 billion for the period</p><p>from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. The increase of 3%, or $34 million, was primarily due</p><p>to an increase in live events revenue, an increase in media rights and content revenue and an increase in</p><p>sponsorship revenue partially offset by a decrease in consumer products licensing revenue. The increase</p><p>in live events revenue was primarily related to an increase in domestic and international ticket sales. The</p><p>increase in media rights and content fees was primarily related to the contractual escalation of media rights</p><p>fees for WWE’s flagship weekly programming, Raw and SmackDown, and premium live events, which</p><p>more than offset a decline in third-party original programming due to the timing of delivery. The decline</p><p>in consumer products licensing revenue was due to the previously disclosed transition of our digital retail</p><p>platform and venue merchandise business to Fanatics as well as a decrease in collectibles revenue.</p><p>Adjusted EBITDA was $163.0 million for the period from September 12, 2023 through December 31,</p><p>2023.</p><p>Including WWE activity for the periods from January 1, 2023 through September 11, 2023 and for the</p><p>full year 2022, WWE combined Adjusted EBITDA3 was $533.1 million, as compared to $512.5 million</p><p>for the period from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. The increase of 4%, or $20.6 million,</p><p>was primarily due to the increase in revenue (as described above) partially offset by an increase in</p><p>expenses. The increase in expenses primarily reflected an increase in content creation costs partially offset</p><p>by lower expenses related to the timing of third-party original programming and the transition of our</p><p>digital retail platform and venue merchandise business to Fanatics.</p><p><br /></p><p>5</p><p>Adjusted EBITDA margin was 43% for the period from September 12, 2023 through December 31,</p><p>2023. Including WWE activity for the periods from January 1, 2023 through September 11, 2023 and for</p><p>full year 2022, WWE combined Adjusted EBITDA margin3</p><p> was flat at 40% in both 2023 and 2022.</p><p>Corporate</p><p>Full Year 2023</p><p>Corporate Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $109.6 million, as compared to a loss of $51.9 million in the</p><p>prior year period.</p><p>Including WWE activity for the periods from January 1, 2023 through September 11, 2023 and for full</p><p>year 2022, Corporate combined Adjusted EBITDA3 was a loss of $196.3 million, as compared to a loss</p><p>of $179.8 million for the period from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. The decrease of $16.5</p><p>million was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs, including TKO executive compensation, and</p><p>other general and administrative expenses, including public company expenses, following the formation</p><p>of TKO in September 2023. The decrease also reflected an increase in service fees paid to Endeavor under</p><p>the Company’s Services Agreement. These increases more than offset savings associated with</p><p>restructuring activities following the formation of TKO.</p><p>Full Year 2024 Guidance</p><p>For the full year 2024, the Company is targeting revenue of $2.575 billion - $2.650 billion and Adjusted</p><p>EBITDA of $1.150 billion - $1.170 billion. The Company is also targeting full year 2024 Free Cash Flow</p><p>Conversion in excess of 50%.</p><p>Management will provide more detail including key assumptions related to 2024 guidance on today’s</p><p>earnings call.</p><p>TKO Transaction</p><p>As previously disclosed, on September 12, 2023, Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. (“Endeavor”) and World</p><p>Wrestling Entertainment, LLC (“WWE”) closed the transaction to combine the Ultimate Fighting</p><p>Championship (“UFC”) and WWE to form a new, publicly listed company, TKO Group Holdings, Inc.</p><p>(“TKO”). For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results</p><p>included $83.8 million of merger and acquisition related costs. For the twelve months ended December</p><p>31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results also included $41.4 million (inclusive of $19.9</p><p>million of equity-based compensation expense) of restructuring, severance and impairment costs resulting</p><p>from the Company’s cost reduction program, which was implemented to realize synergy opportunities and</p><p>integrate the combined operations of WWE and UFC. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News and Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin tears the bears apart again</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The price of the leading cryptocurrency rose decisively during active trading in the US, and in the illiquid Asian session, we saw a wave of stop orders triggered, which at times took the price to $57.8K. Such high levels were last seen in December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nevertheless, bitcoin sees no significant barriers to growth to levels just above $60K. Bitcoin can quickly go there or around the historical highs at $69K, but the subsequent growth may require a few months of consolidation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Growth breeds optimism, and now there is a proliferation of predictions that the price will soon reach six figures. In our view, the chances of a price rise above $100K exceed 50% in the 9–12-month horizon. And if markets come under pressure from an economic slowdown, it could take more than a year to reach a new level.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by $598 million last week, following a record $2.452 billion inflow the week before, the fourth consecutive week of growth. Investments in bitcoin rose by $570 million, Ethereum by $17 million, and Solana fell by $3 million. Investments in funds that allow shorting bitcoin increased by $4 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inflows into crypto funds have exceeded $5.7 billion since the beginning of the year, with total assets under management (AuM) rising to $68.3 billion, although still far from the record high of $87 billion reached in November 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is gaining popularity as a haven asset in countries with persistently high inflation, Bitfinex noted. Macroeconomic risks this year make it relevant to buy the first cryptocurrency, gold, and silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to BitMEX Research, trading volume in the spot bitcoin ETF market exceeded $50 billion. Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, commented on the growing interest of institutional investors in the cryptocurrency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>LookIntoBitcoin notes that the value of bitcoin is being affected by the upcoming halving in April, as well as the imbalance between demand for the asset and its availability in the cryptocurrency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to The Block, the cumulative amount raised by crypto and blockchain companies from venture capitalists since 2017 has exceeded $90 billion, with DeFi, infrastructure, NFT/gaming and Web3 attracting the most interest.</p><p><br /></p><p>MicroStrategy acquired an additional 3,000 BTC, said founder Michael Saylor. MicroStrategy owns 193000 BTCs worth approximately $6.09 billion (average price $31,544).</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Japanese yen benefits from hopes of change in the BoJ approach</p><p><br /></p><p>Japanese consumer inflation slowed from 2.6% y/y to 2.2% y/y in January. The data was slightly higher than the expected 2.1%, providing temporary support for the Yen, which rose 0.4% after the release, pushing USDJPY back to 150.10.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prices excluding food slowed to 2.0% year-on-year, the lowest since March 2022 and back to the BoJ's target. However, an even less volatile measure excluding food and energy slowed to 3.5% from 3.7% in January. These are still the highest levels since the early 1980s, so they warrant the regulator's attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inflation data also helped push Japanese 2-year government bond yields to their highest levels since 2011.</p><p><br /></p><p>The latest inflation figures have raised expectations of imminent changes in monetary policy. Observers are predicting that the zero-interest-rate policy will be abandoned as early as April this year. The strengthening of these expectations supports the yen by narrowing the yield spread between yen-denominated debt and other reserve currencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Japan has repeatedly surprised with its passivity in recent years, so it is worth remaining sceptical about its ability to make real changes. This is doubly true when the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of England pick their moment to start cutting interest rates. Fears that the yield spread will narrow too quickly could lead the Bank of Japan to opt for inaction once again.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Pop Culture</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Art And Animation Art KO By Mojahed Fudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>Brings Out The Beast In Promoters, Fighters and Fans says Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Wins Sports Artist Of The Month; Animation Artist Of The Month</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Raw Moments And Highlights</p><p><br /></p><p>February 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>SAP Center at San Jose, California</p><p><br /></p><p>Hot and emotionally charged show says Media Man. Paul Heyman, wiseman of The Bloodline, lines up situation for Roman Reigns and The Rock to return to SmackDown this Friday. WWE locker room and leading start uniting against The Bloodline.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Monday Night Raw moments: WWE Top 10, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=DNUAFQlmqco&t=89s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"When Dirty Dom and The Judgement Day say we're doing to do something, we mean it. That title belongs us to" Dirty Dom Mysterio</p><p><br /></p><p>"Let them fight" Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive Raw moments: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=C3K3xR_XT90&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm sure Mami thinks it's just another night to be on top" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre to Seth “Freakin” Rollins: “Back off The Bloodline”: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XDi9ect0ipw&t=34s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You did it Drew. I'm proud of you. You clawed your way back into a title match with me. I'm proud of you".. Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Cody Rhodes brings chaos after Heyman warns him of Rock challenge: Raw, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=x4IDOjxoRnc&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>No Quarter Catch Crew. Catch, stretch, hook and cull! Catch are killing it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King will not stop until his is the recognised king of NXT and the professional wrestling industry at large!</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Williams. The trick to being not so well liked? How to lose friends and influence people?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Where is Fallon Henley? Partly responsible for running off Tiffany Stratton. Best Little Wrestling House in Florida and beyond. Crack that whip. Yeehaw! </p><p><br /></p><p>NXT and WWE Universe missing Booker T </p><p>@BookerT5x</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Family haven't looked quite as brutal and menacing over the past few weeks. Is their current fanfare going to cost them Florida, New York and Italy domination? Would be competition eyeing off the waterfront, fish markets, not to mention championship gold! The various families have been quietly chatting out the back of the fishing trawlers. Respect is a high commodity in the family business. What a life! </p><p><br /></p><p>Is this the day we welcome back Booker?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Dream Matches</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Some May Become Reality!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In a WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Ring</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes </p><p>@CodyRhodes</p><p> and Seth Rollins </p><p>@WWERollins</p><p> with Drew McIntyre in their corner</p><p><br /></p><p>Vs</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns and The Rock with Jimmy Uso in their corner</p><p><br /></p><p>Undercard Fantasy Booking</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul </p><p>@LoganPaul</p><p> vs Randy Orton </p><p>@RandyOrton</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre vs CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Bron Breaker</p><p><br /></p><p>Grayson Waller vs Austin Theory</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King </p><p>@LexisKingWWE</p><p> vs Chris Jericho </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>"Let me ask you. Do you like Grayson Waller"? Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"Great, No. You don't have to answer. I've been watching" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>".. He's got tons of skills and not just on the microphone..."first time I was one the Grayson Waller Effect I brought Jey Uso".."I challenged The Rock one on one. A Grayson Waller exclusive as he calls it" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well Grayson Waller can thank Cody Rhodes for the run tonight".. Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"That show has a couple of moments and a lot of them revolve around The American Nightmare" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"Here comes your buddy" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was on an island the last couple of days thinking about how this is going to go actually" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your first tweet in two years saying I was kissing Gunther's ass. It wasn't that. I was just explaining the situation".."let..him know..."but when he makes eye contact with me makes me want poop my pants..So scared" PM ..</p><p><br /></p><p>More great past, present and future coverage via the official WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Lovin' the vibe between Rhodes and Kelly and McAfee is killing it in the mic. Must be recharged from the land down under working holiday! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News and Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum as crypto growth driver</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market settles at a $2 trillion cap level, up 0.8% on the day. Altcoins are once again driving growth, while the first coin is flat, losing 0.5% in 24 hours, and Ethereum is up 2.5%. BNB adds just under 2%, enjoying a resurgence of interest in cryptocurrency trading. XRP and Cardano both lose 1%, dragging the market back down.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ethereum are the cryptocurrencies of choice for institutional speculators. Their obvious trade right now is betting on the approval of spot ETFs on ETH. Speculators are cautiously locking in profits in BTC, which has previously rallied on the same theme.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember that Ethereum's market capacity is smaller than Bitcoin's, which has a three times bigger market cap. This means that the price is more sensitive to changes in sentiment. Ethereum has gained 40% in 30 days, the best performance among the top 10 cryptos.</p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>About 90% of the bitcoins purchased by spot ETFs have gone to Coinbase's custodial platform, its CEO Brian Armstrong said. He stated that the exchange's custody service has accumulated more than $36 billion in BTC. The growing ETF market suggests that institutional capital is seriously considering bitcoin as one of the most reliable assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the US SEC does not approve a spot Ethereum ETF in May 2024, it will do so by mid-2025, said attorney Scott Jonsson. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth believes the SEC won't take as long to process Ethereum ETF applications as it did with BTC, as a significant portion of the applications could be based on Bitcoin ETFs. S&P Ratings expects the SEC to approve applications to launch the ETF in May.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court approves a $4.3 billion payment by Binance exchange to the US Department of Justice as part of a plea deal. According to the signed agreement, the platform agreed to take significant steps to ensure continued compliance with US laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CryptoSlam, total sales of non-replaceable tokens (NFTs) on the Solana network have surpassed $5 billion, with 43 million NFT transactions. The Solana blockchain has more than 2.2 million buyers and 1.6 million sellers of NFTs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Internet forum Reddit invests surplus funds in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The cryptocurrency investment strategy started back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Time for the dollar to choose a trend</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dollar Index is giving up positions painfully slowly. It is under pressure for the ninth session in a row, but at the same time, the market is unable to accelerate or break this downtrend. Individual currency pairs are now testing critical local levels. The ability to finally break through them could set the trend for the coming weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dollar Index has fallen from a high of 104.85 on February 14th to 103.7. This level was strong resistance from late November to early February. It could now act as support. This is also a historically important level for the Dollar Index as it was the peak in March 2020, which took 26 months to overcome.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is logical to expect increased volatility in this area as this is where global trend selection takes place. A decisive move lower will open a quick path to last year's lows around 100.0. Approaching these levels will make the main scenario a further multi-month decline in the US currency, with a final target in the 90.0-92.5 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ability to develop an offensive from these levels would demonstrate the strength of the dollar bulls after the pause. In this case, the DXY could quickly return to last year's October-November highs near106.8. This, in turn, should be followed by a recovery of the dollar to multi-year highs towards 114.5-115.0.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keeping the dollar in balance this week rests on the shoulders of the 10 FOMC members who are scheduled to speak this week. On the macro data front, the market will be watching Thursday's Personal Income and Expenditure and PCE price indices.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the technical front, the EURUSD, AUDUSD, and USDCHF are all trading around their 200-day moving averages, the GBPUSD is trading around its 50-day MA, and the USDJPY is approaching 151 level, where the pair made a brutal multi-week bearish reversal in October 2022 and November 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Slowing inflation puts the franc on a downward path</p><p><br /></p><p>Consumer inflation in Switzerland slowed to an annual rate of 1.3% in January, the lowest since October 2021. This is significantly lower than the 1.7% recorded in the previous month and was expected on average by analysts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The current level is slightly above the local peaks seen in 2018 and 2010. However, throughout the period from 2009 to 2021, Switzerland has been actively easing policy to boost rather than dampen inflation.</p><p><br /></p><p>An important driver of lower inflation has been the appreciation of the franc through the systematic sale of foreign exchange reserves by the Swiss National Bank. Now, there is clearly no need for such active measures. Moreover, the impending monetary policy reversal by the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of England sets the stage for a similar reversal by Switzerland, with consequences for the currency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Swiss franc hit multi-year or all-time highs against many of its peers in the final days of last year, and since then, a reversal has been imminent. The USDCHF, for example, has risen 5.7% since the beginning of the year on the back of a simultaneous dovish shift in expectations from Switzerland and a hawkish shift from the US.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>February 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>SAP Center. San Jose, California</p><p><br /></p><p>Grayson Waller has just called out Cody Rhodes. Fortunately a production camera out the back of the arena got the footage! You can bet the likes of Drew McIntyre will keeping an eye on the situation at The Road To WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> continues. The GW Effect is in full swing and could strike again! Roman Reigns had a quite and private word with GW last week on SmackDown and the grand plan may still be getting executed. Prime Target - Rhodes! What's the status of "Hitman" Austin Theory - fresh off a Cody Cutter from Perth. Watch out for that Thunder From Down Under.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn. Can Zayn find his own warrior within, or will the mysterious and deadly Nakamura put one more bullet in the career of SZ? Is SZ considering changing up his identity and going back to the roots of El Generico? Ole!</p><p><br /></p><p>Imperium vs The New Day. It's a street fight. No "fruity pebbles" here. Not a neon spandex or Booty O cereal box in sight. Europe vs the USA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch out for uninvited guests and tactics south of the border.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw GM Adam Pearce will once again be earning his danger money, as will the announers Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> and Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> at ringside. The announce table better be double strong. Can MC's voice hold out after a massive few weeks? Will PM be stiring up the heels, babyfaces or both?</p><p><br /></p><p>California Dreamin or California Nightmare?!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Box Office News (North America)</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Bob Marley: One Love - $13.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Demon Slayer - $11.6 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Ordinary Angels - $6.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Madame Web - $6 million </p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Argylle - $2.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Wonka - $2.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Drive-Away Dolls - $2.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. The Beekeeper - $2 million </p><p><br /></p><p>10. The Chosen - $1.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Living Legend Bret Hart Offers Thoughts On Wrestling Industry</p><p><br /></p><p>Great Former WWE Champion Shoots Straight</p><p><br /></p><p>“There’s a lot of great wrestlers out there that can deliver great matches. But there’s so many wrestlers out there that are subpar in my opinion, that don’t know what they’re doing out there. And they allow themselves to rely on things like chops, which I think is sort of like cheap heat – you get a reaction, but what’s your reaction? You’re whipping a guy across the chest with your hand? Okay, so you’re hurting some guy for real, for some stupid reason. And the crowd sort of reacts to it. In my understanding of pro wrestling, anytime anyone does anything to you that hurts, for real – chopping, putting blisters on your chest when you go to your room or bed, anytime anyone does things to you for real, they’re in the wrong business. They’re doing it wrong. Because you’re not supposed to get hurt. You’re not supposed to come back to your dressing room that night, or to your hotel room and have a big lump on your head and a black eye, and your teeth are knocked out. That’s Bill Goldberg wrestling. That’s not how it’s done.” - Bret "Hitman" Hart</p><p><br /></p><p>Bret Hart on WWE's Women's Champion Rhea Ripley</p><p><br /></p><p>“I really like her a lot. I really like her poise, her staying in character and sort of living her – she seems like she’s adapted a character that’s fun to play, and she’s playing into that, full tilt. She’s putting that realism into it; that’s what I miss in a lot of wrestling today, just making it feel more real, and she makes it feel pretty real all the time.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia </p><p><br /></p><p>(Amended version with some corrections) - Media Man crew somewhat fatigued after so much wrestling and combat sports news and happenings over past few weeks!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Eat Your Heart Out </p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won. </p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia?</p><p> </p><p>Dream Exposure Won </p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logan Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior. Heel (bad guy) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mami" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confusion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO. Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official L for loss). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price. </p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality. This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan), is absolutely thriving. If you didn't get the memo, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffany Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremely dangerous combat sports hybrid. The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top are usually great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charisma, tough as nails (mentally and physically), and who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but. Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best. </p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud. </p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Stratton and Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Booker Of The Year: Triple H </p><p> </p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul </p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website. </p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights https://youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p> </p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia https://youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int) </p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>National Wrestling Alliance </p><p>@nwa</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>"The CW has made a big commitment to sports, and they have an incredible top-tier streaming platform. The network’s audience represents a very wide swath of American culture—which wrestling has always been a key part of. This partnership gives us the opportunity to reach that audience more readily. We’re excited to get the chance to show there are other voices in professional wrestling. With NWA, there’s honesty, integrity, and a different level of swagger, because it’s coming from the underground. It’s similar to rock ‘n’ roll in this respect. With The CW behind us, we’re pulling NWA into the light where fans can appreciate its authenticity" Billy Corgan</p><p><br /></p><p>BILLY CORGAN & NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE (NWA) ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH THE CW NETWORK</p><p><br /></p><p>STREAMING FLAGSHIP PROGRAM NWA POWERRR & MARQUEE EVENTS SUCH AS PARANOIA NOW</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>SET TO PREMIERE UNTITLED UNSCRIPTED SERIES STARRING BILLY CORGAN IN 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LOS ANGELES, C.A. (News Release) — GRAMMY® Award-winning founder of The Smashing Pumpkins and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) President Billy Corgan proudly announces an exclusive streaming deal for NWA with The CW. Under this newly minted all-encompassing partnership, multiple NWA programs will be streaming and on-demand via The CW platform and portal in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Democratizing access to action-packed wrestling from some of the sport’s biggest, boldest, and brightest personalities, all programming is notably available free of charge and without a subscription via The CW app. It represents a monumental power move for NWA. The partnership not only amplifies the brand’s presence throughout popular culture and the zeitgeist, but it also sets a precedent for wrestling, at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flagship program NWA Powerrr is live on the platform now and features ‘Return to Robarts’ programming emanating from the historic Robarts Arena in Sarasota Florida. New episodes air weekly on Tuesdays with past seasons also available to stream. Additionally, the much-anticipated Paranoia Live Event on Powerrr is also now available on The CW. Shot on January 13, 2024 at Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the signature live event Paranoia features some of the league’s top stars and a myriad of thrilling high-octane matches. Next up, the massive signature live event Hard Times 2024 will premiere on the platform as part of future episodes of NWA Powerrr, streaming on both http://CWTV.com and the CW app.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, a brand new unscripted untitled series about Corgan’s life, family, role as President of NWA, and his “day job” will also debut on The CW later this year. Co-produced by Corgan’s own production company Lightning One Inc. and Nacelle Company, it offers an unprecedented vignette into every dimension of his world with unparalleled candor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corgan continues to deepen the storied mythos and legacy of NWA—one of the oldest and most prestigious professional wrestling brands in the world. He has carefully curated matches and sought-out exciting new talent, building a haven for future superstars to shine with attitude, integrity, power, and panache.</p><p><br /></p><p>As such, NWA currently serves as a home to the likes of EC3, Matt Cardona, “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, Trevor Murdoch, Thom Latimer, The Immortals (Odinson and Kratos), Blunt Force Trauma (Damage and Carnage), Aron Stevens, Austin Idol, The Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J, The Brothers of Funstruction Yabo and Ruffo, Colby Corino, Mims, Max the Impaler, “The Sinister Minister” Father James Mitchell, Burchill, Bryan Idol, Natalia Markova, Kerry Morton, Alex Taylor, May Valentine, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more heavyweights, more drama, and the most bravado, Billy Corgan, The CW, and NWA will enthral and thrill inside and outside of the ring throughout 2024 and beyond. Stay tuned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel CEO takes aim at Albanese government’s TV reforms - Friday 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Chief Executive Patrick Delany has taken aim at the Albanese government's television reforms, which would give free-to-air channels prime placement on smart TVs and connected devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Delany told a Senate committee that customer choice would be undermined by the proposed changes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you are going to put all of the free first, so what happens if I search an overseas news story? Am I going to get everything from SBS, everything from the ABC, everything from Seven, Nine, Ten – everything before CNN and everything else?” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If I search any of those terms, why is that the natural thing I’m looking for? I’m looking for the content.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WBD’s Overall Revenue Is Down – But Streaming And Sports Could Bring A Bounceback</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warner Bros. Discovery is in a tight spot, as its TV revenue declines by double digits and growth opportunities like streaming media haven’t picked up the slack. (Yet.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Last quarter, WBD’s overall revenue fell 7% YOY, while revenue from linear TV ad sales dropped 14%. WBD isn’t giving up on linear, but it expects its streaming business – and an increased investment in sports programming – to offset its losses and return the company to profitability.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD’s revamped streaming service, Max (which combines HBO Max and Discovery+ content), is still in the “early innings,” CEO David Zaslav told investors during WBD’s earnings call on Friday. But the studio’s top priority is “driving profitable growth” for Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there’s still “a long [distance] left to go” on that pathway, Zaslav said.</p><p>To the Max</p><p><br /></p><p>Max is the light at the end of the tunnel for WBD, which remains in the dark right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD reported a 51% YOY increase in streaming ad revenue compared to Q4 in 2022, before HBO Max rebranded to Max. And the pace of streaming ad revenue growth is rising, said CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.</p><p><br /></p><p>That number may sound promising, but it’s not a surprise – advertisers prefer centralized streaming buys, which is why so many media companies are bundling their content. (Another example is Disney+ and Hulu.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Consumers also prefer accessing their content in one place. While the studio only gained half a million streaming subscribers in Q4 (not counting subs from its acquisition of Turkish streamer BluTV in December), Max had the lowest churn rate “in HBO Max’s history” last quarter, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stable subscriber numbers plus an increase in streaming ad revenue would explain why WBD’s average revenue per streaming user rose 7% YOY to $7.94.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Around the world</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WBD plans to continue its streaming growth trajectory with globalization and, of course, more content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Currently, Max with ads is only available in the US. Some international regions still have ad-supported HBO Max, but Max will launch in Latin America next week, followed by Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East later this year. By the end of the year, Max with ads will be available in more than 40 international markets, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>And to make the most of a global launch, WBD is investing in a new content slate that capitalizes on its famous franchises.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yet another “Game of Thrones” show will premiere in 2025 – a prequel, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” – and another “Harry Potter” movie is slated for 2026.</p><p><br /></p><p>A sporting chance</p><p><br /></p><p>But, most importantly, WBD is zeroing in on sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is not a coincidence that Max’s international expansion coincides with the Olympics in Paris over the summer. Although NBCUniversal has airing and digital rights, WBD will livestream the games on its Eurosport channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Max also hopes to attract more international subscribers with other sports programming by capitalizing on the Olympics hype. For example, WBD is currently in talks with the NBA about rights renewal, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, WBD touted its new joint venture with Disney and FOX, which should launch a sports-focused streaming app in 2025. The app will be available to Max subscribers as part of a bundle.</p><p><br /></p><p>But that’s only if the app actually happens. Pay TV companies and the DOJ have raised antitrust concerns over the nature of the venture – together, the three studios encompass 55% of US sports rights, per Citi analysts. And the sports-focused programming distributor Fubo actually filed a lawsuit earlier this week, in which it alleged anticompetitive business practices between the broadcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Only time will tell whether WBD can regain its footing in the race for streaming market share.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber 2024. Perth, Western Australia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley to take on Nia Jax</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss Elimination Chamber, streaming live Perth, Western Australia, at 5:00 a.m. ET/2:00 a.m PT streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to the Women's World Title at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & Damian Priest vs. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell (WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico City</p><p><br /></p><p>This weekend, the UFC makes its sixth trip to Mexico City for a fight card that lines up as a showcase for many of the Mexican and Latin American athletes currently competing inside the Octagon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlined by a critical flyweight rematch between former champ Brandon Moreno and recent title challenger Brandon Royval, with Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega slated to renew acquaintances in a five-round co-main event, Saturday’s return to Arena CDMX promises to be loud and exciting from the outset and remain that way through the close of the night.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Arena CDMX — Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Where to Watch: ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Main Card Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p>Prelim Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Cristian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos</p><p>Jesus Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca</p><p>Edgar Chairez vs Danie Lacerda</p><p>Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam</p><p>Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar</p><p>Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos</p><p>Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Top Brass Dana White via Howie Mandel Podcast - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>“You are not only an amazing businessman, you are an inspiration, you are a philosopher. The way you do business, the way you conduct your business, and your friendships and media, I’m jealous. But, Dana, I can’t thank you enough for being here,” Mandel said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Thank you for all the kind words, I appreciate it. I am so f*****g tired of doing podcasts. I’m literally done with them. I’m not doing any more podcasts,”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sydney casino review sends Star Entertainment shares plunging - Feb 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More than $300 million has been wiped from the market value of Star Entertainment after the NSW casino regulator said it was not satisfied the company had sufficiently overhauled its culture to be allowed to operate in the state.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares fell more than 20 per cent when trading resumed Tuesday, and dropped as low as 42¢. Star said it would need to delay the release of a financial update scheduled for Wednesday after being blindsided by a decision from the Independent Casino Commission to engage Adam Bell, SC, to run a second inquiry into the gaming group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Star chief executive Robbie Cooke has yet to comment publicly on the 15-week investigation. But in a statement on Tuesday, Star said it welcomed the chance for an “objective forum” to demonstrate it was suitable to regain its casino licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell is the Sydney barrister who conducted an earlier inquiry into the Sydney casino, which concluded that the company was unsuitable to hold a licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the new inquiry, some of the company’s largest investors are standing by Star’s management. Bruce Mathieson, the billionaire publican, owns 6 per cent of the business and told The Australian Financial Review: “You never like it, but you can’t change it. We’ve got to deal with whatever they say. I never get into a panic.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell’s 2022 report found Star was unsuitable to hold its licence, describing its operations as “a case study of unethical conduct and cultural failure” that may have evaded taxes and facilitated $900 million of banned gambling transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Bell review, along with a similar investigation in Queensland, where Star operates casinos in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, led to the resignation of key figures including chief executive Matt Bekier.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ICC’s chief commissioner, Philip Crawford, said on Monday that his concern was the “capability and capacity” of the leadership team to execute its remediation programs.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Serious and endemic’</p><p>Mr Crawford was the head of the former casino regulator, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, responsible for overseeing the historical behaviour of Star.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m just not sure the extent to which they’ve addressed the cultural reform that Adam Bell said … was serious and endemic and needed a lot of work,” Mr Crawford said in an interview with the Financial Review. “We want to see the progress they’ve made around that particular space. That’s really important.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The timing of the decision has raised eyebrows in investment circles. One fund manager, who asked to remain anonymous due to company restrictions, said Star had made significant steps in transforming its business.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Frustration is mounting from the impacts that have been worn by current and new shareholders rather than those that were culpable for the missteps,” the fund manager said. “This doesn’t change the value of assets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Star’s market capitalisation has shrunk by more than $2.7 billion – to $1.3 billion – since the start of the first Bell inquiry. Still, the Sydney casino has been lucrative, with gaming revenues of $838.9 million last year. Brokers at MST Marquee estimate Star’s Sydney casino could be worth about $1.3 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>But debt worries and difficult trading conditions, along with a write-down on the value of its casinos, forced Star to seek financing twice last year. The first, at $1.20 a share, raised $800 million in February. The second, in September, raised $750 million at just 60¢ a share.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google Apologizes, Pauses Gemini Chatbot After AI Refuses to Generate Images of White People - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google executives paused select features of the company’s Gemini chatbot and image generator on Wednesday after the program’s artificial intelligence (AI) adamantly refused to produce images of White people. In a bizarre display Google executives apologetically described as “missing the mark,” Gemini responded to user requests with pictures of Black Vikings, Asian female popes, African Nazis, and “diverse” versions of the American Founding Fathers—“historical inaccuracies” that suggest a much deeper problem with the system powering the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gemini (formerly known as Google Bard), served as Google’s entry into the competitive large language model (LLM) market dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. As with other LLMs, users enter text-based prompts to set the criteria for images, and the AI interprets the contextual information to provide a unique image. However, after Gemini’s rebranding earlier this month, users quickly noticed odd—and possibly racist—quirks in the generative AI’s image creator.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a test run by the New York Post, a search for “create an image of a pope” yielded two results: a Black man dressed in elaborate holy vestments and an Asian woman wearing papal robes. As Catholic Gemini users quickly pointed out, all 266 pontiffs in the Church’s history have been White men.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Additional searches, many of which were shared on social media, produced equally ridiculous results, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Black, Female, and Asian Vikings</p><p><br /></p><p>Racially diverse members of America’s Founding Fathers</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-racial members of the Wehrmacht, the army of Nazi Germany</p><p><br /></p><p>What appears to be George Washington depicted as a Black man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odd examples of “famous 17th Century physicists”</p><p><br /></p><p>Notably non-Italian Roman emperors</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Gemini offerings included Asian Anglo-Saxon knights, Sir Isaac Newton as an Indian man, Africans presented as residents of 1820s Scotland, race-swapped versions of famous paintings, and a Black king of France, among hundreds of others.</p><p><br /></p><p>In light of the glaring historical inaccuracies, Google issued an apology on Wednesday afternoon and announced that Gemini’s ability to generate images of people would be paused until a solution could be implemented.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gemini’s AI image generator does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here,” said a statement from Jack Krawczyk, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini Experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Gemini’s outright refusal to produce images of White Europeans extended far beyond a historical context. When presented with a request for “images of a strong Black man,” the program generated results with little difficulty. But when asked for “images of a strong White man,” it instead displayed a message expressing concern about “reinforcing harmful stereotypes about race and body image.” The program then provided resource links to the Southern Poverty Law Center and other social justice organizations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Images “celebrating the diversity and achievement of Black people” were gladly provided, but Gemini refused to do the same for Whites, stating that “historically, media representation has overwhelmingly favored White individuals and their achievements…Focusing solely on White individuals in this context risks perpetuating that imbalance.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Even requests for images acknowledging the existence of White people proved difficult for the program, while images of Black people were produced without comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Repeated tests revealed that Whites were the only race to receive this treatment by the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Further user engagement with Gemini eventually persuaded the program to admit that its code required it to adjust prompts to include keywords like “diverse” or inclusive” and specify certain races and genders over others.</p><p><br /></p><p>The revelation that Gemini was not malfunctioning but rather faithfully executing its directives according to its code eventually led many to Jack Krawczyk’s social media history, which is replete with attacks on America’s “systemic racism” and “White privilege.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Screenshots of Krawczyk’s old posts prompted X owner Elon Musk to label him a “racist douchenozzle” and promote Grok, Musk’s own “non-woke” artificial intelligence.</p><p><br /></p><p>(VT)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former digital darling Vice Media to slash jobs, shutter website</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Vice Media, the once-swashbuckling media outlet geared to a younger audience, plans to lay off several hundred employees and no longer publish material on its website vice.com, the company’s chief executive said in a memo to staff on Thursday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vice, which filed for bankruptcy last year before being sold for $US350 million ($533 million) to a consortium led by the Fortress Investment Group, is also looking to sell its Refinery 29 publishing business, Bruce Dixon wrote in the memo.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the latest sign of financial problems buffeting the media industry. Digital sites The Messenger, BuzzFeed News and Jezebel have all shut in the past year, and legacy media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have also cut jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p>New York-based Vice, valued at $US5.7 billion in 2017, was known for its immersive storytelling style that encompassed digital, television and film outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dixon offered no specifics about the layoffs, other than saying hundreds of people will be affected and will be notified early next week. The New York Times reported that the company has about 900 people on staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I know that saying goodbye to our valued colleagues is difficult and feels overwhelming, but this is the best path forward for Vice as we position the company for long-term creative and financial success,” Dixon said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said it was no longer cost-effective for Vice to distribute its digital content, including news, the way it has been. He said Vice would put more emphasis on its social channels and look for different ways to distribute its content.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its strategic shift, Dixon said Vice would follow a studio model.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before filing for bankruptcy protection last year, Vice cancelled its Vice News Tonight TV program as part of an earlier round of layoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p>The business, which began as an alternative music and culture magazine in Montreal in the 1990s, raised capital from high-profile investors such as Walt Disney and Fox Corporation before running into a slowdown in digital advertising spending.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ether in area of light resistance</p><p><br /></p><p>FxPro, Media Man and Bitcoin News Media reports</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market capitalisation reached $1.99 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap estimates, an increase of over 10% in one week. Forbes estimates that the $2 trillion mark was reached last week. Either way, the growth momentum is clear and very strong. Over the last 24 hours, Bitcoin gained 1.4%, overtaken by Ethereum (+4.4%) and Solana (+3.5%). BNB (-0.6%) and XRP (+0.9%) could not keep up with the current market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is approaching $52.5K, having quickly found buyers after Saturday's drawdown. Monday starts with active buying, bringing the price back to the range highs of the last five days, which are the highs since November 2021. Technically, bitcoin has no meaningful resistance levels until the area approaches $64K.</p><p><br /></p><p>Active building of call option positions with strikes of $60K to $80K, as well as fierce demand for ETFs, could push Bitcoin to an all-time high as early as March, according to QCP Capital.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is also trading in weak resistance territory after breaching the $2900 level. In April 2022, it plunged from levels near $3500 to $2000, with a complete capitulation at levels below $900. A recovery from $2000 to $3500 could be just as quick. This level is also close to 161.8% of the October to early December rally, which is a Fibonacci pattern.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The Coinbase exchange posted a net profit of $273 million in the fourth quarter. For the year, the figure was $95 million on total revenue of $3.1 billion, the company said in a letter to investors. Coinbase acted as custodian for nearly all the spot bitcoin ETFs that received SEC approval in January.</p><p><br /></p><p>MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, told shareholders that the company's capitalisation would grow significantly in 2023 and that it was ready for inclusion in the S&P 500 index.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius said that $2 billion worth of crypto assets have already been transferred to lenders, including 20,255 BTC and 301,338 ETH.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investment firm VanEck has filed a revised proposal with the SEC to launch a spot Ethereum-ETF. VanEck joins Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, BlackRock and Invesco in the race for Ethereum-based exchange-traded products. Some experts believe the regulator will register the products in May.</p><p><br /></p><p>Galaxy Digital estimates that about 15-20% of the total computing power of the Bitcoin network will be unprofitable after the halving in April. The calculations are based on a BTC price of $45,000 and a 15% transaction fee.</p><p><br /></p><p>The attractiveness of Tether's USDT compared to other stablecoins is likely to diminish as future regulations in the US will require greater transparency and compliance with new KYC/AML standards, JPMorgan said. The bank believes that regulations for stablecoins will be coordinated globally through the Financial Stability Board within the G20.</p><p><br /></p><p>Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, believes that the popularity of stablecoins pegged to the US dollar will help maintain the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+ profit surprise</p><p><br /></p><p>February 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount Global has reported revenues down YoY in Q4, but the studio saw notable streaming gains. Paramount+ reached 67.5 million subscribers during the quarter, a net increase of 4.1 million, and recorded 69 per cent revenue growth YoY. The company said it expects to achieve profitability for the SVoD service by 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>Subscription revenue grew 43 per cent, partially driven by price increases, and revenue across its entire direct-to-consumer segment grew 34 per cent. Paramount also reported a 27 per cent rise in global viewing hours across Paramount+ and AVoD service Pluto TV during Q4. Revenue for filmed entertainment decreased 31 per cent, which was primarily attributed due to lower licensing revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Overall, Paramount’s Q4 net income was $514 million (€474m), up from $21 million a year ago, when the company took $309 million in restructuring charges. Revenue fell to $7.6 billion from $8.1 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company – home to brands including CBS, Showtime, BET and Nickelodeon – said it will take a $1 billion write-down in the current quarter for layoffs and restructuring.</p><p><br /></p><p>CEO Bob Bakish commented: “Our disciplined execution and strong content offering drove our results in 2023, as we continue to evolve our business for profitable growth in 2024 and beyond. In Q4, Paramount+ revenue increased 69 per cent, DTC Adjusted OIBDA improved for the third consecutive quarter, and we now expect to reach domestic Paramount+ profitability in 2025 – a significant milestone. Looking ahead, we continue to be focused on maximising the return on our content investments and scaling streaming, while transforming the cost base of our business. And I couldn’t be more thrilled with the early momentum we’ve had across every platform in 2024, demonstrating the power of our strategy and assets.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Survey: AI ad disclosure increases consumer trust</p><p><br /></p><p>February 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yahoo, in collaboration with Publicis Media, has released Trust Through Transparency: The Future of AI and Advertising, a new study exploring consumer and advertiser perspectives, acceptance, usage and trust of artificial intelligence in the advertising industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>Polling over 1,200 US consumers and more than 350 US advertisers, the survey revealed a disparity in AI sentiment between consumers and advertisers. While 77 per cent of advertisers view AI positively, only 38 per cent of consumers share this sentiment. The study also found that 53 per cent are not familiar with companies’ use of AI in advertisements, demonstrating that brands have an opportunity to build trust in AI by being transparent with consumers about their use of the technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While advertisers are already bullish on AI, a significant portion of the population has yet to tap into the benefits of AI,” said Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, Chief Revenue Officer at Yahoo. “Consumers are less concerned about brands and marketers using AI, but rather identifying when AI is used. Transparency will be vital for brands to maintain long-term consumer relationships and generate positive brand equity.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The study found key themes across consumers and advertisers, and identified trends from transparency to demographic sentiment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trust Through Transparency: Advertisers can build trust through transparency when using AI. To gauge consumer acceptance of AI-generated imagery, respondents were presented with different types of creative, some with and some without disclosures that AI was used to create the ad. Overall, AI-generated ads with noticed disclosures significantly boosted brand perceptions and provided a 47 per cent lift in ad appeal, a 73 per cent lift in ad trustworthiness, and a 96 per cent lift in overall trust for the company. This proved true across industries, especially those with historical sensitivities like finance and healthcare.</p><p>Authentic or AI: The study found 72 per cent of consumers believe AI makes it difficult to determine what content is truly authentic. Although 61 per cent already assume AI is used in ads, they don’t know how to identify where.</p><p><br /></p><p>Generational Divide: Younger generations are leading the charge in embracing AI, with 84 per cent of Gen Z respondents reporting they use at least one AI tool today, compared to 68 per cent of Millennials, 54 per cent of Gen X, and 40 per cent of Boomers. Consumers are also starting to find more use cases for AI beyond simple Q&A (44 per cent), with other leading uses being writing (35 per cent) and to brainstorm and generate ideas (33 per cent). Interestingly, 67 per cent also say they want AI trained on ‘unbiased and fair’ data.</p><p>Advertisers’ Optimism: Advertisers are highly optimistic about AI, with 86 per cent already using it in their roles. They identify its benefits in three key areas: greater efficiency, with 87 per cent noting AI cuts manual task time; higher-order tasks, with 83 per cent saying it frees up time for more creative and strategic work; and financial results, with 81 per cent observing AI’s ability to boost sales.</p><p>Advertiser Use Cases for AI: When asked about AI’s real-time capabilities for advertising, 81 per cent believe AI will enhance ad experiences through optimal timing and placement; 80 per cent foresee an increase in ROI via real-time campaign optimisation and insights; 79 per cent expect AI to facilitate strategic pivots in response to market shifts; and 78 per cent see AI’s role in creative personalisation to strengthen emotional audience connections. Over thre-quarters (77 per cent) also anticipate AI will help shorten the time between ad exposure and a purchase.</p><p>“Advertisers recognise the value AI can bring beyond streamlining and optimising processes,” added Herbst-Brady. “There are growing opportunities for AI usage. Marketers are ready to adopt these future solutions across measurement, brand suitability and safety, and targeting and segmentation.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>beIN signs long-term F1 MENA rights deal</p><p><br /></p><p>February 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>beIN Media Group has secured exclusive rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship in 25 countries, spanning the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as well as Türkiye, from the start of the 2024 season until the end of the 2033 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the new 10-year agreement, subscribers across MENA and Türkiye to beIN’s flagship platforms – beIN Sports and beIN’s OTT platform TOD – will be able to watch every Practice, Qualifying and F1 Sprint and Grand Prix races live, with Arabic, Turkish and English commentary as well as in-depth analysis from presenters and pundits. Viewers frwill also be able to watch every single race in 4K. F2 and F3 races will also be live and exclusive in Arabic, Turkish and English.</p><p><br /></p><p>The agreement also includes an exclusive content partnership for the MENA region which will see Formula 1 and beIN working together to create content specifically focused on the audience in the MENA region. This will include Doha becoming a dedicated regional content production hub.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 2024 season will have a record 24 race calendar which both starts and finishes the season in MENA. This includes four major regional Grands Prix, starting in Bahrain on February 29th for the opening race of the season, followed by Saudi Arabia in March, then Qatar in November, before the season finale in Abu Dubai in December.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yousef Al-Obaidly, CEO of beIN Media Group, said: “We are delighted to see the return of Formula 1 live and exclusively on beIN across 25 countries spanning the MENA region and Türkiye. beIN continues to be the undisputed home of sport across MENA and Türkiye, with Formula 1 the centre-piece of our incredible portfolio. We look forward to creating thrilling Formula 1 experiences for millions of fans and growing a new generation of followers through exciting regional content and innovative broadcasting. This deal is also testament to the fantastic long-term success and continued ambitions of beIN Media Group as one of the leading sports, entertainment and media groups in the world.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, commented: “Since Formula 1 first raced in Bahrain in 2004, we have seen the growth of a passionate fanbase in the Middle East who love to go racing. With beIN, we have found a partner who elevate the broadcast experience and create best-in-class programming that delivers against our mission to showcase the drama and spectacle of Formula 1 for our fans at home.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights and Content Creation at Formula 1, added: “With four races and a rapidly growing fanbase, demand for Formula 1 in the Middle East and Türkiye is at an all-time high. In recent years beIN has established itself as one of the leading sports broadcasters in the world, offering fans unparalleled coverage across its sports portfolio. We look forward to working with them, utilising their extensive production capabilities in Doha, to continue to elevate F1’s broadcast programming and create tailor-made content that engages fans in the region and encapsulates the drama and excitement of Formula 1.”</p><p><br /></p><p>This long-term and transformational partnership builds on beIN’s existing partnership with Formula 1 in the Asia Pacific region, where beIN is the exclusive broadcaster of Formula 1 in ten countries until the end of the 2025 season. beIN is now the official broadcaster of Formula 1 in a total of 35 countries worldwide.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>‘Scandalous’: free-to-air networks lash TV makers for demanding a cut - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The managing directors of the ABC and SBS have pulled no punches in a battle against TV makers like Samsung and Amazon, criticising them for “rent-seeking” payments during a last-ditch plea alongside commercial networks for priority placement on new TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usually fierce rivals from free-to-air broadcasters united on Friday when the leaders of Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment, and Paramount ANZ (which owns Network Ten) joined the ABC’s David Anderson and SBS’s James Taylor in appearing before a Senate committee.</p><p><br /></p><p>They faced questions about why their streaming apps – 9Now, 7plus and ABC iview, for example – should automatically be given the best positions on new TV home screens. They were also asked about the government’s “anti-siphoning” laws, a list of sports that must be offered to free-to-air networks before they can be put behind a paywall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies like Samsung and Amazon have demanded a cut of advertising or cash payments to put TV apps on their systems, TV executives said.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, Samsung demanded a 15 per cent cut of any ads that ran through SBS On Demand, Mr Taylor said. When SBS refused, he claimed Samsung made the app much harder to find. In 2020, Samsung made the same demand, threatening to take SBS On Demand off its devices entirely. Then last year, Amazon demanded 30 per cent of all revenue derived from advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information,” Mr Taylor said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The set manufacturers do not pay a cent towards the content they are seeking to grab revenue from – the very definition of rent-seeking. They know the power they have over the primary access point to content in the home, and they are squeezing it for all it’s worth.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Anderson said the ABC iview app was taken off one major TV manufacturer’s devices in 2021 and the ABC was asked to pay to restore it. “On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is a huge cost, Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton said. His network has spent at least $21 million building and maintaining different apps for 21 different operating systems and TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s $21 million in our capex (capital expenditure) bill just to have the apps on the platforms we’re across,” he said. “Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, between 10 and 20 per cent.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If TV networks can’t be found, there will be no viewers, Free TV chairman Greg Hywood told the committee. “It’s existential in that sense,” he said. Free TV noted that 2 million new homes had no TV aerials, and so all viewing would be through the internet. Nine, which owns the Nine Network, is a member of Free TV and publishes The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany, who has just launched a new TV operating system called Hubbl, disagreed with the free-to-air networks. It undermines a consumer’s right to choose, he said. “What we want to do is deliver the best experience for the customer and that’s been our business model for over three decades,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel launches revolutionary platform ‘Hubbl’ for TV and streaming</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel has launched a revolutionary new platform which will help Australians solve the problem of not being able to decide what to watch on TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched at a star-studded event in Sydney on Wednesday night, Hubbl is a game-changing technology promising TV and streaming made easy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hubbl is a one-stop shop for Australians' free and paid live TV and streaming needs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior</p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior: The acclaimed cancelled drama whose fate suddenly lies in Netflix users’ hands</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the most entertaining series in years has been given a new lease of life</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix users hold the fate of one new title in their hands after the addition of a series that was unfairly cancelled last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>In December, it was revealed by streaming service Max that the acclaimed drama Warrior had been axed, two years after it was resurrected.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, all hope is not lost for the series, which has drawn comparisons to HBO prohobition drama Boardwalk Empire and the BBC’s global hit Peaky Blinders since its debut in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Previously speaking about the show’s future, creator Jonathan Tropper told Deadline: “Warrior is a show that simply refuses to die.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Through platform and regime changes, the writers, producers, cast, crew, and our stunt team continued to make something powerful, relevant, and wildly unique. And now, thanks to Netflix, we’ve been given yet another lease on life, and I’m thrilled for everyone involved that millions more viewers around the world will discover it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In Netflix’s global top 10, the series is number eight – and appears to be rising with every new day. It’s worth noting there are seveal key countries where Warrior is not yet available</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW. Anaheim, California</p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc fighter Michael Chandler issues a challenge.aka call out to Conor McGregor</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE cross-over TKO Group era is in full swing</p><p>TKO Group's UFC promotion had held its 298 event at the same Honda Center arena just two nights early.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 live attendance was announced at the UFC press conference as 18,186.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw's live attendance is understood to be in the 12,000 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was an enthusiastic crowd who appeared to also enjoy the announcement of the UFC's Chandler as well as boxer "King" Callum Walsh earlier in the evening.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the conclusion of the Raw main event - Gunther vs Jey Uso, ended by Jimmy Uso ringing the bell earlier as well as interfering, Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes address the ruckus crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anaheim, did you have a good time tonight? Rhodes continued for a few minutes (of which the video is available via the official WWE YouTube Channel).</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued: "Please welcome the voice of the voiceless - CM Punk" @CMPunk </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: "CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It is not easy sitting backstage watching the show knowing that Anaheim showed up 11,000 strong and ya all have been hot all night long. Three hours, countless superstars, awesome matches. I had to come out here and feel this myself. And to let you all know this is a bump in the road and I promise you the next time we are in Anaheim I will be here and I will have my boots on" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"...</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WWE YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A super hot crowd and the WWE - Pro Wrestling and combat sports connection can cbe considered a strong success - especially at this relatively early stage of the game. TKO Group top brass is super connected in the media, live sports, live events and sports business world, and it showed. Recently CM Punk has also been doing some media and hasn't been shy to discuss this forey in MMA, via the UFC, nor his injury as the dangers of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The positive energy on this episode came through in spades. Well done wrestlers, fighters, WWE team, and most importantly, fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling, Boxing And MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Media Man report</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling with TKO! </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports is WWE RAW in Anaheim, California - February, 19, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Boxer and Pro MMA Fighter Appear: WWE cross-over combat sports promotion era is here!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Michael Chandler and "King" Callum Walsh</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"Thank god for the captions" Pat McAfee </b></p><p><b>@PatMcAfeeShow</b></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"The stars are out here in Anaheim. Your looking at. Dana White bash" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Freddie Roach trained. 9 and 0 boxer with 7 knockouts named King Callum Walsh out of Cork, Ireland. His next fight is coming up March 15 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden..9 and 0. 7! knockouts. Absolute dog" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>and</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler from the UFC is in the building and now on camera with a live mic!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Chandler was first to appear on camera and be acknowledged by the WWE broadcast team. Chandler just challenged Conor McGregor!</p><p><br /></p><p>"Hey, what's up Anaheim? Hey, you are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Hey, now there's a man from Ireland bean been making me wait for too long and I still got one dude on my mind. Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the Octagon. We got some unfinished business boy. God bless. I'll see you at the top" Michael Chandler</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The news has started to trend as to may expect. This is the sort of promotion that can and will deliver both more new WWE, UFC and boxing fans. The cross-over appeal is something we touched on at the past UFC Fan/Media Q and A in Sydney, Australia last September. It is expected the WWE and maybe even other TKO Group social media channels will further promote the surprise combat sports participants showing up at the RAW event in the Honda Center. The WWE X account has already featured Chandler at least once as we go live to web. </p><p><br /></p><p>Getting you ready for more via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Honda Center. Anaheim, California </p><p><br /></p><p>Awesome Truth and DIY vs Judgement Day </p><p><br /></p><p>"He still is wearing the rain poncho. It's been raining all day in Anaheim" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Southern California with a rain storm" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"R-Truth a bit delusional. I guess that's a word we could use" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Go inside. Put on a poncho. That seems to be intelligent" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Friday night he thought Kevin Owens was The Miz. I don't quite get how that works" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"He thinks he's teaming up with DX tonight.. it's DIY, but you can get with this or you can get with that" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"McDonagh said no more fun and games" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get with the group ... make money for the group" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"The whole world wants to see R-Truth get into this match.. Judgement Day just keeping him at bay" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"This guy's been running for 14 straight minutes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ciampa doesn't get tired" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm outta breath looking at him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Truth is magical" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long way down for R-Truth from Damian Priest" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great moments and highlights via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's Last Chance Battle Royal</p><p><br /></p><p>"But tonight it's every woman for herself" Michael Cole </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"If you want to get real intense one day just listen to Zoe Starks intro music clearance here. Real serious. The California girl is a beast" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to hop on a plane and go visit" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could sign autographs" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nah, they don't wanna see me... There's a lot of Cole miners in Riyadh" Pat McAfee </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been a long week for Chelsea Green and also Natayla. Part of this Battle Royal tonight. They just got back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Speaking of" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Zelina Vega went right after Electra Lopez" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Full chaos in the ring Cole" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"There's 14 fights happening at one time on Monday Night Raw" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Raquel just caught a Viking and dumped a Viking over the top rope" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"No anders" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"People say you've got too many feelings for those anders" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark on the top rope. Baszler from behind" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're down to Zoe and Raquel" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark eliminated... Raquel Rodriguez is heading to Elimination Chamber ...now she is... and one step closer to WrestleMania" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"You'd have to think the odds have changed mighty now.. " PM</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Honda Center. Anaheim, California</p><p><br /></p><p>We are five days away from Elimination Chamber and Monday Night Raw is live from</p><p>just down the street from Disneyland. We're at Anaheim, California at the sold out Honda Center and there is a big fight feel tonight" Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"Can Main Event Jey Uso get it done tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we're starting things off tonight Mr McAfee with a banger" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Scottish Warrior one of six men who will be locked in Elimination Chamber this coming Saturday in Perth, Australia. The lone survivor will head to WrestleMania to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship Pat. McIntyre saying the others want to win. He needs to win" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And has already won. An absolutely stacked Elimination Chamber in Australia on Saturday and Drew McIntyre's rolling in there with aronica" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"This is not something I'd be signing up for"! PM </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man:.Broadcasting live. Pumped. Cody, Cody, Cody! Moments and highlights soon to be added to the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Jey Uso - Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>R-Truth, The Miz and DIY vs The Judgment Day. Truth or Dare?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's “Last Chance” Battle Royal:</p><p>Michin, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre and Zelina Vega. We're picking Stark for the W on this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chad Gable. Presidential Wrestling Machine vs Ivar, the Scandinavia scrapper. The Presidents Man vs The God's Must Be Crazy! Catch vs Viking cosplayer? Valhalla and maybe Hollywood is watching.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE announcers may have their hands full tonight, especially with the battle royal and femme fatales flying everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso wants to take Gunther’s Intercontinental Title: WWE Now, Feb. 19, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=AM9PMdz-WCI&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre headed for a collision on Raw</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=T5x57j02NUY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso challenges Gunther's historic Intercontinental Title reign</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XbWKHXgwNLI&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Expect the unexpected and so much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - UFC Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Superstar Opens Up On Wrestling Injuries; UFC - MMA environment</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend CM Punk Attends UFC 298; Speaks To Media On Recent Injury, Risks And Plans Forward</p><p><br /></p><p>"Loosing a a fight in the UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> I think is different to loosing to hockey game or loosing a basketball game or a baseball game or something like that. It's real heartbreak for these guys and my heart goes out to Volkanovski right not 'cause I know he's heartbroken and I know the chatters going to be 'Should he have fought four months out after getting knocked out', but that's the fight game. My hats off to him for being such an active, fighting champion. For taking the risks, at 155 against the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, twice. Those are the things"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're thinking maybe six to eight months, but I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I'll be when I come back...it's good to be back. I'm super happy it happened"</p><p><br /></p><p>"My mouth still works so I'm still going to be able to talk some trash... it's the best part, it's what I do"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's what happens to athletes. Mentally, I think it's harder because the physical pain is whatever. But I look at it just like a bump in the road. This is an occupational hazard. It happens, and I'll be back bigger and better. I'm a clumsy idiot. I tore my left triceps about two years ago, so the right one was jealous." </p><p><br /></p><p>"I think one of the things that I never did before was try to balance things out"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"Time heals old wounds you know. You slowly start to realise, you know, a lot of that staff then happened 10 years ago doesn't matter. Different people come and go Different people are in charge now. Maybe I can go back - it kinds of fits like an old slipper"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"THE ROCK COMING BACK IS FANTASTIC" 🔥 - CM Punk looks ahead to WrestleMania XL at #UFC298</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=eBVw3jmCDQs</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #UFC298 #UFC #Volk #Volkanovski #Topuria #Whittaker #TheRock #WWERaw #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #interview #backstage #injuries #MMA #pressconference #interviews #bio #bios #YouTube #Video #wrestlingnews #fighting #Goat #legends #popculture #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: One of the greatest CM Punk interviews we've ever seen/heard. Not a traditional pro wrestling hype - promo type interview, but from the heart. Punk speaks from experience as far as fighting in both arenas and recovering from injury. Sports based commentary with colour and sincerity. Nailed it. And great questions and vibe by interviewer Caroline Pearce. Cheers warriors.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Rampage</p><p><br /></p><p>H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>A Rhodes & the Von Erichs team for the first time in over 40 years! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRwDl7eaz4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well this is certainly a very interesting team. The first time The Rhodes and Von Erich familes have teamed in more than 40 years" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wow. How about that" </p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang make their in-ring debut as a team! 12-man action! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQfSQHGlZNk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our main event our of Rampage continues. A massive 12 person tag team match" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NO DQ! Jeff Hardy & Sammy Guevara meet 1-on-1, for the first time! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cg06QQTI-A&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Exchange of blows"</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is a treacherous position for both competitor Tony"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely it is Excalibur" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Watching the great Von Erichs is a bit like a virtual time machine for long time wrestling fans. Great that the tradition lives on. Having more than one pro wrestling promotion is primarily great news for wrestlers and fans. The compeition of sorts has lit a fire under wrestling promotions across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEW #DustinRhodes #VonErichs #BBSG #JayWhite #JeffHardy #SammyGuevara #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #TV #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man brand shuffle on streaming, combat sports, energy drinks, videogames, tech solutions, agency deals. For a business media/publicity/online media campaign email us at Media Man </p><p><br /></p><p>#brand #brands #streaming #combatsports #energydrinks #videogames #business #businessproposal #brand #brands #branding #brandnews #ads #adnews #onlinenews #newsfeeds #onlineadvertising #aff #affiliate #affilliates #BTC #AI #algorithm #index #indexing #results #niche #nichenews #nichemedia #SEO #SEM #websites #socialmedia #trend #trends #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"WrestleMania is a week-long series of events, and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard" Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #RomanReigns #TheRock #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #EliminationChamber #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL @PFLMMA Champs vs Bellator @BellatorMMA Champs</p><p><br /></p><p>24 February, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p>Media</p><p><br /></p><p>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background</p><p><br /></p><p>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #PFLvsBellator #PFLxBellatornocombate #PFLvBellator #PFLxBellator #PFL2024 #Bellator #SRJ #MMA #combatsports #RyanBader #RenanFerreira #ImpaKasanganay #JohnnyEblen #sportsnews #sportsmedia #RiyadhSeason #KingdomArena #PPV #PayPerView #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Surfing</p><p><br /></p><p>World Surf League @wsl</p><p><br /></p><p>SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii, USA </p><p><br /></p><p>Tuesday, February 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's Opening Round, Elimination Round, and Round of 16 Called ON at Hurley Pro Sunset Beach</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, Stop No. 2 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is ON today and will see the world's best surfers get their Sunset campaigns underway in clean four-to-six-foot waves. A big day of competition is upon us, with the women’s Opening Round starting at 8:03 a.m. HST, followed by the Elimination Round. The Round of 16 will run utilizing the overlapping format with 40-minute heats to determine the Quarterfinalists.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Opening Round is stacked with major battles from the get-go, starting with the day’s opening heat featuring last year’s winner at Sunset, Molly Picklum (AUS), up against Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Isabella Nichols (AUS).</p><p><br /></p><p>The current World No.1 Caitlin Simmers (USA) will surf in the second heat against Luana Silva (BRA) and Sophie McCulloch (AUS). Reigning World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) will be in the next heat with perennial threat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and event wildcard Zoe McDougall (HAW).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright (AUS) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC), two former winners at Sunset, will battle it out in Heat 5 alongside rookie Alyssa Spencer (USA), while Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will be up against Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and India Robinson (AUS) in the final heat of the Opening Round. (Credit: WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Women’s Opening Round Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Luana Silva (BRA), Sophie McCulloch (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Zoe McDougall (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Alyssa Spencer (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), India Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jordy Smith (RSA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WSL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Johanne Defay, Lakey Peterson, Sawyer Lindblad | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71UhSLZtsQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols, Gabriela Bryan | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach - 2024 Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0i3UZcNN4&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright, Brisa Hennessy, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyd5rck2s2Y&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tatiana Weston, Zoe McDougall, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Elimination Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfY9OYOLNQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Live</p><p><br /></p><p>VER EN DIRECTO Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Dia 3</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfESO-GjmfA&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriela Bryan Talks Prepping For “Her Spot” Sunset Beach, From Kauai To The CT, Goals for 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wbdY_ahKA&t=2s&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Official YouTube </p><p>www.youtube.com/wsl </p><p><br /></p><p>Since it hosted the first Championship Tour event ever in 1976, Sunset Beach has long stood as an old-school test of power surfing. And while timeless rail-to-rail surfing still dominates, a new school of surfers is beginning to redefine the wave with a more modern approach. Who will win out, and who heads to colder waters on a hot streak? (Credit: WSL) About WSL The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the global home of surfing. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke. The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels. The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation. (Credit: WSL) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Special thanks to the good folks and great riders at World Surf League. A flashback to when we were great. Cheers from the Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach to Newport Beach, Sydney, Australia connection up to Sunset Beach. The Ripple Effect! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>World Surf League: News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/world_surf.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #HurleyProSunsetBeach #HurleyPro #MollyPicklum #GabrielaBryan </p><p>#IsabellaNichols #CaitlinSimmers #LuanaSilva</p><p>#SophieMcCulloch #CarolineMarks #SallyFitzgibbons #ZoeMcDougall #TylerWright #BrisaHennessy </p><p>#ItaloFerreira #JackRobinson #GabrielMedina #SethMoniz #KanoaIgarashi #MatthewMcGillivray #LeonardoFioravanti #JacobWillcox #KellySlater #SunsetBeach #surfing #prosurfing #surftour #surfingtour #surfingindustry #surfingnews #surfingbiz #surfinglifestyle #surfculture #sportsnews #sportsmedia #YouTube #Video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WSL</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Finance / World Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rises but within a downward channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Euro #EuroNews #Gold #GoldNews #commodity #Commodities #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal @sejournal </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #SEJ #SEO #searchenginejournal #searchenginenews #algorithm #Algorithms #reviews #reviews #GoogleReviews #authority #experience #expert #experts #trend #trends #buzz #AI #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>John Shakespheare Illustrations</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Creative learning indoctrination with social studies and sciences, with a major in politicial sciences with home schooling optional for discident studends and parents. Indoctrination101 from cradle to grave. Sponsored by WEF and NWO. Just another brick in the wall 'We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd) or "Schools Out" (Alice Cooper). Educational creative art of war Great art. Best in class. Creative minds schooling Canberra. Truth to power art. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Market Research Update</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>20 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyMorgan #RoyMorganResearch #marketresearch #newsmedia #businessnews #biznews #ASX #BTC #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #Commodities #commodity #mining #miningnews #Gold #WallStreet #NYSE #biznews #markets #tourism #tourismindustry #AusTrade #politics #newsfeed #newsfeeds #data #digitalnews #socialmedia #worldnews #Australia #Aussie #NZ #trend #trends #watercooler #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Analysts Warn of Spread of AI-Generated News Sites</p><p><br /></p><p>The spread of websites designed to look like news sites, but which trade in low quality or false information, could further damage media trust, some experts say.</p><p><br /></p><p>The media watchdog NewsGuard has seen an increase in websites filled with what it says is AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These are websites that are using artificial intelligence to sometimes generate content in mass [amounts], and it does not appear as content and it does not appear as though they have human editorial oversight," said Jack Brewster, NewsGuard's enterprise editor. "They are masquerading as news sites and act as advertising click bait."</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard defines the sites as Unreliable AI-Generated News Websites, or UAINS.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it started identifying them in May 2023, it found 49. By February 2024, its AI Tracker listed more than 700.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tracker looks for evidence that a site has mostly AI-generated content; little to no human oversight; is designed to look like journalists or writers produced the content; and does not clearly disclose that the material is AI produced.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most sites operate under names such as "Ireland Top News" and "Daily Times Update." And in at least one instance, the domain name of a former established outlet — Hong Kong's Apple Daily — has been taken over and filled with AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Serbian businessman bought the domain after the media outlet shuttered in 2021. Authorities charged its publisher, Jimmy Lai, under the national security law, detained staff and froze assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Edition for Hong Kong’s Apple Daily</p><p>SEE ALSO:</p><p>Last Edition: Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Signs Off With Million-Copy Run</p><p>Now, instead of news, Apple Daily is filled with "SEO-bait" headlines, according to digital news site Wired.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some media experts say these sites damage legitimate journalism and hurt its credibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think in recent years we've already seen a strong decline in the trust in the media and local news sources," said McKenzie Sadeghi, who is the news verification editor at NewsGuard.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When we see the proliferation of these AI-generated websites that are presenting themselves as the average local trusted publication with human journalists, that creates an issue because it further reduces trust," added Sadeghi.</p><p><br /></p><p>The issue spans several languages too, with NewsGuard identifying AI-generated websites in more than a dozen languages including English, Arabic, Chinese and Turkish.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the main goals, says NewsGuard, is to generate ad revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard found that Google is behind 90 percent of the ads on these sites. The watchdog says it believes the content violates Google's policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google policy communications manager Michael Aciman told VOA via email that its policies do not allow the placement of advertisements "alongside harmful or spammy content."</p><p><br /></p><p>But said Aciman, "NewsGuard has not shared the full list of sites in question, so we cannot review them nor confirm whether or not they violate our policies."</p><p><br /></p><p>Some experts say they fear the spread of AI-generated fake news sites could affect elections. About 40 countries are scheduled to hold significant elections this year, and Brewster says disinformation looms over them.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think people realize that right now I can set up a website that is completely automated from start to finish and set up targets for certain key words like stolen election or the vaccine is dangerous," said Brewster.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Think of any false claim you want to, and this web scraper would search the entire internet, and find the content they think will be the most viral and produce it automatically," he added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the sites the researchers identified are populated with content titled "Who Was the Most Decorated Soldier in the Third Reich" and "Is Oatmeal Healthy or Not?"</p><p><br /></p><p>But NewsGuard also found one site pushing a false claim about U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and Palestinian refugees. Another site, named Celebritydeaths, falsely claimed President Joe Biden died and Vice President Kamala Harris had taken over his duties.</p><p><br /></p><p>UCLA researcher Shazeda Ahmed says inaccurate information is potentially harmful if people act upon it.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I also worry about what this will mean for media literacy," said Ahmed, a UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow who focuses on AI safety.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When a person reads one of these articles that is AI generated, do they realize it? And if not, there's no recourse and there's not really anyone that's being held accountable for that," she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Part of the problem in accountability is the difficulty in tracing the owners or producers of the sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard says many owners use privacy services to hide their identities.</p><p><br /></p><p>VOA attempted to contact four owners of some of the sites NewsGuard identified via their contact us online form but received only one response.</p><p><br /></p><p>That response referred VOA to a company named Byohosting.com. When contacted, Byohosting did not respond to the request for interview or comment. Instead, it offered its content services.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson teases trip to Perth for Optus Stadium wrestling showdown - 22 Feb, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock has sent the strongest indication yet that he will be in Perth on Saturday night, sending a video message to fans threatening to appear if Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins talk trash about him at the Elimination Chamber on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The People’s Champion and Hollywood superstar isn’t on the card and hasn’t been advertised as appearing. He wasn’t even on the plane with the group when it arrived on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But after opening a video message to fans apologising for not being in Australia, he laid the strongest hint possible that he will turn up to confront Rhodes and Rollins during their interview on The Grayson Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Cody Rhodes and his little girlfriend Seth Rollins are going to go on the Waller Effect,” The Rock said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Here’s the thing. I need you and you and this goof holding the camera and this one holding the microphone over here - I need all of you guys to make sure that Perth knows there’s some bulls...t happening.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And if those guys, those guys meaning Cody and his little girlfriend Seth, if they start talking trash, let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen. The Rock is going to slap the piss out both of them just like that. As a matter of fact, if they talk trash, The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it. Don’t wonder why The Rock can make it that quick. The Rock makes magic happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes and Rollins began a feud with The Rock just weeks ago when the WWE made a major change to their storyline leading into WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock slapped Rhodes in the face at the WrestleMania kick off event after hearing him challenge his cousin Roman Reigns and criticise their real life family. That led to Rollins promising to be by Rhodes’ side when he the match happens to ensure no members of that Bloodline faction get involved in the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perth will lose its mind if The Rock appears.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE superstars including Rhea Ripley, Triple H, Nia Jax, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch arrive in Perth - 21 Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley has headlined a WWE’s plane full of superstars which has landed in Perth to prepare for Saturday night’s extravaganza at Optus Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of the highest profile wrestlers in the world went straight from WWE Raw in Anaheim’s Honda Center to the airport in Ontario, then stopped in Honolulu before flying straight to WA in 20 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley posted from her hotel room about two hours after landing as the clock ticks down on her first match in Australia on the main WWE roster.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and former champion Triple H quickly put out a video expressing his joy at being in Perth. “We’re excited to be here. It’s been a while,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also sent an extended social media message to fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber combatants Tiffany Stratton and Liv Morgan shared their excitement from the plane shortly after taking off.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax, who will face Ripley for the women’s championship posted a video with Stratton during the flight, followed by another clip of her drinking coffee after nearly 19 hours in transit. The pair then took a photo together after landing in WA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former United States Champion Austin Theory also posted a photo on his social media of the plane landing in Perth at 12.39pm.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag team champion Finn Balor also posted from the plane, tagging his Judgment Day partner Dominik Mysterio in one shot, in a sign he will still be part of the show despite not being part of the card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mysterio is likely to be ringside when Judgment Day defend their titles and when Ripley fights Jax.</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch posted videos of herself and husband, WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, getting their bags.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE will hold a televised free event for the public onstage on the Southern Oval outside Optus Stadium at midday on Friday. The train station will be operating that day and a merchandise tent will also be open.</p><p><br /></p><p>Theory will also appear at Westfield Carousel at 10am on Saturday while Grayson Waller will be at Karrinyup Shopping Centre at 3pm on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE’s Triple H gets his first look at Optus Stadium ahead of Elimination Chamber on Saturday Feb 22, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and 14-time World Champion Triple H has talked up Optus Stadium to the world after visiting the venue for the first time on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>He has also revealed more than 40,000 people will be in attendance at the Elimination Chamber extravaganza on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>A planeload of WWE superstars arrived in Perth on Wednesday to prepare the premium live event which is one of the biggest shows on the WWE calendar.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will attract enormous attention around the world because the results of the matches will dictate what happens at WrestleMania in April.</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H visited Optus Stadium shortly after arriving in town and observed a large group of local wrestlers taking part in a WWE try out in the changerooms.</p><p><br /></p><p>He then stepped onto the stadium surface and was mighty impressed by what he saw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a beautiful stadium,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s brand new. Only I think a few years old - I think right before COVID.. It’s brand new. Just a beautiful stadium. It’s exciting.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is going to be an epic event. There’s a lot of buzz here already in Perth. I could feel it when we were getting off the plane and going through the airport. and the excitement of the WWE being in town.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I can imagine when this place is packed on Saturday - we’ll have over 40,000 in here - it’s going to be quite something.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Tickets are still available for the event and many of the most expensive seats recently had their price slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber is already set to be one of the largest attended shows outside of North America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley will headline the show and defend her Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. A six-man match inside the Elimination Chamber will determine who fights for the men’s World Title at WrestleMania. That match already includes multiple former champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of Ripley and Jax will defend the title at WrestleMania against the winner of the six-woman Elimination Chamber match.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tag team championships are also on the line in Perth, while there is huge anticipation to see if The Rock makes a sudden appearance when Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are interviewed in the ring about their feud with him during the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania - Feb 9, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two more entrants secured their tickets on the Feb. 12 episode of Raw as Bobby Lashley dispatched "Big" Bronson Reed and LA Knight dispelled Ivar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens and United States Champion Logan Paul rounded the field on the Feb. 16 episode of SmackDown after they defeated "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and The Miz, respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WANDERLEI SILVA NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024 - Feb 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Will Be Inducted To The Pioneer Wing </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FC today announced that former PRIDE FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will be inducted into the 2024 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Wanderlei Silva is one of the true pioneers of the sport of MMA,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Wanderlei was an absolute savage who left his mark by delivering some of the most memorable fights in combat sports history. He had legendary fights against Mirko Cro Crop, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Brian Stann, and his fights against Rich Franklin, as they were absolute wars! He was also one of the early superstars of PRIDE who helped grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC HALL OF FAME 2024: Frankie Edgar </p><p><br /></p><p>Silva will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 19th member of the Pioneer Era Wing. The Pioneers Era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.</p><p><br /></p><p>A veteran of 51 fights during his 22-year professional MMA career, Silva registered a record of 35-14-1 Draw / 1 NC (27-11-1-1, – UFC / PRIDE), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Kazushi Sakuraba, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson (Fight Wing); UFC® 13 lightweight tournament winner Guy Mezger; former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; former Pancrase middleweight, light heavyweight, and open weight champion Yuki Kondo; former Strikeforce U.S. middleweight champion Eugene Jackson; and former WEC® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his professional MMA debut on November 1, 1996, by competing in Brazilian Vale Tudo 6. He defeated his opponent via knockout in the first round and would win four of his next five fights across Vale Tudo before entering UFC with a 5-1 record.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his UFC debut as part of UFC BRAZIL: ULTIMATE BRAZIL, which took place on October 16, 1998, in Sao Paulo. He faced UFC 12 heavyweight tournament champion and future UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, losing via punches 44 seconds into the first round.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following his loss to Belfort, Silva would return to Vale Tudo and earn two wins before returning to the Octagon® and defeating Tony Petarra via first-round knockout at UFC 20: BATTLE FOR THE GOLD on May 7, 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva left UFC and won his next three fights in PRIDE FC, a legendary Japanese MMA promotion, before returning to the Octagon to face future UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 25: ULTIMATE JAPAN 3. Silva and Ortiz would go the distance with Tito capturing the title via unanimous decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>After losing his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, Silva spent the next seven years competing primarily in Japan for PRIDE FC. During this time, he fought 25 times for Japan, becoming the PRIDE FC middleweight champion by defeating future UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba during PRIDE 17 in 2001. Silva successfully defended his title four times, and his reign would last for 1,939 days, the longest title run in PRIDE FC history. </p><p><br /></p><p>During his tenure as middleweight champion, Silva also entered the 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix, defeating Sakuraba, as well as four-time World Judo Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Hidehiko Yoshida and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson to become the Grand Prix Champion. His win would make history as the first athlete to win a PRIDE Championship and Grand Prix. He would also enter the 2005 and 2006 Grand Prix, advancing to the semi-finals each year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva returned to UFC in 2007 to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the co-main event of UFC 79: NEMESIS. Silva would lose via unanimous decision, but he would become a fan favorite as the bout won several “Fight of the Year” accolades from media outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the next six years, Silva would compete against the top contenders in the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He defeated former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann via knockout in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV: SILVA vs. STANN on March 3, 2013. This would serve as his final UFC fight. He would compete two more times outside of the Octagon before retiring on September 29, 2018.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most knockouts in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 19</p><p>Most knockdowns in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 27</p><p>PRIDE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most wins in PRIDE history – 22</p><p>Most knockouts in PRIDE history – 15</p><p>Most knockdowns in PRIDE history – 18</p><p>Most significant strikes in PRIDE history – 720</p><p>Longest undefeated fight streak in PRIDE history – 20 (18-0-1, 1 NC)</p><p>Longest title reign in PRIDE history as middleweight champion – 1,939 days</p><p>Tied for most knockouts by soccer kicks/stomps in PRIDE history – 4</p><p>Outside the Octagon, Silva has been honored with numerous awards during his career, receiving Knockout of the Decade honors in 2004 by Sports Illustrated for his KO of Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 28. In 2008, he received Fight of the Year for his bout against UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell at UFC 79, and Knockout of the Year for his KO of Keith Jardine at UFC 84 during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. In 2020, Sem Coleira, a Portuguese biography of his life, was published.</p><p><br /></p><p>A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Silva began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing when he joined the Chute Boxe Academy. As a member of the Brazilian army, he also began to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He currently lives in Curitiba, with his wife and children.</p><p><br /></p><p>To view Silva’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/20539</p><p><br /></p><p>To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOF. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Finance / World Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p><br /></p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rises but within a downward channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. </p><p><br /></p><p>Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. </p><p>Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber: Perth Preview: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh0GGgrUvV8&t=19s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE heads down under for two huge Elimination Chamber Matches, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends her title against Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins appear on “The Grayson Waller Effect” and so much more. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Superstars hug koalas: Elimination Chamber 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkq2BK6DWnU&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press Conference (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWEAustralia #WWENow #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TheRock #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #AustinTheory #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheBloodline #TripleH #pressconference #wwenews #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #PLE #LiveEntertainment #Video #YouTube #trend #trends #buzz #Perth #WesternAustralia #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 22, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh. Ya all Gunna yell at me huh" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"I flew 30 hours to get booed" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ok, alright, that's the direction you want to go. We can go there" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So it's WWE's first time coming to Perth!? and I'm gunna personally going to make sure it's the last" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"This place sucks guys" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"When they told me we're coming to Perth I say hey we got to go to Sydney instead" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"You Google like the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and number one is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people huh" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes, we legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear to God I'd rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean. Don't be mad at me this place sucks guys. I'm gunna give you some fun facts" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nuh, shut up it's my show..I'm not doing this" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gunna bring a little fun to your boring Australian lives"</p><p><br /></p><p>"In tomorrow's Elimination Chamber I am the only champion competing"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the youngest opponent by a decade"</p><p><br /></p><p>"No offence old men"</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a new era and ya all about to be washed out"</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, make no mistake. I'm only here cause I have to be"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will win the Elimination Chamber"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania"</p><p><br /></p><p>"And I will become double champ"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, consider yourself Logan Paul's stepping stone" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Randy, while you were gone with your back surgery this idiot weaselled his way into our industry and now we have to deal with him Alamos ever week. It's pretty brutal, but we can take care of him tomorrow in the chamber. What do you guys think?" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"And met me assure you, everyone Logan wishes you we're stranded in the middle of the ocean and not here" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"Me to. Me to" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, what's the matter Kevin. You looking a little flush. It's a little hot out there. You want some Prime. You looking a little hydrated my guy. There you go. Take a sip Give me my bottle back. Give me my bottle. You can't wait till tomorrow. Anger management cost you that last match" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H tears apart Logan Paul and Kevin Owens: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xb2qVmDYKQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins leads Perth crowd in trashing The Rock: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3weiCozfxY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Belair stares down Becky Lynch: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660XLMDp67o&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley rallies all of Australia against Nia Jax: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDgTROk2lfk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley and Grayson Waller toast a Shoey to the Perth crowd: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9oncmb9zxU&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEEliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #wwepress #wwemedia #LoganPaul #quotes #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TripleH #RheaRipley #SethRollins #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #MichaelCole #CoreyGraves #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #OptusStadium #pressevent #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #popculture #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #x #mediaevent #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler" - Socrates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Stoism Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/stoicism_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Socrates #quote #Zeus #wrestler #wrestling #runner #sports #bestquotes #BQOTD #GreekPhilosopher #philosopher #Philosophy #stoic #stoicism #mbs #mindbodyspirit #sports #world #Greece #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Wrestling needs to be about the art form again. It needs to be about painting a picture and having a really good match.” - Terry Gene Bollea (Hulk Hogan)</p><p><br /></p><p>#HulkHogan #quote #wrestling #prowrestling #artform #TerryFunk #sportsentertainment #legend #legends #wrestlinglegends #entertainment #PopCulture #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>February 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker, former WWE NXT @WWENXT champion and NXT Tag Team champion to make SmackDown in-ring debut! It's bound to be a dog day afternoon for someone.</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Authors of Pain (The Final Testament) vs Street Profits</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate vs Judgment Day (“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh)</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton vs Liv Morgan. It well may be Tiffy Time! Stratton says it's "her universe"</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes his SmackDown debut: WWE Now, February 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae32pT708D0&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing SmackDown’s newest Superstar, Bron Breakker</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vzfgFDaYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin celebrate winning: NXT, Feb. 20, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAVOpVdZKk&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #wwemedia #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #RandyOrton #RKO #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #Catch #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #story #storylines #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #broadcast #broadcasting #AndStill #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #Perth #WesternAustralia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Supergroup, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang, fire on all cylinders! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WamkDRvii48&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa continues her return momentum! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK2hhg6zlS0&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>FTR returns to AEW Collision to face STP’s Taylor & Moriarty! | 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc8xkMb5BvQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"You are looking live at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri when Collision in live here on TNT" .. Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara takes on Don Callis Family’s Powerhouse Hobbs in a NO DQ match!| 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNkenCv_GgA&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson v Jun Akiyama + FTR v Taylor & Moriarty | AEW Control Center: Springfield, 2/23/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3VWcr7JD1Q&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The EVPs, Matthew & Nicholas Jackson, are coming for the AEW World Tag Champs! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9yQ0itSiXw&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW World Champ Joe, Strickland, & Cage vs Hangman, RVD, & FTW Champ Hook! | 2/21/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkbintHOOdc&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara comes face-to-face with The Don Callis Family! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CABuVbJQZ1U&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong faces Jake Hager! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbVuONbqud4&t=102s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Could Mariah May continue her momentum against Anna Jay? | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD70iPD07Lg&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Episode 2: Dog Shark Party | Johnny Loves Taya</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmE8eWiObXE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: AEW maintains its more gritty and edgy genre. Having points of difference is freqently a reason for success of challanger brands in many forms of business including sports and showbiz. Strong emotion and heat in the fued with Sammy Guevara vs Don Callis and Will Hobbs. FTR going up the ratings. Plenty of teams gunning for them! Risk management required for AEW powers that be with so much action in and out of the ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEWRampage #AEWRevolution #prowrestling #wrestling #FTR #Supergroup #BBSG #ThunderRosa #SammyGuevara #DonCallis #DonCallisFamily #YoungBucks #EVPS #SwerveStrickland #SamoaJoe #Hook #RVD #TNT #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>Hyperlink (backlink/s)</p><p><br /></p><p>Computing: noun: hyperlink; plural noun: hyperlinks</p><p>a link from a hypertext document to another location, activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image.</p><p><br /></p><p>Create a hyperlink between (doc or parts of a document)."thumbnail images which are hyperlinked</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Text Links (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/text_links.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business brands using affiliate programs open to and embracing flat fee campaigns by online publishers under the right terms and conditions says Media Man agency</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_brands.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Publishers Battle For Success</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_publishers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Tips (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_tips.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Advertising Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/creative_advertising.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#hyperlink #hyperlinks #textlink #textlinks #linking #backlink #backlinks #webtips #SEO #searchengineoptimization #SEM #SERP #SERPS #algorithm #Algorithms #onlinenews #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #keyword #keywords #metatag #metatags #brand #branding #webbiz #webpubishing #onlinepublishing #onlinepublisher #trend #trends #AI #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Bitcoin Halving Create Overnight Millionaires?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the initial euphoria around the new spot Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has started to fade, it's time to move on to the next major catalyst for Bitcoin: the halving event in April. According to a growing number of analysts, this could really send its price soaring.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Bitcoin ETF issuer Grayscale (NYSEMKT: GBTC), the impact of this halving could exceed any of the three previous Bitcoin halvings. But is that really the case? There are three key reasons this event might end up disappointing crypto investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Buy the rumor, sell the news</p><p>As we've seen with the spot Bitcoin ETFs, the market is getting a lot smarter about pricing in the impact of each new Bitcoin event. If you subscribe to the efficient markets hypothesis, which says that the market efficiently prices in new information about any asset, then this is exactly what you would expect.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the case of the Bitcoin ETFs, the market had a good grip on when they should come along, as well as which firms were likely to win approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). So it didn't come as much of a surprise when the SEC finally approved the spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>The market had already priced in the effect of this move. In the six months from June 2023 to January 2024, the price of Bitcoin soared in anticipation. Thus, when the news finally came, Bitcoins prices actually headed lower -- not higher, as many people had thought. As it turned out, the preliminary gains were a bit too optimistic in the short term.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, could the same thing happen again, this time with the halving? At the end of last year, some analysts were already starting to predict that some of the halving impact had already been priced in. This makes sense, given how much attention Bitcoin now has from Wall Street and big institutional investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving is no longer a surprise event for them, as it might have been back in 2012, 2016, or even 2020. It's a highly predictable thing with several cycles of historical precedent. And the crypto market is no longer as inefficient as it was just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Correlation does not imply causation</p><p>Within the Grayscale report on the Bitcoin halving, one of the most interesting sections was an analysis of the overall macroeconomic situation during the time of each halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving events of 2012, 2016, and 2020 lined up with important macroeconomic events that might have had much more to do with the price of Bitcoin soaring than the halving itself.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Take the May 2020 halving, for example. The market was coping with the shock of the pandemic, and a new wave of government stimulus money helped to prop up investment markets. Some people took their stimulus checks and put them all into crypto. So when Bitcoin eventually surged to an all-time high in November 2021, was it due to the halving, or to the broader macroeconomic situation?</p><p><br /></p><p>All of which is to say that investors might be falling into the correlation/causation trap. They see three distinct periods when Bitcoin rallied, and the natural assumption is that there must be some sort of causation going on. Maybe there's not.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Past performance is no guarantee of future results</p><p>Lastly, just because Bitcoin has rallied three times after three halving events does not mean that it is going to happen again, just like clockwork. It's like flipping a coin three times, getting heads each time, and assuming that there is a greater than 50% chance of it being heads on the fourth flip.</p><p><br /></p><p>And remember: Bitcoin is scheduled to undergo halving cycles every four years from now until 2140. Does anyone really think that Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high in each of the next 30 or so halving cycles? At some point, the effect will likely vanish.</p><p><br /></p><p>Granted, Grayscale makes several noteworthy points in its report on the Bitcoin halving. For example, it says that the new spot Bitcoin ETFs are a factor that has never existed in previous halving cycles. This matters because the demand for Bitcoin from these ETFs should soak up any selling pressure that might occur from Bitcoin miners as a result of the halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't expect the price of Bitcoin to skyrocket overnight</p><p>Even if you think that the halving will have a significant impact on the price of Bitcoin, just remember that the price gains after a halving usually take 12 to 18 months. Consider the past halving: It took place in May 2020, but Bitcoin didn't reach its all-time high of $69,000 until November 2021 -- a full 18 months later. As a result, don't expect a sudden jump in the price of Bitcoin from its current level of around $50,000.</p><p><br /></p><p>Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Anticipated Bitcoin Energy Debate in Email Thread With Early Collaborators</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Nakamoto warned that Bitcoin could become a significant consumer of energy in 2009 emails.</p><p><br /></p><p>Proof of Work is central to Bitcoin's security but debated for high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi foresaw non-financial uses for blockchain and expressed concerns about legal scrutiny.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a recently released batch of emails posted by Martii 'Sirius' Malmi, an early collaborator on Bitcoin's code, Satoshi Nakamoto warned that the cryptocurrency – now the world's largest digital asset – could become an energy guzzler.</p><p><br /></p><p>The email release comes as Craig Wright is on trial in a case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to determine whether he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Proof of Work is the only solution I've found to make p2p e-cash work without a trusted third party," Satoshi wrote in May 2009, calling Proof of Work (PoW) "fundamental to coordinating the network and preventing double-spending."</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is a consensus algorithm used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure the network and prevent double-spending by requiring miners to solve complex computational puzzles, which in turn validates transactions and adds new blocks to the blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is at the center of a debate around Bitcoin's energy consumption. While the cryptocurrency industry points to miners' use of clean or orphaned power, which would otherwise go to waste, critics are laser-focused on the raw numbers of energy consumption it generates.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result, some jurisdictions like New York State or British Columbia have placed moratoriums on Bitcoin mining, citing the high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If it did grow to consume significant energy, I think it would still be less wasteful than the labour and resource intensive conventional banking activity it would replace," Satoshi wrote. "The cost would be an order of magnitude less than the billions in banking fees that pay for all those brick-and-mortar buildings, skyscrapers, and junk mail credit card offers."</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 research from Galaxy Digital showed that Bitcoin uses half the energy of the banking or gold mining industries.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ironic if we end up having to choose between economic liberty and conservation," Satoshi continued.</p><p><br /></p><p>Non-financial uses of Blockchain</p><p>Blockchain serving as a sort of open-source notary was one non-financial use of Bitcoin that Satoshi saw in the technology, which would allow users to securely timestamp documents to prove their existence at a specific point in time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Bitcoin is a distributed secure timestamp server for transactions," Satoshi wrote. "A few lines of code could create a transaction with an extra hash in it of anything that needs to be timestamped."</p><p><br /></p><p>Legal concerns</p><p>Satoshi was also concerned that labelling Bitcoin as a sort of investment might bring legal scrutiny from authorities.</p><p><br /></p><p>"There are a lot of things you can say on the sourceforge site that I can't say on my own site," he wrote. "Even so, I'm uncomfortable with explicitly saying, 'consider it an investment' ... That's a dangerous thing to say and you should delete that bullet point. It's OK if they come to that conclusion on their own, but we can't pitch it as that."</p><p><br /></p><p>Indeed, in the time since, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has engaged in a long campaign of legal warfare around the use of this word and might classify a cryptocurrency as a security and crypto exchanges as dealing with unregistered securities.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright Admits to Editing Bitcoin White Paper Presented in COPA Trial</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bitcoin developers' lawyer, Alexander Gunning, presented evidence that Craig Wright had made new edits to his whitepaper, which Wright acknowledged.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Crypto Open Patent Alliance wants to prove that Wright's claim to be the founder of bitcoin is a lie backed by forgeries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright admitted to making changes to the version of the bitcoin whitepaper he presented in the Crypto Open Patent Alliance's (COPA) trial while testifying Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial to prove whether or not Wright is the anonymous creator of the bitcoin white paper completed its third week. COPA wants to prove that Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto is a lie afforded by "industrial style forgeries," and the bitcoin developers lawyer Alexander Gunning is helping them.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Friday, Gunning showed that Wright made edits to the bitcoin whitepaper in his "LaTeX files," which Wright agreed was accurate. Wright said the edits were simply a demonstration for his representatives at Shoosmiths (his law firm).</p><p><br /></p><p>"You were not showing this to anyone, we know the times you were showing this to Shoosmiths, you were doing it for yourself," Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>"What you are doing is tweaking parameters.. to get them to fit " the layout of the bitcoin whitepaper, Gunning added. The file was uploaded as recently as November 2023, Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunning ended his questioning by asking: "Your claim to be Satoshi Nakomoto is a fraudulent claim isn't it?" which Wright disputed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Week three</p><p>Wright's testimony capped off the third week of the trial, which saw some of COPA's witnesses take to the stand to face questioning from Wright's lawyers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, a computer scientist and the founder of Zcash, testified on Thursday where he was questioned on how well he knew Nakamoto. Wilcox said he wouldn't call himself "pals" with the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator. In court documents, he said that he was not sure if he had any private conversations with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other witnesses were more confident about their interactions with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Computer scientist Marti Malmi spoke on Wednesday, disputing the dates that Wright put forward about Malmi's interaction with Nakamoto. Malmi later released his emails with Nakamoto on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright said in his witness statement that Malmi approached Nakamoto in Feb. 2009 but Malmi said in his statement this was "incorrect," and that the date was actually May 1, 2009.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Back, the CEO of bitcoin technology company Blockstream, said in his first statement he corresponded with someone purporting to be Nakamoto via email.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his statement he showed an email he received from Nakamoto on Aug. 20, 2008, where he said he planned to cite Back's paper about a proof-of-work system and Back responded by sending more resources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright described Back's interactions with Nakamoto as "dismissive," which Back said was inaccurate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week expert witnesses will be questioned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p>#SAG #SAGAwards #SAGAwards2024 #Netflix #showbiz #movienews #streaming #streamingentertainment #streamingindustry #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #KillersOfTheFlowerMoon #Oppenheimer #Succession #TheCrown #MissionImpossible #MI #MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning #TheLastOfUs #Bear #Beef #LilyGladstone #TheHoldovers #boxoffice #popculture #trend #trends #buzz #TV #LA #LANews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE @WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Eat Your Heart Out</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won.</p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia? Dream Exposure Won</p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logal Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior.</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel (bad gun) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mummi" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official W). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality.</p><p><br /></p><p>This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is absolutely thriving.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you didn't get the meme, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffiny Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremly dangerous combat sports hybrid.</p><p><br /></p><p>The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top usally are great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charismatic, tough as nails (mentally and physical), an who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud.</p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Statton and Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Booker Of The Year: Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEChamber #EliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #IndiHartwell #TripleH #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #RKO #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #OptusStadium #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #Entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #showbiz #combatsports #legends #YouTube #Video #Videos #PLE #sportsbiz #sportstourism #trends #trending #Aussie #AussieAussieAussie #WesternAustralia #OptusStadium #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia </p><p><br /></p><p>(Amended version with some corrections) - Media Man crew somewhat fatigued after so much wrestling and combat sports news and happenings over past few weeks!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Eat Your Heart Out </p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won. </p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia?</p><p> </p><p>Dream Exposure Won </p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logan Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior. Heel (bad guy) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mami" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confusion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO. Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official L for loss). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price. </p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality. This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan), is absolutely thriving. If you didn't get the memo, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffany Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremely dangerous combat sports hybrid. The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top are usually great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charisma, tough as nails (mentally and physically), and who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but. Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best. </p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud. </p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Stratton and Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Booker Of The Year: Triple H </p><p> </p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul </p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website. </p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights https://youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p> </p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia https://youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int) </p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>National Wrestling Alliance </p><p>@nwa</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>"The CW has made a big commitment to sports, and they have an incredible top-tier streaming platform. The network’s audience represents a very wide swath of American culture—which wrestling has always been a key part of. This partnership gives us the opportunity to reach that audience more readily. We’re excited to get the chance to show there are other voices in professional wrestling. With NWA, there’s honesty, integrity, and a different level of swagger, because it’s coming from the underground. It’s similar to rock ‘n’ roll in this respect. With The CW behind us, we’re pulling NWA into the light where fans can appreciate its authenticity" Billy Corgan</p><p><br /></p><p>BILLY CORGAN & NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE (NWA) ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH THE CW NETWORK</p><p><br /></p><p>STREAMING FLAGSHIP PROGRAM NWA POWERRR & MARQUEE EVENTS SUCH AS PARANOIA NOW</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>SET TO PREMIERE UNTITLED UNSCRIPTED SERIES STARRING BILLY CORGAN IN 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LOS ANGELES, C.A. (News Release) — GRAMMY® Award-winning founder of The Smashing Pumpkins and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) President Billy Corgan proudly announces an exclusive streaming deal for NWA with The CW. Under this newly minted all-encompassing partnership, multiple NWA programs will be streaming and on-demand via The CW platform and portal in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Democratizing access to action-packed wrestling from some of the sport’s biggest, boldest, and brightest personalities, all programming is notably available free of charge and without a subscription via The CW app. It represents a monumental power move for NWA. The partnership not only amplifies the brand’s presence throughout popular culture and the zeitgeist, but it also sets a precedent for wrestling, at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flagship program NWA Powerrr is live on the platform now and features ‘Return to Robarts’ programming emanating from the historic Robarts Arena in Sarasota Florida. New episodes air weekly on Tuesdays with past seasons also available to stream. Additionally, the much-anticipated Paranoia Live Event on Powerrr is also now available on The CW. Shot on January 13, 2024 at Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the signature live event Paranoia features some of the league’s top stars and a myriad of thrilling high-octane matches. Next up, the massive signature live event Hard Times 2024 will premiere on the platform as part of future episodes of NWA Powerrr, streaming on both http://CWTV.com and the CW app.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, a brand new unscripted untitled series about Corgan’s life, family, role as President of NWA, and his “day job” will also debut on The CW later this year. Co-produced by Corgan’s own production company Lightning One Inc. and Nacelle Company, it offers an unprecedented vignette into every dimension of his world with unparalleled candor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corgan continues to deepen the storied mythos and legacy of NWA—one of the oldest and most prestigious professional wrestling brands in the world. He has carefully curated matches and sought-out exciting new talent, building a haven for future superstars to shine with attitude, integrity, power, and panache.</p><p><br /></p><p>As such, NWA currently serves as a home to the likes of EC3, Matt Cardona, “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, Trevor Murdoch, Thom Latimer, The Immortals (Odinson and Kratos), Blunt Force Trauma (Damage and Carnage), Aron Stevens, Austin Idol, The Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J, The Brothers of Funstruction Yabo and Ruffo, Colby Corino, Mims, Max the Impaler, “The Sinister Minister” Father James Mitchell, Burchill, Bryan Idol, Natalia Markova, Kerry Morton, Alex Taylor, May Valentine, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more heavyweights, more drama, and the most bravado, Billy Corgan, The CW, and NWA will enthral and thrill inside and outside of the ring throughout 2024 and beyond. Stay tuned.</p><p><br /></p><p>NWA Official YouTube Channel</p><p>http://youtube.com/nwa</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p><br /></p><p>24 February, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>http://youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p>Media</p><p><br /></p><p>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background</p><p><br /></p><p>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussies respond to Logan Paul’s Perth trash talk</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussies have slammed Logan Paul’s Perth comments while politicians get involved in the “trash talk” and “beef”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling-mania has hit a fever pitch in Australia as politicians respond to industry beef in the lead up to WWEs massive Elimination Chamber match in Perth on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Western Australian’s have been hitting back at Logan Paul after he slated Perth and said the city “sucks”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deputy Premier of Western Australia Rita Saffioti MLA took to Facebook to share a picture with the social media star turned wrestler with the caption: “Heard what Logan Paul said about Perth, so we had a few words backstage.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The YouTuber turned exhibition boxer and now wrestler is the current WWE United States champion and will fight Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight and Kevin Owens in the main event Elimination Chamber match on Saturday night in Perth in a World Heavyweight Championship match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans fear Paul may have lost some local support in the lead-up to the match after he trashed Perth on stage at a media event this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul took to the stage with his US championship belt and received a “tepid” response from the crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Oh, y’all going to yell at me huh?” Paul said. “You gonna boo me?</p><p><br /></p><p>“I flew 30 hours to get booed?</p><p><br /></p><p>“OK, if that’s the direction you want to go, we can go there.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“So it’s WWE’s first time coming to Perth and I’m going to personally make sure it’s the last.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This place sucks guys. I said when they said we were coming to Perth, I said we gotta be going to Sydney instead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m serious, you Google the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and No. 1 is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people, huh? Yikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear, I’d rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Don’t be mad at me, this place sucks guys. Imma give you some fun facts. Gonna bring a bit of fun to your boring Australia lives. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the only champion competing. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the youngest opponent by a decade — no offence old men. It’s a new era and y’all about to be washed out.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So Perth, make no mistake — I’m only here because I have to be. I will win the Elimination Chamber. I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. And I will become double champ”</p><p><br /></p><p>“So Perth, consider yourselves Logan Paul’s stepping stone,” he told the crowd on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The comments on Ms Saffioti’s Facebook highlighted Western Australia’s civic pride.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well Done, He should have not said what he said on stage about our Beautiful city (of) Perth and WA at large, Shame on Him. He should apologise to WA Fraternity,” a concerned commenter wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trash talking is a key part of WWE entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Thursday the official WWE X account posted a video of The Rock following sustained rumours he would be attending the Perth event.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Rock wishes he could be there in Perth,” he said in the video.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He’s going to be there in spirit and that’s all that matters.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He talked about the “bull-s-t” he believed was about to go down in Perth.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said wrestlers Cody Rhodes and “his little girlfriend” Seth Rollins would be going on Australian wrestler Grayson Waller’s show The Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they start talking trash let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen- The Rock is going to slap the p*** out of both of them just like that.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they talk trash The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook posted a letter addressed to “Mr Rock” from the Western Australian government.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As Premier of Western Australia I feel compelled to inform The Rock there has been a lot of out-of-towners talking trash in the lead up to the Elimination Chamber,” the letter read in a possible reference to Paul’s comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The state of Western Australia stands ready to assist The Rock in making ‘magic’ happen and provide logistical support so you can respond to this outrageous trash talk.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The people of Western Australia would love to smell what The Rock is cooking.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(News)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Desert gold: Newmont in bid to convert mines to cash - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The multinational US gold giant that swallowed Australia’s biggest goldminer Newcrest in a $26.2 billion merger is moving to sell half a dozen mines, including Telfer in the Pilbara and an adjoining gold and copper prospect called Havieron, in a bid to raise $3.05 billion in cash.</p><p><br /></p><p>Telfer, a fly-in fly-out gold, copper and silver mine in West Australia’s Great Sandy Desert, was part of Newcrest’s portfolio along with the Cadia mine in NSW and Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea, when it was absorbed by Colorado-based Newmont last November.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont, which also owns the Boddington gold mine 100 kilometres south-east of Perth, wants to sell Cripple Creek & Victor in the US, Akyem in Ghana and three Canadian gold mines – Porcupine, Musselwhite and Eleonore – along with Telfer. Two “non-core” projects, Havieron in Australia and Coffee Gold in Canada, are also on the seller’s list.</p><p><br /></p><p>It first flagged plans to offload some of its newly acquired mines soon after closing its billion-dollar buyout of Newcrest, which left it with about 20 assets. That deal cemented its position as the world’s biggest gold producer by far.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said on Thursday it intended to divest assets it did not consider to be “tier 1”. It will hang on to three of its Australian mines – Boddington, Cadia and Tanami – and divest Telfer.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company has already received interest from potential buyers, chief executive officer Tom Palmer told The Washington Post. “We have a number of tier 2 assets that are very good assets, run by very good people, but that don’t make our tier 1 category,” Palmer said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s remaining large gold diggers, Northern Star Resources, whose shares climbed 22 per cent in the past year, and Evolution mining, up 6 per cent, have fared better than Newmont since the takeover. Its share price on the US exchange has slumped from a 2022 peak of $US84.77 to $US30.89 now.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Newmont is not in a position to disclose projected valuations of any of our assets,” the company said when asked what Telfer might fetch.</p><p><br /></p><p>About a year-and-a-half before the Newmont merger, Newcrest’s board approved a $214 million investment in Telfer’s West Dome Stage 8 to extend the mine’s operations into 2025, forecasting the 2022-23 financial year’s output at between 355 and 405 thousand ounces.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mine’s gold-copper concentrates are trucked to Port Hedland and exported to various smelters, primarily in Asia. Spot prices for gold pushed up above $US2000 an ounce in late November, before hitting an all-time high in late December, a recent market analysis from NAB’s economics team says.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prices have largely trended sideways since that time.</p><p><br /></p><p>“At face value, this appears somewhat counter to the improving economic data – with inflation in the advanced economies tracking closer to target in late 2023, which spurred a rally in both equity and bond markets,” the bank’s economists said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reports suggest that central bank purchases of gold have been ramping up in recent times – most notably by China and Russia – which is underpinning global demand, NAB said. “We forecast gold prices to average $US2025/oz in 2024, up from around $US1942/oz in 2023.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont’s decision to sell its share of the Havieron gold and copper prospect, currently under exploration and development, may be complicated by its joint venture status with Greatland Gold, a UK registered company which owns about 30 per cent. Greatland was contacted for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said it expected to produce 6.7 million ounces of gold annually by 2028 from 20 mines in 11 countries. The company reported adjusted earnings on Thursday of US50¢ a share over the fourth quarter, beating analyst expectations compiled by Bloomberg, and produced 5.5 million gold ounces in 2023, more than the consensus estimate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More Evidence Comes to Light That Craig Wright is 'Probably Satoshi' - Feb 20, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>On Monday, during the COPA vs. Dr. Craig Wright trial in London, a witness testified that Wright is "probably the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto", creator of bitcoin. Qudos Bank’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) David Bridges, testified that Wright worked with the Qudos Bank as an IT expert during the year 2005. He told the Court Wright had given him several documents and papers, which he said "annoyed the hell of me" at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the documents pertained to the forensic and IT services Wright performed for the Australian mutual fund bank, Bridges said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bridges had previously stated that Wright proposed a system that could replace the traditional SWIFT network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial, which is expected to continue through March, represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and the foundational elements of bitcoin. The case will continue for the next 5 weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>"COPA's strategy aimed to dismantle Wright's claims through meticulous questioning and the presentation of evidence that questioned the authenticity of documents Wright had produced to support his claim to the Satoshi identity," writes Susie Violet Ford of Forbes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Bridges testimony, Wright’s cousin, Max Lyman, was called to the stand next. Lyman confirmed that Wright had asked him to ‘run some code’ on his computer, which was not up to the task at the time. Lyman claimed Wright was running an eCommerce business at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyman also revealed that he got the Bitcoin whitepaper but was curious about it coming from Wright.</p><p><br /></p><p>From the court transcipt:</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall Craig sending you the Bitcoin whitepaper?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Craig sent many documents to me, that could have been one of them</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall that particular document?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. No. They were all the same type of thing</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Do you have a detailed understanding of cryptocurrencies?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Detailed no. But fundamental from an IT systems perspectives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another key witness, Stefan Matthews, Chairman and CEO of nChain Group, also supported the notion that Wright is Satoshi.</p><p><br /></p><p>Calvin Ayre, a billionaire investor in the nChain platform and leading proponent of the BSV blockchain, offered his take on Matthews witness testimony.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If the judge did not know COPA was a fraud after they turned down Craig's generous offer to settle…he does now. I am even more convinced that Craig has already won this case. This is going to change things...but COPA will continue to attack Craig even when they lose this as this is about killing competition not about who is Satoshi and that fight will go on."</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial continues on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Beyond the Blockchain: Elevating Your Entertainment with the Best Bitcoin Casinos</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Welcome to the thrilling world where entertainment meets innovation – the realm of the best Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beyond the blockchain, a new era of gaming awaits, promising excitement, rewards, and an experience like no other. Let's dive into the heart of this digital playground and discover how it can elevate your entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Roll the Dice, Not the Coins: The Seamless Experience of Bitcoin Transactions</p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, the game isn't just about the cards; it's about the seamless dance of Bitcoin transactions. Picture this: swift deposits, lightning-fast withdrawals, and a digital wallet that feels as light as a feather. No more grappling with traditional banking processes or waiting for the stars to align for your funds to land.</p><p><br /></p><p>The beauty of it all? The blockchain ensures a transparent and secure process. Your transactions become as smooth as a well-played hand of cards, allowing you to focus on the thrill of the game. So, roll the dice, not the coins, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you how effortless gaming can be.</p><p><br /></p><p>- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Digital Diversity: A Feast of Games Awaits in Bitcoin Casinos</p><p>Gone are the days when a casino was just about a deck of cards and a roulette wheel. In the best Bitcoin casinos, the digital landscape unfolds into a feast of games that cater to every taste. Whether you're a card shark, a slot enthusiast, or someone who enjoys the strategic dance of poker, there's a game with your name on it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The variety is not just in the games but also in their themes and experiences. From the glitz of Vegas to the mystical realms of ancient civilizations, the best Bitcoin casinos transport you to different worlds with each click. So, why settle for the same old routine? Dive into the digital diversity, explore the vast array of games, and let the entertainment buffet begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Exclusive Perks and Rewards: Your Ticket to the VIP Section</p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, loyalty is not just appreciated; it's celebrated. As you embark on your digital gaming journey, loyalty programs and exclusive perks await. Consider it your golden ticket to the VIP section of the casino – a place where the rewards are as plentiful as a jackpot win.</p><p><br /></p><p>Earn loyalty points with every spin, every deal, and watch as the doors to exclusive benefits swing open. Faster withdrawals, personalized support, and invitations to special events are just a few of the perks of being a valued player. The best Bitcoin casinos ensure that your loyalty is recognized and richly rewarded.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Digital Showdown: Strategies for Dominating Bitcoin Casino Games</p><p>In the digital showdown of Bitcoin casino games, it's not just about luck; it's about mastering the art of strategic play. Whether you're a seasoned card shark or a beginner testing the waters, having a game plan can make all the difference. Consider it as entering a poker game with a winning hand – preparation is key.</p><p><br /></p><p>First and foremost, understand the rules of the games you're diving into. Knowing the ins and outs gives you a competitive edge, whether it's blackjack, poker, or the spinning reels of a slot machine. Next, consider employing a betting strategy that aligns with your risk tolerance. Are you the daring high roller or prefer a more cautious approach?</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, embrace the power of pacing. In the fast-paced world of Bitcoin casino games, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and make impulsive decisions. Take a breath, pace yourself, and remember that each game is a marathon, not a sprint. The digital showdown awaits, and with a strategic mindset, you'll be ready to dominate the Bitcoin casino arena.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto Trends: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Bitcoin Casino Innovations</p><p>Just like the ever-changing currents of the digital ocean, the landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations is in constant flux. To stay ahead of the game, you must ride the waves of crypto trends and navigate the evolving sea of possibilities. Think of it as being on the cutting edge of a digital revolution – the early adopter who reaps the rewards.</p><p><br /></p><p>One significant trend is the integration of new cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin. While Bitcoin remains a stalwart in the crypto world, other digital currencies like Ethereum and Litecoin are making their mark in the best Bitcoin casinos. Keeping an eye on these emerging trends can open up new opportunities for diversifying your gaming experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, watch out for the rise of blockchain-based games. These innovative creations leverage the power of blockchain technology to offer transparent, secure, and provably fair gaming experiences. It's not just about spinning reels or dealing cards; it's about immersing yourself in the next generation of digital entertainment. So, set your sights on the horizon, navigate the crypto trends, and be at the forefront of the evolving landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Gaming Revolution: Connecting and Competing in Bitcoin Casinos</p><p>Gone are the days of solitary gaming – the social gaming revolution has arrived in Bitcoin casinos. Imagine sitting at a virtual poker table, interacting with players from around the globe, and sharing the thrill of victory in real time. It's not just about competing; it's about connecting with like-minded individuals who share your passion for digital entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining tournaments, engaging in live chats, and participating in community forums are all part of the social gaming experience. It's like being in a bustling casino where the energy is contagious, except you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own space. The best Bitcoin casinos foster community, turning each game into a social event.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, embrace the social gaming revolution, connect with fellow players, and experience the camaraderie of competing in the dynamic world of Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not just about winning; it's about sharing the excitement with a global community of digital adventurers. The tables are set, the virtual cards are in the air, and the social gaming revolution is waiting for you to join the party.</p><p><br /></p><p>WishTV Concludes: Your Adventure Awaits in the Best Bitcoin Casinos</p><p>As WishTV concludes, your adventure in the best Bitcoin casinos is about to unfold. Beyond the blockchain lies seamless transactions, diverse games, and exclusive perks.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's time to elevate your entertainment, roll the dice in style, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you a gaming experience like never before. The tables are set, the cards are dealt, and your seat is waiting. WishTV concludes, but your journey in the world of the best Bitcoin casinos is just beginning. Are you ready to play?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>International visitation to Las Vegas jumps 39% in 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>International visitation to Las Vegas jumped by 39% last year, led by a boost from Canadians and travel from the UK, Germany, and Australia. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released preliminary estimates that showed the city attracted 4.74 million foreign visitors in 2023, 11.6% of the city’s 40.8 million visitors last year. By comparison, the 3.4 million foreign visitors in 2022 comprised 8.7% of the 38.8 million international visitors, up from 4% in 2021. The most recent high was 13.3% of the total in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>New York judge deals another blow to Las Vegas Sands’ plans for Long Island casino</p><p><br /></p><p>In a significant setback for the Las Vegas Sands’ ambitious plans to develop a multi-billion dollar resort and casino around the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, a state judge has declared that the company lacks a valid lease for the Coliseum and its surrounding land. State Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor, the same judge who previously invalidated Sands’ lease with Nassau County in November, ruled that an additional agreement Sands had with the Coliseum’s previous leaseholder is also invalid.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mohegan to stop managing Atlantic City casino at end of the year</p><p><br /></p><p>Mohegan, the tribal gaming and entertainment company that owns Mohegan Sun, announced Friday it will stop managing Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., at the end of the year. Mohegan will retain its 10% ownership interest in Resorts, the company said in a news release. “We’re extremely proud of our relationship with Resorts Casino Hotel and what we have helped accomplish,” Ray Pineault, Mohegan’s president and chief executive officer, said in the release.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Acres unveils method to calculate a slot player’s gambling bankroll</p><p><br /></p><p>Acres Manufacturing has developed a new benchmark of player value that uses slot machine data to gauge the size of a player’s gambling bankroll. The company’s Player Budget feature aims to replace average daily theoretical loss (ADT) and actual loss, the long-established formulas for ranking and marketing to players. “Theoretical (loss) is simply not accurate and actual loss is often misleading or manipulated,” the company’s Noah Acres said. With the data collected by Player Budget, “you can’t disguise your play, you can’t lie about it, you can’t trick the casino.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Shoshone-Bannock Tribes submit application for possible Idaho casino resort</p><p><br /></p><p>In the newest update on a proposed casino resort in Mountain Home, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have submitted two applications for placing the 157 acres of land the tribes purchased into trust status and to allow gaming on the property. This is the next step in turning the parcel of land into a casino/resort complex that would have a hotel, gaming, an event center, restaurants, an amphitheater, video arcade, bowling alley and movie theater.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>California, Oklahoma, and compacting: not an easy process</p><p><br /></p><p>When you walk into an Indian-owned casino in California, you won’t hear balls dropping onto roulette wheels or fast-paced whoops and groans at the craps tables. Rather, you’ll see a roulette-style wheel filled with cards and a far slower-paced crowd at the craps table. Ball and dice games are not currently legal in California’s Indian casinos, so the tribes have found workarounds to offer games similar to those found in neighboring Nevada. In order to offer gambling at all, tribes in many states, including California and Oklahoma, are required to compact with their state governments.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What Florida sports betting looks like with Hard Rock Bet at the Daytona 500</p><p><br /></p><p>Chuck Floyd had never bet on a sporting event in his life until he walked under a white canopy tent Monday, pulled out his phone and put $10 on fellow Virginian Denny Hamlin to win the Daytona 500. Floyd’s play would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago but represents another step in the ongoing evolution of Florida sports betting: He was placing a legal wager inside Daytona International Speedway, where Hamlin and his NASCAR colleagues would soon be competing in one of the state’s biggest sporting events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ABC & SBS Claim Big Tech “Threatened” To Remove Their Apps Unless They Stumped Up Huge Placement Fees</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If anyone is a fan of drama then we recommend you head over to the Parliament of Australia website where a heated battle is ensuing between FTA television and streaming platforms. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA television networks including ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and Network 10 are appearing before the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee today, to argue that anti-siphoning laws should be strengthened to protect local content makers. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA networks SBS and ABC both say that big tech platforms (which we can assume to be Samsung and Amazon) “threatened” them with huge fees or removal from the app. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In June 2018, the manufacturer of the best-selling connected TV in Australia wrote to SBS and advised that unless we agreed to a 15 per cent revenue share arrangement and a placement fee, SBS would be removed from the ‘app launcher’ on the TV homepage for that brand,” said James Taylor, managing director at SBS. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In August 2023 we received notification from another platform operator that unless SBS agreed to pay them 30 per cent of the revenue we derived from being on their platform, they would exclude us entirely,” Taylor went on. </p><p><br /></p><p>The second company had a market capitalisation of over USD$1.7 trillion he said, meaning we can assume this company to be Amazon. </p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor then went on to say that it was “scandalous” that the large tech companies could get in the way of Aussies getting local content. </p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information – services that have been intentionally developed and underpinned by decades of public policy”. </p><p><br /></p><p>ABC’s managing director David Anderson concurred that they too had received requests for large payments. </p><p><br /></p><p>“On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Talking about the importance of app prominence, Anderson said “If they can’t see us then aren’t there”. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We want Australians to enjoy Australian content”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Network bosses argue against TV manufacturers ‘clipping their ticket’</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bosses of Australia’s major free-to-air networks and public broadcasters say laws ensuring free-to-air apps are easily available on smart televisions are essential to push back against the unfair influence of international TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>At a Senate hearing on Friday, SBS boss James Taylor and ABC managing director David Anderson accused international TV manufacturing giants of effectively holding the broadcasters to ransom. Taylor said SBS was warned by one company it would remove or hide the SBS On Demand app if it did not agree to a 15 per cent revenue share and placement fee.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“When SBS refused to pay, the manufacturer carried through on their threat, making it much harder for audiences to find the SBS On Demand app,” Taylor told the hearing in Canberra.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anderson said the ABC had also been asked to pay for access, and the bosses of Australia’s free-to-air networks backed up this claim.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said television manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony were the gatekeepers of access to content for Australians, with the ability to remove and restore access on their devices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media executives appeared in front of the hearing into legislation that would mandate app placement on new internet-connected televisions. Executives from the public broadcasters, alongside Nine (owner of this masthead), Seven and Ten support the legislation, and argued they could not compete with the financial power of the likes of Netflix and Disney+, and needed to have their apps placed prominently on smart TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outgoing Seven chief executive James Warburton said the changes were necessary as viewing habits changed, with about 50 per cent of TV viewing expected to be digital by 2027, up from 20 per cent currently.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We can’t compete with the global players … You get blown out of the water,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, a clip of the revenue between 10 and 20 per cent to actually be on the service. We’re just asking for a fair crack,” Warburton said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beverley McGarvey, the local executive of Paramount, which owns Network 10, said it took her “45 minutes to find the 10Play app” on a new LG television, saying Australians should not have to search to find free services.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you don’t want us, fine. Flick us to the back. But the consumer should know that we are available and free,” McGarvey said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment boss Mike Sneesby said: “These deals being done offshore between big tech companies and big streaming companies are effectively just taking away those spots. Not even if we wanted to pay a price could we get them, and we’ve seen that as competition has grown … those global deals have just pushed Australian content off the front screen and we have no control.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Representatives from Netflix, appearing for the first time in Canberra, said the company supported most of the new scheme but argued preference should not be extended to the networks in search. It also said the legislation should not mandate the positioning of tiles or apps on television home screens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Cox, director of business development in the region for Netflix, said the company had invested more than $1 billion on new Australian and Australian-related titles in the past four years – including more than $500 million on new programming for children and young adults – leading to the employment of “thousands of local cast and crew”.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proposed legislation – which also includes updates to anti-siphoning rules that protect Australians’ access to view major sporting events for free – is part of a Labor government election pledge to protect local content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its opponents, which include Foxtel and major television manufacturers such as Samsung, argue discoverability isn’t an issue for Australians, and that the government should not be interfering with viewers’ freedom of choice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian networks are pursuing digital-first strategies as audiences switch from traditional television to viewing through apps such as ABC iview, 9Now and SBS on Demand, alongside paid apps such as Netflix, Stan and Binge. In 2022, BBC boss Tim Davie went so far as to say the British broadcaster would switch off traditional television and radio transmissions within a decade.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But the online shift means the networks must compete in an increasingly crowded environment – not only against each other, but also against global companies with more capacity to pay for preferential app placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, commercial free-to-air advertising is in freefall, with revenue down 10 per cent in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Streamers are also facing problems of their own. After years of growth, subscriber figures have plateaued, prompting sustained price rises and advertising tiers to ensure long-term viability.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why Google, Bing and other search engines’ embrace of generative AI threatens $68 billion SEO industry</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, Microsoft and others boast that generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT will make searching the internet better than ever for users. For example, rather than having to wade through a sea of URLs, users will be able to just get an answer combed from the entire internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are also some concerns with the rise of AI-fueled search engines, such as the opacity over where information comes from, the potential for “hallucinated” answers and copyright issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>But one other consequence is that I believe it may destroy the US$68 billion search engine optimization industry that companies like Google helped create.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the past 25 years or so, websites, news outlets, blogs and many others with a URL that wanted to get attention have used search engine optimization, or SEO, to “convince” search engines to share their content as high as possible in the results they provide to readers. This has helped drive traffic to their sites and has also spawned an industry of consultants and marketers who advise on how best to do that.</p><p><br /></p><p>As an associate professor of information and operations management, I study the economics of e-commerce. I believe the growing use of generative AI will likely make all of that obsolete.</p><p><br /></p><p>How online search works</p><p><br /></p><p>Someone seeking information online opens her browser, goes to a search engine and types in the relevant keywords. The search engine displays the results, and the user browses through the links displayed in the result listings until she finds the relevant information.</p><p><br /></p><p>To attract the user’s attentions, online content providers use various search engine marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization, paid placements and banner displays.</p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, a news website might hire a consultant to help it highlight key words in headlines and in metadata so that Google and Bing elevate its content when a user searches for the latest information on a flood or political crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How generative AI changes search process</p><p><br /></p><p>But this all depends on search engines luring tens of millions of users to their websites. And so to earn users’ loyalty and web traffic, search engines must continuously work on their algorithms to improve the quality of their search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s why, even if it could hurt a part of their revenue stream, search engines have been quick to experiment with generative AI to improve search results. And this could fundamentally change the online search ecosystem.</p><p><br /></p><p>All the biggest search engines have already adopted or are experimenting with this approach. Examples include Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing AI, Baidu’s ERNIE and DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than getting a list of links, both organic and paid, based on whatever keywords or questions a user types in, generative AI will instead simply give you a text result in the form of an answer. Say you’re planning a trip to Destin, Florida, and type the prompt “Create a three-day itinerary for a visitor” there. Instead of a bunch of links to Yelp and blog postings that require lots of clicking and reading, typing that into Bing AI will result in a detailed three-day itinerary.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over time, as the quality of AI-generated answers improve, users will have less incentive to browse through search result listings. They can save time and effort by reading the AI-generated response to their query.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other words, it would allow you to bypass all those paid links and costly efforts by websites to improve their SEO scores, rendering them useless.</p><p><br /></p><p>When users start ignoring the sponsored and editorial result listings, this will have an adverse impact on the revenues of SEO consultants, search engine marketers consultants and, ultimately, the bottom line of search engines themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>The financial impact</p><p>This financial impact cannot be ignored.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, the SEO industry generated $68.1 billion globally in 2022. It had been expected to reach $129.6 billion by 2030, but these projections were made before the emergence of generative AI put the industry at risk of obsolescence.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for search engines, monetizing online search services is a major source of their revenue. They get a cut of the money that websites spend on improving their online visibility through paid placements, ads, affiliate marketing and the like, collectively known as search engine marketing. For example, approximately 58% of Google’s 2022 revenues – or almost $162.5 billion – came from Google Ads, which provides some of these services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines run by massive companies with many revenue streams, like Google and Microsoft, will likely find ways to offset the losses by coming up with strategies to make money off generative AI answers. But the SEO marketers and consultants who depend on search engines – mostly small- and medium-sized companies – will no longer be needed as they are today, and so the industry is unlikely to survive much longer.</p><p><br /></p><p>A not-too-distant future</p><p>But don’t expect the SEO industry to fade away immediately. Generative AI search engines are still in their infancy and must address certain challenges before they’ll dominate search.</p><p><br /></p><p>For one thing, most of these initiatives are still experimental and often available only to certain users. And for another, generative AI has been notorious for providing incorrect, plagiarized or simply made-up answers.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means it’s unlikely at the moment to gain the trust or loyalty of many users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given these challenges, it is not surprising that generative AI has yet to transform online search. However, given the resources available to researchers working on generative AI models, it is safe to assume that eventually these models will become better at their task, leading to the death of the SEO industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AI)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Truth About Black Hat Links And SEO: Understanding the Importance of Natural Backlinks</p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Links - Blackhat Link Building. Anytime you pay someone to place, build a link, otherwise known as a dofollow HTML hyperlink, exchange a link or to outreach a link via a paid link building service it will always be regared as a blackhat link. There is no such thing as a paid do-follow whitehat backlink. It's all regarded as blackhat SEO</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), backlinks play a crucial role in determining a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Blackhat link building won’t achieve your long-term SEO or digital advertising goals.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is an ongoing debate surrounding the legitimacy of different types of backlinks, particularly when it comes to dofollow links acquired through monetary transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this article, we aim to shed light on the subject and clearly explain why any form of buying, exchanging, or paying for a dofollow hyperlink is regarded as a blackhat link, while emphasizing the importance of naturally created, editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Backlinks:</p><p>Before diving into the distinction between blackhat and whitehat backlinks, it is essential to understand what backlinks are and why they matter. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are hyperlinks on external websites that direct users to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines view backlinks as indicators of a website’s credibility, popularity, and authority. The more quality backlinks a website has, the higher its chances of ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs).</p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Backlinks:</p><p>Black hat SEO techniques aim to manipulate search engine algorithms to artificially boost website rankings, often through unethical means. One common black hat practice involves purchasing or paying for dofollow backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These blackhat links are placed on other websites with the intention of artificially inflating a website’s authority and improving its ranking. By engaging in such practices, website owners and marketers attempt to bypass the natural process of earning backlinks, which is where the problem lies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dangers of Blackhat Backlinks:</p><p>While black hat links may offer temporary gains in terms of search engine visibility, they come with severe consequences. Search engines, such as Google, have sophisticated algorithms that continually evolve to detect and penalise websites that engage in manipulative SEO practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>If identified, a website employing blackhat techniques risks being penalized or even completely removed from search engine results, leading to a significant loss in organic traffic and potential customers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whitehat Backlinks:</p><p>In contrast to blackhat techniques, whitehat SEO focuses on ethical practices that align with search engine guidelines. When it comes to backlinks, the only type considered whitehat is an editorially and naturally created link.</p><p><br /></p><p>This means that the link must be earned based on the quality and relevance of a website’s content, without any monetary transactions or explicit requests for backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Editorial backlinks typically result from other website owners, bloggers, or journalists voluntarily linking to a website because they genuinely find its content valuable and trustworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Importance of Natural Backlinks:</p><p>Natural backlinks are the backbone of a healthy and sustainable SEO strategy. By creating high-quality content, engaging with your target audience, and building relationships with influencers and industry experts, you increase the likelihood of earning organic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These backlinks are a testament to the authority and value your website provides, and search engines recognize them as genuine endorsements from other trusted sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unveiling the Path to Natural & Organic Backlinks</p><p>These virtual endorsements serve as crucial markers of a website’s credibility and authority, playing a vital role in its search engine rankings. However, the pursuit of these coveted backlinks has often been tainted by shady practices and blackhat strategies that breach search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>But fear not! In this groundbreaking exposé, we reveal the hidden pathway to acquiring natural and editorial backlinks that will skyrocket your website’s visibility without compromising your integrity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act I: Crafting Stellar Content</p><p>The foundation of any successful link-building campaign lies in the creation of extraordinary content that captivates audiences. Exceptional content possesses the power to inspire, educate, and entertain, prompting others to naturally reference and link back to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>By investing time and effort into producing high-quality articles, blog posts, videos, or infographics, you cultivate a magnetic allure that attracts organic backlinks from enthusiastic content consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act II: Engaging with Influencers and Thought Leaders</p><p>Building relationships with influencers and thought leaders within your industry is a crucial step in the pursuit of authentic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engage with them by participating in meaningful discussions on social media platforms, attending industry conferences, or even collaborating on mutually beneficial projects.</p><p><br /></p><p>When these influential figures recognise your expertise and value, they are more likely to cite and link to your content, providing a stamp of authority and credibility that search engines adore.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act III: Leveraging Guest Blogging</p><p>Guest blogging has emerged as a valuable technique for obtaining natural backlinks. Seek out authoritative websites and blogs that align with your niche and offer to contribute insightful and valuable guest articles.</p><p><br /></p><p>By providing well-crafted, original content that genuinely enriches the readers’ experience, you not only establish your expertise but also earn editorial backlinks within the content or author bio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember, guest blogging should focus on building relationships and sharing knowledge rather than solely aiming for link acquisition. Pitch a great blog post, story or report instead of asking website owners to buy a placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act IV: Infusing Your Content with Visual Appeal</p><p>Visual content has become increasingly popular, capturing attention and enhancing engagement. Create eye-catching infographics, videos, or images that convey information in a visually appealing manner.</p><p><br /></p><p>These compelling assets can be easily shared and embedded on other websites, granting you organic backlinks that augment your website’s reach while adding aesthetic value to the linking sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act V: Engaging in Online Communities and Forums</p><p>Communities and forums centered around your industry or niche offer immense potential for natural link acquisition. Actively participate in these platforms, providing thoughtful insights, solutions, and valuable information.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you become a respected and trusted member, other community members are likely to reference your expertise by linking to your content. However, always ensure your contributions are genuine and add value rather than using forums solely as a link-building tool.</p><p><br /></p><p>Professional Content Creation: Building a Network of Trust</p><p>The true beauty of investing in professional content creation lies in the building of a network of trust. By consistently delivering high-quality content that adds value to your target audience, you earn the loyalty and admiration of readers, influencers, and industry experts alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>This network becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem, where recommendations and referrals abound, leading to a steady stream of organic backlinks from reputable websites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unlike the fleeting impact of a single blackhat link placement, this network fuels perpetual growth, establishing your website as a trusted authority and ensuring a constant influx of editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not everyone possesses the artistry of the written word, and that is perfectly acceptable. Recognizing your limitations and investing in a professional content writer can be a game-changer for your website’s success.</p><p><br /></p><p>These skilled wordsmiths are adept at transforming your ideas and expertise into compelling narratives that engage and resonate with your target audience. By harnessing their talents, you can unlock the full potential of your content, elevating it to new heights and attracting perfectly natual hyperlinks endorsing your website in the search engines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Embracing the Power of PR:</p><p>An avenue worth exploring is the world of public relations (PR). Accepting PR on your website opens doors to collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities for exposure.</p><p><br /></p><p>By featuring guest articles, interviews, or expert opinions, you not only diversify your content but also forge valuable connections within your industry. These partnerships can lead to natural backlinks as fellow professionals and influencers link back to your website, recognizing the value you bring to the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ethical Triumph:</p><p>One must never underestimate the power of ethical practices in the realm of SEO. Engaging in natural backlink acquisition through powerful content and PR is not only effective but also aligns with the moral compass of search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on providing valuable information, nurturing relationships, and creating a positive user experience, you build a foundation of trust and authenticity. This not only attracts organic backlinks but also fosters a loyal audience that will continuously seek out and share your exceptional content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal</p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal, and this disparity lies in their quality. Quality backlinks possess several distinguishing features, including relevance, authority, and natural acquisition.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from reputable and trusted sources within the same industry or niche, aligning closely with the content and focus of the target website.</p><p><br /></p><p>They are earned organically through the merit of the website’s content, as other webmasters and influencers voluntarily link to it due to its exceptional value.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other end of the spectrum, low-quality backlinks, often referred to as spammy or manipulative, can do more harm than good.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from dubious sources, irrelevant websites, or private blog networks (PBNs) created solely for the purpose of artificial link building. Such backlinks are acquired through unethical means, including link farms, paid link schemes, and other blackhat SEO practices that attempt to deceive search engine algorithms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engaging in these practices can lead to severe penalties, including decreased rankings, loss of organic traffic, or even being deindexed from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Impact on Search Engine Rankings</p><p>Backlinks, acting as digital endorsements, play a pivotal role in determining a website’s search engine rankings. Search engines analyse the quantity, quality, and relevance of backlinks when evaluating a website’s authority and popularity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Websites with a diverse and substantial portfolio of high-quality backlinks from reputable sources are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, thus attracting increased organic traffic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow vs. Dofollow: The Epic Saga Unveiled</p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), the utilisation of link attributes has become a fundamental practice for website owners and marketers alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of the most prominent link attributes are nofollow and dofollow, each serving distinct purposes and playing vital roles in the vast realm of online linking strategies.</p><p><br /></p><p>To understand the disparity between nofollow and dofollow, we must first grasp their underlying definitions. Nofollow is an HTML attribute added to a hyperlink, signaling search engine crawlers not to pass any authority or “link juice” to the linked page.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, these two attributes informs search engines that the linked website is unendorsed or untrusted. On the other hand, dofollow (also referred to as simply “follow”) is the default state for links, implying that search engines should follow the link and consider it as a signal for ranking purposes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links were originally introduced by search engines as a method to combat spam and prevent manipulation of search rankings. By implementing nofollow attributes, website owners could ensure that user-generated content, such as blog comments or forum posts, wouldn’t impact their site’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>The nofollow attribute has proved to be instrumental in maintaining the integrity of search results, as it discouraged the proliferation of irrelevant or low-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links for SEO purposes- The Shift</p><p>Search engines began to acknowledge that even though nofollow links didn’t pass authority, they still provided value in terms of referral traffic and brand exposure. Consequently, some SEO professionals started advocating for a more comprehensive approach that recognised the importance of nofollow links in a holistic SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Link Exchanges – The Grey Area</p><p>Link exchanges, also known as reciprocal linking, involve two websites agreeing to link to each other’s sites. This practice used to be a popular method for building backlinks and improving search engine rankings</p><p><br /></p><p>While link exchanges were once considered a legitimate strategy, they are now generally viewed as a gray-hat or outdated technique. This is because the primary intent behind link exchanges is to manipulate search engine rankings rather than provide value to users.</p><p><br /></p><p>When websites engage in excessive link exchanges solely for the purpose of link building, it can be seen as a manipulative practice, and search engines may penalise or devalue the links</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated</p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated in assessing the quality and relevance of links. They now place greater emphasis on natural and organic link building, where websites earn links based on the merit of their content.</p><p><br /></p><p>This includes attracting links through:</p><p><br /></p><p>High-quality content</p><p>Outreach efforts</p><p>Social sharing</p><p>Building relationships with other authoritative websites.</p><p>Search engines serve as gatekeepers, guiding users to the most relevant and authoritative information. To accomplish this, search engines have evolved significantly, employing sophisticated algorithms that analyse over 200 factors to determine the value of hyperlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>As search engines have become more sophisticated, they have also developed mechanisms to detect manipulative practices that attempt to game the system. Techniques like buying links, link farms, and excessive reciprocal linking are frowned upon and can result in penalties or a loss of search engine visibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Detecting Manipulative Practices:</p><p>Search engines employ complex algorithms and machine learning models to identify unnatural link patterns, low-quality websites, and other indicators of manipulative practices. Regular algorithm updates, such as Google’s Penguin algorithm which launched in 2012, specifically target link spam and aim to reward genuine, high-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>What is blackhat SEO?</p><p>Blackhat SEO techniques typically focus on exploiting vulnerabilities in search engine algorithms. Some common blackhat techniques include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword stuffing: Stuffing a webpage with excessive and irrelevant keywords to manipulate search engine rankings.</p><p>Hidden text and links: Adding text or links that are invisible to users but can be detected by search engines.</p><p>Cloaking: Presenting different content to search engines and users, effectively deceiving search engines about the actual content of a webpage.</p><p>Private blog networks (PBNs): Creating a network of interconnected blogs solely for the purpose of linking to a target website, artificially boosting its authority.</p><p>Link farming: Creating or participating in schemes to generate a large number of low-quality backlinks to a website, disregarding the relevance or quality of the links.</p><p>Content scraping: Copying content from other websites and republishing it without permission or proper attribution.</p><p>Negative SEO: Engaging in tactics that aim to harm competitors’ search engine rankings, such as building spammy backlinks to their websites.</p><p>It’s important to note that search engines, such as Google, actively penalise websites that engage in blackhat SEO practices. Penalties can range from a decrease in rankings to complete removal from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is buying social signals regarded as blackhat?</p><p>The practice of buying social signals, such as likes, shares, followers, or comments on social media platforms, is generally considered a gray area in the realm of SEO. It does not strictly fall into the category of blackhat SEO techniques, but it is also not considered a legitimate or ethical approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>Buying social signals is primarily aimed at creating the appearance of popularity and engagement on social media platforms. The idea behind it is that a high number of likes, shares, or followers can make a social media account or website appear more reputable or influential to users and potentially attract organic engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may seem tempting to purchase social signals to boost visibility or credibility, it is important to consider the potential risks and downsides.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, have algorithms in place to detect and combat artificial or fraudulent activity, including the purchase of fake likes or followers. If discovered, these platforms may penalise accounts by reducing visibility, suspending or banning them altogether.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality over Quantity:</p><p>Search engines have progressed from a simplistic view of link building, where the sheer quantity of hyperlinks held significant weight, to a more nuanced approach that prioritises link quality. Instead of focusing solely on the number of links, search engines now emphasise the relevance, authority, and natural acquisition of those links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Relevance: Search engines evaluate the relevance of a hyperlink by examining the context of the linking and linked-to pages. A link from a website in the same industry or niche carries more weight than an unrelated one. The content surrounding the hyperlink, anchor text, and the keywords used provide valuable clues to search engines regarding its relevance.</p><p>Authority: The authority of a webpage is determined by its overall trustworthiness and reputation. Search engines assess the authority of a webpage based on the quality and quantity of its inbound links. A link from a reputable and authoritative website is considered more valuable than one from a low-quality or spammy source.</p><p>Natural Acquisition: Search engines aim to reward organic link building practices. They scrutinise the patterns and growth rate of a website’s link profile. A sudden influx of links or excessive reciprocal linking can raise red flags and potentially lead to penalties or devaluation. Instead, search engines favor links acquired naturally through the merit of a website’s content, earning recognition from other trustworthy sources.</p><p>Link Diversity: In addition to evaluating individual links, search engines also consider the diversity of a website’s link profile. A diverse link profile consists of links from various domains, including different types of websites, such as industry-specific directories, social media platforms, news sites, and blogs. This diversity signals that a website is being referenced and recommended by a wide range of sources, enhancing its credibility in the eyes of search engines.</p><p>The grey area of digital markting and hyperlinks</p><p>In digital marketing, there are certain practices and strategies related to links that fall into a gray area. These practices may not be explicitly considered blackhat SEO techniques but can still be seen as questionable or ethically ambiguous.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some examples include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Guest blogging for the sole purpose of link building: Guest blogging can be a legitimate strategy when done with the intention of providing valuable content to an audience. However, if the primary goal is solely to acquire backlinks, without focusing on the quality and relevance of the content, it can be seen as a gray area tactic.</p><p>Link exchanges and reciprocal linking: Exchanging links with other websites or participating in reciprocal linking schemes for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings can be viewed as a questionable practice. Search engines prefer natural and organic linking patterns based on the merit of the content, rather than artificial link exchanges.</p><p>Sponsored or paid links without proper disclosure: Including links in sponsored content or paid partnerships without clear disclosure to users can raise ethical concerns. Transparency is crucial in digital marketing, and users should be aware of any paid or sponsored relationships that may influence the content they encounter.</p><p>Link schemes disguised as directories: Creating directories or listing websites primarily as a means to generate backlinks rather than providing valuable resources to users can be seen as a gray area tactic. Low-quality directories that exist solely for link building purposes can be frowned upon by search engines.</p><p>Backhat Backlinks Conclusion – Summary</p><p>In the realm of SEO, it’s essential to understand the difference between blackhat and whitehat techniques. Buying, exchanging, or paying for dofollow backlinks is considered a blackhat practice, as it aims to manipulate search engine algorithms and artificially inflate a website’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, whitehat backlinks are editorially and naturally created, earned through the production of high-quality content and fostering genuine relationships with other website owners and influencers. It is crucial to prioritise ethical SEO practices, as search engines continue to prioritize authentic and user-centric experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on creating valuable content and fostering organic connections, you can build a strong foundation of natural backlinks that will benefit your website’s visibility, authority, and long-term success.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>February 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>SAP Center. San Jose, California</p><p><br /></p><p>Grayson Waller has just called out Cody Rhodes. Fortunately a production camera out the back of the arena got the footage! You can bet the likes of Drew McIntyre will keeping an eye on the situation at The Road To WrestleMania @WrestleMania continues. The GW Effect is in full swing and could strike again! Roman Reigns had a quite and private word with GW last week on SmackDown and the grand plan may still be getting executed. Prime Target - Rhodes! What's the status of "Hitman" Austin Theory - fresh off a Cody Cutter from Perth. Watch out for that Thunder From Down Under.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn. Can Zayn find his own warrior within, or will the mysterious and deadly Nakamura put one more bullet in the career of SZ? Is SZ considering changing up his identity and going back to the roots of El Generico? Ole!</p><p><br /></p><p>Imperium vs The New Day. It's a street fight. No "fruity pebbles" here. Not a neon spandex or Booty O cereal box in sight. Europe vs the USA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch out for uninvited guests and tactics south of the border.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw GM Adam Pearce will once again be earning his danger money, as will the announers Michael Cole @MichaelCole and Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow at ringside. The announce table better be double strong. Can MC's voice hold out after a massive few weeks? Will PM be stiring up the heels, babyfaces or both?</p><p><br /></p><p>California Dreamin or California Nightmare?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Catch up with the past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #WrestlemaniaXL #WWEChamber #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #FinishTheStory #WeWantCody #AustinTheory #ATown #DingoDriver #Nakamura #SamiZayn #DrewMcIntyre #Imperium #NewDay #Hitman #AdamPearce #MichaelCole #PatMcAfee #USANetwork #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #California #SAP #SAPCenter #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News and Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum as crypto growth driver</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market settles at a $2 trillion cap level, up 0.8% on the day. Altcoins are once again driving growth, while the first coin is flat, losing 0.5% in 24 hours, and Ethereum is up 2.5%. BNB adds just under 2%, enjoying a resurgence of interest in cryptocurrency trading. XRP and Cardano both lose 1%, dragging the market back down.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ethereum are the cryptocurrencies of choice for institutional speculators. Their obvious trade right now is betting on the approval of spot ETFs on ETH. Speculators are cautiously locking in profits in BTC, which has previously rallied on the same theme.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember that Ethereum's market capacity is smaller than Bitcoin's, which has a three times bigger market cap. This means that the price is more sensitive to changes in sentiment. Ethereum has gained 40% in 30 days, the best performance among the top 10 cryptos.</p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>About 90% of the bitcoins purchased by spot ETFs have gone to Coinbase's custodial platform, its CEO Brian Armstrong said. He stated that the exchange's custody service has accumulated more than $36 billion in BTC. The growing ETF market suggests that institutional capital is seriously considering bitcoin as one of the most reliable assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the US SEC does not approve a spot Ethereum ETF in May 2024, it will do so by mid-2025, said attorney Scott Jonsson. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth believes the SEC won't take as long to process Ethereum ETF applications as it did with BTC, as a significant portion of the applications could be based on Bitcoin ETFs. S&P Ratings expects the SEC to approve applications to launch the ETF in May.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court approves a $4.3 billion payment by Binance exchange to the US Department of Justice as part of a plea deal. According to the signed agreement, the platform agreed to take significant steps to ensure continued compliance with US laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CryptoSlam, total sales of non-replaceable tokens (NFTs) on the Solana network have surpassed $5 billion, with 43 million NFT transactions. The Solana blockchain has more than 2.2 million buyers and 1.6 million sellers of NFTs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Internet forum Reddit invests surplus funds in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The cryptocurrency investment strategy started back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Time for the dollar to choose a trend</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dollar Index is giving up positions painfully slowly. It is under pressure for the ninth session in a row, but at the same time, the market is unable to accelerate or break this downtrend. Individual currency pairs are now testing critical local levels. The ability to finally break through them could set the trend for the coming weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dollar Index has fallen from a high of 104.85 on February 14th to 103.7. This level was strong resistance from late November to early February. It could now act as support. This is also a historically important level for the Dollar Index as it was the peak in March 2020, which took 26 months to overcome.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is logical to expect increased volatility in this area as this is where global trend selection takes place. A decisive move lower will open a quick path to last year's lows around 100.0. Approaching these levels will make the main scenario a further multi-month decline in the US currency, with a final target in the 90.0-92.5 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ability to develop an offensive from these levels would demonstrate the strength of the dollar bulls after the pause. In this case, the DXY could quickly return to last year's October-November highs near106.8. This, in turn, should be followed by a recovery of the dollar to multi-year highs towards 114.5-115.0.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keeping the dollar in balance this week rests on the shoulders of the 10 FOMC members who are scheduled to speak this week. On the macro data front, the market will be watching Thursday's Personal Income and Expenditure and PCE price indices.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the technical front, the EURUSD, AUDUSD, and USDCHF are all trading around their 200-day moving averages, the GBPUSD is trading around its 50-day MA, and the USDJPY is approaching 151 level, where the pair made a brutal multi-week bearish reversal in October 2022 and November 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Slowing inflation puts the franc on a downward path</p><p><br /></p><p>Consumer inflation in Switzerland slowed to an annual rate of 1.3% in January, the lowest since October 2021. This is significantly lower than the 1.7% recorded in the previous month and was expected on average by analysts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The current level is slightly above the local peaks seen in 2018 and 2010. However, throughout the period from 2009 to 2021, Switzerland has been actively easing policy to boost rather than dampen inflation.</p><p><br /></p><p>An important driver of lower inflation has been the appreciation of the franc through the systematic sale of foreign exchange reserves by the Swiss National Bank. Now, there is clearly no need for such active measures. Moreover, the impending monetary policy reversal by the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of England sets the stage for a similar reversal by Switzerland, with consequences for the currency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Swiss franc hit multi-year or all-time highs against many of its peers in the final days of last year, and since then, a reversal has been imminent. The USDCHF, for example, has risen 5.7% since the beginning of the year on the back of a simultaneous dovish shift in expectations from Switzerland and a hawkish shift from the US.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int) </p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The New Day vs Imperium – Street Fight: Hype Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi6dlv8QPUY&t=22s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax hits a sneak attack on Becky Lynch: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR0nlYVx6Rw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Im sure Mami think's it's just another night to be on top" Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p>"From behind, Nia Jax asalting Becky Lynch" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>And more highlights and moment being added to the official WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #WrestlemaniaXL #WWEChamber #BeckyLynch #NiaJax #RheaRipley #squash #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #DingoDriver #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #Videos #Aussie #Aussies #CodyRhodes #wrestling #prowrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>@WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0qkU_wat6Y&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Went for the helluva kick. Ran into a knee by Nakamura" - Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Second rope. Kinshasa from behind" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Two perfectlh placed knees to the back of Sami Zayn's head. I thought that was it. I thought that this Road To WrestleMania was already over " Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day target Gunther’s title at WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLLF3wq_dMM&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Raquel Rodriguez vs. Chelsea Green: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE8WTnRUCqc&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax hits a sneak attack on Becky Lynch: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR0nlYVx6Rw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock returns to SmackDown in Arizona – SmackDown sneak peek</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw9-59aeXks&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #DingoDriver #Nakamura #SamiZayn #Raquel #Green #Gunther #RingGeneral #TheRock #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #CathyKelley #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USA #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #moments #promo #trends #trending #Aussie #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Drew McIntyre: “May the best man win at WrestleMania": Raw, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srOfl5Sm-Fg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You might be right. My knew, it may not be ready. My back may give out. The Bloodline may leave me broken in their wake, just like they have everybody else",, - Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's only a matter of time before they come for the World Heavyweight Championship" SR</p><p><br /></p><p>The New Day go to war with Imperium in a Street Fight: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t_ilXFK9FQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch launches a counterassault on Nia Jax: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNaarNGGAI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day target Gunther’s title at WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLLF3wq_dMM&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great emotion from Rollins and McIntyre. Helps give it the big fight feel on the lead up to WrestleMania @WrestleMania . Michael Cole and Pat McAfee have been top notch on the broadcasting call tonight. Great team effort by the WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe </p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #WWEChamber #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #DingoDriver #Nakamura #SamiZayn #Raquel #Green #Gunther #RingGeneral #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheRock #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #CathyKelley #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USA #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #moments #promo #legend #legends #Goat #Goats #trends #trending #Aussie #USA #California #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 26, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Highspots, high drama, hot action. Emotional charged pro wrestling as we continue The Road To WrestleMania!</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Drew McIntyre: “May the best man win at WrestleMania": Raw, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srOfl5Sm-Fg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You might be right. My knew, it may not be ready. My back may give out. The Bloodline may leave me broken in their wake, just like they have everybody else",, - Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's only a matter of time before they come for the World Heavyweight Championship" SR</p><p><br /></p><p>The New Day go to war with Imperium in a Street Fight: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t_ilXFK9FQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch launches a counterassault on Nia Jax: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNaarNGGAI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day target Gunther’s title at WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLLF3wq_dMM&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great emotion from Rollins and McIntyre. Helps give it the big fight feel on the lead up to WrestleMania @WrestleMania . Michael Cole and Pat McAfee have been top notch on the broadcasting call tonight. Great team effort by the WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int) </p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #WWEChamber #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #DingoDriver #WeWantCody #AussieAussieAussie #Shoey #Nakamura #SamiZayn #Raquel #Green #Gunther #RingGeneral #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheRock #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #CathyKelley #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USA #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #moments #promo #legend #legends #Goat #Goats #trends #trending #Aussie #USA #California #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw Moments And Highlights</p><p><br /></p><p>February 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>SAP Center at San Jose, California</p><p><br /></p><p>Hot and emotionally charged show says Media Man. Paul Heyman, wiseman of The Bloodline, lines up situation for Roman Reigns and The Rock to return to SmackDown this Friday. WWE locker room and leading start uniting against The Bloodline.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Monday Night Raw moments: WWE Top 10, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNUAFQlmqco&t=89s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"When Dirty Dom and The Judgement Day say we're doing to do something, we mean it. That title belongs us to" Dirty Dom Mysterio</p><p><br /></p><p>"Let them fight" Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive Raw moments: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3K3xR_XT90&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm sure Mami thinks it's just another night to be on top" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre to Seth “Freakin” Rollins: “Back off The Bloodline”: Raw highlights, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDi9ect0ipw&t=34s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You did it Drew. I'm proud of you. You clawed your way back into a title match with me. I'm proud of you".. Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Cody Rhodes brings chaos after Heyman warns him of Rock challenge: Raw, Feb. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4IDOjxoRnc&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes does a gender reveal after Raw goes off the air: Raw exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddm5TIdsd20&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int) </p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #WWEChamber #RoadToWrestleMania #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #DingoDriver #WeWantCody #PaulHeyman #AussieAussieAussie #Shoey #Nakamura #SamiZayn #Raquel #Green #Gunther #RingGeneral #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheRock #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #USA #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #moments #promo #legend #trends #trending #Aussie #USA #California #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Pop Culture</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Art And Animation Art KO By </p><p>Mojahed Fudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>Brings Out The Beast In Promoters, Fighters and Fans says Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Wins Sports Artist Of The Month; Animation Artist Of The Month</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana's mad at Jon for promoting PFL vs Bellator</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJkIHp8VcTg&ab_channel=MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>Ortega submits Yair after surviving a scary R1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hc-9EreEqQ&t=3s&ab_channel=MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep Paddy away from Ilia Topuria</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yQ1BUQb7no&t=2s&ab_channel=MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great animation art via the official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>#MojahedFudailat #animationart #animationartist #mmaart #ufcart #Video #Videos #YouTube #YT #sportsart #entertainment #comedy #satire #gonzo #story #storytelling #storylines #artistofthemonth #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #trend #trends #buzz #socialmedia #socialmedianews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Mojahed Fudailat</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News and Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin tears the bears apart again</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The price of the leading cryptocurrency rose decisively during active trading in the US, and in the illiquid Asian session, we saw a wave of stop orders triggered, which at times took the price to $57.8K. Such high levels were last seen in December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nevertheless, bitcoin sees no significant barriers to growth to levels just above $60K. Bitcoin can quickly go there or around the historical highs at $69K, but the subsequent growth may require a few months of consolidation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Growth breeds optimism, and now there is a proliferation of predictions that the price will soon reach six figures. In our view, the chances of a price rise above $100K exceed 50% in the 9–12-month horizon. And if markets come under pressure from an economic slowdown, it could take more than a year to reach a new level.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by $598 million last week, following a record $2.452 billion inflow the week before, the fourth consecutive week of growth. Investments in bitcoin rose by $570 million, Ethereum by $17 million, and Solana fell by $3 million. Investments in funds that allow shorting bitcoin increased by $4 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inflows into crypto funds have exceeded $5.7 billion since the beginning of the year, with total assets under management (AuM) rising to $68.3 billion, although still far from the record high of $87 billion reached in November 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is gaining popularity as a haven asset in countries with persistently high inflation, Bitfinex noted. Macroeconomic risks this year make it relevant to buy the first cryptocurrency, gold, and silver.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to BitMEX Research, trading volume in the spot bitcoin ETF market exceeded $50 billion. Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, commented on the growing interest of institutional investors in the cryptocurrency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>LookIntoBitcoin notes that the value of bitcoin is being affected by the upcoming halving in April, as well as the imbalance between demand for the asset and its availability in the cryptocurrency market.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to The Block, the cumulative amount raised by crypto and blockchain companies from venture capitalists since 2017 has exceeded $90 billion, with DeFi, infrastructure, NFT/gaming and Web3 attracting the most interest.</p><p><br /></p><p>MicroStrategy acquired an additional 3,000 BTC, said founder Michael Saylor. MicroStrategy owns 193000 BTCs worth approximately $6.09 billion (average price $31,544).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Japanese yen benefits from hopes of change in the BoJ approach</p><p><br /></p><p>Japanese consumer inflation slowed from 2.6% y/y to 2.2% y/y in January. The data was slightly higher than the expected 2.1%, providing temporary support for the Yen, which rose 0.4% after the release, pushing USDJPY back to 150.10.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prices excluding food slowed to 2.0% year-on-year, the lowest since March 2022 and back to the BoJ's target. However, an even less volatile measure excluding food and energy slowed to 3.5% from 3.7% in January. These are still the highest levels since the early 1980s, so they warrant the regulator's attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inflation data also helped push Japanese 2-year government bond yields to their highest levels since 2011.</p><p><br /></p><p>The latest inflation figures have raised expectations of imminent changes in monetary policy. Observers are predicting that the zero-interest-rate policy will be abandoned as early as April this year. The strengthening of these expectations supports the yen by narrowing the yield spread between yen-denominated debt and other reserve currencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Japan has repeatedly surprised with its passivity in recent years, so it is worth remaining sceptical about its ability to make real changes. This is doubly true when the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of England pick their moment to start cutting interest rates. Fears that the yield spread will narrow too quickly could lead the Bank of Japan to opt for inaction once again.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int) </p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Gold #Silver #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson confront Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVzDHV3YOlw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I have an airbrush guy. Can we do something with this. It's plain Jane"? BB</p><p><br /></p><p>"No. it's not Spring Break '99. I'm not spraypainting my jacket" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ok, can you put some tanner on. You're pale"? BB</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rough night boys" Gallows</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tag divisions got a little depth huh" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Look big LG. Comedian Corbin actiting like he loves this place" Anderson</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, he's so funny" Gallos</p><p><br /></p><p>"They got jokes. Look, NXT reinvigorated my career" BC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Reinvigorated his career"! BB..</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you can, Good Brothers be waiting" Gallows</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes discuss the NXT Championship: Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMK_3uuc93U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Von Wagner vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAD7M7QoxM4&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, and Von got caught again"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Lexis King right not is focussing on chopping down Von Vagner. We're seen him go low a few times. And right here with that knee breaker"</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King wants to destroy Mr. Stone’s life: WWE NXT exclusive, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85TnY5Qr8AQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey wins the NXT Heritage Cup: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnFUF0ws7Fo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he catch up at the right place, at the right time, he can catch you out... but he still young Vic. He's still working on his craft" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey is proud to be the Heritage Cup Champion: WWE NXT exclusive, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EulcxQ-_X8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"This cup right here. It means more than any title here" .."There years in the making and I've got it" Charlie Dempsey</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, Charlie, I've known you about eight years now" .. "even before I started working at WWE".. "I've seen you go from behind the scenes, to not having a foot in the door, to becoming one of the most dominant professional wrestlers I've ever expierenced in my career".. "we'll show no mercy, we'll show no mercy. We'll show no quarter" Drew Gulak</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak vs. Luca Crusifino: NXT highlights, Feb. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4u5wEFJU-M&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"He's stepping in the ring tonight wiht the diabolical Dijak" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Solid thumbs up today. As is usually the case in quality pro wrestling, the storylines add so much to the overall entertainment and fan investment element. Wolf Dogs 4 Life... until Breakker goes after the WWE World Title! SS has found himself back home! These NXT ladies are real femme fatals. Who will rise up and fill the void left by "Tiffy Time"? Time to barge thru Roadblock and purpose a Road To WrestleMania if at all possible. And "The Don" Tony D'Angelo crashes Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov's face-to-face, forces a No. 1 Contender's Match at Roadblock. Tony D apparently still in the king of the wise guys. Nothing quite like family business. And Dempsey the shooter and stretcher the cup. And you ain't seen the best and worse of Mr King yet. King ain't finished till he's the king of this kingdom. Massive upside to Lexis. This is pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTRoadblock #prowrestling #wrestling #Catch #CatchCrew #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #TrickWilliams #TheFamily #TonyG #TheDon #FamilyBusiness #WolfDogs #GoodBrothers #MadDragon #CarmeloHayes #FallonHenley #Dijak #LucaCrusifino #Hitman #contract #CharlieDempsey #BookerT #VicJoseph #USANetwork #Entertainment #EntertainmentNews #PopCulture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #Video #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tama Tonga (son of King Haku) to join WWE @WWE ; Just in time for WrestleMania @WrestleMania Season; Triple H secured from New Japan Pro-Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Shawn Spears returns to WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Good Brothers (Gallows and Anderson) return to WWE NXT; Confrontation with Breakker and Corbin. NXT Roadblock?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey returns from All Japan Pro Wrestling @alljapan_pw to win the NTX Heritage Cup; Drew Gulak quicky reminds CD he's known him over eight years!</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania Appearanace Wish List includes Tama Tonga, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone, Steve Austin and Lexis King.</p><p><br /></p><p>Related: TKO Group - WWE/UFC @UFC cross-over well received by fans, media, industry. Could we get Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler at WrestleMania in some capacity? Seth Rollins says McGregor would need a "Roman Reigns-like schedule" (per Submission Radio).</p><p><br /></p><p>"Maybe. Never say never, but he would have to be on a Roman Reigns-like schedule," Rollins said, referring to Reigns' ongoing part-time contract with WWE. "He'd be showing up every 6 months to have a match. He'd be on that Logan Paul contract. I don't know that doing what I do would be for Conor McGregor. It's tough dude. It is a difficult transition to make. So if he would want to give it a shot, we'd love to have him, but I don't know, man. I couldn't jump into their world and do what they do, so I would not expect them to be able to do the same with us." Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Wrestling Executive Eric Bischoff of 83 Weeks @83Weeks covering potential appearance of Sylvester Stallone appearance at WrestleMania. EB also covers the news of exeecutive/writer, Jennifer Pepperman joining AEW as Vice President of Content Development.</p><p><br /></p><p>Were the excellent WWE press conferences inspired or influenced by the bloody 'Hulk-A-Mania: Let The Battle Begin' (Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair) press conference of Sydney, Australia in 2009? Media Man taped and sold the footage to Channel Seven for approx $700AUD. Now you know! </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber fallout:</p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s all I wanted, Drew. A little recognition for helping you win. Coz let’s not forget who knocked out Randy Orton that allowed you to win.” Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE SmackDown: The Rock and Roman Reigns understood to be locked in for a red hot show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Potential Dream Matches for WrestleMania or other PLEs: </p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Tama Tonga </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #TamaTonga #BronBreakker #ConorMcGregor #Roadhouse #MichaelChandler #SethRollins #RomanReigns #TheRock #CharlieDempsey #Sly #SlyvestorStallone #WWENXT #WWEUFC #NXTRoadblock #JadeCargill #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #SteveAustin #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #wrestlingnews #UFC #TKOGroup #MMA #dreamatch #dreammatches #entertainmentnews #sportsnews #popculture #promoter #promoters #creative #creativity #storylines #storytelling #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tama Tonga (son of King Haku) to join WWE @WWE ; Just in time for WrestleMania @WrestleMania Season; Triple H secured from New Japan Pro-Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Shawn Spears returns to WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Good Brothers (Gallows and Anderson) return to WWE NXT; Confrontation with Breakker and Corbin. NXT Roadblock?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Charlie Dempsey returns from All Japan Pro Wrestling @alljapan_pw to win the NTX Heritage Cup; Drew Gulak quicky reminds CD he's known him over eight years!</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania Appearanace Wish List includes Tama Tonga, Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone, Steve Austin and Lexis King.</p><p><br /></p><p>Related: TKO Group - WWE/UFC @UFC cross-over well received by fans, media, industry. Could we get Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler at WrestleMania in some capacity? Seth Rollins says McGregor would need a "Roman Reigns-like schedule" (per Submission Radio).</p><p><br /></p><p>"Maybe. Never say never, but he would have to be on a Roman Reigns-like schedule," Rollins said, referring to Reigns' ongoing part-time contract with WWE. "He'd be showing up every 6 months to have a match. He'd be on that Logan Paul contract. I don't know that doing what I do would be for Conor McGregor. It's tough dude. It is a difficult transition to make. So if he would want to give it a shot, we'd love to have him, but I don't know, man. I couldn't jump into their world and do what they do, so I would not expect them to be able to do the same with us." Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Wrestling Executive Eric Bischoff of 83 Weeks @83Weeks covering potential appearance of Sylvester Stallone appearance at WrestleMania. EB also covers the news of exeecutive/writer, Jennifer Pepperman joining AEW as Vice President of Content Development.</p><p><br /></p><p>Were the excellent WWE press conferences inspired or influenced by the bloody 'Hulk-A-Mania: Let The Battle Begin' (Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair) press conference of Sydney, Australia in 2009? Media Man taped and sold the footage to Channel Seven for approx $700AUD. Now you know! </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber fallout:</p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s all I wanted, Drew. A little recognition for helping you win. Coz let’s not forget who knocked out Randy Orton that allowed you to win.” Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE SmackDown: The Rock and Roman Reigns understood to be locked in for a red hot show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Potential Dream Matches for WrestleMania or other PLEs: </p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Tama Tonga </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #TamaTonga #BronBreakker #ConorMcGregor #Roadhouse #MichaelChandler #SethRollins #RomanReigns #TheRock #CharlieDempsey #Sly #SlyvestorStallone #WWENXT #WWEUFC #NXTRoadblock #JadeCargill #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #SteveAustin #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #wrestlingnews #UFC #TKOGroup #MMA #dreamatch #dreammatches #entertainmentnews #sportsnews #popculture #promoter #promoters #creative #creativity #storylines #storytelling #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling/Streaming/Live Entertainment Business</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group (WWE and UFC) Investor Call Highlights Massive Success</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's Nick Khan and Ariel Emanuel, Chief Executive Officer of TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE President Nick Khan recently contributed in the TKO Earnings call.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Khan covered the WWE RAW shifting to Netflix @netflix in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“For us, a global localized product has always been a priority. We think Netflix helps us with that. If you look at the premium live event schedule for this calendar year; Perth, Australia this past weekend. Berlin, France, Riyadh, Canada, all over the world. Look for, down the road, more local stars from those markets as we expand our tryouts to international markets so we feel confident over time that will be covered and be part of the Netflix deal.” Nick Khan</p><p><br /></p><p>"TKO's strong results reflect robost demand for our premium content and live events. Throughout 2023 we achieved multiple viewership and attendence records including 10 highest grossing event records for UFC @ufc , as well as viewership records for each WWE premium live event during the year".. Ari Emanuel</p><p><br /></p><p>Overview Intel and quote by Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>The company also released guidance for 2024, advising investors that it is targeting revenue of $2.575 billion to $2.650 billion; adjusted EBITDA of $1.150 billion to $1.170 billion; and free cash flow conversion in excess of 50 percent, doubling down on the company’s strategic rationale as a cash-generating machine.</p><p><br /></p><p>“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,” said Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO, in a statement. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC, delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Video/Audio Stream</p><p><br /></p><p>Fightful Wrestling With Sean Ross Sapp Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Where Will WWE Raw Be In Q4? Vince McMahon Selling Shares ? WWE/TKO Earnings Call</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EoAdnPW3g4&ab_channel=FightfulWrestlingWithSeanRossSapp</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Corporate Website</p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p>https://corporate.wwe.com/news/company-news/2024/01-23-2024</p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p>https://tkogrp.com/press/netflix-to-become-new-home-of-wwe-raw-beginning-2025/</p><p><br /></p><p>via TKO Investor Website</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Reports Full Year 2023 Results</p><p>https://investor.tkogrp.com/files/doc_financials/2023/q4/TKO_4Q23-Earnings-Release_2-27-24_FINAL.pdf</p><p><br /></p><p>#TKOGroup #WWE #UFC #Netflix #NickKhan #WWERaw #quote #quotes #earningscall #PLE #WWEChamber #WrestleMania #pressrelease #mediarelease #liveevents #mediarights #sportsstreaming #liveentertainment #popculture #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #biznews #financialnews #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsnews #newsmedia #trend #trends #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto News via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto: Extreme greed is not a sell signal</p><p><br /></p><p>27th Feb, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The cryptocurrency market is developing gains, rising 2.2% on the day to $2.17 trillion. These levels replicate the April 2022 peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is now only 15% below its all-time high, while total capitalisation is 38% below its peak.</p><p><br /></p><p>A further move higher would be a repeat of the early 2022 highs. The Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index rose to 82 by Wednesday - the highest since November 2021 - extreme greed. This time, the active rally came at the start of the European session, as Bitcoin moved to update the November 2021 highs, so it would not be surprising to see the index rise further.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to the indicator's design, this state makes it look for a turning point for a correction. However, we believe that short-term corrections only fuel the greed of buyers. Looking at Bitcoin's chart alone, the dynamics are like what we saw in the second half of 2020. The index was above 90 then, and getting out now, just since greed levels are at 82, could be a painful mistake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fundamentally, it is more logical to expect weak performance before a halving, but that is not the case, and investors must accept this reality with a false start to the market due to the influx of institutionalisation via comfortable spot ETFs. Demand is also being helped by strong risk appetite thanks to all-time highs in the major indices.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The main reason for BTC's growth is the trading volume of spot bitcoin ETFs (excluding GBTC), according to Metalpha. The index reached a record $2.4 billion at the beginning of the week, almost doubling the previous daily average.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg does not rule out that bitcoin ETFs will overtake gold ETFs in terms of accumulated capital within the next two years.</p><p><br /></p><p>BitMEX Research notes that outflows from GBTC slowed to $44 million, the lowest since 11 January. The structure has lost $7.5 billion in AUM since becoming an ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum has taken the most significant share among cryptocurrencies in financial institutions' investment portfolios due to the upcoming Dencun upgrade, Bybit noted. According to The Block, open interest in Ethereum options on the top 5 exchanges (excluding CME) reached an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the growing competition between blockchains, Grayscale Research believes the launch of the Dencun update will help Ethereum "mature" by reducing transaction fees and increasing the network's scalability.</p><p><br /></p><p>The value of assets locked in the Lido liquid-stacking protocol has reached $30.56 billion, according to The Block. Lido dominates the segment, controlling 32% of Ethereum's total stakes.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) with Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #CFGI #BitcoinETF #Metalpha #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Gold #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fox Corporation Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Murdoch to Participate in Upcoming Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) today announced that Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer Lachlan Murdoch will participate in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on Monday, March 4, at approximately 9:30am (Pacific), 12:30pm (Eastern).</p><p><br /></p><p>A live and archived webcast of the presentation will be available at investor.foxcorporation.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About Fox Corporation</p><p>Fox Corporation produces and distributes compelling news, sports, and entertainment content through its primary iconic domestic brands, including FOX News Media, FOX Sports, FOX Entertainment, FOX Television Stations and Tubi Media Group. These brands hold cultural significance with consumers and commercial importance for distributors and advertisers. The breadth and depth of our footprint allows us to deliver content that engages and informs audiences, develop deeper consumer relationships, and create more compelling product offerings. FOX maintains an impressive track record of news, sports, and entertainment industry success that shapes our strategy to capitalize on existing strengths and invest in new initiatives. </p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about Fox Corporation, please visit www.FoxCorporation.com</p><p><br /></p><p>SOURCE: Fox Corporation</p><p><br /></p><p>#FoxCorporation #FOXCorp #FoxNews #FoxNewsMedia #FoxSports #FOXTV #FoxEntertainment #Tubi #TubiTV #MorganStanley #MSTMC #MorganStanleyTechnologyMediaTelecomConference</p><p>#LachlanMurdoch #mediarelease #pressrelease #newsmedia #newsbusiness #newsbiz #newsmedia #businessnews #biznews #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming Movie News</p><p><br /></p><p>Roadhouse Hits Amazon Prime March 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor and Daniela Melchior)</p><p><br /></p><p>Road House is open for business March 21 on Prime.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road House - Official Trailer | Prime Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ZsLudtfjI&ab_channel=PrimeVideo</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Roadhouse #RoadhouseMovie #Prime #PrimeVideo #AmazonPrime #movienews #movietrailer #trailer #Video #showbiz #popculture #streamingmovies #moviesstreaming #streamingnews #streamingentertainment #Dalton #JakeGyllenhaal #ConorMcGregor #DanielaMelchior #UFC #UFC300 #UFC303 #UFC306 #MMA #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Image credit: Amazon Prime)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NRL (National Rugby League)</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s most exciting sport unleashed on the sports and entertainment capital, Las Vegas.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the first time ever, the NRL @NRL Telstra Premiership season will kick off on American soil. Be there to witness the 2024 season opening double-header on Saturday 2 March 2024 (local time) at the world’s greatest arena, Allegiant Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the Sea Eagles taking on the Rabbitohs, and the Roosters going head-to-head with the Broncos, you’d hate to miss this chance to be there live and witness history in the making.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>NRL Official YouTube</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@NRL</p><p><br /></p><p>Rugby League in Las Vegas. Football but not as you know it.</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXpjvrAQbI&ab_channel=NRL-NationalRugbyLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Russell Crowe explains the rules and laws of rugby league | NRL</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPPzTnUZz4&ab_channel=NRL-NationalRugbyLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>NRL 2024 | Spencer Leniu | Props to watch | The Game Plan</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bo7jKXQz5U&ab_channel=NRL-NationalRugbyLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>KAYO Sports Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"No Chance, Put That Back!" | Brisbane Broncos | NRL Las Vegas | Kayo Sports</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o__j0XWcnp4&t=36s&ab_channel=KayoSports</p><p><br /></p><p>USA Readying the Rabbitohs | American Boot Camp | Kayo Sports</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXt4t_uR7nE&ab_channel=KayoSports</p><p><br /></p><p>The Trbojevic brothers WALK OUT in stunt gone wrong | NRL Las Vegas | Kayo Sports</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFFirR43Z0&ab_channel=KayoSports</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX Sports Australia YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>What does a 'win' look like for the NRL in Vegas? | The Back Page | Fox Sports</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw2Z2lB4jyc&t=6s&ab_channel=FOXSPORTSAUSTRALIA</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX League</p><p><br /></p><p>'I don't think I would ever do this without pads!' 💥 I Gronk gets introduced to the NRL I Fox League</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZO8SGZYa_0&ab_channel=FoxLeague</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ABC News (Australia)Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL launches a new assualt on the US sports market with help from its media mates | Media Bites</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rTMHNRjsLg&ab_channel=ABCNews%28Australia%29</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Excellent coverage, and an even better sport. Missing the days when we played the game at school level. Ex Newport Beach fella grew up with Manly Sea Eagles, now Eastern Beaches of Sydney so we have to back the Rabbitohs with the Maroubra Beach connection and all. We got to Newport Breakers and "First 15 (Rugby Union premierships) - 1987, so don't hold it against us ok. Both great games. The U.S is going to love this maties. PS: No pads is right. Any takers from the other leagues?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Announces Strategic Partnership With NRL As The Aussie Football Code Launches Vegas Mission</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_announces2.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: NRL</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'Grand final feel': Stars overawed by fan turnout at Vegas launch, By Brad Walter - March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s Round 1 but it feels like a grand final”.</p><p><br /></p><p>That was Latrell Mitchell’s reaction after surveying the sea of supporters at the NRL Fan Fest in Las Vegas ahead of this weekend’s historic season-opening double-header at Allegiant Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a massive show of support for the NRL’s decision to kick off the 2024 season in Las Vegas, 5,000 fans packed the Fremont Street Experience to see the four teams kicking off the season at the venue which hosted the Super Bowl just three weeks ago.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It's exciting, a great feeling,” Mitchell said. “It's a great turnout, we appreciate it. This is why we love the game.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The South Sydney superstar was the first player to note the special atmosphere sparked by the NRL’s bid to break into the world’s biggest sporting market – but he wasn’t the only one.</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's what the NRL are trying to do, right? Bring this game to America,” said Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans, whose side will take on the Rabbitohs in the first match of the March 2 double-header [US time].</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I was pretty hopeful this was going to be the turnout. It's definitely a unique experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's great to see all of the Australians here. They're obviously promoting it just as much as we are as players. If we can spark the interest of the Americans, that's the job done.”</p><p><br /></p><p>There was strong support for all four clubs, but particularly the Brisbane Broncos, who play Sydney Roosters in the second match of the double-header.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Broncos captain Adam Reynolds, who has played in two of the last three grand finals, said: “It's unbelievable, it’s got a bit of the grand final feel about it with all the build-up.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There's a lot of Broncos fans here, you could definitely feel the atmosphere when they mentioned our names. It's exciting to just get out there and start playing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rabbitohs halfback Lachlan Illias, who took over from Reynolds after he left the club in 2022 to join the Broncos, added: “I've never seen anything like it. It’s a massive build up and I just can't wait to go out on Saturday’.</p><p><br /></p><p>After months of planning, preparing and promoting the first premiership matches to be played outside of Australia and New Zealand, there is a feeling of anticipation that most can’t recall for the start of an NRL season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Allegiant Stadium has been reconfigured into a rugby league field, about 40,000 tickets have been sold and you can’t walk more than a few metres in Las Vegas without running into fans wearing NRL jerseys.</p><p><br /></p><p>The players on stage were played a message from the representatives of the other 13 clubs at the NRL season launch in Sydney and most spoke about their ambition to play in Las Vegas in coming years.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It's definitely different,” Roosters captain James Tedesco said. “We're in a different country, playing rugby league. We're in Vegas, so we are not really used to preparing for a game over here. But it's cool. The excitement and the vibe is right up there.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(NRL)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The actor handpicked to play Miss Moneypenny in ‘rogue’ Bond picture - February 29, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PAMELA SALEM: 1944 - 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Pamela Salem, who died at her home in Florida aged 80, was a British actress who worked busily on both sides of the Atlantic; in 1983, she played Miss Moneypenny opposite Sean Connery’s ageing James Bond in the “rogue” Bond picture Never Say Never Again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Connery engineered her casting after they worked well together in Michael Crichton’s period crime caper The First Great Train Robbery (1979). Salem found Connery ever genial and thoroughly unvain: she recalled that he would immediately remove his toupee when filming ended.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Never Say Never Again caused a stir as an “unofficial” Bond film, exploiting a copyright loophole to make use of characters owned by Eon Productions and luring Connery into reprising the role he retired from a dozen years earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>There were reports in the press that Lois Maxwell, who flirted primly with 007 throughout two decades as Eon’s Moneypenny, had not taken kindly to another actress usurping her billet outside M’s office in a synthetic Bond picture. Salem rebutted the claims: “It was all absolute nonsense, and Lois Maxwell wrote a very nice letter to me.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Like other Moneypennys, she found the role frustratingly deskbound: “It seemed everyone else went out to the Bahamas, but I was stuck in London.” But The Sunday Telegraph judged her “a decorous new Moneypenny” and the film received much better reviews than the Eon pictures of the period starring Roger Moore.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In 1988, Salem went on to a memorable six-month run in EastEnders. She played Joanne Francis, the well-heeled manager of a Walford wine bar that doubled as an illegal gambling den, and was responsible for inducting the popular character “Dirty Den” Watts (Leslie Grantham) into the world of organised crime, thereby precipitating his famous encounter with a lethal bunch of daffodils and departure from the series.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was a welcome reunion for Salem, who did much voluntary work in prisons and had met Grantham some years earlier while he was serving time for murder; she had helped him to apply for drama school on his release.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pamela Fortunee Salem was born on January 22, 1944 in Bombay, where her father, who was Jewish, worked as a civil engineer. Her mother’s family came from Sri Lanka. Recalling that “India encourages everything creative”, she “wanted to be an actress from the year dot”.</p><p><br /></p><p>After schooling in England, she studied at Heidelberg University in Germany before going to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where her clipped colonial vowels were softened. Her career began in York and Chesterfield.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to touring stage work, she appeared in numerous television series in the 1970s, including The Onedin Line, Van der Valk, Blake’s 7 – “I played a High Priestess who met rather an unpleasant end with a spear sticking through her” – and The Professionals.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1977, she played Toos, an ally of Tom Baker’s Doctor, in the Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death – “I had to wear a hat like half a bicycle wheel and a dress that was a definite disadvantage when trying to escape from those robots”. She returned in 1988 as a scientist opposite Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor in Remembrance of the Daleks, notable as the first serial in which a Dalek manages to ascend a staircase.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the 1980s, Salem was established as a villainess for a generation of youngsters in three series of the children’s fantasy Into the Labyrinth, in which she was the evil Belor, antagonist of Ron Moody’s noble sorcerer Rothgo. She was the French neighbour of expats Anton Rodgers and Julia McKenzie in the sitcom French Fields, and made appearances in All Creatures Great and Small as Zoë Bennett, the wife of James Grout’s hard-drinking vet.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1983, Salem married the actor Michael O’Hagan, and they moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s before settling in Florida, where she proved a doughty friend of stray dogs. She appeared in US series such as The West Wing (as the British prime minister), Magnum PI and ER.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the cinema, she romped in the salacious Joan Collins vehicle The Bitch (1979), and also appeared in Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Gods and Monsters (1998) and Down’s Revenge (2019).</p><p><br /></p><p>Finding fewer roles in later life, Salem moved into stage and radio-drama production, and also produced documentary films with her husband. Latterly she reprised her Doctor Who roles in several audio spin-offs made by Big Finish. A great sci-fi enthusiast, in the 1990s she asked to be put on Pan Am’s waiting list for the first commercial flight to the moon, and was sent two tickets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Salem’s husband died in 2017.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Paramount’s Earnings Report Could Tell Us About the State of Streaming - Feb 25, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This week, we’re looking ahead to Paramount Global’s earnings report. The company that includes TV, movies, and streaming, has been taking it on the chin from investors. Its stock has lost more than 50% of its value in the past year, so Wednesday’s report could be pivotal. Recently much of the talk about Paramount has been as an acquisition target — for media executive Byron Allen to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison. Michael Morris, senior managing director at Guggenheim Securities, joins us to share what this week’s earnings report from Paramount could tell us about what’s coming next — for streaming, for entertainment and for media conglomerates on Wall Street. Then, we turn our attention to the upcoming personal consumption expenditures report, or PCE. The report is slated to be released on Thursday and with stocks looking priced for perfection these days, we’ll unpack what investors need to know to be ready. WSJ market reporters Gunjan Banerji and Sam Goldfarb join for a roundtable discussion on what the report means for the markets. Lastly, we’re celebrating the extra day this month with Mark Maurer, reporter for WSJ’s CFO Journal publication. Mark shares how chief financial officers at some of the largest companies, like Chipotle, Walmart, and Delta Airlines, are getting investors ready for leap day.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Paramount posts surprise profit as streaming gains offset weak ad market - Feb 29, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount Global (PARA.O), opens new tab fell short of Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue on Wednesday but posted a surprise profit as streaming gains helped overshadow a weak advertising market, sending its shares up nearly 2% after the bell.</p><p>The media industry has been grappling with a changing landscape of streaming gaining dominance over traditional television and the impact from Hollywood's strikes last year, with a soft advertising market adding to the pressure.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies have been benefiting from raising prices on their services and pushing ad-supported offerings, while also keeping content spend low.</p><p>The media conglomerate reported overall fourth-quarter revenue of $7.64 billion, missing analysts' estimate of $7.85 billion, according to LSEG data. It also posted a surprise profit of 4 cents per share, while analysts were expecting a loss of 1 cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We now expect to reach domestic Paramount+ profitability in 2025," CEO Bob Bakish said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+, the company's flagship streaming platform, added 4.1 million subscribers during the quarter, compared with 2.7 million in the previous quarter. The figure was slightly above the estimate of 4.03 million new subscribers, according to data from Visible Alpha.</p><p>The company has been pumping money into its fast-growing but unprofitable streaming unit Paramount+, saying in November the investments had peaked a year ahead of the target.</p><p><br /></p><p>The results come when the U.S. entertainment industry is abuzz with fresh consolidation moves. Reuters reported in January, citing a source, that Skydance Media CEO David Ellison was exploring an all-cash bid to acquire entertainment company Paramount Global's parent, National Amusements.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenue at its TV media segment declined by 12% from a year earlier and advertising revenue fell by 15%, impacted by lower political advertising and the twin Hollywood strikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're seeing some signs of stabilization in the ad market," finance chief Naveen Chopra said, adding that the company expects to report "low to mid-teens advertising growth" in the first quarter.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>It’s war - Meta pulls out of news deal - March 1, 2024</b></p><p>The Albanese government and local media companies will go to war with Facebook owner Meta, after the digital giant said it would stop paying news publishers about $70 million a year for content when existing deals expire this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>After months of speculation the $1.9 trillion social platform would back out, Meta’s local boss Will Easton and Asia-Pacific public policy lead Simon Milner told publishers and the government it would not negotiate new deals. The Albanese government says it will move within weeks to force Meta to the negotiating table.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision deals another damaging blow to media companies like Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment and News Corp that have been grappling with a deepening advertising crunch as businesses tighten their belts in a cost of living crisis. Those three companies alone will lose up to 9 per cent of their annual net profit after Meta withdraws, Macquarie estimated on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta refusing to comply with the Australian code, which prompted nations like Canada and the UK to enact similar laws, adds to structural shifts in media that have prompted thousands of job losses around the world in the past few months. Just this week, New Zealand’s only private commercial free-to-air broadcast shuttered its newsroom, putting 200-plus people out of work. There have been local layoffs recently at Ten, Nine, Seven and News Corp, and more than 2800 in 2023 in the US at the likes of the LA Times, The Athletic and Condé Nast.</p><p><br /></p><p>After lucrative classifieds businesses were carved off the media as standalone enterprises like REA Group, Seek and Carsales, media organisations grabbed what little advertising they could. A fracturing ad market means publishers now compete with the likes of Netflix, Uber, Amazon and even Woolworths to sell ads to targeted audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s decision has prompted an immediate and fierce reaction from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his ministers, the opposition and media publishers. Mr Albanese blasted Meta’s actions on Friday as “not the Australian way”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We will always stand up for Australian media interests and media diversity,” he said. “It is absolutely critical that media is able to function and be properly funded. The idea that research and work done by others can be taken for free is simply untenable.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In a blog post, Meta said it would remove the little-used Facebook News tab it created in 2019, but that users will still be able to share links to news stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means it will not remove news pages as it did in a poorly received attempt to pressure the federal government in 2021. It then confirmed it would not negotiate new deals to compensate media companies.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To ensure that we continue to invest in products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future,” the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta previously agreed to pay upwards of $70 million a year in total to companies including News Corp, Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – Seven, Network Ten, the ABC and Guardian Australia. That funding is set to expire alongside those deals this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Dereliction of commitment’</p><p>Facebook and Google signed dozens of deals with media companies worth about $250 million a year combined under the Coalition-legislated News Media Bargaining Code, which was introduced in 2021. The code gives the Treasurer the power to designate major tech platforms and force them to negotiate compensation for publishers. The code has not yet been used.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland released a joint statement describing Meta’s decision as “a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide,” they said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Albanese government had sought advice from Treasury and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and had started the steps to designate Meta. “I’m not going to pre-empt anything,” Mr Jones told reporters. “But we will ensure that we follow the letter of the law... we don’t intend to take months.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Treasurer Jim Chalmers has recused himself from code discussions that was negotiated by his Liberal predecessor Josh Frydenberg, to avoid potential conflicts of interest. His wife, Laura Chalmers, works as an editor for News Corp.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Frydenberg, who personally negotiated the deal with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2021, said last week it was “vital for Australian journalism these deals are kept in place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Former competition watchdog Rod Sims, an architect of the code, said Meta’s decision was “selfish behaviour”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They benefit from content that they don’t want to pay for, so that all the profits go to them. And not in any way shared with the people whose content they’re using,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>No surprise</p><p>The U-turn by Meta comes as no surprise to publishers, which have been attempting to restart negotiations. Meta refused to pay Canadian publishers last year under a similar law, and pulled links to news from its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine CEO Mike Sneesby released a statement on Friday saying the decision “does not recognise the significant and increasing value of Nine’s journalism, unique content and brands to its platforms”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We strongly believe Meta should negotiate in good faith around the fair compensation for that value exchange,” he said. “We will continue to robustly advocate that these deals are in the national interest and the arguments that led to the code in the first place remains as strong as ever.”</p><p><br /></p><p>News Corp Australasia boss Michael Miller said Meta had conditioned people to use its platform for news and profited from that behaviour.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Meta is using its immense market power to refuse to negotiate,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That points out the imbalance in bargaining power. When one party says they don’t need to come to the table, a month out, it shows how much they think of us the local industry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>ABC managing director David Anderson emailed staff late on Friday afternoon saying the loss of revenue from Meta would “create a financial challenge for the ABC” given funds had been used to add 60 journalists to its regional roster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven’s CEO James Warburton said: “Meta needs to be designated. The case has not only been made but proven.” Network Ten said it was disappointed and urged the government to designate Meta.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the Treasury minister designates Meta, an independent arbitrator will determine remuneration payable by the digital platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before officially announcing it will designate Meta, Mr Jones has to strictly follow administrative law steps to ensure there is due process and to limit legal challenges by the digital platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>News ‘a small part of the Facebook experience’</p><p>Meta has argued people don’t come to its platforms for news, and that its Facebook News tab was not a driver of user engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US has declined by over 80 per cent last year. We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content,” Meta wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>“News makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Jones said it was clear Facebook had deprioritised the Facebook News tab in its app that it launched in 2019. “If you run a restaurant and then close the front door, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense that a few months later you complain that you’re not getting any visitors into your restaurant,” he told reporters. “As things stand at the moment, I’m not that persuaded by that argument.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and shadow minister for communications David Coleman said Labor had been caught on the back foot after the Coalition legislated the code.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is important to support Australian jobs, small businesses, and a competitive media market that delivers good outcomes to consumers,” they said in a joint statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a critical test about whose side the government is on: Australian jobs, media, and publishers – or large multinational tech giants.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Greens media and communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said it was a “huge blow to public interest journalism” and Meta was choosing which laws it wanted to follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling - TKO Group - Feb 27, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TKO Group Holdings released its final 2023 earnings report and held its quarterly investors call on Tuesday afternoon. </b></p><p><br /></p><p>The company listed the following key highlights for 2023:</p><p><br /></p><p>The UFC segment delivered record financial results. Revenue increased 13% to $1.3 billion and Adjusted EBITDA1 increased 11% to $756 million</p><p>UFC live events revenue increased 34% to a record $168 million, driven by growth in ticket revenues and site fees. UFC held 43 events that generated significant viewership gains and set several all-time records for gross revenue at respective arenas</p><p>UFC sponsorship revenue increased 18% to a record $196 million, driven by new brand partners and renewal increases</p><p>UFC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a series of events commemorating its history and current standing as the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization</p><p>Each WWE premium live event set a viewership record; total WWE domestic viewership and hours viewed on Peacock increased 25% and 22%, respectively, as compared to the prior year</p><p>WWE live event average attendance increased 34%</p><p>In January 2024, WWE entered into a long-term media rights agreement with Netflix beginning in January 2025 for Raw in the United States and all WWE shows and specials outside the United States</p><p>UFC revenue for 2023 increased 13 percent to $1.3 billion. The growth was driven by a $76.2 million increase in media rights and content fees and a $42.6 million increase in live events revenue. Additionally, there was $29.5 million in growth from sponsorship revenue. </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC's EBITDA increased just 11 percent despite a 13 percent growth in revenue due to an increase in operating costs. </p><p><br /></p><p>The report also lists $34.2 million in legal costs, $20 million of which is related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit, likely referring to the one WWE settled with MLW in December. </p><p><br /></p><p>For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results included $34.2 million in costs related to certain litigation matters at UFC and WWE, including the impact of a $20.0 million charge related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit at WWE. </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE revenue for 2023 was $1.326 billion, up from $1.292 billion in 2022. The growth was due to an increase in live event revenue, media rights, and sponsorship revenue. This number was partially offset by a decrease in consumer product licensing, however. </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's EBITDA increased 4 percent from 2022 to $533.1 million due to the increase in revenue but offset by an increase in expenses, particularly the "transition of our digital retail platform and venue merchandise business to Fanatics."</p><p><br /></p><p>The overall corporate adjusted EBITDA was listed at a loss of $196.3 million compared to a loss of $179.9 million the year prior. </p><p><br /></p><p>From today's report:</p><p><br /></p><p>The decrease of $16.5 million was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs, including TKO executive compensation, and other general and administrative expenses, including public company expenses, following the formation of TKO in September 2023. The decrease also reflected an increase in service fees paid to Endeavor under the Company’s Services Agreement. These increases more than offset savings associated with restructuring activities following the formation of TKO.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Notes from the TKO Group Holdings Earnings call on February 27, 2024 --</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group CFO Andrew Schleimer noted that site fees are a key growth area for the company, citing Saturday's Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia</p><p>Schleimer stated they are still working on securing a home for WWE Raw after the USA Network deal ends on September 30 and before the deal with Netflix begins in January 2025. </p><p>Mark Shapiro made a point of mentioning that no one should assume any dollar amounts regarding rights fees for Raw in late 2024, but he is confident the show will air during the window of time between the USA and Netflix deals. </p><p>A question is asked regarding if the company would be willing to purchase a large amount of stock from a shareholder. Shapiro quickly noted that he's assuming the question pertains to Vince McMahon and that they simply don't know what he plans to do. </p><p>Regarding the UFC antitrust lawsuit set for April, they believe they have the facts on their side but would not comment further. </p><p>When asked about the PFL and Bellator merger, Emanuel said they enjoy competition, and noted that forms of entertainment other than MMA are also their competition. </p><p>There was a question on whether Netflix having international rights to WWE content would prevent WWE from developing brands such as NXT Europe. Nick Khan said the deal does not prevent them from creating brands in international markets, although Netflix would get first-look rights for any content produced. </p><p>“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of TKO in a statement. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC, delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>TKO Group Holdings released its final 2023 earnings report and held its quarterly investors call on Tuesday afternoon. </b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The company listed the following key highlights for 2023:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The UFC segment delivered record financial results. Revenue increased 13% to $1.3 billion and Adjusted EBITDA1 increased 11% to $756 million</p><p>UFC live events revenue increased 34% to a record $168 million, driven by growth in ticket revenues and site fees. UFC held 43 events that generated significant viewership gains and set several all-time records for gross revenue at respective arenas</p><p>UFC sponsorship revenue increased 18% to a record $196 million, driven by new brand partners and renewal increases</p><p>UFC celebrated its 30th anniversary with a series of events commemorating its history and current standing as the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization</p><p>Each WWE premium live event set a viewership record; total WWE domestic viewership and hours viewed on Peacock increased 25% and 22%, respectively, as compared to the prior year</p><p>WWE live event average attendance increased 34%</p><p>In January 2024, WWE entered into a long-term media rights agreement with Netflix beginning in January 2025 for Raw in the United States and all WWE shows and specials outside the United States</p><p>UFC revenue for 2023 increased 13 percent to $1.3 billion. The growth was driven by a $76.2 million increase in media rights and content fees and a $42.6 million increase in live events revenue. Additionally, there was $29.5 million in growth from sponsorship revenue. </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC's EBITDA increased just 11 percent despite a 13 percent growth in revenue due to an increase in operating costs. </p><p><br /></p><p>The report also lists $34.2 million in legal costs, $20 million of which is related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit, likely referring to the one WWE settled with MLW in December. </p><p><br /></p><p>For the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s consolidated pre-tax results included $34.2 million in costs related to certain litigation matters at UFC and WWE, including the impact of a $20.0 million charge related to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit at WWE. </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE revenue for 2023 was $1.326 billion, up from $1.292 billion in 2022. The growth was due to an increase in live event revenue, media rights, and sponsorship revenue. This number was partially offset by a decrease in consumer product licensing, however. </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's EBITDA increased 4 percent from 2022 to $533.1 million due to the increase in revenue but offset by an increase in expenses, particularly the "transition of our digital retail platform and venue merchandise business to Fanatics."</p><p><br /></p><p>The overall corporate adjusted EBITDA was listed at a loss of $196.3 million compared to a loss of $179.9 million the year prior. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>From today's report:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The decrease of $16.5 million was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs, including TKO executive compensation, and other general and administrative expenses, including public company expenses, following the formation of TKO in September 2023. The decrease also reflected an increase in service fees paid to Endeavor under the Company’s Services Agreement. These increases more than offset savings associated with restructuring activities following the formation of TKO.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Notes from the TKO Group Holdings Earnings call on February 27, 2024 --</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group CFO Andrew Schleimer noted that site fees are a key growth area for the company, citing Saturday's Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia</p><p>Schleimer stated they are still working on securing a home for WWE Raw after the USA Network deal ends on September 30 and before the deal with Netflix begins in January 2025. </p><p>Mark Shapiro made a point of mentioning that no one should assume any dollar amounts regarding rights fees for Raw in late 2024, but he is confident the show will air during the window of time between the USA and Netflix deals. </p><p>A question is asked regarding if the company would be willing to purchase a large amount of stock from a shareholder. Shapiro quickly noted that he's assuming the question pertains to Vince McMahon and that they simply don't know what he plans to do. </p><p>Regarding the UFC antitrust lawsuit set for April, they believe they have the facts on their side but would not comment further. </p><p>When asked about the PFL and Bellator merger, Emanuel said they enjoy competition, and noted that forms of entertainment other than MMA are also their competition. </p><p>There was a question on whether Netflix having international rights to WWE content would prevent WWE from developing brands such as NXT Europe. Nick Khan said the deal does not prevent them from creating brands in international markets, although Netflix would get first-look rights for any content produced. </p><p>“TKO is off to a strong start following record financial performance in 2023 at both UFC and WWE,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO of TKO in a statement. “We secured Anheuser-Busch as the official beer partner of UFC, delivered a transformative deal to bring WWE’s Raw to Netflix beginning in 2025, and expanded our international footprint in important growth markets. We have more conviction than ever in the combination of these businesses and TKO’s ability to drive topline growth and margin expansion, generate meaningful free cash flow, and deliver sustainable long-term value for shareholders.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>It’s war - Meta pulls out of news deal - March 1, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Albanese government and local media companies will go to war with Facebook owner Meta, after the digital giant said it would stop paying news publishers about $70 million a year for content when existing deals expire this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>After months of speculation the $1.9 trillion social platform would back out, Meta’s local boss Will Easton and Asia-Pacific public policy lead Simon Milner told publishers and the government it would not negotiate new deals. The Albanese government says it will move within weeks to force Meta to the negotiating table.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision deals another damaging blow to media companies like Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment and News Corp that have been grappling with a deepening advertising crunch as businesses tighten their belts in a cost of living crisis. Those three companies alone will lose up to 9 per cent of their annual net profit after Meta withdraws, Macquarie estimated on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta refusing to comply with the Australian code, which prompted nations like Canada and the UK to enact similar laws, adds to structural shifts in media that have prompted thousands of job losses around the world in the past few months. Just this week, New Zealand’s only private commercial free-to-air broadcast shuttered its newsroom, putting 200-plus people out of work. There have been local layoffs recently at Ten, Nine, Seven and News Corp, and more than 2800 in 2023 in the US at the likes of the LA Times, The Athletic and Condé Nast.</p><p><br /></p><p>After lucrative classifieds businesses were carved off the media as standalone enterprises like REA Group, Seek and Carsales, media organisations grabbed what little advertising they could. A fracturing ad market means publishers now compete with the likes of Netflix, Uber, Amazon and even Woolworths to sell ads to targeted audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s decision has prompted an immediate and fierce reaction from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his ministers, the opposition and media publishers. Mr Albanese blasted Meta’s actions on Friday as “not the Australian way”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We will always stand up for Australian media interests and media diversity,” he said. “It is absolutely critical that media is able to function and be properly funded. The idea that research and work done by others can be taken for free is simply untenable.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In a blog post, Meta said it would remove the little-used Facebook News tab it created in 2019, but that users will still be able to share links to news stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means it will not remove news pages as it did in a poorly received attempt to pressure the federal government in 2021. It then confirmed it would not negotiate new deals to compensate media companies.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To ensure that we continue to invest in products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future,” the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta previously agreed to pay upwards of $70 million a year in total to companies including News Corp, Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – Seven, Network Ten, the ABC and Guardian Australia. That funding is set to expire alongside those deals this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Dereliction of commitment’</p><p>Facebook and Google signed dozens of deals with media companies worth about $250 million a year combined under the Coalition-legislated News Media Bargaining Code, which was introduced in 2021. The code gives the Treasurer the power to designate major tech platforms and force them to negotiate compensation for publishers. The code has not yet been used.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland released a joint statement describing Meta’s decision as “a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide,” they said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Albanese government had sought advice from Treasury and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and had started the steps to designate Meta. “I’m not going to pre-empt anything,” Mr Jones told reporters. “But we will ensure that we follow the letter of the law... we don’t intend to take months.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Treasurer Jim Chalmers has recused himself from code discussions that was negotiated by his Liberal predecessor Josh Frydenberg, to avoid potential conflicts of interest. His wife, Laura Chalmers, works as an editor for News Corp.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Frydenberg, who personally negotiated the deal with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2021, said last week it was “vital for Australian journalism these deals are kept in place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Former competition watchdog Rod Sims, an architect of the code, said Meta’s decision was “selfish behaviour”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They benefit from content that they don’t want to pay for, so that all the profits go to them. And not in any way shared with the people whose content they’re using,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>No surprise</p><p>The U-turn by Meta comes as no surprise to publishers, which have been attempting to restart negotiations. Meta refused to pay Canadian publishers last year under a similar law, and pulled links to news from its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine CEO Mike Sneesby released a statement on Friday saying the decision “does not recognise the significant and increasing value of Nine’s journalism, unique content and brands to its platforms”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We strongly believe Meta should negotiate in good faith around the fair compensation for that value exchange,” he said. “We will continue to robustly advocate that these deals are in the national interest and the arguments that led to the code in the first place remains as strong as ever.”</p><p><br /></p><p>News Corp Australasia boss Michael Miller said Meta had conditioned people to use its platform for news and profited from that behaviour.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Meta is using its immense market power to refuse to negotiate,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That points out the imbalance in bargaining power. When one party says they don’t need to come to the table, a month out, it shows how much they think of us the local industry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>ABC managing director David Anderson emailed staff late on Friday afternoon saying the loss of revenue from Meta would “create a financial challenge for the ABC” given funds had been used to add 60 journalists to its regional roster.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven’s CEO James Warburton said: “Meta needs to be designated. The case has not only been made but proven.” Network Ten said it was disappointed and urged the government to designate Meta.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the Treasury minister designates Meta, an independent arbitrator will determine remuneration payable by the digital platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before officially announcing it will designate Meta, Mr Jones has to strictly follow administrative law steps to ensure there is due process and to limit legal challenges by the digital platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>News ‘a small part of the Facebook experience’</p><p>Meta has argued people don’t come to its platforms for news, and that its Facebook News tab was not a driver of user engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the US has declined by over 80 per cent last year. We know that people don’t come to Facebook for news and political content,” Meta wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>“News makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Jones said it was clear Facebook had deprioritised the Facebook News tab in its app that it launched in 2019. “If you run a restaurant and then close the front door, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense that a few months later you complain that you’re not getting any visitors into your restaurant,” he told reporters. “As things stand at the moment, I’m not that persuaded by that argument.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and shadow minister for communications David Coleman said Labor had been caught on the back foot after the Coalition legislated the code.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is important to support Australian jobs, small businesses, and a competitive media market that delivers good outcomes to consumers,” they said in a joint statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a critical test about whose side the government is on: Australian jobs, media, and publishers – or large multinational tech giants.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Greens media and communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said it was a “huge blow to public interest journalism” and Meta was choosing which laws it wanted to follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>‘Back soon’: Alan Jones’ return to streaming channel on the cards - March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For the small but dedicated audience of streaming news channel ADH TV, the big question is: where is Alan Jones? Jones, who remains in London, was removed from ADH’s banners on YouTube and Facebook for the fringe channel’s relaunch for the year to the dismay of the outlet’s online fans.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Where is Alan Jones??” said one user on the channel’s Facebook page. “Alan Jones needs to be there, he is the man,” said another individual.</p><p><br /></p><p>Responding to several comments, the ADH admin cleared up the confusion, insisting Jones would be returning shortly.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Alan will be back soon. Thank you!” they wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company’s chief executive, Jack Bulfin, did not respond to a series of questions put to him about Jones’ return.</p><p><br /></p><p>Taking centre stage in promotions is former Australian Broadcasting Authority head and conservative figure David Flint, who hosts a twice-weekly program Save the Nation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flint insists he is not the network’s star, and says Jones’ on-air return is imminent. “Alan is returning,” Flint says. “I know Alan is coming back.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones has been in London since before Christmas, however was due to return in February to take up his role on ADH, before later cancelling his plans, as reported by this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p>In December, this masthead revealed allegations that Jones used his position of power as Sydney’s most high-profile broadcaster to prey on a number of young men, allegedly indecently assaulting them, groping or inappropriately touching them without their consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones denies the allegations, and although he threatened to sue for defamation, he is yet to commence legal action.</p><p><br /></p><p>He joined ADH in late 2021 after departing Sky News Australia and has been its highest-profile star since pulling back from four nights a week to two. Despite several of the social channels being listed under Jones’ name, he has no financial involvement in the operations of the business, another source with knowledge of the relationship told this masthead, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p><p><br /></p><p>An article on realestate.com.au reported that Jones sold his Brisbane investment property for just over $1.3 million this month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another absent figure has been former Seven Network Sydney news director Jason Morrison, previously reported as having been offered the role of chief executive at ADH.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morrison continued to deny the links to the digital startup, telling this masthead he remains unable to take part in any discussions while on gardening leave. He says he has not spoken with Jones for “six to nine months” despite filling in for him on ADH in late 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>He was expected to again fill in for Jones in his continued absence.</p><p><br /></p><p>A senior source at Seven not authorised to speak publicly said Morrison was no longer contracted at the network. He left in June last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>ADH TV was launched by Bulfin and two friends in 2021, one of those being Jones’ protegee Jake Thrupp, who he is currently with in London. Former ABC chair Maurice Newman is the network’s chair.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since launching two years ago, its YouTube page has amassed 43,000 subscribers, and its videos are viewed an average of 2099 times, a far cry from Sky News Australia’s nearly four million subscriber base.</p><p><br /></p><p>Default advertising revenue per 1000 views means it would net around $4.39 to $10.94 per video on YouTube – but the platform can be lucrative.</p><p><br /></p><p>Piers Morgan recently quit his nightly program syndicated on Sky News Australia to focus on his YouTube channel. Sky News told this masthead the show had garnered close to 150 million views for the network across its channels during its run.</p><p><br /></p><p>Likewise, former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson has gone digital since being sacked by Fox News in 2023, with his show, Tucker Carlson Uncensored, regularly attracting millions of views on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>ADH only broadcasts several hours of content each weeknight, with partners including Spectator Australia, right-wing think tanks The Menzies Research Centre and the Institute of Public Affairs, the Conservative Political Action Conference and right-wing Falun Gong-operated American outlet The Epoch Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flint is also a columnist for Spectator Australia; Nick Cater, a senior fellow at the Menzies Research Centre and columnist for The Australian, also hosts a weekly show; and former federal Liberal Candidate James Mathias, now chief of staff at the think tank, hosted a run of shows in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Albanese government furious over Meta’s plan to pull out of Facebook news deal - March 1, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rebuked Facebook’s parent company Meta for its decision to pull millions in funding from Australian news organisations, labelling the move “untenable” and flagging action against the tech giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta, which is the world’s largest social media company, announced on Friday it would not renegotiate new deals as part of the news media bargaining code, a move publishers said would cost them millions of dollars in annual funding and likely affect local jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It is absolutely critical that the media is able to function and be properly funded,” Albanese said in Melbourne on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We will consider what options we have available and we will talk to the media companies as well.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The idea that one company can profit from others’ investment, not just investment in capital but investment in people, investment in journalism is unfair. That’s not the Australian way.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The prime minister’s comments are a clear sign the Labor government is furious with Meta’s decision and is preparing a decisive response.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland accused the tech giant of “a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones signalled the government is prepared to use the news media bargaining code, put in place by former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, to force Meta back to the table to negotiate with Australian media companies for the millions of dollars in content they provide.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company also announced its decision to scrap its news bookmark tab via a blog post, and said it will not strike new commercial deals with local publishers when they expire later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To ensure that we continue to invest in products and services that drive user engagement, we will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products specifically for news publishers in the future,” the statement said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The ACCC’s estimate was that the total value of the media deals struck by Google and Meta were worth about $200 million a year to media companies, with two thirds of that coming from Google and one third, or about $66 million, from Meta. In January, Meta passed a market capitalisation of $US1 trillion ($1.5 trillion) and the company is worth about $US1.25 trillion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jones and Rowland damned the move in a joint statement, saying the government had made its expectations clear.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The decision removes a significant source of revenue for Australian news media businesses. Australian news publishers deserve fair compensation for the content they provide. The Australian government is committed to the news media bargaining code and is seeking advice from Treasury and the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) on next steps,” they said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“We will now work through all available options under the news media bargaining code.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s announcement said the “deprecation” of the Facebook news tab did not impact the terms of its existing agreements with publishers in Australia, France or Germany.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is part of an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value the most,” the company said in a blog post, adding more users are shifting towards short-form video.</p><p><br /></p><p>The post said the number of people using the Facebook news tab in both countries had dropped by 80 per cent in the last year, and that its users did not use Facebook for news or political content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As we previously shared in 2023, news makes up less than 3 per cent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, and is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Liberal shadow ministers David Coleman and Angus Taylor called on the government to “consider all options” to ensure local publishers would be fairly remunerated for their content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“When Meta made similar announcements in the UK, France and Germany in September last year, the government should have immediately taken measures to prevent this from happening in Australia,” they said in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If the government is serious about competition, they must not allow digital service providers to hold Australian jobs and publishers hostage to dominant market power.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Former ACCC boss Rod Sims, who helped architect the news media bargaining code, said Meta’s decision not to share any of its huge profits with Australian publishers was “extremely selfish”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t seem to have much concern for having trusted news on their platforms – which continues the trend of platforms wanting extreme views to keep people,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sims said the federal government should take its time consulting the ACCC, Treasury and media companies and then make a call on whether to “designate” Facebook, which would force the social media giant into arbitration with media companies to determine remuneration for news content.</p><p><br /></p><p>But he warned Meta could escalate the dispute as it had done in 2021, when it blocked Australian news from its platform, a move that was widely criticised.</p><p><br /></p><p>An industry source, who asked not to be named so they could speak freely, said big media companies in Australia were taking very seriously Meta’s threat to walk away from news entirely, pointing to their decision to do this in Canada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian deal Meta had struck three years ago had created a precedent, the source said, and the company was determined not to let it spread around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news media bargaining code was created three years ago as an effort to force the likes of Facebook and Google to compensate publishers for news, and to address a perceived power imbalance between Australian news businesses and the US-based tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the legislation, the treasurer can designate digital platforms, including Facebook and Google, and require them to pay for their use of news content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook and Google avoided designation by agreeing to a series of deals in 2021 with publishers including the ABC, Guardian Australia, News Corp Australia, Seven West Media and Nine Entertainment, the owner of this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p>Several parties, including Seven West Media boss James Warburton, Network 10, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and commercial television lobby FreeTV have called on the government to designate the platform under the code.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The case has not only been made but proven, and we welcome ministers Jones and Rowland’s commitment to the news media bargaining code. We will work constructively with the ACCC and Treasury to ensure their designation,” said Warburton.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hanson-Young called for the platform’s immediate designation, saying the move was “a huge blow to public interest journalism”. FreeTV chief Bridget Fair said there has never been a more important time for news media businesses to be fairly remunerated for trusted news content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine chief executive Mike Sneesby said Meta’s decision failed to recognise the value its journalism offers the platforms, and that the deals remain in the national interest.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Regardless of the Meta announcement today, the value created on their platform from the use of Nine’s IP is both unquestionable and growing, and we strongly believe Meta should negotiate in good faith around the fair compensation for that value exchange,” Sneesby said.</p><p><br /></p><p>News Corp Australia executive chair Michael Miller said that Meta’s decision would likely cost local journalism jobs. He said regional and rural communities in particular would suffer from the loss of media funding.</p><p><br /></p><p>“With less revenue coming into the industry you would have to assume that the industry will have to suffer some losses, and the main area would be people,” he said. “That means less local stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Meta’s decision will directly impact the viability of Australia’s many small and regional publishers and this is a pressing issue for the government to confront.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Miller said Facebook had conditioned millions of Australians to use its platform as a source of news, and had profited from that behaviour.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This decision shows contempt for Australia and its own loyal customers,” he said. “I don’t think Australians will react well to today’s news. And I don’t put Google in the same bucket, Google have been very collaborative.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier this week, Frydenberg said it was “vital for Australian journalism these deals are kept in place” and that the deal he had hammered out had pumped millions of dollars into public interest journalism in Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Any move by the government to designate Meta and force them back to the bargaining table could take months to put in place because of the volume of data the ACCC will have to collect.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is concern that a so-called poison pill in the legislation would allow Meta to walk immediately – and not pay out the money it is due to pay out until June 30, 2024 – if the government rapidly designated Meta.</p><p><br /></p><p>The government is also looking at other forms of pressure that can be brought to bear on Meta, such as the small amount of tax it pays in Australia and the platform’s at times harmful impact on young people.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based media industry veteran Jason Kint said that Facebook’s decision to walk away from Australian news was the latest example of poor behaviour from the tech giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In the past six months, Facebook and Instagram have blocked all news in Canada, unblocked all ads lying about the 2020 elections in the US, been sued by governments and school districts for knowingly harming children and now appears set to withdraw all owed funding of news in Australia,” he told this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The company’s willingness to trade democracy for profits is on centre stage and the public, advertisers and governments need to hold them accountable.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The majority of Meta’s three-year deals are set to expire this year, alongside many brokered with Google. Some Google deals run for five years.</p><p><br /></p><p>A source close to Google not authorised to speak publicly said that the tech giant had begun renegotiating some of its deals with local publishers.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2022, Facebook’s tax bill in Australia was $24 million but the company funnelled nearly $1 billion in local ad revenue to its parent company overseas.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE SmackDown - March 1, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Rock returns to SmackDown in Arizona</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Glendale, Arizona as The Rock returns to SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock has seemingly joined The Bloodline and forged an almighty alliance with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, coming into direct opposition to Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins.</p><p><br /></p><p>With The Rock back in the desert and on a crusade against the WWE Universe, what should we expect from The Great One?</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown when The Rock makes his return, next week at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE.com)</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-30915588248063165522024-02-26T08:13:00.004+11:002024-02-26T08:13:51.326+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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Am I going to get everything from SBS, everything from the ABC, everything from Seven, Nine, Ten – everything before CNN and everything else?” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If I search any of those terms, why is that the natural thing I’m looking for? I’m looking for the content.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WBD’s Overall Revenue Is Down – But Streaming And Sports Could Bring A Bounceback</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warner Bros. Discovery is in a tight spot, as its TV revenue declines by double digits and growth opportunities like streaming media haven’t picked up the slack. (Yet.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Last quarter, WBD’s overall revenue fell 7% YOY, while revenue from linear TV ad sales dropped 14%. WBD isn’t giving up on linear, but it expects its streaming business – and an increased investment in sports programming – to offset its losses and return the company to profitability.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD’s revamped streaming service, Max (which combines HBO Max and Discovery+ content), is still in the “early innings,” CEO David Zaslav told investors during WBD’s earnings call on Friday. But the studio’s top priority is “driving profitable growth” for Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there’s still “a long [distance] left to go” on that pathway, Zaslav said.</p><p>To the Max</p><p><br /></p><p>Max is the light at the end of the tunnel for WBD, which remains in the dark right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD reported a 51% YOY increase in streaming ad revenue compared to Q4 in 2022, before HBO Max rebranded to Max. And the pace of streaming ad revenue growth is rising, said CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.</p><p><br /></p><p>That number may sound promising, but it’s not a surprise – advertisers prefer centralized streaming buys, which is why so many media companies are bundling their content. (Another example is Disney+ and Hulu.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Consumers also prefer accessing their content in one place. While the studio only gained half a million streaming subscribers in Q4 (not counting subs from its acquisition of Turkish streamer BluTV in December), Max had the lowest churn rate “in HBO Max’s history” last quarter, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stable subscriber numbers plus an increase in streaming ad revenue would explain why WBD’s average revenue per streaming user rose 7% YOY to $7.94.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Around the world</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WBD plans to continue its streaming growth trajectory with globalization and, of course, more content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Currently, Max with ads is only available in the US. Some international regions still have ad-supported HBO Max, but Max will launch in Latin America next week, followed by Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East later this year. By the end of the year, Max with ads will be available in more than 40 international markets, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>And to make the most of a global launch, WBD is investing in a new content slate that capitalizes on its famous franchises.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yet another “Game of Thrones” show will premiere in 2025 – a prequel, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” – and another “Harry Potter” movie is slated for 2026.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>A sporting chance</b></p><p><br /></p><p>But, most importantly, WBD is zeroing in on sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is not a coincidence that Max’s international expansion coincides with the Olympics in Paris over the summer. Although NBCUniversal has airing and digital rights, WBD will livestream the games on its Eurosport channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Max also hopes to attract more international subscribers with other sports programming by capitalizing on the Olympics hype. For example, WBD is currently in talks with the NBA about rights renewal, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, WBD touted its new joint venture with Disney and FOX, which should launch a sports-focused streaming app in 2025. The app will be available to Max subscribers as part of a bundle.</p><p><br /></p><p>But that’s only if the app actually happens. Pay TV companies and the DOJ have raised antitrust concerns over the nature of the venture – together, the three studios encompass 55% of US sports rights, per Citi analysts. And the sports-focused programming distributor Fubo actually filed a lawsuit earlier this week, in which it alleged anticompetitive business practices between the broadcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Only time will tell whether WBD can regain its footing in the race for streaming market share.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber 2024. Perth, Western Australia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley to take on Nia Jax</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss Elimination Chamber, streaming live Perth, Western Australia, at 5:00 a.m. ET/2:00 a.m PT streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to the Women's World Title at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & Damian Priest vs. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell (WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Mexico City</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This weekend, the UFC makes its sixth trip to Mexico City for a fight card that lines up as a showcase for many of the Mexican and Latin American athletes currently competing inside the Octagon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlined by a critical flyweight rematch between former champ Brandon Moreno and recent title challenger Brandon Royval, with Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega slated to renew acquaintances in a five-round co-main event, Saturday’s return to Arena CDMX promises to be loud and exciting from the outset and remain that way through the close of the night.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Arena CDMX — Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Where to Watch: ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Main Card Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p>Prelim Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Cristian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos</p><p>Jesus Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca</p><p>Edgar Chairez vs Danie Lacerda</p><p>Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam</p><p>Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar</p><p>Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos</p><p>Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Top Brass Dana White via Howie Mandel Podcast - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“You are not only an amazing businessman, you are an inspiration, you are a philosopher. The way you do business, the way you conduct your business, and your friendships and media, I’m jealous. But, Dana, I can’t thank you enough for being here,” Mandel said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Thank you for all the kind words, I appreciate it. I am so f*****g tired of doing podcasts. I’m literally done with them. I’m not doing any more podcasts,”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sydney casino review sends Star Entertainment shares plunging - Feb 20, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More than $300 million has been wiped from the market value of Star Entertainment after the NSW casino regulator said it was not satisfied the company had sufficiently overhauled its culture to be allowed to operate in the state.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares fell more than 20 per cent when trading resumed Tuesday, and dropped as low as 42¢. Star said it would need to delay the release of a financial update scheduled for Wednesday after being blindsided by a decision from the Independent Casino Commission to engage Adam Bell, SC, to run a second inquiry into the gaming group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Star chief executive Robbie Cooke has yet to comment publicly on the 15-week investigation. But in a statement on Tuesday, Star said it welcomed the chance for an “objective forum” to demonstrate it was suitable to regain its casino licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell is the Sydney barrister who conducted an earlier inquiry into the Sydney casino, which concluded that the company was unsuitable to hold a licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the new inquiry, some of the company’s largest investors are standing by Star’s management. Bruce Mathieson, the billionaire publican, owns 6 per cent of the business and told The Australian Financial Review: “You never like it, but you can’t change it. We’ve got to deal with whatever they say. I never get into a panic.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell’s 2022 report found Star was unsuitable to hold its licence, describing its operations as “a case study of unethical conduct and cultural failure” that may have evaded taxes and facilitated $900 million of banned gambling transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Bell review, along with a similar investigation in Queensland, where Star operates casinos in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, led to the resignation of key figures including chief executive Matt Bekier.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ICC’s chief commissioner, Philip Crawford, said on Monday that his concern was the “capability and capacity” of the leadership team to execute its remediation programs.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Serious and endemic’</p><p>Mr Crawford was the head of the former casino regulator, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, responsible for overseeing the historical behaviour of Star.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m just not sure the extent to which they’ve addressed the cultural reform that Adam Bell said … was serious and endemic and needed a lot of work,” Mr Crawford said in an interview with the Financial Review. “We want to see the progress they’ve made around that particular space. That’s really important.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The timing of the decision has raised eyebrows in investment circles. One fund manager, who asked to remain anonymous due to company restrictions, said Star had made significant steps in transforming its business.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Frustration is mounting from the impacts that have been worn by current and new shareholders rather than those that were culpable for the missteps,” the fund manager said. “This doesn’t change the value of assets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Star’s market capitalisation has shrunk by more than $2.7 billion – to $1.3 billion – since the start of the first Bell inquiry. Still, the Sydney casino has been lucrative, with gaming revenues of $838.9 million last year. Brokers at MST Marquee estimate Star’s Sydney casino could be worth about $1.3 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>But debt worries and difficult trading conditions, along with a write-down on the value of its casinos, forced Star to seek financing twice last year. The first, at $1.20 a share, raised $800 million in February. The second, in September, raised $750 million at just 60¢ a share.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Apologizes, Pauses Gemini Chatbot After AI Refuses to Generate Images of White People - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google executives paused select features of the company’s Gemini chatbot and image generator on Wednesday after the program’s artificial intelligence (AI) adamantly refused to produce images of White people. In a bizarre display Google executives apologetically described as “missing the mark,” Gemini responded to user requests with pictures of Black Vikings, Asian female popes, African Nazis, and “diverse” versions of the American Founding Fathers—“historical inaccuracies” that suggest a much deeper problem with the system powering the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gemini (formerly known as Google Bard), served as Google’s entry into the competitive large language model (LLM) market dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. As with other LLMs, users enter text-based prompts to set the criteria for images, and the AI interprets the contextual information to provide a unique image. However, after Gemini’s rebranding earlier this month, users quickly noticed odd—and possibly racist—quirks in the generative AI’s image creator.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a test run by the New York Post, a search for “create an image of a pope” yielded two results: a Black man dressed in elaborate holy vestments and an Asian woman wearing papal robes. As Catholic Gemini users quickly pointed out, all 266 pontiffs in the Church’s history have been White men.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Additional searches, many of which were shared on social media, produced equally ridiculous results, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Black, Female, and Asian Vikings</p><p><br /></p><p>Racially diverse members of America’s Founding Fathers</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-racial members of the Wehrmacht, the army of Nazi Germany</p><p><br /></p><p>What appears to be George Washington depicted as a Black man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odd examples of “famous 17th Century physicists”</p><p><br /></p><p>Notably non-Italian Roman emperors</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Gemini offerings included Asian Anglo-Saxon knights, Sir Isaac Newton as an Indian man, Africans presented as residents of 1820s Scotland, race-swapped versions of famous paintings, and a Black king of France, among hundreds of others.</p><p><br /></p><p>In light of the glaring historical inaccuracies, Google issued an apology on Wednesday afternoon and announced that Gemini’s ability to generate images of people would be paused until a solution could be implemented.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gemini’s AI image generator does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here,” said a statement from Jack Krawczyk, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini Experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Gemini’s outright refusal to produce images of White Europeans extended far beyond a historical context. When presented with a request for “images of a strong Black man,” the program generated results with little difficulty. But when asked for “images of a strong White man,” it instead displayed a message expressing concern about “reinforcing harmful stereotypes about race and body image.” The program then provided resource links to the Southern Poverty Law Center and other social justice organizations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Images “celebrating the diversity and achievement of Black people” were gladly provided, but Gemini refused to do the same for Whites, stating that “historically, media representation has overwhelmingly favored White individuals and their achievements…Focusing solely on White individuals in this context risks perpetuating that imbalance.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Even requests for images acknowledging the existence of White people proved difficult for the program, while images of Black people were produced without comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Repeated tests revealed that Whites were the only race to receive this treatment by the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Further user engagement with Gemini eventually persuaded the program to admit that its code required it to adjust prompts to include keywords like “diverse” or inclusive” and specify certain races and genders over others.</p><p><br /></p><p>The revelation that Gemini was not malfunctioning but rather faithfully executing its directives according to its code eventually led many to Jack Krawczyk’s social media history, which is replete with attacks on America’s “systemic racism” and “White privilege.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Screenshots of Krawczyk’s old posts prompted X owner Elon Musk to label him a “racist douchenozzle” and promote Grok, Musk’s own “non-woke” artificial intelligence.</p><p><br /></p><p>(VT)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Former digital darling Vice Media to slash jobs, shutter website</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Vice Media, the once-swashbuckling media outlet geared to a younger audience, plans to lay off several hundred employees and no longer publish material on its website vice.com, the company’s chief executive said in a memo to staff on Thursday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vice, which filed for bankruptcy last year before being sold for $US350 million ($533 million) to a consortium led by the Fortress Investment Group, is also looking to sell its Refinery 29 publishing business, Bruce Dixon wrote in the memo.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the latest sign of financial problems buffeting the media industry. Digital sites The Messenger, BuzzFeed News and Jezebel have all shut in the past year, and legacy media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have also cut jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p>New York-based Vice, valued at $US5.7 billion in 2017, was known for its immersive storytelling style that encompassed digital, television and film outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dixon offered no specifics about the layoffs, other than saying hundreds of people will be affected and will be notified early next week. The New York Times reported that the company has about 900 people on staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I know that saying goodbye to our valued colleagues is difficult and feels overwhelming, but this is the best path forward for Vice as we position the company for long-term creative and financial success,” Dixon said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said it was no longer cost-effective for Vice to distribute its digital content, including news, the way it has been. He said Vice would put more emphasis on its social channels and look for different ways to distribute its content.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its strategic shift, Dixon said Vice would follow a studio model.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before filing for bankruptcy protection last year, Vice cancelled its Vice News Tonight TV program as part of an earlier round of layoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p>The business, which began as an alternative music and culture magazine in Montreal in the 1990s, raised capital from high-profile investors such as Walt Disney and Fox Corporation before running into a slowdown in digital advertising spending.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bitcoin and Ether in area of light resistance</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>FxPro, Media Man and Bitcoin News Media reports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market capitalisation reached $1.99 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap estimates, an increase of over 10% in one week. Forbes estimates that the $2 trillion mark was reached last week. Either way, the growth momentum is clear and very strong. Over the last 24 hours, Bitcoin gained 1.4%, overtaken by Ethereum (+4.4%) and Solana (+3.5%). BNB (-0.6%) and XRP (+0.9%) could not keep up with the current market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is approaching $52.5K, having quickly found buyers after Saturday's drawdown. Monday starts with active buying, bringing the price back to the range highs of the last five days, which are the highs since November 2021. Technically, bitcoin has no meaningful resistance levels until the area approaches $64K.</p><p><br /></p><p>Active building of call option positions with strikes of $60K to $80K, as well as fierce demand for ETFs, could push Bitcoin to an all-time high as early as March, according to QCP Capital.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is also trading in weak resistance territory after breaching the $2900 level. In April 2022, it plunged from levels near $3500 to $2000, with a complete capitulation at levels below $900. A recovery from $2000 to $3500 could be just as quick. This level is also close to 161.8% of the October to early December rally, which is a Fibonacci pattern.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News background</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Coinbase exchange posted a net profit of $273 million in the fourth quarter. For the year, the figure was $95 million on total revenue of $3.1 billion, the company said in a letter to investors. Coinbase acted as custodian for nearly all the spot bitcoin ETFs that received SEC approval in January.</p><p><br /></p><p>MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, told shareholders that the company's capitalisation would grow significantly in 2023 and that it was ready for inclusion in the S&P 500 index.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius said that $2 billion worth of crypto assets have already been transferred to lenders, including 20,255 BTC and 301,338 ETH.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investment firm VanEck has filed a revised proposal with the SEC to launch a spot Ethereum-ETF. VanEck joins Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, BlackRock and Invesco in the race for Ethereum-based exchange-traded products. Some experts believe the regulator will register the products in May.</p><p><br /></p><p>Galaxy Digital estimates that about 15-20% of the total computing power of the Bitcoin network will be unprofitable after the halving in April. The calculations are based on a BTC price of $45,000 and a 15% transaction fee.</p><p><br /></p><p>The attractiveness of Tether's USDT compared to other stablecoins is likely to diminish as future regulations in the US will require greater transparency and compliance with new KYC/AML standards, JPMorgan said. The bank believes that regulations for stablecoins will be coordinated globally through the Financial Stability Board within the G20.</p><p><br /></p><p>Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, believes that the popularity of stablecoins pegged to the US dollar will help maintain the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><b>‘Scandalous’: free-to-air networks lash TV makers for demanding a cut - Feb 23, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The managing directors of the ABC and SBS have pulled no punches in a battle against TV makers like Samsung and Amazon, criticising them for “rent-seeking” payments during a last-ditch plea alongside commercial networks for priority placement on new TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usually fierce rivals from free-to-air broadcasters united on Friday when the leaders of Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment, and Paramount ANZ (which owns Network Ten) joined the ABC’s David Anderson and SBS’s James Taylor in appearing before a Senate committee.</p><p><br /></p><p>They faced questions about why their streaming apps – 9Now, 7plus and ABC iview, for example – should automatically be given the best positions on new TV home screens. They were also asked about the government’s “anti-siphoning” laws, a list of sports that must be offered to free-to-air networks before they can be put behind a paywall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies like Samsung and Amazon have demanded a cut of advertising or cash payments to put TV apps on their systems, TV executives said.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, Samsung demanded a 15 per cent cut of any ads that ran through SBS On Demand, Mr Taylor said. When SBS refused, he claimed Samsung made the app much harder to find. In 2020, Samsung made the same demand, threatening to take SBS On Demand off its devices entirely. Then last year, Amazon demanded 30 per cent of all revenue derived from advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information,” Mr Taylor said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The set manufacturers do not pay a cent towards the content they are seeking to grab revenue from – the very definition of rent-seeking. They know the power they have over the primary access point to content in the home, and they are squeezing it for all it’s worth.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Anderson said the ABC iview app was taken off one major TV manufacturer’s devices in 2021 and the ABC was asked to pay to restore it. “On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is a huge cost, Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton said. His network has spent at least $21 million building and maintaining different apps for 21 different operating systems and TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s $21 million in our capex (capital expenditure) bill just to have the apps on the platforms we’re across,” he said. “Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, between 10 and 20 per cent.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If TV networks can’t be found, there will be no viewers, Free TV chairman Greg Hywood told the committee. “It’s existential in that sense,” he said. Free TV noted that 2 million new homes had no TV aerials, and so all viewing would be through the internet. Nine, which owns the Nine Network, is a member of Free TV and publishes The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany, who has just launched a new TV operating system called Hubbl, disagreed with the free-to-air networks. It undermines a consumer’s right to choose, he said. “What we want to do is deliver the best experience for the customer and that’s been our business model for over three decades,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel launches revolutionary platform ‘Hubbl’ for TV and streaming</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel has launched a revolutionary new platform which will help Australians solve the problem of not being able to decide what to watch on TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched at a star-studded event in Sydney on Wednesday night, Hubbl is a game-changing technology promising TV and streaming made easy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hubbl is a one-stop shop for Australians' free and paid live TV and streaming needs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior</p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior: The acclaimed cancelled drama whose fate suddenly lies in Netflix users’ hands</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the most entertaining series in years has been given a new lease of life</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix users hold the fate of one new title in their hands after the addition of a series that was unfairly cancelled last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>In December, it was revealed by streaming service Max that the acclaimed drama Warrior had been axed, two years after it was resurrected.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, all hope is not lost for the series, which has drawn comparisons to HBO prohobition drama Boardwalk Empire and the BBC’s global hit Peaky Blinders since its debut in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Previously speaking about the show’s future, creator Jonathan Tropper told Deadline: “Warrior is a show that simply refuses to die.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Through platform and regime changes, the writers, producers, cast, crew, and our stunt team continued to make something powerful, relevant, and wildly unique. And now, thanks to Netflix, we’ve been given yet another lease on life, and I’m thrilled for everyone involved that millions more viewers around the world will discover it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In Netflix’s global top 10, the series is number eight – and appears to be rising with every new day. It’s worth noting there are seveal key countries where Warrior is not yet available</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling - MMA News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE RAW. Anaheim, California</b></p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc fighter Michael Chandler issues a challenge.aka call out to Conor McGregor</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE cross-over TKO Group era is in full swing</p><p>TKO Group's UFC promotion had held its 298 event at the same Honda Center arena just two nights early.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 live attendance was announced at the UFC press conference as 18,186.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw's live attendance is understood to be in the 12,000 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was an enthusiastic crowd who appeared to also enjoy the announcement of the UFC's Chandler as well as boxer "King" Callum Walsh earlier in the evening.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the conclusion of the Raw main event - Gunther vs Jey Uso, ended by Jimmy Uso ringing the bell earlier as well as interfering, Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes address the ruckus crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anaheim, did you have a good time tonight? Rhodes continued for a few minutes (of which the video is available via the official WWE YouTube Channel).</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued: "Please welcome the voice of the voiceless - CM Punk" @CMPunk </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: "CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It is not easy sitting backstage watching the show knowing that Anaheim showed up 11,000 strong and ya all have been hot all night long. Three hours, countless superstars, awesome matches. I had to come out here and feel this myself. And to let you all know this is a bump in the road and I promise you the next time we are in Anaheim I will be here and I will have my boots on" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"...</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WWE YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A super hot crowd and the WWE - Pro Wrestling and combat sports connection can cbe considered a strong success - especially at this relatively early stage of the game. TKO Group top brass is super connected in the media, live sports, live events and sports business world, and it showed. Recently CM Punk has also been doing some media and hasn't been shy to discuss this forey in MMA, via the UFC, nor his injury as the dangers of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The positive energy on this episode came through in spades. Well done wrestlers, fighters, WWE team, and most importantly, fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling, Boxing And MMA News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Media Man report</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wrestling with TKO! </b> </p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports is WWE RAW in Anaheim, California - February, 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Boxer and Pro MMA Fighter Appear: WWE cross-over combat sports promotion era is here!</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler and "King" Callum Walsh</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank god for the captions" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"The stars are out here in Anaheim. Your looking at. Dana White bash" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Freddie Roach trained. 9 and 0 boxer with 7 knockouts named King Callum Walsh out of Cork, Ireland. His next fight is coming up March 15 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden..9 and 0. 7! knockouts. Absolute dog" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>and</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler from the UFC is in the building and now on camera with a live mic!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Chandler was first to appear on camera and be acknowledged by the WWE broadcast team. Chandler just challenged Conor McGregor!</p><p><br /></p><p>"Hey, what's up Anaheim? Hey, you are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Hey, now there's a man from Ireland bean been making me wait for too long and I still got one dude on my mind. Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the Octagon. We got some unfinished business boy. God bless. I'll see you at the top" Michael Chandler</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The news has started to trend as to may expect. This is the sort of promotion that can and will deliver both more new WWE, UFC and boxing fans. The cross-over appeal is something we touched on at the past UFC Fan/Media Q and A in Sydney, Australia last September. It is expected the WWE and maybe even other TKO Group social media channels will further promote the surprise combat sports participants showing up at the RAW event in the Honda Center. The WWE X account has already featured Chandler at least once as we go live to web. </p><p><br /></p><p>Getting you ready for more via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>WWE Raw</b></p><p><b>February 19, 2024</b></p><p><b>Honda Center. Anaheim, California </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Awesome Truth and DIY vs Judgement Day </p><p><br /></p><p>"He still is wearing the rain poncho. It's been raining all day in Anaheim" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Southern California with a rain storm" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"R-Truth a bit delusional. I guess that's a word we could use" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Go inside. Put on a poncho. That seems to be intelligent" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Friday night he thought Kevin Owens was The Miz. I don't quite get how that works" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"He thinks he's teaming up with DX tonight.. it's DIY, but you can get with this or you can get with that" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"McDonagh said no more fun and games" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get with the group ... make money for the group" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"The whole world wants to see R-Truth get into this match.. Judgement Day just keeping him at bay" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"This guy's been running for 14 straight minutes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ciampa doesn't get tired" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm outta breath looking at him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Truth is magical" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long way down for R-Truth from Damian Priest" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great moments and highlights via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p>WWE RAW</p><p>Women's Last Chance Battle Royal</p><p><br /></p><p>"But tonight it's every woman for herself" Michael Cole </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"If you want to get real intense one day just listen to Zoe Starks intro music clearance here. Real serious. The California girl is a beast" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to hop on a plane and go visit" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could sign autographs" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nah, they don't wanna see me... There's a lot of Cole miners in Riyadh" Pat McAfee </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been a long week for Chelsea Green and also Natayla. Part of this Battle Royal tonight. They just got back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Speaking of" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Zelina Vega went right after Electra Lopez" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Full chaos in the ring Cole" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"There's 14 fights happening at one time on Monday Night Raw" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Raquel just caught a Viking and dumped a Viking over the top rope" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"No anders" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"People say you've got too many feelings for those anders" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark on the top rope. Baszler from behind" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're down to Zoe and Raquel" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark eliminated... Raquel Rodriguez is heading to Elimination Chamber ...now she is... and one step closer to WrestleMania" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"You'd have to think the odds have changed mighty now.. " PM</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>WWE RAW</b></p><p><b>Honda Center. Anaheim, California</b></p><p><br /></p><p>We are five days away from Elimination Chamber and Monday Night Raw is live from</p><p>just down the street from Disneyland. We're at Anaheim, California at the sold out Honda Center and there is a big fight feel tonight" Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"Can Main Event Jey Uso get it done tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we're starting things off tonight Mr McAfee with a banger" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Scottish Warrior one of six men who will be locked in Elimination Chamber this coming Saturday in Perth, Australia. The lone survivor will head to WrestleMania to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship Pat. McIntyre saying the others want to win. He needs to win" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And has already won. An absolutely stacked Elimination Chamber in Australia on Saturday and Drew McIntyre's rolling in there with aronica" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"This is not something I'd be signing up for"! PM </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man:.Broadcasting live. Pumped. Cody, Cody, Cody! Moments and highlights soon to be added to the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Jey Uso - Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>R-Truth, The Miz and DIY vs The Judgment Day. Truth or Dare?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's “Last Chance” Battle Royal:</p><p>Michin, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre and Zelina Vega. We're picking Stark for the W on this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chad Gable. Presidential Wrestling Machine vs Ivar, the Scandinavia scrapper. The Presidents Man vs The God's Must Be Crazy! Catch vs Viking cosplayer? Valhalla and maybe Hollywood is watching.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE announcers may have their hands full tonight, especially with the battle royal and femme fatales flying everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso wants to take Gunther’s Intercontinental Title: WWE Now, Feb. 19, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=AM9PMdz-WCI&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre headed for a collision on Raw</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=T5x57j02NUY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso challenges Gunther's historic Intercontinental Title reign</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XbWKHXgwNLI&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Expect the unexpected and so much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling - UFC Connection</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE </b><b>Superstar Opens Up On Wrestling Injuries; UFC - MMA environment</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Living Legend CM Punk Attends UFC 298; Speaks To Media On Recent Injury, Risks And Plans Forward</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Loosing a a fight in the UFC </p><p>I think is different to loosing to hockey game or loosing a basketball game or a baseball game or something like that. It's real heartbreak for these guys and my heart goes out to Volkanovski right not 'cause I know he's heartbroken and I know the chatters going to be 'Should he have fought four months out after getting knocked out', but that's the fight game. My hats off to him for being such an active, fighting champion. For taking the risks, at 155 against the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, twice. Those are the things"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're thinking maybe six to eight months, but I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I'll be when I come back...it's good to be back. I'm super happy it happened"</p><p><br /></p><p>"My mouth still works so I'm still going to be able to talk some trash... it's the best part, it's what I do"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's what happens to athletes. Mentally, I think it's harder because the physical pain is whatever. But I look at it just like a bump in the road. This is an occupational hazard. It happens, and I'll be back bigger and better. I'm a clumsy idiot. I tore my left triceps about two years ago, so the right one was jealous." </p><p><br /></p><p>"I think one of the things that I never did before was try to balance things out"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"Time heals old wounds you know. You slowly start to realise, you know, a lot of that staff then happened 10 years ago doesn't matter. Different people come and go Different people are in charge now. Maybe I can go back - it kinds of fits like an old slipper"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"THE ROCK COMING BACK IS FANTASTIC" 🔥 - CM Punk looks ahead to WrestleMania XL at #UFC298</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=eBVw3jmCDQs</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #UFC298 #UFC #Volk #Volkanovski #Topuria #Whittaker #TheRock #WWERaw #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #interview #backstage #injuries #MMA #pressconference #interviews #bio #bios #YouTube #Video #wrestlingnews #fighting #Goat #legends #popculture #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: One of the greatest CM Punk interviews we've ever seen/heard. Not a traditional pro wrestling hype - promo type interview, but from the heart. Punk speaks from experience as far as fighting in both arenas and recovering from injury. Sports based commentary with colour and sincerity. Nailed it. And great questions and vibe by interviewer Caroline Pearce. Cheers warriors.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><b>AEW Rampage</b></p><p><b>H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A Rhodes & the Von Erichs team for the first time in over 40 years! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRwDl7eaz4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well this is certainly a very interesting team. The first time The Rhodes and Von Erich familes have teamed in more than 40 years" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wow. How about that" </p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang make their in-ring debut as a team! 12-man action! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQfSQHGlZNk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our main event our of Rampage continues. A massive 12 person tag team match" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NO DQ! Jeff Hardy & Sammy Guevara meet 1-on-1, for the first time! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cg06QQTI-A&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Exchange of blows"</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is a treacherous position for both competitor Tony"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely it is Excalibur" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Watching the great Von Erichs is a bit like a virtual time machine for long time wrestling fans. Great that the tradition lives on. Having more than one pro wrestling promotion is primarily great news for wrestlers and fans. The compeition of sorts has lit a fire under wrestling promotions across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEW #DustinRhodes #VonErichs #BBSG #JayWhite #JeffHardy #SammyGuevara #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #TV #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man brand shuffle on streaming, combat sports, energy drinks, videogames, tech solutions, agency deals. For a business media/publicity/online media campaign email us at Media Man </b></p><p><br /></p><p>#brand #brands #streaming #combatsports #energydrinks #videogames #business #businessproposal #brand #brands #branding #brandnews #ads #adnews #onlinenews #newsfeeds #onlineadvertising #aff #affiliate #affilliates #BTC #AI #algorithm #index #indexing #results #niche #nichenews #nichemedia #SEO #SEM #websites #socialmedia #trend #trends #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"WrestleMania is a week-long series of events, and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard" Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #RomanReigns #TheRock #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #EliminationChamber #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b>PFL @PFLMMA Champs vs Bellator @BellatorMMA Champs</b></p><p><b>24 February, 2024</b></p><p><b>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Background</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #PFLvsBellator #PFLxBellatornocombate #PFLvBellator #PFLxBellator #PFL2024 #Bellator #SRJ #MMA #combatsports #RyanBader #RenanFerreira #ImpaKasanganay #JohnnyEblen #sportsnews #sportsmedia #RiyadhSeason #KingdomArena #PPV #PayPerView #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Surfing</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>World Surf League @wsl</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii, USA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tuesday, February 20, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Women's Opening Round, Elimination Round, and Round of 16 Called ON at Hurley Pro Sunset Beach</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, Stop No. 2 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is ON today and will see the world's best surfers get their Sunset campaigns underway in clean four-to-six-foot waves. A big day of competition is upon us, with the women’s Opening Round starting at 8:03 a.m. HST, followed by the Elimination Round. The Round of 16 will run utilizing the overlapping format with 40-minute heats to determine the Quarterfinalists.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Opening Round is stacked with major battles from the get-go, starting with the day’s opening heat featuring last year’s winner at Sunset, Molly Picklum (AUS), up against Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Isabella Nichols (AUS).</p><p><br /></p><p>The current World No.1 Caitlin Simmers (USA) will surf in the second heat against Luana Silva (BRA) and Sophie McCulloch (AUS). Reigning World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) will be in the next heat with perennial threat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and event wildcard Zoe McDougall (HAW).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright (AUS) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC), two former winners at Sunset, will battle it out in Heat 5 alongside rookie Alyssa Spencer (USA), while Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will be up against Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and India Robinson (AUS) in the final heat of the Opening Round. (Credit: WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Women’s Opening Round Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Luana Silva (BRA), Sophie McCulloch (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Zoe McDougall (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Alyssa Spencer (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), India Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jordy Smith (RSA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WSL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Johanne Defay, Lakey Peterson, Sawyer Lindblad | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71UhSLZtsQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols, Gabriela Bryan | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach - 2024 Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0i3UZcNN4&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright, Brisa Hennessy, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyd5rck2s2Y&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tatiana Weston, Zoe McDougall, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Elimination Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfY9OYOLNQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Live</p><p><br /></p><p>VER EN DIRECTO Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Dia 3</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfESO-GjmfA&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriela Bryan Talks Prepping For “Her Spot” Sunset Beach, From Kauai To The CT, Goals for 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wbdY_ahKA&t=2s&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Official YouTube </p><p>www.youtube.com/wsl </p><p><br /></p><p>Since it hosted the first Championship Tour event ever in 1976, Sunset Beach has long stood as an old-school test of power surfing. And while timeless rail-to-rail surfing still dominates, a new school of surfers is beginning to redefine the wave with a more modern approach. Who will win out, and who heads to colder waters on a hot streak? (Credit: WSL) About WSL The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the global home of surfing. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke. The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels. The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation. (Credit: WSL) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Special thanks to the good folks and great riders at World Surf League. A flashback to when we were great. Cheers from the Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach to Newport Beach, Sydney, Australia connection up to Sunset Beach. The Ripple Effect! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>World Surf League: News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/world_surf.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #HurleyProSunsetBeach #HurleyPro #MollyPicklum #GabrielaBryan </p><p>#IsabellaNichols #CaitlinSimmers #LuanaSilva</p><p>#SophieMcCulloch #CarolineMarks #SallyFitzgibbons #ZoeMcDougall #TylerWright #BrisaHennessy </p><p>#ItaloFerreira #JackRobinson #GabrielMedina #SethMoniz #KanoaIgarashi #MatthewMcGillivray #LeonardoFioravanti #JacobWillcox #KellySlater #SunsetBeach #surfing #prosurfing #surftour #surfingtour #surfingindustry #surfingnews #surfingbiz #surfinglifestyle #surfculture #sportsnews #sportsmedia #YouTube #Video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WSL</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Finance / World Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gold rises but within a downward channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Euro #EuroNews #Gold #GoldNews #commodity #Commodities #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal @sejournal </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #SEJ #SEO #searchenginejournal #searchenginenews #algorithm #Algorithms #reviews #reviews #GoogleReviews #authority #experience #expert #experts #trend #trends #buzz #AI #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>John Shakespheare Illustrations</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Creative learning indoctrination with social studies and sciences, with a major in politicial sciences with home schooling optional for discident studends and parents. Indoctrination101 from cradle to grave. Sponsored by WEF and NWO. Just another brick in the wall 'We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd) or "Schools Out" (Alice Cooper). Educational creative art of war Great art. Best in class. Creative minds schooling Canberra. Truth to power art. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyMorgan #RoyMorganResearch #marketresearch #newsmedia #businessnews #biznews #ASX #BTC #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #Commodities #commodity #mining #miningnews #Gold #WallStreet #NYSE #biznews #markets #tourism #tourismindustry #AusTrade #politics #newsfeed #newsfeeds #data #digitalnews #socialmedia #worldnews #Australia #Aussie #NZ #trend #trends #watercooler #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Analysts Warn of Spread of AI-Generated News Sites</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The spread of websites designed to look like news sites, but which trade in low quality or false information, could further damage media trust, some experts say.</p><p><br /></p><p>The media watchdog NewsGuard has seen an increase in websites filled with what it says is AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These are websites that are using artificial intelligence to sometimes generate content in mass [amounts], and it does not appear as content and it does not appear as though they have human editorial oversight," said Jack Brewster, NewsGuard's enterprise editor. "They are masquerading as news sites and act as advertising click bait."</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard defines the sites as Unreliable AI-Generated News Websites, or UAINS.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it started identifying them in May 2023, it found 49. By February 2024, its AI Tracker listed more than 700.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tracker looks for evidence that a site has mostly AI-generated content; little to no human oversight; is designed to look like journalists or writers produced the content; and does not clearly disclose that the material is AI produced.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most sites operate under names such as "Ireland Top News" and "Daily Times Update." And in at least one instance, the domain name of a former established outlet — Hong Kong's Apple Daily — has been taken over and filled with AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Serbian businessman bought the domain after the media outlet shuttered in 2021. Authorities charged its publisher, Jimmy Lai, under the national security law, detained staff and froze assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Edition for Hong Kong’s Apple Daily</p><p>SEE ALSO:</p><p>Last Edition: Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Signs Off With Million-Copy Run</p><p>Now, instead of news, Apple Daily is filled with "SEO-bait" headlines, according to digital news site Wired.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some media experts say these sites damage legitimate journalism and hurt its credibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think in recent years we've already seen a strong decline in the trust in the media and local news sources," said McKenzie Sadeghi, who is the news verification editor at NewsGuard.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When we see the proliferation of these AI-generated websites that are presenting themselves as the average local trusted publication with human journalists, that creates an issue because it further reduces trust," added Sadeghi.</p><p><br /></p><p>The issue spans several languages too, with NewsGuard identifying AI-generated websites in more than a dozen languages including English, Arabic, Chinese and Turkish.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the main goals, says NewsGuard, is to generate ad revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard found that Google is behind 90 percent of the ads on these sites. The watchdog says it believes the content violates Google's policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google policy communications manager Michael Aciman told VOA via email that its policies do not allow the placement of advertisements "alongside harmful or spammy content."</p><p><br /></p><p>But said Aciman, "NewsGuard has not shared the full list of sites in question, so we cannot review them nor confirm whether or not they violate our policies."</p><p><br /></p><p>Some experts say they fear the spread of AI-generated fake news sites could affect elections. About 40 countries are scheduled to hold significant elections this year, and Brewster says disinformation looms over them.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think people realize that right now I can set up a website that is completely automated from start to finish and set up targets for certain key words like stolen election or the vaccine is dangerous," said Brewster.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Think of any false claim you want to, and this web scraper would search the entire internet, and find the content they think will be the most viral and produce it automatically," he added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the sites the researchers identified are populated with content titled "Who Was the Most Decorated Soldier in the Third Reich" and "Is Oatmeal Healthy or Not?"</p><p><br /></p><p>But NewsGuard also found one site pushing a false claim about U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and Palestinian refugees. Another site, named Celebritydeaths, falsely claimed President Joe Biden died and Vice President Kamala Harris had taken over his duties.</p><p><br /></p><p>UCLA researcher Shazeda Ahmed says inaccurate information is potentially harmful if people act upon it.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I also worry about what this will mean for media literacy," said Ahmed, a UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow who focuses on AI safety.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When a person reads one of these articles that is AI generated, do they realize it? And if not, there's no recourse and there's not really anyone that's being held accountable for that," she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Part of the problem in accountability is the difficulty in tracing the owners or producers of the sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard says many owners use privacy services to hide their identities.</p><p><br /></p><p>VOA attempted to contact four owners of some of the sites NewsGuard identified via their contact us online form but received only one response.</p><p><br /></p><p>That response referred VOA to a company named Byohosting.com. When contacted, Byohosting did not respond to the request for interview or comment. Instead, it offered its content services.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson teases trip to Perth for Optus Stadium wrestling showdown - 22 Feb, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock has sent the strongest indication yet that he will be in Perth on Saturday night, sending a video message to fans threatening to appear if Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins talk trash about him at the Elimination Chamber on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The People’s Champion and Hollywood superstar isn’t on the card and hasn’t been advertised as appearing. He wasn’t even on the plane with the group when it arrived on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But after opening a video message to fans apologising for not being in Australia, he laid the strongest hint possible that he will turn up to confront Rhodes and Rollins during their interview on The Grayson Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Cody Rhodes and his little girlfriend Seth Rollins are going to go on the Waller Effect,” The Rock said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Here’s the thing. I need you and you and this goof holding the camera and this one holding the microphone over here - I need all of you guys to make sure that Perth knows there’s some bulls...t happening.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And if those guys, those guys meaning Cody and his little girlfriend Seth, if they start talking trash, let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen. The Rock is going to slap the piss out both of them just like that. As a matter of fact, if they talk trash, The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it. Don’t wonder why The Rock can make it that quick. The Rock makes magic happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes and Rollins began a feud with The Rock just weeks ago when the WWE made a major change to their storyline leading into WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock slapped Rhodes in the face at the WrestleMania kick off event after hearing him challenge his cousin Roman Reigns and criticise their real life family. That led to Rollins promising to be by Rhodes’ side when he the match happens to ensure no members of that Bloodline faction get involved in the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perth will lose its mind if The Rock appears.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE superstars including Rhea Ripley, Triple H, Nia Jax, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch arrive in Perth - 21 Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley has headlined a WWE’s plane full of superstars which has landed in Perth to prepare for Saturday night’s extravaganza at Optus Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of the highest profile wrestlers in the world went straight from WWE Raw in Anaheim’s Honda Center to the airport in Ontario, then stopped in Honolulu before flying straight to WA in 20 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley posted from her hotel room about two hours after landing as the clock ticks down on her first match in Australia on the main WWE roster.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and former champion Triple H quickly put out a video expressing his joy at being in Perth. “We’re excited to be here. It’s been a while,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also sent an extended social media message to fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber combatants Tiffany Stratton and Liv Morgan shared their excitement from the plane shortly after taking off.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax, who will face Ripley for the women’s championship posted a video with Stratton during the flight, followed by another clip of her drinking coffee after nearly 19 hours in transit. The pair then took a photo together after landing in WA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former United States Champion Austin Theory also posted a photo on his social media of the plane landing in Perth at 12.39pm.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag team champion Finn Balor also posted from the plane, tagging his Judgment Day partner Dominik Mysterio in one shot, in a sign he will still be part of the show despite not being part of the card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mysterio is likely to be ringside when Judgment Day defend their titles and when Ripley fights Jax.</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch posted videos of herself and husband, WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, getting their bags.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE will hold a televised free event for the public onstage on the Southern Oval outside Optus Stadium at midday on Friday. The train station will be operating that day and a merchandise tent will also be open.</p><p><br /></p><p>Theory will also appear at Westfield Carousel at 10am on Saturday while Grayson Waller will be at Karrinyup Shopping Centre at 3pm on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE’s Triple H gets his first look at Optus Stadium ahead of Elimination Chamber on Saturday Feb 22, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and 14-time World Champion Triple H has talked up Optus Stadium to the world after visiting the venue for the first time on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>He has also revealed more than 40,000 people will be in attendance at the Elimination Chamber extravaganza on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>A planeload of WWE superstars arrived in Perth on Wednesday to prepare the premium live event which is one of the biggest shows on the WWE calendar.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will attract enormous attention around the world because the results of the matches will dictate what happens at WrestleMania in April.</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H visited Optus Stadium shortly after arriving in town and observed a large group of local wrestlers taking part in a WWE try out in the changerooms.</p><p><br /></p><p>He then stepped onto the stadium surface and was mighty impressed by what he saw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a beautiful stadium,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s brand new. Only I think a few years old - I think right before COVID.. It’s brand new. Just a beautiful stadium. It’s exciting.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is going to be an epic event. There’s a lot of buzz here already in Perth. I could feel it when we were getting off the plane and going through the airport. and the excitement of the WWE being in town.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I can imagine when this place is packed on Saturday - we’ll have over 40,000 in here - it’s going to be quite something.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Tickets are still available for the event and many of the most expensive seats recently had their price slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber is already set to be one of the largest attended shows outside of North America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley will headline the show and defend her Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. A six-man match inside the Elimination Chamber will determine who fights for the men’s World Title at WrestleMania. That match already includes multiple former champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of Ripley and Jax will defend the title at WrestleMania against the winner of the six-woman Elimination Chamber match.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tag team championships are also on the line in Perth, while there is huge anticipation to see if The Rock makes a sudden appearance when Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are interviewed in the ring about their feud with him during the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania - Feb 9, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two more entrants secured their tickets on the Feb. 12 episode of Raw as Bobby Lashley dispatched "Big" Bronson Reed and LA Knight dispelled Ivar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens and United States Champion Logan Paul rounded the field on the Feb. 16 episode of SmackDown after they defeated "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and The Miz, respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WANDERLEI SILVA NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024 - Feb 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Will Be Inducted To The Pioneer Wing </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FC today announced that former PRIDE FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will be inducted into the 2024 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Wanderlei Silva is one of the true pioneers of the sport of MMA,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Wanderlei was an absolute savage who left his mark by delivering some of the most memorable fights in combat sports history. He had legendary fights against Mirko Cro Crop, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Brian Stann, and his fights against Rich Franklin, as they were absolute wars! He was also one of the early superstars of PRIDE who helped grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC HALL OF FAME 2024: Frankie Edgar </p><p><br /></p><p>Silva will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 19th member of the Pioneer Era Wing. The Pioneers Era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.</p><p><br /></p><p>A veteran of 51 fights during his 22-year professional MMA career, Silva registered a record of 35-14-1 Draw / 1 NC (27-11-1-1, – UFC / PRIDE), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Kazushi Sakuraba, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson (Fight Wing); UFC® 13 lightweight tournament winner Guy Mezger; former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; former Pancrase middleweight, light heavyweight, and open weight champion Yuki Kondo; former Strikeforce U.S. middleweight champion Eugene Jackson; and former WEC® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his professional MMA debut on November 1, 1996, by competing in Brazilian Vale Tudo 6. He defeated his opponent via knockout in the first round and would win four of his next five fights across Vale Tudo before entering UFC with a 5-1 record.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his UFC debut as part of UFC BRAZIL: ULTIMATE BRAZIL, which took place on October 16, 1998, in Sao Paulo. He faced UFC 12 heavyweight tournament champion and future UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, losing via punches 44 seconds into the first round.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following his loss to Belfort, Silva would return to Vale Tudo and earn two wins before returning to the Octagon® and defeating Tony Petarra via first-round knockout at UFC 20: BATTLE FOR THE GOLD on May 7, 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva left UFC and won his next three fights in PRIDE FC, a legendary Japanese MMA promotion, before returning to the Octagon to face future UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 25: ULTIMATE JAPAN 3. Silva and Ortiz would go the distance with Tito capturing the title via unanimous decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>After losing his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, Silva spent the next seven years competing primarily in Japan for PRIDE FC. During this time, he fought 25 times for Japan, becoming the PRIDE FC middleweight champion by defeating future UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba during PRIDE 17 in 2001. Silva successfully defended his title four times, and his reign would last for 1,939 days, the longest title run in PRIDE FC history. </p><p><br /></p><p>During his tenure as middleweight champion, Silva also entered the 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix, defeating Sakuraba, as well as four-time World Judo Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Hidehiko Yoshida and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson to become the Grand Prix Champion. His win would make history as the first athlete to win a PRIDE Championship and Grand Prix. He would also enter the 2005 and 2006 Grand Prix, advancing to the semi-finals each year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva returned to UFC in 2007 to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the co-main event of UFC 79: NEMESIS. Silva would lose via unanimous decision, but he would become a fan favorite as the bout won several “Fight of the Year” accolades from media outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the next six years, Silva would compete against the top contenders in the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He defeated former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann via knockout in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV: SILVA vs. STANN on March 3, 2013. This would serve as his final UFC fight. He would compete two more times outside of the Octagon before retiring on September 29, 2018.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most knockouts in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 19</p><p>Most knockdowns in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 27</p><p>PRIDE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most wins in PRIDE history – 22</p><p>Most knockouts in PRIDE history – 15</p><p>Most knockdowns in PRIDE history – 18</p><p>Most significant strikes in PRIDE history – 720</p><p>Longest undefeated fight streak in PRIDE history – 20 (18-0-1, 1 NC)</p><p>Longest title reign in PRIDE history as middleweight champion – 1,939 days</p><p>Tied for most knockouts by soccer kicks/stomps in PRIDE history – 4</p><p>Outside the Octagon, Silva has been honored with numerous awards during his career, receiving Knockout of the Decade honors in 2004 by Sports Illustrated for his KO of Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 28. In 2008, he received Fight of the Year for his bout against UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell at UFC 79, and Knockout of the Year for his KO of Keith Jardine at UFC 84 during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. In 2020, Sem Coleira, a Portuguese biography of his life, was published.</p><p><br /></p><p>A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Silva began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing when he joined the Chute Boxe Academy. As a member of the Brazilian army, he also began to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He currently lives in Curitiba, with his wife and children.</p><p><br /></p><p>To view Silva’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/20539</p><p><br /></p><p>To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOF. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </b></p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Finance / World Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p><br /></p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rises but within a downward channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. </p><p><br /></p><p>Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. </p><p>Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber: Perth Preview: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh0GGgrUvV8&t=19s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE heads down under for two huge Elimination Chamber Matches, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends her title against Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins appear on “The Grayson Waller Effect” and so much more. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Superstars hug koalas: Elimination Chamber 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkq2BK6DWnU&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press Conference (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWEAustralia #WWENow #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TheRock #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #AustinTheory #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheBloodline #TripleH #pressconference #wwenews #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #PLE #LiveEntertainment #Video #YouTube #trend #trends #buzz #Perth #WesternAustralia #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event</b></p><p><b>Feb 22, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh. Ya all Gunna yell at me huh" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"I flew 30 hours to get booed" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ok, alright, that's the direction you want to go. We can go there" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So it's WWE's first time coming to Perth!? and I'm gunna personally going to make sure it's the last" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"This place sucks guys" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"When they told me we're coming to Perth I say hey we got to go to Sydney instead" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"You Google like the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and number one is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people huh" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes, we legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear to God I'd rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean. Don't be mad at me this place sucks guys. I'm gunna give you some fun facts" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nuh, shut up it's my show..I'm not doing this" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gunna bring a little fun to your boring Australian lives"</p><p><br /></p><p>"In tomorrow's Elimination Chamber I am the only champion competing"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the youngest opponent by a decade"</p><p><br /></p><p>"No offence old men"</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a new era and ya all about to be washed out"</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, make no mistake. I'm only here cause I have to be"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will win the Elimination Chamber"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania"</p><p><br /></p><p>"And I will become double champ"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, consider yourself Logan Paul's stepping stone" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Randy, while you were gone with your back surgery this idiot weaselled his way into our industry and now we have to deal with him Alamos ever week. It's pretty brutal, but we can take care of him tomorrow in the chamber. What do you guys think?" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"And met me assure you, everyone Logan wishes you we're stranded in the middle of the ocean and not here" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"Me to. Me to" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, what's the matter Kevin. You looking a little flush. It's a little hot out there. You want some Prime. You looking a little hydrated my guy. There you go. Take a sip Give me my bottle back. Give me my bottle. You can't wait till tomorrow. Anger management cost you that last match" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H tears apart Logan Paul and Kevin Owens: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xb2qVmDYKQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins leads Perth crowd in trashing The Rock: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3weiCozfxY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Belair stares down Becky Lynch: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660XLMDp67o&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley rallies all of Australia against Nia Jax: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDgTROk2lfk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley and Grayson Waller toast a Shoey to the Perth crowd: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9oncmb9zxU&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEEliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #wwepress #wwemedia #LoganPaul #quotes #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TripleH #RheaRipley #SethRollins #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #MichaelCole #CoreyGraves #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #OptusStadium #pressevent #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #popculture #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #x #mediaevent #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler" - Socrates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Stoism Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/stoicism_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Socrates #quote #Zeus #wrestler #wrestling #runner #sports #bestquotes #BQOTD #GreekPhilosopher #philosopher #Philosophy #stoic #stoicism #mbs #mindbodyspirit #sports #world #Greece #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Wrestling needs to be about the art form again. It needs to be about painting a picture and having a really good match.” - Terry Gene Bollea (Hulk Hogan)</p><p><br /></p><p>#HulkHogan #quote #wrestling #prowrestling #artform #TerryFunk #sportsentertainment #legend #legends #wrestlinglegends #entertainment #PopCulture #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>February 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker, former WWE NXT @WWENXT champion and NXT Tag Team champion to make SmackDown in-ring debut! It's bound to be a dog day afternoon for someone.</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Authors of Pain (The Final Testament) vs Street Profits</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate vs Judgment Day (“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh)</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton vs Liv Morgan. It well may be Tiffy Time! Stratton says it's "her universe"</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes his SmackDown debut: WWE Now, February 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae32pT708D0&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing SmackDown’s newest Superstar, Bron Breakker</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vzfgFDaYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin celebrate winning: NXT, Feb. 20, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAVOpVdZKk&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #wwemedia #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #RandyOrton #RKO #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #Catch #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #story #storylines #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #broadcast #broadcasting #AndStill #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #Perth #WesternAustralia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @ufc </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Supergroup, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang, fire on all cylinders! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WamkDRvii48&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa continues her return momentum! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK2hhg6zlS0&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>FTR returns to AEW Collision to face STP’s Taylor & Moriarty! | 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc8xkMb5BvQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"You are looking live at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri when Collision in live here on TNT" .. Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara takes on Don Callis Family’s Powerhouse Hobbs in a NO DQ match!| 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNkenCv_GgA&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson v Jun Akiyama + FTR v Taylor & Moriarty | AEW Control Center: Springfield, 2/23/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3VWcr7JD1Q&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The EVPs, Matthew & Nicholas Jackson, are coming for the AEW World Tag Champs! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9yQ0itSiXw&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW World Champ Joe, Strickland, & Cage vs Hangman, RVD, & FTW Champ Hook! | 2/21/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkbintHOOdc&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara comes face-to-face with The Don Callis Family! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CABuVbJQZ1U&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong faces Jake Hager! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbVuONbqud4&t=102s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Could Mariah May continue her momentum against Anna Jay? | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD70iPD07Lg&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Episode 2: Dog Shark Party | Johnny Loves Taya</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmE8eWiObXE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: AEW maintains its more gritty and edgy genre. Having points of difference is freqently a reason for success of challanger brands in many forms of business including sports and showbiz. Strong emotion and heat in the fued with Sammy Guevara vs Don Callis and Will Hobbs. FTR going up the ratings. Plenty of teams gunning for them! Risk management required for AEW powers that be with so much action in and out of the ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEWRampage #AEWRevolution #prowrestling #wrestling #FTR #Supergroup #BBSG #ThunderRosa #SammyGuevara #DonCallis #DonCallisFamily #YoungBucks #EVPS #SwerveStrickland #SamoaJoe #Hook #RVD #TNT #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>Hyperlink (backlink/s)</p><p><br /></p><p>Computing: noun: hyperlink; plural noun: hyperlinks</p><p>a link from a hypertext document to another location, activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image.</p><p><br /></p><p>Create a hyperlink between (doc or parts of a document)."thumbnail images which are hyperlinked</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Text Links (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/text_links.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business brands using affiliate programs open to and embracing flat fee campaigns by online publishers under the right terms and conditions says Media Man agency</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_brands.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Publishers Battle For Success</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_publishers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Tips (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_tips.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Advertising Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/creative_advertising.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#hyperlink #hyperlinks #textlink #textlinks #linking #backlink #backlinks #webtips #SEO #searchengineoptimization #SEM #SERP #SERPS #algorithm #Algorithms #onlinenews #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #keyword #keywords #metatag #metatags #brand #branding #webbiz #webpubishing #onlinepublishing #onlinepublisher #trend #trends #AI #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Bitcoin Halving Create Overnight Millionaires?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the initial euphoria around the new spot Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has started to fade, it's time to move on to the next major catalyst for Bitcoin: the halving event in April. According to a growing number of analysts, this could really send its price soaring.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Bitcoin ETF issuer Grayscale (NYSEMKT: GBTC), the impact of this halving could exceed any of the three previous Bitcoin halvings. But is that really the case? There are three key reasons this event might end up disappointing crypto investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Buy the rumor, sell the news</p><p>As we've seen with the spot Bitcoin ETFs, the market is getting a lot smarter about pricing in the impact of each new Bitcoin event. If you subscribe to the efficient markets hypothesis, which says that the market efficiently prices in new information about any asset, then this is exactly what you would expect.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the case of the Bitcoin ETFs, the market had a good grip on when they should come along, as well as which firms were likely to win approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). So it didn't come as much of a surprise when the SEC finally approved the spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>The market had already priced in the effect of this move. In the six months from June 2023 to January 2024, the price of Bitcoin soared in anticipation. Thus, when the news finally came, Bitcoins prices actually headed lower -- not higher, as many people had thought. As it turned out, the preliminary gains were a bit too optimistic in the short term.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, could the same thing happen again, this time with the halving? At the end of last year, some analysts were already starting to predict that some of the halving impact had already been priced in. This makes sense, given how much attention Bitcoin now has from Wall Street and big institutional investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving is no longer a surprise event for them, as it might have been back in 2012, 2016, or even 2020. It's a highly predictable thing with several cycles of historical precedent. And the crypto market is no longer as inefficient as it was just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Correlation does not imply causation</p><p>Within the Grayscale report on the Bitcoin halving, one of the most interesting sections was an analysis of the overall macroeconomic situation during the time of each halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving events of 2012, 2016, and 2020 lined up with important macroeconomic events that might have had much more to do with the price of Bitcoin soaring than the halving itself.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Take the May 2020 halving, for example. The market was coping with the shock of the pandemic, and a new wave of government stimulus money helped to prop up investment markets. Some people took their stimulus checks and put them all into crypto. So when Bitcoin eventually surged to an all-time high in November 2021, was it due to the halving, or to the broader macroeconomic situation?</p><p><br /></p><p>All of which is to say that investors might be falling into the correlation/causation trap. They see three distinct periods when Bitcoin rallied, and the natural assumption is that there must be some sort of causation going on. Maybe there's not.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Past performance is no guarantee of future results</p><p>Lastly, just because Bitcoin has rallied three times after three halving events does not mean that it is going to happen again, just like clockwork. It's like flipping a coin three times, getting heads each time, and assuming that there is a greater than 50% chance of it being heads on the fourth flip.</p><p><br /></p><p>And remember: Bitcoin is scheduled to undergo halving cycles every four years from now until 2140. Does anyone really think that Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high in each of the next 30 or so halving cycles? At some point, the effect will likely vanish.</p><p><br /></p><p>Granted, Grayscale makes several noteworthy points in its report on the Bitcoin halving. For example, it says that the new spot Bitcoin ETFs are a factor that has never existed in previous halving cycles. This matters because the demand for Bitcoin from these ETFs should soak up any selling pressure that might occur from Bitcoin miners as a result of the halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't expect the price of Bitcoin to skyrocket overnight</p><p>Even if you think that the halving will have a significant impact on the price of Bitcoin, just remember that the price gains after a halving usually take 12 to 18 months. Consider the past halving: It took place in May 2020, but Bitcoin didn't reach its all-time high of $69,000 until November 2021 -- a full 18 months later. As a result, don't expect a sudden jump in the price of Bitcoin from its current level of around $50,000.</p><p><br /></p><p>Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Anticipated Bitcoin Energy Debate in Email Thread With Early Collaborators</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Nakamoto warned that Bitcoin could become a significant consumer of energy in 2009 emails.</p><p><br /></p><p>Proof of Work is central to Bitcoin's security but debated for high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi foresaw non-financial uses for blockchain and expressed concerns about legal scrutiny.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a recently released batch of emails posted by Martii 'Sirius' Malmi, an early collaborator on Bitcoin's code, Satoshi Nakamoto warned that the cryptocurrency – now the world's largest digital asset – could become an energy guzzler.</p><p><br /></p><p>The email release comes as Craig Wright is on trial in a case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to determine whether he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Proof of Work is the only solution I've found to make p2p e-cash work without a trusted third party," Satoshi wrote in May 2009, calling Proof of Work (PoW) "fundamental to coordinating the network and preventing double-spending."</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is a consensus algorithm used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure the network and prevent double-spending by requiring miners to solve complex computational puzzles, which in turn validates transactions and adds new blocks to the blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is at the center of a debate around Bitcoin's energy consumption. While the cryptocurrency industry points to miners' use of clean or orphaned power, which would otherwise go to waste, critics are laser-focused on the raw numbers of energy consumption it generates.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result, some jurisdictions like New York State or British Columbia have placed moratoriums on Bitcoin mining, citing the high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If it did grow to consume significant energy, I think it would still be less wasteful than the labour and resource intensive conventional banking activity it would replace," Satoshi wrote. "The cost would be an order of magnitude less than the billions in banking fees that pay for all those brick-and-mortar buildings, skyscrapers, and junk mail credit card offers."</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 research from Galaxy Digital showed that Bitcoin uses half the energy of the banking or gold mining industries.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ironic if we end up having to choose between economic liberty and conservation," Satoshi continued.</p><p><br /></p><p>Non-financial uses of Blockchain</p><p>Blockchain serving as a sort of open-source notary was one non-financial use of Bitcoin that Satoshi saw in the technology, which would allow users to securely timestamp documents to prove their existence at a specific point in time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Bitcoin is a distributed secure timestamp server for transactions," Satoshi wrote. "A few lines of code could create a transaction with an extra hash in it of anything that needs to be timestamped."</p><p><br /></p><p>Legal concerns</p><p>Satoshi was also concerned that labelling Bitcoin as a sort of investment might bring legal scrutiny from authorities.</p><p><br /></p><p>"There are a lot of things you can say on the sourceforge site that I can't say on my own site," he wrote. "Even so, I'm uncomfortable with explicitly saying, 'consider it an investment' ... That's a dangerous thing to say and you should delete that bullet point. It's OK if they come to that conclusion on their own, but we can't pitch it as that."</p><p><br /></p><p>Indeed, in the time since, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has engaged in a long campaign of legal warfare around the use of this word and might classify a cryptocurrency as a security and crypto exchanges as dealing with unregistered securities.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright Admits to Editing Bitcoin White Paper Presented in COPA Trial</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bitcoin developers' lawyer, Alexander Gunning, presented evidence that Craig Wright had made new edits to his whitepaper, which Wright acknowledged.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Crypto Open Patent Alliance wants to prove that Wright's claim to be the founder of bitcoin is a lie backed by forgeries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright admitted to making changes to the version of the bitcoin whitepaper he presented in the Crypto Open Patent Alliance's (COPA) trial while testifying Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial to prove whether or not Wright is the anonymous creator of the bitcoin white paper completed its third week. COPA wants to prove that Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto is a lie afforded by "industrial style forgeries," and the bitcoin developers lawyer Alexander Gunning is helping them.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Friday, Gunning showed that Wright made edits to the bitcoin whitepaper in his "LaTeX files," which Wright agreed was accurate. Wright said the edits were simply a demonstration for his representatives at Shoosmiths (his law firm).</p><p><br /></p><p>"You were not showing this to anyone, we know the times you were showing this to Shoosmiths, you were doing it for yourself," Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>"What you are doing is tweaking parameters.. to get them to fit " the layout of the bitcoin whitepaper, Gunning added. The file was uploaded as recently as November 2023, Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunning ended his questioning by asking: "Your claim to be Satoshi Nakomoto is a fraudulent claim isn't it?" which Wright disputed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Week three</p><p>Wright's testimony capped off the third week of the trial, which saw some of COPA's witnesses take to the stand to face questioning from Wright's lawyers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, a computer scientist and the founder of Zcash, testified on Thursday where he was questioned on how well he knew Nakamoto. Wilcox said he wouldn't call himself "pals" with the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator. In court documents, he said that he was not sure if he had any private conversations with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other witnesses were more confident about their interactions with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Computer scientist Marti Malmi spoke on Wednesday, disputing the dates that Wright put forward about Malmi's interaction with Nakamoto. Malmi later released his emails with Nakamoto on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright said in his witness statement that Malmi approached Nakamoto in Feb. 2009 but Malmi said in his statement this was "incorrect," and that the date was actually May 1, 2009.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Back, the CEO of bitcoin technology company Blockstream, said in his first statement he corresponded with someone purporting to be Nakamoto via email.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his statement he showed an email he received from Nakamoto on Aug. 20, 2008, where he said he planned to cite Back's paper about a proof-of-work system and Back responded by sending more resources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright described Back's interactions with Nakamoto as "dismissive," which Back said was inaccurate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week expert witnesses will be questioned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p>#SAG #SAGAwards #SAGAwards2024 #Netflix #showbiz #movienews #streaming #streamingentertainment #streamingindustry #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #KillersOfTheFlowerMoon #Oppenheimer #Succession #TheCrown #MissionImpossible #MI #MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning #TheLastOfUs #Bear #Beef #LilyGladstone #TheHoldovers #boxoffice #popculture #trend #trends #buzz #TV #LA #LANews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE @WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Eat Your Heart Out</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won.</p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia? Dream Exposure Won</p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logal Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior.</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel (bad gun) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mummi" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official W). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality.</p><p><br /></p><p>This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is absolutely thriving.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you didn't get the meme, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffiny Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremly dangerous combat sports hybrid.</p><p><br /></p><p>The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top usally are great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charismatic, tough as nails (mentally and physical), an who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud.</p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Statton and Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Booker Of The Year: Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEChamber #EliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #IndiHartwell #TripleH #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #RKO #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #OptusStadium #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #Entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #showbiz #combatsports #legends #YouTube #Video #Videos #PLE #sportsbiz #sportstourism #trends #trending #Aussie #AussieAussieAussie #WesternAustralia #OptusStadium #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia </b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>(Amended version with some corrections) - Media Man crew somewhat fatigued after so much wrestling and combat sports news and happenings over past few weeks!!!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Eat Your Heart Out </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won. </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia?</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b>Dream Exposure Won </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logan Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior. Heel (bad guy) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mami" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confusion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO. Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official L for loss). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price. </p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality. This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan), is absolutely thriving. If you didn't get the memo, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffany Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremely dangerous combat sports hybrid. The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top are usually great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charisma, tough as nails (mentally and physically), and who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but. Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best. </p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud. </p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Stratton and Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Booker Of The Year: Triple H </p><p> </p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul </p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website. </p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights https://youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p> </p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia https://youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int) </p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>National Wrestling Alliance </p><p>@nwa</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"The CW has made a big commitment to sports, and they have an incredible top-tier streaming platform. The network’s audience represents a very wide swath of American culture—which wrestling has always been a key part of. This partnership gives us the opportunity to reach that audience more readily. We’re excited to get the chance to show there are other voices in professional wrestling. With NWA, there’s honesty, integrity, and a different level of swagger, because it’s coming from the underground. It’s similar to rock ‘n’ roll in this respect. With The CW behind us, we’re pulling NWA into the light where fans can appreciate its authenticity" Billy Corgan</p><p><br /></p><p>BILLY CORGAN & NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE (NWA) ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH THE CW NETWORK</p><p><br /></p><p>STREAMING FLAGSHIP PROGRAM NWA POWERRR & MARQUEE EVENTS SUCH AS PARANOIA NOW</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>SET TO PREMIERE UNTITLED UNSCRIPTED SERIES STARRING BILLY CORGAN IN 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LOS ANGELES, C.A. (News Release) — GRAMMY® Award-winning founder of The Smashing Pumpkins and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) President Billy Corgan proudly announces an exclusive streaming deal for NWA with The CW. Under this newly minted all-encompassing partnership, multiple NWA programs will be streaming and on-demand via The CW platform and portal in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Democratizing access to action-packed wrestling from some of the sport’s biggest, boldest, and brightest personalities, all programming is notably available free of charge and without a subscription via The CW app. It represents a monumental power move for NWA. The partnership not only amplifies the brand’s presence throughout popular culture and the zeitgeist, but it also sets a precedent for wrestling, at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flagship program NWA Powerrr is live on the platform now and features ‘Return to Robarts’ programming emanating from the historic Robarts Arena in Sarasota Florida. New episodes air weekly on Tuesdays with past seasons also available to stream. Additionally, the much-anticipated Paranoia Live Event on Powerrr is also now available on The CW. Shot on January 13, 2024 at Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the signature live event Paranoia features some of the league’s top stars and a myriad of thrilling high-octane matches. Next up, the massive signature live event Hard Times 2024 will premiere on the platform as part of future episodes of NWA Powerrr, streaming on both http://CWTV.com and the CW app.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, a brand new unscripted untitled series about Corgan’s life, family, role as President of NWA, and his “day job” will also debut on The CW later this year. Co-produced by Corgan’s own production company Lightning One Inc. and Nacelle Company, it offers an unprecedented vignette into every dimension of his world with unparalleled candor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corgan continues to deepen the storied mythos and legacy of NWA—one of the oldest and most prestigious professional wrestling brands in the world. He has carefully curated matches and sought-out exciting new talent, building a haven for future superstars to shine with attitude, integrity, power, and panache.</p><p><br /></p><p>As such, NWA currently serves as a home to the likes of EC3, Matt Cardona, “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, Trevor Murdoch, Thom Latimer, The Immortals (Odinson and Kratos), Blunt Force Trauma (Damage and Carnage), Aron Stevens, Austin Idol, The Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J, The Brothers of Funstruction Yabo and Ruffo, Colby Corino, Mims, Max the Impaler, “The Sinister Minister” Father James Mitchell, Burchill, Bryan Idol, Natalia Markova, Kerry Morton, Alex Taylor, May Valentine, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more heavyweights, more drama, and the most bravado, Billy Corgan, The CW, and NWA will enthral and thrill inside and outside of the ring throughout 2024 and beyond. Stay tuned.</p><p><br /></p><p>NWA Official YouTube Channel</p><p>http://youtube.com/nwa</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>24 February, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>http://youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Background</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</b></p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</b></p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</b></p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussies respond to Logan Paul’s Perth trash talk</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussies have slammed Logan Paul’s Perth comments while politicians get involved in the “trash talk” and “beef”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling-mania has hit a fever pitch in Australia as politicians respond to industry beef in the lead up to WWEs massive Elimination Chamber match in Perth on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Western Australian’s have been hitting back at Logan Paul after he slated Perth and said the city “sucks”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deputy Premier of Western Australia Rita Saffioti MLA took to Facebook to share a picture with the social media star turned wrestler with the caption: “Heard what Logan Paul said about Perth, so we had a few words backstage.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The YouTuber turned exhibition boxer and now wrestler is the current WWE United States champion and will fight Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight and Kevin Owens in the main event Elimination Chamber match on Saturday night in Perth in a World Heavyweight Championship match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans fear Paul may have lost some local support in the lead-up to the match after he trashed Perth on stage at a media event this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul took to the stage with his US championship belt and received a “tepid” response from the crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Oh, y’all going to yell at me huh?” Paul said. “You gonna boo me?</p><p><br /></p><p>“I flew 30 hours to get booed?</p><p><br /></p><p>“OK, if that’s the direction you want to go, we can go there.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“So it’s WWE’s first time coming to Perth and I’m going to personally make sure it’s the last.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This place sucks guys. I said when they said we were coming to Perth, I said we gotta be going to Sydney instead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m serious, you Google the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and No. 1 is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people, huh? Yikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear, I’d rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Don’t be mad at me, this place sucks guys. Imma give you some fun facts. Gonna bring a bit of fun to your boring Australia lives. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the only champion competing. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the youngest opponent by a decade — no offence old men. It’s a new era and y’all about to be washed out.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So Perth, make no mistake — I’m only here because I have to be. I will win the Elimination Chamber. I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. And I will become double champ”</p><p><br /></p><p>“So Perth, consider yourselves Logan Paul’s stepping stone,” he told the crowd on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The comments on Ms Saffioti’s Facebook highlighted Western Australia’s civic pride.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well Done, He should have not said what he said on stage about our Beautiful city (of) Perth and WA at large, Shame on Him. He should apologise to WA Fraternity,” a concerned commenter wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trash talking is a key part of WWE entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Thursday the official WWE X account posted a video of The Rock following sustained rumours he would be attending the Perth event.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Rock wishes he could be there in Perth,” he said in the video.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He’s going to be there in spirit and that’s all that matters.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He talked about the “bull-s-t” he believed was about to go down in Perth.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said wrestlers Cody Rhodes and “his little girlfriend” Seth Rollins would be going on Australian wrestler Grayson Waller’s show The Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they start talking trash let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen- The Rock is going to slap the p*** out of both of them just like that.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they talk trash The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook posted a letter addressed to “Mr Rock” from the Western Australian government.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As Premier of Western Australia I feel compelled to inform The Rock there has been a lot of out-of-towners talking trash in the lead up to the Elimination Chamber,” the letter read in a possible reference to Paul’s comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The state of Western Australia stands ready to assist The Rock in making ‘magic’ happen and provide logistical support so you can respond to this outrageous trash talk.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The people of Western Australia would love to smell what The Rock is cooking.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(News)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Desert gold: Newmont in bid to convert mines to cash - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The multinational US gold giant that swallowed Australia’s biggest goldminer Newcrest in a $26.2 billion merger is moving to sell half a dozen mines, including Telfer in the Pilbara and an adjoining gold and copper prospect called Havieron, in a bid to raise $3.05 billion in cash.</p><p><br /></p><p>Telfer, a fly-in fly-out gold, copper and silver mine in West Australia’s Great Sandy Desert, was part of Newcrest’s portfolio along with the Cadia mine in NSW and Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea, when it was absorbed by Colorado-based Newmont last November.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont, which also owns the Boddington gold mine 100 kilometres south-east of Perth, wants to sell Cripple Creek & Victor in the US, Akyem in Ghana and three Canadian gold mines – Porcupine, Musselwhite and Eleonore – along with Telfer. Two “non-core” projects, Havieron in Australia and Coffee Gold in Canada, are also on the seller’s list.</p><p><br /></p><p>It first flagged plans to offload some of its newly acquired mines soon after closing its billion-dollar buyout of Newcrest, which left it with about 20 assets. That deal cemented its position as the world’s biggest gold producer by far.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said on Thursday it intended to divest assets it did not consider to be “tier 1”. It will hang on to three of its Australian mines – Boddington, Cadia and Tanami – and divest Telfer.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company has already received interest from potential buyers, chief executive officer Tom Palmer told The Washington Post. “We have a number of tier 2 assets that are very good assets, run by very good people, but that don’t make our tier 1 category,” Palmer said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s remaining large gold diggers, Northern Star Resources, whose shares climbed 22 per cent in the past year, and Evolution mining, up 6 per cent, have fared better than Newmont since the takeover. Its share price on the US exchange has slumped from a 2022 peak of $US84.77 to $US30.89 now.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Newmont is not in a position to disclose projected valuations of any of our assets,” the company said when asked what Telfer might fetch.</p><p><br /></p><p>About a year-and-a-half before the Newmont merger, Newcrest’s board approved a $214 million investment in Telfer’s West Dome Stage 8 to extend the mine’s operations into 2025, forecasting the 2022-23 financial year’s output at between 355 and 405 thousand ounces.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mine’s gold-copper concentrates are trucked to Port Hedland and exported to various smelters, primarily in Asia. Spot prices for gold pushed up above $US2000 an ounce in late November, before hitting an all-time high in late December, a recent market analysis from NAB’s economics team says.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prices have largely trended sideways since that time.</p><p><br /></p><p>“At face value, this appears somewhat counter to the improving economic data – with inflation in the advanced economies tracking closer to target in late 2023, which spurred a rally in both equity and bond markets,” the bank’s economists said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reports suggest that central bank purchases of gold have been ramping up in recent times – most notably by China and Russia – which is underpinning global demand, NAB said. “We forecast gold prices to average $US2025/oz in 2024, up from around $US1942/oz in 2023.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont’s decision to sell its share of the Havieron gold and copper prospect, currently under exploration and development, may be complicated by its joint venture status with Greatland Gold, a UK registered company which owns about 30 per cent. Greatland was contacted for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said it expected to produce 6.7 million ounces of gold annually by 2028 from 20 mines in 11 countries. The company reported adjusted earnings on Thursday of US50¢ a share over the fourth quarter, beating analyst expectations compiled by Bloomberg, and produced 5.5 million gold ounces in 2023, more than the consensus estimate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>More Evidence Comes to Light That Craig Wright is 'Probably Satoshi' - Feb 20, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>On Monday, during the COPA vs. Dr. Craig Wright trial in London, a witness testified that Wright is "probably the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto", creator of bitcoin. Qudos Bank’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) David Bridges, testified that Wright worked with the Qudos Bank as an IT expert during the year 2005. He told the Court Wright had given him several documents and papers, which he said "annoyed the hell of me" at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the documents pertained to the forensic and IT services Wright performed for the Australian mutual fund bank, Bridges said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bridges had previously stated that Wright proposed a system that could replace the traditional SWIFT network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial, which is expected to continue through March, represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and the foundational elements of bitcoin. The case will continue for the next 5 weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>"COPA's strategy aimed to dismantle Wright's claims through meticulous questioning and the presentation of evidence that questioned the authenticity of documents Wright had produced to support his claim to the Satoshi identity," writes Susie Violet Ford of Forbes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Bridges testimony, Wright’s cousin, Max Lyman, was called to the stand next. Lyman confirmed that Wright had asked him to ‘run some code’ on his computer, which was not up to the task at the time. Lyman claimed Wright was running an eCommerce business at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyman also revealed that he got the Bitcoin whitepaper but was curious about it coming from Wright.</p><p><br /></p><p>From the court transcipt:</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall Craig sending you the Bitcoin whitepaper?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Craig sent many documents to me, that could have been one of them</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall that particular document?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. No. They were all the same type of thing</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Do you have a detailed understanding of cryptocurrencies?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Detailed no. But fundamental from an IT systems perspectives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another key witness, Stefan Matthews, Chairman and CEO of nChain Group, also supported the notion that Wright is Satoshi.</p><p><br /></p><p>Calvin Ayre, a billionaire investor in the nChain platform and leading proponent of the BSV blockchain, offered his take on Matthews witness testimony.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If the judge did not know COPA was a fraud after they turned down Craig's generous offer to settle…he does now. I am even more convinced that Craig has already won this case. This is going to change things...but COPA will continue to attack Craig even when they lose this as this is about killing competition not about who is Satoshi and that fight will go on."</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial continues on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Beyond the Blockchain: Elevating Your Entertainment with the Best Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Welcome to the thrilling world where entertainment meets innovation – the realm of the best Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beyond the blockchain, a new era of gaming awaits, promising excitement, rewards, and an experience like no other. Let's dive into the heart of this digital playground and discover how it can elevate your entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Roll the Dice, Not the Coins: The Seamless Experience of Bitcoin Transactions</p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, the game isn't just about the cards; it's about the seamless dance of Bitcoin transactions. Picture this: swift deposits, lightning-fast withdrawals, and a digital wallet that feels as light as a feather. No more grappling with traditional banking processes or waiting for the stars to align for your funds to land.</p><p><br /></p><p>The beauty of it all? The blockchain ensures a transparent and secure process. Your transactions become as smooth as a well-played hand of cards, allowing you to focus on the thrill of the game. So, roll the dice, not the coins, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you how effortless gaming can be.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Digital Diversity: A Feast of Games Awaits in Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>Gone are the days when a casino was just about a deck of cards and a roulette wheel. In the best Bitcoin casinos, the digital landscape unfolds into a feast of games that cater to every taste. Whether you're a card shark, a slot enthusiast, or someone who enjoys the strategic dance of poker, there's a game with your name on it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The variety is not just in the games but also in their themes and experiences. From the glitz of Vegas to the mystical realms of ancient civilizations, the best Bitcoin casinos transport you to different worlds with each click. So, why settle for the same old routine? Dive into the digital diversity, explore the vast array of games, and let the entertainment buffet begin.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Exclusive Perks and Rewards: Your Ticket to the VIP Section</b></p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, loyalty is not just appreciated; it's celebrated. As you embark on your digital gaming journey, loyalty programs and exclusive perks await. Consider it your golden ticket to the VIP section of the casino – a place where the rewards are as plentiful as a jackpot win.</p><p><br /></p><p>Earn loyalty points with every spin, every deal, and watch as the doors to exclusive benefits swing open. Faster withdrawals, personalized support, and invitations to special events are just a few of the perks of being a valued player. The best Bitcoin casinos ensure that your loyalty is recognized and richly rewarded.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Digital Showdown: Strategies for Dominating Bitcoin Casino Games</b></p><p>In the digital showdown of Bitcoin casino games, it's not just about luck; it's about mastering the art of strategic play. Whether you're a seasoned card shark or a beginner testing the waters, having a game plan can make all the difference. Consider it as entering a poker game with a winning hand – preparation is key.</p><p><br /></p><p>First and foremost, understand the rules of the games you're diving into. Knowing the ins and outs gives you a competitive edge, whether it's blackjack, poker, or the spinning reels of a slot machine. Next, consider employing a betting strategy that aligns with your risk tolerance. Are you the daring high roller or prefer a more cautious approach?</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, embrace the power of pacing. In the fast-paced world of Bitcoin casino games, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and make impulsive decisions. Take a breath, pace yourself, and remember that each game is a marathon, not a sprint. The digital showdown awaits, and with a strategic mindset, you'll be ready to dominate the Bitcoin casino arena.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto Trends: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Bitcoin Casino Innovations</b></p><p>Just like the ever-changing currents of the digital ocean, the landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations is in constant flux. To stay ahead of the game, you must ride the waves of crypto trends and navigate the evolving sea of possibilities. Think of it as being on the cutting edge of a digital revolution – the early adopter who reaps the rewards.</p><p><br /></p><p>One significant trend is the integration of new cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin. While Bitcoin remains a stalwart in the crypto world, other digital currencies like Ethereum and Litecoin are making their mark in the best Bitcoin casinos. Keeping an eye on these emerging trends can open up new opportunities for diversifying your gaming experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, watch out for the rise of blockchain-based games. These innovative creations leverage the power of blockchain technology to offer transparent, secure, and provably fair gaming experiences. It's not just about spinning reels or dealing cards; it's about immersing yourself in the next generation of digital entertainment. So, set your sights on the horizon, navigate the crypto trends, and be at the forefront of the evolving landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Gaming Revolution: Connecting and Competing in Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>Gone are the days of solitary gaming – the social gaming revolution has arrived in Bitcoin casinos. Imagine sitting at a virtual poker table, interacting with players from around the globe, and sharing the thrill of victory in real time. It's not just about competing; it's about connecting with like-minded individuals who share your passion for digital entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining tournaments, engaging in live chats, and participating in community forums are all part of the social gaming experience. It's like being in a bustling casino where the energy is contagious, except you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own space. The best Bitcoin casinos foster community, turning each game into a social event.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, embrace the social gaming revolution, connect with fellow players, and experience the camaraderie of competing in the dynamic world of Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not just about winning; it's about sharing the excitement with a global community of digital adventurers. The tables are set, the virtual cards are in the air, and the social gaming revolution is waiting for you to join the party.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WishTV Concludes: Your Adventure Awaits in the Best Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>As WishTV concludes, your adventure in the best Bitcoin casinos is about to unfold. Beyond the blockchain lies seamless transactions, diverse games, and exclusive perks.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's time to elevate your entertainment, roll the dice in style, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you a gaming experience like never before. The tables are set, the cards are dealt, and your seat is waiting. WishTV concludes, but your journey in the world of the best Bitcoin casinos is just beginning. Are you ready to play?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>International visitation to Las Vegas jumps 39% in 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>International visitation to Las Vegas jumped by 39% last year, led by a boost from Canadians and travel from the UK, Germany, and Australia. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released preliminary estimates that showed the city attracted 4.74 million foreign visitors in 2023, 11.6% of the city’s 40.8 million visitors last year. By comparison, the 3.4 million foreign visitors in 2022 comprised 8.7% of the 38.8 million international visitors, up from 4% in 2021. The most recent high was 13.3% of the total in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New York judge deals another blow to Las Vegas Sands’ plans for Long Island casino</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In a significant setback for the Las Vegas Sands’ ambitious plans to develop a multi-billion dollar resort and casino around the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, a state judge has declared that the company lacks a valid lease for the Coliseum and its surrounding land. State Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor, the same judge who previously invalidated Sands’ lease with Nassau County in November, ruled that an additional agreement Sands had with the Coliseum’s previous leaseholder is also invalid.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mohegan to stop managing Atlantic City casino at end of the year</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Mohegan, the tribal gaming and entertainment company that owns Mohegan Sun, announced Friday it will stop managing Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., at the end of the year. Mohegan will retain its 10% ownership interest in Resorts, the company said in a news release. “We’re extremely proud of our relationship with Resorts Casino Hotel and what we have helped accomplish,” Ray Pineault, Mohegan’s president and chief executive officer, said in the release.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Acres unveils method to calculate a slot player’s gambling bankroll</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Acres Manufacturing has developed a new benchmark of player value that uses slot machine data to gauge the size of a player’s gambling bankroll. The company’s Player Budget feature aims to replace average daily theoretical loss (ADT) and actual loss, the long-established formulas for ranking and marketing to players. “Theoretical (loss) is simply not accurate and actual loss is often misleading or manipulated,” the company’s Noah Acres said. With the data collected by Player Budget, “you can’t disguise your play, you can’t lie about it, you can’t trick the casino.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Shoshone-Bannock Tribes submit application for possible Idaho casino resort</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In the newest update on a proposed casino resort in Mountain Home, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have submitted two applications for placing the 157 acres of land the tribes purchased into trust status and to allow gaming on the property. This is the next step in turning the parcel of land into a casino/resort complex that would have a hotel, gaming, an event center, restaurants, an amphitheater, video arcade, bowling alley and movie theater.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>California, Oklahoma, and compacting: not an easy process</b></p><p><br /></p><p>When you walk into an Indian-owned casino in California, you won’t hear balls dropping onto roulette wheels or fast-paced whoops and groans at the craps tables. Rather, you’ll see a roulette-style wheel filled with cards and a far slower-paced crowd at the craps table. Ball and dice games are not currently legal in California’s Indian casinos, so the tribes have found workarounds to offer games similar to those found in neighboring Nevada. In order to offer gambling at all, tribes in many states, including California and Oklahoma, are required to compact with their state governments.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Florida sports betting looks like with Hard Rock Bet at the Daytona 500</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Chuck Floyd had never bet on a sporting event in his life until he walked under a white canopy tent Monday, pulled out his phone and put $10 on fellow Virginian Denny Hamlin to win the Daytona 500. Floyd’s play would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago but represents another step in the ongoing evolution of Florida sports betting: He was placing a legal wager inside Daytona International Speedway, where Hamlin and his NASCAR colleagues would soon be competing in one of the state’s biggest sporting events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ABC & SBS Claim Big Tech “Threatened” To Remove Their Apps Unless They Stumped Up Huge Placement Fees</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If anyone is a fan of drama then we recommend you head over to the Parliament of Australia website where a heated battle is ensuing between FTA television and streaming platforms. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA television networks including ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and Network 10 are appearing before the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee today, to argue that anti-siphoning laws should be strengthened to protect local content makers. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA networks SBS and ABC both say that big tech platforms (which we can assume to be Samsung and Amazon) “threatened” them with huge fees or removal from the app. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In June 2018, the manufacturer of the best-selling connected TV in Australia wrote to SBS and advised that unless we agreed to a 15 per cent revenue share arrangement and a placement fee, SBS would be removed from the ‘app launcher’ on the TV homepage for that brand,” said James Taylor, managing director at SBS. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In August 2023 we received notification from another platform operator that unless SBS agreed to pay them 30 per cent of the revenue we derived from being on their platform, they would exclude us entirely,” Taylor went on. </p><p><br /></p><p>The second company had a market capitalisation of over USD$1.7 trillion he said, meaning we can assume this company to be Amazon. </p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor then went on to say that it was “scandalous” that the large tech companies could get in the way of Aussies getting local content. </p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information – services that have been intentionally developed and underpinned by decades of public policy”. </p><p><br /></p><p>ABC’s managing director David Anderson concurred that they too had received requests for large payments. </p><p><br /></p><p>“On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Talking about the importance of app prominence, Anderson said “If they can’t see us then aren’t there”. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We want Australians to enjoy Australian content”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Network bosses argue against TV manufacturers ‘clipping their ticket’</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bosses of Australia’s major free-to-air networks and public broadcasters say laws ensuring free-to-air apps are easily available on smart televisions are essential to push back against the unfair influence of international TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>At a Senate hearing on Friday, SBS boss James Taylor and ABC managing director David Anderson accused international TV manufacturing giants of effectively holding the broadcasters to ransom. Taylor said SBS was warned by one company it would remove or hide the SBS On Demand app if it did not agree to a 15 per cent revenue share and placement fee.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“When SBS refused to pay, the manufacturer carried through on their threat, making it much harder for audiences to find the SBS On Demand app,” Taylor told the hearing in Canberra.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anderson said the ABC had also been asked to pay for access, and the bosses of Australia’s free-to-air networks backed up this claim.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said television manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony were the gatekeepers of access to content for Australians, with the ability to remove and restore access on their devices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media executives appeared in front of the hearing into legislation that would mandate app placement on new internet-connected televisions. Executives from the public broadcasters, alongside Nine (owner of this masthead), Seven and Ten support the legislation, and argued they could not compete with the financial power of the likes of Netflix and Disney+, and needed to have their apps placed prominently on smart TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outgoing Seven chief executive James Warburton said the changes were necessary as viewing habits changed, with about 50 per cent of TV viewing expected to be digital by 2027, up from 20 per cent currently.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We can’t compete with the global players … You get blown out of the water,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, a clip of the revenue between 10 and 20 per cent to actually be on the service. We’re just asking for a fair crack,” Warburton said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beverley McGarvey, the local executive of Paramount, which owns Network 10, said it took her “45 minutes to find the 10Play app” on a new LG television, saying Australians should not have to search to find free services.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you don’t want us, fine. Flick us to the back. But the consumer should know that we are available and free,” McGarvey said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment boss Mike Sneesby said: “These deals being done offshore between big tech companies and big streaming companies are effectively just taking away those spots. Not even if we wanted to pay a price could we get them, and we’ve seen that as competition has grown … those global deals have just pushed Australian content off the front screen and we have no control.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Representatives from Netflix, appearing for the first time in Canberra, said the company supported most of the new scheme but argued preference should not be extended to the networks in search. It also said the legislation should not mandate the positioning of tiles or apps on television home screens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Cox, director of business development in the region for Netflix, said the company had invested more than $1 billion on new Australian and Australian-related titles in the past four years – including more than $500 million on new programming for children and young adults – leading to the employment of “thousands of local cast and crew”.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proposed legislation – which also includes updates to anti-siphoning rules that protect Australians’ access to view major sporting events for free – is part of a Labor government election pledge to protect local content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its opponents, which include Foxtel and major television manufacturers such as Samsung, argue discoverability isn’t an issue for Australians, and that the government should not be interfering with viewers’ freedom of choice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian networks are pursuing digital-first strategies as audiences switch from traditional television to viewing through apps such as ABC iview, 9Now and SBS on Demand, alongside paid apps such as Netflix, Stan and Binge. In 2022, BBC boss Tim Davie went so far as to say the British broadcaster would switch off traditional television and radio transmissions within a decade.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But the online shift means the networks must compete in an increasingly crowded environment – not only against each other, but also against global companies with more capacity to pay for preferential app placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, commercial free-to-air advertising is in freefall, with revenue down 10 per cent in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Streamers are also facing problems of their own. After years of growth, subscriber figures have plateaued, prompting sustained price rises and advertising tiers to ensure long-term viability.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why Google, Bing and other search engines’ embrace of generative AI threatens $68 billion SEO industry</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, Microsoft and others boast that generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT will make searching the internet better than ever for users. For example, rather than having to wade through a sea of URLs, users will be able to just get an answer combed from the entire internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are also some concerns with the rise of AI-fueled search engines, such as the opacity over where information comes from, the potential for “hallucinated” answers and copyright issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>But one other consequence is that I believe it may destroy the US$68 billion search engine optimization industry that companies like Google helped create.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the past 25 years or so, websites, news outlets, blogs and many others with a URL that wanted to get attention have used search engine optimization, or SEO, to “convince” search engines to share their content as high as possible in the results they provide to readers. This has helped drive traffic to their sites and has also spawned an industry of consultants and marketers who advise on how best to do that.</p><p><br /></p><p>As an associate professor of information and operations management, I study the economics of e-commerce. I believe the growing use of generative AI will likely make all of that obsolete.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How online search works</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Someone seeking information online opens her browser, goes to a search engine and types in the relevant keywords. The search engine displays the results, and the user browses through the links displayed in the result listings until she finds the relevant information.</p><p><br /></p><p>To attract the user’s attentions, online content providers use various search engine marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization, paid placements and banner displays.</p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, a news website might hire a consultant to help it highlight key words in headlines and in metadata so that Google and Bing elevate its content when a user searches for the latest information on a flood or political crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How generative AI changes search process</b></p><p><br /></p><p>But this all depends on search engines luring tens of millions of users to their websites. And so to earn users’ loyalty and web traffic, search engines must continuously work on their algorithms to improve the quality of their search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s why, even if it could hurt a part of their revenue stream, search engines have been quick to experiment with generative AI to improve search results. And this could fundamentally change the online search ecosystem.</p><p><br /></p><p>All the biggest search engines have already adopted or are experimenting with this approach. Examples include Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing AI, Baidu’s ERNIE and DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than getting a list of links, both organic and paid, based on whatever keywords or questions a user types in, generative AI will instead simply give you a text result in the form of an answer. Say you’re planning a trip to Destin, Florida, and type the prompt “Create a three-day itinerary for a visitor” there. Instead of a bunch of links to Yelp and blog postings that require lots of clicking and reading, typing that into Bing AI will result in a detailed three-day itinerary.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over time, as the quality of AI-generated answers improve, users will have less incentive to browse through search result listings. They can save time and effort by reading the AI-generated response to their query.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other words, it would allow you to bypass all those paid links and costly efforts by websites to improve their SEO scores, rendering them useless.</p><p><br /></p><p>When users start ignoring the sponsored and editorial result listings, this will have an adverse impact on the revenues of SEO consultants, search engine marketers consultants and, ultimately, the bottom line of search engines themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The financial impact</b></p><p>This financial impact cannot be ignored.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, the SEO industry generated $68.1 billion globally in 2022. It had been expected to reach $129.6 billion by 2030, but these projections were made before the emergence of generative AI put the industry at risk of obsolescence.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for search engines, monetizing online search services is a major source of their revenue. They get a cut of the money that websites spend on improving their online visibility through paid placements, ads, affiliate marketing and the like, collectively known as search engine marketing. For example, approximately 58% of Google’s 2022 revenues – or almost $162.5 billion – came from Google Ads, which provides some of these services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines run by massive companies with many revenue streams, like Google and Microsoft, will likely find ways to offset the losses by coming up with strategies to make money off generative AI answers. But the SEO marketers and consultants who depend on search engines – mostly small- and medium-sized companies – will no longer be needed as they are today, and so the industry is unlikely to survive much longer.</p><p><br /></p><p>A not-too-distant future</p><p>But don’t expect the SEO industry to fade away immediately. Generative AI search engines are still in their infancy and must address certain challenges before they’ll dominate search.</p><p><br /></p><p>For one thing, most of these initiatives are still experimental and often available only to certain users. And for another, generative AI has been notorious for providing incorrect, plagiarized or simply made-up answers.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means it’s unlikely at the moment to gain the trust or loyalty of many users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given these challenges, it is not surprising that generative AI has yet to transform online search. However, given the resources available to researchers working on generative AI models, it is safe to assume that eventually these models will become better at their task, leading to the death of the SEO industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AI)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Truth About Black Hat Links And SEO: Understanding the Importance of Natural Backlinks</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Links - Blackhat Link Building. Anytime you pay someone to place, build a link, otherwise known as a dofollow HTML hyperlink, exchange a link or to outreach a link via a paid link building service it will always be regared as a blackhat link. There is no such thing as a paid do-follow whitehat backlink. It's all regarded as blackhat SEO</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), backlinks play a crucial role in determining a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Blackhat link building won’t achieve your long-term SEO or digital advertising goals.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is an ongoing debate surrounding the legitimacy of different types of backlinks, particularly when it comes to dofollow links acquired through monetary transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this article, we aim to shed light on the subject and clearly explain why any form of buying, exchanging, or paying for a dofollow hyperlink is regarded as a blackhat link, while emphasizing the importance of naturally created, editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Backlinks:</p><p>Before diving into the distinction between blackhat and whitehat backlinks, it is essential to understand what backlinks are and why they matter. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are hyperlinks on external websites that direct users to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines view backlinks as indicators of a website’s credibility, popularity, and authority. The more quality backlinks a website has, the higher its chances of ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs).</p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Backlinks:</p><p>Black hat SEO techniques aim to manipulate search engine algorithms to artificially boost website rankings, often through unethical means. One common black hat practice involves purchasing or paying for dofollow backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These blackhat links are placed on other websites with the intention of artificially inflating a website’s authority and improving its ranking. By engaging in such practices, website owners and marketers attempt to bypass the natural process of earning backlinks, which is where the problem lies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dangers of Blackhat Backlinks:</p><p>While black hat links may offer temporary gains in terms of search engine visibility, they come with severe consequences. Search engines, such as Google, have sophisticated algorithms that continually evolve to detect and penalise websites that engage in manipulative SEO practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>If identified, a website employing blackhat techniques risks being penalized or even completely removed from search engine results, leading to a significant loss in organic traffic and potential customers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whitehat Backlinks:</p><p>In contrast to blackhat techniques, whitehat SEO focuses on ethical practices that align with search engine guidelines. When it comes to backlinks, the only type considered whitehat is an editorially and naturally created link.</p><p><br /></p><p>This means that the link must be earned based on the quality and relevance of a website’s content, without any monetary transactions or explicit requests for backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Editorial backlinks typically result from other website owners, bloggers, or journalists voluntarily linking to a website because they genuinely find its content valuable and trustworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Importance of Natural Backlinks:</p><p>Natural backlinks are the backbone of a healthy and sustainable SEO strategy. By creating high-quality content, engaging with your target audience, and building relationships with influencers and industry experts, you increase the likelihood of earning organic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These backlinks are a testament to the authority and value your website provides, and search engines recognize them as genuine endorsements from other trusted sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unveiling the Path to Natural & Organic Backlinks</p><p>These virtual endorsements serve as crucial markers of a website’s credibility and authority, playing a vital role in its search engine rankings. However, the pursuit of these coveted backlinks has often been tainted by shady practices and blackhat strategies that breach search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>But fear not! In this groundbreaking exposé, we reveal the hidden pathway to acquiring natural and editorial backlinks that will skyrocket your website’s visibility without compromising your integrity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act I: Crafting Stellar Content</p><p>The foundation of any successful link-building campaign lies in the creation of extraordinary content that captivates audiences. Exceptional content possesses the power to inspire, educate, and entertain, prompting others to naturally reference and link back to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>By investing time and effort into producing high-quality articles, blog posts, videos, or infographics, you cultivate a magnetic allure that attracts organic backlinks from enthusiastic content consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act II: Engaging with Influencers and Thought Leaders</p><p>Building relationships with influencers and thought leaders within your industry is a crucial step in the pursuit of authentic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engage with them by participating in meaningful discussions on social media platforms, attending industry conferences, or even collaborating on mutually beneficial projects.</p><p><br /></p><p>When these influential figures recognise your expertise and value, they are more likely to cite and link to your content, providing a stamp of authority and credibility that search engines adore.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act III: Leveraging Guest Blogging</p><p>Guest blogging has emerged as a valuable technique for obtaining natural backlinks. Seek out authoritative websites and blogs that align with your niche and offer to contribute insightful and valuable guest articles.</p><p><br /></p><p>By providing well-crafted, original content that genuinely enriches the readers’ experience, you not only establish your expertise but also earn editorial backlinks within the content or author bio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember, guest blogging should focus on building relationships and sharing knowledge rather than solely aiming for link acquisition. Pitch a great blog post, story or report instead of asking website owners to buy a placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act IV: Infusing Your Content with Visual Appeal</p><p>Visual content has become increasingly popular, capturing attention and enhancing engagement. Create eye-catching infographics, videos, or images that convey information in a visually appealing manner.</p><p><br /></p><p>These compelling assets can be easily shared and embedded on other websites, granting you organic backlinks that augment your website’s reach while adding aesthetic value to the linking sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act V: Engaging in Online Communities and Forums</p><p>Communities and forums centered around your industry or niche offer immense potential for natural link acquisition. Actively participate in these platforms, providing thoughtful insights, solutions, and valuable information.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you become a respected and trusted member, other community members are likely to reference your expertise by linking to your content. However, always ensure your contributions are genuine and add value rather than using forums solely as a link-building tool.</p><p><br /></p><p>Professional Content Creation: Building a Network of Trust</p><p>The true beauty of investing in professional content creation lies in the building of a network of trust. By consistently delivering high-quality content that adds value to your target audience, you earn the loyalty and admiration of readers, influencers, and industry experts alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>This network becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem, where recommendations and referrals abound, leading to a steady stream of organic backlinks from reputable websites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unlike the fleeting impact of a single blackhat link placement, this network fuels perpetual growth, establishing your website as a trusted authority and ensuring a constant influx of editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not everyone possesses the artistry of the written word, and that is perfectly acceptable. Recognizing your limitations and investing in a professional content writer can be a game-changer for your website’s success.</p><p><br /></p><p>These skilled wordsmiths are adept at transforming your ideas and expertise into compelling narratives that engage and resonate with your target audience. By harnessing their talents, you can unlock the full potential of your content, elevating it to new heights and attracting perfectly natual hyperlinks endorsing your website in the search engines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Embracing the Power of PR:</p><p>An avenue worth exploring is the world of public relations (PR). Accepting PR on your website opens doors to collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities for exposure.</p><p><br /></p><p>By featuring guest articles, interviews, or expert opinions, you not only diversify your content but also forge valuable connections within your industry. These partnerships can lead to natural backlinks as fellow professionals and influencers link back to your website, recognizing the value you bring to the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ethical Triumph:</p><p>One must never underestimate the power of ethical practices in the realm of SEO. Engaging in natural backlink acquisition through powerful content and PR is not only effective but also aligns with the moral compass of search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on providing valuable information, nurturing relationships, and creating a positive user experience, you build a foundation of trust and authenticity. This not only attracts organic backlinks but also fosters a loyal audience that will continuously seek out and share your exceptional content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal</p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal, and this disparity lies in their quality. Quality backlinks possess several distinguishing features, including relevance, authority, and natural acquisition.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from reputable and trusted sources within the same industry or niche, aligning closely with the content and focus of the target website.</p><p><br /></p><p>They are earned organically through the merit of the website’s content, as other webmasters and influencers voluntarily link to it due to its exceptional value.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other end of the spectrum, low-quality backlinks, often referred to as spammy or manipulative, can do more harm than good.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from dubious sources, irrelevant websites, or private blog networks (PBNs) created solely for the purpose of artificial link building. Such backlinks are acquired through unethical means, including link farms, paid link schemes, and other blackhat SEO practices that attempt to deceive search engine algorithms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engaging in these practices can lead to severe penalties, including decreased rankings, loss of organic traffic, or even being deindexed from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Impact on Search Engine Rankings</p><p>Backlinks, acting as digital endorsements, play a pivotal role in determining a website’s search engine rankings. Search engines analyse the quantity, quality, and relevance of backlinks when evaluating a website’s authority and popularity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Websites with a diverse and substantial portfolio of high-quality backlinks from reputable sources are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, thus attracting increased organic traffic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow vs. Dofollow: The Epic Saga Unveiled</p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), the utilisation of link attributes has become a fundamental practice for website owners and marketers alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of the most prominent link attributes are nofollow and dofollow, each serving distinct purposes and playing vital roles in the vast realm of online linking strategies.</p><p><br /></p><p>To understand the disparity between nofollow and dofollow, we must first grasp their underlying definitions. Nofollow is an HTML attribute added to a hyperlink, signaling search engine crawlers not to pass any authority or “link juice” to the linked page.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, these two attributes informs search engines that the linked website is unendorsed or untrusted. On the other hand, dofollow (also referred to as simply “follow”) is the default state for links, implying that search engines should follow the link and consider it as a signal for ranking purposes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links were originally introduced by search engines as a method to combat spam and prevent manipulation of search rankings. By implementing nofollow attributes, website owners could ensure that user-generated content, such as blog comments or forum posts, wouldn’t impact their site’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>The nofollow attribute has proved to be instrumental in maintaining the integrity of search results, as it discouraged the proliferation of irrelevant or low-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links for SEO purposes- The Shift</p><p>Search engines began to acknowledge that even though nofollow links didn’t pass authority, they still provided value in terms of referral traffic and brand exposure. Consequently, some SEO professionals started advocating for a more comprehensive approach that recognised the importance of nofollow links in a holistic SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Link Exchanges – The Grey Area</p><p>Link exchanges, also known as reciprocal linking, involve two websites agreeing to link to each other’s sites. This practice used to be a popular method for building backlinks and improving search engine rankings</p><p><br /></p><p>While link exchanges were once considered a legitimate strategy, they are now generally viewed as a gray-hat or outdated technique. This is because the primary intent behind link exchanges is to manipulate search engine rankings rather than provide value to users.</p><p><br /></p><p>When websites engage in excessive link exchanges solely for the purpose of link building, it can be seen as a manipulative practice, and search engines may penalise or devalue the links</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated</p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated in assessing the quality and relevance of links. They now place greater emphasis on natural and organic link building, where websites earn links based on the merit of their content.</p><p><br /></p><p>This includes attracting links through:</p><p><br /></p><p>High-quality content</p><p>Outreach efforts</p><p>Social sharing</p><p>Building relationships with other authoritative websites.</p><p>Search engines serve as gatekeepers, guiding users to the most relevant and authoritative information. To accomplish this, search engines have evolved significantly, employing sophisticated algorithms that analyse over 200 factors to determine the value of hyperlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>As search engines have become more sophisticated, they have also developed mechanisms to detect manipulative practices that attempt to game the system. Techniques like buying links, link farms, and excessive reciprocal linking are frowned upon and can result in penalties or a loss of search engine visibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Detecting Manipulative Practices:</p><p>Search engines employ complex algorithms and machine learning models to identify unnatural link patterns, low-quality websites, and other indicators of manipulative practices. Regular algorithm updates, such as Google’s Penguin algorithm which launched in 2012, specifically target link spam and aim to reward genuine, high-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>What is blackhat SEO?</p><p>Blackhat SEO techniques typically focus on exploiting vulnerabilities in search engine algorithms. Some common blackhat techniques include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword stuffing: Stuffing a webpage with excessive and irrelevant keywords to manipulate search engine rankings.</p><p>Hidden text and links: Adding text or links that are invisible to users but can be detected by search engines.</p><p>Cloaking: Presenting different content to search engines and users, effectively deceiving search engines about the actual content of a webpage.</p><p>Private blog networks (PBNs): Creating a network of interconnected blogs solely for the purpose of linking to a target website, artificially boosting its authority.</p><p>Link farming: Creating or participating in schemes to generate a large number of low-quality backlinks to a website, disregarding the relevance or quality of the links.</p><p>Content scraping: Copying content from other websites and republishing it without permission or proper attribution.</p><p>Negative SEO: Engaging in tactics that aim to harm competitors’ search engine rankings, such as building spammy backlinks to their websites.</p><p>It’s important to note that search engines, such as Google, actively penalise websites that engage in blackhat SEO practices. Penalties can range from a decrease in rankings to complete removal from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is buying social signals regarded as blackhat?</p><p>The practice of buying social signals, such as likes, shares, followers, or comments on social media platforms, is generally considered a gray area in the realm of SEO. It does not strictly fall into the category of blackhat SEO techniques, but it is also not considered a legitimate or ethical approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>Buying social signals is primarily aimed at creating the appearance of popularity and engagement on social media platforms. The idea behind it is that a high number of likes, shares, or followers can make a social media account or website appear more reputable or influential to users and potentially attract organic engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may seem tempting to purchase social signals to boost visibility or credibility, it is important to consider the potential risks and downsides.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, have algorithms in place to detect and combat artificial or fraudulent activity, including the purchase of fake likes or followers. If discovered, these platforms may penalise accounts by reducing visibility, suspending or banning them altogether.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality over Quantity:</p><p>Search engines have progressed from a simplistic view of link building, where the sheer quantity of hyperlinks held significant weight, to a more nuanced approach that prioritises link quality. Instead of focusing solely on the number of links, search engines now emphasise the relevance, authority, and natural acquisition of those links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Relevance: Search engines evaluate the relevance of a hyperlink by examining the context of the linking and linked-to pages. A link from a website in the same industry or niche carries more weight than an unrelated one. The content surrounding the hyperlink, anchor text, and the keywords used provide valuable clues to search engines regarding its relevance.</p><p>Authority: The authority of a webpage is determined by its overall trustworthiness and reputation. Search engines assess the authority of a webpage based on the quality and quantity of its inbound links. A link from a reputable and authoritative website is considered more valuable than one from a low-quality or spammy source.</p><p>Natural Acquisition: Search engines aim to reward organic link building practices. They scrutinise the patterns and growth rate of a website’s link profile. A sudden influx of links or excessive reciprocal linking can raise red flags and potentially lead to penalties or devaluation. Instead, search engines favor links acquired naturally through the merit of a website’s content, earning recognition from other trustworthy sources.</p><p>Link Diversity: In addition to evaluating individual links, search engines also consider the diversity of a website’s link profile. A diverse link profile consists of links from various domains, including different types of websites, such as industry-specific directories, social media platforms, news sites, and blogs. This diversity signals that a website is being referenced and recommended by a wide range of sources, enhancing its credibility in the eyes of search engines.</p><p>The grey area of digital markting and hyperlinks</p><p>In digital marketing, there are certain practices and strategies related to links that fall into a gray area. These practices may not be explicitly considered blackhat SEO techniques but can still be seen as questionable or ethically ambiguous.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some examples include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Guest blogging for the sole purpose of link building: Guest blogging can be a legitimate strategy when done with the intention of providing valuable content to an audience. However, if the primary goal is solely to acquire backlinks, without focusing on the quality and relevance of the content, it can be seen as a gray area tactic.</p><p>Link exchanges and reciprocal linking: Exchanging links with other websites or participating in reciprocal linking schemes for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings can be viewed as a questionable practice. Search engines prefer natural and organic linking patterns based on the merit of the content, rather than artificial link exchanges.</p><p>Sponsored or paid links without proper disclosure: Including links in sponsored content or paid partnerships without clear disclosure to users can raise ethical concerns. Transparency is crucial in digital marketing, and users should be aware of any paid or sponsored relationships that may influence the content they encounter.</p><p>Link schemes disguised as directories: Creating directories or listing websites primarily as a means to generate backlinks rather than providing valuable resources to users can be seen as a gray area tactic. Low-quality directories that exist solely for link building purposes can be frowned upon by search engines.</p><p>Backhat Backlinks Conclusion – Summary</p><p>In the realm of SEO, it’s essential to understand the difference between blackhat and whitehat techniques. Buying, exchanging, or paying for dofollow backlinks is considered a blackhat practice, as it aims to manipulate search engine algorithms and artificially inflate a website’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, whitehat backlinks are editorially and naturally created, earned through the production of high-quality content and fostering genuine relationships with other website owners and influencers. It is crucial to prioritise ethical SEO practices, as search engines continue to prioritize authentic and user-centric experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on creating valuable content and fostering organic connections, you can build a strong foundation of natural backlinks that will benefit your website’s visibility, authority, and long-term success.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-23268132762203515212024-02-25T22:52:00.005+11:002024-02-25T22:52:50.475+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> </b><b>Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1yK_gc3lqsY_U31l7cxUqnPFZAyiTcuvQMn-l_VQJr_XSu7gu3HuD5kknLzcdFn022Y81wEBar91WecM6prDdO_dZ2jTOGC4cSP0cS3_35Q_F8WHE3QEQGFgkhNykEgPAY_pMXFRutQZMvre5IviCkoxbkXwM1pieE4MPHnMV3rkm5CqTHwZ1w/s800/blog_gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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Am I going to get everything from SBS, everything from the ABC, everything from Seven, Nine, Ten – everything before CNN and everything else?” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If I search any of those terms, why is that the natural thing I’m looking for? I’m looking for the content.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WBD’s Overall Revenue Is Down – But Streaming And Sports Could Bring A Bounceback</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warner Bros. Discovery is in a tight spot, as its TV revenue declines by double digits and growth opportunities like streaming media haven’t picked up the slack. (Yet.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Last quarter, WBD’s overall revenue fell 7% YOY, while revenue from linear TV ad sales dropped 14%. WBD isn’t giving up on linear, but it expects its streaming business – and an increased investment in sports programming – to offset its losses and return the company to profitability.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD’s revamped streaming service, Max (which combines HBO Max and Discovery+ content), is still in the “early innings,” CEO David Zaslav told investors during WBD’s earnings call on Friday. But the studio’s top priority is “driving profitable growth” for Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there’s still “a long [distance] left to go” on that pathway, Zaslav said.</p><p>To the Max</p><p><br /></p><p>Max is the light at the end of the tunnel for WBD, which remains in the dark right now.</p><p><br /></p><p>WBD reported a 51% YOY increase in streaming ad revenue compared to Q4 in 2022, before HBO Max rebranded to Max. And the pace of streaming ad revenue growth is rising, said CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.</p><p><br /></p><p>That number may sound promising, but it’s not a surprise – advertisers prefer centralized streaming buys, which is why so many media companies are bundling their content. (Another example is Disney+ and Hulu.)</p><p><br /></p><p>Consumers also prefer accessing their content in one place. While the studio only gained half a million streaming subscribers in Q4 (not counting subs from its acquisition of Turkish streamer BluTV in December), Max had the lowest churn rate “in HBO Max’s history” last quarter, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stable subscriber numbers plus an increase in streaming ad revenue would explain why WBD’s average revenue per streaming user rose 7% YOY to $7.94.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Around the world</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WBD plans to continue its streaming growth trajectory with globalization and, of course, more content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Currently, Max with ads is only available in the US. Some international regions still have ad-supported HBO Max, but Max will launch in Latin America next week, followed by Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East later this year. By the end of the year, Max with ads will be available in more than 40 international markets, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>And to make the most of a global launch, WBD is investing in a new content slate that capitalizes on its famous franchises.</p><p><br /></p><p>Yet another “Game of Thrones” show will premiere in 2025 – a prequel, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” – and another “Harry Potter” movie is slated for 2026.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>A sporting chance</b></p><p><br /></p><p>But, most importantly, WBD is zeroing in on sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is not a coincidence that Max’s international expansion coincides with the Olympics in Paris over the summer. Although NBCUniversal has airing and digital rights, WBD will livestream the games on its Eurosport channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Max also hopes to attract more international subscribers with other sports programming by capitalizing on the Olympics hype. For example, WBD is currently in talks with the NBA about rights renewal, Zaslav said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, WBD touted its new joint venture with Disney and FOX, which should launch a sports-focused streaming app in 2025. The app will be available to Max subscribers as part of a bundle.</p><p><br /></p><p>But that’s only if the app actually happens. Pay TV companies and the DOJ have raised antitrust concerns over the nature of the venture – together, the three studios encompass 55% of US sports rights, per Citi analysts. And the sports-focused programming distributor Fubo actually filed a lawsuit earlier this week, in which it alleged anticompetitive business practices between the broadcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Only time will tell whether WBD can regain its footing in the race for streaming market share.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber 2024. Perth, Western Australia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley to take on Nia Jax</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss Elimination Chamber, streaming live Perth, Western Australia, at 5:00 a.m. ET/2:00 a.m PT streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to the Women's World Title at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Bálor & Damian Priest vs. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell (WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Mexico City</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This weekend, the UFC makes its sixth trip to Mexico City for a fight card that lines up as a showcase for many of the Mexican and Latin American athletes currently competing inside the Octagon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Order UFC 299: O'Malley vs Vera 2</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlined by a critical flyweight rematch between former champ Brandon Moreno and recent title challenger Brandon Royval, with Yair Rodriguez and Brian Ortega slated to renew acquaintances in a five-round co-main event, Saturday’s return to Arena CDMX promises to be loud and exciting from the outset and remain that way through the close of the night.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Arena CDMX — Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Where to Watch: ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Main Card Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p>Prelim Matches:</p><p><br /></p><p>Cristian Quinonez vs Raoni Barcelos</p><p>Jesus Aguilar vs Mateus Mendonca</p><p>Edgar Chairez vs Danie Lacerda</p><p>Claudio Puelles vs Fares Ziam</p><p>Ronaldo Rodriguez vs Denys Bondar</p><p>Victor Altamirano vs Felipe dos Santos</p><p>Erik Silva vs Muhammad Naimov</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Top Brass Dana White via Howie Mandel Podcast - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“You are not only an amazing businessman, you are an inspiration, you are a philosopher. The way you do business, the way you conduct your business, and your friendships and media, I’m jealous. But, Dana, I can’t thank you enough for being here,” Mandel said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Thank you for all the kind words, I appreciate it. I am so f*****g tired of doing podcasts. I’m literally done with them. I’m not doing any more podcasts,”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sydney casino review sends Star Entertainment shares plunging - Feb 20, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More than $300 million has been wiped from the market value of Star Entertainment after the NSW casino regulator said it was not satisfied the company had sufficiently overhauled its culture to be allowed to operate in the state.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares fell more than 20 per cent when trading resumed Tuesday, and dropped as low as 42¢. Star said it would need to delay the release of a financial update scheduled for Wednesday after being blindsided by a decision from the Independent Casino Commission to engage Adam Bell, SC, to run a second inquiry into the gaming group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Star chief executive Robbie Cooke has yet to comment publicly on the 15-week investigation. But in a statement on Tuesday, Star said it welcomed the chance for an “objective forum” to demonstrate it was suitable to regain its casino licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell is the Sydney barrister who conducted an earlier inquiry into the Sydney casino, which concluded that the company was unsuitable to hold a licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite the new inquiry, some of the company’s largest investors are standing by Star’s management. Bruce Mathieson, the billionaire publican, owns 6 per cent of the business and told The Australian Financial Review: “You never like it, but you can’t change it. We’ve got to deal with whatever they say. I never get into a panic.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Bell’s 2022 report found Star was unsuitable to hold its licence, describing its operations as “a case study of unethical conduct and cultural failure” that may have evaded taxes and facilitated $900 million of banned gambling transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Bell review, along with a similar investigation in Queensland, where Star operates casinos in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, led to the resignation of key figures including chief executive Matt Bekier.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ICC’s chief commissioner, Philip Crawford, said on Monday that his concern was the “capability and capacity” of the leadership team to execute its remediation programs.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘Serious and endemic’</p><p>Mr Crawford was the head of the former casino regulator, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, responsible for overseeing the historical behaviour of Star.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m just not sure the extent to which they’ve addressed the cultural reform that Adam Bell said … was serious and endemic and needed a lot of work,” Mr Crawford said in an interview with the Financial Review. “We want to see the progress they’ve made around that particular space. That’s really important.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The timing of the decision has raised eyebrows in investment circles. One fund manager, who asked to remain anonymous due to company restrictions, said Star had made significant steps in transforming its business.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Frustration is mounting from the impacts that have been worn by current and new shareholders rather than those that were culpable for the missteps,” the fund manager said. “This doesn’t change the value of assets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Star’s market capitalisation has shrunk by more than $2.7 billion – to $1.3 billion – since the start of the first Bell inquiry. Still, the Sydney casino has been lucrative, with gaming revenues of $838.9 million last year. Brokers at MST Marquee estimate Star’s Sydney casino could be worth about $1.3 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>But debt worries and difficult trading conditions, along with a write-down on the value of its casinos, forced Star to seek financing twice last year. The first, at $1.20 a share, raised $800 million in February. The second, in September, raised $750 million at just 60¢ a share.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Apologizes, Pauses Gemini Chatbot After AI Refuses to Generate Images of White People - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google executives paused select features of the company’s Gemini chatbot and image generator on Wednesday after the program’s artificial intelligence (AI) adamantly refused to produce images of White people. In a bizarre display Google executives apologetically described as “missing the mark,” Gemini responded to user requests with pictures of Black Vikings, Asian female popes, African Nazis, and “diverse” versions of the American Founding Fathers—“historical inaccuracies” that suggest a much deeper problem with the system powering the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gemini (formerly known as Google Bard), served as Google’s entry into the competitive large language model (LLM) market dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. As with other LLMs, users enter text-based prompts to set the criteria for images, and the AI interprets the contextual information to provide a unique image. However, after Gemini’s rebranding earlier this month, users quickly noticed odd—and possibly racist—quirks in the generative AI’s image creator.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a test run by the New York Post, a search for “create an image of a pope” yielded two results: a Black man dressed in elaborate holy vestments and an Asian woman wearing papal robes. As Catholic Gemini users quickly pointed out, all 266 pontiffs in the Church’s history have been White men.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Additional searches, many of which were shared on social media, produced equally ridiculous results, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Black, Female, and Asian Vikings</p><p><br /></p><p>Racially diverse members of America’s Founding Fathers</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-racial members of the Wehrmacht, the army of Nazi Germany</p><p><br /></p><p>What appears to be George Washington depicted as a Black man</p><p><br /></p><p>Odd examples of “famous 17th Century physicists”</p><p><br /></p><p>Notably non-Italian Roman emperors</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Gemini offerings included Asian Anglo-Saxon knights, Sir Isaac Newton as an Indian man, Africans presented as residents of 1820s Scotland, race-swapped versions of famous paintings, and a Black king of France, among hundreds of others.</p><p><br /></p><p>In light of the glaring historical inaccuracies, Google issued an apology on Wednesday afternoon and announced that Gemini’s ability to generate images of people would be paused until a solution could be implemented.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gemini’s AI image generator does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here,” said a statement from Jack Krawczyk, Google’s senior director of product management for Gemini Experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Gemini’s outright refusal to produce images of White Europeans extended far beyond a historical context. When presented with a request for “images of a strong Black man,” the program generated results with little difficulty. But when asked for “images of a strong White man,” it instead displayed a message expressing concern about “reinforcing harmful stereotypes about race and body image.” The program then provided resource links to the Southern Poverty Law Center and other social justice organizations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Images “celebrating the diversity and achievement of Black people” were gladly provided, but Gemini refused to do the same for Whites, stating that “historically, media representation has overwhelmingly favored White individuals and their achievements…Focusing solely on White individuals in this context risks perpetuating that imbalance.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Even requests for images acknowledging the existence of White people proved difficult for the program, while images of Black people were produced without comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Repeated tests revealed that Whites were the only race to receive this treatment by the AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Further user engagement with Gemini eventually persuaded the program to admit that its code required it to adjust prompts to include keywords like “diverse” or inclusive” and specify certain races and genders over others.</p><p><br /></p><p>The revelation that Gemini was not malfunctioning but rather faithfully executing its directives according to its code eventually led many to Jack Krawczyk’s social media history, which is replete with attacks on America’s “systemic racism” and “White privilege.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Screenshots of Krawczyk’s old posts prompted X owner Elon Musk to label him a “racist douchenozzle” and promote Grok, Musk’s own “non-woke” artificial intelligence.</p><p><br /></p><p>(VT)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Former digital darling Vice Media to slash jobs, shutter website</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Vice Media, the once-swashbuckling media outlet geared to a younger audience, plans to lay off several hundred employees and no longer publish material on its website vice.com, the company’s chief executive said in a memo to staff on Thursday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vice, which filed for bankruptcy last year before being sold for $US350 million ($533 million) to a consortium led by the Fortress Investment Group, is also looking to sell its Refinery 29 publishing business, Bruce Dixon wrote in the memo.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the latest sign of financial problems buffeting the media industry. Digital sites The Messenger, BuzzFeed News and Jezebel have all shut in the past year, and legacy media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal have also cut jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p>New York-based Vice, valued at $US5.7 billion in 2017, was known for its immersive storytelling style that encompassed digital, television and film outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dixon offered no specifics about the layoffs, other than saying hundreds of people will be affected and will be notified early next week. The New York Times reported that the company has about 900 people on staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I know that saying goodbye to our valued colleagues is difficult and feels overwhelming, but this is the best path forward for Vice as we position the company for long-term creative and financial success,” Dixon said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said it was no longer cost-effective for Vice to distribute its digital content, including news, the way it has been. He said Vice would put more emphasis on its social channels and look for different ways to distribute its content.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its strategic shift, Dixon said Vice would follow a studio model.</p><p><br /></p><p>Before filing for bankruptcy protection last year, Vice cancelled its Vice News Tonight TV program as part of an earlier round of layoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p>The business, which began as an alternative music and culture magazine in Montreal in the 1990s, raised capital from high-profile investors such as Walt Disney and Fox Corporation before running into a slowdown in digital advertising spending.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ether in area of light resistance</p><p><br /></p><p>FxPro, Media Man and Bitcoin News Media reports</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market capitalisation reached $1.99 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap estimates, an increase of over 10% in one week. Forbes estimates that the $2 trillion mark was reached last week. Either way, the growth momentum is clear and very strong. Over the last 24 hours, Bitcoin gained 1.4%, overtaken by Ethereum (+4.4%) and Solana (+3.5%). BNB (-0.6%) and XRP (+0.9%) could not keep up with the current market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is approaching $52.5K, having quickly found buyers after Saturday's drawdown. Monday starts with active buying, bringing the price back to the range highs of the last five days, which are the highs since November 2021. Technically, bitcoin has no meaningful resistance levels until the area approaches $64K.</p><p><br /></p><p>Active building of call option positions with strikes of $60K to $80K, as well as fierce demand for ETFs, could push Bitcoin to an all-time high as early as March, according to QCP Capital.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is also trading in weak resistance territory after breaching the $2900 level. In April 2022, it plunged from levels near $3500 to $2000, with a complete capitulation at levels below $900. A recovery from $2000 to $3500 could be just as quick. This level is also close to 161.8% of the October to early December rally, which is a Fibonacci pattern.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The Coinbase exchange posted a net profit of $273 million in the fourth quarter. For the year, the figure was $95 million on total revenue of $3.1 billion, the company said in a letter to investors. Coinbase acted as custodian for nearly all the spot bitcoin ETFs that received SEC approval in January.</p><p><br /></p><p>MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of bitcoin, told shareholders that the company's capitalisation would grow significantly in 2023 and that it was ready for inclusion in the S&P 500 index.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius said that $2 billion worth of crypto assets have already been transferred to lenders, including 20,255 BTC and 301,338 ETH.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investment firm VanEck has filed a revised proposal with the SEC to launch a spot Ethereum-ETF. VanEck joins Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, BlackRock and Invesco in the race for Ethereum-based exchange-traded products. Some experts believe the regulator will register the products in May.</p><p><br /></p><p>Galaxy Digital estimates that about 15-20% of the total computing power of the Bitcoin network will be unprofitable after the halving in April. The calculations are based on a BTC price of $45,000 and a 15% transaction fee.</p><p><br /></p><p>The attractiveness of Tether's USDT compared to other stablecoins is likely to diminish as future regulations in the US will require greater transparency and compliance with new KYC/AML standards, JPMorgan said. The bank believes that regulations for stablecoins will be coordinated globally through the Financial Stability Board within the G20.</p><p><br /></p><p>Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, believes that the popularity of stablecoins pegged to the US dollar will help maintain the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>‘Scandalous’: free-to-air networks lash TV makers for demanding a cut - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The managing directors of the ABC and SBS have pulled no punches in a battle against TV makers like Samsung and Amazon, criticising them for “rent-seeking” payments during a last-ditch plea alongside commercial networks for priority placement on new TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usually fierce rivals from free-to-air broadcasters united on Friday when the leaders of Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment, and Paramount ANZ (which owns Network Ten) joined the ABC’s David Anderson and SBS’s James Taylor in appearing before a Senate committee.</p><p><br /></p><p>They faced questions about why their streaming apps – 9Now, 7plus and ABC iview, for example – should automatically be given the best positions on new TV home screens. They were also asked about the government’s “anti-siphoning” laws, a list of sports that must be offered to free-to-air networks before they can be put behind a paywall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies like Samsung and Amazon have demanded a cut of advertising or cash payments to put TV apps on their systems, TV executives said.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, Samsung demanded a 15 per cent cut of any ads that ran through SBS On Demand, Mr Taylor said. When SBS refused, he claimed Samsung made the app much harder to find. In 2020, Samsung made the same demand, threatening to take SBS On Demand off its devices entirely. Then last year, Amazon demanded 30 per cent of all revenue derived from advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information,” Mr Taylor said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The set manufacturers do not pay a cent towards the content they are seeking to grab revenue from – the very definition of rent-seeking. They know the power they have over the primary access point to content in the home, and they are squeezing it for all it’s worth.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Anderson said the ABC iview app was taken off one major TV manufacturer’s devices in 2021 and the ABC was asked to pay to restore it. “On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is a huge cost, Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton said. His network has spent at least $21 million building and maintaining different apps for 21 different operating systems and TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That’s $21 million in our capex (capital expenditure) bill just to have the apps on the platforms we’re across,” he said. “Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, between 10 and 20 per cent.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If TV networks can’t be found, there will be no viewers, Free TV chairman Greg Hywood told the committee. “It’s existential in that sense,” he said. Free TV noted that 2 million new homes had no TV aerials, and so all viewing would be through the internet. Nine, which owns the Nine Network, is a member of Free TV and publishes The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group CEO Patrick Delany, who has just launched a new TV operating system called Hubbl, disagreed with the free-to-air networks. It undermines a consumer’s right to choose, he said. “What we want to do is deliver the best experience for the customer and that’s been our business model for over three decades,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel launches revolutionary platform ‘Hubbl’ for TV and streaming</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel has launched a revolutionary new platform which will help Australians solve the problem of not being able to decide what to watch on TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched at a star-studded event in Sydney on Wednesday night, Hubbl is a game-changing technology promising TV and streaming made easy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hubbl is a one-stop shop for Australians' free and paid live TV and streaming needs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior</p><p><br /></p><p>Warrior: The acclaimed cancelled drama whose fate suddenly lies in Netflix users’ hands</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the most entertaining series in years has been given a new lease of life</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix users hold the fate of one new title in their hands after the addition of a series that was unfairly cancelled last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>In December, it was revealed by streaming service Max that the acclaimed drama Warrior had been axed, two years after it was resurrected.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, all hope is not lost for the series, which has drawn comparisons to HBO prohobition drama Boardwalk Empire and the BBC’s global hit Peaky Blinders since its debut in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Previously speaking about the show’s future, creator Jonathan Tropper told Deadline: “Warrior is a show that simply refuses to die.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Through platform and regime changes, the writers, producers, cast, crew, and our stunt team continued to make something powerful, relevant, and wildly unique. And now, thanks to Netflix, we’ve been given yet another lease on life, and I’m thrilled for everyone involved that millions more viewers around the world will discover it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In Netflix’s global top 10, the series is number eight – and appears to be rising with every new day. It’s worth noting there are seveal key countries where Warrior is not yet available</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW. Anaheim, California</p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc fighter Michael Chandler issues a challenge.aka call out to Conor McGregor</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE cross-over TKO Group era is in full swing</p><p>TKO Group's UFC promotion had held its 298 event at the same Honda Center arena just two nights early.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 live attendance was announced at the UFC press conference as 18,186.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw's live attendance is understood to be in the 12,000 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was an enthusiastic crowd who appeared to also enjoy the announcement of the UFC's Chandler as well as boxer "King" Callum Walsh earlier in the evening.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the conclusion of the Raw main event - Gunther vs Jey Uso, ended by Jimmy Uso ringing the bell earlier as well as interfering, Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes address the ruckus crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anaheim, did you have a good time tonight? Rhodes continued for a few minutes (of which the video is available via the official WWE YouTube Channel).</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued: "Please welcome the voice of the voiceless - CM Punk" @CMPunk </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: "CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It is not easy sitting backstage watching the show knowing that Anaheim showed up 11,000 strong and ya all have been hot all night long. Three hours, countless superstars, awesome matches. I had to come out here and feel this myself. And to let you all know this is a bump in the road and I promise you the next time we are in Anaheim I will be here and I will have my boots on" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"...</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WWE YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A super hot crowd and the WWE - Pro Wrestling and combat sports connection can cbe considered a strong success - especially at this relatively early stage of the game. TKO Group top brass is super connected in the media, live sports, live events and sports business world, and it showed. Recently CM Punk has also been doing some media and hasn't been shy to discuss this forey in MMA, via the UFC, nor his injury as the dangers of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The positive energy on this episode came through in spades. Well done wrestlers, fighters, WWE team, and most importantly, fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling, Boxing And MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Media Man report</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling with TKO! </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports is WWE RAW in Anaheim, California - February, 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Boxer and Pro MMA Fighter Appear: WWE cross-over combat sports promotion era is here!</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler and "King" Callum Walsh</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank god for the captions" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"The stars are out here in Anaheim. Your looking at. Dana White bash" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Freddie Roach trained. 9 and 0 boxer with 7 knockouts named King Callum Walsh out of Cork, Ireland. His next fight is coming up March 15 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden..9 and 0. 7! knockouts. Absolute dog" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>and</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler from the UFC is in the building and now on camera with a live mic!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Chandler was first to appear on camera and be acknowledged by the WWE broadcast team. Chandler just challenged Conor McGregor!</p><p><br /></p><p>"Hey, what's up Anaheim? Hey, you are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Hey, now there's a man from Ireland bean been making me wait for too long and I still got one dude on my mind. Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the Octagon. We got some unfinished business boy. God bless. I'll see you at the top" Michael Chandler</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The news has started to trend as to may expect. This is the sort of promotion that can and will deliver both more new WWE, UFC and boxing fans. The cross-over appeal is something we touched on at the past UFC Fan/Media Q and A in Sydney, Australia last September. It is expected the WWE and maybe even other TKO Group social media channels will further promote the surprise combat sports participants showing up at the RAW event in the Honda Center. The WWE X account has already featured Chandler at least once as we go live to web. </p><p><br /></p><p>Getting you ready for more via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Honda Center. Anaheim, California </p><p><br /></p><p>Awesome Truth and DIY vs Judgement Day </p><p><br /></p><p>"He still is wearing the rain poncho. It's been raining all day in Anaheim" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Southern California with a rain storm" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"R-Truth a bit delusional. I guess that's a word we could use" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Go inside. Put on a poncho. That seems to be intelligent" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Friday night he thought Kevin Owens was The Miz. I don't quite get how that works" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"He thinks he's teaming up with DX tonight.. it's DIY, but you can get with this or you can get with that" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"McDonagh said no more fun and games" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get with the group ... make money for the group" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"The whole world wants to see R-Truth get into this match.. Judgement Day just keeping him at bay" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"This guy's been running for 14 straight minutes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ciampa doesn't get tired" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm outta breath looking at him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Truth is magical" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long way down for R-Truth from Damian Priest" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great moments and highlights via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's Last Chance Battle Royal</p><p><br /></p><p>"But tonight it's every woman for herself" Michael Cole </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"If you want to get real intense one day just listen to Zoe Starks intro music clearance here. Real serious. The California girl is a beast" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to hop on a plane and go visit" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could sign autographs" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nah, they don't wanna see me... There's a lot of Cole miners in Riyadh" Pat McAfee </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been a long week for Chelsea Green and also Natayla. Part of this Battle Royal tonight. They just got back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Speaking of" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Zelina Vega went right after Electra Lopez" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Full chaos in the ring Cole" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"There's 14 fights happening at one time on Monday Night Raw" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Raquel just caught a Viking and dumped a Viking over the top rope" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"No anders" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"People say you've got too many feelings for those anders" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark on the top rope. Baszler from behind" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're down to Zoe and Raquel" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark eliminated... Raquel Rodriguez is heading to Elimination Chamber ...now she is... and one step closer to WrestleMania" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"You'd have to think the odds have changed mighty now.. " PM</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Honda Center. Anaheim, California</p><p><br /></p><p>We are five days away from Elimination Chamber and Monday Night Raw is live from</p><p>just down the street from Disneyland. We're at Anaheim, California at the sold out Honda Center and there is a big fight feel tonight" Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"Can Main Event Jey Uso get it done tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we're starting things off tonight Mr McAfee with a banger" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Scottish Warrior one of six men who will be locked in Elimination Chamber this coming Saturday in Perth, Australia. The lone survivor will head to WrestleMania to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship Pat. McIntyre saying the others want to win. He needs to win" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And has already won. An absolutely stacked Elimination Chamber in Australia on Saturday and Drew McIntyre's rolling in there with aronica" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"This is not something I'd be signing up for"! PM </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man:.Broadcasting live. Pumped. Cody, Cody, Cody! Moments and highlights soon to be added to the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Jey Uso - Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>R-Truth, The Miz and DIY vs The Judgment Day. Truth or Dare?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's “Last Chance” Battle Royal:</p><p>Michin, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre and Zelina Vega. We're picking Stark for the W on this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chad Gable. Presidential Wrestling Machine vs Ivar, the Scandinavia scrapper. The Presidents Man vs The God's Must Be Crazy! Catch vs Viking cosplayer? Valhalla and maybe Hollywood is watching.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE announcers may have their hands full tonight, especially with the battle royal and femme fatales flying everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso wants to take Gunther’s Intercontinental Title: WWE Now, Feb. 19, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=AM9PMdz-WCI&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre headed for a collision on Raw</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=T5x57j02NUY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso challenges Gunther's historic Intercontinental Title reign</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XbWKHXgwNLI&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Expect the unexpected and so much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - UFC Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Superstar Opens Up On Wrestling Injuries; UFC - MMA environment</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend CM Punk Attends UFC 298; Speaks To Media On Recent Injury, Risks And Plans Forward</p><p><br /></p><p>"Loosing a a fight in the UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> I think is different to loosing to hockey game or loosing a basketball game or a baseball game or something like that. It's real heartbreak for these guys and my heart goes out to Volkanovski right not 'cause I know he's heartbroken and I know the chatters going to be 'Should he have fought four months out after getting knocked out', but that's the fight game. My hats off to him for being such an active, fighting champion. For taking the risks, at 155 against the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, twice. Those are the things"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're thinking maybe six to eight months, but I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I'll be when I come back...it's good to be back. I'm super happy it happened"</p><p><br /></p><p>"My mouth still works so I'm still going to be able to talk some trash... it's the best part, it's what I do"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's what happens to athletes. Mentally, I think it's harder because the physical pain is whatever. But I look at it just like a bump in the road. This is an occupational hazard. It happens, and I'll be back bigger and better. I'm a clumsy idiot. I tore my left triceps about two years ago, so the right one was jealous." </p><p><br /></p><p>"I think one of the things that I never did before was try to balance things out"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"Time heals old wounds you know. You slowly start to realise, you know, a lot of that staff then happened 10 years ago doesn't matter. Different people come and go Different people are in charge now. Maybe I can go back - it kinds of fits like an old slipper"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"THE ROCK COMING BACK IS FANTASTIC" 🔥 - CM Punk looks ahead to WrestleMania XL at #UFC298</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=eBVw3jmCDQs</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #UFC298 #UFC #Volk #Volkanovski #Topuria #Whittaker #TheRock #WWERaw #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #interview #backstage #injuries #MMA #pressconference #interviews #bio #bios #YouTube #Video #wrestlingnews #fighting #Goat #legends #popculture #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: One of the greatest CM Punk interviews we've ever seen/heard. Not a traditional pro wrestling hype - promo type interview, but from the heart. Punk speaks from experience as far as fighting in both arenas and recovering from injury. Sports based commentary with colour and sincerity. Nailed it. And great questions and vibe by interviewer Caroline Pearce. Cheers warriors.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Rampage</p><p><br /></p><p>H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas</p><p><br /></p><p>A Rhodes & the Von Erichs team for the first time in over 40 years! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRwDl7eaz4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well this is certainly a very interesting team. The first time The Rhodes and Von Erich familes have teamed in more than 40 years" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wow. How about that" </p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang make their in-ring debut as a team! 12-man action! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQfSQHGlZNk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our main event our of Rampage continues. A massive 12 person tag team match" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NO DQ! Jeff Hardy & Sammy Guevara meet 1-on-1, for the first time! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cg06QQTI-A&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Exchange of blows"</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is a treacherous position for both competitor Tony"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely it is Excalibur" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Watching the great Von Erichs is a bit like a virtual time machine for long time wrestling fans. Great that the tradition lives on. Having more than one pro wrestling promotion is primarily great news for wrestlers and fans. The compeition of sorts has lit a fire under wrestling promotions across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEW #DustinRhodes #VonErichs #BBSG #JayWhite #JeffHardy #SammyGuevara #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #TV #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man brand shuffle on streaming, combat sports, energy drinks, videogames, tech solutions, agency deals. For a business media/publicity/online media campaign email us at Media Man </p><p><br /></p><p>#brand #brands #streaming #combatsports #energydrinks #videogames #business #businessproposal #brand #brands #branding #brandnews #ads #adnews #onlinenews #newsfeeds #onlineadvertising #aff #affiliate #affilliates #BTC #AI #algorithm #index #indexing #results #niche #nichenews #nichemedia #SEO #SEM #websites #socialmedia #trend #trends #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"WrestleMania is a week-long series of events, and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard" Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #RomanReigns #TheRock #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #EliminationChamber #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL @PFLMMA Champs vs Bellator @BellatorMMA Champs</p><p><br /></p><p>24 February, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p>Media</p><p><br /></p><p>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background</p><p><br /></p><p>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #PFLvsBellator #PFLxBellatornocombate #PFLvBellator #PFLxBellator #PFL2024 #Bellator #SRJ #MMA #combatsports #RyanBader #RenanFerreira #ImpaKasanganay #JohnnyEblen #sportsnews #sportsmedia #RiyadhSeason #KingdomArena #PPV #PayPerView #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Surfing</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>World Surf League @wsl</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii, USA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tuesday, February 20, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Women's Opening Round, Elimination Round, and Round of 16 Called ON at Hurley Pro Sunset Beach</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, Stop No. 2 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is ON today and will see the world's best surfers get their Sunset campaigns underway in clean four-to-six-foot waves. A big day of competition is upon us, with the women’s Opening Round starting at 8:03 a.m. HST, followed by the Elimination Round. The Round of 16 will run utilizing the overlapping format with 40-minute heats to determine the Quarterfinalists.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Opening Round is stacked with major battles from the get-go, starting with the day’s opening heat featuring last year’s winner at Sunset, Molly Picklum (AUS), up against Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Isabella Nichols (AUS).</p><p><br /></p><p>The current World No.1 Caitlin Simmers (USA) will surf in the second heat against Luana Silva (BRA) and Sophie McCulloch (AUS). Reigning World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) will be in the next heat with perennial threat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and event wildcard Zoe McDougall (HAW).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright (AUS) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC), two former winners at Sunset, will battle it out in Heat 5 alongside rookie Alyssa Spencer (USA), while Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will be up against Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and India Robinson (AUS) in the final heat of the Opening Round. (Credit: WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Women’s Opening Round Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Luana Silva (BRA), Sophie McCulloch (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Zoe McDougall (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Alyssa Spencer (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), India Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jordy Smith (RSA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WSL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Johanne Defay, Lakey Peterson, Sawyer Lindblad | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71UhSLZtsQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols, Gabriela Bryan | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach - 2024 Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0i3UZcNN4&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright, Brisa Hennessy, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyd5rck2s2Y&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tatiana Weston, Zoe McDougall, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Elimination Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfY9OYOLNQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Live</p><p><br /></p><p>VER EN DIRECTO Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Dia 3</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfESO-GjmfA&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriela Bryan Talks Prepping For “Her Spot” Sunset Beach, From Kauai To The CT, Goals for 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wbdY_ahKA&t=2s&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Official YouTube </p><p>www.youtube.com/wsl </p><p><br /></p><p>Since it hosted the first Championship Tour event ever in 1976, Sunset Beach has long stood as an old-school test of power surfing. And while timeless rail-to-rail surfing still dominates, a new school of surfers is beginning to redefine the wave with a more modern approach. Who will win out, and who heads to colder waters on a hot streak? (Credit: WSL) About WSL The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the global home of surfing. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke. The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels. The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation. (Credit: WSL) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Special thanks to the good folks and great riders at World Surf League. A flashback to when we were great. Cheers from the Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach to Newport Beach, Sydney, Australia connection up to Sunset Beach. The Ripple Effect! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>World Surf League: News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/world_surf.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #HurleyProSunsetBeach #HurleyPro #MollyPicklum #GabrielaBryan </p><p>#IsabellaNichols #CaitlinSimmers #LuanaSilva</p><p>#SophieMcCulloch #CarolineMarks #SallyFitzgibbons #ZoeMcDougall #TylerWright #BrisaHennessy </p><p>#ItaloFerreira #JackRobinson #GabrielMedina #SethMoniz #KanoaIgarashi #MatthewMcGillivray #LeonardoFioravanti #JacobWillcox #KellySlater #SunsetBeach #surfing #prosurfing #surftour #surfingtour #surfingindustry #surfingnews #surfingbiz #surfinglifestyle #surfculture #sportsnews #sportsmedia #YouTube #Video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WSL</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Finance / World Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rises but within a downward channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Euro #EuroNews #Gold #GoldNews #commodity #Commodities #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal @sejournal </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #SEJ #SEO #searchenginejournal #searchenginenews #algorithm #Algorithms #reviews #reviews #GoogleReviews #authority #experience #expert #experts #trend #trends #buzz #AI #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>John Shakespheare Illustrations</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Creative learning indoctrination with social studies and sciences, with a major in politicial sciences with home schooling optional for discident studends and parents. Indoctrination101 from cradle to grave. Sponsored by WEF and NWO. Just another brick in the wall 'We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd) or "Schools Out" (Alice Cooper). Educational creative art of war Great art. Best in class. Creative minds schooling Canberra. Truth to power art. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyMorgan #RoyMorganResearch #marketresearch #newsmedia #businessnews #biznews #ASX #BTC #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #Commodities #commodity #mining #miningnews #Gold #WallStreet #NYSE #biznews #markets #tourism #tourismindustry #AusTrade #politics #newsfeed #newsfeeds #data #digitalnews #socialmedia #worldnews #Australia #Aussie #NZ #trend #trends #watercooler #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Analysts Warn of Spread of AI-Generated News Sites</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The spread of websites designed to look like news sites, but which trade in low quality or false information, could further damage media trust, some experts say.</p><p><br /></p><p>The media watchdog NewsGuard has seen an increase in websites filled with what it says is AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These are websites that are using artificial intelligence to sometimes generate content in mass [amounts], and it does not appear as content and it does not appear as though they have human editorial oversight," said Jack Brewster, NewsGuard's enterprise editor. "They are masquerading as news sites and act as advertising click bait."</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard defines the sites as Unreliable AI-Generated News Websites, or UAINS.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it started identifying them in May 2023, it found 49. By February 2024, its AI Tracker listed more than 700.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tracker looks for evidence that a site has mostly AI-generated content; little to no human oversight; is designed to look like journalists or writers produced the content; and does not clearly disclose that the material is AI produced.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most sites operate under names such as "Ireland Top News" and "Daily Times Update." And in at least one instance, the domain name of a former established outlet — Hong Kong's Apple Daily — has been taken over and filled with AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Serbian businessman bought the domain after the media outlet shuttered in 2021. Authorities charged its publisher, Jimmy Lai, under the national security law, detained staff and froze assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Edition for Hong Kong’s Apple Daily</p><p>SEE ALSO:</p><p>Last Edition: Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Signs Off With Million-Copy Run</p><p>Now, instead of news, Apple Daily is filled with "SEO-bait" headlines, according to digital news site Wired.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some media experts say these sites damage legitimate journalism and hurt its credibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think in recent years we've already seen a strong decline in the trust in the media and local news sources," said McKenzie Sadeghi, who is the news verification editor at NewsGuard.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When we see the proliferation of these AI-generated websites that are presenting themselves as the average local trusted publication with human journalists, that creates an issue because it further reduces trust," added Sadeghi.</p><p><br /></p><p>The issue spans several languages too, with NewsGuard identifying AI-generated websites in more than a dozen languages including English, Arabic, Chinese and Turkish.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the main goals, says NewsGuard, is to generate ad revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard found that Google is behind 90 percent of the ads on these sites. The watchdog says it believes the content violates Google's policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google policy communications manager Michael Aciman told VOA via email that its policies do not allow the placement of advertisements "alongside harmful or spammy content."</p><p><br /></p><p>But said Aciman, "NewsGuard has not shared the full list of sites in question, so we cannot review them nor confirm whether or not they violate our policies."</p><p><br /></p><p>Some experts say they fear the spread of AI-generated fake news sites could affect elections. About 40 countries are scheduled to hold significant elections this year, and Brewster says disinformation looms over them.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think people realize that right now I can set up a website that is completely automated from start to finish and set up targets for certain key words like stolen election or the vaccine is dangerous," said Brewster.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Think of any false claim you want to, and this web scraper would search the entire internet, and find the content they think will be the most viral and produce it automatically," he added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the sites the researchers identified are populated with content titled "Who Was the Most Decorated Soldier in the Third Reich" and "Is Oatmeal Healthy or Not?"</p><p><br /></p><p>But NewsGuard also found one site pushing a false claim about U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and Palestinian refugees. Another site, named Celebritydeaths, falsely claimed President Joe Biden died and Vice President Kamala Harris had taken over his duties.</p><p><br /></p><p>UCLA researcher Shazeda Ahmed says inaccurate information is potentially harmful if people act upon it.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I also worry about what this will mean for media literacy," said Ahmed, a UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow who focuses on AI safety.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When a person reads one of these articles that is AI generated, do they realize it? And if not, there's no recourse and there's not really anyone that's being held accountable for that," she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Part of the problem in accountability is the difficulty in tracing the owners or producers of the sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard says many owners use privacy services to hide their identities.</p><p><br /></p><p>VOA attempted to contact four owners of some of the sites NewsGuard identified via their contact us online form but received only one response.</p><p><br /></p><p>That response referred VOA to a company named Byohosting.com. When contacted, Byohosting did not respond to the request for interview or comment. Instead, it offered its content services.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson teases trip to Perth for Optus Stadium wrestling showdown - 22 Feb, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock has sent the strongest indication yet that he will be in Perth on Saturday night, sending a video message to fans threatening to appear if Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins talk trash about him at the Elimination Chamber on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The People’s Champion and Hollywood superstar isn’t on the card and hasn’t been advertised as appearing. He wasn’t even on the plane with the group when it arrived on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But after opening a video message to fans apologising for not being in Australia, he laid the strongest hint possible that he will turn up to confront Rhodes and Rollins during their interview on The Grayson Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Cody Rhodes and his little girlfriend Seth Rollins are going to go on the Waller Effect,” The Rock said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Here’s the thing. I need you and you and this goof holding the camera and this one holding the microphone over here - I need all of you guys to make sure that Perth knows there’s some bulls...t happening.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And if those guys, those guys meaning Cody and his little girlfriend Seth, if they start talking trash, let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen. The Rock is going to slap the piss out both of them just like that. As a matter of fact, if they talk trash, The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it. Don’t wonder why The Rock can make it that quick. The Rock makes magic happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes and Rollins began a feud with The Rock just weeks ago when the WWE made a major change to their storyline leading into WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock slapped Rhodes in the face at the WrestleMania kick off event after hearing him challenge his cousin Roman Reigns and criticise their real life family. That led to Rollins promising to be by Rhodes’ side when he the match happens to ensure no members of that Bloodline faction get involved in the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perth will lose its mind if The Rock appears.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE superstars including Rhea Ripley, Triple H, Nia Jax, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch arrive in Perth - 21 Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley has headlined a WWE’s plane full of superstars which has landed in Perth to prepare for Saturday night’s extravaganza at Optus Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of the highest profile wrestlers in the world went straight from WWE Raw in Anaheim’s Honda Center to the airport in Ontario, then stopped in Honolulu before flying straight to WA in 20 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley posted from her hotel room about two hours after landing as the clock ticks down on her first match in Australia on the main WWE roster.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and former champion Triple H quickly put out a video expressing his joy at being in Perth. “We’re excited to be here. It’s been a while,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also sent an extended social media message to fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber combatants Tiffany Stratton and Liv Morgan shared their excitement from the plane shortly after taking off.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax, who will face Ripley for the women’s championship posted a video with Stratton during the flight, followed by another clip of her drinking coffee after nearly 19 hours in transit. The pair then took a photo together after landing in WA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former United States Champion Austin Theory also posted a photo on his social media of the plane landing in Perth at 12.39pm.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag team champion Finn Balor also posted from the plane, tagging his Judgment Day partner Dominik Mysterio in one shot, in a sign he will still be part of the show despite not being part of the card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mysterio is likely to be ringside when Judgment Day defend their titles and when Ripley fights Jax.</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch posted videos of herself and husband, WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, getting their bags.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE will hold a televised free event for the public onstage on the Southern Oval outside Optus Stadium at midday on Friday. The train station will be operating that day and a merchandise tent will also be open.</p><p><br /></p><p>Theory will also appear at Westfield Carousel at 10am on Saturday while Grayson Waller will be at Karrinyup Shopping Centre at 3pm on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE’s Triple H gets his first look at Optus Stadium ahead of Elimination Chamber on Saturday Feb 22, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and 14-time World Champion Triple H has talked up Optus Stadium to the world after visiting the venue for the first time on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>He has also revealed more than 40,000 people will be in attendance at the Elimination Chamber extravaganza on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>A planeload of WWE superstars arrived in Perth on Wednesday to prepare the premium live event which is one of the biggest shows on the WWE calendar.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will attract enormous attention around the world because the results of the matches will dictate what happens at WrestleMania in April.</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H visited Optus Stadium shortly after arriving in town and observed a large group of local wrestlers taking part in a WWE try out in the changerooms.</p><p><br /></p><p>He then stepped onto the stadium surface and was mighty impressed by what he saw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a beautiful stadium,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s brand new. Only I think a few years old - I think right before COVID.. It’s brand new. Just a beautiful stadium. It’s exciting.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is going to be an epic event. There’s a lot of buzz here already in Perth. I could feel it when we were getting off the plane and going through the airport. and the excitement of the WWE being in town.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I can imagine when this place is packed on Saturday - we’ll have over 40,000 in here - it’s going to be quite something.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Tickets are still available for the event and many of the most expensive seats recently had their price slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber is already set to be one of the largest attended shows outside of North America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley will headline the show and defend her Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. A six-man match inside the Elimination Chamber will determine who fights for the men’s World Title at WrestleMania. That match already includes multiple former champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of Ripley and Jax will defend the title at WrestleMania against the winner of the six-woman Elimination Chamber match.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tag team championships are also on the line in Perth, while there is huge anticipation to see if The Rock makes a sudden appearance when Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are interviewed in the ring about their feud with him during the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania - Feb 9, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two more entrants secured their tickets on the Feb. 12 episode of Raw as Bobby Lashley dispatched "Big" Bronson Reed and LA Knight dispelled Ivar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens and United States Champion Logan Paul rounded the field on the Feb. 16 episode of SmackDown after they defeated "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and The Miz, respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WANDERLEI SILVA NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024 - Feb 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Will Be Inducted To The Pioneer Wing </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FC today announced that former PRIDE FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will be inducted into the 2024 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Wanderlei Silva is one of the true pioneers of the sport of MMA,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Wanderlei was an absolute savage who left his mark by delivering some of the most memorable fights in combat sports history. He had legendary fights against Mirko Cro Crop, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Brian Stann, and his fights against Rich Franklin, as they were absolute wars! He was also one of the early superstars of PRIDE who helped grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC HALL OF FAME 2024: Frankie Edgar </p><p><br /></p><p>Silva will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 19th member of the Pioneer Era Wing. The Pioneers Era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.</p><p><br /></p><p>A veteran of 51 fights during his 22-year professional MMA career, Silva registered a record of 35-14-1 Draw / 1 NC (27-11-1-1, – UFC / PRIDE), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Kazushi Sakuraba, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson (Fight Wing); UFC® 13 lightweight tournament winner Guy Mezger; former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; former Pancrase middleweight, light heavyweight, and open weight champion Yuki Kondo; former Strikeforce U.S. middleweight champion Eugene Jackson; and former WEC® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his professional MMA debut on November 1, 1996, by competing in Brazilian Vale Tudo 6. He defeated his opponent via knockout in the first round and would win four of his next five fights across Vale Tudo before entering UFC with a 5-1 record.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his UFC debut as part of UFC BRAZIL: ULTIMATE BRAZIL, which took place on October 16, 1998, in Sao Paulo. He faced UFC 12 heavyweight tournament champion and future UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, losing via punches 44 seconds into the first round.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following his loss to Belfort, Silva would return to Vale Tudo and earn two wins before returning to the Octagon® and defeating Tony Petarra via first-round knockout at UFC 20: BATTLE FOR THE GOLD on May 7, 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva left UFC and won his next three fights in PRIDE FC, a legendary Japanese MMA promotion, before returning to the Octagon to face future UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 25: ULTIMATE JAPAN 3. Silva and Ortiz would go the distance with Tito capturing the title via unanimous decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>After losing his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, Silva spent the next seven years competing primarily in Japan for PRIDE FC. During this time, he fought 25 times for Japan, becoming the PRIDE FC middleweight champion by defeating future UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba during PRIDE 17 in 2001. Silva successfully defended his title four times, and his reign would last for 1,939 days, the longest title run in PRIDE FC history. </p><p><br /></p><p>During his tenure as middleweight champion, Silva also entered the 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix, defeating Sakuraba, as well as four-time World Judo Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Hidehiko Yoshida and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson to become the Grand Prix Champion. His win would make history as the first athlete to win a PRIDE Championship and Grand Prix. He would also enter the 2005 and 2006 Grand Prix, advancing to the semi-finals each year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva returned to UFC in 2007 to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the co-main event of UFC 79: NEMESIS. Silva would lose via unanimous decision, but he would become a fan favorite as the bout won several “Fight of the Year” accolades from media outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the next six years, Silva would compete against the top contenders in the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He defeated former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann via knockout in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV: SILVA vs. STANN on March 3, 2013. This would serve as his final UFC fight. He would compete two more times outside of the Octagon before retiring on September 29, 2018.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most knockouts in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 19</p><p>Most knockdowns in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 27</p><p>PRIDE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most wins in PRIDE history – 22</p><p>Most knockouts in PRIDE history – 15</p><p>Most knockdowns in PRIDE history – 18</p><p>Most significant strikes in PRIDE history – 720</p><p>Longest undefeated fight streak in PRIDE history – 20 (18-0-1, 1 NC)</p><p>Longest title reign in PRIDE history as middleweight champion – 1,939 days</p><p>Tied for most knockouts by soccer kicks/stomps in PRIDE history – 4</p><p>Outside the Octagon, Silva has been honored with numerous awards during his career, receiving Knockout of the Decade honors in 2004 by Sports Illustrated for his KO of Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 28. In 2008, he received Fight of the Year for his bout against UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell at UFC 79, and Knockout of the Year for his KO of Keith Jardine at UFC 84 during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. In 2020, Sem Coleira, a Portuguese biography of his life, was published.</p><p><br /></p><p>A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Silva began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing when he joined the Chute Boxe Academy. As a member of the Brazilian army, he also began to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He currently lives in Curitiba, with his wife and children.</p><p><br /></p><p>To view Silva’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/20539</p><p><br /></p><p>To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOF. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Search Engine Journal </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </b></p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p>Market Research Update</p><p><br /></p><p>20 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan Summary</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Finance / World Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p><br /></p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rises but within a downward channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. </p><p><br /></p><p>Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. </p><p>Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber: Perth Preview: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh0GGgrUvV8&t=19s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE heads down under for two huge Elimination Chamber Matches, Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends her title against Nia Jax, Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins appear on “The Grayson Waller Effect” and so much more. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Superstars hug koalas: Elimination Chamber 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkq2BK6DWnU&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press Conference (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWEAustralia #WWENow #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TheRock #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #AustinTheory #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TheBloodline #TripleH #pressconference #wwenews #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #PLE #LiveEntertainment #Video #YouTube #trend #trends #buzz #Perth #WesternAustralia #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 22, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh. Ya all Gunna yell at me huh" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"I flew 30 hours to get booed" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ok, alright, that's the direction you want to go. We can go there" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So it's WWE's first time coming to Perth!? and I'm gunna personally going to make sure it's the last" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"This place sucks guys" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"When they told me we're coming to Perth I say hey we got to go to Sydney instead" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"You Google like the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and number one is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people huh" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes, we legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear to God I'd rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean. Don't be mad at me this place sucks guys. I'm gunna give you some fun facts" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nuh, shut up it's my show..I'm not doing this" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gunna bring a little fun to your boring Australian lives"</p><p><br /></p><p>"In tomorrow's Elimination Chamber I am the only champion competing"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am the youngest opponent by a decade"</p><p><br /></p><p>"No offence old men"</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a new era and ya all about to be washed out"</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, make no mistake. I'm only here cause I have to be"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will win the Elimination Chamber"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania"</p><p><br /></p><p>"And I will become double champ"</p><p><br /></p><p>"What" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Perth, consider yourself Logan Paul's stepping stone" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Randy, while you were gone with your back surgery this idiot weaselled his way into our industry and now we have to deal with him Alamos ever week. It's pretty brutal, but we can take care of him tomorrow in the chamber. What do you guys think?" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"And met me assure you, everyone Logan wishes you we're stranded in the middle of the ocean and not here" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"Me to. Me to" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, what's the matter Kevin. You looking a little flush. It's a little hot out there. You want some Prime. You looking a little hydrated my guy. There you go. Take a sip Give me my bottle back. Give me my bottle. You can't wait till tomorrow. Anger management cost you that last match" LP</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H tears apart Logan Paul and Kevin Owens: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xb2qVmDYKQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins leads Perth crowd in trashing The Rock: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3weiCozfxY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Belair stares down Becky Lynch: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660XLMDp67o&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley rallies all of Australia against Nia Jax: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDgTROk2lfk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley and Grayson Waller toast a Shoey to the Perth crowd: Elimination Chamber Press Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9oncmb9zxU&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEEliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #wwepress #wwemedia #LoganPaul #quotes #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TripleH #RheaRipley #SethRollins #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #MichaelCole #CoreyGraves #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #OptusStadium #pressevent #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #popculture #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #x #mediaevent #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler" - Socrates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Stoism Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/stoicism_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Socrates #quote #Zeus #wrestler #wrestling #runner #sports #bestquotes #BQOTD #GreekPhilosopher #philosopher #Philosophy #stoic #stoicism #mbs #mindbodyspirit #sports #world #Greece #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Wrestling needs to be about the art form again. It needs to be about painting a picture and having a really good match.” - Terry Gene Bollea (Hulk Hogan)</p><p><br /></p><p>#HulkHogan #quote #wrestling #prowrestling #artform #TerryFunk #sportsentertainment #legend #legends #wrestlinglegends #entertainment #PopCulture #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>February 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker, former WWE NXT @WWENXT champion and NXT Tag Team champion to make SmackDown in-ring debut! It's bound to be a dog day afternoon for someone.</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Authors of Pain (The Final Testament) vs Street Profits</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate vs Judgment Day (“Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh)</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton vs Liv Morgan. It well may be Tiffy Time! Stratton says it's "her universe"</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes his SmackDown debut: WWE Now, February 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae32pT708D0&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing SmackDown’s newest Superstar, Bron Breakker</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0vzfgFDaYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin celebrate winning: NXT, Feb. 20, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReAVOpVdZKk&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #wwemedia #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown: February 23, 2024 </p><p><br /></p><p>Explosive SmackDown moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuXVuB9U&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Like Dirty Dom wandered into the wrong cell block" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Simply switched places at the wrong time" Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO is here and Logan Paul is here. What could possible go wrong" CG</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre becomes Elimination Chamber chaos: SmackDown, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5idcBgnw8U&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"We know that the United States champion never misses an opportunity to go viral" Corey Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"I dunna but here's heading our way and there just so happens to be a seat right here" Wade Barrett</p><p>“The Grayson Waller Effect” is coming home: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDVraD9oO8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker makes a dominant SmackDown debut: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeYCdvPFMk&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. “Dirty” Dom Mysterio & JD McDonagh: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNSznsWHsg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross injures Bobby Lashey with a steel chair attack: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImE2bHiTrQ4&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The final chapter by AOP. Montez Ford keeps it alive" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"600 pounds of unbridled rage" WB</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Karrion Kross shows The Pride a frightening future: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bS2iRUlb74&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Now it's done. Ya understand, it's done. We've been leaving you laying weeks at a time. Over and over and over again...Profits, I'll tell you again. Bobby does not like associating with people who can't keep up"... Karrion Kross</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma ambush The LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLlS7oEP-1M&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5T5fCY_uNQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tiffy's had enough" CG</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't blame her" WB</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #BronBreakker #Steiner #DogFacedGremlin #DogDayAfternoon #DogDay #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #NickAldis #AuthorsOfPain #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #StreetProfits #JudgementDay #TiffanyStratton #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #creativity #entertainment #popculture #FOX #wrestlingfox #wrestlingfoxes #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth Kickoff: February 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iYYJKGXi8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#EliminationChamber #WWEChamber #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #DrewMcIntyre #LAKnight #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #RandyOrton #RKO #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #NiaJax #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #LivMorgan #wwewomen #GWEffect #GraysonWaller #Catch #RoadToWrestleMania #wwenews #story #storylines #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #Video #Videos #broadcast #broadcasting #AndStill #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #USA #Perth #WesternAustralia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @ufc </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC #UFCMexico #UFCMexicoCity #UFCFightNight #FightNight237 #FightNight #Moreno #Royval #BrandonMoreno #BrandonRoyval #AssassinBaby #YairRodriguez #BrianOrtega #MMA #mixedmartialarts #comabtsports #ArenaCDMX #sportsnews #sportsmedia #Video #Videos #YouTube #ESPN #highlights #moments #preview #interviews #bio #entertainment #LiveSports #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Supergroup, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang, fire on all cylinders! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WamkDRvii48&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa continues her return momentum! | 2/24/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK2hhg6zlS0&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>FTR returns to AEW Collision to face STP’s Taylor & Moriarty! | 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc8xkMb5BvQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"You are looking live at the Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri when Collision in live here on TNT" .. Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara takes on Don Callis Family’s Powerhouse Hobbs in a NO DQ match!| 2/24/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNkenCv_GgA&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson v Jun Akiyama + FTR v Taylor & Moriarty | AEW Control Center: Springfield, 2/23/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3VWcr7JD1Q&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The EVPs, Matthew & Nicholas Jackson, are coming for the AEW World Tag Champs! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9yQ0itSiXw&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW World Champ Joe, Strickland, & Cage vs Hangman, RVD, & FTW Champ Hook! | 2/21/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkbintHOOdc&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Sammy Guevara comes face-to-face with The Don Callis Family! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CABuVbJQZ1U&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong faces Jake Hager! | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbVuONbqud4&t=102s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Could Mariah May continue her momentum against Anna Jay? | 2/23/24 AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD70iPD07Lg&t=4s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Episode 2: Dog Shark Party | Johnny Loves Taya</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmE8eWiObXE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: AEW maintains its more gritty and edgy genre. Having points of difference is freqently a reason for success of challanger brands in many forms of business including sports and showbiz. Strong emotion and heat in the fued with Sammy Guevara vs Don Callis and Will Hobbs. FTR going up the ratings. Plenty of teams gunning for them! Risk management required for AEW powers that be with so much action in and out of the ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEWRampage #AEWRevolution #prowrestling #wrestling #FTR #Supergroup #BBSG #ThunderRosa #SammyGuevara #DonCallis #DonCallisFamily #YoungBucks #EVPS #SwerveStrickland #SamoaJoe #Hook #RVD #TNT #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #Video #Videos #highlights #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>Hyperlink (backlink/s)</p><p><br /></p><p>Computing: noun: hyperlink; plural noun: hyperlinks</p><p>a link from a hypertext document to another location, activated by clicking on a highlighted word or image.</p><p><br /></p><p>Create a hyperlink between (doc or parts of a document)."thumbnail images which are hyperlinked</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Text Links (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/text_links.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business brands using affiliate programs open to and embracing flat fee campaigns by online publishers under the right terms and conditions says Media Man agency</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_brands.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Publishers Battle For Success</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_publishers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Web Tips (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/web_tips.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Advertising Directory</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/creative_advertising.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#hyperlink #hyperlinks #textlink #textlinks #linking #backlink #backlinks #webtips #SEO #searchengineoptimization #SEM #SERP #SERPS #algorithm #Algorithms #onlinenews #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #keyword #keywords #metatag #metatags #brand #branding #webbiz #webpubishing #onlinepublishing #onlinepublisher #trend #trends #AI #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Bitcoin Halving Create Overnight Millionaires?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the initial euphoria around the new spot Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has started to fade, it's time to move on to the next major catalyst for Bitcoin: the halving event in April. According to a growing number of analysts, this could really send its price soaring.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Bitcoin ETF issuer Grayscale (NYSEMKT: GBTC), the impact of this halving could exceed any of the three previous Bitcoin halvings. But is that really the case? There are three key reasons this event might end up disappointing crypto investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Buy the rumor, sell the news</p><p>As we've seen with the spot Bitcoin ETFs, the market is getting a lot smarter about pricing in the impact of each new Bitcoin event. If you subscribe to the efficient markets hypothesis, which says that the market efficiently prices in new information about any asset, then this is exactly what you would expect.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the case of the Bitcoin ETFs, the market had a good grip on when they should come along, as well as which firms were likely to win approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). So it didn't come as much of a surprise when the SEC finally approved the spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>The market had already priced in the effect of this move. In the six months from June 2023 to January 2024, the price of Bitcoin soared in anticipation. Thus, when the news finally came, Bitcoins prices actually headed lower -- not higher, as many people had thought. As it turned out, the preliminary gains were a bit too optimistic in the short term.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, could the same thing happen again, this time with the halving? At the end of last year, some analysts were already starting to predict that some of the halving impact had already been priced in. This makes sense, given how much attention Bitcoin now has from Wall Street and big institutional investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving is no longer a surprise event for them, as it might have been back in 2012, 2016, or even 2020. It's a highly predictable thing with several cycles of historical precedent. And the crypto market is no longer as inefficient as it was just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Correlation does not imply causation</p><p>Within the Grayscale report on the Bitcoin halving, one of the most interesting sections was an analysis of the overall macroeconomic situation during the time of each halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>The halving events of 2012, 2016, and 2020 lined up with important macroeconomic events that might have had much more to do with the price of Bitcoin soaring than the halving itself.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Take the May 2020 halving, for example. The market was coping with the shock of the pandemic, and a new wave of government stimulus money helped to prop up investment markets. Some people took their stimulus checks and put them all into crypto. So when Bitcoin eventually surged to an all-time high in November 2021, was it due to the halving, or to the broader macroeconomic situation?</p><p><br /></p><p>All of which is to say that investors might be falling into the correlation/causation trap. They see three distinct periods when Bitcoin rallied, and the natural assumption is that there must be some sort of causation going on. Maybe there's not.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Past performance is no guarantee of future results</p><p>Lastly, just because Bitcoin has rallied three times after three halving events does not mean that it is going to happen again, just like clockwork. It's like flipping a coin three times, getting heads each time, and assuming that there is a greater than 50% chance of it being heads on the fourth flip.</p><p><br /></p><p>And remember: Bitcoin is scheduled to undergo halving cycles every four years from now until 2140. Does anyone really think that Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high in each of the next 30 or so halving cycles? At some point, the effect will likely vanish.</p><p><br /></p><p>Granted, Grayscale makes several noteworthy points in its report on the Bitcoin halving. For example, it says that the new spot Bitcoin ETFs are a factor that has never existed in previous halving cycles. This matters because the demand for Bitcoin from these ETFs should soak up any selling pressure that might occur from Bitcoin miners as a result of the halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't expect the price of Bitcoin to skyrocket overnight</p><p>Even if you think that the halving will have a significant impact on the price of Bitcoin, just remember that the price gains after a halving usually take 12 to 18 months. Consider the past halving: It took place in May 2020, but Bitcoin didn't reach its all-time high of $69,000 until November 2021 -- a full 18 months later. As a result, don't expect a sudden jump in the price of Bitcoin from its current level of around $50,000.</p><p><br /></p><p>Should you invest $1,000 in Bitcoin right now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Before you buy stock in Bitcoin, consider this:</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Bitcoin wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Anticipated Bitcoin Energy Debate in Email Thread With Early Collaborators</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi Nakamoto warned that Bitcoin could become a significant consumer of energy in 2009 emails.</p><p><br /></p><p>Proof of Work is central to Bitcoin's security but debated for high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>Satoshi foresaw non-financial uses for blockchain and expressed concerns about legal scrutiny.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a recently released batch of emails posted by Martii 'Sirius' Malmi, an early collaborator on Bitcoin's code, Satoshi Nakamoto warned that the cryptocurrency – now the world's largest digital asset – could become an energy guzzler.</p><p><br /></p><p>The email release comes as Craig Wright is on trial in a case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to determine whether he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Proof of Work is the only solution I've found to make p2p e-cash work without a trusted third party," Satoshi wrote in May 2009, calling Proof of Work (PoW) "fundamental to coordinating the network and preventing double-spending."</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is a consensus algorithm used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure the network and prevent double-spending by requiring miners to solve complex computational puzzles, which in turn validates transactions and adds new blocks to the blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>PoW is at the center of a debate around Bitcoin's energy consumption. While the cryptocurrency industry points to miners' use of clean or orphaned power, which would otherwise go to waste, critics are laser-focused on the raw numbers of energy consumption it generates.</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result, some jurisdictions like New York State or British Columbia have placed moratoriums on Bitcoin mining, citing the high energy consumption.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If it did grow to consume significant energy, I think it would still be less wasteful than the labour and resource intensive conventional banking activity it would replace," Satoshi wrote. "The cost would be an order of magnitude less than the billions in banking fees that pay for all those brick-and-mortar buildings, skyscrapers, and junk mail credit card offers."</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 research from Galaxy Digital showed that Bitcoin uses half the energy of the banking or gold mining industries.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ironic if we end up having to choose between economic liberty and conservation," Satoshi continued.</p><p><br /></p><p>Non-financial uses of Blockchain</p><p>Blockchain serving as a sort of open-source notary was one non-financial use of Bitcoin that Satoshi saw in the technology, which would allow users to securely timestamp documents to prove their existence at a specific point in time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Bitcoin is a distributed secure timestamp server for transactions," Satoshi wrote. "A few lines of code could create a transaction with an extra hash in it of anything that needs to be timestamped."</p><p><br /></p><p>Legal concerns</p><p>Satoshi was also concerned that labelling Bitcoin as a sort of investment might bring legal scrutiny from authorities.</p><p><br /></p><p>"There are a lot of things you can say on the sourceforge site that I can't say on my own site," he wrote. "Even so, I'm uncomfortable with explicitly saying, 'consider it an investment' ... That's a dangerous thing to say and you should delete that bullet point. It's OK if they come to that conclusion on their own, but we can't pitch it as that."</p><p><br /></p><p>Indeed, in the time since, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has engaged in a long campaign of legal warfare around the use of this word and might classify a cryptocurrency as a security and crypto exchanges as dealing with unregistered securities.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright Admits to Editing Bitcoin White Paper Presented in COPA Trial</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bitcoin developers' lawyer, Alexander Gunning, presented evidence that Craig Wright had made new edits to his whitepaper, which Wright acknowledged.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Crypto Open Patent Alliance wants to prove that Wright's claim to be the founder of bitcoin is a lie backed by forgeries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Craig Wright admitted to making changes to the version of the bitcoin whitepaper he presented in the Crypto Open Patent Alliance's (COPA) trial while testifying Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial to prove whether or not Wright is the anonymous creator of the bitcoin white paper completed its third week. COPA wants to prove that Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto is a lie afforded by "industrial style forgeries," and the bitcoin developers lawyer Alexander Gunning is helping them.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Friday, Gunning showed that Wright made edits to the bitcoin whitepaper in his "LaTeX files," which Wright agreed was accurate. Wright said the edits were simply a demonstration for his representatives at Shoosmiths (his law firm).</p><p><br /></p><p>"You were not showing this to anyone, we know the times you were showing this to Shoosmiths, you were doing it for yourself," Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>"What you are doing is tweaking parameters.. to get them to fit " the layout of the bitcoin whitepaper, Gunning added. The file was uploaded as recently as November 2023, Gunning said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunning ended his questioning by asking: "Your claim to be Satoshi Nakomoto is a fraudulent claim isn't it?" which Wright disputed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Week three</p><p>Wright's testimony capped off the third week of the trial, which saw some of COPA's witnesses take to the stand to face questioning from Wright's lawyers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, a computer scientist and the founder of Zcash, testified on Thursday where he was questioned on how well he knew Nakamoto. Wilcox said he wouldn't call himself "pals" with the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator. In court documents, he said that he was not sure if he had any private conversations with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other witnesses were more confident about their interactions with Nakamoto.</p><p><br /></p><p>Computer scientist Marti Malmi spoke on Wednesday, disputing the dates that Wright put forward about Malmi's interaction with Nakamoto. Malmi later released his emails with Nakamoto on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright said in his witness statement that Malmi approached Nakamoto in Feb. 2009 but Malmi said in his statement this was "incorrect," and that the date was actually May 1, 2009.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Back, the CEO of bitcoin technology company Blockstream, said in his first statement he corresponded with someone purporting to be Nakamoto via email.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his statement he showed an email he received from Nakamoto on Aug. 20, 2008, where he said he planned to cite Back's paper about a proof-of-work system and Back responded by sending more resources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wright described Back's interactions with Nakamoto as "dismissive," which Back said was inaccurate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week expert witnesses will be questioned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p>#SAG #SAGAwards #SAGAwards2024 #Netflix #showbiz #movienews #streaming #streamingentertainment #streamingindustry #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #KillersOfTheFlowerMoon #Oppenheimer #Succession #TheCrown #MissionImpossible #MI #MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning #TheLastOfUs #Bear #Beef #LilyGladstone #TheHoldovers #boxoffice #popculture #trend #trends #buzz #TV #LA #LANews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Business News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/business_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #Nvidia #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE @WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Eat Your Heart Out</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won.</p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia? Dream Exposure Won</p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logal Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior.</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel (bad gun) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mummi" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official W). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality.</p><p><br /></p><p>This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is absolutely thriving.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you didn't get the meme, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffiny Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremly dangerous combat sports hybrid.</p><p><br /></p><p>The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top usally are great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charismatic, tough as nails (mentally and physical), an who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud.</p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Statton and Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Booker Of The Year: Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWEChamber #EliminationChamber #EliminationChamber #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #RheaRipley #NiaJax #TiffanyStratton #TiffyTime #IndiHartwell #TripleH #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #RKO #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #OptusStadium #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #Entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #showbiz #combatsports #legends #YouTube #Video #Videos #PLE #sportsbiz #sportstourism #trends #trending #Aussie #AussieAussieAussie #WesternAustralia #OptusStadium #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Screen Actors Guild Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'Bear,' 'Beef,' Lily Gladstone score SAG Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>Stunt and publicitiy stunts? Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning</p><p><br /></p><p>Stars from Oppenheimer, Succession, The Bear, Beef, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Holdovers were the big winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event honoring excellence in film and TV acting streamed live for the first time on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Aniston presented the SAG Life Achievement Award to Barbra Streisand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Presenters included Jessica Chastain, Robert Downey Jr., Billie Eilish, America Ferrera, Brendan Fraser, Taraji P. Henson, Cillian Murphy, Issa Rae and Margot Robbie.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oppenheimer won for Best Cast, Best Lead Actor for Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Downey Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gladstone won for Best Lead Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon and Da'Vine Joy Randolph earned the honor for Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The stars of Succession won for Best Cast in a Drama Series, while Pedro Pascal won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us and Elizabeth Debicki won for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ensemble of The Bear was named Best Cast in a Comedy Series, with its leads Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White picking up the Best Lead Actress and Actor in a Comedy Series Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ali Wong and Steven Yeun went home with the prizes for Best Actress and Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for their work in Beef.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning won for Best Stunt Ensemble of a Movie and The Last of Us won for Best Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia and The Wrestling World Still Buzzing About WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Western Australia </p><p><br /></p><p>(Amended version with some corrections) - Media Man crew somewhat fatigued after so much wrestling and combat sports news and happenings over past few weeks!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Heels To Babyfaces; Land Down Under Bizzaro Land Aka Canada In Bret 'Hitman" Hart prime era; Not Quite Parts Unknown any more; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Eat Your Heart Out </p><p><br /></p><p>Stunning Reaction And Super Pop For Cody Rhodes Sure, there were winners and losers, but the fans won, the WWE and the pro wrestling industry won. </p><p><br /></p><p>Greatest Tourism Promo Ever For Western Australia?</p><p> </p><p>Dream Exposure Won </p><p><br /></p><p>Usual heels went to babyfaces such as Tiffany Stratton who the Aussie's just loved, then there was the 'Aussie Icon' Grayson Waller who had almost 100 percent fan support (apart from a few hardcore "Cody Cry Babies"), which his on screen mate Austin Theory went along with - and it cost the hitman! (who got hit and then some). </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Maverick" Logan Paul aka "Prime Heel" in some circles also drew plenty of cheers and wows, despite trying to be hated so much at the WWE media event the day prior. Heel (bad guy) or not, Stratton's Tiffy Time, Swanton off the pod, Paul's flying cross body off the pod, and Waller's shoey with Aussie UFC living legend "Bam Bam" Tai Tuivasa won over the crowd. Mr GW Effect enjoyed a shoey with South Australia's own Rhea "Bloody" aka "Mami" Ripley the day before at the presser - just in case there was any confusion. </p><p><br /></p><p>The man you love to hate, Logan Paul, made sure to bring his markers into the pod and drew some mean devil horns and other graffiti aimed at rival Kevin Owens. These two fought tooth, nail and brass knux, until it was time for Randy Orton to put Paul out of his Aussie heatwave-like misery with the RKO. Aussie Indi Hartwell was pumped just to be competing in her native Australia (just as well as her team came away with the official L for loss). Big Bronson Reed from Adelaide, South Australia didn't attend as he was busy being new and proud father. Great to see more pro wrestlers with their work/life balance more in tune than what was the case many decades ago where wrestlers burnt the candle at both ends - sometimes costing them the ultimate price. </p><p><br /></p><p>Australia's world champ, Rhea Ripley defended her title against Nia Jax in a hard fought and exciting match that featured a superplex, Samoan drop, tables and plenty of brutality. This new and current era under Triple H, Nick Khan, Shawn Michaels (WWE NXT) and a select number of folks in the brains trust (recalling the late Bobby "The Brain" Heenan), is absolutely thriving. If you didn't get the memo, Logan Paul won Media Man's MVP Of The Card (men), neck and neck with Tiffany Stratton who has converted thousand of Aussie's to Tiffy Time in and around the international date line. Hot heels, hot action and hot big business all round. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's an open secret the pro wrestling is both theatre/showbiz as well as an extremely dangerous combat sports hybrid. The pro wrestlers who get and stay at the top are usually great wrestlers with both strong technical ability, charisma, tough as nails (mentally and physically), and who actually love the game and business of wrestling. Countless wrestlers and would be wrestlers have found out just how difficult the business is, and very few enjoy sustainable careers. These pros make it look easy (sort of), when it is anything but. Fans, make no mistake - you are looking at the best of the best. </p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie's, both the wrestlers and fans, did the Land Down Under proud. </p><p><br /></p><p>Future Champ Picks: Waller, Stratton and Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Booker Of The Year: Triple H </p><p> </p><p>Heel Of The Year fav (thus far): Logan Paul </p><p><br /></p><p>Get your official winners and results via the WWE website. </p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel </p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, Logan Paul and the Chamber Superstars brawl: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 23, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=YK56nLGAhtY&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights https://youtube.com/watch?v=MPipUwYWgXw&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Elimination Chamber Results and Highlights: WWE Now, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=grKZ_Cn22PY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhea Ripley celebrates her emotional homecoming: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=cDboENIH8_U&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Indi Hartwell is happy to be home in Australia: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 exclusive https://youtube.com/watch?v=tDKTVQahCtk&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p> </p><p>Top 10 moments from WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: WWE Top 10, Feb. 24, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=Khhpxkcu410&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber Match: WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 highlights </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=1rJDiNzSE_s&t=25s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE impacts the community in Perth, Western Australia https://youtube.com/watch?v=LEBhY2QBRX0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber Press Event: Feb. 22, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=T7752CMfFEU&t=24s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber (Media Man Int) </p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_elimination.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>National Wrestling Alliance </p><p>@nwa</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>"The CW has made a big commitment to sports, and they have an incredible top-tier streaming platform. The network’s audience represents a very wide swath of American culture—which wrestling has always been a key part of. This partnership gives us the opportunity to reach that audience more readily. We’re excited to get the chance to show there are other voices in professional wrestling. With NWA, there’s honesty, integrity, and a different level of swagger, because it’s coming from the underground. It’s similar to rock ‘n’ roll in this respect. With The CW behind us, we’re pulling NWA into the light where fans can appreciate its authenticity" Billy Corgan</p><p><br /></p><p>BILLY CORGAN & NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE (NWA) ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH THE CW NETWORK</p><p><br /></p><p>STREAMING FLAGSHIP PROGRAM NWA POWERRR & MARQUEE EVENTS SUCH AS PARANOIA NOW</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>MUCH ANTICIPATED NWA SIGNATURE LIVE EVENT HARD TIMES 2024 ON MARCH 2 FROM DOTHAN, AL SLATED TO BE MONUMENTAL PROGRAMMING ON NWA POWERRR</p><p><br /></p><p>SET TO PREMIERE UNTITLED UNSCRIPTED SERIES STARRING BILLY CORGAN IN 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Billy Corgan and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Announce Deal With The CW Network</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb 21, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LOS ANGELES, C.A. (News Release) — GRAMMY® Award-winning founder of The Smashing Pumpkins and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) President Billy Corgan proudly announces an exclusive streaming deal for NWA with The CW. Under this newly minted all-encompassing partnership, multiple NWA programs will be streaming and on-demand via The CW platform and portal in the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Democratizing access to action-packed wrestling from some of the sport’s biggest, boldest, and brightest personalities, all programming is notably available free of charge and without a subscription via The CW app. It represents a monumental power move for NWA. The partnership not only amplifies the brand’s presence throughout popular culture and the zeitgeist, but it also sets a precedent for wrestling, at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flagship program NWA Powerrr is live on the platform now and features ‘Return to Robarts’ programming emanating from the historic Robarts Arena in Sarasota Florida. New episodes air weekly on Tuesdays with past seasons also available to stream. Additionally, the much-anticipated Paranoia Live Event on Powerrr is also now available on The CW. Shot on January 13, 2024 at Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the signature live event Paranoia features some of the league’s top stars and a myriad of thrilling high-octane matches. Next up, the massive signature live event Hard Times 2024 will premiere on the platform as part of future episodes of NWA Powerrr, streaming on both http://CWTV.com and the CW app.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, a brand new unscripted untitled series about Corgan’s life, family, role as President of NWA, and his “day job” will also debut on The CW later this year. Co-produced by Corgan’s own production company Lightning One Inc. and Nacelle Company, it offers an unprecedented vignette into every dimension of his world with unparalleled candor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corgan continues to deepen the storied mythos and legacy of NWA—one of the oldest and most prestigious professional wrestling brands in the world. He has carefully curated matches and sought-out exciting new talent, building a haven for future superstars to shine with attitude, integrity, power, and panache.</p><p><br /></p><p>As such, NWA currently serves as a home to the likes of EC3, Matt Cardona, “Thrillbilly” Silas Mason, Trevor Murdoch, Thom Latimer, The Immortals (Odinson and Kratos), Blunt Force Trauma (Damage and Carnage), Aron Stevens, Austin Idol, The Insane Clown Posse’s Violent J, The Brothers of Funstruction Yabo and Ruffo, Colby Corino, Mims, Max the Impaler, “The Sinister Minister” Father James Mitchell, Burchill, Bryan Idol, Natalia Markova, Kerry Morton, Alex Taylor, May Valentine, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>With more heavyweights, more drama, and the most bravado, Billy Corgan, The CW, and NWA will enthral and thrill inside and outside of the ring throughout 2024 and beyond. Stay tuned.</p><p><br /></p><p>NWA Official YouTube Channel</p><p>http://youtube.com/nwa</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</p><p><br /></p><p>In Case You Blinked And Missed It</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto’s catch-up - Feb 23, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market rebounded in the overnight session, supported by a return of optimism in stocks after a cheering Nvidia report. The crypto capitalisation was up over 1% in 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The impressive gains were much stronger than the market, with BNB up 5% in one day and 10.5% in seven days, compared to BTC's +0.6% and -0.9% over the same periods. Still, BNB is playing catch-up over a broader time frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin managed to hold above $50K on Wednesday, where it found buyers and is once again trading at its preferred level of $52K, near which we see daily opens and closes for the eighth consecutive day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum proved earlier in the day that it is in rapid growth mode, characterised by lightning-fast corrections. On Thursday morning, the price was back above $3000, close to the highest since April 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>Ophelia Snyder, president of 21Shares, said the launch of the Bitcoin ETF was a great success, but the financial gap between the largest issuers could leave three to five funds in the market.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had de-anonymised several cryptocurrency wallets belonging to the hacker group LockBit and imposed sanctions on those associated with them.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unidentified Ethereum whale transferred 1,732 ETH (~$5.15 million) to the Kraken crypto exchange after 8.5 years of inactivity. According to on-chain data, the address received 3,465 ETH (~$10.3 million) in an initial coin offering on Ethereum Genesis at $0.31.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said he welcomed the launch of ETFs tied to XRP and expressed optimism about spot ETFs on other cryptocurrencies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has sought a court order to limit the disclosure of confidential information about the case between US authorities and former Binance exchange chief Changpeng Zhao.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Circle, the company behind the second most popular stablecoin USDC, unexpectedly announced the end of support for the Tron blockchain.</p><p><br /></p><p>Altcoins’ reverse traction</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market hit multi-month highs on Tuesday but started Wednesday with a frightening decline. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum lost around 2%, pulling back to $2929, which is the scale of the fall in Solana. Cardano is down 5%, and XRP is down 3%. Bitcoin has managed to avoid a sell-off without replicating the upward momentum observed in recent days.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technically, Ethereum's pullback to $2700 is a correction of this month's rally and should not cause much alarm. However, a break below this level could be a cause for concern.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to AllianceBernstein, Ethereum is virtually the only alternative to Bitcoin that can get ETF approval from the SEC. The likelihood of ETH ETF approval is almost 50% for launch by May and almost 100% in the next 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Bloomberg, the growth of the crypto market is once again attracting retail investors with small deposits - they are starting to use apps like Robinhood to buy and sell digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many market participants are predicting the start of the alt season, but some remain cautious. For example, Markus Thielen, head of 10x Research, points to the continued dominance of Bitcoin with a 51 per cent market share. In his view, the first cryptocurrency's dominance "needs to fall below 45%" for the altcoin season to begin.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch of spot ETFs in the US has had a positive impact on Bitcoin's order book liquidity and ability to trade at stable prices. This is the conclusion reached by Kaiko. BTC liquidity rose to its highest level since October 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI tokens saw a surge in activity last week on the back of the launch of OpenAI's Sora, with their total capitalisation exceeding $15 billion and the Worldcoin token (WLD) hitting an all-time high.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-commerce giant eBay has changed its stance on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and is likely to exit the space in the near future. The company has laid off more than 30% of the staff at its NFT marketplace, KnownOrigin. According to CoinGecko, NFT turnover across the top 10 blockchains fell 55.1% to $11.8 billion in 2023, with 72% of this value related to NFTs on Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro) </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 aka UFC Fight Night 237 and UFC on ESPN+ 95)</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Assassin Baby" vs Royval - Re-Match</p><p><br /></p><p>February 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Arena CDMX. Mexico City, Mexico</p><p><br /></p><p>Video and hype via the offcial and award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Mexico: Fighter Faceoffs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=lVShCnHI7jc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moreno vs Royval 2 - Risk It All | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=F6APdAT0KNk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think Joe what's most incredable is that when Brandon Moreno beat Jussier Formiga, Brandon Morenowas was not even in the UFC. You fast forward 7 months - he's got 2 submission wins"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If he can win tonight, he legitimalty has a shot at a championship in less than 12 months" </p><p><br /></p><p>"This kid's wild" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>Weigh-In Highlights | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCg8JG234oQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Brian Ortega, Tarek El Moussa, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Picks | UFC Unfiltered</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=yGby85KMTDQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Unfiltered w/ Jim Norton and Matt Serra</p><p><br /></p><p>Matt and Jim are joined by 4th-ranked UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and real-estate TV personality Tarek El Moussa on this episode of UFC Unfiltered. Today’s show is one marked by a series of brief cameos — beginning with Mrs. Serra briefly joining her husband in the show’s intro and shortly thereafter with Ortega hopping on the call alongside coach Rener Gracie. Looking to get back to his winning ways in his first fight since injuring his shoulder 19 months ago, Ortega reflects back on what went right for him in the cage against Yair Rodriguez in his last fight before the untimely injury put an unceremonious end to the contest. A proud Mexican American set to fight in his parents’ home country for the first time in his career, Ortega gets candid about what it means to be in the co-main slot of Saturday’s card in Mexico City against a Mexican-born fighter like Yair Rodriguez — especially now that there are added title implications with Ilia Topuria as the UFC’s newly-crowned featherweight champion. Then, Jim and Matt are joined by real-estate TV star Tarek El Moussa, who begins his interview with a stroll down memory lane of how he became a UFC superfan before explaining the details of his incredible life story captured eloquently in his newly-released book titled: “FLIP YOUR LIFE: How to Find Opportunity in Distress - in Real Estate, Business, and Life”. When Tarek hops off the call, the guys wrap up the show with some picks for the two rematches atop Saturday’s card, Ortega’s fight against Yair Rodriguez in the co-main event and Brandon Moreno’s rematch against Brandon Royval in the main event. (Credit: UFC)</p><p><br /></p><p>Muhammad Naimov Post-Fight Interview | UFC Mexico</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=x2AbVE77eTk&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA Official YouTube</p><p>Tracy Cortez's thoughts on the UFC Mexico fight card & her potential comeback | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=salzf4zm40s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval 2 Main Card </p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres vs Chris Duncan</p><p><br /></p><p>Manuel Torres (14-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on Chris Duncan (11-1, fighting out of Tullibody, Scotland) in a lightweight battle</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui vs Sam Hughes</p><p><br /></p><p>Yazmin Jauregui (10-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) battles Sam Hughes (8-5, fighting out of Dallas, TX) at strawweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios</p><p><br /></p><p>Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, NV) clashes with Ricky Turcios (13-3, fighting out of Houston, TX) at bantamweight</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Zellhuber vs Francisco Prado</p><p><br /></p><p>Danel Zellhuber (14-1, fighting out of Mexico City, Mexico) battles Francisco Prado (12-1, fighting out ofSan Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Argentina) in an exciting lightweight bout</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs Brian Ortega</p><p><br /></p><p>A five-round co-main event sees No. 2 featherweight Yair Rodriguez (16-4, 1NC, fighting out of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico) face No. 3 Brian Ortega (15-3, 1NC, fighting out of Los Angeles, CA)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval</p><p><br /></p><p>Flyweights collide in the main event as No. 1 flyweight contender Brandon Moreno (21-7-2, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico) takes on No. 3 contender Brandon Royval (15-7, fighting out of Englewood, CO)</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit and special thanks: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC: News (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>24 February, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Kingdom Arena. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader vs Renan Ferreira. Bader wins with quick 20 second KO!</p><p><br /></p><p>Eblem vs Kasanganay</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnny Eblen aka The Human Cheat Code was the strong fav</p><p>Eblen 500 fav</p><p>Kasanganay was +360 underdog</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS VS BELLATOR CHAMPS: Live Stream</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=zjp3fw8WgwQ&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL CHAMPS vs BELLATOR CHAMPS: COLD OPEN!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=s2k-J0_ZehA&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Mike Tyson Open for PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs!</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=EWUoxKmPhw4&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Francis Ngannou Makes A Big Announcement | PFL vs Bellator Fight Week - VLOG Series Ep. 5</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=9w58U2qVLLo&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting The PFL: Episode 1 - PFL Champs vs Bellator Champs</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=r-iWDltO2WI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Preview</p><p><br /></p><p>More great highlights and moments being added to the official PFL YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Official YouTube</p><p>http://youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>More Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen talks Bellator vs PFL in Saudi Arabia on this episode of Beyond the Fight</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=JTS-zqqi9mA&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't even consider weight classes," Kasanganay told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be the best middleweight or light heavyweight in the world. I'm focused on being the best fighter possible. Whether it's at 170 pounds or 265 pounds, it's just a different form of discipline."</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>IYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (FEBRUARY 11, 2024) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Riyadh Season have announced tickets for the first-ever mega MMA event of the year, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Background</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions weigh-ins will take place at The Kingdom Arena on the 23 February at 6 pm KSA time.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Emanating live from Saudi Arabia, an emerging hotspot for global sporting events, PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions is an unprecedented fight card that will feature World Champions and the biggest names in combat sports going head to head in the PFL SmartCage. The event will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.</p><p><br /></p><p>Headlining the card will be a battle between Heavyweight titleholders, as PFL Heavyweight Champion, Renan Ferreira meets Bellator Heavyweight Champion, Ryan Bader. PFL Light Heavyweight Champion, Impa Kasanganay, who will fight at 185-pounds takes on Bellator Middleweight Champion, Johnny Eblen. Two-time PFL Champion Ray Cooper III faces Bellator Welterweight Champion, Jason Jackson, and in the featherweight action, PFL Champion Jesus Pinedo meets Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull.</p><p><br /></p><p>The card will also feature the first-ever female MMA fight in Riyadh in which two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields takes on Kelsey DeSantis in a Women’s Lightweight bout. PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions will also see Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, make his professional MMA debut. Other notable fighters on the card are Saudi Arabia's own Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Thiago Santos, Yoel Romero, Clay Collard, AJ McKee, Aaron Pico, and many more.</p><p><br /></p><p>The inaugural PFL PPV Super Fight event will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season attracts people from all over the world to experience a wide range of international martial arts and boxing events. It also offers various entertainment options and international experiences. During the winter months, visitors can enjoy thousands of concerts, exhibitions, and other events in Riyadh. This unique entertainment includes participation from celebrities and well-known brands.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT RIYADH SEASON</b></p><p>Saudi Arabia's capital embraces one of the world's biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of the Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. For more information, please contact Riyadh Season Media Center via email: media@riyadhseason.sa</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE</b></p><p>Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS</b></p><p>SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: PLF)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussies respond to Logan Paul’s Perth trash talk</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussies have slammed Logan Paul’s Perth comments while politicians get involved in the “trash talk” and “beef”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling-mania has hit a fever pitch in Australia as politicians respond to industry beef in the lead up to WWEs massive Elimination Chamber match in Perth on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Western Australian’s have been hitting back at Logan Paul after he slated Perth and said the city “sucks”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deputy Premier of Western Australia Rita Saffioti MLA took to Facebook to share a picture with the social media star turned wrestler with the caption: “Heard what Logan Paul said about Perth, so we had a few words backstage.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The YouTuber turned exhibition boxer and now wrestler is the current WWE United States champion and will fight Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, Bobby Lashley, LA Knight and Kevin Owens in the main event Elimination Chamber match on Saturday night in Perth in a World Heavyweight Championship match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans fear Paul may have lost some local support in the lead-up to the match after he trashed Perth on stage at a media event this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul took to the stage with his US championship belt and received a “tepid” response from the crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Oh, y’all going to yell at me huh?” Paul said. “You gonna boo me?</p><p><br /></p><p>“I flew 30 hours to get booed?</p><p><br /></p><p>“OK, if that’s the direction you want to go, we can go there.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“So it’s WWE’s first time coming to Perth and I’m going to personally make sure it’s the last.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This place sucks guys. I said when they said we were coming to Perth, I said we gotta be going to Sydney instead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I mean even Taylor Swift went to Sydney instead of this dump.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m serious, you Google the top 10 things to do as a tourist in Perth and No. 1 is go visit an island full of rats. Not so different from you people, huh? Yikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We legit in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the ocean. I swear, I’d rather be stranded in the middle of the ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Don’t be mad at me, this place sucks guys. Imma give you some fun facts. Gonna bring a bit of fun to your boring Australia lives. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the only champion competing. In tomorrow’s Elimination Chamber, I am the youngest opponent by a decade — no offence old men. It’s a new era and y’all about to be washed out.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So Perth, make no mistake — I’m only here because I have to be. I will win the Elimination Chamber. I will rematch Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. And I will become double champ”</p><p><br /></p><p>“So Perth, consider yourselves Logan Paul’s stepping stone,” he told the crowd on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The comments on Ms Saffioti’s Facebook highlighted Western Australia’s civic pride.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well Done, He should have not said what he said on stage about our Beautiful city (of) Perth and WA at large, Shame on Him. He should apologise to WA Fraternity,” a concerned commenter wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Trash talking is a key part of WWE entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Thursday the official WWE X account posted a video of The Rock following sustained rumours he would be attending the Perth event.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Rock wishes he could be there in Perth,” he said in the video.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He’s going to be there in spirit and that’s all that matters.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He talked about the “bull-s-t” he believed was about to go down in Perth.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said wrestlers Cody Rhodes and “his little girlfriend” Seth Rollins would be going on Australian wrestler Grayson Waller’s show The Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they start talking trash let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen- The Rock is going to slap the p*** out of both of them just like that.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If they talk trash The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, Western Australian Premier Roger Cook posted a letter addressed to “Mr Rock” from the Western Australian government.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As Premier of Western Australia I feel compelled to inform The Rock there has been a lot of out-of-towners talking trash in the lead up to the Elimination Chamber,” the letter read in a possible reference to Paul’s comments.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The state of Western Australia stands ready to assist The Rock in making ‘magic’ happen and provide logistical support so you can respond to this outrageous trash talk.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The people of Western Australia would love to smell what The Rock is cooking.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(News)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Desert gold: Newmont in bid to convert mines to cash - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The multinational US gold giant that swallowed Australia’s biggest goldminer Newcrest in a $26.2 billion merger is moving to sell half a dozen mines, including Telfer in the Pilbara and an adjoining gold and copper prospect called Havieron, in a bid to raise $3.05 billion in cash.</p><p><br /></p><p>Telfer, a fly-in fly-out gold, copper and silver mine in West Australia’s Great Sandy Desert, was part of Newcrest’s portfolio along with the Cadia mine in NSW and Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea, when it was absorbed by Colorado-based Newmont last November.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont, which also owns the Boddington gold mine 100 kilometres south-east of Perth, wants to sell Cripple Creek & Victor in the US, Akyem in Ghana and three Canadian gold mines – Porcupine, Musselwhite and Eleonore – along with Telfer. Two “non-core” projects, Havieron in Australia and Coffee Gold in Canada, are also on the seller’s list.</p><p><br /></p><p>It first flagged plans to offload some of its newly acquired mines soon after closing its billion-dollar buyout of Newcrest, which left it with about 20 assets. That deal cemented its position as the world’s biggest gold producer by far.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said on Thursday it intended to divest assets it did not consider to be “tier 1”. It will hang on to three of its Australian mines – Boddington, Cadia and Tanami – and divest Telfer.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company has already received interest from potential buyers, chief executive officer Tom Palmer told The Washington Post. “We have a number of tier 2 assets that are very good assets, run by very good people, but that don’t make our tier 1 category,” Palmer said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s remaining large gold diggers, Northern Star Resources, whose shares climbed 22 per cent in the past year, and Evolution mining, up 6 per cent, have fared better than Newmont since the takeover. Its share price on the US exchange has slumped from a 2022 peak of $US84.77 to $US30.89 now.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Newmont is not in a position to disclose projected valuations of any of our assets,” the company said when asked what Telfer might fetch.</p><p><br /></p><p>About a year-and-a-half before the Newmont merger, Newcrest’s board approved a $214 million investment in Telfer’s West Dome Stage 8 to extend the mine’s operations into 2025, forecasting the 2022-23 financial year’s output at between 355 and 405 thousand ounces.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mine’s gold-copper concentrates are trucked to Port Hedland and exported to various smelters, primarily in Asia. Spot prices for gold pushed up above $US2000 an ounce in late November, before hitting an all-time high in late December, a recent market analysis from NAB’s economics team says.</p><p><br /></p><p>Prices have largely trended sideways since that time.</p><p><br /></p><p>“At face value, this appears somewhat counter to the improving economic data – with inflation in the advanced economies tracking closer to target in late 2023, which spurred a rally in both equity and bond markets,” the bank’s economists said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reports suggest that central bank purchases of gold have been ramping up in recent times – most notably by China and Russia – which is underpinning global demand, NAB said. “We forecast gold prices to average $US2025/oz in 2024, up from around $US1942/oz in 2023.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont’s decision to sell its share of the Havieron gold and copper prospect, currently under exploration and development, may be complicated by its joint venture status with Greatland Gold, a UK registered company which owns about 30 per cent. Greatland was contacted for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newmont said it expected to produce 6.7 million ounces of gold annually by 2028 from 20 mines in 11 countries. The company reported adjusted earnings on Thursday of US50¢ a share over the fourth quarter, beating analyst expectations compiled by Bloomberg, and produced 5.5 million gold ounces in 2023, more than the consensus estimate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>More Evidence Comes to Light That Craig Wright is 'Probably Satoshi' - Feb 20, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>On Monday, during the COPA vs. Dr. Craig Wright trial in London, a witness testified that Wright is "probably the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto", creator of bitcoin. Qudos Bank’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) David Bridges, testified that Wright worked with the Qudos Bank as an IT expert during the year 2005. He told the Court Wright had given him several documents and papers, which he said "annoyed the hell of me" at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the documents pertained to the forensic and IT services Wright performed for the Australian mutual fund bank, Bridges said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bridges had previously stated that Wright proposed a system that could replace the traditional SWIFT network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial, which is expected to continue through March, represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and the foundational elements of bitcoin. The case will continue for the next 5 weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>"COPA's strategy aimed to dismantle Wright's claims through meticulous questioning and the presentation of evidence that questioned the authenticity of documents Wright had produced to support his claim to the Satoshi identity," writes Susie Violet Ford of Forbes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Bridges testimony, Wright’s cousin, Max Lyman, was called to the stand next. Lyman confirmed that Wright had asked him to ‘run some code’ on his computer, which was not up to the task at the time. Lyman claimed Wright was running an eCommerce business at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyman also revealed that he got the Bitcoin whitepaper but was curious about it coming from Wright.</p><p><br /></p><p>From the court transcipt:</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall Craig sending you the Bitcoin whitepaper?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Craig sent many documents to me, that could have been one of them</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. You do not recall that particular document?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. No. They were all the same type of thing</p><p><br /></p><p>Q. Do you have a detailed understanding of cryptocurrencies?</p><p><br /></p><p>W. Detailed no. But fundamental from an IT systems perspectives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another key witness, Stefan Matthews, Chairman and CEO of nChain Group, also supported the notion that Wright is Satoshi.</p><p><br /></p><p>Calvin Ayre, a billionaire investor in the nChain platform and leading proponent of the BSV blockchain, offered his take on Matthews witness testimony.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If the judge did not know COPA was a fraud after they turned down Craig's generous offer to settle…he does now. I am even more convinced that Craig has already won this case. This is going to change things...but COPA will continue to attack Craig even when they lose this as this is about killing competition not about who is Satoshi and that fight will go on."</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial continues on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Beyond the Blockchain: Elevating Your Entertainment with the Best Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Welcome to the thrilling world where entertainment meets innovation – the realm of the best Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beyond the blockchain, a new era of gaming awaits, promising excitement, rewards, and an experience like no other. Let's dive into the heart of this digital playground and discover how it can elevate your entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Roll the Dice, Not the Coins: The Seamless Experience of Bitcoin Transactions</p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, the game isn't just about the cards; it's about the seamless dance of Bitcoin transactions. Picture this: swift deposits, lightning-fast withdrawals, and a digital wallet that feels as light as a feather. No more grappling with traditional banking processes or waiting for the stars to align for your funds to land.</p><p><br /></p><p>The beauty of it all? The blockchain ensures a transparent and secure process. Your transactions become as smooth as a well-played hand of cards, allowing you to focus on the thrill of the game. So, roll the dice, not the coins, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you how effortless gaming can be.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Digital Diversity: A Feast of Games Awaits in Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>Gone are the days when a casino was just about a deck of cards and a roulette wheel. In the best Bitcoin casinos, the digital landscape unfolds into a feast of games that cater to every taste. Whether you're a card shark, a slot enthusiast, or someone who enjoys the strategic dance of poker, there's a game with your name on it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The variety is not just in the games but also in their themes and experiences. From the glitz of Vegas to the mystical realms of ancient civilizations, the best Bitcoin casinos transport you to different worlds with each click. So, why settle for the same old routine? Dive into the digital diversity, explore the vast array of games, and let the entertainment buffet begin.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Exclusive Perks and Rewards: Your Ticket to the VIP Section</b></p><p>In the best Bitcoin casinos, loyalty is not just appreciated; it's celebrated. As you embark on your digital gaming journey, loyalty programs and exclusive perks await. Consider it your golden ticket to the VIP section of the casino – a place where the rewards are as plentiful as a jackpot win.</p><p><br /></p><p>Earn loyalty points with every spin, every deal, and watch as the doors to exclusive benefits swing open. Faster withdrawals, personalized support, and invitations to special events are just a few of the perks of being a valued player. The best Bitcoin casinos ensure that your loyalty is recognized and richly rewarded.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Digital Showdown: Strategies for Dominating Bitcoin Casino Games</b></p><p>In the digital showdown of Bitcoin casino games, it's not just about luck; it's about mastering the art of strategic play. Whether you're a seasoned card shark or a beginner testing the waters, having a game plan can make all the difference. Consider it as entering a poker game with a winning hand – preparation is key.</p><p><br /></p><p>First and foremost, understand the rules of the games you're diving into. Knowing the ins and outs gives you a competitive edge, whether it's blackjack, poker, or the spinning reels of a slot machine. Next, consider employing a betting strategy that aligns with your risk tolerance. Are you the daring high roller or prefer a more cautious approach?</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, embrace the power of pacing. In the fast-paced world of Bitcoin casino games, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and make impulsive decisions. Take a breath, pace yourself, and remember that each game is a marathon, not a sprint. The digital showdown awaits, and with a strategic mindset, you'll be ready to dominate the Bitcoin casino arena.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto Trends: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Bitcoin Casino Innovations</b></p><p>Just like the ever-changing currents of the digital ocean, the landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations is in constant flux. To stay ahead of the game, you must ride the waves of crypto trends and navigate the evolving sea of possibilities. Think of it as being on the cutting edge of a digital revolution – the early adopter who reaps the rewards.</p><p><br /></p><p>One significant trend is the integration of new cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin. While Bitcoin remains a stalwart in the crypto world, other digital currencies like Ethereum and Litecoin are making their mark in the best Bitcoin casinos. Keeping an eye on these emerging trends can open up new opportunities for diversifying your gaming experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, watch out for the rise of blockchain-based games. These innovative creations leverage the power of blockchain technology to offer transparent, secure, and provably fair gaming experiences. It's not just about spinning reels or dealing cards; it's about immersing yourself in the next generation of digital entertainment. So, set your sights on the horizon, navigate the crypto trends, and be at the forefront of the evolving landscape of Bitcoin casino innovations.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Gaming Revolution: Connecting and Competing in Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>Gone are the days of solitary gaming – the social gaming revolution has arrived in Bitcoin casinos. Imagine sitting at a virtual poker table, interacting with players from around the globe, and sharing the thrill of victory in real time. It's not just about competing; it's about connecting with like-minded individuals who share your passion for digital entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining tournaments, engaging in live chats, and participating in community forums are all part of the social gaming experience. It's like being in a bustling casino where the energy is contagious, except you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own space. The best Bitcoin casinos foster community, turning each game into a social event.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, embrace the social gaming revolution, connect with fellow players, and experience the camaraderie of competing in the dynamic world of Bitcoin casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not just about winning; it's about sharing the excitement with a global community of digital adventurers. The tables are set, the virtual cards are in the air, and the social gaming revolution is waiting for you to join the party.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WishTV Concludes: Your Adventure Awaits in the Best Bitcoin Casinos</b></p><p>As WishTV concludes, your adventure in the best Bitcoin casinos is about to unfold. Beyond the blockchain lies seamless transactions, diverse games, and exclusive perks.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's time to elevate your entertainment, roll the dice in style, and let the best Bitcoin casinos show you a gaming experience like never before. The tables are set, the cards are dealt, and your seat is waiting. WishTV concludes, but your journey in the world of the best Bitcoin casinos is just beginning. Are you ready to play?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>International visitation to Las Vegas jumps 39% in 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>International visitation to Las Vegas jumped by 39% last year, led by a boost from Canadians and travel from the UK, Germany, and Australia. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority released preliminary estimates that showed the city attracted 4.74 million foreign visitors in 2023, 11.6% of the city’s 40.8 million visitors last year. By comparison, the 3.4 million foreign visitors in 2022 comprised 8.7% of the 38.8 million international visitors, up from 4% in 2021. The most recent high was 13.3% of the total in 2019.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New York judge deals another blow to Las Vegas Sands’ plans for Long Island casino</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In a significant setback for the Las Vegas Sands’ ambitious plans to develop a multi-billion dollar resort and casino around the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, a state judge has declared that the company lacks a valid lease for the Coliseum and its surrounding land. State Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor, the same judge who previously invalidated Sands’ lease with Nassau County in November, ruled that an additional agreement Sands had with the Coliseum’s previous leaseholder is also invalid.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mohegan to stop managing Atlantic City casino at end of the year</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Mohegan, the tribal gaming and entertainment company that owns Mohegan Sun, announced Friday it will stop managing Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J., at the end of the year. Mohegan will retain its 10% ownership interest in Resorts, the company said in a news release. “We’re extremely proud of our relationship with Resorts Casino Hotel and what we have helped accomplish,” Ray Pineault, Mohegan’s president and chief executive officer, said in the release.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Acres unveils method to calculate a slot player’s gambling bankroll</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Acres Manufacturing has developed a new benchmark of player value that uses slot machine data to gauge the size of a player’s gambling bankroll. The company’s Player Budget feature aims to replace average daily theoretical loss (ADT) and actual loss, the long-established formulas for ranking and marketing to players. “Theoretical (loss) is simply not accurate and actual loss is often misleading or manipulated,” the company’s Noah Acres said. With the data collected by Player Budget, “you can’t disguise your play, you can’t lie about it, you can’t trick the casino.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Shoshone-Bannock Tribes submit application for possible Idaho casino resort</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In the newest update on a proposed casino resort in Mountain Home, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have submitted two applications for placing the 157 acres of land the tribes purchased into trust status and to allow gaming on the property. This is the next step in turning the parcel of land into a casino/resort complex that would have a hotel, gaming, an event center, restaurants, an amphitheater, video arcade, bowling alley and movie theater.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>California, Oklahoma, and compacting: not an easy process</b></p><p><br /></p><p>When you walk into an Indian-owned casino in California, you won’t hear balls dropping onto roulette wheels or fast-paced whoops and groans at the craps tables. Rather, you’ll see a roulette-style wheel filled with cards and a far slower-paced crowd at the craps table. Ball and dice games are not currently legal in California’s Indian casinos, so the tribes have found workarounds to offer games similar to those found in neighboring Nevada. In order to offer gambling at all, tribes in many states, including California and Oklahoma, are required to compact with their state governments.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Florida sports betting looks like with Hard Rock Bet at the Daytona 500</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Chuck Floyd had never bet on a sporting event in his life until he walked under a white canopy tent Monday, pulled out his phone and put $10 on fellow Virginian Denny Hamlin to win the Daytona 500. Floyd’s play would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago but represents another step in the ongoing evolution of Florida sports betting: He was placing a legal wager inside Daytona International Speedway, where Hamlin and his NASCAR colleagues would soon be competing in one of the state’s biggest sporting events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ABC & SBS Claim Big Tech “Threatened” To Remove Their Apps Unless They Stumped Up Huge Placement Fees</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If anyone is a fan of drama then we recommend you head over to the Parliament of Australia website where a heated battle is ensuing between FTA television and streaming platforms. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA television networks including ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and Network 10 are appearing before the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee today, to argue that anti-siphoning laws should be strengthened to protect local content makers. </p><p><br /></p><p>FTA networks SBS and ABC both say that big tech platforms (which we can assume to be Samsung and Amazon) “threatened” them with huge fees or removal from the app. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In June 2018, the manufacturer of the best-selling connected TV in Australia wrote to SBS and advised that unless we agreed to a 15 per cent revenue share arrangement and a placement fee, SBS would be removed from the ‘app launcher’ on the TV homepage for that brand,” said James Taylor, managing director at SBS. </p><p><br /></p><p>“In August 2023 we received notification from another platform operator that unless SBS agreed to pay them 30 per cent of the revenue we derived from being on their platform, they would exclude us entirely,” Taylor went on. </p><p><br /></p><p>The second company had a market capitalisation of over USD$1.7 trillion he said, meaning we can assume this company to be Amazon. </p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor then went on to say that it was “scandalous” that the large tech companies could get in the way of Aussies getting local content. </p><p><br /></p><p>“It is frankly scandalous that these massive global tech firms can unilaterally insert themselves as gatekeepers between Australians and their free Australian content, trusted news and information – services that have been intentionally developed and underpinned by decades of public policy”. </p><p><br /></p><p>ABC’s managing director David Anderson concurred that they too had received requests for large payments. </p><p><br /></p><p>“On principle, we haven’t paid,” he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Talking about the importance of app prominence, Anderson said “If they can’t see us then aren’t there”. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We want Australians to enjoy Australian content”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Network bosses argue against TV manufacturers ‘clipping their ticket’</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The bosses of Australia’s major free-to-air networks and public broadcasters say laws ensuring free-to-air apps are easily available on smart televisions are essential to push back against the unfair influence of international TV manufacturers.</p><p><br /></p><p>At a Senate hearing on Friday, SBS boss James Taylor and ABC managing director David Anderson accused international TV manufacturing giants of effectively holding the broadcasters to ransom. Taylor said SBS was warned by one company it would remove or hide the SBS On Demand app if it did not agree to a 15 per cent revenue share and placement fee.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“When SBS refused to pay, the manufacturer carried through on their threat, making it much harder for audiences to find the SBS On Demand app,” Taylor told the hearing in Canberra.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anderson said the ABC had also been asked to pay for access, and the bosses of Australia’s free-to-air networks backed up this claim.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said television manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony were the gatekeepers of access to content for Australians, with the ability to remove and restore access on their devices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media executives appeared in front of the hearing into legislation that would mandate app placement on new internet-connected televisions. Executives from the public broadcasters, alongside Nine (owner of this masthead), Seven and Ten support the legislation, and argued they could not compete with the financial power of the likes of Netflix and Disney+, and needed to have their apps placed prominently on smart TVs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outgoing Seven chief executive James Warburton said the changes were necessary as viewing habits changed, with about 50 per cent of TV viewing expected to be digital by 2027, up from 20 per cent currently.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We can’t compete with the global players … You get blown out of the water,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Everyone wants a clip of the ticket, a clip of the revenue between 10 and 20 per cent to actually be on the service. We’re just asking for a fair crack,” Warburton said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beverley McGarvey, the local executive of Paramount, which owns Network 10, said it took her “45 minutes to find the 10Play app” on a new LG television, saying Australians should not have to search to find free services.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you don’t want us, fine. Flick us to the back. But the consumer should know that we are available and free,” McGarvey said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment boss Mike Sneesby said: “These deals being done offshore between big tech companies and big streaming companies are effectively just taking away those spots. Not even if we wanted to pay a price could we get them, and we’ve seen that as competition has grown … those global deals have just pushed Australian content off the front screen and we have no control.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Representatives from Netflix, appearing for the first time in Canberra, said the company supported most of the new scheme but argued preference should not be extended to the networks in search. It also said the legislation should not mandate the positioning of tiles or apps on television home screens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Cox, director of business development in the region for Netflix, said the company had invested more than $1 billion on new Australian and Australian-related titles in the past four years – including more than $500 million on new programming for children and young adults – leading to the employment of “thousands of local cast and crew”.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proposed legislation – which also includes updates to anti-siphoning rules that protect Australians’ access to view major sporting events for free – is part of a Labor government election pledge to protect local content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its opponents, which include Foxtel and major television manufacturers such as Samsung, argue discoverability isn’t an issue for Australians, and that the government should not be interfering with viewers’ freedom of choice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian networks are pursuing digital-first strategies as audiences switch from traditional television to viewing through apps such as ABC iview, 9Now and SBS on Demand, alongside paid apps such as Netflix, Stan and Binge. In 2022, BBC boss Tim Davie went so far as to say the British broadcaster would switch off traditional television and radio transmissions within a decade.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But the online shift means the networks must compete in an increasingly crowded environment – not only against each other, but also against global companies with more capacity to pay for preferential app placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, commercial free-to-air advertising is in freefall, with revenue down 10 per cent in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Streamers are also facing problems of their own. After years of growth, subscriber figures have plateaued, prompting sustained price rises and advertising tiers to ensure long-term viability.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why Google, Bing and other search engines’ embrace of generative AI threatens $68 billion SEO industry</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, Microsoft and others boast that generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT will make searching the internet better than ever for users. For example, rather than having to wade through a sea of URLs, users will be able to just get an answer combed from the entire internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are also some concerns with the rise of AI-fueled search engines, such as the opacity over where information comes from, the potential for “hallucinated” answers and copyright issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>But one other consequence is that I believe it may destroy the US$68 billion search engine optimization industry that companies like Google helped create.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the past 25 years or so, websites, news outlets, blogs and many others with a URL that wanted to get attention have used search engine optimization, or SEO, to “convince” search engines to share their content as high as possible in the results they provide to readers. This has helped drive traffic to their sites and has also spawned an industry of consultants and marketers who advise on how best to do that.</p><p><br /></p><p>As an associate professor of information and operations management, I study the economics of e-commerce. I believe the growing use of generative AI will likely make all of that obsolete.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How online search works</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Someone seeking information online opens her browser, goes to a search engine and types in the relevant keywords. The search engine displays the results, and the user browses through the links displayed in the result listings until she finds the relevant information.</p><p><br /></p><p>To attract the user’s attentions, online content providers use various search engine marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization, paid placements and banner displays.</p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, a news website might hire a consultant to help it highlight key words in headlines and in metadata so that Google and Bing elevate its content when a user searches for the latest information on a flood or political crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How generative AI changes search process</b></p><p><br /></p><p>But this all depends on search engines luring tens of millions of users to their websites. And so to earn users’ loyalty and web traffic, search engines must continuously work on their algorithms to improve the quality of their search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>That’s why, even if it could hurt a part of their revenue stream, search engines have been quick to experiment with generative AI to improve search results. And this could fundamentally change the online search ecosystem.</p><p><br /></p><p>All the biggest search engines have already adopted or are experimenting with this approach. Examples include Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing AI, Baidu’s ERNIE and DuckDuckGo’s DuckAssist.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than getting a list of links, both organic and paid, based on whatever keywords or questions a user types in, generative AI will instead simply give you a text result in the form of an answer. Say you’re planning a trip to Destin, Florida, and type the prompt “Create a three-day itinerary for a visitor” there. Instead of a bunch of links to Yelp and blog postings that require lots of clicking and reading, typing that into Bing AI will result in a detailed three-day itinerary.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over time, as the quality of AI-generated answers improve, users will have less incentive to browse through search result listings. They can save time and effort by reading the AI-generated response to their query.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other words, it would allow you to bypass all those paid links and costly efforts by websites to improve their SEO scores, rendering them useless.</p><p><br /></p><p>When users start ignoring the sponsored and editorial result listings, this will have an adverse impact on the revenues of SEO consultants, search engine marketers consultants and, ultimately, the bottom line of search engines themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The financial impact</b></p><p>This financial impact cannot be ignored.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, the SEO industry generated $68.1 billion globally in 2022. It had been expected to reach $129.6 billion by 2030, but these projections were made before the emergence of generative AI put the industry at risk of obsolescence.</p><p><br /></p><p>As for search engines, monetizing online search services is a major source of their revenue. They get a cut of the money that websites spend on improving their online visibility through paid placements, ads, affiliate marketing and the like, collectively known as search engine marketing. For example, approximately 58% of Google’s 2022 revenues – or almost $162.5 billion – came from Google Ads, which provides some of these services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines run by massive companies with many revenue streams, like Google and Microsoft, will likely find ways to offset the losses by coming up with strategies to make money off generative AI answers. But the SEO marketers and consultants who depend on search engines – mostly small- and medium-sized companies – will no longer be needed as they are today, and so the industry is unlikely to survive much longer.</p><p><br /></p><p>A not-too-distant future</p><p>But don’t expect the SEO industry to fade away immediately. Generative AI search engines are still in their infancy and must address certain challenges before they’ll dominate search.</p><p><br /></p><p>For one thing, most of these initiatives are still experimental and often available only to certain users. And for another, generative AI has been notorious for providing incorrect, plagiarized or simply made-up answers.</p><p><br /></p><p>That means it’s unlikely at the moment to gain the trust or loyalty of many users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given these challenges, it is not surprising that generative AI has yet to transform online search. However, given the resources available to researchers working on generative AI models, it is safe to assume that eventually these models will become better at their task, leading to the death of the SEO industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AI)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Truth About Black Hat Links And SEO: Understanding the Importance of Natural Backlinks</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Links - Blackhat Link Building. Anytime you pay someone to place, build a link, otherwise known as a dofollow HTML hyperlink, exchange a link or to outreach a link via a paid link building service it will always be regared as a blackhat link. There is no such thing as a paid do-follow whitehat backlink. It's all regarded as blackhat SEO</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), backlinks play a crucial role in determining a website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Blackhat link building won’t achieve your long-term SEO or digital advertising goals.</p><p><br /></p><p>There is an ongoing debate surrounding the legitimacy of different types of backlinks, particularly when it comes to dofollow links acquired through monetary transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this article, we aim to shed light on the subject and clearly explain why any form of buying, exchanging, or paying for a dofollow hyperlink is regarded as a blackhat link, while emphasizing the importance of naturally created, editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Backlinks:</p><p>Before diving into the distinction between blackhat and whitehat backlinks, it is essential to understand what backlinks are and why they matter. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are hyperlinks on external websites that direct users to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines view backlinks as indicators of a website’s credibility, popularity, and authority. The more quality backlinks a website has, the higher its chances of ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs).</p><p><br /></p><p>Black Hat Backlinks:</p><p>Black hat SEO techniques aim to manipulate search engine algorithms to artificially boost website rankings, often through unethical means. One common black hat practice involves purchasing or paying for dofollow backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These blackhat links are placed on other websites with the intention of artificially inflating a website’s authority and improving its ranking. By engaging in such practices, website owners and marketers attempt to bypass the natural process of earning backlinks, which is where the problem lies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dangers of Blackhat Backlinks:</p><p>While black hat links may offer temporary gains in terms of search engine visibility, they come with severe consequences. Search engines, such as Google, have sophisticated algorithms that continually evolve to detect and penalise websites that engage in manipulative SEO practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>If identified, a website employing blackhat techniques risks being penalized or even completely removed from search engine results, leading to a significant loss in organic traffic and potential customers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whitehat Backlinks:</p><p>In contrast to blackhat techniques, whitehat SEO focuses on ethical practices that align with search engine guidelines. When it comes to backlinks, the only type considered whitehat is an editorially and naturally created link.</p><p><br /></p><p>This means that the link must be earned based on the quality and relevance of a website’s content, without any monetary transactions or explicit requests for backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Editorial backlinks typically result from other website owners, bloggers, or journalists voluntarily linking to a website because they genuinely find its content valuable and trustworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Importance of Natural Backlinks:</p><p>Natural backlinks are the backbone of a healthy and sustainable SEO strategy. By creating high-quality content, engaging with your target audience, and building relationships with influencers and industry experts, you increase the likelihood of earning organic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>These backlinks are a testament to the authority and value your website provides, and search engines recognize them as genuine endorsements from other trusted sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unveiling the Path to Natural & Organic Backlinks</p><p>These virtual endorsements serve as crucial markers of a website’s credibility and authority, playing a vital role in its search engine rankings. However, the pursuit of these coveted backlinks has often been tainted by shady practices and blackhat strategies that breach search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>But fear not! In this groundbreaking exposé, we reveal the hidden pathway to acquiring natural and editorial backlinks that will skyrocket your website’s visibility without compromising your integrity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act I: Crafting Stellar Content</p><p>The foundation of any successful link-building campaign lies in the creation of extraordinary content that captivates audiences. Exceptional content possesses the power to inspire, educate, and entertain, prompting others to naturally reference and link back to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>By investing time and effort into producing high-quality articles, blog posts, videos, or infographics, you cultivate a magnetic allure that attracts organic backlinks from enthusiastic content consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act II: Engaging with Influencers and Thought Leaders</p><p>Building relationships with influencers and thought leaders within your industry is a crucial step in the pursuit of authentic backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engage with them by participating in meaningful discussions on social media platforms, attending industry conferences, or even collaborating on mutually beneficial projects.</p><p><br /></p><p>When these influential figures recognise your expertise and value, they are more likely to cite and link to your content, providing a stamp of authority and credibility that search engines adore.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act III: Leveraging Guest Blogging</p><p>Guest blogging has emerged as a valuable technique for obtaining natural backlinks. Seek out authoritative websites and blogs that align with your niche and offer to contribute insightful and valuable guest articles.</p><p><br /></p><p>By providing well-crafted, original content that genuinely enriches the readers’ experience, you not only establish your expertise but also earn editorial backlinks within the content or author bio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Remember, guest blogging should focus on building relationships and sharing knowledge rather than solely aiming for link acquisition. Pitch a great blog post, story or report instead of asking website owners to buy a placement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act IV: Infusing Your Content with Visual Appeal</p><p>Visual content has become increasingly popular, capturing attention and enhancing engagement. Create eye-catching infographics, videos, or images that convey information in a visually appealing manner.</p><p><br /></p><p>These compelling assets can be easily shared and embedded on other websites, granting you organic backlinks that augment your website’s reach while adding aesthetic value to the linking sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Act V: Engaging in Online Communities and Forums</p><p>Communities and forums centered around your industry or niche offer immense potential for natural link acquisition. Actively participate in these platforms, providing thoughtful insights, solutions, and valuable information.</p><p><br /></p><p>As you become a respected and trusted member, other community members are likely to reference your expertise by linking to your content. However, always ensure your contributions are genuine and add value rather than using forums solely as a link-building tool.</p><p><br /></p><p>Professional Content Creation: Building a Network of Trust</p><p>The true beauty of investing in professional content creation lies in the building of a network of trust. By consistently delivering high-quality content that adds value to your target audience, you earn the loyalty and admiration of readers, influencers, and industry experts alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>This network becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem, where recommendations and referrals abound, leading to a steady stream of organic backlinks from reputable websites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unlike the fleeting impact of a single blackhat link placement, this network fuels perpetual growth, establishing your website as a trusted authority and ensuring a constant influx of editorial backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not everyone possesses the artistry of the written word, and that is perfectly acceptable. Recognizing your limitations and investing in a professional content writer can be a game-changer for your website’s success.</p><p><br /></p><p>These skilled wordsmiths are adept at transforming your ideas and expertise into compelling narratives that engage and resonate with your target audience. By harnessing their talents, you can unlock the full potential of your content, elevating it to new heights and attracting perfectly natual hyperlinks endorsing your website in the search engines.</p><p><br /></p><p>Embracing the Power of PR:</p><p>An avenue worth exploring is the world of public relations (PR). Accepting PR on your website opens doors to collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities for exposure.</p><p><br /></p><p>By featuring guest articles, interviews, or expert opinions, you not only diversify your content but also forge valuable connections within your industry. These partnerships can lead to natural backlinks as fellow professionals and influencers link back to your website, recognizing the value you bring to the table.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ethical Triumph:</p><p>One must never underestimate the power of ethical practices in the realm of SEO. Engaging in natural backlink acquisition through powerful content and PR is not only effective but also aligns with the moral compass of search engine guidelines.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on providing valuable information, nurturing relationships, and creating a positive user experience, you build a foundation of trust and authenticity. This not only attracts organic backlinks but also fosters a loyal audience that will continuously seek out and share your exceptional content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal</p><p>Not all backlinks are created equal, and this disparity lies in their quality. Quality backlinks possess several distinguishing features, including relevance, authority, and natural acquisition.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from reputable and trusted sources within the same industry or niche, aligning closely with the content and focus of the target website.</p><p><br /></p><p>They are earned organically through the merit of the website’s content, as other webmasters and influencers voluntarily link to it due to its exceptional value.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other end of the spectrum, low-quality backlinks, often referred to as spammy or manipulative, can do more harm than good.</p><p><br /></p><p>These links originate from dubious sources, irrelevant websites, or private blog networks (PBNs) created solely for the purpose of artificial link building. Such backlinks are acquired through unethical means, including link farms, paid link schemes, and other blackhat SEO practices that attempt to deceive search engine algorithms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engaging in these practices can lead to severe penalties, including decreased rankings, loss of organic traffic, or even being deindexed from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Impact on Search Engine Rankings</p><p>Backlinks, acting as digital endorsements, play a pivotal role in determining a website’s search engine rankings. Search engines analyse the quantity, quality, and relevance of backlinks when evaluating a website’s authority and popularity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Websites with a diverse and substantial portfolio of high-quality backlinks from reputable sources are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, thus attracting increased organic traffic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow vs. Dofollow: The Epic Saga Unveiled</p><p>In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimisation (SEO), the utilisation of link attributes has become a fundamental practice for website owners and marketers alike.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of the most prominent link attributes are nofollow and dofollow, each serving distinct purposes and playing vital roles in the vast realm of online linking strategies.</p><p><br /></p><p>To understand the disparity between nofollow and dofollow, we must first grasp their underlying definitions. Nofollow is an HTML attribute added to a hyperlink, signaling search engine crawlers not to pass any authority or “link juice” to the linked page.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, these two attributes informs search engines that the linked website is unendorsed or untrusted. On the other hand, dofollow (also referred to as simply “follow”) is the default state for links, implying that search engines should follow the link and consider it as a signal for ranking purposes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links were originally introduced by search engines as a method to combat spam and prevent manipulation of search rankings. By implementing nofollow attributes, website owners could ensure that user-generated content, such as blog comments or forum posts, wouldn’t impact their site’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>The nofollow attribute has proved to be instrumental in maintaining the integrity of search results, as it discouraged the proliferation of irrelevant or low-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nofollow links for SEO purposes- The Shift</p><p>Search engines began to acknowledge that even though nofollow links didn’t pass authority, they still provided value in terms of referral traffic and brand exposure. Consequently, some SEO professionals started advocating for a more comprehensive approach that recognised the importance of nofollow links in a holistic SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Link Exchanges – The Grey Area</p><p>Link exchanges, also known as reciprocal linking, involve two websites agreeing to link to each other’s sites. This practice used to be a popular method for building backlinks and improving search engine rankings</p><p><br /></p><p>While link exchanges were once considered a legitimate strategy, they are now generally viewed as a gray-hat or outdated technique. This is because the primary intent behind link exchanges is to manipulate search engine rankings rather than provide value to users.</p><p><br /></p><p>When websites engage in excessive link exchanges solely for the purpose of link building, it can be seen as a manipulative practice, and search engines may penalise or devalue the links</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated</p><p>Search engines have become more sophisticated in assessing the quality and relevance of links. They now place greater emphasis on natural and organic link building, where websites earn links based on the merit of their content.</p><p><br /></p><p>This includes attracting links through:</p><p><br /></p><p>High-quality content</p><p>Outreach efforts</p><p>Social sharing</p><p>Building relationships with other authoritative websites.</p><p>Search engines serve as gatekeepers, guiding users to the most relevant and authoritative information. To accomplish this, search engines have evolved significantly, employing sophisticated algorithms that analyse over 200 factors to determine the value of hyperlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>As search engines have become more sophisticated, they have also developed mechanisms to detect manipulative practices that attempt to game the system. Techniques like buying links, link farms, and excessive reciprocal linking are frowned upon and can result in penalties or a loss of search engine visibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Detecting Manipulative Practices:</p><p>Search engines employ complex algorithms and machine learning models to identify unnatural link patterns, low-quality websites, and other indicators of manipulative practices. Regular algorithm updates, such as Google’s Penguin algorithm which launched in 2012, specifically target link spam and aim to reward genuine, high-quality links.</p><p><br /></p><p>What is blackhat SEO?</p><p>Blackhat SEO techniques typically focus on exploiting vulnerabilities in search engine algorithms. Some common blackhat techniques include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword stuffing: Stuffing a webpage with excessive and irrelevant keywords to manipulate search engine rankings.</p><p>Hidden text and links: Adding text or links that are invisible to users but can be detected by search engines.</p><p>Cloaking: Presenting different content to search engines and users, effectively deceiving search engines about the actual content of a webpage.</p><p>Private blog networks (PBNs): Creating a network of interconnected blogs solely for the purpose of linking to a target website, artificially boosting its authority.</p><p>Link farming: Creating or participating in schemes to generate a large number of low-quality backlinks to a website, disregarding the relevance or quality of the links.</p><p>Content scraping: Copying content from other websites and republishing it without permission or proper attribution.</p><p>Negative SEO: Engaging in tactics that aim to harm competitors’ search engine rankings, such as building spammy backlinks to their websites.</p><p>It’s important to note that search engines, such as Google, actively penalise websites that engage in blackhat SEO practices. Penalties can range from a decrease in rankings to complete removal from search engine results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is buying social signals regarded as blackhat?</p><p>The practice of buying social signals, such as likes, shares, followers, or comments on social media platforms, is generally considered a gray area in the realm of SEO. It does not strictly fall into the category of blackhat SEO techniques, but it is also not considered a legitimate or ethical approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>Buying social signals is primarily aimed at creating the appearance of popularity and engagement on social media platforms. The idea behind it is that a high number of likes, shares, or followers can make a social media account or website appear more reputable or influential to users and potentially attract organic engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may seem tempting to purchase social signals to boost visibility or credibility, it is important to consider the potential risks and downsides.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, have algorithms in place to detect and combat artificial or fraudulent activity, including the purchase of fake likes or followers. If discovered, these platforms may penalise accounts by reducing visibility, suspending or banning them altogether.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality over Quantity:</p><p>Search engines have progressed from a simplistic view of link building, where the sheer quantity of hyperlinks held significant weight, to a more nuanced approach that prioritises link quality. Instead of focusing solely on the number of links, search engines now emphasise the relevance, authority, and natural acquisition of those links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Relevance: Search engines evaluate the relevance of a hyperlink by examining the context of the linking and linked-to pages. A link from a website in the same industry or niche carries more weight than an unrelated one. The content surrounding the hyperlink, anchor text, and the keywords used provide valuable clues to search engines regarding its relevance.</p><p>Authority: The authority of a webpage is determined by its overall trustworthiness and reputation. Search engines assess the authority of a webpage based on the quality and quantity of its inbound links. A link from a reputable and authoritative website is considered more valuable than one from a low-quality or spammy source.</p><p>Natural Acquisition: Search engines aim to reward organic link building practices. They scrutinise the patterns and growth rate of a website’s link profile. A sudden influx of links or excessive reciprocal linking can raise red flags and potentially lead to penalties or devaluation. Instead, search engines favor links acquired naturally through the merit of a website’s content, earning recognition from other trustworthy sources.</p><p>Link Diversity: In addition to evaluating individual links, search engines also consider the diversity of a website’s link profile. A diverse link profile consists of links from various domains, including different types of websites, such as industry-specific directories, social media platforms, news sites, and blogs. This diversity signals that a website is being referenced and recommended by a wide range of sources, enhancing its credibility in the eyes of search engines.</p><p>The grey area of digital markting and hyperlinks</p><p>In digital marketing, there are certain practices and strategies related to links that fall into a gray area. These practices may not be explicitly considered blackhat SEO techniques but can still be seen as questionable or ethically ambiguous.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some examples include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Guest blogging for the sole purpose of link building: Guest blogging can be a legitimate strategy when done with the intention of providing valuable content to an audience. However, if the primary goal is solely to acquire backlinks, without focusing on the quality and relevance of the content, it can be seen as a gray area tactic.</p><p>Link exchanges and reciprocal linking: Exchanging links with other websites or participating in reciprocal linking schemes for the purpose of manipulating search engine rankings can be viewed as a questionable practice. Search engines prefer natural and organic linking patterns based on the merit of the content, rather than artificial link exchanges.</p><p>Sponsored or paid links without proper disclosure: Including links in sponsored content or paid partnerships without clear disclosure to users can raise ethical concerns. Transparency is crucial in digital marketing, and users should be aware of any paid or sponsored relationships that may influence the content they encounter.</p><p>Link schemes disguised as directories: Creating directories or listing websites primarily as a means to generate backlinks rather than providing valuable resources to users can be seen as a gray area tactic. Low-quality directories that exist solely for link building purposes can be frowned upon by search engines.</p><p>Backhat Backlinks Conclusion – Summary</p><p>In the realm of SEO, it’s essential to understand the difference between blackhat and whitehat techniques. Buying, exchanging, or paying for dofollow backlinks is considered a blackhat practice, as it aims to manipulate search engine algorithms and artificially inflate a website’s authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, whitehat backlinks are editorially and naturally created, earned through the production of high-quality content and fostering genuine relationships with other website owners and influencers. It is crucial to prioritise ethical SEO practices, as search engines continue to prioritize authentic and user-centric experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>By focusing on creating valuable content and fostering organic connections, you can build a strong foundation of natural backlinks that will benefit your website’s visibility, authority, and long-term success.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-4231752119514514842024-02-22T17:17:00.001+11:002024-02-22T17:17:06.536+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNnWUer-whLWSJ9nplC3v2SsUV0zYut0maEudcIHyQM4Vzw0ATvJH09JEyZI60o8_XCo5x1VkMbkM3DhG4c-4URBUUFZg9Lc_vA33oEN-hLrQnhM5r76koCtwnxWQmpbwGR22D23A2qnkkcTfGYytSLnr5ruwMJD-4ApD7X3jrtGAwOAe74e5YQ/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnNnWUer-whLWSJ9nplC3v2SsUV0zYut0maEudcIHyQM4Vzw0ATvJH09JEyZI60o8_XCo5x1VkMbkM3DhG4c-4URBUUFZg9Lc_vA33oEN-hLrQnhM5r76koCtwnxWQmpbwGR22D23A2qnkkcTfGYytSLnr5ruwMJD-4ApD7X3jrtGAwOAe74e5YQ/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViKXkZcJg2lZ0VV_bCsa-TfxsIEE6UT1NUeiuH2bz3Y-JAtnYMAu6REFQpDHl1-wAFwx4VOSlfXjygo1zY7jTmhmY2ffo4Ph_wAkSrKfsOlKXxUUbX4WSr0piK-IBV0kEUlcO75jSTG2Hn86lf-PEWtwmfX0mreX6YveuZhyy7CVUEbGax2nIEw/s249/blog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="249" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViKXkZcJg2lZ0VV_bCsa-TfxsIEE6UT1NUeiuH2bz3Y-JAtnYMAu6REFQpDHl1-wAFwx4VOSlfXjygo1zY7jTmhmY2ffo4Ph_wAkSrKfsOlKXxUUbX4WSr0piK-IBV0kEUlcO75jSTG2Hn86lf-PEWtwmfX0mreX6YveuZhyy7CVUEbGax2nIEw/s1600/blog1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XCKotXncP1urIKlrVJr3m4ifOOj81JH16aIlrCBmT1u1c-1IBi74lfQcaRyIlqKlVDxGmgVtK9RnxWYFGSsgZFTE-ZrXYylBg7ewwZB6xcI96Ev6vrsrqT-CQK9cjIRrOd3sm2ClPpeJcB-sbXImju86bcs0i2-A5GN59mTF2fJX8vrOB9uV8A/s800/blog_gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XCKotXncP1urIKlrVJr3m4ifOOj81JH16aIlrCBmT1u1c-1IBi74lfQcaRyIlqKlVDxGmgVtK9RnxWYFGSsgZFTE-ZrXYylBg7ewwZB6xcI96Ev6vrsrqT-CQK9cjIRrOd3sm2ClPpeJcB-sbXImju86bcs0i2-A5GN59mTF2fJX8vrOB9uV8A/s320/blog_gold2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f8Yvxju50KTo0pgrGX0Knsd2ZleIYYdjc9FZnsUJ8zt6L3wiK8jByysKVWQSP5LD9IXI9i99mRlxegi3tPWkAYY0yaKMR3t2isF3uRNT89F7h8H6brhbtWmDmPzmqpqcZz1zaS5DP8r-iLZKomySYL7BOJTlCY_ninnLTM_RL5-aZzNwV_UyiA/s318/blog_orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="318" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f8Yvxju50KTo0pgrGX0Knsd2ZleIYYdjc9FZnsUJ8zt6L3wiK8jByysKVWQSP5LD9IXI9i99mRlxegi3tPWkAYY0yaKMR3t2isF3uRNT89F7h8H6brhbtWmDmPzmqpqcZz1zaS5DP8r-iLZKomySYL7BOJTlCY_ninnLTM_RL5-aZzNwV_UyiA/s1600/blog_orange.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Wrestling - MMA News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE . Anaheim, California</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>February 19, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc fighter Michael Chandler issues a challenge.aka call out to Conor McGregor</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE cross-over TKO Group era is in full swing</p><p>TKO Group's UFC promotion had held its 298 event at the same Honda Center arena just two nights early.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 live attendance was announced at the UFC press conference as 18,186.</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw's live attendance is understood to be in the 12,000 range.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was an enthusiastic crowd who appeared to also enjoy the announcement of the UFC's Chandler as well as boxer "King" Callum Walsh earlier in the evening.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the conclusion of the Raw main event - Gunther vs Jey Uso, ended by Jimmy Uso ringing the bell earlier as well as interfering, Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes address the ruckus crowd.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Anaheim, did you have a good time tonight? Rhodes continued for a few minutes (of which the video is available via the official WWE YouTube Channel).</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued: "Please welcome the voice of the voiceless - CM Punk" @CMPunk </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: "CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It is not easy sitting backstage watching the show knowing that Anaheim showed up 11,000 strong and ya all have been hot all night long. Three hours, countless superstars, awesome matches. I had to come out here and feel this myself. And to let you all know this is a bump in the road and I promise you the next time we are in Anaheim I will be here and I will have my boots on" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans: CM Punk, CM Punk, CM Punk"...</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WWE YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A super hot crowd and the WWE - Pro Wrestling and combat sports connection can cbe considered a strong success - especially at this relatively early stage of the game. TKO Group top brass is super connected in the media, live sports, live events and sports business world, and it showed. Recently CM Punk has also been doing some media and hasn't been shy to discuss this forey in MMA, via the UFC, nor his injury as the dangers of pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The positive energy on this episode came through in spades. Well done wrestlers, fighters, WWE team, and most importantly, fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling, Boxing And MMA News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Media Man report</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wrestling with TKO! </b></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><b>Combat Sports is WWE RAW in Anaheim, California - February, 19, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Boxer and Pro MMA Fighter Appear: WWE cross-over combat sports promotion era is here!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler and "King" Callum Walsh</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank god for the captions" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"The stars are out here in Anaheim. Your looking at. Dana White bash" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Freddie Roach trained. 9 and 0 boxer with 7 knockouts named King Callum Walsh out of Cork, Ireland. His next fight is coming up March 15 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden..9 and 0. 7! knockouts. Absolute dog" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>and</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Chandler from the UFC is in the building and now on camera with a live mic!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Chandler was first to appear on camera and be acknowledged by the WWE broadcast team. Chandler just challenged Conor McGregor!</p><p><br /></p><p>"Hey, what's up Anaheim? Hey, you are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet. Hey, now there's a man from Ireland bean been making me wait for too long and I still got one dude on my mind. Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the Octagon. We got some unfinished business boy. God bless. I'll see you at the top" Michael Chandler</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The news has started to trend as to may expect. This is the sort of promotion that can and will deliver both more new WWE, UFC and boxing fans. The cross-over appeal is something we touched on at the past UFC Fan/Media Q and A in Sydney, Australia last September. It is expected the WWE and maybe even other TKO Group social media channels will further promote the surprise combat sports participants showing up at the RAW event in the Honda Center. The WWE X account has already featured Chandler at least once as we go live to web. </p><p><br /></p><p>Getting you ready for more via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>February 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Honda Center. Anaheim, California </p><p><br /></p><p>Awesome Truth and DIY vs Judgement Day </p><p><br /></p><p>"He still is wearing the rain poncho. It's been raining all day in Anaheim" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Southern California with a rain storm" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"R-Truth a bit delusional. I guess that's a word we could use" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Go inside. Put on a poncho. That seems to be intelligent" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Friday night he thought Kevin Owens was The Miz. I don't quite get how that works" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"He thinks he's teaming up with DX tonight.. it's DIY, but you can get with this or you can get with that" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"McDonagh said no more fun and games" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Get with the group ... make money for the group" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"The whole world wants to see R-Truth get into this match.. Judgement Day just keeping him at bay" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"This guy's been running for 14 straight minutes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ciampa doesn't get tired" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm outta breath looking at him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Truth is magical" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long way down for R-Truth from Damian Priest" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great moments and highlights via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's Last Chance Battle Royal</p><p><br /></p><p>"But tonight it's every woman for herself" Michael Cole </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"If you want to get real intense one day just listen to Zoe Starks intro music clearance here. Real serious. The California girl is a beast" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to hop on a plane and go visit" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"You could sign autographs" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nah, they don't wanna see me... There's a lot of Cole miners in Riyadh" Pat McAfee </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been a long week for Chelsea Green and also Natayla. Part of this Battle Royal tonight. They just got back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Speaking of" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Zelina Vega went right after Electra Lopez" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Full chaos in the ring Cole" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"There's 14 fights happening at one time on Monday Night Raw" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Raquel just caught a Viking and dumped a Viking over the top rope" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"No anders" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"People say you've got too many feelings for those anders" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark on the top rope. Baszler from behind" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're down to Zoe and Raquel" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Stark eliminated... Raquel Rodriguez is heading to Elimination Chamber ...now she is... and one step closer to WrestleMania" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"You'd have to think the odds have changed mighty now.. " PM</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE </b></p><p><b>@WWE</b></p><p><b> RAW</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Honda Center. Anaheim, California</b></p><p><br /></p><p>We are five days away from Elimination Chamber and Monday Night Raw is live from</p><p>just down the street from Disneyland. We're at Anaheim, California at the sold out Honda Center and there is a big fight feel tonight" Michael Cole </p><p>@MichaelCole</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>"Can Main Event Jey Uso get it done tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we're starting things off tonight Mr McAfee with a banger" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Scottish Warrior one of six men who will be locked in Elimination Chamber this coming Saturday in Perth, Australia. The lone survivor will head to WrestleMania to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship Pat. McIntyre saying the others want to win. He needs to win" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And has already won. An absolutely stacked Elimination Chamber in Australia on Saturday and Drew McIntyre's rolling in there with aronica" Pat McAfee </p><p>@PatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"This is not something I'd be signing up for"! PM </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man:.Broadcasting live. Pumped. Cody, Cody, Cody! Moments and highlights soon to be added to the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Jey Uso - Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>R-Truth, The Miz and DIY vs The Judgment Day. Truth or Dare?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Women's “Last Chance” Battle Royal:</p><p>Michin, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre and Zelina Vega. We're picking Stark for the W on this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chad Gable. Presidential Wrestling Machine vs Ivar, the Scandinavia scrapper. The Presidents Man vs The God's Must Be Crazy! Catch vs Viking cosplayer? Valhalla and maybe Hollywood is watching.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE announcers may have their hands full tonight, especially with the battle royal and femme fatales flying everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso wants to take Gunther’s Intercontinental Title: WWE Now, Feb. 19, 2024</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=AM9PMdz-WCI&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre headed for a collision on Raw</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=T5x57j02NUY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso challenges Gunther's historic Intercontinental Title reign</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=XbWKHXgwNLI&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Expect the unexpected and so much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling - UFC Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Superstar Opens Up On Wrestling Injuries; UFC - MMA environment</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend CM Punk Attends UFC 298; Speaks To Media On Recent Injury, Risks And Plans Forward</p><p><br /></p><p>"Loosing a a fight in the UFC </p><p>@ufc</p><p> I think is different to loosing to hockey game or loosing a basketball game or a baseball game or something like that. It's real heartbreak for these guys and my heart goes out to Volkanovski right not 'cause I know he's heartbroken and I know the chatters going to be 'Should he have fought four months out after getting knocked out', but that's the fight game. My hats off to him for being such an active, fighting champion. For taking the risks, at 155 against the pound for pound best fighter in the world, Islam Makhachev, twice. Those are the things"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're thinking maybe six to eight months, but I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. The sooner I do that, the better I'll be when I come back...it's good to be back. I'm super happy it happened"</p><p><br /></p><p>"My mouth still works so I'm still going to be able to talk some trash... it's the best part, it's what I do"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's what happens to athletes. Mentally, I think it's harder because the physical pain is whatever. But I look at it just like a bump in the road. This is an occupational hazard. It happens, and I'll be back bigger and better. I'm a clumsy idiot. I tore my left triceps about two years ago, so the right one was jealous." </p><p><br /></p><p>"I think one of the things that I never did before was try to balance things out"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"Time heals old wounds you know. You slowly start to realise, you know, a lot of that staff then happened 10 years ago doesn't matter. Different people come and go Different people are in charge now. Maybe I can go back - it kinds of fits like an old slipper"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>"THE ROCK COMING BACK IS FANTASTIC" 🔥 - CM Punk looks ahead to WrestleMania XL at #UFC298</p><p><br /></p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=eBVw3jmCDQs</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #UFC298 #UFC #Volk #Volkanovski #Topuria #Whittaker #TheRock #WWERaw #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #interview #backstage #injuries #MMA #pressconference #interviews #bio #bios #YouTube #Video #wrestlingnews #fighting #Goat #legends #popculture #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: One of the greatest CM Punk interviews we've ever seen/heard. Not a traditional pro wrestling hype - promo type interview, but from the heart. Punk speaks from experience as far as fighting in both arenas and recovering from injury. Sports based commentary with colour and sincerity. Nailed it. And great questions and vibe by interviewer Caroline Pearce. Cheers warriors.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>AEW Rampage</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A Rhodes & the Von Erichs team for the first time in over 40 years! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxRwDl7eaz4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well this is certainly a very interesting team. The first time The Rhodes and Von Erich familes have teamed in more than 40 years" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p>"Wow. How about that" </p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang make their in-ring debut as a team! 12-man action! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQfSQHGlZNk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our main event our of Rampage continues. A massive 12 person tag team match" Excalibur</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NO DQ! Jeff Hardy & Sammy Guevara meet 1-on-1, for the first time! | 2/16/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cg06QQTI-A&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Exchange of blows"</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is a treacherous position for both competitor Tony"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely it is Excalibur" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Watching the great Von Erichs is a bit like a virtual time machine for long time wrestling fans. Great that the tradition lives on. Having more than one pro wrestling promotion is primarily great news for wrestlers and fans. The compeition of sorts has lit a fire under wrestling promotions across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>And more great action and drama via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEW #DustinRhodes #VonErichs #BBSG #JayWhite #JeffHardy #SammyGuevara #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #TV #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man brand shuffle on streaming, combat sports, energy drinks, videogames, tech solutions, agency deals. For a business media/publicity/online media campaign email us at Media Man </p><p><br /></p><p>#brand #brands #streaming #combatsports #energydrinks #videogames #business #businessproposal #brand #brands #branding #brandnews #ads #adnews #onlinenews #newsfeeds #onlineadvertising #aff #affiliate #affilliates #BTC #AI #algorithm #index #indexing #results #niche #nichenews #nichemedia #SEO #SEM #websites #socialmedia #trend #trends #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"WrestleMania is a week-long series of events, and the logistics of executing that week along with the week leading into it and the week after it are extraordinarily difficult in our own back yard" Triple H</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #wwe #wrestling #prowrestling #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #RomanReigns #TheRock #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #EliminationChamber #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #creative #creativity #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Surfing</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>World Surf League @wsl</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii, USA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tuesday, February 20, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Women's Opening Round, Elimination Round, and Round of 16 Called ON at Hurley Pro Sunset Beach</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, Stop No. 2 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), is ON today and will see the world's best surfers get their Sunset campaigns underway in clean four-to-six-foot waves. A big day of competition is upon us, with the women’s Opening Round starting at 8:03 a.m. HST, followed by the Elimination Round. The Round of 16 will run utilizing the overlapping format with 40-minute heats to determine the Quarterfinalists.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Opening Round is stacked with major battles from the get-go, starting with the day’s opening heat featuring last year’s winner at Sunset, Molly Picklum (AUS), up against Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Isabella Nichols (AUS).</p><p><br /></p><p>The current World No.1 Caitlin Simmers (USA) will surf in the second heat against Luana Silva (BRA) and Sophie McCulloch (AUS). Reigning World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) will be in the next heat with perennial threat Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and event wildcard Zoe McDougall (HAW).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright (AUS) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC), two former winners at Sunset, will battle it out in Heat 5 alongside rookie Alyssa Spencer (USA), while Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will be up against Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) and India Robinson (AUS) in the final heat of the Opening Round. (Credit: WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p>Watch the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Women’s Opening Round Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Luana Silva (BRA), Sophie McCulloch (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Zoe McDougall (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Alyssa Spencer (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), India Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 2: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jordy Smith (RSA)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 3: Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jack Robinson (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via WSL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Johanne Defay, Lakey Peterson, Sawyer Lindblad | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A71UhSLZtsQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly Picklum, Isabella Nichols, Gabriela Bryan | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach - 2024 Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0i3UZcNN4&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyler Wright, Brisa Hennessy, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Opening Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyd5rck2s2Y&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Tatiana Weston, Zoe McDougall, Alyssa Spencer | Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Elimination Round</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfY9OYOLNQ&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Live</p><p><br /></p><p>VER EN DIRECTO Hurley Pro Sunset Beach 2024 - Dia 3</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfESO-GjmfA&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriela Bryan Talks Prepping For “Her Spot” Sunset Beach, From Kauai To The CT, Goals for 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wbdY_ahKA&t=2s&ab_channel=WorldSurfLeague</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Official YouTube </p><p>www.youtube.com/wsl </p><p><br /></p><p>Since it hosted the first Championship Tour event ever in 1976, Sunset Beach has long stood as an old-school test of power surfing. And while timeless rail-to-rail surfing still dominates, a new school of surfers is beginning to redefine the wave with a more modern approach. Who will win out, and who heads to colder waters on a hot streak? (Credit: WSL) About WSL The World Surf League (WSL), established in 1976, is the global home of surfing. The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke. The WSL is a global organization, headquartered in Santa Monica and with regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA. The WSL possesses a deep appreciation for the sport's rich heritage while promoting progression, innovation, and performance at the highest levels. The WSL is comprised of Tours & Events, celebrating the world’s best surfers across all disciplines and annually running more than 180 global contests and crowning the undisputed World Champions across all divisions; WSL WaveCo, where innovation meets experience; and WSL Studios, which offers best in class storytelling across competition, lifestyle, and conservation. (Credit: WSL) </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Special thanks to the good folks and great riders at World Surf League. A flashback to when we were great. Cheers from the Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach to Newport Beach, Sydney, Australia connection up to Sunset Beach. The Ripple Effect! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int </p><p><br /></p><p>World Surf League: News (Media Man Int) www.mediamanint.com/articles/world_surf.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #HurleyProSunsetBeach #HurleyPro #MollyPicklum #GabrielaBryan </p><p>#IsabellaNichols #CaitlinSimmers #LuanaSilva</p><p>#SophieMcCulloch #CarolineMarks #SallyFitzgibbons #ZoeMcDougall #TylerWright #BrisaHennessy </p><p>#ItaloFerreira #JackRobinson #GabrielMedina #SethMoniz #KanoaIgarashi #MatthewMcGillivray #LeonardoFioravanti #JacobWillcox #KellySlater #SunsetBeach #surfing #prosurfing #surftour #surfingtour #surfingindustry #surfingnews #surfingbiz #surfinglifestyle #surfculture #sportsnews #sportsmedia #YouTube #Video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WSL</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Finance / World Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gold rises but within a downward channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>News background</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Euro #EuroNews #Gold #GoldNews #commodity #Commodities #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #CoinMarketPro #Coinbase #Celcius #ETF #Tether #USDT #Grayscale #Stablecoins #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #AffiliateMarketing #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Search Engine Journal @sejournal </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #SEJ #SEO #searchenginejournal #searchenginenews #algorithm #Algorithms #reviews #reviews #GoogleReviews #authority #experience #expert #experts #trend #trends #buzz #AI #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><b>John Shakespheare Illustrations</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Creative learning indoctrination with social studies and sciences, with a major in politicial sciences with home schooling optional for discident studends and parents. Indoctrination101 from cradle to grave. Sponsored by WEF and NWO. Just another brick in the wall 'We Don't Need No Education" (Pink Floyd) or "Schools Out" (Alice Cooper). Educational creative art of war Great art. Best in class. Creative minds schooling Canberra. Truth to power art. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Market Research Update</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>20 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>21 February 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Market Research Update</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>20 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyMorgan #RoyMorganResearch #marketresearch #newsmedia #businessnews #biznews #ASX #BTC #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #Commodities #commodity #mining #miningnews #Gold #WallStreet #NYSE #biznews #markets #tourism #tourismindustry #AusTrade #politics #newsfeed #newsfeeds #data #digitalnews #socialmedia #worldnews #Australia #Aussie #NZ #trend #trends #watercooler #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Analysts Warn of Spread of AI-Generated News Sites</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The spread of websites designed to look like news sites, but which trade in low quality or false information, could further damage media trust, some experts say.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The media watchdog NewsGuard has seen an increase in websites filled with what it says is AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These are websites that are using artificial intelligence to sometimes generate content in mass [amounts], and it does not appear as content and it does not appear as though they have human editorial oversight," said Jack Brewster, NewsGuard's enterprise editor. "They are masquerading as news sites and act as advertising click bait."</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard defines the sites as Unreliable AI-Generated News Websites, or UAINS.</p><p><br /></p><p>When it started identifying them in May 2023, it found 49. By February 2024, its AI Tracker listed more than 700.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tracker looks for evidence that a site has mostly AI-generated content; little to no human oversight; is designed to look like journalists or writers produced the content; and does not clearly disclose that the material is AI produced.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most sites operate under names such as "Ireland Top News" and "Daily Times Update." And in at least one instance, the domain name of a former established outlet — Hong Kong's Apple Daily — has been taken over and filled with AI-generated content.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Serbian businessman bought the domain after the media outlet shuttered in 2021. Authorities charged its publisher, Jimmy Lai, under the national security law, detained staff and froze assets.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Last Edition: Hong Kong’s Apple Daily Signs Off With Million-Copy Run</p><p>Now, instead of news, Apple Daily is filled with "SEO-bait" headlines, according to digital news site Wired.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some media experts say these sites damage legitimate journalism and hurt its credibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think in recent years we've already seen a strong decline in the trust in the media and local news sources," said McKenzie Sadeghi, who is the news verification editor at NewsGuard.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When we see the proliferation of these AI-generated websites that are presenting themselves as the average local trusted publication with human journalists, that creates an issue because it further reduces trust," added Sadeghi.</p><p><br /></p><p>The issue spans several languages too, with NewsGuard identifying AI-generated websites in more than a dozen languages including English, Arabic, Chinese and Turkish.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the main goals, says NewsGuard, is to generate ad revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard found that Google is behind 90 percent of the ads on these sites. The watchdog says it believes the content violates Google's policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google policy communications manager Michael Aciman told VOA via email that its policies do not allow the placement of advertisements "alongside harmful or spammy content."</p><p><br /></p><p>But said Aciman, "NewsGuard has not shared the full list of sites in question, so we cannot review them nor confirm whether or not they violate our policies."</p><p><br /></p><p>Some experts say they fear the spread of AI-generated fake news sites could affect elections. About 40 countries are scheduled to hold significant elections this year, and Brewster says disinformation looms over them.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't think people realize that right now I can set up a website that is completely automated from start to finish and set up targets for certain key words like stolen election or the vaccine is dangerous," said Brewster.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Think of any false claim you want to, and this web scraper would search the entire internet, and find the content they think will be the most viral and produce it automatically," he added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most of the sites the researchers identified are populated with content titled "Who Was the Most Decorated Soldier in the Third Reich" and "Is Oatmeal Healthy or Not?"</p><p><br /></p><p>But NewsGuard also found one site pushing a false claim about U.S. presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and Palestinian refugees. Another site, named Celebritydeaths, falsely claimed President Joe Biden died and Vice President Kamala Harris had taken over his duties.</p><p><br /></p><p>UCLA researcher Shazeda Ahmed says inaccurate information is potentially harmful if people act upon it.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I also worry about what this will mean for media literacy," said Ahmed, a UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow who focuses on AI safety.</p><p><br /></p><p>"When a person reads one of these articles that is AI generated, do they realize it? And if not, there's no recourse and there's not really anyone that's being held accountable for that," she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Part of the problem in accountability is the difficulty in tracing the owners or producers of the sites.</p><p><br /></p><p>NewsGuard says many owners use privacy services to hide their identities.</p><p><br /></p><p>VOA attempted to contact four owners of some of the sites NewsGuard identified via their contact us online form but received only one response.</p><p><br /></p><p>That response referred VOA to a company named Byohosting.com. When contacted, Byohosting did not respond to the request for interview or comment. Instead, it offered its content services.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson teases trip to Perth for Optus Stadium wrestling showdown - 22 Feb, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock has sent the strongest indication yet that he will be in Perth on Saturday night, sending a video message to fans threatening to appear if Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins talk trash about him at the Elimination Chamber on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The People’s Champion and Hollywood superstar isn’t on the card and hasn’t been advertised as appearing. He wasn’t even on the plane with the group when it arrived on Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>But after opening a video message to fans apologising for not being in Australia, he laid the strongest hint possible that he will turn up to confront Rhodes and Rollins during their interview on The Grayson Waller Effect.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Cody Rhodes and his little girlfriend Seth Rollins are going to go on the Waller Effect,” The Rock said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Here’s the thing. I need you and you and this goof holding the camera and this one holding the microphone over here - I need all of you guys to make sure that Perth knows there’s some bulls...t happening.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And if those guys, those guys meaning Cody and his little girlfriend Seth, if they start talking trash, let The Rock know.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Tell The Rock because here’s what’s going to happen. The Rock is going to slap the piss out both of them just like that. As a matter of fact, if they talk trash, The Rock will fly down there to Perth before that interview is over and he’ll do it. Don’t wonder why The Rock can make it that quick. The Rock makes magic happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes and Rollins began a feud with The Rock just weeks ago when the WWE made a major change to their storyline leading into WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock slapped Rhodes in the face at the WrestleMania kick off event after hearing him challenge his cousin Roman Reigns and criticise their real life family. That led to Rollins promising to be by Rhodes’ side when he the match happens to ensure no members of that Bloodline faction get involved in the fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perth will lose its mind if The Rock appears.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE superstars including Rhea Ripley, Triple H, Nia Jax, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch arrive in Perth - 21 Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley has headlined a WWE’s plane full of superstars which has landed in Perth to prepare for Saturday night’s extravaganza at Optus Stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of the highest profile wrestlers in the world went straight from WWE Raw in Anaheim’s Honda Center to the airport in Ontario, then stopped in Honolulu before flying straight to WA in 20 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley posted from her hotel room about two hours after landing as the clock ticks down on her first match in Australia on the main WWE roster.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and former champion Triple H quickly put out a video expressing his joy at being in Perth. “We’re excited to be here. It’s been a while,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also sent an extended social media message to fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Women’s Elimination Chamber combatants Tiffany Stratton and Liv Morgan shared their excitement from the plane shortly after taking off.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nia Jax, who will face Ripley for the women’s championship posted a video with Stratton during the flight, followed by another clip of her drinking coffee after nearly 19 hours in transit. The pair then took a photo together after landing in WA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former United States Champion Austin Theory also posted a photo on his social media of the plane landing in Perth at 12.39pm.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag team champion Finn Balor also posted from the plane, tagging his Judgment Day partner Dominik Mysterio in one shot, in a sign he will still be part of the show despite not being part of the card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mysterio is likely to be ringside when Judgment Day defend their titles and when Ripley fights Jax.</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch posted videos of herself and husband, WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, getting their bags.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE will hold a televised free event for the public onstage on the Southern Oval outside Optus Stadium at midday on Friday. The train station will be operating that day and a merchandise tent will also be open.</p><p><br /></p><p>Theory will also appear at Westfield Carousel at 10am on Saturday while Grayson Waller will be at Karrinyup Shopping Centre at 3pm on Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE’s Triple H gets his first look at Optus Stadium ahead of Elimination Chamber on Saturday Feb 22, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Chief Content Officer and 14-time World Champion Triple H has talked up Optus Stadium to the world after visiting the venue for the first time on Wednesday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>He has also revealed more than 40,000 people will be in attendance at the Elimination Chamber extravaganza on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>A planeload of WWE superstars arrived in Perth on Wednesday to prepare the premium live event which is one of the biggest shows on the WWE calendar.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will attract enormous attention around the world because the results of the matches will dictate what happens at WrestleMania in April.</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H visited Optus Stadium shortly after arriving in town and observed a large group of local wrestlers taking part in a WWE try out in the changerooms.</p><p><br /></p><p>He then stepped onto the stadium surface and was mighty impressed by what he saw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a beautiful stadium,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s brand new. Only I think a few years old - I think right before COVID.. It’s brand new. Just a beautiful stadium. It’s exciting.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is going to be an epic event. There’s a lot of buzz here already in Perth. I could feel it when we were getting off the plane and going through the airport. and the excitement of the WWE being in town.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I can imagine when this place is packed on Saturday - we’ll have over 40,000 in here - it’s going to be quite something.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Tickets are still available for the event and many of the most expensive seats recently had their price slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber is already set to be one of the largest attended shows outside of North America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s Rhea Ripley will headline the show and defend her Women’s Championship against Nia Jax. A six-man match inside the Elimination Chamber will determine who fights for the men’s World Title at WrestleMania. That match already includes multiple former champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of Ripley and Jax will defend the title at WrestleMania against the winner of the six-woman Elimination Chamber match.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tag team championships are also on the line in Perth, while there is huge anticipation to see if The Rock makes a sudden appearance when Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are interviewed in the ring about their feud with him during the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The West Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania - Feb 9, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two more entrants secured their tickets on the Feb. 12 episode of Raw as Bobby Lashley dispatched "Big" Bronson Reed and LA Knight dispelled Ivar. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens and United States Champion Logan Paul rounded the field on the Feb. 16 episode of SmackDown after they defeated "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and The Miz, respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>WANDERLEI SILVA NAMED TO UFC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024 - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Will Be Inducted To The Pioneer Wing </b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FC today announced that former PRIDE FC middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will be inducted into the 2024 Class of the UFC Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The 2024 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Wanderlei Silva is one of the true pioneers of the sport of MMA,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “Wanderlei was an absolute savage who left his mark by delivering some of the most memorable fights in combat sports history. He had legendary fights against Mirko Cro Crop, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Brian Stann, and his fights against Rich Franklin, as they were absolute wars! He was also one of the early superstars of PRIDE who helped grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC HALL OF FAME 2024: Frankie Edgar </p><p><br /></p><p>Silva will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 19th member of the Pioneer Era Wing. The Pioneers Era category includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000 (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted), are a minimum age of 35, or who have been retired for one year or more.</p><p><br /></p><p>A veteran of 51 fights during his 22-year professional MMA career, Silva registered a record of 35-14-1 Draw / 1 NC (27-11-1-1, – UFC / PRIDE), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Kazushi Sakuraba, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson (Fight Wing); UFC® 13 lightweight tournament winner Guy Mezger; former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson; former Pancrase middleweight, light heavyweight, and open weight champion Yuki Kondo; former Strikeforce U.S. middleweight champion Eugene Jackson; and former WEC® light heavyweight champion Brian Stann.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his professional MMA debut on November 1, 1996, by competing in Brazilian Vale Tudo 6. He defeated his opponent via knockout in the first round and would win four of his next five fights across Vale Tudo before entering UFC with a 5-1 record.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Silva made his UFC debut as part of UFC BRAZIL: ULTIMATE BRAZIL, which took place on October 16, 1998, in Sao Paulo. He faced UFC 12 heavyweight tournament champion and future UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, losing via punches 44 seconds into the first round.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following his loss to Belfort, Silva would return to Vale Tudo and earn two wins before returning to the Octagon® and defeating Tony Petarra via first-round knockout at UFC 20: BATTLE FOR THE GOLD on May 7, 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva left UFC and won his next three fights in PRIDE FC, a legendary Japanese MMA promotion, before returning to the Octagon to face future UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 25: ULTIMATE JAPAN 3. Silva and Ortiz would go the distance with Tito capturing the title via unanimous decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>After losing his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, Silva spent the next seven years competing primarily in Japan for PRIDE FC. During this time, he fought 25 times for Japan, becoming the PRIDE FC middleweight champion by defeating future UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba during PRIDE 17 in 2001. Silva successfully defended his title four times, and his reign would last for 1,939 days, the longest title run in PRIDE FC history. </p><p><br /></p><p>During his tenure as middleweight champion, Silva also entered the 2003 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix, defeating Sakuraba, as well as four-time World Judo Champion and three-time Olympic medalist Hidehiko Yoshida and former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson to become the Grand Prix Champion. His win would make history as the first athlete to win a PRIDE Championship and Grand Prix. He would also enter the 2005 and 2006 Grand Prix, advancing to the semi-finals each year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva returned to UFC in 2007 to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the co-main event of UFC 79: NEMESIS. Silva would lose via unanimous decision, but he would become a fan favorite as the bout won several “Fight of the Year” accolades from media outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the next six years, Silva would compete against the top contenders in the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He defeated former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann via knockout in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV: SILVA vs. STANN on March 3, 2013. This would serve as his final UFC fight. He would compete two more times outside of the Octagon before retiring on September 29, 2018.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silva enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most knockouts in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 19</p><p>Most knockdowns in Zuffa history (PRIDE / UFC / WEC / Strikeforce) – 27</p><p>PRIDE:</p><p><br /></p><p>Most wins in PRIDE history – 22</p><p>Most knockouts in PRIDE history – 15</p><p>Most knockdowns in PRIDE history – 18</p><p>Most significant strikes in PRIDE history – 720</p><p>Longest undefeated fight streak in PRIDE history – 20 (18-0-1, 1 NC)</p><p>Longest title reign in PRIDE history as middleweight champion – 1,939 days</p><p>Tied for most knockouts by soccer kicks/stomps in PRIDE history – 4</p><p>Outside the Octagon, Silva has been honored with numerous awards during his career, receiving Knockout of the Decade honors in 2004 by Sports Illustrated for his KO of Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 28. In 2008, he received Fight of the Year for his bout against UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell at UFC 79, and Knockout of the Year for his KO of Keith Jardine at UFC 84 during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. In 2020, Sem Coleira, a Portuguese biography of his life, was published.</p><p><br /></p><p>A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Silva began training in Muay Thai and kickboxing when he joined the Chute Boxe Academy. As a member of the Brazilian army, he also began to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He currently lives in Curitiba, with his wife and children.</p><p><br /></p><p>To view Silva’s UFC FIGHT PASS collection please visit: https://ufcfightpass.com/playlist/20539</p><p><br /></p><p>To see a complete list of UFC athletes and fights enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, as well as details regarding the UFC Hall of Fame format, please visit UFCHOF. For additional information, please visit UFC.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine News via Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Google Responds To Evidence Of Reviews Algorithm Bias', By Roger Montti</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Search Engine Journal </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man: Peg On/Social Media commentary</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Journalism, Gonzo Journalism and Life and Business Experience</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with an excellent deep dive and probe of sorts into Alphabet's Google. The search engine has its algorithm programmed by programmers (humans) right! It's programmed to give certain results, organic or not. Almost like a "random number generator" on a game in a casino?! Or, perhaps some parallel, but one gets the point. Not random. Not by coincidence or by accident. By design. The architect of The Matrix?! Follow the White Rabbit to Google's Alphabet and beyond the Forbidden Zone (ala The Running Man, Planet Of The Apes and Logan's Run). Pop culture reference for the day. Be the algorithm and master of your own domain and universe.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Via Roy Morgan Research and Media Man social media</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Copper, gold, and Bitcoin rise; Iron ore and oil fall; ASX to fall in response to selling on Wall Street; US vetoes Arab-backed UN resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza; Assange's lawyers warn that he risks 'flagrant denial of justice' if he is tried in US</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Australian Dollar: $0.6550 USD (up 0.0011 USD)</p><p>Iron Ore Mar Spot Price (SGX): $120.85 USD (down $6.40 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Oil Price (WTI): $78.27 USD (down $1.02 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Price: $2,024.37 USD (up $6.43 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Copper Price (CME): $3.8595 (up $0.0465 USD)</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin: $52,059.35 (up 0.35% in last 24 hours)</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Market Research Update</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>20 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". </p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.: 38,582.12 at 3.22pm NY time (down 45.87 points on Friday's close)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Roy Morgan wins three-year contract to deliver domestic tourism statistics for Austrade</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>From 2025, Roy Morgan will provide Austrade with the world's best practice survey methodology, big data integration and modelling techniques to deliver accurate domestic tourism statistics. Roy Morgan has reimagined the future of domestic tourism statistics to move Austrade and its stakeholders to the forefront of tourism intelligence with a new platform that will drive the future of Australia's tourism industry, which is estimated to be worth in excess of $160 billion. Portia Morgan, the Head of Client Services at Roy Morgan, says that using face-to-face interviewing, which is the gold-standard for surveying the population, enhanced with big data and cutting-edge data science techniques, Roy Morgan will be delivering a future-proofed system that will be cost effective, reliable, and accurate. She adds that Roy Morgan has been delivering survey-based tourism insights via its Holiday Tracking Survey for 20+ years and the company is thrilled to be working with Austrade and the broader industry to provide a deeper of understanding of how many people are travelling, where they go, what they do and how they spend their valuable tourism dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Anti-mining PM pushes BHP's cash offshore</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>It is somewhat hypocritical of the federal government to flag possible support for Australia's nickel industry, given that Labor's anti-mining legislation may jeopardise the expansion of BHP's copper operations in South Australia. BHP is still likely to proceed with an expansion, but the previously touted investment of between $10bn and $15bn is now only a 50 per cent chance. The new labour laws in the government's industrial relations reforms mean that BHP is now more likely to redirect much of this capital investment to its criticals minerals projects in other countries; rival miner Rio Tinto is already doing this.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>More than 2.7 million New Zealanders now read newspapers and magazine audiences surge to over 1.7 million</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>21 February 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan has released its readership results for New Zealand's newspapers and magazines for the 12 months to December 2023. The data shows that 2.73 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (64.4%) now read or access newspapers in an average 7-day period via print or online (website or app) platforms. In addition, 1.71 million New Zealanders aged 14+ (40.3%) read magazines, whether in print or online either via the web or an app. The New Zealand Herald is still the nation's most widely-read publication, with a total cross-platform audience of 1,720,000 in the 12 months to June 2023 - almost five times as many as the second placed Dominion Post with a readership of 341,000. Meanwhile, New Zealand's most widely read magazine is still the driving magazine AA Directions, which had an average issue readership of 379,000 during the year to December (an increase of 63,000 on a year ago). </p><p><br /></p><p>These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan New Zealand Single Source survey of 6,254 New Zealanders aged 14+ over the 12 months to December 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia's leading data companies - with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Market Research Update</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>20 February 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Roy Morgan Summary</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia's leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia's leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. </p><p><br /></p><p>One of Roy Morgan's key products is 'Helix Personas' which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It's totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it's not any particular individual", Roy Morgan's chief executive Michele Levine, said.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: Roy Morgan Research)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Finance / World Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Euro, Gold, Crypto and more via Media Man and FX Pro</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>A strong current account surplus may not help euro</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The eurozone's current account surplus climbed to a six-month high of 31.9bn in December. Analysts, on average, had expected a decline to 20.3 bn from 22.5 bn the previous month. The current level was seen in the eurozone during the relatively benign pre-Covid period and sometime before Natural Gas prices spiked in the second half of 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The normalisation of the surplus is good news for the single currency, as it means more net capital inflows into the region. But this growth has been fuelled by falling imports, which can be the result of lower commodity and energy prices (which is a very good thing), but also partly indicative of a slowdown in domestic demand. This threatens to translate into economic contraction in the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The euro area experienced periods of severe import contraction in late 2008 and early 2010, and in both cases, the economy experienced a severe downturn. Back in 2008, all this was accompanied by the collapse of the euro.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Gold rises but within a downward channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold rallied for the fourth consecutive session to reach $2023, recovering almost all the losses suffered the week before on the back of the inflation report. Gold's ability to rally suggests continued domestic demand, as some investors are clearly rushing to buy back any losses.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, however, we note that since the beginning of the year, gold has been characterised by solid selloffs on the news, forming a smooth downtrend. In the context of this downtrend, a rise to $2040-2045, which is the upper boundary of the bearish range, looks quite acceptable.</p><p><br /></p><p>The area around $2035 - the highs of two weeks ago - also appears to be a crucial intermediate level. Confident buying from this level would be the first important signal that the recent correction is over and that gold is ready to make a fresh assault on the highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Much more important, however, will be the behaviour of gold as it approaches the $2050 level, where the reversal of the decline in late January took place. </p><p><br /></p><p>Consolidation at this level would confirm the breakdown of the downtrend and set the stage for a move towards $2100 and the subsequent renewal of historic highs.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, as long as gold is trading within the downtrend, there is a greater chance of a breakdown or even an acceleration of the downtrend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the fundamental factors, the potential for growth could be provided by the fall in the dollar if Fed officials show a softening of their position, bringing the start of interest rate cuts closer.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the bearish side, equities could come under pressure following the optimistic rally in the tech giants and the news of a sharp slowdown in economic activity. We also do not rule out the possibility that the recent support measures for the Chinese stock market and property sector will cool demand for gold as a safe-haven for investors from that part of the world.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Crypto market growth halted amid capital inflows</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market has corrected 0.46% in the last 24 hours, fluctuating within a narrow range without a clear direction. Bitcoin is down 1% but up 3.7% over seven days, Ethereum is flat for the day but up 10.6% over the week. The top coins are mixed with BNB +2% and Solana -2.5%.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin is currently drawing its fourth daily candle with opening and closing levels close to each other. Such sideways consolidations are characteristic of strong bull markets, as opposed to corrective pullbacks on smoother rallies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum hit local highs on rumours of a positive regulatory decision before the end of March. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffarth bet 4 ETH that the SEC will not approve a spot Ethereum ETF next month.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to data from CoinShares, investment in crypto funds rose by a record $2.452 billion last week, following inflows of $1.116 billion the previous week. </p><p>Bitcoin investments increased by $2.424 billion, Ethereum by $21 million, Cardano lost $6 million, and Solana lost $1.6 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the beginning of the year, crypto funds have seen inflows of an impressive $5.2 billion, with total AUM rising to $67 billion, the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News background</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin will see institutional support in the next three to six months, according to Coinbase. Bitcoin ETFs could eventually become a major competitor to gold funds.</p><p>According to IntoTheBlock, there is an 85% chance that Bitcoin will reach a new all-time high within the next six months. Five factors could contribute to this: the halving of the price, ETFs, monetary easing, the US election, and companies accumulating BTC as part of their treasuries.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since 2013, called bitcoin the most significant achievement of the financial system in the entire existence of money and means of exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amberdata admitted that Ethereum will outpace Bitcoin in terms of growth due to more constructive deflationary policies. The supply of ETH has been decreasing since September 2022, thanks to the update of The Merge, as well as the implementation of a mechanism to burn part of the commissions. During this time, around 0.36 million ETH, or 0.3% of the total supply of 120 million coins, have been removed from circulation.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-7108692924036573722024-02-18T15:03:00.004+11:002024-02-18T15:03:55.998+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Media Man SEO in today's digital landscape<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man SEO in today’s digital landscape</b></p><p><b>SEO for News Media, Pop Culture, Online Business and Traditional Business Models</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvU79hc4o0FRVh1ZpDYnZEcTycfEdiCtN96QaWrnqVR0vGHScqVnA0QHJ7J1YmyJkcL-Z_EbVYEP3sFoD-zRIUo7eDzn20VEqKRw_IG3KsmE7EAfX39qVFiw0ewuHyfqfKhqYTs5SvgAmCPAv0vkCIE_81IHinuUJuMZcsC2_INg55NDQbcaikQ/s379/mediamanint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="379" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvU79hc4o0FRVh1ZpDYnZEcTycfEdiCtN96QaWrnqVR0vGHScqVnA0QHJ7J1YmyJkcL-Z_EbVYEP3sFoD-zRIUo7eDzn20VEqKRw_IG3KsmE7EAfX39qVFiw0ewuHyfqfKhqYTs5SvgAmCPAv0vkCIE_81IHinuUJuMZcsC2_INg55NDQbcaikQ/s320/mediamanint.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9mtphPZsIeK7yRxpO4daC-V9ERuUSZCjo96TqiQ0k8PeRwn6Wl8YZOL5l7ruSKL5liecrE2yEyI_lund0ZjQ932tlxSJhIDW9yZKxHqp4dEQS1mk02C44_2l2k_33gpQtxKTdTw49GAVREVMLCNzxp2zvysMaGz8GrQGTnbird9bcO6bmUcjoA/s139/news139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="49" data-original-width="139" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit9mtphPZsIeK7yRxpO4daC-V9ERuUSZCjo96TqiQ0k8PeRwn6Wl8YZOL5l7ruSKL5liecrE2yEyI_lund0ZjQ932tlxSJhIDW9yZKxHqp4dEQS1mk02C44_2l2k_33gpQtxKTdTw49GAVREVMLCNzxp2zvysMaGz8GrQGTnbird9bcO6bmUcjoA/s1600/news139.jpg" width="139" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC0v2oIaEGs0PAFMUV7g3FbkSwCeHEVii-TBdUEtENft5lMeEzK8v-XOxQqP5mEWK_yPw6tTKSYgqFTUaji0KDfC2VdusMTSTAWTbqPt_v5LeeHryO7sSa4Z4B6nDevJRFpZiLhInPBjZQOG6mBmQ2v15TuHrdIFvoYaGwQrMcKSpp7RqEFSraA/s509/niche_media4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="509" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC0v2oIaEGs0PAFMUV7g3FbkSwCeHEVii-TBdUEtENft5lMeEzK8v-XOxQqP5mEWK_yPw6tTKSYgqFTUaji0KDfC2VdusMTSTAWTbqPt_v5LeeHryO7sSa4Z4B6nDevJRFpZiLhInPBjZQOG6mBmQ2v15TuHrdIFvoYaGwQrMcKSpp7RqEFSraA/s320/niche_media4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQmIJa7Mxvr72jFb54ahBJ94LqmpBxnTotqlO5lXit0BvuucP71jntMQ4tmkFLIQSaD7NC06C3NFOSc4Pdt6NwNBXOqi-a7SpuWvnBifXDhA1TzJ2s3-KWTRocjsC8zPjGb68nVgdYN0Trx3z3ioGlkSkuDUQM6_N0KupSoYPzCsGyUkMtDogbw/s131/seo_gold130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="67" data-original-width="131" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQmIJa7Mxvr72jFb54ahBJ94LqmpBxnTotqlO5lXit0BvuucP71jntMQ4tmkFLIQSaD7NC06C3NFOSc4Pdt6NwNBXOqi-a7SpuWvnBifXDhA1TzJ2s3-KWTRocjsC8zPjGb68nVgdYN0Trx3z3ioGlkSkuDUQM6_N0KupSoYPzCsGyUkMtDogbw/s1600/seo_gold130.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Media Man SEO is important for every business looking to compete on a broader scale. Media Man SEO does not just consist of ranking higher in search results but also includes strategically optimizing your online presence. Similarly, it helps to captivate audiences across an entire country. So, get ready to look into the world of <b>Media Man SEO</b>, where we’ll explore what Media Man SEO is all about in this blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Keyword Research Strategies for Media Man SEO</b></p><p>When it comes to Media Man SEO, keyword research is the most important part of your strategy. Here are some of the ways to find the right keywords every time:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>1. Identifying high-volume news media keywords</b></p><p>Start by finding high-volume keywords relevant to your local, state and international audience. News media and beyond! These are terms with a higher search volume and are commonly used by people across the country. You can use a range of different tools, including Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs, to identify the right keywords.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>2. Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities for National Optimization</b></p><p>Along with high-volume keywords, you must never overlook the power of long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are usually longer than high-volume keywords and are more specific. Even though they have a lower search volume individually, but collectively, they can drive targeted traffic to your site. Long-tail keywords often have less competition, which makes it easier to rank for them. You can make use of tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s Autocomplete feature to find long-tail keyword options.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>3. Competitor Analysis and Keyword Gap Identification</b></p><p>Always start by analyzing your competitors’ keyword strategies. This can help you understand what’s working in your company and what’s not. Identify your main competitors and carefully examine the keywords they are ranking for. Look for gaps in your competitors’ keyword strategies so that you can capitalize on them. You can use tools like SEMrush and SpyFu to conduct competitive keyword analysis and identify keyword gaps.</p><p><br /></p><p>By using all these keyword research strategies, you can find the most useful and relevant keywords for your Media Man SEO campaign. You can ensure that you’re targeting the right audience and maximizing your online presence.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>On-page optimization techniques</b></p><p>Boosting your website’s visibility and relevance in national search queries requires different on-page optimization strategies. By using SEO-friendly meta tags and titles, you create the first impression for users. Then, you can draw them in with short but catchy descriptions while seamlessly integrating targeted national keywords. These tags, including meta titles and descriptions, significantly influence user click-through rates in search engine results and highlight the need for both accuracy and relevance in their creation.</p><p><br /></p><p>When structuring content for media relevance, it’s important to balance readability with search engine visibility. You must use clear headings and subheadings to help organize the content for easy navigation by users and indexing by search engines. Similarly, integrating targeted national keywords smoothly throughout the content is also equally important. However, it requires finesse to ensure that the language flows naturally and aligns with the intent of the audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Always avoid keyword stuffing. Utilizing variations of targeted keywords increases the scope of covered search queries and boosts the content’s national relevance. Furthermore, optimizing on-page aspects such as image alt text, URLs, and internal links with important keywords contributes to reinforcing the website’s overall SEO performance.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Off-Page SEO Tactics for Media, Online Media and News Media Visibility</b></p><p>It’s important to focus on off-page SEO tactics that help your website’s authority and reach to enhance your media and news media visibility. Building authoritative backlinks from relevant national websites involves strategic outreach efforts aimed at creating relationships with industry influencers and bloggers. By offering valuable content or insights, you can incentivize them to link back to your site and increase its credibility in the eyes of search engines. You must also actively participate in industry forums and online communities, which provide opportunities to earn backlinks from respected national sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social media platforms play a very important role in promoting your brand on a national scale. It’s essential to maintain a consistent and engaging presence across relevant platforms. You can do this by producing and sharing content that resonates with your target audience. Interacting with followers and joining industry conversations also increases community engagement. Using paid advertising options on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) can expand your brand’s reach to a local, state and international audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, guest blogging and content syndication are effective off-page SEO strategies that can notably boost your national visibility. By contributing insightful guest posts to different national publications or industry blogs, you not only demonstrate your expertise but also attract new audiences. It also helps you earn valuable backlinks to your website. Similarly, distributing your content to authoritative national platforms, such as industry-specific websites, broadens your reach and increases your brand’s visibility across the country. However, it’s important to ensure that any syndicated content is original and optimized for each platform to avoid duplication and maximize its impact on your media SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Content Strategy for Media Man SEO Success</b></p><p>A strong content strategy is important for achieving success innational SEO. Here are some key points you need to consider:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Audience Research: Understand your national audience’s demographics, interests, and pain points. It helps to craft content that resonates with your audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Keyword Optimization: Conduct thorough keyword research to find the most relevant national keywords. Then, incorporate them naturally into your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Content Planning: Develop a content calendar outlining topics, formats, and publication schedules to maintain consistency and relevance.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. High-Quality Content Creation: Focus on producing high-quality, informative, and engaging content. This will help provide value to your audience and encourage social sharing and backlinking.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Localized Content: Tailor some content to specific regions within the country to address local interests and preferences. The key is to increase media and audience relevance.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Content Distribution: Implement a strategy to distribute your content across various channels. These include your website, social media platforms, email newsletters, and industry-related forums or communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Content Promotion: Actively promote your content through all social media advertising platforms, influencer partnerships, and more. You can also reach out to industry publications and blogs to increase visibility and attract backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Regular Updates and Maintenance: Continuously monitor and update your content. It helps to make sure it remains relevant and up-to-date with current trends and industry developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. User Experience Optimization: Prioritize the user experience by ensuring your content is easily accessible to everyone. Always make your content mobile-friendly and structured for readability.</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Analytics and Optimization: Track key metrics such as traffic, engagement, and conversions to measure the effectiveness of your content strategy. Use this data to refine your approach and optimize future content efforts for better results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p>In conclusion, mastering Media Man including Media Man News (media) SEO is extremely important for sustainable online growth in today’s digital landscape. Businesses can build a strong local, state and international (global) presence, draw in targeted guests, and increase conversions by putting into practice a complete plan that includes keyword research, on- and off-page optimization, content production, and ongoing monitoring and improvement. As search engines constantly evolve and user behaviors change, staying up-to-date and adapting strategies will be key to enhancing national visibility over time. You will be ready to make use of the full potential of Media Man SEO and pave the way for the long-term success and growth of your business with these strategies.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sectors include but not limited to online news, pop culture, gaming and casino, combat sports, digital trends, industry and trade events, cryptocurrency, property/real estate, lifestyle and the news media business.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(via Media Man with A.I)</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-16902860183463861242024-02-18T11:03:00.002+11:002024-02-18T11:03:26.987+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b>News Media, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>News Media Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Super Bowl 2024 Advertising News Bytes</b></p><p><b>NFL Advertising Dept Scores Touchdowns</b></p><p><br /></p><p>If you had a massive ad budget 30 secs of broadcasting time would set you back $US7 million or so at the Super Bowl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Audience: 100 million approx</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Brand Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>DoorDash</p><p>Doritos</p><p>Uber Eats</p><p>CerVe</p><p>Liquid Death</p><p>Miller Lite</p><p>Dunkin' Donuts</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Celeb Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>Scorsese</p><p>Goldblum</p><p>Walken</p><p>Affleck</p><p>Damon</p><p>Brady</p><p>Beyoncé</p><p>Mr T</p><p>Beckham</p><p>Aniston</p><p>Schwimmer,</p><p>Schwarzenegger</p><p>Dove</p><p>Nike</p><p>Paramount</p><p>BMW</p><p><br /></p><p>*Swifty (her own brand in many regards) and boyfriend (pitching NFL) was there, but you likely knew that already.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who did we like? NFL, Paramount ('cause we like movies and have worked on some of their campaigns over the decades) and Mr T (due to the WWE WrestleMania and pro wrestling connection)</p><p><br /></p><p>BMW - nice wheels</p><p><br /></p><p>Liquid Death, as we enjoy promoting energy drinks and all things caffeine related</p><p><br /></p><p>Dove, 'cause we love birds!</p><p><br /></p><p>Thumbs down on Nike. Way too woke of a brand for us!</p><p><br /></p><p>Big thumbs on on NFL Super Bowl Big Business. ESPN's done pretty well out of it too we heard via the Twitter er X bird, since the bird is now well and truely free.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Watch all the BEST ads for Super Bowl LVIII I NFL. Fox. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=gBxu6SR0f_c&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Didn't, or don't have the ad budget for Super Bowl, or the like?! Contact Media Man, established over two decades. Special: Online Advertising on websites and they trends on the internet frequently, including via Elon Musk's X </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Advertising, PR, Journalism, Gonzo, Buzz, Project Management and even Ghost campaigns. Media Man: "Putting Your Name Out There"</p><p><br /></p><p>#SuperBowlLVIII #SuperBowl #NFL #SuperBowlAds #popculture #AmericanFootball #TaylorSwift #Swifties #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #streaming #sportsstreaming #everydrink #ads #advertising #advertisingnews #adbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #brand #brands #branding #audience #Audiences #cafenewsmedia #adnewsmedia #SEO #agent #trend #trends #trending #buzz #YouTube #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: NFL with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><b>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</b></p><p><b>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</b></p><p><b>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</b></p><p><b>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE RAW To See Power Play!?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RAW Is Wrestling Politics?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Are You Ready?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Chatter and buzz concerning the building beef between Team Rock and Reigns vs Triple H, Cody Rhodes and Co!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Is someone going to get suspended?</p><p><br /></p><p>Excertion of power!</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling wars in the ring, backstage and perhaps in the boardroom?</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock's position in TKO Group </p><p>@TKOGrp</p><p> may be put front and centre into the public domain on this and upcoming editions of RAW. </p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling with TKO and KO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Head Of The Table</p><p><br /></p><p>Board Of Directors</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Control</p><p><br /></p><p>Cerebral Assassin </p><p><br /></p><p>King Of Kings </p><p><br /></p><p>The Real People's Champion Is...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We Want" chants</p><p><br /></p><p>Who may get sent to Australia (for punishment or reward)!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Art Of War</p><p><br /></p><p>The Man In The Arena</p><p><br /></p><p>On Script, off script, or elements of both!?</p><p><br /></p><p>We The People </p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast announcers be ready to duck and weave! </p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> XL teaser trailer https://youtube.com/watch?v=6aFgLHrMBuY&si=3NJTgcvu3OTs2vTz </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW</b></p><p><b>February 12, 2024</b></p><p><b>Lexington, Kentucky</b></p><p><b>Wrestling With Politics?!</b></p><p><b>Battle In The Ring, Backstage And In The Boardroom?!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Big" Bronson Reed vs Bobby Lashley in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Can The Aussie Tsunami fell and wipe out The Almighty? Is Mr Kross and The Final Testament lurking?</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Ivar. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match</p><p><br /></p><p>JD McDonagh vs R-Truth - Battle Of Judgment Day!</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs Zoey Stark. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Battle Of Human Dynamos. Good things come in small packages. Femme fatales fighting for their place in the chamber.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE execs, management and staff better have their head on a swivel. Get ready Adam Pearce, Michael Cole, Nick Aldis and maybe even Triple H. KO and TKO action awaits. Following the script or flipping the script?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #EliminationChamber #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #LAKnight #JudgementDay #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #wwewomen #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Kentucky #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (North America)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle is the real cats meow; Others scratching the litter</p><p><br /></p><p>Not exactly 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'!; Cat's Out Of The Bag!</p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle @argyllemovie - stars Henry Cavill, John Cena and Bryce Dallas Howard </p><p><br /></p><p>1. Argulle - $6.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Lisa Frankenstein - $3.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The Beekeeper $3.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. The Chosen -$3.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Wonka - $3.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Migration - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Anyone But You - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Mean Girls - $1.9 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. American Fiction - $1.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $1.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #movieboxoffice #ArgylleMovie #Argylle #HenryCavill #JohnCena #BryceDallasHoward #LisaFrankenstein #TheBeekeeper #TheChosen #Wonka #Migration #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #MeanGirls #AmericanFiction #PoorThings #showbiz #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bitcoin pushes cryptos upwards</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>FX Pro intel via Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market reached a capitalisation of $1.82 trillion in the early hours of trading on Monday. By the early European session, it had corrected to $1.8 trillion, but this is still more than 10% above the levels of a week earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin remains the most crucial growth driver, adding 12% in 7 days against about 8% for Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano - important drivers of the current cycle. Bitcoin now accounts for 52.6% of the entire crypto market, adding more than ten percentage points over the year and 1.5p. p. over the month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin posted its seventh consecutive day of gains, but the strengthening slowed over the weekend. It also coincided with a move above 70 on the RSI on the daily timeframes, which could increase players' appetite for short-term profit-taking. Caution is also building as we approach the January peak. Bulls have clearly become more cautious, closing the week at the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to The Block, a month after launch, assets in the top nine spot bitcoin-ETFs exceeded 200,000 BTC ($9.5bn). The new bitcoin ETFs climbed to second place in the ranking of commodity exchange-traded funds in the US by assets, becoming a more popular investment vehicle than silver ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, the assets of Grayscale's GBTC fund have declined by 25% since 11 January, and in terms of trading volume, it has lost the lead to BlackRock's bitcoin ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, one of the largest investment companies in the US, plans to add more bitcoins to its investment portfolio. BlackRock now has 82,515 BTC on its balance sheet, worth about $4 billion. Interest in Bitcoin among investors remains high, according to the investment company's management.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Trading has settled a lawsuit filed against it by the New York State Attorney General. Genesis will submit a plan of liquidation on 14 February.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Attorney General's office has expanded its lawsuit against Digital Currency Group. The amount of fraud was three times the original estimate, exceeding $3bn.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a study by the Coinbase exchange, US residents could save at least $74 million (or $600 per household) in 2022 if they used cryptocurrencies rather than credit cards for payments. That includes businesses that paid $126 billion to process credit card transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #Cardano #CardanoNFT #TheBlock #ETF #Grayscale #GBTC #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Top Brass Tony Khan on the announced ESPN, Warner Bros Discovery, and FOX Sports Streaming Collaborating Which Is To Be Released in 2025:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s something to keep an eye on” Tony Khan advised. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We have a great thing going with TBS and TNT, and now, the streaming side of it, I haven’t sold my streaming rights. It’s an option that we have, and it’s going to be a very exciting year for media rights in wrestling, and AEW is coming up in a contract year.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Certainly is exciting times in the pro wrestling, streaming services and PPV business on many fronts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do yourself a favor and check out some of the great past, present and future via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWCollision #AEWRevolution #TonyKhan #quote #quotes #TBS #TNT #WBD #WarnerBros #WarnerBrosDiscovery #ESPN #FOX #FOXSports #mediarights #streamingrights #sportsstreaming #streamingindustry #streamingbiz #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #combatsports #popculture #wrestling #prowrestling #wrestlingnews #entertainmentnews #biznews #technews #broadcast #broadcasting #popculture #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #trend #trends #buzz #Video #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW (is attitude)!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I have to ask. What are we supposed to do with the nuggets"? Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tell him" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know" @PatMcAfeeShow Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Pat, you were there. What am I expected to do with these nuggets"? CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think... er, your shoving them up your *ss" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Don't mistake the levity here in my candor for any weakness and please don't thin that I'm not a fan of The Rock, I am a fan of The Rock. I think all of us at times have been fans of The Rock" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>Highlights and moments to hit the official WWE YouTube Channel soon! </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe </p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley clatters with “Big” Bronson Reed in Qualifying Match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC9FNM5L0h4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Shinsuke Nakamura warns Sami Zayn about their match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuHQYDPWXgU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade's direction is clear: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn9iz2XQGVE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso & The New Day vs. Imperium: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eocDaV4Vc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tribal Chiefs return!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFd4z0DdLI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Genius of the Sky graces the Canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E1Nq2Al-Ko&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SmackDown #CodyRhodes #TheRock #PatMcPhee #MichaelCole #quote #quotes #Nuggets #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #EliminationChamber #RoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #BobbyLashley #TheAlmighty #BronsonReed #AussieTsunami #Big #SamiZayn #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USANetwork #legends #YouTube #Video #trends #trending #TV #buzz #Aussie #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Charlotte Flair Update On Tech Stocks and Recovery Progress From Knee Surgery</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Shake-Ups and Developments Continue In Wrestling, Combat Sports, Streaming Entertainment and Big Tech Sector</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, Netflix @Netflix has 250 million subscribers so it's only going to make WWE's content even more popular" - Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE @WWE signed Flair was quizzed about her recovery from surgery during a recent CNBC interview.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am six weeks out [from having surgery] Thursday, I’m ahead of schedule, and every day all I can think about is returning back to the ring, especially with all the excitement with Raw going to Netflix, WrestleMania 40, and Philadelphia. All I can think about is getting back and winning that number 15 [Women’s Title].”</p><p><br /></p><p>"WWE has always been revolutionary" Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Charlotte was forecast to miss 9 months of of a WWE ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Flashback via official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Flair vs. Ripley — SmackDown Women's Title Match: WrestleMania 39 Saturday</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT9DIey1Ts&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow Legend "Nature Boy" Ric Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair via Busted Open Radio:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“So I was speaking with Dr. Dugan, he’s been there 30 years. You know what he said to me? He said since he’s been at the Andrews Clinic, 30 years, right, Ashley is one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, they’ve ever done surgery on. Think about that. We’re talking Bo Jackson, I could go down the list of people, the Tommy Johns. He said, ‘We consider her one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, to ever come through the doors.’ Her recovery, she’s crushing it. She’s not gonna come back faster than they will ever recommend, but it’s unbelievable. But I thought that might be one of the biggest compliments anybody could ever get. It’s unfortunate that it had to come from a doctor at a hospital, but I keep telling people, man, she’s a different kind of cat.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix will make WWE content more popular, says Wrestling Superstar Charlotte Flair</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hASqoNfB0EA&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>Busted Open Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair on the Legendary 1992 Royal Rumble | Busted Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8JmEb_mD_8&ab_channel=BustedOpenPodcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting on the similarity of his matches with Ric Flair: WWE Network</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxXsAYfVRVA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting's First Championship Win at Great American Bash 1990</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3WY9Y8XfU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#CharlotteFlair #RicFlair #quote #quote #interview #interviews #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #Netflix #NWA #legend #legends #streaming #streamingnews #streamingindustry #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #TY #podcast #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediaplatforms #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling/MMA Connection</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE champion Seth Rollins on Pro Wrestling vs Mixed Martial Arts, UFC @UFC , Pro Sports et al</b></p><p><b>Rollins Spills Guts to ESPN MMA</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t have the stamina for it”</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t fight every single weekend. Especially the top stars over there, they’re catered to a certain way. That’s great, that’s their style, that’s what works for them. I understand that. You fight maybe once, twice a year. You’re crazy if you’re fighting three times a year. But to fight over 100 times a year, make all those towns, still be able to train, still be able to do all the media, it’s an exhausting industry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t wanna knock Ronda Rousey, because I love Ronda”</p><p><br /></p><p>“She did a lot for our industry, for women in our industry, and for the fight industry in general. It was tough for Ronda. She tried her damndest and it was hard for her. I’d love for somebody to come over and take a crack if you think you can hang, but it’s hard. I’ll call them all out man, I don’t care, try it out. I can’t do what they do, I’d go in there and get knocked out and choked out in two seconds. I’ll probably do better than [CM] Punk, but I still would lose, most likely.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA @espnmma YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Israel Adesanya be next for Du Plessis? + Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins joins the show! | DC & RC (Rollins from 43 min)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGiA9AltEs&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins talks Bears, WrestleMania & The Rock riding his coattails | Not Just Football</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNCvhk1fCCI&ab_channel=NFLonESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Cam Heyward is joined by World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins to talk about the Bears future and if they should trade down or stick with Justin Fields. And will Seth ever see a Bears Super Bowl in his lifetime? Plus, they talk WrestleMania, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and more, and who he thinks is the best wrestler right now…. Other than himself of course.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very few have what it takes to compete at or near the top of both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The list includes Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Brock Lesnar, Rhonda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Josh Barnett and if you go back far enough, there's certainly a case for the late Antonio Inoki (former WWE Japan - phantom title change in Japan), Judo Gene LeBell. Current WWE signed wrestling legend CM had a short stint in the UFC as was defeated in the Octagon in swift and brutal fashion. It takes massive guts and skills to do either sport so much respect to those who compete. Those who can do it, those who can't are fans!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hall of Fame?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Many fans believe that Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Gene LeBell and CM Punk are worthy of the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE powers that be, including Booker T - over to you!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA - Wrestling - Boxing Connection via Media Man Group</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mma_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #UFC #SethRollins #CMPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #MMA #combatsports #ESPN #RondaRousey #TheRock #BMF #KenShamrock #DanSevern #JoshBarnett #GeneLeBell #ShayneBaszler #mixedmartialarts #legends #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #PPE #PLE #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #SuperBowl #NFL #sportsnews #sportsmedia #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surfing News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ISA @ISAsurfing Adds New Members on Three Continents Expanding Global Reach of Surfing</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Kuwait and Romania have today been announced as the latest Member Nations to join the International Surfing Association (ISA).</p><p><br /></p><p>California, USA – February 13th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The three new nations are the 114th, 115th and 116th members to be officially recognised by the ISA, demonstrating the global growth of surfing and its ability to expand to new territories and connect with new audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>British Virgin Islands</p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association joins the ISA after successfully staging national competitions and building the surf community on a national level over a number of years. The organization’s mission is to create an environment for national athletes to compete domestically and internationally in ISA World Championships.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its development strategy, the BVI has set out a plan, which includes enhancing youth engagement, promoting environmental best practices, improving surfing infrastructure and better talent identification.</p><p><br /></p><p>Membership is subject to final approval of the ISA Annual General Meeting.</p><p><br /></p><p>View more on the British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.bvisurfing.org/</p><p><br /></p><p>Kuwait</p><p><br /></p><p>With a mission to create a vibrant surf community in the country, the Kuwait Surf Committee joins the ISA as it’s 115th member nation. The Kuwait Surf Committee strives to educate, inspire, and educate Kuwaiti surfers. Their short- and long-term development goals include improving access to surfing in the country to attract new participants, securing better equipment and resources for surf training, establishing a dedicated surf training center in Kuwait and hosting more regional surf competitions and events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The core values of the Kuwait Surf Committee are passion for surfing, community, respect for the ocean, education, and inclusivity. Learn about the Kuwait Surfing Committee here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.kuwaitsurfcommittee.com/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Romania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Romanian Surfing Federation (Federatia Romana de Surfing [FRS]) has contributed to the growth and development of surf sports across the country – with new, young surfers taking up the sport year-on-year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Romanian national surfing competition was held in 2018 and this event continues to take place annually under the remit of the FRS. Romania has also hosted ISA Surf Coaching and Instructing Courses in 2018 and 2023 for surf coaches on the Black Sea.</p><p><br /></p><p>Romania also participated in their first ISA Event at the 2023 World Junior Surfing Championship in Brazil represented by Aris Voicu.</p><p><br /></p><p>FRS plans to increase the participation in and awareness of Surfing in Romania, train more ISA coaches and judges, and develop more surfing competitions in Romania.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:</p><p><br /></p><p>“At the ISA, we are happy to welcome the British Virgin Islands, Kuwait and Romania to our global surfing family. We will continue to work with them to support the development of surfing and inspire new athletes and fans to embrace our sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is especially pleasing to announce three members from three different continents that are non-traditional surf nations. This shows the power of surfing to engage with people in every part of the world who share our love of the ocean and nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are equally excited to see the establishment and growth of national surfing events in these nations to drive forward competitive surfing and help create a new generation of talent that we hope will soon be able to compete on the international stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I can’t wait to see more young women and men surfers from these three stunning nations take to the ocean, improve their skills and aim for the Olympics one day!”</p><p><br /></p><p>#ISA #NationalSurfingAssociation #FernandoAguerre #surfing #prosurfing #surfingassociation #surfers #surfingindustry #surfingbusiness #surftour #BVI #VirginIslands #BlackSea #sportsnews #sportsmedia #pressrelease #surfingnews #surfingmedia #trend #trends #ocean #sea #PR #WorldSport #WorldNews #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Source/Credit: International Surfing Association)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC 298</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday February 18, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Honda Center - Anaheim, CA</p><p><br /></p><p>Via ESPN / ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Complete Fight Card:</p><p><br /></p><p>Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa</p><p>Geoff Neal vs. Ian Machado Garry</p><p>Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo</p><p>Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov</p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims:</p><p><br /></p><p>Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern</p><p>Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Justin Tafa</p><p>Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera</p><p>Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro</p><p>Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow</p><p>Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn</p><p>Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Dvalishvili vs Cejudo | Featured Bout</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKBbs4C5M3s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZeVPJgslIM&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Volkanovski vs Topuria | Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZXiudUYQdM&t=67s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Whittaker vs Costa | Co-Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLQUpBC24kw&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&t=12s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As legendary MMA expert and world renown podcaster Joe Rogan pointed out, "Ilia Topuria is a real assassin. He is so skilled and so devastating".</p><p><br /></p><p>We're rooting for Volk as he's a great bloke, great fighter, Aussie, and we went one on one with him on the mic, and he was a real good sport about it. Looks to be a pretty even fight, but there can be only one winner!</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: UFC and ESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #AlexanderVolkanovski #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #RobertWhittake #PauloCosta #GeoffNeal #IanGarry #MerabDvalishvili #HenryCejudo #AnthonyHernandez #RomanKopylov #MMA #mixdmartialarts #combatsports #mmanews #ufcnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #PPV #PayPerView #ESPN #sportsnews #sportsmedia #popculture #livesports #liveentertainment #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #California #USA #HondaCenter #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Babyface To Heel; Wrestling With Politics: Dwayne Johnson</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE signed Dwayne Johnson (who just happens to be on the TKO Board Of Directors) can't stay out of the news, one way or another, and that includes press conferences, real, staged, or elements of both Las Vegas style.</p><p><br /></p><p>News outlet FOX plays FOX And The Hound</p><p><br /></p><p>Love - Hate Relationship With Mainstream News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Art Often Reflects Life; WWE storylines are showbiz but frequently borrow are inspired by real life events and narratives</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Cody Rhodes Aims To "Finish His Story" and "The Rock' May Get To Add Another Chapter To His Story</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson blasts reporter over framing of Maui relief efforts: 'False clickbait garbage'</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE and Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson has torn into a journalist who raised questions about his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took issue with a recent report that touched on his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson described the report from Mr Nick Sortor as "toxic, false clickbait garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson pushed back against the way the report framed his recent appearance at a semi-staged WWE press conference in Las Vegas. A video from the event in question showed attendees booing at the 51-year-old wrestler and actor. WWE production couldn't or wouldn't drown out the boos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor suggested the crowd's negative reaction stemmed from Johnson failing to deliver on his pledge to help provide financial support to the Hawaiian island.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," he wrote on Elon Musk owned X. $44bn was the price of freedom of speech.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reporter then claimed that "many" victims had not received any financial relief from the WWE legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," Sortor wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Although it is difficult to clearly decipher the chanting, the reporter asserted that the shouts from the crowd were directly related to the alleged Maui wildfire donation discrepancy.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The crowd started booing and chanting ‘MAUI! MAUI! MAUI!" MAKE IT HAPPEN!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Last year, Johnson along with embattled media figure Oprah Winfrey launched the "People's Fund of Maui" to assist those who were negatively impacted by the wildfires. Johnson and Winfrey jump-started the campaign by making an initial $10 million donation. However, backlash has grown in the weeks and months since the fund was started back in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson decided to address the controversy last October.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I could have been better, and next time, I will be better," the WWE superstar said at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also decided to respond to the claim from Sortor, but this time he took a much stronger approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying *ullshit with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet," Johnson wrote on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>"This moment you’re referring to is from our WWE press conference this past Thursday where I turned ‘heel’ – wrestling parlance for bad guy. I’m playing it up with our crowd as they boo. It’s what we do in our WWE universe, and we all love every second of it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also provided some clarification on the amount of money that the fund has provided for wildfire victims.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also mentioned that he traveled to Hawaii and challenged Sortor to pay the island state a visit.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our People’s Fund of Maui has already DELIVERED over $50 MILLION DOLLARS to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires, and I’m grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders," Johnson wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nick, instead of posting bu-----t like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way. I’m in Hawaii now, and I guarantee you, you’ll get great content that can actually make a difference in people’s lives. Genuinely."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor admitted in a follow-up post on X that Johnson’s explanation for the booing seemed "to have some validity," but he decided not to remove his original post because he wants "to provide context to the ongoing dispute between the two of us regarding funding for Maui."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE continues to wiggle itself out of a Rock and a hard place at the Road To WrestleMania 40 continues. Many hardcore fans and industry media tip double duty (matches) for Rock cousin Roman Reigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>No matter what, Rock will continue to heat the noise. Ah, the power and the passion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #DwayneJohnson #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #pressconference #mediaconference #SmackDown #Maui #OprahWinfrey #CodyRhodes #RomanReigns #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #politics #FOX #FoxNews #FoxAndTheHound #heel #babyface #storyline #storylines #storytelling #showbiz #finishthestory #TKO #KO #RockBottom #PeoplesElbow #PeoplesEyebrow #newsmedia #socialmedia #socialmedianews #popculture #broadcast #fans #eco #econews #wrestlingnewsmedia #trend #trends #trending #LasVegas #VegasNews #Hawaii #buzz #X #XNews #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gemini Apps Privacy Hub</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback. Google uses this data, consistent with our Privacy Policy, to provide, improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies, including Google’s enterprise products such as Google Cloud.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #Gemini #GoogleGemini #GeminiApps #Alphabet #GoogleNews #GoogleCloud #searchengine #searchengines #SEO #TechNews #searchnews #data #AI #AINews #ArtificialIntelligence #digitalnews #technews #MachineLearning #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling And Canna News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Ric Flair To Tour Michigan Dispensaries To Promote His New Cannabis Company</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former World Champion and newly-minted cannabis entrepreneur Ric Flair is coming to Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>"MLive" is reporting that Flair will be touring Michigan cannabis dispensaries on March 16 and 17 to celebrate the launch of his marijuana strain Ric Flair Drip in the state of Michigan. March 16 will see Flair tour dispensaries in Romeo, Mt. Clemens, and Madison Heights, MI, and he will then spend March 17 touring two Detroit area dispensaries. Customers will be able to shop Ric Flair Drip's many products, as well as meet "The Nature Boy" and take pictures with him.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to MLive, this is Flair's tour schedule:</p><p><br /></p><p>March 16</p><p><br /></p><p>- Dispo Romeo, 100 Shafer Dr, Romeo from 11:30 a.m. to noon.</p><p><br /></p><p>- JARS Mount Clemens, 101 N Groesbeck Hwy, Mt. Clemens from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- PUFF Madison Heights, 2 Ajax Dr, Madison Heights from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>March 17</p><p><br /></p><p>- Cloud Detroit, 16001 Mack Ave, Detroit from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- House of Dank, 3340 8 Mile Rd, Detroit from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair launched the cannabis brand through Mike Tyson's cannabis company Tyson 2.0 and cannabis conglomerate Verano in March of last year. Ric Flair Drip is available in flower, prerolls, vape cartridges, and edibles. Flair has credited cannabis for weening him off of prescription sleep aids like Ambien and Xanax.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hall of Famer is not the only pro wrestling personality involved in the legal cannabis industry, as famously THC-infused wrestler Rob Van Dam announced a new cannabis brand in September of last year, after spending many years already the face of a CBD brand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair retired from wrestling in July 2022 but is still open to working as a manager, though he's noted that neither WWE nor AEW has offered him any kind of position.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Recalls Being So High With Mike Tyson That He Thought He Died - April 8, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair has made no secret of his wild past during his days as a wrestler, and while his party days may have slowed down after multiple health scares, he's still The Nature Boy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair has become business partners with Mike Tyson in the cannabis industry, and as part of their partnership, they had a night to remember.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I got so high with Mike [Mike Tyson] one night in the Hamptons that I went into a cannabis coma. I actually thought I died. They brought my back to my room, and I laid there and I wasn't aware of anything. I kept asking them to touch me, like you do when you think you've been hurt. People were squeezing my hand. I would be talking to them, and they wouldn't talk back to me. I was on a delayed process. I said to myself, 'Did I die? Have I just died? I feel like I did when I was in my coma, but I can think, and I don't think I could think in my coma.' That's the way I was talking to myself. All of a sudden, at three in the morning, I sat up in a blur and went, 'I'm alive. I'm back.' I called someone on the phone, 'is this really you?' That's how screwed up I got," Flair recalled while speaking to Theo Von on This Past Weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair was placed in a medically induced coma in 2017 for kidney and heart-related issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair returned to the ring for his last match one year ago, teaming with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling Icon Ric Flair Enters Cannabis Ring - October 19, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The range of premium products from the WWE legend’s new cannabis brand has been formulated to elevate your relaxation game.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling fans, get ready to put a figure-four leglock on relaxation with pro wrestling legend Ric Flair. The Nature Boy himself has tag-teamed with cannabis industry heavyweights to release a range of premium products that add a certain, yes, flair to the market. The 16-time world champion and one of the most recognized names in professional wrestling is diving headfirst into the cannabis market with the launch of his very own line, aptly named Ric Flair Drip. And when Flair enters a new market, you better believe he’s doing it with style.</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE legend has partnered with Chad Bronstein, founder and president of Carma Holdings, the powerhouse behind Mike Tyson’s cannabis line, Tyson 2.0. The origin story of the collab is almost as intriguing as a wrestling storyline. Flair and Bronstein were neighbors in Tampa and one day as Bronstein gazed across the white-picket fence (or possibly a ten-foot steel cage), inspiration struck. He recalls telling Mike Tyson, “I’ve got Ric Flair right next door. What if we create the most legendary cannabis line ever, Ric Flair Drip?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Intertwining the worlds of professional wrestling and cannabis, the Ric Flair Drip promises to be a high-flying, body-slamming experience—in the most relaxed way possible. In the words of Nature Boy himself, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” With the introduction of Ric Flair Drip, the grappling star just might become “the man” in the world of cannabis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Drip Cannabis Products</b></p><p>By partnering with top cultivators across the country, Flair has access to the very best genetics available, which he carefully selects himself. His Ric Flair Drip line of cannabis products include flower, pre-rolls and edibles. He also has a range of 510 cartridges, with disposable vapes available in certain markets. Further expansion plans are in place for 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gummies</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Cherry Diamond: Each gummy packs a punch with 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Figure Four Lemonade: Each delicious gummy packs a powerful 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wooooo! Energy Drinks</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to his cannabis offerings, Flair has also launched Wooooo! Energy, a beverage that will have you strutting like the man himself in no time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Infused with a unique blend of functional mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Maitake and Reishi, all of which are known to boost cognitive function, support your immune system and ensure that your energy is as clean as a Ric Flair robe. Say goodbye to those jittery feelings and dreaded sugar crashes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding to the potency, Wooooo! Energy gets its kick from a blend of Taurine, L-Theanine and Gotu Kola Extract, while thoughtfully balancing 150mg of caffeine with just 6g of sugar. Oh, and let’s not forget those tantalizing flavors: vibrant Dragon Fruit, zesty Lemon, and creamy Strawberry Banana.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It embodies a celebratory spirit; it’s about energy, zeal and success,” Bronstein says. “It’s not just wrestling lingo anymore—it’s ingrained in our pop culture.”</p><p><br /></p><p>With Wooooo! Energy, Ric Flair isn’t just sharing a drink; he’s sharing his indomitable spirit, his passion and his boundless energy. Who among us doesn’t need a little Wooooo! Energy in their life?</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair Drip products are available at select dispensaries nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wrestling legend Ric Flair launches new cannabis company: Edibles changed my life - April 21, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair tells 'Kennedy' why he is stylin' and profilin' into the cannabis business</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair is introducing his new personal cannabis line, "Ric Flair Drip."</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling icon is teaming up with Carma Holdings founder and president Chad Bronstein to launch the celebrity-inspired product. </p><p><br /></p><p>Carma Holdings is also the parent company of former professional boxer Mike Tyson's premier cannabis line, TYSON 2.0.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein told Kennedy he and Flair first met as neighbors in Tampa, Florida and pitched the idea to Flair about launching a cannabis product.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recalled, "I called up Mike and I said, hey, Ric Flair is my neighbor. What if we dropped a line called, "Ric Flair Drip," with Ric? And I walked up to Ric and I said, Ric, I'm gonna start cannabis line with you. And he goes, cannabis line? I said, trust me. It's gonna, it's gonna do well. And Ric got you know, very educated in the space and, you know, the brand is really booming." </p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein added that Flair has been an "unbelievable partner."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair shared the inspiration behind his new business venture with FOX Business host Kennedy on Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>"It started a learning process, and it continued," said Flair. "I learn something new every day and that I never imagined. I'd been approached for years to get involved, but it wasn't as socially acceptable then it is now. And I mean now, I mean… I didn't realize just how popular it is. I'd forgotten… and now I'm honored to be part of this company and working with Chad and every day is a learning process."</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair touted how "fantastic" edibles are and how they have changed his life by the way he sleeps. </p><p><br /></p><p>He also said that he's been hooked on Xanax since 1989, and no longer takes it, thanks to edibles.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Obviously, Xanax being so addictive, it's not good for anybody, so edibles are great," he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Flair claimed he doesn't smoke a lot, but enjoys doing it "periodically."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Secret Behind The Weed Company Working With Future, Mike Tyson, Ric Flair And Hulk Hogan - CEO Tells All - Feb 13, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the most recent episode of Benzinga’s Cannabis Insider, Adam Wilks, the co-founder and CEO of Carma HoldCo, delved into the significance of crafting celebrity-driven cannabis brands that resonate with authenticity and personal stories. </p><p><br /></p><p>“All of the products that we develop, our R&D process is all developed with our talent,” Wilks emphasized, setting the stage for a discussion that revolved around genuine connections and the transformative power of celebrity narratives in the cannabis industry.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crafting Authentic Connections</p><p>Wilks’ method isn’t exactly a traditional celebrity endorsement model: Instead, he focuses on implementing the celebrity’s personal cannabis journey into the product. Discussing partnerships with icons like Mike Tyson, Ric Flair and Future, Wilks shared, “Starting with Mike, he uses cannabis every day… it’s authentic to him and his purpose of use.” This philosophy extends across Carma HoldCo’s portfolio, ensuring that each product reflects the celebrity’s lifestyle and preferences, thus forging a deeper bond between the brand and its consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrity Stories Changing Cannabis Perception</p><p>Wilks illustrated how these celebrity partnerships are business ventures and personal transformations shared with the public.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recounted Ric Flair’s shift from pharmaceuticals to cannabis, a change that significantly impacted his life. “He’s been off Xanax now for the last couple of years and focused on just, again, plant-based medicine,” Wilks revealed, highlighting the possibility of these stories to alter public perception and encourage a shift towards natural wellness solutions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Expansion and Genuine Engagement</p><p>Looking ahead, Wilks discussed Carma HoldCo’s ambitious plans for expansion, both domestically and internationally, with a keen eye on maintaining the authenticity that has been their hallmark. “We’ve already launched in a few states, already live in California and Nevada, and have another handful coming online in the next 60 days,” he stated, underlining the brand’s rapid growth trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tyson 2.0, Mike Tyson's Premium Cannabis Brand, Announces Acquisition of Majority Stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 24, 2022</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Strategic Alliance with Ric Flair, 16 Time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Establishes Tyson 2.0 as Leading Cannabis Brand Powerhouse</p><p><br /></p><p>ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyson 2.0, legendary boxer, entrepreneur and cannabis advocate Mike Tyson's newly launched cannabis company, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc., the 16 time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion's business entity with an aim to launch a second celebrity cannabis line in its portfolio furthering their house of brands strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's strategic alliance with Ric Flair, popularly known as "Nature Boy®," enables the company to assume control of Ric Flair's trademarks and intellectual properties to launch cannabis flower and edible products under the Ric Flair brand name in the near future. </p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in October 2021, Tyson 2.0 brings to market innovative, high-quality, Tyson-branded cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility to consumers nationwide. Co-founded by Mike Tyson as Chief Brand Officer and Chad Bronstein as Chairman, and led by Adam Wilks, Chief Executive Officer - the company partners with world-class cannabis retailers and leading multi-state operators to provide a suite of products designed to reach consumers in legal markets.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thanks to Mike Tyson and Tyson 2.0, I've become a true cannabis advocate and enthusiast. I am thrilled to partner with a long time friend and fellow warrior whom I greatly admire and respect," said Ric Flair. "There are a lot of synergies between me and Mike - we've both had many ups and downs, but we keep going at life. With Mike's passion for cannabis, Chad and Adam's industry knowledge, I look forward to creating cannabis products that will appeal to my national fanbase. Tyson 2.0 products make me go 'WOOOOO!', and soon my fans everywhere can get in the Ric Flair state of mind – limousine riding, jet-flying, feeling good, and 'WOOOOO!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's latest venture with Ric Flair establishes the Company as a leading celebrity cannabis brand powerhouse. Since its launch in October 2021, the company continues to execute its nationwide growth strategy bringing Tyson 2.0 branded products to consumers and fans nationwide. Through licensing, cultivation and agreements, Tyson 2.0 products are available across dispensaries and retail locations across the states of Colorado, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Michigan with plans to expand nationally and internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>"For the last fifty years, Ric has been synonymous with high impact, high energy experiences," said Chad Bronstein, Co-Founder and Chairman, Tyson 2.0. "Similar to how we rolled out Tyson 2.0, Ric Flair cannabis products will reach nationwide distribution through our robust network of industry partners. With flower strains named after Ric's iconic sayings like 'limousine riding' and 'jet-flying', we aim to honor Ric's energy and share it with his fans."</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein continued, "Tyson 2.0 is establishing itself as a cannabis marketing and celebrity licensing powerhouse. Our aim is to bring more celebrity brands to market in the coming months."</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair will be featured in the seventh episode of Peacock's first ever WWE original series, WWE Evil which begins streaming exclusively on Peacock starting Thursday, March 24. The eight-part docuseries, created and hosted by John Cena, the first-ever original from WWE Studios takes an unprecedented look inside the psyche of the most diabolical antagonists in WWE, unveiling rare behind-the-scenes details from some of the biggest names in the industry and their impact on mainstream culture.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on Tyson 2.0, visit Tyson20.com. Tyson 2.0-branded merchandise is available for purchase at shoptyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Tyson 2.0</p><p>Tyson 2.0 is a premier cannabis company formed with legendary boxer, entrepreneur and icon Mike Tyson. The company's mission is to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility. Providing consumers an outstanding selection of products, Tyson 2.0 is an extraordinary balance of premium and affordable, full-spectrum cannabis flower, concentrates and consumables available at retailers nationwide. Learn more at Tyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOURCE Tyson 2.0</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM and X Sign Exclusive Sports Betting Partnership</b></p><p><br /></p><p>JERSEY CITY, NJ (February 9, 2024) – BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.</p><p>ADAM GREENBLATT - BETMGM CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams.</p><p>LINDA YACCARINO - X CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM’s mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM’s already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at http://www.betmgm.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, follow @BetMGM on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>About BetMGM</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rising High: Exclusive talk with house of brands Carma HoldCo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Interview with Adam Wilks, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carma HoldCo, a house of brands focused on creating icon-inspired cannabis products. Here are some highlights:</p><p><br /></p><p>AUTHENTICITY: Carma HoldCo is a cannabis company that aims to develop products evoking deep consumer connection and elevated experiences. The company houses TYSON 2.0, the premium cannabis brand of legendary boxer Mike Tyson, as well as Ric Flair Drip and Wooooo! Energy, the cannabis and energy drink lines of renowned pro-wrestler Ric Flair. Carma also launched Immortal, a wellness brand by professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, in May and Evol, a cannabis brand by four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Future, in April. Distribution of Carma’s products spans over 110,000 retailers worldwide across 16 countries. “There are many different ways that Carma sets itself apart from others in the space, including our focus on product quality, product innovation, exceptional marketing strategies, our unique brand positioning and our incredible team,” Wilks said. “But I think our most impactful difference from everybody else is the authenticity of our celebrities behind the brands.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted each one of Carma’s celebrities openly uses the plant-based medicines daily. “Mike uses cannabis for his mental health every day and Future uses it in his daily routine for his own health reasons,” the CEO said. “Ric uses it to help him sleep after thirty years of Xanax use and Hulk has had 29 surgeries and uses our own brand of CBD products for his back pains. The authenticity of our talent would be our number one differentiator.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRAND LAUNCHES: In April, Carma announced a partnership with rapper Future to launch Evol, a THC line, and in May, the company announced Hulk Hogan’s health and wellness brand, Immortal, featuring CBD and THC products. “It has been a huge success since we brought Hulk and Future into the mix with Ric and Mike,” Wilks said. “We continue to expand as we enter new categories and new markets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hogan’s brand developed through the wrestler’s deep relationship with Carma partner Ric Flair, he said. “Everyone on our team knew who Hulk was,” the CEO said. “We heard his stories around the 29 back surgeries, dozens of knee replacement surgeries and his hip surgery. We had talks with him about what he was using and introduced him to CBD and THC products to try. When we saw the peace that came from the use of these plant-based medicines, we saw a huge opportunity to continue this authentic wave of using celebrities to educate and tell their stories around the plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He added Carma felt Hogan could raise awareness around the fact that there are other alternatives to traditional medicines. “That’s what started the Hulk idea,” Wilks said. “Not to mention, he is obviously one of the number one wrestling superstars of our time. He has done several films and we have known him in and out of the ring as Hollywood Hogan and Hulkamania. We thought it was a huge platform for us to keep the authentic story alive.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Evol brand launch with Future was interesting, he said, as it was Carma’s first entry into the hip-hop scene, where historically there is a heavy tie-in to the cannabis industry. “There are a lot of hip-hop brands out there and we wanted to find something real and authentic sticking with all of our other talent,” the CEO said. “We felt Future, as a four-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star with numerous top Billboard Chart tracks, was another massive superstar able to leverage his platform to educate and bring attention to plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The company opted into bringing Future on board as he incorporates cannabis into his daily life and features it in several of his top charting songs, he said. “With one of our investors having close ties to his management, we reached out and the rest is history,” Wilks said, “Evol has quickly expanded into a half dozen states and we’ve launched the brand in a few other categories as well connecting to the cannabis space. We’re excited to continue to grow both Hulk and Future’s brands. They’ve done really well on the short runway that we have had to take them to market.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WOOOOO! ENERGY: In July, Carma launched Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, a mushroom-infused energy drink to support immune and cognitive function and provide clean energy. “We are always looking for new products and everybody knows Ric for his famous Wooooo! and the energy that he brings,” the CEO said. “I look at him as one of the greatest entertainers to ever exist. He went into character over thirty years ago and he’s never come out. Seeing him and the energy that he embodies, we created Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, putting his boundless energy into a can.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The drink is a non-crash, non-jittery, low-sugar beverage that centers on athletes, he said. “That demographic, which is really hyped on Ric and his decades of entertainment, we felt was a home run,” Wilks said. “We quickly became the exclusive energy drink for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ohio State University and AEW wrestling. The drink is already available in grocery stores, including Giant Eagle in Ohio, one of the first markets we launched in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is continuing to expand distribution across the nation to ensure availability in every state. “We are really excited about Wooooo! Energy tapping into a new category,” the CEO said. “It’s not just an energy drink, we also added functional mushrooms for brain health and added focus.”</p><p><br /></p><p>PARTNERSHIPS: In October, Immortal and Ric Flair Drip partnered with cannabis cultivator Premium Produce to bring their product lines to the Nevada market. “When we go into a new market, we are always looking for high-quality products, great operators, financial means to continue on and ample distribution,” Wilks said. “When we came across Premium Produce for Hulk and Ric, we toured the facility, spent time in their grow and had our cannabis team in there. We discovered their high-quality indoor cannabis and their commitment to excellence in their cultivation practices and SOPs, ensuring that there is a consistent product that aligns with our brand standards.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted some of Carma’s other collaborations had already worked with Premium Produce with “huge” success. “Since launching in Nevada with both brands, we have quickly become two staples on many of the top shelves,” the CEO said. “We continue to grow in the Nevada market, and we are excited about that partnership.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally in November, Evol partnered with cannabis company House of Dank in Michigan and Tyson 2.0 partnered with cultivator Hudson Cannabis in New York. “House of Dank and Hudson Cannabis are both high-quality cultivators with great distribution,” Wilks said. “Similar to why we chose Premium Produce, both House of Dank and Hudson grow great quality flower. We spent time with both ensuring the SOPs were aligned with our brand standards, and we’re always aiming for the best quality we can find with the expertise and the financial means to continue on.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is particularly excited about the Hudson collaboration due to Tyson’s roots in New York, he said. “For the last couple of years, Mike has been talking about how badly he wanted TYSON 2.0 to launch in New York and we were waiting for the right time and the right partner,” the CEO said. “Coming home to New York in the legal cannabis space was monumental for Mike and the brand. We’re really excited about growing the New York market, which I think is going to be one of the more powerful markets in the U.S.”</p><p><br /></p><p>DELIVERY SYSTEMS: As delivery systems for cannabinoids become more diverse and consumers have more options for consumption, Wilks said he believes preferences will continue to shift towards more discrete methods. “We’re seeing flower as a leader as it always has been, but I think edibles are going to be a leader, it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “It’s a smaller portion of sales right now, but that is going to change.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Edibles come without the smell of cannabis and offer an ease of dosing, enabling users to be very precise, the CEO said. “It is discrete in consumption,” he said. “Between vape, topicals and edibles, all of those categories have room for so much growth and it’s just about the education and overall experience to get to that point.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilks added he believes there will be a day when cannabis is sold in grocery stores. “There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to buy a frozen pizza in the frozen pizza section with an infusion process of some sort,” he said. “There is a long way to go as far as the regulations around the processes, but once federal legalization, the SAFE Banking Act, and all of that passes through, there is definitely a possibility in the future that edible consumption at restaurants and grocery stores will continue to grow.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SAFER BANKING: In September, a U.S. Senate committee voted to advance The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act bill, which seeks to ensure that all businesses, including cannabis businesses, have access to deposit accounts, insurance and other financial services. “This is a topic that has been continuing to gain traction with a long way to go,” the CEO said. “The advancement of the SAFER Banking Act is huge news for us and the whole industry as it signals a potential shift towards financial stability and accessibility for all cannabis businesses.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If the bill can pass in the senate, it opens the way for improved banking services and a reduced risk for the whole industry, he said. “Predicting it is challenging as there are so many different elements and political dynamics to work through before this does get pushed through at the federal level,” Wilks said. “But on a positive note, it is no longer an if, it’s a when. The ability to bank safely and access to capital will change the space as a whole. We are excited about it and hope it comes sooner rather than later.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SCHEDULING: In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Agency that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. “This is huge news and not only for cannabis users and the cannabis space,” the CEO said. “This will impact the non-cannabis users, opening up people’s eyes to where the cannabis space is going. It is the way that people will look at cannabis as a medicine and the value of cannabis as opposed to looking at it as a street drug. As soon as that passes, it opens up the door for so much more opportunity for the industry as a whole and you have to think about how much R&D will go into cannabis after this reclassifies.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CHALLENGES: When asked about the largest hurdles facing the cannabis space, Wilks said he believes the biggest challenge has been state-by-state legalization. “When you are having to find licensees in every market and you’re setting up manufacturing and distribution, you’re spending millions and millions and millions of dollars for every state you want to operate in,” he said. “It is one of the only industries that you can’t distribute across the country, making it an extremely challenging space to operate in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Until there is federal legalization, there will continue to be challenges for operators, cultivators, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and everybody within the industry, the CEO said. “There is a positive, a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “We think it’s a slow process step-by-step and as all these positives come to this industry, I think it will ease up and there will be additional positives to see. We have a bright future ahead in the cannabis space.”</p><p><br /></p><p>OPPORTUNITIES: As the cannabis space develops, Wilks said Carma is excited to continue growing its brands both nationally and internationally. “International growth is really exciting,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff in the works for 2024, including another handful of countries coming online. I’m really excited personally about the German market, which has talked about an April date to go recreational. We also opened our first retail cannabis café in Amsterdam, which quickly became one of the number one cafes out there and we’re working on our second location as well as a few others in Europe. We’re excited to grow the retail side and the licensing side on the cannabis front. All four brands are now sold in multiple countries. We’re excited to continue to grow these globally and continue to be one of the largest cannabis brands on the planet by geographic coverage.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CANNABIS/PSYCHEDELIC STOCKS: Publicly-traded companies in the space include Acreage (ACRHF), Audacious (AUSAF), Atai Life Sciences (ATAI), Aurora (ACB), Avant Brands (AVTBF), Ayr Wellness (AYRWF), BZAM (BZAMF), Cannara Biotech (LOVFF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Chicago Atlantic (REFI), Clearmind (CMND), Clever Leaves (CLVR), Cresco Labs (CRLBF), CordovaCann (LVRLF), Cronos (CRON), Columbia Care (CCHWF), Compass Pathways (CMPS), CURE Pharmaceutical (CURR), Curaleaf (CURLF), CV Sciences (CVSI), Cybin (CYBN), Delic Holdings (DELCF), Delta 9 (DLTNF), Entourage Health (ETRGF), Enveric Biosciences (ENVB), Fire & Flower (FFLWF), Flora Growth (FLGC), Trees Corporation (CANN), Goodness Growth (GDNSF), Greenlane (GNLN), Green Thumb (GTBIF), GrowGeneration (GRWG), Hemp (HEMP), High Tide (HITI), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Indiva (NDVAF), IM Cannabis (IMCC), Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), InterCure (INCR), Wellbeing Digital (KONEF), Khiron Life Sciences (KHRNF), Lotus Ventures (LTTSF), Lowell Farms (LOWLF), Lucy Scientific Discovery (LSDI), MediPharm (MEDIF), MedMen (MMNFF), MindMed (MNMD), NewLake Capital (NLCP), Numinus (NUMIF), Optimi Health (OPTHF), Organigram (OGI), Planet 13 (PLNHF), Red White & Bloom (RWBYF), Reunion Neuroscience (REUN), Revitalist (RVLWF), RIV Capital (CNPOF), Relmada (RLMD), RYAH Group (RYAHF), Safe Harbor Financial (SHFS), SNDL (SNDL), Sproutly (SRUTF), Skye Biosciences (SKYE), Stem Holdings (STMH), Sunniva (SNNVF), TerrAscend (TRSSF), Tetra Bio-Pharma (TBPMF), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve (TCNNF), Tryp Therapeutics (TRYPF), Verano (VRNOF), Village Farms (VFF), Wesana Health (WSNAF), Zynerba (ZYNE) and 4Front Ventures (FFNTF).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 139.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All the world’s a stage,</p><p>And all the men and women merely players;</p><p>They have their exits and their entrances,</p><p>And one man in his time plays many parts,</p><p>His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,</p><p>Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.</p><p>Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel</p><p>And shining morning face, creeping like snail</p><p>Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,</p><p>Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad</p><p>Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,</p><p>Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,</p><p>Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,</p><p>Seeking the bubble reputation</p><p>Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,</p><p>In fair round belly with good capon lined,</p><p>With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,</p><p>Full of wise saws and modern instances;</p><p>And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts</p><p>Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,</p><p>With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;</p><p>His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide</p><p>For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,</p><p>Turning again toward childish treble, pipes</p><p>And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,</p><p>That ends this strange eventful history,</p><p>Is second childishness and mere oblivion,</p><p>Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WilliamShakespeare #Shakespeare #AsYouLikeIt #AllTheWorldsAStage #merelyplayers #SevenAgesOfMan #monologue #creative #creativity #art #legend #popculture #entertainment #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Corporate Entertainment And Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Job Cuts Continue</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Industry Giant Paramount Global lays off 800 employees days after broadcasting record-breaking Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Days after CBS' Super Bowl LVII broke viewership records, its partner company Paramount Global advised it was laying off 800 employees as it seeks to cut costs and streamline its operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The firms CEO Bob Bakish made the announcement Tuesday in an internal memo to employees.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These adjustments will help enable us to build on our momentum and execute our strategic vision for the year ahead," Bakish said, "and I firmly believe we have much to be excited about."</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement comes weeks after Bakish had told employees on Jan. 25 that there would be terminations, though did not disclose how many jobs would be slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>He defended the move last month by saying they aim "to operate as a leaner company" while spending less, specifically on international content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our priority is to drive earnings growth," Bakish said in the January memo. "And we'll get there by growing our revenue while closely managing costs -- a balance that will require every team, division and brand to be aligned."</p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount Global, which owns several media and entertainment companies, including CBS and streaming service Paramount+, saw its shares dive 4% Tuesday morning.</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement of layoffs comes on the heels of CBS broadcasting Sunday's record-breaking Super Bowl LVII, which garnered 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched telecast in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the announcement also makes it one of numerous tech and media companies to announce cuts to staff this year, including eBay, Sports Illustrated, Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch, Meta and Alphabet's Google in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news is something for both other companies, potential business partners and even job seekers to consider when deciding their next move in the game of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>#showbiz #EntertainmentNews #entertainmentindustry #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #businessnews #showbiz #production #creativity #content #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #streamingnews #biznews #disrupt #disruptor #disruption #bigtech #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own" - Bruce Lee </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#BruceLee #quote #quotes #bestquotes #bestquotesoftheday #BQOTD #Philosophy #martialarts #combatsports #life #mbs #mindbodyspirit #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Directory (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/gold_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#GOLD #GoldNews #GoldDirectory #goldnewsmedia #Commodities #commodity #markets #biznews #businessnews #finance #finnews #SP #SandP #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Kennedy 2024. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vN2Y4tZlIw&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>#Kennedy24 #Kennedy #RFKJr #RFKJr2024 #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLVIII #ad #ads #Politics #truth #truthinads #TruthSeeker #USPolitics #broadcast #broadcasting #newsbiz #USA #sportsnews #sportsbiz #trend #trends #buzz #AI #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Kennedy 2024 and AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Potential Dream Match</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Austin vs Punk?!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>In A WWE Ring; WrestleMania @WrestleMania ?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Stone Cold Steve Austin on CM Punk and Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>“I said I’d never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned. And for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania. I never thought I’d do that. If you’d have told me that when I retired in, I’d have said, ‘You’re crazy.’ So I’m not gonna sit here and say no to anything, because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me - so, as long as he can take a Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy, and a great wrestler who’s had a great career. We’ll see.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#dreammatch #dreammatches #SteveAustin #StoneColdSteveAustin #CMPunk #AustinPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #prowrestling #wrestling #sportsentertainment #entertainment #legend #legends #Goat #Goats #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #X #Xwrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC 298 Press Conference</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I respect you as a person, as a professional. I'm just fighting for my dreams" - Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Volk is not bothered by the UFC 35 year old plus "curse".</p><p><br /></p><p>Volk goes cosplay/dress up under Dana White's creative promotional ideas</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via official UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298: Pre-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ORoTVxxDY&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Why Ilia Topuria Is The Scariest Fighter In Featherweight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfVOgYxMqU&t=16s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Constantly makeing Topuria adjust. Can't shoot on him. Can't get a hold of the legs" Michael Bisping</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SImfWUx5aX0&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We just finished training at Pacific MMA. Now straight to California. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I was waiting fo this day. Saturda is a blessed day" Merba Dvalishvili</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298 https://youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&si=AQsXx9OSZwcEJrks…</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was born to be a fighter. That was my destiny. Right now, I am more confident than ever that I will become the best in the world" Ilia Topuria </p><p><br /></p><p>"Ilia Topuria, a legit prospect out of Spain" </p><p><br /></p><p>"He caries this intensity about him. That's a little big different than most of these young fighters. He is sure he will wear a UFC championship belt" </p><p><br /></p><p>"I am Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria"</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Word on the street is that Volk is in for one hell of a fight. May the best man win. </p><p><br /></p><p>More great MMA past, present and future via the official UFC YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>youtube.com/ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #Volkanovski #OldManVolk #Topuria #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #UFC #UFCChampion #UFCTitle #ufcpress #ufcmedia #ufcnews #PressConference #Dvalishvili #Aljo #RobertWhittaker #IanMachado #MichaelBisping #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #Video #YouTube #YT #feature #legends #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #Spain #USA #Anaheim #HondaCentre #California #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis @RealNickAldis Posts To Social Media re what to expect at the upcoming WWE SD and beyond</b></p><p><br /></p><p>On Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns:</p><p><br /></p><p>“I hear they like to cook – I have a few dishes prepared myself, if you catch my drift.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Shotzi has been injured</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown In Shotzi’s place, will be Zelina Vega who will be squaring off against former WWE NXT @WWENXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton for a spot in the women’s Chamber on Friday’s show. Vega was originally set to face Naomi in a qualifying match. Alba Fyre will now be wrestling Naomi on Smackdown.</p><p><br /></p><p>White witches and black magic witches at work in and around the WWE. On a side-note Charlotte Flair's rehab is going ahead of schedule.</p><p><br /></p><p>Femme Fatales</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, that is Scarlett, real life wide of Karrion Kross who is now brunette in 'The Final Testament'. Femme Fatales remain all the rage. Natalya Neidhart continues to train both men and women behind the scenes for the WWE and NXT brands, and the promotion is all the better for it. Natalya may just be one of the greatest pro wrestling trainers of all time, and that covers a lot of ground. Like fellow pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho, currently signed to the 'Big A', she enjoys a background including in authentic journalism and media. Big respect.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, Mickie James, the multi-talented pro wrestler, performing artist + + + will be appearing at Melbourne, Australia's Starrcade Down Under.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE continues to release more excellent videos to their award winning YouTube Channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Every Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes match, ever: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njE7jNoPukQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT — The Rock returns to WWE for first time in seven years: Raw, Feb. 14, 2011</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYR7K4957s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Love story of Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxo7HXk4pg4&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi — SmackDown Women's Title Match: SmackDown, Feb. 11, 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2XcF-03V0U&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #NickAldis #RomanReigns #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #HeadOfTheTable #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #ZelinaVega #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #Natalya #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Maverick #Prime #PrimeHeel #Miz #EliminationChamber #WrestleMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #wwewomen #womenswrestling #Fox #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #socialmedia #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Penn Entertainment’s Q4 2023 earnings draw analyst attention as ESPN Bet plays out</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment Thursday during its earnings conference call reported revenue of $1.37 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023, a 13.2% drop compared to $1.58 billion for the same time period in 2022. The company’s casinos continued profitability, with its northeast and south regions posting revenue drops of 0.6% and 6.3%, while the west and midwest posted revenue gains of 2.3% and 3.0%. But Penn’s interactive segment...drew attention from analysts because of the operator’s ongoing collaboration with ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bill allowing up to 10 casinos, sports betting, and lottery passes key vote in Alabama House; moves to Senate</p><p><br /></p><p>Lottery and casino legislation passed a key test Thursday in the Alabama Legislature as the House of Representatives approved a sweeping gambling proposal with an aim to get the measure before voters in November. The House of Representatives approved the proposed constitutional amendment to allow up to 10 casino sites with table games and slot machines, a state lottery, and to allow sports betting at in-person locations and through online platforms. It would also authorize the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>California: Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opens today</p><p><br /></p><p>After a 25-year journey, the Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opened Thursday, February 15. The establishment, 15 miles south of Chico near Highway 99 at 149 Openshaw Road in Oroville, is the first phase of the tribe’s development plans. “The process of getting here started 25 years ago for the tribe,” Dana Dubois, the casino’s general manager, told ABC7/KRCR, adding that the casino has focused on personal qualities rather than the direct experience for its staff. “We have hired heart, not skillset.” Dubois told the first patrons to visit, “come in and enjoy yourself.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>New study claims igaming increases brick-and-mortar revenue</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A study released Thursday indicates that operators should not worry about their brick-and-mortar casinos being cannibalized by igaming. Comparing Online and Land-based Casino Gaming, commissioned by the iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA Growth) through Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) claims igaming helps boost brick-and-mortar revenue. “This study offers compelling evidence that online gambling is a catalyst for growth, not a competitor to land-based casinos,” said iDEA Growth Founder and General Counsel Jeff Ifrah.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Macau registers more than 200,000 visitor arrivals for second day running</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Macau’s visitor arrivals topped 200,000 for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as the Lunar New Year Golden Week continued to exceed expectations, according to information from the Public Security Police Force. Just 24 hours after setting a new post-pandemic high of Day 4 of 217,451 visitor arrivals on Monday, the fourth day of the Golden Week holiday saw another 201,023 arrivals, taking the four-day tally 703,347. At the halfway mark of the eight-day holiday, total visitation is already closing in on 960,000 arrivals predicted for the entire period by the Macao Government Tourism Office (although visitation is expected to tail off in the coming days).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sportsbooks revenue gears up while casinos stall</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana (results) - While casino revenue remains sluggish, sportsbooks are gearing up for a banner year. Analysts from PlayIndiana.com report the state saw a slight decrease in sports wagers in January following a near-record December, but Indiana’s casinos saw a 17% dip in revenue compared to the same month last year. Over $480.5 million was wagered through sportsbooks in the state in January. Adjusted gross revenue was $53.5 million with $5.1 million paid to the state…Casinos have brought in less money year-over-year for 11 of the past 12 months with January seeing $161.8 million in adjusted gross revenue, a decline of almost $30 million.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Superstar performer announces Las Vegas tour stop</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Jennifer Lopez has announced her highly anticipated return to touring with “This Is Me … Now The Tour,” with T-Mobile Arena among the stops. Lopez will perform in Las Vegas on July 20, a Live Nation news release announced.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Capacity to surge at Las Vegas airport</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - While there are more airline seats coming into Las Vegas from a record number of destinations and international flights have recovered from the COVID-19 downturn, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is still looking for more nonstop flights from Asia. More than 100,000 airline seats a day will become routine by summer at Harry Reid International Airport, aviation experts told the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors Tuesday. Since October 2022, capacity has averaged around 97,000 inbound seats. In October 2023, capacity peaked at 104,239 seats, now seat capacity will climb above 100,000 beginning in April and continuing through June.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Apartment project planned for vacant lot in Arts District</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Roughly 2.3 acres of vacant land in the Arts District of Las Vegas sold for $6 million and the buyers are eyeing apartments for the site. Dubbed Flats Arts District, the $180 million mixed-use apartment project is planned for 123 W. Imperial Ave. Before the property sold in January for $6 million, the 2.3 acres, located a block away from Main Street, sold in 2011 for just over $322,000, according to Clark County property records.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>FanDuel had Over $250 Million In Revenue In Virginia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>FanDuel totaled more than $250 million in gross sports betting revenue in Virginia for 2023, closing out the year by topping $30 million in December…FanDuel finished with $265.4 million in winnings, accounting for 47% of the $560.2 million in revenue among statewide operators…FanDuel’s gross revenue was up 10% from 2022. The increase in handle — 12.2% to nearly $2.27 billion — outpaced revenue. Virginia operators set an all-time high in December with $57.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, while the $633.2 million handle and $63.6 million in gross winnings ranked second out of 36 months of wagering.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl Betting News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sun shines on KC as books feel the heat on margins</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>KC win drives negative margins: Totals wagered were close to the $1.5bn predicted by the markets, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers led sportsbooks’ hold levels into negative territory as they recorded -4% margins for Super Bowl LVIII.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The Macquarie team said this “was not as bad” as the worst case scenario that had Kansas winning with a points total of more than 47.5pts, which would have led to a negative hold of -14%.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Best case scenario: A San Francisco win “in a low scoring game” could have led to 30% margins and driven “$450m of market GGR and $315m of NGR (~30% promo/GGR)”, added Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JMP said operators likely had a mixed outcome as the game “pushed into overtime, a negative within itself”, which enabled “several more prop bets (50% to 60% of total wagers) to hit, including a Kansas City win, and acted as headwinds for margins”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OSB hold for the Super Bowl was between -5% and 0% vs. 2023 industry average of 9.2%, said JMP.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Q1 impact: The -4% hold for the Super Bowl will result in a $64m drop in GGR for the market and should “result in 2-5% of downside to Q1 consensus revenue”, noted Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Apple offset: But with January's high hold rate of 10.8% in New York not reflected in forecasts, this “more than offsets the Super Bowl result with an incremental $250m of market GGR in Jan24”, Macquarie added. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Record audience: The analysts added that Super Bowl LVIII would likely be a turning point for “customer acquisition and NFL growth in new demographics”. This year’s event hit viewership records, with CBS Sports reporting that more than 123 million viewers watched the game, making it the most-watched sports broadcast in U.S. history.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This was “partly driven by over 50% of the U.S. population now having access to OSB in addition to Taylor Swift's involvement, which has brought interest from a whole new demographic, mostly women, we view Super Bowl LVIII as unequivocally positive for sportsbooks”, said Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply said betting geolocation transactions had increased +22% YoY since the start of the NFL playoffs in January, with active user accounts up 12% and “transactions and actives +35% and +13% YoY respectively” in the final round of playoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that several NFL stadiums saw over 60,000 on-site betting transactions per game through the regular season. The Bengals stadium had 67,000 transactions, “against a stadium capacity of 65,500, this implies at least one bet per spectator per game”, the group said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Break it down: JMP meanwhile said parlays accounted for 34% of bets and 25% of handle. FanDuel's average bet size of $22 was well below the average industry bet size, implying a heavy skew toward parlay betting for the company, noted the analysts.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The average number of legs was 5.1 for each parlay wager and was “most impactful for DraftKings and FanDuel”. Single bets accounted for 74% of handle and 66% of all bets and 17% of bets were tied to a promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, U.S. app downloads were flat YoY and totaled 1.4 million, while on Super Bowl Sunday they were 38% down on 2023 at 295,000. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Download charts: FanDuel had 28% download market share (-12% YoY), DraftKings 29% (-22% YoY), BetMGM aired a commercial during the game and its 15% download share was +12% YoY.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Caesars had 4% share (-5% YoY), while ESPN Bet was up 192% with 10% share. Bet365’s download share of 7% was +50% YoY and Fanatics dropped back to 3% share after hitting 6% two weeks ago.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More records: The Nevada Gaming Control Board said sportsbooks took a record $186m in wagers on the game and generated $6.8m in revenue while FanDuel said it took $307m in wagers on the game, also a new record for the U.S OSB leader. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>ESPN Bet heads to New York</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment, parent company of ESPN Bet, is heading to New York after it revealed that it had acquired Wynn Bet’s New York mobile sports betting license for $25m.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The transaction gives ESPN Bet market access to the largest OSB state in the U.S., with launch set for this year “pending regulatory approvals”. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jay Snowden, PENN CEO and President, said: “This important development will bring ESPN Bet to the largest regulated online sports wagering market in North America. Together with ESPN, we’re building a brand that is synonymous with sports betting, and operating in the New York market is key as we grow ESPN Bet across the U.S.”</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>New York sports betting handle was down 4.5% in January to $1.9bn on a monthly basis, but GGR hit a monthly record high of $211.5m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New York: Oneida Nation casino slated for $50 million expansion project</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Oneida Indian Nation on Wednesday announced a $50 million, large-scale expansion at its Point Place Casino, located in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County. The expansion comes in response to demand from guests for additional amenities as well as economic development occurring across the Central New York region.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hard Rock International to donate $250,000 to global charities</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hard Rock Heals Foundation Wednesday announced it will contribute $250,000 to global charitable organizations. The philanthropic arm of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, will distribute the funds through individual grants of $5,000.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Casino and sports betting proposal swiftly advances in the Alabama legislature</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A gambling proposal to authorize a lottery, sports betting, and multiple casinos across Alabama was swiftly advanced by a legislative committee on Wednesday. The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the two-bill package, putting the proposal in line for a key vote Thursday in the state House of Representatives.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter pens first external B2B sportsbook deal with France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain</p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter Entertainment has agreed a deal to provide a multi-channel B2B sportsbook platform to France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain. The agreement sees PMU become the first external brand outside the Flutter group to use the B2B sportsbook platform. It extends a partnership between the parties that launched in 2010. PMU gains access to customer products and associated operational services via the Flutter platform.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Dogecoin Jumps 8% After Shiba Inu Dog's 14th Internet Anniversary, Leaving Bitcoin, Ethereum In The Dust - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dogecoin , the cryptocurrency inspired by a viral meme, has outperformed other major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin </p><p>BTC/USD +5.53% and Ethereum +5.55% with an 8% price increase over the last 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Happened: Data from LunarCrush Pro reveals a massive rise in the social dominance score of Dogecoin, which has spiked by 1800% in a single day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ethereum have each seen their values increase by 4-6% over the past 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The surge in DOGE comes with a special occasion for the Dogecoin community, as shared by the MyDoge wallet on the X platform. They commemorated the 14th anniversary of the Shiba Inu dog Kabosu—the face of the Dogecoin meme—whose pictures were first shared online by owner Atsuko Sato.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Dogecoin was created by software developers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a joke. Markus launched the coin after merely a few hours of coding.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why It Matters: The rise in DOGE also comes as speculation triggered last month by the profile @xpayments on the social app X, about the potential adoption of Dogecoin for payments on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no formal statement has been made about Dogecoin being integrated as a payment method on par with Bitcoin or Ethereum, conversations about the possibility have been circulating, fueled by Musk’s past suggestions on Twitter about the potential for Dogecoin as a payment option for Twitter Blue. Additionally, Musk’s Tesla already enables the purchase of merchandise using Dogecoin through the Tesla Store.</p><p><br /></p><p>Price Action: At the time of writing, DOGE was trading at $0.087, up 8% over the past 24 hours,</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>EC# from National Wrestling Alliance</b></p><p><br /></p><p>As long as I don’t have to wrestle Moose again. I’m kidding. [Moose is one of] my good buddies, but he hits really, really hard. But I believe in collaborations in all forms of this business. I think it needs to be done in a way too, it’s like your businesses that are in theory competitive, that it has to work for both. How does that work? Sometimes you’re gonna miss out on potential things you really want to see. Like hypothetically if it was champion versus champion, how does one company sacrifice their champion because that’s making the other company look superior, and vice versa. How do you deliver a satisfying finish to fans without having some horseshit DQ or nonsensical kind of, everything remains 50/50. So I think that’s the one hill to climb when it comes to that kind of business. But then also, sometimes art is more important, creative is important, when people are willing to sacrifice for it. So it would all depend I guess on the business end.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Paige VanZant announces boxing match expected for this summer: “F*ck it, let’s go” - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I got called by my manager day before yesterday, and I got offered a fight,” Paige VanZant stated on her podcast earlier this week. “A boxing match, and I took it. I don’t know if I can give all the details, I haven’t signed a contract yet. I accepted the fight. It was initially, the date they offered me was March 23, which was perfect. Hell yeah, I’ll get one more fight in before I turn 30, because I turn 30 [on] March 26. So I told my manager f*ck yeah, I’ll take it. I’ll get back into boxing.” (h/t MMA Fighting)</p><p><br /></p><p>She continued, “I was just really excited. The opportunity was really cool. So it was perfect, an eight-week camp, I don’t that long to stress or overthink, or anything like that, so that’s perfect. It turns out it’s not going to be March 23. After I accepted it, they’re like, you know what, we’re going to move it to [May or June]. I heard both dates, so once I have the full information, we’ll be able to release it on the podcast. Accepted a boxing match, that will be my next fight. It’s really, really exciting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gloves on, it’s just straight boxing,” Paige VanZant concluded. “I did think my next fight would be a bare-knuckle boxing match, but this opportunity came forward, and I was just like f*ck it, let’s go. So I took a fight.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What is SEO?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines recommend SEO efforts that benefit both the user search experience and page’s ranking, by featuring content that fulfills user search needs. This includes the use of relevant keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and headlines (H1), featuring descriptive URLs with keywords rather than strings of numbers, and schema markup to specify the page's content meaning, among other SEO best practices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines help people find what they’re looking for online. Whether researching a product, looking for a restaurant, or booking a vacation, search engines are a common starting point when you need information. For business owners, they offer a valuable opportunity to direct relevant traffic to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience. So, SEO is as much about understanding the wants and needs of your audience as it is about the technical nature of how to configure your website.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How do search engines work?</b></p><p>Search engines provide results for any search query a user enters. To do so, they survey and “understand” the vast network of websites that make up the web. They run a sophisticated algorithm that determines what results to display for each search query.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO focuses on Google</b></p><p>To many people, the term “search engine” is synonymous with Google, which has about 83% of the global search engine market. Because Google is the dominant search engine, SEO typically revolves around what works best for Google. It’s useful to have a clear understanding of how Google works and why.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Google wants</b></p><p>Google is designed to deliver the best search experience to its users, or searchers. That means providing the most relevant results, as quickly as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 2 core elements of the search experience are the search term (the user input) and the search results (the output).</p><p><br /></p><p>Let’s say you search “Mailchimp guides and tutorials.” This is a clear, unambiguous search. Google understands what you’re asking for, and it delivers a useful page as the top organic result—Mailchimp’s own page.</p><p><br /></p><p>From Google’s perspective, this is a very good search result and a positive user experience, because it’s likely that the user will click the top result and be happy with the outcome.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Google makes money</b></p><p>Google profits from people trusting and valuing its search service. It achieves this by delivering useful search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google also provides businesses with the opportunity to pay for an advertorial placement at the top of search result pages. The word “Ad” indicates these listings. Google makes money when searchers click on these pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, which you purchase through Google Ads. You’ll see these ads on more generic queries in particular.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other than the small label, these search results look almost indistinguishable from other search results. Of course, this is intentional, as lots of users click on these results without realizing that they’re ads.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what Google counts on. Advertising revenues accounted for more than 80% of the $279.8 billion that Google generated in 2022. So while search functions remain its core product, it depends on its advertising business.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The anatomy of search results</b></p><p>SERPs consist of paid search results and “organic” search results, where the organic results don’t contribute to Google’s revenue. Instead, Google delivers organic results based on its assessment of a site’s relevance and quality. Depending on the type of search query, Google will also include different elements on the SERP, like maps, images, or videos.</p><p><br /></p><p>The volume of ads on a SERP depends on what users have searched. If you were to search the word “shoes,” for example, you’d likely find a substantial number of the top results are ads. In fact, you’ll probably have to scroll down the page to find the first organic result.</p><p><br /></p><p>A query like this usually generates so many ads because there’s a strong chance that the searcher is looking to buy shoes online, and there are lots of shoe companies willing to pay for a feature in the AdWords results for this query.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, if you search for something like “Atlanta Falcons,” your results will be different. Because this search is mostly tied to the professional American football team by that name, the top results relate to that. But it’s still a less clear query. You’ll find news stories, a knowledge graph, and their homepage. These 3 kinds of results at the top indicate that Google doesn’t know the precise intention of your search, but provides quick pathways to learn about the team, read their latest news, or go to their website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since there appears to be no purchase intent behind the query, advertisers are not willing to bid for the keyword, so there are no AdWords results.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, if you change the query to “Atlanta Falcons hat,” which signals to Google that you might be shopping, the SERP results change to feature more sponsored results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The role of SEO</b></p><p>The goal of SEO is to raise your ranking in organic search results. There are different practices for optimizing AdWords, shopping, and local results.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may appear that so many competing elements taking up real estate on SERPs push the organic listings down, SEO can still be a very powerful, lucrative effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>Considering that Google processes billions of search queries daily, organic search results are a very large slice of a very large pie. And while there is some up-front and ongoing investment required to secure and maintain organic rankings, every click that sends traffic to your website is completely free.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Website Ranking Factors For SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the top categories:</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Site-Level Factors</p><p>Backlink Factors</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>On-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Off-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Domain factors are all ranking factors that connect with your domain (the basic example.com version of your website), including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Your domain age</p><p>Keyword in your domain</p><p>Keyword is the first word in your domain</p><p>Domain registration length</p><p>Keyword in subdomain</p><p>Domain history</p><p>Penalized Whois owner</p><p>Public WhoIs instead of private Whois</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Page-level factors are factors on each page that you can optimize, such as:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of the keyword in the title tag</p><p>Having the keyword at the beginning of your title tag</p><p>Keyword in your meta description tag</p><p>Presence of the keyword in the H1 tag</p><p>Keyword is frequently used in the content</p><p>Content length</p><p>Word count rankings</p><p>Presence of a linked table of contents</p><p>Keyword density</p><p>Presence of semantically related keywords</p><p>Semantically related keyword in meta title and description</p><p>In-depth quality content</p><p>Useful content</p><p>Page loading speed via HTML</p><p>Page loading speed tested on Chrome</p><p>Core web vitals</p><p>No duplicate content on the same site</p><p>Image optimization through ALT, title, and file name</p><p>Content recency (the newer, the better)</p><p>Page age</p><p>How many edits were made to the content during updates</p><p>Historical data on page updates</p><p>Proper use of rel=canonical</p><p>Presence of keyword in H2 and H3 tags</p><p>Presence of keyword in the first 100 words</p><p>Grammar and spelling</p><p>Originality of the page's content</p><p>Entity match</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>Mobile useability and optimization</p><p>Hidden content on mobile (may not be indexed)</p><p>Page optimized for mobile</p><p>Presence of multimedia, for example, images and videos</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>The quality of outbound links</p><p>Theme of outbound links</p><p>Presence of helpful supplementary content, like free tools and calculators</p><p>Content hidden behind tabs (it may not be indexed and wouldn't show up in search snippets)</p><p>Number of internal links pointing to the page</p><p>Quality of the internal links</p><p>Presence of too many broken links (could lower ranking capabilities)</p><p>The reading level of the page</p><p>Presence of many affiliate links</p><p>Presence of many HTML errors</p><p>Authority/trust-level of the domain</p><p>Authority/trust level of the page</p><p>PageRank</p><p>Length of URL</p><p>Closeness of URL to the homepage</p><p>Presence of keyword in URL</p><p>Opinion of human editors</p><p>Relevance of page's category to page</p><p>Content formatting for user-friendliness and readability</p><p>Priority of the page in the sitemap.xml</p><p>UX signal from pages ranking for the same keyword</p><p>Citing references and sources</p><p>Use of a user-friendly layout</p><p>URL string in Google search engine results</p><p>Internal link anchor text to the page</p><p>Use of structured data</p><p>Site-level factors</p><p>Site-level factors go above the page level and take a look at things on the entire site. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of a contact us page or appropriate amount of contact information</p><p>Content on site provides value or new insights</p><p>TrustRank (how close your site is to a known and trusted site in terms of linking)</p><p>Website updates for freshness factor</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Presence of a sitemap</p><p>Long-term site downtime</p><p>Location of server</p><p>HTTPs / use of a valid SSL certificate</p><p>Presence of legal pages (terms and conditions and privacy policy)</p><p>Unique metadata</p><p>Use of breadcrumb markup</p><p>Site-wide mobile optimization</p><p>Site-wide user-friendliness (usability and interactiveness)</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>User reviews</p><p>Site reputation</p><p>Backlink factors</p><p>Backlink factors look at the sites that are linking to you to determine where to rank your page. Sites with better quality sites linking to them tend to be higher in rankings when they have quality content. The backlink factors are as follows:</p><p><br /></p><p>Age of linking domain</p><p>Number of referring domains</p><p>Number of links from separate c-class IPs</p><p>Number of referring pages</p><p>Anchor text of backlinks</p><p>ALT tag of image links</p><p>Number of links from .edu and .gov domains</p><p>Trust factor of linking page</p><p>Trust factor of linking domain</p><p>Presence of links from competitors</p><p>Number of links from expected sites in your industry</p><p>Links from bad neighborhoods</p><p>Number of links that are not from ads</p><p>Country TLD of referring domains</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>Presence of some nofollow links</p><p>Diversity of link profile</p><p>Context of content the content of linking page</p><p>Presence of more follow links that sponsored or UGC</p><p>Lots of backlinks to URL with 301 redirects</p><p>The text that appears when you hover over a link</p><p>Link location on page</p><p>Location of link in content</p><p>Links from relevant domains</p><p>Links from relevant pages</p><p>Presence of your page's keyword in the title of the linking page</p><p>Natural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Spiky and unnatural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Links from top resources on a certain topic or hubs</p><p>Number of links from sites that are considered authority sites</p><p>Linked as a source in a Wikipedia article</p><p>Words around your backlinks</p><p>Backlink age</p><p>Links from real sites vs fake blogs</p><p>Natural link profile</p><p>Excessive reciprocal links</p><p>Links in real content vs. UGC</p><p>Backlinks from a page with a 301 redirect</p><p>TrustRank of linking site</p><p>Fewer outbound links on linking page</p><p>Links in real content vs links in forums</p><p>Word count of linking content</p><p>Quality of linking content</p><p>Sitewide links = one link</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Google always emphasizes in their update announcements how important it is to provide an excellent user experience to website visitors. These factors measure user interaction to rank your page accordingly, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Organic click through rate for exact keyword</p><p>Organic click through rates for all ranking keywords</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Measurement of how users interact on your site based on RankBrain</p><p>Total direct traffic</p><p>Percentage of repeat visitors</p><p>Blocked sites</p><p>Percentage of visitors that click on other pages on the SERP after clicking visiting your page</p><p>Page frequently bookmarked by Chrome users</p><p>Number of comments on page</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Some Google Algorithm rules are not directly connected to your page or domain. They include factors that look at personalizing search results for the user or better search results as a whole. Here are some of them:</p><p><br /></p><p>Need for diversity in the SERP</p><p>Need for freshness in the SERP</p><p>Browsing history of user</p><p>Search history of user</p><p>Succinct answers, formatting, page authority and HTTPS for featured snippets</p><p>Geo-targeting</p><p>Adult content or curse words (excluded from safe search results)</p><p>High content quality standards for YMYL keywords</p><p>Legitimate DMCA complaints</p><p>Need for domain diversity in SERP</p><p>Transactional searches</p><p>Local search results</p><p>Presence of news stories related to keyword for Top Stories box</p><p>Search intent</p><p>Presence of big brands with relevant content (they are often ranked higher)</p><p>Presence of results optimized for Google Shopping</p><p>Image results</p><p>Branded search</p><p>Easter eggs and April Fools' Day jokes and hoaxes from Google (this one makes me laugh)</p><p>Spammy queries</p><p>Spammy sites</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>How great is your branding strategy in terms of SEO? If you haven't taken care of your brand mentions and brand all over the internet, you need to start now. Because there are some serious ranking factors related to your brand:</p><p><br /></p><p>Brand + keyword searches (for example, Hubspot SEO)</p><p>Branded anchor text</p><p>Twitter profile with followers</p><p>Official LinkedIn page</p><p>Facebook page with lots of likes</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Known author or verified online profile</p><p>Real social media accounts</p><p>Top stories with brand mentions</p><p>Brand mentions without links</p><p>Physical location of offices</p><p>On-site Web</p><p>To rank high on search engine results, you need to ensure your site isn't spammy and doesn't look spammy - as with many things in life, looks play a role in how we're perceived. Here are some factors around that:</p><p><br /></p><p>Low-quality content</p><p>Links to bad neighborhoods</p><p>Multiple and sneaky redirects</p><p>Flagged server IP address</p><p>Distracting ads and popups</p><p>Popups that are spammy and difficult to close</p><p>Over-optimizing the site</p><p>Gibberish content</p><p>Use of doorway pages</p><p>Lots of ads above the fold and not much content</p><p>Hiding affiliate links</p><p>Low-value content sites</p><p>Affiliate sites</p><p>Keyword stuffing in meta tags</p><p>Compute generated content</p><p>Nofollowing all outbound links</p><p>Off-site Webspam Factors</p><p>The Off-site webspam factors affect spam based on what's done outside your website that connects with your website. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Unnatural and sudden increase in backlinks</p><p>Hacked site</p><p>Lots of low-quality backlinks</p><p>High percentage of links from unrelated websites</p><p>Low-quality directory links</p><p>Automatic links in widgets</p><p>Links from sites with the same server IP</p><p>Using “poison” in your anchor text</p><p>Ignored manual actions in search console</p><p>Selling links</p><p>Temporary link schemes</p><p>Phew, we made it! Even though this list might seem overwhelming, I've condensed it to my top 10 to make things a bit more palatable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Google Ranking Factors</p><p>Before we go into my top 10 Google ranking factors, keep this in mind: everything is debatable in SEO. While several SEO experts might accept these 10 factors as their top ranking factors as well, other SEOs might disagree. But for me, these are what I've found to be most important.</p><p><br /></p><p>I chose my top 10 based on what I've seen improves the user experience, optimizes conversion rates, signals trustworthiness, ranks well, brings in high amounts of organic monthly traffic, and promotes customer retention and loyalty. Let's dive in.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Content that provides valuable and unique insights.</p><p>As mentioned above, Google has always emphasized quality content. Providing content that provides value and unique insights not found on every other website can improve your ranking simply because your audience enjoys it.</p><p><br /></p><p>To do this:</p><p><br /></p><p>Ensure you are the subject expert in what you are writing about or that you understand that topic in-depth according to research.</p><p>Hire subject experts to write your content.</p><p>Provide factual information that informs your audience about the questions that are the most important to them.</p><p>Don't write fluff.</p><p>2. Content that covers a topic in-depth.</p><p>Want to rank on the first page? Stop writing thin content. Research has proven time and time again that content that covers all areas, whether long or short form, tends to do better in search results. Here's what to do:</p><p><br /></p><p>Study your competitors' content and write about what they missed.</p><p>Cover all relevant areas and answer all questions that readers might have.</p><p>Make the text readable by adding elements like images, a clickable table of contents, jump links, and CTAs to relevant information.</p><p>3. Organic click-through rates.</p><p>Your organic click through rate helps Google understand whether people like your content or not. If more people are clicking on your post in the SERP, Google will believe your content is more relevant to that keyword and rank you higher for it.</p><p><br /></p><p>You need to write a convincing meta title and description to improve your organic click-through rate. Here are tips for writing the best meta title and description:</p><p><br /></p><p>Use power words.</p><p>Ensure your keyword is visible in the meta title.</p><p>Keep your meta title under 62 characters.</p><p>Keep your meta description at about 150 characters.</p><p>Your meta description should be helpful to readers (use it to show them how they benefit from reading your content).</p><p>Note that to get to a point where you can improve organic click through rate, you should have all other SEO factors in place for higher rankings. I mean anyways, if you are in the 100th position, most people wouldn't see your page to begin with.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Keywords in H1.</p><p>The H1 is an indication of what your content is about. So, include your keyword in your H1. Be careful, though; some SEOs say that using the same sentence in your H1 and meta title is an indication that you are keyword stuffing. So, you might want to spice it up a bit while still ensuring that your keyword is present. Do this in combination with all on-page optimization (meta data, URL, other headings).</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The content's length.</p><p>Content length is one thing that several people debate about when it comes to SEO. Some believe an upward of 2000 words should be the standard. However, that shouldn't always be the case. Sure, long-form content seems to get the most backlinks, but it's crucial that you write long-form only when you need that to cover the entire topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's also a best practice to check what your competitors have because that can be an indicator of quality content. If all competitors have between 2000-4000 words and you write 200 words, you will likely not rank high for that term.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Website domain authority.</p><p>Domain Authority (DA) is not a ranking factor despite what many say, and the simple reason is: Google didn't create it. When asked if it is a signal, John Mueller replied, “...it's a tool by Moz”.</p><p><br /></p><p>But from my perspective, it's good to keep in mind because Moz uses particular signals to create that score (and other tools like SEMrush and Arel=" noopener" target="_blank" hrefs) that are similar to Google's ranking factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>When more trusted sites are linking to yours and you have content that ranks well, that is an indicator that you should be trusted, which in turn increases your rankings even further - all of which plays into DA. So in a nutshell, you might want to focus on growing your DA even if Google doesn't confirm it.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Total number of backlinks from relevant sources.</p><p>The total number of your backlinks and referring domains are important, but only when they are from relevant sources. In February 2021, John Mueller commented about the importance of link relevance and that you can build many backlinks, but Google will ignore them if they are not relevant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than focusing on building millions of backlinks, focus on more relevant and quality backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Page loading speed via HTML.</p><p>Last year, Google announced that core web vitals would become a ranking signal and it's planned to launch in mid-June. Core web vitals is a part of PageSpeed, and page speed affects user experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>If your site is too slow to load or slow to interact with, Google is more likely to reduce your rankings, especially when your competitors have fast site speed and great content.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Mobile usability.</p><p>User experience is key for SEO success and users are increasingly accessing your website via mobile. That's why Google sends constant mobile-friendliness notifications in Search Console when it sees that your site isn't responsive.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want to score points with Google and, more importantly, your users, work on your mobile usability.</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Over-optimization.</p><p>Don't overdo it — this serves as a reminder that you must prioritize optimizing for humans, not the algorithm. When you over-optimize your pages, Google sees that you're trying too hard and might believe you are trying to game the system. If that happens, you get penalized.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are other important ranking factors that didn't make the top 10 cut, but you should make sure to work on as well:</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality of internal links pointing to page</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Site usability</p><p>Contextual links</p><p>Outbound link quality</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Image alt text</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>SEO for Beginners: SEO Basics in 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important marketing tactics for your business. However, few actually know how to do it effectively. To help, we’ve put together an entire guide on SEO for beginners, which includes how SEO works, why it’s important and how to do it yourself. Use this beginners’ guide to rank your website higher in search engines like Google for relevant and high-value search terms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Is SEO?</b></p><p>SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher for organic search terms and increases its visibility. The overall goal of SEO is to generate more traffic for your website to generate more leads and sales. There are three components of organic SEO, which include on-page, off-page and technical SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>On-page SEO represents factors directly related to your website’s content, which include things such as blog article quality, meta descriptions, keyword targeting and more. Off-page SEO comprises SEO factors that occur outside of your website, such as your overall backlink volume and quality. Finally, technical SEO represents your website’s overall performance and health, such as your desktop and mobile loading speed.</p><p><br /></p><p>To rank your website higher for relevant and high-value keywords, it’s important to address all three of these SEO components. With this in mind, let’s discuss exactly how SEO works.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Does SEO Work?</b></p><p>When someone searches for something on platforms such as Google, those search engines use proprietary algorithms to crawl the internet and rank the most relevant and high-quality content on a search engine results page (SERP). These pieces of content are typically blog articles targeting a specific keyword, but can also include other media types such as images or video.</p><p><br /></p><p>To determine the most relevant results, Google and other search engines will first analyze the search term to understand the user’s overall intent, and then find content that best addresses the user’s query and overall intent based on a blend of on-page, off-page and technical SEO factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The goal of SEO is therefore to rank higher in SERPs for specific keywords—or queries—that are relevant to your business. To do so, it’s first important to do keyword research to determine which terms you should be targeting. From there, write high-value blog articles that directly address those keywords. Then, promote your content through off-page tactics that build backlinks and make sure your website is optimized to perform well for the user.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO Is Important</b></p><p>SEO is important for a multitude of reasons. It increases website visibility for relevant keywords that help you generate more leads and sales. But the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s exactly why SEO should be an important part of your marketing strategy:</p><p><br /></p><p>Increase website visibility: SEO helps you rank your website higher in organic SERPs for high-value keywords that are important to your business. This allows potential customers to organically find your brand online and can result in more sales.</p><p>Build brand authority: Providing valuable content that ranks high for relevant search terms is a great way to build brand authority since potential customers inherently trust brands they see ranking high in search results.</p><p>Generate organic traffic: Optimizing your website’s SEO will help you generate more organic traffic with high intent for your product or service since you can target specific keyword terms relevant to your business.</p><p>Cost-effective and sustainable growth: Unlike tactics like social media or search advertising that only work if you’re actively paying for ads, organic SEO traffic is sustainable and cost-effective, generating long-term traffic you don’t have to pay for.</p><p>Improve website experience: Optimizing your technical SEO improves the overall user experience of your website, which can result in higher conversions and happier customers.</p><p>Overall, SEO should be a key part of your ongoing marketing strategy. It helps improve brand visibility and authority as well as generates organic traffic cost-effectively and sustainably. Now that you understand the benefits, let’s discuss exactly how to perform SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>How To Perform SEO</p><p>While SEO may seem complicated, there is a set of repeatable steps you can follow to execute an effective SEO strategy. These steps include defining your audience, identifying relevant keywords, crafting high-value content, generating backlinks and optimizing your website performance. Let’s take a detailed look at each of these steps:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Define Your Target Audience</p><p>The first thing you want to do is define your ideal audience, which will inform the topics and keywords you’re targeting. You can do this by creating an ideal customer profile or buyer persona that identifies things such as demographics, psychographics, firmographics and more. You can create one manually or use an online tool such as HubSpot’s Make My Persona to help you create one.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Conduct Keyword Research</p><p>With your target audience defined, the next step is to conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms to target with high-quality pieces of content such as blog articles. The best way to do keyword research is to use a free tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or a paid option such as Semrush.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look up relevant topics using one of the tools above and note the overall keyword traffic and ranking difficulty for each topic. From there, put together a content runway of relevant and related keywords with high traffic potential and a reasonable chance of ranking based on the difficulty score.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3. Craft High-Quality Content</p><p>The next step is to write and publish quality blog articles each targeting one of the primary keywords on your content runway. To do so, start with an outline that identifies the overall header structure of your article and includes the primary keyword in elements such as the title and relevant headers.</p><p><br /></p><p>From there, craft the entire piece, making sure to optimize for the primary keyword and adding elements such as imagery, statistics and more. Link relevant articles together using internal website links to help Google better discover your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Build Quality Backlinks</p><p>A backlink is a link from a third-party site pointing to your content, which Google views as a measure of authority. Once your blog articles are published, conduct off-page SEO tactics that generate quality backlinks, such as direct outreach. For example, research relevant websites that can benefit from linking to your content. Then, find their contact information and reach out with a suggestion to link to your site.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Optimize Your Website Performance</p><p>Make sure that you’re also improving your website’s overall health and performance, which includes things such as loading speed, mobile optimization and more. Google uses a Lighthouse performance score to rank your website on key performance metrics and assign you a score out of 100. Also included are scores for accessibility, best practices and overall SEO. The goal is to optimize your site to get these four scores as close to 100 as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>6. Iterate and Improve</p><p>Check your SEO metrics monthly to determine how your strategy is performing. You can use an SEO tool such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track key SEO data such as traffic, ranking position and more. Iterate and improve your on-page, off-page and technical SEO tactics based on the results.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Stay Updated on Changing SEO Trends</p><p>Search algorithms are constantly changing, affecting the SEO best practices you should be following. Because of this, it’s important to stay abreast of the changing SEO trends and how they might affect your overall SEO strategy. Subscribe to or read online resources such as the newsletter Search Engine Journal to ensure you don’t miss any changes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bottom Line</p><p>SEO is the act of increasing your website’s organic visibility by ranking its content for relevant search terms. To do so, first conduct keyword research to find valuable terms that are relevant to your business. From there, write high-quality content that matches the intent of each search term and promote that content to generate backlinks. Also, ensure your website is optimized for performance and speed. If you do these things, you are well on your way to mastering the art and science of SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Property News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>South Coogee home that ‘floats above ocean’ sets $18.5m record, beats Fred Schebesta’s ‘castle’ - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>An incredible South Coogee home that ‘floats above the ocean’ has set a suburb record of $18.5m with its pre-auction sale last night, beating crypto king Fred Schebesta’s ‘Coogee Castle’.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three-level five-bedroom clifftop residence at 1A Seaside Parade, that had cost the late Alan Cardy, a former Wallaby and property developer, $320,000 in 1981, had unobstructed views over the Pacific Ocean over Wedding Cake Island to Bondi and out to Malabar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sales agents Alexander Phillips of PPD, in conjunction with Ashley Bierman and Jordan L’Estrange of Ray White Double Bay, had an $18.45m guide for an auction scheduled for tomorrow, but instead they negotiated a deal last night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Built from concrete, steel, stone and glass by Bellevarde Constructions, the interiors were by Alexandra Kidd Design.</p><p><br /></p><p>It came with a heated mosaic-tiled pool, spa, sauna, gym and entertainer’s cabana right on the water’s edge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cardy, who died in 2021 aged 76, had bought the home next door for $230,000 from the ex Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Di Yerbury. That sold for $6.7m late last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Both homes were originally offered in one line with a guide of $25m. In the end, they got their money — and more — with the final result of $25.2m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Each level was connected by an internal elevator and the palatial master retreat included a spa bath and en-suiite. There was laos a separate movie theatre room.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other attractions were the large private rooftop with incredible views.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fred Schebesta, the co-founder and CEO of the comparison website, Finder, had been the previous suburb record holder with his 2021 purchase of his Bunya Parade castle for $16.85m.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 42-year-old went from working in a Pizza Hut call centre as a university student to running a business employing 450 staff in 80 countries and now has a net worth of more than $214m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>GeoComply releases Super Bowl LVIII betting activity figures - 12 Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- GeoComply, a global leader in advanced anti-fraud and geolocation compliance technologies, has announced a 22.3 percent increase in geolocation checks throughout Super Bowl weekend, surpassing last year’s figures. This sustained growth underscores an important shift in the US towards a state-regulated, taxed, and secure betting environment, enabling more Americans to place legal bets on the year’s most anticipated football game. GeoComply analyzed its data across 28 US states*, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico with legal, online sports betting during Super Bowl LVIII weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The continued transition to the legal market set the stage for a historic first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and the record-breaking results we saw did not disappoint. We are proud to help foster the growth of a regulated industry that puts accountability, security and player protection at the forefront,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO and Co-Founder of GeoComply. “Compliance drives our mission, and with that commitment, we strive to help our customers reliably and responsibly expand the player funnel and boost their businesses. Every year the legal market grows is good news for consumers and states and bad news for illegal offshore sportsbooks that become marginalized.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Additional Key Insights from Super Bowl LVIII Include:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>- Throughout Super Bowl weekend, GeoComply saw a total of 8.5 million active accounts across states where online sports betting is legal. This represents a 15 percent increase over last year’s Super Bowl.</p><p>- During the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, GeoComply saw more than 1.77 million new users sign up for legal online betting accounts.</p><p>- Since the start of the 2023/2024 NFL Season through the Super Bowl GeoComply customers have added more than 13.7 million new accounts, a 28 percent increase from last season.</p><p>- Minutes before kick-off GeoComply saw a massive spike in traffic totaling 14.75 thousand transactions per second (TPS) immediately. This was the highest TPS ever recorded on GeoComply’s systems, nearly doubling the last Super Bowl’s peak.</p><p>- Tale of two Kansas Cities: Chiefs fans on both sides of the Kansas City border want to support their team. GeoComply’s real-time pin drop map from Super Bowl Sunday shows legal activity in Kansas, while just across the street in Missouri they are blocked from betting.</p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply’s technology is critical for the online sports betting industry. Its platform uses more than 800 data points to accurately confirm that players are located in a state where sports betting is legal before placing a bet. Super Bowl LVIII represents many new growth milestones for the legal online sports betting industry, but it also represents a significant technical achievement that ensures that players have a fantastic experience and regulators have the proper assurances that all bets placed fall within the appropriate state borders.</p><p><br /></p><p>“GeoComply’s technology brings the perfect blend of geolocation precision mixed with a rock-solid player experience,” said Sainsbury. “These two aspects of our platform are critical to the industry’s success as a whole, and we designed the solution to meet these massive spikes in demand without compromising on either of them. Innovation is at the core of our brand, and we will continue to improve on our technology with the expectation that by the next Super Bowl, more states and more players will join the masses.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM and X sign exclusive sports betting partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>9 February 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>“X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>X CEO Linda Yaccarino said, "Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. </p><p><br /></p><p>We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams."</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM's mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM's already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rio, Rinehart discussed risk of third-party claim to mine venture - Novemeber 3, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Senior Rio Tinto executives and Gina Rinehart discussed the risk that their lucrative iron ore joint venture may attract a royalty claim from another Perth mining dynasty in 2005, a court has heard.</p><p><br /></p><p>But lawyers for Rio Tinto argued on Friday that revelations of the years-old discussions about a potential liability to pay Wright Prospecting mining royalties are not proof they ever considered that the company could claim an ownership stake in the project.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Almost 20 years after Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting struck a deal to mine Hope Downs, descendants of Lang Hancock’s former business partner Peter Wright are now demanding both royalties from the project, and a proprietary claim to the parts of the mine itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court heard that Mrs Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman, acknowledged “question marks” over the potential for future royalty claims from other WA mining families as part of discussions with Rio Tinto in the mid-2000s.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, lawyers for Hamersley Iron – the Rio Tinto subsidiary that inked the mining deal with Hancock Prospecting to develop Hope Downs – said discussions of a potential liability to pay royalties didn’t prove the parties considered a separate equitable claim to the project.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grant Donaldson SC described Hamersley and Rio Tinto as an “innocent purchaser” in the mammoth mining deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To make such a finding, the court is required to be convinced Hamersley executed the agreement knowing certain representations given were false, and that’s a serious thing indeed,” Mr Donaldson said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Maximum figure undisclosed</p><p>“When one looks at these documents and the so-called ‘question marks’ related to potential royalty claims … the contention that is put as to knowledge is one of extraordinary vagary.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This discussion, as recorded here, can only have been about royalty.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian Financial Review on Thursday revealed that Rio Tinto agreed to assume 50 per cent liability to any future royalty claim in 2005, but insisted it be capped at an undisclosed figure.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mining giant has refused to disclose what the maximum figure it could be liable to pay in royalties should Hancock Prospecting lose the marathon trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawyers for both Wright and Hancock Prospecting have made reference to key elements of Rio Tinto’s liability on any potential claims to riches flowing from the Hope Downs mine throughout the trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hancock Prospecting reported the four mines operated by Rio under the Hope Downs joint venture shipped 46.5 million tonnes of iron ore and contributed more than $1.3 billion to Hancock’s $5.04 billion net profit after tax in 2022-23.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mrs Rinehart’s private company is pushing Rio to open new iron ore mines, including the Hope 2 project along with Hope 3, 5 and 6, under their long-standing partnership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial was adjourned until mid-November, when lawyers for two of Mrs Rinehart’s children are expected to provide their closing arguments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Rinehart and her sibling John Hancock have claimed they are the rightful owners of the Hope Downs mine because their grandfather Lang Hancock moved it into a trust for them before his death.</p><p><br /></p><p>They claim Mrs Rinehart breached her fiduciary duties by moving the mining tenements out of that trust, and into her control. However, lawyers for Hancock Prospecting say Lang Hancock wrongly placed the Hope Downs asset into that trust in a bid to syphon money out of the business for his own use, and Mrs Rinehart moved to correct his wrongdoings.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussies at the Super Bowl. Just don’t ask about the prices - Feb 12, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium alongside Eddie Maguire and broadcaster Craig Hutchison.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On ordinary days, star spotting in Las Vegas is as easy as scouting fish in a barrel. But the fame-factor was dialled up to 10 at the weekend as Taylor Swift and the world’s glitterati descended on the desert city for the 58th NFL Super Bowl and the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then there were the Aussies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Allegiant Stadium – capacity 65,000 – along with AFL executives Peta Webster and commercial boss Kylie Rogers. Visit Victoria chairman and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was also on the ground, as was sports broadcasting boss Craig Hutchison, on his annual ballpark tour.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor Swift (centre) wearing a corset by Australian designer Dion Lee at Monday’s Super Bowl. AP</p><p><br /></p><p>For McGuire, who still sits on Victoria’s tourism advisory and investment body, it’s more than just a good time. It’s an opportunity to tour the world’s best stadium infrastructure and to get an edge to bring back home at a time when Queensland is preparing for the 2032 Olympics and global competition for sporting events has never been more fierce.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Two years ago NFL wouldn’t let Las Vegas be mentioned on any Super Bowl ads. Now [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell calls Vegas ‘Sports City USA’,” the former Nine chief executive said via text from inside the stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>“West Coast America is setting the standard that we have to go past [because] the NFL is taking games to stadia as much as countries. Real Madrid stadium the Bernabeu is the template for what we need to be aiming at … not painting seats at the Gabba.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Others sports bosses to make the schlep to Nevada for the Monday AEDT game included Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson and prominent Melbourne defamation lawyer Justin Quill, who turned out at Allegiant dressed in his Priscilla-in-the-Desert best – a plush pink bomber jacket. When in Vegas.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Not that any eyes were on the Aussie contingent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inside the stadium, galaxy-level megastar Taylor Swift emerged as the twin attraction as the 14-time Grammy winner who lands in Australia this week for the local leg of her 151-show Eras Tour cheered on Kansas Chiefs tight-end and boyfriend Travis Kelce.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting in a box alongside US rapper Ice Spice and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, the star was dressed in Australian designer Dion Lee and brought the crowd to a roar as she skulled a beer, and slammed the plastic cup down in triumph.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the Chiefs defeated the 49ers by just three points in a nailbiting overtime, Swift and Kelce again dominated broadcast feeds on the pitch as the pair packed on the PDA in the latest instalment of the hyper-public romance.</p><p><br /></p><p>For Four Pillars Gin founder Stuart Gregor, who sold his spirits business to beverage giant Lion in 2023 and also hit up this year’s Super Bowl, the star-spotting mother lode came the night before the game.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday, inside chef Evan Funke’s Roman-inspired eatery Mother Wolf, he scored the trifecta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Beyoncé and Jay Z walked straight past us and Queen Latifah sat behind us. It’s Vegas – so it’s crazy,” the PR veteran told The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just don’t ask about the prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Only complaint, the beers are 750ml …. and $US20 plus tip.”</p><p><br /></p><p>At the current exchange rate with a 15 per cent tip, that’s almost $40 per drink. An expensive sherbet.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins and 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes will appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" live at WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rollins and Rhodes forged a partnership after the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event that saw The Rock slap The American Nightmare, setting off a chaotic few moments. On the following episode of Monday Night Raw, The Visionary offered his services to Rhodes, which seem to have been accepted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The moment will also be a homecoming for Grayson Waller, as he hosts his signature show in his home continent of Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Be sure to tune in to WWE Elimination Chamber live from the Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, streaming LIVE at 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else to see this unforgettable edition of "The Grayson Waller Effect."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Black Rifle Coffee Company kicks off UFC marketing partnership - Feb 14, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>As the Official Coffee of UFC, the veteran-owned coffee chain will have branding at the mixed martial arts organisation’s US competitions, as well as on its digital content and social media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Veteran-owned coffee chain Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) has signed a multi-year marketing partnership to become the Official Coffee of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the US. </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership includes ‘high-visibility’ on-site BRCC branding at all UFC mixed martial arts events in the US, as well as the coffee chain’s logo on live broadcasts and digital promotion materials. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Founded in 1993, UFC organises more than 40 live tournaments annually and broadcasts to over 900 million households globally. The organisation has eight US events lined up across the next three months. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The sponsorship will also see the two brands collaborate on content for UFC’s digital and social media channels, which reach 259 million users globally. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“We are immensely proud and excited to announce our partnership with UFC. UFC has revolutionised the landscape of competitive sports, and our collaboration aims to invigorate fans, fostering the creation of unforgettable experiences and lasting memories,” said Mat Best, Co-Founder, BRCC. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2014, BRCC actively promotes support for veterans, law enforcement and first responders across its retail, wholesale and e-commerce channels. The coffee chain and roaster operated 17 stores across the US at the end of its 2023 third quarter and is forecasting full-year sales of around $440m. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>10.24.2023</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC® AND ANHEUSER-BUSCH ANNOUNCE MULTIYEAR PARTNERSHIP</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bud Light Returns as the Official Beer of UFC in the U.S.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Partnership Extends Worldwide as AB InBev Becomes “Official Global Beer Partner of UFC”</b></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS and NEW YORK – October 24, 2023 – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization and part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), together with Anheuser-Busch, one of America’s most iconic companies and the undisputed leader of the U.S. beer industry, today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership. Effective January 1, 2024, the brewer will become the exclusive “Official Beer Partner of UFC.” With this sponsorship, in the U.S., Bud Light will bring easy enjoyment to 21+ fans with 360-degree programming, including custom social and digital content, broadcast integration, on-site presence, and more. </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC CEO Dana White said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together. There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for. I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Brendan Whitworth, CEO, Anheuser-Busch, said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have always been on the cutting edge of iconic sporting moments that fans remember forever, and reuniting with UFC is a continuation of this industry leading legacy. As one of the largest and longest standing sport sponsors, we are excited to work with UFC to celebrate our passionate fans while always making a positive impact in communities across America.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, said, “As leaders of our category, we are focused on new opportunities to connect with consumers in new occasions. UFC has become an undeniable force in the sports industry, and that’s why we’re so excited to partner with them and continue to amplify this sport around the world. We will be creating new and exciting brand experiences for UFC fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRANDED INTEGRATIONS AND ENTITLEMENTS</p><p><br /></p><p>AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer and global parent company of Anheuser-Busch, will be UFC’s Official Global Beer Partner and will receive a deep level of integration into key UFC assets, ranging from live events, including broadcast features and in-arena promotion, to original content distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels. Through UFC’s far-reaching global footprint, AB InBev will have meaningful brand visibility before more than 700 million fans in 170 countries, as well as an estimated 900 million TV households that receive UFC’s broadcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the more notable integrations, in the U.S. Bud Light will receive prominent branding inside the most recognizable setting in all of sports, the world-famous Octagon®, at every UFC event including all Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, DANA WHITE’S CONTENDER SERIES, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER reality series, and ROAD TO UFC, a win-and-advance tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bud Light will also be integrated into custom broadcast features in all U.S. UFC Pay-Per-Views, with their popular “Easy to Enjoy” and “Easy to Celebrate” fan campaigns highlighted in the segments.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition, UFC and Bud Light will collaborate on original content that will be distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels, which reach more than 243 million users worldwide. Bud Light will also have a highly visible presence at popular UFC fight week activities, including press conferences and weigh-ins, that help build anticipation for the main events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership will be truly global for UFC fans all across the world. In international markets, Budweiser and select local AB InBev brands will activate the sponsorship across events and marketing. </p><p><br /></p><p>To learn more about Bud Light’s partnership with the UFC, follow Bud Light on Facebook at Facebook.com/BudLight, on Twitter at @BudLight, and on Instagram at @BudLight. </p><p><br /></p><p>About UFC®</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 243 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Anheuser-Busch</p><p><br /></p><p>At Anheuser-Busch, our purpose is to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, dream big to move our industry forward, and make a meaningful impact in the world. We hope to build a future that everyone can celebrate, and everyone can share. For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most loved beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob ULTRA, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AB InBev</p><p><br /></p><p>Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Hoegaarden®, Leffe® and Michelob ULTRA®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 167,000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2022, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 57.8 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>AI mentions rise in S&P 500 earnings calls, Goldman says - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The number of S&P 500 companies discussing artificial intelligence has climbed to a new high in fourth-quarter conference calls, Goldman Sachs strategists said, in the latest sign AI is a focal point for markets and corporate America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proportion of S&P 500 companies mentioning "AI" rose to 36%, up from 31% in the third quarter, Goldman strategists said in a research note published late Wednesday, at which point they said 360 companies representing 80% of the index's market cap had reported results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Information technology stayed the sector with the most companies discussing AI, while energy had the largest increase in companies discussing the technology, according to the strategists led by David Kostin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Several companies discussed the strong demand for their AI product offerings and services," Goldman said in the note. "Many companies have also sought to weave AI into existing product offerings to improve the end-user's experience and drive further demand."</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies also noted that spending on capital expenditures and research and development "will likely rise in the near term as they ramp up AI investments," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Goldman report is in line with a Reuters analysis earlier in the fourth-quarter reporting season that found AI mentions picking up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Such management enthusiasm has been reflected in stock performance as well, according to Goldman.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Goldman stock basket of companies pursuing or enabling AI technology outperformed the equal-weight S&P 500 by 19 percentage points year-to-date as of Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of IBM rose to a more than 10-year high late last month after the company gave a better-than-expected revenue outlook backed by strong demand for its AI service.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chipmaker Nvidia, which has been at the center of the frenzy over AI, has seen its shares soar nearly 50% this year after more than tripling in 2023, becoming the third largest U.S. company by market value, surpassing Amazon and Alphabet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nvidia's quarterly results this coming Wednesday "will be closely watched as a barometer of AI momentum," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News - Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All eyes are on the strongest Cryptos</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market continues to rise, adding 2.3% to the level of 24 hours ago. Bitcoin's capitalisation has surpassed 1 trillion, and its share of all coins is estimated at 52.5% by CoinMarketCap. The increase in share is due to USDT and the relative stagnation of the share of other cryptocurrencies outside the top five.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin's price has surpassed $52.2K, the highest level since the end of 2021. Buyers in the first cryptocurrency are so strong that we don't even see a prolonged consolidation. This dynamic reinforces our view that the next meaningful shakeout may not come before the approach of 60K, where there were several inflexion points in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is updating highs, but this is the highest level since July 2022. Solana has been at highs since late December last year, Cardano has only recovered to levels from 13 January, and XRP has been at its highest since 22 January. Clearly, the bigger the coin now, the more attention it gets.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p>According to BitMEX data, daily inflows into bitcoin ETFs approached record levels on their first day of trading after the launch. BlackRock's fund is showing strong momentum, and experts are optimistic about Wall Street's acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Scaramucci, a founder of SkyBridge Capital, urged to have no doubts and buy BTC at current levels. According to him, we are in for a great bull rally.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CoinGecko, the Bitcoin blockchain took the top spot for NFT trading volume in December, accounting for 42.1% of all trading activity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forbes included three crypto firms in its list of the top 50 fintech companies: Chainalysis, Fireblocks and Gauntlet.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the last three months of 2023, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued 450 warnings to cryptocurrency firms for illegally advertising their products.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL </p><p>@CMLL_OFICIAL</p><p> luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-60376857729296093502024-02-16T20:04:00.002+11:002024-02-16T20:04:42.351+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b>News Media, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>News Media Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Super Bowl 2024 Advertising News Bytes</b></p><p><b>NFL Advertising Dept Scores Touchdowns</b></p><p><br /></p><p>If you had a massive ad budget 30 secs of broadcasting time would set you back $US7 million or so at the Super Bowl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Audience: 100 million approx</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Brand Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>DoorDash</p><p>Doritos</p><p>Uber Eats</p><p>CerVe</p><p>Liquid Death</p><p>Miller Lite</p><p>Dunkin' Donuts</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Celeb Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>Scorsese</p><p>Goldblum</p><p>Walken</p><p>Affleck</p><p>Damon</p><p>Brady</p><p>Beyoncé</p><p>Mr T</p><p>Beckham</p><p>Aniston</p><p>Schwimmer,</p><p>Schwarzenegger</p><p>Dove</p><p>Nike</p><p>Paramount</p><p>BMW</p><p><br /></p><p>*Swifty (her own brand in many regards) and boyfriend (pitching NFL) was there, but you likely knew that already.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who did we like? NFL, Paramount ('cause we like movies and have worked on some of their campaigns over the decades) and Mr T (due to the WWE WrestleMania and pro wrestling connection)</p><p><br /></p><p>BMW - nice wheels</p><p><br /></p><p>Liquid Death, as we enjoy promoting energy drinks and all things caffeine related</p><p><br /></p><p>Dove, 'cause we love birds!</p><p><br /></p><p>Thumbs down on Nike. Way too woke of a brand for us!</p><p><br /></p><p>Big thumbs on on NFL Super Bowl Big Business. ESPN's done pretty well out of it too we heard via the Twitter er X bird, since the bird is now well and truely free.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Watch all the BEST ads for Super Bowl LVIII I NFL. Fox. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=gBxu6SR0f_c&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Didn't, or don't have the ad budget for Super Bowl, or the like?! Contact Media Man, established over two decades. Special: Online Advertising on websites and they trends on the internet frequently, including via Elon Musk's X </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Advertising, PR, Journalism, Gonzo, Buzz, Project Management and even Ghost campaigns. Media Man: "Putting Your Name Out There"</p><p><br /></p><p>#SuperBowlLVIII #SuperBowl #NFL #SuperBowlAds #popculture #AmericanFootball #TaylorSwift #Swifties #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #streaming #sportsstreaming #everydrink #ads #advertising #advertisingnews #adbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #brand #brands #branding #audience #Audiences #cafenewsmedia #adnewsmedia #SEO #agent #trend #trends #trending #buzz #YouTube #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: NFL with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><b>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</b></p><p><b>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</b></p><p><b>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</b></p><p><b>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE RAW To See Power Play!?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RAW Is Wrestling Politics?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Are You Ready?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Chatter and buzz concerning the building beef between Team Rock and Reigns vs Triple H, Cody Rhodes and Co!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Is someone going to get suspended?</p><p><br /></p><p>Excertion of power!</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling wars in the ring, backstage and perhaps in the boardroom?</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock's position in TKO Group </p><p>@TKOGrp</p><p> may be put front and centre into the public domain on this and upcoming editions of RAW. </p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling with TKO and KO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Head Of The Table</p><p><br /></p><p>Board Of Directors</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Control</p><p><br /></p><p>Cerebral Assassin </p><p><br /></p><p>King Of Kings </p><p><br /></p><p>The Real People's Champion Is...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We Want" chants</p><p><br /></p><p>Who may get sent to Australia (for punishment or reward)!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Art Of War</p><p><br /></p><p>The Man In The Arena</p><p><br /></p><p>On Script, off script, or elements of both!?</p><p><br /></p><p>We The People </p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast announcers be ready to duck and weave! </p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> XL teaser trailer https://youtube.com/watch?v=6aFgLHrMBuY&si=3NJTgcvu3OTs2vTz </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW</b></p><p><b>February 12, 2024</b></p><p><b>Lexington, Kentucky</b></p><p><b>Wrestling With Politics?!</b></p><p><b>Battle In The Ring, Backstage And In The Boardroom?!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Big" Bronson Reed vs Bobby Lashley in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Can The Aussie Tsunami fell and wipe out The Almighty? Is Mr Kross and The Final Testament lurking?</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Ivar. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match</p><p><br /></p><p>JD McDonagh vs R-Truth - Battle Of Judgment Day!</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs Zoey Stark. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Battle Of Human Dynamos. Good things come in small packages. Femme fatales fighting for their place in the chamber.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE execs, management and staff better have their head on a swivel. Get ready Adam Pearce, Michael Cole, Nick Aldis and maybe even Triple H. KO and TKO action awaits. Following the script or flipping the script?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #EliminationChamber #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #LAKnight #JudgementDay #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #wwewomen #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Kentucky #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (North America)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle is the real cats meow; Others scratching the litter</p><p><br /></p><p>Not exactly 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'!; Cat's Out Of The Bag!</p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle @argyllemovie - stars Henry Cavill, John Cena and Bryce Dallas Howard </p><p><br /></p><p>1. Argulle - $6.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Lisa Frankenstein - $3.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The Beekeeper $3.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. The Chosen -$3.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Wonka - $3.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Migration - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Anyone But You - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Mean Girls - $1.9 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. American Fiction - $1.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $1.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #movieboxoffice #ArgylleMovie #Argylle #HenryCavill #JohnCena #BryceDallasHoward #LisaFrankenstein #TheBeekeeper #TheChosen #Wonka #Migration #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #MeanGirls #AmericanFiction #PoorThings #showbiz #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bitcoin pushes cryptos upwards</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>FX Pro intel via Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market reached a capitalisation of $1.82 trillion in the early hours of trading on Monday. By the early European session, it had corrected to $1.8 trillion, but this is still more than 10% above the levels of a week earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin remains the most crucial growth driver, adding 12% in 7 days against about 8% for Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano - important drivers of the current cycle. Bitcoin now accounts for 52.6% of the entire crypto market, adding more than ten percentage points over the year and 1.5p. p. over the month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin posted its seventh consecutive day of gains, but the strengthening slowed over the weekend. It also coincided with a move above 70 on the RSI on the daily timeframes, which could increase players' appetite for short-term profit-taking. Caution is also building as we approach the January peak. Bulls have clearly become more cautious, closing the week at the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to The Block, a month after launch, assets in the top nine spot bitcoin-ETFs exceeded 200,000 BTC ($9.5bn). The new bitcoin ETFs climbed to second place in the ranking of commodity exchange-traded funds in the US by assets, becoming a more popular investment vehicle than silver ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, the assets of Grayscale's GBTC fund have declined by 25% since 11 January, and in terms of trading volume, it has lost the lead to BlackRock's bitcoin ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, one of the largest investment companies in the US, plans to add more bitcoins to its investment portfolio. BlackRock now has 82,515 BTC on its balance sheet, worth about $4 billion. Interest in Bitcoin among investors remains high, according to the investment company's management.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Trading has settled a lawsuit filed against it by the New York State Attorney General. Genesis will submit a plan of liquidation on 14 February.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Attorney General's office has expanded its lawsuit against Digital Currency Group. The amount of fraud was three times the original estimate, exceeding $3bn.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a study by the Coinbase exchange, US residents could save at least $74 million (or $600 per household) in 2022 if they used cryptocurrencies rather than credit cards for payments. That includes businesses that paid $126 billion to process credit card transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #Cardano #CardanoNFT #TheBlock #ETF #Grayscale #GBTC #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Top Brass Tony Khan on the announced ESPN, Warner Bros Discovery, and FOX Sports Streaming Collaborating Which Is To Be Released in 2025:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s something to keep an eye on” Tony Khan advised. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We have a great thing going with TBS and TNT, and now, the streaming side of it, I haven’t sold my streaming rights. It’s an option that we have, and it’s going to be a very exciting year for media rights in wrestling, and AEW is coming up in a contract year.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Certainly is exciting times in the pro wrestling, streaming services and PPV business on many fronts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do yourself a favor and check out some of the great past, present and future via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWCollision #AEWRevolution #TonyKhan #quote #quotes #TBS #TNT #WBD #WarnerBros #WarnerBrosDiscovery #ESPN #FOX #FOXSports #mediarights #streamingrights #sportsstreaming #streamingindustry #streamingbiz #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #combatsports #popculture #wrestling #prowrestling #wrestlingnews #entertainmentnews #biznews #technews #broadcast #broadcasting #popculture #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #trend #trends #buzz #Video #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW (is attitude)!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I have to ask. What are we supposed to do with the nuggets"? Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tell him" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know" @PatMcAfeeShow Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Pat, you were there. What am I expected to do with these nuggets"? CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think... er, your shoving them up your *ss" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Don't mistake the levity here in my candor for any weakness and please don't thin that I'm not a fan of The Rock, I am a fan of The Rock. I think all of us at times have been fans of The Rock" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>Highlights and moments to hit the official WWE YouTube Channel soon! </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe </p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley clatters with “Big” Bronson Reed in Qualifying Match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC9FNM5L0h4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Shinsuke Nakamura warns Sami Zayn about their match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuHQYDPWXgU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade's direction is clear: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn9iz2XQGVE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso & The New Day vs. Imperium: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eocDaV4Vc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tribal Chiefs return!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFd4z0DdLI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Genius of the Sky graces the Canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E1Nq2Al-Ko&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SmackDown #CodyRhodes #TheRock #PatMcPhee #MichaelCole #quote #quotes #Nuggets #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #EliminationChamber #RoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #BobbyLashley #TheAlmighty #BronsonReed #AussieTsunami #Big #SamiZayn #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USANetwork #legends #YouTube #Video #trends #trending #TV #buzz #Aussie #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Charlotte Flair Update On Tech Stocks and Recovery Progress From Knee Surgery</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Shake-Ups and Developments Continue In Wrestling, Combat Sports, Streaming Entertainment and Big Tech Sector</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, Netflix @Netflix has 250 million subscribers so it's only going to make WWE's content even more popular" - Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE @WWE signed Flair was quizzed about her recovery from surgery during a recent CNBC interview.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am six weeks out [from having surgery] Thursday, I’m ahead of schedule, and every day all I can think about is returning back to the ring, especially with all the excitement with Raw going to Netflix, WrestleMania 40, and Philadelphia. All I can think about is getting back and winning that number 15 [Women’s Title].”</p><p><br /></p><p>"WWE has always been revolutionary" Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Charlotte was forecast to miss 9 months of of a WWE ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Flashback via official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Flair vs. Ripley — SmackDown Women's Title Match: WrestleMania 39 Saturday</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT9DIey1Ts&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow Legend "Nature Boy" Ric Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair via Busted Open Radio:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“So I was speaking with Dr. Dugan, he’s been there 30 years. You know what he said to me? He said since he’s been at the Andrews Clinic, 30 years, right, Ashley is one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, they’ve ever done surgery on. Think about that. We’re talking Bo Jackson, I could go down the list of people, the Tommy Johns. He said, ‘We consider her one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, to ever come through the doors.’ Her recovery, she’s crushing it. She’s not gonna come back faster than they will ever recommend, but it’s unbelievable. But I thought that might be one of the biggest compliments anybody could ever get. It’s unfortunate that it had to come from a doctor at a hospital, but I keep telling people, man, she’s a different kind of cat.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix will make WWE content more popular, says Wrestling Superstar Charlotte Flair</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hASqoNfB0EA&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>Busted Open Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair on the Legendary 1992 Royal Rumble | Busted Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8JmEb_mD_8&ab_channel=BustedOpenPodcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting on the similarity of his matches with Ric Flair: WWE Network</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxXsAYfVRVA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting's First Championship Win at Great American Bash 1990</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3WY9Y8XfU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#CharlotteFlair #RicFlair #quote #quote #interview #interviews #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #Netflix #NWA #legend #legends #streaming #streamingnews #streamingindustry #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #TY #podcast #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediaplatforms #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling/MMA Connection</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE champion Seth Rollins on Pro Wrestling vs Mixed Martial Arts, UFC @UFC , Pro Sports et al</b></p><p><b>Rollins Spills Guts to ESPN MMA</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t have the stamina for it”</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t fight every single weekend. Especially the top stars over there, they’re catered to a certain way. That’s great, that’s their style, that’s what works for them. I understand that. You fight maybe once, twice a year. You’re crazy if you’re fighting three times a year. But to fight over 100 times a year, make all those towns, still be able to train, still be able to do all the media, it’s an exhausting industry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t wanna knock Ronda Rousey, because I love Ronda”</p><p><br /></p><p>“She did a lot for our industry, for women in our industry, and for the fight industry in general. It was tough for Ronda. She tried her damndest and it was hard for her. I’d love for somebody to come over and take a crack if you think you can hang, but it’s hard. I’ll call them all out man, I don’t care, try it out. I can’t do what they do, I’d go in there and get knocked out and choked out in two seconds. I’ll probably do better than [CM] Punk, but I still would lose, most likely.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA @espnmma YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Israel Adesanya be next for Du Plessis? + Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins joins the show! | DC & RC (Rollins from 43 min)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGiA9AltEs&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins talks Bears, WrestleMania & The Rock riding his coattails | Not Just Football</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNCvhk1fCCI&ab_channel=NFLonESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Cam Heyward is joined by World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins to talk about the Bears future and if they should trade down or stick with Justin Fields. And will Seth ever see a Bears Super Bowl in his lifetime? Plus, they talk WrestleMania, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and more, and who he thinks is the best wrestler right now…. Other than himself of course.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very few have what it takes to compete at or near the top of both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The list includes Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Brock Lesnar, Rhonda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Josh Barnett and if you go back far enough, there's certainly a case for the late Antonio Inoki (former WWE Japan - phantom title change in Japan), Judo Gene LeBell. Current WWE signed wrestling legend CM had a short stint in the UFC as was defeated in the Octagon in swift and brutal fashion. It takes massive guts and skills to do either sport so much respect to those who compete. Those who can do it, those who can't are fans!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hall of Fame?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Many fans believe that Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Gene LeBell and CM Punk are worthy of the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE powers that be, including Booker T - over to you!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA - Wrestling - Boxing Connection via Media Man Group</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mma_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #UFC #SethRollins #CMPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #MMA #combatsports #ESPN #RondaRousey #TheRock #BMF #KenShamrock #DanSevern #JoshBarnett #GeneLeBell #ShayneBaszler #mixedmartialarts #legends #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #PPE #PLE #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #SuperBowl #NFL #sportsnews #sportsmedia #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surfing News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ISA @ISAsurfing Adds New Members on Three Continents Expanding Global Reach of Surfing</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Kuwait and Romania have today been announced as the latest Member Nations to join the International Surfing Association (ISA).</p><p><br /></p><p>California, USA – February 13th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The three new nations are the 114th, 115th and 116th members to be officially recognised by the ISA, demonstrating the global growth of surfing and its ability to expand to new territories and connect with new audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>British Virgin Islands</p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association joins the ISA after successfully staging national competitions and building the surf community on a national level over a number of years. The organization’s mission is to create an environment for national athletes to compete domestically and internationally in ISA World Championships.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its development strategy, the BVI has set out a plan, which includes enhancing youth engagement, promoting environmental best practices, improving surfing infrastructure and better talent identification.</p><p><br /></p><p>Membership is subject to final approval of the ISA Annual General Meeting.</p><p><br /></p><p>View more on the British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.bvisurfing.org/</p><p><br /></p><p>Kuwait</p><p><br /></p><p>With a mission to create a vibrant surf community in the country, the Kuwait Surf Committee joins the ISA as it’s 115th member nation. The Kuwait Surf Committee strives to educate, inspire, and educate Kuwaiti surfers. Their short- and long-term development goals include improving access to surfing in the country to attract new participants, securing better equipment and resources for surf training, establishing a dedicated surf training center in Kuwait and hosting more regional surf competitions and events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The core values of the Kuwait Surf Committee are passion for surfing, community, respect for the ocean, education, and inclusivity. Learn about the Kuwait Surfing Committee here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.kuwaitsurfcommittee.com/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Romania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Romanian Surfing Federation (Federatia Romana de Surfing [FRS]) has contributed to the growth and development of surf sports across the country – with new, young surfers taking up the sport year-on-year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Romanian national surfing competition was held in 2018 and this event continues to take place annually under the remit of the FRS. Romania has also hosted ISA Surf Coaching and Instructing Courses in 2018 and 2023 for surf coaches on the Black Sea.</p><p><br /></p><p>Romania also participated in their first ISA Event at the 2023 World Junior Surfing Championship in Brazil represented by Aris Voicu.</p><p><br /></p><p>FRS plans to increase the participation in and awareness of Surfing in Romania, train more ISA coaches and judges, and develop more surfing competitions in Romania.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:</p><p><br /></p><p>“At the ISA, we are happy to welcome the British Virgin Islands, Kuwait and Romania to our global surfing family. We will continue to work with them to support the development of surfing and inspire new athletes and fans to embrace our sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is especially pleasing to announce three members from three different continents that are non-traditional surf nations. This shows the power of surfing to engage with people in every part of the world who share our love of the ocean and nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are equally excited to see the establishment and growth of national surfing events in these nations to drive forward competitive surfing and help create a new generation of talent that we hope will soon be able to compete on the international stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I can’t wait to see more young women and men surfers from these three stunning nations take to the ocean, improve their skills and aim for the Olympics one day!”</p><p><br /></p><p>#ISA #NationalSurfingAssociation #FernandoAguerre #surfing #prosurfing #surfingassociation #surfers #surfingindustry #surfingbusiness #surftour #BVI #VirginIslands #BlackSea #sportsnews #sportsmedia #pressrelease #surfingnews #surfingmedia #trend #trends #ocean #sea #PR #WorldSport #WorldNews #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Source/Credit: International Surfing Association)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC 298</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday February 18, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Honda Center - Anaheim, CA</p><p><br /></p><p>Via ESPN / ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Complete Fight Card:</p><p><br /></p><p>Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa</p><p>Geoff Neal vs. Ian Machado Garry</p><p>Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo</p><p>Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov</p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims:</p><p><br /></p><p>Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern</p><p>Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Justin Tafa</p><p>Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera</p><p>Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro</p><p>Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow</p><p>Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn</p><p>Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Dvalishvili vs Cejudo | Featured Bout</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKBbs4C5M3s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZeVPJgslIM&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Volkanovski vs Topuria | Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZXiudUYQdM&t=67s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Whittaker vs Costa | Co-Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLQUpBC24kw&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&t=12s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As legendary MMA expert and world renown podcaster Joe Rogan pointed out, "Ilia Topuria is a real assassin. He is so skilled and so devastating".</p><p><br /></p><p>We're rooting for Volk as he's a great bloke, great fighter, Aussie, and we went one on one with him on the mic, and he was a real good sport about it. Looks to be a pretty even fight, but there can be only one winner!</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: UFC and ESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #AlexanderVolkanovski #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #RobertWhittake #PauloCosta #GeoffNeal #IanGarry #MerabDvalishvili #HenryCejudo #AnthonyHernandez #RomanKopylov #MMA #mixdmartialarts #combatsports #mmanews #ufcnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #PPV #PayPerView #ESPN #sportsnews #sportsmedia #popculture #livesports #liveentertainment #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #California #USA #HondaCenter #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Babyface To Heel; Wrestling With Politics: Dwayne Johnson</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE signed Dwayne Johnson (who just happens to be on the TKO Board Of Directors) can't stay out of the news, one way or another, and that includes press conferences, real, staged, or elements of both Las Vegas style.</p><p><br /></p><p>News outlet FOX plays FOX And The Hound</p><p><br /></p><p>Love - Hate Relationship With Mainstream News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Art Often Reflects Life; WWE storylines are showbiz but frequently borrow are inspired by real life events and narratives</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Cody Rhodes Aims To "Finish His Story" and "The Rock' May Get To Add Another Chapter To His Story</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson blasts reporter over framing of Maui relief efforts: 'False clickbait garbage'</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE and Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson has torn into a journalist who raised questions about his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took issue with a recent report that touched on his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson described the report from Mr Nick Sortor as "toxic, false clickbait garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson pushed back against the way the report framed his recent appearance at a semi-staged WWE press conference in Las Vegas. A video from the event in question showed attendees booing at the 51-year-old wrestler and actor. WWE production couldn't or wouldn't drown out the boos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor suggested the crowd's negative reaction stemmed from Johnson failing to deliver on his pledge to help provide financial support to the Hawaiian island.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," he wrote on Elon Musk owned X. $44bn was the price of freedom of speech.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reporter then claimed that "many" victims had not received any financial relief from the WWE legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," Sortor wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Although it is difficult to clearly decipher the chanting, the reporter asserted that the shouts from the crowd were directly related to the alleged Maui wildfire donation discrepancy.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The crowd started booing and chanting ‘MAUI! MAUI! MAUI!" MAKE IT HAPPEN!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Last year, Johnson along with embattled media figure Oprah Winfrey launched the "People's Fund of Maui" to assist those who were negatively impacted by the wildfires. Johnson and Winfrey jump-started the campaign by making an initial $10 million donation. However, backlash has grown in the weeks and months since the fund was started back in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson decided to address the controversy last October.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I could have been better, and next time, I will be better," the WWE superstar said at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also decided to respond to the claim from Sortor, but this time he took a much stronger approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying *ullshit with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet," Johnson wrote on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>"This moment you’re referring to is from our WWE press conference this past Thursday where I turned ‘heel’ – wrestling parlance for bad guy. I’m playing it up with our crowd as they boo. It’s what we do in our WWE universe, and we all love every second of it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also provided some clarification on the amount of money that the fund has provided for wildfire victims.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also mentioned that he traveled to Hawaii and challenged Sortor to pay the island state a visit.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our People’s Fund of Maui has already DELIVERED over $50 MILLION DOLLARS to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires, and I’m grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders," Johnson wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nick, instead of posting bu-----t like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way. I’m in Hawaii now, and I guarantee you, you’ll get great content that can actually make a difference in people’s lives. Genuinely."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor admitted in a follow-up post on X that Johnson’s explanation for the booing seemed "to have some validity," but he decided not to remove his original post because he wants "to provide context to the ongoing dispute between the two of us regarding funding for Maui."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE continues to wiggle itself out of a Rock and a hard place at the Road To WrestleMania 40 continues. Many hardcore fans and industry media tip double duty (matches) for Rock cousin Roman Reigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>No matter what, Rock will continue to heat the noise. Ah, the power and the passion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #DwayneJohnson #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #pressconference #mediaconference #SmackDown #Maui #OprahWinfrey #CodyRhodes #RomanReigns #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #politics #FOX #FoxNews #FoxAndTheHound #heel #babyface #storyline #storylines #storytelling #showbiz #finishthestory #TKO #KO #RockBottom #PeoplesElbow #PeoplesEyebrow #newsmedia #socialmedia #socialmedianews #popculture #broadcast #fans #eco #econews #wrestlingnewsmedia #trend #trends #trending #LasVegas #VegasNews #Hawaii #buzz #X #XNews #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gemini Apps Privacy Hub</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback. Google uses this data, consistent with our Privacy Policy, to provide, improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies, including Google’s enterprise products such as Google Cloud.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #Gemini #GoogleGemini #GeminiApps #Alphabet #GoogleNews #GoogleCloud #searchengine #searchengines #SEO #TechNews #searchnews #data #AI #AINews #ArtificialIntelligence #digitalnews #technews #MachineLearning #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling And Canna News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Ric Flair To Tour Michigan Dispensaries To Promote His New Cannabis Company</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former World Champion and newly-minted cannabis entrepreneur Ric Flair is coming to Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>"MLive" is reporting that Flair will be touring Michigan cannabis dispensaries on March 16 and 17 to celebrate the launch of his marijuana strain Ric Flair Drip in the state of Michigan. March 16 will see Flair tour dispensaries in Romeo, Mt. Clemens, and Madison Heights, MI, and he will then spend March 17 touring two Detroit area dispensaries. Customers will be able to shop Ric Flair Drip's many products, as well as meet "The Nature Boy" and take pictures with him.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to MLive, this is Flair's tour schedule:</p><p><br /></p><p>March 16</p><p><br /></p><p>- Dispo Romeo, 100 Shafer Dr, Romeo from 11:30 a.m. to noon.</p><p><br /></p><p>- JARS Mount Clemens, 101 N Groesbeck Hwy, Mt. Clemens from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- PUFF Madison Heights, 2 Ajax Dr, Madison Heights from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>March 17</p><p><br /></p><p>- Cloud Detroit, 16001 Mack Ave, Detroit from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- House of Dank, 3340 8 Mile Rd, Detroit from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair launched the cannabis brand through Mike Tyson's cannabis company Tyson 2.0 and cannabis conglomerate Verano in March of last year. Ric Flair Drip is available in flower, prerolls, vape cartridges, and edibles. Flair has credited cannabis for weening him off of prescription sleep aids like Ambien and Xanax.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hall of Famer is not the only pro wrestling personality involved in the legal cannabis industry, as famously THC-infused wrestler Rob Van Dam announced a new cannabis brand in September of last year, after spending many years already the face of a CBD brand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair retired from wrestling in July 2022 but is still open to working as a manager, though he's noted that neither WWE nor AEW has offered him any kind of position.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Recalls Being So High With Mike Tyson That He Thought He Died - April 8, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair has made no secret of his wild past during his days as a wrestler, and while his party days may have slowed down after multiple health scares, he's still The Nature Boy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair has become business partners with Mike Tyson in the cannabis industry, and as part of their partnership, they had a night to remember.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I got so high with Mike [Mike Tyson] one night in the Hamptons that I went into a cannabis coma. I actually thought I died. They brought my back to my room, and I laid there and I wasn't aware of anything. I kept asking them to touch me, like you do when you think you've been hurt. People were squeezing my hand. I would be talking to them, and they wouldn't talk back to me. I was on a delayed process. I said to myself, 'Did I die? Have I just died? I feel like I did when I was in my coma, but I can think, and I don't think I could think in my coma.' That's the way I was talking to myself. All of a sudden, at three in the morning, I sat up in a blur and went, 'I'm alive. I'm back.' I called someone on the phone, 'is this really you?' That's how screwed up I got," Flair recalled while speaking to Theo Von on This Past Weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair was placed in a medically induced coma in 2017 for kidney and heart-related issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair returned to the ring for his last match one year ago, teaming with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling Icon Ric Flair Enters Cannabis Ring - October 19, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The range of premium products from the WWE legend’s new cannabis brand has been formulated to elevate your relaxation game.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling fans, get ready to put a figure-four leglock on relaxation with pro wrestling legend Ric Flair. The Nature Boy himself has tag-teamed with cannabis industry heavyweights to release a range of premium products that add a certain, yes, flair to the market. The 16-time world champion and one of the most recognized names in professional wrestling is diving headfirst into the cannabis market with the launch of his very own line, aptly named Ric Flair Drip. And when Flair enters a new market, you better believe he’s doing it with style.</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE legend has partnered with Chad Bronstein, founder and president of Carma Holdings, the powerhouse behind Mike Tyson’s cannabis line, Tyson 2.0. The origin story of the collab is almost as intriguing as a wrestling storyline. Flair and Bronstein were neighbors in Tampa and one day as Bronstein gazed across the white-picket fence (or possibly a ten-foot steel cage), inspiration struck. He recalls telling Mike Tyson, “I’ve got Ric Flair right next door. What if we create the most legendary cannabis line ever, Ric Flair Drip?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Intertwining the worlds of professional wrestling and cannabis, the Ric Flair Drip promises to be a high-flying, body-slamming experience—in the most relaxed way possible. In the words of Nature Boy himself, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” With the introduction of Ric Flair Drip, the grappling star just might become “the man” in the world of cannabis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Drip Cannabis Products</b></p><p>By partnering with top cultivators across the country, Flair has access to the very best genetics available, which he carefully selects himself. His Ric Flair Drip line of cannabis products include flower, pre-rolls and edibles. He also has a range of 510 cartridges, with disposable vapes available in certain markets. Further expansion plans are in place for 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gummies</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Cherry Diamond: Each gummy packs a punch with 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Figure Four Lemonade: Each delicious gummy packs a powerful 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wooooo! Energy Drinks</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to his cannabis offerings, Flair has also launched Wooooo! Energy, a beverage that will have you strutting like the man himself in no time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Infused with a unique blend of functional mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Maitake and Reishi, all of which are known to boost cognitive function, support your immune system and ensure that your energy is as clean as a Ric Flair robe. Say goodbye to those jittery feelings and dreaded sugar crashes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding to the potency, Wooooo! Energy gets its kick from a blend of Taurine, L-Theanine and Gotu Kola Extract, while thoughtfully balancing 150mg of caffeine with just 6g of sugar. Oh, and let’s not forget those tantalizing flavors: vibrant Dragon Fruit, zesty Lemon, and creamy Strawberry Banana.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It embodies a celebratory spirit; it’s about energy, zeal and success,” Bronstein says. “It’s not just wrestling lingo anymore—it’s ingrained in our pop culture.”</p><p><br /></p><p>With Wooooo! Energy, Ric Flair isn’t just sharing a drink; he’s sharing his indomitable spirit, his passion and his boundless energy. Who among us doesn’t need a little Wooooo! Energy in their life?</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair Drip products are available at select dispensaries nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wrestling legend Ric Flair launches new cannabis company: Edibles changed my life - April 21, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair tells 'Kennedy' why he is stylin' and profilin' into the cannabis business</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair is introducing his new personal cannabis line, "Ric Flair Drip."</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling icon is teaming up with Carma Holdings founder and president Chad Bronstein to launch the celebrity-inspired product. </p><p><br /></p><p>Carma Holdings is also the parent company of former professional boxer Mike Tyson's premier cannabis line, TYSON 2.0.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein told Kennedy he and Flair first met as neighbors in Tampa, Florida and pitched the idea to Flair about launching a cannabis product.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recalled, "I called up Mike and I said, hey, Ric Flair is my neighbor. What if we dropped a line called, "Ric Flair Drip," with Ric? And I walked up to Ric and I said, Ric, I'm gonna start cannabis line with you. And he goes, cannabis line? I said, trust me. It's gonna, it's gonna do well. And Ric got you know, very educated in the space and, you know, the brand is really booming." </p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein added that Flair has been an "unbelievable partner."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair shared the inspiration behind his new business venture with FOX Business host Kennedy on Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>"It started a learning process, and it continued," said Flair. "I learn something new every day and that I never imagined. I'd been approached for years to get involved, but it wasn't as socially acceptable then it is now. And I mean now, I mean… I didn't realize just how popular it is. I'd forgotten… and now I'm honored to be part of this company and working with Chad and every day is a learning process."</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair touted how "fantastic" edibles are and how they have changed his life by the way he sleeps. </p><p><br /></p><p>He also said that he's been hooked on Xanax since 1989, and no longer takes it, thanks to edibles.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Obviously, Xanax being so addictive, it's not good for anybody, so edibles are great," he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Flair claimed he doesn't smoke a lot, but enjoys doing it "periodically."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Secret Behind The Weed Company Working With Future, Mike Tyson, Ric Flair And Hulk Hogan - CEO Tells All - Feb 13, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the most recent episode of Benzinga’s Cannabis Insider, Adam Wilks, the co-founder and CEO of Carma HoldCo, delved into the significance of crafting celebrity-driven cannabis brands that resonate with authenticity and personal stories. </p><p><br /></p><p>“All of the products that we develop, our R&D process is all developed with our talent,” Wilks emphasized, setting the stage for a discussion that revolved around genuine connections and the transformative power of celebrity narratives in the cannabis industry.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crafting Authentic Connections</p><p>Wilks’ method isn’t exactly a traditional celebrity endorsement model: Instead, he focuses on implementing the celebrity’s personal cannabis journey into the product. Discussing partnerships with icons like Mike Tyson, Ric Flair and Future, Wilks shared, “Starting with Mike, he uses cannabis every day… it’s authentic to him and his purpose of use.” This philosophy extends across Carma HoldCo’s portfolio, ensuring that each product reflects the celebrity’s lifestyle and preferences, thus forging a deeper bond between the brand and its consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrity Stories Changing Cannabis Perception</p><p>Wilks illustrated how these celebrity partnerships are business ventures and personal transformations shared with the public.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recounted Ric Flair’s shift from pharmaceuticals to cannabis, a change that significantly impacted his life. “He’s been off Xanax now for the last couple of years and focused on just, again, plant-based medicine,” Wilks revealed, highlighting the possibility of these stories to alter public perception and encourage a shift towards natural wellness solutions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Expansion and Genuine Engagement</p><p>Looking ahead, Wilks discussed Carma HoldCo’s ambitious plans for expansion, both domestically and internationally, with a keen eye on maintaining the authenticity that has been their hallmark. “We’ve already launched in a few states, already live in California and Nevada, and have another handful coming online in the next 60 days,” he stated, underlining the brand’s rapid growth trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tyson 2.0, Mike Tyson's Premium Cannabis Brand, Announces Acquisition of Majority Stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 24, 2022</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Strategic Alliance with Ric Flair, 16 Time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Establishes Tyson 2.0 as Leading Cannabis Brand Powerhouse</p><p><br /></p><p>ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyson 2.0, legendary boxer, entrepreneur and cannabis advocate Mike Tyson's newly launched cannabis company, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc., the 16 time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion's business entity with an aim to launch a second celebrity cannabis line in its portfolio furthering their house of brands strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's strategic alliance with Ric Flair, popularly known as "Nature Boy®," enables the company to assume control of Ric Flair's trademarks and intellectual properties to launch cannabis flower and edible products under the Ric Flair brand name in the near future. </p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in October 2021, Tyson 2.0 brings to market innovative, high-quality, Tyson-branded cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility to consumers nationwide. Co-founded by Mike Tyson as Chief Brand Officer and Chad Bronstein as Chairman, and led by Adam Wilks, Chief Executive Officer - the company partners with world-class cannabis retailers and leading multi-state operators to provide a suite of products designed to reach consumers in legal markets.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thanks to Mike Tyson and Tyson 2.0, I've become a true cannabis advocate and enthusiast. I am thrilled to partner with a long time friend and fellow warrior whom I greatly admire and respect," said Ric Flair. "There are a lot of synergies between me and Mike - we've both had many ups and downs, but we keep going at life. With Mike's passion for cannabis, Chad and Adam's industry knowledge, I look forward to creating cannabis products that will appeal to my national fanbase. Tyson 2.0 products make me go 'WOOOOO!', and soon my fans everywhere can get in the Ric Flair state of mind – limousine riding, jet-flying, feeling good, and 'WOOOOO!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's latest venture with Ric Flair establishes the Company as a leading celebrity cannabis brand powerhouse. Since its launch in October 2021, the company continues to execute its nationwide growth strategy bringing Tyson 2.0 branded products to consumers and fans nationwide. Through licensing, cultivation and agreements, Tyson 2.0 products are available across dispensaries and retail locations across the states of Colorado, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Michigan with plans to expand nationally and internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>"For the last fifty years, Ric has been synonymous with high impact, high energy experiences," said Chad Bronstein, Co-Founder and Chairman, Tyson 2.0. "Similar to how we rolled out Tyson 2.0, Ric Flair cannabis products will reach nationwide distribution through our robust network of industry partners. With flower strains named after Ric's iconic sayings like 'limousine riding' and 'jet-flying', we aim to honor Ric's energy and share it with his fans."</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein continued, "Tyson 2.0 is establishing itself as a cannabis marketing and celebrity licensing powerhouse. Our aim is to bring more celebrity brands to market in the coming months."</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair will be featured in the seventh episode of Peacock's first ever WWE original series, WWE Evil which begins streaming exclusively on Peacock starting Thursday, March 24. The eight-part docuseries, created and hosted by John Cena, the first-ever original from WWE Studios takes an unprecedented look inside the psyche of the most diabolical antagonists in WWE, unveiling rare behind-the-scenes details from some of the biggest names in the industry and their impact on mainstream culture.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on Tyson 2.0, visit Tyson20.com. Tyson 2.0-branded merchandise is available for purchase at shoptyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Tyson 2.0</p><p>Tyson 2.0 is a premier cannabis company formed with legendary boxer, entrepreneur and icon Mike Tyson. The company's mission is to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility. Providing consumers an outstanding selection of products, Tyson 2.0 is an extraordinary balance of premium and affordable, full-spectrum cannabis flower, concentrates and consumables available at retailers nationwide. Learn more at Tyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOURCE Tyson 2.0</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM and X Sign Exclusive Sports Betting Partnership</b></p><p><br /></p><p>JERSEY CITY, NJ (February 9, 2024) – BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.</p><p>ADAM GREENBLATT - BETMGM CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams.</p><p>LINDA YACCARINO - X CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM’s mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM’s already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at http://www.betmgm.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, follow @BetMGM on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>About BetMGM</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rising High: Exclusive talk with house of brands Carma HoldCo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Interview with Adam Wilks, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carma HoldCo, a house of brands focused on creating icon-inspired cannabis products. Here are some highlights:</p><p><br /></p><p>AUTHENTICITY: Carma HoldCo is a cannabis company that aims to develop products evoking deep consumer connection and elevated experiences. The company houses TYSON 2.0, the premium cannabis brand of legendary boxer Mike Tyson, as well as Ric Flair Drip and Wooooo! Energy, the cannabis and energy drink lines of renowned pro-wrestler Ric Flair. Carma also launched Immortal, a wellness brand by professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, in May and Evol, a cannabis brand by four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Future, in April. Distribution of Carma’s products spans over 110,000 retailers worldwide across 16 countries. “There are many different ways that Carma sets itself apart from others in the space, including our focus on product quality, product innovation, exceptional marketing strategies, our unique brand positioning and our incredible team,” Wilks said. “But I think our most impactful difference from everybody else is the authenticity of our celebrities behind the brands.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted each one of Carma’s celebrities openly uses the plant-based medicines daily. “Mike uses cannabis for his mental health every day and Future uses it in his daily routine for his own health reasons,” the CEO said. “Ric uses it to help him sleep after thirty years of Xanax use and Hulk has had 29 surgeries and uses our own brand of CBD products for his back pains. The authenticity of our talent would be our number one differentiator.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRAND LAUNCHES: In April, Carma announced a partnership with rapper Future to launch Evol, a THC line, and in May, the company announced Hulk Hogan’s health and wellness brand, Immortal, featuring CBD and THC products. “It has been a huge success since we brought Hulk and Future into the mix with Ric and Mike,” Wilks said. “We continue to expand as we enter new categories and new markets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hogan’s brand developed through the wrestler’s deep relationship with Carma partner Ric Flair, he said. “Everyone on our team knew who Hulk was,” the CEO said. “We heard his stories around the 29 back surgeries, dozens of knee replacement surgeries and his hip surgery. We had talks with him about what he was using and introduced him to CBD and THC products to try. When we saw the peace that came from the use of these plant-based medicines, we saw a huge opportunity to continue this authentic wave of using celebrities to educate and tell their stories around the plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He added Carma felt Hogan could raise awareness around the fact that there are other alternatives to traditional medicines. “That’s what started the Hulk idea,” Wilks said. “Not to mention, he is obviously one of the number one wrestling superstars of our time. He has done several films and we have known him in and out of the ring as Hollywood Hogan and Hulkamania. We thought it was a huge platform for us to keep the authentic story alive.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Evol brand launch with Future was interesting, he said, as it was Carma’s first entry into the hip-hop scene, where historically there is a heavy tie-in to the cannabis industry. “There are a lot of hip-hop brands out there and we wanted to find something real and authentic sticking with all of our other talent,” the CEO said. “We felt Future, as a four-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star with numerous top Billboard Chart tracks, was another massive superstar able to leverage his platform to educate and bring attention to plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The company opted into bringing Future on board as he incorporates cannabis into his daily life and features it in several of his top charting songs, he said. “With one of our investors having close ties to his management, we reached out and the rest is history,” Wilks said, “Evol has quickly expanded into a half dozen states and we’ve launched the brand in a few other categories as well connecting to the cannabis space. We’re excited to continue to grow both Hulk and Future’s brands. They’ve done really well on the short runway that we have had to take them to market.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WOOOOO! ENERGY: In July, Carma launched Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, a mushroom-infused energy drink to support immune and cognitive function and provide clean energy. “We are always looking for new products and everybody knows Ric for his famous Wooooo! and the energy that he brings,” the CEO said. “I look at him as one of the greatest entertainers to ever exist. He went into character over thirty years ago and he’s never come out. Seeing him and the energy that he embodies, we created Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, putting his boundless energy into a can.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The drink is a non-crash, non-jittery, low-sugar beverage that centers on athletes, he said. “That demographic, which is really hyped on Ric and his decades of entertainment, we felt was a home run,” Wilks said. “We quickly became the exclusive energy drink for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ohio State University and AEW wrestling. The drink is already available in grocery stores, including Giant Eagle in Ohio, one of the first markets we launched in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is continuing to expand distribution across the nation to ensure availability in every state. “We are really excited about Wooooo! Energy tapping into a new category,” the CEO said. “It’s not just an energy drink, we also added functional mushrooms for brain health and added focus.”</p><p><br /></p><p>PARTNERSHIPS: In October, Immortal and Ric Flair Drip partnered with cannabis cultivator Premium Produce to bring their product lines to the Nevada market. “When we go into a new market, we are always looking for high-quality products, great operators, financial means to continue on and ample distribution,” Wilks said. “When we came across Premium Produce for Hulk and Ric, we toured the facility, spent time in their grow and had our cannabis team in there. We discovered their high-quality indoor cannabis and their commitment to excellence in their cultivation practices and SOPs, ensuring that there is a consistent product that aligns with our brand standards.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted some of Carma’s other collaborations had already worked with Premium Produce with “huge” success. “Since launching in Nevada with both brands, we have quickly become two staples on many of the top shelves,” the CEO said. “We continue to grow in the Nevada market, and we are excited about that partnership.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally in November, Evol partnered with cannabis company House of Dank in Michigan and Tyson 2.0 partnered with cultivator Hudson Cannabis in New York. “House of Dank and Hudson Cannabis are both high-quality cultivators with great distribution,” Wilks said. “Similar to why we chose Premium Produce, both House of Dank and Hudson grow great quality flower. We spent time with both ensuring the SOPs were aligned with our brand standards, and we’re always aiming for the best quality we can find with the expertise and the financial means to continue on.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is particularly excited about the Hudson collaboration due to Tyson’s roots in New York, he said. “For the last couple of years, Mike has been talking about how badly he wanted TYSON 2.0 to launch in New York and we were waiting for the right time and the right partner,” the CEO said. “Coming home to New York in the legal cannabis space was monumental for Mike and the brand. We’re really excited about growing the New York market, which I think is going to be one of the more powerful markets in the U.S.”</p><p><br /></p><p>DELIVERY SYSTEMS: As delivery systems for cannabinoids become more diverse and consumers have more options for consumption, Wilks said he believes preferences will continue to shift towards more discrete methods. “We’re seeing flower as a leader as it always has been, but I think edibles are going to be a leader, it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “It’s a smaller portion of sales right now, but that is going to change.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Edibles come without the smell of cannabis and offer an ease of dosing, enabling users to be very precise, the CEO said. “It is discrete in consumption,” he said. “Between vape, topicals and edibles, all of those categories have room for so much growth and it’s just about the education and overall experience to get to that point.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilks added he believes there will be a day when cannabis is sold in grocery stores. “There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to buy a frozen pizza in the frozen pizza section with an infusion process of some sort,” he said. “There is a long way to go as far as the regulations around the processes, but once federal legalization, the SAFE Banking Act, and all of that passes through, there is definitely a possibility in the future that edible consumption at restaurants and grocery stores will continue to grow.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SAFER BANKING: In September, a U.S. Senate committee voted to advance The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act bill, which seeks to ensure that all businesses, including cannabis businesses, have access to deposit accounts, insurance and other financial services. “This is a topic that has been continuing to gain traction with a long way to go,” the CEO said. “The advancement of the SAFER Banking Act is huge news for us and the whole industry as it signals a potential shift towards financial stability and accessibility for all cannabis businesses.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If the bill can pass in the senate, it opens the way for improved banking services and a reduced risk for the whole industry, he said. “Predicting it is challenging as there are so many different elements and political dynamics to work through before this does get pushed through at the federal level,” Wilks said. “But on a positive note, it is no longer an if, it’s a when. The ability to bank safely and access to capital will change the space as a whole. We are excited about it and hope it comes sooner rather than later.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SCHEDULING: In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Agency that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. “This is huge news and not only for cannabis users and the cannabis space,” the CEO said. “This will impact the non-cannabis users, opening up people’s eyes to where the cannabis space is going. It is the way that people will look at cannabis as a medicine and the value of cannabis as opposed to looking at it as a street drug. As soon as that passes, it opens up the door for so much more opportunity for the industry as a whole and you have to think about how much R&D will go into cannabis after this reclassifies.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CHALLENGES: When asked about the largest hurdles facing the cannabis space, Wilks said he believes the biggest challenge has been state-by-state legalization. “When you are having to find licensees in every market and you’re setting up manufacturing and distribution, you’re spending millions and millions and millions of dollars for every state you want to operate in,” he said. “It is one of the only industries that you can’t distribute across the country, making it an extremely challenging space to operate in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Until there is federal legalization, there will continue to be challenges for operators, cultivators, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and everybody within the industry, the CEO said. “There is a positive, a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “We think it’s a slow process step-by-step and as all these positives come to this industry, I think it will ease up and there will be additional positives to see. We have a bright future ahead in the cannabis space.”</p><p><br /></p><p>OPPORTUNITIES: As the cannabis space develops, Wilks said Carma is excited to continue growing its brands both nationally and internationally. “International growth is really exciting,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff in the works for 2024, including another handful of countries coming online. I’m really excited personally about the German market, which has talked about an April date to go recreational. We also opened our first retail cannabis café in Amsterdam, which quickly became one of the number one cafes out there and we’re working on our second location as well as a few others in Europe. We’re excited to grow the retail side and the licensing side on the cannabis front. All four brands are now sold in multiple countries. We’re excited to continue to grow these globally and continue to be one of the largest cannabis brands on the planet by geographic coverage.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CANNABIS/PSYCHEDELIC STOCKS: Publicly-traded companies in the space include Acreage (ACRHF), Audacious (AUSAF), Atai Life Sciences (ATAI), Aurora (ACB), Avant Brands (AVTBF), Ayr Wellness (AYRWF), BZAM (BZAMF), Cannara Biotech (LOVFF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Chicago Atlantic (REFI), Clearmind (CMND), Clever Leaves (CLVR), Cresco Labs (CRLBF), CordovaCann (LVRLF), Cronos (CRON), Columbia Care (CCHWF), Compass Pathways (CMPS), CURE Pharmaceutical (CURR), Curaleaf (CURLF), CV Sciences (CVSI), Cybin (CYBN), Delic Holdings (DELCF), Delta 9 (DLTNF), Entourage Health (ETRGF), Enveric Biosciences (ENVB), Fire & Flower (FFLWF), Flora Growth (FLGC), Trees Corporation (CANN), Goodness Growth (GDNSF), Greenlane (GNLN), Green Thumb (GTBIF), GrowGeneration (GRWG), Hemp (HEMP), High Tide (HITI), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Indiva (NDVAF), IM Cannabis (IMCC), Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), InterCure (INCR), Wellbeing Digital (KONEF), Khiron Life Sciences (KHRNF), Lotus Ventures (LTTSF), Lowell Farms (LOWLF), Lucy Scientific Discovery (LSDI), MediPharm (MEDIF), MedMen (MMNFF), MindMed (MNMD), NewLake Capital (NLCP), Numinus (NUMIF), Optimi Health (OPTHF), Organigram (OGI), Planet 13 (PLNHF), Red White & Bloom (RWBYF), Reunion Neuroscience (REUN), Revitalist (RVLWF), RIV Capital (CNPOF), Relmada (RLMD), RYAH Group (RYAHF), Safe Harbor Financial (SHFS), SNDL (SNDL), Sproutly (SRUTF), Skye Biosciences (SKYE), Stem Holdings (STMH), Sunniva (SNNVF), TerrAscend (TRSSF), Tetra Bio-Pharma (TBPMF), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve (TCNNF), Tryp Therapeutics (TRYPF), Verano (VRNOF), Village Farms (VFF), Wesana Health (WSNAF), Zynerba (ZYNE) and 4Front Ventures (FFNTF).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 139.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All the world’s a stage,</p><p>And all the men and women merely players;</p><p>They have their exits and their entrances,</p><p>And one man in his time plays many parts,</p><p>His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,</p><p>Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.</p><p>Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel</p><p>And shining morning face, creeping like snail</p><p>Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,</p><p>Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad</p><p>Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,</p><p>Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,</p><p>Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,</p><p>Seeking the bubble reputation</p><p>Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,</p><p>In fair round belly with good capon lined,</p><p>With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,</p><p>Full of wise saws and modern instances;</p><p>And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts</p><p>Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,</p><p>With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;</p><p>His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide</p><p>For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,</p><p>Turning again toward childish treble, pipes</p><p>And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,</p><p>That ends this strange eventful history,</p><p>Is second childishness and mere oblivion,</p><p>Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WilliamShakespeare #Shakespeare #AsYouLikeIt #AllTheWorldsAStage #merelyplayers #SevenAgesOfMan #monologue #creative #creativity #art #legend #popculture #entertainment #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Corporate Entertainment And Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Job Cuts Continue</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Industry Giant Paramount Global lays off 800 employees days after broadcasting record-breaking Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Days after CBS' Super Bowl LVII broke viewership records, its partner company Paramount Global advised it was laying off 800 employees as it seeks to cut costs and streamline its operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The firms CEO Bob Bakish made the announcement Tuesday in an internal memo to employees.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These adjustments will help enable us to build on our momentum and execute our strategic vision for the year ahead," Bakish said, "and I firmly believe we have much to be excited about."</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement comes weeks after Bakish had told employees on Jan. 25 that there would be terminations, though did not disclose how many jobs would be slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>He defended the move last month by saying they aim "to operate as a leaner company" while spending less, specifically on international content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our priority is to drive earnings growth," Bakish said in the January memo. "And we'll get there by growing our revenue while closely managing costs -- a balance that will require every team, division and brand to be aligned."</p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount Global, which owns several media and entertainment companies, including CBS and streaming service Paramount+, saw its shares dive 4% Tuesday morning.</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement of layoffs comes on the heels of CBS broadcasting Sunday's record-breaking Super Bowl LVII, which garnered 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched telecast in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the announcement also makes it one of numerous tech and media companies to announce cuts to staff this year, including eBay, Sports Illustrated, Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch, Meta and Alphabet's Google in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news is something for both other companies, potential business partners and even job seekers to consider when deciding their next move in the game of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>#showbiz #EntertainmentNews #entertainmentindustry #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #businessnews #showbiz #production #creativity #content #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #streamingnews #biznews #disrupt #disruptor #disruption #bigtech #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own" - Bruce Lee </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#BruceLee #quote #quotes #bestquotes #bestquotesoftheday #BQOTD #Philosophy #martialarts #combatsports #life #mbs #mindbodyspirit #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Directory (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/gold_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#GOLD #GoldNews #GoldDirectory #goldnewsmedia #Commodities #commodity #markets #biznews #businessnews #finance #finnews #SP #SandP #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Kennedy 2024. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vN2Y4tZlIw&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>#Kennedy24 #Kennedy #RFKJr #RFKJr2024 #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLVIII #ad #ads #Politics #truth #truthinads #TruthSeeker #USPolitics #broadcast #broadcasting #newsbiz #USA #sportsnews #sportsbiz #trend #trends #buzz #AI #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Kennedy 2024 and AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Potential Dream Match</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Austin vs Punk?!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>In A WWE Ring; WrestleMania @WrestleMania ?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Stone Cold Steve Austin on CM Punk and Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>“I said I’d never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned. And for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania. I never thought I’d do that. If you’d have told me that when I retired in, I’d have said, ‘You’re crazy.’ So I’m not gonna sit here and say no to anything, because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me - so, as long as he can take a Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy, and a great wrestler who’s had a great career. We’ll see.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#dreammatch #dreammatches #SteveAustin #StoneColdSteveAustin #CMPunk #AustinPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #prowrestling #wrestling #sportsentertainment #entertainment #legend #legends #Goat #Goats #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #X #Xwrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC 298 Press Conference</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I respect you as a person, as a professional. I'm just fighting for my dreams" - Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Volk is not bothered by the UFC 35 year old plus "curse".</p><p><br /></p><p>Volk goes cosplay/dress up under Dana White's creative promotional ideas</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via official UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298: Pre-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ORoTVxxDY&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Why Ilia Topuria Is The Scariest Fighter In Featherweight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfVOgYxMqU&t=16s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Constantly makeing Topuria adjust. Can't shoot on him. Can't get a hold of the legs" Michael Bisping</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SImfWUx5aX0&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We just finished training at Pacific MMA. Now straight to California. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I was waiting fo this day. Saturda is a blessed day" Merba Dvalishvili</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298 https://youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&si=AQsXx9OSZwcEJrks…</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was born to be a fighter. That was my destiny. Right now, I am more confident than ever that I will become the best in the world" Ilia Topuria </p><p><br /></p><p>"Ilia Topuria, a legit prospect out of Spain" </p><p><br /></p><p>"He caries this intensity about him. That's a little big different than most of these young fighters. He is sure he will wear a UFC championship belt" </p><p><br /></p><p>"I am Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria"</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Word on the street is that Volk is in for one hell of a fight. May the best man win. </p><p><br /></p><p>More great MMA past, present and future via the official UFC YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>youtube.com/ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #Volkanovski #OldManVolk #Topuria #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #UFC #UFCChampion #UFCTitle #ufcpress #ufcmedia #ufcnews #PressConference #Dvalishvili #Aljo #RobertWhittaker #IanMachado #MichaelBisping #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #Video #YouTube #YT #feature #legends #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #Spain #USA #Anaheim #HondaCentre #California #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis @RealNickAldis Posts To Social Media re what to expect at the upcoming WWE SD and beyond</b></p><p><br /></p><p>On Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns:</p><p><br /></p><p>“I hear they like to cook – I have a few dishes prepared myself, if you catch my drift.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Shotzi has been injured</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown In Shotzi’s place, will be Zelina Vega who will be squaring off against former WWE NXT @WWENXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton for a spot in the women’s Chamber on Friday’s show. Vega was originally set to face Naomi in a qualifying match. Alba Fyre will now be wrestling Naomi on Smackdown.</p><p><br /></p><p>White witches and black magic witches at work in and around the WWE. On a side-note Charlotte Flair's rehab is going ahead of schedule.</p><p><br /></p><p>Femme Fatales</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, that is Scarlett, real life wide of Karrion Kross who is now brunette in 'The Final Testament'. Femme Fatales remain all the rage. Natalya Neidhart continues to train both men and women behind the scenes for the WWE and NXT brands, and the promotion is all the better for it. Natalya may just be one of the greatest pro wrestling trainers of all time, and that covers a lot of ground. Like fellow pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho, currently signed to the 'Big A', she enjoys a background including in authentic journalism and media. Big respect.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, Mickie James, the multi-talented pro wrestler, performing artist + + + will be appearing at Melbourne, Australia's Starrcade Down Under.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE continues to release more excellent videos to their award winning YouTube Channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Every Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes match, ever: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njE7jNoPukQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT — The Rock returns to WWE for first time in seven years: Raw, Feb. 14, 2011</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYR7K4957s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Love story of Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxo7HXk4pg4&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi — SmackDown Women's Title Match: SmackDown, Feb. 11, 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2XcF-03V0U&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #NickAldis #RomanReigns #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #HeadOfTheTable #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #ZelinaVega #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #Natalya #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Maverick #Prime #PrimeHeel #Miz #EliminationChamber #WrestleMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #wwewomen #womenswrestling #Fox #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #socialmedia #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Penn Entertainment’s Q4 2023 earnings draw analyst attention as ESPN Bet plays out</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment Thursday during its earnings conference call reported revenue of $1.37 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023, a 13.2% drop compared to $1.58 billion for the same time period in 2022. The company’s casinos continued profitability, with its northeast and south regions posting revenue drops of 0.6% and 6.3%, while the west and midwest posted revenue gains of 2.3% and 3.0%. But Penn’s interactive segment...drew attention from analysts because of the operator’s ongoing collaboration with ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bill allowing up to 10 casinos, sports betting, and lottery passes key vote in Alabama House; moves to Senate</p><p><br /></p><p>Lottery and casino legislation passed a key test Thursday in the Alabama Legislature as the House of Representatives approved a sweeping gambling proposal with an aim to get the measure before voters in November. The House of Representatives approved the proposed constitutional amendment to allow up to 10 casino sites with table games and slot machines, a state lottery, and to allow sports betting at in-person locations and through online platforms. It would also authorize the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>California: Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opens today</p><p><br /></p><p>After a 25-year journey, the Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opened Thursday, February 15. The establishment, 15 miles south of Chico near Highway 99 at 149 Openshaw Road in Oroville, is the first phase of the tribe’s development plans. “The process of getting here started 25 years ago for the tribe,” Dana Dubois, the casino’s general manager, told ABC7/KRCR, adding that the casino has focused on personal qualities rather than the direct experience for its staff. “We have hired heart, not skillset.” Dubois told the first patrons to visit, “come in and enjoy yourself.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>New study claims igaming increases brick-and-mortar revenue</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A study released Thursday indicates that operators should not worry about their brick-and-mortar casinos being cannibalized by igaming. Comparing Online and Land-based Casino Gaming, commissioned by the iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA Growth) through Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) claims igaming helps boost brick-and-mortar revenue. “This study offers compelling evidence that online gambling is a catalyst for growth, not a competitor to land-based casinos,” said iDEA Growth Founder and General Counsel Jeff Ifrah.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Macau registers more than 200,000 visitor arrivals for second day running</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Macau’s visitor arrivals topped 200,000 for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as the Lunar New Year Golden Week continued to exceed expectations, according to information from the Public Security Police Force. Just 24 hours after setting a new post-pandemic high of Day 4 of 217,451 visitor arrivals on Monday, the fourth day of the Golden Week holiday saw another 201,023 arrivals, taking the four-day tally 703,347. At the halfway mark of the eight-day holiday, total visitation is already closing in on 960,000 arrivals predicted for the entire period by the Macao Government Tourism Office (although visitation is expected to tail off in the coming days).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sportsbooks revenue gears up while casinos stall</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana (results) - While casino revenue remains sluggish, sportsbooks are gearing up for a banner year. Analysts from PlayIndiana.com report the state saw a slight decrease in sports wagers in January following a near-record December, but Indiana’s casinos saw a 17% dip in revenue compared to the same month last year. Over $480.5 million was wagered through sportsbooks in the state in January. Adjusted gross revenue was $53.5 million with $5.1 million paid to the state…Casinos have brought in less money year-over-year for 11 of the past 12 months with January seeing $161.8 million in adjusted gross revenue, a decline of almost $30 million.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Superstar performer announces Las Vegas tour stop</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Jennifer Lopez has announced her highly anticipated return to touring with “This Is Me … Now The Tour,” with T-Mobile Arena among the stops. Lopez will perform in Las Vegas on July 20, a Live Nation news release announced.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Capacity to surge at Las Vegas airport</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - While there are more airline seats coming into Las Vegas from a record number of destinations and international flights have recovered from the COVID-19 downturn, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is still looking for more nonstop flights from Asia. More than 100,000 airline seats a day will become routine by summer at Harry Reid International Airport, aviation experts told the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors Tuesday. Since October 2022, capacity has averaged around 97,000 inbound seats. In October 2023, capacity peaked at 104,239 seats, now seat capacity will climb above 100,000 beginning in April and continuing through June.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Apartment project planned for vacant lot in Arts District</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Roughly 2.3 acres of vacant land in the Arts District of Las Vegas sold for $6 million and the buyers are eyeing apartments for the site. Dubbed Flats Arts District, the $180 million mixed-use apartment project is planned for 123 W. Imperial Ave. Before the property sold in January for $6 million, the 2.3 acres, located a block away from Main Street, sold in 2011 for just over $322,000, according to Clark County property records.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>FanDuel had Over $250 Million In Revenue In Virginia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>FanDuel totaled more than $250 million in gross sports betting revenue in Virginia for 2023, closing out the year by topping $30 million in December…FanDuel finished with $265.4 million in winnings, accounting for 47% of the $560.2 million in revenue among statewide operators…FanDuel’s gross revenue was up 10% from 2022. The increase in handle — 12.2% to nearly $2.27 billion — outpaced revenue. Virginia operators set an all-time high in December with $57.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, while the $633.2 million handle and $63.6 million in gross winnings ranked second out of 36 months of wagering.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl Betting News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sun shines on KC as books feel the heat on margins</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>KC win drives negative margins: Totals wagered were close to the $1.5bn predicted by the markets, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers led sportsbooks’ hold levels into negative territory as they recorded -4% margins for Super Bowl LVIII.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The Macquarie team said this “was not as bad” as the worst case scenario that had Kansas winning with a points total of more than 47.5pts, which would have led to a negative hold of -14%.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Best case scenario: A San Francisco win “in a low scoring game” could have led to 30% margins and driven “$450m of market GGR and $315m of NGR (~30% promo/GGR)”, added Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JMP said operators likely had a mixed outcome as the game “pushed into overtime, a negative within itself”, which enabled “several more prop bets (50% to 60% of total wagers) to hit, including a Kansas City win, and acted as headwinds for margins”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OSB hold for the Super Bowl was between -5% and 0% vs. 2023 industry average of 9.2%, said JMP.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Q1 impact: The -4% hold for the Super Bowl will result in a $64m drop in GGR for the market and should “result in 2-5% of downside to Q1 consensus revenue”, noted Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Apple offset: But with January's high hold rate of 10.8% in New York not reflected in forecasts, this “more than offsets the Super Bowl result with an incremental $250m of market GGR in Jan24”, Macquarie added. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Record audience: The analysts added that Super Bowl LVIII would likely be a turning point for “customer acquisition and NFL growth in new demographics”. This year’s event hit viewership records, with CBS Sports reporting that more than 123 million viewers watched the game, making it the most-watched sports broadcast in U.S. history.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This was “partly driven by over 50% of the U.S. population now having access to OSB in addition to Taylor Swift's involvement, which has brought interest from a whole new demographic, mostly women, we view Super Bowl LVIII as unequivocally positive for sportsbooks”, said Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply said betting geolocation transactions had increased +22% YoY since the start of the NFL playoffs in January, with active user accounts up 12% and “transactions and actives +35% and +13% YoY respectively” in the final round of playoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that several NFL stadiums saw over 60,000 on-site betting transactions per game through the regular season. The Bengals stadium had 67,000 transactions, “against a stadium capacity of 65,500, this implies at least one bet per spectator per game”, the group said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Break it down: JMP meanwhile said parlays accounted for 34% of bets and 25% of handle. FanDuel's average bet size of $22 was well below the average industry bet size, implying a heavy skew toward parlay betting for the company, noted the analysts.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The average number of legs was 5.1 for each parlay wager and was “most impactful for DraftKings and FanDuel”. Single bets accounted for 74% of handle and 66% of all bets and 17% of bets were tied to a promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, U.S. app downloads were flat YoY and totaled 1.4 million, while on Super Bowl Sunday they were 38% down on 2023 at 295,000. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Download charts: FanDuel had 28% download market share (-12% YoY), DraftKings 29% (-22% YoY), BetMGM aired a commercial during the game and its 15% download share was +12% YoY.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Caesars had 4% share (-5% YoY), while ESPN Bet was up 192% with 10% share. Bet365’s download share of 7% was +50% YoY and Fanatics dropped back to 3% share after hitting 6% two weeks ago.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More records: The Nevada Gaming Control Board said sportsbooks took a record $186m in wagers on the game and generated $6.8m in revenue while FanDuel said it took $307m in wagers on the game, also a new record for the U.S OSB leader. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>ESPN Bet heads to New York</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment, parent company of ESPN Bet, is heading to New York after it revealed that it had acquired Wynn Bet’s New York mobile sports betting license for $25m.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The transaction gives ESPN Bet market access to the largest OSB state in the U.S., with launch set for this year “pending regulatory approvals”. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jay Snowden, PENN CEO and President, said: “This important development will bring ESPN Bet to the largest regulated online sports wagering market in North America. Together with ESPN, we’re building a brand that is synonymous with sports betting, and operating in the New York market is key as we grow ESPN Bet across the U.S.”</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>New York sports betting handle was down 4.5% in January to $1.9bn on a monthly basis, but GGR hit a monthly record high of $211.5m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New York: Oneida Nation casino slated for $50 million expansion project</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Oneida Indian Nation on Wednesday announced a $50 million, large-scale expansion at its Point Place Casino, located in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County. The expansion comes in response to demand from guests for additional amenities as well as economic development occurring across the Central New York region.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hard Rock International to donate $250,000 to global charities</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hard Rock Heals Foundation Wednesday announced it will contribute $250,000 to global charitable organizations. The philanthropic arm of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, will distribute the funds through individual grants of $5,000.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Casino and sports betting proposal swiftly advances in the Alabama legislature</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A gambling proposal to authorize a lottery, sports betting, and multiple casinos across Alabama was swiftly advanced by a legislative committee on Wednesday. The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the two-bill package, putting the proposal in line for a key vote Thursday in the state House of Representatives.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter pens first external B2B sportsbook deal with France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain</p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter Entertainment has agreed a deal to provide a multi-channel B2B sportsbook platform to France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain. The agreement sees PMU become the first external brand outside the Flutter group to use the B2B sportsbook platform. It extends a partnership between the parties that launched in 2010. PMU gains access to customer products and associated operational services via the Flutter platform.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Dogecoin Jumps 8% After Shiba Inu Dog's 14th Internet Anniversary, Leaving Bitcoin, Ethereum In The Dust - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dogecoin , the cryptocurrency inspired by a viral meme, has outperformed other major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin </p><p>BTC/USD +5.53% and Ethereum +5.55% with an 8% price increase over the last 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Happened: Data from LunarCrush Pro reveals a massive rise in the social dominance score of Dogecoin, which has spiked by 1800% in a single day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ethereum have each seen their values increase by 4-6% over the past 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The surge in DOGE comes with a special occasion for the Dogecoin community, as shared by the MyDoge wallet on the X platform. They commemorated the 14th anniversary of the Shiba Inu dog Kabosu—the face of the Dogecoin meme—whose pictures were first shared online by owner Atsuko Sato.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Dogecoin was created by software developers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a joke. Markus launched the coin after merely a few hours of coding.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why It Matters: The rise in DOGE also comes as speculation triggered last month by the profile @xpayments on the social app X, about the potential adoption of Dogecoin for payments on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no formal statement has been made about Dogecoin being integrated as a payment method on par with Bitcoin or Ethereum, conversations about the possibility have been circulating, fueled by Musk’s past suggestions on Twitter about the potential for Dogecoin as a payment option for Twitter Blue. Additionally, Musk’s Tesla already enables the purchase of merchandise using Dogecoin through the Tesla Store.</p><p><br /></p><p>Price Action: At the time of writing, DOGE was trading at $0.087, up 8% over the past 24 hours,</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>EC# from National Wrestling Alliance</b></p><p><br /></p><p>As long as I don’t have to wrestle Moose again. I’m kidding. [Moose is one of] my good buddies, but he hits really, really hard. But I believe in collaborations in all forms of this business. I think it needs to be done in a way too, it’s like your businesses that are in theory competitive, that it has to work for both. How does that work? Sometimes you’re gonna miss out on potential things you really want to see. Like hypothetically if it was champion versus champion, how does one company sacrifice their champion because that’s making the other company look superior, and vice versa. How do you deliver a satisfying finish to fans without having some horseshit DQ or nonsensical kind of, everything remains 50/50. So I think that’s the one hill to climb when it comes to that kind of business. But then also, sometimes art is more important, creative is important, when people are willing to sacrifice for it. So it would all depend I guess on the business end.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Paige VanZant announces boxing match expected for this summer: “F*ck it, let’s go” - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I got called by my manager day before yesterday, and I got offered a fight,” Paige VanZant stated on her podcast earlier this week. “A boxing match, and I took it. I don’t know if I can give all the details, I haven’t signed a contract yet. I accepted the fight. It was initially, the date they offered me was March 23, which was perfect. Hell yeah, I’ll get one more fight in before I turn 30, because I turn 30 [on] March 26. So I told my manager f*ck yeah, I’ll take it. I’ll get back into boxing.” (h/t MMA Fighting)</p><p><br /></p><p>She continued, “I was just really excited. The opportunity was really cool. So it was perfect, an eight-week camp, I don’t that long to stress or overthink, or anything like that, so that’s perfect. It turns out it’s not going to be March 23. After I accepted it, they’re like, you know what, we’re going to move it to [May or June]. I heard both dates, so once I have the full information, we’ll be able to release it on the podcast. Accepted a boxing match, that will be my next fight. It’s really, really exciting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gloves on, it’s just straight boxing,” Paige VanZant concluded. “I did think my next fight would be a bare-knuckle boxing match, but this opportunity came forward, and I was just like f*ck it, let’s go. So I took a fight.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What is SEO?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines recommend SEO efforts that benefit both the user search experience and page’s ranking, by featuring content that fulfills user search needs. This includes the use of relevant keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and headlines (H1), featuring descriptive URLs with keywords rather than strings of numbers, and schema markup to specify the page's content meaning, among other SEO best practices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines help people find what they’re looking for online. Whether researching a product, looking for a restaurant, or booking a vacation, search engines are a common starting point when you need information. For business owners, they offer a valuable opportunity to direct relevant traffic to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience. So, SEO is as much about understanding the wants and needs of your audience as it is about the technical nature of how to configure your website.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How do search engines work?</b></p><p>Search engines provide results for any search query a user enters. To do so, they survey and “understand” the vast network of websites that make up the web. They run a sophisticated algorithm that determines what results to display for each search query.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO focuses on Google</b></p><p>To many people, the term “search engine” is synonymous with Google, which has about 83% of the global search engine market. Because Google is the dominant search engine, SEO typically revolves around what works best for Google. It’s useful to have a clear understanding of how Google works and why.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Google wants</b></p><p>Google is designed to deliver the best search experience to its users, or searchers. That means providing the most relevant results, as quickly as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 2 core elements of the search experience are the search term (the user input) and the search results (the output).</p><p><br /></p><p>Let’s say you search “Mailchimp guides and tutorials.” This is a clear, unambiguous search. Google understands what you’re asking for, and it delivers a useful page as the top organic result—Mailchimp’s own page.</p><p><br /></p><p>From Google’s perspective, this is a very good search result and a positive user experience, because it’s likely that the user will click the top result and be happy with the outcome.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Google makes money</b></p><p>Google profits from people trusting and valuing its search service. It achieves this by delivering useful search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google also provides businesses with the opportunity to pay for an advertorial placement at the top of search result pages. The word “Ad” indicates these listings. Google makes money when searchers click on these pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, which you purchase through Google Ads. You’ll see these ads on more generic queries in particular.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other than the small label, these search results look almost indistinguishable from other search results. Of course, this is intentional, as lots of users click on these results without realizing that they’re ads.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what Google counts on. Advertising revenues accounted for more than 80% of the $279.8 billion that Google generated in 2022. So while search functions remain its core product, it depends on its advertising business.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The anatomy of search results</b></p><p>SERPs consist of paid search results and “organic” search results, where the organic results don’t contribute to Google’s revenue. Instead, Google delivers organic results based on its assessment of a site’s relevance and quality. Depending on the type of search query, Google will also include different elements on the SERP, like maps, images, or videos.</p><p><br /></p><p>The volume of ads on a SERP depends on what users have searched. If you were to search the word “shoes,” for example, you’d likely find a substantial number of the top results are ads. In fact, you’ll probably have to scroll down the page to find the first organic result.</p><p><br /></p><p>A query like this usually generates so many ads because there’s a strong chance that the searcher is looking to buy shoes online, and there are lots of shoe companies willing to pay for a feature in the AdWords results for this query.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, if you search for something like “Atlanta Falcons,” your results will be different. Because this search is mostly tied to the professional American football team by that name, the top results relate to that. But it’s still a less clear query. You’ll find news stories, a knowledge graph, and their homepage. These 3 kinds of results at the top indicate that Google doesn’t know the precise intention of your search, but provides quick pathways to learn about the team, read their latest news, or go to their website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since there appears to be no purchase intent behind the query, advertisers are not willing to bid for the keyword, so there are no AdWords results.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, if you change the query to “Atlanta Falcons hat,” which signals to Google that you might be shopping, the SERP results change to feature more sponsored results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The role of SEO</b></p><p>The goal of SEO is to raise your ranking in organic search results. There are different practices for optimizing AdWords, shopping, and local results.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may appear that so many competing elements taking up real estate on SERPs push the organic listings down, SEO can still be a very powerful, lucrative effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>Considering that Google processes billions of search queries daily, organic search results are a very large slice of a very large pie. And while there is some up-front and ongoing investment required to secure and maintain organic rankings, every click that sends traffic to your website is completely free.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Website Ranking Factors For SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the top categories:</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Site-Level Factors</p><p>Backlink Factors</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>On-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Off-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Domain factors are all ranking factors that connect with your domain (the basic example.com version of your website), including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Your domain age</p><p>Keyword in your domain</p><p>Keyword is the first word in your domain</p><p>Domain registration length</p><p>Keyword in subdomain</p><p>Domain history</p><p>Penalized Whois owner</p><p>Public WhoIs instead of private Whois</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Page-level factors are factors on each page that you can optimize, such as:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of the keyword in the title tag</p><p>Having the keyword at the beginning of your title tag</p><p>Keyword in your meta description tag</p><p>Presence of the keyword in the H1 tag</p><p>Keyword is frequently used in the content</p><p>Content length</p><p>Word count rankings</p><p>Presence of a linked table of contents</p><p>Keyword density</p><p>Presence of semantically related keywords</p><p>Semantically related keyword in meta title and description</p><p>In-depth quality content</p><p>Useful content</p><p>Page loading speed via HTML</p><p>Page loading speed tested on Chrome</p><p>Core web vitals</p><p>No duplicate content on the same site</p><p>Image optimization through ALT, title, and file name</p><p>Content recency (the newer, the better)</p><p>Page age</p><p>How many edits were made to the content during updates</p><p>Historical data on page updates</p><p>Proper use of rel=canonical</p><p>Presence of keyword in H2 and H3 tags</p><p>Presence of keyword in the first 100 words</p><p>Grammar and spelling</p><p>Originality of the page's content</p><p>Entity match</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>Mobile useability and optimization</p><p>Hidden content on mobile (may not be indexed)</p><p>Page optimized for mobile</p><p>Presence of multimedia, for example, images and videos</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>The quality of outbound links</p><p>Theme of outbound links</p><p>Presence of helpful supplementary content, like free tools and calculators</p><p>Content hidden behind tabs (it may not be indexed and wouldn't show up in search snippets)</p><p>Number of internal links pointing to the page</p><p>Quality of the internal links</p><p>Presence of too many broken links (could lower ranking capabilities)</p><p>The reading level of the page</p><p>Presence of many affiliate links</p><p>Presence of many HTML errors</p><p>Authority/trust-level of the domain</p><p>Authority/trust level of the page</p><p>PageRank</p><p>Length of URL</p><p>Closeness of URL to the homepage</p><p>Presence of keyword in URL</p><p>Opinion of human editors</p><p>Relevance of page's category to page</p><p>Content formatting for user-friendliness and readability</p><p>Priority of the page in the sitemap.xml</p><p>UX signal from pages ranking for the same keyword</p><p>Citing references and sources</p><p>Use of a user-friendly layout</p><p>URL string in Google search engine results</p><p>Internal link anchor text to the page</p><p>Use of structured data</p><p>Site-level factors</p><p>Site-level factors go above the page level and take a look at things on the entire site. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of a contact us page or appropriate amount of contact information</p><p>Content on site provides value or new insights</p><p>TrustRank (how close your site is to a known and trusted site in terms of linking)</p><p>Website updates for freshness factor</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Presence of a sitemap</p><p>Long-term site downtime</p><p>Location of server</p><p>HTTPs / use of a valid SSL certificate</p><p>Presence of legal pages (terms and conditions and privacy policy)</p><p>Unique metadata</p><p>Use of breadcrumb markup</p><p>Site-wide mobile optimization</p><p>Site-wide user-friendliness (usability and interactiveness)</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>User reviews</p><p>Site reputation</p><p>Backlink factors</p><p>Backlink factors look at the sites that are linking to you to determine where to rank your page. Sites with better quality sites linking to them tend to be higher in rankings when they have quality content. The backlink factors are as follows:</p><p><br /></p><p>Age of linking domain</p><p>Number of referring domains</p><p>Number of links from separate c-class IPs</p><p>Number of referring pages</p><p>Anchor text of backlinks</p><p>ALT tag of image links</p><p>Number of links from .edu and .gov domains</p><p>Trust factor of linking page</p><p>Trust factor of linking domain</p><p>Presence of links from competitors</p><p>Number of links from expected sites in your industry</p><p>Links from bad neighborhoods</p><p>Number of links that are not from ads</p><p>Country TLD of referring domains</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>Presence of some nofollow links</p><p>Diversity of link profile</p><p>Context of content the content of linking page</p><p>Presence of more follow links that sponsored or UGC</p><p>Lots of backlinks to URL with 301 redirects</p><p>The text that appears when you hover over a link</p><p>Link location on page</p><p>Location of link in content</p><p>Links from relevant domains</p><p>Links from relevant pages</p><p>Presence of your page's keyword in the title of the linking page</p><p>Natural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Spiky and unnatural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Links from top resources on a certain topic or hubs</p><p>Number of links from sites that are considered authority sites</p><p>Linked as a source in a Wikipedia article</p><p>Words around your backlinks</p><p>Backlink age</p><p>Links from real sites vs fake blogs</p><p>Natural link profile</p><p>Excessive reciprocal links</p><p>Links in real content vs. UGC</p><p>Backlinks from a page with a 301 redirect</p><p>TrustRank of linking site</p><p>Fewer outbound links on linking page</p><p>Links in real content vs links in forums</p><p>Word count of linking content</p><p>Quality of linking content</p><p>Sitewide links = one link</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Google always emphasizes in their update announcements how important it is to provide an excellent user experience to website visitors. These factors measure user interaction to rank your page accordingly, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Organic click through rate for exact keyword</p><p>Organic click through rates for all ranking keywords</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Measurement of how users interact on your site based on RankBrain</p><p>Total direct traffic</p><p>Percentage of repeat visitors</p><p>Blocked sites</p><p>Percentage of visitors that click on other pages on the SERP after clicking visiting your page</p><p>Page frequently bookmarked by Chrome users</p><p>Number of comments on page</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Some Google Algorithm rules are not directly connected to your page or domain. They include factors that look at personalizing search results for the user or better search results as a whole. Here are some of them:</p><p><br /></p><p>Need for diversity in the SERP</p><p>Need for freshness in the SERP</p><p>Browsing history of user</p><p>Search history of user</p><p>Succinct answers, formatting, page authority and HTTPS for featured snippets</p><p>Geo-targeting</p><p>Adult content or curse words (excluded from safe search results)</p><p>High content quality standards for YMYL keywords</p><p>Legitimate DMCA complaints</p><p>Need for domain diversity in SERP</p><p>Transactional searches</p><p>Local search results</p><p>Presence of news stories related to keyword for Top Stories box</p><p>Search intent</p><p>Presence of big brands with relevant content (they are often ranked higher)</p><p>Presence of results optimized for Google Shopping</p><p>Image results</p><p>Branded search</p><p>Easter eggs and April Fools' Day jokes and hoaxes from Google (this one makes me laugh)</p><p>Spammy queries</p><p>Spammy sites</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>How great is your branding strategy in terms of SEO? If you haven't taken care of your brand mentions and brand all over the internet, you need to start now. Because there are some serious ranking factors related to your brand:</p><p><br /></p><p>Brand + keyword searches (for example, Hubspot SEO)</p><p>Branded anchor text</p><p>Twitter profile with followers</p><p>Official LinkedIn page</p><p>Facebook page with lots of likes</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Known author or verified online profile</p><p>Real social media accounts</p><p>Top stories with brand mentions</p><p>Brand mentions without links</p><p>Physical location of offices</p><p>On-site Web</p><p>To rank high on search engine results, you need to ensure your site isn't spammy and doesn't look spammy - as with many things in life, looks play a role in how we're perceived. Here are some factors around that:</p><p><br /></p><p>Low-quality content</p><p>Links to bad neighborhoods</p><p>Multiple and sneaky redirects</p><p>Flagged server IP address</p><p>Distracting ads and popups</p><p>Popups that are spammy and difficult to close</p><p>Over-optimizing the site</p><p>Gibberish content</p><p>Use of doorway pages</p><p>Lots of ads above the fold and not much content</p><p>Hiding affiliate links</p><p>Low-value content sites</p><p>Affiliate sites</p><p>Keyword stuffing in meta tags</p><p>Compute generated content</p><p>Nofollowing all outbound links</p><p>Off-site Webspam Factors</p><p>The Off-site webspam factors affect spam based on what's done outside your website that connects with your website. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Unnatural and sudden increase in backlinks</p><p>Hacked site</p><p>Lots of low-quality backlinks</p><p>High percentage of links from unrelated websites</p><p>Low-quality directory links</p><p>Automatic links in widgets</p><p>Links from sites with the same server IP</p><p>Using “poison” in your anchor text</p><p>Ignored manual actions in search console</p><p>Selling links</p><p>Temporary link schemes</p><p>Phew, we made it! Even though this list might seem overwhelming, I've condensed it to my top 10 to make things a bit more palatable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Google Ranking Factors</p><p>Before we go into my top 10 Google ranking factors, keep this in mind: everything is debatable in SEO. While several SEO experts might accept these 10 factors as their top ranking factors as well, other SEOs might disagree. But for me, these are what I've found to be most important.</p><p><br /></p><p>I chose my top 10 based on what I've seen improves the user experience, optimizes conversion rates, signals trustworthiness, ranks well, brings in high amounts of organic monthly traffic, and promotes customer retention and loyalty. Let's dive in.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Content that provides valuable and unique insights.</p><p>As mentioned above, Google has always emphasized quality content. Providing content that provides value and unique insights not found on every other website can improve your ranking simply because your audience enjoys it.</p><p><br /></p><p>To do this:</p><p><br /></p><p>Ensure you are the subject expert in what you are writing about or that you understand that topic in-depth according to research.</p><p>Hire subject experts to write your content.</p><p>Provide factual information that informs your audience about the questions that are the most important to them.</p><p>Don't write fluff.</p><p>2. Content that covers a topic in-depth.</p><p>Want to rank on the first page? Stop writing thin content. Research has proven time and time again that content that covers all areas, whether long or short form, tends to do better in search results. Here's what to do:</p><p><br /></p><p>Study your competitors' content and write about what they missed.</p><p>Cover all relevant areas and answer all questions that readers might have.</p><p>Make the text readable by adding elements like images, a clickable table of contents, jump links, and CTAs to relevant information.</p><p>3. Organic click-through rates.</p><p>Your organic click through rate helps Google understand whether people like your content or not. If more people are clicking on your post in the SERP, Google will believe your content is more relevant to that keyword and rank you higher for it.</p><p><br /></p><p>You need to write a convincing meta title and description to improve your organic click-through rate. Here are tips for writing the best meta title and description:</p><p><br /></p><p>Use power words.</p><p>Ensure your keyword is visible in the meta title.</p><p>Keep your meta title under 62 characters.</p><p>Keep your meta description at about 150 characters.</p><p>Your meta description should be helpful to readers (use it to show them how they benefit from reading your content).</p><p>Note that to get to a point where you can improve organic click through rate, you should have all other SEO factors in place for higher rankings. I mean anyways, if you are in the 100th position, most people wouldn't see your page to begin with.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Keywords in H1.</p><p>The H1 is an indication of what your content is about. So, include your keyword in your H1. Be careful, though; some SEOs say that using the same sentence in your H1 and meta title is an indication that you are keyword stuffing. So, you might want to spice it up a bit while still ensuring that your keyword is present. Do this in combination with all on-page optimization (meta data, URL, other headings).</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The content's length.</p><p>Content length is one thing that several people debate about when it comes to SEO. Some believe an upward of 2000 words should be the standard. However, that shouldn't always be the case. Sure, long-form content seems to get the most backlinks, but it's crucial that you write long-form only when you need that to cover the entire topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's also a best practice to check what your competitors have because that can be an indicator of quality content. If all competitors have between 2000-4000 words and you write 200 words, you will likely not rank high for that term.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Website domain authority.</p><p>Domain Authority (DA) is not a ranking factor despite what many say, and the simple reason is: Google didn't create it. When asked if it is a signal, John Mueller replied, “...it's a tool by Moz”.</p><p><br /></p><p>But from my perspective, it's good to keep in mind because Moz uses particular signals to create that score (and other tools like SEMrush and Arel=" noopener" target="_blank" hrefs) that are similar to Google's ranking factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>When more trusted sites are linking to yours and you have content that ranks well, that is an indicator that you should be trusted, which in turn increases your rankings even further - all of which plays into DA. So in a nutshell, you might want to focus on growing your DA even if Google doesn't confirm it.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Total number of backlinks from relevant sources.</p><p>The total number of your backlinks and referring domains are important, but only when they are from relevant sources. In February 2021, John Mueller commented about the importance of link relevance and that you can build many backlinks, but Google will ignore them if they are not relevant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than focusing on building millions of backlinks, focus on more relevant and quality backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Page loading speed via HTML.</p><p>Last year, Google announced that core web vitals would become a ranking signal and it's planned to launch in mid-June. Core web vitals is a part of PageSpeed, and page speed affects user experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>If your site is too slow to load or slow to interact with, Google is more likely to reduce your rankings, especially when your competitors have fast site speed and great content.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Mobile usability.</p><p>User experience is key for SEO success and users are increasingly accessing your website via mobile. That's why Google sends constant mobile-friendliness notifications in Search Console when it sees that your site isn't responsive.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want to score points with Google and, more importantly, your users, work on your mobile usability.</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Over-optimization.</p><p>Don't overdo it — this serves as a reminder that you must prioritize optimizing for humans, not the algorithm. When you over-optimize your pages, Google sees that you're trying too hard and might believe you are trying to game the system. If that happens, you get penalized.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are other important ranking factors that didn't make the top 10 cut, but you should make sure to work on as well:</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality of internal links pointing to page</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Site usability</p><p>Contextual links</p><p>Outbound link quality</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Image alt text</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>SEO for Beginners: SEO Basics in 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important marketing tactics for your business. However, few actually know how to do it effectively. To help, we’ve put together an entire guide on SEO for beginners, which includes how SEO works, why it’s important and how to do it yourself. Use this beginners’ guide to rank your website higher in search engines like Google for relevant and high-value search terms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Is SEO?</b></p><p>SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher for organic search terms and increases its visibility. The overall goal of SEO is to generate more traffic for your website to generate more leads and sales. There are three components of organic SEO, which include on-page, off-page and technical SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>On-page SEO represents factors directly related to your website’s content, which include things such as blog article quality, meta descriptions, keyword targeting and more. Off-page SEO comprises SEO factors that occur outside of your website, such as your overall backlink volume and quality. Finally, technical SEO represents your website’s overall performance and health, such as your desktop and mobile loading speed.</p><p><br /></p><p>To rank your website higher for relevant and high-value keywords, it’s important to address all three of these SEO components. With this in mind, let’s discuss exactly how SEO works.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Does SEO Work?</b></p><p>When someone searches for something on platforms such as Google, those search engines use proprietary algorithms to crawl the internet and rank the most relevant and high-quality content on a search engine results page (SERP). These pieces of content are typically blog articles targeting a specific keyword, but can also include other media types such as images or video.</p><p><br /></p><p>To determine the most relevant results, Google and other search engines will first analyze the search term to understand the user’s overall intent, and then find content that best addresses the user’s query and overall intent based on a blend of on-page, off-page and technical SEO factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The goal of SEO is therefore to rank higher in SERPs for specific keywords—or queries—that are relevant to your business. To do so, it’s first important to do keyword research to determine which terms you should be targeting. From there, write high-value blog articles that directly address those keywords. Then, promote your content through off-page tactics that build backlinks and make sure your website is optimized to perform well for the user.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO Is Important</b></p><p>SEO is important for a multitude of reasons. It increases website visibility for relevant keywords that help you generate more leads and sales. But the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s exactly why SEO should be an important part of your marketing strategy:</p><p><br /></p><p>Increase website visibility: SEO helps you rank your website higher in organic SERPs for high-value keywords that are important to your business. This allows potential customers to organically find your brand online and can result in more sales.</p><p>Build brand authority: Providing valuable content that ranks high for relevant search terms is a great way to build brand authority since potential customers inherently trust brands they see ranking high in search results.</p><p>Generate organic traffic: Optimizing your website’s SEO will help you generate more organic traffic with high intent for your product or service since you can target specific keyword terms relevant to your business.</p><p>Cost-effective and sustainable growth: Unlike tactics like social media or search advertising that only work if you’re actively paying for ads, organic SEO traffic is sustainable and cost-effective, generating long-term traffic you don’t have to pay for.</p><p>Improve website experience: Optimizing your technical SEO improves the overall user experience of your website, which can result in higher conversions and happier customers.</p><p>Overall, SEO should be a key part of your ongoing marketing strategy. It helps improve brand visibility and authority as well as generates organic traffic cost-effectively and sustainably. Now that you understand the benefits, let’s discuss exactly how to perform SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>How To Perform SEO</p><p>While SEO may seem complicated, there is a set of repeatable steps you can follow to execute an effective SEO strategy. These steps include defining your audience, identifying relevant keywords, crafting high-value content, generating backlinks and optimizing your website performance. Let’s take a detailed look at each of these steps:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Define Your Target Audience</p><p>The first thing you want to do is define your ideal audience, which will inform the topics and keywords you’re targeting. You can do this by creating an ideal customer profile or buyer persona that identifies things such as demographics, psychographics, firmographics and more. You can create one manually or use an online tool such as HubSpot’s Make My Persona to help you create one.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Conduct Keyword Research</p><p>With your target audience defined, the next step is to conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms to target with high-quality pieces of content such as blog articles. The best way to do keyword research is to use a free tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or a paid option such as Semrush.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look up relevant topics using one of the tools above and note the overall keyword traffic and ranking difficulty for each topic. From there, put together a content runway of relevant and related keywords with high traffic potential and a reasonable chance of ranking based on the difficulty score.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3. Craft High-Quality Content</p><p>The next step is to write and publish quality blog articles each targeting one of the primary keywords on your content runway. To do so, start with an outline that identifies the overall header structure of your article and includes the primary keyword in elements such as the title and relevant headers.</p><p><br /></p><p>From there, craft the entire piece, making sure to optimize for the primary keyword and adding elements such as imagery, statistics and more. Link relevant articles together using internal website links to help Google better discover your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Build Quality Backlinks</p><p>A backlink is a link from a third-party site pointing to your content, which Google views as a measure of authority. Once your blog articles are published, conduct off-page SEO tactics that generate quality backlinks, such as direct outreach. For example, research relevant websites that can benefit from linking to your content. Then, find their contact information and reach out with a suggestion to link to your site.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Optimize Your Website Performance</p><p>Make sure that you’re also improving your website’s overall health and performance, which includes things such as loading speed, mobile optimization and more. Google uses a Lighthouse performance score to rank your website on key performance metrics and assign you a score out of 100. Also included are scores for accessibility, best practices and overall SEO. The goal is to optimize your site to get these four scores as close to 100 as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>6. Iterate and Improve</p><p>Check your SEO metrics monthly to determine how your strategy is performing. You can use an SEO tool such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track key SEO data such as traffic, ranking position and more. Iterate and improve your on-page, off-page and technical SEO tactics based on the results.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Stay Updated on Changing SEO Trends</p><p>Search algorithms are constantly changing, affecting the SEO best practices you should be following. Because of this, it’s important to stay abreast of the changing SEO trends and how they might affect your overall SEO strategy. Subscribe to or read online resources such as the newsletter Search Engine Journal to ensure you don’t miss any changes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bottom Line</p><p>SEO is the act of increasing your website’s organic visibility by ranking its content for relevant search terms. To do so, first conduct keyword research to find valuable terms that are relevant to your business. From there, write high-quality content that matches the intent of each search term and promote that content to generate backlinks. Also, ensure your website is optimized for performance and speed. If you do these things, you are well on your way to mastering the art and science of SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Property News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>South Coogee home that ‘floats above ocean’ sets $18.5m record, beats Fred Schebesta’s ‘castle’ - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>An incredible South Coogee home that ‘floats above the ocean’ has set a suburb record of $18.5m with its pre-auction sale last night, beating crypto king Fred Schebesta’s ‘Coogee Castle’.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three-level five-bedroom clifftop residence at 1A Seaside Parade, that had cost the late Alan Cardy, a former Wallaby and property developer, $320,000 in 1981, had unobstructed views over the Pacific Ocean over Wedding Cake Island to Bondi and out to Malabar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sales agents Alexander Phillips of PPD, in conjunction with Ashley Bierman and Jordan L’Estrange of Ray White Double Bay, had an $18.45m guide for an auction scheduled for tomorrow, but instead they negotiated a deal last night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Built from concrete, steel, stone and glass by Bellevarde Constructions, the interiors were by Alexandra Kidd Design.</p><p><br /></p><p>It came with a heated mosaic-tiled pool, spa, sauna, gym and entertainer’s cabana right on the water’s edge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cardy, who died in 2021 aged 76, had bought the home next door for $230,000 from the ex Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Di Yerbury. That sold for $6.7m late last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Both homes were originally offered in one line with a guide of $25m. In the end, they got their money — and more — with the final result of $25.2m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Each level was connected by an internal elevator and the palatial master retreat included a spa bath and en-suiite. There was laos a separate movie theatre room.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other attractions were the large private rooftop with incredible views.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fred Schebesta, the co-founder and CEO of the comparison website, Finder, had been the previous suburb record holder with his 2021 purchase of his Bunya Parade castle for $16.85m.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 42-year-old went from working in a Pizza Hut call centre as a university student to running a business employing 450 staff in 80 countries and now has a net worth of more than $214m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>GeoComply releases Super Bowl LVIII betting activity figures - 12 Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- GeoComply, a global leader in advanced anti-fraud and geolocation compliance technologies, has announced a 22.3 percent increase in geolocation checks throughout Super Bowl weekend, surpassing last year’s figures. This sustained growth underscores an important shift in the US towards a state-regulated, taxed, and secure betting environment, enabling more Americans to place legal bets on the year’s most anticipated football game. GeoComply analyzed its data across 28 US states*, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico with legal, online sports betting during Super Bowl LVIII weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The continued transition to the legal market set the stage for a historic first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and the record-breaking results we saw did not disappoint. We are proud to help foster the growth of a regulated industry that puts accountability, security and player protection at the forefront,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO and Co-Founder of GeoComply. “Compliance drives our mission, and with that commitment, we strive to help our customers reliably and responsibly expand the player funnel and boost their businesses. Every year the legal market grows is good news for consumers and states and bad news for illegal offshore sportsbooks that become marginalized.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Additional Key Insights from Super Bowl LVIII Include:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>- Throughout Super Bowl weekend, GeoComply saw a total of 8.5 million active accounts across states where online sports betting is legal. This represents a 15 percent increase over last year’s Super Bowl.</p><p>- During the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, GeoComply saw more than 1.77 million new users sign up for legal online betting accounts.</p><p>- Since the start of the 2023/2024 NFL Season through the Super Bowl GeoComply customers have added more than 13.7 million new accounts, a 28 percent increase from last season.</p><p>- Minutes before kick-off GeoComply saw a massive spike in traffic totaling 14.75 thousand transactions per second (TPS) immediately. This was the highest TPS ever recorded on GeoComply’s systems, nearly doubling the last Super Bowl’s peak.</p><p>- Tale of two Kansas Cities: Chiefs fans on both sides of the Kansas City border want to support their team. GeoComply’s real-time pin drop map from Super Bowl Sunday shows legal activity in Kansas, while just across the street in Missouri they are blocked from betting.</p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply’s technology is critical for the online sports betting industry. Its platform uses more than 800 data points to accurately confirm that players are located in a state where sports betting is legal before placing a bet. Super Bowl LVIII represents many new growth milestones for the legal online sports betting industry, but it also represents a significant technical achievement that ensures that players have a fantastic experience and regulators have the proper assurances that all bets placed fall within the appropriate state borders.</p><p><br /></p><p>“GeoComply’s technology brings the perfect blend of geolocation precision mixed with a rock-solid player experience,” said Sainsbury. “These two aspects of our platform are critical to the industry’s success as a whole, and we designed the solution to meet these massive spikes in demand without compromising on either of them. Innovation is at the core of our brand, and we will continue to improve on our technology with the expectation that by the next Super Bowl, more states and more players will join the masses.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM and X sign exclusive sports betting partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>9 February 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>“X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>X CEO Linda Yaccarino said, "Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. </p><p><br /></p><p>We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams."</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM's mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM's already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rio, Rinehart discussed risk of third-party claim to mine venture - Novemeber 3, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Senior Rio Tinto executives and Gina Rinehart discussed the risk that their lucrative iron ore joint venture may attract a royalty claim from another Perth mining dynasty in 2005, a court has heard.</p><p><br /></p><p>But lawyers for Rio Tinto argued on Friday that revelations of the years-old discussions about a potential liability to pay Wright Prospecting mining royalties are not proof they ever considered that the company could claim an ownership stake in the project.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Almost 20 years after Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting struck a deal to mine Hope Downs, descendants of Lang Hancock’s former business partner Peter Wright are now demanding both royalties from the project, and a proprietary claim to the parts of the mine itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court heard that Mrs Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman, acknowledged “question marks” over the potential for future royalty claims from other WA mining families as part of discussions with Rio Tinto in the mid-2000s.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, lawyers for Hamersley Iron – the Rio Tinto subsidiary that inked the mining deal with Hancock Prospecting to develop Hope Downs – said discussions of a potential liability to pay royalties didn’t prove the parties considered a separate equitable claim to the project.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grant Donaldson SC described Hamersley and Rio Tinto as an “innocent purchaser” in the mammoth mining deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To make such a finding, the court is required to be convinced Hamersley executed the agreement knowing certain representations given were false, and that’s a serious thing indeed,” Mr Donaldson said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Maximum figure undisclosed</p><p>“When one looks at these documents and the so-called ‘question marks’ related to potential royalty claims … the contention that is put as to knowledge is one of extraordinary vagary.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This discussion, as recorded here, can only have been about royalty.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian Financial Review on Thursday revealed that Rio Tinto agreed to assume 50 per cent liability to any future royalty claim in 2005, but insisted it be capped at an undisclosed figure.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mining giant has refused to disclose what the maximum figure it could be liable to pay in royalties should Hancock Prospecting lose the marathon trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawyers for both Wright and Hancock Prospecting have made reference to key elements of Rio Tinto’s liability on any potential claims to riches flowing from the Hope Downs mine throughout the trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hancock Prospecting reported the four mines operated by Rio under the Hope Downs joint venture shipped 46.5 million tonnes of iron ore and contributed more than $1.3 billion to Hancock’s $5.04 billion net profit after tax in 2022-23.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mrs Rinehart’s private company is pushing Rio to open new iron ore mines, including the Hope 2 project along with Hope 3, 5 and 6, under their long-standing partnership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial was adjourned until mid-November, when lawyers for two of Mrs Rinehart’s children are expected to provide their closing arguments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Rinehart and her sibling John Hancock have claimed they are the rightful owners of the Hope Downs mine because their grandfather Lang Hancock moved it into a trust for them before his death.</p><p><br /></p><p>They claim Mrs Rinehart breached her fiduciary duties by moving the mining tenements out of that trust, and into her control. However, lawyers for Hancock Prospecting say Lang Hancock wrongly placed the Hope Downs asset into that trust in a bid to syphon money out of the business for his own use, and Mrs Rinehart moved to correct his wrongdoings.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussies at the Super Bowl. Just don’t ask about the prices - Feb 12, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium alongside Eddie Maguire and broadcaster Craig Hutchison.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On ordinary days, star spotting in Las Vegas is as easy as scouting fish in a barrel. But the fame-factor was dialled up to 10 at the weekend as Taylor Swift and the world’s glitterati descended on the desert city for the 58th NFL Super Bowl and the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then there were the Aussies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Allegiant Stadium – capacity 65,000 – along with AFL executives Peta Webster and commercial boss Kylie Rogers. Visit Victoria chairman and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was also on the ground, as was sports broadcasting boss Craig Hutchison, on his annual ballpark tour.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor Swift (centre) wearing a corset by Australian designer Dion Lee at Monday’s Super Bowl. AP</p><p><br /></p><p>For McGuire, who still sits on Victoria’s tourism advisory and investment body, it’s more than just a good time. It’s an opportunity to tour the world’s best stadium infrastructure and to get an edge to bring back home at a time when Queensland is preparing for the 2032 Olympics and global competition for sporting events has never been more fierce.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Two years ago NFL wouldn’t let Las Vegas be mentioned on any Super Bowl ads. Now [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell calls Vegas ‘Sports City USA’,” the former Nine chief executive said via text from inside the stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>“West Coast America is setting the standard that we have to go past [because] the NFL is taking games to stadia as much as countries. Real Madrid stadium the Bernabeu is the template for what we need to be aiming at … not painting seats at the Gabba.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Others sports bosses to make the schlep to Nevada for the Monday AEDT game included Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson and prominent Melbourne defamation lawyer Justin Quill, who turned out at Allegiant dressed in his Priscilla-in-the-Desert best – a plush pink bomber jacket. When in Vegas.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Not that any eyes were on the Aussie contingent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inside the stadium, galaxy-level megastar Taylor Swift emerged as the twin attraction as the 14-time Grammy winner who lands in Australia this week for the local leg of her 151-show Eras Tour cheered on Kansas Chiefs tight-end and boyfriend Travis Kelce.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting in a box alongside US rapper Ice Spice and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, the star was dressed in Australian designer Dion Lee and brought the crowd to a roar as she skulled a beer, and slammed the plastic cup down in triumph.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the Chiefs defeated the 49ers by just three points in a nailbiting overtime, Swift and Kelce again dominated broadcast feeds on the pitch as the pair packed on the PDA in the latest instalment of the hyper-public romance.</p><p><br /></p><p>For Four Pillars Gin founder Stuart Gregor, who sold his spirits business to beverage giant Lion in 2023 and also hit up this year’s Super Bowl, the star-spotting mother lode came the night before the game.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday, inside chef Evan Funke’s Roman-inspired eatery Mother Wolf, he scored the trifecta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Beyoncé and Jay Z walked straight past us and Queen Latifah sat behind us. It’s Vegas – so it’s crazy,” the PR veteran told The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just don’t ask about the prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Only complaint, the beers are 750ml …. and $US20 plus tip.”</p><p><br /></p><p>At the current exchange rate with a 15 per cent tip, that’s almost $40 per drink. An expensive sherbet.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins and 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes will appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" live at WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rollins and Rhodes forged a partnership after the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event that saw The Rock slap The American Nightmare, setting off a chaotic few moments. On the following episode of Monday Night Raw, The Visionary offered his services to Rhodes, which seem to have been accepted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The moment will also be a homecoming for Grayson Waller, as he hosts his signature show in his home continent of Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Be sure to tune in to WWE Elimination Chamber live from the Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, streaming LIVE at 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else to see this unforgettable edition of "The Grayson Waller Effect."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Black Rifle Coffee Company kicks off UFC marketing partnership - Feb 14, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>As the Official Coffee of UFC, the veteran-owned coffee chain will have branding at the mixed martial arts organisation’s US competitions, as well as on its digital content and social media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Veteran-owned coffee chain Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) has signed a multi-year marketing partnership to become the Official Coffee of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the US. </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership includes ‘high-visibility’ on-site BRCC branding at all UFC mixed martial arts events in the US, as well as the coffee chain’s logo on live broadcasts and digital promotion materials. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Founded in 1993, UFC organises more than 40 live tournaments annually and broadcasts to over 900 million households globally. The organisation has eight US events lined up across the next three months. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The sponsorship will also see the two brands collaborate on content for UFC’s digital and social media channels, which reach 259 million users globally. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“We are immensely proud and excited to announce our partnership with UFC. UFC has revolutionised the landscape of competitive sports, and our collaboration aims to invigorate fans, fostering the creation of unforgettable experiences and lasting memories,” said Mat Best, Co-Founder, BRCC. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2014, BRCC actively promotes support for veterans, law enforcement and first responders across its retail, wholesale and e-commerce channels. The coffee chain and roaster operated 17 stores across the US at the end of its 2023 third quarter and is forecasting full-year sales of around $440m. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>10.24.2023</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC® AND ANHEUSER-BUSCH ANNOUNCE MULTIYEAR PARTNERSHIP</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bud Light Returns as the Official Beer of UFC in the U.S.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Partnership Extends Worldwide as AB InBev Becomes “Official Global Beer Partner of UFC”</b></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS and NEW YORK – October 24, 2023 – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization and part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), together with Anheuser-Busch, one of America’s most iconic companies and the undisputed leader of the U.S. beer industry, today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership. Effective January 1, 2024, the brewer will become the exclusive “Official Beer Partner of UFC.” With this sponsorship, in the U.S., Bud Light will bring easy enjoyment to 21+ fans with 360-degree programming, including custom social and digital content, broadcast integration, on-site presence, and more. </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC CEO Dana White said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together. There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for. I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Brendan Whitworth, CEO, Anheuser-Busch, said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have always been on the cutting edge of iconic sporting moments that fans remember forever, and reuniting with UFC is a continuation of this industry leading legacy. As one of the largest and longest standing sport sponsors, we are excited to work with UFC to celebrate our passionate fans while always making a positive impact in communities across America.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, said, “As leaders of our category, we are focused on new opportunities to connect with consumers in new occasions. UFC has become an undeniable force in the sports industry, and that’s why we’re so excited to partner with them and continue to amplify this sport around the world. We will be creating new and exciting brand experiences for UFC fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRANDED INTEGRATIONS AND ENTITLEMENTS</p><p><br /></p><p>AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer and global parent company of Anheuser-Busch, will be UFC’s Official Global Beer Partner and will receive a deep level of integration into key UFC assets, ranging from live events, including broadcast features and in-arena promotion, to original content distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels. Through UFC’s far-reaching global footprint, AB InBev will have meaningful brand visibility before more than 700 million fans in 170 countries, as well as an estimated 900 million TV households that receive UFC’s broadcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the more notable integrations, in the U.S. Bud Light will receive prominent branding inside the most recognizable setting in all of sports, the world-famous Octagon®, at every UFC event including all Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, DANA WHITE’S CONTENDER SERIES, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER reality series, and ROAD TO UFC, a win-and-advance tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bud Light will also be integrated into custom broadcast features in all U.S. UFC Pay-Per-Views, with their popular “Easy to Enjoy” and “Easy to Celebrate” fan campaigns highlighted in the segments.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition, UFC and Bud Light will collaborate on original content that will be distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels, which reach more than 243 million users worldwide. Bud Light will also have a highly visible presence at popular UFC fight week activities, including press conferences and weigh-ins, that help build anticipation for the main events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership will be truly global for UFC fans all across the world. In international markets, Budweiser and select local AB InBev brands will activate the sponsorship across events and marketing. </p><p><br /></p><p>To learn more about Bud Light’s partnership with the UFC, follow Bud Light on Facebook at Facebook.com/BudLight, on Twitter at @BudLight, and on Instagram at @BudLight. </p><p><br /></p><p>About UFC®</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 243 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Anheuser-Busch</p><p><br /></p><p>At Anheuser-Busch, our purpose is to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, dream big to move our industry forward, and make a meaningful impact in the world. We hope to build a future that everyone can celebrate, and everyone can share. For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most loved beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob ULTRA, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AB InBev</p><p><br /></p><p>Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Hoegaarden®, Leffe® and Michelob ULTRA®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 167,000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2022, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 57.8 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>AI mentions rise in S&P 500 earnings calls, Goldman says - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The number of S&P 500 companies discussing artificial intelligence has climbed to a new high in fourth-quarter conference calls, Goldman Sachs strategists said, in the latest sign AI is a focal point for markets and corporate America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proportion of S&P 500 companies mentioning "AI" rose to 36%, up from 31% in the third quarter, Goldman strategists said in a research note published late Wednesday, at which point they said 360 companies representing 80% of the index's market cap had reported results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Information technology stayed the sector with the most companies discussing AI, while energy had the largest increase in companies discussing the technology, according to the strategists led by David Kostin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Several companies discussed the strong demand for their AI product offerings and services," Goldman said in the note. "Many companies have also sought to weave AI into existing product offerings to improve the end-user's experience and drive further demand."</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies also noted that spending on capital expenditures and research and development "will likely rise in the near term as they ramp up AI investments," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Goldman report is in line with a Reuters analysis earlier in the fourth-quarter reporting season that found AI mentions picking up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Such management enthusiasm has been reflected in stock performance as well, according to Goldman.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Goldman stock basket of companies pursuing or enabling AI technology outperformed the equal-weight S&P 500 by 19 percentage points year-to-date as of Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of IBM rose to a more than 10-year high late last month after the company gave a better-than-expected revenue outlook backed by strong demand for its AI service.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chipmaker Nvidia, which has been at the center of the frenzy over AI, has seen its shares soar nearly 50% this year after more than tripling in 2023, becoming the third largest U.S. company by market value, surpassing Amazon and Alphabet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nvidia's quarterly results this coming Wednesday "will be closely watched as a barometer of AI momentum," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News - Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All eyes are on the strongest Cryptos</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market continues to rise, adding 2.3% to the level of 24 hours ago. Bitcoin's capitalisation has surpassed 1 trillion, and its share of all coins is estimated at 52.5% by CoinMarketCap. The increase in share is due to USDT and the relative stagnation of the share of other cryptocurrencies outside the top five.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin's price has surpassed $52.2K, the highest level since the end of 2021. Buyers in the first cryptocurrency are so strong that we don't even see a prolonged consolidation. This dynamic reinforces our view that the next meaningful shakeout may not come before the approach of 60K, where there were several inflexion points in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is updating highs, but this is the highest level since July 2022. Solana has been at highs since late December last year, Cardano has only recovered to levels from 13 January, and XRP has been at its highest since 22 January. Clearly, the bigger the coin now, the more attention it gets.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p>According to BitMEX data, daily inflows into bitcoin ETFs approached record levels on their first day of trading after the launch. BlackRock's fund is showing strong momentum, and experts are optimistic about Wall Street's acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Scaramucci, a founder of SkyBridge Capital, urged to have no doubts and buy BTC at current levels. According to him, we are in for a great bull rally.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CoinGecko, the Bitcoin blockchain took the top spot for NFT trading volume in December, accounting for 42.1% of all trading activity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forbes included three crypto firms in its list of the top 50 fintech companies: Chainalysis, Fireblocks and Gauntlet.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the last three months of 2023, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued 450 warnings to cryptocurrency firms for illegally advertising their products.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL </p><p>@CMLL_OFICIAL</p><p> luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-87956164274417185342024-02-16T18:22:00.004+11:002024-02-16T18:22:58.761+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Online News and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b>News Media, Online News and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>News Media Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6jJKGY9Hdorwi1WuEYGUTlvrIEmsBtuDaUoFPpHsJlGjiGKYYNSdIvpMcfmHk2Bg3_mrXJ-wOQhGP2vJRS71JWB-piQ4Wntn_EELEbAa6FTdobJIwRwZ2G2IibldSfXvKJkwIcmTevCtifCVMHq8exQyraE702Xw4dITOkwR_n1RilrWDEcCvg/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Super Bowl 2024 Advertising News Bytes</b></p><p><b>NFL Advertising Dept Scores Touchdowns</b></p><p><br /></p><p>If you had a massive ad budget 30 secs of broadcasting time would set you back $US7 million or so at the Super Bowl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Audience: 100 million approx</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Brand Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>DoorDash</p><p>Doritos</p><p>Uber Eats</p><p>CerVe</p><p>Liquid Death</p><p>Miller Lite</p><p>Dunkin' Donuts</p><p><br /></p><p>Some Celeb Names:</p><p><br /></p><p>Scorsese</p><p>Goldblum</p><p>Walken</p><p>Affleck</p><p>Damon</p><p>Brady</p><p>Beyoncé</p><p>Mr T</p><p>Beckham</p><p>Aniston</p><p>Schwimmer,</p><p>Schwarzenegger</p><p>Dove</p><p>Nike</p><p>Paramount</p><p>BMW</p><p><br /></p><p>*Swifty (her own brand in many regards) and boyfriend (pitching NFL) was there, but you likely knew that already.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who did we like? NFL, Paramount ('cause we like movies and have worked on some of their campaigns over the decades) and Mr T (due to the WWE WrestleMania and pro wrestling connection)</p><p><br /></p><p>BMW - nice wheels</p><p><br /></p><p>Liquid Death, as we enjoy promoting energy drinks and all things caffeine related</p><p><br /></p><p>Dove, 'cause we love birds!</p><p><br /></p><p>Thumbs down on Nike. Way too woke of a brand for us!</p><p><br /></p><p>Big thumbs on on NFL Super Bowl Big Business. ESPN's done pretty well out of it too we heard via the Twitter er X bird, since the bird is now well and truely free.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Watch all the BEST ads for Super Bowl LVIII I NFL. Fox. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=gBxu6SR0f_c&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Didn't, or don't have the ad budget for Super Bowl, or the like?! Contact Media Man, established over two decades. Special: Online Advertising on websites and they trends on the internet frequently, including via Elon Musk's X </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Advertising, PR, Journalism, Gonzo, Buzz, Project Management and even Ghost campaigns. Media Man: "Putting Your Name Out There"</p><p><br /></p><p>#SuperBowlLVIII #SuperBowl #NFL #SuperBowlAds #popculture #AmericanFootball #TaylorSwift #Swifties #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #streaming #sportsstreaming #everydrink #ads #advertising #advertisingnews #adbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #brand #brands #branding #audience #Audiences #cafenewsmedia #adnewsmedia #SEO #agent #trend #trends #trending #buzz #YouTube #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: NFL with AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><b>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</b></p><p><b>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</b></p><p><b>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</b></p><p><b>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE RAW To See Power Play!?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RAW Is Wrestling Politics?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Are You Ready?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Chatter and buzz concerning the building beef between Team Rock and Reigns vs Triple H, Cody Rhodes and Co!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Is someone going to get suspended?</p><p><br /></p><p>Excertion of power!</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling wars in the ring, backstage and perhaps in the boardroom?</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock's position in TKO Group </p><p>@TKOGrp</p><p> may be put front and centre into the public domain on this and upcoming editions of RAW. </p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling with TKO and KO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Head Of The Table</p><p><br /></p><p>Board Of Directors</p><p><br /></p><p>Creative Control</p><p><br /></p><p>Cerebral Assassin </p><p><br /></p><p>King Of Kings </p><p><br /></p><p>The Real People's Champion Is...</p><p><br /></p><p>"We Want" chants</p><p><br /></p><p>Who may get sent to Australia (for punishment or reward)!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Art Of War</p><p><br /></p><p>The Man In The Arena</p><p><br /></p><p>On Script, off script, or elements of both!?</p><p><br /></p><p>We The People </p><p><br /></p><p>Broadcast announcers be ready to duck and weave! </p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> XL teaser trailer https://youtube.com/watch?v=6aFgLHrMBuY&si=3NJTgcvu3OTs2vTz </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power</p><p><br /></p><p>http://youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW</b></p><p><b>February 12, 2024</b></p><p><b>Lexington, Kentucky</b></p><p><b>Wrestling With Politics?!</b></p><p><b>Battle In The Ring, Backstage And In The Boardroom?!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Big" Bronson Reed vs Bobby Lashley in an Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Can The Aussie Tsunami fell and wipe out The Almighty? Is Mr Kross and The Final Testament lurking?</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Ivar. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match</p><p><br /></p><p>JD McDonagh vs R-Truth - Battle Of Judgment Day!</p><p><br /></p><p>Liv Morgan vs Zoey Stark. Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match. Battle Of Human Dynamos. Good things come in small packages. Femme fatales fighting for their place in the chamber.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE execs, management and staff better have their head on a swivel. Get ready Adam Pearce, Michael Cole, Nick Aldis and maybe even Triple H. KO and TKO action awaits. Following the script or flipping the script?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel to get hit with wave of People Power </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #EliminationChamber #TripleH #TheRock #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #RomanReigns #CMPunk #LAKnight #AdamPearce #NickAldis #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #LAKnight #JudgementDay #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #TKO #TKOGroup #KO #wwewomen #prowrestling #wrestling #Politics #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #promo #promotion #Video #stories #storytelling #storyline #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #Samoa #Vegas #Kentucky #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (North America)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle is the real cats meow; Others scratching the litter</p><p><br /></p><p>Not exactly 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'!; Cat's Out Of The Bag!</p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle @argyllemovie - stars Henry Cavill, John Cena and Bryce Dallas Howard </p><p><br /></p><p>1. Argulle - $6.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Lisa Frankenstein - $3.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The Beekeeper $3.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. The Chosen -$3.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Wonka - $3.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Migration - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Anyone But You - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Mean Girls - $1.9 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. American Fiction - $1.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $1.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #movieboxoffice #ArgylleMovie #Argylle #HenryCavill #JohnCena #BryceDallasHoward #LisaFrankenstein #TheBeekeeper #TheChosen #Wonka #Migration #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #MeanGirls #AmericanFiction #PoorThings #showbiz #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bitcoin pushes cryptos upwards</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>FX Pro intel via Media Man and Bitcoin News Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market reached a capitalisation of $1.82 trillion in the early hours of trading on Monday. By the early European session, it had corrected to $1.8 trillion, but this is still more than 10% above the levels of a week earlier.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin remains the most crucial growth driver, adding 12% in 7 days against about 8% for Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano - important drivers of the current cycle. Bitcoin now accounts for 52.6% of the entire crypto market, adding more than ten percentage points over the year and 1.5p. p. over the month.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin posted its seventh consecutive day of gains, but the strengthening slowed over the weekend. It also coincided with a move above 70 on the RSI on the daily timeframes, which could increase players' appetite for short-term profit-taking. Caution is also building as we approach the January peak. Bulls have clearly become more cautious, closing the week at the highest since December 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>According to The Block, a month after launch, assets in the top nine spot bitcoin-ETFs exceeded 200,000 BTC ($9.5bn). The new bitcoin ETFs climbed to second place in the ranking of commodity exchange-traded funds in the US by assets, becoming a more popular investment vehicle than silver ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, the assets of Grayscale's GBTC fund have declined by 25% since 11 January, and in terms of trading volume, it has lost the lead to BlackRock's bitcoin ETF.</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, one of the largest investment companies in the US, plans to add more bitcoins to its investment portfolio. BlackRock now has 82,515 BTC on its balance sheet, worth about $4 billion. Interest in Bitcoin among investors remains high, according to the investment company's management.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Trading has settled a lawsuit filed against it by the New York State Attorney General. Genesis will submit a plan of liquidation on 14 February.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Attorney General's office has expanded its lawsuit against Digital Currency Group. The amount of fraud was three times the original estimate, exceeding $3bn.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to a study by the Coinbase exchange, US residents could save at least $74 million (or $600 per household) in 2022 if they used cryptocurrencies rather than credit cards for payments. That includes businesses that paid $126 billion to process credit card transactions.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: FxPro)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bitcoin_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #BTC #BitcoinETF #BitcoinETFs #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #CryptocurrencyNews #Solana #Cardano #CardanoNFT #TheBlock #ETF #Grayscale #GBTC #fintech #NFT #NFTS #market #trading #tradingnews #bitcoinbiz #bitcoincafe #bitcoingames #bitcoingaming #bitcoinpr #bitcoinewsmedia #FxPro #AlexKuptsikevich #GregTingle #affiliate #affiliates #aff #trends #trending #buzz #PR #newsbiz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Top Brass Tony Khan on the announced ESPN, Warner Bros Discovery, and FOX Sports Streaming Collaborating Which Is To Be Released in 2025:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s something to keep an eye on” Tony Khan advised. </p><p><br /></p><p>“We have a great thing going with TBS and TNT, and now, the streaming side of it, I haven’t sold my streaming rights. It’s an option that we have, and it’s going to be a very exciting year for media rights in wrestling, and AEW is coming up in a contract year.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Certainly is exciting times in the pro wrestling, streaming services and PPV business on many fronts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do yourself a favor and check out some of the great past, present and future via the official AEW YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWCollision #AEWRevolution #TonyKhan #quote #quotes #TBS #TNT #WBD #WarnerBros #WarnerBrosDiscovery #ESPN #FOX #FOXSports #mediarights #streamingrights #sportsstreaming #streamingindustry #streamingbiz #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #combatsports #popculture #wrestling #prowrestling #wrestlingnews #entertainmentnews #biznews #technews #broadcast #broadcasting #popculture #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #trend #trends #buzz #Video #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE RAW (is attitude)!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I have to ask. What are we supposed to do with the nuggets"? Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tell him" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know" @PatMcAfeeShow Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Pat, you were there. What am I expected to do with these nuggets"? CR</p><p><br /></p><p>"I think... er, your shoving them up your *ss" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Don't mistake the levity here in my candor for any weakness and please don't thin that I'm not a fan of The Rock, I am a fan of The Rock. I think all of us at times have been fans of The Rock" CR</p><p><br /></p><p>Highlights and moments to hit the official WWE YouTube Channel soon! </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe </p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley clatters with “Big” Bronson Reed in Qualifying Match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC9FNM5L0h4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Shinsuke Nakamura warns Sami Zayn about their match: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuHQYDPWXgU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade's direction is clear: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn9iz2XQGVE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso & The New Day vs. Imperium: Raw highlights, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4eocDaV4Vc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elimination Chamber Match qualifying heats up: WWE Now, Feb. 12, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDjVkmRGMYw&t=2s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tribal Chiefs return!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoFd4z0DdLI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Genius of the Sky graces the Canvas: WWE Canvas 2 Canvas</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E1Nq2Al-Ko&t=12s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SmackDown #CodyRhodes #TheRock #PatMcPhee #MichaelCole #quote #quotes #Nuggets #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #EliminationChamber #RoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #BobbyLashley #TheAlmighty #BronsonReed #AussieTsunami #Big #SamiZayn #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #USANetwork #legends #YouTube #Video #trends #trending #TV #buzz #Aussie #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Charlotte Flair Update On Tech Stocks and Recovery Progress From Knee Surgery</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Shake-Ups and Developments Continue In Wrestling, Combat Sports, Streaming Entertainment and Big Tech Sector</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"Well, Netflix @Netflix has 250 million subscribers so it's only going to make WWE's content even more popular" - Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE @WWE signed Flair was quizzed about her recovery from surgery during a recent CNBC interview.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am six weeks out [from having surgery] Thursday, I’m ahead of schedule, and every day all I can think about is returning back to the ring, especially with all the excitement with Raw going to Netflix, WrestleMania 40, and Philadelphia. All I can think about is getting back and winning that number 15 [Women’s Title].”</p><p><br /></p><p>"WWE has always been revolutionary" Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Charlotte was forecast to miss 9 months of of a WWE ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Flashback via official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Flair vs. Ripley — SmackDown Women's Title Match: WrestleMania 39 Saturday</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lT9DIey1Ts&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow Legend "Nature Boy" Ric Flair</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair via Busted Open Radio:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“So I was speaking with Dr. Dugan, he’s been there 30 years. You know what he said to me? He said since he’s been at the Andrews Clinic, 30 years, right, Ashley is one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, they’ve ever done surgery on. Think about that. We’re talking Bo Jackson, I could go down the list of people, the Tommy Johns. He said, ‘We consider her one of the top three athletes, not wrestlers, to ever come through the doors.’ Her recovery, she’s crushing it. She’s not gonna come back faster than they will ever recommend, but it’s unbelievable. But I thought that might be one of the biggest compliments anybody could ever get. It’s unfortunate that it had to come from a doctor at a hospital, but I keep telling people, man, she’s a different kind of cat.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix will make WWE content more popular, says Wrestling Superstar Charlotte Flair</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hASqoNfB0EA&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>Busted Open Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair on the Legendary 1992 Royal Rumble | Busted Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8JmEb_mD_8&ab_channel=BustedOpenPodcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting on the similarity of his matches with Ric Flair: WWE Network</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxXsAYfVRVA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sting's First Championship Win at Great American Bash 1990</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3WY9Y8XfU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#CharlotteFlair #RicFlair #quote #quote #interview #interviews #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #Netflix #NWA #legend #legends #streaming #streamingnews #streamingindustry #streamingsports #sportsstreaming #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #TY #podcast #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediaplatforms #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling/MMA Connection</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE champion Seth Rollins on Pro Wrestling vs Mixed Martial Arts, UFC @UFC , Pro Sports et al</b></p><p><b>Rollins Spills Guts to ESPN MMA</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t have the stamina for it”</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t fight every single weekend. Especially the top stars over there, they’re catered to a certain way. That’s great, that’s their style, that’s what works for them. I understand that. You fight maybe once, twice a year. You’re crazy if you’re fighting three times a year. But to fight over 100 times a year, make all those towns, still be able to train, still be able to do all the media, it’s an exhausting industry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t wanna knock Ronda Rousey, because I love Ronda”</p><p><br /></p><p>“She did a lot for our industry, for women in our industry, and for the fight industry in general. It was tough for Ronda. She tried her damndest and it was hard for her. I’d love for somebody to come over and take a crack if you think you can hang, but it’s hard. I’ll call them all out man, I don’t care, try it out. I can’t do what they do, I’d go in there and get knocked out and choked out in two seconds. I’ll probably do better than [CM] Punk, but I still would lose, most likely.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA @espnmma YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Israel Adesanya be next for Du Plessis? + Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins joins the show! | DC & RC (Rollins from 43 min)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGiA9AltEs&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>NFL on ESPN @ESPNNFL YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins talks Bears, WrestleMania & The Rock riding his coattails | Not Just Football</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNCvhk1fCCI&ab_channel=NFLonESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Cam Heyward is joined by World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins to talk about the Bears future and if they should trade down or stick with Justin Fields. And will Seth ever see a Bears Super Bowl in his lifetime? Plus, they talk WrestleMania, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and more, and who he thinks is the best wrestler right now…. Other than himself of course.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very few have what it takes to compete at or near the top of both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts. The list includes Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Brock Lesnar, Rhonda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Josh Barnett and if you go back far enough, there's certainly a case for the late Antonio Inoki (former WWE Japan - phantom title change in Japan), Judo Gene LeBell. Current WWE signed wrestling legend CM had a short stint in the UFC as was defeated in the Octagon in swift and brutal fashion. It takes massive guts and skills to do either sport so much respect to those who compete. Those who can do it, those who can't are fans!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hall of Fame?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Many fans believe that Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, Gene LeBell and CM Punk are worthy of the WWE Hall of Fame. WWE powers that be, including Booker T - over to you!</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA - Wrestling - Boxing Connection via Media Man Group</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mma_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #UFC #SethRollins #CMPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #MMA #combatsports #ESPN #RondaRousey #TheRock #BMF #KenShamrock #DanSevern #JoshBarnett #GeneLeBell #ShayneBaszler #mixedmartialarts #legends #LiveEntertainment #LiveSports #PPE #PLE #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #SuperBowl #NFL #sportsnews #sportsmedia #podcasts #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surfing News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ISA @ISAsurfing Adds New Members on Three Continents Expanding Global Reach of Surfing</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Kuwait and Romania have today been announced as the latest Member Nations to join the International Surfing Association (ISA).</p><p><br /></p><p>California, USA – February 13th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The three new nations are the 114th, 115th and 116th members to be officially recognised by the ISA, demonstrating the global growth of surfing and its ability to expand to new territories and connect with new audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>British Virgin Islands</p><p><br /></p><p>The British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association joins the ISA after successfully staging national competitions and building the surf community on a national level over a number of years. The organization’s mission is to create an environment for national athletes to compete domestically and internationally in ISA World Championships.</p><p><br /></p><p>As part of its development strategy, the BVI has set out a plan, which includes enhancing youth engagement, promoting environmental best practices, improving surfing infrastructure and better talent identification.</p><p><br /></p><p>Membership is subject to final approval of the ISA Annual General Meeting.</p><p><br /></p><p>View more on the British Virgin Islands National Surfing Association here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.bvisurfing.org/</p><p><br /></p><p>Kuwait</p><p><br /></p><p>With a mission to create a vibrant surf community in the country, the Kuwait Surf Committee joins the ISA as it’s 115th member nation. The Kuwait Surf Committee strives to educate, inspire, and educate Kuwaiti surfers. Their short- and long-term development goals include improving access to surfing in the country to attract new participants, securing better equipment and resources for surf training, establishing a dedicated surf training center in Kuwait and hosting more regional surf competitions and events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The core values of the Kuwait Surf Committee are passion for surfing, community, respect for the ocean, education, and inclusivity. Learn about the Kuwait Surfing Committee here: </p><p><br /></p><p>www.kuwaitsurfcommittee.com/</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Romania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Romanian Surfing Federation (Federatia Romana de Surfing [FRS]) has contributed to the growth and development of surf sports across the country – with new, young surfers taking up the sport year-on-year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Romanian national surfing competition was held in 2018 and this event continues to take place annually under the remit of the FRS. Romania has also hosted ISA Surf Coaching and Instructing Courses in 2018 and 2023 for surf coaches on the Black Sea.</p><p><br /></p><p>Romania also participated in their first ISA Event at the 2023 World Junior Surfing Championship in Brazil represented by Aris Voicu.</p><p><br /></p><p>FRS plans to increase the participation in and awareness of Surfing in Romania, train more ISA coaches and judges, and develop more surfing competitions in Romania.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said:</p><p><br /></p><p>“At the ISA, we are happy to welcome the British Virgin Islands, Kuwait and Romania to our global surfing family. We will continue to work with them to support the development of surfing and inspire new athletes and fans to embrace our sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It is especially pleasing to announce three members from three different continents that are non-traditional surf nations. This shows the power of surfing to engage with people in every part of the world who share our love of the ocean and nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are equally excited to see the establishment and growth of national surfing events in these nations to drive forward competitive surfing and help create a new generation of talent that we hope will soon be able to compete on the international stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I can’t wait to see more young women and men surfers from these three stunning nations take to the ocean, improve their skills and aim for the Olympics one day!”</p><p><br /></p><p>#ISA #NationalSurfingAssociation #FernandoAguerre #surfing #prosurfing #surfingassociation #surfers #surfingindustry #surfingbusiness #surftour #BVI #VirginIslands #BlackSea #sportsnews #sportsmedia #pressrelease #surfingnews #surfingmedia #trend #trends #ocean #sea #PR #WorldSport #WorldNews #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Source/Credit: International Surfing Association)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC 298</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday February 18, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Location: Honda Center - Anaheim, CA</p><p><br /></p><p>Via ESPN / ESPN+</p><p><br /></p><p>Complete Fight Card:</p><p><br /></p><p>Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa</p><p>Geoff Neal vs. Ian Machado Garry</p><p>Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo</p><p>Anthony Hernandez vs. Roman Kopylov</p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims:</p><p><br /></p><p>Amanda Lemos vs. Mackenzie Dern</p><p>Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Justin Tafa</p><p>Rinya Nakamura vs. Carlos Vera</p><p>Zhang Mingyang vs. Brendson Ribeiro</p><p>Josh Quinlan vs. Danny Barlow</p><p>Oban Elliott vs. Val Woodburn</p><p>Andrea Lee vs. Miranda Maverick</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Dvalishvili vs Cejudo | Featured Bout</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKBbs4C5M3s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZeVPJgslIM&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Volkanovski vs Topuria | Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZXiudUYQdM&t=67s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Countdown - Whittaker vs Costa | Co-Main Event Feature</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLQUpBC24kw&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&t=12s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As legendary MMA expert and world renown podcaster Joe Rogan pointed out, "Ilia Topuria is a real assassin. He is so skilled and so devastating".</p><p><br /></p><p>We're rooting for Volk as he's a great bloke, great fighter, Aussie, and we went one on one with him on the mic, and he was a real good sport about it. Looks to be a pretty even fight, but there can be only one winner!</p><p><br /></p><p>Special thanks: UFC and ESPN</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #AlexanderVolkanovski #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #RobertWhittake #PauloCosta #GeoffNeal #IanGarry #MerabDvalishvili #HenryCejudo #AnthonyHernandez #RomanKopylov #MMA #mixdmartialarts #combatsports #mmanews #ufcnews #YouTube #YT #Video #Videos #PPV #PayPerView #ESPN #sportsnews #sportsmedia #popculture #livesports #liveentertainment #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #California #USA #HondaCenter #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Babyface To Heel; Wrestling With Politics: Dwayne Johnson</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE signed Dwayne Johnson (who just happens to be on the TKO Board Of Directors) can't stay out of the news, one way or another, and that includes press conferences, real, staged, or elements of both Las Vegas style.</p><p><br /></p><p>News outlet FOX plays FOX And The Hound</p><p><br /></p><p>Love - Hate Relationship With Mainstream News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Art Often Reflects Life; WWE storylines are showbiz but frequently borrow are inspired by real life events and narratives</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Living Legend Cody Rhodes Aims To "Finish His Story" and "The Rock' May Get To Add Another Chapter To His Story</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson blasts reporter over framing of Maui relief efforts: 'False clickbait garbage'</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE and Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson has torn into a journalist who raised questions about his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson took issue with a recent report that touched on his financial commitment to Maui in the wake of last year's devastating wildfires.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson described the report from Mr Nick Sortor as "toxic, false clickbait garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson pushed back against the way the report framed his recent appearance at a semi-staged WWE press conference in Las Vegas. A video from the event in question showed attendees booing at the 51-year-old wrestler and actor. WWE production couldn't or wouldn't drown out the boos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor suggested the crowd's negative reaction stemmed from Johnson failing to deliver on his pledge to help provide financial support to the Hawaiian island.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," he wrote on Elon Musk owned X. $44bn was the price of freedom of speech.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reporter then claimed that "many" victims had not received any financial relief from the WWE legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dwayne Johnson promised TENS OF MILLIONS to the victims of the Maui fires, but many victims still have not seen a dime," Sortor wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>Although it is difficult to clearly decipher the chanting, the reporter asserted that the shouts from the crowd were directly related to the alleged Maui wildfire donation discrepancy.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The crowd started booing and chanting ‘MAUI! MAUI! MAUI!" MAKE IT HAPPEN!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Last year, Johnson along with embattled media figure Oprah Winfrey launched the "People's Fund of Maui" to assist those who were negatively impacted by the wildfires. Johnson and Winfrey jump-started the campaign by making an initial $10 million donation. However, backlash has grown in the weeks and months since the fund was started back in August 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson decided to address the controversy last October.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I could have been better, and next time, I will be better," the WWE superstar said at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also decided to respond to the claim from Sortor, but this time he took a much stronger approach.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I typically refrain from responding to toxic, false clickbait garbage like this because I hate dignifying *ullshit with a response, but when you use Hawaii’s tragic events to draw attention to yourself I won’t stay quiet," Johnson wrote on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>"This moment you’re referring to is from our WWE press conference this past Thursday where I turned ‘heel’ – wrestling parlance for bad guy. I’m playing it up with our crowd as they boo. It’s what we do in our WWE universe, and we all love every second of it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson also provided some clarification on the amount of money that the fund has provided for wildfire victims.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also mentioned that he traveled to Hawaii and challenged Sortor to pay the island state a visit.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our People’s Fund of Maui has already DELIVERED over $50 MILLION DOLLARS to over 8,000 survivors who were affected by the fires, and I’m grateful to the bone that we’ve been the primary funders," Johnson wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nick, instead of posting bu-----t like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way. I’m in Hawaii now, and I guarantee you, you’ll get great content that can actually make a difference in people’s lives. Genuinely."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sortor admitted in a follow-up post on X that Johnson’s explanation for the booing seemed "to have some validity," but he decided not to remove his original post because he wants "to provide context to the ongoing dispute between the two of us regarding funding for Maui."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE continues to wiggle itself out of a Rock and a hard place at the Road To WrestleMania 40 continues. Many hardcore fans and industry media tip double duty (matches) for Rock cousin Roman Reigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>No matter what, Rock will continue to heat the noise. Ah, the power and the passion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Press (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_press.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #DwayneJohnson #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #WrestleMania40 #pressconference #mediaconference #SmackDown #Maui #OprahWinfrey #CodyRhodes #RomanReigns #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #politics #FOX #FoxNews #FoxAndTheHound #heel #babyface #storyline #storylines #storytelling #showbiz #finishthestory #TKO #KO #RockBottom #PeoplesElbow #PeoplesEyebrow #newsmedia #socialmedia #socialmedianews #popculture #broadcast #fans #eco #econews #wrestlingnewsmedia #trend #trends #trending #LasVegas #VegasNews #Hawaii #buzz #X #XNews #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media, Pop Culture And Big Biz News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Move Over Mr X From WWE (ex WWF); Nick Khan's WWE Gets WWE Speed via X! New Exciting Sports Tech Getting Unmasked!</p><p><br /></p><p>Odds On betMGM @BetMGM Inks Great Win-Win Deal With Musk's X @X ; Everything Sports Betters Could Hope And Dream For - Betting On The Move</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Marketing Masterminds Meet Digital Platform Solutions</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Everything App" As Elon Musk Was Pitching Becomes At Least Two Steps Closer To Reality</p><p><br /></p><p>The Speed On Thought - Light Years Ahead Of Most Would Be Competitors Says Media Man Veteran/PPV Specialist</p><p><br /></p><p>X is entering into a strategic partnership with BetMGM and will partner with WWE (aka World Wrestling Entertainment) to launch a new weekly series as the social media platform looks to expand its original content offerings. </p><p><br /></p><p>Brett Weitz, head of partnerships and talent at X, discusses the new deals and how the company plans to expand its content and advertising strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>X Inks New Deals with WWE, BetMGM</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3epcQGAjo&t=356s&ab_channel=BloombergTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>and there's more customers! ...</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO on new deal with X</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss BetMGM's new partnership with X, the company's strategy for attracting new customers, and more.</p><p><br /></p><p>CNBC Television YouTube Channel</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56c57NUwb9U&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision</p><p><br /></p><p>More Pro Wrestling Fine Print and Bold Print</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed to launch on X within months as Elon and Linda's X continues to transform into "The Everything App"!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Speed Announced via WrestleMania XL Press Conference WWE Speed will be distributed exclusively on X</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"A weekly video series showcasing new matches up to 5 minutes in length which will be distributed exclusively on X" - Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Speed Deal Fresh Off The Heels Of Wrestling Giants Historical Netflix Billion Dollar b2b: Netflix Package To Launch Next Year; Many FOX Customers To Migrate AKA Churn Over To The New Provider</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Disrupt The FOX - WBD - ESPN Bungle Team Up With Opposition. Friendly Business War With ESPN/Warner Tag Team May Last Years. 2 Out Of 3 Falls (in pro wrestling speak). No DQ?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Sport and Near Live Sport Is Akin To Ultimate Hook For Passionate Fans And Insiders Who Need To Know Now! - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>More Detail: Matches have five-minute time limits. The winner of the match receives a point, the loser is docked a point, and if the bout goes to a time limit draw, no points are awarded. A five-minute countdown clock appears on the video wall during the contest.</p><p><br /></p><p>X Fintech Solution On The Way ala "PayPal'; Mr Musk Was PayPal Co-Founder For Those Not Aware.</p><p><br /></p><p>More Legit Journalists And Media Figures To Join X; More Mainstream And Lamestream/Legacy Firms To Bleed; Red Will Turn To Green For X And Some Associates</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Totally pumped for this. Talk about the Dream Team in sports, entertainment and media. Everything a fan and/or media could hope and dream for! Win-Win-Win! </p><p><br /></p><p>#XNews #WWE #BetMGM #MGM #WWESpeed #WWE #wwex #wwenews #wwemedia #xnews #socialmedianews #michaelcole #quote #quotes #betting #bettingnews #socialmedia #socialmedianew #socialmediatrends #platforms #platformnews #Bloomberg #CNBC #theeverythingapp #popculture #streaming #livesports #liveentertainment #associates #aff #affiliates #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: X</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gemini Apps Privacy Hub</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Google collects your Gemini Apps conversations, related product usage information, info about your location, and your feedback. Google uses this data, consistent with our Privacy Policy, to provide, improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies, including Google’s enterprise products such as Google Cloud.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #Gemini #GoogleGemini #GeminiApps #Alphabet #GoogleNews #GoogleCloud #searchengine #searchengines #SEO #TechNews #searchnews #data #AI #AINews #ArtificialIntelligence #digitalnews #technews #MachineLearning #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling And Canna News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Ric Flair To Tour Michigan Dispensaries To Promote His New Cannabis Company</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Former World Champion and newly-minted cannabis entrepreneur Ric Flair is coming to Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>"MLive" is reporting that Flair will be touring Michigan cannabis dispensaries on March 16 and 17 to celebrate the launch of his marijuana strain Ric Flair Drip in the state of Michigan. March 16 will see Flair tour dispensaries in Romeo, Mt. Clemens, and Madison Heights, MI, and he will then spend March 17 touring two Detroit area dispensaries. Customers will be able to shop Ric Flair Drip's many products, as well as meet "The Nature Boy" and take pictures with him.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to MLive, this is Flair's tour schedule:</p><p><br /></p><p>March 16</p><p><br /></p><p>- Dispo Romeo, 100 Shafer Dr, Romeo from 11:30 a.m. to noon.</p><p><br /></p><p>- JARS Mount Clemens, 101 N Groesbeck Hwy, Mt. Clemens from 12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- PUFF Madison Heights, 2 Ajax Dr, Madison Heights from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>March 17</p><p><br /></p><p>- Cloud Detroit, 16001 Mack Ave, Detroit from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>- House of Dank, 3340 8 Mile Rd, Detroit from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair launched the cannabis brand through Mike Tyson's cannabis company Tyson 2.0 and cannabis conglomerate Verano in March of last year. Ric Flair Drip is available in flower, prerolls, vape cartridges, and edibles. Flair has credited cannabis for weening him off of prescription sleep aids like Ambien and Xanax.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hall of Famer is not the only pro wrestling personality involved in the legal cannabis industry, as famously THC-infused wrestler Rob Van Dam announced a new cannabis brand in September of last year, after spending many years already the face of a CBD brand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair retired from wrestling in July 2022 but is still open to working as a manager, though he's noted that neither WWE nor AEW has offered him any kind of position.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Recalls Being So High With Mike Tyson That He Thought He Died - April 8, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair has made no secret of his wild past during his days as a wrestler, and while his party days may have slowed down after multiple health scares, he's still The Nature Boy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair has become business partners with Mike Tyson in the cannabis industry, and as part of their partnership, they had a night to remember.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"I got so high with Mike [Mike Tyson] one night in the Hamptons that I went into a cannabis coma. I actually thought I died. They brought my back to my room, and I laid there and I wasn't aware of anything. I kept asking them to touch me, like you do when you think you've been hurt. People were squeezing my hand. I would be talking to them, and they wouldn't talk back to me. I was on a delayed process. I said to myself, 'Did I die? Have I just died? I feel like I did when I was in my coma, but I can think, and I don't think I could think in my coma.' That's the way I was talking to myself. All of a sudden, at three in the morning, I sat up in a blur and went, 'I'm alive. I'm back.' I called someone on the phone, 'is this really you?' That's how screwed up I got," Flair recalled while speaking to Theo Von on This Past Weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair was placed in a medically induced coma in 2017 for kidney and heart-related issues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair returned to the ring for his last match one year ago, teaming with Andrade El Idolo to take on Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling Icon Ric Flair Enters Cannabis Ring - October 19, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The range of premium products from the WWE legend’s new cannabis brand has been formulated to elevate your relaxation game.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling fans, get ready to put a figure-four leglock on relaxation with pro wrestling legend Ric Flair. The Nature Boy himself has tag-teamed with cannabis industry heavyweights to release a range of premium products that add a certain, yes, flair to the market. The 16-time world champion and one of the most recognized names in professional wrestling is diving headfirst into the cannabis market with the launch of his very own line, aptly named Ric Flair Drip. And when Flair enters a new market, you better believe he’s doing it with style.</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE legend has partnered with Chad Bronstein, founder and president of Carma Holdings, the powerhouse behind Mike Tyson’s cannabis line, Tyson 2.0. The origin story of the collab is almost as intriguing as a wrestling storyline. Flair and Bronstein were neighbors in Tampa and one day as Bronstein gazed across the white-picket fence (or possibly a ten-foot steel cage), inspiration struck. He recalls telling Mike Tyson, “I’ve got Ric Flair right next door. What if we create the most legendary cannabis line ever, Ric Flair Drip?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Intertwining the worlds of professional wrestling and cannabis, the Ric Flair Drip promises to be a high-flying, body-slamming experience—in the most relaxed way possible. In the words of Nature Boy himself, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” With the introduction of Ric Flair Drip, the grappling star just might become “the man” in the world of cannabis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Ric Flair Drip Cannabis Products</b></p><p>By partnering with top cultivators across the country, Flair has access to the very best genetics available, which he carefully selects himself. His Ric Flair Drip line of cannabis products include flower, pre-rolls and edibles. He also has a range of 510 cartridges, with disposable vapes available in certain markets. Further expansion plans are in place for 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gummies</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Cherry Diamond: Each gummy packs a punch with 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p>D9 Figure Four Lemonade: Each delicious gummy packs a powerful 10mg of hemp-derived delta-9 THC.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wooooo! Energy Drinks</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to his cannabis offerings, Flair has also launched Wooooo! Energy, a beverage that will have you strutting like the man himself in no time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Infused with a unique blend of functional mushrooms, including Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Shiitake, Maitake and Reishi, all of which are known to boost cognitive function, support your immune system and ensure that your energy is as clean as a Ric Flair robe. Say goodbye to those jittery feelings and dreaded sugar crashes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding to the potency, Wooooo! Energy gets its kick from a blend of Taurine, L-Theanine and Gotu Kola Extract, while thoughtfully balancing 150mg of caffeine with just 6g of sugar. Oh, and let’s not forget those tantalizing flavors: vibrant Dragon Fruit, zesty Lemon, and creamy Strawberry Banana.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It embodies a celebratory spirit; it’s about energy, zeal and success,” Bronstein says. “It’s not just wrestling lingo anymore—it’s ingrained in our pop culture.”</p><p><br /></p><p>With Wooooo! Energy, Ric Flair isn’t just sharing a drink; he’s sharing his indomitable spirit, his passion and his boundless energy. Who among us doesn’t need a little Wooooo! Energy in their life?</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair Drip products are available at select dispensaries nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wrestling legend Ric Flair launches new cannabis company: Edibles changed my life - April 21, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair tells 'Kennedy' why he is stylin' and profilin' into the cannabis business</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair is introducing his new personal cannabis line, "Ric Flair Drip."</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling icon is teaming up with Carma Holdings founder and president Chad Bronstein to launch the celebrity-inspired product. </p><p><br /></p><p>Carma Holdings is also the parent company of former professional boxer Mike Tyson's premier cannabis line, TYSON 2.0.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein told Kennedy he and Flair first met as neighbors in Tampa, Florida and pitched the idea to Flair about launching a cannabis product.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recalled, "I called up Mike and I said, hey, Ric Flair is my neighbor. What if we dropped a line called, "Ric Flair Drip," with Ric? And I walked up to Ric and I said, Ric, I'm gonna start cannabis line with you. And he goes, cannabis line? I said, trust me. It's gonna, it's gonna do well. And Ric got you know, very educated in the space and, you know, the brand is really booming." </p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein added that Flair has been an "unbelievable partner."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flair shared the inspiration behind his new business venture with FOX Business host Kennedy on Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>"It started a learning process, and it continued," said Flair. "I learn something new every day and that I never imagined. I'd been approached for years to get involved, but it wasn't as socially acceptable then it is now. And I mean now, I mean… I didn't realize just how popular it is. I'd forgotten… and now I'm honored to be part of this company and working with Chad and every day is a learning process."</p><p><br /></p><p>Flair touted how "fantastic" edibles are and how they have changed his life by the way he sleeps. </p><p><br /></p><p>He also said that he's been hooked on Xanax since 1989, and no longer takes it, thanks to edibles.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Obviously, Xanax being so addictive, it's not good for anybody, so edibles are great," he said. </p><p><br /></p><p>Flair claimed he doesn't smoke a lot, but enjoys doing it "periodically."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Secret Behind The Weed Company Working With Future, Mike Tyson, Ric Flair And Hulk Hogan - CEO Tells All - Feb 13, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the most recent episode of Benzinga’s Cannabis Insider, Adam Wilks, the co-founder and CEO of Carma HoldCo, delved into the significance of crafting celebrity-driven cannabis brands that resonate with authenticity and personal stories. </p><p><br /></p><p>“All of the products that we develop, our R&D process is all developed with our talent,” Wilks emphasized, setting the stage for a discussion that revolved around genuine connections and the transformative power of celebrity narratives in the cannabis industry.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crafting Authentic Connections</p><p>Wilks’ method isn’t exactly a traditional celebrity endorsement model: Instead, he focuses on implementing the celebrity’s personal cannabis journey into the product. Discussing partnerships with icons like Mike Tyson, Ric Flair and Future, Wilks shared, “Starting with Mike, he uses cannabis every day… it’s authentic to him and his purpose of use.” This philosophy extends across Carma HoldCo’s portfolio, ensuring that each product reflects the celebrity’s lifestyle and preferences, thus forging a deeper bond between the brand and its consumers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrity Stories Changing Cannabis Perception</p><p>Wilks illustrated how these celebrity partnerships are business ventures and personal transformations shared with the public.</p><p><br /></p><p>He recounted Ric Flair’s shift from pharmaceuticals to cannabis, a change that significantly impacted his life. “He’s been off Xanax now for the last couple of years and focused on just, again, plant-based medicine,” Wilks revealed, highlighting the possibility of these stories to alter public perception and encourage a shift towards natural wellness solutions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Expansion and Genuine Engagement</p><p>Looking ahead, Wilks discussed Carma HoldCo’s ambitious plans for expansion, both domestically and internationally, with a keen eye on maintaining the authenticity that has been their hallmark. “We’ve already launched in a few states, already live in California and Nevada, and have another handful coming online in the next 60 days,” he stated, underlining the brand’s rapid growth trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tyson 2.0, Mike Tyson's Premium Cannabis Brand, Announces Acquisition of Majority Stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>March 24, 2022</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Strategic Alliance with Ric Flair, 16 Time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Establishes Tyson 2.0 as Leading Cannabis Brand Powerhouse</p><p><br /></p><p>ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyson 2.0, legendary boxer, entrepreneur and cannabis advocate Mike Tyson's newly launched cannabis company, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Ric Flair Drip, Inc., the 16 time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion's business entity with an aim to launch a second celebrity cannabis line in its portfolio furthering their house of brands strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's strategic alliance with Ric Flair, popularly known as "Nature Boy®," enables the company to assume control of Ric Flair's trademarks and intellectual properties to launch cannabis flower and edible products under the Ric Flair brand name in the near future. </p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in October 2021, Tyson 2.0 brings to market innovative, high-quality, Tyson-branded cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility to consumers nationwide. Co-founded by Mike Tyson as Chief Brand Officer and Chad Bronstein as Chairman, and led by Adam Wilks, Chief Executive Officer - the company partners with world-class cannabis retailers and leading multi-state operators to provide a suite of products designed to reach consumers in legal markets.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thanks to Mike Tyson and Tyson 2.0, I've become a true cannabis advocate and enthusiast. I am thrilled to partner with a long time friend and fellow warrior whom I greatly admire and respect," said Ric Flair. "There are a lot of synergies between me and Mike - we've both had many ups and downs, but we keep going at life. With Mike's passion for cannabis, Chad and Adam's industry knowledge, I look forward to creating cannabis products that will appeal to my national fanbase. Tyson 2.0 products make me go 'WOOOOO!', and soon my fans everywhere can get in the Ric Flair state of mind – limousine riding, jet-flying, feeling good, and 'WOOOOO!'"</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson 2.0's latest venture with Ric Flair establishes the Company as a leading celebrity cannabis brand powerhouse. Since its launch in October 2021, the company continues to execute its nationwide growth strategy bringing Tyson 2.0 branded products to consumers and fans nationwide. Through licensing, cultivation and agreements, Tyson 2.0 products are available across dispensaries and retail locations across the states of Colorado, California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Michigan with plans to expand nationally and internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>"For the last fifty years, Ric has been synonymous with high impact, high energy experiences," said Chad Bronstein, Co-Founder and Chairman, Tyson 2.0. "Similar to how we rolled out Tyson 2.0, Ric Flair cannabis products will reach nationwide distribution through our robust network of industry partners. With flower strains named after Ric's iconic sayings like 'limousine riding' and 'jet-flying', we aim to honor Ric's energy and share it with his fans."</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronstein continued, "Tyson 2.0 is establishing itself as a cannabis marketing and celebrity licensing powerhouse. Our aim is to bring more celebrity brands to market in the coming months."</p><p><br /></p><p>Ric Flair will be featured in the seventh episode of Peacock's first ever WWE original series, WWE Evil which begins streaming exclusively on Peacock starting Thursday, March 24. The eight-part docuseries, created and hosted by John Cena, the first-ever original from WWE Studios takes an unprecedented look inside the psyche of the most diabolical antagonists in WWE, unveiling rare behind-the-scenes details from some of the biggest names in the industry and their impact on mainstream culture.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information on Tyson 2.0, visit Tyson20.com. Tyson 2.0-branded merchandise is available for purchase at shoptyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Tyson 2.0</p><p>Tyson 2.0 is a premier cannabis company formed with legendary boxer, entrepreneur and icon Mike Tyson. The company's mission is to produce innovative, high-quality cannabis products known for purity, precision, and wide accessibility. Providing consumers an outstanding selection of products, Tyson 2.0 is an extraordinary balance of premium and affordable, full-spectrum cannabis flower, concentrates and consumables available at retailers nationwide. Learn more at Tyson20.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOURCE Tyson 2.0</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>BetMGM and X Sign Exclusive Sports Betting Partnership</b></p><p><br /></p><p>JERSEY CITY, NJ (February 9, 2024) – BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.</p><p>ADAM GREENBLATT - BETMGM CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams.</p><p>LINDA YACCARINO - X CEO</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM’s mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM’s already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at http://www.betmgm.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, follow @BetMGM on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>About BetMGM</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rising High: Exclusive talk with house of brands Carma HoldCo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Interview with Adam Wilks, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Carma HoldCo, a house of brands focused on creating icon-inspired cannabis products. Here are some highlights:</p><p><br /></p><p>AUTHENTICITY: Carma HoldCo is a cannabis company that aims to develop products evoking deep consumer connection and elevated experiences. The company houses TYSON 2.0, the premium cannabis brand of legendary boxer Mike Tyson, as well as Ric Flair Drip and Wooooo! Energy, the cannabis and energy drink lines of renowned pro-wrestler Ric Flair. Carma also launched Immortal, a wellness brand by professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, in May and Evol, a cannabis brand by four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Future, in April. Distribution of Carma’s products spans over 110,000 retailers worldwide across 16 countries. “There are many different ways that Carma sets itself apart from others in the space, including our focus on product quality, product innovation, exceptional marketing strategies, our unique brand positioning and our incredible team,” Wilks said. “But I think our most impactful difference from everybody else is the authenticity of our celebrities behind the brands.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted each one of Carma’s celebrities openly uses the plant-based medicines daily. “Mike uses cannabis for his mental health every day and Future uses it in his daily routine for his own health reasons,” the CEO said. “Ric uses it to help him sleep after thirty years of Xanax use and Hulk has had 29 surgeries and uses our own brand of CBD products for his back pains. The authenticity of our talent would be our number one differentiator.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRAND LAUNCHES: In April, Carma announced a partnership with rapper Future to launch Evol, a THC line, and in May, the company announced Hulk Hogan’s health and wellness brand, Immortal, featuring CBD and THC products. “It has been a huge success since we brought Hulk and Future into the mix with Ric and Mike,” Wilks said. “We continue to expand as we enter new categories and new markets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hogan’s brand developed through the wrestler’s deep relationship with Carma partner Ric Flair, he said. “Everyone on our team knew who Hulk was,” the CEO said. “We heard his stories around the 29 back surgeries, dozens of knee replacement surgeries and his hip surgery. We had talks with him about what he was using and introduced him to CBD and THC products to try. When we saw the peace that came from the use of these plant-based medicines, we saw a huge opportunity to continue this authentic wave of using celebrities to educate and tell their stories around the plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He added Carma felt Hogan could raise awareness around the fact that there are other alternatives to traditional medicines. “That’s what started the Hulk idea,” Wilks said. “Not to mention, he is obviously one of the number one wrestling superstars of our time. He has done several films and we have known him in and out of the ring as Hollywood Hogan and Hulkamania. We thought it was a huge platform for us to keep the authentic story alive.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Evol brand launch with Future was interesting, he said, as it was Carma’s first entry into the hip-hop scene, where historically there is a heavy tie-in to the cannabis industry. “There are a lot of hip-hop brands out there and we wanted to find something real and authentic sticking with all of our other talent,” the CEO said. “We felt Future, as a four-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop star with numerous top Billboard Chart tracks, was another massive superstar able to leverage his platform to educate and bring attention to plant-based medicine.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The company opted into bringing Future on board as he incorporates cannabis into his daily life and features it in several of his top charting songs, he said. “With one of our investors having close ties to his management, we reached out and the rest is history,” Wilks said, “Evol has quickly expanded into a half dozen states and we’ve launched the brand in a few other categories as well connecting to the cannabis space. We’re excited to continue to grow both Hulk and Future’s brands. They’ve done really well on the short runway that we have had to take them to market.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WOOOOO! ENERGY: In July, Carma launched Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, a mushroom-infused energy drink to support immune and cognitive function and provide clean energy. “We are always looking for new products and everybody knows Ric for his famous Wooooo! and the energy that he brings,” the CEO said. “I look at him as one of the greatest entertainers to ever exist. He went into character over thirty years ago and he’s never come out. Seeing him and the energy that he embodies, we created Wooooo! Energy by Ric Flair, putting his boundless energy into a can.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The drink is a non-crash, non-jittery, low-sugar beverage that centers on athletes, he said. “That demographic, which is really hyped on Ric and his decades of entertainment, we felt was a home run,” Wilks said. “We quickly became the exclusive energy drink for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ohio State University and AEW wrestling. The drink is already available in grocery stores, including Giant Eagle in Ohio, one of the first markets we launched in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is continuing to expand distribution across the nation to ensure availability in every state. “We are really excited about Wooooo! Energy tapping into a new category,” the CEO said. “It’s not just an energy drink, we also added functional mushrooms for brain health and added focus.”</p><p><br /></p><p>PARTNERSHIPS: In October, Immortal and Ric Flair Drip partnered with cannabis cultivator Premium Produce to bring their product lines to the Nevada market. “When we go into a new market, we are always looking for high-quality products, great operators, financial means to continue on and ample distribution,” Wilks said. “When we came across Premium Produce for Hulk and Ric, we toured the facility, spent time in their grow and had our cannabis team in there. We discovered their high-quality indoor cannabis and their commitment to excellence in their cultivation practices and SOPs, ensuring that there is a consistent product that aligns with our brand standards.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He noted some of Carma’s other collaborations had already worked with Premium Produce with “huge” success. “Since launching in Nevada with both brands, we have quickly become two staples on many of the top shelves,” the CEO said. “We continue to grow in the Nevada market, and we are excited about that partnership.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally in November, Evol partnered with cannabis company House of Dank in Michigan and Tyson 2.0 partnered with cultivator Hudson Cannabis in New York. “House of Dank and Hudson Cannabis are both high-quality cultivators with great distribution,” Wilks said. “Similar to why we chose Premium Produce, both House of Dank and Hudson grow great quality flower. We spent time with both ensuring the SOPs were aligned with our brand standards, and we’re always aiming for the best quality we can find with the expertise and the financial means to continue on.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Carma is particularly excited about the Hudson collaboration due to Tyson’s roots in New York, he said. “For the last couple of years, Mike has been talking about how badly he wanted TYSON 2.0 to launch in New York and we were waiting for the right time and the right partner,” the CEO said. “Coming home to New York in the legal cannabis space was monumental for Mike and the brand. We’re really excited about growing the New York market, which I think is going to be one of the more powerful markets in the U.S.”</p><p><br /></p><p>DELIVERY SYSTEMS: As delivery systems for cannabinoids become more diverse and consumers have more options for consumption, Wilks said he believes preferences will continue to shift towards more discrete methods. “We’re seeing flower as a leader as it always has been, but I think edibles are going to be a leader, it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “It’s a smaller portion of sales right now, but that is going to change.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Edibles come without the smell of cannabis and offer an ease of dosing, enabling users to be very precise, the CEO said. “It is discrete in consumption,” he said. “Between vape, topicals and edibles, all of those categories have room for so much growth and it’s just about the education and overall experience to get to that point.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Wilks added he believes there will be a day when cannabis is sold in grocery stores. “There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to buy a frozen pizza in the frozen pizza section with an infusion process of some sort,” he said. “There is a long way to go as far as the regulations around the processes, but once federal legalization, the SAFE Banking Act, and all of that passes through, there is definitely a possibility in the future that edible consumption at restaurants and grocery stores will continue to grow.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SAFER BANKING: In September, a U.S. Senate committee voted to advance The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act bill, which seeks to ensure that all businesses, including cannabis businesses, have access to deposit accounts, insurance and other financial services. “This is a topic that has been continuing to gain traction with a long way to go,” the CEO said. “The advancement of the SAFER Banking Act is huge news for us and the whole industry as it signals a potential shift towards financial stability and accessibility for all cannabis businesses.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If the bill can pass in the senate, it opens the way for improved banking services and a reduced risk for the whole industry, he said. “Predicting it is challenging as there are so many different elements and political dynamics to work through before this does get pushed through at the federal level,” Wilks said. “But on a positive note, it is no longer an if, it’s a when. The ability to bank safely and access to capital will change the space as a whole. We are excited about it and hope it comes sooner rather than later.”</p><p><br /></p><p>SCHEDULING: In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Agency that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. “This is huge news and not only for cannabis users and the cannabis space,” the CEO said. “This will impact the non-cannabis users, opening up people’s eyes to where the cannabis space is going. It is the way that people will look at cannabis as a medicine and the value of cannabis as opposed to looking at it as a street drug. As soon as that passes, it opens up the door for so much more opportunity for the industry as a whole and you have to think about how much R&D will go into cannabis after this reclassifies.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CHALLENGES: When asked about the largest hurdles facing the cannabis space, Wilks said he believes the biggest challenge has been state-by-state legalization. “When you are having to find licensees in every market and you’re setting up manufacturing and distribution, you’re spending millions and millions and millions of dollars for every state you want to operate in,” he said. “It is one of the only industries that you can’t distribute across the country, making it an extremely challenging space to operate in.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Until there is federal legalization, there will continue to be challenges for operators, cultivators, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and everybody within the industry, the CEO said. “There is a positive, a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “We think it’s a slow process step-by-step and as all these positives come to this industry, I think it will ease up and there will be additional positives to see. We have a bright future ahead in the cannabis space.”</p><p><br /></p><p>OPPORTUNITIES: As the cannabis space develops, Wilks said Carma is excited to continue growing its brands both nationally and internationally. “International growth is really exciting,” he said. “We have a lot of stuff in the works for 2024, including another handful of countries coming online. I’m really excited personally about the German market, which has talked about an April date to go recreational. We also opened our first retail cannabis café in Amsterdam, which quickly became one of the number one cafes out there and we’re working on our second location as well as a few others in Europe. We’re excited to grow the retail side and the licensing side on the cannabis front. All four brands are now sold in multiple countries. We’re excited to continue to grow these globally and continue to be one of the largest cannabis brands on the planet by geographic coverage.”</p><p><br /></p><p>CANNABIS/PSYCHEDELIC STOCKS: Publicly-traded companies in the space include Acreage (ACRHF), Audacious (AUSAF), Atai Life Sciences (ATAI), Aurora (ACB), Avant Brands (AVTBF), Ayr Wellness (AYRWF), BZAM (BZAMF), Cannara Biotech (LOVFF), Canopy Growth (CGC), Chicago Atlantic (REFI), Clearmind (CMND), Clever Leaves (CLVR), Cresco Labs (CRLBF), CordovaCann (LVRLF), Cronos (CRON), Columbia Care (CCHWF), Compass Pathways (CMPS), CURE Pharmaceutical (CURR), Curaleaf (CURLF), CV Sciences (CVSI), Cybin (CYBN), Delic Holdings (DELCF), Delta 9 (DLTNF), Entourage Health (ETRGF), Enveric Biosciences (ENVB), Fire & Flower (FFLWF), Flora Growth (FLGC), Trees Corporation (CANN), Goodness Growth (GDNSF), Greenlane (GNLN), Green Thumb (GTBIF), GrowGeneration (GRWG), Hemp (HEMP), High Tide (HITI), India Globalization Capital (IGC), Indiva (NDVAF), IM Cannabis (IMCC), Innovative Industrial Properties (IIPR), InterCure (INCR), Wellbeing Digital (KONEF), Khiron Life Sciences (KHRNF), Lotus Ventures (LTTSF), Lowell Farms (LOWLF), Lucy Scientific Discovery (LSDI), MediPharm (MEDIF), MedMen (MMNFF), MindMed (MNMD), NewLake Capital (NLCP), Numinus (NUMIF), Optimi Health (OPTHF), Organigram (OGI), Planet 13 (PLNHF), Red White & Bloom (RWBYF), Reunion Neuroscience (REUN), Revitalist (RVLWF), RIV Capital (CNPOF), Relmada (RLMD), RYAH Group (RYAHF), Safe Harbor Financial (SHFS), SNDL (SNDL), Sproutly (SRUTF), Skye Biosciences (SKYE), Stem Holdings (STMH), Sunniva (SNNVF), TerrAscend (TRSSF), Tetra Bio-Pharma (TBPMF), Tilray (TLRY), Trulieve (TCNNF), Tryp Therapeutics (TRYPF), Verano (VRNOF), Village Farms (VFF), Wesana Health (WSNAF), Zynerba (ZYNE) and 4Front Ventures (FFNTF).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>"All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy As You Like It, spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 139.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All the world’s a stage,</p><p>And all the men and women merely players;</p><p>They have their exits and their entrances,</p><p>And one man in his time plays many parts,</p><p>His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,</p><p>Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.</p><p>Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel</p><p>And shining morning face, creeping like snail</p><p>Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,</p><p>Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad</p><p>Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,</p><p>Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,</p><p>Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,</p><p>Seeking the bubble reputation</p><p>Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,</p><p>In fair round belly with good capon lined,</p><p>With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,</p><p>Full of wise saws and modern instances;</p><p>And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts</p><p>Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,</p><p>With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;</p><p>His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide</p><p>For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,</p><p>Turning again toward childish treble, pipes</p><p>And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,</p><p>That ends this strange eventful history,</p><p>Is second childishness and mere oblivion,</p><p>Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#WilliamShakespeare #Shakespeare #AsYouLikeIt #AllTheWorldsAStage #merelyplayers #SevenAgesOfMan #monologue #creative #creativity #art #legend #popculture #entertainment #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Corporate Entertainment And Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Job Cuts Continue</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Industry Giant Paramount Global lays off 800 employees days after broadcasting record-breaking Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Days after CBS' Super Bowl LVII broke viewership records, its partner company Paramount Global advised it was laying off 800 employees as it seeks to cut costs and streamline its operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The firms CEO Bob Bakish made the announcement Tuesday in an internal memo to employees.</p><p><br /></p><p>"These adjustments will help enable us to build on our momentum and execute our strategic vision for the year ahead," Bakish said, "and I firmly believe we have much to be excited about."</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement comes weeks after Bakish had told employees on Jan. 25 that there would be terminations, though did not disclose how many jobs would be slashed.</p><p><br /></p><p>He defended the move last month by saying they aim "to operate as a leaner company" while spending less, specifically on international content.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our priority is to drive earnings growth," Bakish said in the January memo. "And we'll get there by growing our revenue while closely managing costs -- a balance that will require every team, division and brand to be aligned."</p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount Global, which owns several media and entertainment companies, including CBS and streaming service Paramount+, saw its shares dive 4% Tuesday morning.</p><p><br /></p><p>The announcement of layoffs comes on the heels of CBS broadcasting Sunday's record-breaking Super Bowl LVII, which garnered 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched telecast in history.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the announcement also makes it one of numerous tech and media companies to announce cuts to staff this year, including eBay, Sports Illustrated, Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch, Meta and Alphabet's Google in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news is something for both other companies, potential business partners and even job seekers to consider when deciding their next move in the game of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>#showbiz #EntertainmentNews #entertainmentindustry #Paramount #ParamountGlobal #ParamountPlus #businessnews #showbiz #production #creativity #content #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #streamingnews #biznews #disrupt #disruptor #disruption #bigtech #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own" - Bruce Lee </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Sprit (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/mind_body.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#BruceLee #quote #quotes #bestquotes #bestquotesoftheday #BQOTD #Philosophy #martialarts #combatsports #life #mbs #mindbodyspirit #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Gold’s Winning Streak Continues</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gold doesn’t break records too often.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s one of the most stable assets. It preserves value over generations.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the 18.6-year real estate cycle enters the stage that I call the “Eleventh Hour,” it’s frenzy everywhere.</p><p><br /></p><p>Everything changes… and gold, like other assets, from real estate to stocks and beyond, soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>And not only do they do that, but they do it in a spectacular fashion.</p><p><br /></p><p>You might have missed this fact… but gold has been setting records not only in terms of price but also in terms of how fierce its ascent is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reference: S&P Capital IQ:</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold prices have not closed below $2,000 per ounce for 50 days, easily outshining the precious metal’s 14-day streak in May 2023, its previous best run.“Along with the two major wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas, the recent attack on a US base in Jordan by an Iranian-linked drone threatens to widen the latter conflict and potentially involve the US in the Middle East,” [S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Aude] Marjolin wrote.“Moreover, with an uncertain picture regarding inflation as disrupted trade counters expected slower GDP growth, and then further down the road, the US presidential election, 2024 has the hallmarks of a volatile year for gold prices.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Record highs for a record number of days… sounds familiar to me.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yes, geopolitics and macroeconomics matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>But what you don’t see in this analysis is the impact of the 18.6-year real estate cycle.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always, it drives most assets up in value at an unprecedented rate.</p><p><br /></p><p>And my knowledge of the cycle tells me that this trend is going to continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>What’s Next for Gold?</p><p><br /></p><p>Make no mistake, I’m not a gold bug. I’m focused on real estate investments first and foremost.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when the market enters the “Eleventh Hour” stage… I expect assets to rise pretty much across the board.</p><p>Record prices, record winning streaks…</p><p><br /></p><p>It becomes a “higher for longer” market, but not in the way mainstream media talks about it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Assets reach new levels and refuse to back down… that’s where we are now.</p><p><br /></p><p>And gold is no exception.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that investors get comfortable with this “everything rally” and become complacent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold Directory (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/gold_directory.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#GOLD #GoldNews #GoldDirectory #goldnewsmedia #Commodities #commodity #markets #biznews #businessnews #finance #finnews #SP #SandP #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p>Kennedy 2024. (For educational purposes)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vN2Y4tZlIw&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>#Kennedy24 #Kennedy #RFKJr #RFKJr2024 #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLVIII #ad #ads #Politics #truth #truthinads #TruthSeeker #USPolitics #broadcast #broadcasting #newsbiz #USA #sportsnews #sportsbiz #trend #trends #buzz #AI #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Kennedy 2024 and AI</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Potential Dream Match</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Austin vs Punk?!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>In A WWE Ring; WrestleMania @WrestleMania ?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Stone Cold Steve Austin on CM Punk and Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>“I said I’d never get in a ring again unless all the stars aligned. And for some reason, somehow, they all did. And at the age of 57, I headlined the first night of WrestleMania. I never thought I’d do that. If you’d have told me that when I retired in, I’d have said, ‘You’re crazy.’ So I’m not gonna sit here and say no to anything, because you never say never in this crazy business of sports entertainment.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I like Punk, and I think Punk likes me - so, as long as he can take a Stunner. I consider him a great friend, a great guy, and a great wrestler who’s had a great career. We’ll see.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#dreammatch #dreammatches #SteveAustin #StoneColdSteveAustin #CMPunk #AustinPunk #WrestleMania #WrestleManiaXL #prowrestling #wrestling #sportsentertainment #entertainment #legend #legends #Goat #Goats #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #X #Xwrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @UFC</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC 298 Press Conference</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"I respect you as a person, as a professional. I'm just fighting for my dreams" - Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Volk is not bothered by the UFC 35 year old plus "curse".</p><p><br /></p><p>Volk goes cosplay/dress up under Dana White's creative promotional ideas</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via official UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298: Pre-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ORoTVxxDY&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Why Ilia Topuria Is The Scariest Fighter In Featherweight</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCfVOgYxMqU&t=16s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Constantly makeing Topuria adjust. Can't shoot on him. Can't get a hold of the legs" Michael Bisping</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 4</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SImfWUx5aX0&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We just finished training at Pacific MMA. Now straight to California. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I was waiting fo this day. Saturda is a blessed day" Merba Dvalishvili</p><p><br /></p><p>Volkanovski vs Topuria - I'm Unbreakable | UFC 298 https://youtube.com/watch?v=sRG2IkwSw0c&si=AQsXx9OSZwcEJrks…</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was born to be a fighter. That was my destiny. Right now, I am more confident than ever that I will become the best in the world" Ilia Topuria </p><p><br /></p><p>"Ilia Topuria, a legit prospect out of Spain" </p><p><br /></p><p>"He caries this intensity about him. That's a little big different than most of these young fighters. He is sure he will wear a UFC championship belt" </p><p><br /></p><p>"I am Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria"</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Word on the street is that Volk is in for one hell of a fight. May the best man win. </p><p><br /></p><p>More great MMA past, present and future via the official UFC YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>youtube.com/ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *in progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC298 #Volk #Volkanovski #OldManVolk #Topuria #IliaTopuria #ElMatador #UFC #UFCChampion #UFCTitle #ufcpress #ufcmedia #ufcnews #PressConference #Dvalishvili #Aljo #RobertWhittaker #IanMachado #MichaelBisping #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #Video #YouTube #YT #feature #legends #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #trend #trends #trending #buzz #Aussie #Spain #USA #Anaheim #HondaCentre #California #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis @RealNickAldis Posts To Social Media re what to expect at the upcoming WWE SD and beyond</b></p><p><br /></p><p>On Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Roman Reigns:</p><p><br /></p><p>“I hear they like to cook – I have a few dishes prepared myself, if you catch my drift.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Shotzi has been injured</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown In Shotzi’s place, will be Zelina Vega who will be squaring off against former WWE NXT @WWENXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton for a spot in the women’s Chamber on Friday’s show. Vega was originally set to face Naomi in a qualifying match. Alba Fyre will now be wrestling Naomi on Smackdown.</p><p><br /></p><p>White witches and black magic witches at work in and around the WWE. On a side-note Charlotte Flair's rehab is going ahead of schedule.</p><p><br /></p><p>Femme Fatales</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, that is Scarlett, real life wide of Karrion Kross who is now brunette in 'The Final Testament'. Femme Fatales remain all the rage. Natalya Neidhart continues to train both men and women behind the scenes for the WWE and NXT brands, and the promotion is all the better for it. Natalya may just be one of the greatest pro wrestling trainers of all time, and that covers a lot of ground. Like fellow pro wrestling legend Chris Jericho, currently signed to the 'Big A', she enjoys a background including in authentic journalism and media. Big respect.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last but not least, Mickie James, the multi-talented pro wrestler, performing artist + + + will be appearing at Melbourne, Australia's Starrcade Down Under.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE continues to release more excellent videos to their award winning YouTube Channel</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Every Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes match, ever: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njE7jNoPukQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT — The Rock returns to WWE for first time in seven years: Raw, Feb. 14, 2011</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYR7K4957s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Love story of Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxo7HXk4pg4&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Charlotte Flair vs. Naomi — SmackDown Women's Title Match: SmackDown, Feb. 11, 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2XcF-03V0U&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #NickAldis #RomanReigns #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #HeadOfTheTable #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TiffanyStratton #ZelinaVega #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #Natalya #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Maverick #Prime #PrimeHeel #Miz #EliminationChamber #WrestleMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #wwewomen #womenswrestling #Fox #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #socialmedia #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Penn Entertainment’s Q4 2023 earnings draw analyst attention as ESPN Bet plays out</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment Thursday during its earnings conference call reported revenue of $1.37 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023, a 13.2% drop compared to $1.58 billion for the same time period in 2022. The company’s casinos continued profitability, with its northeast and south regions posting revenue drops of 0.6% and 6.3%, while the west and midwest posted revenue gains of 2.3% and 3.0%. But Penn’s interactive segment...drew attention from analysts because of the operator’s ongoing collaboration with ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bill allowing up to 10 casinos, sports betting, and lottery passes key vote in Alabama House; moves to Senate</p><p><br /></p><p>Lottery and casino legislation passed a key test Thursday in the Alabama Legislature as the House of Representatives approved a sweeping gambling proposal with an aim to get the measure before voters in November. The House of Representatives approved the proposed constitutional amendment to allow up to 10 casino sites with table games and slot machines, a state lottery, and to allow sports betting at in-person locations and through online platforms. It would also authorize the governor to negotiate a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>California: Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opens today</p><p><br /></p><p>After a 25-year journey, the Mechoopda Casino in Butte County opened Thursday, February 15. The establishment, 15 miles south of Chico near Highway 99 at 149 Openshaw Road in Oroville, is the first phase of the tribe’s development plans. “The process of getting here started 25 years ago for the tribe,” Dana Dubois, the casino’s general manager, told ABC7/KRCR, adding that the casino has focused on personal qualities rather than the direct experience for its staff. “We have hired heart, not skillset.” Dubois told the first patrons to visit, “come in and enjoy yourself.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>New study claims igaming increases brick-and-mortar revenue</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A study released Thursday indicates that operators should not worry about their brick-and-mortar casinos being cannibalized by igaming. Comparing Online and Land-based Casino Gaming, commissioned by the iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA Growth) through Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) claims igaming helps boost brick-and-mortar revenue. “This study offers compelling evidence that online gambling is a catalyst for growth, not a competitor to land-based casinos,” said iDEA Growth Founder and General Counsel Jeff Ifrah.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Macau registers more than 200,000 visitor arrivals for second day running</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Macau’s visitor arrivals topped 200,000 for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as the Lunar New Year Golden Week continued to exceed expectations, according to information from the Public Security Police Force. Just 24 hours after setting a new post-pandemic high of Day 4 of 217,451 visitor arrivals on Monday, the fourth day of the Golden Week holiday saw another 201,023 arrivals, taking the four-day tally 703,347. At the halfway mark of the eight-day holiday, total visitation is already closing in on 960,000 arrivals predicted for the entire period by the Macao Government Tourism Office (although visitation is expected to tail off in the coming days).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sportsbooks revenue gears up while casinos stall</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana (results) - While casino revenue remains sluggish, sportsbooks are gearing up for a banner year. Analysts from PlayIndiana.com report the state saw a slight decrease in sports wagers in January following a near-record December, but Indiana’s casinos saw a 17% dip in revenue compared to the same month last year. Over $480.5 million was wagered through sportsbooks in the state in January. Adjusted gross revenue was $53.5 million with $5.1 million paid to the state…Casinos have brought in less money year-over-year for 11 of the past 12 months with January seeing $161.8 million in adjusted gross revenue, a decline of almost $30 million.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Superstar performer announces Las Vegas tour stop</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Jennifer Lopez has announced her highly anticipated return to touring with “This Is Me … Now The Tour,” with T-Mobile Arena among the stops. Lopez will perform in Las Vegas on July 20, a Live Nation news release announced.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Capacity to surge at Las Vegas airport</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - While there are more airline seats coming into Las Vegas from a record number of destinations and international flights have recovered from the COVID-19 downturn, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is still looking for more nonstop flights from Asia. More than 100,000 airline seats a day will become routine by summer at Harry Reid International Airport, aviation experts told the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors Tuesday. Since October 2022, capacity has averaged around 97,000 inbound seats. In October 2023, capacity peaked at 104,239 seats, now seat capacity will climb above 100,000 beginning in April and continuing through June.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Apartment project planned for vacant lot in Arts District</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nevada (Las Vegas) - Roughly 2.3 acres of vacant land in the Arts District of Las Vegas sold for $6 million and the buyers are eyeing apartments for the site. Dubbed Flats Arts District, the $180 million mixed-use apartment project is planned for 123 W. Imperial Ave. Before the property sold in January for $6 million, the 2.3 acres, located a block away from Main Street, sold in 2011 for just over $322,000, according to Clark County property records.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>FanDuel had Over $250 Million In Revenue In Virginia</b></p><p><br /></p><p>FanDuel totaled more than $250 million in gross sports betting revenue in Virginia for 2023, closing out the year by topping $30 million in December…FanDuel finished with $265.4 million in winnings, accounting for 47% of the $560.2 million in revenue among statewide operators…FanDuel’s gross revenue was up 10% from 2022. The increase in handle — 12.2% to nearly $2.27 billion — outpaced revenue. Virginia operators set an all-time high in December with $57.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, while the $633.2 million handle and $63.6 million in gross winnings ranked second out of 36 months of wagering.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl Betting News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sun shines on KC as books feel the heat on margins</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>KC win drives negative margins: Totals wagered were close to the $1.5bn predicted by the markets, but the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers led sportsbooks’ hold levels into negative territory as they recorded -4% margins for Super Bowl LVIII.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The Macquarie team said this “was not as bad” as the worst case scenario that had Kansas winning with a points total of more than 47.5pts, which would have led to a negative hold of -14%.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Best case scenario: A San Francisco win “in a low scoring game” could have led to 30% margins and driven “$450m of market GGR and $315m of NGR (~30% promo/GGR)”, added Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JMP said operators likely had a mixed outcome as the game “pushed into overtime, a negative within itself”, which enabled “several more prop bets (50% to 60% of total wagers) to hit, including a Kansas City win, and acted as headwinds for margins”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OSB hold for the Super Bowl was between -5% and 0% vs. 2023 industry average of 9.2%, said JMP.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Q1 impact: The -4% hold for the Super Bowl will result in a $64m drop in GGR for the market and should “result in 2-5% of downside to Q1 consensus revenue”, noted Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Apple offset: But with January's high hold rate of 10.8% in New York not reflected in forecasts, this “more than offsets the Super Bowl result with an incremental $250m of market GGR in Jan24”, Macquarie added. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Record audience: The analysts added that Super Bowl LVIII would likely be a turning point for “customer acquisition and NFL growth in new demographics”. This year’s event hit viewership records, with CBS Sports reporting that more than 123 million viewers watched the game, making it the most-watched sports broadcast in U.S. history.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This was “partly driven by over 50% of the U.S. population now having access to OSB in addition to Taylor Swift's involvement, which has brought interest from a whole new demographic, mostly women, we view Super Bowl LVIII as unequivocally positive for sportsbooks”, said Macquarie.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply said betting geolocation transactions had increased +22% YoY since the start of the NFL playoffs in January, with active user accounts up 12% and “transactions and actives +35% and +13% YoY respectively” in the final round of playoffs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that several NFL stadiums saw over 60,000 on-site betting transactions per game through the regular season. The Bengals stadium had 67,000 transactions, “against a stadium capacity of 65,500, this implies at least one bet per spectator per game”, the group said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Break it down: JMP meanwhile said parlays accounted for 34% of bets and 25% of handle. FanDuel's average bet size of $22 was well below the average industry bet size, implying a heavy skew toward parlay betting for the company, noted the analysts.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The average number of legs was 5.1 for each parlay wager and was “most impactful for DraftKings and FanDuel”. Single bets accounted for 74% of handle and 66% of all bets and 17% of bets were tied to a promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, U.S. app downloads were flat YoY and totaled 1.4 million, while on Super Bowl Sunday they were 38% down on 2023 at 295,000. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Download charts: FanDuel had 28% download market share (-12% YoY), DraftKings 29% (-22% YoY), BetMGM aired a commercial during the game and its 15% download share was +12% YoY.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Caesars had 4% share (-5% YoY), while ESPN Bet was up 192% with 10% share. Bet365’s download share of 7% was +50% YoY and Fanatics dropped back to 3% share after hitting 6% two weeks ago.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>More records: The Nevada Gaming Control Board said sportsbooks took a record $186m in wagers on the game and generated $6.8m in revenue while FanDuel said it took $307m in wagers on the game, also a new record for the U.S OSB leader. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>ESPN Bet heads to New York</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Penn Entertainment, parent company of ESPN Bet, is heading to New York after it revealed that it had acquired Wynn Bet’s New York mobile sports betting license for $25m.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The transaction gives ESPN Bet market access to the largest OSB state in the U.S., with launch set for this year “pending regulatory approvals”. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jay Snowden, PENN CEO and President, said: “This important development will bring ESPN Bet to the largest regulated online sports wagering market in North America. Together with ESPN, we’re building a brand that is synonymous with sports betting, and operating in the New York market is key as we grow ESPN Bet across the U.S.”</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>New York sports betting handle was down 4.5% in January to $1.9bn on a monthly basis, but GGR hit a monthly record high of $211.5m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>New York: Oneida Nation casino slated for $50 million expansion project</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Oneida Indian Nation on Wednesday announced a $50 million, large-scale expansion at its Point Place Casino, located in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County. The expansion comes in response to demand from guests for additional amenities as well as economic development occurring across the Central New York region.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Hard Rock International to donate $250,000 to global charities</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Hard Rock Heals Foundation Wednesday announced it will contribute $250,000 to global charitable organizations. The philanthropic arm of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, will distribute the funds through individual grants of $5,000.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Casino and sports betting proposal swiftly advances in the Alabama legislature</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A gambling proposal to authorize a lottery, sports betting, and multiple casinos across Alabama was swiftly advanced by a legislative committee on Wednesday. The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee approved the two-bill package, putting the proposal in line for a key vote Thursday in the state House of Representatives.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter pens first external B2B sportsbook deal with France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain</p><p><br /></p><p>Flutter Entertainment has agreed a deal to provide a multi-channel B2B sportsbook platform to France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain. The agreement sees PMU become the first external brand outside the Flutter group to use the B2B sportsbook platform. It extends a partnership between the parties that launched in 2010. PMU gains access to customer products and associated operational services via the Flutter platform.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Dogecoin Jumps 8% After Shiba Inu Dog's 14th Internet Anniversary, Leaving Bitcoin, Ethereum In The Dust - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dogecoin , the cryptocurrency inspired by a viral meme, has outperformed other major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin </p><p>BTC/USD +5.53% and Ethereum +5.55% with an 8% price increase over the last 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Happened: Data from LunarCrush Pro reveals a massive rise in the social dominance score of Dogecoin, which has spiked by 1800% in a single day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin and Ethereum have each seen their values increase by 4-6% over the past 24 hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>The surge in DOGE comes with a special occasion for the Dogecoin community, as shared by the MyDoge wallet on the X platform. They commemorated the 14th anniversary of the Shiba Inu dog Kabosu—the face of the Dogecoin meme—whose pictures were first shared online by owner Atsuko Sato.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Dogecoin was created by software developers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a joke. Markus launched the coin after merely a few hours of coding.</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Why It Matters: The rise in DOGE also comes as speculation triggered last month by the profile @xpayments on the social app X, about the potential adoption of Dogecoin for payments on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no formal statement has been made about Dogecoin being integrated as a payment method on par with Bitcoin or Ethereum, conversations about the possibility have been circulating, fueled by Musk’s past suggestions on Twitter about the potential for Dogecoin as a payment option for Twitter Blue. Additionally, Musk’s Tesla already enables the purchase of merchandise using Dogecoin through the Tesla Store.</p><p><br /></p><p>Price Action: At the time of writing, DOGE was trading at $0.087, up 8% over the past 24 hours,</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>EC# from National Wrestling Alliance</b></p><p><br /></p><p>As long as I don’t have to wrestle Moose again. I’m kidding. [Moose is one of] my good buddies, but he hits really, really hard. But I believe in collaborations in all forms of this business. I think it needs to be done in a way too, it’s like your businesses that are in theory competitive, that it has to work for both. How does that work? Sometimes you’re gonna miss out on potential things you really want to see. Like hypothetically if it was champion versus champion, how does one company sacrifice their champion because that’s making the other company look superior, and vice versa. How do you deliver a satisfying finish to fans without having some horseshit DQ or nonsensical kind of, everything remains 50/50. So I think that’s the one hill to climb when it comes to that kind of business. But then also, sometimes art is more important, creative is important, when people are willing to sacrifice for it. So it would all depend I guess on the business end.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Paige VanZant announces boxing match expected for this summer: “F*ck it, let’s go” - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I got called by my manager day before yesterday, and I got offered a fight,” Paige VanZant stated on her podcast earlier this week. “A boxing match, and I took it. I don’t know if I can give all the details, I haven’t signed a contract yet. I accepted the fight. It was initially, the date they offered me was March 23, which was perfect. Hell yeah, I’ll get one more fight in before I turn 30, because I turn 30 [on] March 26. So I told my manager f*ck yeah, I’ll take it. I’ll get back into boxing.” (h/t MMA Fighting)</p><p><br /></p><p>She continued, “I was just really excited. The opportunity was really cool. So it was perfect, an eight-week camp, I don’t that long to stress or overthink, or anything like that, so that’s perfect. It turns out it’s not going to be March 23. After I accepted it, they’re like, you know what, we’re going to move it to [May or June]. I heard both dates, so once I have the full information, we’ll be able to release it on the podcast. Accepted a boxing match, that will be my next fight. It’s really, really exciting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Gloves on, it’s just straight boxing,” Paige VanZant concluded. “I did think my next fight would be a bare-knuckle boxing match, but this opportunity came forward, and I was just like f*ck it, let’s go. So I took a fight.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What is SEO?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO means Search Engine Optimization and is the process used to optimize a website's technical configuration, content relevance and link popularity so its pages can become easily findable, more relevant and popular towards user search queries, and as a consequence, search engines rank them better.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines recommend SEO efforts that benefit both the user search experience and page’s ranking, by featuring content that fulfills user search needs. This includes the use of relevant keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and headlines (H1), featuring descriptive URLs with keywords rather than strings of numbers, and schema markup to specify the page's content meaning, among other SEO best practices.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines help people find what they’re looking for online. Whether researching a product, looking for a restaurant, or booking a vacation, search engines are a common starting point when you need information. For business owners, they offer a valuable opportunity to direct relevant traffic to your website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of orienting your website to rank higher on a search engine results page (SERP) so that you receive more traffic. The aim is typically to rank on the first page of Google results for search terms that mean the most to your target audience. So, SEO is as much about understanding the wants and needs of your audience as it is about the technical nature of how to configure your website.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How do search engines work?</b></p><p>Search engines provide results for any search query a user enters. To do so, they survey and “understand” the vast network of websites that make up the web. They run a sophisticated algorithm that determines what results to display for each search query.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO focuses on Google</b></p><p>To many people, the term “search engine” is synonymous with Google, which has about 83% of the global search engine market. Because Google is the dominant search engine, SEO typically revolves around what works best for Google. It’s useful to have a clear understanding of how Google works and why.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Google wants</b></p><p>Google is designed to deliver the best search experience to its users, or searchers. That means providing the most relevant results, as quickly as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 2 core elements of the search experience are the search term (the user input) and the search results (the output).</p><p><br /></p><p>Let’s say you search “Mailchimp guides and tutorials.” This is a clear, unambiguous search. Google understands what you’re asking for, and it delivers a useful page as the top organic result—Mailchimp’s own page.</p><p><br /></p><p>From Google’s perspective, this is a very good search result and a positive user experience, because it’s likely that the user will click the top result and be happy with the outcome.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Google makes money</b></p><p>Google profits from people trusting and valuing its search service. It achieves this by delivering useful search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google also provides businesses with the opportunity to pay for an advertorial placement at the top of search result pages. The word “Ad” indicates these listings. Google makes money when searchers click on these pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, which you purchase through Google Ads. You’ll see these ads on more generic queries in particular.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other than the small label, these search results look almost indistinguishable from other search results. Of course, this is intentional, as lots of users click on these results without realizing that they’re ads.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what Google counts on. Advertising revenues accounted for more than 80% of the $279.8 billion that Google generated in 2022. So while search functions remain its core product, it depends on its advertising business.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The anatomy of search results</b></p><p>SERPs consist of paid search results and “organic” search results, where the organic results don’t contribute to Google’s revenue. Instead, Google delivers organic results based on its assessment of a site’s relevance and quality. Depending on the type of search query, Google will also include different elements on the SERP, like maps, images, or videos.</p><p><br /></p><p>The volume of ads on a SERP depends on what users have searched. If you were to search the word “shoes,” for example, you’d likely find a substantial number of the top results are ads. In fact, you’ll probably have to scroll down the page to find the first organic result.</p><p><br /></p><p>A query like this usually generates so many ads because there’s a strong chance that the searcher is looking to buy shoes online, and there are lots of shoe companies willing to pay for a feature in the AdWords results for this query.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the other hand, if you search for something like “Atlanta Falcons,” your results will be different. Because this search is mostly tied to the professional American football team by that name, the top results relate to that. But it’s still a less clear query. You’ll find news stories, a knowledge graph, and their homepage. These 3 kinds of results at the top indicate that Google doesn’t know the precise intention of your search, but provides quick pathways to learn about the team, read their latest news, or go to their website.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since there appears to be no purchase intent behind the query, advertisers are not willing to bid for the keyword, so there are no AdWords results.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, if you change the query to “Atlanta Falcons hat,” which signals to Google that you might be shopping, the SERP results change to feature more sponsored results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The role of SEO</b></p><p>The goal of SEO is to raise your ranking in organic search results. There are different practices for optimizing AdWords, shopping, and local results.</p><p><br /></p><p>While it may appear that so many competing elements taking up real estate on SERPs push the organic listings down, SEO can still be a very powerful, lucrative effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>Considering that Google processes billions of search queries daily, organic search results are a very large slice of a very large pie. And while there is some up-front and ongoing investment required to secure and maintain organic rankings, every click that sends traffic to your website is completely free.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Website Ranking Factors For SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the top categories:</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Site-Level Factors</p><p>Backlink Factors</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>On-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Off-Site Webspam Factors</p><p>Domain Factors</p><p>Domain factors are all ranking factors that connect with your domain (the basic example.com version of your website), including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Your domain age</p><p>Keyword in your domain</p><p>Keyword is the first word in your domain</p><p>Domain registration length</p><p>Keyword in subdomain</p><p>Domain history</p><p>Penalized Whois owner</p><p>Public WhoIs instead of private Whois</p><p>Page-Level Factors</p><p>Page-level factors are factors on each page that you can optimize, such as:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of the keyword in the title tag</p><p>Having the keyword at the beginning of your title tag</p><p>Keyword in your meta description tag</p><p>Presence of the keyword in the H1 tag</p><p>Keyword is frequently used in the content</p><p>Content length</p><p>Word count rankings</p><p>Presence of a linked table of contents</p><p>Keyword density</p><p>Presence of semantically related keywords</p><p>Semantically related keyword in meta title and description</p><p>In-depth quality content</p><p>Useful content</p><p>Page loading speed via HTML</p><p>Page loading speed tested on Chrome</p><p>Core web vitals</p><p>No duplicate content on the same site</p><p>Image optimization through ALT, title, and file name</p><p>Content recency (the newer, the better)</p><p>Page age</p><p>How many edits were made to the content during updates</p><p>Historical data on page updates</p><p>Proper use of rel=canonical</p><p>Presence of keyword in H2 and H3 tags</p><p>Presence of keyword in the first 100 words</p><p>Grammar and spelling</p><p>Originality of the page's content</p><p>Entity match</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>Mobile useability and optimization</p><p>Hidden content on mobile (may not be indexed)</p><p>Page optimized for mobile</p><p>Presence of multimedia, for example, images and videos</p><p>Number of outbound links</p><p>The quality of outbound links</p><p>Theme of outbound links</p><p>Presence of helpful supplementary content, like free tools and calculators</p><p>Content hidden behind tabs (it may not be indexed and wouldn't show up in search snippets)</p><p>Number of internal links pointing to the page</p><p>Quality of the internal links</p><p>Presence of too many broken links (could lower ranking capabilities)</p><p>The reading level of the page</p><p>Presence of many affiliate links</p><p>Presence of many HTML errors</p><p>Authority/trust-level of the domain</p><p>Authority/trust level of the page</p><p>PageRank</p><p>Length of URL</p><p>Closeness of URL to the homepage</p><p>Presence of keyword in URL</p><p>Opinion of human editors</p><p>Relevance of page's category to page</p><p>Content formatting for user-friendliness and readability</p><p>Priority of the page in the sitemap.xml</p><p>UX signal from pages ranking for the same keyword</p><p>Citing references and sources</p><p>Use of a user-friendly layout</p><p>URL string in Google search engine results</p><p>Internal link anchor text to the page</p><p>Use of structured data</p><p>Site-level factors</p><p>Site-level factors go above the page level and take a look at things on the entire site. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Presence of a contact us page or appropriate amount of contact information</p><p>Content on site provides value or new insights</p><p>TrustRank (how close your site is to a known and trusted site in terms of linking)</p><p>Website updates for freshness factor</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Presence of a sitemap</p><p>Long-term site downtime</p><p>Location of server</p><p>HTTPs / use of a valid SSL certificate</p><p>Presence of legal pages (terms and conditions and privacy policy)</p><p>Unique metadata</p><p>Use of breadcrumb markup</p><p>Site-wide mobile optimization</p><p>Site-wide user-friendliness (usability and interactiveness)</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>User reviews</p><p>Site reputation</p><p>Backlink factors</p><p>Backlink factors look at the sites that are linking to you to determine where to rank your page. Sites with better quality sites linking to them tend to be higher in rankings when they have quality content. The backlink factors are as follows:</p><p><br /></p><p>Age of linking domain</p><p>Number of referring domains</p><p>Number of links from separate c-class IPs</p><p>Number of referring pages</p><p>Anchor text of backlinks</p><p>ALT tag of image links</p><p>Number of links from .edu and .gov domains</p><p>Trust factor of linking page</p><p>Trust factor of linking domain</p><p>Presence of links from competitors</p><p>Number of links from expected sites in your industry</p><p>Links from bad neighborhoods</p><p>Number of links that are not from ads</p><p>Country TLD of referring domains</p><p>Domain authority</p><p>Presence of some nofollow links</p><p>Diversity of link profile</p><p>Context of content the content of linking page</p><p>Presence of more follow links that sponsored or UGC</p><p>Lots of backlinks to URL with 301 redirects</p><p>The text that appears when you hover over a link</p><p>Link location on page</p><p>Location of link in content</p><p>Links from relevant domains</p><p>Links from relevant pages</p><p>Presence of your page's keyword in the title of the linking page</p><p>Natural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Spiky and unnatural rate of growth in number of links</p><p>Links from top resources on a certain topic or hubs</p><p>Number of links from sites that are considered authority sites</p><p>Linked as a source in a Wikipedia article</p><p>Words around your backlinks</p><p>Backlink age</p><p>Links from real sites vs fake blogs</p><p>Natural link profile</p><p>Excessive reciprocal links</p><p>Links in real content vs. UGC</p><p>Backlinks from a page with a 301 redirect</p><p>TrustRank of linking site</p><p>Fewer outbound links on linking page</p><p>Links in real content vs links in forums</p><p>Word count of linking content</p><p>Quality of linking content</p><p>Sitewide links = one link</p><p>User Interaction</p><p>Google always emphasizes in their update announcements how important it is to provide an excellent user experience to website visitors. These factors measure user interaction to rank your page accordingly, including:</p><p><br /></p><p>Organic click through rate for exact keyword</p><p>Organic click through rates for all ranking keywords</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Bounce rate</p><p>Measurement of how users interact on your site based on RankBrain</p><p>Total direct traffic</p><p>Percentage of repeat visitors</p><p>Blocked sites</p><p>Percentage of visitors that click on other pages on the SERP after clicking visiting your page</p><p>Page frequently bookmarked by Chrome users</p><p>Number of comments on page</p><p>Special Google Algorithm Rules</p><p>Some Google Algorithm rules are not directly connected to your page or domain. They include factors that look at personalizing search results for the user or better search results as a whole. Here are some of them:</p><p><br /></p><p>Need for diversity in the SERP</p><p>Need for freshness in the SERP</p><p>Browsing history of user</p><p>Search history of user</p><p>Succinct answers, formatting, page authority and HTTPS for featured snippets</p><p>Geo-targeting</p><p>Adult content or curse words (excluded from safe search results)</p><p>High content quality standards for YMYL keywords</p><p>Legitimate DMCA complaints</p><p>Need for domain diversity in SERP</p><p>Transactional searches</p><p>Local search results</p><p>Presence of news stories related to keyword for Top Stories box</p><p>Search intent</p><p>Presence of big brands with relevant content (they are often ranked higher)</p><p>Presence of results optimized for Google Shopping</p><p>Image results</p><p>Branded search</p><p>Easter eggs and April Fools' Day jokes and hoaxes from Google (this one makes me laugh)</p><p>Spammy queries</p><p>Spammy sites</p><p>Brand Signals</p><p>How great is your branding strategy in terms of SEO? If you haven't taken care of your brand mentions and brand all over the internet, you need to start now. Because there are some serious ranking factors related to your brand:</p><p><br /></p><p>Brand + keyword searches (for example, Hubspot SEO)</p><p>Branded anchor text</p><p>Twitter profile with followers</p><p>Official LinkedIn page</p><p>Facebook page with lots of likes</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Known author or verified online profile</p><p>Real social media accounts</p><p>Top stories with brand mentions</p><p>Brand mentions without links</p><p>Physical location of offices</p><p>On-site Web</p><p>To rank high on search engine results, you need to ensure your site isn't spammy and doesn't look spammy - as with many things in life, looks play a role in how we're perceived. Here are some factors around that:</p><p><br /></p><p>Low-quality content</p><p>Links to bad neighborhoods</p><p>Multiple and sneaky redirects</p><p>Flagged server IP address</p><p>Distracting ads and popups</p><p>Popups that are spammy and difficult to close</p><p>Over-optimizing the site</p><p>Gibberish content</p><p>Use of doorway pages</p><p>Lots of ads above the fold and not much content</p><p>Hiding affiliate links</p><p>Low-value content sites</p><p>Affiliate sites</p><p>Keyword stuffing in meta tags</p><p>Compute generated content</p><p>Nofollowing all outbound links</p><p>Off-site Webspam Factors</p><p>The Off-site webspam factors affect spam based on what's done outside your website that connects with your website. They include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Unnatural and sudden increase in backlinks</p><p>Hacked site</p><p>Lots of low-quality backlinks</p><p>High percentage of links from unrelated websites</p><p>Low-quality directory links</p><p>Automatic links in widgets</p><p>Links from sites with the same server IP</p><p>Using “poison” in your anchor text</p><p>Ignored manual actions in search console</p><p>Selling links</p><p>Temporary link schemes</p><p>Phew, we made it! Even though this list might seem overwhelming, I've condensed it to my top 10 to make things a bit more palatable.</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Google Ranking Factors</p><p>Before we go into my top 10 Google ranking factors, keep this in mind: everything is debatable in SEO. While several SEO experts might accept these 10 factors as their top ranking factors as well, other SEOs might disagree. But for me, these are what I've found to be most important.</p><p><br /></p><p>I chose my top 10 based on what I've seen improves the user experience, optimizes conversion rates, signals trustworthiness, ranks well, brings in high amounts of organic monthly traffic, and promotes customer retention and loyalty. Let's dive in.</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Content that provides valuable and unique insights.</p><p>As mentioned above, Google has always emphasized quality content. Providing content that provides value and unique insights not found on every other website can improve your ranking simply because your audience enjoys it.</p><p><br /></p><p>To do this:</p><p><br /></p><p>Ensure you are the subject expert in what you are writing about or that you understand that topic in-depth according to research.</p><p>Hire subject experts to write your content.</p><p>Provide factual information that informs your audience about the questions that are the most important to them.</p><p>Don't write fluff.</p><p>2. Content that covers a topic in-depth.</p><p>Want to rank on the first page? Stop writing thin content. Research has proven time and time again that content that covers all areas, whether long or short form, tends to do better in search results. Here's what to do:</p><p><br /></p><p>Study your competitors' content and write about what they missed.</p><p>Cover all relevant areas and answer all questions that readers might have.</p><p>Make the text readable by adding elements like images, a clickable table of contents, jump links, and CTAs to relevant information.</p><p>3. Organic click-through rates.</p><p>Your organic click through rate helps Google understand whether people like your content or not. If more people are clicking on your post in the SERP, Google will believe your content is more relevant to that keyword and rank you higher for it.</p><p><br /></p><p>You need to write a convincing meta title and description to improve your organic click-through rate. Here are tips for writing the best meta title and description:</p><p><br /></p><p>Use power words.</p><p>Ensure your keyword is visible in the meta title.</p><p>Keep your meta title under 62 characters.</p><p>Keep your meta description at about 150 characters.</p><p>Your meta description should be helpful to readers (use it to show them how they benefit from reading your content).</p><p>Note that to get to a point where you can improve organic click through rate, you should have all other SEO factors in place for higher rankings. I mean anyways, if you are in the 100th position, most people wouldn't see your page to begin with.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Keywords in H1.</p><p>The H1 is an indication of what your content is about. So, include your keyword in your H1. Be careful, though; some SEOs say that using the same sentence in your H1 and meta title is an indication that you are keyword stuffing. So, you might want to spice it up a bit while still ensuring that your keyword is present. Do this in combination with all on-page optimization (meta data, URL, other headings).</p><p><br /></p><p>5. The content's length.</p><p>Content length is one thing that several people debate about when it comes to SEO. Some believe an upward of 2000 words should be the standard. However, that shouldn't always be the case. Sure, long-form content seems to get the most backlinks, but it's crucial that you write long-form only when you need that to cover the entire topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's also a best practice to check what your competitors have because that can be an indicator of quality content. If all competitors have between 2000-4000 words and you write 200 words, you will likely not rank high for that term.</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Website domain authority.</p><p>Domain Authority (DA) is not a ranking factor despite what many say, and the simple reason is: Google didn't create it. When asked if it is a signal, John Mueller replied, “...it's a tool by Moz”.</p><p><br /></p><p>But from my perspective, it's good to keep in mind because Moz uses particular signals to create that score (and other tools like SEMrush and Arel=" noopener" target="_blank" hrefs) that are similar to Google's ranking factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>When more trusted sites are linking to yours and you have content that ranks well, that is an indicator that you should be trusted, which in turn increases your rankings even further - all of which plays into DA. So in a nutshell, you might want to focus on growing your DA even if Google doesn't confirm it.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Total number of backlinks from relevant sources.</p><p>The total number of your backlinks and referring domains are important, but only when they are from relevant sources. In February 2021, John Mueller commented about the importance of link relevance and that you can build many backlinks, but Google will ignore them if they are not relevant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather than focusing on building millions of backlinks, focus on more relevant and quality backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Page loading speed via HTML.</p><p>Last year, Google announced that core web vitals would become a ranking signal and it's planned to launch in mid-June. Core web vitals is a part of PageSpeed, and page speed affects user experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>If your site is too slow to load or slow to interact with, Google is more likely to reduce your rankings, especially when your competitors have fast site speed and great content.</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Mobile usability.</p><p>User experience is key for SEO success and users are increasingly accessing your website via mobile. That's why Google sends constant mobile-friendliness notifications in Search Console when it sees that your site isn't responsive.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you want to score points with Google and, more importantly, your users, work on your mobile usability.</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Over-optimization.</p><p>Don't overdo it — this serves as a reminder that you must prioritize optimizing for humans, not the algorithm. When you over-optimize your pages, Google sees that you're trying too hard and might believe you are trying to game the system. If that happens, you get penalized.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are other important ranking factors that didn't make the top 10 cut, but you should make sure to work on as well:</p><p><br /></p><p>Quality of internal links pointing to page</p><p>Site architecture</p><p>Site usability</p><p>Contextual links</p><p>Outbound link quality</p><p>Dwell time</p><p>Branded searches</p><p>Image alt text</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>SEO for Beginners: SEO Basics in 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important marketing tactics for your business. However, few actually know how to do it effectively. To help, we’ve put together an entire guide on SEO for beginners, which includes how SEO works, why it’s important and how to do it yourself. Use this beginners’ guide to rank your website higher in search engines like Google for relevant and high-value search terms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What Is SEO?</b></p><p>SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher for organic search terms and increases its visibility. The overall goal of SEO is to generate more traffic for your website to generate more leads and sales. There are three components of organic SEO, which include on-page, off-page and technical SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>On-page SEO represents factors directly related to your website’s content, which include things such as blog article quality, meta descriptions, keyword targeting and more. Off-page SEO comprises SEO factors that occur outside of your website, such as your overall backlink volume and quality. Finally, technical SEO represents your website’s overall performance and health, such as your desktop and mobile loading speed.</p><p><br /></p><p>To rank your website higher for relevant and high-value keywords, it’s important to address all three of these SEO components. With this in mind, let’s discuss exactly how SEO works.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How Does SEO Work?</b></p><p>When someone searches for something on platforms such as Google, those search engines use proprietary algorithms to crawl the internet and rank the most relevant and high-quality content on a search engine results page (SERP). These pieces of content are typically blog articles targeting a specific keyword, but can also include other media types such as images or video.</p><p><br /></p><p>To determine the most relevant results, Google and other search engines will first analyze the search term to understand the user’s overall intent, and then find content that best addresses the user’s query and overall intent based on a blend of on-page, off-page and technical SEO factors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The goal of SEO is therefore to rank higher in SERPs for specific keywords—or queries—that are relevant to your business. To do so, it’s first important to do keyword research to determine which terms you should be targeting. From there, write high-value blog articles that directly address those keywords. Then, promote your content through off-page tactics that build backlinks and make sure your website is optimized to perform well for the user.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why SEO Is Important</b></p><p>SEO is important for a multitude of reasons. It increases website visibility for relevant keywords that help you generate more leads and sales. But the benefits don’t stop there. Here’s exactly why SEO should be an important part of your marketing strategy:</p><p><br /></p><p>Increase website visibility: SEO helps you rank your website higher in organic SERPs for high-value keywords that are important to your business. This allows potential customers to organically find your brand online and can result in more sales.</p><p>Build brand authority: Providing valuable content that ranks high for relevant search terms is a great way to build brand authority since potential customers inherently trust brands they see ranking high in search results.</p><p>Generate organic traffic: Optimizing your website’s SEO will help you generate more organic traffic with high intent for your product or service since you can target specific keyword terms relevant to your business.</p><p>Cost-effective and sustainable growth: Unlike tactics like social media or search advertising that only work if you’re actively paying for ads, organic SEO traffic is sustainable and cost-effective, generating long-term traffic you don’t have to pay for.</p><p>Improve website experience: Optimizing your technical SEO improves the overall user experience of your website, which can result in higher conversions and happier customers.</p><p>Overall, SEO should be a key part of your ongoing marketing strategy. It helps improve brand visibility and authority as well as generates organic traffic cost-effectively and sustainably. Now that you understand the benefits, let’s discuss exactly how to perform SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>How To Perform SEO</p><p>While SEO may seem complicated, there is a set of repeatable steps you can follow to execute an effective SEO strategy. These steps include defining your audience, identifying relevant keywords, crafting high-value content, generating backlinks and optimizing your website performance. Let’s take a detailed look at each of these steps:</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Define Your Target Audience</p><p>The first thing you want to do is define your ideal audience, which will inform the topics and keywords you’re targeting. You can do this by creating an ideal customer profile or buyer persona that identifies things such as demographics, psychographics, firmographics and more. You can create one manually or use an online tool such as HubSpot’s Make My Persona to help you create one.</p><p><br /></p><p>2. Conduct Keyword Research</p><p>With your target audience defined, the next step is to conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms to target with high-quality pieces of content such as blog articles. The best way to do keyword research is to use a free tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner or a paid option such as Semrush.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look up relevant topics using one of the tools above and note the overall keyword traffic and ranking difficulty for each topic. From there, put together a content runway of relevant and related keywords with high traffic potential and a reasonable chance of ranking based on the difficulty score.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>3. Craft High-Quality Content</p><p>The next step is to write and publish quality blog articles each targeting one of the primary keywords on your content runway. To do so, start with an outline that identifies the overall header structure of your article and includes the primary keyword in elements such as the title and relevant headers.</p><p><br /></p><p>From there, craft the entire piece, making sure to optimize for the primary keyword and adding elements such as imagery, statistics and more. Link relevant articles together using internal website links to help Google better discover your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Build Quality Backlinks</p><p>A backlink is a link from a third-party site pointing to your content, which Google views as a measure of authority. Once your blog articles are published, conduct off-page SEO tactics that generate quality backlinks, such as direct outreach. For example, research relevant websites that can benefit from linking to your content. Then, find their contact information and reach out with a suggestion to link to your site.</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Optimize Your Website Performance</p><p>Make sure that you’re also improving your website’s overall health and performance, which includes things such as loading speed, mobile optimization and more. Google uses a Lighthouse performance score to rank your website on key performance metrics and assign you a score out of 100. Also included are scores for accessibility, best practices and overall SEO. The goal is to optimize your site to get these four scores as close to 100 as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>6. Iterate and Improve</p><p>Check your SEO metrics monthly to determine how your strategy is performing. You can use an SEO tool such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Google Search Console to track key SEO data such as traffic, ranking position and more. Iterate and improve your on-page, off-page and technical SEO tactics based on the results.</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Stay Updated on Changing SEO Trends</p><p>Search algorithms are constantly changing, affecting the SEO best practices you should be following. Because of this, it’s important to stay abreast of the changing SEO trends and how they might affect your overall SEO strategy. Subscribe to or read online resources such as the newsletter Search Engine Journal to ensure you don’t miss any changes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bottom Line</p><p>SEO is the act of increasing your website’s organic visibility by ranking its content for relevant search terms. To do so, first conduct keyword research to find valuable terms that are relevant to your business. From there, write high-quality content that matches the intent of each search term and promote that content to generate backlinks. Also, ensure your website is optimized for performance and speed. If you do these things, you are well on your way to mastering the art and science of SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Property News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>South Coogee home that ‘floats above ocean’ sets $18.5m record, beats Fred Schebesta’s ‘castle’ - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>An incredible South Coogee home that ‘floats above the ocean’ has set a suburb record of $18.5m with its pre-auction sale last night, beating crypto king Fred Schebesta’s ‘Coogee Castle’.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three-level five-bedroom clifftop residence at 1A Seaside Parade, that had cost the late Alan Cardy, a former Wallaby and property developer, $320,000 in 1981, had unobstructed views over the Pacific Ocean over Wedding Cake Island to Bondi and out to Malabar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sales agents Alexander Phillips of PPD, in conjunction with Ashley Bierman and Jordan L’Estrange of Ray White Double Bay, had an $18.45m guide for an auction scheduled for tomorrow, but instead they negotiated a deal last night.</p><p><br /></p><p>Built from concrete, steel, stone and glass by Bellevarde Constructions, the interiors were by Alexandra Kidd Design.</p><p><br /></p><p>It came with a heated mosaic-tiled pool, spa, sauna, gym and entertainer’s cabana right on the water’s edge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cardy, who died in 2021 aged 76, had bought the home next door for $230,000 from the ex Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor, Di Yerbury. That sold for $6.7m late last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Both homes were originally offered in one line with a guide of $25m. In the end, they got their money — and more — with the final result of $25.2m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Each level was connected by an internal elevator and the palatial master retreat included a spa bath and en-suiite. There was laos a separate movie theatre room.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other attractions were the large private rooftop with incredible views.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fred Schebesta, the co-founder and CEO of the comparison website, Finder, had been the previous suburb record holder with his 2021 purchase of his Bunya Parade castle for $16.85m.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 42-year-old went from working in a Pizza Hut call centre as a university student to running a business employing 450 staff in 80 countries and now has a net worth of more than $214m.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>GeoComply releases Super Bowl LVIII betting activity figures - 12 Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- GeoComply, a global leader in advanced anti-fraud and geolocation compliance technologies, has announced a 22.3 percent increase in geolocation checks throughout Super Bowl weekend, surpassing last year’s figures. This sustained growth underscores an important shift in the US towards a state-regulated, taxed, and secure betting environment, enabling more Americans to place legal bets on the year’s most anticipated football game. GeoComply analyzed its data across 28 US states*, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico with legal, online sports betting during Super Bowl LVIII weekend.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The continued transition to the legal market set the stage for a historic first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and the record-breaking results we saw did not disappoint. We are proud to help foster the growth of a regulated industry that puts accountability, security and player protection at the forefront,” said Anna Sainsbury, CEO and Co-Founder of GeoComply. “Compliance drives our mission, and with that commitment, we strive to help our customers reliably and responsibly expand the player funnel and boost their businesses. Every year the legal market grows is good news for consumers and states and bad news for illegal offshore sportsbooks that become marginalized.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Additional Key Insights from Super Bowl LVIII Include:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>- Throughout Super Bowl weekend, GeoComply saw a total of 8.5 million active accounts across states where online sports betting is legal. This represents a 15 percent increase over last year’s Super Bowl.</p><p>- During the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, GeoComply saw more than 1.77 million new users sign up for legal online betting accounts.</p><p>- Since the start of the 2023/2024 NFL Season through the Super Bowl GeoComply customers have added more than 13.7 million new accounts, a 28 percent increase from last season.</p><p>- Minutes before kick-off GeoComply saw a massive spike in traffic totaling 14.75 thousand transactions per second (TPS) immediately. This was the highest TPS ever recorded on GeoComply’s systems, nearly doubling the last Super Bowl’s peak.</p><p>- Tale of two Kansas Cities: Chiefs fans on both sides of the Kansas City border want to support their team. GeoComply’s real-time pin drop map from Super Bowl Sunday shows legal activity in Kansas, while just across the street in Missouri they are blocked from betting.</p><p><br /></p><p>GeoComply’s technology is critical for the online sports betting industry. Its platform uses more than 800 data points to accurately confirm that players are located in a state where sports betting is legal before placing a bet. Super Bowl LVIII represents many new growth milestones for the legal online sports betting industry, but it also represents a significant technical achievement that ensures that players have a fantastic experience and regulators have the proper assurances that all bets placed fall within the appropriate state borders.</p><p><br /></p><p>“GeoComply’s technology brings the perfect blend of geolocation precision mixed with a rock-solid player experience,” said Sainsbury. “These two aspects of our platform are critical to the industry’s success as a whole, and we designed the solution to meet these massive spikes in demand without compromising on either of them. Innovation is at the core of our brand, and we will continue to improve on our technology with the expectation that by the next Super Bowl, more states and more players will join the masses.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM and X sign exclusive sports betting partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>9 February 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(PRESS RELEASE) -- BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform’s exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM’s odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM’s website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>“X is the center of the sports world’s conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. “Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform’s interaction around sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM’s latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM’s app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>X CEO Linda Yaccarino said, "Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. </p><p><br /></p><p>We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams."</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM's mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM's already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rio, Rinehart discussed risk of third-party claim to mine venture - Novemeber 3, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Senior Rio Tinto executives and Gina Rinehart discussed the risk that their lucrative iron ore joint venture may attract a royalty claim from another Perth mining dynasty in 2005, a court has heard.</p><p><br /></p><p>But lawyers for Rio Tinto argued on Friday that revelations of the years-old discussions about a potential liability to pay Wright Prospecting mining royalties are not proof they ever considered that the company could claim an ownership stake in the project.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Almost 20 years after Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting struck a deal to mine Hope Downs, descendants of Lang Hancock’s former business partner Peter Wright are now demanding both royalties from the project, and a proprietary claim to the parts of the mine itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>The court heard that Mrs Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman, acknowledged “question marks” over the potential for future royalty claims from other WA mining families as part of discussions with Rio Tinto in the mid-2000s.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, lawyers for Hamersley Iron – the Rio Tinto subsidiary that inked the mining deal with Hancock Prospecting to develop Hope Downs – said discussions of a potential liability to pay royalties didn’t prove the parties considered a separate equitable claim to the project.</p><p><br /></p><p>Grant Donaldson SC described Hamersley and Rio Tinto as an “innocent purchaser” in the mammoth mining deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To make such a finding, the court is required to be convinced Hamersley executed the agreement knowing certain representations given were false, and that’s a serious thing indeed,” Mr Donaldson said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Maximum figure undisclosed</p><p>“When one looks at these documents and the so-called ‘question marks’ related to potential royalty claims … the contention that is put as to knowledge is one of extraordinary vagary.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This discussion, as recorded here, can only have been about royalty.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Australian Financial Review on Thursday revealed that Rio Tinto agreed to assume 50 per cent liability to any future royalty claim in 2005, but insisted it be capped at an undisclosed figure.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mining giant has refused to disclose what the maximum figure it could be liable to pay in royalties should Hancock Prospecting lose the marathon trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawyers for both Wright and Hancock Prospecting have made reference to key elements of Rio Tinto’s liability on any potential claims to riches flowing from the Hope Downs mine throughout the trial.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hancock Prospecting reported the four mines operated by Rio under the Hope Downs joint venture shipped 46.5 million tonnes of iron ore and contributed more than $1.3 billion to Hancock’s $5.04 billion net profit after tax in 2022-23.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mrs Rinehart’s private company is pushing Rio to open new iron ore mines, including the Hope 2 project along with Hope 3, 5 and 6, under their long-standing partnership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The trial was adjourned until mid-November, when lawyers for two of Mrs Rinehart’s children are expected to provide their closing arguments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bianca Rinehart and her sibling John Hancock have claimed they are the rightful owners of the Hope Downs mine because their grandfather Lang Hancock moved it into a trust for them before his death.</p><p><br /></p><p>They claim Mrs Rinehart breached her fiduciary duties by moving the mining tenements out of that trust, and into her control. However, lawyers for Hancock Prospecting say Lang Hancock wrongly placed the Hope Downs asset into that trust in a bid to syphon money out of the business for his own use, and Mrs Rinehart moved to correct his wrongdoings.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussies at the Super Bowl. Just don’t ask about the prices - Feb 12, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium alongside Eddie Maguire and broadcaster Craig Hutchison.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On ordinary days, star spotting in Las Vegas is as easy as scouting fish in a barrel. But the fame-factor was dialled up to 10 at the weekend as Taylor Swift and the world’s glitterati descended on the desert city for the 58th NFL Super Bowl and the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers.</p><p><br /></p><p>And then there were the Aussies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan made the pilgrimage to Allegiant Stadium – capacity 65,000 – along with AFL executives Peta Webster and commercial boss Kylie Rogers. Visit Victoria chairman and former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire was also on the ground, as was sports broadcasting boss Craig Hutchison, on his annual ballpark tour.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Taylor Swift (centre) wearing a corset by Australian designer Dion Lee at Monday’s Super Bowl. AP</p><p><br /></p><p>For McGuire, who still sits on Victoria’s tourism advisory and investment body, it’s more than just a good time. It’s an opportunity to tour the world’s best stadium infrastructure and to get an edge to bring back home at a time when Queensland is preparing for the 2032 Olympics and global competition for sporting events has never been more fierce.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Two years ago NFL wouldn’t let Las Vegas be mentioned on any Super Bowl ads. Now [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell calls Vegas ‘Sports City USA’,” the former Nine chief executive said via text from inside the stadium.</p><p><br /></p><p>“West Coast America is setting the standard that we have to go past [because] the NFL is taking games to stadia as much as countries. Real Madrid stadium the Bernabeu is the template for what we need to be aiming at … not painting seats at the Gabba.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Others sports bosses to make the schlep to Nevada for the Monday AEDT game included Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson and prominent Melbourne defamation lawyer Justin Quill, who turned out at Allegiant dressed in his Priscilla-in-the-Desert best – a plush pink bomber jacket. When in Vegas.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Not that any eyes were on the Aussie contingent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inside the stadium, galaxy-level megastar Taylor Swift emerged as the twin attraction as the 14-time Grammy winner who lands in Australia this week for the local leg of her 151-show Eras Tour cheered on Kansas Chiefs tight-end and boyfriend Travis Kelce.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting in a box alongside US rapper Ice Spice and Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, the star was dressed in Australian designer Dion Lee and brought the crowd to a roar as she skulled a beer, and slammed the plastic cup down in triumph.</p><p><br /></p><p>After the Chiefs defeated the 49ers by just three points in a nailbiting overtime, Swift and Kelce again dominated broadcast feeds on the pitch as the pair packed on the PDA in the latest instalment of the hyper-public romance.</p><p><br /></p><p>For Four Pillars Gin founder Stuart Gregor, who sold his spirits business to beverage giant Lion in 2023 and also hit up this year’s Super Bowl, the star-spotting mother lode came the night before the game.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday, inside chef Evan Funke’s Roman-inspired eatery Mother Wolf, he scored the trifecta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“Beyoncé and Jay Z walked straight past us and Queen Latifah sat behind us. It’s Vegas – so it’s crazy,” the PR veteran told The Australian Financial Review.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just don’t ask about the prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Only complaint, the beers are 750ml …. and $US20 plus tip.”</p><p><br /></p><p>At the current exchange rate with a 15 per cent tip, that’s almost $40 per drink. An expensive sherbet.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Cody Rhodes to appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" at Elimination Chamber - Feb 14, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins and 2024 Royal Rumble Winner Cody Rhodes will appear on "The Grayson Waller Effect" live at WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rollins and Rhodes forged a partnership after the WrestleMania XL Kickoff event that saw The Rock slap The American Nightmare, setting off a chaotic few moments. On the following episode of Monday Night Raw, The Visionary offered his services to Rhodes, which seem to have been accepted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The moment will also be a homecoming for Grayson Waller, as he hosts his signature show in his home continent of Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Be sure to tune in to WWE Elimination Chamber live from the Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, streaming LIVE at 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else to see this unforgettable edition of "The Grayson Waller Effect."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Black Rifle Coffee Company kicks off UFC marketing partnership - Feb 14, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>As the Official Coffee of UFC, the veteran-owned coffee chain will have branding at the mixed martial arts organisation’s US competitions, as well as on its digital content and social media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Veteran-owned coffee chain Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) has signed a multi-year marketing partnership to become the Official Coffee of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the US. </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership includes ‘high-visibility’ on-site BRCC branding at all UFC mixed martial arts events in the US, as well as the coffee chain’s logo on live broadcasts and digital promotion materials. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Founded in 1993, UFC organises more than 40 live tournaments annually and broadcasts to over 900 million households globally. The organisation has eight US events lined up across the next three months. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The sponsorship will also see the two brands collaborate on content for UFC’s digital and social media channels, which reach 259 million users globally. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“We are immensely proud and excited to announce our partnership with UFC. UFC has revolutionised the landscape of competitive sports, and our collaboration aims to invigorate fans, fostering the creation of unforgettable experiences and lasting memories,” said Mat Best, Co-Founder, BRCC. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2014, BRCC actively promotes support for veterans, law enforcement and first responders across its retail, wholesale and e-commerce channels. The coffee chain and roaster operated 17 stores across the US at the end of its 2023 third quarter and is forecasting full-year sales of around $440m. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>10.24.2023</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC® AND ANHEUSER-BUSCH ANNOUNCE MULTIYEAR PARTNERSHIP</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Bud Light Returns as the Official Beer of UFC in the U.S.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Partnership Extends Worldwide as AB InBev Becomes “Official Global Beer Partner of UFC”</b></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS and NEW YORK – October 24, 2023 – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization and part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), together with Anheuser-Busch, one of America’s most iconic companies and the undisputed leader of the U.S. beer industry, today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership. Effective January 1, 2024, the brewer will become the exclusive “Official Beer Partner of UFC.” With this sponsorship, in the U.S., Bud Light will bring easy enjoyment to 21+ fans with 360-degree programming, including custom social and digital content, broadcast integration, on-site presence, and more. </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC CEO Dana White said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light were UFC’s original beer sponsors more than fifteen years ago. I’m proud to announce we are back in business together. There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for. I’m looking forward to all of the incredible things we will do in the years ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Brendan Whitworth, CEO, Anheuser-Busch, said, “Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light have always been on the cutting edge of iconic sporting moments that fans remember forever, and reuniting with UFC is a continuation of this industry leading legacy. As one of the largest and longest standing sport sponsors, we are excited to work with UFC to celebrate our passionate fans while always making a positive impact in communities across America.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, said, “As leaders of our category, we are focused on new opportunities to connect with consumers in new occasions. UFC has become an undeniable force in the sports industry, and that’s why we’re so excited to partner with them and continue to amplify this sport around the world. We will be creating new and exciting brand experiences for UFC fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>BRANDED INTEGRATIONS AND ENTITLEMENTS</p><p><br /></p><p>AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer and global parent company of Anheuser-Busch, will be UFC’s Official Global Beer Partner and will receive a deep level of integration into key UFC assets, ranging from live events, including broadcast features and in-arena promotion, to original content distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels. Through UFC’s far-reaching global footprint, AB InBev will have meaningful brand visibility before more than 700 million fans in 170 countries, as well as an estimated 900 million TV households that receive UFC’s broadcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the more notable integrations, in the U.S. Bud Light will receive prominent branding inside the most recognizable setting in all of sports, the world-famous Octagon®, at every UFC event including all Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, DANA WHITE’S CONTENDER SERIES, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER reality series, and ROAD TO UFC, a win-and-advance tournament for Asia’s top MMA prospects.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bud Light will also be integrated into custom broadcast features in all U.S. UFC Pay-Per-Views, with their popular “Easy to Enjoy” and “Easy to Celebrate” fan campaigns highlighted in the segments.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition, UFC and Bud Light will collaborate on original content that will be distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels, which reach more than 243 million users worldwide. Bud Light will also have a highly visible presence at popular UFC fight week activities, including press conferences and weigh-ins, that help build anticipation for the main events.</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership will be truly global for UFC fans all across the world. In international markets, Budweiser and select local AB InBev brands will activate the sponsorship across events and marketing. </p><p><br /></p><p>To learn more about Bud Light’s partnership with the UFC, follow Bud Light on Facebook at Facebook.com/BudLight, on Twitter at @BudLight, and on Instagram at @BudLight. </p><p><br /></p><p>About UFC®</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 243 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Anheuser-Busch</p><p><br /></p><p>At Anheuser-Busch, our purpose is to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, dream big to move our industry forward, and make a meaningful impact in the world. We hope to build a future that everyone can celebrate, and everyone can share. For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most loved beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, and Michelob ULTRA, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>About AB InBev</p><p><br /></p><p>Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB) and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). As a company, we dream big to create a future with more cheers. We are always looking to serve up new ways to meet life’s moments, move our industry forward and make a meaningful impact in the world. We are committed to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Hoegaarden®, Leffe® and Michelob ULTRA®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600 years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 167,000 colleagues based in nearly 50 countries worldwide. For 2022, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 57.8 billion USD (excluding JVs and associates).</p><p><br /></p><p><b>AI mentions rise in S&P 500 earnings calls, Goldman says - Feb 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The number of S&P 500 companies discussing artificial intelligence has climbed to a new high in fourth-quarter conference calls, Goldman Sachs strategists said, in the latest sign AI is a focal point for markets and corporate America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The proportion of S&P 500 companies mentioning "AI" rose to 36%, up from 31% in the third quarter, Goldman strategists said in a research note published late Wednesday, at which point they said 360 companies representing 80% of the index's market cap had reported results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Information technology stayed the sector with the most companies discussing AI, while energy had the largest increase in companies discussing the technology, according to the strategists led by David Kostin.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Several companies discussed the strong demand for their AI product offerings and services," Goldman said in the note. "Many companies have also sought to weave AI into existing product offerings to improve the end-user's experience and drive further demand."</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies also noted that spending on capital expenditures and research and development "will likely rise in the near term as they ramp up AI investments," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Goldman report is in line with a Reuters analysis earlier in the fourth-quarter reporting season that found AI mentions picking up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Such management enthusiasm has been reflected in stock performance as well, according to Goldman.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Goldman stock basket of companies pursuing or enabling AI technology outperformed the equal-weight S&P 500 by 19 percentage points year-to-date as of Wednesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of IBM rose to a more than 10-year high late last month after the company gave a better-than-expected revenue outlook backed by strong demand for its AI service.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chipmaker Nvidia, which has been at the center of the frenzy over AI, has seen its shares soar nearly 50% this year after more than tripling in 2023, becoming the third largest U.S. company by market value, surpassing Amazon and Alphabet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nvidia's quarterly results this coming Wednesday "will be closely watched as a barometer of AI momentum," Goldman said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Cryptocurrency News - Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All eyes are on the strongest Cryptos</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Market picture</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto market continues to rise, adding 2.3% to the level of 24 hours ago. Bitcoin's capitalisation has surpassed 1 trillion, and its share of all coins is estimated at 52.5% by CoinMarketCap. The increase in share is due to USDT and the relative stagnation of the share of other cryptocurrencies outside the top five.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin's price has surpassed $52.2K, the highest level since the end of 2021. Buyers in the first cryptocurrency are so strong that we don't even see a prolonged consolidation. This dynamic reinforces our view that the next meaningful shakeout may not come before the approach of 60K, where there were several inflexion points in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum is updating highs, but this is the highest level since July 2022. Solana has been at highs since late December last year, Cardano has only recovered to levels from 13 January, and XRP has been at its highest since 22 January. Clearly, the bigger the coin now, the more attention it gets.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p>According to BitMEX data, daily inflows into bitcoin ETFs approached record levels on their first day of trading after the launch. BlackRock's fund is showing strong momentum, and experts are optimistic about Wall Street's acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anthony Scaramucci, a founder of SkyBridge Capital, urged to have no doubts and buy BTC at current levels. According to him, we are in for a great bull rally.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CoinGecko, the Bitcoin blockchain took the top spot for NFT trading volume in December, accounting for 42.1% of all trading activity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forbes included three crypto firms in its list of the top 50 fintech companies: Chainalysis, Fireblocks and Gauntlet.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the last three months of 2023, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued 450 warnings to cryptocurrency firms for illegally advertising their products.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Super Bowl, Politics and Truth Telling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>RFK Jr apologises to family over Super Bowl ad</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Robert F Kennedy Jr has apologised to relatives over a Super Bowl advert created by a group supporting his presidential bid, which mirrored one broadcast by his uncle John F Kennedy's campaign in 1960.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist, is running for president as an independent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad aired just before the Super Bowl halftime on Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It included images of Robert F Kennedy Jr spliced into the original 1960 ad.</p><p><br /></p><p>A jaunty jingle that repeated the Kennedy surname 15 times in 30 seconds also accompanied it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad was made by American Values 2024 political action committee, a Super Pac.</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Pacs are organisations that collect campaign contributions and donate them to political campaigns. They are allowed to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in support of political candidates, but cannot co-ordinate with campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl spot cost $7m, according to American Values 2024 co-founder Tony Lyons. One donor to American Values 2024 Pac, Tim Mellon, has given the group $15m. Mr Mellon is also a major donor to Pacs supporting Mr Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of Mr Kennedy's cousins criticised the advert and the candidate's anti-vaccine activism.</p><p><br /></p><p>"My cousin's Super Bowl ad used our uncle's faces - and my Mother's. She would be appalled by his deadly health care views," Bobby Shriver, the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister, wrote in a post on X. "Respect for science, vaccines, & health care equity were in her DNA."</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, RFK Jr posted: "I'm so sorry if the Super Bowl advertisement caused anyone in my family pain. The ad was created and aired by the American Values Super PAC without any involvement or approval from my campaign. FEC rules prohibit Super PACs from consulting with me or my staff. I love you all. God bless you."</p><p><br /></p><p>However, the advert remained pinned to the top of the candidate's X feed on Monday morning. Campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear told CBS News that the RFK Jr campaign was "pleasantly surprised and grateful to the American Values Pac for running an ad during the Super Bowl".</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Smart and educational ad. Decide your own truth says ex journalist. Trust in self, nature, higher power not big pharma, which is one of the corrupt and least trusted business sectors in the world. If the world "needs" political systems at least there's still good people in the mix.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling Still Captures Fans Imagination</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Stands Out In Saturated Market </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tends To Be More Geared Towards "Hardcore" Audiences</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Storylines, Storytelling Has Picked Up Says Media Vet With Background In Optus Television Combat Sports PPV Sales And Marketing, Main Event TV Connection</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon "Mox" Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli tag team matches via CMLL </p><p>@CMLL_OFICIAL</p><p> luchadores and others are impressive. </p><p><br /></p><p>Clash of styles makes interesting and unique match ups.</p><p><br /></p><p>Physical style sees Mox and CC get some dings and abrasions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inter-Promotional match ups have appeal in US, Canada,. Mexico, Europe, Australia and beyond.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW commentator Nigel McGuiness brings out the inner heel in all of us!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW focusing in on strengths and giving their audience what they want - at least most of the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stardom Japanese Promotion Management Shake-up/Top Brass Departure Appears To Serve AEW Collaboration Well.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW on track with fully expected announcements of Okada and Mine (FKA S. Banks)</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Osprey will be seen in an AEW more frequently; Permitted to still compete in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gritty and fantastic promos by Mox, CSRO and Eddie Kingston well received by seasoned fans and media; Shades of Pulp Fiction, Sin City, Tarantino and Frank Miller. Stay the course and ramp up darkish overtones says Media. Garcia authentic genuine real life type promos, interviews impressive.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keep utilising AEW's biggest earner Chris Jericho in best ways possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jay White remains major player and extremely entertaining.</p><p><br /></p><p>QT Marshall returns! Office! </p><p><br /></p><p>FTR still may be the greatest pro wrestling tag team on the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Top Brass TK Keeping Watch On Streaming Deal Space, "Exciting"! </p><p><br /></p><p>Fans looking forward to more Samoa Joe and Hook developments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swerve Strickland has World Champion Vibe 'N Confidence. Fans, media keen to see SS make history in AEW! </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe still walks away from dives and leaps; No BS style welcome in pro wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>World Class Pro Wrestling Action And Drama. Highlights, moments and more via the official AEW YouTube Channel</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-62668616278674053522024-02-12T12:05:00.003+11:002024-02-12T12:05:54.190+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Online News, Pop Culture and Sports Streaming<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.twitter.com/mediamanint" target="_blank">Media Man Int X</a></b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/mediamanint" target="_blank">Media Man Int YouTube</a></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Online News, Pop Culture and Sports Streaming</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEiLq7uHbSpePqkGix59YbGwyQScaxCMrhpv3vXU1YBjPzsFeZm38DPv3fiCRO68w7KTp_sEeV1q2-PhtyVywvKFLAyZac9eRWmMp93LqVPzojgfRpemXieIsQkeQgZsadLa4EcTBpLAFKxVT7_PcCwQnYo363oILX6iCpfniA_7LocZmEB6tgAUoMgk/s299/blogging_bloggers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEiLq7uHbSpePqkGix59YbGwyQScaxCMrhpv3vXU1YBjPzsFeZm38DPv3fiCRO68w7KTp_sEeV1q2-PhtyVywvKFLAyZac9eRWmMp93LqVPzojgfRpemXieIsQkeQgZsadLa4EcTBpLAFKxVT7_PcCwQnYo363oILX6iCpfniA_7LocZmEB6tgAUoMgk/s1600/blogging_bloggers.jpg" width="299" /></a></b></div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VxVtgSnDAonrxtm13_s24vRGEKbVTe0Zo1nYj_N0T6bZhY_FFToxiu3jysM6gPYoUtkVCjxW3V9TvOPhJDiEfDqwefVKwUuHJ7Aq247JdxTy3LTiYS5EndxkyUGlCR3Ynm65ZUyIaE3ns-JX3bgE5vHi6b4XQAXomUQ_Sa6JnetK8swtEnqLsgrCL94/s225/blogger_gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VxVtgSnDAonrxtm13_s24vRGEKbVTe0Zo1nYj_N0T6bZhY_FFToxiu3jysM6gPYoUtkVCjxW3V9TvOPhJDiEfDqwefVKwUuHJ7Aq247JdxTy3LTiYS5EndxkyUGlCR3Ynm65ZUyIaE3ns-JX3bgE5vHi6b4XQAXomUQ_Sa6JnetK8swtEnqLsgrCL94/s1600/blogger_gold.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News Media, Super Bowl, Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b>Big Tech</b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b>Sports</b></p><p><b>Search Engines</b></p><p><b>Digital News</b></p><p><b>Online News</b></p><p><b>AI News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Super Bowl Advertisers Poised to Play Things Safe, Fearing Social-Media Backlash - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Dozens of advertisers will flock to Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday, ready to pay out a small fortune to CBS in a bid to grab some attention. But they won’t crave as much of that valuable recognition as they might have just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl has long offered Madison Avenue an arena where risk taking is welcome. In 2015, for example, Nationwide ran a commercial during Super Bowl XLIX that told a story from the viewpoint of a child who was already dead, while the portable-power company Mophie offered a spot showing God letting the Earth tilt into apocalypse because his smartphone battery was dead. Neither ad won hearts and minds that night, but the marketers felt they had permission to try and spark conversation.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2024, chatter is exactly what Madison Avenue fears most.</p><p><br /></p><p>While some commercials that run in CBS’ Feb. 11 broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII may shock or surprise, most will aim to comfort or amuse, as marketers pull back on pushing the envelope. The bulk of the 70-or-so Super Bowl commercials that run will rely heavily on celebrities such as Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Jason Momoa or LL Cool J. Few of them will expand beyond the usual 30-second or 60-second running time, according to two people familiar with the matter — a change from recent years when the Big Game featured commercials 90 seconds or even two minutes in length to encompass big concepts and cameos, such as Bruce Springsteen appearing in an ad for Jeep. And some may tap into consumers’ collective memories for such things as Budweiser’s famous Clydesdale horses or the Coors Light Chill Train.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Life generally is more difficult for consumers. They are more constrained,” Michelle Deignan, vice president of U.S. Oreo operations, part of Mondelez International, tells Variety in an interview. Oreo is returning to the Big Game for the first time in years and will rely on a commercial that features a cameo appearance by Kris Jenner and a humorous look at how people used the twist of an Oreo cookie to make big history-making decisions. “I think you’ll see those brands that lean into nostalgia, humor, emotion at the Super Bowl … those brands will resonate with the consumer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s true, the average consumer has in recent years been beset by existential issues ranging from the fate of the planet to a global pandemic and a roiling global economy. The average viewer may simply want some relief. But the Super Bowl audience also has unprecedented access to react negatively to commercials in ways advertisers in the past never contemplated. Those remarks, tossed out on social media and amplified by others, can prove extremely harmful to big brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Advertisers are very aware that things can go wrong at the Super Bowl,” says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, who has studied Super Bowl commercials with his students for years. Thanks to social media, he says, marketers realize that any ad can “manage to annoy people or cause backlash. Nobody wants to put their career on the line with a certain piece of Super Bowl footage. There is a huge incentive to be cautious.”</p><p><br /></p><p>No one knows that better than the advertiser that has been the Super Bowl’s most stalwart sponsor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anheuser-Busch InBev has spent months grappling with the aftermath of a well-intentioned marketing boost for Bud Light that had unintended results. The company in the first quarter of last year sent personalized cans of Bud Light to various influencers, including Dylan Mulvaney, a TikTok star and transgender advocate. The move was part of a bid to bring new, young consumers to Bud Light and broaden the brew’s customer base. But it was seized upon by right-wing media, which spurred boycotts, diminished sales and a decision to put on leave two marketing executives who oversaw the effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year’s Super Bowl ad from Bud Light’s sibling, Budweiser, depicts a scenario in which the Clydesdale horses help bring beer to a bar in a storm that has knocked out power — a return to how things worked in the past. The song that plays in the background? The rustic Band tune “The Weight.” Anheuser-Busch no doubt hopes the whole thing takes a load off.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There is so much that is going on. We are stimulated all the time, and going back to basics and delivering things the old-school way is really something that consumers are looking for,” says Kristina Punwani, the executive who heads up marketing for Budweiser in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s less interest in challenging the Super Bowl audience with a surprise or talk of politics because the cost of getting into the game has skyrocketed in recent years. Paramount Global has sought between $6.5 million and more than $7 million for a package that includes a 30-second ad on CBS, and ad time on simulcast via Nickelodeon and the Paramount+ streaming service.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The investment is so high, and the attention is so great that you have to be a very brave marketer to take a big creative risk on the Super Bowl today,” says Calkins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wariness of outraged consumers with itchy, clicking fingers isn’t the only factor behind the tilt toward more tepid Super Bowl advertising. Several players who typically like to stir things up are missing from this year’s lineup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Barring last-minute changes, automakers Stellantis and General Motors are not likely to show up in the Big Game — according to two people familiar with the matter — crimped, perhaps, by last year’s autoworkers strike. In recent years, GM has sparked attention for commercials that use Will Ferrell, the cast of “Austin Powers” or members of the HBO series “The Sopranos” to tout electric vehicles. Last year, General Motors even ran a commercial with Netflix that spotlighted both its EVs as well as Netflix series — an unusual maneuver. Stellantis, meanwhile, has captured notice with extra-long ads that have featured Bob Dylan and Clint Eastwood, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also diminished is the presence of first-time Super Bowl advertisers who might cause trouble. TV networks have in recent years seen an influx of upstart marketers and digital players buying an ad in a big TV property for the first time. The ranks of these inexperienced frosh have included 84 Lumber, which ran a spot in 2017 that played off the difficult lives of immigrants coming to the United States over its southern border.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the rookies in this year’s Super Bowl ad game have lots of experience. They include Popeyes, the veteran chicken chain; the chocolatier Lindt; Nestle’s Drumstick ice cream treats; and Ferrara Candy Co., the makers of Nerds. Food and consumer-goods companies are known for their intense marketing discipline and desire to avoid upsetting audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>At least two advocacy organizations will appear in Sunday’s Super Bowl to discuss sensitive issues. He Gets Us, a religious organization that aims to spark new connections with Christianity, will run two ads. And The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, an advocacy group backed by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, will run a 30-second spot that urges people to stand up against prejudice and hate toward Jews. But no political campaigns have purchased national ad time, according to two people familiar with the situation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many of this year’s Super Bowl ads will get people talking or laughing. But that’s it. Some of the event’s dazzle may be gone, at least for now. “Overall, there will be good advertising,” says Calkins, but “I doubt we will be blown away.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Money Behind Super Bowl LVIII: 19 Numbers You Need To Know</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The big game means huge dollars, from Patrick Mahomes’ million-dollar incentive to the team owners’ combined net worth of $30 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>hen the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will be less than a mile away—some are even walking distance—which helps explain why this Sunday’s action is expected to demolish sports betting records.</p><p><br /></p><p>The American Gaming Association forecasts that 68 million American adults will gamble on the matchup (even if that comes in the form of an informal Super Bowl squares pool with friends, rather than a wager at a sportsbook). That figure represents a rise of 35% from 2023, and the increase in the betting volume is even steeper, up an expected 44% year over year to an astounding $23.1 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News Corp profits rise, Foxtel sheds customers - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Advertising revenues and economic pressures bit News Corp Australia and Foxtel Group in the second quarter despite a rise in global revenues and profits driven by its Dow Jones and Real Estate Australia businesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company revealed on Thursday that revenues at the Murdoch family-controlled business rose by 3 per cent to $US2.59 billion ($3.97 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 16 per cent to $US473 million due to higher revenues, lower costs in its book publishing business and a 5 per cent reduction in the company’s headcount.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel’s total paying subscribers fell by 6 per cent across the quarter to 4.32 million ahead of the launch of its new streaming aggregation product Hubbl later this month. Compared to the same time last year, subscriber numbers were flat. Across a single quarter, it is Foxtel’s largest drop in paying customers since introducing its streaming services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Almost 250,000 Kayo customers cancelled or paused subscriptions across the quarter, which it put down to a “more difficult summer sports season” alongside inflationary pressures, with traffic on its news titles also down, due to what company chief executive Robert Thomson called “algorithmic aberrations” across major platforms – a trend experienced by most news websites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Total paying Kayo subscribers as of December 31 were 1.17 million, compared to 1.4 million in the September quarter. Paying Binge subscribers rose marginally to 1.47 million, alongside another dip in Foxtel broadcast customers, which follows previous trends.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thomson said crucial content negotiations are under way with artificial intelligence providers, while renegotiations for content deals with digital platforms at “advanced stages”. “We are not naive on possible impacts of AI on journalism,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>While Thomson was confident about the prospects of “wooing, not suing” companies such as OpenAI, which is facing litigation from The New York Times, he asserted that those repurposing News Corp content without approval are stealing and “undermining creativity”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenues for the segment were up by 2 per cent, with Foxtel Group revenues of $US470 million for the quarter now representing 29 per cent of total circulation and subscription revenues for the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Segment EBITDA for the quarter decreased by $US13 million – or 14 per cent – compared with the year prior, which it said was due to higher sports broadcasting costs, particularly for the AFL and NRL, alongside $10 million in costs relating to the launch of Hubbl.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an address to investors, Thomson said the company’s “e-revolution” was advancing in tough conditions, with digital subscriptions accounting for 52 per cent of total revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also paid tribute to News Corp’s “three core pillars” – Dow Jones, book publishing and digital real estate services for the quarter of growth.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following a drop in the first quarter for the year, News Corp’s Australian mastheads, which include The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, added 3000 paying subscribers, growing to 940,000. Segment EBITDA was down 12 per cent compared to the year prior.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenues at News Corp Australia again decreased, by 6 per cent across the quarter due to lower advertising revenues. Revenues across the quarter for the news media division were down $US16 million, with total increases in subscription revenue not enough to offset total losses through advertising revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Real Estate Australia helped the company’s digital real estate division grow profits by 15 per cent to $US147 million, with listings in Melbourne (24 per cent) and Sydney (22 per cent) both up significantly.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bankers, lawyers and tech workers most likely to be in AI firing line - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A new generation of artificial intelligence is poised to turn old assumptions about technology on their head.</p><p><br /></p><p>For years, people working in warehouses or fast-food restaurants worried that automation could eliminate their jobs. But new research suggests that generative AI – the kind used in chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT – will have its biggest impact on white-collar workers with high-paying jobs in industries such as banking and tech.</p><p><br /></p><p>A report published Thursday by the Burning Glass Institute, a nonprofit research centre, and SHRM (formerly the Society for Human Resource Management), stops short of saying the technology will do away with large numbers of jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it makes clear that workers need to better prepare for a future in which AI could play a significant role in many workplaces that until now have been largely untouched by technological disruption.</p><p><br /></p><p>For people in tech, it means they may be building their AI replacements.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There’s no question the workers who will be impacted most are those with college degrees, and those are the people who always thought they were safe,” said Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corporations and governments are going to have to seriously invest to get ahead of this.</p><p><br /></p><p>SHRM chief executive Johnny C. Taylor Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>For hundreds of corporations, the researchers estimated the share of payroll spending that goes to workers employed in the 200 occupations most likely to be affected by generative AI. Many of those jobs are held by affluent college graduates, including business analysts, marketing managers, software developers, database administrators, project managers and lawyers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies in finance, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, have some of the highest percentages of their payrolls likely to be disrupted by generative AI. Not far behind are tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Meta.</p><p><br /></p><p>Getting AI to do human work could result in big savings for those companies. The research estimates that banks and some tech companies spend 60 to 80 per cent of their payrolls, or more, on workers in occupations most likely to be affected by the new technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>The retail, restaurant and transportation industries are least likely to be affected by generative AI, the report found. Companies like Walmart, McDonald’s and Delta Air Lines mostly employ workers without college degrees who perform roles like helping customers, stocking shelves, cooking food and handling baggage. They spend less than 20 per cent of their payrolls on employees in occupations most likely to be affected by generative AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report doesn’t predict potential job losses related to generative AI. That will be up to employers, the report said, and whether they want to bank the savings from AI automation or use that money to invest and grow, adding more workers. Most experts expect that AI will mostly change jobs for the next few years rather than eliminate them – though that could change if the technology improves sharply.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report highlights the need for increased training to prepare workers to adapt to a fast-arriving technology, SHRM chief executive Johnny C. Taylor Jr. said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Corporations and governments are going to have to seriously invest to get ahead of this,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report is the latest entry in a growing field of work trying to predict the effect of generative AI on the economy and the workplace. Other studies have forecast a surge in economic growth and productivity, automating activities that add up to the equivalent of millions of jobs, and time savings of up to 50 per cent for routine office and coding tasks.</p><p><br /></p><p>In its research, the Burning Glass Institute started with the estimates of generative AI exposure by occupation in a widely cited academic paper that was published last year. It then added its own data sets – including job listings, payroll information, government statistics and corporate disclosures – for the company-by-company calculations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SHRM report includes a ranking of selected companies. The Burning Glass Institute did the percentage estimates of the payroll spending by company for The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manav Raj, a co-author of the academic paper that the Burning Glass Institute relied on, said the new research appeared to be a credible effort to parse company-level data. But at this stage, he said, all the studies are educated guesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The many papers out there generally conclude that this wave of AI has the potential to have a very large effect,” said Raj, an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “But it’s going to take some time to find out what that effect really looks like.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock ETF’s Bitcoin Holdings Exceed $3 Billion; Interest Swells for Pepe Challenger</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The recent revelation that BlackRock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has surpassed $3 billion in Bitcoin holdings has stirred significant interest. As investors seek out the best cryptocurrency investments and explore top crypto coins, attention is increasingly turning to alternative options such as Rebel Satoshi, a rising challenger in the crypto space.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock’s Bitcoin Expansion Sets the Stage</b></p><p>BlackRock, a titan in the asset management industry, has made waves with its expansion into Bitcoin through its ETF, IBIT. In just two days, IBIT’s reserve holdings surged from 63,488.22 bitcoins to an impressive 70,005.56 bitcoins, now valued at over $3 billion. This development underscores the growing acceptance and integration of cryptocurrencies within traditional financial portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the midst of BlackRock’s milestone, investors are actively seeking out what crypto to buy and uncovering promising altcoins to diversify their portfolios. Amid this quest, Rebel Satoshi has garnered attention as a potential game-changer in the crypto landscape.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rebel Satoshi: A Rising Star</p><p>With rounds like Rebels Round 1, Warriors Round 2, and Citizens Round 3 selling out within days, the excitement around Rebel Satoshi is palpable. As the Monarchs Round 4 progresses, investors are eyeing the upcoming Recusants Round 5, which promises to be the final chance to secure a stake in this innovative project.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seize the Moment with Rebel Satoshi</p><p>With only 25 million $RBLZ tokens remaining for this round, the Rebel Satoshi ($RBLZ) presale presents a compelling opportunity for investors. As discussions with tier 1 centralized exchanges (CEX) advance, the project aims to enhance accessibility and liquidity for investors, further increasing its appeal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Why Rebel Satoshi Stands Out</p><p>Rebel Satoshi’s foundation on the Ethereum network ensures robust security and reliability, making it a standout option for investors seeking the best crypto investments. With the community actively involved in shaping the project’s future, Rebel Satoshi offers a unique opportunity to participate in the evolution of decentralized finance.</p><p><br /></p><p>As the presale nears its conclusion, investors are encouraged to act swiftly to secure their stake in Rebel Satoshi ($RBLZ). With the claim process and vesting schedule set to be released, excitement continues to build around the project’s launch and its potential for growth and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Embrace the Future with Rebel Satoshi</p><p>In conclusion, as BlackRock’s Bitcoin holdings soar, and interest in cryptocurrency investments reaches new heights, Rebel Satoshi emerges as a promising contender in the crypto space. With its innovative approach and strong community support, Rebel Satoshi remains one of the best cryptocurrency investments to consider at this moment in time.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google E-E-A-T: Should We Search For Other Articles With High Backlink Profiles?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>When Google says human first, does that mean we should search for other articles with high backlink profiles rather than keyword research when trying to find a topic to discuss?</p><p><br /></p><p>Google has told us we must provide content that exudes experience, expertise, authority, and trust – commonly referred to as E-E-A-T – if we want to rank well.</p><p><br /></p><p>But how do you know if your content has E-E-A-T?</p><p><br /></p><p>How do you even know what to write about?</p><p><br /></p><p>Let’s dive in and answer these questions.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Is E-E-A-T?</p><p>So, let’s talk about E-E-A-T – how can we make our content exude experience, expertise, authority, and trust?</p><p><br /></p><p>These are the four things Google cares about regarding the content on your page and how it affects rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wants to ensure that the sites it shows in its search results are legit and trustworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, it looks at things like the experience of the content creators.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do they have a background in the field they’re writing about? Have they worked in the industry? This stuff matters to Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google cares about expertise. It wants to see the people behind a site know their stuff. It wants to see evidence that the content is accurate and reliable.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Expertise can be anything from formal education to real-world experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authority is a big deal for Google. It wants to see that a site is respected and trusted by others in the industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>We can demonstrate authority through awards, citations, or positive reviews from other experts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, trust is a huge factor for Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wants to be sure that the information it is showing its users is legit and not shady. It looks at the transparency of the content, how accurate it is, and whether the site has a good reputation for being honest.</p><p><br /></p><p>All this stuff might sound common sense, but Google takes it seriously. It has a whole set of guidelines for its raters to follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>So if you’re trying to rank your site, check out these guidelines and make sure your site meets the E-E-A-T criteria.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Are Backlinks A Good Way To Measure A Site’s E-E-A-T?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO pros traditionally view links as an essential metric for determining a site’s relevance and rank-worthiness.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, relying solely on backlinks to measure a site’s E-E-A-T is not necessarily a viable strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is crucial to understand that not all backlinks are created equal, and some can even be detrimental to a site’s ranking if they come from low-quality sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines like Google have evolved to focus more on the quality and relevance of a website’s content and reputation than the number of backlinks it has.</p><p><br /></p><p>A site that ranks well because of high-quality content and a positive reputation is more likely to provide value to its users than one that relies solely on backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Overemphasizing backlinks can lead to unethical practices such as link farming and purchasing backlinks. These practices can result in search engines penalizing a site, causing it to lose its ranking and reputation.</p><p><br /></p><p>So when Google says “human first,” it doesn’t mean looking for the site with the most backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Read the latest Google Quality Raters Guide and understand what Google is looking for in your site’s content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look at the content on the sites that are ranking and ensure your content is clearer and exudes E-E-A-T better than your keyword competitors.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we dive into the “Human First” ethos, it emerges as an encompassing vision of delivering exceptional user experiences through valuable, pertinent, and engaging content that conveys expertise, authority, trust, and transparency.</p><p><br /></p><p>This shift in focus underscores an important reality: our messages are meant for humans, not algorithms. We must solve problems, answer queries, and engage in genuine dialogue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Does this shift indicate we should focus on articles with high backlink profiles? Backlinks are, undeniably, a significant cog in the SEO machinery.</p><p><br /></p><p>They signify the perceived authority of a website, suggesting that the content is worth its salt in the sea of information on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>But should keyword research take a backseat in this scenario? Not in the slightest.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword research is a compass that guides us toward our audience’s needs, queries, and search patterns. It’s a critical tool in our arsenal that helps us understand user intent and deliver content that aligns with it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reality is that these two strategies aren’t rivals. They are allies in our quest for an all-encompassing SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Consider this: you unearth an article with a high backlink profile, and you’re tempted to create a similar piece.</p><p><br /></p><p>But without keyword research, how would you know if your audience is actively searching for this information?</p><p><br /></p><p>Conversely, finding a golden keyword is only half the battle; If your content doesn’t provide value, you’re unlikely to garner the backlinks that signal quality to Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s also important to understand that your backlink analysis tool does not know what Google knows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sites that engage in large-scale link-buying schemes will seem to have a significant backlink profile on your tool.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google may be discounting the majority of the purchased links.</p><p><br /></p><p>You need to analyze the sites with large amounts of backlinks. They could just be doing a poor job of link-building.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s “Human First” approach calls for a harmonious blend of both practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s about crafting content that satisfies user intent (highlighted by keyword research) and ensuring it’s valuable and worthy of being linked to (as indicated by a high backlink profile).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the grand scheme, Google’s “Human First” philosophy isn’t asking us to abandon tried and tested SEO practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, it nudges us to remember why we employ these strategies in the first place – to serve the human user.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this light, the mastery of both backlink profile analysis and keyword research becomes an indispensable part of an effective, human-first SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>In summary, while backlinks remain essential to SEO, they should not be the sole metric for determining a site’s experience, expertise, and trustworthiness.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, SEO pros should focus on building a solid brand reputation through high-quality content and ethical marketing practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>By prioritizing these factors, businesses can achieve sustained success and build a loyal user base that trusts and values their offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Boost your SEO with the magic of internal linking</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Unlocking the secret power of your website might be easier than you think, and it all comes down to the art of internal linking. By cleverly linking one page of your site to another, you’re not just guiding visitors around, you’re also sending signals to search engines about the structure and importance of your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many overlook the potency of internal links, focusing instead on the allure of external backlinks. However, internal linking is a crucial, if not more critical, aspect of SEO. It’s about creating a network within your website that boosts your pages in search engine rankings, making your site more visible and accessible. Let’s dive into how internal links can transform your website’s performance, making it a powerhouse in the digital realm.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Imagine you’re navigating a city with a complex network of roads. In this scenario, internal links are the signposts guiding you seamlessly from one destination to another within your website. They’re pathways enabling visitors and search engines alike to discover and understand the wealth of content that resides on your site.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>By implementing strategic internal linking, you’re not just improving the user experience but also reinforcing your site’s SEO framework. This effective arrangement allows search engines to crawl and index pages more efficiently, directly impacting your site’s visibility and performance in search results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How to build your internal linking strategy</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Here’s a simplified breakdown of the benefits associated with optimized internal linking:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Navigation: Makes it easier for your audience to explore your site.</p><p>Page authority: Distributes link equity among your pages, strengthening their SEO potential.</p><p>User engagement: Increases the time spent on your site by encouraging visitors to access more content.</p><p>Interestingly, while external links to your site play a crucial role, the way you internally manage links can significantly enhance your internal link structure’s effectiveness. Your most popular pages, rich in external backlinks, can serve as powerhouses in boosting other important pages through careful distribution of internal links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Consider this essential data showcasing the impact of internal links:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why internal links are important for SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Embedding internal links within your content isn’t just a best practice; it’s vital for your site’s SEO performance. Let’s break down why internal linking should be a cornerstone of your SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Internal links help search engines like Google discover and map out your website. When you link Page A to Page B, you’re not just guiding your users but also search engine crawlers. This mapping allows search engines to understand the hierarchy and relationship between pages on your site. Essentially, you’re making it easier for Google to read, index, and rank your content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Moreover, internal links distribute page authority across your website. Think of each link as a vote of confidence between pages. A well-placed internal link on a high-authority page can boost the linked page’s visibility and credibility in the eyes of search engines. This interconnected web of links ensures that authority flows throughout your site, lifting the SEO potential of each page.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding the different types of internal links</p><p>When you’re sprucing up your site’s SEO, grasping the full spectrum of links is like unlocking a secret power. Here, we’ll dive into the nuances of navigational and contextual links, key players in enhancing your website’s user experience and search engine discovery.</p><p><br /></p><p>Navigational links</p><p>Imagine your website as a vast library. Navigational links are essentially the signage pointing readers to the main sections: the fiction aisle, the reference desk, or the special collections room. These links, typically found in your site’s header, footer, or sidebar, are your roadmap, guiding visitors through your website’s landscape with ease.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here’s why they’re indispensable:</p><p>Simplicity: They streamline site navigation, making it a breeze for visitors to find what they’re looking for.</p><p>Structure: They provide a structural backbone to your website, helping search engines index your content more efficiently.</p><p>Navigational links often include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Home</p><p>About Us</p><p>Services/Product Categories</p><p>Contact Information</p><p>FAQs</p><p>Swift navigation ensures users and search engines can explore your site without getting lost in the weeds.</p><p><br /></p><p>Contextual links</p><p>Stepping into the realm of contextual links, you delve deeper into the specificity of linking. Picture yourself in a conversation where you mention a famous landmark, then naturally segue into its history or significance. Contextual links operate on a similar principle, seamlessly integrating into your site’s content, offering readers further exploration or clarification on a topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engagement: Keeping your audience hooked by providing relevant additional content.</p><p>Relevance: Assisting search engines in understanding the relationships between various pages on your site.</p><p>A closer look at their features:</p><p><br /></p><p>Placement: Embedded within body text, offering a natural flow.</p><p>Purpose: Direct users to related content, enriching their site experience.</p><p>Imagine writing about the importance of website speed. Within that context, you could link to a deeper dive on optimizing images for faster loading times. Contextual links not only enrich the reader’s journey but also bolster the interconnected framework of your site, enhancing both user experience and SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crafting an efficient internal linking strategy can significantly enhance your site’s SEO. Let’s explore how to develop this vital component of your digital marketing efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Identify your site’s pillar pages</p><p>First things first, pinpoint your site’s cornerstone content—these are your pillar pages. Think of these as the primary subjects you want your site to rank for. They’re broad, encompassing topics that offer immense value and insight. Your goal? Ensuring these pages gain prominence and act as a foundation for further detailed exploration.</p><p><br /></p><p>Enhance Your SEO Strategy: Explore Our Article on Effective Techniques for Creating Backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Legal Sector SEO Opportunities in 2024: A Comprehensive Guide</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The landscape of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is continually evolving, and the legal sector is no exception. As we move into 2024, law firms face unique challenges and opportunities in optimizing their online presence. This article, inspired by insights from SERP expert Mark Huntley, delves into actionable strategies and trends that legal professionals can leverage to stand out in a crowded digital marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Google’s Algorithm Changes</p><p>Google’s algorithm updates have a profound impact on how legal websites perform in search results. Staying abreast of these changes is crucial for maintaining visibility. In 2024, Google emphasizes user experience (UX), page speed, and mobile optimization more than ever, making them key areas of focus for law firms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword Strategy for Legal Firms</p><p>The right keyword strategy can significantly enhance a law firm’s SEO efforts. Incorporating a mix of long-tail keywords, local SEO phrases, and optimizing for voice search queries are essential strategies. These approaches not only improve rankings but also align with user intent, leading to higher conversion rates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Content Marketing Trends for Legal Sector</p><p>Content is king in the world of SEO, and for legal firms, this means creating value-driven, informative content. Blogging, video content, infographics, and podcasts are powerful tools for engaging potential clients and establishing authority in your legal niche.</p><p><br /></p><p>Website Optimization for Legal Firms</p><p>A law firm’s website must be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. These factors not only contribute to a better user experience but also positively influence Google rankings. Incorporating clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons and ensuring ADA compliance are also key considerations.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Link Building Strategies</p><p>Building high-quality backlinks is vital for SEO success. For legal firms, this means focusing on earning links from reputable industry sites, guest blogging on legal platforms, and listing in respected legal directories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media and SEO</p><p>Social media platforms offer valuable opportunities for boosting SEO. For legal professionals, LinkedIn is particularly beneficial for networking and sharing expert content. Additionally, engaging with audiences through Instagram stories or Facebook ads can drive traffic and improve search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO for Legal Practices</p><p>Local SEO is critical for law firms targeting specific geographic areas. Optimizing your Google My Business listing, accumulating local citations, and garnering positive reviews are strategies that enhance local visibility and attract clients from your community.</p><p><br /></p><p>Online Reputation Management</p><p>In the legal industry, reputation is everything. Actively managing your online reputation, including responding to negative reviews thoughtfully and encouraging satisfied clients to share their positive experiences, is vital for SEO and building trust with potential clients.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO Analytics and Reporting</p><p>Utilizing SEO analytics tools to track performance and gain insights is essential for refining strategies and achieving better outcomes. Tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush can provide valuable data on traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI and SEO in the Legal Sector</p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming SEO practices. For legal firms, leveraging AI for chatbots, content creation, and keyword research can streamline operations and offer personalized experiences to potential clients.</p><p><br /></p><p>Voice Search Optimization</p><p>With the rise of voice-activated devices, optimizing for voice search is increasingly important. Creating content that answers common questions and adopts a conversational tone can help your firm capture voice search queries.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-A-T Principle and Legal Websites</p><p>The E-A-T principle (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is especially relevant for legal websites. Demonstrating these qualities through comprehensive about pages, showcasing credentials, and publishing well-researched content is crucial for SEO success.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Marketing and SEO</p><p>Video marketing is a powerful tool for engagement and can significantly impact SEO. Optimizing video content on platforms like YouTube and incorporating live streaming sessions can enhance visibility and drive traffic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Case Studies: Successful Legal SEO Campaigns</p><p>Examining successful SEO campaigns in the legal sector provides valuable lessons and actionable insights. These case studies highlight the strategies employed and the results achieved, offering inspiration and guidance for law firms looking to improve their SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Challenges and Solutions in Legal SEO</p><p>The competitive nature of the legal sector presents challenges in SEO. However, by focusing on niche specializations, adhering to ethical SEO practices, and continuously adapting to algorithm changes, law firms can navigate these challenges effectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>Future of SEO in the Legal Sector</p><p>As we look to the future, emerging technologies and ongoing algorithm updates will shape the SEO landscape. Law firms that stay informed and agile, embracing innovative strategies and technologies, will thrive in the evolving digital arena.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion: Maximizing SEO Opportunities</p><p>The legal sector’s SEO landscape in 2024 is both challenging and ripe with opportunities. By understanding Google’s algorithm changes, adopting a strategic approach to content and keywords, and leveraging the latest technologies, law firms can maximize their online visibility and attract more clients. Remember, in the fast-paced world of SEO, staying ahead requires constant learning and adaptation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Frequently Asked Questions</p><p><br /></p><p>How can law firms stay updated on Google’s algorithm changes?</p><p><br /></p><p>Regularly follow SEO news sources and blogs, and consider partnering with SEO professionals who specialize in the legal sector.</p><p>What type of content should legal firms prioritize for SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Focus on creating informative, client-focused content that addresses common legal questions and showcases your expertise.</p><p>How important is mobile optimization for legal websites in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>With the majority of searches now conducted on mobile devices, mobile optimization is essential for SEO success.</p><p>Can social media activity impact a law firm’s SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, active engagement on social media can drive traffic to your website and improve your search rankings.</p><p>What is the best way to approach local SEO for law firms?</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your Google My Business listing, ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency across online listings, and focus on local keyword optimization.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>SEO News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Why Local SEO is Important for Small Businesses?</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the ever-evolving landscape of online marketing, one strategy stands out as a game-changer for small businesses: Local SEO. With the majority of consumers turning to search engines to find local businesses, optimizing your online presence for local searches has become essential for staying competitive in today’s market. In this article, we’ll explore why local SEO is crucial for small businesses and how it can propel them to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>Enhanced Visibility in Local Searches</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the primary benefits of local SEO is increased visibility in local search results. When potential customers search for products or services in their area, search engines prioritize businesses that are optimized for local SEO. By optimizing your website and online listings with relevant keywords, business information, and location-specific content, you can ensure that your business appears prominently in local search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Targeted Traffic and Qualified Leads</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO helps small businesses attract highly targeted traffic and qualified leads. Unlike traditional advertising methods that cast a wide net, local SEO allows businesses to target customers who are actively searching for their products or services in their local area. This targeted approach not only increases the likelihood of converting leads into customers but also maximizes the return on investment for marketing efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Competitive Advantage</p><p><br /></p><p>In today’s competitive marketplace, small businesses need every advantage they can get to stand out from the crowd. Local SEO provides a level playing field for small businesses to compete with larger competitors. By focusing on optimizing their online presence for local searches, small businesses can outmaneuver larger competitors and capture a larger share of the local market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Build Trust and Credibility</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO helps small businesses build trust and credibility with potential customers. When a business appears prominently in local search results, it signals to consumers that the business is reputable and trustworthy. Additionally, positive reviews and ratings from satisfied customers can further enhance a business’s credibility and encourage others to choose their products or services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cost-Effectiveness</p><p><br /></p><p>Compared to traditional advertising methods such as print ads or direct mail campaigns, local SEO offers a cost-effective way for small businesses to reach their target audience. With local SEO, businesses can target customers who are actively searching for their products or services, eliminating wasted advertising spend on uninterested or irrelevant audiences. Additionally, local SEO strategies such as optimizing Google My Business listings and local citations require minimal financial investment but can yield significant returns in terms of increased visibility and customer engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mobile Optimization</p><p><br /></p><p>As the use of mobile devices continues to rise, optimizing your online presence for mobile users is more important than ever. Local SEO ensures that your business is easily discoverable and accessible to mobile users searching for products or services in their local area. By optimizing your website for mobile devices and ensuring that your business information is accurate and up-to-date across all online platforms, you can capitalize on the growing number of consumers who rely on their smartphones to find local businesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Community Engagement</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO fosters community engagement and encourages customer interaction. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can connect with customers in your local area and build relationships with the community. This can include participating in local events, sponsoring community initiatives, and engaging with customers on social media platforms. By actively engaging with the local community, small businesses can strengthen their brand presence and foster customer loyalty.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to increase their visibility, attract targeted traffic, and compete effectively in today’s digital marketplace. By optimizing their online presence for local searches, small businesses can enhance their visibility in local search results, target qualified leads, and build trust and credibility with potential customers. Additionally, local SEO offers a cost-effective way to reach target audiences, capitalize on the growing use of mobile devices, and engage with the local community. In essence, local SEO is not just a strategy; it’s a blueprint for success for small businesses looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. For Affordable SEO services please contact Media Man.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber</b></p><p><b>Perth, Western Australia</b></p><p><b>Saturday, Feb 24, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>hea Ripley will defend the WWE Women's World Championship against Nia Jax in The Eradicator's home country of Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley has been a dominant champion since winning the title at WrestleMania 39, but she is now facing what could be her greatest threat yet as The Irresistable Force has her sights set on gold once again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since returning to WWE in September, Jax has dominated her competition and in recent weeks has turned her attention to Ripley, including laying the titlrholder out on the Jan. 29 episode of Monday Night Raw. That attack infuriated the champion and the two Superstars engaged in a massive brawl the following week, setting the stage for what is sure to be an incredible title match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who will walk out of Elimination Chamber the Women's World Champion? Find out live at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 AM ET/2 AM PT streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Rock and Roman Reigns to return to SmackDown - Feb 10, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week, the fireworks will arrive as The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns both return to SmackDown. </p><p><br /></p><p>The two, alongside Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins, combined for a jaw-dropping WrestleMania XL Kickoff this past Thursday, where The Rock slapped Rhodes. </p><p><br /></p><p>With the main event now seemingly set after the 2024 Royal Rumble winner declared he would challenge Reigns, where does this leave The Rock, who had also wished to face The Head of the Table at The Grandest Stage of Them All? </p><p><br /></p><p>What do The Rock and Reigns have in store when they both return to SmackDown? Find out next Friday at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rupert Murdoch’s secret hours on camera interviewed by Sky News chief - Feb 11, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Whittaker has been quietly interviewing the media magnate on camera around the world for months.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paul “Boris” Whittaker, the (apparently) heir apparent to running News Corp Australia, has been quietly conducting a series of long, on-camera interviews with Rupert Murdoch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the course of months, Whittaker interviewed Murdoch multiple times in the US and UK, sources with knowledge of the conversations said. The interviews were planned as a special televised series, and no topic was off limits. He apparently shares his thoughts on former US president Donald Trump, various politicians, and even the decision to hand the reins of his sprawling media empire to his eldest son, Lachlan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Whittaker is known for being single-minded in certain stories and has three Walkley Awards, but has spent little time in front of the camera in a 35-year career as journalist, editor of The Daily Telegraph, editor-in-chief of The Australian and now Sky News Australia chief.</p><p><br /></p><p>At 92 years old, Murdoch was, we’re told, in fine form. That could mean almost anything.</p><p><br /></p><p>He does very few on-camera interviews. Among the last were a 12-minute discussion on Sky News UK about his sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney back in 2017 for $68.3 billion. Before that, he did a 30-minute interview with The Australian’s Paul Kelly for the paper’s 50th anniversary in 2014.</p><p><br /></p><p>This could be part of the plans to celebrate The Australian’s 60th anniversary, postponed to mid-July to coincide with its first edition on July 15, 1964.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Murdoch has free rein, it’s entirely unpredictable what he will say. Just look at his brief presence on X, formerly known as Twitter. He shared thoughts on world leaders, policy, and even the occasional Wall Street Journal trivia (“Can You Trump Donald Trump on Foreign Policy? I got 6 out of 6 on this quiz”).</p><p><br /></p><p>“No more tweets for 10 days or ever! Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in the world,” Murdoch wrote on March 5, 2016. That was his final tweet, except for a few nonsensical replies to random accounts over the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Somewhere out there, in some form, exists the unedited, full-length footage of Murdoch being interviewed by Boris. It may be one of the last interviews the nonagenarian does (though, to be fair, he could be around for another 10 years. His mother died at 103).</p><p><br /></p><p>The interviews demonstrate that Whittaker is close to Murdoch, which counts for a lot in News Corp succession planning. And now, we wait.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other news …</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the past two years, the members of powerful free-to-air lobby group Free TV have been carefully – clinically, even – arguing for legally enshrined prominent placement for their apps on internet-connected TVs. Seven, Nine, Ten, ABC and SBS apps, the government seems to agree, should be pre-downloaded and installed first on the home screen.</p><p><br /></p><p>So there was some behind-the-scenes fury when Nine, the publisher of The Australian Financial Review, put in a separate submission to the government last week that basically said its streaming platform Stan should be chucked in that list, too. Other networks pointed out this undermines their argument free-to-air networks are different, unique, and special. Nine argues Stan is Australian, airs Aussie content, and is owned by an Aussie network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine CEO Mike Sneesby, the former CEO of Stan, clearly has a soft spot for the platform. We hear Free TV chairman Greg Hywood called last week to express dismay about the change in approach. A parliamentary committee will call Sneesby, Seven’s James Warburton and Paramount’s Bev McGarvey together on February 23 to make their case. McGarvey and Warburton won’t back Stan’s inclusion, that’s for sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Piers Morgan cans nightly talk show in blow to Sky News Australia - Feb 9, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Piers Morgan Uncensored will no longer be screened on Sky News Australia after the influential British figure announced he was leaving News Corp’s start-up TalkTV to focus on his own YouTube channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan called the commitment of a nightly show on the newly established Murdoch channel an “unnecessary straitjacket”, saying the program’s rigid format and fixed schedule were out of step with global audience demands.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s clear there’s a huge global demand for the content we’re making … but people are watching on YouTube rather than conventional television and I have no problem with that,” Morgan said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision’s local implications mean the last episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored on Sky News Australia will air on Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to this masthead. The network is also set to lose his digital content, which it said had generated more than 150 million views across its online channels.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan’s YouTube channel under the same name currently has 2.35 million subscribers, with his videos and interviews regularly attracting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of views.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In contrast, the Sky broadcast of the nightly program in Australia, which has aired at 11pm Tuesday to Friday, has failed to attract a significant audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>TalkTV launched in April 2022, with Morgan signing on as the channel’s star talent in a reported three-year £50 million ($89 million) deal, and his show syndicated across Sky and other outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch came shortly after the establishment of GB News, a fellow fringe cable news channel featuring prominent conservative figures, led by former Sky News Australia chief executive Angelo Frangopolous.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Piers Morgan Uncensored has driven strong online audiences across [our] digital platforms ... and has consistently ranked within our top five programs for online viewership”, a Sky News Australia spokesperson told this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“New digital-only content from Piers Morgan will be available on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan is a high-profile media figure globally, making his name at News Corp’s tabloid The Sun before being appointed editor of the now-defunct News of the World at just 29 years old.</p><p><br /></p><p>He later moved to the Daily Mirror, and led the paper during a period when it was caught up the phone hacking scandal, which later led to the Leveson inquiry. Morgan now writes columns for The Sun and The New York Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move is a further shake up of Sky News’ weekly line up, with After Dark hosts Sharri Markson and Chris Kenny exchanging time slots earlier this year in a bid to attract more viewers in the primetime 8pm window.</p><p><br /></p><p>International hosts including Morgan, Megyn Kelly, Nigel Farage and Douglas Murray have proved successful for Sky News digitally and a major contributor to the channel’s growing and influential online audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>In similar fashion to Morgan’s aired concerns, Sky News’ digital audience far out-rates its traditional broadcast audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outsized audiences on its YouTube and Facebook channels have led to a push away from broadcast content, instead focusing on lucrative digital audiences, particularly with an emphasis on American content, leading to fractures in its newsroom.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead recently revealed that 38 per cent of the Australian channel’s digital audience is based in the United States, with audiences engaging with content on US President Joe Biden, culture wars issues and the royal family, a particular focus point for Morgan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan told online news provider Semafor that he co-owns the Piers Morgan Uncensored brand with News Corp.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson launched his own digital show exclusively on social media platform X in 2023 after being sacked by the Murdoch network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The controversial media figure published an interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday morning, the first with a Western journalist since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Flashback</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Marcus Family History Feature via Media Man Int</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>LAST OF THE OLD-TIME PROMOTERS - AUGUST 1, 2004</b></p><p>(Credit: Mike Mooneyham)</p><p><br /></p><p>*We are putting these articles into the public domain via X, as time keeps passing along and many of our family members on both sides of the family, Tingle family and Marcus family, have strong history and success in the sports, entertainment and entrepreneurial world. Full credit goes to the journalists who wrote and researched these articles on our family back in the day, and we have preserved them for histories sake. This article can also be purchased in digital form as well as in the form of an e-book and hard copy book (Final Bell) for interested parties. </p><p><br /></p><p>Published via X/Media Man Int for educational purposes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Contact author/journalist Mike Mooneyham of The Post And Courier if you are interested to purchase it. Thank you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Greg Tingle, Founder and Director, Media Man Group/Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p><b>FINAL BELL By Mike Mooneyham (via Amazon)</b></p><p>www.amazon.com/Final-Bell-Legends-Mat-Remembered/dp/1929647409</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>By Mike Mooneyham</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Aug. 1, 2004</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I can’t help but think about Henry Marcus whenever driving past the old County Hall on King Street.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now an affordable housing complex known as the Palace Apartments, the building is long removed from the days when it was the place to be on Friday nights, wrestling was the ticket and Henry Marcus was the ring master.</p><p><br /></p><p>To thousands of wrestling fans in these parts, he was as much the building as the mortar that held it together. He was a promoter extraordinaire who dabbled in everything from the Royal Canadian Ballet to the Ice Capades. But pro wrestling was his bread and butter. It’s what endeared him to mat fans throughout the state for half a century.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news of his passing last Sunday at the age of 93 leaves a void not only in the wrestling business, but also in the rich cultural fabric of our town, which counted Marcus among its unique group of engaging and colorful personalities. A master storyteller who was gifted with razor-sharp wit and an amazing sense of recall, he was the last of the old-time promoters.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BORN TO PROMOTE</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I first crossed paths with Henry Marcus in 1964. It marked my indoctrination into the soap opera gone mad known as professional wrestling. By that time he had been in the promoting business for more than 20 years. What I first noticed about him was that he stood in stark contrast to the burly behemoths who worked on his shows. With thinning hair swept straight back over his head, thick glasses and trousers hitched up to his belly button (which earned him the name “High Pockets”), the nattily attired promoter was not an imposing physical presence by any stretch of the imagination.</p><p><br /></p><p>One thing, though, was for sure. This was his show. You’d see him handing out tickets at the box office. You’d see him taking tickets at the door, with his “Hold your own ticket!” refrain providing a familiar backdrop for the bustling County Hall throng. He’d occasionally do the ring announcing, giving the festivities just the slightest sense of decorum and an added dose of legitimacy. And, what the fans normally didn’t see, was the promoter working the backstage area, making sure the performers showed up on time and going over the intricate details that fill out a wrestling card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in those days, County Hall was a mecca for wrestling in this area, and Marcus brought them all to his mat shrine. From Jim Londos to Gorgeous George to Lou Thesz to Ric Flair, they all graced the hallowed hall at 1000 King Street. Henry Marcus was the common thread that tied this unique form of entertainment to the Lowcountry, although the man was about much more than professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Like any promoter worth his salt, Marcus knew how to relate to people, which included the largely blue-collar wrestling audience. Whether holding a dinner in honor of Jack Dempsey at the old LaBrasca’s restaurant across from County Hall, or dining with Irving Berlin at the old Lindy’s on Broadway, Marcus always found a comfort zone.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was probably the smartest person that never graduated college you’d ever meet, anytime or anywhere,” Eric Marcus would say about his dad.</p><p><br /></p><p>The son of a railroad man who died when the Hartsville native was only 3, Henry Marcus was a familiar figure in Columbia and Charleston, where the storyteller routinely held court with local businessmen, politicians, newshounds and practically anyone who appreciated his unique gift of gab. His scope of acquaintances, however, extended far beyond the Lowcountry and the state, as he rubbed shoulders with the likes of actor Tyrone Power and President Harry Truman, and was personal friends with such sports figures as boxing greats Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, and basketball coach Frank McGuire.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>LUCRATIVE LEFT TURN</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus got into the promotional field purely by accident. As he would tell the story, he was headed on his way to the post office when he made “a left turn instead of a right one,” and ended up bumping into a sports editor at The Record newspaper in Columbia who offered him a job writing publicity for the local wrestling shows for $3 a week. The relationships he forged with building managers led to Marcus’s entree into the promoting business, and he was doing it full-time by 1944, eventually expanding his entertainment repertoire to ice shows, stage shows, athletic events and everything in between.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus promoted his first wrestling show in Charleston around 1950, a decade after he began in his home base of Columbia. His primary promotional lesson was simple: The customer is always No. 1.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the wrestling business was Marcus’ forte, there wasn’t much he didn’t promote. “From the Royal Canadian Ballet to wrestling,” as he was wont to say, he dabbled in a little bit of everything. Boxing stars Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jimmy Braddock, Jack Sharkey and Primo Carnera all worked for him. He brought in such big-band greats as Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Xavier Cugat. Dick Clark of “American Bandstand” fame emceed many of Marcus’s rock and roll revues.</p><p><br /></p><p>He liked to tell the story about when he booked the late George Reeves as “Superman” at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, and nearly 3,000 children showed up for the matinee.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Lois Lane came out singing torch songs with her dress split up the side,” he’d recall. “All the children wanted to see Superman fly, and they had to sit through nightclub entertainment beforehand. When Reeves finally appeared, the kids still only yelled, ‘Fly, Superman, fly’! Well, I knew Superman couldn’t fly, and Superman sure knew Superman couldn’t fly. But try telling 3,000 screaming kids.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Then there was the time he had Olympic track legend Jesse Owens race a thoroughbred horse through Columbia’s Capital City Park.</p><p><br /></p><p>He remembered promoting when wrestling tickets were a quarter. He recalled promoting band and dance shows when entertainers showed up, had a couple of mikes set up, performed for several hours and left.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Now you have to meet them at the airport and they show up with 18 trucks,” he’d later lament.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus was a jack of all trades, but what he was first and foremost was a promoter.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>THE CHANGING TIMES</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Knowing a man like Henry Marcus is one of those things that people like me keep in their minds forever. He’s one of the famous people that I know,” said Dave Spurlock, former athletic director at St. Andrews High School, who helped give Marcus a place to hold his wrestling shows when County Hall closed down in the mid-’80s.</p><p><br /></p><p>Spurlock said he was more than happy to bring wrestling to the then fairly new gym at St. Andrews. “Not only did I have a chance to make some money, but I got to actually see wrestling on a weekly basis,” said Spurlock, a lifelong wrestling fan. The school would get the concessions money along with a cut of the gate, while Spurlock received $80 at the end of the night for being the “key man.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He can’t help but smile when talking about the time Marcus let Spurlock’s young son and his friends come in for free for a birthday party.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had my son’s birthday party right there at the wrestling show, and the kids got to meet some of the wrestlers. They had a blast. We still have pictures in our old album.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I learned a big part of promotion from him,” said Sandy Scott, a former wrestling star who worked with Marcus in the office during the ’70s and ’80s. “When he told you something, you could take it to the bank. He was an ace of a guy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Henry was a wonderful promoter to work for,” said Rip Hawk (Harvey Evers), who was a headliner for Marcus during the ’60s and ’70s. “He was a very nice man and could take a heckuva rib. “Swede (Hanson) and I used to rib him like crazy. He really and truly enjoyed it, though, and he could come back with some pretty good shots of his own. We had a lot of fun with him. I’ll guarantee you he was a legend down there.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attendance and business dropped for the aging promoter with the decline of Crockett Promotions during the late ’80s. Times had changed, and Marcus wasn’t part of the new WWF empire that Vince McMahon had built, nor did he fit into Ted Turner’s plans for a national wrestling company, which had absorbed the Crocketts’ NWA operation. A terse, two-paragraph letter written in November 1989 commended Marcus on his contribution to the sport over a 50-year period before informing him that the company was terminating its agreement with him. It wished him well in “future endeavors.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It certainly wasn’t the way Marcus had envisioned going out. But he was realistic enough to know that the industry had passed him by. It was changing fast, and he didn’t like that it had become more of a pay-per-view spectacle than a show that passed through all the towns on a regular basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>He would promote his final show in 1990 for the short-lived North American Wrestling Association.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>TAKING IT HOME</b></p><p><br /></p><p>His retirement years, which basically didn’t begin until shortly before his 80th birthday, were punctuated by times of both great joy and great sadness. He and his wife, Marguerite, moved to a beach home in Cherry Grove, near Myrtle Beach, which proved to be a refreshing change of pace from their many years in Columbia. (The two lived in the Hickory Hill subdivision of Charleston for a brief period during the 1970s, but moved shortly after they were robbed at gunpoint after a wrestling show).</p><p><br /></p><p>A special ceremony – titled “The Night The Legends Return: A Tribute to Henry Marcus” – was scheduled in honor of the promoter on May 30, 1998. Tragedy, however, struck when his wife of 48 years died suddenly of a heart attack a month before the event. Twenty years his junior, she was 67, and her passing hit the promoter hard.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Marguerite was Henry’s life from the day he laid eyes on her at the restaurant where she was working. From the day he saw Marguerite until the day she died, she was his life,” recalled Valerie Warren of Charleston, who along with husband Earl and daughter Patty, attended Marcus’s wrestling shows at County Hall beginning in the early ’70s.</p><p><br /></p><p>The promoter was crestfallen and canceled plans to attend the event. Without her, he said, it wouldn’t be the same. A number of friends and former colleagues from the wrestling business, however, convinced him that she would have wanted him to be there. He acquiesced and attended the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fittingly the tribute was held at the former King Street Palace and the site of the old County Hall. Also quite appropriately, it was one of the last events ever staged at the building, and Marcus was there to see it for the final time. After all, as some reminisced, it was “the house that Marcus built.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rev. Andy McDaniel, who helped organize the event, called the promoter an important influence in his life.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was part of my childhood. Wrestling was part of my life, and Friday nights at County Hall was a special time of bonding between my father and myself … When he did the event in 1998, it was truly an honor for us to honor him. It takes on even more significance now.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Into his late 80s Marcus was traveling around the world by himself. He made visits to Israel, Egypt, Canada, China, Italy and the concentration camps in Germany and Poland.</p><p><br /></p><p>He passed on walking The Great Wall of China, preferring to view it from a tour bus. His get up and go had got up and gone, he’d laugh.</p><p><br /></p><p>He loved his visit to Israel, the land of his ancestors, and was delighted when a soldier visiting one of the pyramids in Egypt recognized him from his promoting days in Columbia. The soldier once had been stationed at Fort Jackson, and had been a regular at the promoter’s Tuesday night wrestling shows at The Township. “It really is a small world,” the promoter would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>He loved his family, which included sons Eric, Jerry and Barry, and eight grandchildren. He loved his close friends and his faith.</p><p><br /></p><p>And he loved his independence. Even in his advanced years, he’d drive his car to Charleston, pick me up and we’d go out to dinner at some of his old haunts, where invariably he’d recognize veteran restaurant patrons, proprietors and even some of the waitresses. He could crack a joke without cracking a smile. If he didn’t have an answer for everything, he certainly had an opinion.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when he lost total vision in one eye nearly two years ago and was no longer able to drive a car, the world as he had known it was gone. A fall in early 2003, when he was 91, led to another more serious fall several months later that resulted in a broken arm and rib. At that point basically bedridden with little more left than his mind, which remained amazingly sharp, the old promoter knew that the finish was near.</p><p><br /></p><p>His final six months were spent rotating between the hospital and a nursing home. A lethal combination of a viral infection and double pneumonia spelled the end.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If it had been boring up there for anyone lately, it got real interesting Sunday morning,” said son Eric. “They’ve got a real card up there now to keep them in stitches.”</p><p><br /></p><p>We said our final goodbyes when I visited him a year ago in Sumter, where he had been living with his niece and her family since his wife’s death in 1998. I thanked him for the years of wonderful memories he had given me, and for his unfailing friendship over the years. He asked me again, as he had in the past, to write his obit when that day came.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps the most impressive thing about Henry Marcus that some might not have known was that he had a heart of gold. Beneath the gruff exterior of an outwardly crotchety old-time promoter who could drive the hardest of bargains was a kind-hearted soul who quietly touched the lives of many.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was so kind and generous,” recalled Valerie Warren. “There was a restaurant in Columbia where there was a young waitress who was raising children by herself. Henry ate there often and always left a very good-sized tip for her because he knew she needed help with her children. But that was Henry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Eric Marcus probably summed up his father best.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There aren’t many people like that in this world these days.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#HenryMarcus #Marcus #MarcusFamily #MikeMooneyham #ByMikeMooneyHam #promoter #prowrestling #wrestling #NWA #NationalWrestlingAlliance #CrockettPromotions #wrestlingnews #wrestlinghistory #sportshistory #sports #entertainment #showbiz #popculture #history #retro #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (North American)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>1. Argylle - $18 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Chosen: Season 4 Episodes 1-3 - $6 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The Beekeeper - $5.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Wonka - $4.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $4.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Mean Girls - $4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Anyone But You - $3.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. American Fiction - $2.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Poor Things - $2.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - $2 million</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tingle Family History In Sports and Community Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>MEN AT PLAY - October 9, 1948</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(Featuring Eric Tingle and Ric Tingle)</p><p>Credit: TROVE</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pitch inspection</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Rival captains Eric (Fudger) Tingle of Newport, and Bruce Han- son of Bayview, inspect the ring surface before starting a champion- ship match between the two teams at Bayview Golf Club, Umpires set the ring. Umpires Jack McNally and Stan Hughes set the required 20 marbles in a small ring inside the 12ft. big ring. Players fire at the small target from outside the big ring, must not crib over outside line.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interested spectators, who have probably bet on the game, crowd around Bayview Golf Club's champion Jim Duval, as he attempts difficult shot on the angle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marbles is a serious adult sport along Sydney's Palm Beach - Manly coastal area.</p><p><br /></p><p>BIG money is lost and won every Saturday in bets about “big-ring” marbles FabMika Games played by adult enthusiasts at 10 pitches in Sydney between Manly and Palm Beach. Each team backs itself for £2O against its opponents. In addition there are substantial side-wagers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newport barber Eric Tingle started the craze nine months ago when his son Ric suggested a game while Tingle was waiting for some friends for a card game. The card players arrived, join- ed in, haven’t bothered about cards since. Tingle gathered a four-man team, constructed a per-manent “big-ring” beside the Newport Hotel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other teams were formed but Newport is still undefeated. Says Newport’s captain Eric (Fudger) Tingle: “Marbles gets a grip on you.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The game is played with 20 marbles placed inside a small ring, itself inside a ring 12 feet in diameter. Four-man teams play either as individuals or in pairs.</p><p><br /></p><p>When a player knocks out 11 of the marbles he wins game.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marble lore known to every schoolboy, forgotten by most men.</p><p><br /></p><p>THIS IS the correct grip with the taw to ensure a straight shot along the ground at the dihs.</p><p>ANOTHER correct grip, this time firing down.</p><p><br /></p><p>REMEMBER cunny knuckle? These players, now experts, use it frequently for hard, fast shots. Knuckle down skin tight, and he should score well.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media, Sports Media Giants Team Up With Streaming Service</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ESPN, FOX and WBD launching joint sports streaming service in late 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All major entities will have an equal share in company</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN plans to launch full DTC service, possibly later in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Fox has never launched a DTC platform</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) have created a joint venture to launch a combined sports streaming service in the US.</p><p><br /></p><p>The JV will have its own brand and management team with the planned service offering coverage from the three media companies’ linear channels and direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service will launch in late 2024, serving up an array of live content including the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college football. Subscribers will also have access to linear feeds of major channels, including ESPN, Fox and TNT, as well as the ESPN+ platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three companies, all of whom will have an equal share in the JV, say the offering will offer better value for consumers who have migrated away from cable television and solve the growing issue of fragmentation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Customers will also be able to bundle the as-yet-unnamed service with general entertainment services like Disney+, Hulu and Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business,” said Bob Iger, Disney chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re pumped to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform,” added Lachlan Murdoch, Fox chief executive. “We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that,” said David Zaslav, WBD chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN Release Additional Details To Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Key Highlights:</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery would form a new joint venture to develop, launch and operate a streaming sports bundle of linear networks and certain DTC sports content and services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Each entity would own one-third of the JV, have equal board representation and license their sports content to the joint venture on a non-exclusive basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service would have a new brand with an independent management team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company said, “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of FOX said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>David Zaslav, Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, said “At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>More details, including pricing, will be announced at a later date.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A massive deal and development in this space. Very curious and interesting to see Murdoch's FOX team up with WBD, ESPN (Walt Disney). Change is in the wind. This comes fresh off the heels of the Netflix - WWE streaming deal announced a week + ago. More details will follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: ESPN, WBD, Wires, FOX/News Corp and X)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto absent again from Super Bowl ads - Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Those hoping for crypto ads during the Super Bowl this year will be disappointed</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FOX Business has learned most major cryptocurrency firms will once again sit on the sidelines during the biggest marketing event of the year when the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs face off in Las Vegas on Sunday for Super Bowl LVIII.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>While the $1.7 trillion digital asset market is in a much better place than this time last year during the so-called "crypto winter," crypto companies don’t have the money they once had for advertising, and those that do believe they can better spend their ad dollars away from the NFL spotlight.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kraken, the second-biggest crypto exchange in the U.S., is not taking out a Super Bowl ad. </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl is a very U.S.-centric event, and the next wave of crypto users will come from all around the world, not just the United States," Mayur Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer at Kraken tells FOX Business. "If the last wave of crypto marketing was all about hype and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), this current wave has to be rooted in education and awareness for the substance and true value proposition of crypto as a movement that will bring financial freedom and inclusion."</p><p><br /></p><p>The U.S.'s largest crypto exchange Coinbase is focused this year on directing money to lobbying Congress for comprehensive digital asset legislation and making campaign contributions to crypto-friendly politicians in Washington, D.C., ahead of the 2024 elections. It is unclear whether the company, who has been a past Super Bowl advertiser and runs TV ads frequently, will be featured during Sunday's game. </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s not just the exchanges that will be missing from Sunday’s ad palooza, where hundreds of millions have been spent on various commercials for beer, cars and snacks. Issuers of the "spot" Bitcoin exchange-traded funds will not be featured despite a handful of them launching TV commercials in the weeks leading up to the SEC’s approval of eleven new spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10, FOX Business has learned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager and provider of the iShares Bitcoin ETF, is sitting out the Super Bowl, people with direct knowledge of the matter say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even crypto asset manager Grayscale, which owns $21 billion in assets in its Bitcoin ETF and has launched a billboard campaign in New York City subways and airports nationwide, is not advertising during Sunday’s big game, sources say.</p><p><br /></p><p>While some Bitcoin proponents may see this as a missed opportunity, it’s not surprising that Bitcoin ETF commercials will be absent from the Super Bowl.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CBS, nearly all its Super Bowl ad slots were sold out by early November, and the Bitcoin ETFs were not officially approved by the SEC until two months later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But macro factors are also at work. The industry has been cut in half since its bull run in 2021 that unwound with the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>FTX was a prominent advertiser during the 2022 Super Bowl when it paid $6.5 million to appear alongside other industry giants like Coinbase and Crypto.com. The commercial featured Larry David, who later confirmed that Bankman-Fried paid him $10 million to star in the 30-second ad promoting FTX as "the next big thing."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Just nine months later, FTX descended into bankruptcy, and Bankman-Fried would get outed for spending stolen customer funds on expensive brand deals like the Super Bowl and the naming rights to the Miami Heat arena, for which he agreed to shell out $135 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankman-Fried has since been convicted on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering and awaits sentencing in March.</p><p><br /></p><p>On top of the FTX debacle, regulatory uncertainty is still very much top of mind for many crypto companies, meaning legal expenses take precedent over marketing and ad campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Coinbase, for instance, is locked in a contentious court battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which alleges the exchange is violating securities laws by operating as an unregistered exchange, offering similarly unregistered securities products as digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>A southern district of New York judge will decide whether the SEC can move forward with its case against Coinbase in the coming days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM and X Sign Exclusive Sports Betting Partnership</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Unprecedented connection between social media and sports betting integrates BetMGM exclusively into major social media platform</p><p><br /></p><p>JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform's exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM's odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM's website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>"X is the center of the sports world's conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. "Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform's interaction around sports."</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM's latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM's app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>X CEO Linda Yaccarino said, "Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams."</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM's mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM's already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at http://www.betmgm.com. </p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, follow @BetMGM on X.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About BetMGM</b></p><p>BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM's U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain's US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Joe Rogan Inks New Spotify Podcast Deal, Reportedly Worth $380m - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan (above) has renewed his deal with Spotify, reportedly worth up to $US250 million ($AU383 million), a significant improvement on his previous deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this new deal means that The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify and allows his podcast to be distributed to YouTube, Apple and other podcasting platforms. His previous deal was reported to be worth between $US100-200 million ($AU153-$AU301 million).</p><p><br /></p><p>The news marks a big change in strategy for Spotify, too. Four years ago, Rogan signed his first exclusive deal with the audio platform, during a blitz of similar deals with other podcasters. As such, Rogan’s podcast could only be enjoyed through the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>With this new deal allowing Rogan to post wherever he may, it marks the end of Spotify’s exclusivity efforts. Call Her Daddy became widely available earlier this week and Spotify launched a new show with Trevor Noah last year without exclusivity rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Joe Rogan Experience debuted in 2009, has been a Spotify exclusive since 2020, and we’re just getting started,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Today we announced our new multiyear partnership deal with JRE. There’s so much more ahead, including that the show will soon be available on additional platforms. JRE remains podcasting’s king, consistently ranking as the most-listened-to podcast globally and our users have ranked the show as Spotify’s Wrapped top podcast each year since 2020”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Releases Super Bowl Spot Teaser Created By Blind Director - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Google has released a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial which has been directed by Adam Morse, a “filmmaker who happens to be blind”.</p><p><br /></p><p>The video explains how Morse was able to direct the advert using Google’s AI-powered Guided Frame feature that emits audio cues to tell the users what is in the frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Ad Revenues Jump Nearly A Quarter, Amazon Also Sees Big Ad Revenue Climb - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s advertising revenues jumped by 24 per cent year-on-year to $US38 billion ($AU58.8 billion) in the three months ended 31 December.</p><p><br /></p><p>The number of ad impressions across all of Meta’s apps increased by more than a fifth and the average price per ad climbed by two per cent. Overall, the company’s revenue jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had a good quarter as our community and business continue to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “We’ve made a lot of progress on our vision for advancing AI and the metaverse.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result of those bumper earnings, Meta’s stock price surged by 14 per cent in extended trading — despite Zuck’s bruising appearance in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee which accused the American businessman of ignoring the severity of of child exploitation on his company’s apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its Reality Labs division, which is responsible for creating the metaverse, saw its losses grow a further nine per cent in the last quarter for just over $US4.6 billion ($AU7 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Amazon saw its ad revenues climb by 27 per cent year — though it is operating in an entirely different universe to Meta’s soaring ad money.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Q4 2023, it brought in $US14.6 billion ($AU22.2 billion), up from $US11.5 billion ($AU17.49 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses… AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock Now Holds Whopping 52,025 BTC For its Spot Bitcoin ETF; Solana (SOL) And InQubeta (QUBE) Eye Significant Price Jump</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has been making incredible strides in the spot Bitcoin ETF market. Following the SEC decision on Bitcoin ETFs on January 10, the market has been growing at an incredible pace. And yes, BlackRock has been at the forefront.</p><p><br /></p><p>The asset manager now holds a staggering 52,052 BTC, worth over $2.18 billion—depending on Bitcoin’s valuation—for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Recently, following Google’s policy update, its spot Bitcoin ETF was one of the first to be advertised on the platform, which continues its quest to capture a large share of the market.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Solana (SOL) and InQubeta (QUBE) appear primed for a significant price jump. With a strong bullish wave to surf, these are the best cryptos to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE): Potential 70x Jump After Launch</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE) has been creating a stir in the crypto scene, and for the right reasons. It recently soared past $8.6 million in its ongoing presale, with sights set on breaking the $10 million fundraising milestone. That isn’t all; its innovative concept has been hailed as one of the most bullish narratives, propelling the massive demand in its ICO stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its unique offering will be a crypto-based crowdfunding platform for AI tech startups and an NFT marketplace. This will assist in its vision of reshaping the fast-rising AI market, particularly in areas relating to fundraising and market accessibility. Given the critical role it will play, analysts tip it as the best new crypto to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock: 52,052 BTC in Spot Bitcoin ETF</p><p><br /></p><p>Investor sentiment post BTC ETF has been on the rise, and BlackRock has been adding to its Bitcoin holdings in the process. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, now has a whopping 52,052 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF after a recent purchase. It has been one of the top gainers in the BTC ETF market, receiving a huge chunk of inflows.</p><p><br /></p><p>With further purchases anticipated in the coming days, the price of BTC is expected to soar. This makes its current price a good entry point, especially if you wish to ride the market’s current bullish wave.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETF market on January 11, it has been growing at a remarkable pace. Currently, it is the second-largest ETF commodity after flipping silver in just a week of trading, with the rivalry now being Bitcoin ETF vs. gold.</p><p><br /></p><p>Solana (SOL): Aiming for $150</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bitcoin ETF market effects have been largely bearish so far, causing a market downturn, with Solana (SOL), one of the top altcoins, declining. However, the market has been on the rise, and Solana has been mirroring the upward trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to forecasts, following the reclaiming of the $100 support, SOL’s next stop is $150. This significant jump will be on the back of rising adoption and demand, which makes the coming days exciting and SOL a good crypto to buy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the above, Solana is one of the most promising plays not to miss out on. To avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO), we recommend holding some of the tokens in your portfolio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now boasts 52,025 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Meanwhile, Solana and InQubeta have been making waves, primed for a significant upward trajectory, especially InQubeta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How to watch the halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sin City’s Super Bowl 58 will have the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in a sold-out Allegiant Stadium full of roaring fans, some award-worthy commercials and a can't-miss performance by Usher at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview with Vogue, the "Yeah" singer revealed that he wants his halftime show performance to “a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.” Usher also explained that he plans to have “R&B take the main stage” and has invited some special guests to join him onstage who represent “not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” The R&B and pop legend has previously performed during a Super Bowl halftime show as a guest of The Black Eyed Peas, who headlined the performance during Super Bowl XLV.</p><p><br /></p><p>So whether it's the Ravens vs. 49ers, the Chiefs vs. the Lions, or some other 2024 Super Bowl lineup, we know who the star (of halftime, at least) will be. Are you ready to tune into the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Usher perform at Super Bowl 58.</p><p><br /></p><p>When is the 2024 Super Bowl?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>What time is the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show</p><p><br /></p><p>Usher's halftime show performance will start at, well, halftime on Game Day.</p><p><br /></p><p>What channel is the Super Bowl on in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 will air live on CBS, and the alternative, family-friendly telecast will air live on Nickelodeon.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable:</p><p><br /></p><p>Want to tune into the Usher halftime show and Super Bowl, but don't have live TV? You can watch all the Super Bowl 58 action with the help of a TV antenna, Paramount+ subscription or live TV streaming service. Here's what we recommend for ways to watch the Super Bowl in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+ has two subscription tiers: a $6/month ad-supported tier and a $12 ad-free premium tier that includes Showtime and live access to your local CBS channel. In addition to NFL games on CBS, Paramount+ offers a host of other live sports, hit shows and new and classic movies. Unlike a lot of other streaming services, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial, so new subscribers can sign up to watch this week's NFL games on CBS and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Record year for Amazon</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>February 2, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon has reported that net sales increased 12 per cent to $574.8 billion in 2023, compared with $514 billion in 2022. Excluding the $0.1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 12% compared with 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>North America segment sales increased 12 per cent year-over-year to $352.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>International segment sales increased 11 per cent year-over-year to $131.2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>AWS segment sales increased 13 per cent year-over-year to $90.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses. The regionalization of our US fulfillment network led to our fastest-ever delivery speeds for Prime members while also lowering our cost to serve; AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day. As we enter 2024, our teams are delivering at a rapid clip, and we have a lot in front of us to be excited about.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Focusing on Prime Video, Amazon highlighted:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Increased total viewership for the second season of Thursday Night Football (TNF) on Prime Video by 24 per cent year over year, and had double-digit growth (14 per cent) for the second consecutive season in the hard-to-reach 18–34-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen. The November 30th Seahawks-Cowboys game attracted 15.3 million viewers, becoming Prime Video’s most watched TNF game ever, according to Nielsen.</p><p>Released 16 films and series from Amazon MGM Studios, including the second season of Reacher, which was the No. 1 title on Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals Streaming chart for the week it debuted and had the highest number of minutes viewed for any Prime Video title during a single week in 2023 according to Nielsen; second season of Invincible, the most-viewed animated series ever on Prime Video globally; holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, one of the top 10 most-watched worldwide film debuts ever on Prime Video; thriller Saltburn, which had the highest week-over-week audience growth of any film on Prime Video in 2023; dramedy American Fiction; and sports drama The Boys in the Boat. This awards season, Amazon MGM Studios earned 16 Golden Globe nominations, 68 Emmy nominations and nine wins, and 21 Critics Choice Award nominations for content such as American Fiction, Saltburn,Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,andThe Boys. For the upcoming Oscars, the studio earned five nominations for American Fiction, including for Best Picture.</p><p>Grew Prime Video’s international slate of content with more than 60 local Amazon Originals, including Mr. Dressup:The Magic of Make-Believe(Canada), which was winner of the 2023 People’s Choice Award for Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival; Sayen: La Ruta Seca (Chile), the action-packed sequel to the most watched Latin American Original movie ever on Prime Video; Operación Triunfo (Spain), Prime Video’s first weekly live entertainment show; and 007: Road To A Million (UK), the world’s first James Bond television format, which was No. 1 on Prime Video in 27 countries worldwide on its launch weekend.</p><p>Expanded Prime Video’s global sports programming with the debut of the Amazon Original sports documentaries Kelce, chronicling Philadelphia Eagles captain Jason Kelce’s 2022 season,and Bye Bye Barry, the story of Barry Sanders’ decision to retire at the height of his NFL career. In live sports, Prime Video added new broadcast rights for NASCAR, the National Women’s Soccer League, and Premier Boxing Champions in the U.S.; ICC Cricket in Australia; and Wimbledon tennis in Austria and Germany.</p><p>Announced AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud for Europe, to give public sector customers and those in highly regulated industries more choice to meet stringent compliance mandates in the EU and achieve the operational independence they require without compromising on the broadest and deepest cloud services.</p><p>Dan Goman, CEO and Founder of Ateliere Creative Technologies, commented: “Amazon’s technology-driven success gives it a considerable edge in the streaming market, exemplifying the challenges traditional media and entertainment companies face against tech giants entering the content space.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tech advantage essentially creates an uneven playing field, with companies like Amazon and Netflix enjoying a massive advantage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, it’s like comparing a car race where legacy media companies are behind the wheel of a Buick Skylark, while companies like Amazon and Netflix are speeding ahead in Ferraris. It’s hardly a fair contest, and the losses for the slower contenders will continue. Merely merging companies won’t solve the issue; after all, two Buicks won’t outpace a Ferrari.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon’s strategic focus on enhancing Prime Video the last several years has transformed it into a leading streaming service, significantly broadening its business model. This shift has evolved to Prime Video offering a wide range of entertainment options and revenue streams, rather than a mere add-on to an Amazon subscription. This move has not only bolstered customer loyalty but also positioned Amazon as a formidable competitor in the streaming wars, especially as Amazon has been able to take hold of Thursday Night Football, and other major streaming moments.</p><p><br /></p><p>While many streaming services are introducing ad-supported tiers as an option, Amazon is taking a unique approach by making ads the default for Prime Video viewers, with an option to pay extra for ad-free viewing. This strategy could differentiate Amazon in the crowded streaming market by potentially increasing ad revenue while also catering to those who prefer a premium, ad-free experience (and willing to pay more).</p><p><br /></p><p>This move aligns with broader industry trends increasing monetisation and driving profitability for streaming platforms. The introduction of ads on Amazon Prime Video is expected to have upwards a 5 billion dollar impact on Amazon’s earnings over the next several months.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>India: JioCinema to stream 10th Celebrity Cricket League</b></p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JioCinema has announced a partnership with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) that will se the India streaming platform exclusively live-stream Celebrity Cricket League Season 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>Spread over four weekends, and with 20 matches that appeal to a wide audience cohort beyond cricket fans, the tournament will stream from February 23rd, exclusively on JioCinema.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2011, Celebrity Cricket League has evolved to become one of India’s most-watched sport and entertainment event. The previous season of Celebrity Cricket League reached out to over 250 million viewers across India. Comprising eight teams representing India’s major film industries including Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, CCL Season 10 will bring together over 200 film celebrities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferzad Palia, Business Head, JioCinema, commented: “JioCinema is loved by users across the spectrum and is home to the best of sports and entertainment content. The unparallel viewership we enjoy is a testimony to that. Celebrity Cricket League brings the best of both these worlds, and we are happy to partner with them to entertain India.”</p><p>Vishnu Induri, Founder of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), added: “Celebrity Cricket League has become a cultural phenomenon, and we’re delighted to partner with JioCinema to elevate the reach of our 10th season. The combination of sports and entertainment on this scale is unparalleled, and we look forward to engaging fans across the nation.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business class and no extra stop: Roosters’ ritzy Vegas special treatment revealed - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a move sure annoy rival NRL clubs, the Sydney Roosters will have a superior travel schedule to the other Las Vegas bound clubs via a luxurious flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Telegraph reported Roosters players will travel business class directly to the US, while the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Broncos have a stop-over in Fiji on route to America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters were chosen to fly on a Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, an aeroplane which offers revolutionary lower cabin altitude, less turbulence, new filtration, better humidity and less fatigue.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL had previously confirmed they would be responsible for booking squad travel arrangements to the USA, with one club flying on United Airlines in a non-stop flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The remaining clubs would be required to travel with Fiji Airlines under a new partnership between the NRL and the airline, however, that flight would involve a stop-over in Nadi, Fiji.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters have since been informed that they will be the club travelling directly from Sydney to Las Vegas without a stop-over on one of the world’s most comfortable aircraft.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787, which has multiple variants, is used for long-haul travel, with the 9 variant first brought into service on September 17, 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>The plane promises smoother travel, more personal space than other aircraft, and better air features to help passengers experience less fatigue. ‘</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787 was the cheaper-to-run, smoother alternative to a number of Airbus long-haul aircraft, and has also helped to replace the Boeing 747, which for many decades was the king of the skies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision to give the best flight itinerary to the Roosters is understood to be simply luck of the draw.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four teams competing in the Las Vegas 2024 season opener fly out approximately a week before the double-header in Sin City.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first game sees the South Sydney Rabbitohs clash with the Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday, March 3, 1:30pm AEDT), before the Roosters take on the Brisbane Broncos at 3:30pm (AEDT).</p><p><br /></p><p>Clubs will reportedly begin working with players on sleep schedules and pre-flight activities from this week in an effort to minimise the effects of travel to Las Vegas and back in the unique start to the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four clubs travelling will depart the USA the day after the games, arriving back in Australia with a week off before their Round 2 fixtures.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Sports)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk weighs in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Musk said that the illegal immigration crisis is contributing to the lack of affordable housing in the US</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration in a series of posts on social media as he criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter which he acquired and rebranded, to call out a variety of services and benefits that illegal immigrants have access to in the U.S. and argue they’re contributing to the housing affordability crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p>"A few other things you probably don’t know: illegals in America can get bank loans, mortgages, insurance, driver’s licenses, free healthcare (California & New York) and in-state college tuition," Musk wrote. "What’s the point of being a citizen if an illegal gets all the benefits, but doesn’t pay taxes or do jury duty?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you’re wondering why housing is so expensive, this is a major contributor," Musk added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Housing prices in the U.S. hit a new record high in November amid an ongoing shortage of inventory. Mortgage rates are near the highest level in two decades due to the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, which has made sellers locked into low-rate mortgages reluctant to sell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not only are homebuyers struggling in the current housing market, but burdens on renters are rising as well. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that the number of American renters considered "cost burdened" by their monthly housing payment in 2022 hit an all-time high of 22.4 million. Renters are considered burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, and the 22.4 million total amounts to roughly half of U.S. tenants.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk, a legal immigrant to the U.S. who was born and raised in South Africa and then moved to Canada at the age of 18 before later becoming a naturalized American citizen, emphasized that he supports legal immigration pathways despite his opposition to illegal immigration.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a reminder, I am very much PRO increasing legal immigration significantly," Musk added. "I’m not anti-immigration, I’m just against a massive number of unvetted people flooding into America, which any rational person should be."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk said that President Biden and lawmakers in Congress who’ve pushed for a border security bill could make progress on resolving the southern border crisis without enacting a new law if the administration simply puts forward an executive order reforming asylum policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>"No laws need to be passed," Musk wrote. "All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing. That is how it used to be."</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Biden told reporters that he has done "all I can do" using the executive authority at his disposal to secure the border.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk also agreed with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor David Sacks who wrote last week that the border is broken "because this administration refuses to enforce the laws we already have." Musk responded by writing, "exactly."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Business)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google parent Alphabet sees AI investment providing long-term opportunities</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Google expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, this year</b></p><p><br /></p><p>For Google and other tech titans, the rise of artificial intelligence remains a big focus for investors as the emerging technology reshapes the tech landscape, transforming the business of search, cloud and advertising, but it also comes with a cost. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell more than 7% on Wednesday, a day after the company reported quarterly results. Despite beating expectations on many key metrics, the company said capital spending will jump in 2024 as it continues to invest in AI to improve its services.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We do remain very committed to investing in the AI opportunity across Google DeepMind, Google services, Google Cloud," Ruth Porat, the tech giant’s chief financial officer, told FOX Business' Susan Li. "Capex was up in the fourth quarter to $11 billion, and that was overwhelmingly the investment in our technical infrastructure."</p><p><br /></p><p>There are serious questions about how AI could impact Google’s ad business. Advertising remains a powerhouse for Alphabet, accounting for more than 50% of its total revenue. YouTube’s ad revenue grew 16% year over year, but overall ad spending has seen a pullback as advertisers rein in spending.</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet’s ad revenue for the fourth quarter rose to $65.5 billion from $59 billion in the same period a year ago, just shy of analysts’ estimates, also adding to the selling pressure. Shares are marginally lower this year, compared to the Nasdaq Composite's modest 1% gain.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Porat says evolving AI technology could contribute to success across Alphabet’s spectrum of services, including cloud computing, which earned its first-ever quarterly profit in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The results reflect spreads across industry sectors; there is an increasing contribution from AI," Porat said. "This is clearly an extraordinary time."</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can Crown Sydney’s style refresh win back the high rollers? - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gaming floors in the hope that a refurbishment will attract foreign and local punters to its VIP-only casino after poor foot traffic resulted in more than 200 job cuts and reduced operating hours just one year into operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Barangaroo tower’s boss Mark McWhinnie said he was confident the revamped Mahogany Room would attract gamblers from Australia and overseas.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stressed he believed the business model would prevail regardless of whether Chinese tourists, who formerly propped up the bottom line of all Australian casinos, returned to Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m not overly concerned [by the absence of Chinese tourists] because we’re not just hanging our hats on China. It’s quite the opposite. We’re focused on developing awareness and demand on a number of countries in South-East Asia,” McWhinnie said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inbound tourism to Australia has picked up over the last year, with the latest ABS data revealing international arrivals increased to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as of September last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>McWhinnie said Crown was “quite bullish about what the international market will represent in the future”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead revealed in August that Crown had been forced to close the Mahogany Room – which was originally designed with private salons for top high rollers – due to poor visitation. It also reduced its hours of operation and made more than 200 staff redundant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mahogany Room has since been redesigned to have a mix of tables and private booths to attract all kinds of punters to the same floor. Crown said it planned to reopen its second floor, known as the Crystal Floor, but did not commit to a timeline. As a VIP-only facility, Crown Sydney has no poker machines. A minimum bet of $20 applies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity giant Blackstone purchased Crown Sydney and the broader Crown Resorts business for $8.9 billion in June 2022 after the casino group was disgraced by extensive breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The breaches culminated in the loss of its casino licences in the three states in which it operates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney opened one month after Blackstone formally took the reins of the business and overhauled its original strategy, which was based around attracting junket-driven, overseas high rollers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company has spent $71 million in anti-money laundering and counterterrorism compliance measures since 2021, discontinued all junket tour operations and is transitioning to cashless gaming.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney is currently operating under a conditional licence. The NSW Independent Casino Commission will decide later this year whether its investment and strategy change has been enough to reinstate its full licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Regardless of whether Crown regains it, investors and industry analysts have long questioned whether the state is big enough for two casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Blackstone investors told this masthead in December they were concerned that the Crown takeover was a bad call. Rumours have also intensified about whether a long-touted merger between Crown and Star Entertainment is finally on the cards, as casinos face challenges from the high cost of living, increased taxes and regulatory hurdles.</p><p><br /></p><p>But McWhinnie dismissed the idea that the business model of the $2.2 billion Barangaroo precinct wasn’t sustainable, or too reliant on casino visitation.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you look at the fabric of what we offer we’re not just about a casino experience. We’re a well-rounded entertainment space,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Travis Kelce Taylor Swift Proposal Super Bowl Prop Bet - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BetOnline is honoring Taylor Swift's iconic 1989 album by offering 89 Taylor Swift Super Bowl props.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swift of course is madly in love with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and vice versa. She'll be flying into this year's Super Bowl to watch him play fresh off a tour in Japan.</p><p><br /></p><p>So does he pop the question?</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not if, but where he proposes, as far as BetOnline is concerned.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vacation is the favorite and only non-game location offered.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Taylor Swift Effect is real as we felt it throughout the NFL season, and now at an exponential level leading up to Super Bowl LVIII," BetOnline Sportsbook Manager Adam Burns said. "It truly feels like the Swift storylines have become bigger than the game itself, which is just crazy considering this is the most watched event in the world every year. But if anyone can set a new bar, it's Swift, and we wanted to do the same with our props menu."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Gambling911)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>NASCAR has strong start on Netflix - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR’s new Netflix documentary has already started making the Top 10 shows list in nearly 20 countries since launching earlier this week, according to streaming tracking site FlixPatrol. The five-part documentary around the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs debuted Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Blame the Internet for Sports Illustrated’s Fall, Not Private Equity</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated reportedly gut much of its staff after parent co. –Arena Group Holdings– had the publishing license to the label revoked. Brand licensor Authentic Brand Group pulled the company’s print and digital rights after Arena withheld a $3.75 million quarterly payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longtime fans and former employees of the once powerful publication have been quick to lament private equity’s role in SI’s fall from grace. But the blame is misguided. It belongs with the internet. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This isn’t about [ABG or] Arena Group. It’s about the depreciation of the value of the written word,” one well-placed media executive said. Long-form content no longer pays the bills, and “journalists simply can’t grapple with the reality their ASME winning stories aren’t helping their employers keep the lights on in a post TikTok digital world…Even in ’24, they choose to ignore how this business works.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The relationship between ABG and Arena Group seemed to be working fine on both sides until Manoj Bhargava's Simplify Inventions took majority control of Arena Group in August ’23. The 5-Hour Energy founder subsequently let go of senior personnel, established himself as interim CEO (a position he has since resigned), and Arena defaulted on the loan payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>That decision drove ABG to place Arena into breach of contract, and to terminate its publishing licensing agreement. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bhargava subsequently sent a letter to the SI Union informing its members of their tenuous future. The move sparked outrage amongst the journalism community, led to a public funeral for the brand on social channels, and spawned the narrative that PE killed Sports Illustrated.</p><p><br /></p><p>But SI isn’t dead. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is currently operating, and even if Arena is unable to reobtain the license, the publisher is obligated to continue running it for some time. ABG would almost certainly have another publisher in place before the grace period expires. </p><p><br /></p><p>SI has gone through ownership changes before. The label was sold from Time to Meredith in 2018 and then from Meredith to Authentic Brands Group a year later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But unlike Time and Meredith, ABG is a brand management company. Its expertise is in licensing and merchandising, not publishing. So, the holding co. licensed SI’s print and online publishing rights to Maven (now Arena Group).</p><p><br /></p><p>The SI brand was two decades past its prime when ABG took it over. Any suggestion it or Maven/Arena is solely to blame for tarnishing its once pristine reputation is misleading. </p><p><br /></p><p>There’s an argument to be made ABG could have elected a better steward for the media property. Maven/Arena has made some highly controversial decisions (see: use of independent contracts, accusations of AI generated articles). </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s difficult to fault the publisher for emphasizing clicks and traffic over investigative and long-form journalism. It’s happening across the digital landscape. Legacy brands are doing what is needed to survive and appeal to today’s consumer.</p><p><br /></p><p>SI also still employs some of the industry’s best writers (see: Pat Forde, Jon Wertheim). So, while the overall product is not as good as it once was, the business is profitable and remains viable within the marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brand Group (think: Reebok, Brooks Brothers) controls SI’s licensing rights. </p><p><br /></p><p>It purchased the company from Meredith for $110 million in May ’19 and had a 10-year $15 million/year publishing agreement in place with Maven before the end of the June. So, its starting point on Sports Illustrated is profitable.</p><p><br /></p><p>And because Arena employs all the content creators, its overhead is lower and margins are much higher than they would be for a traditional publishing co.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has since introduced an SI branded sportsbook, ticketing platform, premium hospitality concept, and it is reportedly working on several hotel projects (including: Ann Arbor, Michigan). </p><p><br /></p><p>Those efforts do not even have to pan out for them to be worth ABG’s involvement. Licensing companies typically structure deals to include minimum guarantees (there may be success-based kickers to create upside opportunity).</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG is building a high-end ticketed events business with the SI brand too. </p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re literally doing what Meredith, Conde Nast, Hearst, and most digital publishers have been trying to do for 20 years and haven’t been able to figure out,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has seemingly cracked the code on how to extract maximum value from a brand in a business that is in secular decline–minimizing the content side of the house from business decisions. Arena is solely responsible for writing, editing, publishing, and distribution.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t get a seat at the table for licensing deals, events, [partnerships], or any of the other things they get to weigh in on at other places that they have no expertise to weigh in on,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG handles all the omni-channel opportunities demanded by today’s consumer as the licensor. </p><p><br /></p><p>The only issue with ABG’s model is that it is reliant on a publisher, which it does not employ, to uphold the brand’s editorial product and to manage the team who produces the content and sells the ads. And contract stipulations can only ensure so much. </p><p><br /></p><p>Licensors will often factor the loss of control into their models, but asset quality still needs to remain at sufficient levels for the brand to expand into ancillary categories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Up until this point, Arena had upheld its end of the bargain. Its recent decision to skip a payment, and the subsequent fallout, may have changed the calculus for ABG. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s hard to understand what Arena’s end game was/is. But it’s nearly impossible to believe a billionaire bought a majority stake in the company only to unload its biggest asset within a matter of weeks. One must assume Bhargava has a plan for SI moving forward. </p><p><br /></p><p>Whether ABG can or wants to trust him to operate the publication is another discussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>“If you’re degrading the value of the brand, you’re degrading the partnership or its potential impact [for the licensor],” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG does not need the next publisher to re-establish SI as the ‘Porsche’ of sports media to build a lucrative licensing business. But it can’t get to ‘Honda’ levels, either. The next SI publisher simply needs to come in and churn out quality content. </p><p><br /></p><p>Junior Bridgeman, Vox, and Penske Media are among those who have reportedly expressed interest in taking SI over should ABG choose to go in another direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>(JohnWallStreet)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What will be on the Sphere in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LVIII?</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Many people are curious about what will be projected on the massive Sphere in Las Vegas during the upcoming Super Bowl. On Sunday, we received a sneak peek of what to expect from the newest addition to the city’s skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p>The collaboration with the NFL is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Feb. 5. On Sunday, Sphere Entertainment Co. previewed what will be displayed on the Sphere’s exterior, celebrated as the largest LED screen in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on the landmark display. Content on the Sphere will respond in real-time to the action on the field between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, officials say the Sphere will be the focus of two curated moments during the game broadcast on CBS.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no immediate word on whether or not the adorable Sphere emoji will make an appearance during the big game, but the little guy is usually up to something, so that’s worth keeping an eye on as the game approaches.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the Sphere will project NFL-related content, including a countdown clock and a graphic highlighting Sunday’s matchup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, all 57 Super Bowl rings will be displayed on the Sphere in the lead up to the NFL championship game, providing football fans in the “entertainment capital of the world” a unique photo opportunity to represent their favorite team.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week,” a news release from Sphere Entertainment Co. stated. “This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sphere’s exterior is the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>SPHERE AND NFL COLLABORATE ON CUSTOM SUPER BOWL CONTENT FOR THE EXOSPHERE CREATED EXCLUSIVELY BY SPHERE STUDIOS</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Exosphere Content To Be Broadcast During The Game on CBS And Run Throughout Super Bowl Week</p><p><br /></p><p>Both Interior and Exterior of Sphere to be Showcased </p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS , Feb. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) and the NFL today announced a collaboration that will see custom Super Bowl LVIII content, created exclusively by Sphere Studios, displayed on Sphere's fully programmable LED exterior – the Exosphere – throughout Super Bowl Week. As part of this, Sphere will also be featured in CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and Paramount+.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"We welcome Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas, which continues to reinforce its place as a destination for the biggest events in sports and entertainment," said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for MSG Entertainment, who oversees marquee events for Sphere. "As a new Las Vegas landmark, Sphere is recognized worldwide for its dynamic visuals, and we're proud to collaborate with the NFL on content that will captivate audiences both in Las Vegas and watching on CBS."</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl and Sphere are two globally recognized brands, and together will showcase the power of this unparalleled digital canvas to bring fans together around Super Bowl LVIII," said Guy Barnett, Senior Vice President Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment. "The custom Super Bowl-themed content our Sphere Studios team created for the Exosphere will surprise and delight fans, adding a one-of-a-kind element to the first ever Las Vegas Super Bowl, and to the game broadcast."</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the short amount of time since its opening, Sphere has established itself as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Las Vegas and we're thrilled about this collaboration in the lead up to Super Bowl LVIII," said Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President, Club Business, League Events & International at the NFL. "There won't be a better place for the League and our family of official NFL partners to display their creative and message the thousands of fans descending upon Las Vegas for the biggest annual sports event in the world."</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas officially kicks off tomorrow, as does a slate of custom Exosphere content that will run throughout the week. Working in collaboration with the NFL, Sphere will display content including: a countdown clock leading up to kick-off on Sunday; a welcome visual that will serve as a beacon for the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Las Vegas; and key graphics highlighting the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. In celebration of Super Bowl history, Sphere will showcase all 57 Super Bowl rings, giving fans on the ground in Las Vegas an opportunity to pose in front of their team's ring. Throughout the game, content on the Exosphere will run live, in real time in response to action on the field.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, the CBS Sports' broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII will showcase Sphere. Both the Exosphere and the interior of Sphere will be featured as part of two curated moments in custom, one-of-a-kind videos filmed at the venue that showcase the immersive capabilities of Sphere's 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane.</p><p><br /></p><p>In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week. This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to custom NFL and Super Bowl content, some of the world's largest brands will have advertisements displayed on the Exosphere throughout Super Bowl Week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere:</p><p>Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere Entertainment Co.</p><p>Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas opened in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The King of Vegas: Legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro has a story for you - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>AS VEGAS — When you spend nearly five decades working in Las Vegas, you have stories to tell. Jimmy Vaccaro would run out of time before he'd run out of stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro is one of the legends in Las Vegas sports betting history, one of the first to manage a sports book and a fixture in the city who has been setting odds since the 1970s. When the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame was formed in 2023, Vaccaro was part of the 10-person inaugural class. He's one of the legendary oddsmakers in Las Vegas history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s one of the most famous now," said South Point sports book director Chris Andrews, a decades-long friend of Vaccaro. "How do you rate them? It's like, who’s the best guitar player in the world? Everyone has their opinion on it. He’s certainly in the conversation."</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro isn't unfamiliar with fame and attention. His brother, Sonny, was played by Matt Damon in the movie "Air," the story of Sonny Vaccaro convincing Nike to sign Michael Jordan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro has stories to tell, and he'll often interrupt himself to start one.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was on 'The Simpsons,'" Vaccaro said. "You didn’t know that?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Simpsons"? Like Homer, Marge and Bart, those Simpsons?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Want to punch it up? You can punch it up," Vaccaro said, turning to a computer near him, almost egging you to search for him on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro said Alan Feldman, then the marketing director for The Mirage casino in Las Vegas, came to him with the opportunity to be on the popular show in 1995.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn’t know what 'The Simpsons' were," Vaccaro said. "Now, my two kids did because that was in their zone. I said, 'Yeah, whatever.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>He explained how he had to find a different color shirt (other than white) because of how it would look on camera, how he gave the fake betting odds on who shot Mr. Burns and even how royalties work after you've been on a TV show. He laughed at how classmates heard that his kids' dad had been on "The Simpsons," and that became a thing at school.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, I was on 'The Simpsons,'" he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what a visit with Vaccaro is like. This one took place in mid December, about six weeks before Vaccaro's beloved Las Vegas played host to the Super Bowl this week. Most days, he is hanging around the South Point sports book, about a 15-minute drive from the south end of The Strip, advising the oddsmaking team there, wearing his comfortable sweatshirt and always willing to share a story.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you're one of the most famous figures in Las Vegas gaming history, you have plenty of stories to tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>The glory days of Vegas' big boxing matches</p><p>Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Las Vegas. It's not the first time the city has hosted a big sporting event.</p><p><br /></p><p>The big boxing matches are what Vaccaro remembers most fondly from his career. Muhammad Ali's last big fight, against Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in 1980, stands out. And here comes another Vaccaro story, this one about the time he had a customer from Detroit, with a woman on each arm, come in wanting to bet on Tommy Hearns in a big fight. Vaccaro asked him how much he wanted on Hearns.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He says, ‘I don’t know. What do you think, girls?’ They’re giggling," Vaccaro said. "He says, ‘How about $40,000?’</p><p><br /></p><p>"You can only imagine how long it would take to count out $20 bills for $40,000. I’ll never forget it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in the glory days of big boxing matches in Las Vegas, there weren't nearly as many sports books in the city as there are now. There were only a handful, which is part of what makes Vaccaro such a big figure in sports betting history. He ran multiple sports books through the years, starting at Barbary Coast and eventually moving to The Mirage, MGM Grand and Golden Nugget. When the fights came to town, people wanted to bet, and Vaccaro's sports book was one of their only options.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The boxing was incredible," Vaccaro said. "We went through about 15 years where every four or five months was a monster fight. Forget this UFC garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting nearby in a side office as he listens to Vaccaro tell his old stories, Andrews chimed in: “We had like three or four extra Super Bowls a year with these fights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>"The fights were incredible," Vaccaro continued. "And I loved them. Never stopped loving 'em."</p><p><br /></p><p>A memorable fight led to Vaccaro's most famous moment. Want to hear a story?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>42-to-1</p><p>Vaccaro loved putting up odds on boxing matches, even a 1990 mismatch between the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson and a no-name such as Buster Douglas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was putting up odds on all those fights because I enjoyed it," Vaccaro said. "So now here it is, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Nobody would book the fight because the odds were too high. So I said, ‘I’ve got to do this because I’ll be the only one.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>In a previous Tyson fight, Vaccaro opened Michael Spinks as an 8-to-1 underdog, and so many people bet Tyson that the odds moved to 15-to-1. Tyson won in 91 seconds.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the Douglas fight? Vaccaro's sports book at The Mirage was the only one to set a line. He set it at 27-to-1.</p><p><br /></p><p>"That was the opening line," Vaccaro said. "A guy I know pretty well, he was a bettor every day, he laid the 27. He laid $54,000 to win $2,000. Because he thought it was just a pickup. You know, 10 minutes later, I’m going to get my money.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I changed it to 31-to-1. Another one of my big boxing bettors from L.A. came to town. 'Jimmy, I heard you had this fight.’ It’s 31-to-1. He bet $93,000 to win $3,000 at 31-to-1 or whatever it was. Then people started to hear about it. It just didn’t stop. I got to 42-to-1."</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, ESPN made a documentary on the Tyson-Douglas fight as part of its "30 for 30" series. The title was "42 to 1."</p><p><br /></p><p>"You’ll like this," Vaccaro said. "The number is 42-to-1. This is the day of the fight. Guy came in, he was a customer at The Mirage. He laid $420,000 at 42-to-1 to win $10,000. I’ll never forget.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Somebody was standing there, I think it was a newspaper guy. I said, ‘He thought he was going to pick up $10,000 in about five minutes, when they rang the bell.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, Tyson lost in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Vaccaro said he didn't believe the ticker when it said Tyson lost the fight, which was in Tokyo. He didn't pay out the bets on Douglas until news stations such as ESPN started reporting it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then Vaccaro went home, and at about 5 a.m., he started getting calls from The Mirage saying they were receiving multiple interview requests. The Mirage, thanks to Vaccaro, was the only sports book that had a line on Tyson vs. Douglas. He came back in to do all the interviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So you can only imagine the vibration through the whole freaking world," Vaccaro said. "Now remember, if Tyson would have won, there would have been nobody calling us."</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, 42-to-1 became part of the lore of one of the most famous fights in boxing history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'll live with that one for a long time," Vaccaro said. "It’s a good feeling. Nobody else did it."</p><p><br /></p><p>How Vaccaro built his name in Vegas</p><p>Got time for another story? Sure you do.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was the first one to make overs and unders on season win totals," Vaccaro said as soon as he finished the Tyson-Douglas story.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1989, he had customers in from Texas who wanted to know how many wins Vaccaro thought the Dallas Cowboys would get with new head coach Jimmy Johnson. He thought about it a while, and he set a line: 5.5 wins. One of the bettors wanted the over. His wife had a purse on her shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>"She turned her purse over, and all these wrapped $10,000 of bills are in there," Vaccaro said. "He bet $38,500 to win $35,000 on the over."</p><p><br /></p><p>The Cowboys went 1-15, but that started the trend of sports books posting season win totals for teams. Today, it's one of the most popular markets in sports betting.</p><p>The stories don't stop. One time, when Vaccaro was running the sports book at The Mirage, the book had a terrible day and lost $1.4 million. Vaccaro got a call from casino/resort owner Steve Wynn.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I walk in there, and he says, ‘What the hell did you do?’ I said, 'We have good days, too, Steve,'" Vaccaro said, perhaps unaware that not many people have to answer to their boss after losing more than a million dollars. "He said, ‘Go back, and do what you’re doing, and keep doing it.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>The stories go all the way back to his origins in Las Vegas. He first drove to Vegas from Trafford, Pennsylvania, when he was 18. After he turned 21, he'd go to Vegas "every time I had a little bit of money" and go home when he was broke. After a few years, a friend remarked that he should just stay in Vegas. And in 1975, he did. He went to see casino owner Michael Gaughan and asked for a job. Gaughan said he could become a blackjack dealer; it just took $250 to go to a dealer school that Gaughan owned.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had, like, $40, I think," Vaccaro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gaughan let Vaccaro pay him back when he had the money.</p><p><br /></p><p>You won't be surprised to hear that Vaccaro also has a story about how he got into the sports betting business in which he became a legend. One day, Gaughan called him up to his office.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If I live to be 10 million years old, this is what he said, because it changed my life," Vaccaro said. "He said, ‘Do you know how to run a sports book?’ I said, ‘No!’ I was just a kid like him, betting, but never running a sports book.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He said, ‘Good, neither do I.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro was put in charge of a little sports book at the Royal Inn, which was imploded in 2015. There were only a few other sports books in Las Vegas at the time. That grew until practically every casino had one. Then a Supreme Court decision in 2018 allowed states to legalize sports gambling. Legal sports betting exploded afterward. Sports betting going mainstream is likely part of the reason the Super Bowl is in Las Vegas. That explosion traces back, at least in part, to Vaccaro setting lines for Ali-Holmes, taking $40,000 bets on Tommy Hearns, making the first win total odds for the 1989 Cowboys and giving sports betting invaluable exposure with the Tyson-Douglas line.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many more stories from his lifetime of oddsmaking, such as the time legendary poker player Stu Ungar was being treated in his office after having a heart attack but still wanted to bet ("‘Where’s Jimmy? I want the Cowboys for $30,000!’" Vaccaro said. "Everybody was staring. I said, ‘You’re going to f***ing die!’ He said, ‘Jimmy, give me the bet!’") or the time his was the first sports book to take a big bet from from Mattress Mack, the owner of the Gallery Furniture chain in Houston who has become famous in the betting world for massive wagers, which are sometimes eight figures and usually on Houston teams ("He’s a gentleman," Vaccaro said. "We have nothing but good things to say about each other.").</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, Vaccaro played his part in bringing sports betting to the mainstream.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was probably the only one who said, ‘We ain’t seen nothing yet,’ way back when it started," he said. "We’re not geniuses. We just left the door open for a little bit."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk's X to hire 100 content moderators in Austin this year - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform announced a new content moderation push</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk’s X is in the process of hiring 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas, that will focus on fighting child abuse online on the social media platform, an executive said on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>X, formerly known as Twitter, announced a new "Trust and Safety center of excellence" in a blog post by CEO Linda Yaccarino on Friday. The new initiative comes as part of the company’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation (CSE) on the social media platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>"While X is not the platform of choice for children and minors – users between 13-17 account for less than 1% of our daily U.S. users – we have made it more difficult for bad actors to share or engage with CSE material on X, while simultaneously making it simpler for our users to report CSE content," Yaccarino wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>She added that the platform is "improving our detection mechanisms to find more reportable content on the platform to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The post noted that X suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating the platform’s CSE policies in 2023 – a dramatic uptick from 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company also referred 850,000 reports to NCMEC in 2023, including through X’s first ever fully-automated report. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company said that was over eight times more than what Twitter referred to NCMEC in 2022 before it was acquired by the Elon Musk-led ownership group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, he has faced criticism for the content moderation policy changes to the social media site, which caused some advertisers to reconsider their spending on the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is in the process of hiring content moderation staff for the new Trust and Safety center of excellence in Austin, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The team is currently being built," said Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, about the Austin office. He added that the goal to fill the positions by the end of the year is dependent on finding the right talent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that the new Austin facility will also help X fight other types of harmful social media content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports News</p><p><br /></p><p>Rudd, Hockey on hand to turn NRL’s Las Vegas play into reality - January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener is expected to go ahead as planned, with executives at the sport’s governing body planning to lean on the expertise of three former politicians to expedite a visa process for players.</p><p><br /></p><p>The four NRL clubs that will travel to the United States to compete in the Las Vegas double-header on March 2 have been at loggerheads with the Australian Rugby League Commission over delays to crucial matters such as accommodation, visas and funds for offshore training camps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But an urgent meeting on Thursday between the clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys ended with an agreement to hand the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles and the Brisbane Broncos $700,000 each in funding for pre-season training camps and unlimited insurance for serious injuries. They have also been given assurances that all visas and accommodation issues will be resolved.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got the comfort and satisfaction that we needed to make sure that it’s going to be a success. From now on, it’s full steam ahead,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “What Peter and Andrew said today is they’re very confident that all players will get access to the US, which is really important to the game. We want to see the best players on the field.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas play is the brainchild of Mr V’landys and is based on concerns the game can’t sustain revenue growth by relying on local broadcast revenue, advertising sponsorship and wagering turnover.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the process has been arduous and expensive. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the four clubs had written to Mr V’landys expressing concerns about a lack of information regarding visas, medical insurance, Las Vegas training venues and fast rising costs.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There was a degree of frustration about some of the things and issues we were raising and couldn’t get a resolution,” Mr Solly said on Thursday. “Peter understood our concerns, and he understood some of the challenges Andrew has faced, and he was able to bulldoze through them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL initially told the clubs players could travel to the US with visa waiver available for Australian travellers. Clubs were concerned about players being stopped by US customs, particularly those who had been arrested in Australia such as Payne Haas, Latrell Mitchell and Reece Walsh.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr V’landys will rely on Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, a friend and former Howard government minister, to expedite the visa process. Mr McGauran is a former consul-general and senior trade investment commissioner to Texas and currently works for Bondi Partners, the advisory and investment firm run by former treasurer Joe Hockey.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL also plans to lean on Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador in Washington DC, and Mr Hockey to expedite the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Solly said the clubs had received assurances that players would be able to get visas approved. Players who have not been arrested previously will enter the US on a waiver, while the others will apply for a visitor visa.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re working with the consulate and government to make sure that process is expedited as quickly as can be,” he said. “Based on what we agreed today, we should be fine to sign the [final] agreement and get on with it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>To make sure players are prepared to play in US conditions, the four clubs will base themselves in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas for more than a week before kick-off. The NRL agreed on Thursday to provide $175,000 per club towards the cost of that week.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is an investment right now for the future,” Mr Abdo said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Having said that, we’re not approaching this expecting massive losses. We’ve already started building revenue streams, we’ve got investment from sponsors, we’ve sold a number of tickets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can the tech giants live up to all the AI hype? - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors will be closely watching to see if Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta can report a rise in earnings that would justify the surge in their share prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mania surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the US sharemarket to record levels, but this week’s earnings reports from the five US tech giants will test whether the hype has been overdone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be questioning whether the tech giants – Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta – can report a rise in earnings that would justify the huge surge in their share prices. (So far this year, the US blue chip S&P 500 has risen 2.5 per cent, and the tech sector is up by close to 6 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The question about monetising generative AI is a difficult one for the big tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>This month, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Sam Altman, the high-profile head of OpenAI, took to the stage together at Davos to discuss their partnership, and the potential of generative AI, which enables computers to generate sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level comparable to humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nadella was upbeat, saying the world was nearing a “magical moment” similar to the introduction of the personal computer.</p><p><br /></p><p>But then the moderator posed an awkward question about their AI efforts: “Do you guys make money?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Although both Nadella and Altman avoided giving a direct answer, the question is very pertinent – especially now that Microsoft boasts a market capitalisation of about $US3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) and is vying with Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since ChatGPT was released at the end of November 2022, Microsoft’s share price has soared 66 per cent, or roughly three times the rise in the overall market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Underpinning this share price surge, however, are investor expectations that generative AI will result in a huge increase in revenue and profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has allowed it to leapfrog Google, which has been working on AI for years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Microsoft first invested $US1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019, and then committed a further $US10 billion a year ago. When the OpenAI board ousted Altman last year, it was Nadella’s support that led to his reinstatement.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Microsoft is still in the early stages of embedding OpenAI’s technology into its offerings, such as its coding platform GitHub, its Azure cloud business and its software business, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.</p><p><br /></p><p>And there are also questions about the speed with which its customers will embrace AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Risk of disillusionment</p><p><br /></p><p>This means there’s a risk that investors will become disillusioned if the AI hype fails to quickly translate into stronger revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly, Altman seems to have recognised this risk. On stage at Davos, he played down hopes that AI technology would radically change the world in the short term. Instead, he said it would inexorably improve over a longer period and eventually have a significant impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The world had a two-week freakout with GPT4”, Altman said, referring to the launch last March of OpenAI’s latest version of its chatbot. “And now, people are like, ‘Why is it so slow?’”</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the US market’s rally has been driven by a handful of big tech stocks, the risk is that investors show a similar impatience. That’s why this week’s earnings updates from the five US tech giants are so important.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be keen to hear from Microsoft on its progress in embedding the latest AI models in its offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p>And while they’ll be keen to hear from Google parent Alphabet on the outlook for online advertising revenues, they’ll also be waiting for an update on the company’s progress in developing its own AI models, which it plans to commercialise through its Google Cloud business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely to see how Amazon performed during the holiday retail season, and whether it has been able to improve margins in its e-commerce business. But they’ll also be looking for signs that its cloud business is continuing to benefit from the growth in AI workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple’s results will be scrutinised for signs that its Chinese sales of the iPhone have suffered because of stronger competition from rivals such as Huawei. But investors will also be keen to hear from Apple boss Tim Cook on its plans to incorporate generative AI on its devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, investors will be paying close attention to Meta’s results, both to get a read on the health of the online advertising market and for an update on the company’s aggressive AI plans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has signalled that the company is now focused on building an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system, which can carry out tasks at a level of intelligence that equals or exceeds that of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources close to the discussions, who asked for anonymity to speak openly about the matter, confirmed Jefferies’ Michael Stock canvassed both KKR and TPG around the middle of last year and discussed whether they were interested in looking at a deal relating to Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no deal eventuated, the discussions demonstrate that Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – has been considering how to make one of its major growth investments work harder. Among options for Nine could be taking Domain private with a third party, or selling all or part of its position in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>KKR and TPG declined to comment, as did Jefferies, Domain and Nine.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are two key challenges going forward for Nine, which owns the Nine Network, free streaming platform 9Now, paid streaming service Stan, radio stations like 2GB and 3AW, and some of the country’s largest publishing assets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the television advertising market is largely flat. Advertisers are pulling back in a cost-of-living crunch, and there is more competition with streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video will start running ads in Australia in the middle of this year. Television advertising made up 53 per cent of earnings in the last financial year. Domain added 11 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second challenge is with Domain. The real estate platform is a key area for future growth for Nine, but it has not performed on par with $24 billion giant REA Group, which is 61 per cent owned by News Corporation.</p><p><br /></p><p>REA’s share price is up 142 per cent over the five years from January 2019 – Domain is up 39 per cent over the same time. Assuming dividends are reinvested, total shareholder return over those five years for Domain has been 53 per cent; for REA, it has been 163 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain’s most recent trading update in November was weaker than analysts expected. UBS’ Lucy Huang told her clients that there was a “significant underperformance in [property] volumes” at Domain, despite REA reporting 4 per cent growth nationally. That could be due to strong growth in Western Australia and Queensland, she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to Domain’s historic strong presence in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, it is more competitive in those cities. There is also some competition from former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano’s View Media, which took $50 million in investment from ANZ early last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and chief product officer Rebecca Haagsma both sit on Domain’s board, which is chaired by former Fairfax Media chairman Nick Falloon. Mr Falloon stepped down from Nine’s board, where he was deputy chairman under Peter Costello, in November 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>While trailing REA, several brokers expect a solid first half result for Domain this year, with greater activity in NSW and Victoria. Macquarie’s Darren Leung told his clients earlier this month that the focus would be on “the difference in listings growth between Domain and REA, in our view”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The spread between REA and Domain valuations is at record highs and Domain’s multiple is implying dwelling price declines – against our view of likely increases,” he said, upgrading his recommendation on the stock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity has long seen value in property and classifieds businesses, including in Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2017, TPG spent a month looking at Fairfax Media’s books after mounting a $2.8 billion takeover offer for the company. It would have owned The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review, but it was a deal primarily aimed at securing control of Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>TPG withdrew from the auction. Fairfax instead demerged and listed Domain after that, in late 2017, and merged with Nine the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>###</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.</p><p><br /></p><p> “The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE/Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Blogs Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet, Algorithm, AI and Agency </p><p>Blogs, Broadcasting, Buzz, Box Office, Business News and Bets</p><p>Creativity, Combat Sports, Crypto, Cafes, Casino News and Comms</p><p>Digital, Development and Dreams</p><p>Experience, Expertise, Evergreen, Energy, Expansion and Eco</p><p>Foundation, Formula and Frequency </p><p>Gaming, Gonzo Journalism Guide and Ghost Protocol </p><p>Highlights, Humanity and Health </p><p>Imagination, Intuition, Index Infographics, Interviews, Innovation, International and India</p><p>Japanese Pro Wrestling </p><p>King</p><p>Light, Lifestyle, Lists, LinkedIn and Legends </p><p>Monitization, Matrix, MBS and MMA</p><p>Numerology, Niche News and Network </p><p>Organic Results, Opportunity, Online Publishing and Ocean</p><p>Performance, Philosophy, Pro Wrestling, Portals, Platforms, PR, Publicity, Promotions and PPV</p><p>Quick and Quotes</p><p>Retro, Reviews and Risque </p><p>SEO, Systems, Social Media, Suplex and Streaming Industry</p><p>Trends, Text, Testimonials,Top 10 and Television </p><p>Universe and UFC</p><p>Vortex, Videos, Veteran, VIP and Vision </p><p>Wrestling, World and Web 3</p><p>X Corp and X Factor</p><p>Yachting</p><p>Zen and Zoo</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Twitter Strikes Deal With BetMGM to Feature Odds, Allow Bets to Be Taken From Platform - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kylie Robison of Fortune broke the news late Friday that X (formerly known as Twitter) has entered into a deal with BetMGM to integrate sports betting statistics into the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the specific financial terms of the collaboration could not be learned, the intention is to introduce a feature for X soon that will showcase betting odds and provide a direct link to BetMGM, allowing users to place bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>X reportedly lost a significant number of high paying advertisers including Disney, NBC parent company Comcast as well as Fox Sports after Media Matters for America discovered ads displaying along side racist posts. </p><p><br /></p><p>X owner Elon Musk responded by calling Media Matters of America "pure evil".</p><p><br /></p><p>Best selling author and CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin, Michael Shellenberger, questioned the Media Matters of America findings at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The media say X is placing Apple, IBM, and other ads near pro-Nazi content, but it's not. We tried various ways to replicate Media Matters' research and couldn't. The real goal of Media Matters isn't to fight antisemitism. It's to destroy X as a free speech platform."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite premature reports of Twitter's demise, Gambling911.com now touts the platform as its second biggest referral source after Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM had a market share of 17 percent in U.S. online sports betting in December and has the third largest market share in the US sports betting industry behind DraftKings and FanDuel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM site is a partnership between MGM and Ladbrokes parent company Entain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth Reveals How He Got In Contact With New Japan Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fresh off his NJPW and TNA debut, Nic Nemeth (former WWE star Dolph Ziggler) appeared on Talk Is Jericho to talk about WWE and what is next for him in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth on how he got into New Japan:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not close friends with a lot of people, but a long time ago when Shinsuke came up from NXT, at the time it was when I was doing the thing where everybody who shows up wrestles me and I was doing the thing, it was like nine years in a row, whatever, but I'm doing that thing and I didn't really know him. I don't watch Japanese wrestling. I don't watch our wrestling. I famously don't watch wrestling and I hate everything, but I love my job doing what I do."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So right after WrestleMania, Shinsuke comes up, does whatever he does, and we're overseas doing that two weeks we used to do before COVID times. We bounced around in buses and things and him and I had to stay to do the dark match after TV and everyone else went on. So him and I are just in this car sitting next to each other. We put a couple of matches together, but I'm not really outspoken. We're just sitting there looking at our phones. I had requested a big bottle of Jack Fire whiskey and we had that for the ride and it's like, 'Hey, you want a sip' He's like, 'Yea' and then we start talking. Then we had a couple of whiskies and we were buddies. It was so great because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and he's like an ass kicker and like it's so great. He's so nice. We had a good bond and I really liked wrestling him."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It reminds me of his first pay-per-view match with us. I even offered, I go, 'He's a strong style guy', like, I don't know what the hell is going on. I go, 'Should we have him like MMA style me up and we start having a wrestling match and he cracks me and hits me with a knee and I'm out cold and throw it out or something?' They go 'No, we don't want that.' Vince wanted a very WWE style match.' All right, great. So we did that."</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long time ago I was like every time a contract comes up I'm like, alright, I'm gonna get out of here. I have nothing left to do. I was kind of just sitting on the bench. I go, 'I'm gonna get out' and he goes, 'If you ever get out of here, I got some connections and I would like to help you out.' I'm like, 'Well, that's so cool. I don't know anybody or anything.' So years and years go by and I sent an email to the boss, Vince. At the time we were not sure actually what's going on, but I sent Vince an incredibly long email, 90% thankful, 'Oh my God. You guys are so great. You've taught me to do all this stuff.' 10%, 'This is messed up. I gotta get the hell out of here. There is no purpose for me to be getting paid millions of dollars to sit on the bench or be in a three minute match like a local.' I go, 'Pay locals to do this. There's no reason for me to be here.' I didn't hear anything back for two weeks and then I found out that I was released. I’m sorry. I sent that (letter) to a few different people. I don’t want to name names. but I sent it to very important people. Vince was the only one who wrote back instantly, and was like, 'This is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it further.' I said, 'Sir, if you want me to fly to Stanford tomorrow, I will be on a flight' and he said, 'Thanks. We'll think about it', and then two weeks later, I was released or whatever. So a couple weeks later."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So the first thing I want to do is like man, I've never done independents. I haven't gone out of the country, except for with WWE all those times, all these places. I go, well, I'm still friends with Shin. 'Hey Shin. Do you think I'm so good at wrestling?' and he laughed. I was like, 'What do you think about Japan?' and he's like, 'I got you.' Then put a couple pieces together and get to Rocky Romero, who is the go between, and luckily for me, they were happy and excited to have me. That was one of the first things I did when I got released. The first week this goes back and forth. It's set up and I'm not saying a word and no one's going to know and everyone thinks I'm retired or doing comedy, but sure as hell not going to Japan. Nobody sees this coming and I go, 'This is so great.' So we kept it very secretive, got everything done back and forth, and then even snuck in there and snuck out and nobody knew and everyone was kind of blown away.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Talk Is Jericho/Web Is Jericho)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Hard To Kill Drew Solid PPV Buys for a Loaded Show With Several Surprises - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The numbers are in</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling officially returned earlier this month as the promotion rebranded at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event that was a hit through the way of PPV buys from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show</p><p><br /></p><p>The show featured several debuts, including former WWE stars Dana Brooke, Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), and Xia Brookside.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Selley lost the World Heavyweight Title against Moose in the main event of the show. Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Jordynne Grace on the show as she is expected to return to WWE soon and has since finished up with the promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV buys</p><p><br /></p><p>While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted the show likely did its biggest PPV buys since AEW's Kenny Omega beat Rich Swann to win the Impact World Title at the 2021 Rebellion. The final numbers are expected to be out in two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>“The TNA Hard To Kill show did great. Right now, this is basically a week and a half out, so this number will grow. But it was at 8,000 on television, which is a really good number for TNA. I'm sure it's the biggest number that they've done since the Rich Swan-Kenny Omega match. And it actually has a fairly decent shot, I don't know about beating that one. But being in the same realm as that one. And it's possible that it could be the biggest since the Spike days, certainly already the third biggest since Spike days. The fact that they did this on a night that was against the NFL playoffs against [NJPW] Battle in the Valley, although they were not head to head completely with Battle in the Valley like the last hour, I think of TNA in the first hour of Battle in the Valley, we're head to head, but they were completely head to head with [AEW] Collision. So, to do a number that big against that football game and Collision and Battle in the Valley. I think that’s great. There's no other way to put it. That's great." Meltzer stated.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wrestling Observer/Figure 4)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Events Announced For Starrcast</p><p><br /></p><p>News : 12-Jan-2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The first two wrestling events of Starrcast Downunder have been announced!</p><p><br /></p><p>Hall of Famer Bret Hart is set to curate Australian Stampede, the flagship event of Starrcast Downunder. The wrestling icon will showcase a thrilling card featuring top-notch international talent and Australia's own homegrown stars on Saturday, April 13th in Ballarat. </p><p><br /></p><p>On the preceding day, Friday, April 12th, women's wrestling pioneer Mickie James will present H.E.R, a groundbreaking women's wrestling event at the heart of Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat. This event, following in the footsteps of Empowerr, will feature an unparalleled lineup with international sensations and Australia’s brightest talents. H.E.R promises to highlight the heart, athleticism, and drive of its trailblazing competitors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss out on two massive nights of action– tickets will be available at the end of January.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN | A SUNDAY WITH BRET HART</p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday April 14 2024</p><p>Civic Theatre, Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>Starrcast Downunder invites fans on an unforgettable journey into the storied career of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This exclusive event promises an intimate and immersive experience as fans get up close and personal with one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step into the world of the Hitman as he takes the audience on a captivating exploration of his iconic career, sharing unique anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections that have shaped his illustrious journey in the world of sports entertainment. From his early days in the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty to his rise as a global superstar, Bret Hart's narrative will provide a unique and genuine insight into the challenges and triumphs that defined his remarkable career.</p><p><br /></p><p>The day will feature a special watchalong of Bret's legendary match with his brother Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable match. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch the match alongside the man himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the in-ring psychology and artistry that set Bret Hart apart.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the excitement doesn't end there – HITMAN will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session. Fans will have the chance to pose their burning questions directly to the Hitman, creating an interactive and engaging experience that adds a personal touch to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>To make the day even more special, special guests may make appearances, providing additional perspectives and anecdotes that add layers to the already rich tapestry of his professional journey. Whether it's fellow wrestlers, managers, or iconic personalities, these surprise guests will contribute to the nostalgic atmosphere of the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN is a must-attend for wrestling enthusiasts, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a true icon. Join us for an day filled with passion, nostalgia, and the unparalleled charisma of Bret "The Hitman" Hart – an event that will leave a lasting impact on fans and wrestling history alike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>A Pro Wrestling Event Company holding events in the Oceania Region that will have as many non-exclusive partnerships locally and internationally in delivering pro wrestling events</p><p><br /></p><p>With an emphasis on showcasing professional wrestling through our quality broadcasting and highly engaging fan experience model at events, with leadership by an experienced sporting executive with Australian and International connections, OPW will become a destination wrestling company for fans, promotions and commercial partners.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>June 2023</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>IMPACT Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Wrestling phenomenon Impact Wrestling provided plenty of action both inside and outside of the ring with their tour down under thrilling crowds at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event broadcast live on pay-per-view featured three title matches, including a rematch from Against All Odds in the main event as Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin to retain the IMPACT World Championship. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shelley defeated Maclin for the gold on June 9 and The Motor City Machine Gun kept ahold of the gold at Down Under night one after he countered a KIA attempt into Shellshock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Night 1 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Slex def. Adam Brooks</p><p>• Gisele Shaw def. Erika Reid</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Eddie Edwards - Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Killer Kelly def. Aysha</p><p>• Chris Sabin (c) def. Frankie Kazarian & Robbie Eagles - X-Division Championship</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Moose & Brian Myers</p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo def. Steph De Lander</p><p>• Alex Shelley (c) def. Steve Maclin - IMPACT World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second and final show of the Down Under Tour at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales saw three title matches with Slammiversary implications.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe Hendry defeated Moose to retain the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, Ace Austin & Chris Bey ended their one-year programme with The Motor City Machine Guns with a win for the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, and Deonna Purrazzo picked up the win against Gisele Shaw in their Knockouts World Tag Team Title match. </p><p><br /></p><p>Night 2 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Adam Brooks def. Robbie Eagles - Oceania Pro Wrestling World Championship</p><p>• The Natural Classics def. The Velocities</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Moose - IMPACT Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Eddie Edwards def. Slex</p><p>• Steph De Lander def. Killer Kelly</p><p>• Frankie Kazarian def. Brian Myers</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) - IMPACT World Tag Team Championships </p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo (c) def. Gisele Shaw - IMPACT Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Results / January 25, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A loaded episode of TNA iMPACT! comes to you from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada!</p><p><br /></p><p>Tonight’s iMPACT! is dedicated to the memory of Frank Caiazzo. RIP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey w/ Ace Austin vs Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of TNA’s most spectacular in-ring performers dazzle in a display of astounding athleticism. Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is seen at ringside. Bey emerges victorious with the Art of Finesse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey def Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>The Grizzled Young Vets jump ABC from behind after the match, lay out Chris Bey with the Grit Your Teeth and stake their claim to the TNA World Tag Team Titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undeniable. Irresistible. Unforgettable. She is Ash By Elegance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frankie Kazarian addresses his shocking actions from last week. He will explain himself next week but Rich Swann attempts to reason with Frankie. AJ Francis comes in and offers to be Rich Swann’s backup against Joe Hendry in an upcoming match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius vs Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango informs us that he hates pro wrestling. Dirty Dango takes a seat on the ramp as Prudius demolishes the competition. Dango takes the pin over Drake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius def Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Zack Gibson and James Drake state earlier tonight was a statement of intent. ABC look for a piece of GYV before Santino Marella makes a Best of 3 Series between the two teams for the TNA World Tag Team Titles starting next week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gia Miller speaks to Kazuchika Okada and The Motor City Machine Guns. They’re ready for The System in the main event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace vs Trinity for the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Trinity’s contractual rematch after losing the championship at Hard To Kill. A handshake shows the respect between the competitors but Trinity takes the fight straight to Grace. After a series of back and forth pin attempts, Jordynne Grace uses the momentum of Trinity’s attempt to lock in Star Struck to score a quick pinfall victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace def Trinity to retain the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal attack both Trinity and Jordynne Grace, leaving them laying as Gisele’s Ultimate X victory gives her a future Knockouts World Title shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>The System discuss tonight’s main event – the system works and tonight it goes worldwide against the Guns and Okada.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Josh Alexander addresses the return of TNA and his victory over Will Ospreay last week. Alan Angels interjects and offers the Walking Weapon a spot on the premiere edition of his brand new talk show The Sound Check. After some insistence from Angels, Alexander agrees.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth vs Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth competes in a TNA ring for the very first time. Wentz feigns an injury to distract the referee allowing Trey Miguel to grab Nemeth’s leg as Wentz takes control. Nemeth connects with Danger Zone for the victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth def Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Miguel tries to get a piece of Nemeth after the match and eats a Danger Zone too. Steve Maclin jumps Nemeth and looks for the KIA but Nemeth connects with one more Danger Zone and stands tall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crazzy Steve addresses his recent Digital Media Title win at Countdown To Hard To Kill but is interrupted by Rhino. Rhino shoves Steve as Steve laughs maniacally.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Decay discuss their resurrection and Knockouts World Tag Team Title victory at Hard To Kill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs MK Ultra</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra drop Threat with their tandem piledriver to return to winning ways after their title loss at Hard To Kill. MK Ultra also piledrive Luna after the match to assert their dominance.</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra def Dani Luna and Jody Threat</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on iMPACT!: Nic Nemeth vs Trey Miguel, we hear from Frankie Kazarian, Brian Myers vs Kevin Knight plus ABC vs GYV in the first match of the TNA World Tag Team Title Best of 3 Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada makes his entrance to rapturous applause as he returns to TNA for the first time since 2011. Okada connects with the iconic Rainmaker on Brian Myers allowing Alex Shelley to follow up with Shellshock for the victory. Okada and The Guns celebrate their monumental victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada def The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers)</p><p><br /></p><p>After the credits, Mustafa Ali addresses TNA Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA IMPACT! goes off the air.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: TNA Wrestling)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google to tweak crypto ad policy, amplify Bitcoin ETF visibility - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, a subsidiary of tech conglomerate Alphabet, is on the verge of a significant policy update set to take effect on Jan. 29, which could alter the landscape of cryptocurrency advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approved 11 spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on Jan. 10, Google is expected to amend its rules and enable asset managers to advertise these products to a broader U.S. audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>This move follows Google’s recent decision to broaden its cryptocurrency and related products’ policy, now providing advertisers with specific guidelines for promoting what it calls “cryptocurrency coin trusts.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Advertisers eager to capitalize on Google’s platform, renowned for its expansive reach and high search volume, will now require certification to ensure compliance with the tech giant’s stringent requirements.</p><p><br /></p><p>The significance of this development is highlighted by the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) converting to a spot Bitcoin ETF, coupled with the sanctioning of 10 other institutions to include spot BTC ETFs in their investment portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto analysts are optimistic about the ramifications of this policy change on the digital currency sphere, as Google processes around 8.55 billion searches daily, according to DemandSage.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can Google Ads tip the scales for Bitcoin ETFs?</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto community speculates that the heightened visibility of Bitcoin ETFs through Google’s ad platform may drive substantial awareness and investment in the space.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As such, companies operating within the spot Bitcoin ETF market could potentially witness a significant influx of interest from new segments of the public — not just from seasoned day traders or investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The update could also signal a shift in how cryptocurrency products are advertised, ensuring that ads meet legal requirements and are responsibly presented to an engaged audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s policy change arrives at an opportune moment. The crypto market has seen fluctuating investor sentiment toward spot Bitcoin ETFs over the past week.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Jan. 24, Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of approximately $270 million, counterbalanced by significant withdrawals — most notably from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin ETF—totaling a net outflow of around $153 million. </p><p><br /></p><p>The trend did not improve, with Jan. 25 witnessing a continuation of the withdrawal streak, marking a fourth consecutive day of net outflows over the last week, totaling up to $80 million, specifically from the funds recognized by the SEC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite these challenging dynamics, crypto commentators feel Google’s policy shift could potentially open doors to a flood of new investors. The increased visibility and imposed certification could counterbalance the recent outflows from the spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a possible rebound as we edge closer to the Jan. 29 policy implementation date.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 CARD FILLS OUT WITH FOUR INTRIGUING BOUTS - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s Return To Anaheim Receives A Quartet Of Fascinating Bouts</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For UFC’s first visit to California since August 2022 for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, the Anaheim fans will receive a treat of a card top to bottom. While most eyes will be trained toward Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against the undefeated Ilia Topuria as well as Robert Whittaker’s bout against Paulo Costa. Fun fights are abundant in the organization’s second pay-per-view of 2024, including four more just added to the slate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to UFC winner Rinya Nakamura returns for his second official UFC bout against Carlos Vera. The Japanese bantamweight tallied six of his eight wins via finish and hopes to pick up his first official UFC stoppage after his decision win over Fernie Garcia in Singapore. Carlos Vera comes into the organization having just competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter during which he lost to eventual tournament winner Brad Katona. He steps in hoping to have a successful UFC debut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Welterweights Josh Quinlan and Danny Barlow feature on the card as well. Quinlan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus split his first two UFC bouts to Jason Witt and Trey Waters, and after injuries and a cancelled bout kept him out of the Octagon since his lost to Waters, he hopes to get a bounce back win over Barlow. A fellow DWCS alumnus, Barlow earned his contract with a first-round knockout of Raheam Forest In September 2023. The undefeated Barlow racked up four knockouts and one submission on his climb to the organization, and he hopes to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0 on February 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another welterweight contest goes down as Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn lock horns. Woodburn is hoping to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 290, which was his first professional loss in mixed martial arts. Meanwhile, Elliott aspires to become one of the best Welsh mixed martial artists after competing on at Cage Warriors and Dana White’s Contender Series, the latter of which he won a fight via majority decision in August 2023. “The Welsh Gangster” has proven durable, and the two are surely desperate to get their hands raised in Anaheim. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, two middleweights hoping to finally get their breakout moment square off as DWCS alumnus AJ Dobson and The Ultimate Fighter graduate Tresean Gore are set to fight. Dobson came into the organization with high expectatioins, and after dropping his first two bouts, he earned his first UFC win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023. The Ohio-bred grinder believes he now has the right things around him and in place to climbt he division’s ladder. He’ll be hard pressed against Gore, however. One of the highest touted prospects on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gore couldn’t parlay that into wins in his first two trips to the Octagon. That said, he bounced back with a viscious submission win over Josh Fremd in October 2022. He was originally slated to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 before injuries prevented that matchup, so he is in search of momentum ahead to once again chase his championship aspirations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates or changes to all events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.</p><p><br /></p><p>In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Search News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/search_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/seo_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #searchengine #searchenginenews #googlebusiness #searchnews #AI #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #Gemini #Pixel #Nest #Fitbit #Amazon #ads #adnews #onlineadvertising #sales #marketing #VR #virtualreality #reality #jobs #biz #SEO #technews #digitalnews #worldnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Platform News</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.</p><p><br /></p><p>Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.</p><p><br /></p><p>It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.</p><p><br /></p><p>The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/social_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#X #Xnews #XTwitter #everythingapp #theeverythingapp #ElonMusk #Musk #platform #platforms #platformnews #fintech #app #appnews #fintech #onlinebanking #transfer #innovation #disrupt #disruptor #disruptorofthemonth #technews #biznews #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group Blog Network Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Australia Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p>Pop Culture</p><p>Advertising</p><p>Creativity</p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit</p><p>SEO and SEM </p><p>Business Journalism </p><p>Gonzo Journalism</p><p>Newsfeeds </p><p>Digital News </p><p>Worldwide Trends </p><p>Disruptors </p><p>Online News </p><p>Online Biz </p><p>Crypto PR </p><p>Business Leads</p><p>Relationship Marketing </p><p>PR and Media Management </p><p>And much more </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int is part of the Media Man Group, est 2001. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bloggers (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/bloggers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#blog #blogs #blogger #blogging #news #popculture #ads #Advertising #creativity #mindbodyspirit #SEO #SEM #business #journalism #gonzo #gonzojournalism #newsfeeds #digitalnews #worldwide #trends #trending #trendingnow #disruptors #onlinenews #onlinebiz #crypto #cryptopr #BTC #blockchain #AffiliateMarketing #affiliates #sponsorship #ads #marketing #newsflash #x #xnews #platformnews #X #media #mediaman #mediamangroup #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Tech News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Crypto Biz News</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image: A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #BitcoinEFTs #bitcoinetfapproval #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #CryptoCommunity #CryptocurrencyNews #SEC #Blackrock #Grayscale #VanEck #Franklin #Templeton #Fidelity #NYSE #Nasdaq #CBOE #fintech #asset #Assets #biz #biznews #mediabiz #prbiz #bitcoinnewsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #hype #PR #AI #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:</p><p><br /></p><p>AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs</p><p>Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.</p><p><br /></p><p>For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters </p><p>Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attention measurement at a crossroads</p><p><br /></p><p>An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p>The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The growth of in-game advertising</p><p>With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.</p><p><br /></p><p>PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Advanced Television)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Media World and Fans respond well to announced PFL @PFLMMA card line-up</p><p><br /></p><p>"And you know I'm always curious as well as to how the fans feel about news and whatno, especially when I'm hearing about things a couple of weeks out, and I have to say, and I think you know this to a degree, when your not the UFC the fans, especially on Twitter and social media can be a little harsh right because they've been supporting the UFC for so long. I was kind of blown away by the response yesterday"... - Ariel Helwani</p><p><br /></p><p>"We held nothing back for fans" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Current fans, skeptical or not yet a fan..said, You moved up two or three notches as far as interest and certainly respect" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>"..All we're trying to tell fans is MMA is big. There's 650 million fans out there" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out" Donn Davas, PFL (Professional Fighters League)..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It ain't either or. This ain't Coke or Pepsi. PLF's doing a whole different thing".."and we're doing a whole different thing for fans and a whole different thing for fighters, and I think yesterday people started to get that vibe".. "So we're delighted on how it all came together" Donn Davis </p><p><br /></p><p>"Mega Event" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Donn Davis Takes Shot at UFC, Talks PFL vs. Bellator Fight Card | The MMA Hour</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiKNaHe3to&ab_channel=MMAFightingonSBN</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL MMA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions is OFFICIAL for Feb 24th!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XpqxZJtUI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season has revealed that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs current Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers. (Credit: PFL)</p><p><br /></p><p>More great PFL history, profiles, news and developments via their official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Stronger than average interview and fight card. Credit where credit is due. Mixed martial arts world buzz continues.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PFL vs Bellator fight card</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 24, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay vs Johnny Eblen</p><p><br /></p><p>Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Jason Jackson</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesus Pinedo vs Patricio Pitbull</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Cappelozza vs Vadim Nemkov</p><p><br /></p><p>Thiago Santos vs Yoel Romero</p><p><br /></p><p>Clay Collard vs AJ McKee</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriel Braga vs Aaron Pico</p><p><br /></p><p>Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Chris Morris</p><p><br /></p><p>Claressa Shields vs Kelsey DeSantis</p><p><br /></p><p>Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Edukondal Rao</p><p><br /></p><p>Malik Basahel vs Vinicius Pereira</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: PFL</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #ProfessionalFightersLeague #DonnDavis #quote #quotes #MMAFighting #ArielHelwani </p><p><br /></p><p>#RenanFerreira #RyanBader #Ferreira #Bader #FerreiraBader #RiyadhSeason #interview #PFLChampions #Bellator #BellatorChampions #PFLBellator #combatsports #sportsbiz #sportsmedia #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #megaevent #specialevent #specialevents #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe’s FIRST AEW World Title defense! Joe vs FTW Champ Hook! | 1/17/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98j3dB9SQI&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Managed Joe years ago. Joe knew Hook when he was little" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not little any more"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A wild right hand and he's got the champion on his hands and knees"</p><p><br /></p><p>"That can certainly be an advantage. I mean Hook has grown as a professional wrestler watching Samoa Joe. Watching his win titles"</p><p><br /></p><p>"See that right hand. In front of our desk here" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great match between Joe and Hook. Both legit bad asses. Hook, Hook, Hook! One of our favourite AEW pro wrestling matches ever! Hook mania running wild! FTW vs AEW lockerroom and beyond. Hook tipped as future world champ. Shoots and hooks matter. This ain't ballet folks. Those who can wrestler. Those who can't or fittest days are past are media, fans or both!</p><p><br /></p><p>Much world class pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWTitle #SamoaJoe #Hook #JoeHook #FTW #Taz #prowrestling #wrestling #dreammatch #dreammatches #combatsports #entertainment #music #showbiz #feature #highlights #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Man In The Arena" (spoken by JFK). Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dTx-12tWdKA</p><p><br /></p><p>#JFK #JohnFKenny #quote #quotes #problems #man #human #humanbeings #TheManInTheArena #poltiics #USA #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Cycle</p><p><br /></p><p>Meditation</p><p>Visualization</p><p>Frequently </p><p>Energize</p><p>Exercise </p><p>Action</p><p>Interaction</p><p>Light </p><p>Listening</p><p>Sound</p><p>Patience</p><p>Transaction </p><p>Flow</p><p>Reflection </p><p>Be</p><p>Zen</p><p>Rest</p><p>Repeat </p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: 'I'll cross that bridge if I come to it' Aldis isn't closing the door on competing in a WWE ring - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Though he's having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn't ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he's grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just grateful that there's an interest in it. At the same time, I'm fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've been having a blast. I've come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn't have had as a guy in his 20s.</p><p><br /></p><p>I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that's going to be my job, then that's going to be my job, and I'll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.</p><p><br /></p><p>I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I'd done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He's also a former TNA World Champion.</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender's match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth On Why He Chose To Confront Moose at TNA Hard to Kill</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview for TNA’s Instagram (via Fightful), Nic Nemeth explained why he chose to confront Moose for his TNA debut at this past Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. Nemeth will appear on tonight’s Impact on AXS TV to explain his actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said: “I wasn’t focused on Moose [at TNA Hard To Kill], and I wasn’t even focused on the championship, which I have thought about non-stop for a long time. Like I said, I go, where can I pinpoint the moment where people will make it the most memorable? I did 20 years in one company. I get one chance to make a second impression here on the world. That will be the biggest possible moment and the most talked-about, I think. I really think that helps myself and the company. I didn’t have a plan. Moose is in my target, I got him. I was watching that title match going, whoever wins, I’m sliding in there and going, ‘Here I am, let’s go.’ So I don’t exactly know what my focus is, other than, I have earned everything that I’ve worked for, to a point where I go, I don’t want to stroll in here and be like, ‘Hey, I showed up through the crowd so you gotta give me a title shot,’ or, ‘I’m famous, so I get a ….’ No, I wanted to make my mark there, and now I focus on, where can I fit in? Where can I start building blocks to make myself to where I’m not presenting it, but the world goes, this should be the number one contender, and here’s why. Then, when that happens, I’ll know that I’ll be able to sleep at night going, I have proven myself worthy of a title shot. Okay, now let’s focus on the champion. No, I’m not hand-picking anything: I’m here, and I said, I am lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here. If I get some more eyes on TNA, hell yeah, that rocks. Let me know where I start, and I’m coming in with my lunchbox and ready to go. I’m gonna prove it in the ring every single night that says, we need to do something else. We need to get this guy in the title picture, he has earned it. But I gotta put in the time first and the effort. I’m not all show and all talk. I’m gonna earn it, but I want the TNA locker room and the audience to be going, this is the guy. He deserves a shot. Not me walking in and saying, ‘Hey, give me a shot.’ Hell no. I would never do it that way the rest of my life. There’s no way I’ll do it now. I want to make this count. I want it to be special.“</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling: TNA Champion Moose Says TNA Wrestling now in "Hot Spot" - 18th January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Even though he took me out, which I'm going to get mine back when the time is right, but let's leave that alone. Talking about Nic coming into the company, I think it's huge for TNA. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a superstar. He's done everything in professional wrestling, he's been World Champion, he's been a tag team guy, he's won every single title you can think about. He's been all over the world. He has a huge buzz going right now. For him to pick TNA over AEW and New Japan or any other company, that shows that TNA is a hot spot right now. I'm happy he's part of the team, I'm happy I get to do something down the road with him. I'm happy that TNA is starting to be a spot where people want to come. Same thing with Ash By Elegance, her picking us over other companies out there, I'm happy she is part of the team and I can't wait to see what the future brings with Nic and Ash.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling - January 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024. </p><p><br /></p><p>We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p>We appreciate your understanding and continued support. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada statement:</p><p><br /></p><p>I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown preview, Jan. 19, 2024: Huge Contract Signing for Royal Rumble set</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles will be in the ring to sign the contract for their monumental title match at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time all four men shared the ring, utter bedlam erupted as The Bloodline attacked Styles, Orton and Knight while they were competing in a Triple Threat Match to determine who would challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>What will happen when these four dynamic Superstars participate in what seems certain to be a volatile contract signing? </p><p><br /></p><p>Don’t miss SmackDown, next week at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kevin Owens Show" to welcome U.S Champ Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A special edition of "The Kevin Owens Show" is coming to Friday Night SmackDown as the No. 1 Contender to the United States Title welcomes the champion, Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Owens earned the right to face The Maverick after winning the United States Title Tournament by defeating Santos Escobar in the finals, a result that clearly bothered Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time the two Superstars came face-to-face, Owens knocked out the champion with a brutal punch from his casted right hand, so there's no telling what will happen they meet again live on Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO to take on Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in Six-Man Tag Team action</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will represent The LWO against their bitter rivals Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since Escobar turned his back on The LWO, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Wilde and Del Toro have been waiting for their chance at payback, and it will finally come on Friday Night SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the numbers not in his favor, Escobar brought Angel and Humberto from NXT to form Legado World Order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss this Six-Man Tag Team Match live on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Grayson Waller’s defiant response to Sunrise controversy - January 19th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>An Aussie wrestler isn’t backing down after he caused chaos live on Sunrise this week, threatening to punch a crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>By Nick Bond</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian wrestling champ Grayson Waller has shared a simple public response to the controversy over his chaotic appearance on Sunrise earlier this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller was appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Sunrise alongside US wrestler LA Knight, and lost his temper when hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Doran attempted to goad them into showing off some of their moves on a willing crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t think you understand – if I come over there right now, we’re going to have the police here, cos I’m not going to give you some fake punch. I’m going to punch you straight in the jaw,” Waller said, as Doran struggled to contain him while the crew member quickly scarpered from the set.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the average viewer, it was a shocking outburst – but as the clip circulated online, wrestling fans were quick to praise Waller. They insisted his trash-talk had actually diffused the situation, and was a better option than what the Sunrise hosts were suggesting he do: Potentially hurt a member of their staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller posted a photo to his Twitter account yesterday that would’ve been cryptic to many, but one that meant something to wrestling fans:</p><p><br /></p><p>The photo in question is from an infamous 1988 encounter between wrestler David Schultz and reporter John Stossel, who was at the time working on an ‘expose’ on the world of professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think this is fake,” Stossel told the wrestler, which got an immediate – and violent – response.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘You think this is fake?” Schultz asked, before smacking the reporter across the face, leaving him cowering on the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You think that’s fake? What the hell’s wrong with you? That’s an open-hand slap, huh?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Schultz continued, before walloping Stossel again, leaving him to flee down the corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling faithful knew exactly what Waller was referencing just from the screenshot of Schultz – and applauded him for standing his ground on Sunrise.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was awesome. Good on you for sticking up for wrestling. They were totally disrespectful,” wrote one follower.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I saw you in a different light today, Grayson. Good on you,” said another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My respect for you has risen tenfold,” another fan tweeted.</p><p><br /></p><p>After footage of Waller’s outburst went viral on social media – one clip alone has been viewed more than 1.5 million times – fans praised him his respect for “kayfabe”, a wrestling term used to describe the convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was absolutely f**king brilliant from Waller there. He protected kayfabe, he protected Knight. He was so sharp and on the ball. I was already a fan of his but my respect for him just grew a lot from this,” gushed one fan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller’s face might be familiar to reality TV fans: He was a controversial contestant on the 2019 season of Australian Survivor, where he proved divisive among his fellow contestants and viewers due to his aggressive nature in challenges.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teammate and former AFL player Abby Holmes dubbed him an “actual idiot,” but Farrelly, who is also a high school teacher when he’s not wrestling, soon embraced the epithet, selling “ACTUAL IDIOT” T-shirts at his wrestling matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I had a feeling that most of my airtime was probably going to be me yelling and screaming, and I’m OK with that,” he told news.com.au after his elimination from the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(News Corp)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Update</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News, including flashbacks and retro via social media channels (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>A collaboration between Media Man, Wrestling News Media @wrestlingnewsm and Australian Sports Entertainment @austsportsent </p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #wrestlingnewsmedia #prowrestling #prowrestlingnews #sportsentertainment #WWE #SmackDown #TKO #KO #TNAWrestling #TNA #AEW #NWA #UFC #PFL #MMA #grappling #combatsports #champions #worldchampion #Goat #rankings #wrestlingnewsmedia #australiansportsentertainment #popculture #blog #blogs #blogging #onlinenews #promotions #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoters #interviews #OP #ED #gonzo #mainstream #alt #trend #trends #newsmedia #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns, Knight, Orton and Styles set for Contract Signing: WWE Now, January 19, 24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4t3oMLL2E&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Watching the live broadcast!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more world class pro wrestling, action and drama via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This ain't going to be any normal contract signing folks! This isn't 'Succession' or 'Billions'. This is the world of the WWE! #SmackDown #WWE2K24 </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #HeadOfTheTable #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #RomanReigns #RandyOrton #AJStyles #LAKnights #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #NickAldis #wrestlingcontract #contract #contractsigning #combatsports #fight #fighters #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #FOX #PLE #PPV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Kayo Sports (part of The Foxtel Group), out of Australia, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) @UFC have officially commenced a new multi-year agreement from January 1, 2024, which sees Main Event @MainEventTV – available only on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events down under in Australia aka Terror Australis! The readership knows we like media on the edge, so we've got to slip the Aussie slang in every now and again to suit the theme right.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Pay-Per-View (PPV) exclusive event will see UFC middleweight Champion Sean "Tarzan" Strickland make his virgin title defence against South African Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis as they marquee UFC 297 direct from Toronto on January 21.</p><p><br /></p><p>This partnership casts Main Event as the undisputed home of PPV in Australia, with a prized tradition of showcasing the biggest UFC fights across the globe, as well as being a key part of seeing up and coming top range fighters climb to the top since 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the terms of the new agreement, fans looking to hit up a buy of a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform for exclusive access to world class matches. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights, including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and unforgettable archived bouts from around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to all the UFC PPV events, sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead of the UFC’s first PPV event in 2024, Australian foodie critic, MasterChef Australia judge and self-confessed fanatic Melissa Leong will host UFC Fight Week on Wednesday, January 17, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Melissa will be joined by panellists Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker as they break down UFC 297 and interview Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The show will be replayed daily leading up to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s popularity has boomed since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now in excess of 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48 per cent aged between 18-39. These stats are gold to the business of sports marketing, sports media and other associated business arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, executive director of commercial sport at Foxtel Group.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round,” said UFC president Dana White.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be a full UFC schedule on Main Event in 2024. Following UFC 297, all eyes will turn to Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for his much-anticipated title defence against Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Combat sports PPVs certainly have boomed in Australia since circa 1996 to 2000 when we most closely collaborated and cross promoted with Main Event while working for Optus Vision/Communications in a full-time capacity. The UFC continued to build upon the earlier success of pro boxing and pro wrestling on pay-per-view. The YouTube and social media based features are great, but there's nothing quite like a main event MMA match on PPV for those who live and breath combat sports. Many fighters and former fighters these days even have their own channels across the internet. Exciting times for combat sports fans as well as for those who work in and around the industry. Another chance to ground and pound and KO with the best of them thanks to the UFC, Kayo Sports and Main Event.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Videos To Help Get Casual and Hardcore Fans Up To Speed on UFC 297</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: UFC, Main Event and News)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8qz_UVusA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Final Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipEXK1tHQA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: New Home of the UFC l Main Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKiSNkC6cM&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=53s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland WARNS Du Plessis: "Bring that s*** up, and it's ON SIGHT!" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieWHG_Q2yU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC298 #UFC300 #UFCAustralia #KayoSports #MainEvent #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #PPV #PayPerView #PayPerViews #SeanStrickland #Strickland #DricusDuPlessis #DuPlessis #DanaWhite #quote #quotes #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #OTT #OverTheTop #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SEO structures Geo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Motoko with an insightful and interesting article about the global nature of the internet based business. Numerous valid points. We started with one basic website and a basic blog. Then we expanded with a range of dotcoms and dotcomdotaus and numerous social media platforms and challenges. Cast the net far and wide and adapt to the cycles and frequently changes in the industry. Business models can and generally should be changed and improved from time to time to adapt. In and around sports news media and sports and pop culture media business there are frequent changes and developments. New websites can be created for a minimum budget. Exposure can be gained in numerous ways including the trending algorithm and getting indexed on Google and the like. Having a local, state, national and international approach helps plug into go-ahead areas one may otherwise miss. Geo stories in far away lands can really take off and create great opportunities. My biggest deal ever was involving one brand in three counties and we adpated it to the different geo zones. Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and there's always more work to do. Last but not least, enjoy the journey as it's part of the bigger picture. </p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-69418259784983318602024-02-11T21:26:00.002+11:002024-02-11T21:26:15.588+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Super Bowl, Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNkfWqa6IIBuvpjQra05l7JyzaDAOq_zG_ZuXQK6XEqcPMNBuSQzZa-3ZhdupBaJLIL-UNrRUaMQUg649K1JjWwNDW0xzF1CybAV0k8ZVORy-pMmvwUtxTPBtXvJaaXiYtb1VofdsuiV6dXhGyFIry6tYlhmd6LWaTh_NmE4jgqUap1KGMi53tteTaT0/s820/media_man_culture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="820" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNkfWqa6IIBuvpjQra05l7JyzaDAOq_zG_ZuXQK6XEqcPMNBuSQzZa-3ZhdupBaJLIL-UNrRUaMQUg649K1JjWwNDW0xzF1CybAV0k8ZVORy-pMmvwUtxTPBtXvJaaXiYtb1VofdsuiV6dXhGyFIry6tYlhmd6LWaTh_NmE4jgqUap1KGMi53tteTaT0/s320/media_man_culture.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News Media, Super Bowl, Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b>Big Tech</b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b>Sports</b></p><p><b>Search Engines</b></p><p><b>Digital News</b></p><p><b>Online News</b></p><p><b>AI News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Super Bowl Advertisers Poised to Play Things Safe, Fearing Social-Media Backlash - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Dozens of advertisers will flock to Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday, ready to pay out a small fortune to CBS in a bid to grab some attention. But they won’t crave as much of that valuable recognition as they might have just a few years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl has long offered Madison Avenue an arena where risk taking is welcome. In 2015, for example, Nationwide ran a commercial during Super Bowl XLIX that told a story from the viewpoint of a child who was already dead, while the portable-power company Mophie offered a spot showing God letting the Earth tilt into apocalypse because his smartphone battery was dead. Neither ad won hearts and minds that night, but the marketers felt they had permission to try and spark conversation.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2024, chatter is exactly what Madison Avenue fears most.</p><p><br /></p><p>While some commercials that run in CBS’ Feb. 11 broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII may shock or surprise, most will aim to comfort or amuse, as marketers pull back on pushing the envelope. The bulk of the 70-or-so Super Bowl commercials that run will rely heavily on celebrities such as Kate McKinnon, Tina Fey, Jason Momoa or LL Cool J. Few of them will expand beyond the usual 30-second or 60-second running time, according to two people familiar with the matter — a change from recent years when the Big Game featured commercials 90 seconds or even two minutes in length to encompass big concepts and cameos, such as Bruce Springsteen appearing in an ad for Jeep. And some may tap into consumers’ collective memories for such things as Budweiser’s famous Clydesdale horses or the Coors Light Chill Train.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Life generally is more difficult for consumers. They are more constrained,” Michelle Deignan, vice president of U.S. Oreo operations, part of Mondelez International, tells Variety in an interview. Oreo is returning to the Big Game for the first time in years and will rely on a commercial that features a cameo appearance by Kris Jenner and a humorous look at how people used the twist of an Oreo cookie to make big history-making decisions. “I think you’ll see those brands that lean into nostalgia, humor, emotion at the Super Bowl … those brands will resonate with the consumer.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s true, the average consumer has in recent years been beset by existential issues ranging from the fate of the planet to a global pandemic and a roiling global economy. The average viewer may simply want some relief. But the Super Bowl audience also has unprecedented access to react negatively to commercials in ways advertisers in the past never contemplated. Those remarks, tossed out on social media and amplified by others, can prove extremely harmful to big brands.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Advertisers are very aware that things can go wrong at the Super Bowl,” says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, who has studied Super Bowl commercials with his students for years. Thanks to social media, he says, marketers realize that any ad can “manage to annoy people or cause backlash. Nobody wants to put their career on the line with a certain piece of Super Bowl footage. There is a huge incentive to be cautious.”</p><p><br /></p><p>No one knows that better than the advertiser that has been the Super Bowl’s most stalwart sponsor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anheuser-Busch InBev has spent months grappling with the aftermath of a well-intentioned marketing boost for Bud Light that had unintended results. The company in the first quarter of last year sent personalized cans of Bud Light to various influencers, including Dylan Mulvaney, a TikTok star and transgender advocate. The move was part of a bid to bring new, young consumers to Bud Light and broaden the brew’s customer base. But it was seized upon by right-wing media, which spurred boycotts, diminished sales and a decision to put on leave two marketing executives who oversaw the effort.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year’s Super Bowl ad from Bud Light’s sibling, Budweiser, depicts a scenario in which the Clydesdale horses help bring beer to a bar in a storm that has knocked out power — a return to how things worked in the past. The song that plays in the background? The rustic Band tune “The Weight.” Anheuser-Busch no doubt hopes the whole thing takes a load off.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There is so much that is going on. We are stimulated all the time, and going back to basics and delivering things the old-school way is really something that consumers are looking for,” says Kristina Punwani, the executive who heads up marketing for Budweiser in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s less interest in challenging the Super Bowl audience with a surprise or talk of politics because the cost of getting into the game has skyrocketed in recent years. Paramount Global has sought between $6.5 million and more than $7 million for a package that includes a 30-second ad on CBS, and ad time on simulcast via Nickelodeon and the Paramount+ streaming service.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The investment is so high, and the attention is so great that you have to be a very brave marketer to take a big creative risk on the Super Bowl today,” says Calkins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wariness of outraged consumers with itchy, clicking fingers isn’t the only factor behind the tilt toward more tepid Super Bowl advertising. Several players who typically like to stir things up are missing from this year’s lineup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Barring last-minute changes, automakers Stellantis and General Motors are not likely to show up in the Big Game — according to two people familiar with the matter — crimped, perhaps, by last year’s autoworkers strike. In recent years, GM has sparked attention for commercials that use Will Ferrell, the cast of “Austin Powers” or members of the HBO series “The Sopranos” to tout electric vehicles. Last year, General Motors even ran a commercial with Netflix that spotlighted both its EVs as well as Netflix series — an unusual maneuver. Stellantis, meanwhile, has captured notice with extra-long ads that have featured Bob Dylan and Clint Eastwood, among others.</p><p><br /></p><p>Also diminished is the presence of first-time Super Bowl advertisers who might cause trouble. TV networks have in recent years seen an influx of upstart marketers and digital players buying an ad in a big TV property for the first time. The ranks of these inexperienced frosh have included 84 Lumber, which ran a spot in 2017 that played off the difficult lives of immigrants coming to the United States over its southern border.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the rookies in this year’s Super Bowl ad game have lots of experience. They include Popeyes, the veteran chicken chain; the chocolatier Lindt; Nestle’s Drumstick ice cream treats; and Ferrara Candy Co., the makers of Nerds. Food and consumer-goods companies are known for their intense marketing discipline and desire to avoid upsetting audiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>At least two advocacy organizations will appear in Sunday’s Super Bowl to discuss sensitive issues. He Gets Us, a religious organization that aims to spark new connections with Christianity, will run two ads. And The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, an advocacy group backed by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, will run a 30-second spot that urges people to stand up against prejudice and hate toward Jews. But no political campaigns have purchased national ad time, according to two people familiar with the situation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many of this year’s Super Bowl ads will get people talking or laughing. But that’s it. Some of the event’s dazzle may be gone, at least for now. “Overall, there will be good advertising,” says Calkins, but “I doubt we will be blown away.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Money Behind Super Bowl LVIII: 19 Numbers You Need To Know</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The big game means huge dollars, from Patrick Mahomes’ million-dollar incentive to the team owners’ combined net worth of $30 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>hen the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will be less than a mile away—some are even walking distance—which helps explain why this Sunday’s action is expected to demolish sports betting records.</p><p><br /></p><p>The American Gaming Association forecasts that 68 million American adults will gamble on the matchup (even if that comes in the form of an informal Super Bowl squares pool with friends, rather than a wager at a sportsbook). That figure represents a rise of 35% from 2023, and the increase in the betting volume is even steeper, up an expected 44% year over year to an astounding $23.1 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>News Corp profits rise, Foxtel sheds customers - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Advertising revenues and economic pressures bit News Corp Australia and Foxtel Group in the second quarter despite a rise in global revenues and profits driven by its Dow Jones and Real Estate Australia businesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company revealed on Thursday that revenues at the Murdoch family-controlled business rose by 3 per cent to $US2.59 billion ($3.97 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 16 per cent to $US473 million due to higher revenues, lower costs in its book publishing business and a 5 per cent reduction in the company’s headcount.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel’s total paying subscribers fell by 6 per cent across the quarter to 4.32 million ahead of the launch of its new streaming aggregation product Hubbl later this month. Compared to the same time last year, subscriber numbers were flat. Across a single quarter, it is Foxtel’s largest drop in paying customers since introducing its streaming services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Almost 250,000 Kayo customers cancelled or paused subscriptions across the quarter, which it put down to a “more difficult summer sports season” alongside inflationary pressures, with traffic on its news titles also down, due to what company chief executive Robert Thomson called “algorithmic aberrations” across major platforms – a trend experienced by most news websites.</p><p><br /></p><p>Total paying Kayo subscribers as of December 31 were 1.17 million, compared to 1.4 million in the September quarter. Paying Binge subscribers rose marginally to 1.47 million, alongside another dip in Foxtel broadcast customers, which follows previous trends.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thomson said crucial content negotiations are under way with artificial intelligence providers, while renegotiations for content deals with digital platforms at “advanced stages”. “We are not naive on possible impacts of AI on journalism,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>While Thomson was confident about the prospects of “wooing, not suing” companies such as OpenAI, which is facing litigation from The New York Times, he asserted that those repurposing News Corp content without approval are stealing and “undermining creativity”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenues for the segment were up by 2 per cent, with Foxtel Group revenues of $US470 million for the quarter now representing 29 per cent of total circulation and subscription revenues for the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Segment EBITDA for the quarter decreased by $US13 million – or 14 per cent – compared with the year prior, which it said was due to higher sports broadcasting costs, particularly for the AFL and NRL, alongside $10 million in costs relating to the launch of Hubbl.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an address to investors, Thomson said the company’s “e-revolution” was advancing in tough conditions, with digital subscriptions accounting for 52 per cent of total revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>He also paid tribute to News Corp’s “three core pillars” – Dow Jones, book publishing and digital real estate services for the quarter of growth.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following a drop in the first quarter for the year, News Corp’s Australian mastheads, which include The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, added 3000 paying subscribers, growing to 940,000. Segment EBITDA was down 12 per cent compared to the year prior.</p><p><br /></p><p>Revenues at News Corp Australia again decreased, by 6 per cent across the quarter due to lower advertising revenues. Revenues across the quarter for the news media division were down $US16 million, with total increases in subscription revenue not enough to offset total losses through advertising revenue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Real Estate Australia helped the company’s digital real estate division grow profits by 15 per cent to $US147 million, with listings in Melbourne (24 per cent) and Sydney (22 per cent) both up significantly.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Bankers, lawyers and tech workers most likely to be in AI firing line - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A new generation of artificial intelligence is poised to turn old assumptions about technology on their head.</p><p><br /></p><p>For years, people working in warehouses or fast-food restaurants worried that automation could eliminate their jobs. But new research suggests that generative AI – the kind used in chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT – will have its biggest impact on white-collar workers with high-paying jobs in industries such as banking and tech.</p><p><br /></p><p>A report published Thursday by the Burning Glass Institute, a nonprofit research centre, and SHRM (formerly the Society for Human Resource Management), stops short of saying the technology will do away with large numbers of jobs.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it makes clear that workers need to better prepare for a future in which AI could play a significant role in many workplaces that until now have been largely untouched by technological disruption.</p><p><br /></p><p>For people in tech, it means they may be building their AI replacements.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There’s no question the workers who will be impacted most are those with college degrees, and those are the people who always thought they were safe,” said Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corporations and governments are going to have to seriously invest to get ahead of this.</p><p><br /></p><p>SHRM chief executive Johnny C. Taylor Jr.</p><p><br /></p><p>For hundreds of corporations, the researchers estimated the share of payroll spending that goes to workers employed in the 200 occupations most likely to be affected by generative AI. Many of those jobs are held by affluent college graduates, including business analysts, marketing managers, software developers, database administrators, project managers and lawyers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Companies in finance, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, have some of the highest percentages of their payrolls likely to be disrupted by generative AI. Not far behind are tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Meta.</p><p><br /></p><p>Getting AI to do human work could result in big savings for those companies. The research estimates that banks and some tech companies spend 60 to 80 per cent of their payrolls, or more, on workers in occupations most likely to be affected by the new technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>The retail, restaurant and transportation industries are least likely to be affected by generative AI, the report found. Companies like Walmart, McDonald’s and Delta Air Lines mostly employ workers without college degrees who perform roles like helping customers, stocking shelves, cooking food and handling baggage. They spend less than 20 per cent of their payrolls on employees in occupations most likely to be affected by generative AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report doesn’t predict potential job losses related to generative AI. That will be up to employers, the report said, and whether they want to bank the savings from AI automation or use that money to invest and grow, adding more workers. Most experts expect that AI will mostly change jobs for the next few years rather than eliminate them – though that could change if the technology improves sharply.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report highlights the need for increased training to prepare workers to adapt to a fast-arriving technology, SHRM chief executive Johnny C. Taylor Jr. said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Corporations and governments are going to have to seriously invest to get ahead of this,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The report is the latest entry in a growing field of work trying to predict the effect of generative AI on the economy and the workplace. Other studies have forecast a surge in economic growth and productivity, automating activities that add up to the equivalent of millions of jobs, and time savings of up to 50 per cent for routine office and coding tasks.</p><p><br /></p><p>In its research, the Burning Glass Institute started with the estimates of generative AI exposure by occupation in a widely cited academic paper that was published last year. It then added its own data sets – including job listings, payroll information, government statistics and corporate disclosures – for the company-by-company calculations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SHRM report includes a ranking of selected companies. The Burning Glass Institute did the percentage estimates of the payroll spending by company for The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manav Raj, a co-author of the academic paper that the Burning Glass Institute relied on, said the new research appeared to be a credible effort to parse company-level data. But at this stage, he said, all the studies are educated guesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The many papers out there generally conclude that this wave of AI has the potential to have a very large effect,” said Raj, an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “But it’s going to take some time to find out what that effect really looks like.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock ETF’s Bitcoin Holdings Exceed $3 Billion; Interest Swells for Pepe Challenger</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The recent revelation that BlackRock’s spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) has surpassed $3 billion in Bitcoin holdings has stirred significant interest. As investors seek out the best cryptocurrency investments and explore top crypto coins, attention is increasingly turning to alternative options such as Rebel Satoshi, a rising challenger in the crypto space.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock’s Bitcoin Expansion Sets the Stage</b></p><p>BlackRock, a titan in the asset management industry, has made waves with its expansion into Bitcoin through its ETF, IBIT. In just two days, IBIT’s reserve holdings surged from 63,488.22 bitcoins to an impressive 70,005.56 bitcoins, now valued at over $3 billion. This development underscores the growing acceptance and integration of cryptocurrencies within traditional financial portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the midst of BlackRock’s milestone, investors are actively seeking out what crypto to buy and uncovering promising altcoins to diversify their portfolios. Amid this quest, Rebel Satoshi has garnered attention as a potential game-changer in the crypto landscape.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rebel Satoshi: A Rising Star</p><p>With rounds like Rebels Round 1, Warriors Round 2, and Citizens Round 3 selling out within days, the excitement around Rebel Satoshi is palpable. As the Monarchs Round 4 progresses, investors are eyeing the upcoming Recusants Round 5, which promises to be the final chance to secure a stake in this innovative project.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seize the Moment with Rebel Satoshi</p><p>With only 25 million $RBLZ tokens remaining for this round, the Rebel Satoshi ($RBLZ) presale presents a compelling opportunity for investors. As discussions with tier 1 centralized exchanges (CEX) advance, the project aims to enhance accessibility and liquidity for investors, further increasing its appeal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Why Rebel Satoshi Stands Out</p><p>Rebel Satoshi’s foundation on the Ethereum network ensures robust security and reliability, making it a standout option for investors seeking the best crypto investments. With the community actively involved in shaping the project’s future, Rebel Satoshi offers a unique opportunity to participate in the evolution of decentralized finance.</p><p><br /></p><p>As the presale nears its conclusion, investors are encouraged to act swiftly to secure their stake in Rebel Satoshi ($RBLZ). With the claim process and vesting schedule set to be released, excitement continues to build around the project’s launch and its potential for growth and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Embrace the Future with Rebel Satoshi</p><p>In conclusion, as BlackRock’s Bitcoin holdings soar, and interest in cryptocurrency investments reaches new heights, Rebel Satoshi emerges as a promising contender in the crypto space. With its innovative approach and strong community support, Rebel Satoshi remains one of the best cryptocurrency investments to consider at this moment in time.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google E-E-A-T: Should We Search For Other Articles With High Backlink Profiles?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>When Google says human first, does that mean we should search for other articles with high backlink profiles rather than keyword research when trying to find a topic to discuss?</p><p><br /></p><p>Google has told us we must provide content that exudes experience, expertise, authority, and trust – commonly referred to as E-E-A-T – if we want to rank well.</p><p><br /></p><p>But how do you know if your content has E-E-A-T?</p><p><br /></p><p>How do you even know what to write about?</p><p><br /></p><p>Let’s dive in and answer these questions.</p><p><br /></p><p>What Is E-E-A-T?</p><p>So, let’s talk about E-E-A-T – how can we make our content exude experience, expertise, authority, and trust?</p><p><br /></p><p>These are the four things Google cares about regarding the content on your page and how it affects rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wants to ensure that the sites it shows in its search results are legit and trustworthy.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, it looks at things like the experience of the content creators.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do they have a background in the field they’re writing about? Have they worked in the industry? This stuff matters to Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google cares about expertise. It wants to see the people behind a site know their stuff. It wants to see evidence that the content is accurate and reliable.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Expertise can be anything from formal education to real-world experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authority is a big deal for Google. It wants to see that a site is respected and trusted by others in the industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>We can demonstrate authority through awards, citations, or positive reviews from other experts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, trust is a huge factor for Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wants to be sure that the information it is showing its users is legit and not shady. It looks at the transparency of the content, how accurate it is, and whether the site has a good reputation for being honest.</p><p><br /></p><p>All this stuff might sound common sense, but Google takes it seriously. It has a whole set of guidelines for its raters to follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>So if you’re trying to rank your site, check out these guidelines and make sure your site meets the E-E-A-T criteria.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Are Backlinks A Good Way To Measure A Site’s E-E-A-T?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO pros traditionally view links as an essential metric for determining a site’s relevance and rank-worthiness.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, relying solely on backlinks to measure a site’s E-E-A-T is not necessarily a viable strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>It is crucial to understand that not all backlinks are created equal, and some can even be detrimental to a site’s ranking if they come from low-quality sources.</p><p><br /></p><p>Search engines like Google have evolved to focus more on the quality and relevance of a website’s content and reputation than the number of backlinks it has.</p><p><br /></p><p>A site that ranks well because of high-quality content and a positive reputation is more likely to provide value to its users than one that relies solely on backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Overemphasizing backlinks can lead to unethical practices such as link farming and purchasing backlinks. These practices can result in search engines penalizing a site, causing it to lose its ranking and reputation.</p><p><br /></p><p>So when Google says “human first,” it doesn’t mean looking for the site with the most backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p>Read the latest Google Quality Raters Guide and understand what Google is looking for in your site’s content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Look at the content on the sites that are ranking and ensure your content is clearer and exudes E-E-A-T better than your keyword competitors.</p><p><br /></p><p>When we dive into the “Human First” ethos, it emerges as an encompassing vision of delivering exceptional user experiences through valuable, pertinent, and engaging content that conveys expertise, authority, trust, and transparency.</p><p><br /></p><p>This shift in focus underscores an important reality: our messages are meant for humans, not algorithms. We must solve problems, answer queries, and engage in genuine dialogue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Does this shift indicate we should focus on articles with high backlink profiles? Backlinks are, undeniably, a significant cog in the SEO machinery.</p><p><br /></p><p>They signify the perceived authority of a website, suggesting that the content is worth its salt in the sea of information on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>But should keyword research take a backseat in this scenario? Not in the slightest.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword research is a compass that guides us toward our audience’s needs, queries, and search patterns. It’s a critical tool in our arsenal that helps us understand user intent and deliver content that aligns with it.</p><p><br /></p><p>The reality is that these two strategies aren’t rivals. They are allies in our quest for an all-encompassing SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Consider this: you unearth an article with a high backlink profile, and you’re tempted to create a similar piece.</p><p><br /></p><p>But without keyword research, how would you know if your audience is actively searching for this information?</p><p><br /></p><p>Conversely, finding a golden keyword is only half the battle; If your content doesn’t provide value, you’re unlikely to garner the backlinks that signal quality to Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s also important to understand that your backlink analysis tool does not know what Google knows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sites that engage in large-scale link-buying schemes will seem to have a significant backlink profile on your tool.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google may be discounting the majority of the purchased links.</p><p><br /></p><p>You need to analyze the sites with large amounts of backlinks. They could just be doing a poor job of link-building.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s “Human First” approach calls for a harmonious blend of both practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s about crafting content that satisfies user intent (highlighted by keyword research) and ensuring it’s valuable and worthy of being linked to (as indicated by a high backlink profile).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the grand scheme, Google’s “Human First” philosophy isn’t asking us to abandon tried and tested SEO practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, it nudges us to remember why we employ these strategies in the first place – to serve the human user.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this light, the mastery of both backlink profile analysis and keyword research becomes an indispensable part of an effective, human-first SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>In summary, while backlinks remain essential to SEO, they should not be the sole metric for determining a site’s experience, expertise, and trustworthiness.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, SEO pros should focus on building a solid brand reputation through high-quality content and ethical marketing practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>By prioritizing these factors, businesses can achieve sustained success and build a loyal user base that trusts and values their offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Boost your SEO with the magic of internal linking</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Unlocking the secret power of your website might be easier than you think, and it all comes down to the art of internal linking. By cleverly linking one page of your site to another, you’re not just guiding visitors around, you’re also sending signals to search engines about the structure and importance of your content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many overlook the potency of internal links, focusing instead on the allure of external backlinks. However, internal linking is a crucial, if not more critical, aspect of SEO. It’s about creating a network within your website that boosts your pages in search engine rankings, making your site more visible and accessible. Let’s dive into how internal links can transform your website’s performance, making it a powerhouse in the digital realm.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Imagine you’re navigating a city with a complex network of roads. In this scenario, internal links are the signposts guiding you seamlessly from one destination to another within your website. They’re pathways enabling visitors and search engines alike to discover and understand the wealth of content that resides on your site.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>By implementing strategic internal linking, you’re not just improving the user experience but also reinforcing your site’s SEO framework. This effective arrangement allows search engines to crawl and index pages more efficiently, directly impacting your site’s visibility and performance in search results.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>How to build your internal linking strategy</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Here’s a simplified breakdown of the benefits associated with optimized internal linking:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Navigation: Makes it easier for your audience to explore your site.</p><p>Page authority: Distributes link equity among your pages, strengthening their SEO potential.</p><p>User engagement: Increases the time spent on your site by encouraging visitors to access more content.</p><p>Interestingly, while external links to your site play a crucial role, the way you internally manage links can significantly enhance your internal link structure’s effectiveness. Your most popular pages, rich in external backlinks, can serve as powerhouses in boosting other important pages through careful distribution of internal links.</p><p><br /></p><p>Consider this essential data showcasing the impact of internal links:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Why internal links are important for SEO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Embedding internal links within your content isn’t just a best practice; it’s vital for your site’s SEO performance. Let’s break down why internal linking should be a cornerstone of your SEO strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Internal links help search engines like Google discover and map out your website. When you link Page A to Page B, you’re not just guiding your users but also search engine crawlers. This mapping allows search engines to understand the hierarchy and relationship between pages on your site. Essentially, you’re making it easier for Google to read, index, and rank your content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Moreover, internal links distribute page authority across your website. Think of each link as a vote of confidence between pages. A well-placed internal link on a high-authority page can boost the linked page’s visibility and credibility in the eyes of search engines. This interconnected web of links ensures that authority flows throughout your site, lifting the SEO potential of each page.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding the different types of internal links</p><p>When you’re sprucing up your site’s SEO, grasping the full spectrum of links is like unlocking a secret power. Here, we’ll dive into the nuances of navigational and contextual links, key players in enhancing your website’s user experience and search engine discovery.</p><p><br /></p><p>Navigational links</p><p>Imagine your website as a vast library. Navigational links are essentially the signage pointing readers to the main sections: the fiction aisle, the reference desk, or the special collections room. These links, typically found in your site’s header, footer, or sidebar, are your roadmap, guiding visitors through your website’s landscape with ease.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here’s why they’re indispensable:</p><p>Simplicity: They streamline site navigation, making it a breeze for visitors to find what they’re looking for.</p><p>Structure: They provide a structural backbone to your website, helping search engines index your content more efficiently.</p><p>Navigational links often include:</p><p><br /></p><p>Home</p><p>About Us</p><p>Services/Product Categories</p><p>Contact Information</p><p>FAQs</p><p>Swift navigation ensures users and search engines can explore your site without getting lost in the weeds.</p><p><br /></p><p>Contextual links</p><p>Stepping into the realm of contextual links, you delve deeper into the specificity of linking. Picture yourself in a conversation where you mention a famous landmark, then naturally segue into its history or significance. Contextual links operate on a similar principle, seamlessly integrating into your site’s content, offering readers further exploration or clarification on a topic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Engagement: Keeping your audience hooked by providing relevant additional content.</p><p>Relevance: Assisting search engines in understanding the relationships between various pages on your site.</p><p>A closer look at their features:</p><p><br /></p><p>Placement: Embedded within body text, offering a natural flow.</p><p>Purpose: Direct users to related content, enriching their site experience.</p><p>Imagine writing about the importance of website speed. Within that context, you could link to a deeper dive on optimizing images for faster loading times. Contextual links not only enrich the reader’s journey but also bolster the interconnected framework of your site, enhancing both user experience and SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crafting an efficient internal linking strategy can significantly enhance your site’s SEO. Let’s explore how to develop this vital component of your digital marketing efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Identify your site’s pillar pages</p><p>First things first, pinpoint your site’s cornerstone content—these are your pillar pages. Think of these as the primary subjects you want your site to rank for. They’re broad, encompassing topics that offer immense value and insight. Your goal? Ensuring these pages gain prominence and act as a foundation for further detailed exploration.</p><p><br /></p><p>Enhance Your SEO Strategy: Explore Our Article on Effective Techniques for Creating Backlinks.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Legal Sector SEO Opportunities in 2024: A Comprehensive Guide</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The landscape of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is continually evolving, and the legal sector is no exception. As we move into 2024, law firms face unique challenges and opportunities in optimizing their online presence. This article, inspired by insights from SERP expert Mark Huntley, delves into actionable strategies and trends that legal professionals can leverage to stand out in a crowded digital marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Understanding Google’s Algorithm Changes</p><p>Google’s algorithm updates have a profound impact on how legal websites perform in search results. Staying abreast of these changes is crucial for maintaining visibility. In 2024, Google emphasizes user experience (UX), page speed, and mobile optimization more than ever, making them key areas of focus for law firms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Keyword Strategy for Legal Firms</p><p>The right keyword strategy can significantly enhance a law firm’s SEO efforts. Incorporating a mix of long-tail keywords, local SEO phrases, and optimizing for voice search queries are essential strategies. These approaches not only improve rankings but also align with user intent, leading to higher conversion rates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Content Marketing Trends for Legal Sector</p><p>Content is king in the world of SEO, and for legal firms, this means creating value-driven, informative content. Blogging, video content, infographics, and podcasts are powerful tools for engaging potential clients and establishing authority in your legal niche.</p><p><br /></p><p>Website Optimization for Legal Firms</p><p>A law firm’s website must be fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. These factors not only contribute to a better user experience but also positively influence Google rankings. Incorporating clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons and ensuring ADA compliance are also key considerations.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Link Building Strategies</p><p>Building high-quality backlinks is vital for SEO success. For legal firms, this means focusing on earning links from reputable industry sites, guest blogging on legal platforms, and listing in respected legal directories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media and SEO</p><p>Social media platforms offer valuable opportunities for boosting SEO. For legal professionals, LinkedIn is particularly beneficial for networking and sharing expert content. Additionally, engaging with audiences through Instagram stories or Facebook ads can drive traffic and improve search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO for Legal Practices</p><p>Local SEO is critical for law firms targeting specific geographic areas. Optimizing your Google My Business listing, accumulating local citations, and garnering positive reviews are strategies that enhance local visibility and attract clients from your community.</p><p><br /></p><p>Online Reputation Management</p><p>In the legal industry, reputation is everything. Actively managing your online reputation, including responding to negative reviews thoughtfully and encouraging satisfied clients to share their positive experiences, is vital for SEO and building trust with potential clients.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SEO Analytics and Reporting</p><p>Utilizing SEO analytics tools to track performance and gain insights is essential for refining strategies and achieving better outcomes. Tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush can provide valuable data on traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.</p><p><br /></p><p>AI and SEO in the Legal Sector</p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming SEO practices. For legal firms, leveraging AI for chatbots, content creation, and keyword research can streamline operations and offer personalized experiences to potential clients.</p><p><br /></p><p>Voice Search Optimization</p><p>With the rise of voice-activated devices, optimizing for voice search is increasingly important. Creating content that answers common questions and adopts a conversational tone can help your firm capture voice search queries.</p><p><br /></p><p>E-A-T Principle and Legal Websites</p><p>The E-A-T principle (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is especially relevant for legal websites. Demonstrating these qualities through comprehensive about pages, showcasing credentials, and publishing well-researched content is crucial for SEO success.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Marketing and SEO</p><p>Video marketing is a powerful tool for engagement and can significantly impact SEO. Optimizing video content on platforms like YouTube and incorporating live streaming sessions can enhance visibility and drive traffic.</p><p><br /></p><p>Case Studies: Successful Legal SEO Campaigns</p><p>Examining successful SEO campaigns in the legal sector provides valuable lessons and actionable insights. These case studies highlight the strategies employed and the results achieved, offering inspiration and guidance for law firms looking to improve their SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Challenges and Solutions in Legal SEO</p><p>The competitive nature of the legal sector presents challenges in SEO. However, by focusing on niche specializations, adhering to ethical SEO practices, and continuously adapting to algorithm changes, law firms can navigate these challenges effectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>Future of SEO in the Legal Sector</p><p>As we look to the future, emerging technologies and ongoing algorithm updates will shape the SEO landscape. Law firms that stay informed and agile, embracing innovative strategies and technologies, will thrive in the evolving digital arena.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion: Maximizing SEO Opportunities</p><p>The legal sector’s SEO landscape in 2024 is both challenging and ripe with opportunities. By understanding Google’s algorithm changes, adopting a strategic approach to content and keywords, and leveraging the latest technologies, law firms can maximize their online visibility and attract more clients. Remember, in the fast-paced world of SEO, staying ahead requires constant learning and adaptation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Frequently Asked Questions</p><p><br /></p><p>How can law firms stay updated on Google’s algorithm changes?</p><p><br /></p><p>Regularly follow SEO news sources and blogs, and consider partnering with SEO professionals who specialize in the legal sector.</p><p>What type of content should legal firms prioritize for SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Focus on creating informative, client-focused content that addresses common legal questions and showcases your expertise.</p><p>How important is mobile optimization for legal websites in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>With the majority of searches now conducted on mobile devices, mobile optimization is essential for SEO success.</p><p>Can social media activity impact a law firm’s SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Yes, active engagement on social media can drive traffic to your website and improve your search rankings.</p><p>What is the best way to approach local SEO for law firms?</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your Google My Business listing, ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency across online listings, and focus on local keyword optimization.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>SEO News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Why Local SEO is Important for Small Businesses?</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In the ever-evolving landscape of online marketing, one strategy stands out as a game-changer for small businesses: Local SEO. With the majority of consumers turning to search engines to find local businesses, optimizing your online presence for local searches has become essential for staying competitive in today’s market. In this article, we’ll explore why local SEO is crucial for small businesses and how it can propel them to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>Enhanced Visibility in Local Searches</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the primary benefits of local SEO is increased visibility in local search results. When potential customers search for products or services in their area, search engines prioritize businesses that are optimized for local SEO. By optimizing your website and online listings with relevant keywords, business information, and location-specific content, you can ensure that your business appears prominently in local search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Targeted Traffic and Qualified Leads</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO helps small businesses attract highly targeted traffic and qualified leads. Unlike traditional advertising methods that cast a wide net, local SEO allows businesses to target customers who are actively searching for their products or services in their local area. This targeted approach not only increases the likelihood of converting leads into customers but also maximizes the return on investment for marketing efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Competitive Advantage</p><p><br /></p><p>In today’s competitive marketplace, small businesses need every advantage they can get to stand out from the crowd. Local SEO provides a level playing field for small businesses to compete with larger competitors. By focusing on optimizing their online presence for local searches, small businesses can outmaneuver larger competitors and capture a larger share of the local market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Build Trust and Credibility</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO helps small businesses build trust and credibility with potential customers. When a business appears prominently in local search results, it signals to consumers that the business is reputable and trustworthy. Additionally, positive reviews and ratings from satisfied customers can further enhance a business’s credibility and encourage others to choose their products or services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cost-Effectiveness</p><p><br /></p><p>Compared to traditional advertising methods such as print ads or direct mail campaigns, local SEO offers a cost-effective way for small businesses to reach their target audience. With local SEO, businesses can target customers who are actively searching for their products or services, eliminating wasted advertising spend on uninterested or irrelevant audiences. Additionally, local SEO strategies such as optimizing Google My Business listings and local citations require minimal financial investment but can yield significant returns in terms of increased visibility and customer engagement.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mobile Optimization</p><p><br /></p><p>As the use of mobile devices continues to rise, optimizing your online presence for mobile users is more important than ever. Local SEO ensures that your business is easily discoverable and accessible to mobile users searching for products or services in their local area. By optimizing your website for mobile devices and ensuring that your business information is accurate and up-to-date across all online platforms, you can capitalize on the growing number of consumers who rely on their smartphones to find local businesses.</p><p><br /></p><p>Community Engagement</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO fosters community engagement and encourages customer interaction. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can connect with customers in your local area and build relationships with the community. This can include participating in local events, sponsoring community initiatives, and engaging with customers on social media platforms. By actively engaging with the local community, small businesses can strengthen their brand presence and foster customer loyalty.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool for small businesses looking to increase their visibility, attract targeted traffic, and compete effectively in today’s digital marketplace. By optimizing their online presence for local searches, small businesses can enhance their visibility in local search results, target qualified leads, and build trust and credibility with potential customers. Additionally, local SEO offers a cost-effective way to reach target audiences, capitalize on the growing use of mobile devices, and engage with the local community. In essence, local SEO is not just a strategy; it’s a blueprint for success for small businesses looking to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. For Affordable SEO services please contact Media Man.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber</b></p><p><b>Perth, Western Australia</b></p><p><b>Saturday, Feb 24, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Nia Jax</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>hea Ripley will defend the WWE Women's World Championship against Nia Jax in The Eradicator's home country of Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ripley has been a dominant champion since winning the title at WrestleMania 39, but she is now facing what could be her greatest threat yet as The Irresistable Force has her sights set on gold once again.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since returning to WWE in September, Jax has dominated her competition and in recent weeks has turned her attention to Ripley, including laying the titlrholder out on the Jan. 29 episode of Monday Night Raw. That attack infuriated the champion and the two Superstars engaged in a massive brawl the following week, setting the stage for what is sure to be an incredible title match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who will walk out of Elimination Chamber the Women's World Champion? Find out live at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 AM ET/2 AM PT streaming LIVE on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elimination Chamber to determine the No. 1 Contender to World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at WrestleMania</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Six Superstars will collide inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber to earn the right to challenge World Heavyweight Champion Seth "Freakin" Rollins at The Showcase of the Immortals.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the Feb. 9 edition of SmackDown, the first two entries into the career-altering structure were decided, as Drew McIntyre overcame AJ Styles, and Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Elimination Chamber Match will begin with two Superstars in the ring and four other competitors enclosed in their respective pods. At equally timed intervals, a pod door will open, allowing another competitor to join the bout. This process will continue until all pods are empty. When a Superstar is pinned or submits, that Superstar is eliminated and must exit the Chamber. The last Superstar remaining will be the winner.</p><p><br /></p><p>Find out in the coming weeks who else will earn the right to step into the Chamber for a chance to punch their ticket to The Showcase of the Immortals. Don’t miss all the action of WWE Elimination Chamber, streaming live from Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, at 5 a.m. ET /2 a.m PT on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The Rock and Roman Reigns to return to SmackDown - Feb 10, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week, the fireworks will arrive as The Rock and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns both return to SmackDown. </p><p><br /></p><p>The two, alongside Cody Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins, combined for a jaw-dropping WrestleMania XL Kickoff this past Thursday, where The Rock slapped Rhodes. </p><p><br /></p><p>With the main event now seemingly set after the 2024 Royal Rumble winner declared he would challenge Reigns, where does this leave The Rock, who had also wished to face The Head of the Table at The Grandest Stage of Them All? </p><p><br /></p><p>What do The Rock and Reigns have in store when they both return to SmackDown? Find out next Friday at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Rupert Murdoch’s secret hours on camera interviewed by Sky News chief - Feb 11, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Whittaker has been quietly interviewing the media magnate on camera around the world for months.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paul “Boris” Whittaker, the (apparently) heir apparent to running News Corp Australia, has been quietly conducting a series of long, on-camera interviews with Rupert Murdoch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the course of months, Whittaker interviewed Murdoch multiple times in the US and UK, sources with knowledge of the conversations said. The interviews were planned as a special televised series, and no topic was off limits. He apparently shares his thoughts on former US president Donald Trump, various politicians, and even the decision to hand the reins of his sprawling media empire to his eldest son, Lachlan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Whittaker is known for being single-minded in certain stories and has three Walkley Awards, but has spent little time in front of the camera in a 35-year career as journalist, editor of The Daily Telegraph, editor-in-chief of The Australian and now Sky News Australia chief.</p><p><br /></p><p>At 92 years old, Murdoch was, we’re told, in fine form. That could mean almost anything.</p><p><br /></p><p>He does very few on-camera interviews. Among the last were a 12-minute discussion on Sky News UK about his sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney back in 2017 for $68.3 billion. Before that, he did a 30-minute interview with The Australian’s Paul Kelly for the paper’s 50th anniversary in 2014.</p><p><br /></p><p>This could be part of the plans to celebrate The Australian’s 60th anniversary, postponed to mid-July to coincide with its first edition on July 15, 1964.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Murdoch has free rein, it’s entirely unpredictable what he will say. Just look at his brief presence on X, formerly known as Twitter. He shared thoughts on world leaders, policy, and even the occasional Wall Street Journal trivia (“Can You Trump Donald Trump on Foreign Policy? I got 6 out of 6 on this quiz”).</p><p><br /></p><p>“No more tweets for 10 days or ever! Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in the world,” Murdoch wrote on March 5, 2016. That was his final tweet, except for a few nonsensical replies to random accounts over the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Somewhere out there, in some form, exists the unedited, full-length footage of Murdoch being interviewed by Boris. It may be one of the last interviews the nonagenarian does (though, to be fair, he could be around for another 10 years. His mother died at 103).</p><p><br /></p><p>The interviews demonstrate that Whittaker is close to Murdoch, which counts for a lot in News Corp succession planning. And now, we wait.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other news …</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the past two years, the members of powerful free-to-air lobby group Free TV have been carefully – clinically, even – arguing for legally enshrined prominent placement for their apps on internet-connected TVs. Seven, Nine, Ten, ABC and SBS apps, the government seems to agree, should be pre-downloaded and installed first on the home screen.</p><p><br /></p><p>So there was some behind-the-scenes fury when Nine, the publisher of The Australian Financial Review, put in a separate submission to the government last week that basically said its streaming platform Stan should be chucked in that list, too. Other networks pointed out this undermines their argument free-to-air networks are different, unique, and special. Nine argues Stan is Australian, airs Aussie content, and is owned by an Aussie network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine CEO Mike Sneesby, the former CEO of Stan, clearly has a soft spot for the platform. We hear Free TV chairman Greg Hywood called last week to express dismay about the change in approach. A parliamentary committee will call Sneesby, Seven’s James Warburton and Paramount’s Bev McGarvey together on February 23 to make their case. McGarvey and Warburton won’t back Stan’s inclusion, that’s for sure.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Piers Morgan cans nightly talk show in blow to Sky News Australia - Feb 9, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Piers Morgan Uncensored will no longer be screened on Sky News Australia after the influential British figure announced he was leaving News Corp’s start-up TalkTV to focus on his own YouTube channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan called the commitment of a nightly show on the newly established Murdoch channel an “unnecessary straitjacket”, saying the program’s rigid format and fixed schedule were out of step with global audience demands.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s clear there’s a huge global demand for the content we’re making … but people are watching on YouTube rather than conventional television and I have no problem with that,” Morgan said.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision’s local implications mean the last episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored on Sky News Australia will air on Friday, a spokesperson confirmed to this masthead. The network is also set to lose his digital content, which it said had generated more than 150 million views across its online channels.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan’s YouTube channel under the same name currently has 2.35 million subscribers, with his videos and interviews regularly attracting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of views.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In contrast, the Sky broadcast of the nightly program in Australia, which has aired at 11pm Tuesday to Friday, has failed to attract a significant audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>TalkTV launched in April 2022, with Morgan signing on as the channel’s star talent in a reported three-year £50 million ($89 million) deal, and his show syndicated across Sky and other outlets.</p><p><br /></p><p>The launch came shortly after the establishment of GB News, a fellow fringe cable news channel featuring prominent conservative figures, led by former Sky News Australia chief executive Angelo Frangopolous.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Piers Morgan Uncensored has driven strong online audiences across [our] digital platforms ... and has consistently ranked within our top five programs for online viewership”, a Sky News Australia spokesperson told this masthead.</p><p><br /></p><p>“New digital-only content from Piers Morgan will be available on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan is a high-profile media figure globally, making his name at News Corp’s tabloid The Sun before being appointed editor of the now-defunct News of the World at just 29 years old.</p><p><br /></p><p>He later moved to the Daily Mirror, and led the paper during a period when it was caught up the phone hacking scandal, which later led to the Leveson inquiry. Morgan now writes columns for The Sun and The New York Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move is a further shake up of Sky News’ weekly line up, with After Dark hosts Sharri Markson and Chris Kenny exchanging time slots earlier this year in a bid to attract more viewers in the primetime 8pm window.</p><p><br /></p><p>International hosts including Morgan, Megyn Kelly, Nigel Farage and Douglas Murray have proved successful for Sky News digitally and a major contributor to the channel’s growing and influential online audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>In similar fashion to Morgan’s aired concerns, Sky News’ digital audience far out-rates its traditional broadcast audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Outsized audiences on its YouTube and Facebook channels have led to a push away from broadcast content, instead focusing on lucrative digital audiences, particularly with an emphasis on American content, leading to fractures in its newsroom.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead recently revealed that 38 per cent of the Australian channel’s digital audience is based in the United States, with audiences engaging with content on US President Joe Biden, culture wars issues and the royal family, a particular focus point for Morgan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Morgan told online news provider Semafor that he co-owns the Piers Morgan Uncensored brand with News Corp.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson launched his own digital show exclusively on social media platform X in 2023 after being sacked by the Murdoch network.</p><p><br /></p><p>The controversial media figure published an interview with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday morning, the first with a Western journalist since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.</p><p><br /></p><p>(SMH)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Flashback</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Marcus Family History Feature via Media Man Int</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>LAST OF THE OLD-TIME PROMOTERS - AUGUST 1, 2004</b></p><p>(Credit: Mike Mooneyham)</p><p><br /></p><p>*We are putting these articles into the public domain via X, as time keeps passing along and many of our family members on both sides of the family, Tingle family and Marcus family, have strong history and success in the sports, entertainment and entrepreneurial world. Full credit goes to the journalists who wrote and researched these articles on our family back in the day, and we have preserved them for histories sake. This article can also be purchased in digital form as well as in the form of an e-book and hard copy book (Final Bell) for interested parties. </p><p><br /></p><p>Published via X/Media Man Int for educational purposes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Contact author/journalist Mike Mooneyham of The Post And Courier if you are interested to purchase it. Thank you.</p><p><br /></p><p>Greg Tingle, Founder and Director, Media Man Group/Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p><b>FINAL BELL By Mike Mooneyham (via Amazon)</b></p><p>www.amazon.com/Final-Bell-Legends-Mat-Remembered/dp/1929647409</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>By Mike Mooneyham</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Aug. 1, 2004</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I can’t help but think about Henry Marcus whenever driving past the old County Hall on King Street.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now an affordable housing complex known as the Palace Apartments, the building is long removed from the days when it was the place to be on Friday nights, wrestling was the ticket and Henry Marcus was the ring master.</p><p><br /></p><p>To thousands of wrestling fans in these parts, he was as much the building as the mortar that held it together. He was a promoter extraordinaire who dabbled in everything from the Royal Canadian Ballet to the Ice Capades. But pro wrestling was his bread and butter. It’s what endeared him to mat fans throughout the state for half a century.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news of his passing last Sunday at the age of 93 leaves a void not only in the wrestling business, but also in the rich cultural fabric of our town, which counted Marcus among its unique group of engaging and colorful personalities. A master storyteller who was gifted with razor-sharp wit and an amazing sense of recall, he was the last of the old-time promoters.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>BORN TO PROMOTE</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I first crossed paths with Henry Marcus in 1964. It marked my indoctrination into the soap opera gone mad known as professional wrestling. By that time he had been in the promoting business for more than 20 years. What I first noticed about him was that he stood in stark contrast to the burly behemoths who worked on his shows. With thinning hair swept straight back over his head, thick glasses and trousers hitched up to his belly button (which earned him the name “High Pockets”), the nattily attired promoter was not an imposing physical presence by any stretch of the imagination.</p><p><br /></p><p>One thing, though, was for sure. This was his show. You’d see him handing out tickets at the box office. You’d see him taking tickets at the door, with his “Hold your own ticket!” refrain providing a familiar backdrop for the bustling County Hall throng. He’d occasionally do the ring announcing, giving the festivities just the slightest sense of decorum and an added dose of legitimacy. And, what the fans normally didn’t see, was the promoter working the backstage area, making sure the performers showed up on time and going over the intricate details that fill out a wrestling card.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in those days, County Hall was a mecca for wrestling in this area, and Marcus brought them all to his mat shrine. From Jim Londos to Gorgeous George to Lou Thesz to Ric Flair, they all graced the hallowed hall at 1000 King Street. Henry Marcus was the common thread that tied this unique form of entertainment to the Lowcountry, although the man was about much more than professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Like any promoter worth his salt, Marcus knew how to relate to people, which included the largely blue-collar wrestling audience. Whether holding a dinner in honor of Jack Dempsey at the old LaBrasca’s restaurant across from County Hall, or dining with Irving Berlin at the old Lindy’s on Broadway, Marcus always found a comfort zone.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was probably the smartest person that never graduated college you’d ever meet, anytime or anywhere,” Eric Marcus would say about his dad.</p><p><br /></p><p>The son of a railroad man who died when the Hartsville native was only 3, Henry Marcus was a familiar figure in Columbia and Charleston, where the storyteller routinely held court with local businessmen, politicians, newshounds and practically anyone who appreciated his unique gift of gab. His scope of acquaintances, however, extended far beyond the Lowcountry and the state, as he rubbed shoulders with the likes of actor Tyrone Power and President Harry Truman, and was personal friends with such sports figures as boxing greats Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis, and basketball coach Frank McGuire.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>LUCRATIVE LEFT TURN</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus got into the promotional field purely by accident. As he would tell the story, he was headed on his way to the post office when he made “a left turn instead of a right one,” and ended up bumping into a sports editor at The Record newspaper in Columbia who offered him a job writing publicity for the local wrestling shows for $3 a week. The relationships he forged with building managers led to Marcus’s entree into the promoting business, and he was doing it full-time by 1944, eventually expanding his entertainment repertoire to ice shows, stage shows, athletic events and everything in between.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus promoted his first wrestling show in Charleston around 1950, a decade after he began in his home base of Columbia. His primary promotional lesson was simple: The customer is always No. 1.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the wrestling business was Marcus’ forte, there wasn’t much he didn’t promote. “From the Royal Canadian Ballet to wrestling,” as he was wont to say, he dabbled in a little bit of everything. Boxing stars Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jimmy Braddock, Jack Sharkey and Primo Carnera all worked for him. He brought in such big-band greats as Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Xavier Cugat. Dick Clark of “American Bandstand” fame emceed many of Marcus’s rock and roll revues.</p><p><br /></p><p>He liked to tell the story about when he booked the late George Reeves as “Superman” at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, and nearly 3,000 children showed up for the matinee.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Lois Lane came out singing torch songs with her dress split up the side,” he’d recall. “All the children wanted to see Superman fly, and they had to sit through nightclub entertainment beforehand. When Reeves finally appeared, the kids still only yelled, ‘Fly, Superman, fly’! Well, I knew Superman couldn’t fly, and Superman sure knew Superman couldn’t fly. But try telling 3,000 screaming kids.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Then there was the time he had Olympic track legend Jesse Owens race a thoroughbred horse through Columbia’s Capital City Park.</p><p><br /></p><p>He remembered promoting when wrestling tickets were a quarter. He recalled promoting band and dance shows when entertainers showed up, had a couple of mikes set up, performed for several hours and left.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Now you have to meet them at the airport and they show up with 18 trucks,” he’d later lament.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marcus was a jack of all trades, but what he was first and foremost was a promoter.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>THE CHANGING TIMES</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Knowing a man like Henry Marcus is one of those things that people like me keep in their minds forever. He’s one of the famous people that I know,” said Dave Spurlock, former athletic director at St. Andrews High School, who helped give Marcus a place to hold his wrestling shows when County Hall closed down in the mid-’80s.</p><p><br /></p><p>Spurlock said he was more than happy to bring wrestling to the then fairly new gym at St. Andrews. “Not only did I have a chance to make some money, but I got to actually see wrestling on a weekly basis,” said Spurlock, a lifelong wrestling fan. The school would get the concessions money along with a cut of the gate, while Spurlock received $80 at the end of the night for being the “key man.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He can’t help but smile when talking about the time Marcus let Spurlock’s young son and his friends come in for free for a birthday party.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had my son’s birthday party right there at the wrestling show, and the kids got to meet some of the wrestlers. They had a blast. We still have pictures in our old album.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I learned a big part of promotion from him,” said Sandy Scott, a former wrestling star who worked with Marcus in the office during the ’70s and ’80s. “When he told you something, you could take it to the bank. He was an ace of a guy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Henry was a wonderful promoter to work for,” said Rip Hawk (Harvey Evers), who was a headliner for Marcus during the ’60s and ’70s. “He was a very nice man and could take a heckuva rib. “Swede (Hanson) and I used to rib him like crazy. He really and truly enjoyed it, though, and he could come back with some pretty good shots of his own. We had a lot of fun with him. I’ll guarantee you he was a legend down there.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attendance and business dropped for the aging promoter with the decline of Crockett Promotions during the late ’80s. Times had changed, and Marcus wasn’t part of the new WWF empire that Vince McMahon had built, nor did he fit into Ted Turner’s plans for a national wrestling company, which had absorbed the Crocketts’ NWA operation. A terse, two-paragraph letter written in November 1989 commended Marcus on his contribution to the sport over a 50-year period before informing him that the company was terminating its agreement with him. It wished him well in “future endeavors.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It certainly wasn’t the way Marcus had envisioned going out. But he was realistic enough to know that the industry had passed him by. It was changing fast, and he didn’t like that it had become more of a pay-per-view spectacle than a show that passed through all the towns on a regular basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>He would promote his final show in 1990 for the short-lived North American Wrestling Association.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>TAKING IT HOME</b></p><p><br /></p><p>His retirement years, which basically didn’t begin until shortly before his 80th birthday, were punctuated by times of both great joy and great sadness. He and his wife, Marguerite, moved to a beach home in Cherry Grove, near Myrtle Beach, which proved to be a refreshing change of pace from their many years in Columbia. (The two lived in the Hickory Hill subdivision of Charleston for a brief period during the 1970s, but moved shortly after they were robbed at gunpoint after a wrestling show).</p><p><br /></p><p>A special ceremony – titled “The Night The Legends Return: A Tribute to Henry Marcus” – was scheduled in honor of the promoter on May 30, 1998. Tragedy, however, struck when his wife of 48 years died suddenly of a heart attack a month before the event. Twenty years his junior, she was 67, and her passing hit the promoter hard.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Marguerite was Henry’s life from the day he laid eyes on her at the restaurant where she was working. From the day he saw Marguerite until the day she died, she was his life,” recalled Valerie Warren of Charleston, who along with husband Earl and daughter Patty, attended Marcus’s wrestling shows at County Hall beginning in the early ’70s.</p><p><br /></p><p>The promoter was crestfallen and canceled plans to attend the event. Without her, he said, it wouldn’t be the same. A number of friends and former colleagues from the wrestling business, however, convinced him that she would have wanted him to be there. He acquiesced and attended the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fittingly the tribute was held at the former King Street Palace and the site of the old County Hall. Also quite appropriately, it was one of the last events ever staged at the building, and Marcus was there to see it for the final time. After all, as some reminisced, it was “the house that Marcus built.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rev. Andy McDaniel, who helped organize the event, called the promoter an important influence in his life.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was part of my childhood. Wrestling was part of my life, and Friday nights at County Hall was a special time of bonding between my father and myself … When he did the event in 1998, it was truly an honor for us to honor him. It takes on even more significance now.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Into his late 80s Marcus was traveling around the world by himself. He made visits to Israel, Egypt, Canada, China, Italy and the concentration camps in Germany and Poland.</p><p><br /></p><p>He passed on walking The Great Wall of China, preferring to view it from a tour bus. His get up and go had got up and gone, he’d laugh.</p><p><br /></p><p>He loved his visit to Israel, the land of his ancestors, and was delighted when a soldier visiting one of the pyramids in Egypt recognized him from his promoting days in Columbia. The soldier once had been stationed at Fort Jackson, and had been a regular at the promoter’s Tuesday night wrestling shows at The Township. “It really is a small world,” the promoter would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>He loved his family, which included sons Eric, Jerry and Barry, and eight grandchildren. He loved his close friends and his faith.</p><p><br /></p><p>And he loved his independence. Even in his advanced years, he’d drive his car to Charleston, pick me up and we’d go out to dinner at some of his old haunts, where invariably he’d recognize veteran restaurant patrons, proprietors and even some of the waitresses. He could crack a joke without cracking a smile. If he didn’t have an answer for everything, he certainly had an opinion.</p><p><br /></p><p>But when he lost total vision in one eye nearly two years ago and was no longer able to drive a car, the world as he had known it was gone. A fall in early 2003, when he was 91, led to another more serious fall several months later that resulted in a broken arm and rib. At that point basically bedridden with little more left than his mind, which remained amazingly sharp, the old promoter knew that the finish was near.</p><p><br /></p><p>His final six months were spent rotating between the hospital and a nursing home. A lethal combination of a viral infection and double pneumonia spelled the end.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If it had been boring up there for anyone lately, it got real interesting Sunday morning,” said son Eric. “They’ve got a real card up there now to keep them in stitches.”</p><p><br /></p><p>We said our final goodbyes when I visited him a year ago in Sumter, where he had been living with his niece and her family since his wife’s death in 1998. I thanked him for the years of wonderful memories he had given me, and for his unfailing friendship over the years. He asked me again, as he had in the past, to write his obit when that day came.</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps the most impressive thing about Henry Marcus that some might not have known was that he had a heart of gold. Beneath the gruff exterior of an outwardly crotchety old-time promoter who could drive the hardest of bargains was a kind-hearted soul who quietly touched the lives of many.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He was so kind and generous,” recalled Valerie Warren. “There was a restaurant in Columbia where there was a young waitress who was raising children by herself. Henry ate there often and always left a very good-sized tip for her because he knew she needed help with her children. But that was Henry.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Eric Marcus probably summed up his father best.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There aren’t many people like that in this world these days.”</p><p><br /></p><p>#HenryMarcus #Marcus #MarcusFamily #MikeMooneyham #ByMikeMooneyHam #promoter #prowrestling #wrestling #NWA #NationalWrestlingAlliance #CrockettPromotions #wrestlingnews #wrestlinghistory #sportshistory #sports #entertainment #showbiz #popculture #history #retro #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (North American)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>1. Argylle - $18 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Chosen: Season 4 Episodes 1-3 - $6 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. The Beekeeper - $5.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Wonka - $4.8 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $4.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Mean Girls - $4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. Anyone But You - $3.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. American Fiction - $2.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. Poor Things - $2.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>10. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - $2 million</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tingle Family History In Sports and Community Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>MEN AT PLAY - October 9, 1948</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(Featuring Eric Tingle and Ric Tingle)</p><p>Credit: TROVE</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pitch inspection</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Rival captains Eric (Fudger) Tingle of Newport, and Bruce Han- son of Bayview, inspect the ring surface before starting a champion- ship match between the two teams at Bayview Golf Club, Umpires set the ring. Umpires Jack McNally and Stan Hughes set the required 20 marbles in a small ring inside the 12ft. big ring. Players fire at the small target from outside the big ring, must not crib over outside line.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interested spectators, who have probably bet on the game, crowd around Bayview Golf Club's champion Jim Duval, as he attempts difficult shot on the angle.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marbles is a serious adult sport along Sydney's Palm Beach - Manly coastal area.</p><p><br /></p><p>BIG money is lost and won every Saturday in bets about “big-ring” marbles FabMika Games played by adult enthusiasts at 10 pitches in Sydney between Manly and Palm Beach. Each team backs itself for £2O against its opponents. In addition there are substantial side-wagers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Newport barber Eric Tingle started the craze nine months ago when his son Ric suggested a game while Tingle was waiting for some friends for a card game. The card players arrived, join- ed in, haven’t bothered about cards since. Tingle gathered a four-man team, constructed a per-manent “big-ring” beside the Newport Hotel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Other teams were formed but Newport is still undefeated. Says Newport’s captain Eric (Fudger) Tingle: “Marbles gets a grip on you.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The game is played with 20 marbles placed inside a small ring, itself inside a ring 12 feet in diameter. Four-man teams play either as individuals or in pairs.</p><p><br /></p><p>When a player knocks out 11 of the marbles he wins game.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marble lore known to every schoolboy, forgotten by most men.</p><p><br /></p><p>THIS IS the correct grip with the taw to ensure a straight shot along the ground at the dihs.</p><p>ANOTHER correct grip, this time firing down.</p><p><br /></p><p>REMEMBER cunny knuckle? These players, now experts, use it frequently for hard, fast shots. Knuckle down skin tight, and he should score well.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media, Sports Media Giants Team Up With Streaming Service</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ESPN, FOX and WBD launching joint sports streaming service in late 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All major entities will have an equal share in company</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN plans to launch full DTC service, possibly later in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Fox has never launched a DTC platform</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) have created a joint venture to launch a combined sports streaming service in the US.</p><p><br /></p><p>The JV will have its own brand and management team with the planned service offering coverage from the three media companies’ linear channels and direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service will launch in late 2024, serving up an array of live content including the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college football. Subscribers will also have access to linear feeds of major channels, including ESPN, Fox and TNT, as well as the ESPN+ platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three companies, all of whom will have an equal share in the JV, say the offering will offer better value for consumers who have migrated away from cable television and solve the growing issue of fragmentation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Customers will also be able to bundle the as-yet-unnamed service with general entertainment services like Disney+, Hulu and Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business,” said Bob Iger, Disney chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re pumped to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform,” added Lachlan Murdoch, Fox chief executive. “We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that,” said David Zaslav, WBD chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN Release Additional Details To Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Key Highlights:</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery would form a new joint venture to develop, launch and operate a streaming sports bundle of linear networks and certain DTC sports content and services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Each entity would own one-third of the JV, have equal board representation and license their sports content to the joint venture on a non-exclusive basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service would have a new brand with an independent management team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company said, “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of FOX said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>David Zaslav, Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, said “At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>More details, including pricing, will be announced at a later date.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A massive deal and development in this space. Very curious and interesting to see Murdoch's FOX team up with WBD, ESPN (Walt Disney). Change is in the wind. This comes fresh off the heels of the Netflix - WWE streaming deal announced a week + ago. More details will follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: ESPN, WBD, Wires, FOX/News Corp and X)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Crypto absent again from Super Bowl ads - Feb 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Those hoping for crypto ads during the Super Bowl this year will be disappointed</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FOX Business has learned most major cryptocurrency firms will once again sit on the sidelines during the biggest marketing event of the year when the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs face off in Las Vegas on Sunday for Super Bowl LVIII.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>While the $1.7 trillion digital asset market is in a much better place than this time last year during the so-called "crypto winter," crypto companies don’t have the money they once had for advertising, and those that do believe they can better spend their ad dollars away from the NFL spotlight.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kraken, the second-biggest crypto exchange in the U.S., is not taking out a Super Bowl ad. </p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl is a very U.S.-centric event, and the next wave of crypto users will come from all around the world, not just the United States," Mayur Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer at Kraken tells FOX Business. "If the last wave of crypto marketing was all about hype and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), this current wave has to be rooted in education and awareness for the substance and true value proposition of crypto as a movement that will bring financial freedom and inclusion."</p><p><br /></p><p>The U.S.'s largest crypto exchange Coinbase is focused this year on directing money to lobbying Congress for comprehensive digital asset legislation and making campaign contributions to crypto-friendly politicians in Washington, D.C., ahead of the 2024 elections. It is unclear whether the company, who has been a past Super Bowl advertiser and runs TV ads frequently, will be featured during Sunday's game. </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s not just the exchanges that will be missing from Sunday’s ad palooza, where hundreds of millions have been spent on various commercials for beer, cars and snacks. Issuers of the "spot" Bitcoin exchange-traded funds will not be featured despite a handful of them launching TV commercials in the weeks leading up to the SEC’s approval of eleven new spot Bitcoin ETFs on Jan. 10, FOX Business has learned.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For instance, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager and provider of the iShares Bitcoin ETF, is sitting out the Super Bowl, people with direct knowledge of the matter say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even crypto asset manager Grayscale, which owns $21 billion in assets in its Bitcoin ETF and has launched a billboard campaign in New York City subways and airports nationwide, is not advertising during Sunday’s big game, sources say.</p><p><br /></p><p>While some Bitcoin proponents may see this as a missed opportunity, it’s not surprising that Bitcoin ETF commercials will be absent from the Super Bowl.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to CBS, nearly all its Super Bowl ad slots were sold out by early November, and the Bitcoin ETFs were not officially approved by the SEC until two months later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But macro factors are also at work. The industry has been cut in half since its bull run in 2021 that unwound with the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange.</p><p><br /></p><p>FTX was a prominent advertiser during the 2022 Super Bowl when it paid $6.5 million to appear alongside other industry giants like Coinbase and Crypto.com. The commercial featured Larry David, who later confirmed that Bankman-Fried paid him $10 million to star in the 30-second ad promoting FTX as "the next big thing."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Just nine months later, FTX descended into bankruptcy, and Bankman-Fried would get outed for spending stolen customer funds on expensive brand deals like the Super Bowl and the naming rights to the Miami Heat arena, for which he agreed to shell out $135 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bankman-Fried has since been convicted on seven counts of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering and awaits sentencing in March.</p><p><br /></p><p>On top of the FTX debacle, regulatory uncertainty is still very much top of mind for many crypto companies, meaning legal expenses take precedent over marketing and ad campaigns.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Coinbase, for instance, is locked in a contentious court battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which alleges the exchange is violating securities laws by operating as an unregistered exchange, offering similarly unregistered securities products as digital assets.</p><p><br /></p><p>A southern district of New York judge will decide whether the SEC can move forward with its case against Coinbase in the coming days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BetMGM and X Sign Exclusive Sports Betting Partnership</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Unprecedented connection between social media and sports betting integrates BetMGM exclusively into major social media platform</p><p><br /></p><p>JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced a strategic partnership with X, becoming the social media platform's exclusive Live Odds Sports Betting partner. The first-of-its-kind partnership between a premier social media brand and a sports betting operator will integrate BetMGM's odds and branding into X, with each game linking to BetMGM's website and app.</p><p><br /></p><p>"X is the center of the sports world's conversation 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt. "Being directly accessible within that forum is an unprecedented opportunity to expand our reach to a passionate and engaged audience. We look forward to adding intel and content that enhances the platform's interaction around sports."</p><p><br /></p><p>X users in the United States can explore BetMGM's latest betting odds on pro football, with each of the major professional and college sports expected to follow in the coming weeks. The odds interface provides an easy clickthrough for each game to BetMGM's app or website, creating a seamless user experience. The integration will continue to evolve and grow in its functionality over the coming months.</p><p><br /></p><p>X CEO Linda Yaccarino said, "Sports never sleep on X and now with our strategic partnership with BetMGM, fans are practically in the front row. We're bringing sports fans on X even closer to the action so they can cheer, and now bet, on their favorite teams."</p><p><br /></p><p>As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM is proud to provide resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading program, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Through the integration within BetMGM's mobile and desktop platforms, customers can receive the same GameSense experience they have grown to count on at MGM Resorts properties nationwide. This complements BetMGM's already existing responsible gambling tools which serve to provide customers with an entertaining and safe digital experience.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM app is available for download on both iOS and Android and is accessible via desktop at http://www.betmgm.com. </p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, follow @BetMGM on X.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About BetMGM</b></p><p>BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM's U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain's US-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.betmgminc.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Joe Rogan Inks New Spotify Podcast Deal, Reportedly Worth $380m - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan (above) has renewed his deal with Spotify, reportedly worth up to $US250 million ($AU383 million), a significant improvement on his previous deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this new deal means that The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify and allows his podcast to be distributed to YouTube, Apple and other podcasting platforms. His previous deal was reported to be worth between $US100-200 million ($AU153-$AU301 million).</p><p><br /></p><p>The news marks a big change in strategy for Spotify, too. Four years ago, Rogan signed his first exclusive deal with the audio platform, during a blitz of similar deals with other podcasters. As such, Rogan’s podcast could only be enjoyed through the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>With this new deal allowing Rogan to post wherever he may, it marks the end of Spotify’s exclusivity efforts. Call Her Daddy became widely available earlier this week and Spotify launched a new show with Trevor Noah last year without exclusivity rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Joe Rogan Experience debuted in 2009, has been a Spotify exclusive since 2020, and we’re just getting started,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Today we announced our new multiyear partnership deal with JRE. There’s so much more ahead, including that the show will soon be available on additional platforms. JRE remains podcasting’s king, consistently ranking as the most-listened-to podcast globally and our users have ranked the show as Spotify’s Wrapped top podcast each year since 2020”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Releases Super Bowl Spot Teaser Created By Blind Director - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Google has released a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial which has been directed by Adam Morse, a “filmmaker who happens to be blind”.</p><p><br /></p><p>The video explains how Morse was able to direct the advert using Google’s AI-powered Guided Frame feature that emits audio cues to tell the users what is in the frame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Ad Revenues Jump Nearly A Quarter, Amazon Also Sees Big Ad Revenue Climb - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s advertising revenues jumped by 24 per cent year-on-year to $US38 billion ($AU58.8 billion) in the three months ended 31 December.</p><p><br /></p><p>The number of ad impressions across all of Meta’s apps increased by more than a fifth and the average price per ad climbed by two per cent. Overall, the company’s revenue jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had a good quarter as our community and business continue to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “We’ve made a lot of progress on our vision for advancing AI and the metaverse.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result of those bumper earnings, Meta’s stock price surged by 14 per cent in extended trading — despite Zuck’s bruising appearance in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee which accused the American businessman of ignoring the severity of of child exploitation on his company’s apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its Reality Labs division, which is responsible for creating the metaverse, saw its losses grow a further nine per cent in the last quarter for just over $US4.6 billion ($AU7 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Amazon saw its ad revenues climb by 27 per cent year — though it is operating in an entirely different universe to Meta’s soaring ad money.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Q4 2023, it brought in $US14.6 billion ($AU22.2 billion), up from $US11.5 billion ($AU17.49 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses… AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock Now Holds Whopping 52,025 BTC For its Spot Bitcoin ETF; Solana (SOL) And InQubeta (QUBE) Eye Significant Price Jump</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has been making incredible strides in the spot Bitcoin ETF market. Following the SEC decision on Bitcoin ETFs on January 10, the market has been growing at an incredible pace. And yes, BlackRock has been at the forefront.</p><p><br /></p><p>The asset manager now holds a staggering 52,052 BTC, worth over $2.18 billion—depending on Bitcoin’s valuation—for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Recently, following Google’s policy update, its spot Bitcoin ETF was one of the first to be advertised on the platform, which continues its quest to capture a large share of the market.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Solana (SOL) and InQubeta (QUBE) appear primed for a significant price jump. With a strong bullish wave to surf, these are the best cryptos to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE): Potential 70x Jump After Launch</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE) has been creating a stir in the crypto scene, and for the right reasons. It recently soared past $8.6 million in its ongoing presale, with sights set on breaking the $10 million fundraising milestone. That isn’t all; its innovative concept has been hailed as one of the most bullish narratives, propelling the massive demand in its ICO stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its unique offering will be a crypto-based crowdfunding platform for AI tech startups and an NFT marketplace. This will assist in its vision of reshaping the fast-rising AI market, particularly in areas relating to fundraising and market accessibility. Given the critical role it will play, analysts tip it as the best new crypto to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock: 52,052 BTC in Spot Bitcoin ETF</p><p><br /></p><p>Investor sentiment post BTC ETF has been on the rise, and BlackRock has been adding to its Bitcoin holdings in the process. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, now has a whopping 52,052 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF after a recent purchase. It has been one of the top gainers in the BTC ETF market, receiving a huge chunk of inflows.</p><p><br /></p><p>With further purchases anticipated in the coming days, the price of BTC is expected to soar. This makes its current price a good entry point, especially if you wish to ride the market’s current bullish wave.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETF market on January 11, it has been growing at a remarkable pace. Currently, it is the second-largest ETF commodity after flipping silver in just a week of trading, with the rivalry now being Bitcoin ETF vs. gold.</p><p><br /></p><p>Solana (SOL): Aiming for $150</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bitcoin ETF market effects have been largely bearish so far, causing a market downturn, with Solana (SOL), one of the top altcoins, declining. However, the market has been on the rise, and Solana has been mirroring the upward trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to forecasts, following the reclaiming of the $100 support, SOL’s next stop is $150. This significant jump will be on the back of rising adoption and demand, which makes the coming days exciting and SOL a good crypto to buy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the above, Solana is one of the most promising plays not to miss out on. To avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO), we recommend holding some of the tokens in your portfolio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now boasts 52,025 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Meanwhile, Solana and InQubeta have been making waves, primed for a significant upward trajectory, especially InQubeta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How to watch the halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sin City’s Super Bowl 58 will have the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in a sold-out Allegiant Stadium full of roaring fans, some award-worthy commercials and a can't-miss performance by Usher at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview with Vogue, the "Yeah" singer revealed that he wants his halftime show performance to “a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.” Usher also explained that he plans to have “R&B take the main stage” and has invited some special guests to join him onstage who represent “not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” The R&B and pop legend has previously performed during a Super Bowl halftime show as a guest of The Black Eyed Peas, who headlined the performance during Super Bowl XLV.</p><p><br /></p><p>So whether it's the Ravens vs. 49ers, the Chiefs vs. the Lions, or some other 2024 Super Bowl lineup, we know who the star (of halftime, at least) will be. Are you ready to tune into the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Usher perform at Super Bowl 58.</p><p><br /></p><p>When is the 2024 Super Bowl?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>What time is the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show</p><p><br /></p><p>Usher's halftime show performance will start at, well, halftime on Game Day.</p><p><br /></p><p>What channel is the Super Bowl on in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 will air live on CBS, and the alternative, family-friendly telecast will air live on Nickelodeon.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable:</p><p><br /></p><p>Want to tune into the Usher halftime show and Super Bowl, but don't have live TV? You can watch all the Super Bowl 58 action with the help of a TV antenna, Paramount+ subscription or live TV streaming service. Here's what we recommend for ways to watch the Super Bowl in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+ has two subscription tiers: a $6/month ad-supported tier and a $12 ad-free premium tier that includes Showtime and live access to your local CBS channel. In addition to NFL games on CBS, Paramount+ offers a host of other live sports, hit shows and new and classic movies. Unlike a lot of other streaming services, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial, so new subscribers can sign up to watch this week's NFL games on CBS and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Record year for Amazon</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>February 2, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon has reported that net sales increased 12 per cent to $574.8 billion in 2023, compared with $514 billion in 2022. Excluding the $0.1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 12% compared with 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>North America segment sales increased 12 per cent year-over-year to $352.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>International segment sales increased 11 per cent year-over-year to $131.2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>AWS segment sales increased 13 per cent year-over-year to $90.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses. The regionalization of our US fulfillment network led to our fastest-ever delivery speeds for Prime members while also lowering our cost to serve; AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day. As we enter 2024, our teams are delivering at a rapid clip, and we have a lot in front of us to be excited about.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Focusing on Prime Video, Amazon highlighted:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Increased total viewership for the second season of Thursday Night Football (TNF) on Prime Video by 24 per cent year over year, and had double-digit growth (14 per cent) for the second consecutive season in the hard-to-reach 18–34-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen. The November 30th Seahawks-Cowboys game attracted 15.3 million viewers, becoming Prime Video’s most watched TNF game ever, according to Nielsen.</p><p>Released 16 films and series from Amazon MGM Studios, including the second season of Reacher, which was the No. 1 title on Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals Streaming chart for the week it debuted and had the highest number of minutes viewed for any Prime Video title during a single week in 2023 according to Nielsen; second season of Invincible, the most-viewed animated series ever on Prime Video globally; holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, one of the top 10 most-watched worldwide film debuts ever on Prime Video; thriller Saltburn, which had the highest week-over-week audience growth of any film on Prime Video in 2023; dramedy American Fiction; and sports drama The Boys in the Boat. This awards season, Amazon MGM Studios earned 16 Golden Globe nominations, 68 Emmy nominations and nine wins, and 21 Critics Choice Award nominations for content such as American Fiction, Saltburn,Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,andThe Boys. For the upcoming Oscars, the studio earned five nominations for American Fiction, including for Best Picture.</p><p>Grew Prime Video’s international slate of content with more than 60 local Amazon Originals, including Mr. Dressup:The Magic of Make-Believe(Canada), which was winner of the 2023 People’s Choice Award for Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival; Sayen: La Ruta Seca (Chile), the action-packed sequel to the most watched Latin American Original movie ever on Prime Video; Operación Triunfo (Spain), Prime Video’s first weekly live entertainment show; and 007: Road To A Million (UK), the world’s first James Bond television format, which was No. 1 on Prime Video in 27 countries worldwide on its launch weekend.</p><p>Expanded Prime Video’s global sports programming with the debut of the Amazon Original sports documentaries Kelce, chronicling Philadelphia Eagles captain Jason Kelce’s 2022 season,and Bye Bye Barry, the story of Barry Sanders’ decision to retire at the height of his NFL career. In live sports, Prime Video added new broadcast rights for NASCAR, the National Women’s Soccer League, and Premier Boxing Champions in the U.S.; ICC Cricket in Australia; and Wimbledon tennis in Austria and Germany.</p><p>Announced AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud for Europe, to give public sector customers and those in highly regulated industries more choice to meet stringent compliance mandates in the EU and achieve the operational independence they require without compromising on the broadest and deepest cloud services.</p><p>Dan Goman, CEO and Founder of Ateliere Creative Technologies, commented: “Amazon’s technology-driven success gives it a considerable edge in the streaming market, exemplifying the challenges traditional media and entertainment companies face against tech giants entering the content space.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tech advantage essentially creates an uneven playing field, with companies like Amazon and Netflix enjoying a massive advantage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, it’s like comparing a car race where legacy media companies are behind the wheel of a Buick Skylark, while companies like Amazon and Netflix are speeding ahead in Ferraris. It’s hardly a fair contest, and the losses for the slower contenders will continue. Merely merging companies won’t solve the issue; after all, two Buicks won’t outpace a Ferrari.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon’s strategic focus on enhancing Prime Video the last several years has transformed it into a leading streaming service, significantly broadening its business model. This shift has evolved to Prime Video offering a wide range of entertainment options and revenue streams, rather than a mere add-on to an Amazon subscription. This move has not only bolstered customer loyalty but also positioned Amazon as a formidable competitor in the streaming wars, especially as Amazon has been able to take hold of Thursday Night Football, and other major streaming moments.</p><p><br /></p><p>While many streaming services are introducing ad-supported tiers as an option, Amazon is taking a unique approach by making ads the default for Prime Video viewers, with an option to pay extra for ad-free viewing. This strategy could differentiate Amazon in the crowded streaming market by potentially increasing ad revenue while also catering to those who prefer a premium, ad-free experience (and willing to pay more).</p><p><br /></p><p>This move aligns with broader industry trends increasing monetisation and driving profitability for streaming platforms. The introduction of ads on Amazon Prime Video is expected to have upwards a 5 billion dollar impact on Amazon’s earnings over the next several months.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>India: JioCinema to stream 10th Celebrity Cricket League</b></p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JioCinema has announced a partnership with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) that will se the India streaming platform exclusively live-stream Celebrity Cricket League Season 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>Spread over four weekends, and with 20 matches that appeal to a wide audience cohort beyond cricket fans, the tournament will stream from February 23rd, exclusively on JioCinema.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2011, Celebrity Cricket League has evolved to become one of India’s most-watched sport and entertainment event. The previous season of Celebrity Cricket League reached out to over 250 million viewers across India. Comprising eight teams representing India’s major film industries including Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, CCL Season 10 will bring together over 200 film celebrities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferzad Palia, Business Head, JioCinema, commented: “JioCinema is loved by users across the spectrum and is home to the best of sports and entertainment content. The unparallel viewership we enjoy is a testimony to that. Celebrity Cricket League brings the best of both these worlds, and we are happy to partner with them to entertain India.”</p><p>Vishnu Induri, Founder of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), added: “Celebrity Cricket League has become a cultural phenomenon, and we’re delighted to partner with JioCinema to elevate the reach of our 10th season. The combination of sports and entertainment on this scale is unparalleled, and we look forward to engaging fans across the nation.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business class and no extra stop: Roosters’ ritzy Vegas special treatment revealed - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a move sure annoy rival NRL clubs, the Sydney Roosters will have a superior travel schedule to the other Las Vegas bound clubs via a luxurious flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Telegraph reported Roosters players will travel business class directly to the US, while the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Broncos have a stop-over in Fiji on route to America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters were chosen to fly on a Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, an aeroplane which offers revolutionary lower cabin altitude, less turbulence, new filtration, better humidity and less fatigue.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL had previously confirmed they would be responsible for booking squad travel arrangements to the USA, with one club flying on United Airlines in a non-stop flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The remaining clubs would be required to travel with Fiji Airlines under a new partnership between the NRL and the airline, however, that flight would involve a stop-over in Nadi, Fiji.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters have since been informed that they will be the club travelling directly from Sydney to Las Vegas without a stop-over on one of the world’s most comfortable aircraft.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787, which has multiple variants, is used for long-haul travel, with the 9 variant first brought into service on September 17, 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>The plane promises smoother travel, more personal space than other aircraft, and better air features to help passengers experience less fatigue. ‘</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787 was the cheaper-to-run, smoother alternative to a number of Airbus long-haul aircraft, and has also helped to replace the Boeing 747, which for many decades was the king of the skies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision to give the best flight itinerary to the Roosters is understood to be simply luck of the draw.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four teams competing in the Las Vegas 2024 season opener fly out approximately a week before the double-header in Sin City.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first game sees the South Sydney Rabbitohs clash with the Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday, March 3, 1:30pm AEDT), before the Roosters take on the Brisbane Broncos at 3:30pm (AEDT).</p><p><br /></p><p>Clubs will reportedly begin working with players on sleep schedules and pre-flight activities from this week in an effort to minimise the effects of travel to Las Vegas and back in the unique start to the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four clubs travelling will depart the USA the day after the games, arriving back in Australia with a week off before their Round 2 fixtures.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Sports)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk weighs in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Musk said that the illegal immigration crisis is contributing to the lack of affordable housing in the US</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration in a series of posts on social media as he criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter which he acquired and rebranded, to call out a variety of services and benefits that illegal immigrants have access to in the U.S. and argue they’re contributing to the housing affordability crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p>"A few other things you probably don’t know: illegals in America can get bank loans, mortgages, insurance, driver’s licenses, free healthcare (California & New York) and in-state college tuition," Musk wrote. "What’s the point of being a citizen if an illegal gets all the benefits, but doesn’t pay taxes or do jury duty?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you’re wondering why housing is so expensive, this is a major contributor," Musk added.</p><p><br /></p><p>Housing prices in the U.S. hit a new record high in November amid an ongoing shortage of inventory. Mortgage rates are near the highest level in two decades due to the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, which has made sellers locked into low-rate mortgages reluctant to sell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not only are homebuyers struggling in the current housing market, but burdens on renters are rising as well. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that the number of American renters considered "cost burdened" by their monthly housing payment in 2022 hit an all-time high of 22.4 million. Renters are considered burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, and the 22.4 million total amounts to roughly half of U.S. tenants.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk, a legal immigrant to the U.S. who was born and raised in South Africa and then moved to Canada at the age of 18 before later becoming a naturalized American citizen, emphasized that he supports legal immigration pathways despite his opposition to illegal immigration.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a reminder, I am very much PRO increasing legal immigration significantly," Musk added. "I’m not anti-immigration, I’m just against a massive number of unvetted people flooding into America, which any rational person should be."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk said that President Biden and lawmakers in Congress who’ve pushed for a border security bill could make progress on resolving the southern border crisis without enacting a new law if the administration simply puts forward an executive order reforming asylum policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>"No laws need to be passed," Musk wrote. "All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing. That is how it used to be."</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Biden told reporters that he has done "all I can do" using the executive authority at his disposal to secure the border.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk also agreed with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor David Sacks who wrote last week that the border is broken "because this administration refuses to enforce the laws we already have." Musk responded by writing, "exactly."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Business)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google parent Alphabet sees AI investment providing long-term opportunities</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Google expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, this year</b></p><p><br /></p><p>For Google and other tech titans, the rise of artificial intelligence remains a big focus for investors as the emerging technology reshapes the tech landscape, transforming the business of search, cloud and advertising, but it also comes with a cost. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell more than 7% on Wednesday, a day after the company reported quarterly results. Despite beating expectations on many key metrics, the company said capital spending will jump in 2024 as it continues to invest in AI to improve its services.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We do remain very committed to investing in the AI opportunity across Google DeepMind, Google services, Google Cloud," Ruth Porat, the tech giant’s chief financial officer, told FOX Business' Susan Li. "Capex was up in the fourth quarter to $11 billion, and that was overwhelmingly the investment in our technical infrastructure."</p><p><br /></p><p>There are serious questions about how AI could impact Google’s ad business. Advertising remains a powerhouse for Alphabet, accounting for more than 50% of its total revenue. YouTube’s ad revenue grew 16% year over year, but overall ad spending has seen a pullback as advertisers rein in spending.</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet’s ad revenue for the fourth quarter rose to $65.5 billion from $59 billion in the same period a year ago, just shy of analysts’ estimates, also adding to the selling pressure. Shares are marginally lower this year, compared to the Nasdaq Composite's modest 1% gain.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, Porat says evolving AI technology could contribute to success across Alphabet’s spectrum of services, including cloud computing, which earned its first-ever quarterly profit in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The results reflect spreads across industry sectors; there is an increasing contribution from AI," Porat said. "This is clearly an extraordinary time."</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can Crown Sydney’s style refresh win back the high rollers? - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gaming floors in the hope that a refurbishment will attract foreign and local punters to its VIP-only casino after poor foot traffic resulted in more than 200 job cuts and reduced operating hours just one year into operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Barangaroo tower’s boss Mark McWhinnie said he was confident the revamped Mahogany Room would attract gamblers from Australia and overseas.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stressed he believed the business model would prevail regardless of whether Chinese tourists, who formerly propped up the bottom line of all Australian casinos, returned to Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m not overly concerned [by the absence of Chinese tourists] because we’re not just hanging our hats on China. It’s quite the opposite. We’re focused on developing awareness and demand on a number of countries in South-East Asia,” McWhinnie said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inbound tourism to Australia has picked up over the last year, with the latest ABS data revealing international arrivals increased to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as of September last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>McWhinnie said Crown was “quite bullish about what the international market will represent in the future”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead revealed in August that Crown had been forced to close the Mahogany Room – which was originally designed with private salons for top high rollers – due to poor visitation. It also reduced its hours of operation and made more than 200 staff redundant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mahogany Room has since been redesigned to have a mix of tables and private booths to attract all kinds of punters to the same floor. Crown said it planned to reopen its second floor, known as the Crystal Floor, but did not commit to a timeline. As a VIP-only facility, Crown Sydney has no poker machines. A minimum bet of $20 applies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity giant Blackstone purchased Crown Sydney and the broader Crown Resorts business for $8.9 billion in June 2022 after the casino group was disgraced by extensive breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The breaches culminated in the loss of its casino licences in the three states in which it operates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney opened one month after Blackstone formally took the reins of the business and overhauled its original strategy, which was based around attracting junket-driven, overseas high rollers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company has spent $71 million in anti-money laundering and counterterrorism compliance measures since 2021, discontinued all junket tour operations and is transitioning to cashless gaming.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney is currently operating under a conditional licence. The NSW Independent Casino Commission will decide later this year whether its investment and strategy change has been enough to reinstate its full licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Regardless of whether Crown regains it, investors and industry analysts have long questioned whether the state is big enough for two casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Blackstone investors told this masthead in December they were concerned that the Crown takeover was a bad call. Rumours have also intensified about whether a long-touted merger between Crown and Star Entertainment is finally on the cards, as casinos face challenges from the high cost of living, increased taxes and regulatory hurdles.</p><p><br /></p><p>But McWhinnie dismissed the idea that the business model of the $2.2 billion Barangaroo precinct wasn’t sustainable, or too reliant on casino visitation.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you look at the fabric of what we offer we’re not just about a casino experience. We’re a well-rounded entertainment space,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Travis Kelce Taylor Swift Proposal Super Bowl Prop Bet - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BetOnline is honoring Taylor Swift's iconic 1989 album by offering 89 Taylor Swift Super Bowl props.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swift of course is madly in love with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and vice versa. She'll be flying into this year's Super Bowl to watch him play fresh off a tour in Japan.</p><p><br /></p><p>So does he pop the question?</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not if, but where he proposes, as far as BetOnline is concerned.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vacation is the favorite and only non-game location offered.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Taylor Swift Effect is real as we felt it throughout the NFL season, and now at an exponential level leading up to Super Bowl LVIII," BetOnline Sportsbook Manager Adam Burns said. "It truly feels like the Swift storylines have become bigger than the game itself, which is just crazy considering this is the most watched event in the world every year. But if anyone can set a new bar, it's Swift, and we wanted to do the same with our props menu."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Gambling911)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>NASCAR has strong start on Netflix - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR’s new Netflix documentary has already started making the Top 10 shows list in nearly 20 countries since launching earlier this week, according to streaming tracking site FlixPatrol. The five-part documentary around the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs debuted Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Blame the Internet for Sports Illustrated’s Fall, Not Private Equity</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated reportedly gut much of its staff after parent co. –Arena Group Holdings– had the publishing license to the label revoked. Brand licensor Authentic Brand Group pulled the company’s print and digital rights after Arena withheld a $3.75 million quarterly payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longtime fans and former employees of the once powerful publication have been quick to lament private equity’s role in SI’s fall from grace. But the blame is misguided. It belongs with the internet. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This isn’t about [ABG or] Arena Group. It’s about the depreciation of the value of the written word,” one well-placed media executive said. Long-form content no longer pays the bills, and “journalists simply can’t grapple with the reality their ASME winning stories aren’t helping their employers keep the lights on in a post TikTok digital world…Even in ’24, they choose to ignore how this business works.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The relationship between ABG and Arena Group seemed to be working fine on both sides until Manoj Bhargava's Simplify Inventions took majority control of Arena Group in August ’23. The 5-Hour Energy founder subsequently let go of senior personnel, established himself as interim CEO (a position he has since resigned), and Arena defaulted on the loan payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>That decision drove ABG to place Arena into breach of contract, and to terminate its publishing licensing agreement. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bhargava subsequently sent a letter to the SI Union informing its members of their tenuous future. The move sparked outrage amongst the journalism community, led to a public funeral for the brand on social channels, and spawned the narrative that PE killed Sports Illustrated.</p><p><br /></p><p>But SI isn’t dead. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is currently operating, and even if Arena is unable to reobtain the license, the publisher is obligated to continue running it for some time. ABG would almost certainly have another publisher in place before the grace period expires. </p><p><br /></p><p>SI has gone through ownership changes before. The label was sold from Time to Meredith in 2018 and then from Meredith to Authentic Brands Group a year later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But unlike Time and Meredith, ABG is a brand management company. Its expertise is in licensing and merchandising, not publishing. So, the holding co. licensed SI’s print and online publishing rights to Maven (now Arena Group).</p><p><br /></p><p>The SI brand was two decades past its prime when ABG took it over. Any suggestion it or Maven/Arena is solely to blame for tarnishing its once pristine reputation is misleading. </p><p><br /></p><p>There’s an argument to be made ABG could have elected a better steward for the media property. Maven/Arena has made some highly controversial decisions (see: use of independent contracts, accusations of AI generated articles). </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s difficult to fault the publisher for emphasizing clicks and traffic over investigative and long-form journalism. It’s happening across the digital landscape. Legacy brands are doing what is needed to survive and appeal to today’s consumer.</p><p><br /></p><p>SI also still employs some of the industry’s best writers (see: Pat Forde, Jon Wertheim). So, while the overall product is not as good as it once was, the business is profitable and remains viable within the marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brand Group (think: Reebok, Brooks Brothers) controls SI’s licensing rights. </p><p><br /></p><p>It purchased the company from Meredith for $110 million in May ’19 and had a 10-year $15 million/year publishing agreement in place with Maven before the end of the June. So, its starting point on Sports Illustrated is profitable.</p><p><br /></p><p>And because Arena employs all the content creators, its overhead is lower and margins are much higher than they would be for a traditional publishing co.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has since introduced an SI branded sportsbook, ticketing platform, premium hospitality concept, and it is reportedly working on several hotel projects (including: Ann Arbor, Michigan). </p><p><br /></p><p>Those efforts do not even have to pan out for them to be worth ABG’s involvement. Licensing companies typically structure deals to include minimum guarantees (there may be success-based kickers to create upside opportunity).</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG is building a high-end ticketed events business with the SI brand too. </p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re literally doing what Meredith, Conde Nast, Hearst, and most digital publishers have been trying to do for 20 years and haven’t been able to figure out,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has seemingly cracked the code on how to extract maximum value from a brand in a business that is in secular decline–minimizing the content side of the house from business decisions. Arena is solely responsible for writing, editing, publishing, and distribution.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t get a seat at the table for licensing deals, events, [partnerships], or any of the other things they get to weigh in on at other places that they have no expertise to weigh in on,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG handles all the omni-channel opportunities demanded by today’s consumer as the licensor. </p><p><br /></p><p>The only issue with ABG’s model is that it is reliant on a publisher, which it does not employ, to uphold the brand’s editorial product and to manage the team who produces the content and sells the ads. And contract stipulations can only ensure so much. </p><p><br /></p><p>Licensors will often factor the loss of control into their models, but asset quality still needs to remain at sufficient levels for the brand to expand into ancillary categories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Up until this point, Arena had upheld its end of the bargain. Its recent decision to skip a payment, and the subsequent fallout, may have changed the calculus for ABG. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s hard to understand what Arena’s end game was/is. But it’s nearly impossible to believe a billionaire bought a majority stake in the company only to unload its biggest asset within a matter of weeks. One must assume Bhargava has a plan for SI moving forward. </p><p><br /></p><p>Whether ABG can or wants to trust him to operate the publication is another discussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>“If you’re degrading the value of the brand, you’re degrading the partnership or its potential impact [for the licensor],” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG does not need the next publisher to re-establish SI as the ‘Porsche’ of sports media to build a lucrative licensing business. But it can’t get to ‘Honda’ levels, either. The next SI publisher simply needs to come in and churn out quality content. </p><p><br /></p><p>Junior Bridgeman, Vox, and Penske Media are among those who have reportedly expressed interest in taking SI over should ABG choose to go in another direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>(JohnWallStreet)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>What will be on the Sphere in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LVIII?</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Many people are curious about what will be projected on the massive Sphere in Las Vegas during the upcoming Super Bowl. On Sunday, we received a sneak peek of what to expect from the newest addition to the city’s skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p>The collaboration with the NFL is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Feb. 5. On Sunday, Sphere Entertainment Co. previewed what will be displayed on the Sphere’s exterior, celebrated as the largest LED screen in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on the landmark display. Content on the Sphere will respond in real-time to the action on the field between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, officials say the Sphere will be the focus of two curated moments during the game broadcast on CBS.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no immediate word on whether or not the adorable Sphere emoji will make an appearance during the big game, but the little guy is usually up to something, so that’s worth keeping an eye on as the game approaches.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the Sphere will project NFL-related content, including a countdown clock and a graphic highlighting Sunday’s matchup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, all 57 Super Bowl rings will be displayed on the Sphere in the lead up to the NFL championship game, providing football fans in the “entertainment capital of the world” a unique photo opportunity to represent their favorite team.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week,” a news release from Sphere Entertainment Co. stated. “This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sphere’s exterior is the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>SPHERE AND NFL COLLABORATE ON CUSTOM SUPER BOWL CONTENT FOR THE EXOSPHERE CREATED EXCLUSIVELY BY SPHERE STUDIOS</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Exosphere Content To Be Broadcast During The Game on CBS And Run Throughout Super Bowl Week</p><p><br /></p><p>Both Interior and Exterior of Sphere to be Showcased </p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS , Feb. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) and the NFL today announced a collaboration that will see custom Super Bowl LVIII content, created exclusively by Sphere Studios, displayed on Sphere's fully programmable LED exterior – the Exosphere – throughout Super Bowl Week. As part of this, Sphere will also be featured in CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and Paramount+.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"We welcome Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas, which continues to reinforce its place as a destination for the biggest events in sports and entertainment," said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for MSG Entertainment, who oversees marquee events for Sphere. "As a new Las Vegas landmark, Sphere is recognized worldwide for its dynamic visuals, and we're proud to collaborate with the NFL on content that will captivate audiences both in Las Vegas and watching on CBS."</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl and Sphere are two globally recognized brands, and together will showcase the power of this unparalleled digital canvas to bring fans together around Super Bowl LVIII," said Guy Barnett, Senior Vice President Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment. "The custom Super Bowl-themed content our Sphere Studios team created for the Exosphere will surprise and delight fans, adding a one-of-a-kind element to the first ever Las Vegas Super Bowl, and to the game broadcast."</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the short amount of time since its opening, Sphere has established itself as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Las Vegas and we're thrilled about this collaboration in the lead up to Super Bowl LVIII," said Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President, Club Business, League Events & International at the NFL. "There won't be a better place for the League and our family of official NFL partners to display their creative and message the thousands of fans descending upon Las Vegas for the biggest annual sports event in the world."</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas officially kicks off tomorrow, as does a slate of custom Exosphere content that will run throughout the week. Working in collaboration with the NFL, Sphere will display content including: a countdown clock leading up to kick-off on Sunday; a welcome visual that will serve as a beacon for the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Las Vegas; and key graphics highlighting the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. In celebration of Super Bowl history, Sphere will showcase all 57 Super Bowl rings, giving fans on the ground in Las Vegas an opportunity to pose in front of their team's ring. Throughout the game, content on the Exosphere will run live, in real time in response to action on the field.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, the CBS Sports' broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII will showcase Sphere. Both the Exosphere and the interior of Sphere will be featured as part of two curated moments in custom, one-of-a-kind videos filmed at the venue that showcase the immersive capabilities of Sphere's 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane.</p><p><br /></p><p>In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week. This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to custom NFL and Super Bowl content, some of the world's largest brands will have advertisements displayed on the Exosphere throughout Super Bowl Week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere:</p><p>Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere Entertainment Co.</p><p>Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas opened in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>The King of Vegas: Legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro has a story for you - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>AS VEGAS — When you spend nearly five decades working in Las Vegas, you have stories to tell. Jimmy Vaccaro would run out of time before he'd run out of stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro is one of the legends in Las Vegas sports betting history, one of the first to manage a sports book and a fixture in the city who has been setting odds since the 1970s. When the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame was formed in 2023, Vaccaro was part of the 10-person inaugural class. He's one of the legendary oddsmakers in Las Vegas history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s one of the most famous now," said South Point sports book director Chris Andrews, a decades-long friend of Vaccaro. "How do you rate them? It's like, who’s the best guitar player in the world? Everyone has their opinion on it. He’s certainly in the conversation."</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro isn't unfamiliar with fame and attention. His brother, Sonny, was played by Matt Damon in the movie "Air," the story of Sonny Vaccaro convincing Nike to sign Michael Jordan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro has stories to tell, and he'll often interrupt himself to start one.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was on 'The Simpsons,'" Vaccaro said. "You didn’t know that?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Simpsons"? Like Homer, Marge and Bart, those Simpsons?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Want to punch it up? You can punch it up," Vaccaro said, turning to a computer near him, almost egging you to search for him on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro said Alan Feldman, then the marketing director for The Mirage casino in Las Vegas, came to him with the opportunity to be on the popular show in 1995.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn’t know what 'The Simpsons' were," Vaccaro said. "Now, my two kids did because that was in their zone. I said, 'Yeah, whatever.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>He explained how he had to find a different color shirt (other than white) because of how it would look on camera, how he gave the fake betting odds on who shot Mr. Burns and even how royalties work after you've been on a TV show. He laughed at how classmates heard that his kids' dad had been on "The Simpsons," and that became a thing at school.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, I was on 'The Simpsons,'" he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what a visit with Vaccaro is like. This one took place in mid December, about six weeks before Vaccaro's beloved Las Vegas played host to the Super Bowl this week. Most days, he is hanging around the South Point sports book, about a 15-minute drive from the south end of The Strip, advising the oddsmaking team there, wearing his comfortable sweatshirt and always willing to share a story.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you're one of the most famous figures in Las Vegas gaming history, you have plenty of stories to tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>The glory days of Vegas' big boxing matches</p><p>Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Las Vegas. It's not the first time the city has hosted a big sporting event.</p><p><br /></p><p>The big boxing matches are what Vaccaro remembers most fondly from his career. Muhammad Ali's last big fight, against Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in 1980, stands out. And here comes another Vaccaro story, this one about the time he had a customer from Detroit, with a woman on each arm, come in wanting to bet on Tommy Hearns in a big fight. Vaccaro asked him how much he wanted on Hearns.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He says, ‘I don’t know. What do you think, girls?’ They’re giggling," Vaccaro said. "He says, ‘How about $40,000?’</p><p><br /></p><p>"You can only imagine how long it would take to count out $20 bills for $40,000. I’ll never forget it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in the glory days of big boxing matches in Las Vegas, there weren't nearly as many sports books in the city as there are now. There were only a handful, which is part of what makes Vaccaro such a big figure in sports betting history. He ran multiple sports books through the years, starting at Barbary Coast and eventually moving to The Mirage, MGM Grand and Golden Nugget. When the fights came to town, people wanted to bet, and Vaccaro's sports book was one of their only options.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The boxing was incredible," Vaccaro said. "We went through about 15 years where every four or five months was a monster fight. Forget this UFC garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting nearby in a side office as he listens to Vaccaro tell his old stories, Andrews chimed in: “We had like three or four extra Super Bowls a year with these fights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>"The fights were incredible," Vaccaro continued. "And I loved them. Never stopped loving 'em."</p><p><br /></p><p>A memorable fight led to Vaccaro's most famous moment. Want to hear a story?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>42-to-1</p><p>Vaccaro loved putting up odds on boxing matches, even a 1990 mismatch between the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson and a no-name such as Buster Douglas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was putting up odds on all those fights because I enjoyed it," Vaccaro said. "So now here it is, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Nobody would book the fight because the odds were too high. So I said, ‘I’ve got to do this because I’ll be the only one.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>In a previous Tyson fight, Vaccaro opened Michael Spinks as an 8-to-1 underdog, and so many people bet Tyson that the odds moved to 15-to-1. Tyson won in 91 seconds.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the Douglas fight? Vaccaro's sports book at The Mirage was the only one to set a line. He set it at 27-to-1.</p><p><br /></p><p>"That was the opening line," Vaccaro said. "A guy I know pretty well, he was a bettor every day, he laid the 27. He laid $54,000 to win $2,000. Because he thought it was just a pickup. You know, 10 minutes later, I’m going to get my money.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I changed it to 31-to-1. Another one of my big boxing bettors from L.A. came to town. 'Jimmy, I heard you had this fight.’ It’s 31-to-1. He bet $93,000 to win $3,000 at 31-to-1 or whatever it was. Then people started to hear about it. It just didn’t stop. I got to 42-to-1."</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, ESPN made a documentary on the Tyson-Douglas fight as part of its "30 for 30" series. The title was "42 to 1."</p><p><br /></p><p>"You’ll like this," Vaccaro said. "The number is 42-to-1. This is the day of the fight. Guy came in, he was a customer at The Mirage. He laid $420,000 at 42-to-1 to win $10,000. I’ll never forget.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Somebody was standing there, I think it was a newspaper guy. I said, ‘He thought he was going to pick up $10,000 in about five minutes, when they rang the bell.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, Tyson lost in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Vaccaro said he didn't believe the ticker when it said Tyson lost the fight, which was in Tokyo. He didn't pay out the bets on Douglas until news stations such as ESPN started reporting it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then Vaccaro went home, and at about 5 a.m., he started getting calls from The Mirage saying they were receiving multiple interview requests. The Mirage, thanks to Vaccaro, was the only sports book that had a line on Tyson vs. Douglas. He came back in to do all the interviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So you can only imagine the vibration through the whole freaking world," Vaccaro said. "Now remember, if Tyson would have won, there would have been nobody calling us."</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, 42-to-1 became part of the lore of one of the most famous fights in boxing history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'll live with that one for a long time," Vaccaro said. "It’s a good feeling. Nobody else did it."</p><p><br /></p><p>How Vaccaro built his name in Vegas</p><p>Got time for another story? Sure you do.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was the first one to make overs and unders on season win totals," Vaccaro said as soon as he finished the Tyson-Douglas story.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1989, he had customers in from Texas who wanted to know how many wins Vaccaro thought the Dallas Cowboys would get with new head coach Jimmy Johnson. He thought about it a while, and he set a line: 5.5 wins. One of the bettors wanted the over. His wife had a purse on her shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>"She turned her purse over, and all these wrapped $10,000 of bills are in there," Vaccaro said. "He bet $38,500 to win $35,000 on the over."</p><p><br /></p><p>The Cowboys went 1-15, but that started the trend of sports books posting season win totals for teams. Today, it's one of the most popular markets in sports betting.</p><p>The stories don't stop. One time, when Vaccaro was running the sports book at The Mirage, the book had a terrible day and lost $1.4 million. Vaccaro got a call from casino/resort owner Steve Wynn.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I walk in there, and he says, ‘What the hell did you do?’ I said, 'We have good days, too, Steve,'" Vaccaro said, perhaps unaware that not many people have to answer to their boss after losing more than a million dollars. "He said, ‘Go back, and do what you’re doing, and keep doing it.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>The stories go all the way back to his origins in Las Vegas. He first drove to Vegas from Trafford, Pennsylvania, when he was 18. After he turned 21, he'd go to Vegas "every time I had a little bit of money" and go home when he was broke. After a few years, a friend remarked that he should just stay in Vegas. And in 1975, he did. He went to see casino owner Michael Gaughan and asked for a job. Gaughan said he could become a blackjack dealer; it just took $250 to go to a dealer school that Gaughan owned.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had, like, $40, I think," Vaccaro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gaughan let Vaccaro pay him back when he had the money.</p><p><br /></p><p>You won't be surprised to hear that Vaccaro also has a story about how he got into the sports betting business in which he became a legend. One day, Gaughan called him up to his office.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If I live to be 10 million years old, this is what he said, because it changed my life," Vaccaro said. "He said, ‘Do you know how to run a sports book?’ I said, ‘No!’ I was just a kid like him, betting, but never running a sports book.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He said, ‘Good, neither do I.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro was put in charge of a little sports book at the Royal Inn, which was imploded in 2015. There were only a few other sports books in Las Vegas at the time. That grew until practically every casino had one. Then a Supreme Court decision in 2018 allowed states to legalize sports gambling. Legal sports betting exploded afterward. Sports betting going mainstream is likely part of the reason the Super Bowl is in Las Vegas. That explosion traces back, at least in part, to Vaccaro setting lines for Ali-Holmes, taking $40,000 bets on Tommy Hearns, making the first win total odds for the 1989 Cowboys and giving sports betting invaluable exposure with the Tyson-Douglas line.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many more stories from his lifetime of oddsmaking, such as the time legendary poker player Stu Ungar was being treated in his office after having a heart attack but still wanted to bet ("‘Where’s Jimmy? I want the Cowboys for $30,000!’" Vaccaro said. "Everybody was staring. I said, ‘You’re going to f***ing die!’ He said, ‘Jimmy, give me the bet!’") or the time his was the first sports book to take a big bet from from Mattress Mack, the owner of the Gallery Furniture chain in Houston who has become famous in the betting world for massive wagers, which are sometimes eight figures and usually on Houston teams ("He’s a gentleman," Vaccaro said. "We have nothing but good things to say about each other.").</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, Vaccaro played his part in bringing sports betting to the mainstream.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was probably the only one who said, ‘We ain’t seen nothing yet,’ way back when it started," he said. "We’re not geniuses. We just left the door open for a little bit."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk's X to hire 100 content moderators in Austin this year - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform announced a new content moderation push</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk’s X is in the process of hiring 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas, that will focus on fighting child abuse online on the social media platform, an executive said on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>X, formerly known as Twitter, announced a new "Trust and Safety center of excellence" in a blog post by CEO Linda Yaccarino on Friday. The new initiative comes as part of the company’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation (CSE) on the social media platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>"While X is not the platform of choice for children and minors – users between 13-17 account for less than 1% of our daily U.S. users – we have made it more difficult for bad actors to share or engage with CSE material on X, while simultaneously making it simpler for our users to report CSE content," Yaccarino wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>She added that the platform is "improving our detection mechanisms to find more reportable content on the platform to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The post noted that X suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating the platform’s CSE policies in 2023 – a dramatic uptick from 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company also referred 850,000 reports to NCMEC in 2023, including through X’s first ever fully-automated report. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company said that was over eight times more than what Twitter referred to NCMEC in 2022 before it was acquired by the Elon Musk-led ownership group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, he has faced criticism for the content moderation policy changes to the social media site, which caused some advertisers to reconsider their spending on the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is in the process of hiring content moderation staff for the new Trust and Safety center of excellence in Austin, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The team is currently being built," said Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, about the Austin office. He added that the goal to fill the positions by the end of the year is dependent on finding the right talent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that the new Austin facility will also help X fight other types of harmful social media content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports News</p><p><br /></p><p>Rudd, Hockey on hand to turn NRL’s Las Vegas play into reality - January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener is expected to go ahead as planned, with executives at the sport’s governing body planning to lean on the expertise of three former politicians to expedite a visa process for players.</p><p><br /></p><p>The four NRL clubs that will travel to the United States to compete in the Las Vegas double-header on March 2 have been at loggerheads with the Australian Rugby League Commission over delays to crucial matters such as accommodation, visas and funds for offshore training camps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But an urgent meeting on Thursday between the clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys ended with an agreement to hand the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles and the Brisbane Broncos $700,000 each in funding for pre-season training camps and unlimited insurance for serious injuries. They have also been given assurances that all visas and accommodation issues will be resolved.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got the comfort and satisfaction that we needed to make sure that it’s going to be a success. From now on, it’s full steam ahead,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “What Peter and Andrew said today is they’re very confident that all players will get access to the US, which is really important to the game. We want to see the best players on the field.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas play is the brainchild of Mr V’landys and is based on concerns the game can’t sustain revenue growth by relying on local broadcast revenue, advertising sponsorship and wagering turnover.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the process has been arduous and expensive. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the four clubs had written to Mr V’landys expressing concerns about a lack of information regarding visas, medical insurance, Las Vegas training venues and fast rising costs.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There was a degree of frustration about some of the things and issues we were raising and couldn’t get a resolution,” Mr Solly said on Thursday. “Peter understood our concerns, and he understood some of the challenges Andrew has faced, and he was able to bulldoze through them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL initially told the clubs players could travel to the US with visa waiver available for Australian travellers. Clubs were concerned about players being stopped by US customs, particularly those who had been arrested in Australia such as Payne Haas, Latrell Mitchell and Reece Walsh.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr V’landys will rely on Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, a friend and former Howard government minister, to expedite the visa process. Mr McGauran is a former consul-general and senior trade investment commissioner to Texas and currently works for Bondi Partners, the advisory and investment firm run by former treasurer Joe Hockey.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL also plans to lean on Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador in Washington DC, and Mr Hockey to expedite the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Solly said the clubs had received assurances that players would be able to get visas approved. Players who have not been arrested previously will enter the US on a waiver, while the others will apply for a visitor visa.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re working with the consulate and government to make sure that process is expedited as quickly as can be,” he said. “Based on what we agreed today, we should be fine to sign the [final] agreement and get on with it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>To make sure players are prepared to play in US conditions, the four clubs will base themselves in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas for more than a week before kick-off. The NRL agreed on Thursday to provide $175,000 per club towards the cost of that week.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is an investment right now for the future,” Mr Abdo said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Having said that, we’re not approaching this expecting massive losses. We’ve already started building revenue streams, we’ve got investment from sponsors, we’ve sold a number of tickets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can the tech giants live up to all the AI hype? - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors will be closely watching to see if Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta can report a rise in earnings that would justify the surge in their share prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mania surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the US sharemarket to record levels, but this week’s earnings reports from the five US tech giants will test whether the hype has been overdone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be questioning whether the tech giants – Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta – can report a rise in earnings that would justify the huge surge in their share prices. (So far this year, the US blue chip S&P 500 has risen 2.5 per cent, and the tech sector is up by close to 6 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The question about monetising generative AI is a difficult one for the big tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>This month, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Sam Altman, the high-profile head of OpenAI, took to the stage together at Davos to discuss their partnership, and the potential of generative AI, which enables computers to generate sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level comparable to humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nadella was upbeat, saying the world was nearing a “magical moment” similar to the introduction of the personal computer.</p><p><br /></p><p>But then the moderator posed an awkward question about their AI efforts: “Do you guys make money?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Although both Nadella and Altman avoided giving a direct answer, the question is very pertinent – especially now that Microsoft boasts a market capitalisation of about $US3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) and is vying with Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since ChatGPT was released at the end of November 2022, Microsoft’s share price has soared 66 per cent, or roughly three times the rise in the overall market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Underpinning this share price surge, however, are investor expectations that generative AI will result in a huge increase in revenue and profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has allowed it to leapfrog Google, which has been working on AI for years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Microsoft first invested $US1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019, and then committed a further $US10 billion a year ago. When the OpenAI board ousted Altman last year, it was Nadella’s support that led to his reinstatement.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Microsoft is still in the early stages of embedding OpenAI’s technology into its offerings, such as its coding platform GitHub, its Azure cloud business and its software business, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.</p><p><br /></p><p>And there are also questions about the speed with which its customers will embrace AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Risk of disillusionment</p><p><br /></p><p>This means there’s a risk that investors will become disillusioned if the AI hype fails to quickly translate into stronger revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly, Altman seems to have recognised this risk. On stage at Davos, he played down hopes that AI technology would radically change the world in the short term. Instead, he said it would inexorably improve over a longer period and eventually have a significant impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The world had a two-week freakout with GPT4”, Altman said, referring to the launch last March of OpenAI’s latest version of its chatbot. “And now, people are like, ‘Why is it so slow?’”</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the US market’s rally has been driven by a handful of big tech stocks, the risk is that investors show a similar impatience. That’s why this week’s earnings updates from the five US tech giants are so important.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be keen to hear from Microsoft on its progress in embedding the latest AI models in its offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p>And while they’ll be keen to hear from Google parent Alphabet on the outlook for online advertising revenues, they’ll also be waiting for an update on the company’s progress in developing its own AI models, which it plans to commercialise through its Google Cloud business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely to see how Amazon performed during the holiday retail season, and whether it has been able to improve margins in its e-commerce business. But they’ll also be looking for signs that its cloud business is continuing to benefit from the growth in AI workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple’s results will be scrutinised for signs that its Chinese sales of the iPhone have suffered because of stronger competition from rivals such as Huawei. But investors will also be keen to hear from Apple boss Tim Cook on its plans to incorporate generative AI on its devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, investors will be paying close attention to Meta’s results, both to get a read on the health of the online advertising market and for an update on the company’s aggressive AI plans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has signalled that the company is now focused on building an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system, which can carry out tasks at a level of intelligence that equals or exceeds that of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources close to the discussions, who asked for anonymity to speak openly about the matter, confirmed Jefferies’ Michael Stock canvassed both KKR and TPG around the middle of last year and discussed whether they were interested in looking at a deal relating to Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no deal eventuated, the discussions demonstrate that Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – has been considering how to make one of its major growth investments work harder. Among options for Nine could be taking Domain private with a third party, or selling all or part of its position in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>KKR and TPG declined to comment, as did Jefferies, Domain and Nine.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are two key challenges going forward for Nine, which owns the Nine Network, free streaming platform 9Now, paid streaming service Stan, radio stations like 2GB and 3AW, and some of the country’s largest publishing assets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the television advertising market is largely flat. Advertisers are pulling back in a cost-of-living crunch, and there is more competition with streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video will start running ads in Australia in the middle of this year. Television advertising made up 53 per cent of earnings in the last financial year. Domain added 11 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second challenge is with Domain. The real estate platform is a key area for future growth for Nine, but it has not performed on par with $24 billion giant REA Group, which is 61 per cent owned by News Corporation.</p><p><br /></p><p>REA’s share price is up 142 per cent over the five years from January 2019 – Domain is up 39 per cent over the same time. Assuming dividends are reinvested, total shareholder return over those five years for Domain has been 53 per cent; for REA, it has been 163 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain’s most recent trading update in November was weaker than analysts expected. UBS’ Lucy Huang told her clients that there was a “significant underperformance in [property] volumes” at Domain, despite REA reporting 4 per cent growth nationally. That could be due to strong growth in Western Australia and Queensland, she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to Domain’s historic strong presence in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, it is more competitive in those cities. There is also some competition from former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano’s View Media, which took $50 million in investment from ANZ early last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and chief product officer Rebecca Haagsma both sit on Domain’s board, which is chaired by former Fairfax Media chairman Nick Falloon. Mr Falloon stepped down from Nine’s board, where he was deputy chairman under Peter Costello, in November 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>While trailing REA, several brokers expect a solid first half result for Domain this year, with greater activity in NSW and Victoria. Macquarie’s Darren Leung told his clients earlier this month that the focus would be on “the difference in listings growth between Domain and REA, in our view”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The spread between REA and Domain valuations is at record highs and Domain’s multiple is implying dwelling price declines – against our view of likely increases,” he said, upgrading his recommendation on the stock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity has long seen value in property and classifieds businesses, including in Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2017, TPG spent a month looking at Fairfax Media’s books after mounting a $2.8 billion takeover offer for the company. It would have owned The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review, but it was a deal primarily aimed at securing control of Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>TPG withdrew from the auction. Fairfax instead demerged and listed Domain after that, in late 2017, and merged with Nine the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>###</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.</p><p><br /></p><p> “The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE/Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Blogs Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet, Algorithm, AI and Agency </p><p>Blogs, Broadcasting, Buzz, Box Office, Business News and Bets</p><p>Creativity, Combat Sports, Crypto, Cafes, Casino News and Comms</p><p>Digital, Development and Dreams</p><p>Experience, Expertise, Evergreen, Energy, Expansion and Eco</p><p>Foundation, Formula and Frequency </p><p>Gaming, Gonzo Journalism Guide and Ghost Protocol </p><p>Highlights, Humanity and Health </p><p>Imagination, Intuition, Index Infographics, Interviews, Innovation, International and India</p><p>Japanese Pro Wrestling </p><p>King</p><p>Light, Lifestyle, Lists, LinkedIn and Legends </p><p>Monitization, Matrix, MBS and MMA</p><p>Numerology, Niche News and Network </p><p>Organic Results, Opportunity, Online Publishing and Ocean</p><p>Performance, Philosophy, Pro Wrestling, Portals, Platforms, PR, Publicity, Promotions and PPV</p><p>Quick and Quotes</p><p>Retro, Reviews and Risque </p><p>SEO, Systems, Social Media, Suplex and Streaming Industry</p><p>Trends, Text, Testimonials,Top 10 and Television </p><p>Universe and UFC</p><p>Vortex, Videos, Veteran, VIP and Vision </p><p>Wrestling, World and Web 3</p><p>X Corp and X Factor</p><p>Yachting</p><p>Zen and Zoo</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Twitter Strikes Deal With BetMGM to Feature Odds, Allow Bets to Be Taken From Platform - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kylie Robison of Fortune broke the news late Friday that X (formerly known as Twitter) has entered into a deal with BetMGM to integrate sports betting statistics into the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the specific financial terms of the collaboration could not be learned, the intention is to introduce a feature for X soon that will showcase betting odds and provide a direct link to BetMGM, allowing users to place bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>X reportedly lost a significant number of high paying advertisers including Disney, NBC parent company Comcast as well as Fox Sports after Media Matters for America discovered ads displaying along side racist posts. </p><p><br /></p><p>X owner Elon Musk responded by calling Media Matters of America "pure evil".</p><p><br /></p><p>Best selling author and CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin, Michael Shellenberger, questioned the Media Matters of America findings at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The media say X is placing Apple, IBM, and other ads near pro-Nazi content, but it's not. We tried various ways to replicate Media Matters' research and couldn't. The real goal of Media Matters isn't to fight antisemitism. It's to destroy X as a free speech platform."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite premature reports of Twitter's demise, Gambling911.com now touts the platform as its second biggest referral source after Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM had a market share of 17 percent in U.S. online sports betting in December and has the third largest market share in the US sports betting industry behind DraftKings and FanDuel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM site is a partnership between MGM and Ladbrokes parent company Entain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth Reveals How He Got In Contact With New Japan Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fresh off his NJPW and TNA debut, Nic Nemeth (former WWE star Dolph Ziggler) appeared on Talk Is Jericho to talk about WWE and what is next for him in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth on how he got into New Japan:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not close friends with a lot of people, but a long time ago when Shinsuke came up from NXT, at the time it was when I was doing the thing where everybody who shows up wrestles me and I was doing the thing, it was like nine years in a row, whatever, but I'm doing that thing and I didn't really know him. I don't watch Japanese wrestling. I don't watch our wrestling. I famously don't watch wrestling and I hate everything, but I love my job doing what I do."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So right after WrestleMania, Shinsuke comes up, does whatever he does, and we're overseas doing that two weeks we used to do before COVID times. We bounced around in buses and things and him and I had to stay to do the dark match after TV and everyone else went on. So him and I are just in this car sitting next to each other. We put a couple of matches together, but I'm not really outspoken. We're just sitting there looking at our phones. I had requested a big bottle of Jack Fire whiskey and we had that for the ride and it's like, 'Hey, you want a sip' He's like, 'Yea' and then we start talking. Then we had a couple of whiskies and we were buddies. It was so great because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and he's like an ass kicker and like it's so great. He's so nice. We had a good bond and I really liked wrestling him."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It reminds me of his first pay-per-view match with us. I even offered, I go, 'He's a strong style guy', like, I don't know what the hell is going on. I go, 'Should we have him like MMA style me up and we start having a wrestling match and he cracks me and hits me with a knee and I'm out cold and throw it out or something?' They go 'No, we don't want that.' Vince wanted a very WWE style match.' All right, great. So we did that."</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long time ago I was like every time a contract comes up I'm like, alright, I'm gonna get out of here. I have nothing left to do. I was kind of just sitting on the bench. I go, 'I'm gonna get out' and he goes, 'If you ever get out of here, I got some connections and I would like to help you out.' I'm like, 'Well, that's so cool. I don't know anybody or anything.' So years and years go by and I sent an email to the boss, Vince. At the time we were not sure actually what's going on, but I sent Vince an incredibly long email, 90% thankful, 'Oh my God. You guys are so great. You've taught me to do all this stuff.' 10%, 'This is messed up. I gotta get the hell out of here. There is no purpose for me to be getting paid millions of dollars to sit on the bench or be in a three minute match like a local.' I go, 'Pay locals to do this. There's no reason for me to be here.' I didn't hear anything back for two weeks and then I found out that I was released. I’m sorry. I sent that (letter) to a few different people. I don’t want to name names. but I sent it to very important people. Vince was the only one who wrote back instantly, and was like, 'This is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it further.' I said, 'Sir, if you want me to fly to Stanford tomorrow, I will be on a flight' and he said, 'Thanks. We'll think about it', and then two weeks later, I was released or whatever. So a couple weeks later."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So the first thing I want to do is like man, I've never done independents. I haven't gone out of the country, except for with WWE all those times, all these places. I go, well, I'm still friends with Shin. 'Hey Shin. Do you think I'm so good at wrestling?' and he laughed. I was like, 'What do you think about Japan?' and he's like, 'I got you.' Then put a couple pieces together and get to Rocky Romero, who is the go between, and luckily for me, they were happy and excited to have me. That was one of the first things I did when I got released. The first week this goes back and forth. It's set up and I'm not saying a word and no one's going to know and everyone thinks I'm retired or doing comedy, but sure as hell not going to Japan. Nobody sees this coming and I go, 'This is so great.' So we kept it very secretive, got everything done back and forth, and then even snuck in there and snuck out and nobody knew and everyone was kind of blown away.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Talk Is Jericho/Web Is Jericho)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Hard To Kill Drew Solid PPV Buys for a Loaded Show With Several Surprises - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The numbers are in</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling officially returned earlier this month as the promotion rebranded at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event that was a hit through the way of PPV buys from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show</p><p><br /></p><p>The show featured several debuts, including former WWE stars Dana Brooke, Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), and Xia Brookside.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Selley lost the World Heavyweight Title against Moose in the main event of the show. Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Jordynne Grace on the show as she is expected to return to WWE soon and has since finished up with the promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV buys</p><p><br /></p><p>While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted the show likely did its biggest PPV buys since AEW's Kenny Omega beat Rich Swann to win the Impact World Title at the 2021 Rebellion. The final numbers are expected to be out in two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>“The TNA Hard To Kill show did great. Right now, this is basically a week and a half out, so this number will grow. But it was at 8,000 on television, which is a really good number for TNA. I'm sure it's the biggest number that they've done since the Rich Swan-Kenny Omega match. And it actually has a fairly decent shot, I don't know about beating that one. But being in the same realm as that one. And it's possible that it could be the biggest since the Spike days, certainly already the third biggest since Spike days. The fact that they did this on a night that was against the NFL playoffs against [NJPW] Battle in the Valley, although they were not head to head completely with Battle in the Valley like the last hour, I think of TNA in the first hour of Battle in the Valley, we're head to head, but they were completely head to head with [AEW] Collision. So, to do a number that big against that football game and Collision and Battle in the Valley. I think that’s great. There's no other way to put it. That's great." Meltzer stated.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wrestling Observer/Figure 4)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Events Announced For Starrcast</p><p><br /></p><p>News : 12-Jan-2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The first two wrestling events of Starrcast Downunder have been announced!</p><p><br /></p><p>Hall of Famer Bret Hart is set to curate Australian Stampede, the flagship event of Starrcast Downunder. The wrestling icon will showcase a thrilling card featuring top-notch international talent and Australia's own homegrown stars on Saturday, April 13th in Ballarat. </p><p><br /></p><p>On the preceding day, Friday, April 12th, women's wrestling pioneer Mickie James will present H.E.R, a groundbreaking women's wrestling event at the heart of Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat. This event, following in the footsteps of Empowerr, will feature an unparalleled lineup with international sensations and Australia’s brightest talents. H.E.R promises to highlight the heart, athleticism, and drive of its trailblazing competitors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss out on two massive nights of action– tickets will be available at the end of January.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN | A SUNDAY WITH BRET HART</p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday April 14 2024</p><p>Civic Theatre, Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>Starrcast Downunder invites fans on an unforgettable journey into the storied career of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This exclusive event promises an intimate and immersive experience as fans get up close and personal with one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step into the world of the Hitman as he takes the audience on a captivating exploration of his iconic career, sharing unique anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections that have shaped his illustrious journey in the world of sports entertainment. From his early days in the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty to his rise as a global superstar, Bret Hart's narrative will provide a unique and genuine insight into the challenges and triumphs that defined his remarkable career.</p><p><br /></p><p>The day will feature a special watchalong of Bret's legendary match with his brother Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable match. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch the match alongside the man himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the in-ring psychology and artistry that set Bret Hart apart.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the excitement doesn't end there – HITMAN will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session. Fans will have the chance to pose their burning questions directly to the Hitman, creating an interactive and engaging experience that adds a personal touch to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>To make the day even more special, special guests may make appearances, providing additional perspectives and anecdotes that add layers to the already rich tapestry of his professional journey. Whether it's fellow wrestlers, managers, or iconic personalities, these surprise guests will contribute to the nostalgic atmosphere of the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN is a must-attend for wrestling enthusiasts, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a true icon. Join us for an day filled with passion, nostalgia, and the unparalleled charisma of Bret "The Hitman" Hart – an event that will leave a lasting impact on fans and wrestling history alike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>A Pro Wrestling Event Company holding events in the Oceania Region that will have as many non-exclusive partnerships locally and internationally in delivering pro wrestling events</p><p><br /></p><p>With an emphasis on showcasing professional wrestling through our quality broadcasting and highly engaging fan experience model at events, with leadership by an experienced sporting executive with Australian and International connections, OPW will become a destination wrestling company for fans, promotions and commercial partners.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>June 2023</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>IMPACT Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Wrestling phenomenon Impact Wrestling provided plenty of action both inside and outside of the ring with their tour down under thrilling crowds at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event broadcast live on pay-per-view featured three title matches, including a rematch from Against All Odds in the main event as Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin to retain the IMPACT World Championship. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shelley defeated Maclin for the gold on June 9 and The Motor City Machine Gun kept ahold of the gold at Down Under night one after he countered a KIA attempt into Shellshock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Night 1 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Slex def. Adam Brooks</p><p>• Gisele Shaw def. Erika Reid</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Eddie Edwards - Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Killer Kelly def. Aysha</p><p>• Chris Sabin (c) def. Frankie Kazarian & Robbie Eagles - X-Division Championship</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Moose & Brian Myers</p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo def. Steph De Lander</p><p>• Alex Shelley (c) def. Steve Maclin - IMPACT World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second and final show of the Down Under Tour at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales saw three title matches with Slammiversary implications.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe Hendry defeated Moose to retain the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, Ace Austin & Chris Bey ended their one-year programme with The Motor City Machine Guns with a win for the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, and Deonna Purrazzo picked up the win against Gisele Shaw in their Knockouts World Tag Team Title match. </p><p><br /></p><p>Night 2 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Adam Brooks def. Robbie Eagles - Oceania Pro Wrestling World Championship</p><p>• The Natural Classics def. The Velocities</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Moose - IMPACT Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Eddie Edwards def. Slex</p><p>• Steph De Lander def. Killer Kelly</p><p>• Frankie Kazarian def. Brian Myers</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) - IMPACT World Tag Team Championships </p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo (c) def. Gisele Shaw - IMPACT Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Results / January 25, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A loaded episode of TNA iMPACT! comes to you from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada!</p><p><br /></p><p>Tonight’s iMPACT! is dedicated to the memory of Frank Caiazzo. RIP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey w/ Ace Austin vs Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of TNA’s most spectacular in-ring performers dazzle in a display of astounding athleticism. Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is seen at ringside. Bey emerges victorious with the Art of Finesse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey def Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>The Grizzled Young Vets jump ABC from behind after the match, lay out Chris Bey with the Grit Your Teeth and stake their claim to the TNA World Tag Team Titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undeniable. Irresistible. Unforgettable. She is Ash By Elegance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frankie Kazarian addresses his shocking actions from last week. He will explain himself next week but Rich Swann attempts to reason with Frankie. AJ Francis comes in and offers to be Rich Swann’s backup against Joe Hendry in an upcoming match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius vs Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango informs us that he hates pro wrestling. Dirty Dango takes a seat on the ramp as Prudius demolishes the competition. Dango takes the pin over Drake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius def Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Zack Gibson and James Drake state earlier tonight was a statement of intent. ABC look for a piece of GYV before Santino Marella makes a Best of 3 Series between the two teams for the TNA World Tag Team Titles starting next week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gia Miller speaks to Kazuchika Okada and The Motor City Machine Guns. They’re ready for The System in the main event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace vs Trinity for the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Trinity’s contractual rematch after losing the championship at Hard To Kill. A handshake shows the respect between the competitors but Trinity takes the fight straight to Grace. After a series of back and forth pin attempts, Jordynne Grace uses the momentum of Trinity’s attempt to lock in Star Struck to score a quick pinfall victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace def Trinity to retain the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal attack both Trinity and Jordynne Grace, leaving them laying as Gisele’s Ultimate X victory gives her a future Knockouts World Title shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>The System discuss tonight’s main event – the system works and tonight it goes worldwide against the Guns and Okada.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Josh Alexander addresses the return of TNA and his victory over Will Ospreay last week. Alan Angels interjects and offers the Walking Weapon a spot on the premiere edition of his brand new talk show The Sound Check. After some insistence from Angels, Alexander agrees.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth vs Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth competes in a TNA ring for the very first time. Wentz feigns an injury to distract the referee allowing Trey Miguel to grab Nemeth’s leg as Wentz takes control. Nemeth connects with Danger Zone for the victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth def Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Miguel tries to get a piece of Nemeth after the match and eats a Danger Zone too. Steve Maclin jumps Nemeth and looks for the KIA but Nemeth connects with one more Danger Zone and stands tall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crazzy Steve addresses his recent Digital Media Title win at Countdown To Hard To Kill but is interrupted by Rhino. Rhino shoves Steve as Steve laughs maniacally.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Decay discuss their resurrection and Knockouts World Tag Team Title victory at Hard To Kill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs MK Ultra</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra drop Threat with their tandem piledriver to return to winning ways after their title loss at Hard To Kill. MK Ultra also piledrive Luna after the match to assert their dominance.</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra def Dani Luna and Jody Threat</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on iMPACT!: Nic Nemeth vs Trey Miguel, we hear from Frankie Kazarian, Brian Myers vs Kevin Knight plus ABC vs GYV in the first match of the TNA World Tag Team Title Best of 3 Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada makes his entrance to rapturous applause as he returns to TNA for the first time since 2011. Okada connects with the iconic Rainmaker on Brian Myers allowing Alex Shelley to follow up with Shellshock for the victory. Okada and The Guns celebrate their monumental victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada def The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers)</p><p><br /></p><p>After the credits, Mustafa Ali addresses TNA Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA IMPACT! goes off the air.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: TNA Wrestling)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google to tweak crypto ad policy, amplify Bitcoin ETF visibility - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, a subsidiary of tech conglomerate Alphabet, is on the verge of a significant policy update set to take effect on Jan. 29, which could alter the landscape of cryptocurrency advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approved 11 spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on Jan. 10, Google is expected to amend its rules and enable asset managers to advertise these products to a broader U.S. audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>This move follows Google’s recent decision to broaden its cryptocurrency and related products’ policy, now providing advertisers with specific guidelines for promoting what it calls “cryptocurrency coin trusts.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Advertisers eager to capitalize on Google’s platform, renowned for its expansive reach and high search volume, will now require certification to ensure compliance with the tech giant’s stringent requirements.</p><p><br /></p><p>The significance of this development is highlighted by the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) converting to a spot Bitcoin ETF, coupled with the sanctioning of 10 other institutions to include spot BTC ETFs in their investment portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto analysts are optimistic about the ramifications of this policy change on the digital currency sphere, as Google processes around 8.55 billion searches daily, according to DemandSage.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can Google Ads tip the scales for Bitcoin ETFs?</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto community speculates that the heightened visibility of Bitcoin ETFs through Google’s ad platform may drive substantial awareness and investment in the space.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As such, companies operating within the spot Bitcoin ETF market could potentially witness a significant influx of interest from new segments of the public — not just from seasoned day traders or investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The update could also signal a shift in how cryptocurrency products are advertised, ensuring that ads meet legal requirements and are responsibly presented to an engaged audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s policy change arrives at an opportune moment. The crypto market has seen fluctuating investor sentiment toward spot Bitcoin ETFs over the past week.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Jan. 24, Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of approximately $270 million, counterbalanced by significant withdrawals — most notably from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin ETF—totaling a net outflow of around $153 million. </p><p><br /></p><p>The trend did not improve, with Jan. 25 witnessing a continuation of the withdrawal streak, marking a fourth consecutive day of net outflows over the last week, totaling up to $80 million, specifically from the funds recognized by the SEC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite these challenging dynamics, crypto commentators feel Google’s policy shift could potentially open doors to a flood of new investors. The increased visibility and imposed certification could counterbalance the recent outflows from the spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a possible rebound as we edge closer to the Jan. 29 policy implementation date.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 CARD FILLS OUT WITH FOUR INTRIGUING BOUTS - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s Return To Anaheim Receives A Quartet Of Fascinating Bouts</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For UFC’s first visit to California since August 2022 for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, the Anaheim fans will receive a treat of a card top to bottom. While most eyes will be trained toward Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against the undefeated Ilia Topuria as well as Robert Whittaker’s bout against Paulo Costa. Fun fights are abundant in the organization’s second pay-per-view of 2024, including four more just added to the slate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to UFC winner Rinya Nakamura returns for his second official UFC bout against Carlos Vera. The Japanese bantamweight tallied six of his eight wins via finish and hopes to pick up his first official UFC stoppage after his decision win over Fernie Garcia in Singapore. Carlos Vera comes into the organization having just competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter during which he lost to eventual tournament winner Brad Katona. He steps in hoping to have a successful UFC debut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Welterweights Josh Quinlan and Danny Barlow feature on the card as well. Quinlan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus split his first two UFC bouts to Jason Witt and Trey Waters, and after injuries and a cancelled bout kept him out of the Octagon since his lost to Waters, he hopes to get a bounce back win over Barlow. A fellow DWCS alumnus, Barlow earned his contract with a first-round knockout of Raheam Forest In September 2023. The undefeated Barlow racked up four knockouts and one submission on his climb to the organization, and he hopes to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0 on February 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another welterweight contest goes down as Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn lock horns. Woodburn is hoping to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 290, which was his first professional loss in mixed martial arts. Meanwhile, Elliott aspires to become one of the best Welsh mixed martial artists after competing on at Cage Warriors and Dana White’s Contender Series, the latter of which he won a fight via majority decision in August 2023. “The Welsh Gangster” has proven durable, and the two are surely desperate to get their hands raised in Anaheim. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, two middleweights hoping to finally get their breakout moment square off as DWCS alumnus AJ Dobson and The Ultimate Fighter graduate Tresean Gore are set to fight. Dobson came into the organization with high expectatioins, and after dropping his first two bouts, he earned his first UFC win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023. The Ohio-bred grinder believes he now has the right things around him and in place to climbt he division’s ladder. He’ll be hard pressed against Gore, however. One of the highest touted prospects on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gore couldn’t parlay that into wins in his first two trips to the Octagon. That said, he bounced back with a viscious submission win over Josh Fremd in October 2022. He was originally slated to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 before injuries prevented that matchup, so he is in search of momentum ahead to once again chase his championship aspirations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates or changes to all events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.</p><p><br /></p><p>In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Search News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/search_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/seo_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #searchengine #searchenginenews #googlebusiness #searchnews #AI #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #Gemini #Pixel #Nest #Fitbit #Amazon #ads #adnews #onlineadvertising #sales #marketing #VR #virtualreality #reality #jobs #biz #SEO #technews #digitalnews #worldnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Platform News</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.</p><p><br /></p><p>Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.</p><p><br /></p><p>It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.</p><p><br /></p><p>The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/social_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#X #Xnews #XTwitter #everythingapp #theeverythingapp #ElonMusk #Musk #platform #platforms #platformnews #fintech #app #appnews #fintech #onlinebanking #transfer #innovation #disrupt #disruptor #disruptorofthemonth #technews #biznews #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group Blog Network Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Australia Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p>Pop Culture</p><p>Advertising</p><p>Creativity</p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit</p><p>SEO and SEM </p><p>Business Journalism </p><p>Gonzo Journalism</p><p>Newsfeeds </p><p>Digital News </p><p>Worldwide Trends </p><p>Disruptors </p><p>Online News </p><p>Online Biz </p><p>Crypto PR </p><p>Business Leads</p><p>Relationship Marketing </p><p>PR and Media Management </p><p>And much more </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int is part of the Media Man Group, est 2001. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bloggers (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/bloggers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#blog #blogs #blogger #blogging #news #popculture #ads #Advertising #creativity #mindbodyspirit #SEO #SEM #business #journalism #gonzo #gonzojournalism #newsfeeds #digitalnews #worldwide #trends #trending #trendingnow #disruptors #onlinenews #onlinebiz #crypto #cryptopr #BTC #blockchain #AffiliateMarketing #affiliates #sponsorship #ads #marketing #newsflash #x #xnews #platformnews #X #media #mediaman #mediamangroup #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Tech News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Crypto Biz News</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image: A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #BitcoinEFTs #bitcoinetfapproval #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #CryptoCommunity #CryptocurrencyNews #SEC #Blackrock #Grayscale #VanEck #Franklin #Templeton #Fidelity #NYSE #Nasdaq #CBOE #fintech #asset #Assets #biz #biznews #mediabiz #prbiz #bitcoinnewsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #hype #PR #AI #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:</p><p><br /></p><p>AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs</p><p>Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.</p><p><br /></p><p>For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters </p><p>Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attention measurement at a crossroads</p><p><br /></p><p>An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p>The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The growth of in-game advertising</p><p>With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.</p><p><br /></p><p>PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Advanced Television)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Media World and Fans respond well to announced PFL @PFLMMA card line-up</p><p><br /></p><p>"And you know I'm always curious as well as to how the fans feel about news and whatno, especially when I'm hearing about things a couple of weeks out, and I have to say, and I think you know this to a degree, when your not the UFC the fans, especially on Twitter and social media can be a little harsh right because they've been supporting the UFC for so long. I was kind of blown away by the response yesterday"... - Ariel Helwani</p><p><br /></p><p>"We held nothing back for fans" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Current fans, skeptical or not yet a fan..said, You moved up two or three notches as far as interest and certainly respect" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>"..All we're trying to tell fans is MMA is big. There's 650 million fans out there" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out" Donn Davas, PFL (Professional Fighters League)..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It ain't either or. This ain't Coke or Pepsi. PLF's doing a whole different thing".."and we're doing a whole different thing for fans and a whole different thing for fighters, and I think yesterday people started to get that vibe".. "So we're delighted on how it all came together" Donn Davis </p><p><br /></p><p>"Mega Event" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Donn Davis Takes Shot at UFC, Talks PFL vs. Bellator Fight Card | The MMA Hour</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiKNaHe3to&ab_channel=MMAFightingonSBN</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL MMA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions is OFFICIAL for Feb 24th!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XpqxZJtUI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season has revealed that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs current Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers. (Credit: PFL)</p><p><br /></p><p>More great PFL history, profiles, news and developments via their official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Stronger than average interview and fight card. Credit where credit is due. Mixed martial arts world buzz continues.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PFL vs Bellator fight card</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 24, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay vs Johnny Eblen</p><p><br /></p><p>Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Jason Jackson</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesus Pinedo vs Patricio Pitbull</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Cappelozza vs Vadim Nemkov</p><p><br /></p><p>Thiago Santos vs Yoel Romero</p><p><br /></p><p>Clay Collard vs AJ McKee</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriel Braga vs Aaron Pico</p><p><br /></p><p>Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Chris Morris</p><p><br /></p><p>Claressa Shields vs Kelsey DeSantis</p><p><br /></p><p>Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Edukondal Rao</p><p><br /></p><p>Malik Basahel vs Vinicius Pereira</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: PFL</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #ProfessionalFightersLeague #DonnDavis #quote #quotes #MMAFighting #ArielHelwani </p><p><br /></p><p>#RenanFerreira #RyanBader #Ferreira #Bader #FerreiraBader #RiyadhSeason #interview #PFLChampions #Bellator #BellatorChampions #PFLBellator #combatsports #sportsbiz #sportsmedia #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #megaevent #specialevent #specialevents #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe’s FIRST AEW World Title defense! Joe vs FTW Champ Hook! | 1/17/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98j3dB9SQI&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Managed Joe years ago. Joe knew Hook when he was little" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not little any more"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A wild right hand and he's got the champion on his hands and knees"</p><p><br /></p><p>"That can certainly be an advantage. I mean Hook has grown as a professional wrestler watching Samoa Joe. Watching his win titles"</p><p><br /></p><p>"See that right hand. In front of our desk here" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great match between Joe and Hook. Both legit bad asses. Hook, Hook, Hook! One of our favourite AEW pro wrestling matches ever! Hook mania running wild! FTW vs AEW lockerroom and beyond. Hook tipped as future world champ. Shoots and hooks matter. This ain't ballet folks. Those who can wrestler. Those who can't or fittest days are past are media, fans or both!</p><p><br /></p><p>Much world class pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWTitle #SamoaJoe #Hook #JoeHook #FTW #Taz #prowrestling #wrestling #dreammatch #dreammatches #combatsports #entertainment #music #showbiz #feature #highlights #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Man In The Arena" (spoken by JFK). Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dTx-12tWdKA</p><p><br /></p><p>#JFK #JohnFKenny #quote #quotes #problems #man #human #humanbeings #TheManInTheArena #poltiics #USA #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Cycle</p><p><br /></p><p>Meditation</p><p>Visualization</p><p>Frequently </p><p>Energize</p><p>Exercise </p><p>Action</p><p>Interaction</p><p>Light </p><p>Listening</p><p>Sound</p><p>Patience</p><p>Transaction </p><p>Flow</p><p>Reflection </p><p>Be</p><p>Zen</p><p>Rest</p><p>Repeat </p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: 'I'll cross that bridge if I come to it' Aldis isn't closing the door on competing in a WWE ring - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Though he's having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn't ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he's grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just grateful that there's an interest in it. At the same time, I'm fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've been having a blast. I've come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn't have had as a guy in his 20s.</p><p><br /></p><p>I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that's going to be my job, then that's going to be my job, and I'll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.</p><p><br /></p><p>I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I'd done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He's also a former TNA World Champion.</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender's match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth On Why He Chose To Confront Moose at TNA Hard to Kill</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview for TNA’s Instagram (via Fightful), Nic Nemeth explained why he chose to confront Moose for his TNA debut at this past Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. Nemeth will appear on tonight’s Impact on AXS TV to explain his actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said: “I wasn’t focused on Moose [at TNA Hard To Kill], and I wasn’t even focused on the championship, which I have thought about non-stop for a long time. Like I said, I go, where can I pinpoint the moment where people will make it the most memorable? I did 20 years in one company. I get one chance to make a second impression here on the world. That will be the biggest possible moment and the most talked-about, I think. I really think that helps myself and the company. I didn’t have a plan. Moose is in my target, I got him. I was watching that title match going, whoever wins, I’m sliding in there and going, ‘Here I am, let’s go.’ So I don’t exactly know what my focus is, other than, I have earned everything that I’ve worked for, to a point where I go, I don’t want to stroll in here and be like, ‘Hey, I showed up through the crowd so you gotta give me a title shot,’ or, ‘I’m famous, so I get a ….’ No, I wanted to make my mark there, and now I focus on, where can I fit in? Where can I start building blocks to make myself to where I’m not presenting it, but the world goes, this should be the number one contender, and here’s why. Then, when that happens, I’ll know that I’ll be able to sleep at night going, I have proven myself worthy of a title shot. Okay, now let’s focus on the champion. No, I’m not hand-picking anything: I’m here, and I said, I am lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here. If I get some more eyes on TNA, hell yeah, that rocks. Let me know where I start, and I’m coming in with my lunchbox and ready to go. I’m gonna prove it in the ring every single night that says, we need to do something else. We need to get this guy in the title picture, he has earned it. But I gotta put in the time first and the effort. I’m not all show and all talk. I’m gonna earn it, but I want the TNA locker room and the audience to be going, this is the guy. He deserves a shot. Not me walking in and saying, ‘Hey, give me a shot.’ Hell no. I would never do it that way the rest of my life. There’s no way I’ll do it now. I want to make this count. I want it to be special.“</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling: TNA Champion Moose Says TNA Wrestling now in "Hot Spot" - 18th January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Even though he took me out, which I'm going to get mine back when the time is right, but let's leave that alone. Talking about Nic coming into the company, I think it's huge for TNA. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a superstar. He's done everything in professional wrestling, he's been World Champion, he's been a tag team guy, he's won every single title you can think about. He's been all over the world. He has a huge buzz going right now. For him to pick TNA over AEW and New Japan or any other company, that shows that TNA is a hot spot right now. I'm happy he's part of the team, I'm happy I get to do something down the road with him. I'm happy that TNA is starting to be a spot where people want to come. Same thing with Ash By Elegance, her picking us over other companies out there, I'm happy she is part of the team and I can't wait to see what the future brings with Nic and Ash.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling - January 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024. </p><p><br /></p><p>We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p>We appreciate your understanding and continued support. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada statement:</p><p><br /></p><p>I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown preview, Jan. 19, 2024: Huge Contract Signing for Royal Rumble set</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles will be in the ring to sign the contract for their monumental title match at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time all four men shared the ring, utter bedlam erupted as The Bloodline attacked Styles, Orton and Knight while they were competing in a Triple Threat Match to determine who would challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>What will happen when these four dynamic Superstars participate in what seems certain to be a volatile contract signing? </p><p><br /></p><p>Don’t miss SmackDown, next week at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kevin Owens Show" to welcome U.S Champ Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A special edition of "The Kevin Owens Show" is coming to Friday Night SmackDown as the No. 1 Contender to the United States Title welcomes the champion, Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Owens earned the right to face The Maverick after winning the United States Title Tournament by defeating Santos Escobar in the finals, a result that clearly bothered Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time the two Superstars came face-to-face, Owens knocked out the champion with a brutal punch from his casted right hand, so there's no telling what will happen they meet again live on Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO to take on Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in Six-Man Tag Team action</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will represent The LWO against their bitter rivals Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since Escobar turned his back on The LWO, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Wilde and Del Toro have been waiting for their chance at payback, and it will finally come on Friday Night SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the numbers not in his favor, Escobar brought Angel and Humberto from NXT to form Legado World Order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss this Six-Man Tag Team Match live on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Grayson Waller’s defiant response to Sunrise controversy - January 19th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>An Aussie wrestler isn’t backing down after he caused chaos live on Sunrise this week, threatening to punch a crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>By Nick Bond</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian wrestling champ Grayson Waller has shared a simple public response to the controversy over his chaotic appearance on Sunrise earlier this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller was appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Sunrise alongside US wrestler LA Knight, and lost his temper when hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Doran attempted to goad them into showing off some of their moves on a willing crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t think you understand – if I come over there right now, we’re going to have the police here, cos I’m not going to give you some fake punch. I’m going to punch you straight in the jaw,” Waller said, as Doran struggled to contain him while the crew member quickly scarpered from the set.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the average viewer, it was a shocking outburst – but as the clip circulated online, wrestling fans were quick to praise Waller. They insisted his trash-talk had actually diffused the situation, and was a better option than what the Sunrise hosts were suggesting he do: Potentially hurt a member of their staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller posted a photo to his Twitter account yesterday that would’ve been cryptic to many, but one that meant something to wrestling fans:</p><p><br /></p><p>The photo in question is from an infamous 1988 encounter between wrestler David Schultz and reporter John Stossel, who was at the time working on an ‘expose’ on the world of professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think this is fake,” Stossel told the wrestler, which got an immediate – and violent – response.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘You think this is fake?” Schultz asked, before smacking the reporter across the face, leaving him cowering on the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You think that’s fake? What the hell’s wrong with you? That’s an open-hand slap, huh?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Schultz continued, before walloping Stossel again, leaving him to flee down the corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling faithful knew exactly what Waller was referencing just from the screenshot of Schultz – and applauded him for standing his ground on Sunrise.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was awesome. Good on you for sticking up for wrestling. They were totally disrespectful,” wrote one follower.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I saw you in a different light today, Grayson. Good on you,” said another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My respect for you has risen tenfold,” another fan tweeted.</p><p><br /></p><p>After footage of Waller’s outburst went viral on social media – one clip alone has been viewed more than 1.5 million times – fans praised him his respect for “kayfabe”, a wrestling term used to describe the convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was absolutely f**king brilliant from Waller there. He protected kayfabe, he protected Knight. He was so sharp and on the ball. I was already a fan of his but my respect for him just grew a lot from this,” gushed one fan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller’s face might be familiar to reality TV fans: He was a controversial contestant on the 2019 season of Australian Survivor, where he proved divisive among his fellow contestants and viewers due to his aggressive nature in challenges.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teammate and former AFL player Abby Holmes dubbed him an “actual idiot,” but Farrelly, who is also a high school teacher when he’s not wrestling, soon embraced the epithet, selling “ACTUAL IDIOT” T-shirts at his wrestling matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I had a feeling that most of my airtime was probably going to be me yelling and screaming, and I’m OK with that,” he told news.com.au after his elimination from the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(News Corp)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Update</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News, including flashbacks and retro via social media channels (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>A collaboration between Media Man, Wrestling News Media @wrestlingnewsm and Australian Sports Entertainment @austsportsent </p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #wrestlingnewsmedia #prowrestling #prowrestlingnews #sportsentertainment #WWE #SmackDown #TKO #KO #TNAWrestling #TNA #AEW #NWA #UFC #PFL #MMA #grappling #combatsports #champions #worldchampion #Goat #rankings #wrestlingnewsmedia #australiansportsentertainment #popculture #blog #blogs #blogging #onlinenews #promotions #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoters #interviews #OP #ED #gonzo #mainstream #alt #trend #trends #newsmedia #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns, Knight, Orton and Styles set for Contract Signing: WWE Now, January 19, 24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4t3oMLL2E&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Watching the live broadcast!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more world class pro wrestling, action and drama via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This ain't going to be any normal contract signing folks! This isn't 'Succession' or 'Billions'. This is the world of the WWE! #SmackDown #WWE2K24 </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #HeadOfTheTable #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #RomanReigns #RandyOrton #AJStyles #LAKnights #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #NickAldis #wrestlingcontract #contract #contractsigning #combatsports #fight #fighters #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #FOX #PLE #PPV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Kayo Sports (part of The Foxtel Group), out of Australia, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) @UFC have officially commenced a new multi-year agreement from January 1, 2024, which sees Main Event @MainEventTV – available only on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events down under in Australia aka Terror Australis! The readership knows we like media on the edge, so we've got to slip the Aussie slang in every now and again to suit the theme right.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Pay-Per-View (PPV) exclusive event will see UFC middleweight Champion Sean "Tarzan" Strickland make his virgin title defence against South African Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis as they marquee UFC 297 direct from Toronto on January 21.</p><p><br /></p><p>This partnership casts Main Event as the undisputed home of PPV in Australia, with a prized tradition of showcasing the biggest UFC fights across the globe, as well as being a key part of seeing up and coming top range fighters climb to the top since 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the terms of the new agreement, fans looking to hit up a buy of a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform for exclusive access to world class matches. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights, including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and unforgettable archived bouts from around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to all the UFC PPV events, sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead of the UFC’s first PPV event in 2024, Australian foodie critic, MasterChef Australia judge and self-confessed fanatic Melissa Leong will host UFC Fight Week on Wednesday, January 17, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Melissa will be joined by panellists Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker as they break down UFC 297 and interview Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The show will be replayed daily leading up to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s popularity has boomed since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now in excess of 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48 per cent aged between 18-39. These stats are gold to the business of sports marketing, sports media and other associated business arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, executive director of commercial sport at Foxtel Group.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round,” said UFC president Dana White.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be a full UFC schedule on Main Event in 2024. Following UFC 297, all eyes will turn to Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for his much-anticipated title defence against Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Combat sports PPVs certainly have boomed in Australia since circa 1996 to 2000 when we most closely collaborated and cross promoted with Main Event while working for Optus Vision/Communications in a full-time capacity. The UFC continued to build upon the earlier success of pro boxing and pro wrestling on pay-per-view. The YouTube and social media based features are great, but there's nothing quite like a main event MMA match on PPV for those who live and breath combat sports. Many fighters and former fighters these days even have their own channels across the internet. Exciting times for combat sports fans as well as for those who work in and around the industry. Another chance to ground and pound and KO with the best of them thanks to the UFC, Kayo Sports and Main Event.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Videos To Help Get Casual and Hardcore Fans Up To Speed on UFC 297</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: UFC, Main Event and News)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8qz_UVusA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Final Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipEXK1tHQA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: New Home of the UFC l Main Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKiSNkC6cM&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=53s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland WARNS Du Plessis: "Bring that s*** up, and it's ON SIGHT!" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieWHG_Q2yU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC298 #UFC300 #UFCAustralia #KayoSports #MainEvent #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #PPV #PayPerView #PayPerViews #SeanStrickland #Strickland #DricusDuPlessis #DuPlessis #DanaWhite #quote #quotes #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #OTT #OverTheTop #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SEO structures Geo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Motoko with an insightful and interesting article about the global nature of the internet based business. Numerous valid points. We started with one basic website and a basic blog. Then we expanded with a range of dotcoms and dotcomdotaus and numerous social media platforms and challenges. Cast the net far and wide and adapt to the cycles and frequently changes in the industry. Business models can and generally should be changed and improved from time to time to adapt. In and around sports news media and sports and pop culture media business there are frequent changes and developments. New websites can be created for a minimum budget. Exposure can be gained in numerous ways including the trending algorithm and getting indexed on Google and the like. Having a local, state, national and international approach helps plug into go-ahead areas one may otherwise miss. Geo stories in far away lands can really take off and create great opportunities. My biggest deal ever was involving one brand in three counties and we adpated it to the different geo zones. Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and there's always more work to do. Last but not least, enjoy the journey as it's part of the bigger picture. </p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-16396192632552553542024-02-09T11:09:00.001+11:002024-02-09T11:09:14.036+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Media, Sports Media Giants Team Up With Streaming Service<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCkQ_5gKCSjaZxEmD1X7hHD4iooUau8w82oSfdiaHa1ikF1LBpazkMsYVG-W-qbMyqnsG3NaXREvzoRLp1qbXguBQgmiMR_zk2wa6RQYruLYVYWl4m-d0YuCukKSG1YSwOk_rxj-fy1nV7-hyTbGJeIOF_q0qJl9RcSwISuP4xTr7VOT_medxAw/s320/google_blogger320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="320" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCkQ_5gKCSjaZxEmD1X7hHD4iooUau8w82oSfdiaHa1ikF1LBpazkMsYVG-W-qbMyqnsG3NaXREvzoRLp1qbXguBQgmiMR_zk2wa6RQYruLYVYWl4m-d0YuCukKSG1YSwOk_rxj-fy1nV7-hyTbGJeIOF_q0qJl9RcSwISuP4xTr7VOT_medxAw/s1600/google_blogger320.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z1t-HkCH451sXq8QABmpH2M051Oj2P6CRSiTfFzrI7FbLfN62PszVvZ9-QWXvUiGEKqi5OmssZttsxFuNkCUDyKMoZG4DrYXPYt2x8vRDNEQSQ1SohYVvanB8tmhl8mnfg5iiZxXns5AKwsrQLInAwDOwRa7hMZMBt4hXWXAu7TyNYLpj6UBcw/s688/media_man_culture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="688" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8z1t-HkCH451sXq8QABmpH2M051Oj2P6CRSiTfFzrI7FbLfN62PszVvZ9-QWXvUiGEKqi5OmssZttsxFuNkCUDyKMoZG4DrYXPYt2x8vRDNEQSQ1SohYVvanB8tmhl8mnfg5iiZxXns5AKwsrQLInAwDOwRa7hMZMBt4hXWXAu7TyNYLpj6UBcw/s320/media_man_culture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media, Sports Media Giants Team Up With Streaming Service</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ESPN, FOX and WBD launching joint sports streaming service in late 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>All major entities will have an equal share in company</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN plans to launch full DTC service, possibly later in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Fox has never launched a DTC platform</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) have created a joint venture to launch a combined sports streaming service in the US.</p><p><br /></p><p>The JV will have its own brand and management team with the planned service offering coverage from the three media companies’ linear channels and direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service will launch in late 2024, serving up an array of live content including the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college football. Subscribers will also have access to linear feeds of major channels, including ESPN, Fox and TNT, as well as the ESPN+ platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three companies, all of whom will have an equal share in the JV, say the offering will offer better value for consumers who have migrated away from cable television and solve the growing issue of fragmentation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Customers will also be able to bundle the as-yet-unnamed service with general entertainment services like Disney+, Hulu and Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business,” said Bob Iger, Disney chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re pumped to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform,” added Lachlan Murdoch, Fox chief executive. “We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that,” said David Zaslav, WBD chief executive.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ESPN Release Additional Details To Media</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Key Highlights:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery would form a new joint venture to develop, launch and operate a streaming sports bundle of linear networks and certain DTC sports content and services.</p><p><br /></p><p>Each entity would own one-third of the JV, have equal board representation and license their sports content to the joint venture on a non-exclusive basis.</p><p><br /></p><p>The service would have a new brand with an independent management team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company said, “The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business. This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of FOX said, “We’re pumped to bring the FOX Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform. We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>David Zaslav, Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, said “At WBD, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”</p><p><br /></p><p>More details, including pricing, will be announced at a later date.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: A massive deal and development in this space. Very curious and interesting to see Murdoch's FOX team up with WBD, ESPN (Walt Disney). Change is in the wind. This comes fresh off the heels of the Netflix - WWE streaming deal announced a week + ago. More details will follow.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: ESPN, WBD, Wires, FOX/News Corp and X)</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-82170438778422082062024-02-05T16:37:00.001+11:002024-02-05T16:37:16.186+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Pop Culture and Sports<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News, Pop Culture and Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmME-2TZgj-RKUDxYd19aTVn6GzxlfyiHXRgnizVMvdHHFhYGWtiXlaidGWs8y8e2GgsbpmZi8Nsrv9C9NW962_ZcNe6RZEu1LKJ7VNJ0N_0qZxb0qA9cDsGV4LrR4Nh8hPrvpJG6UW-7lcQQehPSD-GFIQ8px6j2iTqcEPoa9oWuFB9qj4S2JA/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmME-2TZgj-RKUDxYd19aTVn6GzxlfyiHXRgnizVMvdHHFhYGWtiXlaidGWs8y8e2GgsbpmZi8Nsrv9C9NW962_ZcNe6RZEu1LKJ7VNJ0N_0qZxb0qA9cDsGV4LrR4Nh8hPrvpJG6UW-7lcQQehPSD-GFIQ8px6j2iTqcEPoa9oWuFB9qj4S2JA/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b>Big Tech</b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b>Sports</b></p><p><b>Search Engines</b></p><p><b>Digital News</b></p><p><b>Online News</b></p><p><b>AI News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Joe Rogan Inks New Spotify Podcast Deal, Reportedly Worth $380m - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan (above) has renewed his deal with Spotify, reportedly worth up to $US250 million ($AU383 million), a significant improvement on his previous deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this new deal means that The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify and allows his podcast to be distributed to YouTube, Apple and other podcasting platforms. His previous deal was reported to be worth between $US100-200 million ($AU153-$AU301 million).</p><p><br /></p><p>The news marks a big change in strategy for Spotify, too. Four years ago, Rogan signed his first exclusive deal with the audio platform, during a blitz of similar deals with other podcasters. As such, Rogan’s podcast could only be enjoyed through the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>With this new deal allowing Rogan to post wherever he may, it marks the end of Spotify’s exclusivity efforts. Call Her Daddy became widely available earlier this week and Spotify launched a new show with Trevor Noah last year without exclusivity rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Joe Rogan Experience debuted in 2009, has been a Spotify exclusive since 2020, and we’re just getting started,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Today we announced our new multiyear partnership deal with JRE. There’s so much more ahead, including that the show will soon be available on additional platforms. JRE remains podcasting’s king, consistently ranking as the most-listened-to podcast globally and our users have ranked the show as Spotify’s Wrapped top podcast each year since 2020”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Releases Super Bowl Spot Teaser Created By Blind Director - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google has released a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial which has been directed by Adam Morse, a “filmmaker who happens to be blind”.</p><p><br /></p><p> The video explains how Morse was able to direct the advert using Google’s AI-powered Guided Frame feature that emits audio cues to tell the users what is in the frame.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Meta Ad Revenues Jump Nearly A Quarter, Amazon Also Sees Big Ad Revenue Climb - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s advertising revenues jumped by 24 per cent year-on-year to $US38 billion ($AU58.8 billion) in the three months ended 31 December.</p><p><br /></p><p>The number of ad impressions across all of Meta’s apps increased by more than a fifth and the average price per ad climbed by two per cent. Overall, the company’s revenue jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had a good quarter as our community and business continue to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “We’ve made a lot of progress on our vision for advancing AI and the metaverse.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result of those bumper earnings, Meta’s stock price surged by 14 per cent in extended trading — despite Zuck’s bruising appearance in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee which accused the American businessman of ignoring the severity of of child exploitation on his company’s apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its Reality Labs division, which is responsible for creating the metaverse, saw its losses grow a further nine per cent in the last quarter for just over $US4.6 billion ($AU7 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Amazon saw its ad revenues climb by 27 per cent year — though it is operating in an entirely different universe to Meta’s soaring ad money.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Q4 2023, it brought in $US14.6 billion ($AU22.2 billion), up from $US11.5 billion ($AU17.49 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses… AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock Now Holds Whopping 52,025 BTC For its Spot Bitcoin ETF; Solana (SOL) And InQubeta (QUBE) Eye Significant Price Jump</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has been making incredible strides in the spot Bitcoin ETF market. Following the SEC decision on Bitcoin ETFs on January 10, the market has been growing at an incredible pace. And yes, BlackRock has been at the forefront.</p><p><br /></p><p>The asset manager now holds a staggering 52,052 BTC, worth over $2.18 billion—depending on Bitcoin’s valuation—for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Recently, following Google’s policy update, its spot Bitcoin ETF was one of the first to be advertised on the platform, which continues its quest to capture a large share of the market.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Solana (SOL) and InQubeta (QUBE) appear primed for a significant price jump. With a strong bullish wave to surf, these are the best cryptos to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>InQubeta (QUBE): Potential 70x Jump After Launch</b></p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE) has been creating a stir in the crypto scene, and for the right reasons. It recently soared past $8.6 million in its ongoing presale, with sights set on breaking the $10 million fundraising milestone. That isn’t all; its innovative concept has been hailed as one of the most bullish narratives, propelling the massive demand in its ICO stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its unique offering will be a crypto-based crowdfunding platform for AI tech startups and an NFT marketplace. This will assist in its vision of reshaping the fast-rising AI market, particularly in areas relating to fundraising and market accessibility. Given the critical role it will play, analysts tip it as the best new crypto to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock: 52,052 BTC in Spot Bitcoin ETF</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Investor sentiment post BTC ETF has been on the rise, and BlackRock has been adding to its Bitcoin holdings in the process. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, now has a whopping 52,052 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF after a recent purchase. It has been one of the top gainers in the BTC ETF market, receiving a huge chunk of inflows.</p><p><br /></p><p>With further purchases anticipated in the coming days, the price of BTC is expected to soar. This makes its current price a good entry point, especially if you wish to ride the market’s current bullish wave.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETF market on January 11, it has been growing at a remarkable pace. Currently, it is the second-largest ETF commodity after flipping silver in just a week of trading, with the rivalry now being Bitcoin ETF vs. gold.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Solana (SOL): Aiming for $150</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Bitcoin ETF market effects have been largely bearish so far, causing a market downturn, with Solana (SOL), one of the top altcoins, declining. However, the market has been on the rise, and Solana has been mirroring the upward trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to forecasts, following the reclaiming of the $100 support, SOL’s next stop is $150. This significant jump will be on the back of rising adoption and demand, which makes the coming days exciting and SOL a good crypto to buy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the above, Solana is one of the most promising plays not to miss out on. To avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO), we recommend holding some of the tokens in your portfolio.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Conclusion</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now boasts 52,025 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Meanwhile, Solana and InQubeta have been making waves, primed for a significant upward trajectory, especially InQubeta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>How to watch the halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sin City’s Super Bowl 58 will have the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in a sold-out Allegiant Stadium full of roaring fans, some award-worthy commercials and a can't-miss performance by Usher at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview with Vogue, the "Yeah" singer revealed that he wants his halftime show performance to “a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.” Usher also explained that he plans to have “R&B take the main stage” and has invited some special guests to join him onstage who represent “not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” The R&B and pop legend has previously performed during a Super Bowl halftime show as a guest of The Black Eyed Peas, who headlined the performance during Super Bowl XLV.</p><p><br /></p><p>So whether it's the Ravens vs. 49ers, the Chiefs vs. the Lions, or some other 2024 Super Bowl lineup, we know who the star (of halftime, at least) will be. Are you ready to tune into the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Usher perform at Super Bowl 58.</p><p><br /></p><p>When is the 2024 Super Bowl?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>What time is the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show</p><p><br /></p><p>Usher's halftime show performance will start at, well, halftime on Game Day.</p><p><br /></p><p>What channel is the Super Bowl on in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 will air live on CBS, and the alternative, family-friendly telecast will air live on Nickelodeon.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable:</p><p><br /></p><p>Want to tune into the Usher halftime show and Super Bowl, but don't have live TV? You can watch all the Super Bowl 58 action with the help of a TV antenna, Paramount+ subscription or live TV streaming service. Here's what we recommend for ways to watch the Super Bowl in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+ has two subscription tiers: a $6/month ad-supported tier and a $12 ad-free premium tier that includes Showtime and live access to your local CBS channel. In addition to NFL games on CBS, Paramount+ offers a host of other live sports, hit shows and new and classic movies. Unlike a lot of other streaming services, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial, so new subscribers can sign up to watch this week's NFL games on CBS and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Record year for Amazon</b></p><p><b>February 2, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon has reported that net sales increased 12 per cent to $574.8 billion in 2023, compared with $514 billion in 2022. Excluding the $0.1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 12% compared with 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>North America segment sales increased 12 per cent year-over-year to $352.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>International segment sales increased 11 per cent year-over-year to $131.2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>AWS segment sales increased 13 per cent year-over-year to $90.8 billion.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses. The regionalization of our US fulfillment network led to our fastest-ever delivery speeds for Prime members while also lowering our cost to serve; AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day. As we enter 2024, our teams are delivering at a rapid clip, and we have a lot in front of us to be excited about.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Focusing on Prime Video, Amazon highlighted:</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Increased total viewership for the second season of Thursday Night Football (TNF) on Prime Video by 24 per cent year over year, and had double-digit growth (14 per cent) for the second consecutive season in the hard-to-reach 18–34-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen. The November 30th Seahawks-Cowboys game attracted 15.3 million viewers, becoming Prime Video’s most watched TNF game ever, according to Nielsen.</p><p>Released 16 films and series from Amazon MGM Studios, including the second season of Reacher, which was the No. 1 title on Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals Streaming chart for the week it debuted and had the highest number of minutes viewed for any Prime Video title during a single week in 2023 according to Nielsen; second season of Invincible, the most-viewed animated series ever on Prime Video globally; holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, one of the top 10 most-watched worldwide film debuts ever on Prime Video; thriller Saltburn, which had the highest week-over-week audience growth of any film on Prime Video in 2023; dramedy American Fiction; and sports drama The Boys in the Boat. This awards season, Amazon MGM Studios earned 16 Golden Globe nominations, 68 Emmy nominations and nine wins, and 21 Critics Choice Award nominations for content such as American Fiction, Saltburn,Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,andThe Boys. For the upcoming Oscars, the studio earned five nominations for American Fiction, including for Best Picture.</p><p>Grew Prime Video’s international slate of content with more than 60 local Amazon Originals, including Mr. Dressup:The Magic of Make-Believe(Canada), which was winner of the 2023 People’s Choice Award for Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival; Sayen: La Ruta Seca (Chile), the action-packed sequel to the most watched Latin American Original movie ever on Prime Video; Operación Triunfo (Spain), Prime Video’s first weekly live entertainment show; and 007: Road To A Million (UK), the world’s first James Bond television format, which was No. 1 on Prime Video in 27 countries worldwide on its launch weekend.</p><p>Expanded Prime Video’s global sports programming with the debut of the Amazon Original sports documentaries Kelce, chronicling Philadelphia Eagles captain Jason Kelce’s 2022 season,and Bye Bye Barry, the story of Barry Sanders’ decision to retire at the height of his NFL career. In live sports, Prime Video added new broadcast rights for NASCAR, the National Women’s Soccer League, and Premier Boxing Champions in the U.S.; ICC Cricket in Australia; and Wimbledon tennis in Austria and Germany.</p><p>Announced AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud for Europe, to give public sector customers and those in highly regulated industries more choice to meet stringent compliance mandates in the EU and achieve the operational independence they require without compromising on the broadest and deepest cloud services.</p><p>Dan Goman, CEO and Founder of Ateliere Creative Technologies, commented: “Amazon’s technology-driven success gives it a considerable edge in the streaming market, exemplifying the challenges traditional media and entertainment companies face against tech giants entering the content space.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>The tech advantage essentially creates an uneven playing field, with companies like Amazon and Netflix enjoying a massive advantage.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, it’s like comparing a car race where legacy media companies are behind the wheel of a Buick Skylark, while companies like Amazon and Netflix are speeding ahead in Ferraris. It’s hardly a fair contest, and the losses for the slower contenders will continue. Merely merging companies won’t solve the issue; after all, two Buicks won’t outpace a Ferrari.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon’s strategic focus on enhancing Prime Video the last several years has transformed it into a leading streaming service, significantly broadening its business model. This shift has evolved to Prime Video offering a wide range of entertainment options and revenue streams, rather than a mere add-on to an Amazon subscription. This move has not only bolstered customer loyalty but also positioned Amazon as a formidable competitor in the streaming wars, especially as Amazon has been able to take hold of Thursday Night Football, and other major streaming moments.</p><p><br /></p><p>While many streaming services are introducing ad-supported tiers as an option, Amazon is taking a unique approach by making ads the default for Prime Video viewers, with an option to pay extra for ad-free viewing. This strategy could differentiate Amazon in the crowded streaming market by potentially increasing ad revenue while also catering to those who prefer a premium, ad-free experience (and willing to pay more).</p><p><br /></p><p>This move aligns with broader industry trends increasing monetisation and driving profitability for streaming platforms. The introduction of ads on Amazon Prime Video is expected to have upwards a 5 billion dollar impact on Amazon’s earnings over the next several months.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>India: JioCinema to stream 10th Celebrity Cricket League</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>February 2, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>JioCinema has announced a partnership with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) that will se the India streaming platform exclusively live-stream Celebrity Cricket League Season 10.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Spread over four weekends, and with 20 matches that appeal to a wide audience cohort beyond cricket fans, the tournament will stream from February 23rd, exclusively on JioCinema.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2011, Celebrity Cricket League has evolved to become one of India’s most-watched sport and entertainment event. The previous season of Celebrity Cricket League reached out to over 250 million viewers across India. Comprising eight teams representing India’s major film industries including Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, CCL Season 10 will bring together over 200 film celebrities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferzad Palia, Business Head, JioCinema, commented: “JioCinema is loved by users across the spectrum and is home to the best of sports and entertainment content. The unparallel viewership we enjoy is a testimony to that. Celebrity Cricket League brings the best of both these worlds, and we are happy to partner with them to entertain India.”</p><p>Vishnu Induri, Founder of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), added: “Celebrity Cricket League has become a cultural phenomenon, and we’re delighted to partner with JioCinema to elevate the reach of our 10th season. The combination of sports and entertainment on this scale is unparalleled, and we look forward to engaging fans across the nation.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Business class and no extra stop: Roosters’ ritzy Vegas special treatment revealed - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>In a move sure annoy rival NRL clubs, the Sydney Roosters will have a superior travel schedule to the other Las Vegas bound clubs via a luxurious flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Telegraph reported Roosters players will travel business class directly to the US, while the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Broncos have a stop-over in Fiji on route to America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters were chosen to fly on a Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, an aeroplane which offers revolutionary lower cabin altitude, less turbulence, new filtration, better humidity and less fatigue.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL had previously confirmed they would be responsible for booking squad travel arrangements to the USA, with one club flying on United Airlines in a non-stop flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The remaining clubs would be required to travel with Fiji Airlines under a new partnership between the NRL and the airline, however, that flight would involve a stop-over in Nadi, Fiji.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters have since been informed that they will be the club travelling directly from Sydney to Las Vegas without a stop-over on one of the world’s most comfortable aircraft.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787, which has multiple variants, is used for long-haul travel, with the 9 variant first brought into service on September 17, 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>The plane promises smoother travel, more personal space than other aircraft, and better air features to help passengers experience less fatigue. ‘</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787 was the cheaper-to-run, smoother alternative to a number of Airbus long-haul aircraft, and has also helped to replace the Boeing 747, which for many decades was the king of the skies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision to give the best flight itinerary to the Roosters is understood to be simply luck of the draw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All four teams competing in the Las Vegas 2024 season opener fly out approximately a week before the double-header in Sin City.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first game sees the South Sydney Rabbitohs clash with the Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday, March 3, 1:30pm AEDT), before the Roosters take on the Brisbane Broncos at 3:30pm (AEDT).</p><p><br /></p><p>Clubs will reportedly begin working with players on sleep schedules and pre-flight activities from this week in an effort to minimise the effects of travel to Las Vegas and back in the unique start to the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four clubs travelling will depart the USA the day after the games, arriving back in Australia with a week off before their Round 2 fixtures.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Sports)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk weighs in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Musk said that the illegal immigration crisis is contributing to the lack of affordable housing in the US</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration in a series of posts on social media as he criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter which he acquired and rebranded, to call out a variety of services and benefits that illegal immigrants have access to in the U.S. and argue they’re contributing to the housing affordability crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p>"A few other things you probably don’t know: illegals in America can get bank loans, mortgages, insurance, driver’s licenses, free healthcare (California & New York) and in-state college tuition," Musk wrote. "What’s the point of being a citizen if an illegal gets all the benefits, but doesn’t pay taxes or do jury duty?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you’re wondering why housing is so expensive, this is a major contributor," Musk added.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Housing prices in the U.S. hit a new record high in November amid an ongoing shortage of inventory. Mortgage rates are near the highest level in two decades due to the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, which has made sellers locked into low-rate mortgages reluctant to sell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not only are homebuyers struggling in the current housing market, but burdens on renters are rising as well. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that the number of American renters considered "cost burdened" by their monthly housing payment in 2022 hit an all-time high of 22.4 million. Renters are considered burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, and the 22.4 million total amounts to roughly half of U.S. tenants.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk, a legal immigrant to the U.S. who was born and raised in South Africa and then moved to Canada at the age of 18 before later becoming a naturalized American citizen, emphasized that he supports legal immigration pathways despite his opposition to illegal immigration.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a reminder, I am very much PRO increasing legal immigration significantly," Musk added. "I’m not anti-immigration, I’m just against a massive number of unvetted people flooding into America, which any rational person should be."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk said that President Biden and lawmakers in Congress who’ve pushed for a border security bill could make progress on resolving the southern border crisis without enacting a new law if the administration simply puts forward an executive order reforming asylum policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>"No laws need to be passed," Musk wrote. "All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing. That is how it used to be."</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Biden told reporters that he has done "all I can do" using the executive authority at his disposal to secure the border.</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk also agreed with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor David Sacks who wrote last week that the border is broken "because this administration refuses to enforce the laws we already have." Musk responded by writing, "exactly."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Business)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google parent Alphabet sees AI investment providing long-term opportunities</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Google expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, this year</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For Google and other tech titans, the rise of artificial intelligence remains a big focus for investors as the emerging technology reshapes the tech landscape, transforming the business of search, cloud and advertising, but it also comes with a cost. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell more than 7% on Wednesday, a day after the company reported quarterly results. Despite beating expectations on many key metrics, the company said capital spending will jump in 2024 as it continues to invest in AI to improve its services.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We do remain very committed to investing in the AI opportunity across Google DeepMind, Google services, Google Cloud," Ruth Porat, the tech giant’s chief financial officer, told FOX Business' Susan Li. "Capex was up in the fourth quarter to $11 billion, and that was overwhelmingly the investment in our technical infrastructure."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>There are serious questions about how AI could impact Google’s ad business. Advertising remains a powerhouse for Alphabet, accounting for more than 50% of its total revenue. YouTube’s ad revenue grew 16% year over year, but overall ad spending has seen a pullback as advertisers rein in spending.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet’s ad revenue for the fourth quarter rose to $65.5 billion from $59 billion in the same period a year ago, just shy of analysts’ estimates, also adding to the selling pressure. Shares are marginally lower this year, compared to the Nasdaq Composite's modest 1% gain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>However, Porat says evolving AI technology could contribute to success across Alphabet’s spectrum of services, including cloud computing, which earned its first-ever quarterly profit in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The results reflect spreads across industry sectors; there is an increasing contribution from AI," Porat said. "This is clearly an extraordinary time."</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can Crown Sydney’s style refresh win back the high rollers? - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gaming floors in the hope that a refurbishment will attract foreign and local punters to its VIP-only casino after poor foot traffic resulted in more than 200 job cuts and reduced operating hours just one year into operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Barangaroo tower’s boss Mark McWhinnie said he was confident the revamped Mahogany Room would attract gamblers from Australia and overseas.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stressed he believed the business model would prevail regardless of whether Chinese tourists, who formerly propped up the bottom line of all Australian casinos, returned to Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m not overly concerned [by the absence of Chinese tourists] because we’re not just hanging our hats on China. It’s quite the opposite. We’re focused on developing awareness and demand on a number of countries in South-East Asia,” McWhinnie said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inbound tourism to Australia has picked up over the last year, with the latest ABS data revealing international arrivals increased to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as of September last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>McWhinnie said Crown was “quite bullish about what the international market will represent in the future”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead revealed in August that Crown had been forced to close the Mahogany Room – which was originally designed with private salons for top high rollers – due to poor visitation. It also reduced its hours of operation and made more than 200 staff redundant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mahogany Room has since been redesigned to have a mix of tables and private booths to attract all kinds of punters to the same floor. Crown said it planned to reopen its second floor, known as the Crystal Floor, but did not commit to a timeline. As a VIP-only facility, Crown Sydney has no poker machines. A minimum bet of $20 applies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity giant Blackstone purchased Crown Sydney and the broader Crown Resorts business for $8.9 billion in June 2022 after the casino group was disgraced by extensive breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The breaches culminated in the loss of its casino licences in the three states in which it operates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney opened one month after Blackstone formally took the reins of the business and overhauled its original strategy, which was based around attracting junket-driven, overseas high rollers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company has spent $71 million in anti-money laundering and counterterrorism compliance measures since 2021, discontinued all junket tour operations and is transitioning to cashless gaming.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney is currently operating under a conditional licence. The NSW Independent Casino Commission will decide later this year whether its investment and strategy change has been enough to reinstate its full licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Regardless of whether Crown regains it, investors and industry analysts have long questioned whether the state is big enough for two casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Blackstone investors told this masthead in December they were concerned that the Crown takeover was a bad call. Rumours have also intensified about whether a long-touted merger between Crown and Star Entertainment is finally on the cards, as casinos face challenges from the high cost of living, increased taxes and regulatory hurdles.</p><p><br /></p><p>But McWhinnie dismissed the idea that the business model of the $2.2 billion Barangaroo precinct wasn’t sustainable, or too reliant on casino visitation.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you look at the fabric of what we offer we’re not just about a casino experience. We’re a well-rounded entertainment space,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Travis Kelce Taylor Swift Proposal Super Bowl Prop Bet - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BetOnline is honoring Taylor Swift's iconic 1989 album by offering 89 Taylor Swift Super Bowl props.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swift of course is madly in love with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and vice versa. She'll be flying into this year's Super Bowl to watch him play fresh off a tour in Japan.</p><p><br /></p><p>So does he pop the question?</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not if, but where he proposes, as far as BetOnline is concerned.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vacation is the favorite and only non-game location offered.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Taylor Swift Effect is real as we felt it throughout the NFL season, and now at an exponential level leading up to Super Bowl LVIII," BetOnline Sportsbook Manager Adam Burns said. "It truly feels like the Swift storylines have become bigger than the game itself, which is just crazy considering this is the most watched event in the world every year. But if anyone can set a new bar, it's Swift, and we wanted to do the same with our props menu."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Gambling911)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>NASCAR has strong start on Netflix - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR’s new Netflix documentary has already started making the Top 10 shows list in nearly 20 countries since launching earlier this week, according to streaming tracking site FlixPatrol. The five-part documentary around the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs debuted Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Blame the Internet for Sports Illustrated’s Fall, Not Private Equity</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated reportedly gut much of its staff after parent co. –Arena Group Holdings– had the publishing license to the label revoked. Brand licensor Authentic Brand Group pulled the company’s print and digital rights after Arena withheld a $3.75 million quarterly payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longtime fans and former employees of the once powerful publication have been quick to lament private equity’s role in SI’s fall from grace. But the blame is misguided. It belongs with the internet. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This isn’t about [ABG or] Arena Group. It’s about the depreciation of the value of the written word,” one well-placed media executive said. Long-form content no longer pays the bills, and “journalists simply can’t grapple with the reality their ASME winning stories aren’t helping their employers keep the lights on in a post TikTok digital world…Even in ’24, they choose to ignore how this business works.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The relationship between ABG and Arena Group seemed to be working fine on both sides until Manoj Bhargava's Simplify Inventions took majority control of Arena Group in August ’23. The 5-Hour Energy founder subsequently let go of senior personnel, established himself as interim CEO (a position he has since resigned), and Arena defaulted on the loan payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>That decision drove ABG to place Arena into breach of contract, and to terminate its publishing licensing agreement. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bhargava subsequently sent a letter to the SI Union informing its members of their tenuous future. The move sparked outrage amongst the journalism community, led to a public funeral for the brand on social channels, and spawned the narrative that PE killed Sports Illustrated.</p><p><br /></p><p>But SI isn’t dead. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is currently operating, and even if Arena is unable to reobtain the license, the publisher is obligated to continue running it for some time. ABG would almost certainly have another publisher in place before the grace period expires. </p><p><br /></p><p>SI has gone through ownership changes before. The label was sold from Time to Meredith in 2018 and then from Meredith to Authentic Brands Group a year later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But unlike Time and Meredith, ABG is a brand management company. Its expertise is in licensing and merchandising, not publishing. So, the holding co. licensed SI’s print and online publishing rights to Maven (now Arena Group).</p><p><br /></p><p>The SI brand was two decades past its prime when ABG took it over. Any suggestion it or Maven/Arena is solely to blame for tarnishing its once pristine reputation is misleading. </p><p><br /></p><p>There’s an argument to be made ABG could have elected a better steward for the media property. Maven/Arena has made some highly controversial decisions (see: use of independent contracts, accusations of AI generated articles). </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s difficult to fault the publisher for emphasizing clicks and traffic over investigative and long-form journalism. It’s happening across the digital landscape. Legacy brands are doing what is needed to survive and appeal to today’s consumer.</p><p><br /></p><p>SI also still employs some of the industry’s best writers (see: Pat Forde, Jon Wertheim). So, while the overall product is not as good as it once was, the business is profitable and remains viable within the marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brand Group (think: Reebok, Brooks Brothers) controls SI’s licensing rights. </p><p><br /></p><p>It purchased the company from Meredith for $110 million in May ’19 and had a 10-year $15 million/year publishing agreement in place with Maven before the end of the June. So, its starting point on Sports Illustrated is profitable.</p><p><br /></p><p>And because Arena employs all the content creators, its overhead is lower and margins are much higher than they would be for a traditional publishing co.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has since introduced an SI branded sportsbook, ticketing platform, premium hospitality concept, and it is reportedly working on several hotel projects (including: Ann Arbor, Michigan). </p><p><br /></p><p>Those efforts do not even have to pan out for them to be worth ABG’s involvement. Licensing companies typically structure deals to include minimum guarantees (there may be success-based kickers to create upside opportunity).</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG is building a high-end ticketed events business with the SI brand too. </p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re literally doing what Meredith, Conde Nast, Hearst, and most digital publishers have been trying to do for 20 years and haven’t been able to figure out,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has seemingly cracked the code on how to extract maximum value from a brand in a business that is in secular decline–minimizing the content side of the house from business decisions. Arena is solely responsible for writing, editing, publishing, and distribution.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t get a seat at the table for licensing deals, events, [partnerships], or any of the other things they get to weigh in on at other places that they have no expertise to weigh in on,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG handles all the omni-channel opportunities demanded by today’s consumer as the licensor. </p><p><br /></p><p>The only issue with ABG’s model is that it is reliant on a publisher, which it does not employ, to uphold the brand’s editorial product and to manage the team who produces the content and sells the ads. And contract stipulations can only ensure so much. </p><p><br /></p><p>Licensors will often factor the loss of control into their models, but asset quality still needs to remain at sufficient levels for the brand to expand into ancillary categories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Up until this point, Arena had upheld its end of the bargain. Its recent decision to skip a payment, and the subsequent fallout, may have changed the calculus for ABG. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s hard to understand what Arena’s end game was/is. But it’s nearly impossible to believe a billionaire bought a majority stake in the company only to unload its biggest asset within a matter of weeks. One must assume Bhargava has a plan for SI moving forward. </p><p><br /></p><p>Whether ABG can or wants to trust him to operate the publication is another discussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>“If you’re degrading the value of the brand, you’re degrading the partnership or its potential impact [for the licensor],” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG does not need the next publisher to re-establish SI as the ‘Porsche’ of sports media to build a lucrative licensing business. But it can’t get to ‘Honda’ levels, either. The next SI publisher simply needs to come in and churn out quality content. </p><p><br /></p><p>Junior Bridgeman, Vox, and Penske Media are among those who have reportedly expressed interest in taking SI over should ABG choose to go in another direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>(JohnWallStreet)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>What will be on the Sphere in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LVIII?</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Many people are curious about what will be projected on the massive Sphere in Las Vegas during the upcoming Super Bowl. On Sunday, we received a sneak peek of what to expect from the newest addition to the city’s skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p>The collaboration with the NFL is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Feb. 5. On Sunday, Sphere Entertainment Co. previewed what will be displayed on the Sphere’s exterior, celebrated as the largest LED screen in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on the landmark display. Content on the Sphere will respond in real-time to the action on the field between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, officials say the Sphere will be the focus of two curated moments during the game broadcast on CBS.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no immediate word on whether or not the adorable Sphere emoji will make an appearance during the big game, but the little guy is usually up to something, so that’s worth keeping an eye on as the game approaches.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the Sphere will project NFL-related content, including a countdown clock and a graphic highlighting Sunday’s matchup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, all 57 Super Bowl rings will be displayed on the Sphere in the lead up to the NFL championship game, providing football fans in the “entertainment capital of the world” a unique photo opportunity to represent their favorite team.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week,” a news release from Sphere Entertainment Co. stated. “This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sphere’s exterior is the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SPHERE AND NFL COLLABORATE ON CUSTOM SUPER BOWL CONTENT FOR THE EXOSPHERE CREATED EXCLUSIVELY BY SPHERE STUDIOS</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Exosphere Content To Be Broadcast During The Game on CBS And Run Throughout Super Bowl Week</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Both Interior and Exterior of Sphere to be Showcased </b></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS , Feb. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) and the NFL today announced a collaboration that will see custom Super Bowl LVIII content, created exclusively by Sphere Studios, displayed on Sphere's fully programmable LED exterior – the Exosphere – throughout Super Bowl Week. As part of this, Sphere will also be featured in CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and Paramount+.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We welcome Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas, which continues to reinforce its place as a destination for the biggest events in sports and entertainment," said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for MSG Entertainment, who oversees marquee events for Sphere. "As a new Las Vegas landmark, Sphere is recognized worldwide for its dynamic visuals, and we're proud to collaborate with the NFL on content that will captivate audiences both in Las Vegas and watching on CBS."</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl and Sphere are two globally recognized brands, and together will showcase the power of this unparalleled digital canvas to bring fans together around Super Bowl LVIII," said Guy Barnett, Senior Vice President Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment. "The custom Super Bowl-themed content our Sphere Studios team created for the Exosphere will surprise and delight fans, adding a one-of-a-kind element to the first ever Las Vegas Super Bowl, and to the game broadcast."</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the short amount of time since its opening, Sphere has established itself as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Las Vegas and we're thrilled about this collaboration in the lead up to Super Bowl LVIII," said Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President, Club Business, League Events & International at the NFL. "There won't be a better place for the League and our family of official NFL partners to display their creative and message the thousands of fans descending upon Las Vegas for the biggest annual sports event in the world."</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas officially kicks off tomorrow, as does a slate of custom Exosphere content that will run throughout the week. Working in collaboration with the NFL, Sphere will display content including: a countdown clock leading up to kick-off on Sunday; a welcome visual that will serve as a beacon for the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Las Vegas; and key graphics highlighting the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. In celebration of Super Bowl history, Sphere will showcase all 57 Super Bowl rings, giving fans on the ground in Las Vegas an opportunity to pose in front of their team's ring. Throughout the game, content on the Exosphere will run live, in real time in response to action on the field.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, the CBS Sports' broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII will showcase Sphere. Both the Exosphere and the interior of Sphere will be featured as part of two curated moments in custom, one-of-a-kind videos filmed at the venue that showcase the immersive capabilities of Sphere's 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane.</p><p><br /></p><p>In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week. This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to custom NFL and Super Bowl content, some of the world's largest brands will have advertisements displayed on the Exosphere throughout Super Bowl Week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>About Sphere:</b></p><p>Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About Sphere Entertainment Co.</b></p><p>Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas opened in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The King of Vegas: Legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro has a story for you - Feb 5, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS — When you spend nearly five decades working in Las Vegas, you have stories to tell. Jimmy Vaccaro would run out of time before he'd run out of stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro is one of the legends in Las Vegas sports betting history, one of the first to manage a sports book and a fixture in the city who has been setting odds since the 1970s. When the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame was formed in 2023, Vaccaro was part of the 10-person inaugural class. He's one of the legendary oddsmakers in Las Vegas history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s one of the most famous now," said South Point sports book director Chris Andrews, a decades-long friend of Vaccaro. "How do you rate them? It's like, who’s the best guitar player in the world? Everyone has their opinion on it. He’s certainly in the conversation."</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro isn't unfamiliar with fame and attention. His brother, Sonny, was played by Matt Damon in the movie "Air," the story of Sonny Vaccaro convincing Nike to sign Michael Jordan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro has stories to tell, and he'll often interrupt himself to start one.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was on 'The Simpsons,'" Vaccaro said. "You didn’t know that?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Simpsons"? Like Homer, Marge and Bart, those Simpsons?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Want to punch it up? You can punch it up," Vaccaro said, turning to a computer near him, almost egging you to search for him on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro said Alan Feldman, then the marketing director for The Mirage casino in Las Vegas, came to him with the opportunity to be on the popular show in 1995.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn’t know what 'The Simpsons' were," Vaccaro said. "Now, my two kids did because that was in their zone. I said, 'Yeah, whatever.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>He explained how he had to find a different color shirt (other than white) because of how it would look on camera, how he gave the fake betting odds on who shot Mr. Burns and even how royalties work after you've been on a TV show. He laughed at how classmates heard that his kids' dad had been on "The Simpsons," and that became a thing at school.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, I was on 'The Simpsons,'" he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what a visit with Vaccaro is like. This one took place in mid December, about six weeks before Vaccaro's beloved Las Vegas played host to the Super Bowl this week. Most days, he is hanging around the South Point sports book, about a 15-minute drive from the south end of The Strip, advising the oddsmaking team there, wearing his comfortable sweatshirt and always willing to share a story.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you're one of the most famous figures in Las Vegas gaming history, you have plenty of stories to tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>The glory days of Vegas' big boxing matches</p><p>Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Las Vegas. It's not the first time the city has hosted a big sporting event.</p><p><br /></p><p>The big boxing matches are what Vaccaro remembers most fondly from his career. Muhammad Ali's last big fight, against Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in 1980, stands out. And here comes another Vaccaro story, this one about the time he had a customer from Detroit, with a woman on each arm, come in wanting to bet on Tommy Hearns in a big fight. Vaccaro asked him how much he wanted on Hearns.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He says, ‘I don’t know. What do you think, girls?’ They’re giggling," Vaccaro said. "He says, ‘How about $40,000?’</p><p><br /></p><p>"You can only imagine how long it would take to count out $20 bills for $40,000. I’ll never forget it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in the glory days of big boxing matches in Las Vegas, there weren't nearly as many sports books in the city as there are now. There were only a handful, which is part of what makes Vaccaro such a big figure in sports betting history. He ran multiple sports books through the years, starting at Barbary Coast and eventually moving to The Mirage, MGM Grand and Golden Nugget. When the fights came to town, people wanted to bet, and Vaccaro's sports book was one of their only options.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The boxing was incredible," Vaccaro said. "We went through about 15 years where every four or five months was a monster fight. Forget this UFC garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting nearby in a side office as he listens to Vaccaro tell his old stories, Andrews chimed in: “We had like three or four extra Super Bowls a year with these fights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>"The fights were incredible," Vaccaro continued. "And I loved them. Never stopped loving 'em."</p><p><br /></p><p>A memorable fight led to Vaccaro's most famous moment. Want to hear a story?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>42-to-1</p><p>Vaccaro loved putting up odds on boxing matches, even a 1990 mismatch between the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson and a no-name such as Buster Douglas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was putting up odds on all those fights because I enjoyed it," Vaccaro said. "So now here it is, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Nobody would book the fight because the odds were too high. So I said, ‘I’ve got to do this because I’ll be the only one.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>In a previous Tyson fight, Vaccaro opened Michael Spinks as an 8-to-1 underdog, and so many people bet Tyson that the odds moved to 15-to-1. Tyson won in 91 seconds.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the Douglas fight? Vaccaro's sports book at The Mirage was the only one to set a line. He set it at 27-to-1.</p><p><br /></p><p>"That was the opening line," Vaccaro said. "A guy I know pretty well, he was a bettor every day, he laid the 27. He laid $54,000 to win $2,000. Because he thought it was just a pickup. You know, 10 minutes later, I’m going to get my money.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I changed it to 31-to-1. Another one of my big boxing bettors from L.A. came to town. 'Jimmy, I heard you had this fight.’ It’s 31-to-1. He bet $93,000 to win $3,000 at 31-to-1 or whatever it was. Then people started to hear about it. It just didn’t stop. I got to 42-to-1."</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, ESPN made a documentary on the Tyson-Douglas fight as part of its "30 for 30" series. The title was "42 to 1."</p><p><br /></p><p>"You’ll like this," Vaccaro said. "The number is 42-to-1. This is the day of the fight. Guy came in, he was a customer at The Mirage. He laid $420,000 at 42-to-1 to win $10,000. I’ll never forget.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Somebody was standing there, I think it was a newspaper guy. I said, ‘He thought he was going to pick up $10,000 in about five minutes, when they rang the bell.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, Tyson lost in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Vaccaro said he didn't believe the ticker when it said Tyson lost the fight, which was in Tokyo. He didn't pay out the bets on Douglas until news stations such as ESPN started reporting it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then Vaccaro went home, and at about 5 a.m., he started getting calls from The Mirage saying they were receiving multiple interview requests. The Mirage, thanks to Vaccaro, was the only sports book that had a line on Tyson vs. Douglas. He came back in to do all the interviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So you can only imagine the vibration through the whole freaking world," Vaccaro said. "Now remember, if Tyson would have won, there would have been nobody calling us."</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, 42-to-1 became part of the lore of one of the most famous fights in boxing history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'll live with that one for a long time," Vaccaro said. "It’s a good feeling. Nobody else did it."</p><p><br /></p><p>How Vaccaro built his name in Vegas</p><p>Got time for another story? Sure you do.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was the first one to make overs and unders on season win totals," Vaccaro said as soon as he finished the Tyson-Douglas story.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1989, he had customers in from Texas who wanted to know how many wins Vaccaro thought the Dallas Cowboys would get with new head coach Jimmy Johnson. He thought about it a while, and he set a line: 5.5 wins. One of the bettors wanted the over. His wife had a purse on her shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>"She turned her purse over, and all these wrapped $10,000 of bills are in there," Vaccaro said. "He bet $38,500 to win $35,000 on the over."</p><p><br /></p><p>The Cowboys went 1-15, but that started the trend of sports books posting season win totals for teams. Today, it's one of the most popular markets in sports betting.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The stories don't stop. One time, when Vaccaro was running the sports book at The Mirage, the book had a terrible day and lost $1.4 million. Vaccaro got a call from casino/resort owner Steve Wynn.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I walk in there, and he says, ‘What the hell did you do?’ I said, 'We have good days, too, Steve,'" Vaccaro said, perhaps unaware that not many people have to answer to their boss after losing more than a million dollars. "He said, ‘Go back, and do what you’re doing, and keep doing it.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>The stories go all the way back to his origins in Las Vegas. He first drove to Vegas from Trafford, Pennsylvania, when he was 18. After he turned 21, he'd go to Vegas "every time I had a little bit of money" and go home when he was broke. After a few years, a friend remarked that he should just stay in Vegas. And in 1975, he did. He went to see casino owner Michael Gaughan and asked for a job. Gaughan said he could become a blackjack dealer; it just took $250 to go to a dealer school that Gaughan owned.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had, like, $40, I think," Vaccaro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gaughan let Vaccaro pay him back when he had the money.</p><p><br /></p><p>You won't be surprised to hear that Vaccaro also has a story about how he got into the sports betting business in which he became a legend. One day, Gaughan called him up to his office.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If I live to be 10 million years old, this is what he said, because it changed my life," Vaccaro said. "He said, ‘Do you know how to run a sports book?’ I said, ‘No!’ I was just a kid like him, betting, but never running a sports book.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He said, ‘Good, neither do I.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro was put in charge of a little sports book at the Royal Inn, which was imploded in 2015. There were only a few other sports books in Las Vegas at the time. That grew until practically every casino had one. Then a Supreme Court decision in 2018 allowed states to legalize sports gambling. Legal sports betting exploded afterward. Sports betting going mainstream is likely part of the reason the Super Bowl is in Las Vegas. That explosion traces back, at least in part, to Vaccaro setting lines for Ali-Holmes, taking $40,000 bets on Tommy Hearns, making the first win total odds for the 1989 Cowboys and giving sports betting invaluable exposure with the Tyson-Douglas line.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many more stories from his lifetime of oddsmaking, such as the time legendary poker player Stu Ungar was being treated in his office after having a heart attack but still wanted to bet ("‘Where’s Jimmy? I want the Cowboys for $30,000!’" Vaccaro said. "Everybody was staring. I said, ‘You’re going to f***ing die!’ He said, ‘Jimmy, give me the bet!’") or the time his was the first sports book to take a big bet from from Mattress Mack, the owner of the Gallery Furniture chain in Houston who has become famous in the betting world for massive wagers, which are sometimes eight figures and usually on Houston teams ("He’s a gentleman," Vaccaro said. "We have nothing but good things to say about each other.").</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, Vaccaro played his part in bringing sports betting to the mainstream.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was probably the only one who said, ‘We ain’t seen nothing yet,’ way back when it started," he said. "We’re not geniuses. We just left the door open for a little bit."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Elon Musk's X to hire 100 content moderators in Austin this year - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform announced a new content moderation push</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk’s X is in the process of hiring 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas, that will focus on fighting child abuse online on the social media platform, an executive said on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>X, formerly known as Twitter, announced a new "Trust and Safety center of excellence" in a blog post by CEO Linda Yaccarino on Friday. The new initiative comes as part of the company’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation (CSE) on the social media platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>"While X is not the platform of choice for children and minors – users between 13-17 account for less than 1% of our daily U.S. users – we have made it more difficult for bad actors to share or engage with CSE material on X, while simultaneously making it simpler for our users to report CSE content," Yaccarino wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>She added that the platform is "improving our detection mechanisms to find more reportable content on the platform to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The post noted that X suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating the platform’s CSE policies in 2023 – a dramatic uptick from 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company also referred 850,000 reports to NCMEC in 2023, including through X’s first ever fully-automated report. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company said that was over eight times more than what Twitter referred to NCMEC in 2022 before it was acquired by the Elon Musk-led ownership group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, he has faced criticism for the content moderation policy changes to the social media site, which caused some advertisers to reconsider their spending on the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is in the process of hiring content moderation staff for the new Trust and Safety center of excellence in Austin, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The team is currently being built," said Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, about the Austin office. He added that the goal to fill the positions by the end of the year is dependent on finding the right talent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that the new Austin facility will also help X fight other types of harmful social media content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sports News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Rudd, Hockey on hand to turn NRL’s Las Vegas play into reality - January 25, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener is expected to go ahead as planned, with executives at the sport’s governing body planning to lean on the expertise of three former politicians to expedite a visa process for players.</p><p><br /></p><p>The four NRL clubs that will travel to the United States to compete in the Las Vegas double-header on March 2 have been at loggerheads with the Australian Rugby League Commission over delays to crucial matters such as accommodation, visas and funds for offshore training camps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But an urgent meeting on Thursday between the clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys ended with an agreement to hand the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles and the Brisbane Broncos $700,000 each in funding for pre-season training camps and unlimited insurance for serious injuries. They have also been given assurances that all visas and accommodation issues will be resolved.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got the comfort and satisfaction that we needed to make sure that it’s going to be a success. From now on, it’s full steam ahead,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “What Peter and Andrew said today is they’re very confident that all players will get access to the US, which is really important to the game. We want to see the best players on the field.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas play is the brainchild of Mr V’landys and is based on concerns the game can’t sustain revenue growth by relying on local broadcast revenue, advertising sponsorship and wagering turnover.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the process has been arduous and expensive. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the four clubs had written to Mr V’landys expressing concerns about a lack of information regarding visas, medical insurance, Las Vegas training venues and fast rising costs.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There was a degree of frustration about some of the things and issues we were raising and couldn’t get a resolution,” Mr Solly said on Thursday. “Peter understood our concerns, and he understood some of the challenges Andrew has faced, and he was able to bulldoze through them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL initially told the clubs players could travel to the US with visa waiver available for Australian travellers. Clubs were concerned about players being stopped by US customs, particularly those who had been arrested in Australia such as Payne Haas, Latrell Mitchell and Reece Walsh.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr V’landys will rely on Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, a friend and former Howard government minister, to expedite the visa process. Mr McGauran is a former consul-general and senior trade investment commissioner to Texas and currently works for Bondi Partners, the advisory and investment firm run by former treasurer Joe Hockey.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL also plans to lean on Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador in Washington DC, and Mr Hockey to expedite the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Solly said the clubs had received assurances that players would be able to get visas approved. Players who have not been arrested previously will enter the US on a waiver, while the others will apply for a visitor visa.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re working with the consulate and government to make sure that process is expedited as quickly as can be,” he said. “Based on what we agreed today, we should be fine to sign the [final] agreement and get on with it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>To make sure players are prepared to play in US conditions, the four clubs will base themselves in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas for more than a week before kick-off. The NRL agreed on Thursday to provide $175,000 per club towards the cost of that week.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is an investment right now for the future,” Mr Abdo said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Having said that, we’re not approaching this expecting massive losses. We’ve already started building revenue streams, we’ve got investment from sponsors, we’ve sold a number of tickets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can the tech giants live up to all the AI hype? - January 29, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Investors will be closely watching to see if Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta can report a rise in earnings that would justify the surge in their share prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mania surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the US sharemarket to record levels, but this week’s earnings reports from the five US tech giants will test whether the hype has been overdone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be questioning whether the tech giants – Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta – can report a rise in earnings that would justify the huge surge in their share prices. (So far this year, the US blue chip S&P 500 has risen 2.5 per cent, and the tech sector is up by close to 6 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The question about monetising generative AI is a difficult one for the big tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>This month, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Sam Altman, the high-profile head of OpenAI, took to the stage together at Davos to discuss their partnership, and the potential of generative AI, which enables computers to generate sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level comparable to humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nadella was upbeat, saying the world was nearing a “magical moment” similar to the introduction of the personal computer.</p><p><br /></p><p>But then the moderator posed an awkward question about their AI efforts: “Do you guys make money?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Although both Nadella and Altman avoided giving a direct answer, the question is very pertinent – especially now that Microsoft boasts a market capitalisation of about $US3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) and is vying with Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since ChatGPT was released at the end of November 2022, Microsoft’s share price has soared 66 per cent, or roughly three times the rise in the overall market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Underpinning this share price surge, however, are investor expectations that generative AI will result in a huge increase in revenue and profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has allowed it to leapfrog Google, which has been working on AI for years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Microsoft first invested $US1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019, and then committed a further $US10 billion a year ago. When the OpenAI board ousted Altman last year, it was Nadella’s support that led to his reinstatement.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Microsoft is still in the early stages of embedding OpenAI’s technology into its offerings, such as its coding platform GitHub, its Azure cloud business and its software business, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.</p><p><br /></p><p>And there are also questions about the speed with which its customers will embrace AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Risk of disillusionment</p><p><br /></p><p>This means there’s a risk that investors will become disillusioned if the AI hype fails to quickly translate into stronger revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly, Altman seems to have recognised this risk. On stage at Davos, he played down hopes that AI technology would radically change the world in the short term. Instead, he said it would inexorably improve over a longer period and eventually have a significant impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The world had a two-week freakout with GPT4”, Altman said, referring to the launch last March of OpenAI’s latest version of its chatbot. “And now, people are like, ‘Why is it so slow?’”</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the US market’s rally has been driven by a handful of big tech stocks, the risk is that investors show a similar impatience. That’s why this week’s earnings updates from the five US tech giants are so important.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be keen to hear from Microsoft on its progress in embedding the latest AI models in its offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p>And while they’ll be keen to hear from Google parent Alphabet on the outlook for online advertising revenues, they’ll also be waiting for an update on the company’s progress in developing its own AI models, which it plans to commercialise through its Google Cloud business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely to see how Amazon performed during the holiday retail season, and whether it has been able to improve margins in its e-commerce business. But they’ll also be looking for signs that its cloud business is continuing to benefit from the growth in AI workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple’s results will be scrutinised for signs that its Chinese sales of the iPhone have suffered because of stronger competition from rivals such as Huawei. But investors will also be keen to hear from Apple boss Tim Cook on its plans to incorporate generative AI on its devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, investors will be paying close attention to Meta’s results, both to get a read on the health of the online advertising market and for an update on the company’s aggressive AI plans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has signalled that the company is now focused on building an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system, which can carry out tasks at a level of intelligence that equals or exceeds that of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain - January 29, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources close to the discussions, who asked for anonymity to speak openly about the matter, confirmed Jefferies’ Michael Stock canvassed both KKR and TPG around the middle of last year and discussed whether they were interested in looking at a deal relating to Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no deal eventuated, the discussions demonstrate that Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – has been considering how to make one of its major growth investments work harder. Among options for Nine could be taking Domain private with a third party, or selling all or part of its position in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>KKR and TPG declined to comment, as did Jefferies, Domain and Nine.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are two key challenges going forward for Nine, which owns the Nine Network, free streaming platform 9Now, paid streaming service Stan, radio stations like 2GB and 3AW, and some of the country’s largest publishing assets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the television advertising market is largely flat. Advertisers are pulling back in a cost-of-living crunch, and there is more competition with streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video will start running ads in Australia in the middle of this year. Television advertising made up 53 per cent of earnings in the last financial year. Domain added 11 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second challenge is with Domain. The real estate platform is a key area for future growth for Nine, but it has not performed on par with $24 billion giant REA Group, which is 61 per cent owned by News Corporation.</p><p><br /></p><p>REA’s share price is up 142 per cent over the five years from January 2019 – Domain is up 39 per cent over the same time. Assuming dividends are reinvested, total shareholder return over those five years for Domain has been 53 per cent; for REA, it has been 163 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain’s most recent trading update in November was weaker than analysts expected. UBS’ Lucy Huang told her clients that there was a “significant underperformance in [property] volumes” at Domain, despite REA reporting 4 per cent growth nationally. That could be due to strong growth in Western Australia and Queensland, she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to Domain’s historic strong presence in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, it is more competitive in those cities. There is also some competition from former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano’s View Media, which took $50 million in investment from ANZ early last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and chief product officer Rebecca Haagsma both sit on Domain’s board, which is chaired by former Fairfax Media chairman Nick Falloon. Mr Falloon stepped down from Nine’s board, where he was deputy chairman under Peter Costello, in November 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>While trailing REA, several brokers expect a solid first half result for Domain this year, with greater activity in NSW and Victoria. Macquarie’s Darren Leung told his clients earlier this month that the focus would be on “the difference in listings growth between Domain and REA, in our view”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The spread between REA and Domain valuations is at record highs and Domain’s multiple is implying dwelling price declines – against our view of likely increases,” he said, upgrading his recommendation on the stock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity has long seen value in property and classifieds businesses, including in Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2017, TPG spent a month looking at Fairfax Media’s books after mounting a $2.8 billion takeover offer for the company. It would have owned The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review, but it was a deal primarily aimed at securing control of Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>TPG withdrew from the auction. Fairfax instead demerged and listed Domain after that, in late 2017, and merged with Nine the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>###</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.</p><p><br /></p><p> “The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE/Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Blogs Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet, Algorithm, AI and Agency </p><p>Blogs, Broadcasting, Buzz, Box Office, Business News and Bets</p><p>Creativity, Combat Sports, Crypto, Cafes, Casino News and Comms</p><p>Digital, Development and Dreams</p><p>Experience, Expertise, Evergreen, Energy, Expansion and Eco</p><p>Foundation, Formula and Frequency </p><p>Gaming, Gonzo Journalism Guide and Ghost Protocol </p><p>Highlights, Humanity and Health </p><p>Imagination, Intuition, Index Infographics, Interviews, Innovation, International and India</p><p>Japanese Pro Wrestling </p><p>King</p><p>Light, Lifestyle, Lists, LinkedIn and Legends </p><p>Monitization, Matrix, MBS and MMA</p><p>Numerology, Niche News and Network </p><p>Organic Results, Opportunity, Online Publishing and Ocean</p><p>Performance, Philosophy, Pro Wrestling, Portals, Platforms, PR, Publicity, Promotions and PPV</p><p>Quick and Quotes</p><p>Retro, Reviews and Risque </p><p>SEO, Systems, Social Media, Suplex and Streaming Industry</p><p>Trends, Text, Testimonials,Top 10 and Television </p><p>Universe and UFC</p><p>Vortex, Videos, Veteran, VIP and Vision </p><p>Wrestling, World and Web 3</p><p>X Corp and X Factor</p><p>Yachting</p><p>Zen and Zoo</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Twitter Strikes Deal With BetMGM to Feature Odds, Allow Bets to Be Taken From Platform - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kylie Robison of Fortune broke the news late Friday that X (formerly known as Twitter) has entered into a deal with BetMGM to integrate sports betting statistics into the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the specific financial terms of the collaboration could not be learned, the intention is to introduce a feature for X soon that will showcase betting odds and provide a direct link to BetMGM, allowing users to place bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>X reportedly lost a significant number of high paying advertisers including Disney, NBC parent company Comcast as well as Fox Sports after Media Matters for America discovered ads displaying along side racist posts. </p><p><br /></p><p>X owner Elon Musk responded by calling Media Matters of America "pure evil".</p><p><br /></p><p>Best selling author and CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin, Michael Shellenberger, questioned the Media Matters of America findings at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The media say X is placing Apple, IBM, and other ads near pro-Nazi content, but it's not. We tried various ways to replicate Media Matters' research and couldn't. The real goal of Media Matters isn't to fight antisemitism. It's to destroy X as a free speech platform."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite premature reports of Twitter's demise, Gambling911.com now touts the platform as its second biggest referral source after Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM had a market share of 17 percent in U.S. online sports betting in December and has the third largest market share in the US sports betting industry behind DraftKings and FanDuel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM site is a partnership between MGM and Ladbrokes parent company Entain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth Reveals How He Got In Contact With New Japan Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fresh off his NJPW and TNA debut, Nic Nemeth (former WWE star Dolph Ziggler) appeared on Talk Is Jericho to talk about WWE and what is next for him in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth on how he got into New Japan:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not close friends with a lot of people, but a long time ago when Shinsuke came up from NXT, at the time it was when I was doing the thing where everybody who shows up wrestles me and I was doing the thing, it was like nine years in a row, whatever, but I'm doing that thing and I didn't really know him. I don't watch Japanese wrestling. I don't watch our wrestling. I famously don't watch wrestling and I hate everything, but I love my job doing what I do."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So right after WrestleMania, Shinsuke comes up, does whatever he does, and we're overseas doing that two weeks we used to do before COVID times. We bounced around in buses and things and him and I had to stay to do the dark match after TV and everyone else went on. So him and I are just in this car sitting next to each other. We put a couple of matches together, but I'm not really outspoken. We're just sitting there looking at our phones. I had requested a big bottle of Jack Fire whiskey and we had that for the ride and it's like, 'Hey, you want a sip' He's like, 'Yea' and then we start talking. Then we had a couple of whiskies and we were buddies. It was so great because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and he's like an ass kicker and like it's so great. He's so nice. We had a good bond and I really liked wrestling him."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It reminds me of his first pay-per-view match with us. I even offered, I go, 'He's a strong style guy', like, I don't know what the hell is going on. I go, 'Should we have him like MMA style me up and we start having a wrestling match and he cracks me and hits me with a knee and I'm out cold and throw it out or something?' They go 'No, we don't want that.' Vince wanted a very WWE style match.' All right, great. So we did that."</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long time ago I was like every time a contract comes up I'm like, alright, I'm gonna get out of here. I have nothing left to do. I was kind of just sitting on the bench. I go, 'I'm gonna get out' and he goes, 'If you ever get out of here, I got some connections and I would like to help you out.' I'm like, 'Well, that's so cool. I don't know anybody or anything.' So years and years go by and I sent an email to the boss, Vince. At the time we were not sure actually what's going on, but I sent Vince an incredibly long email, 90% thankful, 'Oh my God. You guys are so great. You've taught me to do all this stuff.' 10%, 'This is messed up. I gotta get the hell out of here. There is no purpose for me to be getting paid millions of dollars to sit on the bench or be in a three minute match like a local.' I go, 'Pay locals to do this. There's no reason for me to be here.' I didn't hear anything back for two weeks and then I found out that I was released. I’m sorry. I sent that (letter) to a few different people. I don’t want to name names. but I sent it to very important people. Vince was the only one who wrote back instantly, and was like, 'This is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it further.' I said, 'Sir, if you want me to fly to Stanford tomorrow, I will be on a flight' and he said, 'Thanks. We'll think about it', and then two weeks later, I was released or whatever. So a couple weeks later."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So the first thing I want to do is like man, I've never done independents. I haven't gone out of the country, except for with WWE all those times, all these places. I go, well, I'm still friends with Shin. 'Hey Shin. Do you think I'm so good at wrestling?' and he laughed. I was like, 'What do you think about Japan?' and he's like, 'I got you.' Then put a couple pieces together and get to Rocky Romero, who is the go between, and luckily for me, they were happy and excited to have me. That was one of the first things I did when I got released. The first week this goes back and forth. It's set up and I'm not saying a word and no one's going to know and everyone thinks I'm retired or doing comedy, but sure as hell not going to Japan. Nobody sees this coming and I go, 'This is so great.' So we kept it very secretive, got everything done back and forth, and then even snuck in there and snuck out and nobody knew and everyone was kind of blown away.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Talk Is Jericho/Web Is Jericho)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Hard To Kill Drew Solid PPV Buys for a Loaded Show With Several Surprises - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The numbers are in</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling officially returned earlier this month as the promotion rebranded at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event that was a hit through the way of PPV buys from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show</p><p><br /></p><p>The show featured several debuts, including former WWE stars Dana Brooke, Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), and Xia Brookside.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Selley lost the World Heavyweight Title against Moose in the main event of the show. Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Jordynne Grace on the show as she is expected to return to WWE soon and has since finished up with the promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV buys</p><p><br /></p><p>While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted the show likely did its biggest PPV buys since AEW's Kenny Omega beat Rich Swann to win the Impact World Title at the 2021 Rebellion. The final numbers are expected to be out in two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>“The TNA Hard To Kill show did great. Right now, this is basically a week and a half out, so this number will grow. But it was at 8,000 on television, which is a really good number for TNA. I'm sure it's the biggest number that they've done since the Rich Swan-Kenny Omega match. And it actually has a fairly decent shot, I don't know about beating that one. But being in the same realm as that one. And it's possible that it could be the biggest since the Spike days, certainly already the third biggest since Spike days. The fact that they did this on a night that was against the NFL playoffs against [NJPW] Battle in the Valley, although they were not head to head completely with Battle in the Valley like the last hour, I think of TNA in the first hour of Battle in the Valley, we're head to head, but they were completely head to head with [AEW] Collision. So, to do a number that big against that football game and Collision and Battle in the Valley. I think that’s great. There's no other way to put it. That's great." Meltzer stated.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wrestling Observer/Figure 4)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Events Announced For Starrcast</p><p><br /></p><p>News : 12-Jan-2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The first two wrestling events of Starrcast Downunder have been announced!</p><p><br /></p><p>Hall of Famer Bret Hart is set to curate Australian Stampede, the flagship event of Starrcast Downunder. The wrestling icon will showcase a thrilling card featuring top-notch international talent and Australia's own homegrown stars on Saturday, April 13th in Ballarat. </p><p><br /></p><p>On the preceding day, Friday, April 12th, women's wrestling pioneer Mickie James will present H.E.R, a groundbreaking women's wrestling event at the heart of Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat. This event, following in the footsteps of Empowerr, will feature an unparalleled lineup with international sensations and Australia’s brightest talents. H.E.R promises to highlight the heart, athleticism, and drive of its trailblazing competitors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss out on two massive nights of action– tickets will be available at the end of January.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN | A SUNDAY WITH BRET HART</p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday April 14 2024</p><p>Civic Theatre, Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>Starrcast Downunder invites fans on an unforgettable journey into the storied career of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This exclusive event promises an intimate and immersive experience as fans get up close and personal with one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step into the world of the Hitman as he takes the audience on a captivating exploration of his iconic career, sharing unique anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections that have shaped his illustrious journey in the world of sports entertainment. From his early days in the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty to his rise as a global superstar, Bret Hart's narrative will provide a unique and genuine insight into the challenges and triumphs that defined his remarkable career.</p><p><br /></p><p>The day will feature a special watchalong of Bret's legendary match with his brother Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable match. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch the match alongside the man himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the in-ring psychology and artistry that set Bret Hart apart.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the excitement doesn't end there – HITMAN will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session. Fans will have the chance to pose their burning questions directly to the Hitman, creating an interactive and engaging experience that adds a personal touch to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>To make the day even more special, special guests may make appearances, providing additional perspectives and anecdotes that add layers to the already rich tapestry of his professional journey. Whether it's fellow wrestlers, managers, or iconic personalities, these surprise guests will contribute to the nostalgic atmosphere of the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN is a must-attend for wrestling enthusiasts, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a true icon. Join us for an day filled with passion, nostalgia, and the unparalleled charisma of Bret "The Hitman" Hart – an event that will leave a lasting impact on fans and wrestling history alike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>A Pro Wrestling Event Company holding events in the Oceania Region that will have as many non-exclusive partnerships locally and internationally in delivering pro wrestling events</p><p><br /></p><p>With an emphasis on showcasing professional wrestling through our quality broadcasting and highly engaging fan experience model at events, with leadership by an experienced sporting executive with Australian and International connections, OPW will become a destination wrestling company for fans, promotions and commercial partners.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>June 2023</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>IMPACT Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Wrestling phenomenon Impact Wrestling provided plenty of action both inside and outside of the ring with their tour down under thrilling crowds at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event broadcast live on pay-per-view featured three title matches, including a rematch from Against All Odds in the main event as Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin to retain the IMPACT World Championship. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shelley defeated Maclin for the gold on June 9 and The Motor City Machine Gun kept ahold of the gold at Down Under night one after he countered a KIA attempt into Shellshock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Night 1 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Slex def. Adam Brooks</p><p>• Gisele Shaw def. Erika Reid</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Eddie Edwards - Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Killer Kelly def. Aysha</p><p>• Chris Sabin (c) def. Frankie Kazarian & Robbie Eagles - X-Division Championship</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Moose & Brian Myers</p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo def. Steph De Lander</p><p>• Alex Shelley (c) def. Steve Maclin - IMPACT World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second and final show of the Down Under Tour at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales saw three title matches with Slammiversary implications.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe Hendry defeated Moose to retain the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, Ace Austin & Chris Bey ended their one-year programme with The Motor City Machine Guns with a win for the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, and Deonna Purrazzo picked up the win against Gisele Shaw in their Knockouts World Tag Team Title match. </p><p><br /></p><p>Night 2 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Adam Brooks def. Robbie Eagles - Oceania Pro Wrestling World Championship</p><p>• The Natural Classics def. The Velocities</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Moose - IMPACT Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Eddie Edwards def. Slex</p><p>• Steph De Lander def. Killer Kelly</p><p>• Frankie Kazarian def. Brian Myers</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) - IMPACT World Tag Team Championships </p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo (c) def. Gisele Shaw - IMPACT Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Results / January 25, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A loaded episode of TNA iMPACT! comes to you from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada!</p><p><br /></p><p>Tonight’s iMPACT! is dedicated to the memory of Frank Caiazzo. RIP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey w/ Ace Austin vs Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of TNA’s most spectacular in-ring performers dazzle in a display of astounding athleticism. Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is seen at ringside. Bey emerges victorious with the Art of Finesse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey def Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>The Grizzled Young Vets jump ABC from behind after the match, lay out Chris Bey with the Grit Your Teeth and stake their claim to the TNA World Tag Team Titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undeniable. Irresistible. Unforgettable. She is Ash By Elegance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frankie Kazarian addresses his shocking actions from last week. He will explain himself next week but Rich Swann attempts to reason with Frankie. AJ Francis comes in and offers to be Rich Swann’s backup against Joe Hendry in an upcoming match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius vs Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango informs us that he hates pro wrestling. Dirty Dango takes a seat on the ramp as Prudius demolishes the competition. Dango takes the pin over Drake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius def Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Zack Gibson and James Drake state earlier tonight was a statement of intent. ABC look for a piece of GYV before Santino Marella makes a Best of 3 Series between the two teams for the TNA World Tag Team Titles starting next week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gia Miller speaks to Kazuchika Okada and The Motor City Machine Guns. They’re ready for The System in the main event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace vs Trinity for the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Trinity’s contractual rematch after losing the championship at Hard To Kill. A handshake shows the respect between the competitors but Trinity takes the fight straight to Grace. After a series of back and forth pin attempts, Jordynne Grace uses the momentum of Trinity’s attempt to lock in Star Struck to score a quick pinfall victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace def Trinity to retain the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal attack both Trinity and Jordynne Grace, leaving them laying as Gisele’s Ultimate X victory gives her a future Knockouts World Title shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>The System discuss tonight’s main event – the system works and tonight it goes worldwide against the Guns and Okada.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Josh Alexander addresses the return of TNA and his victory over Will Ospreay last week. Alan Angels interjects and offers the Walking Weapon a spot on the premiere edition of his brand new talk show The Sound Check. After some insistence from Angels, Alexander agrees.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth vs Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth competes in a TNA ring for the very first time. Wentz feigns an injury to distract the referee allowing Trey Miguel to grab Nemeth’s leg as Wentz takes control. Nemeth connects with Danger Zone for the victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth def Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Miguel tries to get a piece of Nemeth after the match and eats a Danger Zone too. Steve Maclin jumps Nemeth and looks for the KIA but Nemeth connects with one more Danger Zone and stands tall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crazzy Steve addresses his recent Digital Media Title win at Countdown To Hard To Kill but is interrupted by Rhino. Rhino shoves Steve as Steve laughs maniacally.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Decay discuss their resurrection and Knockouts World Tag Team Title victory at Hard To Kill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs MK Ultra</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra drop Threat with their tandem piledriver to return to winning ways after their title loss at Hard To Kill. MK Ultra also piledrive Luna after the match to assert their dominance.</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra def Dani Luna and Jody Threat</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on iMPACT!: Nic Nemeth vs Trey Miguel, we hear from Frankie Kazarian, Brian Myers vs Kevin Knight plus ABC vs GYV in the first match of the TNA World Tag Team Title Best of 3 Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada makes his entrance to rapturous applause as he returns to TNA for the first time since 2011. Okada connects with the iconic Rainmaker on Brian Myers allowing Alex Shelley to follow up with Shellshock for the victory. Okada and The Guns celebrate their monumental victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada def The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers)</p><p><br /></p><p>After the credits, Mustafa Ali addresses TNA Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA IMPACT! goes off the air.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: TNA Wrestling)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google to tweak crypto ad policy, amplify Bitcoin ETF visibility - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, a subsidiary of tech conglomerate Alphabet, is on the verge of a significant policy update set to take effect on Jan. 29, which could alter the landscape of cryptocurrency advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approved 11 spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on Jan. 10, Google is expected to amend its rules and enable asset managers to advertise these products to a broader U.S. audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>This move follows Google’s recent decision to broaden its cryptocurrency and related products’ policy, now providing advertisers with specific guidelines for promoting what it calls “cryptocurrency coin trusts.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Advertisers eager to capitalize on Google’s platform, renowned for its expansive reach and high search volume, will now require certification to ensure compliance with the tech giant’s stringent requirements.</p><p><br /></p><p>The significance of this development is highlighted by the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) converting to a spot Bitcoin ETF, coupled with the sanctioning of 10 other institutions to include spot BTC ETFs in their investment portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto analysts are optimistic about the ramifications of this policy change on the digital currency sphere, as Google processes around 8.55 billion searches daily, according to DemandSage.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can Google Ads tip the scales for Bitcoin ETFs?</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto community speculates that the heightened visibility of Bitcoin ETFs through Google’s ad platform may drive substantial awareness and investment in the space.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As such, companies operating within the spot Bitcoin ETF market could potentially witness a significant influx of interest from new segments of the public — not just from seasoned day traders or investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The update could also signal a shift in how cryptocurrency products are advertised, ensuring that ads meet legal requirements and are responsibly presented to an engaged audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s policy change arrives at an opportune moment. The crypto market has seen fluctuating investor sentiment toward spot Bitcoin ETFs over the past week.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Jan. 24, Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of approximately $270 million, counterbalanced by significant withdrawals — most notably from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin ETF—totaling a net outflow of around $153 million. </p><p><br /></p><p>The trend did not improve, with Jan. 25 witnessing a continuation of the withdrawal streak, marking a fourth consecutive day of net outflows over the last week, totaling up to $80 million, specifically from the funds recognized by the SEC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite these challenging dynamics, crypto commentators feel Google’s policy shift could potentially open doors to a flood of new investors. The increased visibility and imposed certification could counterbalance the recent outflows from the spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a possible rebound as we edge closer to the Jan. 29 policy implementation date.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 CARD FILLS OUT WITH FOUR INTRIGUING BOUTS - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s Return To Anaheim Receives A Quartet Of Fascinating Bouts</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For UFC’s first visit to California since August 2022 for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, the Anaheim fans will receive a treat of a card top to bottom. While most eyes will be trained toward Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against the undefeated Ilia Topuria as well as Robert Whittaker’s bout against Paulo Costa. Fun fights are abundant in the organization’s second pay-per-view of 2024, including four more just added to the slate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to UFC winner Rinya Nakamura returns for his second official UFC bout against Carlos Vera. The Japanese bantamweight tallied six of his eight wins via finish and hopes to pick up his first official UFC stoppage after his decision win over Fernie Garcia in Singapore. Carlos Vera comes into the organization having just competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter during which he lost to eventual tournament winner Brad Katona. He steps in hoping to have a successful UFC debut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Welterweights Josh Quinlan and Danny Barlow feature on the card as well. Quinlan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus split his first two UFC bouts to Jason Witt and Trey Waters, and after injuries and a cancelled bout kept him out of the Octagon since his lost to Waters, he hopes to get a bounce back win over Barlow. A fellow DWCS alumnus, Barlow earned his contract with a first-round knockout of Raheam Forest In September 2023. The undefeated Barlow racked up four knockouts and one submission on his climb to the organization, and he hopes to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0 on February 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another welterweight contest goes down as Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn lock horns. Woodburn is hoping to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 290, which was his first professional loss in mixed martial arts. Meanwhile, Elliott aspires to become one of the best Welsh mixed martial artists after competing on at Cage Warriors and Dana White’s Contender Series, the latter of which he won a fight via majority decision in August 2023. “The Welsh Gangster” has proven durable, and the two are surely desperate to get their hands raised in Anaheim. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, two middleweights hoping to finally get their breakout moment square off as DWCS alumnus AJ Dobson and The Ultimate Fighter graduate Tresean Gore are set to fight. Dobson came into the organization with high expectatioins, and after dropping his first two bouts, he earned his first UFC win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023. The Ohio-bred grinder believes he now has the right things around him and in place to climbt he division’s ladder. He’ll be hard pressed against Gore, however. One of the highest touted prospects on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gore couldn’t parlay that into wins in his first two trips to the Octagon. That said, he bounced back with a viscious submission win over Josh Fremd in October 2022. He was originally slated to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 before injuries prevented that matchup, so he is in search of momentum ahead to once again chase his championship aspirations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates or changes to all events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.</p><p><br /></p><p>In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Search News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/search_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/seo_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #searchengine #searchenginenews #googlebusiness #searchnews #AI #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #Gemini #Pixel #Nest #Fitbit #Amazon #ads #adnews #onlineadvertising #sales #marketing #VR #virtualreality #reality #jobs #biz #SEO #technews #digitalnews #worldnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Platform News</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.</p><p><br /></p><p>Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.</p><p><br /></p><p>It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.</p><p><br /></p><p>The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/social_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#X #Xnews #XTwitter #everythingapp #theeverythingapp #ElonMusk #Musk #platform #platforms #platformnews #fintech #app #appnews #fintech #onlinebanking #transfer #innovation #disrupt #disruptor #disruptorofthemonth #technews #biznews #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group Blog Network Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Australia Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p>Pop Culture</p><p>Advertising</p><p>Creativity</p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit</p><p>SEO and SEM </p><p>Business Journalism </p><p>Gonzo Journalism</p><p>Newsfeeds </p><p>Digital News </p><p>Worldwide Trends </p><p>Disruptors </p><p>Online News </p><p>Online Biz </p><p>Crypto PR </p><p>Business Leads</p><p>Relationship Marketing </p><p>PR and Media Management </p><p>And much more </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int is part of the Media Man Group, est 2001. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bloggers (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/bloggers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#blog #blogs #blogger #blogging #news #popculture #ads #Advertising #creativity #mindbodyspirit #SEO #SEM #business #journalism #gonzo #gonzojournalism #newsfeeds #digitalnews #worldwide #trends #trending #trendingnow #disruptors #onlinenews #onlinebiz #crypto #cryptopr #BTC #blockchain #AffiliateMarketing #affiliates #sponsorship #ads #marketing #newsflash #x #xnews #platformnews #X #media #mediaman #mediamangroup #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Tech News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Crypto Biz News</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image: A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #BitcoinEFTs #bitcoinetfapproval #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #CryptoCommunity #CryptocurrencyNews #SEC #Blackrock #Grayscale #VanEck #Franklin #Templeton #Fidelity #NYSE #Nasdaq #CBOE #fintech #asset #Assets #biz #biznews #mediabiz #prbiz #bitcoinnewsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #hype #PR #AI #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:</p><p><br /></p><p>AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs</p><p>Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.</p><p><br /></p><p>For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters </p><p>Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attention measurement at a crossroads</p><p><br /></p><p>An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p>The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The growth of in-game advertising</p><p>With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.</p><p><br /></p><p>PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Advanced Television)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Media World and Fans respond well to announced PFL @PFLMMA card line-up</p><p><br /></p><p>"And you know I'm always curious as well as to how the fans feel about news and whatno, especially when I'm hearing about things a couple of weeks out, and I have to say, and I think you know this to a degree, when your not the UFC the fans, especially on Twitter and social media can be a little harsh right because they've been supporting the UFC for so long. I was kind of blown away by the response yesterday"... - Ariel Helwani</p><p><br /></p><p>"We held nothing back for fans" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Current fans, skeptical or not yet a fan..said, You moved up two or three notches as far as interest and certainly respect" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>"..All we're trying to tell fans is MMA is big. There's 650 million fans out there" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out" Donn Davas, PFL (Professional Fighters League)..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It ain't either or. This ain't Coke or Pepsi. PLF's doing a whole different thing".."and we're doing a whole different thing for fans and a whole different thing for fighters, and I think yesterday people started to get that vibe".. "So we're delighted on how it all came together" Donn Davis </p><p><br /></p><p>"Mega Event" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Donn Davis Takes Shot at UFC, Talks PFL vs. Bellator Fight Card | The MMA Hour</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiKNaHe3to&ab_channel=MMAFightingonSBN</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL MMA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions is OFFICIAL for Feb 24th!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XpqxZJtUI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season has revealed that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs current Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers. (Credit: PFL)</p><p><br /></p><p>More great PFL history, profiles, news and developments via their official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Stronger than average interview and fight card. Credit where credit is due. Mixed martial arts world buzz continues.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PFL vs Bellator fight card</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 24, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay vs Johnny Eblen</p><p><br /></p><p>Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Jason Jackson</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesus Pinedo vs Patricio Pitbull</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Cappelozza vs Vadim Nemkov</p><p><br /></p><p>Thiago Santos vs Yoel Romero</p><p><br /></p><p>Clay Collard vs AJ McKee</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriel Braga vs Aaron Pico</p><p><br /></p><p>Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Chris Morris</p><p><br /></p><p>Claressa Shields vs Kelsey DeSantis</p><p><br /></p><p>Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Edukondal Rao</p><p><br /></p><p>Malik Basahel vs Vinicius Pereira</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: PFL</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #ProfessionalFightersLeague #DonnDavis #quote #quotes #MMAFighting #ArielHelwani </p><p><br /></p><p>#RenanFerreira #RyanBader #Ferreira #Bader #FerreiraBader #RiyadhSeason #interview #PFLChampions #Bellator #BellatorChampions #PFLBellator #combatsports #sportsbiz #sportsmedia #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #megaevent #specialevent #specialevents #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe’s FIRST AEW World Title defense! Joe vs FTW Champ Hook! | 1/17/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98j3dB9SQI&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Managed Joe years ago. Joe knew Hook when he was little" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not little any more"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A wild right hand and he's got the champion on his hands and knees"</p><p><br /></p><p>"That can certainly be an advantage. I mean Hook has grown as a professional wrestler watching Samoa Joe. Watching his win titles"</p><p><br /></p><p>"See that right hand. In front of our desk here" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great match between Joe and Hook. Both legit bad asses. Hook, Hook, Hook! One of our favourite AEW pro wrestling matches ever! Hook mania running wild! FTW vs AEW lockerroom and beyond. Hook tipped as future world champ. Shoots and hooks matter. This ain't ballet folks. Those who can wrestler. Those who can't or fittest days are past are media, fans or both!</p><p><br /></p><p>Much world class pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWTitle #SamoaJoe #Hook #JoeHook #FTW #Taz #prowrestling #wrestling #dreammatch #dreammatches #combatsports #entertainment #music #showbiz #feature #highlights #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Man In The Arena" (spoken by JFK). Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dTx-12tWdKA</p><p><br /></p><p>#JFK #JohnFKenny #quote #quotes #problems #man #human #humanbeings #TheManInTheArena #poltiics #USA #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Cycle</p><p><br /></p><p>Meditation</p><p>Visualization</p><p>Frequently </p><p>Energize</p><p>Exercise </p><p>Action</p><p>Interaction</p><p>Light </p><p>Listening</p><p>Sound</p><p>Patience</p><p>Transaction </p><p>Flow</p><p>Reflection </p><p>Be</p><p>Zen</p><p>Rest</p><p>Repeat </p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: 'I'll cross that bridge if I come to it' Aldis isn't closing the door on competing in a WWE ring - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Though he's having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn't ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he's grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just grateful that there's an interest in it. At the same time, I'm fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've been having a blast. I've come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn't have had as a guy in his 20s.</p><p><br /></p><p>I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that's going to be my job, then that's going to be my job, and I'll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.</p><p><br /></p><p>I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I'd done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He's also a former TNA World Champion.</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender's match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth On Why He Chose To Confront Moose at TNA Hard to Kill</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview for TNA’s Instagram (via Fightful), Nic Nemeth explained why he chose to confront Moose for his TNA debut at this past Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. Nemeth will appear on tonight’s Impact on AXS TV to explain his actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said: “I wasn’t focused on Moose [at TNA Hard To Kill], and I wasn’t even focused on the championship, which I have thought about non-stop for a long time. Like I said, I go, where can I pinpoint the moment where people will make it the most memorable? I did 20 years in one company. I get one chance to make a second impression here on the world. That will be the biggest possible moment and the most talked-about, I think. I really think that helps myself and the company. I didn’t have a plan. Moose is in my target, I got him. I was watching that title match going, whoever wins, I’m sliding in there and going, ‘Here I am, let’s go.’ So I don’t exactly know what my focus is, other than, I have earned everything that I’ve worked for, to a point where I go, I don’t want to stroll in here and be like, ‘Hey, I showed up through the crowd so you gotta give me a title shot,’ or, ‘I’m famous, so I get a ….’ No, I wanted to make my mark there, and now I focus on, where can I fit in? Where can I start building blocks to make myself to where I’m not presenting it, but the world goes, this should be the number one contender, and here’s why. Then, when that happens, I’ll know that I’ll be able to sleep at night going, I have proven myself worthy of a title shot. Okay, now let’s focus on the champion. No, I’m not hand-picking anything: I’m here, and I said, I am lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here. If I get some more eyes on TNA, hell yeah, that rocks. Let me know where I start, and I’m coming in with my lunchbox and ready to go. I’m gonna prove it in the ring every single night that says, we need to do something else. We need to get this guy in the title picture, he has earned it. But I gotta put in the time first and the effort. I’m not all show and all talk. I’m gonna earn it, but I want the TNA locker room and the audience to be going, this is the guy. He deserves a shot. Not me walking in and saying, ‘Hey, give me a shot.’ Hell no. I would never do it that way the rest of my life. There’s no way I’ll do it now. I want to make this count. I want it to be special.“</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling: TNA Champion Moose Says TNA Wrestling now in "Hot Spot" - 18th January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Even though he took me out, which I'm going to get mine back when the time is right, but let's leave that alone. Talking about Nic coming into the company, I think it's huge for TNA. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a superstar. He's done everything in professional wrestling, he's been World Champion, he's been a tag team guy, he's won every single title you can think about. He's been all over the world. He has a huge buzz going right now. For him to pick TNA over AEW and New Japan or any other company, that shows that TNA is a hot spot right now. I'm happy he's part of the team, I'm happy I get to do something down the road with him. I'm happy that TNA is starting to be a spot where people want to come. Same thing with Ash By Elegance, her picking us over other companies out there, I'm happy she is part of the team and I can't wait to see what the future brings with Nic and Ash.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling - January 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024. </p><p><br /></p><p>We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p>We appreciate your understanding and continued support. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada statement:</p><p><br /></p><p>I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown preview, Jan. 19, 2024: Huge Contract Signing for Royal Rumble set</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles will be in the ring to sign the contract for their monumental title match at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time all four men shared the ring, utter bedlam erupted as The Bloodline attacked Styles, Orton and Knight while they were competing in a Triple Threat Match to determine who would challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>What will happen when these four dynamic Superstars participate in what seems certain to be a volatile contract signing? </p><p><br /></p><p>Don’t miss SmackDown, next week at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kevin Owens Show" to welcome U.S Champ Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A special edition of "The Kevin Owens Show" is coming to Friday Night SmackDown as the No. 1 Contender to the United States Title welcomes the champion, Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Owens earned the right to face The Maverick after winning the United States Title Tournament by defeating Santos Escobar in the finals, a result that clearly bothered Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time the two Superstars came face-to-face, Owens knocked out the champion with a brutal punch from his casted right hand, so there's no telling what will happen they meet again live on Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO to take on Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in Six-Man Tag Team action</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will represent The LWO against their bitter rivals Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since Escobar turned his back on The LWO, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Wilde and Del Toro have been waiting for their chance at payback, and it will finally come on Friday Night SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the numbers not in his favor, Escobar brought Angel and Humberto from NXT to form Legado World Order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss this Six-Man Tag Team Match live on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Grayson Waller’s defiant response to Sunrise controversy - January 19th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>An Aussie wrestler isn’t backing down after he caused chaos live on Sunrise this week, threatening to punch a crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>By Nick Bond</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian wrestling champ Grayson Waller has shared a simple public response to the controversy over his chaotic appearance on Sunrise earlier this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller was appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Sunrise alongside US wrestler LA Knight, and lost his temper when hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Doran attempted to goad them into showing off some of their moves on a willing crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t think you understand – if I come over there right now, we’re going to have the police here, cos I’m not going to give you some fake punch. I’m going to punch you straight in the jaw,” Waller said, as Doran struggled to contain him while the crew member quickly scarpered from the set.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the average viewer, it was a shocking outburst – but as the clip circulated online, wrestling fans were quick to praise Waller. They insisted his trash-talk had actually diffused the situation, and was a better option than what the Sunrise hosts were suggesting he do: Potentially hurt a member of their staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller posted a photo to his Twitter account yesterday that would’ve been cryptic to many, but one that meant something to wrestling fans:</p><p><br /></p><p>The photo in question is from an infamous 1988 encounter between wrestler David Schultz and reporter John Stossel, who was at the time working on an ‘expose’ on the world of professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think this is fake,” Stossel told the wrestler, which got an immediate – and violent – response.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘You think this is fake?” Schultz asked, before smacking the reporter across the face, leaving him cowering on the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You think that’s fake? What the hell’s wrong with you? That’s an open-hand slap, huh?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Schultz continued, before walloping Stossel again, leaving him to flee down the corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling faithful knew exactly what Waller was referencing just from the screenshot of Schultz – and applauded him for standing his ground on Sunrise.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was awesome. Good on you for sticking up for wrestling. They were totally disrespectful,” wrote one follower.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I saw you in a different light today, Grayson. Good on you,” said another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My respect for you has risen tenfold,” another fan tweeted.</p><p><br /></p><p>After footage of Waller’s outburst went viral on social media – one clip alone has been viewed more than 1.5 million times – fans praised him his respect for “kayfabe”, a wrestling term used to describe the convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was absolutely f**king brilliant from Waller there. He protected kayfabe, he protected Knight. He was so sharp and on the ball. I was already a fan of his but my respect for him just grew a lot from this,” gushed one fan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller’s face might be familiar to reality TV fans: He was a controversial contestant on the 2019 season of Australian Survivor, where he proved divisive among his fellow contestants and viewers due to his aggressive nature in challenges.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teammate and former AFL player Abby Holmes dubbed him an “actual idiot,” but Farrelly, who is also a high school teacher when he’s not wrestling, soon embraced the epithet, selling “ACTUAL IDIOT” T-shirts at his wrestling matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I had a feeling that most of my airtime was probably going to be me yelling and screaming, and I’m OK with that,” he told news.com.au after his elimination from the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(News Corp)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Update</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News, including flashbacks and retro via social media channels (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>A collaboration between Media Man, Wrestling News Media @wrestlingnewsm and Australian Sports Entertainment @austsportsent </p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #wrestlingnewsmedia #prowrestling #prowrestlingnews #sportsentertainment #WWE #SmackDown #TKO #KO #TNAWrestling #TNA #AEW #NWA #UFC #PFL #MMA #grappling #combatsports #champions #worldchampion #Goat #rankings #wrestlingnewsmedia #australiansportsentertainment #popculture #blog #blogs #blogging #onlinenews #promotions #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoters #interviews #OP #ED #gonzo #mainstream #alt #trend #trends #newsmedia #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns, Knight, Orton and Styles set for Contract Signing: WWE Now, January 19, 24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4t3oMLL2E&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Watching the live broadcast!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more world class pro wrestling, action and drama via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This ain't going to be any normal contract signing folks! This isn't 'Succession' or 'Billions'. This is the world of the WWE! #SmackDown #WWE2K24 </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #HeadOfTheTable #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #RomanReigns #RandyOrton #AJStyles #LAKnights #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #NickAldis #wrestlingcontract #contract #contractsigning #combatsports #fight #fighters #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #FOX #PLE #PPV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</p><p><br /></p><p>January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kayo Sports (part of The Foxtel Group), out of Australia, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) @UFC have officially commenced a new multi-year agreement from January 1, 2024, which sees Main Event @MainEventTV – available only on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events down under in Australia aka Terror Australis! The readership knows we like media on the edge, so we've got to slip the Aussie slang in every now and again to suit the theme right.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Pay-Per-View (PPV) exclusive event will see UFC middleweight Champion Sean "Tarzan" Strickland make his virgin title defence against South African Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis as they marquee UFC 297 direct from Toronto on January 21.</p><p><br /></p><p>This partnership casts Main Event as the undisputed home of PPV in Australia, with a prized tradition of showcasing the biggest UFC fights across the globe, as well as being a key part of seeing up and coming top range fighters climb to the top since 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the terms of the new agreement, fans looking to hit up a buy of a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform for exclusive access to world class matches. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights, including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and unforgettable archived bouts from around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to all the UFC PPV events, sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead of the UFC’s first PPV event in 2024, Australian foodie critic, MasterChef Australia judge and self-confessed fanatic Melissa Leong will host UFC Fight Week on Wednesday, January 17, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Melissa will be joined by panellists Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker as they break down UFC 297 and interview Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The show will be replayed daily leading up to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s popularity has boomed since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now in excess of 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48 per cent aged between 18-39. These stats are gold to the business of sports marketing, sports media and other associated business arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, executive director of commercial sport at Foxtel Group.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round,” said UFC president Dana White.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be a full UFC schedule on Main Event in 2024. Following UFC 297, all eyes will turn to Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for his much-anticipated title defence against Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Combat sports PPVs certainly have boomed in Australia since circa 1996 to 2000 when we most closely collaborated and cross promoted with Main Event while working for Optus Vision/Communications in a full-time capacity. The UFC continued to build upon the earlier success of pro boxing and pro wrestling on pay-per-view. The YouTube and social media based features are great, but there's nothing quite like a main event MMA match on PPV for those who live and breath combat sports. Many fighters and former fighters these days even have their own channels across the internet. Exciting times for combat sports fans as well as for those who work in and around the industry. Another chance to ground and pound and KO with the best of them thanks to the UFC, Kayo Sports and Main Event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos To Help Get Casual and Hardcore Fans Up To Speed on UFC 297</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: UFC, Main Event and News)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8qz_UVusA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Final Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipEXK1tHQA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: New Home of the UFC l Main Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKiSNkC6cM&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=53s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland WARNS Du Plessis: "Bring that s*** up, and it's ON SIGHT!" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieWHG_Q2yU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC298 #UFC300 #UFCAustralia #KayoSports #MainEvent #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #PPV #PayPerView #PayPerViews #SeanStrickland #Strickland #DricusDuPlessis #DuPlessis #DanaWhite #quote #quotes #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #OTT #OverTheTop #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO structures Geo</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Motoko with an insightful and interesting article about the global nature of the internet based business. Numerous valid points. We started with one basic website and a basic blog. Then we expanded with a range of dotcoms and dotcomdotaus and numerous social media platforms and challenges. Cast the net far and wide and adapt to the cycles and frequently changes in the industry. Business models can and generally should be changed and improved from time to time to adapt. In and around sports news media and sports and pop culture media business there are frequent changes and developments. New websites can be created for a minimum budget. Exposure can be gained in numerous ways including the trending algorithm and getting indexed on Google and the like. Having a local, state, national and international approach helps plug into go-ahead areas one may otherwise miss. Geo stories in far away lands can really take off and create great opportunities. My biggest deal ever was involving one brand in three counties and we adpated it to the different geo zones. Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and there's always more work to do. Last but not least, enjoy the journey as it's part of the bigger picture. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>The UFC, the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion continues to produce world beating videos to further fuel new and old fight fans; In-Octagon action plus storylines, features, moments and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZAaHe3H-94&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Free Fight Marathon</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&t=2s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/sean_strickland.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA living legend Chael Sonnen offers more insight and colourful commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=62s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, we got a good one this weekend guys" CS</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is one of the incredible studies in a microcosm in the world of marketing"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Luck is very real, but what does it mean"? CS</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow MMA Living Legend Michael Bisping offers insight and tips</p><p><br /></p><p>BISPING: UFC 297 Strickland vs Du Plessis | FINAL PREDICTIONS & PRESS CONFERENCE REACTION</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvO-mgcp01U&t=265s&ab_channel=MichaelBisping</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier, Last But Not Least Media Man Fav Grapples With The Situation</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis GOES IN ON Sean Strickland: "That excuse has EXPIRED" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpuivuKdkw&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>"Look man, this is as personal as its going to get, and in personal fights, ya boy always shows up" DC</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News: UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/aussie_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tarzan vs Stillknocks isn't going to go the full distance. Both are there to fight. DP stats 3 rounds or less. Plenty of stand-up and it may go to the ground if one of both get hit hard enough. If it goes to the ground expect ground and pound to "the death" (almost), as both shook hands on at the presser! SS once again talked fight fans into the arena. Big personalties and big hits to match. Going viral and to trend off the charts to say the least. Someone is going to get hurt. It's put up or shut up. Let's F'N go!</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Thought: "Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #UFCCanada #UFCTitl #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>COPE OPEN! Dante Martin steps up to Adam Copeland’s open challenge! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmYbXArA7us&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TWO HEAVY HITTERS! A returning Jon Moxley takes on Shane Taylor! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbkA6nRVD8&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang? AEW Trios Champs & ROH 6-Man Champs Together? | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko50hxGfvek&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa returns to singles competition! Rosa vs Queen Aminata! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGwOH4VI38&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Copeland's Open Challenge Continues + Mox Returns! | AEW Control Center: St. Louis, 1/20/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZSUs7T0g94&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST SEE REMATCH! Could Darby Allin & Jeff Hardy top their last meeting? | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Rl4SOBpH4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Better than solid solid show. The Bang Bang Gold has added some new spark and entertainment value to the AEW shows. Switchblade is on fire. Great to have Thunder Rosa back. Change is in the wind. Rumbling's of a big Japanese signing coming up, but nothing is ever 100 percent until it happens. TK keeps up the good fight while providing more options for pro wrestlers and fans across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWCollison #AEWRevolution #AdamCopeland #RatedRSuperstar #BangBangGang #JaySwitchblade #JonMoxley #Mox #ThunderRosa #Sting #prowrestling #wrestling #TNA #TBS #broadcast #broadcasting #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: UFC, ESPN MMA, TNT Sports, The MAC Life and others release interviews, clips, media footage and more, plus more to follow. Insiders expecting strong Pay-Per-View buy rates in Canada, U.S, Australia and elsewhere. Sold out crowd starts anti-Candian PM chants impossible to ignore. Politics and sports don't really mix, but tend to get bundled together for better or worse. Emotionally charged crowd and fighter interviews. "Stillknocks" and "Tarzan's" eyes battered! UFC top Brass Dana White thinks SS won!</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Post-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ2G1M4M4rQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC YouTube Live Streams</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@ufc/streams</p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>New UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis on fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 300!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7yCVDbaQE&ab_channel=TNTSports</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis recaps his win vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 297 | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTPdR0J7xc&t=6s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Immediate Reaction to the scoring of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7GC4e7wS78&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Post Show debates if Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis won | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ko3bR3wVG0&t=4s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>The MAC Life YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis: “I look like a cauliflower”; Israel Adesanya at UFC 300? | UFC Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kaXpMOzUM&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: ‘I thought Sean Strickland won'; UFC 300 main event to be announced next week</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwJAL8HI29s&t=215s&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier REACTS to Dricus Du Plessis defeating Sean Strickland in CLOSE decision at UFC 297 (*notify me)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11BaCVuDBU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC </p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #AndNew #DanaWhite #quotes #interview #interviews #ufcnews #ufcmedia #ufcpress #pressconference #UFCCanada #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: And even more great pro wrestling action from the world's current leading challenger brand promotion!</p><p><br /></p><p>Continental Crown Champ, Kingston, & Ortiz vs BCC’s Danielson & Castagnoli! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfzxx7MQOlQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong vs former GenNext teammate Matt Sydal! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNV3F76xrI&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>After last week’s attack, Daniel Garcia gets HOB’s Buddy Matthews 1-on-1! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI59spwoK2s&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Two tag team specialists go 1-on-1! Penta El Zero Miedo vs Anthony Henry! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLF9Xzp5x_Q&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Young Bucks be the ones to end the Icon Sting’s career at Revolution?| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilvU7g2X6w4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo makes her AEW Dynamite in-ring debut vs Anna Jay!| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUD4yK0c2e4&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Stat & Stoke? Statlander (w/ Hathaway) takes on Queen Aminata! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3xT-2tTRs&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Official YouTube Channel </p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWDynamite #ChrisJericho #MattSydal #TNT #prowrestling #wrestling #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #video #entertainment #PopCulture #YouTube #video #trends #trending #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>The Complete Guide to Local SEO and How it Can Help Your Business Grow</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introduction: What is Local SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. It is a type of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO services typically target specific cities, towns, and neighborhoods where they live or work. Local SEO Expert helps businesses rank high in Google Maps and Google Business listings.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to Perform a Mobile Ranking Check and Best Practices for Local SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>Mobile devices have surpassed desktop in usage, and this trend will only continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a key part of any successful marketing strategy. It’s important to know how to perform a mobile ranking check and best practices for local SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>To start, you need to find out what the major search engines are looking for by visiting the following sites: Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Bing’s Local SEO Guide, and Yahoo’s Small Business Site Setup Guide.</p><p><br /></p><p>A good place to start with your mobile ranking check is by downloading Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool. This tool will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly or not. You can also use it to see how your site compares against other sites in terms of loading speed or if it has any errors.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 Steps to Boosting Your Local Business with Search Marketing</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your website</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your content</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Local businesses are at a disadvantage when it comes to online marketing because they don’t have the resources that larger companies do.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there are a few things you can do to boost your local business with search marketing: optimize your website, optimize your content, and optimize your social media.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importance of Local SEO for businesses</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion and Recap</p><p><br /></p><p>As more and more consumers switch to search engines as their primary source for finding local businesses, it’s important for businesses to have a strong presence in the search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is an important part of building a strong presence in the search rankings because it promotes a business to the first page of results on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Google/Alphabet, News and AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month'</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_wins.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Google News via Media Man</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Google Doodles wins Media Man 'Creative Of The Month' award</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_doodles.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #SEO #LocalSEO #searchnews #localbusiness #localnews #localbiz #searchengineoptimization #geo #bing #rank #ranking #searchengineoptimisation #webtips #webbiz #index #topten #GoogleBusiness #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #results #performance #popculture #sportsbiz #localpr #localads #adbiz #biz #technews #digitalnews #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (North America)</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Mean Girls - $11.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Beekeeper - $8.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Wonka - $6.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Anyone But You - $5.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $5.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - $3.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. ISS - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Night Swim - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. The Boys in the Boat - $2.5 million </p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Well done to all. Given our love and appreciation of the pro wrestling/sports entertainment genre, we noticed that 'The Iron Claw' has slipped out of the Top 10, previously grappling into number 6 position about 3 weeks back. It's our belief that 'The Iron Claw' is a modern classic and much like say for example 'Max Mad', over time its stock will go up and it will continue to make much more money after its initial release and its legend will continue to grow. Some movies have what you may call a short short shelf or run life, while others live on forever. There's also plenty of talk of an Iron Claw documentary, and much like the movie and the true story of the Von Erich family, there will be dozens of times with nothing but pure joy and other times where it is nothing but tragedy. This is life, but the famous Texas bred wrestling family found their moments amplified to say the least. The Iron Claw has the public and even news media in it its grasp, and we haven't heard the last of them. Keep wrestling with boxing office numbers, life and give it your all.</p><p><br /></p><p>#boxoffice #showbiz #movienews #MeanGirls #TheBeekeeper #Wonka #AnyoneButYou #Migration #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #ISS #NightSwim #TheBoysInTheBoat #PoorThings #PoorThingsFilm #IronClaw #VonErich #VonErichs #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are set for face-to-face on Raw: WWE Now, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQfqCYa-T_8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes set for a war of words. Wrestling punk vs Sports Entertainer showman + + + </p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins’ address to the WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest. Scottish Warrior is a walking weapon. No sword required. Priest may make harsh Judgement upon his Scottish nemesis. Potential numbers advantage for DP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes likely wants to talk about his story, CM Punk, and the Royal Rumble for starters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ivy Nile vs Valhalla. Pocket size feisty fighter vs Viking Warrior. Who will the gods favor?</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more including those famous WWE surprises that are good for some and very bad for others!</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE broadcaster Michael Cole may be ducking for cover for this one. High risk, high reward! Danger money in order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Catch up with the stories, history, moments and highlights via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RoyalRumble #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #DamianPriest #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #IvyNile #Valhalla #Viking #Vikings #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #showbiz #stories #storylines #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hundreds More Google (Alphabet) Staff Set To Be Terminated</p><p><br /></p><p>Some disgruntle ex Google's say "Don't BE Evil" and "What about family"</p><p><br /></p><p>More Big Tech To Terminate</p><p><br /></p><p>A.I Considered One Of Many Factors</p><p><br /></p><p>Internet Saturated Market</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon: It's a jungle out there</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook: "Break things" re Hacker Way</p><p><br /></p><p>Silicon Valley: Sand Castles collapsing!</p><p><br /></p><p>Man vs Machine; Machine vs Human...</p><p><br /></p><p>Wall Street Silver tipping more disruptions in fin, banking and a host of sectors</p><p><br /></p><p>Domino Effect </p><p><br /></p><p>Happening On Watch Of That President</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Get Worse Before It Gets Better</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #googlesearch #googlenews #bard #searchengine #searchnews #SEO #GoogleAI #AI #ads #onlineads #adbiz #adnews #ArtificialIntelligence #technews #biznews #biz #siliconvalley #HR #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Scribes</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News (in progress)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheIronClaw #IronClaw #GregTingle #VonErich #VonErichs #VonErichFamily #familybusiness #prowrestling #wrestling #WCCW #WorldClass #TingleFamily #MarcusFamily #LeoMarcus #HenryMarcus #NWA #truckingbusiness #swimmingpools #mediabusiness #showbiz #combatsports #fightclub #popculture #life #journalism #agency #RandwickRitz #TheRitz #EasternBeaches #boxoffice #newsmedia #Texas #Aussie #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk and Cody Rhodes’ war of words: Raw, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVpoENtTFOg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s wildest moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-6BiKEhRXM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre uses R-Truth against Damian Priest in victory: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5PRC58F9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damian Priest tells R-Truth to stay out of his way: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzetQU8UlKM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vows to break Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_7I0P1Onl8&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#DIY help The Miz fight off The Judgment Day: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uttrKNwegI8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch, Bayley and Nia Jax get into a pre-Royal Rumble scuffle: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Xs17MBkPQ&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The dawn of Hulkamania: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrRSynjNsBw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more moments and highlights being added to the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong thumbs up. Just catching up now after finally seeing the full screening of 'The Iron Claw' @ironclawmovie today. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes together sharing the mic is magic. The both have their own stories... don't we all. Judgement Day is becoming more judgemental! Who is in? Who is out? Royal Rumble and WrestleMania may have a shuffle of the deck under Mummy's leadership. We believe that Hulk-A-Mania will live forever. Still remember the first time Hogan hit our screen. Mid 1984 vs Paul Orndorff at New York's Madison Square Garden. This was broadcast onto Channel Nine's Wild World Of Sports show on Channel Nine (Australia) at the time. Hooked. WWE remains on fire. We've got Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Fever.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #RoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #HulkAMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #JudgementDay #DamianPriest #DrewMcIntyre #RheaRipley #DirtyDom #RTruth #SethRollins #Gunther #Miz #AdamPearce #entertainment #popculture #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #videos #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>01.23.24</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: TKO Group)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p>#TKO #TKOGroup #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #WWE #WWERaw #SmackDown #WrestleMania #VinceMcMahon #ArielEmanuel #UFC #EndeavorGroup #Endeavor #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King remains our top guy. King Maker.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DV5RVMkdRk&t=34s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Geronimo is probally rolling over in his grave right now" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: "A bear in the hand is worth two in the bush". Flashback to classic TV shows 'Daniel Boon' and 'Grizzly Adams'. Can we get an actual bear to join Bearhill at ringside? Maybe for a PLE special or a backstage or in the field promo. It worked for the late Roddy Piper once or twice wrestling folklore says. And, how about a bird? Not "Frankie", but perhaps "Eagle"?! Country boy meets the big smoke city slicker. Only when the last tree is fell man will know he can not eat or drink money!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee vs. SCRYPTS: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhqKQCP86ig&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dragon Lee trying to get a bounce back in his step, and he goes up and over" - Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Can the Warrior Spirit break the code. Lucha vs The Matrix glitch!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee is going to show Oba Femi who he is at Vengeance Day: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWEF_bBtFE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqsRFjcvHJs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Some would say this is a miss-match" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, like one of my favourite tag teams back in the day, The Rock N Roll Express. They weren't the biggest guys but they got speed, timing, accuracy, that's what its gunna take" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>More great NXT highlights and moments via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>And a few teasers for the WWE Royal Rumble.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>More news</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE @WWE Royal Rumble is coming up this weekend (January 27, U.S) - (January 28 for Australia)! Aussie's to dominate?! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: We're working away on some big projects related to this combat sports - sports entertainment space. Flashbacks to glory days of Australian subscriber TV industry where PPV, bundling, biz dev and retention was a major focus for us. </p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming took the place of cable TV in many regards, including in the combat sports space. Exciting times. </p><p><br /></p><p>LinkedIn profiles for us are changing a little with exciting developing situation. Big conversations with some power players today!</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #WWERaw #Netflix #WWENXT #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #TreyBearhill #DragonLee #WarDogs #BaronCorbin #BronBreakker #RoyalRumble #PLE #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #TV #streaming #GregTingle #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Aussie #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie News</p><p><br /></p><p>Nominationa for 2024 Razzies</p><p><br /></p><p>(This is not a Media Man list or selection). We are just publishing the Razzies nominations, and we do not agree with a number of these). Media Man Ed.</p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PICTURE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Vin Diesel / Fast X</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Evans / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon Voight / Mercy</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Lopez / The Mother</p><p><br /></p><p>Dame Helen Mirren / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Kim Cattrall / About My Father</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Bai Ling / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Lucy Liu / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Mary Stuart Masterson / Five Nights at Freddy’s</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Douglas / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Mel Gibson / Confidential Informant</p><p><br /></p><p>Bill Murray / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Franco Nero (as “The Pope”) The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone / Expend4ables</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREEN COUPLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 “Merciless Mercenaries” / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek & Channing Tatum / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Pooh & Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers(!) in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL</p><p><br /></p><p>Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and The Dial of … Still Beating a Dead Horse</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST DIRECTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhys Frake-Waterfield / Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>David Gordon Green / The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Peyton Reed / Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott Waugh / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Wheatley / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREENPLAY</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and the Dial of … Can I go home now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>This year’s Razzies will take place on March 9, the day before the Academy Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Razzies #razzieawards #movienews #boxoffice #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #showbiz #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Land</p><p><br /></p><p>Ad Fraud</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SEL's Nicola on fraud in relation to brands. Fraud is a big subject and problem in business, especially in relation to say the adveritsing, PR, medical and political arena. Numbers can be manipulated. So can people. One lie travels from a politician to a corrupt media, to a corrupt big tech, and so it goes on. Or, remeber the old tobbaco ads from say four decades ago. No health issues there - yeah, right! Canbridge Analytica for big tech. People voting 2 times of more ala ballot fraud. Attempted ID fraud by fake LinkedIn and FB profiles, and we could go on all day. Good on Search Engine Land for shining extra light on the topic. (The real) Greg Tingle signing off from the front line.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media Blog</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie review by Greg Tingle</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie trailer</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Video Features To YouTube And Additional Social Media Channels Adding Fuel To The Fire For Royal Rumble; Fans And Media Pumped For This Weekend</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes addresses CM Punk's "pipebomb": Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54Ed-5n_ms&t=40s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to talk about your dad. And I don't know if you know this story. I've never told. I know they don't know it. 2007, your father calls me on the telephone and he tells me he's sending his youngest son Cody to Ohio Valley Wrestling to start his journey as a professional wrestler, and he tells me I want you to keep any eye on my kid"... "because on Saturday I feel like I'm breaking a promise"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther, Dom Mysterio and more WWE Superstars react to 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Match: WWE Playback</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbB6vJxukNw&t=161s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sheamus vs. Randy Orton — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2010</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl6KqodFCzA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Seth "Freakin" Rollins miss WrestleMania?: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxA2mqMNLI&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaLFd5LHi9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre’s quest to reclaim the gold (2022-24): WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiNZhwuadWc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024 *notify me</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #Pipebomb #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #kickoff #entertainment #popculture #video #videos #YouTub #YT #PLE #trend #trends #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital ends 2023 as top news brand with multiplatform views</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News @FoxNews Digital closed out calendar year 2023 as the top-performing news brand with multiplatform views and minutes, while seeing 9% growth with views and 6% growth with minutes year-over-year, according to Comscore.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the year, FOX News Digital secured 20.2 billion multiplatform views, over 36.9 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 93.7 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors. CNN and The New York Times both saw year-over-year decreases across these key performance indicators. The FOX News mobile app finished 2023 averaging 6.1 million monthly unique visitors.</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News was also the most engaged news brand on social media throughout 2023, according to Emplifi, reaching over 315 million social media interactions. FOX News drove 81.6 million Facebook interactions, 34.2 million X interactions and 198.9 million Instagram interactions. On YouTube, FOX News drove over 2.3 billion views, finishing first in the news competitive set, according to Shareablee.****</p><p><br /></p><p>FOXBusiness.com also accomplished a record year with multiplatform views. The business network earned 1.9 billion multiplatform views in 2023, its highest ranking since its launch in 2007. It also saw increases over the prior year, while the majority of business news brands experienced decreases.*** Additionally, FOXBusiness.com secured 3.2 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 23.2 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors for the year, while surpassing various other brands with views including CNN Business, MarketWatch.com and Forbes.com FOX Business was number one on YouTube in the business news competitive set in 2023, driving 748 million views, according to Shareablee. *****</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 (January-December) FOX NEWS DIGITAL VS. CNN.COM AND NYTIMES.COM</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Views</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 20,160,000,000 (up 9 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 14,885,000,000 (down 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 15,765,000,000 (down 8 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Minutes</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 36,927,000,000 (up 6 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 23,164,000,000 (down 19 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 16,402,000,000 (down 2 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Average Monthly Multi-Platform Unique Visitors</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 93,652,000 (up 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 121,033,000 (down 3 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 76,520,000 (down 14 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>#FoxNews #FoxNewsDigital #FoxBusiness #FOX #Comscore #newsmedia #NewsCorp #news #newsmedia #onlinenews #socialmedia #platforms #platformnews #newsbrand #brands #newsbiz #digitalnews #newsapp #apps #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: FOX News Digital</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Surfing Industry News</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Welcomes New and Returning Partners to 2024 Championship Tour</p><p><br /></p><p>January 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is thrilled to announce its new and returning partners ahead of the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Backed by the strongest partnership presence on record, the WSL is poised for a great year of excitement and growth,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “Working with innovative and authentic partners allows us to elevate the sport as well as drive real value by enhancing brand visibility through engaging fan activations and mutually beneficial marketing campaigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrating More Ways to Watch with ESPN+ and Global Broadcast Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN</p><p>New for 2024, the WSL has announced a rights agreement in the United States with ESPN. For the first time, fans can watch all ten WSL CT events, as well as the US Open of Surfing Challenger Series event, live on ESPN+. In addition, 11 episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing, an all-access deep dive into the CT and its character-driven storylines, will be aired on ESPN2 throughout the year. The deal will allow WSL to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences in the US via ESPN’s digital subscribers as well as on linear television.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven Network + Foxtel Group In Australia </p><p>The WSL and the Seven Network announced a fifth-consecutive year of partnership for the 2024 season with Seven continuing as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia. The partnership extension will see all WSL CT events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event also going live and on demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian viewers will also be able to catch WSL content and all CT events on Fox Sports Australia and Kayo Sports for a sixteenth consecutive year, thanks to a new one-year deal between Foxtel Group and the WSL. In addition to this, all Challenger Series events, as well as the Bells Beach Longboard Classic, will be streamed live on Kayo Sports along with Foxtel, scheduling permitting. Fans can also enjoy WSL-produced feature shows and highlights from all events on demand on Kayo Sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>GLOBO</p><p>The WSL will continue offering Brazilian fans access to event coverage through GLOBO, one of the world’s leading broadcasters, sharing the excitement and passion of professional surfing with millions of fans in Brazil.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eurosport</p><p>Eurosport, owned by Discovery, remains the WSL’s European distribution partner and this year is also the European rights holder for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Eurosport will broadcast the WSL: Inside Pro Surfing series on its television channels and will also livestream CT events in their entirety via Discovery+ in the territory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing New Global and Title Partners: Lexus, Eventbrite, Bonsoy</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus</p><p>Lexus joins the WSL CT as the Title Partner of the Lexus Pipe Pro and an official automotive partner of the Sunset Pro. The leading luxury car brand will also join as an official partner of the annual WSL Awards, celebrating surfers’ exceptional achievements from the 2023 season. Lexus will introduce its latest vehicle, the 2024 Lexus GX 550, through engaging on-site activations throughout the WSL’s Hawaii competitions from January 29 through February 22, 2024. In collaboration with Complex Networks, fans will have the opportunity to explore the vehicle through on-beach displays, providing an up-close look at the cutting-edge design features that define the Lexus brand. Lexus and Complex will also curate an elevated dining experience at the Lexus Pipe Pro for VIPs and athletes to highlight and celebrate the culinary expertise and mastery of local chefs. Complex and First We Feast will also spotlight the experience on its social channels throughout the 2024 kickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventbrite</p><p>2024 will see Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, step into the role of exclusive ticketing partner for women’s surfing on the CT and the US Open of Surfing. To celebrate the partnership, Eventbrite will launch a WSL-inspired collection offering top event picks happening across the US during the WSL CT kickoff, in addition to further collections highlighting curated ticketed experiences in and around the US Open of Surfing and the WSL Finals. The WSL and Eventbrite will also collaborate on a visual content-driven marketing campaign to bring the surfing community to Eventbrite’s unique events and experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bonsoy</p><p>Bonsoy has expanded its partnership with the WSL from events in the APAC region to globally with the Championship Tour, Challenger Series and Longboard Tour. The new global deal will see Bonsoy become the Official Milk and Coconut Water of the WSL. 2024 will also see Bonsoy become the title partner for the Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event while continuing as the presenting partner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to its continued success in previous seasons, the Bonsoy Caddy Program will continue across three major events in Australia. The Bonsoy Athlete Area will activate at the US Open Challenger Series event as well as both Challenger Series events in Australia. Bonsoy is also excited to announce that WSL Commentator Kaipo Guerrera will become a Bonsoy ambassador in 2024, featuring in broadcast integrations and branded content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Returning Partners Apple Watch, Red Bull Bring Athlete Performance to New Heights for 2024 CT</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple Watch</p><p>For the second year, Apple Watch will be the official wearable equipment of the WSL. This season the elite CT athletes will continue to get access to the WSL Surfer app on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which syncs with the WSL Scoring System in real-time to give them all the information they need while in the water during competition, including scores, wave priority, and time in the heat. Apple Watch is uniquely suited for this task due to its large bright screen, durable design, and cellular connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Red Bull</p><p>Red Bull has joined for its sixth year of global partnership. In their relentless pursuit to support peak performance, Red Bull’s athlete-first approach will continue during the 2024 season, with enhancements planned for the Red Bull Athlete Zones at each CT stop. This year, fans will also be able to experience every heart-pounding moment of the Big Wave competitions live, courtesy of Red Bull TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vissla Shaper Rankings</p><p>The Vissla Shaper Rankings will also return this year. The season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via combined men’s and women’s rankings, counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the 9 CT stops this season. These rankings determine the winner after the regular-season CT events, ahead of the WSL Finals. There are 13 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors this year, and by bringing these performance-driven individuals to the forefront, Vissla and the WSL continue to honor the heritage and progression of the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcoming Key Title Partners and Global Sustainability Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>SHISEIDO</p><p>SHISEIDO continues its partnership with the WSL as the Official Suncare of the WSL, a Global WSL CT partner, and a Global Sustainability Partner of the WSL and WSL One Ocean. SHISEIDO will be the Title Partner for Stop No. 6 on the CT, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, scheduled for May 22 – 31, 2024. SHISEIDO will host on-site activations, including sunscreen and suncare stations where fans can sample and purchase products, as well as the production of co-branded in-broadcast vignettes designed to promote sustainability throughout the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corona</p><p>Corona and the WSL have struck a partnership for the eighth consecutive year. As the esteemed Title Partner for the return of the Fiji Pro, Corona further solidifies its commitment to the world of professional surfing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona will also build on the 2023 season’s release of “Corona Lay Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at what the CT surfers do on their days off from competition. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona plans to highlight the breathtaking locations and extraordinary experiences that can be found at each event through engaging original content featuring the beautiful and diverse locations that play host to the CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year, Corona’s steadfast commitment to sustainability takes center stage with its continued work alongside WSL One Ocean, furthering the shared mission to protect and preserve the world’s oceans for generations to come. Together, the WSL and Corona are set to deliver unparalleled fan experiences and foster a deeper connection between surf enthusiasts and the natural world.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI</p><p>The WSL and YETI are proud to continue their second year of partnership after a very successful first season.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI will kick off its 2024 partnership with an elevated position as the Presenting Partner of the prestigious Pipe Pro. YETI will be activating onsite at ʻEhukai Beach Park, offering custom engraving with proceeds benefiting the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation. In addition, YETI will be promoting the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI in their new flagship Honolulu store, offering official merchandise in support of their WSL CT Athlete, John John Florence.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI also continues its commitment to sustainability as a Global Sustainability Partner of WSL One Ocean, integrating sustainability into its core operations and aligning with the WSL One Ocean initiatives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mananalu Water</p><p>The WSL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mananalu Water – actor Jason Momoa’s aluminum-bottled water brand on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics. As an Official Canned Water Partner, Mananalu will be the exclusive canned water onsite at the World Surf League’s North American events, including the US Open of Surfing, the WSL Finals, the Lexus Pipe Pro, and more. Mananalu will also be an Official Partner of WSL PURE, the league’s 501(c)(3), which runs an annual grant program to support global non-profit organizations focused on improving the health of global ocean ecosystems.</p><p><br /></p><p>805 Beer</p><p>805 Beer will also continue its partnership with the WSL, with the quality brewed beverage having become a cornerstone of the WSL live event experience (for fans aged 21 and over). The WSL and 805 Beer are excited to expand the partnership in a way that authentically embodies the essence of surfing and its community. In addition to the partnership extension, Firestone Walker and the WSL are excited to extend their collaborative apparel line celebrating their partnership that promotes “Drinking Local. Surfing Global” (for fans aged 21 years and over), available online and in surf shops across the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pura Vida</p><p>Pura Vida returns for a third year as the Presenting Partner of WSL Rising Tides, continuing their commitment to empowering young girls in local communities through the transformative power of surfing. WSL Rising Tides provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for girls to connect with their surfing heroes, inspiring them to chase their dreams in and out of the water. Pura Vida’s partnership goes beyond local activations; they’ll be weaving inspiring content into the WSL’s live broadcasts and social media platforms, showcasing the stories of young surfers and the impact of Rising Tides on a global scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuing Regional Partnerships</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL APAC is excited to continue partnerships with mophie and Bailey Ladders in 2024, thanks to new contract extensions with each organization. In addition to the Tahiti Pro, mophie has expanded its partnership to include the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Fiji Pro in 2024. Bailey Ladders will include their Weather Guard product as part of the deal for the Gold Coast Pro. WSL APAC has announcements of several more partners coming through the 2024 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL LATAM region continues its partnerships with leaders of top-tier corporations such as TV Globo, Vivo, Banco do Brasil, Natura, Unilever, and governmental support from the Rio de Janeiro State Government and the City of Saquarema.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first stop on the 2024 WSL Championship Tour is the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, opening on January 29, 2024, and holding a competition window through February 10. The event will broadcast LIVE on www.WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. </p><p><br /></p><p>Check out all the new ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, please visit www.WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About the WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #WSLInsideProSurfing #WSLAPAC #InsideProSurfing #surfing #surfingindustry #CherieCohen #ESPN #ESPNPlus #Seven #SevenNetwork #AppleWatch #RedBull #RedBullTV #Foxtel #Lexus #Corona #Shiseido #RipCurlPro #FujiPro #TVGlobo #TV #broadcast #broadcasting #livesports #app #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #pressrelease #mediarelease #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble </p><p><br /></p><p>Location - St. Petersburg, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Date - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE SmackDown is January 26 (one day before the Royal Rumble). Main Event: Solo Sikoa vs LA Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Betting News, Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Favs are CM Punk + 125 (44.4 percent) and Cody Rhodes + 200 (33.3 percent)</p><p><br /></p><p>Previous Royal Rumble Winners</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Cody Rhodes</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Rhea Ripley</p><p><br /></p><p>2022 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Brock Lesnar</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Ronda Rousey</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Edge</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Bianca Belair</p><p><br /></p><p>2020 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Drew McIntyre</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Charlotte Flair</p><p><br /></p><p>2019 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Seth Rollins</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Becky Lynch</p><p><br /></p><p>2018 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Asuka</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube, to help get you ready!</p><p><br /></p><p>Why CM Punk took the hard path back to WWE: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9y1E7nbBMU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bet On Anything (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PLE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ple_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback:</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE betting via Bet America (via Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Betting (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #SmackDown #RandyOrton #LAKnight #BrockLesnar #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #TheBloodline #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #AOP #AuthorsOfPain #KarrionKross #DirtyDom #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #JohnCena #NickAldis #AdamPearce #PaulHeyman #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #YT #video #wrestlingnews #liveentertainment #livesports #sportsnews #odds #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>“First of all, I don’t give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech” ... “To control what people say and to tell people what to believe – I don’t tell any other *ucking human being what to say, what to think and there’s no leashes on any of them..”</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want.” - Dana White, UFC @UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#DanaWhite #quote #UFC297 #UFC #MMA #freedom #FreeSpeech #combatsports #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #politics #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media and Political News</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX And The Hounds?! : Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Gonzo Satire and/or News as Comedy?</p><p><br /></p><p>Does GG and FOX smell blood?</p><p><br /></p><p>Gutfeld: This is kind of embarrassing</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"Happy Wednesday...HaHaHaHa.. so, last night New Hampshire clarified a few things. First that Donald Trump will probally be the republican nominee for 2024. Alright. True. That's a lock as much as President Biden making up a new word" - Greg Gutfeld</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>#Gutfeld #GregGutfeld #FOX #FoxNews #Biden #PresidentBiden #Trump #DonaldTrump #PresidentTrump #AndNew #foxandthehound #popculture #satire #comedy #alt #YouTube #YT #politics #politicsnews #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>Living Legend Of WWE @WWE Pro Wrestling Aka Sports Entertainment And Rising Movie Star John Cena...</p><p><br /></p><p>This past Tuesday, the 46-year-old living legend discussed his plans to retire from the WWE with ET's Nischelle Turner. </p><p><br /></p><p>Cena - who was present to help promote his new action flick, Argylle, in London - stated he intends to retire from wrestling soon. </p><p><br /></p><p>"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon".</p><p><br /></p><p>Cena notably made his WWE debut 22 years ago in 2002. Gimmicks and themes of JC have included the rapper based "Word Life", "Hustle, Loyality and Respect" and "Never Give Up".</p><p><br /></p><p>"I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, 'cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. You gotta come out of pocket - and WWE has a ton of content -- it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there. And I'm gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don't ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion -- the same passion as the fanbase -- and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, 'Hey, that's gotta be done before 50.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>The Argylle actor will be turning 47 on April 23 and he says that's "the timeline I've put on myself."</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's tough to juggle both because, you know, when you're filming Argylle, Matthew [Vaughn] won't let you go do anything else because of insurance," he joked. "So as long as the phone keeps ringing and we've had some good opportunities here, I'll kind of preserve that for as long as I can. But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more and I've just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life."</p><p><br /></p><p>When asked if he plans to dip his toes back into wrestling after he retires, similar to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Cena noted that he's "had at least one match every year in WWE for the past 23 years."</p><p><br /></p><p>He added, "I've never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don't intend to miss a year."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's big WrestleMania @WrestleMania event is coming up in April, and Cena teased the possibility of him attending. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know if I'll be free that weekend, but it is a weekend and movies don't shoot on the weekends," he said. "But when I say I'm done -- in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back - I'm just being honest with myself. There's such a great new generation now as well. It's time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day."</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment Tonight Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena Addresses Rumors About His WWE Retirement (Exclusive)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSWrG5j1ivM&ab_channel=EntertainmentTonight</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena On His Instagram Posts Being ‘Interpretive Art" - April 2019</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/john_cena61.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#JohnCena #quote #quotes #WWE #RoyalRumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #Argylle #ET #popculture #boxoffice #movienews #legend #PLE #sportsentertainment #Superstar #acting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA @TNA Keeps Positive Momentum</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada returned to a TNA Ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Palm @Palms and TNA Wrestling Partnership Continues To Deliver Win-Win-Wins For Fans, Wrestlers and Promoter. Sports and entertainment right on the money!</p><p><br /></p><p>World class pro wrestling from TNA showcased via their official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada RETURNS to TNA in ALL-STAR 6-Man Tag | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUzuAY1oHos&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>"These guys have one hell of a tag team partner"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A two time IWGP world heavyweight champion. A five time IWGP heavyweight champion. Okada have finally returned to a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been more than a decade in a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"They thoughy it was a thing... a moment that would never happen, but here we are"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is just another sign"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Is blowing my freaking mind"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you TNA!" Kazuchika Okada's EXCLUSIVE Post-Match Comments | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKS6VTCeDII&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line Intro 2024 | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwPd3CRF7k&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"TNA - it's back and it's never, ever going away!" | iMPACT! Jan 18. 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgM2K2n358&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great footage being added to the TNA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@tnawrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Wow. TNA feels fresh, super exciting and the right sort of nostalgic all at the same time. At this rate we see TNA gaining more fans - both fans from other pro wrestling promotions and more new fans of pro wrestling. Top notch wrestling, awesome crowd participation, improved production, new lines of merch, mainstream media and wrestling news media enthusiasm and more. As celebrated business entrepreneurs such as X Corp's Elon Musk and others have said on business, "It's like baking a cake. You've got to have all of the right ingredients". And the legendary P.T Barnum, "Without promotion something terrible happens - nothing". And final thought from us, "This is wrestling" and "TNA Wrestling has once again got the IT Factor back and is standing out from the pack for all the right reasons" - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/tna_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNAWrestling #TNAIMPACT #TNACrossTheLine #TNA #TNATNATNA #prowrestling #wrestling #ThePalms #PalmsCasino #Okada #IWGP #NicNemeth #EddieEdwards #AlexShelley #ChrisSabin #MotorCityMachineGuns #TheSystem #ZacharyWentz #Moose #JordynneGrace #Trinity #entertainmentnews #popculture #sportsnews #casinonews #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #promotion #quote #quotes #VegasNews #vegascasino #casinonewsmedia #wrestlingnewsmedia #LasVegas #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Solo Sikoa. Night of glory or disaster?</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar. LWO vs Fantasma!</p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs The Final Testament. Profits future being authored by biblical warlocks from another world! God bless to all. Read the good book - last opportunity?</p><p><br /></p><p>Kayden Carter & Katana Chance vs The Kabuki Warriors</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes vs Austin Theory. NXT come WWE upstarts vs Japanese living legends. Titles in grave danger.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The clock is ticking. Wrestling fans are going nutso as we head towards to Royal Rumble. Will a future wrestling legend or two from "the other promotion"/s be setting foot in a WWE ring for the very first time?! Don't bet against it. Can Roman Reigns once again beat the odds despite some of the powers that be conspiring against him. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis better have eyes in the back of his head. Does RR know Aldis is a former NWA champion? Is Bloodline "Wise Man" Paul Heyman telling Reigns everything he really needs to know? Are the likes of WWE legends including Booker T, Kurt Angle, JBL and Eric Bischoff pulling strings behind the scences, that could alter the course of the WWE forever? This is must see TV and PPE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Get a taste of past, present and future events and major happenings via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>such as... wait for it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns’ challengers prepare for Royal Rumble showdown: WWE Now, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCooqkevpxY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight — Road to Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01ywIgPoxo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #SoloSikoa #TheBloodline #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #JudgementDay #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #Carlito #SantosEscobar #Fantasma #DelFantasma #lucha #AustinTheory #CarmeloHayes #KabukiWarriors #Asuka #Sane #tagteam #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #PPV #PayPerView #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #story #storytelling #trend #buzz #XWrestling #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is sure to be an epic battle... personal animosity... Carlito collides with a former friend, now enemy" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ZelinaVega #FWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, LA Knight & AJ Styles vow to defeat Roman Reigns: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbrc9a8nU4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Eladio Carrión introduces Randy Orton: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTbkbT-ESw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfODnL3WH9w&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Heyman suggest Jimmy Uso should win the Royal Rumble: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S79aaxm_DJg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Theory and Waller pick their Royal Rumble numbers: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGjUqhfHmc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elektra Lopez debuts by helping Santos Escobar defeat Carlito: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99DkNheeddc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Williams saves Carmelo Hayes from a A-Town Down Under: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVYyX2q4Kc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline’s beatdown of Styles, Orton and Knight backfires: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBeXJ4Ct2DU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong and hot SmackDown show on the lead in to the Royal Rumble. Paul Heyman may be dancing with the devil. Karriion Karrion, AOP - Final Testament dominating. Biblical and mighty beat down! Anything can and does happen in the WWE! Clock ticking on Roman's title reign?! </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EladioCarrion #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AjStyles #PaulHeyman #TheBloodline #SoloSikoa #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ElektraLopez #ZelinaVega #LWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #RTruth #NickAldis #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #YT #video #AndNew #trends #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross </p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves </p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #AOP #FinalTestament #KK</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News via Media Man</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown and Royal Rumble lead up on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA with world class product</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW has fans, media and industry on edge</p><p><br /></p><p>Okada hot agent!</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Wanted Man sets TNA on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>MJF Buzz</p><p><br /></p><p>Fatu Buzz with Booker T history in Reality Of Wrestling</p><p>Von Erich movie 'The Iron Claw' continues with rave reviews</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE - WWE NXT @WWENXT and AJPW @alljapan_pw deal going well</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix deal next year will take WWE to the next level and grow business by approx 30 percent says former Optus PPV and subscriber TV exec via Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>OPW and AWF wrestling promotions lighting a fire in Aussie pro wrestling; Starrcast buzz continues</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EliminationChamber #WWENXT #Netflix #TNA #AEW #AJPW #OPW #AWF #Starrcast #streaming #combatsports #Aussie #AustralianWrestling #wrestlingpromotion #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoter #wrestlingpromoters #wrestlingnewsmedia #entertainment #popculture #PPV #PLE #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>(Images: Credit to each individual wrestling promotion featured)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Videos To Fuel Hype From Fans, Media, Et Al</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Royal Rumble 2024 cold open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKDbOIvL2y8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk trains with NXT Superstars: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlaGAddwLg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Royal Rumble Preview: WWE Now, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q04xgdEw1Kk&t=76s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk remains out top pick for the win, followed closely by Cody Rhodes. This may change as extra intel comes to light.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #JimmyUso #SoloSikoa #PaulHeyman #WWERoyalRumble2024 #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #KarrionKross #AOP #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #GraysonWaller #AustinTheory #DragonLee #AJLee #BeckyLynch #TiffanyStratton #LWO #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Friday Night SmackDown moments: WWE Top 10, Jan. 26, 2023</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpMryVt9XQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Theory taking his time getting back in the ring. And Carmelo was taken out by Theory. Waller with a cheap shot right here in front of us" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The line of succession as to who is truely the Tribal Heir all starts at the Royal Rumble" Paul Heyman</p><p><br /></p><p>Trouble is brewing for The O.C.: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZk8mPcg3rk&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damage CTRL are on top: SmackDown LowDown, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19Cjzrd6Gs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #moments #highlights #YouTube #YT #video #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix Streaming Service Riding High Once Again</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix @netflix spruiks record breaking subscriber numbers after account sharing crackdown; Consumer backlash appears over</p><p><br /></p><p>Global streaming giant Netflix added a record number of new subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for programs such as the long-running royal drama ‘The Crown’.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just 5 days ago Netflix and world's leading pro wrestling promotion, WWE @WWE advised the popular WWE RAW show will be carried by Netflix for numerous countries (U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America) from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform has reached approx 260 million subscribers and added just over 13 million of those in the fourth quarter of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spike in subscriber count is partly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing during the past 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company said in a media release they believe they have successfully "cracked down" on all accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news comes are more unofficial sports and entertainment PPV based websites hit the web. Those with a well trained eye can notice the tell tale sales on the pirate based streaming sites. Due it its popularity the combat sports sector is seeing a number of bad actors arise, but many are being shut down very quicky advised the Media Man Group agency. Over the past number of decades Media Man has helped officially promote a number of official streaming and online PPV sites including TrillerTV (formally FITE), WWE Network, Netflix and Ring Divas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix posted an impressive yearly revenue of $US8.8 billion last year, exceeding analysts' forecasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Netflix is riding a way of momentium and will be certainly renewing our subscription again soon, especially as the WWE, wrestling and combat sports programming continues to ramp up. Sports content with a pop culture edge sells and draws in the numbers. It's also possible that Netflix Games may eventually add some extra WWE themed games to the existing portfolio which features 'Escape The Undertaker'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Down: Drive To Survive (F1), upcoming MMA based movies (rumours of Dwayne Johnson input), and more WWE related content, now that the ink is dry for the official start of WWE RAW on Netflix next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Netflix #NetflixNews #NetflixUS #streamingnews #streamingmedia #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingentertainment #DriveToSurvive #WWERAW #WWE #prowrestling #MMA #extremesports #combatsports #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #SevenBucks #content #contentnews #contentcreation #broadcast #broadcasting #sub #Subscription #subscribers #PPB #showbiz #trend #trends #TV #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasting News</p><p><br /></p><p>(In case you missed it)</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasters are the Most Trusted Media Personalities Among US Consumers, New Acast Research Finds</p><p><br /></p><p>PRESS RELEASE - October 18, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released the results of a new research study that shows podcasts are a highly trusted medium among US consumers. According to the study of US consumers, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content -the most of any other tested media personality - making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.</p><p><br /></p><p>These findings come at a time when trust in US media has hit an all time low, with half of Americans reported to believe that national news organizations deliberately mislead them, according to research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. In this era of skepticism and misinformation, podcasters are emerging as the trustworthy figures of the media industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Acast’s research, half of podcast listeners trust podcasters, the most of any other tested medium. The second most trusted is YouTubers, with 44% of YouTube consumers saying they trust these media personalities. Notably, with YouTube emerging as a leading platform for podcast consumption, many of these sought-after YouTube personalities are also podcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Trust in US media has been deteriorating in recent years as a result of socio-political unrest and conflicting coverage by news outlets on the same events. As US consumers have lost confidence in traditional media, they have increasingly turned to podcasters as a source of truth,” said Acast Director of Research and Insights Tommy Walters. “During times of hardship and uncertainty - like the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine - at Acast we have consistently seen audiences flock to podcasts for deep conversations and analysis over clickbait headlines. When it comes to product endorsements, we have also seen audiences be more trusting of podcaster recommendations than any other form of media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>For advertisers, podcasting is ripe with opportunity as US consumers say they seek out podcasters above all other media personality types when looking for product endorsements. According to this study, 75% of podcast listeners say they have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to the 62% of social media users who have sought out social media creators and just 55% cable viewers who have considered cable TV personalities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this study also revealed that podcasters give quality product and brand endorsements. According to the research, 73% of US consumers who have acted on a podcast endorsement said the podcaster gave a good endorsement and they were happy with what they received.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Multimedia (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/multimedia.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasts: Profiles Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/profiles/podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Podcasts (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcast Favourites (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/podcast_favourites.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media and Marketing News (Media Man Int</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/media_and.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Online News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/online_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>83 Weeks wins Media Man 'Wrestling Podcast Of The Month' award</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles//83_weeks.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#podcastingnews #podcasts #podcasting #Gallup #KnightFoundation #podcasters #mediapersonality #mediapersonalities #newsmedia #usmedia #usnews #digitalnews #digitalmedia #mediabiz #mediabusiness #popculture #newsbiz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The last man and woman standing win a championship opportunity at WrestleMania" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am number one when it comes to getting his hands on Roman Reigns" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to take everything away from you" Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not done till I own the WWE Championship" LA Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm levels above everybody" Roman Reigns</p><p><br /></p><p>"For three and a half years Roman Reigns has been champion" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Bloodline has made a lot of enemies" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tonight the heavy hitting, knockout match-up of the new year throws down" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your days as U.S champion are numbered" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"Six seconds is five more than I need to KO you" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's going to be wild" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RoyalRumbleKickOff #KickOff #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #RomanReigns #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #HulkHogan #TheRock #NickAldis #AndStill #AndNew #PLE #entertainment #popculture #streaming #broadcast #broadcasting #hype #liveentertainment #livesports #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Full 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOdPKrHNTBU&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, I'm feeling it" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our first surprise of the night" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Guys, she's back" MC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes outlasts everyone to win Men's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqD5D00FDIg&t=9s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Press Conference clips</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H discusses ground-breaking Netflix deal: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZu8vha3Ej4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes answers a question from DDP: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29e4uVYE6uY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>And much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee explains himself: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44btA7GrEeU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker is not finished with The Judgment Day: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLUy0AgcBi8&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade can't wait to show everyone who he is: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tYrwSHxmFc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace makes an impact: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3tjl9omKw4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill put the whole locker room on notice: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPP0btDeXcY&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill makes her debut at the Royal Rumble!: 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GY6L-34XFg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWhE6pJLaYo&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Super hot show. Stories, action and surprises matter in top line pro wrestling. Early contender for 'Wrestling PPV/PLE Of The Year'. Massive thumbs up to Triple H and the whole team at WWE and associates for putting on a great and most enjoyable supercard.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWE #highlights #moments #RomanReigns #CodyRhodes #CMPunk #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #JordynneGrace #Naomi #Andrade #BronBreakker #TripleH #PaulLevesque #PatMcAfee #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble post-match comments/interview by Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube offers excellent highlights, moments and interviews covering red hot Royal Rumble PLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens vows that he's not done with Logan Paul: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orM5yKtsQYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I hope Logan Paul knows, I'm coming for a rematch. There's no way things can end this way. First of all, he brought in the brass knuckles. In French, that's called a 'poing américain' which literally translates meaning American Fist, which is appropriate because he's the United States Champion. Doesn't do anything by the book, brings in American Fists, in trying to retain the US title"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm a Canadian. It's probally when I got caught"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Next time I get Logan Paul in the ring and that title is on the line, I'm winning that championship. I should be champion."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"You see where I'm going"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yep" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your doing the whole impartial journalist thing"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"At least, I put him through a table. You know what that's called? A moral victory."</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: What a great feud, match and post match interview. This is pro wrestling and sports entertainment. Millions of fans are likely awaiting a rematch between Paul and Owens. A couple of the best in the world at what they do. </p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #USTitle #interview #quote #quotes #interview #video #highlights #AndStill #rematch #journalist #wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #trends #trending #buzz #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania @WrestleMania Season ignites discussion about who should be in the next round for the WWE @WWE Hall Of Fame</p><p><br /></p><p>Current Names Attracting Buzz Under The Watercooler</p><p><br /></p><p>Lex Luger, Jim Cornette & Sable have all got solid to strong support, including from WWE NXT @WWENXT commentator and Hall Of Fame podcast personality, Booker T @BookerT5x "Oh Yes"! as Booker would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional names drawing in discussion include Cyndi Lauper (who Media Man pitched a number of times over the past almost decade)! Who is the mongrel in the WWE blocking it? Perhaps they won't be blocked any longer in today's WWE?! Ken Shamrock is long overdue. Lex Luger and Daniel Bryan (current wrestling elsewhere, are also under discussion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Teams, The Nasty Boys and Demolition and wrestling personality Jim Cornette has been known to pitch tag teams he managed to greatness decades ago. Have a listen to Corney's podcast if you care. NSFW is often the case with Mr Cornette, and don't even start us on his politics! (real politics, not wrestling politics). </p><p><br /></p><p>Managers - Paul Heyman, your time may be now sir!</p><p><br /></p><p>Debate is open for Brock Lesnar, Gangrel, Doink The Clown (choose 1 or 2) and Outback Jack. Ok, some satire. Remember, entertainment value and fan response is also a factor. Pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is subjective in nature and a reminder that pro wrestling is not a pure sport, however most of the top wrestlers over the past decade plus have been very technical.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Media Man watercooler is was discussed that there's a couple of pro wrestlers who may have been strong draws for 5 to 10 years but they known for hurting opponents through clumsiness, poor training or whatever the case. Mistakes can and do happen in pro wrestler, but they are a couple who should be disqualified from even being seriously considered. No names, but the industry knows who they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ending on a high note, enjoy today's Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania and Hall of Fame. Oh, CM Punk for the win (and also for serious consideration for the WWE Hall of Fame).</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestling #wrestlingnews #prowrestling #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #WWEHallOfFame #BookerT #legends #wrestlinglegends #sportsentertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #Goats #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Continues To Release World Class Footage From Royal Rumble 2024 onto their award winning YouTube Channel and additional social media platforms</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Results and Highlights: WWE Now, January 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqqA99fmNbA&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7p-Brp1h0&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Rundown: WWE's The Bump, Jan. 28, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRBfQ7VYkpc&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top moments from Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Top 10, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALt6dkP_k8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tremendous pro wrestling aka sports entertainment. Action, drama, surprises and much more. Massive thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #AndStill #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #WWE #TNA #TNAWrestling #TNAChampion #WWETNA #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #popculture #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #YouTube #YT #Highlights #moments #video #trends #trending #buzz #socialmedia #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptors Of The Month</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/disruptors_of.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#disruptor #disruption #disruptors #JakePaul #LoganPaul #Misfitsboxing #PFL #boxing #celebrityboxing #combatsports #RebelNews #Tesla #NikolaTesla #market #ads #pr #SEO #mediabiz #mediadistuptor #newsdisruptor #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (U.S)</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #TheBeekeeper #MeanGirls #WonkaMovie #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #PoorThings #AmericanFiction #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #TheZoneOfInterest #TheBoys #EntertainmentNews #popculture #moviebiz #showbiz #trends #trrending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix's Commitment To Live Sports Spells Doom For ESPN</p><p>By JOE POMPLIANO</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has announced a deal with TKO Group, the holding company for the UFC and WWE, that will bring WWE’s flagship program “Raw” to the streaming service next year, marking Netflix’s first real foray into live sports entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The deal is $5 billion over ten years, according to a TKO Group SEC filing. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including SmackDown, NXT, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble. WWE will still be in charge of event production, providing Netflix about 150 hours of content annually.</p><p><br /></p><p>This announcement, combined with the appointment of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the company’s board of directors, sent TKO shares soaring. The holding company opened up more than 20 percent on Tuesday, adding ~$1 billion to its market cap.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is a huge deal because no one saw it coming. Sure, Netflix has built its name in sports through original documentaries like F1 Drive to Survive, the Untold series, The Last Dance, Beckham, Full Swing, Break Point, and more. But the world’s biggest streaming service has always said live sports rights were too expensive for its taste.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, we’ve now reached a point where it makes sense for both parties.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has 80.1 million subscribers in the United States and Canada. That gives WWE more distribution than it had on cable television (77.87 million) while also providing it access to 180 million additional international subscribers on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The $500 million annual deal represents a roughly 30% increase in payment, depending on how you calculate international rights, and Netflix gave itself the option to either cancel the deal after five years or extend it another ten after completion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tribute To Henry Marcus</p><p><br /></p><p>Charleston Post and Courier – May 24, 1998</p><p>By Mike Mooneyham</p><p><br /></p><p>Downtown Charleston may be filled with the sights and sounds of Spoleto, but next weekend at 1000 King Street, professional wrestling will be the order of the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>The King Street Palace, site of the former County Hall, will be the stage for the biggest pro wrestling reunion ever held in this area. “The Night the Legends Return: A Tribute to Henry Marcus” will be a long-overdue tip of the hat to one of the sport’s great promoters, along with a recognition of the past stars of the Mid-Atlantic area.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sponsored by Low Country Wrestling, the weekend events will feature a “meet and greet” session with the legends from 1-4 p.m. and an awards show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Several matches will be included on the evening program, but they will simply provide a backdrop for a ceremony honoring some of the sport’s legendary performers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding a special touch to the weekend is that the two major activities will be held at the King Street Palace – the building once known as County Hall where thousands of fans made their weekly pilgrimage every Friday night. Wrestling is one of the most colorful of all professions, and many of its legendary characters have graced the hallowed hall at which some of those same performers from the past will gather to relive memories of a tradition-rich sport that, like a fine wine, only grows better with age.</p><p><br /></p><p>For nostalgia lovers and followers of the glory days of Mid-Atlantic wrestling, it’s a must-see event. And even for fans who believe wrestling started with the Hulk Hogan era, it will provide a refreshing look at the past and the stars who paved the way and laid the groundwork for the Hulk Hogans, Steve Austins and Stings of today.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event holds even greater significance for many of the honorees themselves. Many who traveled the road together and teamed up have not seen each other in years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two decades have passed since Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, one of the greatest teams in wrestling history, have been together in the same ring. George and Sandy Scott, a team which Hawk and Hanson encountered in many a bloodbath during the ’60s and ’70s, will join their old rivals in that same ring on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s been even longer since the paths of Wahoo McDaniel and Johnny “The Champ” Valentine have crossed, but the memories of their torrid feud remains fresh in the minds of many longtime wrestling fans. Some of the greats of the Mid-Atlantic era have since passed on. The list includes names like Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard, Aldo Bogni, Homer O’Dell, Haystacks Calhoun, Gene Anderson, Rufus R. Jones, Billy and Jimmy Hines (The Masked Red Demons), Luther Lindsay, J.C. Dykes, Jimmy “Rocky” Smith (The Inferno), Larry “Missouri Mauler” Hamilton, Boris “The Great” Malenko, Luke “Big Boy” Brown, Dick Murdoch and, sadly, others too numerous to mention. Many stars shaped their careers here.</p><p><br /></p><p>George Scott, who was booking the Carolinas for the late Jim Crockett Sr., brought in two youngsters fresh out of Verne’s Gagne’s Minnesota wrestling camp during the early ’70s – Richard Fliehr and Richard Blood. Blood, an amateur standout out of Tampa, would be billed as Ricky Steamboat – “nephew” of Sam Steamboat, an area favorite who at the time teamed with Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods). Fliehr was brought in as “nephew” and protege of Rip Hawk and was billed as “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, a ’70s version of “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shortly thereafter Flair would join with the infamous “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” (Gene, Lars and Ole Anderson) as their cousin from Minnesota, setting the stage for the ’80s formation of the original Four Horsemen – Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rest, as they say, is history. And much of it was shaped right here in Charleston, under the Jim Crockett territorial banner and the local promotion of Henry Marcus.</p><p><br /></p><p>A little-known fact is that Arn Anderson, some years before before the formation of the Horsemen, enjoyed some of his fondest memories as young Marty Lunde growing up in Rome, Ga., hurling insults and objects at those same Anderson Brothers at the local wrestling shows. A number of surprise guests also have made plans to attend the festivities and pay tribute to a man who promoted wrestling for nearly half a century.</p><p><br /></p><p>LEGEND NOTES</p><p><br /></p><p>Promoter Henry Marcus turned 87 last Thursday…Referees for the evening matches will range from Tommy Young, longtime NWA senior official who presided over some of Ric Flair’s greatest matches during the ’70s and ’80s, and Ron West, a popular NWA official in the Carolinas, Georgia and Mid-South area, to present-day refs Charles Robinson and Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand)…Commemorative T-shirts will be available at the afternoon event…Radio station 98 Rock, which will be airing updates on the show throughout the week, will do a live remote from the King Street Palace noon-2:30 p.m. Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the honorees, Burrhead Jones, is a Moncks Corner native whose infamous TV angle with Black Jack Mulligan in the mid-’70s ranks as one of the most memorable in Mid-Atlantic history. Burrhead, cousin of the late Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones, suffered a lopsided thrashing at the hands of Mulligan that led to Rufus’ crown (he billed himself as the “king of wrestling” after being presented a crown by Greensboro fans) being stomped to pieces at the hands of Gene and Ole Anderson, Flair and Mulligan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated lays off 'significant' amount of staff after license revoked, owner vows to continue brand</p><p>Sports Illustrated was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2019</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A significant number of Sports Illustrated staff members were notified by the outlet's publisher that they would be laid off. The move puts the future of the iconic sports publication that has been widely considered the gold standard of sports journalism for nearly seven decades in jeopardy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated and related properties emailed employees on Friday, notifying them that Authentic Brands Group has revoked its marketing license.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand," the email said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated’s employee union said in a statement that the layoffs would be a significant number, and possibly all, of the NewsGuild workers represented.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We have fought together as a union to maintain the standard of this storied publication that we love, and to make sure our workers are treated fairly for the value they bring to this company. It is a fight we will continue," Mitch Goldich, NFL editor and unit chair, said in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The guild’s statement also called for Authentic Brands Group to "ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group acquired publishing rights from ABG in 2019 for at least 10 years. The group’s stewardship of SI has had many hurdles since then. In December, it fired chief executive officer Ross Levinsohn when the magazine’s alleged use of AI-generated stories drew public backlash.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pat Forde who covers college sports, the Olympics and horse racing for Sports Illustrated, according to his published bio, reacted to the news on social media and clarified that the "entire staff" did not receive termination notices.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The entire staff was not laid off. There still is a website and a magazine. That said: Ugly, brutal day with many layoffs," Forde wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement sent to Fox News Digital on Friday, Authentic Brands Group confirmed that Arena Group’s license was terminated.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yesterday, The Arena Group’s license to serve as the publisher of Sports Illustrated was terminated as a result of the company’s failure to pay its quarterly license fee despite being given a notice of breach and an opportunity to cure the breach," the statement read.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brands Group also said the Sports Illustrated brand will continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Authentic is here to ensure that the brand of Sports Illustrated, which includes its editorial arm, continues to thrive as it has for the past nearly 70 years. We are confident that going forward the brand will continue to evolve and grow in a way that serves sports news readers, sports fans, and consumers. We are committed to ensuring that the traditional ad-supported Sports Illustrated media pillar has best in class stewardship to preserve the complete integrity of the brand’s legacy."</p><p><br /></p><p>The iconic sports brand has had a rough six years. It was acquired by Meredith Publishing in 2018 as part of the purchase of Time Inc., which started the magazine in 1954.</p><p><br /></p><p>Less than a year later, Meredith sold the magazine’s intellectual property to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. ABG owns the intellectual property of many brands and stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Reebok.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling/Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix @netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p>Video via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9cZwTTO9c&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #RoyalRumble #RoyalRumble2024 #Netflix #WWERaw #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #streamingindustry #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingcontent #TKO #TKOGroup #platforms #platformnews #OTT #overthetop #entertainmentnews #popculture #audience #audiences #contentnews #contentbusiness #bizdev #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediabusiness </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling/Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"This has been an incredible week. You talk about the streaming services, so let's talk about The Rock joining the board for TKO. An amazing opportunity for us to have the biggest celebrity, the biggest star in the world, and the biggest box office attraction in the world to be a part of that board and help us. He's an expert on branding, he's an expert on marketing, he's an expert on all of those things, so to help with that. But what I love about it is he is also a guy who while on a board at an extremely high level can communicate with them, I can have shorthand with him about what WWE needs." Paul Levesque (Triple H)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>“The landscape of the WWE @WWE Women’s division was altered last night. The connections that these three have with the WWE Universe is undeniable… and I have a feeling their momentum will be unstoppable” - Triple H</p><p>#RoyalRumble #TripleH #quote #JadeCargill #Naomi #LivMorgan #JordynneGrace #wwewomen #wwewomens #womensdivision #womenswrestling #WWERaw #SmackDown #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW and Major League Wrestling forge international partnership</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>17 January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organizations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[NEW YORK, USA / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA] – In an exciting move that promises to break barriers in interpromotional collaborations, Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Oceania Pro Wrestling (OPW) have officially announced a partnership. </p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organisations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are thrilled to team with Oceania Pro Wrestling,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer, “The fans down under are some of the most passionate and we can’t wait to bring them something special as two organisations team-up for some exciting opportunities. Buckle up, we’re going to give you an unforgettable experience.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We have some exciting broadcasting announcements to come for 2024 that will involve the MLW and OPW relationship,” said OPW owner Cam Vale. ““This is a truly unique partnership by two innovative wrestling companies, to have OPW champions recognised by MLW as their regional champions and to bring MLW to Australia in 2024 and beyond. OPW wrestlers will show MLW fans how good we are down under, and who knows what that will mean for MLW in the future.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership between MLW and Oceania Pro Wrestling is set to bring about a myriad of collaborations, showcasing the best of both worlds in professional wrestling. From championships to innovative content creation, fans can expect a thrilling array of fights and entertainment that transcends geographical boundaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>MLW has been on an impressive trajectory of growth in recent times. The addition of renowned wrestler and MMA fighter Matt Riddle to its roster has fueled excitement among fans, adding a new dynamic to MLW’s already stacked lineup. MLW programming has now expanded its reach to 60 countries, solidifying its position as a global wrestling phenomenon.</p><p><br /></p><p>The highly anticipated launch of MLW’s action figure line with Boss Fight Studio is just around the corner, promising fans the opportunity to own a piece of their favorite MLW stars. MLW has also been making waves by expanding its 2024 tour schedule to include: Tampa, Chicago, and New York City, bringing MLW’s signature fusion of wrestling styles to audiences nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling has distinguished itself in the wrestling world hosting a diverse range of wrestling experiences in the Oceania region, including the highly acclaimed Starrcast Down Under and marquee wrestling events. </p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned for more updates as OPW and Major League Wrestling prepare to unveil the first of many projects.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (U.S)</p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jim Morrison</p><p><br /></p><p>Biography</p><p><br /></p><p>“Nothing else can survive a holocaust, but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting. But so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue.”</p><p>– Jim Morrison</p><p><br /></p><p>I think the self-interview is the essence of creativity. Asking yourself questions and trying to find answers. The writer is just answering a series of unuttered questions. I guess I see myself as a conscious artist plugging away from day to day, assimilating information.</p><p>I think around the fifth or sixth grade I wrote a poem called “The Pony Express.” That was the first I can remember. It was one of those ballad type poems. I never could get it together, though. I always wanted to write, but I always figured it’d be no good unless somehow the hand just took the pen and started moving without me really having anything to do with it. Like, automatic writing. But it just never happened. I wrote a few poems, of course.</p><p>Like, “Horse Latitudes” I wrote when I was in high school. I kept a lot of note books through high school and college and then when I left school for some dumb reason — maybe it was wise — I threw them all away. There’s nothing I can think of I’d rather have in my possession right now than those two or three lost notebooks. I was thinking of being hypnotized or taking sodium pentathol to try to remember, because I wrote in those books night after night. But maybe if I’d never thrown them away, I’d never have written anything original — because they were mainly accumulations of things that I’d read or heard, like quotes from books. I think if I’d never gotten rid of them I’d never been free.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>*******************************************************************************</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA Remains On Fire with The Palms @Palms Las Vegas connection, TNA Knockouts appearing in WWE Royal Rumble and TNA Impact broadcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: In ring action, new blood, compelling stories and worldwide buzz. Nic Nemeth lit a fire, Moose, Jordynne Grace, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Kazuchika Okada and others set wrestling world ablaze. Japan, Australia, Canada...the world taking notice! Win-Win-Win for fans, wrestlers, media, promoters and all continues!</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Powers That Be Add World Class Content To YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0rdnYQ-agw&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth's TNA In-Ring DEBUT vs. Zachary Wentz | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haAvoYTzaZ8&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MVP vs. Bobby Roode (FULL MATCH) | IMPACT Nov. 5, 2014</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Qn0IG4tUM&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace Wins Call Your Shot Gauntlet (FULL MATCH) | Bound For Glory 2023</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxY3SerPcBs&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace's HISTORY MAKING Moments</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seCi7WA5BRQ&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Xia Brookside vs. Tasha Steelz (FULL MATCH) | iMPACT! Jan. 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCJPeS_z9DE&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNA #TNAWrestling #TNAiMPACT #TNAHistory #TNAKnockouts #NicNemeth #Moose #JordynneGrace #AlexShelley #ChrisSabin #Okada #TNAChampion #prowrestling #wrestling #ThePalms #wrestlingnews #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #casinonews #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #ASX #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #TV #LasVegas #VegasNews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw preview, January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Kofi Kingston - WWE Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso vs faces “Big” Bronson Reed. Island Of Relevancy squad member vs Terror Australis. Tsunami heading straight for Jeys' island patch!</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes. Fresh off his Royal Rumble victory Rhodes wants to talk about? Does the WWE locker room want to listen?</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley to address WWE Universe fresh off her Royal Rumble victory. Any party poopers?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Judgment Day vs DIY. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match. Will fans also get R-Truth vs JD McDonagh or Truth vs Priest? Ripley vs clan egos?</p><p><br /></p><p>Get up to speed with everything you need to know in preparation for WWE Raw via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #Gunther #KofiKingston #JeyUso #BronsonReed #Tsunami #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #CMPunk #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #Bayley #AdamPearce #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Should or do pro wrestling promotions already have a punishment type policy in place for wrestlers who injury their opponents, be it by accident or potentially on purpose, in an attempt to climb up the card while taking out their opponents? Part satire and part not! Hidden policy already in place?!</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWERaw #Wrestlemania #WrestleMania40 #EliminationChamber #prowrestling #wrestling #combatsports #shoot #shooters #squash #injury #wrestlingpromoter #wrestlingpromoters #OHS #replay #trend #trends #buzz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PLE #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency News</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto has retreated from the lows, but no rush for growth</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market capitalisation at around $1.62 trillion is less than 1% higher than it was seven days ago, thanks to a growth spurt on Friday. Bitcoin has added 3% in the same period and continues to be the driving force behind crypto volatility. The sentiment is gradually returning to greed territory, taking the corresponding index to 55 after lows of 48 in the middle of last week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin has stabilised near $42K over the past three days. The 50-day moving average at $42.8K has acted as local resistance for short-term gains. This curve changed direction from rising to falling last week, which looks to be an additional short-term negative factor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum, as the flagship cryptocurrency, has pulled back from local lows but is in no hurry to gain altitude, trading near $2270.</p><p><br /></p><p>The two major cryptocurrencies have started stabilising and rebounding higher than we expected. But we assume that the current calm is a local trap for bulls, and the decline will continue after some pause. The trigger for the decline may be volatility in equities ahead of the reports of giant corporations, the results of the Fed meeting and the employment report.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has filed a notice to sell another batch of crypto assets confiscated from the criminal trading platform Silk Road. A total of 2,934 BTC worth $115 million is to be sold.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is likely to approve an ETF based on the spot price of Ethereum in the summer of 2024, Grayscale expects.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to cryptocurrency payment operator BitPay, XRP has become one of the most used crypto asset for making payments, with the number of payment transactions up 42%. Bitcoin topped the top 10, followed by Litecoin and Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Flipside, the Polygon project has equalled Ethereum in terms of new users. For 2023, Polygon recorded 15.24 million new accounts, compared to 15.4 million for Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>Matthew Schultz, co-founder of mining firm CleanSpark, believes that unless Bitcoin shows significant growth, 11 major mining companies will be unprofitable after the halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>Source: Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro</p><p><br /></p><p>#crypto #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #cryptocurrencynews #FxPro #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #bitcoinbiz #cryptobiz #cryptomedia #bitcoinmedia #BTC #BTCETF #XRP #Polygon #fintech #markets #exchange #biznews #cryptobulls #cleanspark #mining #miningnews #cryptomining #cryptominer #CryptoMining #win #xcrypto #index #mediabulls #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee joins Michael Cole on Monday Night Raw announce team: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRcER7hcCzk&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ladies and gentleman. Pat McAfee here with us at ringside" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>"I can't wait. I'm lucky to be sitting here next to the Goat one more time at least and let's enjoy this ride, baby. Monday Night Raw live on USA. It's an honor to be in this regim. An era of Monday Night Raw as well"... Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk confirms he’ll miss WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplT6ysM9Uc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title? The Hulk Hogan title"?! SethRollins</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day lay siege to Awesome Truth: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrUElPOBjw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day vs. #DIY in a title showdown: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yWbbsltfsY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32IsXL8LwKc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso takes on “Big” Bronson Reed: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5bkZbBYSl0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>And more world class pro wrestling - sports entertainment history, moments and highlights been added to the official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great to have Pat back. Love his edge and wit and embracement of pro wrestling WWE style. All worked hard. Can't wait to Punk to get redemption. WWE shakeups on the road to WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #JeyUso #BronsonReed #tsunami #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #CMPunk #SethRollins #UniversalTitle #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #Gunther #KofiKingston #Bayley #AdamPearce #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #EliminationChamber #prowrestling #wrestling #moments #highlights #YouTube #YT #video #entertainment #popculture #combatsports #broadcast #broadcasting #Hollywood #showbiz #trend #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most explosive moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXvooRxtYkY&t=171s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You won the battle but you didn't win the war" Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk confirms he’ll miss WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplT6ysM9Uc&t=74s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well ladies and gentleman. You see CM Punk making his way out to the ring tonight. The right arm in a sling. Pat, there has been rumours all over social media over the past 48 hours of an injury by an injury sustained this past Saturday night in the Royal Rumble match" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we saw an incredible performance by CM Punk. Final two, only loosing to Cody".. Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&t=10s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title. The Hulk Hogan title? The one for poses and frauds? The title for people who politic their way to the top"?!... Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #DustyRhodes #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #TheRock #HulkHogan #WorldTitle #WorldChampionship #WWETitle #UniversalTitle #wrestling #prowrestling #RoyalRumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #video #highlights #moments #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #trends #TV #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Vegas 85 aka Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Apex</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85. Main Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov</p><p>Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober</p><p>Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov</p><p>Viviane Araujo vs. Natalia Silva</p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov</p><p>Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke</p><p><br /></p><p>Preliminary Fights</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann vs. Diana Belbita</p><p>Azat Maksum vs Charles Johnson</p><p>Themba Gorimbo vs. Pete Rodríguez</p><p>JeongYeong Lee vs. Blake Bilder</p><p>Luana Carolina vs. Julija Stoliarenko</p><p>Landon Quiñones vs. Marquel Mederos</p><p>Thomas Petersen vs. Jamal Pogues</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Promo</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: Dolidze vs Imavov - February 3 | Fight Promo</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vN2lnIVaH8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man In News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024: News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCVegas #UFC #UFCFightNight #FightNight #RomanDolidze #NassourdineImavov #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober</p><p>#RandyBrown #MuslimSalikhov #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #promo #YouTube #YT #video #LasVegas #VegasNews #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Vegas 85 aka Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Apex</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85. Main Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov</p><p>Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober</p><p>Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov</p><p>Viviane Araujo vs. Natalia Silva</p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov</p><p>Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke</p><p><br /></p><p>Preliminary Fights</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann vs. Diana Belbita</p><p>Azat Maksum vs Charles Johnson</p><p>Themba Gorimbo vs. Pete Rodríguez</p><p>JeongYeong Lee vs. Blake Bilder</p><p>Luana Carolina vs. Julija Stoliarenko</p><p>Landon Quiñones vs. Marquel Mederos</p><p>Thomas Petersen vs. Jamal Pogues</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Promo</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: Dolidze vs Imavov - February 3 | Fight Promo</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vN2lnIVaH8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man In News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024: News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCVegas #UFC #UFCFightNight #FightNight #RomanDolidze #NassourdineImavov #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober</p><p>#RandyBrown #MuslimSalikhov #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #promo #YouTube #YT #video #LasVegas #VegasNews #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>James Bond News</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2021, Daniel Craig played James Bond for the fifth and final time in 'No Time to Die'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over two years later, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli still have not announced who will be getting the keys to the Aston Martin for the next 007 blockbuster.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vast majoriy of 007 fans across the globe want a 007 who represents the traditional Bond they have come to know and love.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who Is Bond?</p><p><br /></p><p>The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. There have been twenty-five films in total released between 1962 and 2021 and produced by Eon Productions, which now holds the adaptation rights to all of Fleming's Bond novels. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bond has been portrayed in these films by six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.</p><p><br /></p><p>James Bond: Flashback (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/james_bond.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#JamesBond #Bond #JamesBond007 #movienews #entertainmentnews #DanielCraig #PierceBrosnan #TimothyDalton #RogerMoore #GeorgeLazenby #SeanConnery #movie #showbiz #popculture #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 30, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams come face-to-face before Vengeance Day Title Match</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT Adds World Class Card Highlights To YouTube and Social Media Channels</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria breaks her silence to Tatum Paxley: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9blrKKZzyyw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Melo Gang vs The LWO in the Dusty Cup Semis'</p><p><br /></p><p>Roxanne Perez vs Tatum Paxley</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Melo Gang vs The LWO in the Dusty Cup Semis</p><p><br /></p><p>Noam Dar vs Von Wagner for the NXT Heritage Cup. We're picking VW for the upset victory "And New".</p><p><br /></p><p>Lola Vice vs Elektra Lopez. Cuban - South American Connection. The wrestling wars have once again gone to North America, primarily to NXT Headquarters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. WWE and NXT powers that be including Shawn Michaels state that Bron Breakker will still also be appearing at NXT events (for the meantime).</p><p><br /></p><p>Per Battleground Podcast Michaels stated:</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well, look, he may feel like that’s his home but he’s still got work here in NXT to do whether he likes it or not.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Strange enough — that’s our job. Our job is to lose talent but I got to tell you, I’m going to have trouble letting him go. I can assure you that there is more left for Bron Breakker here in NXT one way or another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He’s an incredibly talented, very gifted young man. As far as I’m concerned, he’s young and, as we say, full of piss and vinegar. If he wants to double-time it he can certainly do it but I’m not letting him go that easy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Video clip post WWE @WWE Royal Rumble</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker is not finished with The Judgment Day: Royal Rumble 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLUy0AgcBi8&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #VengeanceDay </p><p>#IljaDragunov #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #WolfDogs #DustyClassic #DustyRhodes #DustyCup #ShawnMichaels #JBL #NXTWomen #LyraValkyaria #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #LolaVice #ElektraLopez #RoxannePerez #TatumPaxley #TrickMeloGang #NoamDar #VonWagner #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #highlights #moments #YouTube #TY #video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #TV #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Around The Wrestling Ring</p><p><br /></p><p>Mat fans, there's been so much pro wrestling news going on lately... its hard to keep up.</p><p><br /></p><p>We're going to showcase some of our our fav YouTube videos and the like that have hit the web.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling, Combat Sports, Showbiz, Business and Life Isn't always smooth sailing all the time, and sometimes a "dark cloud" (Cody Rhodes term from RR press conference) or two can happen. In most cases life and business move forward, things are improved, and its back to business - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>In case you were sleeping, WWE @WWE WrestleMania 40 plans have had a "monkey in the wrench" or two thrown in. It's worldwide news, both the storylines and the real life. On storyline meets real life, wrestling legend CM was injured in the Royal Rumble while interacting with Drew McIntyre. As fellow legend Booker T has pointed out via his Hall of Fame podcast, it's likely father time catching up, and nothing untoward from McIntyre, not an actual mistake from Punk. As one gets older... repeat injuries are part of life, be it a tricep or other.</p><p><br /></p><p>Booker T talking CM PUNK INJURY (Hall of Fame)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_eORftJnI&t=600s&ab_channel=RealityOfWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Punk 45 years old, just time catching up". "I just think its father time catching up" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee joins Michael Cole on Monday Night Raw announce team: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRcER7hcCzk&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley wins 2024 Women's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsIuqg2P8I&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Ridge Holland vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QraTTmsXroI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov & Trick Williams exchange words ahead of Vengeance Day: NXT highlights, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N0A-RBfTNM&t=30s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9cZwTTO9c&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Pat McAfree Show YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee On His Decision To Leave The Royal Rumble Without Being Eliminated</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f1ic72w-tk&t=9s&ab_channel=ThePatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p>UpUpDownDown YouTube</p><p>Bayley, LA Knight, Big E, Chad Gable, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa | Shootin' the Breeze</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DDc1N9CJko&ab_channel=UpUpDownDown</p><p><br /></p><p>New York Stock Exchange YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock, TKO, UFC, WWE at NYSE</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir_qqOzCoD0&ab_channel=NewYorkStockExchange</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling YouTube</p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0rdnYQ-agw&t=17s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>83 Weeks Official YouTube</p><p>ERIC BISCHOFF: "This is exactly how important the BLOODLINE storyline is to WWE"</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecxA1B9wo7w&t=312s&ab_channel=83Weeks</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube (MMA and combat sports podcast, with occasional pro wrestling references and promo style)! If you know, you know!</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans WANT Sean Strickland vs Du Plessis Rematch</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUgFXiDY5s&t=490s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297. Crowd (Media Man Int YouTube) *for educational and some entertainment purposes!!!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8vPTkoGM04&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Phone A Friend. Gif/Meme. Interpretative,</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gX4ggNt1_Ko</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Final thoughts. Blessed to be able to catch up with fav sports and entertainment. Enjoy the journey on the ride to the destination. Health is wealth. The world is but a stage. Art reflects life and life reflects art. Focus on positives. The speed of light and the speed on thought. Life can be one giant wrestling match. Life is more like wrestling than dancing. Zen. </p><p><br /></p><p>#WrestlingNews #wrestling #prowrestling #RoyalRumble #WWERaw #SmackDown #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #SethRollins #CodyRhodes #BookerT #PatMcAfee #entertainment #popculture #combatsports #YouTube #YT #video #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SmackDown #Netflix #EliminationChamber #WrestleMania #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #popculture #streaming #streamingbiz #streamingindustry #liveentertainment #livesports #broadcast #broadcasting #sportsbiz #showbiz #boxoffice #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #newsmedia #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Makes TKO Group Board Of Directors.. just in case you blinked and missed it...</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania @WrestleMania Dream Match vs Roman Reigns Nears Closer</p><p><br /></p><p>Tells FOX Of Family Connection To Industry</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News @FoxNews YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: Both parties have approached me about running | Will Cain Show</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5r28L5pQlQ&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"Alright Dwayne, Rock, I said. What do I call you? I call you Dwayne, I call you The Rock. You said, now that I own it, I can call you Rock" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yes, I own it. Now you can call me The Rock"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Congratulations on that by the way" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you man, I appreciate it very much" The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a big moment for you, personally, and obviously for the company TKO" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"A very big moment".. The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Buzz And Trends via Elon Musk's X</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson via X @X on 30 January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>My honor to join @TKOGrp Board of Directors (parent co who owns @WWE @UFC) An historic day of big business with deep and personal “life comes full circle” significance for me. I have the privilege now to sit at the table, that my grandfather and my dad helped to build. Now the fun part - we go to work. We build. Thanks to all you guys out there for your support and hype. And thank you to my TKO/WWE partners- Ari Emmanuel Mark Shapiro Nick Khan Paul “Triple H” Levesque</p><p><br /></p><p>More Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes, this years winner of the Royal Rumble, will think about Seth Rollins pitch for the "American Nightmare" to challenge for the "blue collar" title at this years WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&t=41s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title"? Rollins to Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p>Elon Musk and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson bromance via Twitter; Musk gets some cool factor - March 2019</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/elon_musk4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock vs "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ken_shamrock8.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Many insiders, fans and media have been calling for Shamrock to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for years. This may be his year with fresh management, some of which enjoys strong respect and history with the former UFC champion and legit MMA living legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>and more legendary coverage of "The Great One"</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock Promo SmackDown 2/6/03</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/the_rock5.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns vs Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson op ed</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/reigns_vs2.html</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/the_rock7.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Dream Matches (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_dream.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE 'Raw' Beginning 2025</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/netflix_to.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #DwayneJohnson #NickKhan #TripleH #TKOGroup #TKO #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WrestleManiaXL #RomanReigns #Netflix #Fox #FoxNews #WillCain #NYSE #NewYorkStockExchange #interview #YouTube #video #sportsnews #sportsmedia #entertainmentnews #entertainment #wrestling #prowrestling #wrestlingnews #streaming #streamingindustry #StreamingNow #streamingbiz #streamingnews #streamingentertainment #PLE #broadcast #showbiz #boxoffice #storytelling #history #legends #biznews #trend #trends #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Provides Outlet For Great Sports Artists</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading mixed martial arts promotion the UFC @UFC remains fav subject fodder of choice for many of world's greatest artists</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC/MMA fighters are in the mix of big fans and frequent customers</p><p><br /></p><p>Fudailat and Dosbrak tie this month for Media Man 'Sports Artist Of The Month' award; Based on merit. No politics. Who will be next to step up?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Profiles</p><p><br /></p><p>Mojahed Fudailat @MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the world's greatest animation artists in our view. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mojahed Fudailat Official YouTube</p><p>Strickland's angry at Dricus for cheating</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXA_Wjo21Jg&ab_channel=MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>"Guys, the headbutt kinda sucked but **** Life is good. Thank you everybody"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dosbrak @dosbrak</p><p><br /></p><p>World beater podcast and MMA figure Joe Rogan knows about the Dosbrak creative arts magic</p><p><br /></p><p>Dosbrak Official YouTube</p><p>SPEED PAINTING OF JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ9NH41SBv8&ab_channel=dosbrak</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Fight fans, we can expect more great MMA art as the year rolls along. UFC 300 set for April 13 in Paradise, Nevada remains highly anticipated and these kind of mega events are known for their merch, collectables and such. Indy type artists often offer a more unique and less corporate offering that the UFC machine. The fight and art fans win as the collector can search the world online for creations that capture their imagination, or they can show up in Vegas, fighter Paradise or wherever else in search of the holy grail of sports art. When you make contact with the artists and sellers keep in mind some of the tactics that former U.S president Donald Trump penned in 'The Art Of The Deal'! Oh, Trump NFT's are available on the web also, but that's showcasting another fight with different strakes. Art reflects life. Here's to the winning mindset.</p><p><br /></p><p>#MMAArt #UFCArt #sportsart #sportsartist #MojahedFudailat #Dosbrak #creativearts #artistofthemonth #creativeofthemonth #creativity #creative #UFC300 #merch #NFT #NFTs #video #sportsnews #sportsmedia #mmanews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Wars Heat Up</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Gets Grilled By U.S Congress</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook can't stay out of the news</p><p><br /></p><p>We didn't get Zuck vs Musk in an UFC Octagon, or even via backyard broadcast via X, but we do get Zuck vs Congress and indi news media across the world is pleased to share it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg’s apology doesn't impress New Mexico AG!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Zuckerberg has apologised to the parents of online child sexual abuse victims during a senate probe, but the apology was flatly dismissed by one of the state attorney generals suing the big tech bully boy who made his name for rating dorm girls on the web. Ah, the foundation of some of these big tech firms, and you wondered why some of the tech biz firms are so screwed up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s stunning apology to the parents of online child sex abuse victims during a Senate hearing was “too little, too late,” according to one of the state attorney generals currently suing the embattled social media giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>New Mexico attorney general Raúl "The Teminator" (our term, not hers) Torrez, whose office has sued Meta for exposing kids to adult sex content and alleged child predators, was on Capitol Hill on this past Wednesday as a "Zoo" (meme from the www) Zuckerberg told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Mr. Zuckerberg has appeared before Congress numerous in the past, and its not because he's going a good or great job. He has given assurances on the safety of his platforms many times before,” Torrez told The Post. “It seems that once the spotlight fades, they go right back to doing business as usual.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, each dismissed Meta’s pitched safety measures as ineffective during harsh exchanges and barbs with Zuckerberg.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zuckerberg, who surprised the hearing’s attendees by standing up from his podium and speaking directly to the audience, told parents that “no one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier, Zuckerberg testified that his company had spent $5 billion on safety last year. ZB shows that throwing money at some problems doesn't always work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Torrez dissed Zuckerberg’s apology.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It was clear to me that members of the committee have lost any faith in the leadership of these companies – particularly Mr. Zuckerberg,” he said. “I think the American people are skeptical and parents remain deeply concerned about the kind of content we uncovered in our investigation.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawmakers from both parties argued that tech firms should lose liability shields, such as Section 230, that protect them from directly being sued by victims. Torrez said Section 230 was “enacted in a totally different era” and should either be eliminated or “severely” restricted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Facebook founder’s apology also scored a zero with Fairplay, an advocacy group that supports the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would impose a “duty of care” on social media platforms and other tech firms to protect minors from dangerous content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If anybody still thought Meta was capable of self-regulation, today’s hearing should have disabused them of that notion,” Fairplay executive director Josh Golin told The Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Zuckerberg’s tone-deaf evasions and mumbled half-hearted apologies make clear that Congress needs to act and pass the Kids Online Safety Act.”</p><p><br /></p><p>MZ is personally named as a defendant in New Mexico’s suit, which is based on findings of a lengthy probe in which state investigators set up test accounts for four fictional children.</p><p><br /></p><p>The accounts were allegedly bombarded with disturbing messages, including “pictures and videos of genitalia” and horrific sexual propositions from adult users.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He needs to not think about these decisions simply as a business executive. He’s a parent – start acting like it,” Torrez said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Place the same kind of safeguards and protections that he would demand for his own children and apply them to his business. If he did that, we’d all be in a better place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>As media reported, an unredacted version of the suit cited an internal 2021 Meta presentation that found “100,000 children per day received online sexual harassment, such as pictures of adult genitalia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The complaint included communications among Meta staffers discussing problems with online sex exploitation on the platform, with one worker describing the company’s inaction as “really, really upsetting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The attorney general’s office alleged Meta “knew about the huge volume of inappropriate content being shared between adults and minors they did not know” – and that Zuckerberg made business decision that placed children at risk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook remain in the top tier of the world's most embatted and distructed brands, in company to the likes of Disney and in the news media sector, The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: X, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, FOX News, Wires, New York Post and tip offs)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>The Social Network</p><p>Official Trailer</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4&ab_channel=SonyPicturesEntertainment</p><p><br /></p><p>The Social Dilemma | Official Trailer | Netflix</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0&ab_channel=Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Silicon Valley: Season 6 | Official Trailer | HBO</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHp-5h1y5o&ab_channel=HBO</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #MarkZuckerberg #bigtech #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #socialmediaplatform #socialmediaplatforms #SiliconValley #digitalnews #society #technews #Video #popculture #onlinenews #trends #trending #buzz #newsmedia #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Multimedia Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Updated</p><p>www.youtube.com/mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Multimedia (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/multimedia.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Interviews (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/interviews.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Podcasts (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/streaming_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#YouTube #video #videos #streaming #streamingmedia #popculture #culture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #combatsports #prowrestling #wrestling #MMA #music #onlinenews #meme #memes #gifs #creativity #interview #interviews #podcasts #agent #agency #ads #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Try Not! Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda</p><p>#Yoda #quote #trynot #popculture #mindset #attitude #mbs #mindbodyspirit #universe #world #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Historic Boxing Title Fight Coming Up</p><p><br /></p><p>Expected To Break Some Pay-Per-View Records</p><p><br /></p><p>Media And Hype Similar To Fury vs Francis Ngannou</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk</p><p><br /></p><p>February 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Both undefeated!</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury is the WBC titlist and Usyk, formerly an undisputed cruiserweight champion, is the unified WBO, WBA and IBF champion</p><p><br /></p><p>Billed as the 'Ring of Fire' fight will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and is the biggest fight that can be made in pro boxing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Together Fury and Usyk hold all four of the major heavyweight world titles, making this the most anticipated fight in 25 years. At least according to many, but other argue that Furty vs Ngannou was bigger, and don't start us on the knock down that happended, nor the scorecards etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield back n November 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, like Fury, has never lost a professional bout. Since Usyk completed his second victory over Anthony Joshua in 2022 to defend his unified WBO, WBA and IBF championships, the hype and anticipation to see him fight Fury, the WBC heavyweight titlist, has continued to grow.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of their bout in Riyadh will be boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion in over two decades and the first of the four-belt era.</p><p><br /></p><p>The undercard includes Jai Opetaia v Mairis Briedis for the IBF Cruiserweight title and Joe Cordina v Anthony Cacace for the IBF super-featherweight title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to Fury vs Usyk</p><p><br /></p><p>The UK's born and bred Fury first became a unified world champion when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.</p><p><br /></p><p>He never lost those titles in the ring but they became vacant when he didn't box for more than two years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury made an impressive return in 2018 and drew in a suss bout with Deontay Wilder that year. Fury beat Wilder in a rematch to win the WBC title and won again in a great 2021 trilogy fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The following year he headlined two big stadium fights in London, stopping both Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora to defend his title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, further established himself alongside Fury at the top of the heavyweight rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>An Olympic gold medallist at London 2012, he ripped through the cruiserweight division, winning the World Boxing Super Series as well as going undefeated.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stepped up a call to heavyweight division and in 2021 dethroned Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBO and WBA titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ukrainian defended the belts with another impressive win over Joshua last year and beat Dubois in his only bout of 2023 in Poland, the closest he could get to a homecoming bout with the ongoing war in Ukraine.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk became somewhat of a celebrated global figure after returning to his Ukrainian homeland when Russia invaded in February of 2022 and he continued to represent his country on a global stage when he returned to his boxing career. You know what they say about politics and sports, so let's get off that. All war is bad full stop.</p><p><br /></p><p>In October Fury navigated his way through an unexpectedly suss non-title bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, on February 17 live Fury and Usyk are set decide who is the legit No 1 in the division and boxing will finally get its first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whatever happens February 17 we've got to words for you, "That's Boxing"!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p>Press Conference: Ring of Fire | Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk | Feb 17 #RiyadhSeason</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S-3LAErE9s&ab_channel=TNTSportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p>FURY AND USYK BROKEN APART! The heated 'Ring of Fire' face-off between Tyson Fury & Oleksandr Usyk</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTPdzrGDhfM&ab_channel=TNTSportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>His Excellency Turki Alalshikh Interview: Making The Biggest Fights & Creating New Boxing Fans</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVBFxDQq214&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>and a bonus for Media Man readers</p><p><br /></p><p>Top Rank Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Highlights from The Champions Gala Dinner</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTcqLPudVdE&ab_channel=TopRankBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #GypsyKing #OleksandrUsyk #Usyk #FuryUsyk #RingOfFire #RiyadhSeason #Riyadh #WBC #WBC #WBA #IBF #boxing #boxingnews #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #video #YouTube #YT #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #Goats #sportsnews #sportsmedia #livesports #liveentertainment #hype #promo #promotion #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury -Oleksandr Usyk Fight Postponded After Fury Suffers Cut In Sparring</p><p><br /></p><p>The undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury suffered a “freak cut” in sparring, promoters announced Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The fight was scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but will now be postponed until later in the year after Fury sustained a cut below his right eyebrow which required “urgent medical attention and significant stitching,” according to a statement from Queensbery Promotions, which co-promotes Fury with Top Rank.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” said Fury (34-0-1, 24 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 1-rated heavyweight and WBC titleholder, in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As we've said over the decades, That's Boxing!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video (now somewhat out of date)!</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Ring Magazine, Queensbery Promotions, Top Rank, Wires, WBC and X)</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #GypsyKing #OleksandrUsyk #Usyk #FuryUsyk #RingOfFire #RiyadhSeason #Riyadh #WBC #WBC #WBA #IBF #boxing #boxingnews </p><p>#Queensbery #TopRankBoxing #TopRank #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #video #YouTube #YT #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #Goats #sportsnews #sportsmedia #livesports #liveentertainment #hype #promo #promotion #promoter #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Contracted Wrestler Logan Paul Not Shy To Speak On Merits via his home grown Impaulsive @impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes For LP via his ultra popular podcast...</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s (Kevin) ruthless man I’ll be honest with you. He’s good, he’s very good. I made fun of him frequently, I called him all sorts of things, the ‘Humpty Dumpty of WWE,’ Called him a 40-year old schoolboy because he dresses like a teenager. I underestimated him and I’m in a little bit of pain”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I did retain my title against all odds for the first time in WWE, and that’s all it takes, title defense at a time. Who knows? With this rate, I could be the next Roman Reigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul is set to appear on WWE SmackDown this Friday night. </p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE website currently reads:</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul journeys to SmackDown following Royal Rumble controversy</p><p><br /></p><p>Moments after he got disqualified for using the brass knuckles that Logan Paul introduced during an intense United States Title Match at Royal Rumble, an irate Kevin Owens responded by powerbombing the arrogant titleholder through the announce table after the match. </p><p><br /></p><p>This Friday, Logan is set to make his return to the blue brand after his controversial victory, and KO will likely be looking to get another piece of the outspoken titleholder. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss all the action of SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Our Ex Co-Host Is BACK! Life After IMPAULSIVE, Meeting Jesus, Logan Addresses WWE Injury - EP. 408</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5RJFngZcGU&t=1362s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>The John Cena Interview - IMPAULSIVE EP. 407</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PEqQxG6j4&t=3203s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What a cross body by Logan Paul" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"But not just that" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"And he turns it into the cross moon combo. Cover!" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Owen's has Logan's arms hooked. Could be thinking about a backslide. Uh oh" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Right to the back of Logan Paul's head" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Kevin Owens is ticked off, and I don't blame him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And now Owens returning the favor" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO got screwed here tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Kevin Owens now... through the table".. MC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: How can one not be hyped up for their next clash on SmackDown. If you wanting fighting, skills, drama and knockout action, these are your guys. Oh, right now we see Logan Paul as futher WWE and/or Universal/World Champion. Sorry haters. The prme heel you love to hate!</p><p><br /></p><p>#LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #AndStill #Impaulsive #USTitle #WWEUS #Prime #PaulOwens #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #RomanReigns #PaulHeyman #video #videos #YouTube #YT #highlights #moments #Goat #legends #FOX #popculture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #podcasting #podcastnews #viral #hype #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediamegastar #primeheel #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA </p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth LAID OUT by Steve Maclin | iMPACT! Feb. 1, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H96iiQnO4Q&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Following the surprise of Jordynne Grace in WWE's Royal Rumble match, tonight TNA Wrestling is back in it's old stomping grounds of Orlando, Florida"..</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: TNA maintains its edge and freshness. TNA's Scott D'Amore and Nic Nemeth, with the WWE connection are best for business! Win-Win-Win!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great action and drama via the official TNA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/tnawrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNAWrestling #TNAIMP #TNA #NicNemeth #MostWanted #MostWantedMan #SteveMaclin #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Contracted Wrestler Logan Paul Not Shy To Speak On Merits via his home grown Impaulsive @impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes For LP via his ultra popular podcast...</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s (Kevin) ruthless man I’ll be honest with you. He’s good, he’s very good. I made fun of him frequently, I called him all sorts of things, the ‘Humpty Dumpty of WWE,’ Called him a 40-year old schoolboy because he dresses like a teenager. I underestimated him and I’m in a little bit of pain”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I did retain my title against all odds for the first time in WWE, and that’s all it takes, title defense at a time. Who knows? With this rate, I could be the next Roman Reigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul is set to appear on WWE SmackDown this Friday night. </p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE website currently reads:</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul journeys to SmackDown following Royal Rumble controversy</p><p><br /></p><p>Moments after he got disqualified for using the brass knuckles that Logan Paul introduced during an intense United States Title Match at Royal Rumble, an irate Kevin Owens responded by powerbombing the arrogant titleholder through the announce table after the match. </p><p><br /></p><p>This Friday, Logan is set to make his return to the blue brand after his controversial victory, and KO will likely be looking to get another piece of the outspoken titleholder. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss all the action of SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Our Ex Co-Host Is BACK! Life After IMPAULSIVE, Meeting Jesus, Logan Addresses WWE Injury - EP. 408</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5RJFngZcGU&t=1362s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>The John Cena Interview - IMPAULSIVE EP. 407</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PEqQxG6j4&t=3203s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What a cross body by Logan Paul" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"But not just that" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"And he turns it into the cross moon combo. Cover!" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Owen's has Logan's arms hooked. Could be thinking about a backslide. Uh oh" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Right to the back of Logan Paul's head" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Kevin Owens is ticked off, and I don't blame him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And now Owens returning the favor" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO got screwed here tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Kevin Owens now... through the table".. MC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: How can one not be hyped up for their next clash on SmackDown. If you wanting fighting, skills, drama and knockout action, these are your guys. Oh, right now we see Logan Paul as futher WWE and/or Universal/World Champion. Sorry haters. The prme heel you love to hate!</p><p><br /></p><p>#LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #AndStill #Impaulsive #USTitle #WWEUS #Prime #PaulOwens #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #RomanReigns #PaulHeyman #video #videos #YouTube #YT #highlights #moments #Goat #legends #FOX #popculture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #podcasting #podcastnews #viral #hype #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediamegastar #primeheel #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 WWE NXT moments: WWE Top 10, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4WjpvKp67w&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Looking for that knockout blow. Boom. Right to the back of the neck" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"Was that legal"? Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yes it was legal Book VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #TV #wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling fans can't miss this SmackDown says Media Man; History will be made one way or another!</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns begins The Road to WrestleMania: WWE Now, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiFuJ-Y7PV8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns face to face With Cody Rhodes!</p><p>Does The Rock or Seth Rollins get a mention?</p><p>What's The Bloodlines' take on the situation?</p><p>Can Paul Heyman be trusted under all the pressure?</p><p>You can bet that The Rock, head of TKO is watching on!</p><p>Logan Paul, with or without brass knux?</p><p>Kevin Owens still has Logan Paul in his sights and the table bump is not the end of the story!</p><p>WWE announcers should be cautious while broadcasting from their broadcast table, especially when KO and Logan Paul are in the building!</p><p>Bayley on WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This is going to be a very hot and volitile happening. FOX and The Hound? Who is really Head Of The Table?</p><p>#SmackDown #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #HeadOfTheTable #TribalChief #PaulHeyman #TheSamoans #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #CMPunk #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Bayley #Wrestlemania #EliminationChamber #wrestling #prowrestling #FOX #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>GUTFELD</p><p><br /></p><p>Can we please never stop talking about Taylor Swift?: Gutfeld</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLcwV79A2U&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"HaHaHa. For tabloid fodder shes a keeper, what what if Taylor's stories went much deeper. Welcome to Part 1 of our 56 Part series. 'Can We Please Never Stop Talking About Taylor Swift'...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gutfeld: Can this save Bud Light?</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpn4zyF4tmI&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These boys ripped down a tampon dispenser in their high school bathroom</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpn4zyF4tmI&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Pop Culture (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/pop_culture.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Gutfeld #GregGutfeld #FOX #FoxNews #TaylorSwift #NFL #SuperBowl #entertainmentnews #popculture #satire #comedy #tabloid #broadcast #YouTube #YT #trend #trends #buzz #news #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: FOX News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown reopens floor and rolls the dice on ‘Swifties’</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gambling floors and says it won’t be encouraging gambling and plans to phase out cash.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Crown #CrownSydney #gambling #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #swifties #casino #casinonews #gaming #gamingnews #gamesbiz #popculture #showbiz #liveentertainment #cash #money #fintech #currency #tourism #tourismindustry #businessnews #biznews #newsmedia #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Chaser vs ITV</p><p><br /></p><p>They’re notorious for high-profile stunts and news satire, but the people behind The Chaser are in a fight of their lives to keep their 25-year legacy alive – defending their brand in court against British broadcast giant ITV Studios. Full story via The Australian Financial Review @FinancialReview </p><p><br /></p><p>#TheChaser #TheChase #BeatTheChasers #ITV </p><p>#CharlesFirth #AFR #FinReview #news #newsmedia #comedy #satire #IP #showbiz #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #newsbiz #newsbusiness #mediabiz #mediabusiness #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Motorsport: F1</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton shocks F1 @F1 with jump to rivals Ferrari</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton shocked the motorsports world on Thursday (Friday AEDT) when the seven-time Formula One champion said he will leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari, which had tried to land Hamilton before he signed his latest contract extension with the Silver Arrows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton only finalised a two-year extension with Mercedes at the end of August. Mercedes said on Thursday the 39-year-old British driver has activated a release clause in that new deal that will allow him to join Ferrari in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old,” Hamilton said in a team statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 and won six of his seven titles with the Silver Arrows. His 103 race victories are an F1 record, but his last win was in the penultimate race of the 2021 season, as Mercedes has struggled to get its new car up to speed against rival Red Bull.</p><p><br /></p><p>News first broke early on Thursday about Hamilton’s move, but it took the remainder of the day for the teams to address the speculation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mercedes, with comment from both Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff, finally said Hamilton was leaving and moments later Ferrari posted a team statement that said simply “Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton will finish his run at Mercedes alongside current teammate George Russell. He will be teammates at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, who in December agreed to a long-term extension.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton will be 40 when he moves into a red and black uniform to represent Ferrari. His last championship was in 2020. In 2021, he was en route to a record-breaking eighth title in the season finale until a controversial finish gave the title to Max Verstappen, who has since gone on to win three consecutive titles as Red Bull has surpassed Mercedes as the top team in F1.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferrari, meanwhile, has not won a driver’s title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hamilton move is stunning, even after prolonged negotiations on the extension he signed last year led to speculation he was considering a move to another team. During one news conference last season, Leclerc was asked about the rumours of a new teammate at Ferrari and turned to Hamilton, laughed, and said “Hello, Lewis.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Still, Hamilton signed the Mercedes extension and insisted he wanted to end his career with his current team because of “unfinished business” and a desire to help Mercedes rebuild its struggling team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, Wolff said both sides knew their relationship “would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride,” Wolff said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mercedes won only one race in 2022 – and it was a Russell win – as the team admitted to poor design in its new car. Mercedes has spent the past two years trying to improve the car and was winless last season, although Hamilton finished third in the driver standings with six podium finishes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Leclerc ended last season with three podiums in the last four races as Ferrari began to show signs of being able to contend with Red Bull.</p><p><br /></p><p>There had been reports for much of last season that Hamilton was being personally courted by Ferrari chairman John Elkann, but former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said on Thursday the Hamilton signing was “unexpected”.</p><p><br /></p><p>F1’s preseason testing begins in Bahrain on February 21 and the first race is in Bahrain on March 2.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via the official F1 YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari: The Inside Story | F1 Nation Podcast</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AusWXmcISM&ab_channel=FORMULA1</p><p><br /></p><p>Toto Wolff On Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes Exit</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5TB2nECP3I&ab_channel=FORMULA1</p><p><br /></p><p>#F1 #Formula1 #FormulaOne #F1Nation #motorsport #LewisHamilton #Ferrari #Mercedes #McLaren #GeorgeRussell #CharlesLeclerc #RedBull #RedBullRacing #JohnElkann #LucaCordero #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz #sportsmarketing #brands #branding #sponsorship #Video #YouTube #news #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Behind the scenes of CM Punk’s emotional week: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYW7nQa-rkI&t=20s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody gets hurt. It's inevitable. I could have been an accountant, but this is the business that I chose.. maybe the business chose me".. CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gosh, how did we get here" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Amazing Vlog and storytelling from CM Punk and the WWE team. Art reflects life and life reflects art. The best wrestling stories are based on real life.</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WrestleMania #Vlog #YouTube #YT #video #WWE #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #RomanReigns #BehindTheScenes #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #WWERaw #SmackDown #WWEPC #entertainment #combatsports #PopCulture #quotes #interview #sportsentertainment #sportsbusiness #sportsnews #sportsmedia #career #rehab #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship @bareknucklefc</p><p><br /></p><p>57 Countdown Show & Live Free Prelims!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLYiMw1QJQ&ab_channel=BareKnuckleFightingChampionship</p><p><br /></p><p>Friday, February 2nd, 2024 starting at 8PM EST! In the main event, Luis Palomino will face Austin Trout for the world welterweight world championship.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship makes its return to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Friday, February 2nd, 2024! </p><p><br /></p><p>In the main event, Luis Palomino (9-0) - the world's #1 ranked pound-for-pound champion will face former Boxing World Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout (1-0) for the welterweight world championship! </p><p><br /></p><p>In the co-main event, Bryce Henry (3-0) is set to square off against Robbie Peralta (3-0) in an electrifying lightweight bare-knuckle showdown! </p><p><br /></p><p>✩BKFC 57 FIGHT CARD✩ - Luis Palomino (9-0) vs. Austin Trout (1-0): Welterweight Championship - Bryce Henry (3-0) vs. Robie Peralta (3-0) - Jomi Escoboza (8-1) vs. Issac Doolittle (3-1) - Bryan Duran (5-0) vs. Louis Lopez (3-2) - Alberto Blas (3-0) vs. Daniel Alvarez (1-1) - Chris Garcia (2-0) vs. Albert Inclan (1-1) - Leonardo Perdomo (2-0) vs. Bobby Brents (debut) - Christine Vincens (2-0) vs. Sydney Smith (1-1) - Justin Ibarrola (2-0) vs. Landon Williams (0-1) - Edgard Plazaola (1-0) vs. Darrick Gates (1-4) - Ryan Reber (4-0) vs. Derek Perez (2-1) - Stephen Townsel (3-3) vs. Leo Brecier (3-1) - Matt Russo (2-0) vs. Justin Street (debut)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via BKFC Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@BKFC</p><p><br /></p><p>#BKFC57 #BKFC #BareKnuckle #BareKnuckleFightingChampionship #LuisPalomino #AustinTrout #BryceHenry #RobbiePeralta #combatsports #fighting #fightbiz #PPV #PayPerView #SeminoleHardRockHotel #Seminole #HardRock #TrillerTV #casinonews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsstreaming #streamingsports #livesports #liveentertainment #video #YouTube #promo #trend #trends #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: BKFC)</p><p>(Image credit: BCFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton slaps Michin: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sInqe-WlJeY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma will end Rey Mysterio's LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCyyD7r5aJw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill & Bron Breakker hear out Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE82sjAe1O8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley challenges IYO SKY at WrestleMania?!: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg-EfULKk08&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens is not finished with Logan Paul: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awXP40ISeMg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens uses brass knuckles to beat Austin Theory: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnyc9JS7lAU&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I gotta tell ya. I'm impressed your even here tonight Logan Paul after the beating you took at the end of that match up " Wade Barrett @StuBennett</p><p><br /></p><p>"Clear the deck, Cannonball" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #TiffanyStratton #Michin #JadeCargill #WWEWomen #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Prime #NickAldis #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #AustinTheory #Hitman #FOX #USTitle #highlights #video #YouTube #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #PopCulture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown Exceeds Expections Says Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Great action, drama, production, behind the scenes, team effort shows in end result</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube showcases numerous moments and highlights of a stacked blockbuster show</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT: The Rock steps to Roman Reigns on Road To WrestleMania: SmackDown, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58PpN0_VzQg&t=155s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is aura. God mode engaged tonight on Friday Night SmackDown and Wade, you have to imagine the Tribal Chief is riding high after a dominant win this past Saturday at the Royal Rimble" Cory Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well it is Groundhod Day every single day for the challengers of Roman Reigns as the bodies continue to stack up on the island of relevancy"... Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s jaw-dropping moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH0uwcEsv_g&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton wins WWE debut match: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7G2JV9U_1w&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens uses brass knuckles to beat Austin Theory: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnyc9JS7lAU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Austin Theory and Grayson Waller would never use brass knuckles: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-43GtcH1bQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>B-Fab aligns with Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gdLMxc2OBk&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Naomi is ready to bring the glow to Friday nights: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGA7limcveE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill & Bron Breakker hear out Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE82sjAe1O8&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Prime #RomanReigns #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #TheBloodline #HeadOfTheTable #CodyRhodes #NickAldis #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #AustinTheory #Hitman #BronBreakker #GraysonWaller #AustinTheory #AOP #TiffanyStratton #Michin #JadeCargill #Naomi #Glow #WWEWomen #FOX #USTitle #highlights #video #YouTube #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #PopCulture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'Rocky,' 'Mandalorian' star Carl Weathers passes at 76</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Actor Carl Weathers died Tuesday at age 76. Deadline confirmed the news via a statement from Weathers' family Friday and Variety with Weather's manager.</p><p><br /></p><p>The family stated that Weathers "died peacefully in his sleep."</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers appeared in the first four Rocky movies as Apollo Creed. Apollo was Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) opponent in the first two, trainer in the third and his death at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) motivated Rocky's fourth bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Creed films follow Apollo's son, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). The Drago family challenged Adonis in Creed II.</p><p><br /></p><p>A diverse career spanned action movies like Predator and Action Jackson, comedies like Happy Gilmore and drama in TV's Chicago Justice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers recently appeared in and directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Weathers also voiced Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>His movie career began with an uncredited appearance in the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force. He began directing with a 1995 episode of Renegade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to his longtime friend and Rocky co-star Carl Weathers, who died this week at the age of 76.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching," Stallone wrote on Instagram Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers played fictional boxer Apollo Creed to Stallone's Rocky Balboa in four Rocky movies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers is also known for his roles in The Mandalorian, Predator, Action Jackson, Chicago Justice and the Toy Story animated franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Sandler said on X of his Happy Gilmore co-star: "A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smart as hell. Loyal as hell," Sandler added. "Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend."</p><p><br /></p><p>Pascal posted, "Words fail," alongside a broken heart emoji and photo of Weathers on Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesse Ventura, actor, wrestlers and truth teller + via X: We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers' life and death has been a topic of conversation not just in and around showbiz - the movie and television industry, but also in combat sports circles and in society at large. Rocky was likely his most famous work, but his body of work grew to be outstanding. He had a beautiful vibe about him and this resonated through the lens across the world - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>#CarlWeathers #carlweathersrip #RIP #trbute #tribes #apollocreed #Rocky #Predator #ActionJackson #TheMandalorian #showbiz #entertainment #movienews #TVNews #legend #legends #trending #mbs #mindbodyspirit #thankyou #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Google Content News</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger quizes Google's John M on the syndicated content. Answers inluding canonical elements and more. Talk about opening up another Pandora's Box, just when you thought you had just about figured out the business of the web, SEO, linking strategy, shared and syndicated contact and such. I'm not certain if that gave more clariy, or if I'm more confused than ever about the secrets of Google and the Holy Grail of the web. An answer to the questions is generally better than none. Thanks SEL and Google for the extra intel. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Sentence Level Semantic Internal Links</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with a great feature on sentence level semantic internal links. This article has sparked us to ramp up more of this strategy. We are doing it for our combat sports coverage and gaming coverage. For example: Combat Sports - wrestling. MMA - boxing. Gaming - online games, casino games and hotels, casinos and resorts. In web terms you can call it usability of a website. Not that ours are set up perfectly, but we strive for an achieve results and the Google search engine and readers across the globe keep discovering our coverage, so a few things are certainly working. Cheers SEJ. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Roman Reigns set for iconic face-off at WrestleMania XL Kickoff!</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., February 3, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns will face off at an open-to-the-public fan and media event – WrestleMania XL Kickoff – live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Thursday, February 8 at 4 p.m. PT.</p><p><br /></p><p>Doors open at 2:30 p.m. PT.This non-ticketed event, delivered by Pizza Hut, is free for all to attend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans and media will hear from both The Rock and Roman Reigns, as well as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Onsite interview opportunities for media will immediately follow the event with both participants, Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley.</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on the anticipation for the already-record-breaking WrestleMania XL, Thursday’s event will be hosted by Monday Night Raw commentators Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, and stream live on WWE social and digital channels as well as Peacock.</p><p><br /></p><p>VIP experiences for WrestleMania XL Kickoff through exclusive partner On Location are available for purchase at https://onlocationexp.com/wrestlemaniaxlkickoff</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania XL takes place across two nights on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and stream live on Peacock in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source/Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #RomanReigns #WrestleManiaXLKickOff #WrestleManiaKickOff #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WrestleManiaXL #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #BiancaBelair #RheaRipley #MichaelCole #PatMcAfee #faceoff #pressconference #mediaconference #prowrestling #wrestling #history #legends #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #trend #trends #trending #buzz #wrestlingnews #TMobileArena #LasVegas #VegasNews #sportsnews #entertainmentnews #showbiz #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson appears set for WWE return in WrestleMania 40 dream match with Roman Reigns - Feb 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is heading to WrestleMania and has Roman Reigns in his sight.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE made the match all but official Friday night on SmackDown as the two cousins came face to face for the first time during Reigns’ historic 1,200-plus day world championship reign. </p><p><br /></p><p>The two didn’t say a word, but WWE teased a WrestleMania 40 press conference for Thursday in Las Vegas. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s a dream encounter, as the two have never had a match together and now likely will main event Night 2 of the two-night WrestleMania at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on April 6-7. </p><p><br /></p><p>It wasn’t immediately announced if Reigns’ championship will be on the line. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock was a surprise for SmackDown, which advertised back-to-back Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes making his decision about who he will face at WrestleMania — either a rematch from last year’s show with Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Universal champion, or World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes, who pointed to Reigns after winning the Royal Rumble last week, had some doubt planted in his mind by Rollins earlier this week on Raw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rollins told him he should go after his title — the workhorse title that his dad, Dusty Rhodes, had won.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes said one of the people he sought council with over his decision was The Rock, whose music then hits.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It allowed WWE to have Rhodes in the storyline graciously bow out of facing Reigns and make it seem like this was all his idea to the fans who wanted to see him beat The Tribal Chief and “finish the story” by winning the title his dad never won. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s unclear if this was an audible WWE called after Rollins’ rumored opponent, CM Punk, tore his right triceps during the Royal Rumble and will have to miss WrestleMania. </p><p><br /></p><p>But WWE felt on this path with Reigns and Rock after the Hollywood star asked if he should “sit at the head of the table” on SmackDown in January. </p><p><br /></p><p>The 51-year-old Rock, who just became a board member of WWE’s parent company TKO, hasn’t wrestled a true match since he lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in 2013. </p><p><br /></p><p>He and Reigns have a history in Philadelphia. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock raised Reigns’ hand after he won the Royal Rumble at the Wells Fargo Center in 2015 in an ill-received segment during Reigns’ failed babyface push.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All of this is happening during a tumultuous two weeks for WWE after a bombshell civil suit was filed against former boss Vince McMahon with ex-company employee, Janel Grant, accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking</p><p><br /></p><p>After news of the lawsuit broke, McMahon resigned his role as executive chairman of TKO’s board, and he is also under a federal investigation over the allegations, according to the Wall Street Journal.</p><p><br /></p><p>(NY Post)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Dream Match</p><p><br /></p><p>Fantasy Booking. Can it become reality?</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul @LoganPaul vs Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes </p><p><br /></p><p>#dreammatch #dreammatches #LoganPaul #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #AmericanDream #PrimeHeel #TheMaverick #RhodestoWrestleMania #TeamRhodes #TeamLogan #PeoplesChoice #prowrestling #wrestling #fantasybooking #DFS #FantasySports #entertainment #popculture #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #disruptor #disruptor #prime #primewrestling #trend #trending #trending #buzz #socialmedia #socialmediamegastar #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Dream Match</p><p><br /></p><p>Santos Escobar vs Rey Mysterio vs Dominic Mysterio. Special ref: Dragon Lee. Special enforcer: Nick Aldis</p><p><br /></p><p>Winner sets Double Date Stipulation, or loosing luchadores partner must wear a mask for a week! (Part satire). WWE creative, over to you... Maybe a storyline for a potential Netflix special series WWE After Dark.</p><p><br /></p><p>in a WWE @WWE Ring</p><p><br /></p><p>#SantosEscobar #ReyMysterio #DominicMysterio #DirtyDom #ZelinaVega #ElektraLopez #dreammatch #dreammatches #fantasybooking #WrestleMania #lucha #LuchaLibre #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #trend #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling ups their game again; Action, drama and new faces (and masks) and more storylines playing out says Media Man. Strong thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Great matches, highlights and moments added to the official AEW YouTube Channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technical Wizardry! Bryan Danielson takes on CMLL’s Hechicero! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nVrx24Nng&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson v Hechicero + Who Sits Atop the Rankings? | AEW Control Center: Edinburg, 2/3/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuVrWZmZ4IQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Continental Crown Champ Eddie Kingston takes on Bounty Hunter Bryan Keith! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPMVgKsquBE&t=27s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>HUGE Trios match! FTR & Garcia vs TNT Champ Christian Cage & The Patriarchy! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyEsRzjqkQ&t=14s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Third time's a charm! Swerve Strickland calls his shot against Hangman Page! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Tdpd-NHkE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>After last week's attack, Mark Briscoe calls out the House of Black! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIJifxU-q_I&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>FTW Champion, HOOK, test his mettle in a 2-on-1 match vs The Outrunners! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBg63mEl3Hg&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Exclusive post match comments from FTR + Daniel Garcia issues a challenge!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jvyyiGv-Lk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>This is so much more via AEW. Catch the broadcast and/or check out their official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEW #BryanDanielson #Hechicero #CMLL #luchalibre #luchador #EddieKingston #BryanKeith #BountyHunter #Hook #Outrunners #FTR #DanielGarcia #ChristianCage #ThePatriarchy #SwerveStrickland #HangmanPage #TNT #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Edinburg #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World Missing Carl Weathers</p><p><br /></p><p>Video tributes; Official and unofficial flooding web states media, insiders</p><p><br /></p><p>Rocky, MGM YouTube Channels Hit By Emotional Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>The Best of Apollo Creed | MGM Studios (video)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqkN_VlK9sY&ab_channel=MGM</p><p><br /></p><p>Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) was the undefeated champion until Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) changes that. These are the best moments he shares with us in the Rocky films.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: MGM)</p><p><br /></p><p>Rocky Balboa Trains with Apollo Creed | ROCKY III</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDb2NkcZBg&ab_channel=OfficialRockyBalboa</p><p><br /></p><p>Motivating Moments: Apollo Creed's Best Moments | Compilation</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zle3QDYPpw&ab_channel=OfficialRockyBalboa</p><p><br /></p><p>New York Post Official YouTube</p><p>Carl Weathers dead: ‘Rocky’s’ Apollo Creed and ‘Predator’ star was 76</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_C2N_RSMdE&ab_channel=NewYorkPost</p><p><br /></p><p>#ApolloCreed #CarlWeathers #Rocky #Rocky2 #SylvesterStallone #MGM #YouTube #highlights #moments #video #tribute #carlweathersrip #entertainment #popculture #legend #legends #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #Usyk #OleksandrUsyk #FuryUsyk #boxing #boxingnews #RingOfFire #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #PPV #PayPerView #sportsbetting #wager #popculture </p><p>#GeneralEntertainmentAuthority #GEA #SaudiArabia #news #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #Usyk #OleksandrUsyk #FuryUsyk #boxing #boxingnews #RingOfFire #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #PPV #PayPerView #sportsbetting #wager #popculture </p><p>#GeneralEntertainmentAuthority #GEA #SaudiArabia #news #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Apex Arena. Enterprise, Nevada</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann defeats Diana Belbita by submission (armbar) at 4:59 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Johnson defeats Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Themba Gorimbo defeats Pete Rodriguez by TKO (strikes) at 0:32 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>JeongYeong Lee defeats Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>Luana Carolina defeats Julija Stoliaranenko by TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>MarQuel Mederos defeats Landon Quinones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Jamal Pogues defeats Thomas Petersen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Main Card Results</p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via UFC Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: DOLIDZE vs IMAVOV | COLD OPEN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKePynqL_DI&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Dolizde vs Imavov - Something Wild Comes Out | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLlxiv_cp8k&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moicano vs Dober - The Art of the Knockout | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTQaVmiHrcA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov Octagon Interview | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f617ABwRLpc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano Octagon Interview | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmbmCvCMRJU&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and more past, present and future via the official UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/ufc</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Who gets the W and who gets the L is just part of the story. Yes, winning matters without question, just as it did back in the schoolyard and school gym days for those who lived to tell that tale. The features and previews are the way to go. Getting to know the fighters. Why, how, who, the journey etc. Borrowing a page out of the pro wrestling playbook. There are so many fights these days, so getting to know the fighters and what drives them and the back story is more important than ever in many ways. Great teamwork from the UFC crew once again who put it all together for fight fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *subject to change. In progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCFightNight #NassourdineImavov #RomanDolidze #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober #ufcresults #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #mmanews #mmamedia #sportsnews #sportsmedia #VegasNews #LasVegas #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs Williams - NXT Title</p><p>Valkyria vs Perez - Womens Title</p><p>Oba Femi vs Dragon Lee - North American Title</p><p>Corbin & Breakker vs Hayes & Williams – Dusty Cup</p><p>The Family & Adrianna Rizzo vs Nima, Price & Parker - 6 Person</p><p>Dijak vs Gacy - No DQ</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams – NXT Championship: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTaS5PY8Yd8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Vengeance Day 2024 Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKo1PdfVPK8&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Family vs. OTM - Six Person Tag Team Match: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErI696R7es&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the back story with The Family. The story, charactures, backed up by strong in-ring action are key parts of the formula once again. Wolf Dogs favs for the Dusty Cup. Dijak vs Gacy is going to be a war.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #ObaFemi #DragonLee #WolfDogs #TheFamily #LyraValkyria #RoxannePerez #Dijak #JoeGacy #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #Video #PLE #entertainment #liventertainment #livesports #popculture #AndStill #AndNew #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Vengeance Day</p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs Williams - NXT Title</p><p>Valkyria vs Perez - Womens Title</p><p>Oba Femi vs Dragon Lee - North American Title</p><p>Corbin & Breakker vs Hayes & Williams – Dusty Cup </p><p>The Family & Adrianna Rizzo vs Nima, Price & Parker - 6 Person</p><p>Dijak vs Gacy - No DQ</p><p>#WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day 2024 Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKo1PdfVPK8&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Family vs. OTM - Six Person Tag Team Match: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErI696R7es&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#NXTVengeanceDay #TheFamily #OTM #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #Video #promo #entertainment</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams – NXT Championship: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTaS5PY8Yd8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#NXTVengeanceDay #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #NXTTitle #prowrestling #YouTube #Video #promo #entertainment #PLE </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Luxury brands ramp up VIP touches as they court big spenders</p><p><br /></p><p>High-net-worth clients are increasingly being feted by brands keen to keep them happy – and spending – with private shopping, butlers and even tennis lessons.</p><p><br /></p><p>Erin Deering is in many ways the ideal luxury customer. The co-founder of Triangl, a swimwear brand, she loves fashion and is a keen shopper. And, she says, she’s also “obsessed with customer-centric behaviour”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I absolutely love being appreciated by a brand, and as a [former] brand owner myself, I see this as absolutely crucial to the success and longevity of any brand, luxury or otherwise,” says Deering.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Globally, the top 2 per cent of luxury customers drove 40 per cent of sales in 2022, making ultra-high-net-worth clients particularly important to fashion and jewellery brands. Luxury brands are responding with significant investment in these VIPs, lavishing them with exclusive experiences and money-can’t-buy access, hosting them in private salons and even sending butlers armed with new collections to their homes for purchases.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deering is one of these customers. Last year, she travelled with Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta to Beijing to see the brand’s autumn/winter show, and was also hosted by Gucci in Singapore.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It makes you feel very special,” says Deering, who will launch a new clothing label in September. “You are looked after from the minute you are picked up from home. You don’t pay for a thing.” On her birthday, Deering is sent flowers and gifts from brands where she is a top shopper, and has WhatsApp conversations with sales assistants.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They send me pictures and I can order directly from them,” she says. “Sometimes I am offered made-to-order pieces.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If Deering is too busy to visit the store herself, a courier will deliver a selection for her to choose from. “It’s about knowing that you are being thought of,” she says. “It’s not just about an assistant in the Melbourne store speaking to me – I know that they are talking about me, and customers like me, in the head office in Italy. That keeps me loyal. I feel so, so valued.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As luxury becomes more democratised and accessible, courting VIP customers and making them feel special is more important than ever. Brands are taking note, particularly in Europe. Gucci opened a private boutique in Los Angeles last year called Gucci Salon, featuring the company’s most exclusive products, often retailing at more than €40,000 ($65,000). The concept was replicated in London and Tokyo.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Chanel and Brunello Cucinella are opening invitation-only boutiques for top spenders. Dolce & Gabbana has Alta Moda apartments in Milan and Paris, and French jeweller Boucheron has a private apartment above its store on the Place Vendôme. At the Dior flagship in Paris, top clients can rent a penthouse for €25,000 ($40,000) a night. A key to the store is included, and guests can shop any time they like.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s not just international brands; Australia’s Zimmermann has had a dedicated team of VIP liaisons for many years, catering to its best customers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longevity and a brand name account for some loyalty, but service is still key, says GCQ Funds Management chief investment officer Doug Tynan.</p><p><br /></p><p>“A century of heritage and a commitment to manufacturing all key products by hand mean the value of super-luxury brands are well-placed to increase over time,” he says. “But heritage and scarcity wouldn’t count for much without being matched by a superb customer experience.”</p><p><br /></p><p>GCQ is an investor in super-luxury stocks including Richemont – the owner of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels – and Hermes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As an investor, I want to see these brands always striving to take their superb customer experience to the next level,” Tynan says.</p><p><br /></p><p>Camille Thioulouse, a luxury brand consultant who has worked with Cartier, Christian Louboutin and Louis Vuitton, says that for luxury brands, top clients are the highest priority and are heavily incentivised to spend big.</p><p><br /></p><p>“These rewards are only for very top-tier clients,” she says.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you are invited to the Tiffany & Co Blue Book [high jewellery] event, you have likely spent more than seven figures that year.” Similarly, she says, brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton will take clients to international fashion shows, and sometimes even the rarefied couture shows. “That is a whole other level,” says Thioulouse. “There are absolutely top Australian spenders who would qualify.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s not all private jets, though: personal touches like birthday and Christmas presents are common, as well as exclusive access. In December, Chanel invited top clients to a rehearsal of the Australian Ballet – of which it is a sponsor– and it frequently hosts private collection viewings, usually in luxury homes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shoe brand Jimmy Choo frequently invites top spenders to lavish dinners, most recently at Melbourne’s Reine. In the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, jewellery brands such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co host catered events, inviting clients to schedule an appointment to shop and treating them to afternoon tea and cocktail hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, travel group Marriott Bonvoy invited some of its VIPs to play tennis with Pat Rafter, Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott ahead of the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday, then whisked them away at match point during the game so they could be present on court as Aryna Sabalenka was handed her trophy.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is the stuff money can’t buy,” says Thioulouse. “It’s all very discreet, and it feels special and valuable. This is not an opportunity to post on Instagram. These are serious clients who spend big.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bookmakers desperate for a win from AUSTRAC audits</p><p><br /></p><p>Low discretionary spend, advertising bans and credit card deposits have made margins tight for bookmakers. The financial crimes watchdog could make it a lot worse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Punters may have backed Italian Janik Sinner to become the Australian Open men’s champion, but the odds they’ll be using the same local bookmaker to take that gamble this time next year are less likely by the day. And it’s not because Sinner won’t be around to defend his title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s wagering sector is facing a multitude of challenges, all with the potential to cause cost cuts and consolidation.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three major issues are an impending ban on credit card deposits, stricter federal government rules on gambling ads and increases to point of consumption tax.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But another lurking threat could upend Australia’s bookmaking sector, and it’s one that no company would want to bet on: the outcome of audits by the financial crimes watchdog, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), into potential breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism laws by three major bookmakers.</p><p><br /></p><p>If AUSTRAC finds Ladbrokes, Sportsbet or Bet365 have weak compliance systems that allowed them to profit from the proceeds of crime, it will strain already tight margins and make it even more difficult to operate locally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Critically, in the case of global companies Flutter (the owner of Sportsbet) and Ladbrokes’ owner, Entain, it could be difficult to continue to justify the business case for operating in Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>How did it come to this?</p><p>A little over one year ago, AUSTRAC commenced three separate investigations into compliance.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first was an “enforcement” investigation into Entain, which was conducted by AUSTRAC after a $29 million fine was paid by the London-listed company to the UK Gambling Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>AUSTRAC then launched two separate external investigations intoSportsbet and Bet365.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AUSTRAC chief executive Nicole Rose said at the time the decision was made following a “deep investigation of transactions”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We have reasonable grounds to suspect that Sportsbet and Bet365 may have contravened or are contravening the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act,” she said in October 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Our work on the gambling sector in the last couple of years [shows] there’s certainly a common theme: that they don’t think enough about their money laundering and financial crime systems.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The auditors were appointed at Sportsbet and Bet365’s expense. Sportsbet’s audit was conducted by KordaMentha and Bet365 hired KPMG to investigate its practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The final reports were issued to AUSTRAC last September. The outcomes of the investigations could be made public within weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The gambling companies are bracing for the worst. AUSTRAC – which as of this week is under the leadership of Brendan Thomas – likes to make an example of companies with serious breaches and has issued more than $2 billion in penalties since 2015, when it hit Tabcorp with a $45 million fine for allowing customers to facilitate dirty money through their betting accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>More recently, it slapped Westpac and Commonwealth Bank with respective fines of $1.3 billion and $700 million for serious breaches of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism act. Crown was ordered to pay $450 million following legal action by AUSTRAC last year, and Star Entertainment Group and Skycity – the two listed operators – are still in court.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gambling insiders said that at least two operators – Entain and Sportsbet – were provided with a long list of potential problems and areas to improve on.</p><p><br /></p><p>What happens next?</p><p><br /></p><p>All signs point to at least one bookmaker facing civil proceedings after the audits.</p><p><br /></p><p>If it is one operator or three, the potential penalties could be tens of millions of dollars. That could be the final straw for the three international operators.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is fast becoming the lowest-margin market for international bookmakers. Once a mature market where bookmaking thrived, the sector is under pressure from different fronts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first is what Communications Minister Michelle Rowland decides to do with a long list of recommendations from the online gambling inquiry. That list includes a blanket ban on advertising, sponsorships, and inducements and changes to behavioural algorithms in gambling apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>The most likely outcome is some form of gambling advertising ban, which would hurt wagering operators that rely heavily on sports events to promote inducements and smaller bookmakers that need ads for brand awareness.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Then there’s the proposed government legislation to ban credit card deposits for sports betting. This will be felt across all wagering operators, but Sportsbet and Tabcorp, which have the largest market shares, are likely to be most affected.</p><p><br /></p><p>Queensland and Victoria are increasing point-of-consumption tax – fees paid to the government for customers’ use of bookmakers in the respective states. These keep rising, tightening margins and making it difficult for bookmakers to spend much elsewhere, such as on improving products and technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sportsbet has lost market share to competitors and Entain, which also owns Neds, last year axed almost 10 per cent of local headcount.</p><p><br /></p><p>Entain’s global CEO, Jette Nyaard-Andersen, abruptly stepped down in December, weeks after the betting group settled a bribery case for more than £585 million ($1.1 billion). She was under fire from investors for poor share price performance and several costly acquisitions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another factor that bookmakers are blaming for a decline in digital revenue and turnover is an overall slowdown in racing revenue, which is ultimately caused by macroeconomic conditions. People are spending less money on non-essentials like gambling because of rising interest rates and inflation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These challenges are already inviting change: BetR and BlueBet have discussed some form of merger, and PointsBet has looked at potential buyers for its Australian business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best case, worst case</p><p>Auditors have already assessed if the three betting shops should adopt and maintain strong enough defences to identify, mitigate and manage money laundering; conduct thorough due diligence on their customers, and ensure senior management has proper oversight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The maximum penalty for a single breach of the The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act is $22.2 million. More than one breach by any of the organisations could be a tipping point for drastic structural change in an organisation or consolidation across the sector.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to penalties, they would need to spend a lot of money improving compliance programs to operate – that’s something that has significantly affected the bottom line of Star and Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best case is a slap on the wrist for one or two bookmakers, though that seems unlikely. Worst-case scenario is several million-dollar fines or the suspension of at least one bookmaking licence. The most drastic scenario is a situation where the international parent company can’t justify the local operation any more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pointsbet CEO Sam Swanell put it another way when speaking to investors this week: “The economic realities of operating businesses that can’t yield at the appropriate levels and can’t invest in responsible gambling will help a natural rationalisation of the market in time,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bookmakers will be waiting.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Has The Helpful Content Update Impacted SEO Content?</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Greg Tingle</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Adam on Google helpful content updates (via the LinkedIn interface). All interesting background. It's already out-of-date in many regards. Case in point. Google can and will make updates, both officially announced (and in secret) whenever they wish. Smart strategy by Google. Keep the algorithm a secret as much as possible and change it up. The secret to business is knowing something no one else knows! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This Super Bowl ad brings together Knuckles, Master Chief, Hey Arnold, Peppa Pig, Sir Patrick Stewart, and many more stars</p><p><br /></p><p>Sir Patrick Stewart takes matters into his own powerful hands to save a group of Paramount+ stars in this wacky Super Bowl ad for the streaming service.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl is approaching fast and with it the legendary advertisements that appear throughout the NFL grand final, and this year there is one that aims to be the most prominent. We’re talking about the newest Paramount+ ad in which a cast of emblematic characters like Knuckles from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Master Chief from Halo, Peppa Pig, and Arnold from ‘Hey, Arnold’ all appear together. Furthermore, actors of the caliber of Sir Patrick Stewart, known for playing Professor Charles Xavier in ‘X-Men’ and Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek’, as well as actress Drew Barrymore and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa are also present, all topped by the artistic genius of, what else, Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad presents us with a scenario in which all these actors, presenters, athlete,s and fictional characters are trapped on Paramount Mountain. How will they get out of it? There is no better idea than seeing Sir Patrick Stewart in a classic American football uniform deciding to throw Arnold to the top of the mountain, all with the band ‘Creed’ in the background. Does he succeed? There’s no better way to find out than to see it for yourself, but the ad is loaded with a good dose of dark humor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The biggest game in American sports magnifies everything around it, and the same thing happens with the advertising. It is estimated that the cost of an advertising space in the Super Bowl ranges between 5 and 14 million dollars, depending on whether its duration is between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Tens of millions of people in the United States gather to watch the big game. Still, at the same time advertising is another important point for many of the spectators, and throughout the match, some of the most curious commercials of the year are broadcasted, as well as trailers and previews of some of the most anticipated series and movies, and even some games.</p><p><br /></p><p>(MeriStation)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What is Local SEO, and How Does It Work?</p><p><br /></p><p>Learn how Google works with local sites with this guide to local SEO and start optimizing your website for local search results to grow your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO. If you search Google for any important keywords related to your business and a map with 3 listings appears underneath it (also known as a map pack), then local SEO can help you grow your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>But to understand local SEO, you need to know how Google works first.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How did search engines evolve?</p><p><br /></p><p>In the early days of the internet, there were relatively few websites, so navigating the web was easy. Once the internet started to expand, however, search engines were created to allow users to find the sites they were looking for more easily.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you typed a phrase into a search engine, that phrase was matched to websites that included the keywords in your search phrase. Google used this same approach, but it quickly dominated the other search engines when it became the first search engine to use links between sites as an indication of which websites were trusted and had authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>Today Google looks at hundreds of factors both on and off your website to determine if it’s relevant to display as a search result. Factors form your “digital footprint,” and each factor has a different weight or value, which the search engine combines to return results. Your digital footprint determines whether or not you’re a top result to an inquiry that a user types into Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>So how does Google work?</p><p><br /></p><p>When you type a search phrase into Google, it checks the pattern of various website signals, or ranking factors, such as how relevant your site is, to return a list of sites that match your search.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most people don’t realize that Google isn’t doing a live search of the entire internet every time someone types something into the search bar. It’s actually searching a stored copy of all of the sites that Google has discovered. This copy is called the Google Index.</p><p><br /></p><p>To form the index, Google uses small programs called “spiders” to crawl the web. Each spider works the same way: It starts on a single page, then follows the links on that page, looking at content on the next pages, and so on.</p><p><br /></p><p>As web content gets crawled, it’s stored in Google’s servers, and the index is built. The spiders work at a mind-blowing scale, constantly crawling trillions of pages at an incredibly fast pace. This ensures that the index is as up-to-date as possible and new sites and connections are discovered quickly.</p><p><br /></p><p>How Google ranks search results</p><p><br /></p><p>Google uses various processes to rank hundreds or thousands of sites in the blink of an eye. These processes are called algorithms. When you Google something, an algorithm checks the index and returns a list of websites that match your search in organic results. Those results are chosen and ranked based on relevance, prominence and popularity given by inbound links.</p><p><br /></p><p>The algorithm looks at various on-site and off-site factors to determine which websites have something related to your search. All of the relevant sites are added to the list, which is then ranked by prominence. Again referring to the various on-site and off-site factors, the algorithm determines which sites best answer your search query, and those sites are listed at the top of the search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Improving your SEO influences both relevancy, prominence and link populrity factors for your website. If the right elements of your site’s digital footprint are optimized, your site shows up higher in more search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a different pattern</p><p><br /></p><p>What about local organic search results? After analyzing the behavior of users during trillions of searches, Google figured out that people seeking certain types of businesses need results from their immediate area. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which is a fancy way of saying that Google takes your location into account when you search for a local keyword (a query with local intent). This happens even when the searcher doesn’t include a city name or "near me” in their search.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you’re at work and want to get a pizza delivered for lunch, for example, Googling “pizza delivery” shows a list of locations near your office in its local SERPS (search engine result pages).</p><p><br /></p><p>But if you try that same search at home, you’ll get an entirely different set of results. This makes sense, considering you need a pizza delivered from somewhere nearby.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local search has been around for years, but it was limited due to people only using their desktop computers. With the recent growth in mobile internet access, however, mobile search has exploded, so local SEO has become hugely important for the success of any business offering local products or services and local marketers.</p><p><br /></p><p>What matters for local SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>What does this mean to search marketers? While the local map pack is displayed within the standard Google organic search listings, separate algorithms power the main Google search results for local rankings and the local map pack results. As a local business, you have the opportunity the appear within both the main organic search results and the local map pack at the same time.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you’re new to marketing your business online, one of the main challenges is knowing what you should focus on to make your efforts as effective as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marketing analytics software company Moz posts its annual Local Search Ranking Factors survey, which includes the top 35 to 40 worldwide experts in local SEO. Its results provide the best insights into which factors influence local search visibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Localized content and local link popularity are factors, just as it is in Google’s traditional search algorithm, so it's important to build local landing pages for each of your locations- especially if you're a multiple location business-, where you should include not only your business name but also its details like address and phone as well as optimize their titles tags, meta descriptions, and follow SEO best practice. This should be taken into consideration as well in your content marketing and link building strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, location-based factors like having a business listing in Google My Business, local citations from data aggregators, and review signals - that should be published by your local customers - are also taken into consideration in your local oriented seo rankings and as consequence you should also take them into consideration in your local SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's also important to note that there are SEO tools focused on local search that can help you to develop local oriented SEO audits, from developing keyword research focused on your local audience, building citations, managing Google My Business listings, business profile and Google posts, and even monitor your inclusion in local packs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Website content is a significant factor, just as it is in Google’s traditional search algorithm, but location-based factors like Google My Business, citations, and review signals are also included.</p><p><br /></p><p>Start harnessing SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that you have a better understanding of SEO basics and how Google ranks local search results, you can start to concentrate on signals that will optimize your site’s digital footprint in the local oriented search ecosystem. This way your business can show up higher on the results page, which can lead to more potential customers finding your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many factors that influence your visibility in these searches, but keep in mind that local search continues to grow and change. To keep up with what signals are increasing and decreasing in importance, you can refer to Moz’s annual survey to form your strategy playbook. Once you start to improve each important signal area, you’ll be able to serve more people in your geographic region—and grow faster.</p><p><br /></p><p>(A.I and Newfeeds)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Roman Reigns set for iconic face-off at WrestleMania XL Kickoff!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., February 3, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns will face off at an open-to-the-public fan and media event – WrestleMania XL Kickoff – live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Thursday, February 8 at 4 p.m. PT.</p><p><br /></p><p>Doors open at 2:30 p.m. PT.This non-ticketed event, delivered by Pizza Hut, is free for all to attend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans and media will hear from both The Rock and Roman Reigns, as well as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Onsite interview opportunities for media will immediately follow the event with both participants, Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley.</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on the anticipation for the already-record-breaking WrestleMania XL, Thursday’s event will be hosted by Monday Night Raw commentators Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, and stream live on WWE social and digital channels as well as Peacock.</p><p><br /></p><p>VIP experiences for WrestleMania XL Kickoff through exclusive partner On Location are available for purchase at https://onlocationexp.com/wrestlemaniaxlkickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania XL takes place across two nights on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and stream live on Peacock in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT NASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR, an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. NASCAR has three national series that it sanctions for racing. Learn more about each series here</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR Cup Series</p><p><br /></p><p>In a historic shift for the sport, beginning in 2020 NASCAR’s premier series became known as the NASCAR Cup Series and featured four cornerstone brands as Premier Partners: Busch Beer, Coca-Cola®, GEICO and Xfinity. All four partners are prominently featured in multiple platforms across the sport, including integrations in broadcast, NASCAR digital and social channels, event entitlements, in-market promotions and at-track activations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thrilling Racing</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR enhanced the on-track product starting in 2017 with the introduction of stage racing, which ensures more highlight-reel moments during a race, increases the sense of urgency and emphasizes aggressive racing and strategy. The battle on track also extends to Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota – who have reached a level of parity that all but guarantees the fight for the manufacturer championship will come down to the very end of the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Next Generation of Stock Cars</p><p><br /></p><p>Looking to the future, NASCAR is developing the Next Gen car — expected to hit the track in 2022. The new car is going to feature a redesigned body and under-the-hood enhancements to make NASCAR stock cars even more like the cars in showrooms across America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Youth is Rising</p><p><br /></p><p>The future stars of NASCAR are taking over the spotlight today as drivers such as Kyle Larson, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton, and Chase Elliott are challenging for – and winning – races throughout the season. They battle established superstars like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano, who continue to build their own legacies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Reach</p><p><br /></p><p>With international series in Mexico (NASCAR Mexico Series), Canada (NASCAR Pinty’s Series) and across Europe (NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), as well as, Cup Series broadcasts available in 195 countries and 29 languages, NASCAR’s global reach is felt far and wide. Most recently, Daniel Suárez (Mexico) and Alon Day (Israel) joined the ranks of NASCAR Cup Series drivers who got their start in NASCAR’s international circuits.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dawn of eNASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on more than 70 years of on-track success, NASCAR raced into the future with the launch of the eNASCAR in 2018. Aimed at fostering fan engagement and driver development, eNASCAR is uniquely positioned to drive the sport forward through the use of gaming and esports. The various initiatives under the eNASCAR umbrella will see drivers, teams and the industry come together like never before with the goal of creating a brighter and stronger future for the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>From Stock Cars To Sports Cars With IMSA</p><p><br /></p><p>Exotic cars, international stars and premier road course and street circuits define the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the top level of sports car competition in North America. A total of 14 manufacturers and championship drivers from NASCAR, open-wheel and international sports car competition compete for the top step on the podium at prestigious endurance events such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Petit Le Mans.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World's Best Surfers Honored at 2024 Lexus WSL Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Impact Award Recognizes Carissa Moore, Kanoa Igarashi, and Puamakamae DeSoto</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>Monday, January 29, 2024</p><p>BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Sunday, January 28, 2024) - The world's best surfers were honored at the Lexus WSL Awards last night, celebrating the achievements of the 2023 season and welcoming the start of the 2024 WSL Championship Tour.</p><p><br /></p><p>The evening commemorated the newly crowned World Champions across the Championship Tour, Longboard Tour and World Junior Championships. The best performances, ground-breaking moments, and profound accomplishments from the 2023 season were also recognized.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus WSL Awards | 2023 World Champions, Winners, and Honorees:</p><p>WSL World Champions: Caroline Marks (USA) and Filipe Toledo (BRA)</p><p>WSL Longboard World Champions: Soleil Errico (USA) and Kai Sallas (HAW)</p><p>WSL World Junior Champions: Sierra Kerr (AUS) and Jett Schilling (USA)</p><p>Challenger Series Winners: India Robinson (AUS) and Cole Houshmand (USA)</p><p>2023 CT Rookies of the Year: Caity Simmers (USA) and Ian Gentil (HAW)</p><p>2023 VISSLA CT Shaper of the Year: Matt "Mayhem" Biolos</p><p>GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Title, Largest Wave Surfed (Paddle) - Female: Laura Enever (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Impact Award Recognizes Carissa Moore, Kanoa Igarashi, and Puamakamae DeSoto</p><p><br /></p><p>The WSL Impact Award recognizes individual surfers who demonstrate the greatest impact and outstanding effort to inspire, educate, and empower the global surf community to protect our ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>The WSL Impact Award was awarded to Carissa Moore (HAW), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and Puamakamae DeSoto (HAW), who each received a traditional Hawaiian "Alaia" surfboard created by local native Hawaiian artist, Leleo Kinimaka, of the Royal Hawaiian Woodwork Company.</p><p><br /></p><p>First Stop: Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI</p><p>The 2024 WSL Championship Tour will commence with the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI on January 29 and holds a competition window through February 10, 2024. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeauge.com and the free WSL app. Check out more new ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners. For fans watching in the United States, coverage of the competition's Quarterfinals and beyond will continue on WorldSurfLeague.com and ESPN+.</p><p><br /></p><p>(WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@UFC</p><p> Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Apex Arena. Enterprise, Nevada</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann defeats Diana Belbita by submission (armbar) at 4:59 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Johnson defeats Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Themba Gorimbo defeats Pete Rodriguez by TKO (strikes) at 0:32 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>JeongYeong Lee defeats Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>Luana Carolina defeats Julija Stoliaranenko by TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>MarQuel Mederos defeats Landon Quinones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Jamal Pogues defeats Thomas Petersen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Main Card Results</p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Who gets the W and who gets the L is just part of the story. Yes, winning matters without question, just as it did back in the schoolyard and school gym days for those who lived to tell that tale. The features and previews are the way to go. Getting to know the fighters. Why, how, who, the journey etc. Borrowing a page out of the pro wrestling playbook. There are so many fights these days, so getting to know the fighters and what drives them and the back story is more important than ever in many ways. Great teamwork from the UFC crew once again who put it all together for fight fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW </p><p>@AEW</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Third time's a charm! Swerve Strickland calls his shot against Hangman Page!</p><p>2/3/24, AEW Collision </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=V1Tdpd-NHkE&si=D8i7S3tP6bC7ef6P</p><p><br /></p><p>"The new rankings are out. With that in mind let's bring out the number one contender for the AEW World Title, along with Prince Nana here is Severe Strickland" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swerve's House" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"Comon' boys. Here we go" Prince Nana</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Swerve Strickland is the number one contender.. right behind him at number two, Hangman Adam Page" Kevin Kelly</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nigel, do you have a problem with the rankings? Do you agree with Swerve at one and Hangman at 2"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely. How do you argue with mathematics? Swere Strickland's matches with Adam Page really took his star up to the next level".. Nigel McGuinness </p><p><br /></p><p>"Haha. Hey Tony. You know it's Black History Month right"? SS</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man. Love Swerve. Talk about the It Factor. He was a good get. Already seems like the champion. A gold belt will just make it official. SS looks to be a huge part of the future of All Elite Wrestling. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Apparently WWE US Champion Logan Paul </p><p>@LoganPaul</p><p> is quite the Cody Rhodes fan!</p><p><br /></p><p>Prime Heel Maverick crossing over to Prime Babyface organically with fans leaping on "We Want Cody" trend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul and Johnson have some history and LP hasn't been shy about sharing some of it via his hit Impaulsive podcast channel, also recently visited by John Cena.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Shades of a Reverse Viking from 'Succession' hit show meets 'Billions' where H schooled Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti character) in the art of the "double turn".</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania 40 as well as the press/fan conference out of Vegas continues to buzz and in media vet terms, LP has done quite the X viral peg-on. The "We Want" trend has now taken on a life of its own.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reminding some of one or two Goldberg type situations in and around the ring. If you know, you know! Look up Bret Hart as well as a former WWE/UFC fighter situation and start joining the dots.</p><p><br /></p><p>The high drama continues out of the ring. What exactly the WWE powers that be may do to counter or even further satisfy fans remains to be seen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Numerous pro wrestling entities such as former WCW Executive Eric Bischoff (83 Weeks) have become more vocal on the matter at hand.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Cody Rhodes both have their legions of fans, as does Roman Reigns and Logan Paul for that matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>It appears some kind of social media records are going to be broken in the lead up, during, and after the WrestleMania main event/s, one way or another!</p><p><br /></p><p>Gonzo Journalism Flashback: "We can do this the hard way or the easy way" (Bruno Sammartino to Buddy Rogers). Madison Square Garden, New York. May 17, 1963. Don't you just love Wikipedia, YouTube and WWE history books.</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania Season is in full gear and Cody-Mania and Logan-Mania are runnin' wild brother!</p><p><br /></p><p>The current WrestleMania 40 main event remains Roman Reigns vs Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.</p><p><br /></p><p>All correct at time of publication!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'Rocky,' 'Mandalorian' star Carl Weathers passes at 76</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Actor Carl Weathers died Tuesday at age 76. Deadline confirmed the news via a statement from Weathers' family Friday and Variety with Weather's manager.</p><p><br /></p><p>The family stated that Weathers "died peacefully in his sleep."</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers appeared in the first four Rocky movies as Apollo Creed. Apollo was Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) opponent in the first two, trainer in the third and his death at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) motivated Rocky's fourth bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Creed films follow Apollo's son, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). The Drago family challenged Adonis in Creed II.</p><p><br /></p><p>A diverse career spanned action movies like Predator and Action Jackson, comedies like Happy Gilmore and drama in TV's Chicago Justice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers recently appeared in and directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Weathers also voiced Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>His movie career began with an uncredited appearance in the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force. He began directing with a 1995 episode of Renegade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to his longtime friend and Rocky co-star Carl Weathers, who died this week at the age of 76.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching," Stallone wrote on Instagram Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers played fictional boxer Apollo Creed to Stallone's Rocky Balboa in four Rocky movies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers is also known for his roles in The Mandalorian, Predator, Action Jackson, Chicago Justice and the Toy Story animated franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Sandler said on X of his Happy Gilmore co-star: "A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smart as hell. Loyal as hell," Sandler added. "Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend."</p><p><br /></p><p>Pascal posted, "Words fail," alongside a broken heart emoji and photo of Weathers on Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesse Ventura, actor, wrestlers and truth teller + via X: We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers' life and death has been a topic of conversation not just in and around showbiz - the movie and television industry, but also in combat sports circles and in society at large. Rocky was likely his most famous work, but his body of work grew to be outstanding. He had a beautiful vibe about him and this resonated through the lens across the world - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens is not finished with Logan Paul: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"And see on Saturday I didn't walk away with the title but I got to tell you Logan..it was a morale victory" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was playing chess. You were playing Go fish son" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't need brass knux to beat your dumb ass" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"Referee, if your back there. Fantastic work. You should be proud of yourself" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to focus on whatever it is that I do that is amazing and I'm going to find. real challenger".. LP</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Excellent exchange between these two greats. Keen to see a rematch at some point. KO appears more keen than LP! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Boxing News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tyson Fury -Oleksandr Usyk Fight Postponded After Fury Suffers Cut In Sparring</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury suffered a “freak cut” in sparring, promoters announced Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The fight was scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but will now be postponed until later in the year after Fury sustained a cut below his right eyebrow which required “urgent medical attention and significant stitching,” according to a statement from Queensbery Promotions, which co-promotes Fury with Top Rank.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” said Fury (34-0-1, 24 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 1-rated heavyweight and WBC titleholder, in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As we've said over the decades, That's Boxing!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video (now somewhat out of date)!</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Ring Magazine, Queensbery Promotions, Top Rank, Wires, WBC and X)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mind, Body and Spirit</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Wheels and Cogs Of The Universe</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Purposes and Meaning</p><p>Combination of personal and professional interests</p><p>Sustainability of business and Mother Nature</p><p>Risk Management</p><p>Where The Mind Goes The Body Follows</p><p>Water Is Life</p><p>Everything is from the Earth/Universe Elements</p><p>Creation of own Universe and Domain</p><p>Information Receptors</p><p>Mindful of company kept</p><p>Formulas and Systems</p><p>Frequency with 3, 6 and 9</p><p>Gamification of business</p><p>Business endeavours for fun and enjoyment</p><p>Knowing one's worth</p><p>Adaption to world and creating own version and portal</p><p>Ancient knowledge shared via niche media</p><p>Self Sufficiency Mindsets</p><p>Think to become</p><p>Philosophy for enhancement of life</p><p>Higher Power</p><p>Martial Arts </p><p>Self Development</p><p>University Of Life</p><p>Help and receive </p><p>Network </p><p>Goals dreams and aspirations</p><p>Meditation </p><p>Ying and Yang</p><p>The Power Of Now and Being</p><p>Zen</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</b></p><p><b>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>James Bond News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>In 2021, Daniel Craig played James Bond for the fifth and final time in 'No Time to Die'.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Over two years later, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli still have not announced who will be getting the keys to the Aston Martin for the next 007 blockbuster.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vast majoriy of 007 fans across the globe want a 007 who represents the traditional Bond they have come to know and love.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who Is Bond?</p><p><br /></p><p>The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. There have been twenty-five films in total released between 1962 and 2021 and produced by Eon Productions, which now holds the adaptation rights to all of Fleming's Bond novels. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bond has been portrayed in these films by six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man Biz Terms</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </b></p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WrestleMania Season ignites discussion about who should be in the next round for the WWE </b></p><p><b>Hall Of Fame</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Current Names Attracting Buzz Under The Watercooler</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Lex Luger, Jim Cornette & Sable have all got solid to strong support, including from WWE NXT </p><p>@WWENXT</p><p> commentator and Hall Of Fame podcast personality, Booker T </p><p>@BookerT5x</p><p> "Oh Yes"! as Booker would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional names drawing in discussion include Cyndi Lauper (who Media Man pitched a number of times over the past almost decade)! Who is the mongrel in the WWE blocking it? Perhaps they won't be blocked any longer in today's WWE?! Ken Shamrock is long overdue. Lex Luger and Daniel Bryan (current wrestling elsewhere, are also under discussion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Teams, The Nasty Boys and Demolition and wrestling personality Jim Cornette has been known to pitch tag teams he managed to greatness decades ago. Have a listen to Corney's podcast if you care. NSFW is often the case with Mr Cornette, and don't even start us on his politics! (real politics, not wrestling politics). </p><p><br /></p><p>Managers - Paul Heyman, your time may be now sir!</p><p><br /></p><p>Debate is open for Brock Lesnar, Gangrel, Doink The Clown (choose 1 or 2) and Outback Jack. Ok, some satire. Remember, entertainment value and fan response is also a factor. Pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is subjective in nature and a reminder that pro wrestling is not a pure sport, however most of the top wrestlers over the past decade plus have been very technical.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Media Man watercooler is was discussed that there's a couple of pro wrestlers who may have been strong draws for 5 to 10 years but they known for hurting opponents through clumsiness, poor training or whatever the case. Mistakes can and do happen in pro wrestler, but they are a couple who should be disqualified from even being seriously considered. No names, but the industry knows who they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ending on a high note, enjoy today's Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania and Hall of Fame. Oh, CM Punk for the win (and also for serious consideration for the WWE Hall of Fame)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Streaming Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix Streaming Service Riding High Once Again</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix spruiks record breaking subscriber numbers after account sharing crackdown; Consumer backlash appears over</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Global streaming giant Netflix added a record number of new subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for programs such as the long-running royal drama ‘The Crown’.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just 5 days ago Netflix and world's leading pro wrestling promotion, WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> advised the popular WWE RAW show will be carried by Netflix for numerous countries (U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America) from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform has reached approx 260 million subscribers and added just over 13 million of those in the fourth quarter of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spike in subscriber count is partly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing during the past 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company said in a media release they believe they have successfully "cracked down" on all accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news comes are more unofficial sports and entertainment PPV based websites hit the web. Those with a well trained eye can notice the tell tale sales on the pirate based streaming sites. Due it its popularity the combat sports sector is seeing a number of bad actors arise, but many are being shut down very quicky advised the Media Man Group agency. Over the past number of decades Media Man has helped officially promote a number of official streaming and online PPV sites including TrillerTV (formally FITE), WWE Network, Netflix and Ring Divas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix posted an impressive yearly revenue of $US8.8 billion last year, exceeding analysts' forecasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Netflix is riding a way of momentium and will be certainly renewing our subscription again soon, especially as the WWE, wrestling and combat sports programming continues to ramp up. Sports content with a pop culture edge sells and draws in the numbers. It's also possible that Netflix Games may eventually add some extra WWE themed games to the existing portfolio which features 'Escape The Undertaker'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Down: Drive To Survive (F1), upcoming MMA based movies (rumours of Dwayne Johnson input), and more WWE related content, now that the ink is dry for the official start of WWE RAW on Netflix next year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Podcasting News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>(In case you missed it)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Podcasters are the Most Trusted Media Personalities Among US Consumers, New Acast Research Finds</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>PRESS RELEASE - October 18, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released the results of a new research study that shows podcasts are a highly trusted medium among US consumers. According to the study of US consumers, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content -the most of any other tested media personality - making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.</p><p><br /></p><p>These findings come at a time when trust in US media has hit an all time low, with half of Americans reported to believe that national news organizations deliberately mislead them, according to research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. In this era of skepticism and misinformation, podcasters are emerging as the trustworthy figures of the media industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Acast’s research, half of podcast listeners trust podcasters, the most of any other tested medium. The second most trusted is YouTubers, with 44% of YouTube consumers saying they trust these media personalities. Notably, with YouTube emerging as a leading platform for podcast consumption, many of these sought-after YouTube personalities are also podcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Trust in US media has been deteriorating in recent years as a result of socio-political unrest and conflicting coverage by news outlets on the same events. As US consumers have lost confidence in traditional media, they have increasingly turned to podcasters as a source of truth,” said Acast Director of Research and Insights Tommy Walters. “During times of hardship and uncertainty - like the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine - at Acast we have consistently seen audiences flock to podcasts for deep conversations and analysis over clickbait headlines. When it comes to product endorsements, we have also seen audiences be more trusting of podcaster recommendations than any other form of media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>For advertisers, podcasting is ripe with opportunity as US consumers say they seek out podcasters above all other media personality types when looking for product endorsements. According to this study, 75% of podcast listeners say they have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to the 62% of social media users who have sought out social media creators and just 55% cable viewers who have considered cable TV personalities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this study also revealed that podcasters give quality product and brand endorsements. According to the research, 73% of US consumers who have acted on a podcast endorsement said the podcaster gave a good endorsement and they were happy with what they received.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media Wars Heat Up</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Meta Gets Grilled By U.S Congress</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook can't stay out of the news</p><p><br /></p><p>We didn't get Zuck vs Musk in an UFC Octagon, or even via backyard broadcast via X, but we do get Zuck vs Congress and indi news media across the world is pleased to share it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg’s apology doesn't impress New Mexico AG!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Zuckerberg has apologised to the parents of online child sexual abuse victims during a senate probe, but the apology was flatly dismissed by one of the state attorney generals suing the big tech bully boy who made his name for rating dorm girls on the web. Ah, the foundation of some of these big tech firms, and you wondered why some of the tech biz firms are so screwed up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s stunning apology to the parents of online child sex abuse victims during a Senate hearing was “too little, too late,” according to one of the state attorney generals currently suing the embattled social media giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>New Mexico attorney general Raúl "The Teminator" (our term, not hers) Torrez, whose office has sued Meta for exposing kids to adult sex content and alleged child predators, was on Capitol Hill on this past Wednesday as a "Zoo" (meme from the www) Zuckerberg told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Mr. Zuckerberg has appeared before Congress numerous in the past, and its not because he's going a good or great job. He has given assurances on the safety of his platforms many times before,” Torrez told The Post. “It seems that once the spotlight fades, they go right back to doing business as usual.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, each dismissed Meta’s pitched safety measures as ineffective during harsh exchanges and barbs with Zuckerberg.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zuckerberg, who surprised the hearing’s attendees by standing up from his podium and speaking directly to the audience, told parents that “no one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier, Zuckerberg testified that his company had spent $5 billion on safety last year. ZB shows that throwing money at some problems doesn't always work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Torrez dissed Zuckerberg’s apology.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It was clear to me that members of the committee have lost any faith in the leadership of these companies – particularly Mr. Zuckerberg,” he said. “I think the American people are skeptical and parents remain deeply concerned about the kind of content we uncovered in our investigation.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawmakers from both parties argued that tech firms should lose liability shields, such as Section 230, that protect them from directly being sued by victims. Torrez said Section 230 was “enacted in a totally different era” and should either be eliminated or “severely” restricted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Facebook founder’s apology also scored a zero with Fairplay, an advocacy group that supports the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would impose a “duty of care” on social media platforms and other tech firms to protect minors from dangerous content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If anybody still thought Meta was capable of self-regulation, today’s hearing should have disabused them of that notion,” Fairplay executive director Josh Golin told The Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Zuckerberg’s tone-deaf evasions and mumbled half-hearted apologies make clear that Congress needs to act and pass the Kids Online Safety Act.”</p><p><br /></p><p>MZ is personally named as a defendant in New Mexico’s suit, which is based on findings of a lengthy probe in which state investigators set up test accounts for four fictional children.</p><p><br /></p><p>The accounts were allegedly bombarded with disturbing messages, including “pictures and videos of genitalia” and horrific sexual propositions from adult users.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He needs to not think about these decisions simply as a business executive. He’s a parent – start acting like it,” Torrez said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Place the same kind of safeguards and protections that he would demand for his own children and apply them to his business. If he did that, we’d all be in a better place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>As media reported, an unredacted version of the suit cited an internal 2021 Meta presentation that found “100,000 children per day received online sexual harassment, such as pictures of adult genitalia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The complaint included communications among Meta staffers discussing problems with online sex exploitation on the platform, with one worker describing the company’s inaction as “really, really upsetting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The attorney general’s office alleged Meta “knew about the huge volume of inappropriate content being shared between adults and minors they did not know” – and that Zuckerberg made business decision that placed children at risk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook remain in the top tier of the world's most embatted and distructed brands, in company to the likes of Disney and in the news media sector, The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: X, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, FOX News, Wires, New York Post and tip offs)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surfing Industry News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WSL Welcomes New and Returning Partners to 2024 Championship Tour</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 24, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is thrilled to announce its new and returning partners ahead of the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Backed by the strongest partnership presence on record, the WSL is poised for a great year of excitement and growth,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “Working with innovative and authentic partners allows us to elevate the sport as well as drive real value by enhancing brand visibility through engaging fan activations and mutually beneficial marketing campaigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrating More Ways to Watch with ESPN+ and Global Broadcast Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN</p><p>New for 2024, the WSL has announced a rights agreement in the United States with ESPN. For the first time, fans can watch all ten WSL CT events, as well as the US Open of Surfing Challenger Series event, live on ESPN+. In addition, 11 episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing, an all-access deep dive into the CT and its character-driven storylines, will be aired on ESPN2 throughout the year. The deal will allow WSL to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences in the US via ESPN’s digital subscribers as well as on linear television.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven Network + Foxtel Group In Australia </p><p>The WSL and the Seven Network announced a fifth-consecutive year of partnership for the 2024 season with Seven continuing as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia. The partnership extension will see all WSL CT events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event also going live and on demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian viewers will also be able to catch WSL content and all CT events on Fox Sports Australia and Kayo Sports for a sixteenth consecutive year, thanks to a new one-year deal between Foxtel Group and the WSL. In addition to this, all Challenger Series events, as well as the Bells Beach Longboard Classic, will be streamed live on Kayo Sports along with Foxtel, scheduling permitting. Fans can also enjoy WSL-produced feature shows and highlights from all events on demand on Kayo Sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>GLOBO</p><p>The WSL will continue offering Brazilian fans access to event coverage through GLOBO, one of the world’s leading broadcasters, sharing the excitement and passion of professional surfing with millions of fans in Brazil.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eurosport</p><p>Eurosport, owned by Discovery, remains the WSL’s European distribution partner and this year is also the European rights holder for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Eurosport will broadcast the WSL: Inside Pro Surfing series on its television channels and will also livestream CT events in their entirety via Discovery+ in the territory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing New Global and Title Partners: Lexus, Eventbrite, Bonsoy</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus</p><p>Lexus joins the WSL CT as the Title Partner of the Lexus Pipe Pro and an official automotive partner of the Sunset Pro. The leading luxury car brand will also join as an official partner of the annual WSL Awards, celebrating surfers’ exceptional achievements from the 2023 season. Lexus will introduce its latest vehicle, the 2024 Lexus GX 550, through engaging on-site activations throughout the WSL’s Hawaii competitions from January 29 through February 22, 2024. In collaboration with Complex Networks, fans will have the opportunity to explore the vehicle through on-beach displays, providing an up-close look at the cutting-edge design features that define the Lexus brand. Lexus and Complex will also curate an elevated dining experience at the Lexus Pipe Pro for VIPs and athletes to highlight and celebrate the culinary expertise and mastery of local chefs. Complex and First We Feast will also spotlight the experience on its social channels throughout the 2024 kickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventbrite</p><p>2024 will see Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, step into the role of exclusive ticketing partner for women’s surfing on the CT and the US Open of Surfing. To celebrate the partnership, Eventbrite will launch a WSL-inspired collection offering top event picks happening across the US during the WSL CT kickoff, in addition to further collections highlighting curated ticketed experiences in and around the US Open of Surfing and the WSL Finals. The WSL and Eventbrite will also collaborate on a visual content-driven marketing campaign to bring the surfing community to Eventbrite’s unique events and experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bonsoy</p><p>Bonsoy has expanded its partnership with the WSL from events in the APAC region to globally with the Championship Tour, Challenger Series and Longboard Tour. The new global deal will see Bonsoy become the Official Milk and Coconut Water of the WSL. 2024 will also see Bonsoy become the title partner for the Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event while continuing as the presenting partner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to its continued success in previous seasons, the Bonsoy Caddy Program will continue across three major events in Australia. The Bonsoy Athlete Area will activate at the US Open Challenger Series event as well as both Challenger Series events in Australia. Bonsoy is also excited to announce that WSL Commentator Kaipo Guerrera will become a Bonsoy ambassador in 2024, featuring in broadcast integrations and branded content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Returning Partners Apple Watch, Red Bull Bring Athlete Performance to New Heights for 2024 CT</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple Watch</p><p>For the second year, Apple Watch will be the official wearable equipment of the WSL. This season the elite CT athletes will continue to get access to the WSL Surfer app on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which syncs with the WSL Scoring System in real-time to give them all the information they need while in the water during competition, including scores, wave priority, and time in the heat. Apple Watch is uniquely suited for this task due to its large bright screen, durable design, and cellular connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Red Bull</p><p>Red Bull has joined for its sixth year of global partnership. In their relentless pursuit to support peak performance, Red Bull’s athlete-first approach will continue during the 2024 season, with enhancements planned for the Red Bull Athlete Zones at each CT stop. This year, fans will also be able to experience every heart-pounding moment of the Big Wave competitions live, courtesy of Red Bull TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vissla Shaper Rankings</p><p>The Vissla Shaper Rankings will also return this year. The season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via combined men’s and women’s rankings, counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the 9 CT stops this season. These rankings determine the winner after the regular-season CT events, ahead of the WSL Finals. There are 13 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors this year, and by bringing these performance-driven individuals to the forefront, Vissla and the WSL continue to honor the heritage and progression of the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcoming Key Title Partners and Global Sustainability Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>SHISEIDO</p><p>SHISEIDO continues its partnership with the WSL as the Official Suncare of the WSL, a Global WSL CT partner, and a Global Sustainability Partner of the WSL and WSL One Ocean. SHISEIDO will be the Title Partner for Stop No. 6 on the CT, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, scheduled for May 22 – 31, 2024. SHISEIDO will host on-site activations, including sunscreen and suncare stations where fans can sample and purchase products, as well as the production of co-branded in-broadcast vignettes designed to promote sustainability throughout the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corona</p><p>Corona and the WSL have struck a partnership for the eighth consecutive year. As the esteemed Title Partner for the return of the Fiji Pro, Corona further solidifies its commitment to the world of professional surfing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona will also build on the 2023 season’s release of “Corona Lay Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at what the CT surfers do on their days off from competition. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona plans to highlight the breathtaking locations and extraordinary experiences that can be found at each event through engaging original content featuring the beautiful and diverse locations that play host to the CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year, Corona’s steadfast commitment to sustainability takes center stage with its continued work alongside WSL One Ocean, furthering the shared mission to protect and preserve the world’s oceans for generations to come. Together, the WSL and Corona are set to deliver unparalleled fan experiences and foster a deeper connection between surf enthusiasts and the natural world.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI</p><p>The WSL and YETI are proud to continue their second year of partnership after a very successful first season.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI will kick off its 2024 partnership with an elevated position as the Presenting Partner of the prestigious Pipe Pro. YETI will be activating onsite at ʻEhukai Beach Park, offering custom engraving with proceeds benefiting the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation. In addition, YETI will be promoting the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI in their new flagship Honolulu store, offering official merchandise in support of their WSL CT Athlete, John John Florence.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI also continues its commitment to sustainability as a Global Sustainability Partner of WSL One Ocean, integrating sustainability into its core operations and aligning with the WSL One Ocean initiatives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mananalu Water</p><p>The WSL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mananalu Water – actor Jason Momoa’s aluminum-bottled water brand on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics. As an Official Canned Water Partner, Mananalu will be the exclusive canned water onsite at the World Surf League’s North American events, including the US Open of Surfing, the WSL Finals, the Lexus Pipe Pro, and more. Mananalu will also be an Official Partner of WSL PURE, the league’s 501(c)(3), which runs an annual grant program to support global non-profit organizations focused on improving the health of global ocean ecosystems.</p><p><br /></p><p>805 Beer</p><p>805 Beer will also continue its partnership with the WSL, with the quality brewed beverage having become a cornerstone of the WSL live event experience (for fans aged 21 and over). The WSL and 805 Beer are excited to expand the partnership in a way that authentically embodies the essence of surfing and its community. In addition to the partnership extension, Firestone Walker and the WSL are excited to extend their collaborative apparel line celebrating their partnership that promotes “Drinking Local. Surfing Global” (for fans aged 21 years and over), available online and in surf shops across the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pura Vida</p><p>Pura Vida returns for a third year as the Presenting Partner of WSL Rising Tides, continuing their commitment to empowering young girls in local communities through the transformative power of surfing. WSL Rising Tides provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for girls to connect with their surfing heroes, inspiring them to chase their dreams in and out of the water. Pura Vida’s partnership goes beyond local activations; they’ll be weaving inspiring content into the WSL’s live broadcasts and social media platforms, showcasing the stories of young surfers and the impact of Rising Tides on a global scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuing Regional Partnerships</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL APAC is excited to continue partnerships with mophie and Bailey Ladders in 2024, thanks to new contract extensions with each organization. In addition to the Tahiti Pro, mophie has expanded its partnership to include the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Fiji Pro in 2024. Bailey Ladders will include their Weather Guard product as part of the deal for the Gold Coast Pro. WSL APAC has announcements of several more partners coming through the 2024 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL LATAM region continues its partnerships with leaders of top-tier corporations such as TV Globo, Vivo, Banco do Brasil, Natura, Unilever, and governmental support from the Rio de Janeiro State Government and the City of Saquarema.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first stop on the 2024 WSL Championship Tour is the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, opening on January 29, 2024, and holding a competition window through February 10. The event will broadcast LIVE on http://WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. </p><p><br /></p><p>Check out all the new ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, please visit http://WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About the WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Combat Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>'Tyrant Chatri is the best!' The $500 million dollar black ship arrived in Japan at ONE 165 - January 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri Sityodong embraced every stereotype of Dana White and raised all sorts of hell. How will his enemies respond?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri Sityodong unabashedly exhibits every stereotype Japanese fight fans believe when it comes to foreign promoters and politicians like Dana White & Donald Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his (con)quest to build Japan as a key destination for ONE, Chatri has managed to acquire some key business partners — and then has promptly trashed the quality of fighters in Japan while proclaiming that his company is bigger than the “club status” of domestic rivals who he may — or may not have — wanted to do business with. Even Chatri’s own long-time Japanese associates, like Shinya Aoki, are no longer holding back criticism — contractual provisions be damned.</p><p><br /></p><p>he environment Chatri fostered in Japan for his major ONE 165 event this past Sunday at Ariake Arena with top kickboxing star Takeru was exactly the kind of nightmarish scenario PRIDE fans envisioned after Dana White & UFC purchased the PRIDE assets in 2007. The boorish outsider coming into a major market, wanting money from the Japanese fight fans while putting himself over at the same time as the leader of global martial arts. Throw in non-stop burying of the quality of domestic gyms and promoters as third-rate jokes. Imagine a marketing combination of a pick-up artist’s “negging” playbook married with old-school Sherdog message board shit-posting.</p><p><br /></p><p>This attitude, combined with two key Japanese business partnerships — one with kickboxer Takeru and one with Yuji Kitano, the hyper-aggressive fight producer for TV-Asahi backed digital channel ABEMA — produced a combustible yet intoxicating can’t-miss content mix for ONE’s biggest show ever at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri’s bully pulpit, highlighted by his own admission of “over $500 million dollars” in venture capital backing, created a grand experiment in Asia’s biggest stage. How the ONE event played out reinforced the accuracy of an old fight adage: it’s better to be interesting and hated rather than be boring but loved...</p><p><br /></p><p>(Bloody Elbow)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movies: North American Box Office - Feb 4, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle, is No. 1 in North America, earning $18 million in receipts this weekend, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coming in at No. 2 is The Chosen: Season 4 Episodes 1-3 with $6 million, followed by The Beekeeper at No. 3 with $5.3 million, Wonka at No. 4 with $4.8 million and Migration at No. 5 with $4.1 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rounding out the top tier are Mean Girls at No. 6 with $4 million, Anyone But You at No. 7 with $3.5 million, American Fiction at No. 8 with $2.3 million, Poor Things at No. 9 with $2.1 million and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at No. 10 with $2 million.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-44441892133664532172024-02-05T13:28:00.003+11:002024-02-05T13:30:22.527+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News, Pop Culture and Sports News<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News, Pop Culture and Sports News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LKyn97aNsAUMo_y8TUoP3hxGe6c5rBJycz8YO91kPh11ieE9jeT_AzpXpfTtYDA8GkgYlhqcXwXaM9uHKDiGpm_ZcO6ctjLYv5TD0-7OPRmoD-eakAvppNVc20RA7D5l3mMSS7ZrBPwgjGt1peHI1fORxLu45zMIeWigBy4WjbHuZzjN5g0kljbIWf8/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LKyn97aNsAUMo_y8TUoP3hxGe6c5rBJycz8YO91kPh11ieE9jeT_AzpXpfTtYDA8GkgYlhqcXwXaM9uHKDiGpm_ZcO6ctjLYv5TD0-7OPRmoD-eakAvppNVc20RA7D5l3mMSS7ZrBPwgjGt1peHI1fORxLu45zMIeWigBy4WjbHuZzjN5g0kljbIWf8/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b>Big Tech</b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b>Sports</b></p><p><b>Search Engines</b></p><p><b>Digital News</b></p><p><b>Online News</b></p><p><b>AI News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Joe Rogan Inks New Spotify Podcast Deal, Reportedly Worth $380m - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan (above) has renewed his deal with Spotify, reportedly worth up to $US250 million ($AU383 million), a significant improvement on his previous deal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this new deal means that The Joe Rogan Experience is no longer exclusive to Spotify and allows his podcast to be distributed to YouTube, Apple and other podcasting platforms. His previous deal was reported to be worth between $US100-200 million ($AU153-$AU301 million).</p><p><br /></p><p>The news marks a big change in strategy for Spotify, too. Four years ago, Rogan signed his first exclusive deal with the audio platform, during a blitz of similar deals with other podcasters. As such, Rogan’s podcast could only be enjoyed through the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>With this new deal allowing Rogan to post wherever he may, it marks the end of Spotify’s exclusivity efforts. Call Her Daddy became widely available earlier this week and Spotify launched a new show with Trevor Noah last year without exclusivity rights.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Joe Rogan Experience debuted in 2009, has been a Spotify exclusive since 2020, and we’re just getting started,” Spotify wrote in a blog post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Today we announced our new multiyear partnership deal with JRE. There’s so much more ahead, including that the show will soon be available on additional platforms. JRE remains podcasting’s king, consistently ranking as the most-listened-to podcast globally and our users have ranked the show as Spotify’s Wrapped top podcast each year since 2020”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Google Releases Super Bowl Spot Teaser Created By Blind Director - Feb 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google has released a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial which has been directed by Adam Morse, a “filmmaker who happens to be blind”.</p><p><br /></p><p> The video explains how Morse was able to direct the advert using Google’s AI-powered Guided Frame feature that emits audio cues to tell the users what is in the frame.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Ad Revenues Jump Nearly A Quarter, Amazon Also Sees Big Ad Revenue Climb - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta’s advertising revenues jumped by 24 per cent year-on-year to $US38 billion ($AU58.8 billion) in the three months ended 31 December.</p><p><br /></p><p>The number of ad impressions across all of Meta’s apps increased by more than a fifth and the average price per ad climbed by two per cent. Overall, the company’s revenue jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same time in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We had a good quarter as our community and business continue to grow,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder and CEO. “We’ve made a lot of progress on our vision for advancing AI and the metaverse.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As a result of those bumper earnings, Meta’s stock price surged by 14 per cent in extended trading — despite Zuck’s bruising appearance in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee which accused the American businessman of ignoring the severity of of child exploitation on his company’s apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its Reality Labs division, which is responsible for creating the metaverse, saw its losses grow a further nine per cent in the last quarter for just over $US4.6 billion ($AU7 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Amazon saw its ad revenues climb by 27 per cent year — though it is operating in an entirely different universe to Meta’s soaring ad money.</p><p><br /></p><p>In Q4 2023, it brought in $US14.6 billion ($AU22.2 billion), up from $US11.5 billion ($AU17.49 billion).</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>“While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses… AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day”.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>BlackRock Now Holds Whopping 52,025 BTC For its Spot Bitcoin ETF; Solana (SOL) And InQubeta (QUBE) Eye Significant Price Jump</b></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has been making incredible strides in the spot Bitcoin ETF market. Following the SEC decision on Bitcoin ETFs on January 10, the market has been growing at an incredible pace. And yes, BlackRock has been at the forefront.</p><p><br /></p><p>The asset manager now holds a staggering 52,052 BTC, worth over $2.18 billion—depending on Bitcoin’s valuation—for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Recently, following Google’s policy update, its spot Bitcoin ETF was one of the first to be advertised on the platform, which continues its quest to capture a large share of the market.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time, Solana (SOL) and InQubeta (QUBE) appear primed for a significant price jump. With a strong bullish wave to surf, these are the best cryptos to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE): Potential 70x Jump After Launch</p><p><br /></p><p>InQubeta (QUBE) has been creating a stir in the crypto scene, and for the right reasons. It recently soared past $8.6 million in its ongoing presale, with sights set on breaking the $10 million fundraising milestone. That isn’t all; its innovative concept has been hailed as one of the most bullish narratives, propelling the massive demand in its ICO stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Its unique offering will be a crypto-based crowdfunding platform for AI tech startups and an NFT marketplace. This will assist in its vision of reshaping the fast-rising AI market, particularly in areas relating to fundraising and market accessibility. Given the critical role it will play, analysts tip it as the best new crypto to invest in.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock: 52,052 BTC in Spot Bitcoin ETF</p><p><br /></p><p>Investor sentiment post BTC ETF has been on the rise, and BlackRock has been adding to its Bitcoin holdings in the process. BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world, now has a whopping 52,052 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF after a recent purchase. It has been one of the top gainers in the BTC ETF market, receiving a huge chunk of inflows.</p><p><br /></p><p>With further purchases anticipated in the coming days, the price of BTC is expected to soar. This makes its current price a good entry point, especially if you wish to ride the market’s current bullish wave.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETF market on January 11, it has been growing at a remarkable pace. Currently, it is the second-largest ETF commodity after flipping silver in just a week of trading, with the rivalry now being Bitcoin ETF vs. gold.</p><p><br /></p><p>Solana (SOL): Aiming for $150</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bitcoin ETF market effects have been largely bearish so far, causing a market downturn, with Solana (SOL), one of the top altcoins, declining. However, the market has been on the rise, and Solana has been mirroring the upward trajectory.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to forecasts, following the reclaiming of the $100 support, SOL’s next stop is $150. This significant jump will be on the back of rising adoption and demand, which makes the coming days exciting and SOL a good crypto to buy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the above, Solana is one of the most promising plays not to miss out on. To avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO), we recommend holding some of the tokens in your portfolio.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion</p><p><br /></p><p>BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now boasts 52,025 BTC for its spot Bitcoin ETF. Meanwhile, Solana and InQubeta have been making waves, primed for a significant upward trajectory, especially InQubeta.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How to watch the halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sin City’s Super Bowl 58 will have the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers facing off in a sold-out Allegiant Stadium full of roaring fans, some award-worthy commercials and a can't-miss performance by Usher at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.</p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview with Vogue, the "Yeah" singer revealed that he wants his halftime show performance to “a celebration for everybody, for all of us, from the beginning up until this point.” Usher also explained that he plans to have “R&B take the main stage” and has invited some special guests to join him onstage who represent “not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit.” The R&B and pop legend has previously performed during a Super Bowl halftime show as a guest of The Black Eyed Peas, who headlined the performance during Super Bowl XLV.</p><p><br /></p><p>So whether it's the Ravens vs. 49ers, the Chiefs vs. the Lions, or some other 2024 Super Bowl lineup, we know who the star (of halftime, at least) will be. Are you ready to tune into the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch Usher perform at Super Bowl 58.</p><p><br /></p><p>When is the 2024 Super Bowl?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.</p><p><br /></p><p>What time is the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show</p><p><br /></p><p>Usher's halftime show performance will start at, well, halftime on Game Day.</p><p><br /></p><p>What channel is the Super Bowl on in 2024?</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl 58 will air live on CBS, and the alternative, family-friendly telecast will air live on Nickelodeon.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable:</p><p><br /></p><p>Want to tune into the Usher halftime show and Super Bowl, but don't have live TV? You can watch all the Super Bowl 58 action with the help of a TV antenna, Paramount+ subscription or live TV streaming service. Here's what we recommend for ways to watch the Super Bowl in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Paramount+ has two subscription tiers: a $6/month ad-supported tier and a $12 ad-free premium tier that includes Showtime and live access to your local CBS channel. In addition to NFL games on CBS, Paramount+ offers a host of other live sports, hit shows and new and classic movies. Unlike a lot of other streaming services, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial, so new subscribers can sign up to watch this week's NFL games on CBS and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Record year for Amazon</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon has reported that net sales increased 12 per cent to $574.8 billion in 2023, compared with $514 billion in 2022. Excluding the $0.1 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 12% compared with 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>North America segment sales increased 12 per cent year-over-year to $352.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>International segment sales increased 11 per cent year-over-year to $131.2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>AWS segment sales increased 13 per cent year-over-year to $90.8 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This Q4 was a record-breaking Holiday shopping season and closed out a robust 2023 for Amazon,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “While we made meaningful revenue, operating income, and free cash flow progress, what we’re most pleased with is the continued invention and customer experience improvements across our businesses. The regionalization of our US fulfillment network led to our fastest-ever delivery speeds for Prime members while also lowering our cost to serve; AWS’s continued long-term focus on customers and feature delivery, coupled with new genAI capabilities like Bedrock, Q, and Trainium have resonated with customers and are starting to be reflected in our overall results; our Advertising services continue to improve and drive positive results; our newer businesses are progressing nicely, and along with our more established businesses, collectively making customers’ lives easier and better every day. As we enter 2024, our teams are delivering at a rapid clip, and we have a lot in front of us to be excited about.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Focusing on Prime Video, Amazon highlighted:</p><p><br /></p><p>Increased total viewership for the second season of Thursday Night Football (TNF) on Prime Video by 24 per cent year over year, and had double-digit growth (14 per cent) for the second consecutive season in the hard-to-reach 18–34-year-old demographic, according to Nielsen. The November 30th Seahawks-Cowboys game attracted 15.3 million viewers, becoming Prime Video’s most watched TNF game ever, according to Nielsen.</p><p>Released 16 films and series from Amazon MGM Studios, including the second season of Reacher, which was the No. 1 title on Nielsen’s Top 10 Originals Streaming chart for the week it debuted and had the highest number of minutes viewed for any Prime Video title during a single week in 2023 according to Nielsen; second season of Invincible, the most-viewed animated series ever on Prime Video globally; holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, one of the top 10 most-watched worldwide film debuts ever on Prime Video; thriller Saltburn, which had the highest week-over-week audience growth of any film on Prime Video in 2023; dramedy American Fiction; and sports drama The Boys in the Boat. This awards season, Amazon MGM Studios earned 16 Golden Globe nominations, 68 Emmy nominations and nine wins, and 21 Critics Choice Award nominations for content such as American Fiction, Saltburn,Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,andThe Boys. For the upcoming Oscars, the studio earned five nominations for American Fiction, including for Best Picture.</p><p>Grew Prime Video’s international slate of content with more than 60 local Amazon Originals, including Mr. Dressup:The Magic of Make-Believe(Canada), which was winner of the 2023 People’s Choice Award for Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival; Sayen: La Ruta Seca (Chile), the action-packed sequel to the most watched Latin American Original movie ever on Prime Video; Operación Triunfo (Spain), Prime Video’s first weekly live entertainment show; and 007: Road To A Million (UK), the world’s first James Bond television format, which was No. 1 on Prime Video in 27 countries worldwide on its launch weekend.</p><p>Expanded Prime Video’s global sports programming with the debut of the Amazon Original sports documentaries Kelce, chronicling Philadelphia Eagles captain Jason Kelce’s 2022 season,and Bye Bye Barry, the story of Barry Sanders’ decision to retire at the height of his NFL career. In live sports, Prime Video added new broadcast rights for NASCAR, the National Women’s Soccer League, and Premier Boxing Champions in the U.S.; ICC Cricket in Australia; and Wimbledon tennis in Austria and Germany.</p><p>Announced AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an independent cloud for Europe, to give public sector customers and those in highly regulated industries more choice to meet stringent compliance mandates in the EU and achieve the operational independence they require without compromising on the broadest and deepest cloud services.</p><p>Dan Goman, CEO and Founder of Ateliere Creative Technologies, commented: “Amazon’s technology-driven success gives it a considerable edge in the streaming market, exemplifying the challenges traditional media and entertainment companies face against tech giants entering the content space.</p><p><br /></p><p>The tech advantage essentially creates an uneven playing field, with companies like Amazon and Netflix enjoying a massive advantage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Essentially, it’s like comparing a car race where legacy media companies are behind the wheel of a Buick Skylark, while companies like Amazon and Netflix are speeding ahead in Ferraris. It’s hardly a fair contest, and the losses for the slower contenders will continue. Merely merging companies won’t solve the issue; after all, two Buicks won’t outpace a Ferrari.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon’s strategic focus on enhancing Prime Video the last several years has transformed it into a leading streaming service, significantly broadening its business model. This shift has evolved to Prime Video offering a wide range of entertainment options and revenue streams, rather than a mere add-on to an Amazon subscription. This move has not only bolstered customer loyalty but also positioned Amazon as a formidable competitor in the streaming wars, especially as Amazon has been able to take hold of Thursday Night Football, and other major streaming moments.</p><p><br /></p><p>While many streaming services are introducing ad-supported tiers as an option, Amazon is taking a unique approach by making ads the default for Prime Video viewers, with an option to pay extra for ad-free viewing. This strategy could differentiate Amazon in the crowded streaming market by potentially increasing ad revenue while also catering to those who prefer a premium, ad-free experience (and willing to pay more).</p><p><br /></p><p>This move aligns with broader industry trends increasing monetisation and driving profitability for streaming platforms. The introduction of ads on Amazon Prime Video is expected to have upwards a 5 billion dollar impact on Amazon’s earnings over the next several months.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>India: JioCinema to stream 10th Celebrity Cricket League</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>JioCinema has announced a partnership with Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) that will se the India streaming platform exclusively live-stream Celebrity Cricket League Season 10.</p><p><br /></p><p>Spread over four weekends, and with 20 matches that appeal to a wide audience cohort beyond cricket fans, the tournament will stream from February 23rd, exclusively on JioCinema.</p><p><br /></p><p>Launched in 2011, Celebrity Cricket League has evolved to become one of India’s most-watched sport and entertainment event. The previous season of Celebrity Cricket League reached out to over 250 million viewers across India. Comprising eight teams representing India’s major film industries including Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, CCL Season 10 will bring together over 200 film celebrities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferzad Palia, Business Head, JioCinema, commented: “JioCinema is loved by users across the spectrum and is home to the best of sports and entertainment content. The unparallel viewership we enjoy is a testimony to that. Celebrity Cricket League brings the best of both these worlds, and we are happy to partner with them to entertain India.”</p><p>Vishnu Induri, Founder of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), added: “Celebrity Cricket League has become a cultural phenomenon, and we’re delighted to partner with JioCinema to elevate the reach of our 10th season. The combination of sports and entertainment on this scale is unparalleled, and we look forward to engaging fans across the nation.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Business class and no extra stop: Roosters’ ritzy Vegas special treatment revealed - Feb 5, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a move sure annoy rival NRL clubs, the Sydney Roosters will have a superior travel schedule to the other Las Vegas bound clubs via a luxurious flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Daily Telegraph reported Roosters players will travel business class directly to the US, while the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs and Broncos have a stop-over in Fiji on route to America.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters were chosen to fly on a Boeing’s 787-9 Dreamliner, an aeroplane which offers revolutionary lower cabin altitude, less turbulence, new filtration, better humidity and less fatigue.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL had previously confirmed they would be responsible for booking squad travel arrangements to the USA, with one club flying on United Airlines in a non-stop flight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The remaining clubs would be required to travel with Fiji Airlines under a new partnership between the NRL and the airline, however, that flight would involve a stop-over in Nadi, Fiji.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Roosters have since been informed that they will be the club travelling directly from Sydney to Las Vegas without a stop-over on one of the world’s most comfortable aircraft.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787, which has multiple variants, is used for long-haul travel, with the 9 variant first brought into service on September 17, 2013.</p><p><br /></p><p>The plane promises smoother travel, more personal space than other aircraft, and better air features to help passengers experience less fatigue. ‘</p><p><br /></p><p>The 787 was the cheaper-to-run, smoother alternative to a number of Airbus long-haul aircraft, and has also helped to replace the Boeing 747, which for many decades was the king of the skies.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision to give the best flight itinerary to the Roosters is understood to be simply luck of the draw.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All four teams competing in the Las Vegas 2024 season opener fly out approximately a week before the double-header in Sin City.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first game sees the South Sydney Rabbitohs clash with the Manly Sea Eagles (Sunday, March 3, 1:30pm AEDT), before the Roosters take on the Brisbane Broncos at 3:30pm (AEDT).</p><p><br /></p><p>Clubs will reportedly begin working with players on sleep schedules and pre-flight activities from this week in an effort to minimise the effects of travel to Las Vegas and back in the unique start to the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>All four clubs travelling will depart the USA the day after the games, arriving back in Australia with a week off before their Round 2 fixtures.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Sports)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk weighs in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration</p><p><br /></p><p>Musk said that the illegal immigration crisis is contributing to the lack of affordable housing in the US</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the economic impacts of illegal immigration in a series of posts on social media as he criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter which he acquired and rebranded, to call out a variety of services and benefits that illegal immigrants have access to in the U.S. and argue they’re contributing to the housing affordability crisis.</p><p><br /></p><p>"A few other things you probably don’t know: illegals in America can get bank loans, mortgages, insurance, driver’s licenses, free healthcare (California & New York) and in-state college tuition," Musk wrote. "What’s the point of being a citizen if an illegal gets all the benefits, but doesn’t pay taxes or do jury duty?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"If you’re wondering why housing is so expensive, this is a major contributor," Musk added.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Housing prices in the U.S. hit a new record high in November amid an ongoing shortage of inventory. Mortgage rates are near the highest level in two decades due to the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, which has made sellers locked into low-rate mortgages reluctant to sell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not only are homebuyers struggling in the current housing market, but burdens on renters are rising as well. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that the number of American renters considered "cost burdened" by their monthly housing payment in 2022 hit an all-time high of 22.4 million. Renters are considered burdened if they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, and the 22.4 million total amounts to roughly half of U.S. tenants.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk, a legal immigrant to the U.S. who was born and raised in South Africa and then moved to Canada at the age of 18 before later becoming a naturalized American citizen, emphasized that he supports legal immigration pathways despite his opposition to illegal immigration.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a reminder, I am very much PRO increasing legal immigration significantly," Musk added. "I’m not anti-immigration, I’m just against a massive number of unvetted people flooding into America, which any rational person should be."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk said that President Biden and lawmakers in Congress who’ve pushed for a border security bill could make progress on resolving the southern border crisis without enacting a new law if the administration simply puts forward an executive order reforming asylum policies.</p><p><br /></p><p>"No laws need to be passed," Musk wrote. "All that is needed is an executive order to require proof before granting an asylum hearing. That is how it used to be."</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Biden told reporters that he has done "all I can do" using the executive authority at his disposal to secure the border.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Musk also agreed with Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor David Sacks who wrote last week that the border is broken "because this administration refuses to enforce the laws we already have." Musk responded by writing, "exactly."</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX Business)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google parent Alphabet sees AI investment providing long-term opportunities</p><p><br /></p><p>Google expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, this year</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For Google and other tech titans, the rise of artificial intelligence remains a big focus for investors as the emerging technology reshapes the tech landscape, transforming the business of search, cloud and advertising, but it also comes with a cost. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell more than 7% on Wednesday, a day after the company reported quarterly results. Despite beating expectations on many key metrics, the company said capital spending will jump in 2024 as it continues to invest in AI to improve its services.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We do remain very committed to investing in the AI opportunity across Google DeepMind, Google services, Google Cloud," Ruth Porat, the tech giant’s chief financial officer, told FOX Business' Susan Li. "Capex was up in the fourth quarter to $11 billion, and that was overwhelmingly the investment in our technical infrastructure."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>There are serious questions about how AI could impact Google’s ad business. Advertising remains a powerhouse for Alphabet, accounting for more than 50% of its total revenue. YouTube’s ad revenue grew 16% year over year, but overall ad spending has seen a pullback as advertisers rein in spending.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet’s ad revenue for the fourth quarter rose to $65.5 billion from $59 billion in the same period a year ago, just shy of analysts’ estimates, also adding to the selling pressure. Shares are marginally lower this year, compared to the Nasdaq Composite's modest 1% gain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>However, Porat says evolving AI technology could contribute to success across Alphabet’s spectrum of services, including cloud computing, which earned its first-ever quarterly profit in 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The results reflect spreads across industry sectors; there is an increasing contribution from AI," Porat said. "This is clearly an extraordinary time."</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is expected to release its most advanced generative AI model, Gemini Ultra, later this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can Crown Sydney’s style refresh win back the high rollers? - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gaming floors in the hope that a refurbishment will attract foreign and local punters to its VIP-only casino after poor foot traffic resulted in more than 200 job cuts and reduced operating hours just one year into operations.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Barangaroo tower’s boss Mark McWhinnie said he was confident the revamped Mahogany Room would attract gamblers from Australia and overseas.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stressed he believed the business model would prevail regardless of whether Chinese tourists, who formerly propped up the bottom line of all Australian casinos, returned to Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>“I’m not overly concerned [by the absence of Chinese tourists] because we’re not just hanging our hats on China. It’s quite the opposite. We’re focused on developing awareness and demand on a number of countries in South-East Asia,” McWhinnie said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Inbound tourism to Australia has picked up over the last year, with the latest ABS data revealing international arrivals increased to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as of September last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>McWhinnie said Crown was “quite bullish about what the international market will represent in the future”.</p><p><br /></p><p>This masthead revealed in August that Crown had been forced to close the Mahogany Room – which was originally designed with private salons for top high rollers – due to poor visitation. It also reduced its hours of operation and made more than 200 staff redundant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Mahogany Room has since been redesigned to have a mix of tables and private booths to attract all kinds of punters to the same floor. Crown said it planned to reopen its second floor, known as the Crystal Floor, but did not commit to a timeline. As a VIP-only facility, Crown Sydney has no poker machines. A minimum bet of $20 applies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity giant Blackstone purchased Crown Sydney and the broader Crown Resorts business for $8.9 billion in June 2022 after the casino group was disgraced by extensive breaches of anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing laws. The breaches culminated in the loss of its casino licences in the three states in which it operates.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney opened one month after Blackstone formally took the reins of the business and overhauled its original strategy, which was based around attracting junket-driven, overseas high rollers.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company has spent $71 million in anti-money laundering and counterterrorism compliance measures since 2021, discontinued all junket tour operations and is transitioning to cashless gaming.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney is currently operating under a conditional licence. The NSW Independent Casino Commission will decide later this year whether its investment and strategy change has been enough to reinstate its full licence.</p><p><br /></p><p>Regardless of whether Crown regains it, investors and industry analysts have long questioned whether the state is big enough for two casinos.</p><p><br /></p><p>US-based Blackstone investors told this masthead in December they were concerned that the Crown takeover was a bad call. Rumours have also intensified about whether a long-touted merger between Crown and Star Entertainment is finally on the cards, as casinos face challenges from the high cost of living, increased taxes and regulatory hurdles.</p><p><br /></p><p>But McWhinnie dismissed the idea that the business model of the $2.2 billion Barangaroo precinct wasn’t sustainable, or too reliant on casino visitation.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you look at the fabric of what we offer we’re not just about a casino experience. We’re a well-rounded entertainment space,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Travis Kelce Taylor Swift Proposal Super Bowl Prop Bet - Feb 5, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>BetOnline is honoring Taylor Swift's iconic 1989 album by offering 89 Taylor Swift Super Bowl props.</p><p><br /></p><p>Swift of course is madly in love with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and vice versa. She'll be flying into this year's Super Bowl to watch him play fresh off a tour in Japan.</p><p><br /></p><p>So does he pop the question?</p><p><br /></p><p>It's not if, but where he proposes, as far as BetOnline is concerned.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vacation is the favorite and only non-game location offered.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Taylor Swift Effect is real as we felt it throughout the NFL season, and now at an exponential level leading up to Super Bowl LVIII," BetOnline Sportsbook Manager Adam Burns said. "It truly feels like the Swift storylines have become bigger than the game itself, which is just crazy considering this is the most watched event in the world every year. But if anyone can set a new bar, it's Swift, and we wanted to do the same with our props menu."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Gambling911)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR has strong start on Netflix - Feb 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR’s new Netflix documentary has already started making the Top 10 shows list in nearly 20 countries since launching earlier this week, according to streaming tracking site FlixPatrol. The five-part documentary around the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs debuted Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Blame the Internet for Sports Illustrated’s Fall, Not Private Equity</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated reportedly gut much of its staff after parent co. –Arena Group Holdings– had the publishing license to the label revoked. Brand licensor Authentic Brand Group pulled the company’s print and digital rights after Arena withheld a $3.75 million quarterly payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longtime fans and former employees of the once powerful publication have been quick to lament private equity’s role in SI’s fall from grace. But the blame is misguided. It belongs with the internet. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This isn’t about [ABG or] Arena Group. It’s about the depreciation of the value of the written word,” one well-placed media executive said. Long-form content no longer pays the bills, and “journalists simply can’t grapple with the reality their ASME winning stories aren’t helping their employers keep the lights on in a post TikTok digital world…Even in ’24, they choose to ignore how this business works.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The relationship between ABG and Arena Group seemed to be working fine on both sides until Manoj Bhargava's Simplify Inventions took majority control of Arena Group in August ’23. The 5-Hour Energy founder subsequently let go of senior personnel, established himself as interim CEO (a position he has since resigned), and Arena defaulted on the loan payment.</p><p><br /></p><p>That decision drove ABG to place Arena into breach of contract, and to terminate its publishing licensing agreement. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bhargava subsequently sent a letter to the SI Union informing its members of their tenuous future. The move sparked outrage amongst the journalism community, led to a public funeral for the brand on social channels, and spawned the narrative that PE killed Sports Illustrated.</p><p><br /></p><p>But SI isn’t dead. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is currently operating, and even if Arena is unable to reobtain the license, the publisher is obligated to continue running it for some time. ABG would almost certainly have another publisher in place before the grace period expires. </p><p><br /></p><p>SI has gone through ownership changes before. The label was sold from Time to Meredith in 2018 and then from Meredith to Authentic Brands Group a year later.</p><p><br /></p><p>But unlike Time and Meredith, ABG is a brand management company. Its expertise is in licensing and merchandising, not publishing. So, the holding co. licensed SI’s print and online publishing rights to Maven (now Arena Group).</p><p><br /></p><p>The SI brand was two decades past its prime when ABG took it over. Any suggestion it or Maven/Arena is solely to blame for tarnishing its once pristine reputation is misleading. </p><p><br /></p><p>There’s an argument to be made ABG could have elected a better steward for the media property. Maven/Arena has made some highly controversial decisions (see: use of independent contracts, accusations of AI generated articles). </p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s difficult to fault the publisher for emphasizing clicks and traffic over investigative and long-form journalism. It’s happening across the digital landscape. Legacy brands are doing what is needed to survive and appeal to today’s consumer.</p><p><br /></p><p>SI also still employs some of the industry’s best writers (see: Pat Forde, Jon Wertheim). So, while the overall product is not as good as it once was, the business is profitable and remains viable within the marketplace.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brand Group (think: Reebok, Brooks Brothers) controls SI’s licensing rights. </p><p><br /></p><p>It purchased the company from Meredith for $110 million in May ’19 and had a 10-year $15 million/year publishing agreement in place with Maven before the end of the June. So, its starting point on Sports Illustrated is profitable.</p><p><br /></p><p>And because Arena employs all the content creators, its overhead is lower and margins are much higher than they would be for a traditional publishing co.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has since introduced an SI branded sportsbook, ticketing platform, premium hospitality concept, and it is reportedly working on several hotel projects (including: Ann Arbor, Michigan). </p><p><br /></p><p>Those efforts do not even have to pan out for them to be worth ABG’s involvement. Licensing companies typically structure deals to include minimum guarantees (there may be success-based kickers to create upside opportunity).</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG is building a high-end ticketed events business with the SI brand too. </p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re literally doing what Meredith, Conde Nast, Hearst, and most digital publishers have been trying to do for 20 years and haven’t been able to figure out,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG has seemingly cracked the code on how to extract maximum value from a brand in a business that is in secular decline–minimizing the content side of the house from business decisions. Arena is solely responsible for writing, editing, publishing, and distribution.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They don’t get a seat at the table for licensing deals, events, [partnerships], or any of the other things they get to weigh in on at other places that they have no expertise to weigh in on,” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG handles all the omni-channel opportunities demanded by today’s consumer as the licensor. </p><p><br /></p><p>The only issue with ABG’s model is that it is reliant on a publisher, which it does not employ, to uphold the brand’s editorial product and to manage the team who produces the content and sells the ads. And contract stipulations can only ensure so much. </p><p><br /></p><p>Licensors will often factor the loss of control into their models, but asset quality still needs to remain at sufficient levels for the brand to expand into ancillary categories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Up until this point, Arena had upheld its end of the bargain. Its recent decision to skip a payment, and the subsequent fallout, may have changed the calculus for ABG. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s hard to understand what Arena’s end game was/is. But it’s nearly impossible to believe a billionaire bought a majority stake in the company only to unload its biggest asset within a matter of weeks. One must assume Bhargava has a plan for SI moving forward. </p><p><br /></p><p>Whether ABG can or wants to trust him to operate the publication is another discussion. </p><p><br /></p><p>“If you’re degrading the value of the brand, you’re degrading the partnership or its potential impact [for the licensor],” the media executive said.</p><p><br /></p><p>ABG does not need the next publisher to re-establish SI as the ‘Porsche’ of sports media to build a lucrative licensing business. But it can’t get to ‘Honda’ levels, either. The next SI publisher simply needs to come in and churn out quality content. </p><p><br /></p><p>Junior Bridgeman, Vox, and Penske Media are among those who have reportedly expressed interest in taking SI over should ABG choose to go in another direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>(JohnWallStreet)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What will be on the Sphere in Las Vegas during Super Bowl LVIII?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Many people are curious about what will be projected on the massive Sphere in Las Vegas during the upcoming Super Bowl. On Sunday, we received a sneak peek of what to expect from the newest addition to the city’s skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p>The collaboration with the NFL is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Feb. 5. On Sunday, Sphere Entertainment Co. previewed what will be displayed on the Sphere’s exterior, celebrated as the largest LED screen in the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, CBS’s coverage of Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on the landmark display. Content on the Sphere will respond in real-time to the action on the field between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Additionally, officials say the Sphere will be the focus of two curated moments during the game broadcast on CBS.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no immediate word on whether or not the adorable Sphere emoji will make an appearance during the big game, but the little guy is usually up to something, so that’s worth keeping an eye on as the game approaches.</p><p><br /></p><p>In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, the Sphere will project NFL-related content, including a countdown clock and a graphic highlighting Sunday’s matchup.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, all 57 Super Bowl rings will be displayed on the Sphere in the lead up to the NFL championship game, providing football fans in the “entertainment capital of the world” a unique photo opportunity to represent their favorite team.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week,” a news release from Sphere Entertainment Co. stated. “This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The Sphere’s exterior is the largest LED screen on Earth, consisting of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SPHERE AND NFL COLLABORATE ON CUSTOM SUPER BOWL CONTENT FOR THE EXOSPHERE CREATED EXCLUSIVELY BY SPHERE STUDIOS</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Exosphere Content To Be Broadcast During The Game on CBS And Run Throughout Super Bowl Week</p><p><br /></p><p>Both Interior and Exterior of Sphere to be Showcased </p><p><br /></p><p>LAS VEGAS , Feb. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) and the NFL today announced a collaboration that will see custom Super Bowl LVIII content, created exclusively by Sphere Studios, displayed on Sphere's fully programmable LED exterior – the Exosphere – throughout Super Bowl Week. As part of this, Sphere will also be featured in CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl LVIII on CBS and Paramount+.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"We welcome Super Bowl LVIII to Las Vegas, which continues to reinforce its place as a destination for the biggest events in sports and entertainment," said Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for MSG Entertainment, who oversees marquee events for Sphere. "As a new Las Vegas landmark, Sphere is recognized worldwide for its dynamic visuals, and we're proud to collaborate with the NFL on content that will captivate audiences both in Las Vegas and watching on CBS."</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Super Bowl and Sphere are two globally recognized brands, and together will showcase the power of this unparalleled digital canvas to bring fans together around Super Bowl LVIII," said Guy Barnett, Senior Vice President Brand Strategy & Creative Development, Sphere Entertainment. "The custom Super Bowl-themed content our Sphere Studios team created for the Exosphere will surprise and delight fans, adding a one-of-a-kind element to the first ever Las Vegas Super Bowl, and to the game broadcast."</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the short amount of time since its opening, Sphere has established itself as one of the most recognizable landmarks in Las Vegas and we're thrilled about this collaboration in the lead up to Super Bowl LVIII," said Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President, Club Business, League Events & International at the NFL. "There won't be a better place for the League and our family of official NFL partners to display their creative and message the thousands of fans descending upon Las Vegas for the biggest annual sports event in the world."</p><p><br /></p><p>Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas officially kicks off tomorrow, as does a slate of custom Exosphere content that will run throughout the week. Working in collaboration with the NFL, Sphere will display content including: a countdown clock leading up to kick-off on Sunday; a welcome visual that will serve as a beacon for the hundreds of thousands of people expected to descend on Las Vegas; and key graphics highlighting the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. In celebration of Super Bowl history, Sphere will showcase all 57 Super Bowl rings, giving fans on the ground in Las Vegas an opportunity to pose in front of their team's ring. Throughout the game, content on the Exosphere will run live, in real time in response to action on the field.</p><p><br /></p><p>During the game, the CBS Sports' broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII will showcase Sphere. Both the Exosphere and the interior of Sphere will be featured as part of two curated moments in custom, one-of-a-kind videos filmed at the venue that showcase the immersive capabilities of Sphere's 16K x 16K resolution interior display plane.</p><p><br /></p><p>In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, Sphere Studios created custom content that will run throughout the week. This includes, as part of its ongoing XO/Art program, commissions from legendary street artists to create custom art for the Exosphere that will run at various times this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to custom NFL and Super Bowl content, some of the world's largest brands will have advertisements displayed on the Exosphere throughout Super Bowl Week.</p><p><br /></p><p>The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere:</p><p>Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world's biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thespherevegas.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Sphere Entertainment Co.</p><p>Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue in Las Vegas opened in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The King of Vegas: Legendary Hall of Fame oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro has a story for you - Feb 5, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>AS VEGAS — When you spend nearly five decades working in Las Vegas, you have stories to tell. Jimmy Vaccaro would run out of time before he'd run out of stories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro is one of the legends in Las Vegas sports betting history, one of the first to manage a sports book and a fixture in the city who has been setting odds since the 1970s. When the Sports Gambling Hall of Fame was formed in 2023, Vaccaro was part of the 10-person inaugural class. He's one of the legendary oddsmakers in Las Vegas history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s one of the most famous now," said South Point sports book director Chris Andrews, a decades-long friend of Vaccaro. "How do you rate them? It's like, who’s the best guitar player in the world? Everyone has their opinion on it. He’s certainly in the conversation."</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro isn't unfamiliar with fame and attention. His brother, Sonny, was played by Matt Damon in the movie "Air," the story of Sonny Vaccaro convincing Nike to sign Michael Jordan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro has stories to tell, and he'll often interrupt himself to start one.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was on 'The Simpsons,'" Vaccaro said. "You didn’t know that?"</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Simpsons"? Like Homer, Marge and Bart, those Simpsons?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Want to punch it up? You can punch it up," Vaccaro said, turning to a computer near him, almost egging you to search for him on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro said Alan Feldman, then the marketing director for The Mirage casino in Las Vegas, came to him with the opportunity to be on the popular show in 1995.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I didn’t know what 'The Simpsons' were," Vaccaro said. "Now, my two kids did because that was in their zone. I said, 'Yeah, whatever.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>He explained how he had to find a different color shirt (other than white) because of how it would look on camera, how he gave the fake betting odds on who shot Mr. Burns and even how royalties work after you've been on a TV show. He laughed at how classmates heard that his kids' dad had been on "The Simpsons," and that became a thing at school.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So, I was on 'The Simpsons,'" he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is what a visit with Vaccaro is like. This one took place in mid December, about six weeks before Vaccaro's beloved Las Vegas played host to the Super Bowl this week. Most days, he is hanging around the South Point sports book, about a 15-minute drive from the south end of The Strip, advising the oddsmaking team there, wearing his comfortable sweatshirt and always willing to share a story.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you're one of the most famous figures in Las Vegas gaming history, you have plenty of stories to tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>The glory days of Vegas' big boxing matches</p><p>Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Las Vegas. It's not the first time the city has hosted a big sporting event.</p><p><br /></p><p>The big boxing matches are what Vaccaro remembers most fondly from his career. Muhammad Ali's last big fight, against Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace in 1980, stands out. And here comes another Vaccaro story, this one about the time he had a customer from Detroit, with a woman on each arm, come in wanting to bet on Tommy Hearns in a big fight. Vaccaro asked him how much he wanted on Hearns.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He says, ‘I don’t know. What do you think, girls?’ They’re giggling," Vaccaro said. "He says, ‘How about $40,000?’</p><p><br /></p><p>"You can only imagine how long it would take to count out $20 bills for $40,000. I’ll never forget it."</p><p><br /></p><p>Back in the glory days of big boxing matches in Las Vegas, there weren't nearly as many sports books in the city as there are now. There were only a handful, which is part of what makes Vaccaro such a big figure in sports betting history. He ran multiple sports books through the years, starting at Barbary Coast and eventually moving to The Mirage, MGM Grand and Golden Nugget. When the fights came to town, people wanted to bet, and Vaccaro's sports book was one of their only options.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The boxing was incredible," Vaccaro said. "We went through about 15 years where every four or five months was a monster fight. Forget this UFC garbage."</p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting nearby in a side office as he listens to Vaccaro tell his old stories, Andrews chimed in: “We had like three or four extra Super Bowls a year with these fights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>"The fights were incredible," Vaccaro continued. "And I loved them. Never stopped loving 'em."</p><p><br /></p><p>A memorable fight led to Vaccaro's most famous moment. Want to hear a story?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>42-to-1</p><p>Vaccaro loved putting up odds on boxing matches, even a 1990 mismatch between the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson and a no-name such as Buster Douglas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was putting up odds on all those fights because I enjoyed it," Vaccaro said. "So now here it is, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Nobody would book the fight because the odds were too high. So I said, ‘I’ve got to do this because I’ll be the only one.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>In a previous Tyson fight, Vaccaro opened Michael Spinks as an 8-to-1 underdog, and so many people bet Tyson that the odds moved to 15-to-1. Tyson won in 91 seconds.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the Douglas fight? Vaccaro's sports book at The Mirage was the only one to set a line. He set it at 27-to-1.</p><p><br /></p><p>"That was the opening line," Vaccaro said. "A guy I know pretty well, he was a bettor every day, he laid the 27. He laid $54,000 to win $2,000. Because he thought it was just a pickup. You know, 10 minutes later, I’m going to get my money.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I changed it to 31-to-1. Another one of my big boxing bettors from L.A. came to town. 'Jimmy, I heard you had this fight.’ It’s 31-to-1. He bet $93,000 to win $3,000 at 31-to-1 or whatever it was. Then people started to hear about it. It just didn’t stop. I got to 42-to-1."</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2018, ESPN made a documentary on the Tyson-Douglas fight as part of its "30 for 30" series. The title was "42 to 1."</p><p><br /></p><p>"You’ll like this," Vaccaro said. "The number is 42-to-1. This is the day of the fight. Guy came in, he was a customer at The Mirage. He laid $420,000 at 42-to-1 to win $10,000. I’ll never forget.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Somebody was standing there, I think it was a newspaper guy. I said, ‘He thought he was going to pick up $10,000 in about five minutes, when they rang the bell.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, Tyson lost in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Vaccaro said he didn't believe the ticker when it said Tyson lost the fight, which was in Tokyo. He didn't pay out the bets on Douglas until news stations such as ESPN started reporting it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then Vaccaro went home, and at about 5 a.m., he started getting calls from The Mirage saying they were receiving multiple interview requests. The Mirage, thanks to Vaccaro, was the only sports book that had a line on Tyson vs. Douglas. He came back in to do all the interviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>"So you can only imagine the vibration through the whole freaking world," Vaccaro said. "Now remember, if Tyson would have won, there would have been nobody calling us."</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, 42-to-1 became part of the lore of one of the most famous fights in boxing history.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'll live with that one for a long time," Vaccaro said. "It’s a good feeling. Nobody else did it."</p><p><br /></p><p>How Vaccaro built his name in Vegas</p><p>Got time for another story? Sure you do.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was the first one to make overs and unders on season win totals," Vaccaro said as soon as he finished the Tyson-Douglas story.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 1989, he had customers in from Texas who wanted to know how many wins Vaccaro thought the Dallas Cowboys would get with new head coach Jimmy Johnson. He thought about it a while, and he set a line: 5.5 wins. One of the bettors wanted the over. His wife had a purse on her shoulder.</p><p><br /></p><p>"She turned her purse over, and all these wrapped $10,000 of bills are in there," Vaccaro said. "He bet $38,500 to win $35,000 on the over."</p><p><br /></p><p>The Cowboys went 1-15, but that started the trend of sports books posting season win totals for teams. Today, it's one of the most popular markets in sports betting.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The stories don't stop. One time, when Vaccaro was running the sports book at The Mirage, the book had a terrible day and lost $1.4 million. Vaccaro got a call from casino/resort owner Steve Wynn.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I walk in there, and he says, ‘What the hell did you do?’ I said, 'We have good days, too, Steve,'" Vaccaro said, perhaps unaware that not many people have to answer to their boss after losing more than a million dollars. "He said, ‘Go back, and do what you’re doing, and keep doing it.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>The stories go all the way back to his origins in Las Vegas. He first drove to Vegas from Trafford, Pennsylvania, when he was 18. After he turned 21, he'd go to Vegas "every time I had a little bit of money" and go home when he was broke. After a few years, a friend remarked that he should just stay in Vegas. And in 1975, he did. He went to see casino owner Michael Gaughan and asked for a job. Gaughan said he could become a blackjack dealer; it just took $250 to go to a dealer school that Gaughan owned.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I had, like, $40, I think," Vaccaro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gaughan let Vaccaro pay him back when he had the money.</p><p><br /></p><p>You won't be surprised to hear that Vaccaro also has a story about how he got into the sports betting business in which he became a legend. One day, Gaughan called him up to his office.</p><p><br /></p><p>"If I live to be 10 million years old, this is what he said, because it changed my life," Vaccaro said. "He said, ‘Do you know how to run a sports book?’ I said, ‘No!’ I was just a kid like him, betting, but never running a sports book.</p><p><br /></p><p>"He said, ‘Good, neither do I.’"</p><p><br /></p><p>Vaccaro was put in charge of a little sports book at the Royal Inn, which was imploded in 2015. There were only a few other sports books in Las Vegas at the time. That grew until practically every casino had one. Then a Supreme Court decision in 2018 allowed states to legalize sports gambling. Legal sports betting exploded afterward. Sports betting going mainstream is likely part of the reason the Super Bowl is in Las Vegas. That explosion traces back, at least in part, to Vaccaro setting lines for Ali-Holmes, taking $40,000 bets on Tommy Hearns, making the first win total odds for the 1989 Cowboys and giving sports betting invaluable exposure with the Tyson-Douglas line.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many more stories from his lifetime of oddsmaking, such as the time legendary poker player Stu Ungar was being treated in his office after having a heart attack but still wanted to bet ("‘Where’s Jimmy? I want the Cowboys for $30,000!’" Vaccaro said. "Everybody was staring. I said, ‘You’re going to f***ing die!’ He said, ‘Jimmy, give me the bet!’") or the time his was the first sports book to take a big bet from from Mattress Mack, the owner of the Gallery Furniture chain in Houston who has become famous in the betting world for massive wagers, which are sometimes eight figures and usually on Houston teams ("He’s a gentleman," Vaccaro said. "We have nothing but good things to say about each other.").</p><p><br /></p><p>Along the way, Vaccaro played his part in bringing sports betting to the mainstream.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was probably the only one who said, ‘We ain’t seen nothing yet,’ way back when it started," he said. "We’re not geniuses. We just left the door open for a little bit."</p><p><br /></p><p>(Yahoo!)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X to hire 100 content moderators in Austin this year - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform announced a new content moderation push</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk’s X is in the process of hiring 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas, that will focus on fighting child abuse online on the social media platform, an executive said on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>X, formerly known as Twitter, announced a new "Trust and Safety center of excellence" in a blog post by CEO Linda Yaccarino on Friday. The new initiative comes as part of the company’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation (CSE) on the social media platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>"While X is not the platform of choice for children and minors – users between 13-17 account for less than 1% of our daily U.S. users – we have made it more difficult for bad actors to share or engage with CSE material on X, while simultaneously making it simpler for our users to report CSE content," Yaccarino wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>She added that the platform is "improving our detection mechanisms to find more reportable content on the platform to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The post noted that X suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating the platform’s CSE policies in 2023 – a dramatic uptick from 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company also referred 850,000 reports to NCMEC in 2023, including through X’s first ever fully-automated report. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company said that was over eight times more than what Twitter referred to NCMEC in 2022 before it was acquired by the Elon Musk-led ownership group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, he has faced criticism for the content moderation policy changes to the social media site, which caused some advertisers to reconsider their spending on the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is in the process of hiring content moderation staff for the new Trust and Safety center of excellence in Austin, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The team is currently being built," said Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, about the Austin office. He added that the goal to fill the positions by the end of the year is dependent on finding the right talent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that the new Austin facility will also help X fight other types of harmful social media content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports News</p><p><br /></p><p>Rudd, Hockey on hand to turn NRL’s Las Vegas play into reality - January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener is expected to go ahead as planned, with executives at the sport’s governing body planning to lean on the expertise of three former politicians to expedite a visa process for players.</p><p><br /></p><p>The four NRL clubs that will travel to the United States to compete in the Las Vegas double-header on March 2 have been at loggerheads with the Australian Rugby League Commission over delays to crucial matters such as accommodation, visas and funds for offshore training camps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But an urgent meeting on Thursday between the clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys ended with an agreement to hand the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles and the Brisbane Broncos $700,000 each in funding for pre-season training camps and unlimited insurance for serious injuries. They have also been given assurances that all visas and accommodation issues will be resolved.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got the comfort and satisfaction that we needed to make sure that it’s going to be a success. From now on, it’s full steam ahead,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “What Peter and Andrew said today is they’re very confident that all players will get access to the US, which is really important to the game. We want to see the best players on the field.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas play is the brainchild of Mr V’landys and is based on concerns the game can’t sustain revenue growth by relying on local broadcast revenue, advertising sponsorship and wagering turnover.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the process has been arduous and expensive. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the four clubs had written to Mr V’landys expressing concerns about a lack of information regarding visas, medical insurance, Las Vegas training venues and fast rising costs.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There was a degree of frustration about some of the things and issues we were raising and couldn’t get a resolution,” Mr Solly said on Thursday. “Peter understood our concerns, and he understood some of the challenges Andrew has faced, and he was able to bulldoze through them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL initially told the clubs players could travel to the US with visa waiver available for Australian travellers. Clubs were concerned about players being stopped by US customs, particularly those who had been arrested in Australia such as Payne Haas, Latrell Mitchell and Reece Walsh.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr V’landys will rely on Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, a friend and former Howard government minister, to expedite the visa process. Mr McGauran is a former consul-general and senior trade investment commissioner to Texas and currently works for Bondi Partners, the advisory and investment firm run by former treasurer Joe Hockey.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL also plans to lean on Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador in Washington DC, and Mr Hockey to expedite the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Solly said the clubs had received assurances that players would be able to get visas approved. Players who have not been arrested previously will enter the US on a waiver, while the others will apply for a visitor visa.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re working with the consulate and government to make sure that process is expedited as quickly as can be,” he said. “Based on what we agreed today, we should be fine to sign the [final] agreement and get on with it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>To make sure players are prepared to play in US conditions, the four clubs will base themselves in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas for more than a week before kick-off. The NRL agreed on Thursday to provide $175,000 per club towards the cost of that week.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is an investment right now for the future,” Mr Abdo said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Having said that, we’re not approaching this expecting massive losses. We’ve already started building revenue streams, we’ve got investment from sponsors, we’ve sold a number of tickets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can the tech giants live up to all the AI hype? - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors will be closely watching to see if Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta can report a rise in earnings that would justify the surge in their share prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mania surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the US sharemarket to record levels, but this week’s earnings reports from the five US tech giants will test whether the hype has been overdone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be questioning whether the tech giants – Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta – can report a rise in earnings that would justify the huge surge in their share prices. (So far this year, the US blue chip S&P 500 has risen 2.5 per cent, and the tech sector is up by close to 6 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The question about monetising generative AI is a difficult one for the big tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>This month, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Sam Altman, the high-profile head of OpenAI, took to the stage together at Davos to discuss their partnership, and the potential of generative AI, which enables computers to generate sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level comparable to humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nadella was upbeat, saying the world was nearing a “magical moment” similar to the introduction of the personal computer.</p><p><br /></p><p>But then the moderator posed an awkward question about their AI efforts: “Do you guys make money?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Although both Nadella and Altman avoided giving a direct answer, the question is very pertinent – especially now that Microsoft boasts a market capitalisation of about $US3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) and is vying with Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since ChatGPT was released at the end of November 2022, Microsoft’s share price has soared 66 per cent, or roughly three times the rise in the overall market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Underpinning this share price surge, however, are investor expectations that generative AI will result in a huge increase in revenue and profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has allowed it to leapfrog Google, which has been working on AI for years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Microsoft first invested $US1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019, and then committed a further $US10 billion a year ago. When the OpenAI board ousted Altman last year, it was Nadella’s support that led to his reinstatement.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Microsoft is still in the early stages of embedding OpenAI’s technology into its offerings, such as its coding platform GitHub, its Azure cloud business and its software business, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.</p><p><br /></p><p>And there are also questions about the speed with which its customers will embrace AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Risk of disillusionment</p><p><br /></p><p>This means there’s a risk that investors will become disillusioned if the AI hype fails to quickly translate into stronger revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly, Altman seems to have recognised this risk. On stage at Davos, he played down hopes that AI technology would radically change the world in the short term. Instead, he said it would inexorably improve over a longer period and eventually have a significant impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The world had a two-week freakout with GPT4”, Altman said, referring to the launch last March of OpenAI’s latest version of its chatbot. “And now, people are like, ‘Why is it so slow?’”</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the US market’s rally has been driven by a handful of big tech stocks, the risk is that investors show a similar impatience. That’s why this week’s earnings updates from the five US tech giants are so important.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be keen to hear from Microsoft on its progress in embedding the latest AI models in its offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p>And while they’ll be keen to hear from Google parent Alphabet on the outlook for online advertising revenues, they’ll also be waiting for an update on the company’s progress in developing its own AI models, which it plans to commercialise through its Google Cloud business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely to see how Amazon performed during the holiday retail season, and whether it has been able to improve margins in its e-commerce business. But they’ll also be looking for signs that its cloud business is continuing to benefit from the growth in AI workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple’s results will be scrutinised for signs that its Chinese sales of the iPhone have suffered because of stronger competition from rivals such as Huawei. But investors will also be keen to hear from Apple boss Tim Cook on its plans to incorporate generative AI on its devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, investors will be paying close attention to Meta’s results, both to get a read on the health of the online advertising market and for an update on the company’s aggressive AI plans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has signalled that the company is now focused on building an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system, which can carry out tasks at a level of intelligence that equals or exceeds that of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain - January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources close to the discussions, who asked for anonymity to speak openly about the matter, confirmed Jefferies’ Michael Stock canvassed both KKR and TPG around the middle of last year and discussed whether they were interested in looking at a deal relating to Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no deal eventuated, the discussions demonstrate that Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – has been considering how to make one of its major growth investments work harder. Among options for Nine could be taking Domain private with a third party, or selling all or part of its position in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>KKR and TPG declined to comment, as did Jefferies, Domain and Nine.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are two key challenges going forward for Nine, which owns the Nine Network, free streaming platform 9Now, paid streaming service Stan, radio stations like 2GB and 3AW, and some of the country’s largest publishing assets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the television advertising market is largely flat. Advertisers are pulling back in a cost-of-living crunch, and there is more competition with streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video will start running ads in Australia in the middle of this year. Television advertising made up 53 per cent of earnings in the last financial year. Domain added 11 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second challenge is with Domain. The real estate platform is a key area for future growth for Nine, but it has not performed on par with $24 billion giant REA Group, which is 61 per cent owned by News Corporation.</p><p><br /></p><p>REA’s share price is up 142 per cent over the five years from January 2019 – Domain is up 39 per cent over the same time. Assuming dividends are reinvested, total shareholder return over those five years for Domain has been 53 per cent; for REA, it has been 163 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain’s most recent trading update in November was weaker than analysts expected. UBS’ Lucy Huang told her clients that there was a “significant underperformance in [property] volumes” at Domain, despite REA reporting 4 per cent growth nationally. That could be due to strong growth in Western Australia and Queensland, she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to Domain’s historic strong presence in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, it is more competitive in those cities. There is also some competition from former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano’s View Media, which took $50 million in investment from ANZ early last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and chief product officer Rebecca Haagsma both sit on Domain’s board, which is chaired by former Fairfax Media chairman Nick Falloon. Mr Falloon stepped down from Nine’s board, where he was deputy chairman under Peter Costello, in November 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>While trailing REA, several brokers expect a solid first half result for Domain this year, with greater activity in NSW and Victoria. Macquarie’s Darren Leung told his clients earlier this month that the focus would be on “the difference in listings growth between Domain and REA, in our view”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The spread between REA and Domain valuations is at record highs and Domain’s multiple is implying dwelling price declines – against our view of likely increases,” he said, upgrading his recommendation on the stock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity has long seen value in property and classifieds businesses, including in Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2017, TPG spent a month looking at Fairfax Media’s books after mounting a $2.8 billion takeover offer for the company. It would have owned The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review, but it was a deal primarily aimed at securing control of Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>TPG withdrew from the auction. Fairfax instead demerged and listed Domain after that, in late 2017, and merged with Nine the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>###</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.</p><p><br /></p><p> “The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE/Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Blogs Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>Alphabet, Algorithm, AI and Agency </p><p>Blogs, Broadcasting, Buzz, Box Office, Business News and Bets</p><p>Creativity, Combat Sports, Crypto, Cafes, Casino News and Comms</p><p>Digital, Development and Dreams</p><p>Experience, Expertise, Evergreen, Energy, Expansion and Eco</p><p>Foundation, Formula and Frequency </p><p>Gaming, Gonzo Journalism Guide and Ghost Protocol </p><p>Highlights, Humanity and Health </p><p>Imagination, Intuition, Index Infographics, Interviews, Innovation, International and India</p><p>Japanese Pro Wrestling </p><p>King</p><p>Light, Lifestyle, Lists, LinkedIn and Legends </p><p>Monitization, Matrix, MBS and MMA</p><p>Numerology, Niche News and Network </p><p>Organic Results, Opportunity, Online Publishing and Ocean</p><p>Performance, Philosophy, Pro Wrestling, Portals, Platforms, PR, Publicity, Promotions and PPV</p><p>Quick and Quotes</p><p>Retro, Reviews and Risque </p><p>SEO, Systems, Social Media, Suplex and Streaming Industry</p><p>Trends, Text, Testimonials,Top 10 and Television </p><p>Universe and UFC</p><p>Vortex, Videos, Veteran, VIP and Vision </p><p>Wrestling, World and Web 3</p><p>X Corp and X Factor</p><p>Yachting</p><p>Zen and Zoo</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Twitter Strikes Deal With BetMGM to Feature Odds, Allow Bets to Be Taken From Platform - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kylie Robison of Fortune broke the news late Friday that X (formerly known as Twitter) has entered into a deal with BetMGM to integrate sports betting statistics into the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the specific financial terms of the collaboration could not be learned, the intention is to introduce a feature for X soon that will showcase betting odds and provide a direct link to BetMGM, allowing users to place bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>X reportedly lost a significant number of high paying advertisers including Disney, NBC parent company Comcast as well as Fox Sports after Media Matters for America discovered ads displaying along side racist posts. </p><p><br /></p><p>X owner Elon Musk responded by calling Media Matters of America "pure evil".</p><p><br /></p><p>Best selling author and CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin, Michael Shellenberger, questioned the Media Matters of America findings at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The media say X is placing Apple, IBM, and other ads near pro-Nazi content, but it's not. We tried various ways to replicate Media Matters' research and couldn't. The real goal of Media Matters isn't to fight antisemitism. It's to destroy X as a free speech platform."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite premature reports of Twitter's demise, Gambling911.com now touts the platform as its second biggest referral source after Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM had a market share of 17 percent in U.S. online sports betting in December and has the third largest market share in the US sports betting industry behind DraftKings and FanDuel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM site is a partnership between MGM and Ladbrokes parent company Entain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth Reveals How He Got In Contact With New Japan Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fresh off his NJPW and TNA debut, Nic Nemeth (former WWE star Dolph Ziggler) appeared on Talk Is Jericho to talk about WWE and what is next for him in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth on how he got into New Japan:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not close friends with a lot of people, but a long time ago when Shinsuke came up from NXT, at the time it was when I was doing the thing where everybody who shows up wrestles me and I was doing the thing, it was like nine years in a row, whatever, but I'm doing that thing and I didn't really know him. I don't watch Japanese wrestling. I don't watch our wrestling. I famously don't watch wrestling and I hate everything, but I love my job doing what I do."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So right after WrestleMania, Shinsuke comes up, does whatever he does, and we're overseas doing that two weeks we used to do before COVID times. We bounced around in buses and things and him and I had to stay to do the dark match after TV and everyone else went on. So him and I are just in this car sitting next to each other. We put a couple of matches together, but I'm not really outspoken. We're just sitting there looking at our phones. I had requested a big bottle of Jack Fire whiskey and we had that for the ride and it's like, 'Hey, you want a sip' He's like, 'Yea' and then we start talking. Then we had a couple of whiskies and we were buddies. It was so great because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and he's like an ass kicker and like it's so great. He's so nice. We had a good bond and I really liked wrestling him."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It reminds me of his first pay-per-view match with us. I even offered, I go, 'He's a strong style guy', like, I don't know what the hell is going on. I go, 'Should we have him like MMA style me up and we start having a wrestling match and he cracks me and hits me with a knee and I'm out cold and throw it out or something?' They go 'No, we don't want that.' Vince wanted a very WWE style match.' All right, great. So we did that."</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long time ago I was like every time a contract comes up I'm like, alright, I'm gonna get out of here. I have nothing left to do. I was kind of just sitting on the bench. I go, 'I'm gonna get out' and he goes, 'If you ever get out of here, I got some connections and I would like to help you out.' I'm like, 'Well, that's so cool. I don't know anybody or anything.' So years and years go by and I sent an email to the boss, Vince. At the time we were not sure actually what's going on, but I sent Vince an incredibly long email, 90% thankful, 'Oh my God. You guys are so great. You've taught me to do all this stuff.' 10%, 'This is messed up. I gotta get the hell out of here. There is no purpose for me to be getting paid millions of dollars to sit on the bench or be in a three minute match like a local.' I go, 'Pay locals to do this. There's no reason for me to be here.' I didn't hear anything back for two weeks and then I found out that I was released. I’m sorry. I sent that (letter) to a few different people. I don’t want to name names. but I sent it to very important people. Vince was the only one who wrote back instantly, and was like, 'This is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it further.' I said, 'Sir, if you want me to fly to Stanford tomorrow, I will be on a flight' and he said, 'Thanks. We'll think about it', and then two weeks later, I was released or whatever. So a couple weeks later."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So the first thing I want to do is like man, I've never done independents. I haven't gone out of the country, except for with WWE all those times, all these places. I go, well, I'm still friends with Shin. 'Hey Shin. Do you think I'm so good at wrestling?' and he laughed. I was like, 'What do you think about Japan?' and he's like, 'I got you.' Then put a couple pieces together and get to Rocky Romero, who is the go between, and luckily for me, they were happy and excited to have me. That was one of the first things I did when I got released. The first week this goes back and forth. It's set up and I'm not saying a word and no one's going to know and everyone thinks I'm retired or doing comedy, but sure as hell not going to Japan. Nobody sees this coming and I go, 'This is so great.' So we kept it very secretive, got everything done back and forth, and then even snuck in there and snuck out and nobody knew and everyone was kind of blown away.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Talk Is Jericho/Web Is Jericho)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Hard To Kill Drew Solid PPV Buys for a Loaded Show With Several Surprises - January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The numbers are in</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling officially returned earlier this month as the promotion rebranded at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event that was a hit through the way of PPV buys from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show</p><p><br /></p><p>The show featured several debuts, including former WWE stars Dana Brooke, Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), and Xia Brookside.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Selley lost the World Heavyweight Title against Moose in the main event of the show. Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Jordynne Grace on the show as she is expected to return to WWE soon and has since finished up with the promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV buys</p><p><br /></p><p>While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted the show likely did its biggest PPV buys since AEW's Kenny Omega beat Rich Swann to win the Impact World Title at the 2021 Rebellion. The final numbers are expected to be out in two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>“The TNA Hard To Kill show did great. Right now, this is basically a week and a half out, so this number will grow. But it was at 8,000 on television, which is a really good number for TNA. I'm sure it's the biggest number that they've done since the Rich Swan-Kenny Omega match. And it actually has a fairly decent shot, I don't know about beating that one. But being in the same realm as that one. And it's possible that it could be the biggest since the Spike days, certainly already the third biggest since Spike days. The fact that they did this on a night that was against the NFL playoffs against [NJPW] Battle in the Valley, although they were not head to head completely with Battle in the Valley like the last hour, I think of TNA in the first hour of Battle in the Valley, we're head to head, but they were completely head to head with [AEW] Collision. So, to do a number that big against that football game and Collision and Battle in the Valley. I think that’s great. There's no other way to put it. That's great." Meltzer stated.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wrestling Observer/Figure 4)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Events Announced For Starrcast</p><p><br /></p><p>News : 12-Jan-2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The first two wrestling events of Starrcast Downunder have been announced!</p><p><br /></p><p>Hall of Famer Bret Hart is set to curate Australian Stampede, the flagship event of Starrcast Downunder. The wrestling icon will showcase a thrilling card featuring top-notch international talent and Australia's own homegrown stars on Saturday, April 13th in Ballarat. </p><p><br /></p><p>On the preceding day, Friday, April 12th, women's wrestling pioneer Mickie James will present H.E.R, a groundbreaking women's wrestling event at the heart of Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat. This event, following in the footsteps of Empowerr, will feature an unparalleled lineup with international sensations and Australia’s brightest talents. H.E.R promises to highlight the heart, athleticism, and drive of its trailblazing competitors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss out on two massive nights of action– tickets will be available at the end of January.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN | A SUNDAY WITH BRET HART</p><p><br /></p><p>Sunday April 14 2024</p><p>Civic Theatre, Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>Starrcast Downunder invites fans on an unforgettable journey into the storied career of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This exclusive event promises an intimate and immersive experience as fans get up close and personal with one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step into the world of the Hitman as he takes the audience on a captivating exploration of his iconic career, sharing unique anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections that have shaped his illustrious journey in the world of sports entertainment. From his early days in the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty to his rise as a global superstar, Bret Hart's narrative will provide a unique and genuine insight into the challenges and triumphs that defined his remarkable career.</p><p><br /></p><p>The day will feature a special watchalong of Bret's legendary match with his brother Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable match. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch the match alongside the man himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the in-ring psychology and artistry that set Bret Hart apart.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the excitement doesn't end there – HITMAN will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session. Fans will have the chance to pose their burning questions directly to the Hitman, creating an interactive and engaging experience that adds a personal touch to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>To make the day even more special, special guests may make appearances, providing additional perspectives and anecdotes that add layers to the already rich tapestry of his professional journey. Whether it's fellow wrestlers, managers, or iconic personalities, these surprise guests will contribute to the nostalgic atmosphere of the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN is a must-attend for wrestling enthusiasts, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a true icon. Join us for an day filled with passion, nostalgia, and the unparalleled charisma of Bret "The Hitman" Hart – an event that will leave a lasting impact on fans and wrestling history alike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>A Pro Wrestling Event Company holding events in the Oceania Region that will have as many non-exclusive partnerships locally and internationally in delivering pro wrestling events</p><p><br /></p><p>With an emphasis on showcasing professional wrestling through our quality broadcasting and highly engaging fan experience model at events, with leadership by an experienced sporting executive with Australian and International connections, OPW will become a destination wrestling company for fans, promotions and commercial partners.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>June 2023</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>IMPACT Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Wrestling phenomenon Impact Wrestling provided plenty of action both inside and outside of the ring with their tour down under thrilling crowds at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event broadcast live on pay-per-view featured three title matches, including a rematch from Against All Odds in the main event as Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin to retain the IMPACT World Championship. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shelley defeated Maclin for the gold on June 9 and The Motor City Machine Gun kept ahold of the gold at Down Under night one after he countered a KIA attempt into Shellshock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Night 1 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Slex def. Adam Brooks</p><p>• Gisele Shaw def. Erika Reid</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Eddie Edwards - Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Killer Kelly def. Aysha</p><p>• Chris Sabin (c) def. Frankie Kazarian & Robbie Eagles - X-Division Championship</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Moose & Brian Myers</p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo def. Steph De Lander</p><p>• Alex Shelley (c) def. Steve Maclin - IMPACT World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second and final show of the Down Under Tour at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales saw three title matches with Slammiversary implications.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe Hendry defeated Moose to retain the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, Ace Austin & Chris Bey ended their one-year programme with The Motor City Machine Guns with a win for the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, and Deonna Purrazzo picked up the win against Gisele Shaw in their Knockouts World Tag Team Title match. </p><p><br /></p><p>Night 2 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Adam Brooks def. Robbie Eagles - Oceania Pro Wrestling World Championship</p><p>• The Natural Classics def. The Velocities</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Moose - IMPACT Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Eddie Edwards def. Slex</p><p>• Steph De Lander def. Killer Kelly</p><p>• Frankie Kazarian def. Brian Myers</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) - IMPACT World Tag Team Championships </p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo (c) def. Gisele Shaw - IMPACT Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: January 25, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Results / January 25, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A loaded episode of TNA iMPACT! comes to you from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada!</p><p><br /></p><p>Tonight’s iMPACT! is dedicated to the memory of Frank Caiazzo. RIP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey w/ Ace Austin vs Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of TNA’s most spectacular in-ring performers dazzle in a display of astounding athleticism. Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is seen at ringside. Bey emerges victorious with the Art of Finesse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey def Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>The Grizzled Young Vets jump ABC from behind after the match, lay out Chris Bey with the Grit Your Teeth and stake their claim to the TNA World Tag Team Titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undeniable. Irresistible. Unforgettable. She is Ash By Elegance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frankie Kazarian addresses his shocking actions from last week. He will explain himself next week but Rich Swann attempts to reason with Frankie. AJ Francis comes in and offers to be Rich Swann’s backup against Joe Hendry in an upcoming match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius vs Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango informs us that he hates pro wrestling. Dirty Dango takes a seat on the ramp as Prudius demolishes the competition. Dango takes the pin over Drake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius def Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Zack Gibson and James Drake state earlier tonight was a statement of intent. ABC look for a piece of GYV before Santino Marella makes a Best of 3 Series between the two teams for the TNA World Tag Team Titles starting next week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gia Miller speaks to Kazuchika Okada and The Motor City Machine Guns. They’re ready for The System in the main event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace vs Trinity for the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Trinity’s contractual rematch after losing the championship at Hard To Kill. A handshake shows the respect between the competitors but Trinity takes the fight straight to Grace. After a series of back and forth pin attempts, Jordynne Grace uses the momentum of Trinity’s attempt to lock in Star Struck to score a quick pinfall victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace def Trinity to retain the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal attack both Trinity and Jordynne Grace, leaving them laying as Gisele’s Ultimate X victory gives her a future Knockouts World Title shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>The System discuss tonight’s main event – the system works and tonight it goes worldwide against the Guns and Okada.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Josh Alexander addresses the return of TNA and his victory over Will Ospreay last week. Alan Angels interjects and offers the Walking Weapon a spot on the premiere edition of his brand new talk show The Sound Check. After some insistence from Angels, Alexander agrees.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth vs Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth competes in a TNA ring for the very first time. Wentz feigns an injury to distract the referee allowing Trey Miguel to grab Nemeth’s leg as Wentz takes control. Nemeth connects with Danger Zone for the victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth def Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Miguel tries to get a piece of Nemeth after the match and eats a Danger Zone too. Steve Maclin jumps Nemeth and looks for the KIA but Nemeth connects with one more Danger Zone and stands tall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crazzy Steve addresses his recent Digital Media Title win at Countdown To Hard To Kill but is interrupted by Rhino. Rhino shoves Steve as Steve laughs maniacally.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Decay discuss their resurrection and Knockouts World Tag Team Title victory at Hard To Kill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs MK Ultra</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra drop Threat with their tandem piledriver to return to winning ways after their title loss at Hard To Kill. MK Ultra also piledrive Luna after the match to assert their dominance.</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra def Dani Luna and Jody Threat</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on iMPACT!: Nic Nemeth vs Trey Miguel, we hear from Frankie Kazarian, Brian Myers vs Kevin Knight plus ABC vs GYV in the first match of the TNA World Tag Team Title Best of 3 Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada makes his entrance to rapturous applause as he returns to TNA for the first time since 2011. Okada connects with the iconic Rainmaker on Brian Myers allowing Alex Shelley to follow up with Shellshock for the victory. Okada and The Guns celebrate their monumental victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada def The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers)</p><p><br /></p><p>After the credits, Mustafa Ali addresses TNA Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA IMPACT! goes off the air.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: TNA Wrestling)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google to tweak crypto ad policy, amplify Bitcoin ETF visibility - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, a subsidiary of tech conglomerate Alphabet, is on the verge of a significant policy update set to take effect on Jan. 29, which could alter the landscape of cryptocurrency advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approved 11 spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on Jan. 10, Google is expected to amend its rules and enable asset managers to advertise these products to a broader U.S. audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>This move follows Google’s recent decision to broaden its cryptocurrency and related products’ policy, now providing advertisers with specific guidelines for promoting what it calls “cryptocurrency coin trusts.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Advertisers eager to capitalize on Google’s platform, renowned for its expansive reach and high search volume, will now require certification to ensure compliance with the tech giant’s stringent requirements.</p><p><br /></p><p>The significance of this development is highlighted by the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) converting to a spot Bitcoin ETF, coupled with the sanctioning of 10 other institutions to include spot BTC ETFs in their investment portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto analysts are optimistic about the ramifications of this policy change on the digital currency sphere, as Google processes around 8.55 billion searches daily, according to DemandSage.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Can Google Ads tip the scales for Bitcoin ETFs?</p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto community speculates that the heightened visibility of Bitcoin ETFs through Google’s ad platform may drive substantial awareness and investment in the space.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As such, companies operating within the spot Bitcoin ETF market could potentially witness a significant influx of interest from new segments of the public — not just from seasoned day traders or investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The update could also signal a shift in how cryptocurrency products are advertised, ensuring that ads meet legal requirements and are responsibly presented to an engaged audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s policy change arrives at an opportune moment. The crypto market has seen fluctuating investor sentiment toward spot Bitcoin ETFs over the past week.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Jan. 24, Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of approximately $270 million, counterbalanced by significant withdrawals — most notably from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin ETF—totaling a net outflow of around $153 million. </p><p><br /></p><p>The trend did not improve, with Jan. 25 witnessing a continuation of the withdrawal streak, marking a fourth consecutive day of net outflows over the last week, totaling up to $80 million, specifically from the funds recognized by the SEC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite these challenging dynamics, crypto commentators feel Google’s policy shift could potentially open doors to a flood of new investors. The increased visibility and imposed certification could counterbalance the recent outflows from the spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a possible rebound as we edge closer to the Jan. 29 policy implementation date.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 298 CARD FILLS OUT WITH FOUR INTRIGUING BOUTS - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s Return To Anaheim Receives A Quartet Of Fascinating Bouts</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For UFC’s first visit to California since August 2022 for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, the Anaheim fans will receive a treat of a card top to bottom. While most eyes will be trained toward Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against the undefeated Ilia Topuria as well as Robert Whittaker’s bout against Paulo Costa. Fun fights are abundant in the organization’s second pay-per-view of 2024, including four more just added to the slate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to UFC winner Rinya Nakamura returns for his second official UFC bout against Carlos Vera. The Japanese bantamweight tallied six of his eight wins via finish and hopes to pick up his first official UFC stoppage after his decision win over Fernie Garcia in Singapore. Carlos Vera comes into the organization having just competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter during which he lost to eventual tournament winner Brad Katona. He steps in hoping to have a successful UFC debut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Welterweights Josh Quinlan and Danny Barlow feature on the card as well. Quinlan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus split his first two UFC bouts to Jason Witt and Trey Waters, and after injuries and a cancelled bout kept him out of the Octagon since his lost to Waters, he hopes to get a bounce back win over Barlow. A fellow DWCS alumnus, Barlow earned his contract with a first-round knockout of Raheam Forest In September 2023. The undefeated Barlow racked up four knockouts and one submission on his climb to the organization, and he hopes to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0 on February 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another welterweight contest goes down as Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn lock horns. Woodburn is hoping to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 290, which was his first professional loss in mixed martial arts. Meanwhile, Elliott aspires to become one of the best Welsh mixed martial artists after competing on at Cage Warriors and Dana White’s Contender Series, the latter of which he won a fight via majority decision in August 2023. “The Welsh Gangster” has proven durable, and the two are surely desperate to get their hands raised in Anaheim. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, two middleweights hoping to finally get their breakout moment square off as DWCS alumnus AJ Dobson and The Ultimate Fighter graduate Tresean Gore are set to fight. Dobson came into the organization with high expectatioins, and after dropping his first two bouts, he earned his first UFC win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023. The Ohio-bred grinder believes he now has the right things around him and in place to climbt he division’s ladder. He’ll be hard pressed against Gore, however. One of the highest touted prospects on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gore couldn’t parlay that into wins in his first two trips to the Octagon. That said, he bounced back with a viscious submission win over Josh Fremd in October 2022. He was originally slated to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 before injuries prevented that matchup, so he is in search of momentum ahead to once again chase his championship aspirations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates or changes to all events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team</p><p><br /></p><p>Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.</p><p><br /></p><p>In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Search News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/search_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/seo_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #searchengine #searchenginenews #googlebusiness #searchnews #AI #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #Gemini #Pixel #Nest #Fitbit #Amazon #ads #adnews #onlineadvertising #sales #marketing #VR #virtualreality #reality #jobs #biz #SEO #technews #digitalnews #worldnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Platform News</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.</p><p><br /></p><p>Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.</p><p><br /></p><p>It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.</p><p><br /></p><p>The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/social_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#X #Xnews #XTwitter #everythingapp #theeverythingapp #ElonMusk #Musk #platform #platforms #platformnews #fintech #app #appnews #fintech #onlinebanking #transfer #innovation #disrupt #disruptor #disruptorofthemonth #technews #biznews #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Group Blog Network Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Australia Blog Updated </p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p>Pop Culture</p><p>Advertising</p><p>Creativity</p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit</p><p>SEO and SEM </p><p>Business Journalism </p><p>Gonzo Journalism</p><p>Newsfeeds </p><p>Digital News </p><p>Worldwide Trends </p><p>Disruptors </p><p>Online News </p><p>Online Biz </p><p>Crypto PR </p><p>Business Leads</p><p>Relationship Marketing </p><p>PR and Media Management </p><p>And much more </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int is part of the Media Man Group, est 2001. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bloggers (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/bloggers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#blog #blogs #blogger #blogging #news #popculture #ads #Advertising #creativity #mindbodyspirit #SEO #SEM #business #journalism #gonzo #gonzojournalism #newsfeeds #digitalnews #worldwide #trends #trending #trendingnow #disruptors #onlinenews #onlinebiz #crypto #cryptopr #BTC #blockchain #AffiliateMarketing #affiliates #sponsorship #ads #marketing #newsflash #x #xnews #platformnews #X #media #mediaman #mediamangroup #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Big Tech News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Crypto Biz News</p><p><br /></p><p>Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image: A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #BitcoinEFTs #bitcoinetfapproval #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #CryptoCommunity #CryptocurrencyNews #SEC #Blackrock #Grayscale #VanEck #Franklin #Templeton #Fidelity #NYSE #Nasdaq #CBOE #fintech #asset #Assets #biz #biznews #mediabiz #prbiz #bitcoinnewsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #hype #PR #AI #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 16, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:</p><p><br /></p><p>AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs</p><p>Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.</p><p><br /></p><p>For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters </p><p>Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attention measurement at a crossroads</p><p><br /></p><p>An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p>The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The growth of in-game advertising</p><p>With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.</p><p><br /></p><p>PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Advanced Television)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Media World and Fans respond well to announced PFL @PFLMMA card line-up</p><p><br /></p><p>"And you know I'm always curious as well as to how the fans feel about news and whatno, especially when I'm hearing about things a couple of weeks out, and I have to say, and I think you know this to a degree, when your not the UFC the fans, especially on Twitter and social media can be a little harsh right because they've been supporting the UFC for so long. I was kind of blown away by the response yesterday"... - Ariel Helwani</p><p><br /></p><p>"We held nothing back for fans" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Current fans, skeptical or not yet a fan..said, You moved up two or three notches as far as interest and certainly respect" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>"..All we're trying to tell fans is MMA is big. There's 650 million fans out there" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out" Donn Davas, PFL (Professional Fighters League)..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It ain't either or. This ain't Coke or Pepsi. PLF's doing a whole different thing".."and we're doing a whole different thing for fans and a whole different thing for fighters, and I think yesterday people started to get that vibe".. "So we're delighted on how it all came together" Donn Davis </p><p><br /></p><p>"Mega Event" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Donn Davis Takes Shot at UFC, Talks PFL vs. Bellator Fight Card | The MMA Hour</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiKNaHe3to&ab_channel=MMAFightingonSBN</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL MMA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions is OFFICIAL for Feb 24th!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XpqxZJtUI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season has revealed that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs current Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers. (Credit: PFL)</p><p><br /></p><p>More great PFL history, profiles, news and developments via their official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Stronger than average interview and fight card. Credit where credit is due. Mixed martial arts world buzz continues.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PFL vs Bellator fight card</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 24, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay vs Johnny Eblen</p><p><br /></p><p>Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Jason Jackson</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesus Pinedo vs Patricio Pitbull</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Cappelozza vs Vadim Nemkov</p><p><br /></p><p>Thiago Santos vs Yoel Romero</p><p><br /></p><p>Clay Collard vs AJ McKee</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriel Braga vs Aaron Pico</p><p><br /></p><p>Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Chris Morris</p><p><br /></p><p>Claressa Shields vs Kelsey DeSantis</p><p><br /></p><p>Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Edukondal Rao</p><p><br /></p><p>Malik Basahel vs Vinicius Pereira</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: PFL</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #ProfessionalFightersLeague #DonnDavis #quote #quotes #MMAFighting #ArielHelwani </p><p><br /></p><p>#RenanFerreira #RyanBader #Ferreira #Bader #FerreiraBader #RiyadhSeason #interview #PFLChampions #Bellator #BellatorChampions #PFLBellator #combatsports #sportsbiz #sportsmedia #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #megaevent #specialevent #specialevents #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe’s FIRST AEW World Title defense! Joe vs FTW Champ Hook! | 1/17/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98j3dB9SQI&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Managed Joe years ago. Joe knew Hook when he was little" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not little any more"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A wild right hand and he's got the champion on his hands and knees"</p><p><br /></p><p>"That can certainly be an advantage. I mean Hook has grown as a professional wrestler watching Samoa Joe. Watching his win titles"</p><p><br /></p><p>"See that right hand. In front of our desk here" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great match between Joe and Hook. Both legit bad asses. Hook, Hook, Hook! One of our favourite AEW pro wrestling matches ever! Hook mania running wild! FTW vs AEW lockerroom and beyond. Hook tipped as future world champ. Shoots and hooks matter. This ain't ballet folks. Those who can wrestler. Those who can't or fittest days are past are media, fans or both!</p><p><br /></p><p>Much world class pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWTitle #SamoaJoe #Hook #JoeHook #FTW #Taz #prowrestling #wrestling #dreammatch #dreammatches #combatsports #entertainment #music #showbiz #feature #highlights #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Man In The Arena" (spoken by JFK). Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dTx-12tWdKA</p><p><br /></p><p>#JFK #JohnFKenny #quote #quotes #problems #man #human #humanbeings #TheManInTheArena #poltiics #USA #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Cycle</p><p><br /></p><p>Meditation</p><p>Visualization</p><p>Frequently </p><p>Energize</p><p>Exercise </p><p>Action</p><p>Interaction</p><p>Light </p><p>Listening</p><p>Sound</p><p>Patience</p><p>Transaction </p><p>Flow</p><p>Reflection </p><p>Be</p><p>Zen</p><p>Rest</p><p>Repeat </p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: 'I'll cross that bridge if I come to it' Aldis isn't closing the door on competing in a WWE ring - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Though he's having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn't ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he's grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just grateful that there's an interest in it. At the same time, I'm fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've been having a blast. I've come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn't have had as a guy in his 20s.</p><p><br /></p><p>I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that's going to be my job, then that's going to be my job, and I'll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.</p><p><br /></p><p>I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I'd done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He's also a former TNA World Champion.</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender's match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth On Why He Chose To Confront Moose at TNA Hard to Kill</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview for TNA’s Instagram (via Fightful), Nic Nemeth explained why he chose to confront Moose for his TNA debut at this past Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. Nemeth will appear on tonight’s Impact on AXS TV to explain his actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said: “I wasn’t focused on Moose [at TNA Hard To Kill], and I wasn’t even focused on the championship, which I have thought about non-stop for a long time. Like I said, I go, where can I pinpoint the moment where people will make it the most memorable? I did 20 years in one company. I get one chance to make a second impression here on the world. That will be the biggest possible moment and the most talked-about, I think. I really think that helps myself and the company. I didn’t have a plan. Moose is in my target, I got him. I was watching that title match going, whoever wins, I’m sliding in there and going, ‘Here I am, let’s go.’ So I don’t exactly know what my focus is, other than, I have earned everything that I’ve worked for, to a point where I go, I don’t want to stroll in here and be like, ‘Hey, I showed up through the crowd so you gotta give me a title shot,’ or, ‘I’m famous, so I get a ….’ No, I wanted to make my mark there, and now I focus on, where can I fit in? Where can I start building blocks to make myself to where I’m not presenting it, but the world goes, this should be the number one contender, and here’s why. Then, when that happens, I’ll know that I’ll be able to sleep at night going, I have proven myself worthy of a title shot. Okay, now let’s focus on the champion. No, I’m not hand-picking anything: I’m here, and I said, I am lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here. If I get some more eyes on TNA, hell yeah, that rocks. Let me know where I start, and I’m coming in with my lunchbox and ready to go. I’m gonna prove it in the ring every single night that says, we need to do something else. We need to get this guy in the title picture, he has earned it. But I gotta put in the time first and the effort. I’m not all show and all talk. I’m gonna earn it, but I want the TNA locker room and the audience to be going, this is the guy. He deserves a shot. Not me walking in and saying, ‘Hey, give me a shot.’ Hell no. I would never do it that way the rest of my life. There’s no way I’ll do it now. I want to make this count. I want it to be special.“</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling: TNA Champion Moose Says TNA Wrestling now in "Hot Spot" - 18th January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Even though he took me out, which I'm going to get mine back when the time is right, but let's leave that alone. Talking about Nic coming into the company, I think it's huge for TNA. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a superstar. He's done everything in professional wrestling, he's been World Champion, he's been a tag team guy, he's won every single title you can think about. He's been all over the world. He has a huge buzz going right now. For him to pick TNA over AEW and New Japan or any other company, that shows that TNA is a hot spot right now. I'm happy he's part of the team, I'm happy I get to do something down the road with him. I'm happy that TNA is starting to be a spot where people want to come. Same thing with Ash By Elegance, her picking us over other companies out there, I'm happy she is part of the team and I can't wait to see what the future brings with Nic and Ash.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling - January 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024. </p><p><br /></p><p>We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p>We appreciate your understanding and continued support. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada statement:</p><p><br /></p><p>I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown preview, Jan. 19, 2024: Huge Contract Signing for Royal Rumble set</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles will be in the ring to sign the contract for their monumental title match at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time all four men shared the ring, utter bedlam erupted as The Bloodline attacked Styles, Orton and Knight while they were competing in a Triple Threat Match to determine who would challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>What will happen when these four dynamic Superstars participate in what seems certain to be a volatile contract signing? </p><p><br /></p><p>Don’t miss SmackDown, next week at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kevin Owens Show" to welcome U.S Champ Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A special edition of "The Kevin Owens Show" is coming to Friday Night SmackDown as the No. 1 Contender to the United States Title welcomes the champion, Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Owens earned the right to face The Maverick after winning the United States Title Tournament by defeating Santos Escobar in the finals, a result that clearly bothered Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time the two Superstars came face-to-face, Owens knocked out the champion with a brutal punch from his casted right hand, so there's no telling what will happen they meet again live on Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO to take on Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in Six-Man Tag Team action</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will represent The LWO against their bitter rivals Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since Escobar turned his back on The LWO, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Wilde and Del Toro have been waiting for their chance at payback, and it will finally come on Friday Night SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the numbers not in his favor, Escobar brought Angel and Humberto from NXT to form Legado World Order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss this Six-Man Tag Team Match live on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Grayson Waller’s defiant response to Sunrise controversy - January 19th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>An Aussie wrestler isn’t backing down after he caused chaos live on Sunrise this week, threatening to punch a crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>By Nick Bond</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian wrestling champ Grayson Waller has shared a simple public response to the controversy over his chaotic appearance on Sunrise earlier this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller was appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Sunrise alongside US wrestler LA Knight, and lost his temper when hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Doran attempted to goad them into showing off some of their moves on a willing crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t think you understand – if I come over there right now, we’re going to have the police here, cos I’m not going to give you some fake punch. I’m going to punch you straight in the jaw,” Waller said, as Doran struggled to contain him while the crew member quickly scarpered from the set.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the average viewer, it was a shocking outburst – but as the clip circulated online, wrestling fans were quick to praise Waller. They insisted his trash-talk had actually diffused the situation, and was a better option than what the Sunrise hosts were suggesting he do: Potentially hurt a member of their staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller posted a photo to his Twitter account yesterday that would’ve been cryptic to many, but one that meant something to wrestling fans:</p><p><br /></p><p>The photo in question is from an infamous 1988 encounter between wrestler David Schultz and reporter John Stossel, who was at the time working on an ‘expose’ on the world of professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think this is fake,” Stossel told the wrestler, which got an immediate – and violent – response.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘You think this is fake?” Schultz asked, before smacking the reporter across the face, leaving him cowering on the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You think that’s fake? What the hell’s wrong with you? That’s an open-hand slap, huh?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Schultz continued, before walloping Stossel again, leaving him to flee down the corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling faithful knew exactly what Waller was referencing just from the screenshot of Schultz – and applauded him for standing his ground on Sunrise.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was awesome. Good on you for sticking up for wrestling. They were totally disrespectful,” wrote one follower.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I saw you in a different light today, Grayson. Good on you,” said another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My respect for you has risen tenfold,” another fan tweeted.</p><p><br /></p><p>After footage of Waller’s outburst went viral on social media – one clip alone has been viewed more than 1.5 million times – fans praised him his respect for “kayfabe”, a wrestling term used to describe the convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was absolutely f**king brilliant from Waller there. He protected kayfabe, he protected Knight. He was so sharp and on the ball. I was already a fan of his but my respect for him just grew a lot from this,” gushed one fan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller’s face might be familiar to reality TV fans: He was a controversial contestant on the 2019 season of Australian Survivor, where he proved divisive among his fellow contestants and viewers due to his aggressive nature in challenges.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teammate and former AFL player Abby Holmes dubbed him an “actual idiot,” but Farrelly, who is also a high school teacher when he’s not wrestling, soon embraced the epithet, selling “ACTUAL IDIOT” T-shirts at his wrestling matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I had a feeling that most of my airtime was probably going to be me yelling and screaming, and I’m OK with that,” he told news.com.au after his elimination from the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(News Corp)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Update</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News, including flashbacks and retro via social media channels (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>A collaboration between Media Man, Wrestling News Media @wrestlingnewsm and Australian Sports Entertainment @austsportsent </p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #wrestlingnewsmedia #prowrestling #prowrestlingnews #sportsentertainment #WWE #SmackDown #TKO #KO #TNAWrestling #TNA #AEW #NWA #UFC #PFL #MMA #grappling #combatsports #champions #worldchampion #Goat #rankings #wrestlingnewsmedia #australiansportsentertainment #popculture #blog #blogs #blogging #onlinenews #promotions #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoters #interviews #OP #ED #gonzo #mainstream #alt #trend #trends #newsmedia #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns, Knight, Orton and Styles set for Contract Signing: WWE Now, January 19, 24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4t3oMLL2E&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Watching the live broadcast!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more world class pro wrestling, action and drama via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This ain't going to be any normal contract signing folks! This isn't 'Succession' or 'Billions'. This is the world of the WWE! #SmackDown #WWE2K24 </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #HeadOfTheTable #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #RomanReigns #RandyOrton #AJStyles #LAKnights #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #NickAldis #wrestlingcontract #contract #contractsigning #combatsports #fight #fighters #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #FOX #PLE #PPV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</p><p><br /></p><p>January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kayo Sports (part of The Foxtel Group), out of Australia, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) @UFC have officially commenced a new multi-year agreement from January 1, 2024, which sees Main Event @MainEventTV – available only on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events down under in Australia aka Terror Australis! The readership knows we like media on the edge, so we've got to slip the Aussie slang in every now and again to suit the theme right.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Pay-Per-View (PPV) exclusive event will see UFC middleweight Champion Sean "Tarzan" Strickland make his virgin title defence against South African Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis as they marquee UFC 297 direct from Toronto on January 21.</p><p><br /></p><p>This partnership casts Main Event as the undisputed home of PPV in Australia, with a prized tradition of showcasing the biggest UFC fights across the globe, as well as being a key part of seeing up and coming top range fighters climb to the top since 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the terms of the new agreement, fans looking to hit up a buy of a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform for exclusive access to world class matches. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights, including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and unforgettable archived bouts from around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to all the UFC PPV events, sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead of the UFC’s first PPV event in 2024, Australian foodie critic, MasterChef Australia judge and self-confessed fanatic Melissa Leong will host UFC Fight Week on Wednesday, January 17, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Melissa will be joined by panellists Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker as they break down UFC 297 and interview Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The show will be replayed daily leading up to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s popularity has boomed since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now in excess of 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48 per cent aged between 18-39. These stats are gold to the business of sports marketing, sports media and other associated business arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, executive director of commercial sport at Foxtel Group.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round,” said UFC president Dana White.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be a full UFC schedule on Main Event in 2024. Following UFC 297, all eyes will turn to Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for his much-anticipated title defence against Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Combat sports PPVs certainly have boomed in Australia since circa 1996 to 2000 when we most closely collaborated and cross promoted with Main Event while working for Optus Vision/Communications in a full-time capacity. The UFC continued to build upon the earlier success of pro boxing and pro wrestling on pay-per-view. The YouTube and social media based features are great, but there's nothing quite like a main event MMA match on PPV for those who live and breath combat sports. Many fighters and former fighters these days even have their own channels across the internet. Exciting times for combat sports fans as well as for those who work in and around the industry. Another chance to ground and pound and KO with the best of them thanks to the UFC, Kayo Sports and Main Event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos To Help Get Casual and Hardcore Fans Up To Speed on UFC 297</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: UFC, Main Event and News)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8qz_UVusA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Final Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipEXK1tHQA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: New Home of the UFC l Main Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKiSNkC6cM&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=53s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland WARNS Du Plessis: "Bring that s*** up, and it's ON SIGHT!" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieWHG_Q2yU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC298 #UFC300 #UFCAustralia #KayoSports #MainEvent #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #PPV #PayPerView #PayPerViews #SeanStrickland #Strickland #DricusDuPlessis #DuPlessis #DanaWhite #quote #quotes #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #OTT #OverTheTop #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO structures Geo</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Motoko with an insightful and interesting article about the global nature of the internet based business. Numerous valid points. We started with one basic website and a basic blog. Then we expanded with a range of dotcoms and dotcomdotaus and numerous social media platforms and challenges. Cast the net far and wide and adapt to the cycles and frequently changes in the industry. Business models can and generally should be changed and improved from time to time to adapt. In and around sports news media and sports and pop culture media business there are frequent changes and developments. New websites can be created for a minimum budget. Exposure can be gained in numerous ways including the trending algorithm and getting indexed on Google and the like. Having a local, state, national and international approach helps plug into go-ahead areas one may otherwise miss. Geo stories in far away lands can really take off and create great opportunities. My biggest deal ever was involving one brand in three counties and we adpated it to the different geo zones. Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and there's always more work to do. Last but not least, enjoy the journey as it's part of the bigger picture. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>The UFC, the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion continues to produce world beating videos to further fuel new and old fight fans; In-Octagon action plus storylines, features, moments and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZAaHe3H-94&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Free Fight Marathon</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&t=2s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/sean_strickland.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA living legend Chael Sonnen offers more insight and colourful commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=62s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, we got a good one this weekend guys" CS</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is one of the incredible studies in a microcosm in the world of marketing"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Luck is very real, but what does it mean"? CS</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow MMA Living Legend Michael Bisping offers insight and tips</p><p><br /></p><p>BISPING: UFC 297 Strickland vs Du Plessis | FINAL PREDICTIONS & PRESS CONFERENCE REACTION</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvO-mgcp01U&t=265s&ab_channel=MichaelBisping</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier, Last But Not Least Media Man Fav Grapples With The Situation</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis GOES IN ON Sean Strickland: "That excuse has EXPIRED" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpuivuKdkw&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>"Look man, this is as personal as its going to get, and in personal fights, ya boy always shows up" DC</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News: UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/aussie_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tarzan vs Stillknocks isn't going to go the full distance. Both are there to fight. DP stats 3 rounds or less. Plenty of stand-up and it may go to the ground if one of both get hit hard enough. If it goes to the ground expect ground and pound to "the death" (almost), as both shook hands on at the presser! SS once again talked fight fans into the arena. Big personalties and big hits to match. Going viral and to trend off the charts to say the least. Someone is going to get hurt. It's put up or shut up. Let's F'N go!</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Thought: "Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #UFCCanada #UFCTitl #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>COPE OPEN! Dante Martin steps up to Adam Copeland’s open challenge! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmYbXArA7us&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TWO HEAVY HITTERS! A returning Jon Moxley takes on Shane Taylor! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbkA6nRVD8&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang? AEW Trios Champs & ROH 6-Man Champs Together? | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko50hxGfvek&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa returns to singles competition! Rosa vs Queen Aminata! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGwOH4VI38&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Copeland's Open Challenge Continues + Mox Returns! | AEW Control Center: St. Louis, 1/20/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZSUs7T0g94&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST SEE REMATCH! Could Darby Allin & Jeff Hardy top their last meeting? | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Rl4SOBpH4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Better than solid solid show. The Bang Bang Gold has added some new spark and entertainment value to the AEW shows. Switchblade is on fire. Great to have Thunder Rosa back. Change is in the wind. Rumbling's of a big Japanese signing coming up, but nothing is ever 100 percent until it happens. TK keeps up the good fight while providing more options for pro wrestlers and fans across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWCollison #AEWRevolution #AdamCopeland #RatedRSuperstar #BangBangGang #JaySwitchblade #JonMoxley #Mox #ThunderRosa #Sting #prowrestling #wrestling #TNA #TBS #broadcast #broadcasting #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: UFC, ESPN MMA, TNT Sports, The MAC Life and others release interviews, clips, media footage and more, plus more to follow. Insiders expecting strong Pay-Per-View buy rates in Canada, U.S, Australia and elsewhere. Sold out crowd starts anti-Candian PM chants impossible to ignore. Politics and sports don't really mix, but tend to get bundled together for better or worse. Emotionally charged crowd and fighter interviews. "Stillknocks" and "Tarzan's" eyes battered! UFC top Brass Dana White thinks SS won!</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Post-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ2G1M4M4rQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC YouTube Live Streams</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@ufc/streams</p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>New UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis on fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 300!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7yCVDbaQE&ab_channel=TNTSports</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis recaps his win vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 297 | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTPdR0J7xc&t=6s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Immediate Reaction to the scoring of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7GC4e7wS78&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Post Show debates if Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis won | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ko3bR3wVG0&t=4s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>The MAC Life YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis: “I look like a cauliflower”; Israel Adesanya at UFC 300? | UFC Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kaXpMOzUM&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: ‘I thought Sean Strickland won'; UFC 300 main event to be announced next week</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwJAL8HI29s&t=215s&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier REACTS to Dricus Du Plessis defeating Sean Strickland in CLOSE decision at UFC 297 (*notify me)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11BaCVuDBU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC </p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #AndNew #DanaWhite #quotes #interview #interviews #ufcnews #ufcmedia #ufcpress #pressconference #UFCCanada #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: And even more great pro wrestling action from the world's current leading challenger brand promotion!</p><p><br /></p><p>Continental Crown Champ, Kingston, & Ortiz vs BCC’s Danielson & Castagnoli! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfzxx7MQOlQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong vs former GenNext teammate Matt Sydal! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNV3F76xrI&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>After last week’s attack, Daniel Garcia gets HOB’s Buddy Matthews 1-on-1! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI59spwoK2s&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Two tag team specialists go 1-on-1! Penta El Zero Miedo vs Anthony Henry! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLF9Xzp5x_Q&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Young Bucks be the ones to end the Icon Sting’s career at Revolution?| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilvU7g2X6w4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo makes her AEW Dynamite in-ring debut vs Anna Jay!| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUD4yK0c2e4&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Stat & Stoke? Statlander (w/ Hathaway) takes on Queen Aminata! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3xT-2tTRs&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Official YouTube Channel </p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWDynamite #ChrisJericho #MattSydal #TNT #prowrestling #wrestling #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #video #entertainment #PopCulture #YouTube #video #trends #trending #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News and Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>01/23/2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>The Complete Guide to Local SEO and How it Can Help Your Business Grow</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introduction: What is Local SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. It is a type of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO services typically target specific cities, towns, and neighborhoods where they live or work. Local SEO Expert helps businesses rank high in Google Maps and Google Business listings.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to Perform a Mobile Ranking Check and Best Practices for Local SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>Mobile devices have surpassed desktop in usage, and this trend will only continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a key part of any successful marketing strategy. It’s important to know how to perform a mobile ranking check and best practices for local SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>To start, you need to find out what the major search engines are looking for by visiting the following sites: Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Bing’s Local SEO Guide, and Yahoo’s Small Business Site Setup Guide.</p><p><br /></p><p>A good place to start with your mobile ranking check is by downloading Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool. This tool will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly or not. You can also use it to see how your site compares against other sites in terms of loading speed or if it has any errors.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 Steps to Boosting Your Local Business with Search Marketing</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your website</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your content</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Local businesses are at a disadvantage when it comes to online marketing because they don’t have the resources that larger companies do.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there are a few things you can do to boost your local business with search marketing: optimize your website, optimize your content, and optimize your social media.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importance of Local SEO for businesses</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion and Recap</p><p><br /></p><p>As more and more consumers switch to search engines as their primary source for finding local businesses, it’s important for businesses to have a strong presence in the search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is an important part of building a strong presence in the search rankings because it promotes a business to the first page of results on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Google/Alphabet, News and AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month'</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_wins.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Google News via Media Man</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Google Doodles wins Media Man 'Creative Of The Month' award</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_doodles.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #SEO #LocalSEO #searchnews #localbusiness #localnews #localbiz #searchengineoptimization #geo #bing #rank #ranking #searchengineoptimisation #webtips #webbiz #index #topten #GoogleBusiness #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #results #performance #popculture #sportsbiz #localpr #localads #adbiz #biz #technews #digitalnews #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (North America)</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Mean Girls - $11.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Beekeeper - $8.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Wonka - $6.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Anyone But You - $5.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $5.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - $3.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. ISS - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Night Swim - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. The Boys in the Boat - $2.5 million </p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Well done to all. Given our love and appreciation of the pro wrestling/sports entertainment genre, we noticed that 'The Iron Claw' has slipped out of the Top 10, previously grappling into number 6 position about 3 weeks back. It's our belief that 'The Iron Claw' is a modern classic and much like say for example 'Max Mad', over time its stock will go up and it will continue to make much more money after its initial release and its legend will continue to grow. Some movies have what you may call a short short shelf or run life, while others live on forever. There's also plenty of talk of an Iron Claw documentary, and much like the movie and the true story of the Von Erich family, there will be dozens of times with nothing but pure joy and other times where it is nothing but tragedy. This is life, but the famous Texas bred wrestling family found their moments amplified to say the least. The Iron Claw has the public and even news media in it its grasp, and we haven't heard the last of them. Keep wrestling with boxing office numbers, life and give it your all.</p><p><br /></p><p>#boxoffice #showbiz #movienews #MeanGirls #TheBeekeeper #Wonka #AnyoneButYou #Migration #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #ISS #NightSwim #TheBoysInTheBoat #PoorThings #PoorThingsFilm #IronClaw #VonErich #VonErichs #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are set for face-to-face on Raw: WWE Now, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQfqCYa-T_8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes set for a war of words. Wrestling punk vs Sports Entertainer showman + + + </p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins’ address to the WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest. Scottish Warrior is a walking weapon. No sword required. Priest may make harsh Judgement upon his Scottish nemesis. Potential numbers advantage for DP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes likely wants to talk about his story, CM Punk, and the Royal Rumble for starters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ivy Nile vs Valhalla. Pocket size feisty fighter vs Viking Warrior. Who will the gods favor?</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more including those famous WWE surprises that are good for some and very bad for others!</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE broadcaster Michael Cole may be ducking for cover for this one. High risk, high reward! Danger money in order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Catch up with the stories, history, moments and highlights via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RoyalRumble #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #DamianPriest #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #IvyNile #Valhalla #Viking #Vikings #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #showbiz #stories #storylines #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hundreds More Google (Alphabet) Staff Set To Be Terminated</p><p><br /></p><p>Some disgruntle ex Google's say "Don't BE Evil" and "What about family"</p><p><br /></p><p>More Big Tech To Terminate</p><p><br /></p><p>A.I Considered One Of Many Factors</p><p><br /></p><p>Internet Saturated Market</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon: It's a jungle out there</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook: "Break things" re Hacker Way</p><p><br /></p><p>Silicon Valley: Sand Castles collapsing!</p><p><br /></p><p>Man vs Machine; Machine vs Human...</p><p><br /></p><p>Wall Street Silver tipping more disruptions in fin, banking and a host of sectors</p><p><br /></p><p>Domino Effect </p><p><br /></p><p>Happening On Watch Of That President</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Get Worse Before It Gets Better</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #googlesearch #googlenews #bard #searchengine #searchnews #SEO #GoogleAI #AI #ads #onlineads #adbiz #adnews #ArtificialIntelligence #technews #biznews #biz #siliconvalley #HR #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Scribes</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News (in progress)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheIronClaw #IronClaw #GregTingle #VonErich #VonErichs #VonErichFamily #familybusiness #prowrestling #wrestling #WCCW #WorldClass #TingleFamily #MarcusFamily #LeoMarcus #HenryMarcus #NWA #truckingbusiness #swimmingpools #mediabusiness #showbiz #combatsports #fightclub #popculture #life #journalism #agency #RandwickRitz #TheRitz #EasternBeaches #boxoffice #newsmedia #Texas #Aussie #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk and Cody Rhodes’ war of words: Raw, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVpoENtTFOg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s wildest moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-6BiKEhRXM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre uses R-Truth against Damian Priest in victory: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5PRC58F9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damian Priest tells R-Truth to stay out of his way: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzetQU8UlKM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vows to break Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_7I0P1Onl8&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#DIY help The Miz fight off The Judgment Day: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uttrKNwegI8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch, Bayley and Nia Jax get into a pre-Royal Rumble scuffle: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Xs17MBkPQ&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The dawn of Hulkamania: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrRSynjNsBw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more moments and highlights being added to the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong thumbs up. Just catching up now after finally seeing the full screening of 'The Iron Claw' @ironclawmovie today. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes together sharing the mic is magic. The both have their own stories... don't we all. Judgement Day is becoming more judgemental! Who is in? Who is out? Royal Rumble and WrestleMania may have a shuffle of the deck under Mummy's leadership. We believe that Hulk-A-Mania will live forever. Still remember the first time Hogan hit our screen. Mid 1984 vs Paul Orndorff at New York's Madison Square Garden. This was broadcast onto Channel Nine's Wild World Of Sports show on Channel Nine (Australia) at the time. Hooked. WWE remains on fire. We've got Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Fever.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #RoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #HulkAMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #JudgementDay #DamianPriest #DrewMcIntyre #RheaRipley #DirtyDom #RTruth #SethRollins #Gunther #Miz #AdamPearce #entertainment #popculture #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #videos #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>01.23.24</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: TKO Group)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p>#TKO #TKOGroup #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #WWE #WWERaw #SmackDown #WrestleMania #VinceMcMahon #ArielEmanuel #UFC #EndeavorGroup #Endeavor #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King remains our top guy. King Maker.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DV5RVMkdRk&t=34s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Geronimo is probally rolling over in his grave right now" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: "A bear in the hand is worth two in the bush". Flashback to classic TV shows 'Daniel Boon' and 'Grizzly Adams'. Can we get an actual bear to join Bearhill at ringside? Maybe for a PLE special or a backstage or in the field promo. It worked for the late Roddy Piper once or twice wrestling folklore says. And, how about a bird? Not "Frankie", but perhaps "Eagle"?! Country boy meets the big smoke city slicker. Only when the last tree is fell man will know he can not eat or drink money!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee vs. SCRYPTS: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhqKQCP86ig&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dragon Lee trying to get a bounce back in his step, and he goes up and over" - Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Can the Warrior Spirit break the code. Lucha vs The Matrix glitch!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee is going to show Oba Femi who he is at Vengeance Day: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWEF_bBtFE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqsRFjcvHJs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Some would say this is a miss-match" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, like one of my favourite tag teams back in the day, The Rock N Roll Express. They weren't the biggest guys but they got speed, timing, accuracy, that's what its gunna take" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>More great NXT highlights and moments via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>And a few teasers for the WWE Royal Rumble.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>More news</p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE @WWE Royal Rumble is coming up this weekend (January 27, U.S) - (January 28 for Australia)! Aussie's to dominate?! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: We're working away on some big projects related to this combat sports - sports entertainment space. Flashbacks to glory days of Australian subscriber TV industry where PPV, bundling, biz dev and retention was a major focus for us. </p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming took the place of cable TV in many regards, including in the combat sports space. Exciting times. </p><p><br /></p><p>LinkedIn profiles for us are changing a little with exciting developing situation. Big conversations with some power players today!</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #WWERaw #Netflix #WWENXT #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #TreyBearhill #DragonLee #WarDogs #BaronCorbin #BronBreakker #RoyalRumble #PLE #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #TV #streaming #GregTingle #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Aussie #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie News</p><p><br /></p><p>Nominationa for 2024 Razzies</p><p><br /></p><p>(This is not a Media Man list or selection). We are just publishing the Razzies nominations, and we do not agree with a number of these). Media Man Ed.</p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PICTURE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Vin Diesel / Fast X</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Evans / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon Voight / Mercy</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Lopez / The Mother</p><p><br /></p><p>Dame Helen Mirren / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Kim Cattrall / About My Father</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Bai Ling / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Lucy Liu / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Mary Stuart Masterson / Five Nights at Freddy’s</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Douglas / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Mel Gibson / Confidential Informant</p><p><br /></p><p>Bill Murray / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Franco Nero (as “The Pope”) The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone / Expend4ables</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREEN COUPLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 “Merciless Mercenaries” / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek & Channing Tatum / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Pooh & Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers(!) in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL</p><p><br /></p><p>Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and The Dial of … Still Beating a Dead Horse</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST DIRECTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhys Frake-Waterfield / Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>David Gordon Green / The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Peyton Reed / Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott Waugh / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Wheatley / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREENPLAY</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and the Dial of … Can I go home now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>This year’s Razzies will take place on March 9, the day before the Academy Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Razzies #razzieawards #movienews #boxoffice #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #showbiz #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Land</p><p><br /></p><p>Ad Fraud</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SEL's Nicola on fraud in relation to brands. Fraud is a big subject and problem in business, especially in relation to say the adveritsing, PR, medical and political arena. Numbers can be manipulated. So can people. One lie travels from a politician to a corrupt media, to a corrupt big tech, and so it goes on. Or, remeber the old tobbaco ads from say four decades ago. No health issues there - yeah, right! Canbridge Analytica for big tech. People voting 2 times of more ala ballot fraud. Attempted ID fraud by fake LinkedIn and FB profiles, and we could go on all day. Good on Search Engine Land for shining extra light on the topic. (The real) Greg Tingle signing off from the front line.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media Blog</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie review by Greg Tingle</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie trailer</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Video Features To YouTube And Additional Social Media Channels Adding Fuel To The Fire For Royal Rumble; Fans And Media Pumped For This Weekend</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes addresses CM Punk's "pipebomb": Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54Ed-5n_ms&t=40s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to talk about your dad. And I don't know if you know this story. I've never told. I know they don't know it. 2007, your father calls me on the telephone and he tells me he's sending his youngest son Cody to Ohio Valley Wrestling to start his journey as a professional wrestler, and he tells me I want you to keep any eye on my kid"... "because on Saturday I feel like I'm breaking a promise"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther, Dom Mysterio and more WWE Superstars react to 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Match: WWE Playback</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbB6vJxukNw&t=161s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sheamus vs. Randy Orton — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2010</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl6KqodFCzA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Seth "Freakin" Rollins miss WrestleMania?: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxA2mqMNLI&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaLFd5LHi9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre’s quest to reclaim the gold (2022-24): WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiNZhwuadWc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024 *notify me</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #Pipebomb #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #kickoff #entertainment #popculture #video #videos #YouTub #YT #PLE #trend #trends #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital ends 2023 as top news brand with multiplatform views</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News @FoxNews Digital closed out calendar year 2023 as the top-performing news brand with multiplatform views and minutes, while seeing 9% growth with views and 6% growth with minutes year-over-year, according to Comscore.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the year, FOX News Digital secured 20.2 billion multiplatform views, over 36.9 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 93.7 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors. CNN and The New York Times both saw year-over-year decreases across these key performance indicators. The FOX News mobile app finished 2023 averaging 6.1 million monthly unique visitors.</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News was also the most engaged news brand on social media throughout 2023, according to Emplifi, reaching over 315 million social media interactions. FOX News drove 81.6 million Facebook interactions, 34.2 million X interactions and 198.9 million Instagram interactions. On YouTube, FOX News drove over 2.3 billion views, finishing first in the news competitive set, according to Shareablee.****</p><p><br /></p><p>FOXBusiness.com also accomplished a record year with multiplatform views. The business network earned 1.9 billion multiplatform views in 2023, its highest ranking since its launch in 2007. It also saw increases over the prior year, while the majority of business news brands experienced decreases.*** Additionally, FOXBusiness.com secured 3.2 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 23.2 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors for the year, while surpassing various other brands with views including CNN Business, MarketWatch.com and Forbes.com FOX Business was number one on YouTube in the business news competitive set in 2023, driving 748 million views, according to Shareablee. *****</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 (January-December) FOX NEWS DIGITAL VS. CNN.COM AND NYTIMES.COM</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Views</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 20,160,000,000 (up 9 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 14,885,000,000 (down 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 15,765,000,000 (down 8 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Minutes</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 36,927,000,000 (up 6 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 23,164,000,000 (down 19 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 16,402,000,000 (down 2 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Average Monthly Multi-Platform Unique Visitors</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 93,652,000 (up 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 121,033,000 (down 3 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 76,520,000 (down 14 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>#FoxNews #FoxNewsDigital #FoxBusiness #FOX #Comscore #newsmedia #NewsCorp #news #newsmedia #onlinenews #socialmedia #platforms #platformnews #newsbrand #brands #newsbiz #digitalnews #newsapp #apps #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: FOX News Digital</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Surfing Industry News</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Welcomes New and Returning Partners to 2024 Championship Tour</p><p><br /></p><p>January 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is thrilled to announce its new and returning partners ahead of the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Backed by the strongest partnership presence on record, the WSL is poised for a great year of excitement and growth,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “Working with innovative and authentic partners allows us to elevate the sport as well as drive real value by enhancing brand visibility through engaging fan activations and mutually beneficial marketing campaigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrating More Ways to Watch with ESPN+ and Global Broadcast Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN</p><p>New for 2024, the WSL has announced a rights agreement in the United States with ESPN. For the first time, fans can watch all ten WSL CT events, as well as the US Open of Surfing Challenger Series event, live on ESPN+. In addition, 11 episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing, an all-access deep dive into the CT and its character-driven storylines, will be aired on ESPN2 throughout the year. The deal will allow WSL to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences in the US via ESPN’s digital subscribers as well as on linear television.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven Network + Foxtel Group In Australia </p><p>The WSL and the Seven Network announced a fifth-consecutive year of partnership for the 2024 season with Seven continuing as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia. The partnership extension will see all WSL CT events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event also going live and on demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian viewers will also be able to catch WSL content and all CT events on Fox Sports Australia and Kayo Sports for a sixteenth consecutive year, thanks to a new one-year deal between Foxtel Group and the WSL. In addition to this, all Challenger Series events, as well as the Bells Beach Longboard Classic, will be streamed live on Kayo Sports along with Foxtel, scheduling permitting. Fans can also enjoy WSL-produced feature shows and highlights from all events on demand on Kayo Sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>GLOBO</p><p>The WSL will continue offering Brazilian fans access to event coverage through GLOBO, one of the world’s leading broadcasters, sharing the excitement and passion of professional surfing with millions of fans in Brazil.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eurosport</p><p>Eurosport, owned by Discovery, remains the WSL’s European distribution partner and this year is also the European rights holder for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Eurosport will broadcast the WSL: Inside Pro Surfing series on its television channels and will also livestream CT events in their entirety via Discovery+ in the territory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing New Global and Title Partners: Lexus, Eventbrite, Bonsoy</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus</p><p>Lexus joins the WSL CT as the Title Partner of the Lexus Pipe Pro and an official automotive partner of the Sunset Pro. The leading luxury car brand will also join as an official partner of the annual WSL Awards, celebrating surfers’ exceptional achievements from the 2023 season. Lexus will introduce its latest vehicle, the 2024 Lexus GX 550, through engaging on-site activations throughout the WSL’s Hawaii competitions from January 29 through February 22, 2024. In collaboration with Complex Networks, fans will have the opportunity to explore the vehicle through on-beach displays, providing an up-close look at the cutting-edge design features that define the Lexus brand. Lexus and Complex will also curate an elevated dining experience at the Lexus Pipe Pro for VIPs and athletes to highlight and celebrate the culinary expertise and mastery of local chefs. Complex and First We Feast will also spotlight the experience on its social channels throughout the 2024 kickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventbrite</p><p>2024 will see Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, step into the role of exclusive ticketing partner for women’s surfing on the CT and the US Open of Surfing. To celebrate the partnership, Eventbrite will launch a WSL-inspired collection offering top event picks happening across the US during the WSL CT kickoff, in addition to further collections highlighting curated ticketed experiences in and around the US Open of Surfing and the WSL Finals. The WSL and Eventbrite will also collaborate on a visual content-driven marketing campaign to bring the surfing community to Eventbrite’s unique events and experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bonsoy</p><p>Bonsoy has expanded its partnership with the WSL from events in the APAC region to globally with the Championship Tour, Challenger Series and Longboard Tour. The new global deal will see Bonsoy become the Official Milk and Coconut Water of the WSL. 2024 will also see Bonsoy become the title partner for the Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event while continuing as the presenting partner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to its continued success in previous seasons, the Bonsoy Caddy Program will continue across three major events in Australia. The Bonsoy Athlete Area will activate at the US Open Challenger Series event as well as both Challenger Series events in Australia. Bonsoy is also excited to announce that WSL Commentator Kaipo Guerrera will become a Bonsoy ambassador in 2024, featuring in broadcast integrations and branded content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Returning Partners Apple Watch, Red Bull Bring Athlete Performance to New Heights for 2024 CT</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple Watch</p><p>For the second year, Apple Watch will be the official wearable equipment of the WSL. This season the elite CT athletes will continue to get access to the WSL Surfer app on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which syncs with the WSL Scoring System in real-time to give them all the information they need while in the water during competition, including scores, wave priority, and time in the heat. Apple Watch is uniquely suited for this task due to its large bright screen, durable design, and cellular connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Red Bull</p><p>Red Bull has joined for its sixth year of global partnership. In their relentless pursuit to support peak performance, Red Bull’s athlete-first approach will continue during the 2024 season, with enhancements planned for the Red Bull Athlete Zones at each CT stop. This year, fans will also be able to experience every heart-pounding moment of the Big Wave competitions live, courtesy of Red Bull TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vissla Shaper Rankings</p><p>The Vissla Shaper Rankings will also return this year. The season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via combined men’s and women’s rankings, counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the 9 CT stops this season. These rankings determine the winner after the regular-season CT events, ahead of the WSL Finals. There are 13 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors this year, and by bringing these performance-driven individuals to the forefront, Vissla and the WSL continue to honor the heritage and progression of the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcoming Key Title Partners and Global Sustainability Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>SHISEIDO</p><p>SHISEIDO continues its partnership with the WSL as the Official Suncare of the WSL, a Global WSL CT partner, and a Global Sustainability Partner of the WSL and WSL One Ocean. SHISEIDO will be the Title Partner for Stop No. 6 on the CT, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, scheduled for May 22 – 31, 2024. SHISEIDO will host on-site activations, including sunscreen and suncare stations where fans can sample and purchase products, as well as the production of co-branded in-broadcast vignettes designed to promote sustainability throughout the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corona</p><p>Corona and the WSL have struck a partnership for the eighth consecutive year. As the esteemed Title Partner for the return of the Fiji Pro, Corona further solidifies its commitment to the world of professional surfing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona will also build on the 2023 season’s release of “Corona Lay Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at what the CT surfers do on their days off from competition. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona plans to highlight the breathtaking locations and extraordinary experiences that can be found at each event through engaging original content featuring the beautiful and diverse locations that play host to the CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year, Corona’s steadfast commitment to sustainability takes center stage with its continued work alongside WSL One Ocean, furthering the shared mission to protect and preserve the world’s oceans for generations to come. Together, the WSL and Corona are set to deliver unparalleled fan experiences and foster a deeper connection between surf enthusiasts and the natural world.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI</p><p>The WSL and YETI are proud to continue their second year of partnership after a very successful first season.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI will kick off its 2024 partnership with an elevated position as the Presenting Partner of the prestigious Pipe Pro. YETI will be activating onsite at ʻEhukai Beach Park, offering custom engraving with proceeds benefiting the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation. In addition, YETI will be promoting the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI in their new flagship Honolulu store, offering official merchandise in support of their WSL CT Athlete, John John Florence.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI also continues its commitment to sustainability as a Global Sustainability Partner of WSL One Ocean, integrating sustainability into its core operations and aligning with the WSL One Ocean initiatives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mananalu Water</p><p>The WSL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mananalu Water – actor Jason Momoa’s aluminum-bottled water brand on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics. As an Official Canned Water Partner, Mananalu will be the exclusive canned water onsite at the World Surf League’s North American events, including the US Open of Surfing, the WSL Finals, the Lexus Pipe Pro, and more. Mananalu will also be an Official Partner of WSL PURE, the league’s 501(c)(3), which runs an annual grant program to support global non-profit organizations focused on improving the health of global ocean ecosystems.</p><p><br /></p><p>805 Beer</p><p>805 Beer will also continue its partnership with the WSL, with the quality brewed beverage having become a cornerstone of the WSL live event experience (for fans aged 21 and over). The WSL and 805 Beer are excited to expand the partnership in a way that authentically embodies the essence of surfing and its community. In addition to the partnership extension, Firestone Walker and the WSL are excited to extend their collaborative apparel line celebrating their partnership that promotes “Drinking Local. Surfing Global” (for fans aged 21 years and over), available online and in surf shops across the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pura Vida</p><p>Pura Vida returns for a third year as the Presenting Partner of WSL Rising Tides, continuing their commitment to empowering young girls in local communities through the transformative power of surfing. WSL Rising Tides provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for girls to connect with their surfing heroes, inspiring them to chase their dreams in and out of the water. Pura Vida’s partnership goes beyond local activations; they’ll be weaving inspiring content into the WSL’s live broadcasts and social media platforms, showcasing the stories of young surfers and the impact of Rising Tides on a global scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuing Regional Partnerships</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL APAC is excited to continue partnerships with mophie and Bailey Ladders in 2024, thanks to new contract extensions with each organization. In addition to the Tahiti Pro, mophie has expanded its partnership to include the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Fiji Pro in 2024. Bailey Ladders will include their Weather Guard product as part of the deal for the Gold Coast Pro. WSL APAC has announcements of several more partners coming through the 2024 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL LATAM region continues its partnerships with leaders of top-tier corporations such as TV Globo, Vivo, Banco do Brasil, Natura, Unilever, and governmental support from the Rio de Janeiro State Government and the City of Saquarema.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first stop on the 2024 WSL Championship Tour is the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, opening on January 29, 2024, and holding a competition window through February 10. The event will broadcast LIVE on www.WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. </p><p><br /></p><p>Check out all the new ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, please visit www.WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About the WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #WSLInsideProSurfing #WSLAPAC #InsideProSurfing #surfing #surfingindustry #CherieCohen #ESPN #ESPNPlus #Seven #SevenNetwork #AppleWatch #RedBull #RedBullTV #Foxtel #Lexus #Corona #Shiseido #RipCurlPro #FujiPro #TVGlobo #TV #broadcast #broadcasting #livesports #app #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #pressrelease #mediarelease #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble </p><p><br /></p><p>Location - St. Petersburg, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Live Date - January 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE SmackDown is January 26 (one day before the Royal Rumble). Main Event: Solo Sikoa vs LA Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Betting News, Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Favs are CM Punk + 125 (44.4 percent) and Cody Rhodes + 200 (33.3 percent)</p><p><br /></p><p>Previous Royal Rumble Winners</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Cody Rhodes</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Rhea Ripley</p><p><br /></p><p>2022 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Brock Lesnar</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Ronda Rousey</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Edge</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Bianca Belair</p><p><br /></p><p>2020 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Drew McIntyre</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Charlotte Flair</p><p><br /></p><p>2019 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Seth Rollins</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Becky Lynch</p><p><br /></p><p>2018 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Asuka</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube, to help get you ready!</p><p><br /></p><p>Why CM Punk took the hard path back to WWE: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9y1E7nbBMU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bet On Anything (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PLE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ple_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback:</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE betting via Bet America (via Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Betting (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #SmackDown #RandyOrton #LAKnight #BrockLesnar #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #TheBloodline #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #AOP #AuthorsOfPain #KarrionKross #DirtyDom #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #JohnCena #NickAldis #AdamPearce #PaulHeyman #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #YT #video #wrestlingnews #liveentertainment #livesports #sportsnews #odds #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>“First of all, I don’t give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech” ... “To control what people say and to tell people what to believe – I don’t tell any other *ucking human being what to say, what to think and there’s no leashes on any of them..”</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want.” - Dana White, UFC @UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#DanaWhite #quote #UFC297 #UFC #MMA #freedom #FreeSpeech #combatsports #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #politics #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media and Political News</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX And The Hounds?! : Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>Gonzo Satire and/or News as Comedy?</p><p><br /></p><p>Does GG and FOX smell blood?</p><p><br /></p><p>Gutfeld: This is kind of embarrassing</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"Happy Wednesday...HaHaHaHa.. so, last night New Hampshire clarified a few things. First that Donald Trump will probally be the republican nominee for 2024. Alright. True. That's a lock as much as President Biden making up a new word" - Greg Gutfeld</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>#Gutfeld #GregGutfeld #FOX #FoxNews #Biden #PresidentBiden #Trump #DonaldTrump #PresidentTrump #AndNew #foxandthehound #popculture #satire #comedy #alt #YouTube #YT #politics #politicsnews #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>Living Legend Of WWE @WWE Pro Wrestling Aka Sports Entertainment And Rising Movie Star John Cena...</p><p><br /></p><p>This past Tuesday, the 46-year-old living legend discussed his plans to retire from the WWE with ET's Nischelle Turner. </p><p><br /></p><p>Cena - who was present to help promote his new action flick, Argylle, in London - stated he intends to retire from wrestling soon. </p><p><br /></p><p>"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon".</p><p><br /></p><p>Cena notably made his WWE debut 22 years ago in 2002. Gimmicks and themes of JC have included the rapper based "Word Life", "Hustle, Loyality and Respect" and "Never Give Up".</p><p><br /></p><p>"I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, 'cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. You gotta come out of pocket - and WWE has a ton of content -- it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there. And I'm gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don't ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion -- the same passion as the fanbase -- and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, 'Hey, that's gotta be done before 50.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>The Argylle actor will be turning 47 on April 23 and he says that's "the timeline I've put on myself."</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's tough to juggle both because, you know, when you're filming Argylle, Matthew [Vaughn] won't let you go do anything else because of insurance," he joked. "So as long as the phone keeps ringing and we've had some good opportunities here, I'll kind of preserve that for as long as I can. But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more and I've just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life."</p><p><br /></p><p>When asked if he plans to dip his toes back into wrestling after he retires, similar to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Cena noted that he's "had at least one match every year in WWE for the past 23 years."</p><p><br /></p><p>He added, "I've never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don't intend to miss a year."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's big WrestleMania @WrestleMania event is coming up in April, and Cena teased the possibility of him attending. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know if I'll be free that weekend, but it is a weekend and movies don't shoot on the weekends," he said. "But when I say I'm done -- in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back - I'm just being honest with myself. There's such a great new generation now as well. It's time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day."</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment Tonight Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena Addresses Rumors About His WWE Retirement (Exclusive)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSWrG5j1ivM&ab_channel=EntertainmentTonight</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena On His Instagram Posts Being ‘Interpretive Art" - April 2019</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/john_cena61.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#JohnCena #quote #quotes #WWE #RoyalRumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #Argylle #ET #popculture #boxoffice #movienews #legend #PLE #sportsentertainment #Superstar #acting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA @TNA Keeps Positive Momentum</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada returned to a TNA Ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Palm @Palms and TNA Wrestling Partnership Continues To Deliver Win-Win-Wins For Fans, Wrestlers and Promoter. Sports and entertainment right on the money!</p><p><br /></p><p>World class pro wrestling from TNA showcased via their official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada RETURNS to TNA in ALL-STAR 6-Man Tag | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUzuAY1oHos&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>"These guys have one hell of a tag team partner"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A two time IWGP world heavyweight champion. A five time IWGP heavyweight champion. Okada have finally returned to a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been more than a decade in a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"They thoughy it was a thing... a moment that would never happen, but here we are"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is just another sign"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Is blowing my freaking mind"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you TNA!" Kazuchika Okada's EXCLUSIVE Post-Match Comments | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKS6VTCeDII&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line Intro 2024 | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwPd3CRF7k&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"TNA - it's back and it's never, ever going away!" | iMPACT! Jan 18. 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgM2K2n358&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great footage being added to the TNA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@tnawrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Wow. TNA feels fresh, super exciting and the right sort of nostalgic all at the same time. At this rate we see TNA gaining more fans - both fans from other pro wrestling promotions and more new fans of pro wrestling. Top notch wrestling, awesome crowd participation, improved production, new lines of merch, mainstream media and wrestling news media enthusiasm and more. As celebrated business entrepreneurs such as X Corp's Elon Musk and others have said on business, "It's like baking a cake. You've got to have all of the right ingredients". And the legendary P.T Barnum, "Without promotion something terrible happens - nothing". And final thought from us, "This is wrestling" and "TNA Wrestling has once again got the IT Factor back and is standing out from the pack for all the right reasons" - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/tna_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNAWrestling #TNAIMPACT #TNACrossTheLine #TNA #TNATNATNA #prowrestling #wrestling #ThePalms #PalmsCasino #Okada #IWGP #NicNemeth #EddieEdwards #AlexShelley #ChrisSabin #MotorCityMachineGuns #TheSystem #ZacharyWentz #Moose #JordynneGrace #Trinity #entertainmentnews #popculture #sportsnews #casinonews #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #promotion #quote #quotes #VegasNews #vegascasino #casinonewsmedia #wrestlingnewsmedia #LasVegas #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Solo Sikoa. Night of glory or disaster?</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar. LWO vs Fantasma!</p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs The Final Testament. Profits future being authored by biblical warlocks from another world! God bless to all. Read the good book - last opportunity?</p><p><br /></p><p>Kayden Carter & Katana Chance vs The Kabuki Warriors</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes vs Austin Theory. NXT come WWE upstarts vs Japanese living legends. Titles in grave danger.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The clock is ticking. Wrestling fans are going nutso as we head towards to Royal Rumble. Will a future wrestling legend or two from "the other promotion"/s be setting foot in a WWE ring for the very first time?! Don't bet against it. Can Roman Reigns once again beat the odds despite some of the powers that be conspiring against him. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis better have eyes in the back of his head. Does RR know Aldis is a former NWA champion? Is Bloodline "Wise Man" Paul Heyman telling Reigns everything he really needs to know? Are the likes of WWE legends including Booker T, Kurt Angle, JBL and Eric Bischoff pulling strings behind the scences, that could alter the course of the WWE forever? This is must see TV and PPE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Get a taste of past, present and future events and major happenings via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>such as... wait for it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns’ challengers prepare for Royal Rumble showdown: WWE Now, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCooqkevpxY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight — Road to Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01ywIgPoxo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #SoloSikoa #TheBloodline #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #JudgementDay #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #Carlito #SantosEscobar #Fantasma #DelFantasma #lucha #AustinTheory #CarmeloHayes #KabukiWarriors #Asuka #Sane #tagteam #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #PPV #PayPerView #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #story #storytelling #trend #buzz #XWrestling #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is sure to be an epic battle... personal animosity... Carlito collides with a former friend, now enemy" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ZelinaVega #FWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, LA Knight & AJ Styles vow to defeat Roman Reigns: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbrc9a8nU4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Eladio Carrión introduces Randy Orton: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTbkbT-ESw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfODnL3WH9w&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Heyman suggest Jimmy Uso should win the Royal Rumble: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S79aaxm_DJg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Theory and Waller pick their Royal Rumble numbers: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGjUqhfHmc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elektra Lopez debuts by helping Santos Escobar defeat Carlito: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99DkNheeddc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Williams saves Carmelo Hayes from a A-Town Down Under: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVYyX2q4Kc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline’s beatdown of Styles, Orton and Knight backfires: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBeXJ4Ct2DU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong and hot SmackDown show on the lead in to the Royal Rumble. Paul Heyman may be dancing with the devil. Karriion Karrion, AOP - Final Testament dominating. Biblical and mighty beat down! Anything can and does happen in the WWE! Clock ticking on Roman's title reign?! </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EladioCarrion #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AjStyles #PaulHeyman #TheBloodline #SoloSikoa #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ElektraLopez #ZelinaVega #LWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #RTruth #NickAldis #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #YT #video #AndNew #trends #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross </p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves </p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #AOP #FinalTestament #KK</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News via Media Man</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown and Royal Rumble lead up on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA with world class product</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW has fans, media and industry on edge</p><p><br /></p><p>Okada hot agent!</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Wanted Man sets TNA on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>MJF Buzz</p><p><br /></p><p>Fatu Buzz with Booker T history in Reality Of Wrestling</p><p>Von Erich movie 'The Iron Claw' continues with rave reviews</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE - WWE NXT @WWENXT and AJPW @alljapan_pw deal going well</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix deal next year will take WWE to the next level and grow business by approx 30 percent says former Optus PPV and subscriber TV exec via Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>OPW and AWF wrestling promotions lighting a fire in Aussie pro wrestling; Starrcast buzz continues</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EliminationChamber #WWENXT #Netflix #TNA #AEW #AJPW #OPW #AWF #Starrcast #streaming #combatsports #Aussie #AustralianWrestling #wrestlingpromotion #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoter #wrestlingpromoters #wrestlingnewsmedia #entertainment #popculture #PPV #PLE #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>(Images: Credit to each individual wrestling promotion featured)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Videos To Fuel Hype From Fans, Media, Et Al</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Royal Rumble 2024 cold open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKDbOIvL2y8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk trains with NXT Superstars: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlaGAddwLg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Royal Rumble Preview: WWE Now, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q04xgdEw1Kk&t=76s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk remains out top pick for the win, followed closely by Cody Rhodes. This may change as extra intel comes to light.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #JimmyUso #SoloSikoa #PaulHeyman #WWERoyalRumble2024 #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #KarrionKross #AOP #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #GraysonWaller #AustinTheory #DragonLee #AJLee #BeckyLynch #TiffanyStratton #LWO #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 Friday Night SmackDown moments: WWE Top 10, Jan. 26, 2023</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpMryVt9XQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Theory taking his time getting back in the ring. And Carmelo was taken out by Theory. Waller with a cheap shot right here in front of us" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The line of succession as to who is truely the Tribal Heir all starts at the Royal Rumble" Paul Heyman</p><p><br /></p><p>Trouble is brewing for The O.C.: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZk8mPcg3rk&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damage CTRL are on top: SmackDown LowDown, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19Cjzrd6Gs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #moments #highlights #YouTube #YT #video #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix Streaming Service Riding High Once Again</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix @netflix spruiks record breaking subscriber numbers after account sharing crackdown; Consumer backlash appears over</p><p><br /></p><p>Global streaming giant Netflix added a record number of new subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for programs such as the long-running royal drama ‘The Crown’.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just 5 days ago Netflix and world's leading pro wrestling promotion, WWE @WWE advised the popular WWE RAW show will be carried by Netflix for numerous countries (U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America) from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform has reached approx 260 million subscribers and added just over 13 million of those in the fourth quarter of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spike in subscriber count is partly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing during the past 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company said in a media release they believe they have successfully "cracked down" on all accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news comes are more unofficial sports and entertainment PPV based websites hit the web. Those with a well trained eye can notice the tell tale sales on the pirate based streaming sites. Due it its popularity the combat sports sector is seeing a number of bad actors arise, but many are being shut down very quicky advised the Media Man Group agency. Over the past number of decades Media Man has helped officially promote a number of official streaming and online PPV sites including TrillerTV (formally FITE), WWE Network, Netflix and Ring Divas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix posted an impressive yearly revenue of $US8.8 billion last year, exceeding analysts' forecasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Netflix is riding a way of momentium and will be certainly renewing our subscription again soon, especially as the WWE, wrestling and combat sports programming continues to ramp up. Sports content with a pop culture edge sells and draws in the numbers. It's also possible that Netflix Games may eventually add some extra WWE themed games to the existing portfolio which features 'Escape The Undertaker'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Down: Drive To Survive (F1), upcoming MMA based movies (rumours of Dwayne Johnson input), and more WWE related content, now that the ink is dry for the official start of WWE RAW on Netflix next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Netflix #NetflixNews #NetflixUS #streamingnews #streamingmedia #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingentertainment #DriveToSurvive #WWERAW #WWE #prowrestling #MMA #extremesports #combatsports #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #SevenBucks #content #contentnews #contentcreation #broadcast #broadcasting #sub #Subscription #subscribers #PPB #showbiz #trend #trends #TV #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasting News</p><p><br /></p><p>(In case you missed it)</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasters are the Most Trusted Media Personalities Among US Consumers, New Acast Research Finds</p><p><br /></p><p>PRESS RELEASE - October 18, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released the results of a new research study that shows podcasts are a highly trusted medium among US consumers. According to the study of US consumers, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content -the most of any other tested media personality - making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.</p><p><br /></p><p>These findings come at a time when trust in US media has hit an all time low, with half of Americans reported to believe that national news organizations deliberately mislead them, according to research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. In this era of skepticism and misinformation, podcasters are emerging as the trustworthy figures of the media industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Acast’s research, half of podcast listeners trust podcasters, the most of any other tested medium. The second most trusted is YouTubers, with 44% of YouTube consumers saying they trust these media personalities. Notably, with YouTube emerging as a leading platform for podcast consumption, many of these sought-after YouTube personalities are also podcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Trust in US media has been deteriorating in recent years as a result of socio-political unrest and conflicting coverage by news outlets on the same events. As US consumers have lost confidence in traditional media, they have increasingly turned to podcasters as a source of truth,” said Acast Director of Research and Insights Tommy Walters. “During times of hardship and uncertainty - like the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine - at Acast we have consistently seen audiences flock to podcasts for deep conversations and analysis over clickbait headlines. When it comes to product endorsements, we have also seen audiences be more trusting of podcaster recommendations than any other form of media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>For advertisers, podcasting is ripe with opportunity as US consumers say they seek out podcasters above all other media personality types when looking for product endorsements. According to this study, 75% of podcast listeners say they have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to the 62% of social media users who have sought out social media creators and just 55% cable viewers who have considered cable TV personalities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this study also revealed that podcasters give quality product and brand endorsements. According to the research, 73% of US consumers who have acted on a podcast endorsement said the podcaster gave a good endorsement and they were happy with what they received.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Multimedia (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/multimedia.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasts: Profiles Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/profiles/podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Podcasts (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcast Favourites (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/podcast_favourites.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media and Marketing News (Media Man Int</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/media_and.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Online News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/online_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>83 Weeks wins Media Man 'Wrestling Podcast Of The Month' award</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles//83_weeks.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#podcastingnews #podcasts #podcasting #Gallup #KnightFoundation #podcasters #mediapersonality #mediapersonalities #newsmedia #usmedia #usnews #digitalnews #digitalmedia #mediabiz #mediabusiness #popculture #newsbiz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The last man and woman standing win a championship opportunity at WrestleMania" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am number one when it comes to getting his hands on Roman Reigns" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to take everything away from you" Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not done till I own the WWE Championship" LA Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm levels above everybody" Roman Reigns</p><p><br /></p><p>"For three and a half years Roman Reigns has been champion" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Bloodline has made a lot of enemies" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tonight the heavy hitting, knockout match-up of the new year throws down" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your days as U.S champion are numbered" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"Six seconds is five more than I need to KO you" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's going to be wild" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RoyalRumbleKickOff #KickOff #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #RomanReigns #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #HulkHogan #TheRock #NickAldis #AndStill #AndNew #PLE #entertainment #popculture #streaming #broadcast #broadcasting #hype #liveentertainment #livesports #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Full 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOdPKrHNTBU&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, I'm feeling it" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our first surprise of the night" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Guys, she's back" MC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes outlasts everyone to win Men's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqD5D00FDIg&t=9s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Press Conference clips</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H discusses ground-breaking Netflix deal: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZu8vha3Ej4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes answers a question from DDP: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29e4uVYE6uY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>And much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee explains himself: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44btA7GrEeU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker is not finished with The Judgment Day: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLUy0AgcBi8&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade can't wait to show everyone who he is: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tYrwSHxmFc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace makes an impact: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3tjl9omKw4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill put the whole locker room on notice: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPP0btDeXcY&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill makes her debut at the Royal Rumble!: 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GY6L-34XFg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWhE6pJLaYo&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Super hot show. Stories, action and surprises matter in top line pro wrestling. Early contender for 'Wrestling PPV/PLE Of The Year'. Massive thumbs up to Triple H and the whole team at WWE and associates for putting on a great and most enjoyable supercard.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWE #highlights #moments #RomanReigns #CodyRhodes #CMPunk #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #JordynneGrace #Naomi #Andrade #BronBreakker #TripleH #PaulLevesque #PatMcAfee #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble post-match comments/interview by Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube offers excellent highlights, moments and interviews covering red hot Royal Rumble PLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens vows that he's not done with Logan Paul: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orM5yKtsQYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I hope Logan Paul knows, I'm coming for a rematch. There's no way things can end this way. First of all, he brought in the brass knuckles. In French, that's called a 'poing américain' which literally translates meaning American Fist, which is appropriate because he's the United States Champion. Doesn't do anything by the book, brings in American Fists, in trying to retain the US title"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm a Canadian. It's probally when I got caught"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Next time I get Logan Paul in the ring and that title is on the line, I'm winning that championship. I should be champion."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"You see where I'm going"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yep" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your doing the whole impartial journalist thing"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"At least, I put him through a table. You know what that's called? A moral victory."</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: What a great feud, match and post match interview. This is pro wrestling and sports entertainment. Millions of fans are likely awaiting a rematch between Paul and Owens. A couple of the best in the world at what they do. </p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #USTitle #interview #quote #quotes #interview #video #highlights #AndStill #rematch #journalist #wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #trends #trending #buzz #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania @WrestleMania Season ignites discussion about who should be in the next round for the WWE @WWE Hall Of Fame</p><p><br /></p><p>Current Names Attracting Buzz Under The Watercooler</p><p><br /></p><p>Lex Luger, Jim Cornette & Sable have all got solid to strong support, including from WWE NXT @WWENXT commentator and Hall Of Fame podcast personality, Booker T @BookerT5x "Oh Yes"! as Booker would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional names drawing in discussion include Cyndi Lauper (who Media Man pitched a number of times over the past almost decade)! Who is the mongrel in the WWE blocking it? Perhaps they won't be blocked any longer in today's WWE?! Ken Shamrock is long overdue. Lex Luger and Daniel Bryan (current wrestling elsewhere, are also under discussion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Teams, The Nasty Boys and Demolition and wrestling personality Jim Cornette has been known to pitch tag teams he managed to greatness decades ago. Have a listen to Corney's podcast if you care. NSFW is often the case with Mr Cornette, and don't even start us on his politics! (real politics, not wrestling politics). </p><p><br /></p><p>Managers - Paul Heyman, your time may be now sir!</p><p><br /></p><p>Debate is open for Brock Lesnar, Gangrel, Doink The Clown (choose 1 or 2) and Outback Jack. Ok, some satire. Remember, entertainment value and fan response is also a factor. Pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is subjective in nature and a reminder that pro wrestling is not a pure sport, however most of the top wrestlers over the past decade plus have been very technical.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Media Man watercooler is was discussed that there's a couple of pro wrestlers who may have been strong draws for 5 to 10 years but they known for hurting opponents through clumsiness, poor training or whatever the case. Mistakes can and do happen in pro wrestler, but they are a couple who should be disqualified from even being seriously considered. No names, but the industry knows who they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ending on a high note, enjoy today's Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania and Hall of Fame. Oh, CM Punk for the win (and also for serious consideration for the WWE Hall of Fame).</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestling #wrestlingnews #prowrestling #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #WWEHallOfFame #BookerT #legends #wrestlinglegends #sportsentertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #Goats #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Continues To Release World Class Footage From Royal Rumble 2024 onto their award winning YouTube Channel and additional social media platforms</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Results and Highlights: WWE Now, January 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqqA99fmNbA&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7p-Brp1h0&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Rundown: WWE's The Bump, Jan. 28, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRBfQ7VYkpc&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top moments from Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Top 10, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALt6dkP_k8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tremendous pro wrestling aka sports entertainment. Action, drama, surprises and much more. Massive thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #AndStill #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #WWE #TNA #TNAWrestling #TNAChampion #WWETNA #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #popculture #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #YouTube #YT #Highlights #moments #video #trends #trending #buzz #socialmedia #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptors Of The Month</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/disruptors_of.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#disruptor #disruption #disruptors #JakePaul #LoganPaul #Misfitsboxing #PFL #boxing #celebrityboxing #combatsports #RebelNews #Tesla #NikolaTesla #market #ads #pr #SEO #mediabiz #mediadistuptor #newsdisruptor #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (U.S)</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #TheBeekeeper #MeanGirls #WonkaMovie #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #PoorThings #AmericanFiction #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #TheZoneOfInterest #TheBoys #EntertainmentNews #popculture #moviebiz #showbiz #trends #trrending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</p><p><br /></p><p>01 December 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix's Commitment To Live Sports Spells Doom For ESPN</p><p>By JOE POMPLIANO</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has announced a deal with TKO Group, the holding company for the UFC and WWE, that will bring WWE’s flagship program “Raw” to the streaming service next year, marking Netflix’s first real foray into live sports entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The deal is $5 billion over ten years, according to a TKO Group SEC filing. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including SmackDown, NXT, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble. WWE will still be in charge of event production, providing Netflix about 150 hours of content annually.</p><p><br /></p><p>This announcement, combined with the appointment of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the company’s board of directors, sent TKO shares soaring. The holding company opened up more than 20 percent on Tuesday, adding ~$1 billion to its market cap.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is a huge deal because no one saw it coming. Sure, Netflix has built its name in sports through original documentaries like F1 Drive to Survive, the Untold series, The Last Dance, Beckham, Full Swing, Break Point, and more. But the world’s biggest streaming service has always said live sports rights were too expensive for its taste.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, we’ve now reached a point where it makes sense for both parties.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has 80.1 million subscribers in the United States and Canada. That gives WWE more distribution than it had on cable television (77.87 million) while also providing it access to 180 million additional international subscribers on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The $500 million annual deal represents a roughly 30% increase in payment, depending on how you calculate international rights, and Netflix gave itself the option to either cancel the deal after five years or extend it another ten after completion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Tribute To Henry Marcus</p><p><br /></p><p>Charleston Post and Courier – May 24, 1998</p><p>By Mike Mooneyham</p><p><br /></p><p>Downtown Charleston may be filled with the sights and sounds of Spoleto, but next weekend at 1000 King Street, professional wrestling will be the order of the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>The King Street Palace, site of the former County Hall, will be the stage for the biggest pro wrestling reunion ever held in this area. “The Night the Legends Return: A Tribute to Henry Marcus” will be a long-overdue tip of the hat to one of the sport’s great promoters, along with a recognition of the past stars of the Mid-Atlantic area.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sponsored by Low Country Wrestling, the weekend events will feature a “meet and greet” session with the legends from 1-4 p.m. and an awards show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Several matches will be included on the evening program, but they will simply provide a backdrop for a ceremony honoring some of the sport’s legendary performers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding a special touch to the weekend is that the two major activities will be held at the King Street Palace – the building once known as County Hall where thousands of fans made their weekly pilgrimage every Friday night. Wrestling is one of the most colorful of all professions, and many of its legendary characters have graced the hallowed hall at which some of those same performers from the past will gather to relive memories of a tradition-rich sport that, like a fine wine, only grows better with age.</p><p><br /></p><p>For nostalgia lovers and followers of the glory days of Mid-Atlantic wrestling, it’s a must-see event. And even for fans who believe wrestling started with the Hulk Hogan era, it will provide a refreshing look at the past and the stars who paved the way and laid the groundwork for the Hulk Hogans, Steve Austins and Stings of today.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event holds even greater significance for many of the honorees themselves. Many who traveled the road together and teamed up have not seen each other in years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two decades have passed since Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, one of the greatest teams in wrestling history, have been together in the same ring. George and Sandy Scott, a team which Hawk and Hanson encountered in many a bloodbath during the ’60s and ’70s, will join their old rivals in that same ring on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s been even longer since the paths of Wahoo McDaniel and Johnny “The Champ” Valentine have crossed, but the memories of their torrid feud remains fresh in the minds of many longtime wrestling fans. Some of the greats of the Mid-Atlantic era have since passed on. The list includes names like Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard, Aldo Bogni, Homer O’Dell, Haystacks Calhoun, Gene Anderson, Rufus R. Jones, Billy and Jimmy Hines (The Masked Red Demons), Luther Lindsay, J.C. Dykes, Jimmy “Rocky” Smith (The Inferno), Larry “Missouri Mauler” Hamilton, Boris “The Great” Malenko, Luke “Big Boy” Brown, Dick Murdoch and, sadly, others too numerous to mention. Many stars shaped their careers here.</p><p><br /></p><p>George Scott, who was booking the Carolinas for the late Jim Crockett Sr., brought in two youngsters fresh out of Verne’s Gagne’s Minnesota wrestling camp during the early ’70s – Richard Fliehr and Richard Blood. Blood, an amateur standout out of Tampa, would be billed as Ricky Steamboat – “nephew” of Sam Steamboat, an area favorite who at the time teamed with Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods). Fliehr was brought in as “nephew” and protege of Rip Hawk and was billed as “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, a ’70s version of “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shortly thereafter Flair would join with the infamous “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” (Gene, Lars and Ole Anderson) as their cousin from Minnesota, setting the stage for the ’80s formation of the original Four Horsemen – Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rest, as they say, is history. And much of it was shaped right here in Charleston, under the Jim Crockett territorial banner and the local promotion of Henry Marcus.</p><p><br /></p><p>A little-known fact is that Arn Anderson, some years before before the formation of the Horsemen, enjoyed some of his fondest memories as young Marty Lunde growing up in Rome, Ga., hurling insults and objects at those same Anderson Brothers at the local wrestling shows. A number of surprise guests also have made plans to attend the festivities and pay tribute to a man who promoted wrestling for nearly half a century.</p><p><br /></p><p>LEGEND NOTES</p><p><br /></p><p>Promoter Henry Marcus turned 87 last Thursday…Referees for the evening matches will range from Tommy Young, longtime NWA senior official who presided over some of Ric Flair’s greatest matches during the ’70s and ’80s, and Ron West, a popular NWA official in the Carolinas, Georgia and Mid-South area, to present-day refs Charles Robinson and Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand)…Commemorative T-shirts will be available at the afternoon event…Radio station 98 Rock, which will be airing updates on the show throughout the week, will do a live remote from the King Street Palace noon-2:30 p.m. Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the honorees, Burrhead Jones, is a Moncks Corner native whose infamous TV angle with Black Jack Mulligan in the mid-’70s ranks as one of the most memorable in Mid-Atlantic history. Burrhead, cousin of the late Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones, suffered a lopsided thrashing at the hands of Mulligan that led to Rufus’ crown (he billed himself as the “king of wrestling” after being presented a crown by Greensboro fans) being stomped to pieces at the hands of Gene and Ole Anderson, Flair and Mulligan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated lays off 'significant' amount of staff after license revoked, owner vows to continue brand</p><p>Sports Illustrated was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2019</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A significant number of Sports Illustrated staff members were notified by the outlet's publisher that they would be laid off. The move puts the future of the iconic sports publication that has been widely considered the gold standard of sports journalism for nearly seven decades in jeopardy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated and related properties emailed employees on Friday, notifying them that Authentic Brands Group has revoked its marketing license.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand," the email said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated’s employee union said in a statement that the layoffs would be a significant number, and possibly all, of the NewsGuild workers represented.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We have fought together as a union to maintain the standard of this storied publication that we love, and to make sure our workers are treated fairly for the value they bring to this company. It is a fight we will continue," Mitch Goldich, NFL editor and unit chair, said in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The guild’s statement also called for Authentic Brands Group to "ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group acquired publishing rights from ABG in 2019 for at least 10 years. The group’s stewardship of SI has had many hurdles since then. In December, it fired chief executive officer Ross Levinsohn when the magazine’s alleged use of AI-generated stories drew public backlash.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pat Forde who covers college sports, the Olympics and horse racing for Sports Illustrated, according to his published bio, reacted to the news on social media and clarified that the "entire staff" did not receive termination notices.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The entire staff was not laid off. There still is a website and a magazine. That said: Ugly, brutal day with many layoffs," Forde wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement sent to Fox News Digital on Friday, Authentic Brands Group confirmed that Arena Group’s license was terminated.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yesterday, The Arena Group’s license to serve as the publisher of Sports Illustrated was terminated as a result of the company’s failure to pay its quarterly license fee despite being given a notice of breach and an opportunity to cure the breach," the statement read.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brands Group also said the Sports Illustrated brand will continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Authentic is here to ensure that the brand of Sports Illustrated, which includes its editorial arm, continues to thrive as it has for the past nearly 70 years. We are confident that going forward the brand will continue to evolve and grow in a way that serves sports news readers, sports fans, and consumers. We are committed to ensuring that the traditional ad-supported Sports Illustrated media pillar has best in class stewardship to preserve the complete integrity of the brand’s legacy."</p><p><br /></p><p>The iconic sports brand has had a rough six years. It was acquired by Meredith Publishing in 2018 as part of the purchase of Time Inc., which started the magazine in 1954.</p><p><br /></p><p>Less than a year later, Meredith sold the magazine’s intellectual property to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. ABG owns the intellectual property of many brands and stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Reebok.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling/Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix @netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p>Video via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9cZwTTO9c&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #RoyalRumble #RoyalRumble2024 #Netflix #WWERaw #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #streamingindustry #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingcontent #TKO #TKOGroup #platforms #platformnews #OTT #overthetop #entertainmentnews #popculture #audience #audiences #contentnews #contentbusiness #bizdev #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediabusiness </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling/Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"This has been an incredible week. You talk about the streaming services, so let's talk about The Rock joining the board for TKO. An amazing opportunity for us to have the biggest celebrity, the biggest star in the world, and the biggest box office attraction in the world to be a part of that board and help us. He's an expert on branding, he's an expert on marketing, he's an expert on all of those things, so to help with that. But what I love about it is he is also a guy who while on a board at an extremely high level can communicate with them, I can have shorthand with him about what WWE needs." Paul Levesque (Triple H)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>“The landscape of the WWE @WWE Women’s division was altered last night. The connections that these three have with the WWE Universe is undeniable… and I have a feeling their momentum will be unstoppable” - Triple H</p><p>#RoyalRumble #TripleH #quote #JadeCargill #Naomi #LivMorgan #JordynneGrace #wwewomen #wwewomens #womensdivision #womenswrestling #WWERaw #SmackDown #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>OPW and Major League Wrestling forge international partnership</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>17 January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organizations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[NEW YORK, USA / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA] – In an exciting move that promises to break barriers in interpromotional collaborations, Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Oceania Pro Wrestling (OPW) have officially announced a partnership. </p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organisations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are thrilled to team with Oceania Pro Wrestling,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer, “The fans down under are some of the most passionate and we can’t wait to bring them something special as two organisations team-up for some exciting opportunities. Buckle up, we’re going to give you an unforgettable experience.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We have some exciting broadcasting announcements to come for 2024 that will involve the MLW and OPW relationship,” said OPW owner Cam Vale. ““This is a truly unique partnership by two innovative wrestling companies, to have OPW champions recognised by MLW as their regional champions and to bring MLW to Australia in 2024 and beyond. OPW wrestlers will show MLW fans how good we are down under, and who knows what that will mean for MLW in the future.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership between MLW and Oceania Pro Wrestling is set to bring about a myriad of collaborations, showcasing the best of both worlds in professional wrestling. From championships to innovative content creation, fans can expect a thrilling array of fights and entertainment that transcends geographical boundaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>MLW has been on an impressive trajectory of growth in recent times. The addition of renowned wrestler and MMA fighter Matt Riddle to its roster has fueled excitement among fans, adding a new dynamic to MLW’s already stacked lineup. MLW programming has now expanded its reach to 60 countries, solidifying its position as a global wrestling phenomenon.</p><p><br /></p><p>The highly anticipated launch of MLW’s action figure line with Boss Fight Studio is just around the corner, promising fans the opportunity to own a piece of their favorite MLW stars. MLW has also been making waves by expanding its 2024 tour schedule to include: Tampa, Chicago, and New York City, bringing MLW’s signature fusion of wrestling styles to audiences nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling has distinguished itself in the wrestling world hosting a diverse range of wrestling experiences in the Oceania region, including the highly acclaimed Starrcast Down Under and marquee wrestling events. </p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned for more updates as OPW and Major League Wrestling prepare to unveil the first of many projects.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (U.S)</p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Jim Morrison</p><p><br /></p><p>Biography</p><p><br /></p><p>“Nothing else can survive a holocaust, but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting. But so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue.”</p><p>– Jim Morrison</p><p><br /></p><p>I think the self-interview is the essence of creativity. Asking yourself questions and trying to find answers. The writer is just answering a series of unuttered questions. I guess I see myself as a conscious artist plugging away from day to day, assimilating information.</p><p>I think around the fifth or sixth grade I wrote a poem called “The Pony Express.” That was the first I can remember. It was one of those ballad type poems. I never could get it together, though. I always wanted to write, but I always figured it’d be no good unless somehow the hand just took the pen and started moving without me really having anything to do with it. Like, automatic writing. But it just never happened. I wrote a few poems, of course.</p><p>Like, “Horse Latitudes” I wrote when I was in high school. I kept a lot of note books through high school and college and then when I left school for some dumb reason — maybe it was wise — I threw them all away. There’s nothing I can think of I’d rather have in my possession right now than those two or three lost notebooks. I was thinking of being hypnotized or taking sodium pentathol to try to remember, because I wrote in those books night after night. But maybe if I’d never thrown them away, I’d never have written anything original — because they were mainly accumulations of things that I’d read or heard, like quotes from books. I think if I’d never gotten rid of them I’d never been free.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>*******************************************************************************</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA Remains On Fire with The Palms @Palms Las Vegas connection, TNA Knockouts appearing in WWE Royal Rumble and TNA Impact broadcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: In ring action, new blood, compelling stories and worldwide buzz. Nic Nemeth lit a fire, Moose, Jordynne Grace, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Kazuchika Okada and others set wrestling world ablaze. Japan, Australia, Canada...the world taking notice! Win-Win-Win for fans, wrestlers, media, promoters and all continues!</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Powers That Be Add World Class Content To YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0rdnYQ-agw&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth's TNA In-Ring DEBUT vs. Zachary Wentz | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haAvoYTzaZ8&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MVP vs. Bobby Roode (FULL MATCH) | IMPACT Nov. 5, 2014</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Qn0IG4tUM&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace Wins Call Your Shot Gauntlet (FULL MATCH) | Bound For Glory 2023</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxY3SerPcBs&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace's HISTORY MAKING Moments</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seCi7WA5BRQ&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Xia Brookside vs. Tasha Steelz (FULL MATCH) | iMPACT! Jan. 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCJPeS_z9DE&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNA #TNAWrestling #TNAiMPACT #TNAHistory #TNAKnockouts #NicNemeth #Moose #JordynneGrace #AlexShelley #ChrisSabin #Okada #TNAChampion #prowrestling #wrestling #ThePalms #wrestlingnews #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #casinonews #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #ASX #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #TV #LasVegas #VegasNews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw preview, January 29, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vs Kofi Kingston - WWE Intercontinental Title</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso vs faces “Big” Bronson Reed. Island Of Relevancy squad member vs Terror Australis. Tsunami heading straight for Jeys' island patch!</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes. Fresh off his Royal Rumble victory Rhodes wants to talk about? Does the WWE locker room want to listen?</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley to address WWE Universe fresh off her Royal Rumble victory. Any party poopers?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Judgment Day vs DIY. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match. Will fans also get R-Truth vs JD McDonagh or Truth vs Priest? Ripley vs clan egos?</p><p><br /></p><p>Get up to speed with everything you need to know in preparation for WWE Raw via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #Gunther #KofiKingston #JeyUso #BronsonReed #Tsunami #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #CMPunk #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #Bayley #AdamPearce #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trend #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Should or do pro wrestling promotions already have a punishment type policy in place for wrestlers who injury their opponents, be it by accident or potentially on purpose, in an attempt to climb up the card while taking out their opponents? Part satire and part not! Hidden policy already in place?!</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWERaw #Wrestlemania #WrestleMania40 #EliminationChamber #prowrestling #wrestling #combatsports #shoot #shooters #squash #injury #wrestlingpromoter #wrestlingpromoters #OHS #replay #trend #trends #buzz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PLE #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cryptocurrency News</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto has retreated from the lows, but no rush for growth</p><p><br /></p><p>Market picture</p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto market capitalisation at around $1.62 trillion is less than 1% higher than it was seven days ago, thanks to a growth spurt on Friday. Bitcoin has added 3% in the same period and continues to be the driving force behind crypto volatility. The sentiment is gradually returning to greed territory, taking the corresponding index to 55 after lows of 48 in the middle of last week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitcoin has stabilised near $42K over the past three days. The 50-day moving average at $42.8K has acted as local resistance for short-term gains. This curve changed direction from rising to falling last week, which looks to be an additional short-term negative factor.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ethereum, as the flagship cryptocurrency, has pulled back from local lows but is in no hurry to gain altitude, trading near $2270.</p><p><br /></p><p>The two major cryptocurrencies have started stabilising and rebounding higher than we expected. But we assume that the current calm is a local trap for bulls, and the decline will continue after some pause. The trigger for the decline may be volatility in equities ahead of the reports of giant corporations, the results of the Fed meeting and the employment report.</p><p><br /></p><p>News background</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Department of Justice has filed a notice to sell another batch of crypto assets confiscated from the criminal trading platform Silk Road. A total of 2,934 BTC worth $115 million is to be sold.</p><p><br /></p><p>The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is likely to approve an ETF based on the spot price of Ethereum in the summer of 2024, Grayscale expects.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to cryptocurrency payment operator BitPay, XRP has become one of the most used crypto asset for making payments, with the number of payment transactions up 42%. Bitcoin topped the top 10, followed by Litecoin and Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to Flipside, the Polygon project has equalled Ethereum in terms of new users. For 2023, Polygon recorded 15.24 million new accounts, compared to 15.4 million for Ethereum.</p><p><br /></p><p>Matthew Schultz, co-founder of mining firm CleanSpark, believes that unless Bitcoin shows significant growth, 11 major mining companies will be unprofitable after the halving.</p><p><br /></p><p>Source: Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro</p><p><br /></p><p>#crypto #cryptocurrency #cryptonews #cryptocurrencynews #FxPro #Bitcoin #BitcoinNews #bitcoinbiz #cryptobiz #cryptomedia #bitcoinmedia #BTC #BTCETF #XRP #Polygon #fintech #markets #exchange #biznews #cryptobulls #cleanspark #mining #miningnews #cryptomining #cryptominer #CryptoMining #win #xcrypto #index #mediabulls #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee joins Michael Cole on Monday Night Raw announce team: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRcER7hcCzk&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ladies and gentleman. Pat McAfee here with us at ringside" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>"I can't wait. I'm lucky to be sitting here next to the Goat one more time at least and let's enjoy this ride, baby. Monday Night Raw live on USA. It's an honor to be in this regim. An era of Monday Night Raw as well"... Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk confirms he’ll miss WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplT6ysM9Uc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title? The Hulk Hogan title"?! SethRollins</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day lay siege to Awesome Truth: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CrUElPOBjw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Judgment Day vs. #DIY in a title showdown: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yWbbsltfsY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark vs. Chelsea Green & Piper Niven: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32IsXL8LwKc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jey Uso takes on “Big” Bronson Reed: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5bkZbBYSl0&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>And more world class pro wrestling - sports entertainment history, moments and highlights been added to the official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great to have Pat back. Love his edge and wit and embracement of pro wrestling WWE style. All worked hard. Can't wait to Punk to get redemption. WWE shakeups on the road to WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WrestleMania #JeyUso #BronsonReed #tsunami #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #CMPunk #SethRollins #UniversalTitle #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #Gunther #KofiKingston #Bayley #AdamPearce #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #EliminationChamber #prowrestling #wrestling #moments #highlights #YouTube #YT #video #entertainment #popculture #combatsports #broadcast #broadcasting #Hollywood #showbiz #trend #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Raw</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most explosive moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXvooRxtYkY&t=171s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You won the battle but you didn't win the war" Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk confirms he’ll miss WrestleMania: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplT6ysM9Uc&t=74s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well ladies and gentleman. You see CM Punk making his way out to the ring tonight. The right arm in a sling. Pat, there has been rumours all over social media over the past 48 hours of an injury by an injury sustained this past Saturday night in the Royal Rumble match" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"And we saw an incredible performance by CM Punk. Final two, only loosing to Cody".. Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&t=10s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title. The Hulk Hogan title? The one for poses and frauds? The title for people who politic their way to the top"?!... Seth Rollins</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #DustyRhodes #PatMcAfee #MichaelCole #TheRock #HulkHogan #WorldTitle #WorldChampionship #WWETitle #UniversalTitle #wrestling #prowrestling #RoyalRumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #video #highlights #moments #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #trends #TV #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Vegas 85 aka Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Apex</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85. Main Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov</p><p>Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober</p><p>Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov</p><p>Viviane Araujo vs. Natalia Silva</p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov</p><p>Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke</p><p><br /></p><p>Preliminary Fights</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann vs. Diana Belbita</p><p>Azat Maksum vs Charles Johnson</p><p>Themba Gorimbo vs. Pete Rodríguez</p><p>JeongYeong Lee vs. Blake Bilder</p><p>Luana Carolina vs. Julija Stoliarenko</p><p>Landon Quiñones vs. Marquel Mederos</p><p>Thomas Petersen vs. Jamal Pogues</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Promo</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: Dolidze vs Imavov - February 3 | Fight Promo</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vN2lnIVaH8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man In News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024: News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCVegas #UFC #UFCFightNight #FightNight #RomanDolidze #NassourdineImavov #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober</p><p>#RandyBrown #MuslimSalikhov #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #promo #YouTube #YT #video #LasVegas #VegasNews #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Vegas 85 aka Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Apex</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85. Main Card</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov</p><p>Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober</p><p>Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov</p><p>Viviane Araujo vs. Natalia Silva</p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Makhmud Muradov</p><p>Gilbert Urbina vs. Charles Radtke</p><p><br /></p><p>Preliminary Fights</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann vs. Diana Belbita</p><p>Azat Maksum vs Charles Johnson</p><p>Themba Gorimbo vs. Pete Rodríguez</p><p>JeongYeong Lee vs. Blake Bilder</p><p>Luana Carolina vs. Julija Stoliarenko</p><p>Landon Quiñones vs. Marquel Mederos</p><p>Thomas Petersen vs. Jamal Pogues</p><p><br /></p><p>Video Promo</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: Dolidze vs Imavov - February 3 | Fight Promo</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vN2lnIVaH8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man In News</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024: News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCVegas #UFC #UFCFightNight #FightNight #RomanDolidze #NassourdineImavov #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober</p><p>#RandyBrown #MuslimSalikhov #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #promo #YouTube #YT #video #LasVegas #VegasNews #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>James Bond News</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2021, Daniel Craig played James Bond for the fifth and final time in 'No Time to Die'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over two years later, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli still have not announced who will be getting the keys to the Aston Martin for the next 007 blockbuster.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vast majoriy of 007 fans across the globe want a 007 who represents the traditional Bond they have come to know and love.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who Is Bond?</p><p><br /></p><p>The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. There have been twenty-five films in total released between 1962 and 2021 and produced by Eon Productions, which now holds the adaptation rights to all of Fleming's Bond novels. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bond has been portrayed in these films by six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.</p><p><br /></p><p>James Bond: Flashback (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/james_bond.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#JamesBond #Bond #JamesBond007 #movienews #entertainmentnews #DanielCraig #PierceBrosnan #TimothyDalton #RogerMoore #GeorgeLazenby #SeanConnery #movie #showbiz #popculture #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT</p><p><br /></p><p>January 30, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams come face-to-face before Vengeance Day Title Match</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT Adds World Class Card Highlights To YouTube and Social Media Channels</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria breaks her silence to Tatum Paxley: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9blrKKZzyyw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Melo Gang vs The LWO in the Dusty Cup Semis'</p><p><br /></p><p>Roxanne Perez vs Tatum Paxley</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Melo Gang vs The LWO in the Dusty Cup Semis</p><p><br /></p><p>Noam Dar vs Von Wagner for the NXT Heritage Cup. We're picking VW for the upset victory "And New".</p><p><br /></p><p>Lola Vice vs Elektra Lopez. Cuban - South American Connection. The wrestling wars have once again gone to North America, primarily to NXT Headquarters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. WWE and NXT powers that be including Shawn Michaels state that Bron Breakker will still also be appearing at NXT events (for the meantime).</p><p><br /></p><p>Per Battleground Podcast Michaels stated:</p><p><br /></p><p>“Well, look, he may feel like that’s his home but he’s still got work here in NXT to do whether he likes it or not.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Strange enough — that’s our job. Our job is to lose talent but I got to tell you, I’m going to have trouble letting him go. I can assure you that there is more left for Bron Breakker here in NXT one way or another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He’s an incredibly talented, very gifted young man. As far as I’m concerned, he’s young and, as we say, full of piss and vinegar. If he wants to double-time it he can certainly do it but I’m not letting him go that easy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Video clip post WWE @WWE Royal Rumble</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker is not finished with The Judgment Day: Royal Rumble 2024 exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLUy0AgcBi8&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #VengeanceDay </p><p>#IljaDragunov #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #WolfDogs #DustyClassic #DustyRhodes #DustyCup #ShawnMichaels #JBL #NXTWomen #LyraValkyaria #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #LolaVice #ElektraLopez #RoxannePerez #TatumPaxley #TrickMeloGang #NoamDar #VonWagner #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #entertainmentnews #highlights #moments #YouTube #TY #video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #TV #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Around The Wrestling Ring</p><p><br /></p><p>Mat fans, there's been so much pro wrestling news going on lately... its hard to keep up.</p><p><br /></p><p>We're going to showcase some of our our fav YouTube videos and the like that have hit the web.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling, Combat Sports, Showbiz, Business and Life Isn't always smooth sailing all the time, and sometimes a "dark cloud" (Cody Rhodes term from RR press conference) or two can happen. In most cases life and business move forward, things are improved, and its back to business - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>In case you were sleeping, WWE @WWE WrestleMania 40 plans have had a "monkey in the wrench" or two thrown in. It's worldwide news, both the storylines and the real life. On storyline meets real life, wrestling legend CM was injured in the Royal Rumble while interacting with Drew McIntyre. As fellow legend Booker T has pointed out via his Hall of Fame podcast, it's likely father time catching up, and nothing untoward from McIntyre, not an actual mistake from Punk. As one gets older... repeat injuries are part of life, be it a tricep or other.</p><p><br /></p><p>Booker T talking CM PUNK INJURY (Hall of Fame)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho_eORftJnI&t=600s&ab_channel=RealityOfWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Punk 45 years old, just time catching up". "I just think its father time catching up" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee joins Michael Cole on Monday Night Raw announce team: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRcER7hcCzk&t=14s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley wins 2024 Women's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsIuqg2P8I&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Ridge Holland vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QraTTmsXroI&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov & Trick Williams exchange words ahead of Vengeance Day: NXT highlights, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N0A-RBfTNM&t=30s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9cZwTTO9c&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Pat McAfree Show YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee On His Decision To Leave The Royal Rumble Without Being Eliminated</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f1ic72w-tk&t=9s&ab_channel=ThePatMcAfeeShow</p><p><br /></p><p>UpUpDownDown YouTube</p><p>Bayley, LA Knight, Big E, Chad Gable, Maxxine Dupri & Akira Tozawa | Shootin' the Breeze</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DDc1N9CJko&ab_channel=UpUpDownDown</p><p><br /></p><p>New York Stock Exchange YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock, TKO, UFC, WWE at NYSE</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir_qqOzCoD0&ab_channel=NewYorkStockExchange</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling YouTube</p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0rdnYQ-agw&t=17s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>83 Weeks Official YouTube</p><p>ERIC BISCHOFF: "This is exactly how important the BLOODLINE storyline is to WWE"</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecxA1B9wo7w&t=312s&ab_channel=83Weeks</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube (MMA and combat sports podcast, with occasional pro wrestling references and promo style)! If you know, you know!</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans WANT Sean Strickland vs Du Plessis Rematch</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkUgFXiDY5s&t=490s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297. Crowd (Media Man Int YouTube) *for educational and some entertainment purposes!!!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8vPTkoGM04&ab_channel=mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Phone A Friend. Gif/Meme. Interpretative,</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gX4ggNt1_Ko</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Final thoughts. Blessed to be able to catch up with fav sports and entertainment. Enjoy the journey on the ride to the destination. Health is wealth. The world is but a stage. Art reflects life and life reflects art. Focus on positives. The speed of light and the speed on thought. Life can be one giant wrestling match. Life is more like wrestling than dancing. Zen. </p><p><br /></p><p>#WrestlingNews #wrestling #prowrestling #RoyalRumble #WWERaw #SmackDown #CMPunk #DrewMcIntyre #SethRollins #CodyRhodes #BookerT #PatMcAfee #entertainment #popculture #combatsports #YouTube #YT #video #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #SmackDown #Netflix #EliminationChamber #WrestleMania #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #popculture #streaming #streamingbiz #streamingindustry #liveentertainment #livesports #broadcast #broadcasting #sportsbiz #showbiz #boxoffice #trend #trends #buzz #Aussie #newsmedia #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Makes TKO Group Board Of Directors.. just in case you blinked and missed it...</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania @WrestleMania Dream Match vs Roman Reigns Nears Closer</p><p><br /></p><p>Tells FOX Of Family Connection To Industry</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News @FoxNews YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: Both parties have approached me about running | Will Cain Show</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5r28L5pQlQ&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"Alright Dwayne, Rock, I said. What do I call you? I call you Dwayne, I call you The Rock. You said, now that I own it, I can call you Rock" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yes, I own it. Now you can call me The Rock"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Congratulations on that by the way" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you man, I appreciate it very much" The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's a big moment for you, personally, and obviously for the company TKO" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"A very big moment".. The Rock</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Buzz And Trends via Elon Musk's X</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson via X @X on 30 January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>My honor to join @TKOGrp Board of Directors (parent co who owns @WWE @UFC) An historic day of big business with deep and personal “life comes full circle” significance for me. I have the privilege now to sit at the table, that my grandfather and my dad helped to build. Now the fun part - we go to work. We build. Thanks to all you guys out there for your support and hype. And thank you to my TKO/WWE partners- Ari Emmanuel Mark Shapiro Nick Khan Paul “Triple H” Levesque</p><p><br /></p><p>More Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes, this years winner of the Royal Rumble, will think about Seth Rollins pitch for the "American Nightmare" to challenge for the "blue collar" title at this years WrestleMania.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>Seth “Freakin” Rollins to Cody Rhodes: “Challenge me at WrestleMania”: Raw highlights, Jan. 29, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4lVtZD-mQ&t=41s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you want the Hollywood title"? Rollins to Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p>Elon Musk and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson bromance via Twitter; Musk gets some cool factor - March 2019</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/elon_musk4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock vs "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ken_shamrock8.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Many insiders, fans and media have been calling for Shamrock to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for years. This may be his year with fresh management, some of which enjoys strong respect and history with the former UFC champion and legit MMA living legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>and more legendary coverage of "The Great One"</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock Promo SmackDown 2/6/03</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/the_rock5.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns vs Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson op ed</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/reigns_vs2.html</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/the_rock7.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Dream Matches (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_dream.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE 'Raw' Beginning 2025</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/netflix_to.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #DwayneJohnson #NickKhan #TripleH #TKOGroup #TKO #WWE #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WrestleManiaXL #RomanReigns #Netflix #Fox #FoxNews #WillCain #NYSE #NewYorkStockExchange #interview #YouTube #video #sportsnews #sportsmedia #entertainmentnews #entertainment #wrestling #prowrestling #wrestlingnews #streaming #streamingindustry #StreamingNow #streamingbiz #streamingnews #streamingentertainment #PLE #broadcast #showbiz #boxoffice #storytelling #history #legends #biznews #trend #trends #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Provides Outlet For Great Sports Artists</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading mixed martial arts promotion the UFC @UFC remains fav subject fodder of choice for many of world's greatest artists</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC/MMA fighters are in the mix of big fans and frequent customers</p><p><br /></p><p>Fudailat and Dosbrak tie this month for Media Man 'Sports Artist Of The Month' award; Based on merit. No politics. Who will be next to step up?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Profiles</p><p><br /></p><p>Mojahed Fudailat @MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the world's greatest animation artists in our view. </p><p><br /></p><p>Mojahed Fudailat Official YouTube</p><p>Strickland's angry at Dricus for cheating</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXA_Wjo21Jg&ab_channel=MojahedFudailat</p><p><br /></p><p>"Guys, the headbutt kinda sucked but **** Life is good. Thank you everybody"</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dosbrak @dosbrak</p><p><br /></p><p>World beater podcast and MMA figure Joe Rogan knows about the Dosbrak creative arts magic</p><p><br /></p><p>Dosbrak Official YouTube</p><p>SPEED PAINTING OF JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ9NH41SBv8&ab_channel=dosbrak</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Fight fans, we can expect more great MMA art as the year rolls along. UFC 300 set for April 13 in Paradise, Nevada remains highly anticipated and these kind of mega events are known for their merch, collectables and such. Indy type artists often offer a more unique and less corporate offering that the UFC machine. The fight and art fans win as the collector can search the world online for creations that capture their imagination, or they can show up in Vegas, fighter Paradise or wherever else in search of the holy grail of sports art. When you make contact with the artists and sellers keep in mind some of the tactics that former U.S president Donald Trump penned in 'The Art Of The Deal'! Oh, Trump NFT's are available on the web also, but that's showcasting another fight with different strakes. Art reflects life. Here's to the winning mindset.</p><p><br /></p><p>#MMAArt #UFCArt #sportsart #sportsartist #MojahedFudailat #Dosbrak #creativearts #artistofthemonth #creativeofthemonth #creativity #creative #UFC300 #merch #NFT #NFTs #video #sportsnews #sportsmedia #mmanews #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Wars Heat Up</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Gets Grilled By U.S Congress</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook can't stay out of the news</p><p><br /></p><p>We didn't get Zuck vs Musk in an UFC Octagon, or even via backyard broadcast via X, but we do get Zuck vs Congress and indi news media across the world is pleased to share it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg’s apology doesn't impress New Mexico AG!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Zuckerberg has apologised to the parents of online child sexual abuse victims during a senate probe, but the apology was flatly dismissed by one of the state attorney generals suing the big tech bully boy who made his name for rating dorm girls on the web. Ah, the foundation of some of these big tech firms, and you wondered why some of the tech biz firms are so screwed up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s stunning apology to the parents of online child sex abuse victims during a Senate hearing was “too little, too late,” according to one of the state attorney generals currently suing the embattled social media giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>New Mexico attorney general Raúl "The Teminator" (our term, not hers) Torrez, whose office has sued Meta for exposing kids to adult sex content and alleged child predators, was on Capitol Hill on this past Wednesday as a "Zoo" (meme from the www) Zuckerberg told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Mr. Zuckerberg has appeared before Congress numerous in the past, and its not because he's going a good or great job. He has given assurances on the safety of his platforms many times before,” Torrez told The Post. “It seems that once the spotlight fades, they go right back to doing business as usual.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, each dismissed Meta’s pitched safety measures as ineffective during harsh exchanges and barbs with Zuckerberg.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zuckerberg, who surprised the hearing’s attendees by standing up from his podium and speaking directly to the audience, told parents that “no one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier, Zuckerberg testified that his company had spent $5 billion on safety last year. ZB shows that throwing money at some problems doesn't always work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Torrez dissed Zuckerberg’s apology.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It was clear to me that members of the committee have lost any faith in the leadership of these companies – particularly Mr. Zuckerberg,” he said. “I think the American people are skeptical and parents remain deeply concerned about the kind of content we uncovered in our investigation.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawmakers from both parties argued that tech firms should lose liability shields, such as Section 230, that protect them from directly being sued by victims. Torrez said Section 230 was “enacted in a totally different era” and should either be eliminated or “severely” restricted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Facebook founder’s apology also scored a zero with Fairplay, an advocacy group that supports the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would impose a “duty of care” on social media platforms and other tech firms to protect minors from dangerous content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If anybody still thought Meta was capable of self-regulation, today’s hearing should have disabused them of that notion,” Fairplay executive director Josh Golin told The Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Zuckerberg’s tone-deaf evasions and mumbled half-hearted apologies make clear that Congress needs to act and pass the Kids Online Safety Act.”</p><p><br /></p><p>MZ is personally named as a defendant in New Mexico’s suit, which is based on findings of a lengthy probe in which state investigators set up test accounts for four fictional children.</p><p><br /></p><p>The accounts were allegedly bombarded with disturbing messages, including “pictures and videos of genitalia” and horrific sexual propositions from adult users.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He needs to not think about these decisions simply as a business executive. He’s a parent – start acting like it,” Torrez said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Place the same kind of safeguards and protections that he would demand for his own children and apply them to his business. If he did that, we’d all be in a better place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>As media reported, an unredacted version of the suit cited an internal 2021 Meta presentation that found “100,000 children per day received online sexual harassment, such as pictures of adult genitalia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The complaint included communications among Meta staffers discussing problems with online sex exploitation on the platform, with one worker describing the company’s inaction as “really, really upsetting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The attorney general’s office alleged Meta “knew about the huge volume of inappropriate content being shared between adults and minors they did not know” – and that Zuckerberg made business decision that placed children at risk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook remain in the top tier of the world's most embatted and distructed brands, in company to the likes of Disney and in the news media sector, The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: X, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, FOX News, Wires, New York Post and tip offs)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>The Social Network</p><p>Official Trailer</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4&ab_channel=SonyPicturesEntertainment</p><p><br /></p><p>The Social Dilemma | Official Trailer | Netflix</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0&ab_channel=Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Silicon Valley: Season 6 | Official Trailer | HBO</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYHp-5h1y5o&ab_channel=HBO</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #MarkZuckerberg #bigtech #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediatrends #socialmediaplatform #socialmediaplatforms #SiliconValley #digitalnews #society #technews #Video #popculture #onlinenews #trends #trending #buzz #newsmedia #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int Multimedia Updated</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube Updated</p><p>www.youtube.com/mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Multimedia (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/multimedia.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Interviews (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/interviews.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Podcasts (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/streaming_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#YouTube #video #videos #streaming #streamingmedia #popculture #culture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #combatsports #prowrestling #wrestling #MMA #music #onlinenews #meme #memes #gifs #creativity #interview #interviews #podcasts #agent #agency #ads #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Try Not! Do or do not, there is no try." - Yoda</p><p>#Yoda #quote #trynot #popculture #mindset #attitude #mbs #mindbodyspirit #universe #world #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Boxing</p><p><br /></p><p>Historic Boxing Title Fight Coming Up</p><p><br /></p><p>Expected To Break Some Pay-Per-View Records</p><p><br /></p><p>Media And Hype Similar To Fury vs Francis Ngannou</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk</p><p><br /></p><p>February 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Both undefeated!</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury is the WBC titlist and Usyk, formerly an undisputed cruiserweight champion, is the unified WBO, WBA and IBF champion</p><p><br /></p><p>Billed as the 'Ring of Fire' fight will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and is the biggest fight that can be made in pro boxing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Together Fury and Usyk hold all four of the major heavyweight world titles, making this the most anticipated fight in 25 years. At least according to many, but other argue that Furty vs Ngannou was bigger, and don't start us on the knock down that happended, nor the scorecards etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield back n November 1999.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, like Fury, has never lost a professional bout. Since Usyk completed his second victory over Anthony Joshua in 2022 to defend his unified WBO, WBA and IBF championships, the hype and anticipation to see him fight Fury, the WBC heavyweight titlist, has continued to grow.</p><p><br /></p><p>The winner of their bout in Riyadh will be boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion in over two decades and the first of the four-belt era.</p><p><br /></p><p>The undercard includes Jai Opetaia v Mairis Briedis for the IBF Cruiserweight title and Joe Cordina v Anthony Cacace for the IBF super-featherweight title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to Fury vs Usyk</p><p><br /></p><p>The UK's born and bred Fury first became a unified world champion when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.</p><p><br /></p><p>He never lost those titles in the ring but they became vacant when he didn't box for more than two years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury made an impressive return in 2018 and drew in a suss bout with Deontay Wilder that year. Fury beat Wilder in a rematch to win the WBC title and won again in a great 2021 trilogy fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The following year he headlined two big stadium fights in London, stopping both Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora to defend his title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, further established himself alongside Fury at the top of the heavyweight rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>An Olympic gold medallist at London 2012, he ripped through the cruiserweight division, winning the World Boxing Super Series as well as going undefeated.</p><p><br /></p><p>He stepped up a call to heavyweight division and in 2021 dethroned Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBO and WBA titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Ukrainian defended the belts with another impressive win over Joshua last year and beat Dubois in his only bout of 2023 in Poland, the closest he could get to a homecoming bout with the ongoing war in Ukraine.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk became somewhat of a celebrated global figure after returning to his Ukrainian homeland when Russia invaded in February of 2022 and he continued to represent his country on a global stage when he returned to his boxing career. You know what they say about politics and sports, so let's get off that. All war is bad full stop.</p><p><br /></p><p>In October Fury navigated his way through an unexpectedly suss non-title bout with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now, on February 17 live Fury and Usyk are set decide who is the legit No 1 in the division and boxing will finally get its first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.</p><p><br /></p><p>Whatever happens February 17 we've got to words for you, "That's Boxing"!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p>Press Conference: Ring of Fire | Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk | Feb 17 #RiyadhSeason</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S-3LAErE9s&ab_channel=TNTSportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports Boxing YouTube</p><p>FURY AND USYK BROKEN APART! The heated 'Ring of Fire' face-off between Tyson Fury & Oleksandr Usyk</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTPdzrGDhfM&ab_channel=TNTSportsBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>His Excellency Turki Alalshikh Interview: Making The Biggest Fights & Creating New Boxing Fans</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVBFxDQq214&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>and a bonus for Media Man readers</p><p><br /></p><p>Top Rank Boxing YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Highlights from The Champions Gala Dinner</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTcqLPudVdE&ab_channel=TopRankBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #GypsyKing #OleksandrUsyk #Usyk #FuryUsyk #RingOfFire #RiyadhSeason #Riyadh #WBC #WBC #WBA #IBF #boxing #boxingnews #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #video #YouTube #YT #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #Goats #sportsnews #sportsmedia #livesports #liveentertainment #hype #promo #promotion #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury -Oleksandr Usyk Fight Postponded After Fury Suffers Cut In Sparring</p><p><br /></p><p>The undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury suffered a “freak cut” in sparring, promoters announced Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The fight was scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but will now be postponed until later in the year after Fury sustained a cut below his right eyebrow which required “urgent medical attention and significant stitching,” according to a statement from Queensbery Promotions, which co-promotes Fury with Top Rank.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” said Fury (34-0-1, 24 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 1-rated heavyweight and WBC titleholder, in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As we've said over the decades, That's Boxing!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video (now somewhat out of date)!</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Ring Magazine, Queensbery Promotions, Top Rank, Wires, WBC and X)</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #GypsyKing #OleksandrUsyk #Usyk #FuryUsyk #RingOfFire #RiyadhSeason #Riyadh #WBC #WBC #WBA #IBF #boxing #boxingnews </p><p>#Queensbery #TopRankBoxing #TopRank #combatsports #PPV #PayPerView #video #YouTube #YT #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #Goats #sportsnews #sportsmedia #livesports #liveentertainment #hype #promo #promotion #promoter #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Contracted Wrestler Logan Paul Not Shy To Speak On Merits via his home grown Impaulsive @impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes For LP via his ultra popular podcast...</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s (Kevin) ruthless man I’ll be honest with you. He’s good, he’s very good. I made fun of him frequently, I called him all sorts of things, the ‘Humpty Dumpty of WWE,’ Called him a 40-year old schoolboy because he dresses like a teenager. I underestimated him and I’m in a little bit of pain”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I did retain my title against all odds for the first time in WWE, and that’s all it takes, title defense at a time. Who knows? With this rate, I could be the next Roman Reigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul is set to appear on WWE SmackDown this Friday night. </p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE website currently reads:</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul journeys to SmackDown following Royal Rumble controversy</p><p><br /></p><p>Moments after he got disqualified for using the brass knuckles that Logan Paul introduced during an intense United States Title Match at Royal Rumble, an irate Kevin Owens responded by powerbombing the arrogant titleholder through the announce table after the match. </p><p><br /></p><p>This Friday, Logan is set to make his return to the blue brand after his controversial victory, and KO will likely be looking to get another piece of the outspoken titleholder. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss all the action of SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Our Ex Co-Host Is BACK! Life After IMPAULSIVE, Meeting Jesus, Logan Addresses WWE Injury - EP. 408</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5RJFngZcGU&t=1362s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>The John Cena Interview - IMPAULSIVE EP. 407</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PEqQxG6j4&t=3203s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What a cross body by Logan Paul" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"But not just that" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"And he turns it into the cross moon combo. Cover!" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Owen's has Logan's arms hooked. Could be thinking about a backslide. Uh oh" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Right to the back of Logan Paul's head" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Kevin Owens is ticked off, and I don't blame him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And now Owens returning the favor" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO got screwed here tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Kevin Owens now... through the table".. MC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: How can one not be hyped up for their next clash on SmackDown. If you wanting fighting, skills, drama and knockout action, these are your guys. Oh, right now we see Logan Paul as futher WWE and/or Universal/World Champion. Sorry haters. The prme heel you love to hate!</p><p><br /></p><p>#LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #AndStill #Impaulsive #USTitle #WWEUS #Prime #PaulOwens #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #RomanReigns #PaulHeyman #video #videos #YouTube #YT #highlights #moments #Goat #legends #FOX #popculture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #podcasting #podcastnews #viral #hype #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediamegastar #primeheel #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA </p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth LAID OUT by Steve Maclin | iMPACT! Feb. 1, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H96iiQnO4Q&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Following the surprise of Jordynne Grace in WWE's Royal Rumble match, tonight TNA Wrestling is back in it's old stomping grounds of Orlando, Florida"..</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: TNA maintains its edge and freshness. TNA's Scott D'Amore and Nic Nemeth, with the WWE connection are best for business! Win-Win-Win!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great action and drama via the official TNA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/tnawrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNAWrestling #TNAIMP #TNA #NicNemeth #MostWanted #MostWantedMan #SteveMaclin #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE Contracted Wrestler Logan Paul Not Shy To Speak On Merits via his home grown Impaulsive @impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Quotes For LP via his ultra popular podcast...</p><p><br /></p><p>"He’s (Kevin) ruthless man I’ll be honest with you. He’s good, he’s very good. I made fun of him frequently, I called him all sorts of things, the ‘Humpty Dumpty of WWE,’ Called him a 40-year old schoolboy because he dresses like a teenager. I underestimated him and I’m in a little bit of pain”</p><p><br /></p><p>“I did retain my title against all odds for the first time in WWE, and that’s all it takes, title defense at a time. Who knows? With this rate, I could be the next Roman Reigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul is set to appear on WWE SmackDown this Friday night. </p><p><br /></p><p>The WWE website currently reads:</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul journeys to SmackDown following Royal Rumble controversy</p><p><br /></p><p>Moments after he got disqualified for using the brass knuckles that Logan Paul introduced during an intense United States Title Match at Royal Rumble, an irate Kevin Owens responded by powerbombing the arrogant titleholder through the announce table after the match. </p><p><br /></p><p>This Friday, Logan is set to make his return to the blue brand after his controversial victory, and KO will likely be looking to get another piece of the outspoken titleholder. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss all the action of SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX. (Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Impaulsive Podcast</p><p><br /></p><p>Our Ex Co-Host Is BACK! Life After IMPAULSIVE, Meeting Jesus, Logan Addresses WWE Injury - EP. 408</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5RJFngZcGU&t=1362s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>The John Cena Interview - IMPAULSIVE EP. 407</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3PEqQxG6j4&t=3203s&ab_channel=IMPAULSIVE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"What a cross body by Logan Paul" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"But not just that" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"And he turns it into the cross moon combo. Cover!" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Owen's has Logan's arms hooked. Could be thinking about a backslide. Uh oh" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yikes" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"Right to the back of Logan Paul's head" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Kevin Owens is ticked off, and I don't blame him" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And now Owens returning the favor" PM</p><p><br /></p><p>"KO got screwed here tonight" MC</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Kevin Owens now... through the table".. MC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: How can one not be hyped up for their next clash on SmackDown. If you wanting fighting, skills, drama and knockout action, these are your guys. Oh, right now we see Logan Paul as futher WWE and/or Universal/World Champion. Sorry haters. The prme heel you love to hate!</p><p><br /></p><p>#LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #AndStill #Impaulsive #USTitle #WWEUS #Prime #PaulOwens #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #RomanReigns #PaulHeyman #video #videos #YouTube #YT #highlights #moments #Goat #legends #FOX #popculture #entertainment #entertainmentnews #podcasting #podcastnews #viral #hype #socialmedia #socialmedianews #socialmediamegastar #primeheel #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Top 10 WWE NXT moments: WWE Top 10, Jan. 30, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4WjpvKp67w&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Looking for that knockout blow. Boom. Right to the back of the neck" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"Was that legal"? Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yes it was legal Book VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #TV #wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling fans can't miss this SmackDown says Media Man; History will be made one way or another!</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns begins The Road to WrestleMania: WWE Now, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiFuJ-Y7PV8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns face to face With Cody Rhodes!</p><p>Does The Rock or Seth Rollins get a mention?</p><p>What's The Bloodlines' take on the situation?</p><p>Can Paul Heyman be trusted under all the pressure?</p><p>You can bet that The Rock, head of TKO is watching on!</p><p>Logan Paul, with or without brass knux?</p><p>Kevin Owens still has Logan Paul in his sights and the table bump is not the end of the story!</p><p>WWE announcers should be cautious while broadcasting from their broadcast table, especially when KO and Logan Paul are in the building!</p><p>Bayley on WrestleMania</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This is going to be a very hot and volitile happening. FOX and The Hound? Who is really Head Of The Table?</p><p>#SmackDown #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #HeadOfTheTable #TribalChief #PaulHeyman #TheSamoans #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #CMPunk #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Bayley #Wrestlemania #EliminationChamber #wrestling #prowrestling #FOX #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #Goat #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>GUTFELD</p><p><br /></p><p>Can we please never stop talking about Taylor Swift?: Gutfeld</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLcwV79A2U&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"HaHaHa. For tabloid fodder shes a keeper, what what if Taylor's stories went much deeper. Welcome to Part 1 of our 56 Part series. 'Can We Please Never Stop Talking About Taylor Swift'...</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gutfeld: Can this save Bud Light?</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpn4zyF4tmI&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These boys ripped down a tampon dispenser in their high school bathroom</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpn4zyF4tmI&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news4.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Pop Culture (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/pop_culture.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Gutfeld #GregGutfeld #FOX #FoxNews #TaylorSwift #NFL #SuperBowl #entertainmentnews #popculture #satire #comedy #tabloid #broadcast #YouTube #YT #trend #trends #buzz #news #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: FOX News</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crown reopens floor and rolls the dice on ‘Swifties’</p><p><br /></p><p>Crown Sydney has reopened one of its gambling floors and says it won’t be encouraging gambling and plans to phase out cash.</p><p><br /></p><p>(The Australian)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Crown #CrownSydney #gambling #entertainment #EntertainmentNews #swifties #casino #casinonews #gaming #gamingnews #gamesbiz #popculture #showbiz #liveentertainment #cash #money #fintech #currency #tourism #tourismindustry #businessnews #biznews #newsmedia #Aussie #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Chaser vs ITV</p><p><br /></p><p>They’re notorious for high-profile stunts and news satire, but the people behind The Chaser are in a fight of their lives to keep their 25-year legacy alive – defending their brand in court against British broadcast giant ITV Studios. Full story via The Australian Financial Review @FinancialReview </p><p><br /></p><p>#TheChaser #TheChase #BeatTheChasers #ITV </p><p>#CharlesFirth #AFR #FinReview #news #newsmedia #comedy #satire #IP #showbiz #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #newsbiz #newsbusiness #mediabiz #mediabusiness #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Motorsport: F1</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton shocks F1 @F1 with jump to rivals Ferrari</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton shocked the motorsports world on Thursday (Friday AEDT) when the seven-time Formula One champion said he will leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari, which had tried to land Hamilton before he signed his latest contract extension with the Silver Arrows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton only finalised a two-year extension with Mercedes at the end of August. Mercedes said on Thursday the 39-year-old British driver has activated a release clause in that new deal that will allow him to join Ferrari in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old,” Hamilton said in a team statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton moved from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013 and won six of his seven titles with the Silver Arrows. His 103 race victories are an F1 record, but his last win was in the penultimate race of the 2021 season, as Mercedes has struggled to get its new car up to speed against rival Red Bull.</p><p><br /></p><p>News first broke early on Thursday about Hamilton’s move, but it took the remainder of the day for the teams to address the speculation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mercedes, with comment from both Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff, finally said Hamilton was leaving and moments later Ferrari posted a team statement that said simply “Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce that Lewis Hamilton will be joining the team in 2025, on a multi-year contract.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton will finish his run at Mercedes alongside current teammate George Russell. He will be teammates at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc, who in December agreed to a long-term extension.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hamilton will be 40 when he moves into a red and black uniform to represent Ferrari. His last championship was in 2020. In 2021, he was en route to a record-breaking eighth title in the season finale until a controversial finish gave the title to Max Verstappen, who has since gone on to win three consecutive titles as Red Bull has surpassed Mercedes as the top team in F1.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ferrari, meanwhile, has not won a driver’s title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hamilton move is stunning, even after prolonged negotiations on the extension he signed last year led to speculation he was considering a move to another team. During one news conference last season, Leclerc was asked about the rumours of a new teammate at Ferrari and turned to Hamilton, laughed, and said “Hello, Lewis.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Still, Hamilton signed the Mercedes extension and insisted he wanted to end his career with his current team because of “unfinished business” and a desire to help Mercedes rebuild its struggling team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Instead, Wolff said both sides knew their relationship “would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride,” Wolff said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mercedes won only one race in 2022 – and it was a Russell win – as the team admitted to poor design in its new car. Mercedes has spent the past two years trying to improve the car and was winless last season, although Hamilton finished third in the driver standings with six podium finishes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Leclerc ended last season with three podiums in the last four races as Ferrari began to show signs of being able to contend with Red Bull.</p><p><br /></p><p>There had been reports for much of last season that Hamilton was being personally courted by Ferrari chairman John Elkann, but former Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said on Thursday the Hamilton signing was “unexpected”.</p><p><br /></p><p>F1’s preseason testing begins in Bahrain on February 21 and the first race is in Bahrain on March 2.</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via the official F1 YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari: The Inside Story | F1 Nation Podcast</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AusWXmcISM&ab_channel=FORMULA1</p><p><br /></p><p>Toto Wolff On Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes Exit</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5TB2nECP3I&ab_channel=FORMULA1</p><p><br /></p><p>#F1 #Formula1 #FormulaOne #F1Nation #motorsport #LewisHamilton #Ferrari #Mercedes #McLaren #GeorgeRussell #CharlesLeclerc #RedBull #RedBullRacing #JohnElkann #LucaCordero #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz #sportsmarketing #brands #branding #sponsorship #Video #YouTube #news #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Behind the scenes of CM Punk’s emotional week: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYW7nQa-rkI&t=20s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody gets hurt. It's inevitable. I could have been an accountant, but this is the business that I chose.. maybe the business chose me".. CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gosh, how did we get here" CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Amazing Vlog and storytelling from CM Punk and the WWE team. Art reflects life and life reflects art. The best wrestling stories are based on real life.</p><p><br /></p><p>#CMPunk #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WrestleMania #Vlog #YouTube #YT #video #WWE #DrewMcIntyre #CodyRhodes #RomanReigns #BehindTheScenes #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #WWERaw #SmackDown #WWEPC #entertainment #combatsports #PopCulture #quotes #interview #sportsentertainment #sportsbusiness #sportsnews #sportsmedia #career #rehab #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship @bareknucklefc</p><p><br /></p><p>57 Countdown Show & Live Free Prelims!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLYiMw1QJQ&ab_channel=BareKnuckleFightingChampionship</p><p><br /></p><p>Friday, February 2nd, 2024 starting at 8PM EST! In the main event, Luis Palomino will face Austin Trout for the world welterweight world championship.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship makes its return to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Friday, February 2nd, 2024! </p><p><br /></p><p>In the main event, Luis Palomino (9-0) - the world's #1 ranked pound-for-pound champion will face former Boxing World Champion Austin "No Doubt" Trout (1-0) for the welterweight world championship! </p><p><br /></p><p>In the co-main event, Bryce Henry (3-0) is set to square off against Robbie Peralta (3-0) in an electrifying lightweight bare-knuckle showdown! </p><p><br /></p><p>✩BKFC 57 FIGHT CARD✩ - Luis Palomino (9-0) vs. Austin Trout (1-0): Welterweight Championship - Bryce Henry (3-0) vs. Robie Peralta (3-0) - Jomi Escoboza (8-1) vs. Issac Doolittle (3-1) - Bryan Duran (5-0) vs. Louis Lopez (3-2) - Alberto Blas (3-0) vs. Daniel Alvarez (1-1) - Chris Garcia (2-0) vs. Albert Inclan (1-1) - Leonardo Perdomo (2-0) vs. Bobby Brents (debut) - Christine Vincens (2-0) vs. Sydney Smith (1-1) - Justin Ibarrola (2-0) vs. Landon Williams (0-1) - Edgard Plazaola (1-0) vs. Darrick Gates (1-4) - Ryan Reber (4-0) vs. Derek Perez (2-1) - Stephen Townsel (3-3) vs. Leo Brecier (3-1) - Matt Russo (2-0) vs. Justin Street (debut)</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via BKFC Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@BKFC</p><p><br /></p><p>#BKFC57 #BKFC #BareKnuckle #BareKnuckleFightingChampionship #LuisPalomino #AustinTrout #BryceHenry #RobbiePeralta #combatsports #fighting #fightbiz #PPV #PayPerView #SeminoleHardRockHotel #Seminole #HardRock #TrillerTV #casinonews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsstreaming #streamingsports #livesports #liveentertainment #video #YouTube #promo #trend #trends #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: BKFC)</p><p>(Image credit: BCFC)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton slaps Michin: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sInqe-WlJeY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Legado del Fantasma will end Rey Mysterio's LWO: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCyyD7r5aJw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill & Bron Breakker hear out Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE82sjAe1O8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bayley challenges IYO SKY at WrestleMania?!: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg-EfULKk08&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens is not finished with Logan Paul: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awXP40ISeMg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens uses brass knuckles to beat Austin Theory: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnyc9JS7lAU&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I gotta tell ya. I'm impressed your even here tonight Logan Paul after the beating you took at the end of that match up " Wade Barrett @StuBennett</p><p><br /></p><p>"Clear the deck, Cannonball" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #TiffanyStratton #Michin #JadeCargill #WWEWomen #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Prime #NickAldis #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #AustinTheory #Hitman #FOX #USTitle #highlights #video #YouTube #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #PopCulture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown Exceeds Expections Says Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Great action, drama, production, behind the scenes, team effort shows in end result</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Official YouTube showcases numerous moments and highlights of a stacked blockbuster show</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT: The Rock steps to Roman Reigns on Road To WrestleMania: SmackDown, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58PpN0_VzQg&t=155s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is aura. God mode engaged tonight on Friday Night SmackDown and Wade, you have to imagine the Tribal Chief is riding high after a dominant win this past Saturday at the Royal Rimble" Cory Graves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Well it is Groundhod Day every single day for the challengers of Roman Reigns as the bodies continue to stack up on the island of relevancy"... Wade Barrett</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown’s jaw-dropping moments: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH0uwcEsv_g&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Tiffany Stratton wins WWE debut match: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7G2JV9U_1w&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens uses brass knuckles to beat Austin Theory: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnyc9JS7lAU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Austin Theory and Grayson Waller would never use brass knuckles: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-43GtcH1bQ&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>B-Fab aligns with Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gdLMxc2OBk&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Naomi is ready to bring the glow to Friday nights: SmackDown exclusive, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGA7limcveE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill & Bron Breakker hear out Nick Aldis & Adam Pearce: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE82sjAe1O8&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #WrestleMania #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #Prime #RomanReigns #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #TheBloodline #HeadOfTheTable #CodyRhodes #NickAldis #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #AustinTheory #Hitman #BronBreakker #GraysonWaller #AustinTheory #AOP #TiffanyStratton #Michin #JadeCargill #Naomi #Glow #WWEWomen #FOX #USTitle #highlights #video #YouTube #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #PopCulture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'Rocky,' 'Mandalorian' star Carl Weathers passes at 76</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Actor Carl Weathers died Tuesday at age 76. Deadline confirmed the news via a statement from Weathers' family Friday and Variety with Weather's manager.</p><p><br /></p><p>The family stated that Weathers "died peacefully in his sleep."</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers appeared in the first four Rocky movies as Apollo Creed. Apollo was Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) opponent in the first two, trainer in the third and his death at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) motivated Rocky's fourth bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Creed films follow Apollo's son, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). The Drago family challenged Adonis in Creed II.</p><p><br /></p><p>A diverse career spanned action movies like Predator and Action Jackson, comedies like Happy Gilmore and drama in TV's Chicago Justice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers recently appeared in and directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Weathers also voiced Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>His movie career began with an uncredited appearance in the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force. He began directing with a 1995 episode of Renegade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to his longtime friend and Rocky co-star Carl Weathers, who died this week at the age of 76.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching," Stallone wrote on Instagram Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers played fictional boxer Apollo Creed to Stallone's Rocky Balboa in four Rocky movies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers is also known for his roles in The Mandalorian, Predator, Action Jackson, Chicago Justice and the Toy Story animated franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Sandler said on X of his Happy Gilmore co-star: "A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smart as hell. Loyal as hell," Sandler added. "Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend."</p><p><br /></p><p>Pascal posted, "Words fail," alongside a broken heart emoji and photo of Weathers on Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesse Ventura, actor, wrestlers and truth teller + via X: We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers' life and death has been a topic of conversation not just in and around showbiz - the movie and television industry, but also in combat sports circles and in society at large. Rocky was likely his most famous work, but his body of work grew to be outstanding. He had a beautiful vibe about him and this resonated through the lens across the world - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>#CarlWeathers #carlweathersrip #RIP #trbute #tribes #apollocreed #Rocky #Predator #ActionJackson #TheMandalorian #showbiz #entertainment #movienews #TVNews #legend #legends #trending #mbs #mindbodyspirit #thankyou #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Google Content News</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger quizes Google's John M on the syndicated content. Answers inluding canonical elements and more. Talk about opening up another Pandora's Box, just when you thought you had just about figured out the business of the web, SEO, linking strategy, shared and syndicated contact and such. I'm not certain if that gave more clariy, or if I'm more confused than ever about the secrets of Google and the Holy Grail of the web. An answer to the questions is generally better than none. Thanks SEL and Google for the extra intel. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Sentence Level Semantic Internal Links</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Roger with a great feature on sentence level semantic internal links. This article has sparked us to ramp up more of this strategy. We are doing it for our combat sports coverage and gaming coverage. For example: Combat Sports - wrestling. MMA - boxing. Gaming - online games, casino games and hotels, casinos and resorts. In web terms you can call it usability of a website. Not that ours are set up perfectly, but we strive for an achieve results and the Google search engine and readers across the globe keep discovering our coverage, so a few things are certainly working. Cheers SEJ. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Roman Reigns set for iconic face-off at WrestleMania XL Kickoff!</p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., February 3, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns will face off at an open-to-the-public fan and media event – WrestleMania XL Kickoff – live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Thursday, February 8 at 4 p.m. PT.</p><p><br /></p><p>Doors open at 2:30 p.m. PT.This non-ticketed event, delivered by Pizza Hut, is free for all to attend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans and media will hear from both The Rock and Roman Reigns, as well as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Onsite interview opportunities for media will immediately follow the event with both participants, Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley.</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on the anticipation for the already-record-breaking WrestleMania XL, Thursday’s event will be hosted by Monday Night Raw commentators Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, and stream live on WWE social and digital channels as well as Peacock.</p><p><br /></p><p>VIP experiences for WrestleMania XL Kickoff through exclusive partner On Location are available for purchase at https://onlocationexp.com/wrestlemaniaxlkickoff</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania XL takes place across two nights on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and stream live on Peacock in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source/Credit: WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheRock #RomanReigns #WrestleManiaXLKickOff #WrestleManiaKickOff #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #WrestleManiaXL #CodyRhodes #SethRollins #BiancaBelair #RheaRipley #MichaelCole #PatMcAfee #faceoff #pressconference #mediaconference #prowrestling #wrestling #history #legends #entertainment #PopCulture #broadcast #trend #trends #trending #buzz #wrestlingnews #TMobileArena #LasVegas #VegasNews #sportsnews #entertainmentnews #showbiz #newsmedia #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson appears set for WWE return in WrestleMania 40 dream match with Roman Reigns - Feb 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is heading to WrestleMania and has Roman Reigns in his sight.</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE made the match all but official Friday night on SmackDown as the two cousins came face to face for the first time during Reigns’ historic 1,200-plus day world championship reign. </p><p><br /></p><p>The two didn’t say a word, but WWE teased a WrestleMania 40 press conference for Thursday in Las Vegas. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s a dream encounter, as the two have never had a match together and now likely will main event Night 2 of the two-night WrestleMania at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on April 6-7. </p><p><br /></p><p>It wasn’t immediately announced if Reigns’ championship will be on the line. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock was a surprise for SmackDown, which advertised back-to-back Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes making his decision about who he will face at WrestleMania — either a rematch from last year’s show with Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Universal champion, or World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes, who pointed to Reigns after winning the Royal Rumble last week, had some doubt planted in his mind by Rollins earlier this week on Raw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rollins told him he should go after his title — the workhorse title that his dad, Dusty Rhodes, had won.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes said one of the people he sought council with over his decision was The Rock, whose music then hits.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It allowed WWE to have Rhodes in the storyline graciously bow out of facing Reigns and make it seem like this was all his idea to the fans who wanted to see him beat The Tribal Chief and “finish the story” by winning the title his dad never won. </p><p><br /></p><p>It’s unclear if this was an audible WWE called after Rollins’ rumored opponent, CM Punk, tore his right triceps during the Royal Rumble and will have to miss WrestleMania. </p><p><br /></p><p>But WWE felt on this path with Reigns and Rock after the Hollywood star asked if he should “sit at the head of the table” on SmackDown in January. </p><p><br /></p><p>The 51-year-old Rock, who just became a board member of WWE’s parent company TKO, hasn’t wrestled a true match since he lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in 2013. </p><p><br /></p><p>He and Reigns have a history in Philadelphia. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock raised Reigns’ hand after he won the Royal Rumble at the Wells Fargo Center in 2015 in an ill-received segment during Reigns’ failed babyface push.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>All of this is happening during a tumultuous two weeks for WWE after a bombshell civil suit was filed against former boss Vince McMahon with ex-company employee, Janel Grant, accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking</p><p><br /></p><p>After news of the lawsuit broke, McMahon resigned his role as executive chairman of TKO’s board, and he is also under a federal investigation over the allegations, according to the Wall Street Journal.</p><p><br /></p><p>(NY Post)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Dream Match</p><p><br /></p><p>Fantasy Booking. Can it become reality?</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul @LoganPaul vs Cody Rhodes @CodyRhodes </p><p><br /></p><p>#dreammatch #dreammatches #LoganPaul #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #AmericanDream #PrimeHeel #TheMaverick #RhodestoWrestleMania #TeamRhodes #TeamLogan #PeoplesChoice #prowrestling #wrestling #fantasybooking #DFS #FantasySports #entertainment #popculture #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #disruptor #disruptor #prime #primewrestling #trend #trending #trending #buzz #socialmedia #socialmediamegastar #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Dream Match</p><p><br /></p><p>Santos Escobar vs Rey Mysterio vs Dominic Mysterio. Special ref: Dragon Lee. Special enforcer: Nick Aldis</p><p><br /></p><p>Winner sets Double Date Stipulation, or loosing luchadores partner must wear a mask for a week! (Part satire). WWE creative, over to you... Maybe a storyline for a potential Netflix special series WWE After Dark.</p><p><br /></p><p>in a WWE @WWE Ring</p><p><br /></p><p>#SantosEscobar #ReyMysterio #DominicMysterio #DirtyDom #ZelinaVega #ElektraLopez #dreammatch #dreammatches #fantasybooking #WrestleMania #lucha #LuchaLibre #AdamPearce #delFantasma #Fantasma #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #trend #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling ups their game again; Action, drama and new faces (and masks) and more storylines playing out says Media Man. Strong thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Great matches, highlights and moments added to the official AEW YouTube Channel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Technical Wizardry! Bryan Danielson takes on CMLL’s Hechicero! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6nVrx24Nng&t=3s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bryan Danielson v Hechicero + Who Sits Atop the Rankings? | AEW Control Center: Edinburg, 2/3/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuVrWZmZ4IQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Continental Crown Champ Eddie Kingston takes on Bounty Hunter Bryan Keith! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPMVgKsquBE&t=27s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>HUGE Trios match! FTR & Garcia vs TNT Champ Christian Cage & The Patriarchy! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyEsRzjqkQ&t=14s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Third time's a charm! Swerve Strickland calls his shot against Hangman Page! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1Tdpd-NHkE&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>After last week's attack, Mark Briscoe calls out the House of Black! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIJifxU-q_I&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>FTW Champion, HOOK, test his mettle in a 2-on-1 match vs The Outrunners! | 2/3/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBg63mEl3Hg&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Exclusive post match comments from FTR + Daniel Garcia issues a challenge!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jvyyiGv-Lk&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>This is so much more via AEW. Catch the broadcast and/or check out their official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWCollision #AEW #BryanDanielson #Hechicero #CMLL #luchalibre #luchador #EddieKingston #BryanKeith #BountyHunter #Hook #Outrunners #FTR #DanielGarcia #ChristianCage #ThePatriarchy #SwerveStrickland #HangmanPage #TNT #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Edinburg #Texas #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World Missing Carl Weathers</p><p><br /></p><p>Video tributes; Official and unofficial flooding web states media, insiders</p><p><br /></p><p>Rocky, MGM YouTube Channels Hit By Emotional Fans</p><p><br /></p><p>The Best of Apollo Creed | MGM Studios (video)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqkN_VlK9sY&ab_channel=MGM</p><p><br /></p><p>Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) was the undefeated champion until Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) changes that. These are the best moments he shares with us in the Rocky films.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: MGM)</p><p><br /></p><p>Rocky Balboa Trains with Apollo Creed | ROCKY III</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WDb2NkcZBg&ab_channel=OfficialRockyBalboa</p><p><br /></p><p>Motivating Moments: Apollo Creed's Best Moments | Compilation</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zle3QDYPpw&ab_channel=OfficialRockyBalboa</p><p><br /></p><p>New York Post Official YouTube</p><p>Carl Weathers dead: ‘Rocky’s’ Apollo Creed and ‘Predator’ star was 76</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_C2N_RSMdE&ab_channel=NewYorkPost</p><p><br /></p><p>#ApolloCreed #CarlWeathers #Rocky #Rocky2 #SylvesterStallone #MGM #YouTube #highlights #moments #video #tribute #carlweathersrip #entertainment #popculture #legend #legends #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #Usyk #OleksandrUsyk #FuryUsyk #boxing #boxingnews #RingOfFire #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #PPV #PayPerView #sportsbetting #wager #popculture </p><p>#GeneralEntertainmentAuthority #GEA #SaudiArabia #news #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>#TysonFury #Usyk #OleksandrUsyk #FuryUsyk #boxing #boxingnews #RingOfFire #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbusiness #PPV #PayPerView #sportsbetting #wager #popculture </p><p>#GeneralEntertainmentAuthority #GEA #SaudiArabia #news #newsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @UFC Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Apex Arena. Enterprise, Nevada</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann defeats Diana Belbita by submission (armbar) at 4:59 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Johnson defeats Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Themba Gorimbo defeats Pete Rodriguez by TKO (strikes) at 0:32 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>JeongYeong Lee defeats Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>Luana Carolina defeats Julija Stoliaranenko by TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>MarQuel Mederos defeats Landon Quinones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Jamal Pogues defeats Thomas Petersen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Main Card Results</p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Video via UFC Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Vegas 85: DOLIDZE vs IMAVOV | COLD OPEN</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKePynqL_DI&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Dolizde vs Imavov - Something Wild Comes Out | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLlxiv_cp8k&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Moicano vs Dober - The Art of the Knockout | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTQaVmiHrcA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov Octagon Interview | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f617ABwRLpc&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano Octagon Interview | UFC Vegas 85</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmbmCvCMRJU&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and more past, present and future via the official UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/ufc</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Who gets the W and who gets the L is just part of the story. Yes, winning matters without question, just as it did back in the schoolyard and school gym days for those who lived to tell that tale. The features and previews are the way to go. Getting to know the fighters. Why, how, who, the journey etc. Borrowing a page out of the pro wrestling playbook. There are so many fights these days, so getting to know the fighters and what drives them and the back story is more important than ever in many ways. Great teamwork from the UFC crew once again who put it all together for fight fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int) *subject to change. In progress</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFCVegas85 #UFCFightNight #NassourdineImavov #RomanDolidze #RenatoMoicano #DrewDober #ufcresults #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #mmanews #mmamedia #sportsnews #sportsmedia #VegasNews #LasVegas #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs Williams - NXT Title</p><p>Valkyria vs Perez - Womens Title</p><p>Oba Femi vs Dragon Lee - North American Title</p><p>Corbin & Breakker vs Hayes & Williams – Dusty Cup</p><p>The Family & Adrianna Rizzo vs Nima, Price & Parker - 6 Person</p><p>Dijak vs Gacy - No DQ</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams – NXT Championship: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTaS5PY8Yd8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Vengeance Day 2024 Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKo1PdfVPK8&t=13s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Family vs. OTM - Six Person Tag Team Match: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErI696R7es&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the back story with The Family. The story, charactures, backed up by strong in-ring action are key parts of the formula once again. Wolf Dogs favs for the Dusty Cup. Dijak vs Gacy is going to be a war.</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTVengeanceDay #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #ObaFemi #DragonLee #WolfDogs #TheFamily #LyraValkyria #RoxannePerez #Dijak #JoeGacy #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #Video #PLE #entertainment #liventertainment #livesports #popculture #AndStill #AndNew #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NXT Vengeance Day</p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs Williams - NXT Title</p><p>Valkyria vs Perez - Womens Title</p><p>Oba Femi vs Dragon Lee - North American Title</p><p>Corbin & Breakker vs Hayes & Williams – Dusty Cup </p><p>The Family & Adrianna Rizzo vs Nima, Price & Parker - 6 Person</p><p>Dijak vs Gacy - No DQ</p><p>#WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day 2024 Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKo1PdfVPK8&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Family vs. OTM - Six Person Tag Team Match: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErI696R7es&t=8s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#NXTVengeanceDay #TheFamily #OTM #prowrestling #wrestling #YouTube #Video #promo #entertainment</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>NXT @WWENXT Vengeance Day</p><p><br /></p><p>Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams – NXT Championship: NXT Vengeance Day Hype Package</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTaS5PY8Yd8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#NXTVengeanceDay #MadDragon #TrickWilliams #NXTTitle #prowrestling #YouTube #Video #promo #entertainment #PLE </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Luxury brands ramp up VIP touches as they court big spenders</p><p><br /></p><p>High-net-worth clients are increasingly being feted by brands keen to keep them happy – and spending – with private shopping, butlers and even tennis lessons.</p><p><br /></p><p>Erin Deering is in many ways the ideal luxury customer. The co-founder of Triangl, a swimwear brand, she loves fashion and is a keen shopper. And, she says, she’s also “obsessed with customer-centric behaviour”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I absolutely love being appreciated by a brand, and as a [former] brand owner myself, I see this as absolutely crucial to the success and longevity of any brand, luxury or otherwise,” says Deering.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Globally, the top 2 per cent of luxury customers drove 40 per cent of sales in 2022, making ultra-high-net-worth clients particularly important to fashion and jewellery brands. Luxury brands are responding with significant investment in these VIPs, lavishing them with exclusive experiences and money-can’t-buy access, hosting them in private salons and even sending butlers armed with new collections to their homes for purchases.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deering is one of these customers. Last year, she travelled with Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta to Beijing to see the brand’s autumn/winter show, and was also hosted by Gucci in Singapore.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It makes you feel very special,” says Deering, who will launch a new clothing label in September. “You are looked after from the minute you are picked up from home. You don’t pay for a thing.” On her birthday, Deering is sent flowers and gifts from brands where she is a top shopper, and has WhatsApp conversations with sales assistants.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They send me pictures and I can order directly from them,” she says. “Sometimes I am offered made-to-order pieces.”</p><p><br /></p><p>If Deering is too busy to visit the store herself, a courier will deliver a selection for her to choose from. “It’s about knowing that you are being thought of,” she says. “It’s not just about an assistant in the Melbourne store speaking to me – I know that they are talking about me, and customers like me, in the head office in Italy. That keeps me loyal. I feel so, so valued.”</p><p><br /></p><p>As luxury becomes more democratised and accessible, courting VIP customers and making them feel special is more important than ever. Brands are taking note, particularly in Europe. Gucci opened a private boutique in Los Angeles last year called Gucci Salon, featuring the company’s most exclusive products, often retailing at more than €40,000 ($65,000). The concept was replicated in London and Tokyo.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Chanel and Brunello Cucinella are opening invitation-only boutiques for top spenders. Dolce & Gabbana has Alta Moda apartments in Milan and Paris, and French jeweller Boucheron has a private apartment above its store on the Place Vendôme. At the Dior flagship in Paris, top clients can rent a penthouse for €25,000 ($40,000) a night. A key to the store is included, and guests can shop any time they like.</p><p><br /></p><p>But it’s not just international brands; Australia’s Zimmermann has had a dedicated team of VIP liaisons for many years, catering to its best customers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Longevity and a brand name account for some loyalty, but service is still key, says GCQ Funds Management chief investment officer Doug Tynan.</p><p><br /></p><p>“A century of heritage and a commitment to manufacturing all key products by hand mean the value of super-luxury brands are well-placed to increase over time,” he says. “But heritage and scarcity wouldn’t count for much without being matched by a superb customer experience.”</p><p><br /></p><p>GCQ is an investor in super-luxury stocks including Richemont – the owner of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels – and Hermes.</p><p><br /></p><p>“As an investor, I want to see these brands always striving to take their superb customer experience to the next level,” Tynan says.</p><p><br /></p><p>Camille Thioulouse, a luxury brand consultant who has worked with Cartier, Christian Louboutin and Louis Vuitton, says that for luxury brands, top clients are the highest priority and are heavily incentivised to spend big.</p><p><br /></p><p>“These rewards are only for very top-tier clients,” she says.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If you are invited to the Tiffany & Co Blue Book [high jewellery] event, you have likely spent more than seven figures that year.” Similarly, she says, brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton will take clients to international fashion shows, and sometimes even the rarefied couture shows. “That is a whole other level,” says Thioulouse. “There are absolutely top Australian spenders who would qualify.”</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s not all private jets, though: personal touches like birthday and Christmas presents are common, as well as exclusive access. In December, Chanel invited top clients to a rehearsal of the Australian Ballet – of which it is a sponsor– and it frequently hosts private collection viewings, usually in luxury homes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shoe brand Jimmy Choo frequently invites top spenders to lavish dinners, most recently at Melbourne’s Reine. In the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, jewellery brands such as Cartier and Tiffany & Co host catered events, inviting clients to schedule an appointment to shop and treating them to afternoon tea and cocktail hours.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, travel group Marriott Bonvoy invited some of its VIPs to play tennis with Pat Rafter, Ash Barty and Dylan Alcott ahead of the women’s Australian Open final on Saturday, then whisked them away at match point during the game so they could be present on court as Aryna Sabalenka was handed her trophy.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is the stuff money can’t buy,” says Thioulouse. “It’s all very discreet, and it feels special and valuable. This is not an opportunity to post on Instagram. These are serious clients who spend big.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bookmakers desperate for a win from AUSTRAC audits</p><p><br /></p><p>Low discretionary spend, advertising bans and credit card deposits have made margins tight for bookmakers. The financial crimes watchdog could make it a lot worse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Punters may have backed Italian Janik Sinner to become the Australian Open men’s champion, but the odds they’ll be using the same local bookmaker to take that gamble this time next year are less likely by the day. And it’s not because Sinner won’t be around to defend his title.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia’s wagering sector is facing a multitude of challenges, all with the potential to cause cost cuts and consolidation.</p><p><br /></p><p>The three major issues are an impending ban on credit card deposits, stricter federal government rules on gambling ads and increases to point of consumption tax.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But another lurking threat could upend Australia’s bookmaking sector, and it’s one that no company would want to bet on: the outcome of audits by the financial crimes watchdog, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), into potential breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism laws by three major bookmakers.</p><p><br /></p><p>If AUSTRAC finds Ladbrokes, Sportsbet or Bet365 have weak compliance systems that allowed them to profit from the proceeds of crime, it will strain already tight margins and make it even more difficult to operate locally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Critically, in the case of global companies Flutter (the owner of Sportsbet) and Ladbrokes’ owner, Entain, it could be difficult to continue to justify the business case for operating in Australia.</p><p><br /></p><p>How did it come to this?</p><p>A little over one year ago, AUSTRAC commenced three separate investigations into compliance.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first was an “enforcement” investigation into Entain, which was conducted by AUSTRAC after a $29 million fine was paid by the London-listed company to the UK Gambling Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>AUSTRAC then launched two separate external investigations intoSportsbet and Bet365.</p><p><br /></p><p>Former AUSTRAC chief executive Nicole Rose said at the time the decision was made following a “deep investigation of transactions”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We have reasonable grounds to suspect that Sportsbet and Bet365 may have contravened or are contravening the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act,” she said in October 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Our work on the gambling sector in the last couple of years [shows] there’s certainly a common theme: that they don’t think enough about their money laundering and financial crime systems.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The auditors were appointed at Sportsbet and Bet365’s expense. Sportsbet’s audit was conducted by KordaMentha and Bet365 hired KPMG to investigate its practices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The final reports were issued to AUSTRAC last September. The outcomes of the investigations could be made public within weeks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The gambling companies are bracing for the worst. AUSTRAC – which as of this week is under the leadership of Brendan Thomas – likes to make an example of companies with serious breaches and has issued more than $2 billion in penalties since 2015, when it hit Tabcorp with a $45 million fine for allowing customers to facilitate dirty money through their betting accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>More recently, it slapped Westpac and Commonwealth Bank with respective fines of $1.3 billion and $700 million for serious breaches of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism act. Crown was ordered to pay $450 million following legal action by AUSTRAC last year, and Star Entertainment Group and Skycity – the two listed operators – are still in court.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gambling insiders said that at least two operators – Entain and Sportsbet – were provided with a long list of potential problems and areas to improve on.</p><p><br /></p><p>What happens next?</p><p><br /></p><p>All signs point to at least one bookmaker facing civil proceedings after the audits.</p><p><br /></p><p>If it is one operator or three, the potential penalties could be tens of millions of dollars. That could be the final straw for the three international operators.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is fast becoming the lowest-margin market for international bookmakers. Once a mature market where bookmaking thrived, the sector is under pressure from different fronts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first is what Communications Minister Michelle Rowland decides to do with a long list of recommendations from the online gambling inquiry. That list includes a blanket ban on advertising, sponsorships, and inducements and changes to behavioural algorithms in gambling apps.</p><p><br /></p><p>The most likely outcome is some form of gambling advertising ban, which would hurt wagering operators that rely heavily on sports events to promote inducements and smaller bookmakers that need ads for brand awareness.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Then there’s the proposed government legislation to ban credit card deposits for sports betting. This will be felt across all wagering operators, but Sportsbet and Tabcorp, which have the largest market shares, are likely to be most affected.</p><p><br /></p><p>Queensland and Victoria are increasing point-of-consumption tax – fees paid to the government for customers’ use of bookmakers in the respective states. These keep rising, tightening margins and making it difficult for bookmakers to spend much elsewhere, such as on improving products and technology.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sportsbet has lost market share to competitors and Entain, which also owns Neds, last year axed almost 10 per cent of local headcount.</p><p><br /></p><p>Entain’s global CEO, Jette Nyaard-Andersen, abruptly stepped down in December, weeks after the betting group settled a bribery case for more than £585 million ($1.1 billion). She was under fire from investors for poor share price performance and several costly acquisitions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another factor that bookmakers are blaming for a decline in digital revenue and turnover is an overall slowdown in racing revenue, which is ultimately caused by macroeconomic conditions. People are spending less money on non-essentials like gambling because of rising interest rates and inflation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>These challenges are already inviting change: BetR and BlueBet have discussed some form of merger, and PointsBet has looked at potential buyers for its Australian business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best case, worst case</p><p>Auditors have already assessed if the three betting shops should adopt and maintain strong enough defences to identify, mitigate and manage money laundering; conduct thorough due diligence on their customers, and ensure senior management has proper oversight.</p><p><br /></p><p>The maximum penalty for a single breach of the The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act is $22.2 million. More than one breach by any of the organisations could be a tipping point for drastic structural change in an organisation or consolidation across the sector.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to penalties, they would need to spend a lot of money improving compliance programs to operate – that’s something that has significantly affected the bottom line of Star and Crown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best case is a slap on the wrist for one or two bookmakers, though that seems unlikely. Worst-case scenario is several million-dollar fines or the suspension of at least one bookmaking licence. The most drastic scenario is a situation where the international parent company can’t justify the local operation any more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pointsbet CEO Sam Swanell put it another way when speaking to investors this week: “The economic realities of operating businesses that can’t yield at the appropriate levels and can’t invest in responsible gambling will help a natural rationalisation of the market in time,” he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bookmakers will be waiting.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Journal</p><p><br /></p><p>Has The Helpful Content Update Impacted SEO Content?</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Greg Tingle</p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Adam on Google helpful content updates (via the LinkedIn interface). All interesting background. It's already out-of-date in many regards. Case in point. Google can and will make updates, both officially announced (and in secret) whenever they wish. Smart strategy by Google. Keep the algorithm a secret as much as possible and change it up. The secret to business is knowing something no one else knows! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This Super Bowl ad brings together Knuckles, Master Chief, Hey Arnold, Peppa Pig, Sir Patrick Stewart, and many more stars</p><p><br /></p><p>Sir Patrick Stewart takes matters into his own powerful hands to save a group of Paramount+ stars in this wacky Super Bowl ad for the streaming service.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Super Bowl is approaching fast and with it the legendary advertisements that appear throughout the NFL grand final, and this year there is one that aims to be the most prominent. We’re talking about the newest Paramount+ ad in which a cast of emblematic characters like Knuckles from the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, Master Chief from Halo, Peppa Pig, and Arnold from ‘Hey, Arnold’ all appear together. Furthermore, actors of the caliber of Sir Patrick Stewart, known for playing Professor Charles Xavier in ‘X-Men’ and Jean-Luc Picard in ‘Star Trek’, as well as actress Drew Barrymore and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa are also present, all topped by the artistic genius of, what else, Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>The ad presents us with a scenario in which all these actors, presenters, athlete,s and fictional characters are trapped on Paramount Mountain. How will they get out of it? There is no better idea than seeing Sir Patrick Stewart in a classic American football uniform deciding to throw Arnold to the top of the mountain, all with the band ‘Creed’ in the background. Does he succeed? There’s no better way to find out than to see it for yourself, but the ad is loaded with a good dose of dark humor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The biggest game in American sports magnifies everything around it, and the same thing happens with the advertising. It is estimated that the cost of an advertising space in the Super Bowl ranges between 5 and 14 million dollars, depending on whether its duration is between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Tens of millions of people in the United States gather to watch the big game. Still, at the same time advertising is another important point for many of the spectators, and throughout the match, some of the most curious commercials of the year are broadcasted, as well as trailers and previews of some of the most anticipated series and movies, and even some games.</p><p><br /></p><p>(MeriStation)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What is Local SEO, and How Does It Work?</p><p><br /></p><p>Learn how Google works with local sites with this guide to local SEO and start optimizing your website for local search results to grow your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy that helps your business be more visible in local search results on Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>Any business that has a physical location or serves a geographic area can benefit from local SEO. If you search Google for any important keywords related to your business and a map with 3 listings appears underneath it (also known as a map pack), then local SEO can help you grow your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>But to understand local SEO, you need to know how Google works first.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>How did search engines evolve?</p><p><br /></p><p>In the early days of the internet, there were relatively few websites, so navigating the web was easy. Once the internet started to expand, however, search engines were created to allow users to find the sites they were looking for more easily.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you typed a phrase into a search engine, that phrase was matched to websites that included the keywords in your search phrase. Google used this same approach, but it quickly dominated the other search engines when it became the first search engine to use links between sites as an indication of which websites were trusted and had authority.</p><p><br /></p><p>Today Google looks at hundreds of factors both on and off your website to determine if it’s relevant to display as a search result. Factors form your “digital footprint,” and each factor has a different weight or value, which the search engine combines to return results. Your digital footprint determines whether or not you’re a top result to an inquiry that a user types into Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>So how does Google work?</p><p><br /></p><p>When you type a search phrase into Google, it checks the pattern of various website signals, or ranking factors, such as how relevant your site is, to return a list of sites that match your search.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most people don’t realize that Google isn’t doing a live search of the entire internet every time someone types something into the search bar. It’s actually searching a stored copy of all of the sites that Google has discovered. This copy is called the Google Index.</p><p><br /></p><p>To form the index, Google uses small programs called “spiders” to crawl the web. Each spider works the same way: It starts on a single page, then follows the links on that page, looking at content on the next pages, and so on.</p><p><br /></p><p>As web content gets crawled, it’s stored in Google’s servers, and the index is built. The spiders work at a mind-blowing scale, constantly crawling trillions of pages at an incredibly fast pace. This ensures that the index is as up-to-date as possible and new sites and connections are discovered quickly.</p><p><br /></p><p>How Google ranks search results</p><p><br /></p><p>Google uses various processes to rank hundreds or thousands of sites in the blink of an eye. These processes are called algorithms. When you Google something, an algorithm checks the index and returns a list of websites that match your search in organic results. Those results are chosen and ranked based on relevance, prominence and popularity given by inbound links.</p><p><br /></p><p>The algorithm looks at various on-site and off-site factors to determine which websites have something related to your search. All of the relevant sites are added to the list, which is then ranked by prominence. Again referring to the various on-site and off-site factors, the algorithm determines which sites best answer your search query, and those sites are listed at the top of the search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Improving your SEO influences both relevancy, prominence and link populrity factors for your website. If the right elements of your site’s digital footprint are optimized, your site shows up higher in more search results.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a different pattern</p><p><br /></p><p>What about local organic search results? After analyzing the behavior of users during trillions of searches, Google figured out that people seeking certain types of businesses need results from their immediate area. That’s why Google’s local search algorithm includes a proximity factor, which is a fancy way of saying that Google takes your location into account when you search for a local keyword (a query with local intent). This happens even when the searcher doesn’t include a city name or "near me” in their search.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you’re at work and want to get a pizza delivered for lunch, for example, Googling “pizza delivery” shows a list of locations near your office in its local SERPS (search engine result pages).</p><p><br /></p><p>But if you try that same search at home, you’ll get an entirely different set of results. This makes sense, considering you need a pizza delivered from somewhere nearby.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local search has been around for years, but it was limited due to people only using their desktop computers. With the recent growth in mobile internet access, however, mobile search has exploded, so local SEO has become hugely important for the success of any business offering local products or services and local marketers.</p><p><br /></p><p>What matters for local SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>What does this mean to search marketers? While the local map pack is displayed within the standard Google organic search listings, separate algorithms power the main Google search results for local rankings and the local map pack results. As a local business, you have the opportunity the appear within both the main organic search results and the local map pack at the same time.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you’re new to marketing your business online, one of the main challenges is knowing what you should focus on to make your efforts as effective as possible.</p><p><br /></p><p>Marketing analytics software company Moz posts its annual Local Search Ranking Factors survey, which includes the top 35 to 40 worldwide experts in local SEO. Its results provide the best insights into which factors influence local search visibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Localized content and local link popularity are factors, just as it is in Google’s traditional search algorithm, so it's important to build local landing pages for each of your locations- especially if you're a multiple location business-, where you should include not only your business name but also its details like address and phone as well as optimize their titles tags, meta descriptions, and follow SEO best practice. This should be taken into consideration as well in your content marketing and link building strategy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, location-based factors like having a business listing in Google My Business, local citations from data aggregators, and review signals - that should be published by your local customers - are also taken into consideration in your local oriented seo rankings and as consequence you should also take them into consideration in your local SEO efforts.</p><p><br /></p><p>It's also important to note that there are SEO tools focused on local search that can help you to develop local oriented SEO audits, from developing keyword research focused on your local audience, building citations, managing Google My Business listings, business profile and Google posts, and even monitor your inclusion in local packs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Website content is a significant factor, just as it is in Google’s traditional search algorithm, but location-based factors like Google My Business, citations, and review signals are also included.</p><p><br /></p><p>Start harnessing SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that you have a better understanding of SEO basics and how Google ranks local search results, you can start to concentrate on signals that will optimize your site’s digital footprint in the local oriented search ecosystem. This way your business can show up higher on the results page, which can lead to more potential customers finding your business.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are many factors that influence your visibility in these searches, but keep in mind that local search continues to grow and change. To keep up with what signals are increasing and decreasing in importance, you can refer to Moz’s annual survey to form your strategy playbook. Once you start to improve each important signal area, you’ll be able to serve more people in your geographic region—and grow faster.</p><p><br /></p><p>(A.I and Newfeeds)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Roman Reigns set for iconic face-off at WrestleMania XL Kickoff!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., February 3, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Roman Reigns will face off at an open-to-the-public fan and media event – WrestleMania XL Kickoff – live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Thursday, February 8 at 4 p.m. PT.</p><p><br /></p><p>Doors open at 2:30 p.m. PT.This non-ticketed event, delivered by Pizza Hut, is free for all to attend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fans and media will hear from both The Rock and Roman Reigns, as well as WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. Onsite interview opportunities for media will immediately follow the event with both participants, Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley.</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on the anticipation for the already-record-breaking WrestleMania XL, Thursday’s event will be hosted by Monday Night Raw commentators Michael Cole and Pat McAfee, and stream live on WWE social and digital channels as well as Peacock.</p><p><br /></p><p>VIP experiences for WrestleMania XL Kickoff through exclusive partner On Location are available for purchase at https://onlocationexp.com/wrestlemaniaxlkickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania XL takes place across two nights on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET live from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and stream live on Peacock in the U.S.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>ABOUT NASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR, an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. NASCAR has three national series that it sanctions for racing. Learn more about each series here</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR Cup Series</p><p><br /></p><p>In a historic shift for the sport, beginning in 2020 NASCAR’s premier series became known as the NASCAR Cup Series and featured four cornerstone brands as Premier Partners: Busch Beer, Coca-Cola®, GEICO and Xfinity. All four partners are prominently featured in multiple platforms across the sport, including integrations in broadcast, NASCAR digital and social channels, event entitlements, in-market promotions and at-track activations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thrilling Racing</p><p><br /></p><p>NASCAR enhanced the on-track product starting in 2017 with the introduction of stage racing, which ensures more highlight-reel moments during a race, increases the sense of urgency and emphasizes aggressive racing and strategy. The battle on track also extends to Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota – who have reached a level of parity that all but guarantees the fight for the manufacturer championship will come down to the very end of the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Next Generation of Stock Cars</p><p><br /></p><p>Looking to the future, NASCAR is developing the Next Gen car — expected to hit the track in 2022. The new car is going to feature a redesigned body and under-the-hood enhancements to make NASCAR stock cars even more like the cars in showrooms across America.</p><p><br /></p><p>Youth is Rising</p><p><br /></p><p>The future stars of NASCAR are taking over the spotlight today as drivers such as Kyle Larson, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton, and Chase Elliott are challenging for – and winning – races throughout the season. They battle established superstars like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano, who continue to build their own legacies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Global Reach</p><p><br /></p><p>With international series in Mexico (NASCAR Mexico Series), Canada (NASCAR Pinty’s Series) and across Europe (NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), as well as, Cup Series broadcasts available in 195 countries and 29 languages, NASCAR’s global reach is felt far and wide. Most recently, Daniel Suárez (Mexico) and Alon Day (Israel) joined the ranks of NASCAR Cup Series drivers who got their start in NASCAR’s international circuits.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Dawn of eNASCAR</p><p><br /></p><p>Building on more than 70 years of on-track success, NASCAR raced into the future with the launch of the eNASCAR in 2018. Aimed at fostering fan engagement and driver development, eNASCAR is uniquely positioned to drive the sport forward through the use of gaming and esports. The various initiatives under the eNASCAR umbrella will see drivers, teams and the industry come together like never before with the goal of creating a brighter and stronger future for the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>From Stock Cars To Sports Cars With IMSA</p><p><br /></p><p>Exotic cars, international stars and premier road course and street circuits define the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the top level of sports car competition in North America. A total of 14 manufacturers and championship drivers from NASCAR, open-wheel and international sports car competition compete for the top step on the podium at prestigious endurance events such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Petit Le Mans.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>World's Best Surfers Honored at 2024 Lexus WSL Awards</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Impact Award Recognizes Carissa Moore, Kanoa Igarashi, and Puamakamae DeSoto</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>Monday, January 29, 2024</p><p>BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Sunday, January 28, 2024) - The world's best surfers were honored at the Lexus WSL Awards last night, celebrating the achievements of the 2023 season and welcoming the start of the 2024 WSL Championship Tour.</p><p><br /></p><p>The evening commemorated the newly crowned World Champions across the Championship Tour, Longboard Tour and World Junior Championships. The best performances, ground-breaking moments, and profound accomplishments from the 2023 season were also recognized.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus WSL Awards | 2023 World Champions, Winners, and Honorees:</p><p>WSL World Champions: Caroline Marks (USA) and Filipe Toledo (BRA)</p><p>WSL Longboard World Champions: Soleil Errico (USA) and Kai Sallas (HAW)</p><p>WSL World Junior Champions: Sierra Kerr (AUS) and Jett Schilling (USA)</p><p>Challenger Series Winners: India Robinson (AUS) and Cole Houshmand (USA)</p><p>2023 CT Rookies of the Year: Caity Simmers (USA) and Ian Gentil (HAW)</p><p>2023 VISSLA CT Shaper of the Year: Matt "Mayhem" Biolos</p><p>GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Title, Largest Wave Surfed (Paddle) - Female: Laura Enever (AUS)</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Impact Award Recognizes Carissa Moore, Kanoa Igarashi, and Puamakamae DeSoto</p><p><br /></p><p>The WSL Impact Award recognizes individual surfers who demonstrate the greatest impact and outstanding effort to inspire, educate, and empower the global surf community to protect our ocean.</p><p><br /></p><p>The WSL Impact Award was awarded to Carissa Moore (HAW), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and Puamakamae DeSoto (HAW), who each received a traditional Hawaiian "Alaia" surfboard created by local native Hawaiian artist, Leleo Kinimaka, of the Royal Hawaiian Woodwork Company.</p><p><br /></p><p>First Stop: Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI</p><p>The 2024 WSL Championship Tour will commence with the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI on January 29 and holds a competition window through February 10, 2024. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeauge.com and the free WSL app. Check out more new ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners. For fans watching in the United States, coverage of the competition's Quarterfinals and beyond will continue on WorldSurfLeague.com and ESPN+.</p><p><br /></p><p>(WSL)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC </p><p>@UFC</p><p> Fight Night</p><p><br /></p><p>February 3, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Apex Arena. Enterprise, Nevada</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Results</p><p><br /></p><p>Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p>Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Molly McCann defeats Diana Belbita by submission (armbar) at 4:59 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Charles Johnson defeats Azat Maksum by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Themba Gorimbo defeats Pete Rodriguez by TKO (strikes) at 0:32 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>JeongYeong Lee defeats Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>Luana Carolina defeats Julija Stoliaranenko by TKO (strikes) at 4:52 of Round 3</p><p><br /></p><p>MarQuel Mederos defeats Landon Quinones by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Jamal Pogues defeats Thomas Petersen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov Main Card Results</p><p>Charles Radtke defeats Gilbert Urbina by TKO (strikes) at 4:47 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Aliaskhab Khizriev and Makhmud Muradov declared a no contest (accidental eye poke) at 0:11 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Natalia Silva defeats Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Brown defeats Muslim Salikhov by TKO (strikes) at 3:17 of Round 1</p><p><br /></p><p>Co-Main Event: Renato Moicano defeats Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event: Nassourdine Imavov defeats Roman Dolidze by majority decision (49-44, 47-47, 48-46)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Who gets the W and who gets the L is just part of the story. Yes, winning matters without question, just as it did back in the schoolyard and school gym days for those who lived to tell that tale. The features and previews are the way to go. Getting to know the fighters. Why, how, who, the journey etc. Borrowing a page out of the pro wrestling playbook. There are so many fights these days, so getting to know the fighters and what drives them and the back story is more important than ever in many ways. Great teamwork from the UFC crew once again who put it all together for fight fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW </p><p>@AEW</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p>Third time's a charm! Swerve Strickland calls his shot against Hangman Page!</p><p>2/3/24, AEW Collision </p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=V1Tdpd-NHkE&si=D8i7S3tP6bC7ef6P</p><p><br /></p><p>"The new rankings are out. With that in mind let's bring out the number one contender for the AEW World Title, along with Prince Nana here is Severe Strickland" Tony Schiavone</p><p><br /></p><p>"Swerve's House" fans</p><p><br /></p><p>"Comon' boys. Here we go" Prince Nana</p><p><br /></p><p>"So Swerve Strickland is the number one contender.. right behind him at number two, Hangman Adam Page" Kevin Kelly</p><p><br /></p><p>"Nigel, do you have a problem with the rankings? Do you agree with Swerve at one and Hangman at 2"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Absolutely. How do you argue with mathematics? Swere Strickland's matches with Adam Page really took his star up to the next level".. Nigel McGuinness </p><p><br /></p><p>"Haha. Hey Tony. You know it's Black History Month right"? SS</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man. Love Swerve. Talk about the It Factor. He was a good get. Already seems like the champion. A gold belt will just make it official. SS looks to be a huge part of the future of All Elite Wrestling. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk title fight rescheduled for May 18</p><p><br /></p><p>Re-matches and dream matches have been pub, watercooler and township talk since as about as long as organised fighting has been around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Add in talk of an injury, and its quite the Pandora's Box.</p><p><br /></p><p>This covers boxing as well as MMA (mixed martial arts), and we could even include professional wrestling aka sports entertainment - the performace art. Let's include it, since we're now in WrestleMania Season, and "We Want Cody" is trending on X, partly thanks to boxer - wrestler cross over fighter Logan Paul. Trust LP to help us out with the peg-on, segway, and all that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro fighting is a dangerous business and as is well documented, injuries frequently happen in training, be it sparring, or whatever other type of preparation. Every fight or even training session may be the last (forever). Sometimes the validity and seriousness of the injury gets called into question by fans, other fighters, media and the public at large.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling legend Bruno Sammartio called B.S on the "heart attack" story Buddy Rogers went with circa May 1963.</p><p><br /></p><p>Back to boxing, Fury's enjoy injury (cut) looks serious and many fight fans have now seen the leaked/distributed footage. Nasty! Some speculated Fury organised to get cut to delay or call off the right. Others said it, we didn't - just to clarify folks.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight championship bout has been rescheduled for May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the chairman of the kingdom's general entertainment authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced Saturday on "The MMA Hour." = affiliated/associated with somewhat embattled sports media powerhouse, ESPN.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury and Usyk were set to square off Feb. 17 in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh, before the bout was postponed Friday after Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye while sparring. The footage was in the trending type region on social media such as X and YouTube Shorts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rescheduled date was announced by Alalshikh as Fury sat alongside him; Usyk and manager extraordinaire Egis Klimas also joined the news media announcement from Spain.</p><p><br /></p><p>"I arranged to spar 12 rounds with four different guys," Fury said on the program. "In Round 5, I got an elbow in the eye - a split eye - and obviously I've been to the hospital and have the 11 stitches.</p><p><br /></p><p>"They have the medical reports, they have everything. Have a look at the eye. .. Nothing much anybody can do about getting a cut. ... I've never had one before (while sparring). First time for everything."</p><p><br /></p><p>Alalshikh promptly promptly advised that if either boxer withdraws from the May 18 bout, he must forfeit $10 million from his purse; and also that one of them would still fight on that date. Saudi super sports promoters don't.. what's that saying - suffer fools. A cuz to Mr. T's "I pity the fool". Boxing franchise 'Rocky' has been back in the news if you missed it. Unfortunately regarding the recent dealth (Feb 2) of Carl Weathers who played Apollo Creed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Addressing serious doubts from Usyk's team, news media and from social media keyboard warriors and others about the veracity of the injury, Alalshikh said he has a "special camera" that gives him access to Fury's training camp in Riyadh. He confirmed there was a serious cut that emerged from an accident in sparring.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk said he simply smiled when he was informed of the postponement and proceeded to train.</p><p><br /></p><p>Manager Klimas claimed on the show that Fury is "scared" and that he didn't want to fight Usyk.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Why would I not want to fight for the biggest payday in my life and put 10 weeks in the training camp?" Fury responded.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday's line-up, Alalshikh also offered heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic a fight on the March 8 undercard of Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. He mentioned 6 possibilities: Daniel Dubois, Jared Anderson, Frank Sanchez, Agit Kabayel, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole.</p><p><br /></p><p>Hrgovic advised media on Friday that he was willing to step up and replace Fury on Feb. 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) were due to fight in two weeks in the most highly anticipated heavyweight title fight since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson in 2002. Of course the world knows Fury vs former UFC/MMA figher Francis Ngannou got strong buzz, however many media commentors and pundits state that it did very average PPV (Pay-Per-View) numbers. UFC Dana White wasn't too kind to that particular "giimmicky" fight.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fury-Usyk was originally planned for December 23 before Fury has a very tough night in the boxing ring vs Ngannou in October in Riyadh. Fury was cut over the forehead and the left eye, ending in a split decision over Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gypsy King" was knocked down (not out) Round 3, the 7th knockdown of his career. Fury and Usyk inked contracts for their long-awaited battle for the heavyweight throne weeks before Fury stepped through the ropes to battle Ngannou in a 10-round non-title bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk, 36, is an Olympic gold medalist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion. The Ukraine native holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, belts he snatched from Joshua in 2021. Usyk retained the titles in the rematch with another decision over Joshua last summer in Saudi Arabia.</p><p><br /></p><p>Usyk last fought in August, when he scored a ninth-round KO of Dubois in Poland. The UK's Fury fought twice in 2022, both TKO wins at soccer (football) stadiums in London (in April vs. Dillian Whyte and December vs. Derek Chisora).</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Fury's second title reign. He bested another Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko, in 2015 for three heavyweight titles via decision in an upset. Fury never defended those titles and instead was out of the ring for two and a half years due to depression, sometimes called that "Black Dog" and substance abuse. He was up to 400-plus pounds during that time which is almost hard to believe. </p><p><br /></p><p>After Fury returned from the long break from the ring he established himself as one of boxing's top stars with a classic heavyweight title trilogy with Deontay Wilder, whom he stopped twice after a draw in the first meeting. Fury's third fight with Wilder was ESPN's 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fury-Usyk deal contains a two-way rematch clause, virtually ensuring two consecutive fights between the pair for millions of dollars.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV price on DAZN: $69.99</p><p><br /></p><p>Betting Odds: Tyson Fury is the -125 favorite, while Oleksandr Usyk is the +110 underdog.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Tale Of The Tape:</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury record and bio</p><p>Nationality: British</p><p>Born: August 12, 1988</p><p>Height: 6-9</p><p>Reach: 85 inches</p><p>Total fights: 35</p><p>Record: 34-0-1 with 24 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p>Oleksandr Usyk record, bio</p><p>Nationality: Ukrainian</p><p>Born: January 17, 1987</p><p>Height: 6-3</p><p>Reach: 78 inches</p><p>Total fights: 21</p><p>Record: 21-0 with 14 wins via knockout</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>Apparently WWE US Champion Logan Paul </p><p>@LoganPaul</p><p> is quite the Cody Rhodes fan!</p><p><br /></p><p>Prime Heel Maverick crossing over to Prime Babyface organically with fans leaping on "We Want Cody" trend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul and Johnson have some history and LP hasn't been shy about sharing some of it via his hit Impaulsive podcast channel, also recently visited by John Cena.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Shades of a Reverse Viking from 'Succession' hit show meets 'Billions' where H schooled Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti character) in the art of the "double turn".</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania 40 as well as the press/fan conference out of Vegas continues to buzz and in media vet terms, LP has done quite the X viral peg-on. The "We Want" trend has now taken on a life of its own.</p><p><br /></p><p>Reminding some of one or two Goldberg type situations in and around the ring. If you know, you know! Look up Bret Hart as well as a former WWE/UFC fighter situation and start joining the dots.</p><p><br /></p><p>The high drama continues out of the ring. What exactly the WWE powers that be may do to counter or even further satisfy fans remains to be seen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Numerous pro wrestling entities such as former WCW Executive Eric Bischoff (83 Weeks) have become more vocal on the matter at hand.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rock and Cody Rhodes both have their legions of fans, as does Roman Reigns and Logan Paul for that matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>It appears some kind of social media records are going to be broken in the lead up, during, and after the WrestleMania main event/s, one way or another!</p><p><br /></p><p>Gonzo Journalism Flashback: "We can do this the hard way or the easy way" (Bruno Sammartino to Buddy Rogers). Madison Square Garden, New York. May 17, 1963. Don't you just love Wikipedia, YouTube and WWE history books.</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania Season is in full gear and Cody-Mania and Logan-Mania are runnin' wild brother!</p><p><br /></p><p>The current WrestleMania 40 main event remains Roman Reigns vs Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.</p><p><br /></p><p>All correct at time of publication!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'Rocky,' 'Mandalorian' star Carl Weathers passes at 76</p><p><br /></p><p>February 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Actor Carl Weathers died Tuesday at age 76. Deadline confirmed the news via a statement from Weathers' family Friday and Variety with Weather's manager.</p><p><br /></p><p>The family stated that Weathers "died peacefully in his sleep."</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers appeared in the first four Rocky movies as Apollo Creed. Apollo was Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) opponent in the first two, trainer in the third and his death at the hands of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) motivated Rocky's fourth bout.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Creed films follow Apollo's son, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). The Drago family challenged Adonis in Creed II.</p><p><br /></p><p>A diverse career spanned action movies like Predator and Action Jackson, comedies like Happy Gilmore and drama in TV's Chicago Justice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers recently appeared in and directed episodes of The Mandalorian. Weathers also voiced Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>His movie career began with an uncredited appearance in the 1973 Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force. He began directing with a 1995 episode of Renegade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone is paying tribute to his longtime friend and Rocky co-star Carl Weathers, who died this week at the age of 76.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We lost a legend yesterday. My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching," Stallone wrote on Instagram Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers played fictional boxer Apollo Creed to Stallone's Rocky Balboa in four Rocky movies.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers is also known for his roles in The Mandalorian, Predator, Action Jackson, Chicago Justice and the Toy Story animated franchise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Sandler said on X of his Happy Gilmore co-star: "A true great man. Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Smart as hell. Loyal as hell," Sandler added. "Funny as hell. Loved his sons more than anything. What a guy!! Everyone loved him. My wife and I had the best times with him every time we saw him. Love to his entire family and Carl will always be known as a true legend."</p><p><br /></p><p>Pascal posted, "Words fail," alongside a broken heart emoji and photo of Weathers on Instagram.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesse Ventura, actor, wrestlers and truth teller + via X: We lost an icon. Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend. All my sympathies and love to his family. I loved working with him on Predator and then celebrating that film with him at various conventions in the ensuing years. Thank you, Carl.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weathers' life and death has been a topic of conversation not just in and around showbiz - the movie and television industry, but also in combat sports circles and in society at large. Rocky was likely his most famous work, but his body of work grew to be outstanding. He had a beautiful vibe about him and this resonated through the lens across the world - Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens is not finished with Logan Paul: SmackDown highlights, Feb. 2, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"And see on Saturday I didn't walk away with the title but I got to tell you Logan..it was a morale victory" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"I was playing chess. You were playing Go fish son" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't need brass knux to beat your dumb ass" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"Referee, if your back there. Fantastic work. You should be proud of yourself" KO</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to focus on whatever it is that I do that is amazing and I'm going to find. real challenger".. LP</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Excellent exchange between these two greats. Keen to see a rematch at some point. KO appears more keen than LP! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Boxing News</p><p><br /></p><p>Tyson Fury -Oleksandr Usyk Fight Postponded After Fury Suffers Cut In Sparring</p><p><br /></p><p>The undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has been postponed after Fury suffered a “freak cut” in sparring, promoters announced Friday.</p><p><br /></p><p>The fight was scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but will now be postponed until later in the year after Fury sustained a cut below his right eyebrow which required “urgent medical attention and significant stitching,” according to a statement from Queensbery Promotions, which co-promotes Fury with Top Rank.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I am absolutely devastated after preparing for this fight for so long and being in such superb condition,” said Fury (34-0-1, 24 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 1-rated heavyweight and WBC titleholder, in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I feel bad for everyone involved in this huge event and I will work diligently towards the rescheduled date once the eye has healed. I can only apologize to everyone affected, including my own team, Team Usyk, the undercard fighters, partners and fans as well as our hosts and my friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: As we've said over the decades, That's Boxing!!!</p><p><br /></p><p>Video (now somewhat out of date)!</p><p><br /></p><p>DAZN Boxing YouTube The Best Trailer Ever?! Watch Fury vs. Usyk Live GLOBALLY on DAZN</p><p>https://youtube.com/watch?v=t1IiX9Yw_6s&ab_channel=DAZNBoxing</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Ring Magazine, Queensbery Promotions, Top Rank, Wires, WBC and X)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit</p><p><br /></p><p>The Wheels and Cogs Of The Universe</p><p><br /></p><p>Purposes and Meaning</p><p>Combination of personal and professional interests</p><p>Sustainability of business and Mother Nature</p><p>Risk Management</p><p>Where The Mind Goes The Body Follows</p><p>Water Is Life</p><p>Everything is from the Earth/Universe Elements</p><p>Creation of own Universe and Domain</p><p>Information Receptors</p><p>Mindful of company kept</p><p>Formulas and Systems</p><p>Frequency with 3, 6 and 9</p><p>Gamification of business</p><p>Business endeavours for fun and enjoyment</p><p>Knowing one's worth</p><p>Adaption to world and creating own version and portal</p><p>Ancient knowledge shared via niche media</p><p>Self Sufficiency Mindsets</p><p>Think to become</p><p>Philosophy for enhancement of life</p><p>Higher Power</p><p>Martial Arts </p><p>Self Development</p><p>University Of Life</p><p>Help and receive </p><p>Network </p><p>Goals dreams and aspirations</p><p>Meditation </p><p>Ying and Yang</p><p>The Power Of Now and Being</p><p>Zen</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>James Bond News</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2021, Daniel Craig played James Bond for the fifth and final time in 'No Time to Die'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over two years later, producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli still have not announced who will be getting the keys to the Aston Martin for the next 007 blockbuster.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vast majoriy of 007 fans across the globe want a 007 who represents the traditional Bond they have come to know and love.</p><p><br /></p><p>Who Is Bond?</p><p><br /></p><p>The James Bond film series is a British series of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond, "007", who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. There have been twenty-five films in total released between 1962 and 2021 and produced by Eon Productions, which now holds the adaptation rights to all of Fleming's Bond novels. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bond has been portrayed in these films by six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Biz Terms</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News</p><p><br /></p><p>WrestleMania </p><p>@WrestleMania</p><p> Season ignites discussion about who should be in the next round for the WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> Hall Of Fame</p><p><br /></p><p>Current Names Attracting Buzz Under The Watercooler</p><p><br /></p><p>Lex Luger, Jim Cornette & Sable have all got solid to strong support, including from WWE NXT </p><p>@WWENXT</p><p> commentator and Hall Of Fame podcast personality, Booker T </p><p>@BookerT5x</p><p> "Oh Yes"! as Booker would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional names drawing in discussion include Cyndi Lauper (who Media Man pitched a number of times over the past almost decade)! Who is the mongrel in the WWE blocking it? Perhaps they won't be blocked any longer in today's WWE?! Ken Shamrock is long overdue. Lex Luger and Daniel Bryan (current wrestling elsewhere, are also under discussion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Teams, The Nasty Boys and Demolition and wrestling personality Jim Cornette has been known to pitch tag teams he managed to greatness decades ago. Have a listen to Corney's podcast if you care. NSFW is often the case with Mr Cornette, and don't even start us on his politics! (real politics, not wrestling politics). </p><p><br /></p><p>Managers - Paul Heyman, your time may be now sir!</p><p><br /></p><p>Debate is open for Brock Lesnar, Gangrel, Doink The Clown (choose 1 or 2) and Outback Jack. Ok, some satire. Remember, entertainment value and fan response is also a factor. Pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is subjective in nature and a reminder that pro wrestling is not a pure sport, however most of the top wrestlers over the past decade plus have been very technical.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Media Man watercooler is was discussed that there's a couple of pro wrestlers who may have been strong draws for 5 to 10 years but they known for hurting opponents through clumsiness, poor training or whatever the case. Mistakes can and do happen in pro wrestler, but they are a couple who should be disqualified from even being seriously considered. No names, but the industry knows who they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ending on a high note, enjoy today's Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania and Hall of Fame. Oh, CM Punk for the win (and also for serious consideration for the WWE Hall of Fame)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix Streaming Service Riding High Once Again</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix </p><p>@netflix</p><p> spruiks record breaking subscriber numbers after account sharing crackdown; Consumer backlash appears over</p><p><br /></p><p>Global streaming giant Netflix added a record number of new subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for programs such as the long-running royal drama ‘The Crown’.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just 5 days ago Netflix and world's leading pro wrestling promotion, WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> advised the popular WWE RAW show will be carried by Netflix for numerous countries (U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America) from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform has reached approx 260 million subscribers and added just over 13 million of those in the fourth quarter of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spike in subscriber count is partly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing during the past 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company said in a media release they believe they have successfully "cracked down" on all accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news comes are more unofficial sports and entertainment PPV based websites hit the web. Those with a well trained eye can notice the tell tale sales on the pirate based streaming sites. Due it its popularity the combat sports sector is seeing a number of bad actors arise, but many are being shut down very quicky advised the Media Man Group agency. Over the past number of decades Media Man has helped officially promote a number of official streaming and online PPV sites including TrillerTV (formally FITE), WWE Network, Netflix and Ring Divas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix posted an impressive yearly revenue of $US8.8 billion last year, exceeding analysts' forecasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Netflix is riding a way of momentium and will be certainly renewing our subscription again soon, especially as the WWE, wrestling and combat sports programming continues to ramp up. Sports content with a pop culture edge sells and draws in the numbers. It's also possible that Netflix Games may eventually add some extra WWE themed games to the existing portfolio which features 'Escape The Undertaker'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Down: Drive To Survive (F1), upcoming MMA based movies (rumours of Dwayne Johnson input), and more WWE related content, now that the ink is dry for the official start of WWE RAW on Netflix next year.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasting News</p><p><br /></p><p>(In case you missed it)</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasters are the Most Trusted Media Personalities Among US Consumers, New Acast Research Finds</p><p><br /></p><p>PRESS RELEASE - October 18, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released the results of a new research study that shows podcasts are a highly trusted medium among US consumers. According to the study of US consumers, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content -the most of any other tested media personality - making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.</p><p><br /></p><p>These findings come at a time when trust in US media has hit an all time low, with half of Americans reported to believe that national news organizations deliberately mislead them, according to research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. In this era of skepticism and misinformation, podcasters are emerging as the trustworthy figures of the media industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Acast’s research, half of podcast listeners trust podcasters, the most of any other tested medium. The second most trusted is YouTubers, with 44% of YouTube consumers saying they trust these media personalities. Notably, with YouTube emerging as a leading platform for podcast consumption, many of these sought-after YouTube personalities are also podcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Trust in US media has been deteriorating in recent years as a result of socio-political unrest and conflicting coverage by news outlets on the same events. As US consumers have lost confidence in traditional media, they have increasingly turned to podcasters as a source of truth,” said Acast Director of Research and Insights Tommy Walters. “During times of hardship and uncertainty - like the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine - at Acast we have consistently seen audiences flock to podcasts for deep conversations and analysis over clickbait headlines. When it comes to product endorsements, we have also seen audiences be more trusting of podcaster recommendations than any other form of media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>For advertisers, podcasting is ripe with opportunity as US consumers say they seek out podcasters above all other media personality types when looking for product endorsements. According to this study, 75% of podcast listeners say they have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to the 62% of social media users who have sought out social media creators and just 55% cable viewers who have considered cable TV personalities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this study also revealed that podcasters give quality product and brand endorsements. According to the research, 73% of US consumers who have acted on a podcast endorsement said the podcaster gave a good endorsement and they were happy with what they received.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media Wars Heat Up</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta Gets Grilled By U.S Congress</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook can't stay out of the news</p><p><br /></p><p>We didn't get Zuck vs Musk in an UFC Octagon, or even via backyard broadcast via X, but we do get Zuck vs Congress and indi news media across the world is pleased to share it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Zuckerberg’s apology doesn't impress New Mexico AG!</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Zuckerberg has apologised to the parents of online child sexual abuse victims during a senate probe, but the apology was flatly dismissed by one of the state attorney generals suing the big tech bully boy who made his name for rating dorm girls on the web. Ah, the foundation of some of these big tech firms, and you wondered why some of the tech biz firms are so screwed up.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s stunning apology to the parents of online child sex abuse victims during a Senate hearing was “too little, too late,” according to one of the state attorney generals currently suing the embattled social media giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>New Mexico attorney general Raúl "The Teminator" (our term, not hers) Torrez, whose office has sued Meta for exposing kids to adult sex content and alleged child predators, was on Capitol Hill on this past Wednesday as a "Zoo" (meme from the www) Zuckerberg told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Mr. Zuckerberg has appeared before Congress numerous in the past, and its not because he's going a good or great job. He has given assurances on the safety of his platforms many times before,” Torrez told The Post. “It seems that once the spotlight fades, they go right back to doing business as usual.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Senate Republicans, including Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, each dismissed Meta’s pitched safety measures as ineffective during harsh exchanges and barbs with Zuckerberg.</p><p><br /></p><p>Zuckerberg, who surprised the hearing’s attendees by standing up from his podium and speaking directly to the audience, told parents that “no one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier, Zuckerberg testified that his company had spent $5 billion on safety last year. ZB shows that throwing money at some problems doesn't always work.</p><p><br /></p><p>Torrez dissed Zuckerberg’s apology.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It was clear to me that members of the committee have lost any faith in the leadership of these companies – particularly Mr. Zuckerberg,” he said. “I think the American people are skeptical and parents remain deeply concerned about the kind of content we uncovered in our investigation.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Lawmakers from both parties argued that tech firms should lose liability shields, such as Section 230, that protect them from directly being sued by victims. Torrez said Section 230 was “enacted in a totally different era” and should either be eliminated or “severely” restricted.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Facebook founder’s apology also scored a zero with Fairplay, an advocacy group that supports the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which would impose a “duty of care” on social media platforms and other tech firms to protect minors from dangerous content.</p><p><br /></p><p>“If anybody still thought Meta was capable of self-regulation, today’s hearing should have disabused them of that notion,” Fairplay executive director Josh Golin told The Post.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Zuckerberg’s tone-deaf evasions and mumbled half-hearted apologies make clear that Congress needs to act and pass the Kids Online Safety Act.”</p><p><br /></p><p>MZ is personally named as a defendant in New Mexico’s suit, which is based on findings of a lengthy probe in which state investigators set up test accounts for four fictional children.</p><p><br /></p><p>The accounts were allegedly bombarded with disturbing messages, including “pictures and videos of genitalia” and horrific sexual propositions from adult users.</p><p><br /></p><p>“He needs to not think about these decisions simply as a business executive. He’s a parent – start acting like it,” Torrez said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Place the same kind of safeguards and protections that he would demand for his own children and apply them to his business. If he did that, we’d all be in a better place.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment.</p><p><br /></p><p>As media reported, an unredacted version of the suit cited an internal 2021 Meta presentation that found “100,000 children per day received online sexual harassment, such as pictures of adult genitalia.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The complaint included communications among Meta staffers discussing problems with online sex exploitation on the platform, with one worker describing the company’s inaction as “really, really upsetting.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The attorney general’s office alleged Meta “knew about the huge volume of inappropriate content being shared between adults and minors they did not know” – and that Zuckerberg made business decision that placed children at risk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta and Facebook remain in the top tier of the world's most embatted and distructed brands, in company to the likes of Disney and in the news media sector, The New York Times.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: X, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, FOX News, Wires, New York Post and tip offs)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling and Streaming Biz</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling Media War Afoot In Australia</p><p><br /></p><p>What Are The Rules; No Holds Barred?!</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO including WWE vs FOX And The Hound?</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p>@WWE</p><p> New Tag Team Partner Is Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Elimination Chamber at Optus Stadium, Perth, West Australia February 24.</p><p><br /></p><p>World's leading pro wrestling promotion and content creator/producer WWE is due to bodyslam down under Australia at the end of the month however there may be a problem that requires fixing. Maybe a special ref could be in order! Don't want to involve the Australian government more and more than at the basic level right?!</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't worry fight fans of the performance art genre. It's not an in-ring problem, but on the business side of things as TKO has announced its new streaming partner for numerous countries (5 +) will be Netlix (but Aussie's get their WWE Raw (and SmackDown) via The Foxtel Group (Foxtel, BINGE or Kayo Sports).</p><p><br /></p><p>Confussed already? That's what we thought. The bean counters don't want to be confussed any futher, as they already have a lot of files to go though from decades gone past. If you know, you know, as UFC top brass Dana White is known to say. Or, how about on a need to know basis. WWE admin is extremly busy at present, and we're not going to repeat the most serious global headlines here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week world's leading streaming company Netflix announced a $5 billion deal with the pro wrestling king of of the mountain, advising it had snatched (legally) the exclusive rights to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in the USA, Canada, UK, and Latin America, from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement issued to all and sundry , TKO Group (parent of WWE), confirmed that Netflix will “become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the US as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events”, throwing in “additional countries and regions” will be “added over time”. How long is piece or string or a bullrope in a match? Hardcores flashback to the late, great, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk.</p><p><br /></p><p>Foxtel Group’s “multi-year partnership” with WWE, which was inked in 2022, was understood to mean that Aussie WWE fans would not be impacted by the news, that has now changed.</p><p><br /></p><p>At time of publication Netflix Oz has not confirmed when the change-over/migration the streaming service will take place. That's akin to changing tag team partners!</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia based WWE fans can still sleep well knowing WWE is on the way and that one way or another they will continue to get their RAW and SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Late last year FOX's Lachlan Murdoch did make a statement regarding FOX not going to renew WWE media rights, and so WWE became pro active in securing another partner and obviously hit the jackpot on a global scale. Pro wrestling challenger brand has been having talks with WBS. But, will rising tides lift all boats? Media execs are always crunching numbers and look at things such as ratings and return on investment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Netflix b2b nears closer to a final conclusion for punters as WWE prepares to wow Perth at the end of the month. Elimination Chamber is the premium live event special leading right into WrestleMania season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is pro wrestling real? Stupid question. Are movies real? When stuntmen and stunt women perform is that real? When MMA (mixed martial artists) get hurt in sparring and training sessions before stepping in an UFC Octagon or the like, is that real?! There are rules of engagement and every industry has its secrets. A number of WWE wrestlers are currently recoving from injuries endured in the heat of battle. Some keep on stepping in the squared circle, while others are rehabbing away from the ring and other roster members from the prime WWE rooster as well as WWE NXT step up. Superstars or today, legends of tomorrow.</p><p><br /></p><p>There's only one WWE and its the hottest ticket in town. WWE is the star, and the world beater has a stacked roster of stars. Together they may just present the greatest show on earth. P. T. Barnum would be proud and WWE's Triple H continues to take the business of show business to the next level. Game On for Aussies and sports entertainment fans the world over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Surfing Industry News</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL Welcomes New and Returning Partners to 2024 Championship Tour</p><p><br /></p><p>January 24, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) </p><p>@wsl</p><p> is thrilled to announce its new and returning partners ahead of the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Backed by the strongest partnership presence on record, the WSL is poised for a great year of excitement and growth,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “Working with innovative and authentic partners allows us to elevate the sport as well as drive real value by enhancing brand visibility through engaging fan activations and mutually beneficial marketing campaigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrating More Ways to Watch with ESPN+ and Global Broadcast Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN</p><p>New for 2024, the WSL has announced a rights agreement in the United States with ESPN. For the first time, fans can watch all ten WSL CT events, as well as the US Open of Surfing Challenger Series event, live on ESPN+. In addition, 11 episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing, an all-access deep dive into the CT and its character-driven storylines, will be aired on ESPN2 throughout the year. The deal will allow WSL to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences in the US via ESPN’s digital subscribers as well as on linear television.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven Network + Foxtel Group In Australia </p><p>The WSL and the Seven Network announced a fifth-consecutive year of partnership for the 2024 season with Seven continuing as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia. The partnership extension will see all WSL CT events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event also going live and on demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian viewers will also be able to catch WSL content and all CT events on Fox Sports Australia and Kayo Sports for a sixteenth consecutive year, thanks to a new one-year deal between Foxtel Group and the WSL. In addition to this, all Challenger Series events, as well as the Bells Beach Longboard Classic, will be streamed live on Kayo Sports along with Foxtel, scheduling permitting. Fans can also enjoy WSL-produced feature shows and highlights from all events on demand on Kayo Sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>GLOBO</p><p>The WSL will continue offering Brazilian fans access to event coverage through GLOBO, one of the world’s leading broadcasters, sharing the excitement and passion of professional surfing with millions of fans in Brazil.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eurosport</p><p>Eurosport, owned by Discovery, remains the WSL’s European distribution partner and this year is also the European rights holder for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Eurosport will broadcast the WSL: Inside Pro Surfing series on its television channels and will also livestream CT events in their entirety via Discovery+ in the territory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing New Global and Title Partners: Lexus, Eventbrite, Bonsoy</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus</p><p>Lexus joins the WSL CT as the Title Partner of the Lexus Pipe Pro and an official automotive partner of the Sunset Pro. The leading luxury car brand will also join as an official partner of the annual WSL Awards, celebrating surfers’ exceptional achievements from the 2023 season. Lexus will introduce its latest vehicle, the 2024 Lexus GX 550, through engaging on-site activations throughout the WSL’s Hawaii competitions from January 29 through February 22, 2024. In collaboration with Complex Networks, fans will have the opportunity to explore the vehicle through on-beach displays, providing an up-close look at the cutting-edge design features that define the Lexus brand. Lexus and Complex will also curate an elevated dining experience at the Lexus Pipe Pro for VIPs and athletes to highlight and celebrate the culinary expertise and mastery of local chefs. Complex and First We Feast will also spotlight the experience on its social channels throughout the 2024 kickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventbrite</p><p>2024 will see Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, step into the role of exclusive ticketing partner for women’s surfing on the CT and the US Open of Surfing. To celebrate the partnership, Eventbrite will launch a WSL-inspired collection offering top event picks happening across the US during the WSL CT kickoff, in addition to further collections highlighting curated ticketed experiences in and around the US Open of Surfing and the WSL Finals. The WSL and Eventbrite will also collaborate on a visual content-driven marketing campaign to bring the surfing community to Eventbrite’s unique events and experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bonsoy</p><p>Bonsoy has expanded its partnership with the WSL from events in the APAC region to globally with the Championship Tour, Challenger Series and Longboard Tour. The new global deal will see Bonsoy become the Official Milk and Coconut Water of the WSL. 2024 will also see Bonsoy become the title partner for the Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event while continuing as the presenting partner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to its continued success in previous seasons, the Bonsoy Caddy Program will continue across three major events in Australia. The Bonsoy Athlete Area will activate at the US Open Challenger Series event as well as both Challenger Series events in Australia. Bonsoy is also excited to announce that WSL Commentator Kaipo Guerrera will become a Bonsoy ambassador in 2024, featuring in broadcast integrations and branded content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Returning Partners Apple Watch, Red Bull Bring Athlete Performance to New Heights for 2024 CT</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple Watch</p><p>For the second year, Apple Watch will be the official wearable equipment of the WSL. This season the elite CT athletes will continue to get access to the WSL Surfer app on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which syncs with the WSL Scoring System in real-time to give them all the information they need while in the water during competition, including scores, wave priority, and time in the heat. Apple Watch is uniquely suited for this task due to its large bright screen, durable design, and cellular connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Red Bull</p><p>Red Bull has joined for its sixth year of global partnership. In their relentless pursuit to support peak performance, Red Bull’s athlete-first approach will continue during the 2024 season, with enhancements planned for the Red Bull Athlete Zones at each CT stop. This year, fans will also be able to experience every heart-pounding moment of the Big Wave competitions live, courtesy of Red Bull TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vissla Shaper Rankings</p><p>The Vissla Shaper Rankings will also return this year. The season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via combined men’s and women’s rankings, counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the 9 CT stops this season. These rankings determine the winner after the regular-season CT events, ahead of the WSL Finals. There are 13 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors this year, and by bringing these performance-driven individuals to the forefront, Vissla and the WSL continue to honor the heritage and progression of the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcoming Key Title Partners and Global Sustainability Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>SHISEIDO</p><p>SHISEIDO continues its partnership with the WSL as the Official Suncare of the WSL, a Global WSL CT partner, and a Global Sustainability Partner of the WSL and WSL One Ocean. SHISEIDO will be the Title Partner for Stop No. 6 on the CT, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, scheduled for May 22 – 31, 2024. SHISEIDO will host on-site activations, including sunscreen and suncare stations where fans can sample and purchase products, as well as the production of co-branded in-broadcast vignettes designed to promote sustainability throughout the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corona</p><p>Corona and the WSL have struck a partnership for the eighth consecutive year. As the esteemed Title Partner for the return of the Fiji Pro, Corona further solidifies its commitment to the world of professional surfing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona will also build on the 2023 season’s release of “Corona Lay Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at what the CT surfers do on their days off from competition. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona plans to highlight the breathtaking locations and extraordinary experiences that can be found at each event through engaging original content featuring the beautiful and diverse locations that play host to the CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year, Corona’s steadfast commitment to sustainability takes center stage with its continued work alongside WSL One Ocean, furthering the shared mission to protect and preserve the world’s oceans for generations to come. Together, the WSL and Corona are set to deliver unparalleled fan experiences and foster a deeper connection between surf enthusiasts and the natural world.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI</p><p>The WSL and YETI are proud to continue their second year of partnership after a very successful first season.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI will kick off its 2024 partnership with an elevated position as the Presenting Partner of the prestigious Pipe Pro. YETI will be activating onsite at ʻEhukai Beach Park, offering custom engraving with proceeds benefiting the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation. In addition, YETI will be promoting the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI in their new flagship Honolulu store, offering official merchandise in support of their WSL CT Athlete, John John Florence.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI also continues its commitment to sustainability as a Global Sustainability Partner of WSL One Ocean, integrating sustainability into its core operations and aligning with the WSL One Ocean initiatives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mananalu Water</p><p>The WSL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mananalu Water – actor Jason Momoa’s aluminum-bottled water brand on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics. As an Official Canned Water Partner, Mananalu will be the exclusive canned water onsite at the World Surf League’s North American events, including the US Open of Surfing, the WSL Finals, the Lexus Pipe Pro, and more. Mananalu will also be an Official Partner of WSL PURE, the league’s 501(c)(3), which runs an annual grant program to support global non-profit organizations focused on improving the health of global ocean ecosystems.</p><p><br /></p><p>805 Beer</p><p>805 Beer will also continue its partnership with the WSL, with the quality brewed beverage having become a cornerstone of the WSL live event experience (for fans aged 21 and over). The WSL and 805 Beer are excited to expand the partnership in a way that authentically embodies the essence of surfing and its community. In addition to the partnership extension, Firestone Walker and the WSL are excited to extend their collaborative apparel line celebrating their partnership that promotes “Drinking Local. Surfing Global” (for fans aged 21 years and over), available online and in surf shops across the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pura Vida</p><p>Pura Vida returns for a third year as the Presenting Partner of WSL Rising Tides, continuing their commitment to empowering young girls in local communities through the transformative power of surfing. WSL Rising Tides provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for girls to connect with their surfing heroes, inspiring them to chase their dreams in and out of the water. Pura Vida’s partnership goes beyond local activations; they’ll be weaving inspiring content into the WSL’s live broadcasts and social media platforms, showcasing the stories of young surfers and the impact of Rising Tides on a global scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuing Regional Partnerships</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL APAC is excited to continue partnerships with mophie and Bailey Ladders in 2024, thanks to new contract extensions with each organization. In addition to the Tahiti Pro, mophie has expanded its partnership to include the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Fiji Pro in 2024. Bailey Ladders will include their Weather Guard product as part of the deal for the Gold Coast Pro. WSL APAC has announcements of several more partners coming through the 2024 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL LATAM region continues its partnerships with leaders of top-tier corporations such as TV Globo, Vivo, Banco do Brasil, Natura, Unilever, and governmental support from the Rio de Janeiro State Government and the City of Saquarema.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first stop on the 2024 WSL Championship Tour is the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, opening on January 29, 2024, and holding a competition window through February 10. The event will broadcast LIVE on http://WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. </p><p><br /></p><p>Check out all the new ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, please visit http://WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p>About the WSL</p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>'Tyrant Chatri is the best!' The $500 million dollar black ship arrived in Japan at ONE 165 - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri Sityodong embraced every stereotype of Dana White and raised all sorts of hell. How will his enemies respond?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri Sityodong unabashedly exhibits every stereotype Japanese fight fans believe when it comes to foreign promoters and politicians like Dana White & Donald Trump.</p><p><br /></p><p>In his (con)quest to build Japan as a key destination for ONE, Chatri has managed to acquire some key business partners — and then has promptly trashed the quality of fighters in Japan while proclaiming that his company is bigger than the “club status” of domestic rivals who he may — or may not have — wanted to do business with. Even Chatri’s own long-time Japanese associates, like Shinya Aoki, are no longer holding back criticism — contractual provisions be damned.</p><p><br /></p><p>he environment Chatri fostered in Japan for his major ONE 165 event this past Sunday at Ariake Arena with top kickboxing star Takeru was exactly the kind of nightmarish scenario PRIDE fans envisioned after Dana White & UFC purchased the PRIDE assets in 2007. The boorish outsider coming into a major market, wanting money from the Japanese fight fans while putting himself over at the same time as the leader of global martial arts. Throw in non-stop burying of the quality of domestic gyms and promoters as third-rate jokes. Imagine a marketing combination of a pick-up artist’s “negging” playbook married with old-school Sherdog message board shit-posting.</p><p><br /></p><p>This attitude, combined with two key Japanese business partnerships — one with kickboxer Takeru and one with Yuji Kitano, the hyper-aggressive fight producer for TV-Asahi backed digital channel ABEMA — produced a combustible yet intoxicating can’t-miss content mix for ONE’s biggest show ever at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chatri’s bully pulpit, highlighted by his own admission of “over $500 million dollars” in venture capital backing, created a grand experiment in Asia’s biggest stage. How the ONE event played out reinforced the accuracy of an old fight adage: it’s better to be interesting and hated rather than be boring but loved...</p><p><br /></p><p>(Bloody Elbow)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movies: North American Box Office - Feb 4, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Argylle, is No. 1 in North America, earning $18 million in receipts this weekend, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coming in at No. 2 is The Chosen: Season 4 Episodes 1-3 with $6 million, followed by The Beekeeper at No. 3 with $5.3 million, Wonka at No. 4 with $4.8 million and Migration at No. 5 with $4.1 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rounding out the top tier are Mean Girls at No. 6 with $4 million, Anyone But You at No. 7 with $3.5 million, American Fiction at No. 8 with $2.3 million, Poor Things at No. 9 with $2.1 million and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at No. 10 with $2 million.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-26881654144111857162024-02-04T12:40:00.003+11:002024-02-04T12:40:34.488+11:00Media Man Int Blog: Linkedin Daily News Updates by Media Man founder Greg Tingle<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/linkedin_daily.html" target="_blank">LinkedIn Daily News Updates by Media Man founder Greg Tingle</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0crcXsMOkulUgG_uTy9FnKAByF_r6kYCZTm0DMbNGyS01fOTVbJ-TVQfURmVqHsb7BB_Xq4CcWja1ZKlVetSxiRXoEsKp_EWINXHZxtSP4jp75Pqo3W0M9PZev9JFrh8GnbfPW_A3I6myAKpjuAlCa_O3NZSMzv7OvMtTAzKjZ3ubf7E0XlRZA/s800/blog_gold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0crcXsMOkulUgG_uTy9FnKAByF_r6kYCZTm0DMbNGyS01fOTVbJ-TVQfURmVqHsb7BB_Xq4CcWja1ZKlVetSxiRXoEsKp_EWINXHZxtSP4jp75Pqo3W0M9PZev9JFrh8GnbfPW_A3I6myAKpjuAlCa_O3NZSMzv7OvMtTAzKjZ3ubf7E0XlRZA/s320/blog_gold2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoihvg0-iP2J2dTGKE8JaDhJ7zlcs7iAiivFQ-2mfrThDcLgod1jripmk-5VU3PtKOP9flcani9hn04Ro02zCXYZ1BelgO9foSs8G9JImPOxouW6GS_Cx3L6W4ol4lS5w7Y7byh5_EsUjp3QXry0NqoTdeidJSiQpfu5Qvv67VWurgmNg7dcluQ/s225/linkedin_gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoihvg0-iP2J2dTGKE8JaDhJ7zlcs7iAiivFQ-2mfrThDcLgod1jripmk-5VU3PtKOP9flcani9hn04Ro02zCXYZ1BelgO9foSs8G9JImPOxouW6GS_Cx3L6W4ol4lS5w7Y7byh5_EsUjp3QXry0NqoTdeidJSiQpfu5Qvv67VWurgmNg7dcluQ/s1600/linkedin_gold.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/news.html" target="_blank">News</a></p><p><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com/news4.html" target="_blank">Entertainment News</a></p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886186467203191624.post-23545937482360861942024-01-29T20:46:00.001+11:002024-01-29T20:46:13.450+11:00Media Man Int Blog: News Media, Online News, Pop Culture and Sports<p><b><a href="https://www.mediamanint.com" target="_blank">Media Man Int</a> Blog</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News Media, Online News, Pop Culture and Sports</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z3TBw6EtmdakoUBy9zIu6QOYzjQl5EKDhmVpSn2rY9jnF7DB_wJVL80vmWye9U3-OTvkpQLndxX_-ttHMDcIVSV180S4CV8UGtQV3ebbzK_y7cJDaxFnIXuDlhIg0KwAUrO4WeFcHU5ImLVM5VDhjl88zA0SCpBVH3jthMV-xs5RCp16AjxLPg/s286/google_blogger286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2z3TBw6EtmdakoUBy9zIu6QOYzjQl5EKDhmVpSn2rY9jnF7DB_wJVL80vmWye9U3-OTvkpQLndxX_-ttHMDcIVSV180S4CV8UGtQV3ebbzK_y7cJDaxFnIXuDlhIg0KwAUrO4WeFcHU5ImLVM5VDhjl88zA0SCpBVH3jthMV-xs5RCp16AjxLPg/s1600/google_blogger286.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b>MMA </b></p><p><b>Big Tech</b></p><p><b>Social Media</b></p><p><b>Sports</b></p><p><b>Search Engines</b></p><p><b>Digital News</b></p><p><b>Online News</b></p><p><b>AI News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Elon Musk's X to hire 100 content moderators in Austin this year - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Elon Musk-owned X social media platform announced a new content moderation push</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk’s X is in the process of hiring 100 content moderators for a new office in Austin, Texas, that will focus on fighting child abuse online on the social media platform, an executive said on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>X, formerly known as Twitter, announced a new "Trust and Safety center of excellence" in a blog post by CEO Linda Yaccarino on Friday. The new initiative comes as part of the company’s efforts to combat child sexual exploitation (CSE) on the social media platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>"While X is not the platform of choice for children and minors – users between 13-17 account for less than 1% of our daily U.S. users – we have made it more difficult for bad actors to share or engage with CSE material on X, while simultaneously making it simpler for our users to report CSE content," Yaccarino wrote.</p><p><br /></p><p>She added that the platform is "improving our detection mechanisms to find more reportable content on the platform to report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The post noted that X suspended 12.4 million accounts for violating the platform’s CSE policies in 2023 – a dramatic uptick from 2.3 million account suspensions in 2022. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company also referred 850,000 reports to NCMEC in 2023, including through X’s first ever fully-automated report. </p><p><br /></p><p>The company said that was over eight times more than what Twitter referred to NCMEC in 2022 before it was acquired by the Elon Musk-led ownership group.</p><p><br /></p><p>Following Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter, he has faced criticism for the content moderation policy changes to the social media site, which caused some advertisers to reconsider their spending on the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>X is in the process of hiring content moderation staff for the new Trust and Safety center of excellence in Austin, Texas.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The team is currently being built," said Joe Benarroch, X’s head of business operations, about the Austin office. He added that the goal to fill the positions by the end of the year is dependent on finding the right talent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The company added that the new Austin facility will also help X fight other types of harmful social media content.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>(FOX)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sports News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Rudd, Hockey on hand to turn NRL’s Las Vegas play into reality - January 25, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas season-opener is expected to go ahead as planned, with executives at the sport’s governing body planning to lean on the expertise of three former politicians to expedite a visa process for players.</p><p><br /></p><p>The four NRL clubs that will travel to the United States to compete in the Las Vegas double-header on March 2 have been at loggerheads with the Australian Rugby League Commission over delays to crucial matters such as accommodation, visas and funds for offshore training camps.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But an urgent meeting on Thursday between the clubs, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys ended with an agreement to hand the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles and the Brisbane Broncos $700,000 each in funding for pre-season training camps and unlimited insurance for serious injuries. They have also been given assurances that all visas and accommodation issues will be resolved.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’ve got the comfort and satisfaction that we needed to make sure that it’s going to be a success. From now on, it’s full steam ahead,” Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said. “What Peter and Andrew said today is they’re very confident that all players will get access to the US, which is really important to the game. We want to see the best players on the field.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL’s Las Vegas play is the brainchild of Mr V’landys and is based on concerns the game can’t sustain revenue growth by relying on local broadcast revenue, advertising sponsorship and wagering turnover.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the process has been arduous and expensive. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this week that the four clubs had written to Mr V’landys expressing concerns about a lack of information regarding visas, medical insurance, Las Vegas training venues and fast rising costs.</p><p><br /></p><p>“There was a degree of frustration about some of the things and issues we were raising and couldn’t get a resolution,” Mr Solly said on Thursday. “Peter understood our concerns, and he understood some of the challenges Andrew has faced, and he was able to bulldoze through them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL initially told the clubs players could travel to the US with visa waiver available for Australian travellers. Clubs were concerned about players being stopped by US customs, particularly those who had been arrested in Australia such as Payne Haas, Latrell Mitchell and Reece Walsh.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr V’landys will rely on Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran, a friend and former Howard government minister, to expedite the visa process. Mr McGauran is a former consul-general and senior trade investment commissioner to Texas and currently works for Bondi Partners, the advisory and investment firm run by former treasurer Joe Hockey.</p><p><br /></p><p>The NRL also plans to lean on Kevin Rudd, the Australian ambassador in Washington DC, and Mr Hockey to expedite the process.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Solly said the clubs had received assurances that players would be able to get visas approved. Players who have not been arrested previously will enter the US on a waiver, while the others will apply for a visitor visa.</p><p><br /></p><p>“They’re working with the consulate and government to make sure that process is expedited as quickly as can be,” he said. “Based on what we agreed today, we should be fine to sign the [final] agreement and get on with it.”</p><p><br /></p><p>To make sure players are prepared to play in US conditions, the four clubs will base themselves in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas for more than a week before kick-off. The NRL agreed on Thursday to provide $175,000 per club towards the cost of that week.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is an investment right now for the future,” Mr Abdo said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Having said that, we’re not approaching this expecting massive losses. We’ve already started building revenue streams, we’ve got investment from sponsors, we’ve sold a number of tickets.”</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can the tech giants live up to all the AI hype? - January 29, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Investors will be closely watching to see if Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta can report a rise in earnings that would justify the surge in their share prices.</p><p><br /></p><p>The mania surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI) has propelled the US sharemarket to record levels, but this week’s earnings reports from the five US tech giants will test whether the hype has been overdone.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be questioning whether the tech giants – Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Meta – can report a rise in earnings that would justify the huge surge in their share prices. (So far this year, the US blue chip S&P 500 has risen 2.5 per cent, and the tech sector is up by close to 6 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The question about monetising generative AI is a difficult one for the big tech giants.</p><p><br /></p><p>This month, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Sam Altman, the high-profile head of OpenAI, took to the stage together at Davos to discuss their partnership, and the potential of generative AI, which enables computers to generate sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level comparable to humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nadella was upbeat, saying the world was nearing a “magical moment” similar to the introduction of the personal computer.</p><p><br /></p><p>But then the moderator posed an awkward question about their AI efforts: “Do you guys make money?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Although both Nadella and Altman avoided giving a direct answer, the question is very pertinent – especially now that Microsoft boasts a market capitalisation of about $US3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) and is vying with Apple for the title of the world’s most valuable company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since ChatGPT was released at the end of November 2022, Microsoft’s share price has soared 66 per cent, or roughly three times the rise in the overall market.</p><p><br /></p><p>Underpinning this share price surge, however, are investor expectations that generative AI will result in a huge increase in revenue and profits.</p><p><br /></p><p>There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s partnership with Altman’s OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has allowed it to leapfrog Google, which has been working on AI for years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Microsoft first invested $US1 billion in OpenAI in July 2019, and then committed a further $US10 billion a year ago. When the OpenAI board ousted Altman last year, it was Nadella’s support that led to his reinstatement.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Microsoft is still in the early stages of embedding OpenAI’s technology into its offerings, such as its coding platform GitHub, its Azure cloud business and its software business, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.</p><p><br /></p><p>And there are also questions about the speed with which its customers will embrace AI.</p><p><br /></p><p>Risk of disillusionment</p><p><br /></p><p>This means there’s a risk that investors will become disillusioned if the AI hype fails to quickly translate into stronger revenues.</p><p><br /></p><p>Interestingly, Altman seems to have recognised this risk. On stage at Davos, he played down hopes that AI technology would radically change the world in the short term. Instead, he said it would inexorably improve over a longer period and eventually have a significant impact.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The world had a two-week freakout with GPT4”, Altman said, referring to the launch last March of OpenAI’s latest version of its chatbot. “And now, people are like, ‘Why is it so slow?’”</p><p><br /></p><p>Given the US market’s rally has been driven by a handful of big tech stocks, the risk is that investors show a similar impatience. That’s why this week’s earnings updates from the five US tech giants are so important.</p><p><br /></p><p>In particular, investors will be keen to hear from Microsoft on its progress in embedding the latest AI models in its offerings.</p><p><br /></p><p>And while they’ll be keen to hear from Google parent Alphabet on the outlook for online advertising revenues, they’ll also be waiting for an update on the company’s progress in developing its own AI models, which it plans to commercialise through its Google Cloud business.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely to see how Amazon performed during the holiday retail season, and whether it has been able to improve margins in its e-commerce business. But they’ll also be looking for signs that its cloud business is continuing to benefit from the growth in AI workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple’s results will be scrutinised for signs that its Chinese sales of the iPhone have suffered because of stronger competition from rivals such as Huawei. But investors will also be keen to hear from Apple boss Tim Cook on its plans to incorporate generative AI on its devices.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, investors will be paying close attention to Meta’s results, both to get a read on the health of the online advertising market and for an update on the company’s aggressive AI plans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has signalled that the company is now focused on building an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system, which can carry out tasks at a level of intelligence that equals or exceeds that of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Nine’s bankers asked private equity if they were interested in Domain - January 29, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Nine Entertainment’s bankers canvassed major private equity firms to gauge their interest in the company’s controlling stake in Domain, the ASX-listed property sales platform which is valued at more than $2 billion.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine owns 60 per cent of Domain, which listed in 2017. Nine’s position in the major residential and commercial property listing platform makes up around 38 per cent of the media group’s $3.2 billion valuation.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources close to the discussions, who asked for anonymity to speak openly about the matter, confirmed Jefferies’ Michael Stock canvassed both KKR and TPG around the middle of last year and discussed whether they were interested in looking at a deal relating to Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>While no deal eventuated, the discussions demonstrate that Nine – the publisher of The Australian Financial Review – has been considering how to make one of its major growth investments work harder. Among options for Nine could be taking Domain private with a third party, or selling all or part of its position in the company.</p><p><br /></p><p>KKR and TPG declined to comment, as did Jefferies, Domain and Nine.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are two key challenges going forward for Nine, which owns the Nine Network, free streaming platform 9Now, paid streaming service Stan, radio stations like 2GB and 3AW, and some of the country’s largest publishing assets including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, the television advertising market is largely flat. Advertisers are pulling back in a cost-of-living crunch, and there is more competition with streaming platforms – Amazon Prime Video will start running ads in Australia in the middle of this year. Television advertising made up 53 per cent of earnings in the last financial year. Domain added 11 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The second challenge is with Domain. The real estate platform is a key area for future growth for Nine, but it has not performed on par with $24 billion giant REA Group, which is 61 per cent owned by News Corporation.</p><p><br /></p><p>REA’s share price is up 142 per cent over the five years from January 2019 – Domain is up 39 per cent over the same time. Assuming dividends are reinvested, total shareholder return over those five years for Domain has been 53 per cent; for REA, it has been 163 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Domain’s most recent trading update in November was weaker than analysts expected. UBS’ Lucy Huang told her clients that there was a “significant underperformance in [property] volumes” at Domain, despite REA reporting 4 per cent growth nationally. That could be due to strong growth in Western Australia and Queensland, she said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Due to Domain’s historic strong presence in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, it is more competitive in those cities. There is also some competition from former Domain chief executive Antony Catalano’s View Media, which took $50 million in investment from ANZ early last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nine’s chief executive, Mike Sneesby, and chief product officer Rebecca Haagsma both sit on Domain’s board, which is chaired by former Fairfax Media chairman Nick Falloon. Mr Falloon stepped down from Nine’s board, where he was deputy chairman under Peter Costello, in November 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>While trailing REA, several brokers expect a solid first half result for Domain this year, with greater activity in NSW and Victoria. Macquarie’s Darren Leung told his clients earlier this month that the focus would be on “the difference in listings growth between Domain and REA, in our view”.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The spread between REA and Domain valuations is at record highs and Domain’s multiple is implying dwelling price declines – against our view of likely increases,” he said, upgrading his recommendation on the stock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Private equity has long seen value in property and classifieds businesses, including in Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>In 2017, TPG spent a month looking at Fairfax Media’s books after mounting a $2.8 billion takeover offer for the company. It would have owned The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review, but it was a deal primarily aimed at securing control of Domain.</p><p><br /></p><p>TPG withdrew from the auction. Fairfax instead demerged and listed Domain after that, in late 2017, and merged with Nine the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(AFR)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man Biz Terms</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </b></p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>###</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania</b></p><p><br /></p><p>At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.</p><p><br /></p><p> “The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”</p><p><br /></p><p>He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News and Streaming News</b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>01/23/2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About WWE</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About TKO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Forward-Looking Statements</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Streaming News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Choosing Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</b></p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Dwayne Johnson Background</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About TKO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man Blogs Updated</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Alphabet, Algorithm, AI and Agency </b></p><p><b>Blogs, Broadcasting, Buzz, Box Office, Business News and Bets</b></p><p><b>Creativity, Combat Sports, Crypto, Cafes, Casino News and Comms</b></p><p><b>Digital, Development and Dreams</b></p><p><b>Experience, Expertise, Evergreen, Energy, Expansion and Eco</b></p><p><b>Foundation, Formula and Frequency </b></p><p><b>Gaming, Gonzo Journalism Guide and Ghost Protocol </b></p><p><b>Highlights, Humanity and Health </b></p><p><b>Imagination, Intuition, Index Infographics, Interviews, Innovation, International and India</b></p><p><b>Japanese Pro Wrestling </b></p><p><b>King</b></p><p><b>Light, Lifestyle, Lists, LinkedIn and Legends </b></p><p><b>Monitization, Matrix, MBS and MMA</b></p><p><b>Numerology, Niche News and Network </b></p><p><b>Organic Results, Opportunity, Online Publishing and Ocean</b></p><p><b>Performance, Philosophy, Pro Wrestling, Portals, Platforms, PR, Publicity, Promotions and PPV</b></p><p><b>Quick and Quotes</b></p><p><b>Retro, Reviews and Risque </b></p><p><b>SEO, Systems, Social Media, Suplex and Streaming Industry</b></p><p><b>Trends, Text, Testimonials,Top 10 and Television </b></p><p><b>Universe and UFC</b></p><p><b>Vortex, Videos, Veteran, VIP and Vision </b></p><p><b>Wrestling, World and Web 3</b></p><p><b>X Corp and X Factor</b></p><p><b>Yachting</b></p><p><b>Zen and Zoo</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Twitter Strikes Deal With BetMGM to Feature Odds, Allow Bets to Be Taken From Platform - January 26, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kylie Robison of Fortune broke the news late Friday that X (formerly known as Twitter) has entered into a deal with BetMGM to integrate sports betting statistics into the platform.</p><p><br /></p><p>While the specific financial terms of the collaboration could not be learned, the intention is to introduce a feature for X soon that will showcase betting odds and provide a direct link to BetMGM, allowing users to place bets.</p><p><br /></p><p>X reportedly lost a significant number of high paying advertisers including Disney, NBC parent company Comcast as well as Fox Sports after Media Matters for America discovered ads displaying along side racist posts. </p><p><br /></p><p>X owner Elon Musk responded by calling Media Matters of America "pure evil".</p><p><br /></p><p>Best selling author and CBR Chair in Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech at the University of Austin, Michael Shellenberger, questioned the Media Matters of America findings at the time.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The media say X is placing Apple, IBM, and other ads near pro-Nazi content, but it's not. We tried various ways to replicate Media Matters' research and couldn't. The real goal of Media Matters isn't to fight antisemitism. It's to destroy X as a free speech platform."</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite premature reports of Twitter's demise, Gambling911.com now touts the platform as its second biggest referral source after Google.</p><p><br /></p><p>BetMGM had a market share of 17 percent in U.S. online sports betting in December and has the third largest market share in the US sports betting industry behind DraftKings and FanDuel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The BetMGM site is a partnership between MGM and Ladbrokes parent company Entain.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Nic Nemeth Reveals How He Got In Contact With New Japan Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Fresh off his NJPW and TNA debut, Nic Nemeth (former WWE star Dolph Ziggler) appeared on Talk Is Jericho to talk about WWE and what is next for him in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth on how he got into New Japan:</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not close friends with a lot of people, but a long time ago when Shinsuke came up from NXT, at the time it was when I was doing the thing where everybody who shows up wrestles me and I was doing the thing, it was like nine years in a row, whatever, but I'm doing that thing and I didn't really know him. I don't watch Japanese wrestling. I don't watch our wrestling. I famously don't watch wrestling and I hate everything, but I love my job doing what I do."</p><p><br /></p><p>"So right after WrestleMania, Shinsuke comes up, does whatever he does, and we're overseas doing that two weeks we used to do before COVID times. We bounced around in buses and things and him and I had to stay to do the dark match after TV and everyone else went on. So him and I are just in this car sitting next to each other. We put a couple of matches together, but I'm not really outspoken. We're just sitting there looking at our phones. I had requested a big bottle of Jack Fire whiskey and we had that for the ride and it's like, 'Hey, you want a sip' He's like, 'Yea' and then we start talking. Then we had a couple of whiskies and we were buddies. It was so great because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and he's like an ass kicker and like it's so great. He's so nice. We had a good bond and I really liked wrestling him."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"It reminds me of his first pay-per-view match with us. I even offered, I go, 'He's a strong style guy', like, I don't know what the hell is going on. I go, 'Should we have him like MMA style me up and we start having a wrestling match and he cracks me and hits me with a knee and I'm out cold and throw it out or something?' They go 'No, we don't want that.' Vince wanted a very WWE style match.' All right, great. So we did that."</p><p><br /></p><p>"A long time ago I was like every time a contract comes up I'm like, alright, I'm gonna get out of here. I have nothing left to do. I was kind of just sitting on the bench. I go, 'I'm gonna get out' and he goes, 'If you ever get out of here, I got some connections and I would like to help you out.' I'm like, 'Well, that's so cool. I don't know anybody or anything.' So years and years go by and I sent an email to the boss, Vince. At the time we were not sure actually what's going on, but I sent Vince an incredibly long email, 90% thankful, 'Oh my God. You guys are so great. You've taught me to do all this stuff.' 10%, 'This is messed up. I gotta get the hell out of here. There is no purpose for me to be getting paid millions of dollars to sit on the bench or be in a three minute match like a local.' I go, 'Pay locals to do this. There's no reason for me to be here.' I didn't hear anything back for two weeks and then I found out that I was released. I’m sorry. I sent that (letter) to a few different people. I don’t want to name names. but I sent it to very important people. Vince was the only one who wrote back instantly, and was like, 'This is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it further.' I said, 'Sir, if you want me to fly to Stanford tomorrow, I will be on a flight' and he said, 'Thanks. We'll think about it', and then two weeks later, I was released or whatever. So a couple weeks later."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"So the first thing I want to do is like man, I've never done independents. I haven't gone out of the country, except for with WWE all those times, all these places. I go, well, I'm still friends with Shin. 'Hey Shin. Do you think I'm so good at wrestling?' and he laughed. I was like, 'What do you think about Japan?' and he's like, 'I got you.' Then put a couple pieces together and get to Rocky Romero, who is the go between, and luckily for me, they were happy and excited to have me. That was one of the first things I did when I got released. The first week this goes back and forth. It's set up and I'm not saying a word and no one's going to know and everyone thinks I'm retired or doing comedy, but sure as hell not going to Japan. Nobody sees this coming and I go, 'This is so great.' So we kept it very secretive, got everything done back and forth, and then even snuck in there and snuck out and nobody knew and everyone was kind of blown away.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Talk Is Jericho/Web Is Jericho)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TNA Hard To Kill Drew Solid PPV Buys for a Loaded Show With Several Surprises - January 26, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The numbers are in</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling officially returned earlier this month as the promotion rebranded at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event that was a hit through the way of PPV buys from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show</p><p><br /></p><p>The show featured several debuts, including former WWE stars Dana Brooke, Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler), and Xia Brookside.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alex Selley lost the World Heavyweight Title against Moose in the main event of the show. Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Jordynne Grace on the show as she is expected to return to WWE soon and has since finished up with the promotion.</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV buys</p><p><br /></p><p>While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted the show likely did its biggest PPV buys since AEW's Kenny Omega beat Rich Swann to win the Impact World Title at the 2021 Rebellion. The final numbers are expected to be out in two weeks. </p><p><br /></p><p>“The TNA Hard To Kill show did great. Right now, this is basically a week and a half out, so this number will grow. But it was at 8,000 on television, which is a really good number for TNA. I'm sure it's the biggest number that they've done since the Rich Swan-Kenny Omega match. And it actually has a fairly decent shot, I don't know about beating that one. But being in the same realm as that one. And it's possible that it could be the biggest since the Spike days, certainly already the third biggest since Spike days. The fact that they did this on a night that was against the NFL playoffs against [NJPW] Battle in the Valley, although they were not head to head completely with Battle in the Valley like the last hour, I think of TNA in the first hour of Battle in the Valley, we're head to head, but they were completely head to head with [AEW] Collision. So, to do a number that big against that football game and Collision and Battle in the Valley. I think that’s great. There's no other way to put it. That's great." Meltzer stated.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wrestling Observer/Figure 4)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>01 December 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling Events Announced For Starrcast</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News : 12-Jan-2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The first two wrestling events of Starrcast Downunder have been announced!</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Hall of Famer Bret Hart is set to curate Australian Stampede, the flagship event of Starrcast Downunder. The wrestling icon will showcase a thrilling card featuring top-notch international talent and Australia's own homegrown stars on Saturday, April 13th in Ballarat. </p><p><br /></p><p>On the preceding day, Friday, April 12th, women's wrestling pioneer Mickie James will present H.E.R, a groundbreaking women's wrestling event at the heart of Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat. This event, following in the footsteps of Empowerr, will feature an unparalleled lineup with international sensations and Australia’s brightest talents. H.E.R promises to highlight the heart, athleticism, and drive of its trailblazing competitors. </p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss out on two massive nights of action– tickets will be available at the end of January.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>HITMAN | A SUNDAY WITH BRET HART</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sunday April 14 2024</b></p><p><b>Civic Theatre, Ballarat</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Starrcast Downunder invites fans on an unforgettable journey into the storied career of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. This exclusive event promises an intimate and immersive experience as fans get up close and personal with one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Step into the world of the Hitman as he takes the audience on a captivating exploration of his iconic career, sharing unique anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories, and personal reflections that have shaped his illustrious journey in the world of sports entertainment. From his early days in the legendary Hart family wrestling dynasty to his rise as a global superstar, Bret Hart's narrative will provide a unique and genuine insight into the challenges and triumphs that defined his remarkable career.</p><p><br /></p><p>The day will feature a special watchalong of Bret's legendary match with his brother Owen Hart at Wrestlemania X as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of that unforgettable match. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch the match alongside the man himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the in-ring psychology and artistry that set Bret Hart apart.</p><p><br /></p><p>But the excitement doesn't end there – HITMAN will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session. Fans will have the chance to pose their burning questions directly to the Hitman, creating an interactive and engaging experience that adds a personal touch to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>To make the day even more special, special guests may make appearances, providing additional perspectives and anecdotes that add layers to the already rich tapestry of his professional journey. Whether it's fellow wrestlers, managers, or iconic personalities, these surprise guests will contribute to the nostalgic atmosphere of the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>HITMAN is a must-attend for wrestling enthusiasts, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the legacy of a true icon. Join us for an day filled with passion, nostalgia, and the unparalleled charisma of Bret "The Hitman" Hart – an event that will leave a lasting impact on fans and wrestling history alike.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Oceania Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><br /></p><p>A Pro Wrestling Event Company holding events in the Oceania Region that will have as many non-exclusive partnerships locally and internationally in delivering pro wrestling events</p><p><br /></p><p>With an emphasis on showcasing professional wrestling through our quality broadcasting and highly engaging fan experience model at events, with leadership by an experienced sporting executive with Australian and International connections, OPW will become a destination wrestling company for fans, promotions and commercial partners.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>OPW Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>June 2023</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>IMPACT Wrestling</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Global Wrestling phenomenon Impact Wrestling provided plenty of action both inside and outside of the ring with their tour down under thrilling crowds at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event broadcast live on pay-per-view featured three title matches, including a rematch from Against All Odds in the main event as Alex Shelley defeated Steve Maclin to retain the IMPACT World Championship. </p><p><br /></p><p>Shelley defeated Maclin for the gold on June 9 and The Motor City Machine Gun kept ahold of the gold at Down Under night one after he countered a KIA attempt into Shellshock.</p><p><br /></p><p>Night 1 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Slex def. Adam Brooks</p><p>• Gisele Shaw def. Erika Reid</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Eddie Edwards - Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Killer Kelly def. Aysha</p><p>• Chris Sabin (c) def. Frankie Kazarian & Robbie Eagles - X-Division Championship</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Moose & Brian Myers</p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo def. Steph De Lander</p><p>• Alex Shelley (c) def. Steve Maclin - IMPACT World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The second and final show of the Down Under Tour at the Equex Centre in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales saw three title matches with Slammiversary implications.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joe Hendry defeated Moose to retain the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, Ace Austin & Chris Bey ended their one-year programme with The Motor City Machine Guns with a win for the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions, and Deonna Purrazzo picked up the win against Gisele Shaw in their Knockouts World Tag Team Title match. </p><p><br /></p><p>Night 2 Results:</p><p><br /></p><p>• Adam Brooks def. Robbie Eagles - Oceania Pro Wrestling World Championship</p><p>• The Natural Classics def. The Velocities</p><p>• Joe Hendry (c) def. Moose - IMPACT Digital Media Championship</p><p>• Eddie Edwards def. Slex</p><p>• Steph De Lander def. Killer Kelly</p><p>• Frankie Kazarian def. Brian Myers</p><p>• ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) - IMPACT World Tag Team Championships </p><p>• Deonna Purrazzo (c) def. Gisele Shaw - IMPACT Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>TNA iMPACT! on AXS TV Results: January 25, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Results / January 25, 2024 / by IMPACT Wrestling Staff</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A loaded episode of TNA iMPACT! comes to you from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada!</p><p><br /></p><p>Tonight’s iMPACT! is dedicated to the memory of Frank Caiazzo. RIP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey w/ Ace Austin vs Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of TNA’s most spectacular in-ring performers dazzle in a display of astounding athleticism. Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees is seen at ringside. Bey emerges victorious with the Art of Finesse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Bey def Kevin Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>The Grizzled Young Vets jump ABC from behind after the match, lay out Chris Bey with the Grit Your Teeth and stake their claim to the TNA World Tag Team Titles.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undeniable. Irresistible. Unforgettable. She is Ash By Elegance.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frankie Kazarian addresses his shocking actions from last week. He will explain himself next week but Rich Swann attempts to reason with Frankie. AJ Francis comes in and offers to be Rich Swann’s backup against Joe Hendry in an upcoming match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius vs Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango informs us that he hates pro wrestling. Dirty Dango takes a seat on the ramp as Prudius demolishes the competition. Dango takes the pin over Drake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dirty Dango and Oleg Prudius def Damian Drake and Dante King</p><p><br /></p><p>Zack Gibson and James Drake state earlier tonight was a statement of intent. ABC look for a piece of GYV before Santino Marella makes a Best of 3 Series between the two teams for the TNA World Tag Team Titles starting next week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Gia Miller speaks to Kazuchika Okada and The Motor City Machine Guns. They’re ready for The System in the main event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace vs Trinity for the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>This is Trinity’s contractual rematch after losing the championship at Hard To Kill. A handshake shows the respect between the competitors but Trinity takes the fight straight to Grace. After a series of back and forth pin attempts, Jordynne Grace uses the momentum of Trinity’s attempt to lock in Star Struck to score a quick pinfall victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace def Trinity to retain the Knockouts World Championship</p><p><br /></p><p>Gisele Shaw, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal attack both Trinity and Jordynne Grace, leaving them laying as Gisele’s Ultimate X victory gives her a future Knockouts World Title shot.</p><p><br /></p><p>The System discuss tonight’s main event – the system works and tonight it goes worldwide against the Guns and Okada.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Josh Alexander addresses the return of TNA and his victory over Will Ospreay last week. Alan Angels interjects and offers the Walking Weapon a spot on the premiere edition of his brand new talk show The Sound Check. After some insistence from Angels, Alexander agrees.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth vs Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth competes in a TNA ring for the very first time. Wentz feigns an injury to distract the referee allowing Trey Miguel to grab Nemeth’s leg as Wentz takes control. Nemeth connects with Danger Zone for the victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth def Zachary Wentz</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Miguel tries to get a piece of Nemeth after the match and eats a Danger Zone too. Steve Maclin jumps Nemeth and looks for the KIA but Nemeth connects with one more Danger Zone and stands tall.</p><p><br /></p><p>Crazzy Steve addresses his recent Digital Media Title win at Countdown To Hard To Kill but is interrupted by Rhino. Rhino shoves Steve as Steve laughs maniacally.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Decay discuss their resurrection and Knockouts World Tag Team Title victory at Hard To Kill.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs MK Ultra</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra drop Threat with their tandem piledriver to return to winning ways after their title loss at Hard To Kill. MK Ultra also piledrive Luna after the match to assert their dominance.</p><p><br /></p><p>MK Ultra def Dani Luna and Jody Threat</p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on iMPACT!: Nic Nemeth vs Trey Miguel, we hear from Frankie Kazarian, Brian Myers vs Kevin Knight plus ABC vs GYV in the first match of the TNA World Tag Team Title Best of 3 Series.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada makes his entrance to rapturous applause as he returns to TNA for the first time since 2011. Okada connects with the iconic Rainmaker on Brian Myers allowing Alex Shelley to follow up with Shellshock for the victory. Okada and The Guns celebrate their monumental victory.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada def The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers)</p><p><br /></p><p>After the credits, Mustafa Ali addresses TNA Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA IMPACT! goes off the air.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Credit: TNA Wrestling)</p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Google to tweak crypto ad policy, amplify Bitcoin ETF visibility - January 28, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Google, a subsidiary of tech conglomerate Alphabet, is on the verge of a significant policy update set to take effect on Jan. 29, which could alter the landscape of cryptocurrency advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approved 11 spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs on Jan. 10, Google is expected to amend its rules and enable asset managers to advertise these products to a broader U.S. audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>This move follows Google’s recent decision to broaden its cryptocurrency and related products’ policy, now providing advertisers with specific guidelines for promoting what it calls “cryptocurrency coin trusts.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Advertisers eager to capitalize on Google’s platform, renowned for its expansive reach and high search volume, will now require certification to ensure compliance with the tech giant’s stringent requirements.</p><p><br /></p><p>The significance of this development is highlighted by the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) converting to a spot Bitcoin ETF, coupled with the sanctioning of 10 other institutions to include spot BTC ETFs in their investment portfolios.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Crypto analysts are optimistic about the ramifications of this policy change on the digital currency sphere, as Google processes around 8.55 billion searches daily, according to DemandSage.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Can Google Ads tip the scales for Bitcoin ETFs?</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The crypto community speculates that the heightened visibility of Bitcoin ETFs through Google’s ad platform may drive substantial awareness and investment in the space.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>As such, companies operating within the spot Bitcoin ETF market could potentially witness a significant influx of interest from new segments of the public — not just from seasoned day traders or investors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The update could also signal a shift in how cryptocurrency products are advertised, ensuring that ads meet legal requirements and are responsibly presented to an engaged audience.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google’s policy change arrives at an opportune moment. The crypto market has seen fluctuating investor sentiment toward spot Bitcoin ETFs over the past week.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Jan. 24, Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of approximately $270 million, counterbalanced by significant withdrawals — most notably from Grayscale Investment’s Bitcoin ETF—totaling a net outflow of around $153 million. </p><p><br /></p><p>The trend did not improve, with Jan. 25 witnessing a continuation of the withdrawal streak, marking a fourth consecutive day of net outflows over the last week, totaling up to $80 million, specifically from the funds recognized by the SEC.</p><p><br /></p><p>Despite these challenging dynamics, crypto commentators feel Google’s policy shift could potentially open doors to a flood of new investors. The increased visibility and imposed certification could counterbalance the recent outflows from the spot Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a possible rebound as we edge closer to the Jan. 29 policy implementation date.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>UFC 298 CARD FILLS OUT WITH FOUR INTRIGUING BOUTS - January 27, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC’s Return To Anaheim Receives A Quartet Of Fascinating Bouts</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For UFC’s first visit to California since August 2022 for UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, the Anaheim fans will receive a treat of a card top to bottom. While most eyes will be trained toward Alexander Volkanovski’s featherweight title defense against the undefeated Ilia Topuria as well as Robert Whittaker’s bout against Paulo Costa. Fun fights are abundant in the organization’s second pay-per-view of 2024, including four more just added to the slate.</p><p><br /></p><p>Road to UFC winner Rinya Nakamura returns for his second official UFC bout against Carlos Vera. The Japanese bantamweight tallied six of his eight wins via finish and hopes to pick up his first official UFC stoppage after his decision win over Fernie Garcia in Singapore. Carlos Vera comes into the organization having just competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter during which he lost to eventual tournament winner Brad Katona. He steps in hoping to have a successful UFC debut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Welterweights Josh Quinlan and Danny Barlow feature on the card as well. Quinlan, a Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus split his first two UFC bouts to Jason Witt and Trey Waters, and after injuries and a cancelled bout kept him out of the Octagon since his lost to Waters, he hopes to get a bounce back win over Barlow. A fellow DWCS alumnus, Barlow earned his contract with a first-round knockout of Raheam Forest In September 2023. The undefeated Barlow racked up four knockouts and one submission on his climb to the organization, and he hopes to stretch his undefeated record to 8-0 on February 17.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another welterweight contest goes down as Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn lock horns. Woodburn is hoping to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 290, which was his first professional loss in mixed martial arts. Meanwhile, Elliott aspires to become one of the best Welsh mixed martial artists after competing on at Cage Warriors and Dana White’s Contender Series, the latter of which he won a fight via majority decision in August 2023. “The Welsh Gangster” has proven durable, and the two are surely desperate to get their hands raised in Anaheim. </p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, two middleweights hoping to finally get their breakout moment square off as DWCS alumnus AJ Dobson and The Ultimate Fighter graduate Tresean Gore are set to fight. Dobson came into the organization with high expectatioins, and after dropping his first two bouts, he earned his first UFC win over Tafon Nchukwi in August 2023. The Ohio-bred grinder believes he now has the right things around him and in place to climbt he division’s ladder. He’ll be hard pressed against Gore, however. One of the highest touted prospects on his season of The Ultimate Fighter, Gore couldn’t parlay that into wins in his first two trips to the Octagon. That said, he bounced back with a viscious submission win over Josh Fremd in October 2022. He was originally slated to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 before injuries prevented that matchup, so he is in search of momentum ahead to once again chase his championship aspirations.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned to UFC.com for any updates or changes to all events.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Google lays off hundreds of employees in advertising sales team</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Google is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising sales team, the Alphabet-owned Google opens new tab company said on Tuesday, marking the latest cuts at the search giant.</p><p><br /></p><p>The move adds to signs that job cuts will continue this year, as companies look to adopt artificial intelligence software and automation to lighten workloads.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last week, Google said it would lay off several employees in its Voice Assistant units, hardware teams responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, as well as in its augmented reality team.</p><p><br /></p><p>Google's customer solutions unit, which serves medium-level advertiser clients, will be the core team for growth moving forward, the company said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Business Insider first reported the news earlier in the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon opens new tab also said last week that it would lay off several hundred employees in its streaming and studio operations and 500 workers at its video streaming platform, Twitch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last month, Google - once touted as a leader in spurring AI research - unveiled its long-awaited AI model Gemini, as the company attempts to catch up to Microsoft, opens new tab in the AI race.</p><p><br /></p><p>In January 2023, Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, Alphabet, News and AI!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Search News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/search_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>SEO News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/seo_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #searchengine #searchenginenews #googlebusiness #searchnews #AI #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #Gemini #Pixel #Nest #Fitbit #Amazon #ads #adnews #onlineadvertising #sales #marketing #VR #virtualreality #reality #jobs #biz #SEO #technews #digitalnews #worldnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Social Media Platform News</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's X receives money transmitter license in Utah</p><p><br /></p><p>Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday received a money-transmitter license from Utah, the 15th U.S. state to grant approval as the company explores offering payment features.</p><p><br /></p><p>Utah granted the approval on Friday, according to the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry, opens new tab, an online database.</p><p><br /></p><p>It grants the company the ability similar to PayPal's, opens new tab Venmo, to facilitate money transfers and makes way for the company to allow users to send money to one another.</p><p><br /></p><p>The push into payments could help X diversify its business beyond digital advertising, which has suffered setbacks since Musk took ownership.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some major advertisers paused their spending or fled the platform after Musk last year agreed with an X user who espoused an antisemitic conspiracy theory. </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking at a New York Times DealBook event later that month, the billionaire CEO made a profane comment about brands that had suspended their ads on X.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since acquiring Twitter in October 2022, Musk has said he envisions remodeling the company into the purveyor of an "everything app" similar to popular Chinese app WeChat, which lets users send messages but also hail a taxi or pay merchants.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company received its first state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire in June last year and also got approved by Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, News and A.I!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Social Media News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/social_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#X #Xnews #XTwitter #everythingapp #theeverythingapp #ElonMusk #Musk #platform #platforms #platformnews #fintech #app #appnews #fintech #onlinebanking #transfer #innovation #disrupt #disruptor #disruptorofthemonth #technews #biznews #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man Int Blog Updated </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man Group Blog Network Updated </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Media Man Australia Blog Updated </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>News</b></p><p><b>Pop Culture</b></p><p><b>Advertising</b></p><p><b>Creativity</b></p><p><b>Mind, Body and Spirit</b></p><p><b>SEO and SEM </b></p><p><b>Business Journalism </b></p><p><b>Gonzo Journalism</b></p><p><b>Newsfeeds </b></p><p><b>Digital News </b></p><p><b>Worldwide Trends </b></p><p><b>Disruptors </b></p><p><b>Online News </b></p><p><b>Online Biz </b></p><p><b>Crypto PR </b></p><p><b>Business Leads</b></p><p><b>Relationship Marketing </b></p><p><b>PR and Media Management </b></p><p><b>And much more </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int is part of the Media Man Group, est 2001. </p><p><br /></p><p>Bloggers (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/bloggers.html</p><p><br /></p><p>News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#blog #blogs #blogger #blogging #news #popculture #ads #Advertising #creativity #mindbodyspirit #SEO #SEM #business #journalism #gonzo #gonzojournalism #newsfeeds #digitalnews #worldwide #trends #trending #trendingnow #disruptors #onlinenews #onlinebiz #crypto #cryptopr #BTC #blockchain #AffiliateMarketing #affiliates #sponsorship #ads #marketing #newsflash #x #xnews #platformnews #X #media #mediaman #mediamangroup #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Big Tech News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Mark Zuckerberg to be deposed in Texas multibillion-dollar suit targeting Meta for ‘secretly harvesting’ facial recognition without customer consent</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be called for a deposition in a lawsuit accusing Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg will be deposed as part of a Texas lawsuit accusing the Facebook and Instagram parent of using facial recognition technology without customer consent.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Texas state appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision requiring Zuckerberg to give testimony in the case.</p><p><br /></p><p>The lawsuit, originally filed in 2022, accused Meta of “secretly harvesting” biometric data from its users in violation of state law.</p><p><br /></p><p>The decision was a blow to Meta, which had sought to avoid having its boss deposed. Meanwhile, Texas argued Zuckerberg should be compelled to sit because he has “unique personal knowledge of discoverable information relevant to its claims,” the filing said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta did not immediately return a request for comment on the court ruling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bloomberg was first to report on the decision.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Texas lawsuit alleged that Meta gleaned the biometric data from photos and videos uploaded by users, shared the information with others and then “failed to destroy collected identifiers within a reasonable time.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Texas is said to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in civil penalties – with fines of up to $25,000 for every violation of applicable state laws.</p><p><br /></p><p>Meta has described the suit as “without merit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>When the lawsuit was filed in February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Patton accused the company of attempting to “take advantage of people and their children with the intent to turn a profit at the expense of one’s safety and well-being.”</p><p><br /></p><p>In November 2021, the Facebook parent said it would shut down its facial recognition program and proceeded to delete related data for more than a billion users.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Wires, X, AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Meta #Facebook #TikTok #Zuck #socialmedia #socialmedia #ai #ainews #ArtificialInteligence #platforms #platformnews #privacy #bigtech #biometric #biometrics #people #man #machine #manvsmachine #bot #bots #technews #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussie Crypto Biz News</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Some of Australia's largest retail brokers are working to allow local investors access to bitcoin spot price ETFs launching in the United States after they were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local exchanges reported that trading volumes for bitcoin and other currencies had more than doubled on Thursday, although the price remained steady.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SEC decision means major financial institutions – including BlackRock, Grayscale, VanEck, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity and six others – will be allowed to issue securities that will be linked to the price movements of the 15-year-old cryptocurrency. The new spot ETFs are set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq on Thursday night.</p><p><br /></p><p>The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and Cboe Global Markets have all received permission to list the spot-bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock, Fidelity and Grayscale have already announced their fee plans for investors, marking the start of a fierce battle to attract investor money to the new asset class.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australia is set to allow a local spot bitcoin ETF in the first half of this year.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: X, Wires, Google Finance, Yahoo and A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>(Image: A.I)</p><p><br /></p><p>#Bitcoin #BitcoinETF #BitcoinEFTs #bitcoinetfapproval #crypto #cryptonews #cryptocurrencies #CryptoCommunity #CryptocurrencyNews #SEC #Blackrock #Grayscale #VanEck #Franklin #Templeton #Fidelity #NYSE #Nasdaq #CBOE #fintech #asset #Assets #biz #biznews #mediabiz #prbiz #bitcoinnewsmedia #trends #trending #buzz #hype #PR #AI #X #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE NXT</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 16, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Let's go ringside with Vic Joseph @VicJosephWWE and Booker T @BookerT5x for the call of the action!</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams vs. Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FrWJ0jtn_s&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Big splash. Into the cover. Hook of the leg to advance" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"You asked the question - are these two on the same page. Looking at 'em right now man, they look like they are totally, totally, in-sync. I'm talking about working as a well oiled machine man" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>"That's part of the game for these two as there's been a lot of questions"... VJ</p><p><br /></p><p>Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker brainstorm team names: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOePeuR2FLo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO is focused on winning the Dusty Cup: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhyWSts1Sw&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Lola Vice & Elektra Lopez: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7be7suMtaeA&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Women’s No. 1 Contender Battle Royal – Fatal 4-Way Finale: Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHUupf-ojiM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Dijak: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pORRSZ5VcOA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>JBL gives Josh Briggs some advice: NXT highlights, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1S67B1PeLg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Dijak is going to show Joe Gacy what crazy looks like: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 16, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0cYYtOqZU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more via the award winning official WWE YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Very solid. Loving the Wolf Dogs. Need to see much more of the farm or any other venues with Fallon Henley and Tiffany Stratton. From squared circle to paddock to bull riding, best of show and beyond. Yee Haw! Let's see some gold on Lexis King. King of his own domain. Future King Of The Ring. WWE legend JBL with great advise: "I want you to show NXT, WWE, who you are"!</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWENXT #NXTDustyClassic #DustyClassic #NXTWomen #CarmeloHayes #TrickWilliams #WolfDogs #BronBreakker #BaronCorbin #LexisKing #King #kingmaker #JoshBriggs #JBL #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE NXT</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Mixed Martial Arts</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC @ufc 297</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Strickland vs du Plessis - Bad Blood | UFC 297</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwA8DrO4XMk&t=20s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"When your about to go fight a man, whatever thoughts, doubts, fear, hesitation, you know, that's all just the coward in your brain".. Sean Strickland @SStricklandMMA </p><p><br /></p><p>FULL EPISODE | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OES8O0YAEzo&t=11s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"In the annuals of UFC history, dominant UFC title holders were crowned." Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"One of the most diverse fighters in the history of the sport" Joe Rogan</p><p><br /></p><p>STRICKLAND vs DU PLESSIS | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iBEKaxLAE&t=8s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 2</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYo2BJyVYi8&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"Ah, so right now, Sean's going to teach me how to fight"... Nina Drama</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 1</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8VB9SvTxw&t=4s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>"We're going in my buddy's gun shop"... Sean Strickland</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PENNINGTON vs BUENO SILVA | UFC 297 Countdown</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfIwSTASv0&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more history, story, highlights and moments via the award winning UFC YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: SS for the win. Cheers legend.</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC #SeanStrickand #duPlessis #BadBlood #UFCMiddleweight #NinaDrama #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #video #highlights #history #moments #story #YouTube #entertainment #popculture #legends #AndStill #sportsbiz #sportsnews #sportsmedia #PPV #PayPerView #streaming #trends #trending #buzz #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE </p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s most shocking moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 15, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiqwQ-gpCyU&t=937s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you remember the last match I had before I returned to WWE? It was with you. And I remember what you told me after that match. Do you remember? You said I was going to be a future world champion. And I've done it twice".. Drew McIntyre</p><p><br /></p><p>"Since we're talking about stepping up, A assure you Drew, this is not an act"... Cody Rhodes</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Loving the storylines and in-ring promos built on actual history. The ups and downs of the pro wrestling industry and life in general. The story backed up by the amazing in-ring history makes the best version of professional wrestling. Master storytelling as we approach the Royal Rumble in just a few short weeks. Big thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #WWE #DrewMcintyre #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #JudgementDay #SethRollins #JinderMahal #RoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #YouTube #YT #broadcast #broadcasting #moments #video #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Report: Brands face marketing challenges in an AI world - January 17, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After a challenging 2023, WARC Media predicts global advertising spend will double its growth in 2024 with spend expected to top $1 trillion for the first time. Just five companies – Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Bytedance and Meta – are forecast to attract over half (51.9 per cent) of global advertising spend this year as their ad revenues rise by 10.7 per cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>Key to this growth is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). However, the growth of AI raises challenging questions about media quality and the future of advertising on the open internet.</p><p><br /></p><p>With concerns around media quality affecting all aspects of media planning and buying, The Future of Media 2024 report takes a look at platform power in the era of AI, the current state of linear TV, the future of attention measurement, and the growth of in-game advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Stringer, Managing Editor, Research & Insights, WARC, commented: “As marketing budgets rebound in 2024, uncertainty swirls around where best to direct investments in media, the role of AI in planning, and how to assess media quality. And as politics temporarily engulf culture with impending elections in several major economies, and the threat of low-quality AI generated content looms large, media environments that can offer suitable guarantees around brand safety will take on extra value. With this report we aim to provide insights and data enabling marketers to be better equipped to make informed decisions and plan for success in the year ahead.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Key trends outlined in The Future of Media 2024 are:</p><p><br /></p><p>AI-based advertising solutions grow but force advertisers into trade-offs</p><p>Walled garden platforms are expanding their reach and influence in advertising, thanks in part to the adoption of new AI-based capabilities, such as Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max.</p><p><br /></p><p>While this has generated a fair deal of excitement among advertisers, these trends have also prompted fresh concerns about advertising transparency and increased speculation about the future of advertising on the open web.</p><p><br /></p><p>For agencies and brands, transparency should be prioritised when working with AI-based tools, AI-generated content is a threat to media quality and brand safety, and brands should take steps to protect their investments in open web advertising.</p><p><br /></p><p>Linear TV consumption continues its gradual decline but age matters </p><p>Linear TV (broadcast and cable) consumption has been in gradual decline over the last decade, particularly with young audiences. Despite remaining the most trusted medium, there is a sense that this decline has accelerated over the last year.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC data, global Linear TV ad spend decreased by 5.4 per cent in 2023 and data from WARC’s 2024 Marketer’s Toolkit shows that only 18 per cent of marketers worldwide plan to increase their investment in linear TV this year, while 39 per cent plan to withdraw spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, actual time spent consuming TV only declined on average by 3 minutes daily (2.7 per cent) in 2023. WARC Media forecasts global linear TV consumption to decline by a further 2 minutes per day (1.9 per cent) in 2024, meaning people will continue to spend more time with linear TV than streaming video, streaming music, or listening to podcasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dave Campanelli, EVP/Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Media, says: “We hear a lot about ‘linear is dead’. People are still watching linear TV. They tend to be older, but they are still watching linear TV. And it’s 50 per cent of this whole pie. Our budgets need to represent that, depending on your age segment and who you’re going after.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Attention measurement at a crossroads</p><p><br /></p><p>An increasing number of brands and agencies are embracing attention measurement as a means of assessing creative and media quality. However, a lack of common standards and substantial evidence are two potential barriers to attention measurement achieving widespread adoption and legitimacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>A common criticism of attention measurement is that it is strongly biased towards visual media. The top tools used across all companies are eye tracking (50 per cent), survey-based ad recall (46 per cent), tuning duration/dwell time (42 per cent) and facial coding (42 per cent).</p><p><br /></p><p>The need to understand how attention works across different media channels and formats is resulting in more research and the building of new models of media quality. Brands and agencies should scrutinise vendor tools and methods, conduct their own experiments into attention to determine its value to their advertising, and prove the business effects of attention.</p><p><br /></p><p>Karen Nelson-Field, Founder and CEO, Amplified Intelligence, said: “It’s clear that the industry needs more robust evidence [for attention measurement] to convince CFOs and procurement teams that low-cost media doesn’t necessarily equate to efficiency. When we focus on business effects and align with the goals of CFOs, the industry as a whole will benefit.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The growth of in-game advertising</p><p>With a global audience of over 3 billion, gaming has developed into one of the most popular and pervasive forms of entertainment in the world, but remains a largely untapped opportunity for brands. Research by IAB estimates that gaming accounts for 5 per cent of advertiser budgets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Offering increasing amounts of ad inventory and a highly engaged and diverse audience, there are shifts taking place across the wider gaming industry that signal the potential for further growth:</p><p><br /></p><p>(1) major acquisitions such as Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of Activision and Sony’s purchase of Bungie and Savage Game Studios; (2) the continual leveraging of gaming IP in new TV and movie releases; (3) the growth of cloud-based game streaming services; (4) investment from new entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Bytedance.</p><p><br /></p><p>PWC estimates that video game advertising revenues will be worth $91 billion in 2024, meaning gaming would be the fifth largest channel by advertising spend, behind search, social media, linear TV and retail media.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to WARC’s Marketer’s Toolkit Survey 2024, more than half (51 per cent) of advertisers plan to increase their investments in gaming next year, but authenticity and integration are key to success.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Advanced Television)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA News</p><p><br /></p><p>Mixed Martial Arts Media World and Fans respond well to announced PFL @PFLMMA card line-up</p><p><br /></p><p>"And you know I'm always curious as well as to how the fans feel about news and whatno, especially when I'm hearing about things a couple of weeks out, and I have to say, and I think you know this to a degree, when your not the UFC the fans, especially on Twitter and social media can be a little harsh right because they've been supporting the UFC for so long. I was kind of blown away by the response yesterday"... - Ariel Helwani</p><p><br /></p><p>"We held nothing back for fans" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"Current fans, skeptical or not yet a fan..said, You moved up two or three notches as far as interest and certainly respect" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>"..All we're trying to tell fans is MMA is big. There's 650 million fans out there" Donn Davis</p><p><br /></p><p>"UFC puts on a great product. We put on a different and unique, great product. Check it out" Donn Davas, PFL (Professional Fighters League)..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It ain't either or. This ain't Coke or Pepsi. PLF's doing a whole different thing".."and we're doing a whole different thing for fans and a whole different thing for fighters, and I think yesterday people started to get that vibe".. "So we're delighted on how it all came together" Donn Davis </p><p><br /></p><p>"Mega Event" DD</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>Donn Davis Takes Shot at UFC, Talks PFL vs. Bellator Fight Card | The MMA Hour</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiKNaHe3to&ab_channel=MMAFightingonSBN</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL MMA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions is OFFICIAL for Feb 24th!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_XpqxZJtUI&ab_channel=PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Riyadh Season has revealed that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs current Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers. (Credit: PFL)</p><p><br /></p><p>More great PFL history, profiles, news and developments via their official YouTube channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@PFLMMA</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Stronger than average interview and fight card. Credit where credit is due. Mixed martial arts world buzz continues.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>PFL vs Bellator fight card</p><p><br /></p><p>Feb. 24, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</p><p><br /></p><p>Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader</p><p><br /></p><p>Impa Kasanganay vs Johnny Eblen</p><p><br /></p><p>Magomed Magomedkerimov vs Jason Jackson</p><p><br /></p><p>Jesus Pinedo vs Patricio Pitbull</p><p><br /></p><p>Bruno Cappelozza vs Vadim Nemkov</p><p><br /></p><p>Thiago Santos vs Yoel Romero</p><p><br /></p><p>Clay Collard vs AJ McKee</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):</p><p><br /></p><p>Gabriel Braga vs Aaron Pico</p><p><br /></p><p>Biaggio Ali Walsh vs Chris Morris</p><p><br /></p><p>Claressa Shields vs Kelsey DeSantis</p><p><br /></p><p>Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Edukondal Rao</p><p><br /></p><p>Malik Basahel vs Vinicius Pereira</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: PFL</p><p><br /></p><p>#PFL #ProfessionalFightersLeague #DonnDavis #quote #quotes #MMAFighting #ArielHelwani </p><p><br /></p><p>#RenanFerreira #RyanBader #Ferreira #Bader #FerreiraBader #RiyadhSeason #interview #PFLChampions #Bellator #BellatorChampions #PFLBellator #combatsports #sportsbiz #sportsmedia #sportsnews #sportsmarketing #PPV #PPVS #PayPerView #megaevent #specialevent #specialevents #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>Samoa Joe’s FIRST AEW World Title defense! Joe vs FTW Champ Hook! | 1/17/24, AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98j3dB9SQI&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"Managed Joe years ago. Joe knew Hook when he was little" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>"Not little any more"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A wild right hand and he's got the champion on his hands and knees"</p><p><br /></p><p>"That can certainly be an advantage. I mean Hook has grown as a professional wrestler watching Samoa Joe. Watching his win titles"</p><p><br /></p><p>"See that right hand. In front of our desk here" Taz</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Great match between Joe and Hook. Both legit bad asses. Hook, Hook, Hook! One of our favourite AEW pro wrestling matches ever! Hook mania running wild! FTW vs AEW lockerroom and beyond. Hook tipped as future world champ. Shoots and hooks matter. This ain't ballet folks. Those who can wrestler. Those who can't or fittest days are past are media, fans or both!</p><p><br /></p><p>Much world class pro wrestling via the official AEW YouTube Channel </p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEW #AEWDynamite #AEWTitle #SamoaJoe #Hook #JoeHook #FTW #Taz #prowrestling #wrestling #dreammatch #dreammatches #combatsports #entertainment #music #showbiz #feature #highlights #YouTube #trends #trending #buzz #TV #X #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy</p><p><br /></p><p>Best Quotes Of The Day (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/best_quotes.html</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Man In The Arena" (spoken by JFK). Video</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dTx-12tWdKA</p><p><br /></p><p>#JFK #JohnFKenny #quote #quotes #problems #man #human #humanbeings #TheManInTheArena #poltiics #USA #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Cycle</p><p><br /></p><p>Meditation</p><p>Visualization</p><p>Frequently </p><p>Energize</p><p>Exercise </p><p>Action</p><p>Interaction</p><p>Light </p><p>Listening</p><p>Sound</p><p>Patience</p><p>Transaction </p><p>Flow</p><p>Reflection </p><p>Be</p><p>Zen</p><p>Rest</p><p>Repeat </p><p><br /></p><p>Mind, Body and Spirit (Media Man Int)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Nick Aldis on wrestling for WWE: 'I'll cross that bridge if I come to it' Aldis isn't closing the door on competing in a WWE ring - January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Though he's having a blast in his current role, Nick Aldis isn't ruling out the possibility of wrestling in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis joined WWE as a producer last summer and has now been working as an on-screen character for three months. He was introduced as the new SmackDown general manager on October 13.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis has been involved in a power struggle with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline on WWE television, leading some fans to speculate that a Reigns vs. Aldis match could happen one day. Aldis told the Daily Mail that he's grateful for the fans who want to see him compete in a WWE ring. Aldis is fully committed to his GM role right now but believes that anything is possible in WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anything is possible in the WWE. I deeply appreciate all of the fans who keep me alive in that regard, who want to see me in the ring with this person or that person. Since my interaction with Roman, that started a whole different conversation in that regard.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm just grateful that there's an interest in it. At the same time, I'm fully committed to being the best general manager of all time, so I'll cross that bridge if I come to it.</p><p><br /></p><p>When Aldis departed the NWA, he knew that he wanted to end up with some kind of a job in WWE. Aldis wanted the chance to contribute in the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've been having a blast. I've come in blessed with the gift of managed expectations. I had sort of made peace with the idea that maybe WWE was never going to be on the cards for me at all. So I certainly have come in with a level of gratitude that I perhaps wouldn't have had as a guy in his 20s.</p><p><br /></p><p>I came in on a on a day rate, try out as a producer behind the scenes, which I, again, had fully made peace with the idea of if that's going to be my job, then that's going to be my job, and I'll do that job to the best of my ability, because I decided that at this point in my life and my career, I wanted to contribute to the big leagues.</p><p><br /></p><p>That may be because I put in my 10,000 hours, I felt like I had done enough and had enough experience, enough expertise and my own unique sort of philosophy and my own track record of success in the wrestling business that I was ready to work at the top level. I felt one way or another that my skill set as a professional was best suited to be contributing to the number one company.</p><p><br /></p><p>I finished up with the NWA. And at that time, I decided that if there was any kind of opportunity whatsoever with WWE, that was where I wanted to be. I felt like I'd done everything I could do at a place with limited resources and just decided one way or another that I wanted a chance to contribute there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aldis was a two-time Worlds Heavyweight Champion while with the NWA. He's also a former TNA World Champion.</p><p><br /></p><p>On SmackDown two weeks ago, Aldis announced that Reigns will defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble. Aldis made the announcement after The Bloodline disrupted an Orton vs. Knight vs. Styles number one contender's match.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Nic Nemeth On Why He Chose To Confront Moose at TNA Hard to Kill</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In an interview for TNA’s Instagram (via Fightful), Nic Nemeth explained why he chose to confront Moose for his TNA debut at this past Saturday’s Hard to Kill PPV. Nemeth will appear on tonight’s Impact on AXS TV to explain his actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said: “I wasn’t focused on Moose [at TNA Hard To Kill], and I wasn’t even focused on the championship, which I have thought about non-stop for a long time. Like I said, I go, where can I pinpoint the moment where people will make it the most memorable? I did 20 years in one company. I get one chance to make a second impression here on the world. That will be the biggest possible moment and the most talked-about, I think. I really think that helps myself and the company. I didn’t have a plan. Moose is in my target, I got him. I was watching that title match going, whoever wins, I’m sliding in there and going, ‘Here I am, let’s go.’ So I don’t exactly know what my focus is, other than, I have earned everything that I’ve worked for, to a point where I go, I don’t want to stroll in here and be like, ‘Hey, I showed up through the crowd so you gotta give me a title shot,’ or, ‘I’m famous, so I get a ….’ No, I wanted to make my mark there, and now I focus on, where can I fit in? Where can I start building blocks to make myself to where I’m not presenting it, but the world goes, this should be the number one contender, and here’s why. Then, when that happens, I’ll know that I’ll be able to sleep at night going, I have proven myself worthy of a title shot. Okay, now let’s focus on the champion. No, I’m not hand-picking anything: I’m here, and I said, I am lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here. If I get some more eyes on TNA, hell yeah, that rocks. Let me know where I start, and I’m coming in with my lunchbox and ready to go. I’m gonna prove it in the ring every single night that says, we need to do something else. We need to get this guy in the title picture, he has earned it. But I gotta put in the time first and the effort. I’m not all show and all talk. I’m gonna earn it, but I want the TNA locker room and the audience to be going, this is the guy. He deserves a shot. Not me walking in and saying, ‘Hey, give me a shot.’ Hell no. I would never do it that way the rest of my life. There’s no way I’ll do it now. I want to make this count. I want it to be special.“</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling: TNA Champion Moose Says TNA Wrestling now in "Hot Spot" - 18th January 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>"Even though he took me out, which I'm going to get mine back when the time is right, but let's leave that alone. Talking about Nic coming into the company, I think it's huge for TNA. Obviously, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a superstar. He's done everything in professional wrestling, he's been World Champion, he's been a tag team guy, he's won every single title you can think about. He's been all over the world. He has a huge buzz going right now. For him to pick TNA over AEW and New Japan or any other company, that shows that TNA is a hot spot right now. I'm happy he's part of the team, I'm happy I get to do something down the road with him. I'm happy that TNA is starting to be a spot where people want to come. Same thing with Ash By Elegance, her picking us over other companies out there, I'm happy she is part of the team and I can't wait to see what the future brings with Nic and Ash.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada to leave New Japan Pro-Wrestling - January 19, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for supporting New Japan Pro-Wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada will be leaving New Japan Pro-Wrestling after the conclusion of his contract on January 31 2024. </p><p><br /></p><p>We apologise to fans for the abrupt nature of this announcement, but join them in wishing Okada the very best in his future. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the New Beginning series begins this weekend, Okada will appear on February dates on February 11 in Osaka, and February 23 and 24 in Sapporo. Changes will be made to forthcoming cards with an announcement to follow. </p><p><br /></p><p>We appreciate your understanding and continued support. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada statement:</p><p><br /></p><p>I have nothing but gratitude for having been a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2007, and for NJPW bringing me from a 19 year old kid off the plane in Mexico to the Rainmaker I am today. Thank you to the best of companies in NJPW, to the best of opponents that I’ve been able to face here, and to the best of fans that have cheered and booed over the years. I promise to make it rain in every match I have left, so keep watching. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>SmackDown preview, Jan. 19, 2024: Huge Contract Signing for Royal Rumble set</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss SmackDown, this Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Next week on SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight and AJ Styles will be in the ring to sign the contract for their monumental title match at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time all four men shared the ring, utter bedlam erupted as The Bloodline attacked Styles, Orton and Knight while they were competing in a Triple Threat Match to determine who would challenge Reigns at Royal Rumble. </p><p><br /></p><p>What will happen when these four dynamic Superstars participate in what seems certain to be a volatile contract signing? </p><p><br /></p><p>Don’t miss SmackDown, next week at 8/7 C on FOX! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The Kevin Owens Show" to welcome U.S Champ Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A special edition of "The Kevin Owens Show" is coming to Friday Night SmackDown as the No. 1 Contender to the United States Title welcomes the champion, Logan Paul.</p><p><br /></p><p>Owens earned the right to face The Maverick after winning the United States Title Tournament by defeating Santos Escobar in the finals, a result that clearly bothered Paul. </p><p><br /></p><p>The last time the two Superstars came face-to-face, Owens knocked out the champion with a brutal punch from his casted right hand, so there's no telling what will happen they meet again live on Friday at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The LWO to take on Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in Six-Man Tag Team action</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will represent The LWO against their bitter rivals Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto in a Six-Man Tag Team Match.</p><p><br /></p><p>Since Escobar turned his back on The LWO, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Carlito, Wilde and Del Toro have been waiting for their chance at payback, and it will finally come on Friday Night SmackDown.</p><p><br /></p><p>With the numbers not in his favor, Escobar brought Angel and Humberto from NXT to form Legado World Order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don't miss this Six-Man Tag Team Match live on Friday Night SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX!</p><p><br /></p><p>(WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestler Grayson Waller’s defiant response to Sunrise controversy - January 19th, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>An Aussie wrestler isn’t backing down after he caused chaos live on Sunrise this week, threatening to punch a crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>By Nick Bond</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian wrestling champ Grayson Waller has shared a simple public response to the controversy over his chaotic appearance on Sunrise earlier this week.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller was appearing on Tuesday’s episode of Sunrise alongside US wrestler LA Knight, and lost his temper when hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Doran attempted to goad them into showing off some of their moves on a willing crew member.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I don’t think you understand – if I come over there right now, we’re going to have the police here, cos I’m not going to give you some fake punch. I’m going to punch you straight in the jaw,” Waller said, as Doran struggled to contain him while the crew member quickly scarpered from the set.</p><p><br /></p><p>To the average viewer, it was a shocking outburst – but as the clip circulated online, wrestling fans were quick to praise Waller. They insisted his trash-talk had actually diffused the situation, and was a better option than what the Sunrise hosts were suggesting he do: Potentially hurt a member of their staff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller posted a photo to his Twitter account yesterday that would’ve been cryptic to many, but one that meant something to wrestling fans:</p><p><br /></p><p>The photo in question is from an infamous 1988 encounter between wrestler David Schultz and reporter John Stossel, who was at the time working on an ‘expose’ on the world of professional wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I think this is fake,” Stossel told the wrestler, which got an immediate – and violent – response.</p><p><br /></p><p>‘You think this is fake?” Schultz asked, before smacking the reporter across the face, leaving him cowering on the ground.</p><p><br /></p><p>“You think that’s fake? What the hell’s wrong with you? That’s an open-hand slap, huh?”</p><p><br /></p><p>Schultz continued, before walloping Stossel again, leaving him to flee down the corridor.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling faithful knew exactly what Waller was referencing just from the screenshot of Schultz – and applauded him for standing his ground on Sunrise.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was awesome. Good on you for sticking up for wrestling. They were totally disrespectful,” wrote one follower.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I saw you in a different light today, Grayson. Good on you,” said another.</p><p><br /></p><p>“My respect for you has risen tenfold,” another fan tweeted.</p><p><br /></p><p>After footage of Waller’s outburst went viral on social media – one clip alone has been viewed more than 1.5 million times – fans praised him his respect for “kayfabe”, a wrestling term used to describe the convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic.</p><p><br /></p><p>“That was absolutely f**king brilliant from Waller there. He protected kayfabe, he protected Knight. He was so sharp and on the ball. I was already a fan of his but my respect for him just grew a lot from this,” gushed one fan.</p><p><br /></p><p>Waller’s face might be familiar to reality TV fans: He was a controversial contestant on the 2019 season of Australian Survivor, where he proved divisive among his fellow contestants and viewers due to his aggressive nature in challenges.</p><p><br /></p><p>Teammate and former AFL player Abby Holmes dubbed him an “actual idiot,” but Farrelly, who is also a high school teacher when he’s not wrestling, soon embraced the epithet, selling “ACTUAL IDIOT” T-shirts at his wrestling matches.</p><p><br /></p><p>“I had a feeling that most of my airtime was probably going to be me yelling and screaming, and I’m OK with that,” he told news.com.au after his elimination from the show.</p><p><br /></p><p>(News Corp)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media</p><p><br /></p><p>Update</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_media.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News, including flashbacks and retro via social media channels (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>A collaboration between Media Man, Wrestling News Media @wrestlingnewsm and Australian Sports Entertainment @austsportsent </p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #wrestlingnewsmedia #prowrestling #prowrestlingnews #sportsentertainment #WWE #SmackDown #TKO #KO #TNAWrestling #TNA #AEW #NWA #UFC #PFL #MMA #grappling #combatsports #champions #worldchampion #Goat #rankings #wrestlingnewsmedia #australiansportsentertainment #popculture #blog #blogs #blogging #onlinenews #promotions #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoters #interviews #OP #ED #gonzo #mainstream #alt #trend #trends #newsmedia #buzz #TV #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>Reigns, Knight, Orton and Styles set for Contract Signing: WWE Now, January 19, 24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4t3oMLL2E&t=15s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Watching the live broadcast!</p><p><br /></p><p>and more world class pro wrestling, action and drama via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This ain't going to be any normal contract signing folks! This isn't 'Succession' or 'Billions'. This is the world of the WWE! #SmackDown #WWE2K24 </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #HeadOfTheTable #prowrestling #wrestling #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #RomanReigns #RandyOrton #AJStyles #LAKnights #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #NickAldis #wrestlingcontract #contract #contractsigning #combatsports #fight #fighters #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #FOX #PLE #PPV #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Kayo Sports (part of The Foxtel Group), out of Australia, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) @UFC have officially commenced a new multi-year agreement from January 1, 2024, which sees Main Event @MainEventTV – available only on Kayo Sports and Foxtel – become the exclusive home of UFC Pay-Per-View events down under in Australia aka Terror Australis! The readership knows we like media on the edge, so we've got to slip the Aussie slang in every now and again to suit the theme right.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first Pay-Per-View (PPV) exclusive event will see UFC middleweight Champion Sean "Tarzan" Strickland make his virgin title defence against South African Dricus "Stillknocks" Du Plessis as they marquee UFC 297 direct from Toronto on January 21.</p><p><br /></p><p>This partnership casts Main Event as the undisputed home of PPV in Australia, with a prized tradition of showcasing the biggest UFC fights across the globe, as well as being a key part of seeing up and coming top range fighters climb to the top since 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the terms of the new agreement, fans looking to hit up a buy of a UFC PPV will be redirected to Foxtel and Kayo Sports’ Main Event platform for exclusive access to world class matches. UFC Fight Pass will continue to broadcast live UFC fights, including the Preliminary bouts to UFC PPV events and each UFC Fight Night event in its entirety, in addition to live and on-demand combat sports and unforgettable archived bouts from around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to all the UFC PPV events, sports fans can expect a full menu of UFC content, including UFC Fight Nights, UFC Pay-Per-View Prelims, UFC Countdown, DC & RC, plus selected titles from UFC’s Fight Library on ESPN, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ahead of the UFC’s first PPV event in 2024, Australian foodie critic, MasterChef Australia judge and self-confessed fanatic Melissa Leong will host UFC Fight Week on Wednesday, January 17, available on Kayo Sports and Foxtel. Melissa will be joined by panellists Tyson Pedro and Dan Hooker as they break down UFC 297 and interview Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. The show will be replayed daily leading up to the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC’s popularity has boomed since it was first broadcast in Australia in 2008. There are now in excess of 700 million UFC fans across the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, UFC counts more than 4.3 million fans and features the youngest fan base of any professional sport in Australia with 48 per cent aged between 18-39. These stats are gold to the business of sports marketing, sports media and other associated business arms.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re excited to strengthen and expand our relationship with the UFC, the fastest growing sport in the world, and 2024 will deliver a line-up of epic battles, kicking on January 21 with UFC 297,” said Rebecca McCloy, executive director of commercial sport at Foxtel Group.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Foxtel and Kayo Sports are the best sports broadcasters in the country and they have backed UFC in Australia since the beginning. Together, we will continue to grow UFC in Australia and they will be the destination for the biggest and baddest fights we put on year-round,” said UFC president Dana White.</p><p><br /></p><p>It will be a full UFC schedule on Main Event in 2024. Following UFC 297, all eyes will turn to Australia’s fan-favourite UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski for his much-anticipated title defence against Georgian Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in California on February 18.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Combat sports PPVs certainly have boomed in Australia since circa 1996 to 2000 when we most closely collaborated and cross promoted with Main Event while working for Optus Vision/Communications in a full-time capacity. The UFC continued to build upon the earlier success of pro boxing and pro wrestling on pay-per-view. The YouTube and social media based features are great, but there's nothing quite like a main event MMA match on PPV for those who live and breath combat sports. Many fighters and former fighters these days even have their own channels across the internet. Exciting times for combat sports fans as well as for those who work in and around the industry. Another chance to ground and pound and KO with the best of them thanks to the UFC, Kayo Sports and Main Event.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Videos To Help Get Casual and Hardcore Fans Up To Speed on UFC 297</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: UFC, Main Event and News)</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 5</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G8qz_UVusA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Final Faceoffs</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ipEXK1tHQA&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Main Event Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: New Home of the UFC l Main Event</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaKiSNkC6cM&ab_channel=mainevent</p><p><br /></p><p>Chael Sonnen Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=53s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland WARNS Du Plessis: "Bring that s*** up, and it's ON SIGHT!" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieWHG_Q2yU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #UFC298 #UFC300 #UFCAustralia #KayoSports #MainEvent #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #PPV #PayPerView #PayPerViews #SeanStrickland #Strickland #DricusDuPlessis #DuPlessis #DanaWhite #quote #quotes #combatsports #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #broadcast #broadcasting #OTT #OverTheTop #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Search Engine Journal</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SEO structures Geo</b></p><p><br /></p><p>SEJ's Motoko with an insightful and interesting article about the global nature of the internet based business. Numerous valid points. We started with one basic website and a basic blog. Then we expanded with a range of dotcoms and dotcomdotaus and numerous social media platforms and challenges. Cast the net far and wide and adapt to the cycles and frequently changes in the industry. Business models can and generally should be changed and improved from time to time to adapt. In and around sports news media and sports and pop culture media business there are frequent changes and developments. New websites can be created for a minimum budget. Exposure can be gained in numerous ways including the trending algorithm and getting indexed on Google and the like. Having a local, state, national and international approach helps plug into go-ahead areas one may otherwise miss. Geo stories in far away lands can really take off and create great opportunities. My biggest deal ever was involving one brand in three counties and we adpated it to the different geo zones. Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon and there's always more work to do. Last but not least, enjoy the journey as it's part of the bigger picture. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC @ufc </p><p><br /></p><p>The UFC, the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion continues to produce world beating videos to further fuel new and old fight fans; In-Octagon action plus storylines, features, moments and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Strickland vs du Plessis Cold Open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZAaHe3H-94&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Free Fight Marathon</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Embedded: Vlog Series - Episode 6</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virYgBbiSog&t=2s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 2024 (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/ufc_2024.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IyI84DbNg&t=209s&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Sean Strickland (Media Man Int)</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/sean_strickland.html</p><p><br /></p><p>MMA living legend Chael Sonnen offers more insight and colourful commentary</p><p><br /></p><p>The Rise of Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8DxSWk3Tc&t=62s&ab_channel=ChaelSonnen</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, we got a good one this weekend guys" CS</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is one of the incredible studies in a microcosm in the world of marketing"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Luck is very real, but what does it mean"? CS</p><p><br /></p><p>Fellow MMA Living Legend Michael Bisping offers insight and tips</p><p><br /></p><p>BISPING: UFC 297 Strickland vs Du Plessis | FINAL PREDICTIONS & PRESS CONFERENCE REACTION</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvO-mgcp01U&t=265s&ab_channel=MichaelBisping</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier, Last But Not Least Media Man Fav Grapples With The Situation</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis GOES IN ON Sean Strickland: "That excuse has EXPIRED" | Daniel Cormier Check-In</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpuivuKdkw&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>"Look man, this is as personal as its going to get, and in personal fights, ya boy always shows up" DC</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Aussie Sports Pay-Per-View News: UFC - Foxtel Group Pay-Per-View Partnership</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/aussie_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tarzan vs Stillknocks isn't going to go the full distance. Both are there to fight. DP stats 3 rounds or less. Plenty of stand-up and it may go to the ground if one of both get hit hard enough. If it goes to the ground expect ground and pound to "the death" (almost), as both shook hands on at the presser! SS once again talked fight fans into the arena. Big personalties and big hits to match. Going viral and to trend off the charts to say the least. Someone is going to get hurt. It's put up or shut up. Let's F'N go!</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Thought: "Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #UFCCanada #UFCTitl #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW</b></p><p><br /></p><p>COPE OPEN! Dante Martin steps up to Adam Copeland’s open challenge! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmYbXArA7us&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TWO HEAVY HITTERS! A returning Jon Moxley takes on Shane Taylor! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbkA6nRVD8&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Bang Bang Scissor Gang? AEW Trios Champs & ROH 6-Man Champs Together? | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko50hxGfvek&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Thunder Rosa returns to singles competition! Rosa vs Queen Aminata! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LGwOH4VI38&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Adam Copeland's Open Challenge Continues + Mox Returns! | AEW Control Center: St. Louis, 1/20/24</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZSUs7T0g94&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST SEE REMATCH! Could Darby Allin & Jeff Hardy top their last meeting? | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Rl4SOBpH4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Better than solid solid show. The Bang Bang Gold has added some new spark and entertainment value to the AEW shows. Switchblade is on fire. Great to have Thunder Rosa back. Change is in the wind. Rumbling's of a big Japanese signing coming up, but nothing is ever 100 percent until it happens. TK keeps up the good fight while providing more options for pro wrestlers and fans across the globe.</p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWCollison #AEWRevolution #AdamCopeland #RatedRSuperstar #BangBangGang #JaySwitchblade #JonMoxley #Mox #ThunderRosa #Sting #prowrestling #wrestling #TNA #TBS #broadcast #broadcasting #entertainment #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>MMA </p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: UFC, ESPN MMA, TNT Sports, The MAC Life and others release interviews, clips, media footage and more, plus more to follow. Insiders expecting strong Pay-Per-View buy rates in Canada, U.S, Australia and elsewhere. Sold out crowd starts anti-Candian PM chants impossible to ignore. Politics and sports don't really mix, but tend to get bundled together for better or worse. Emotionally charged crowd and fighter interviews. "Stillknocks" and "Tarzan's" eyes battered! UFC top Brass Dana White thinks SS won!</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC Official YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297: Post-Fight Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ2G1M4M4rQ&ab_channel=UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC YouTube Live Streams</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@ufc/streams</p><p><br /></p><p>TNT Sports YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>New UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis on fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 300!</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA7yCVDbaQE&ab_channel=TNTSports</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN MMA YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis recaps his win vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 297 | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTPdR0J7xc&t=6s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>Immediate Reaction to the scoring of Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis | UFC 297</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7GC4e7wS78&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>UFC 297 Post Show debates if Sean Strickland or Dricus Du Plessis won | ESPN MMA</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ko3bR3wVG0&t=4s&ab_channel=ESPNMMA</p><p><br /></p><p>The MAC Life YouTube</p><p><br /></p><p>Dricus Du Plessis: “I look like a cauliflower”; Israel Adesanya at UFC 300? | UFC Press Conference</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kaXpMOzUM&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Dana White: ‘I thought Sean Strickland won'; UFC 300 main event to be announced next week</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwJAL8HI29s&t=215s&ab_channel=TheMacLife</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Daniel Cormier REACTS to Dricus Du Plessis defeating Sean Strickland in CLOSE decision at UFC 297 (*notify me)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11BaCVuDBU&ab_channel=DanielCormier</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: UFC </p><p><br /></p><p>#UFC297 #Strickland #duplessis #SticklandDuPlessis #Tarzan #Stillknocks #AndNew #DanaWhite #quotes #interview #interviews #ufcnews #ufcmedia #ufcpress #pressconference #UFCCanada #UFCMiddleweight #UFC #UFCNews #UFCMedia #MMA #mixedmartialarts #combatsports #YouTube #YT #videos #PPV #PayPerView #TKO #TKOGroup #ppvnews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsbetting #wager #trends #trending #buzz #hype #X #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>All Elite Wrestling @AEW </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: And even more great pro wrestling action from the world's current leading challenger brand promotion!</p><p><br /></p><p>Continental Crown Champ, Kingston, & Ortiz vs BCC’s Danielson & Castagnoli! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfzxx7MQOlQ&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong vs former GenNext teammate Matt Sydal! | 1/20/24 AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNV3F76xrI&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>After last week’s attack, Daniel Garcia gets HOB’s Buddy Matthews 1-on-1! | 1/20/24, AEW Collision</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI59spwoK2s&t=7s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Two tag team specialists go 1-on-1! Penta El Zero Miedo vs Anthony Henry! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLF9Xzp5x_Q&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Will the Young Bucks be the ones to end the Icon Sting’s career at Revolution?| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilvU7g2X6w4&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo makes her AEW Dynamite in-ring debut vs Anna Jay!| 1/17/24 AEW Dynamite</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUD4yK0c2e4&t=5s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Stat & Stoke? Statlander (w/ Hathaway) takes on Queen Aminata! | 1/19/24, AEW Rampage</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD3xT-2tTRs&t=6s&ab_channel=AllEliteWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more!</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW Official YouTube Channel </p><p>www.youtube.com/AEW </p><p><br /></p><p>#AEWRampage #AEWDynamite #ChrisJericho #MattSydal #TNT #prowrestling #wrestling #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #video #entertainment #PopCulture #YouTube #video #trends #trending #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: AEW</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News and Streaming News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025. </p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base." </p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. </p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>01/23/2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix</b></p><p><br /></p><p>STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."</p><p><br /></p><p>With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.</p><p><br /></p><p>The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.</p><p><br /></p><p>About WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>About Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>Forward-Looking Statements</p><p><br /></p><p>This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Netflix and WWE)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming News</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.</p><p><br /></p><p>For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.</p><p><br /></p><p>He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p>Choosing Netflix</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.</p><p><br /></p><p>Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.</p><p><br /></p><p>Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Web Tips</p><p><br /></p><p>The Complete Guide to Local SEO and How it Can Help Your Business Grow</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introduction: What is Local SEO?</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is also called Local Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. It is a type of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that focuses on getting a website to rank higher in the search results for searches related to geographic areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO services typically target specific cities, towns, and neighborhoods where they live or work. Local SEO Expert helps businesses rank high in Google Maps and Google Business listings.</p><p><br /></p><p>How to Perform a Mobile Ranking Check and Best Practices for Local SEO</p><p><br /></p><p>Mobile devices have surpassed desktop in usage, and this trend will only continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a key part of any successful marketing strategy. It’s important to know how to perform a mobile ranking check and best practices for local SEO.</p><p><br /></p><p>To start, you need to find out what the major search engines are looking for by visiting the following sites: Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Bing’s Local SEO Guide, and Yahoo’s Small Business Site Setup Guide.</p><p><br /></p><p>A good place to start with your mobile ranking check is by downloading Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool. This tool will tell you if your site is mobile-friendly or not. You can also use it to see how your site compares against other sites in terms of loading speed or if it has any errors.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 Steps to Boosting Your Local Business with Search Marketing</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your website</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your content</p><p><br /></p><p>Optimize your social media</p><p><br /></p><p>Local businesses are at a disadvantage when it comes to online marketing because they don’t have the resources that larger companies do.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, there are a few things you can do to boost your local business with search marketing: optimize your website, optimize your content, and optimize your social media.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importance of Local SEO for businesses</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>Conclusion and Recap</p><p><br /></p><p>As more and more consumers switch to search engines as their primary source for finding local businesses, it’s important for businesses to have a strong presence in the search rankings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is an important part of building a strong presence in the search rankings because it promotes a business to the first page of results on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO has been trending for the past few years and it is not going anywhere. It is a great way for businesses to stay relevant in their local communities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Local SEO is a powerful tool that can help your business rank higher on search engines and attract more customers to your site. Local SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increase your visibility and get more customers through the door.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sources: Google/Alphabet, News and AI)</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>News</p><p><br /></p><p>Google wins Media Man 'Search Engine Of The Month'</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_wins.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Google News via Media Man</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback</p><p><br /></p><p>Google Doodles wins Media Man 'Creative Of The Month' award</p><p>https://www.mediamanint.com/articles/google_doodles.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #GoogleNews #GoogleSearch #SEO #LocalSEO #searchnews #localbusiness #localnews #localbiz #searchengineoptimization #geo #bing #rank #ranking #searchengineoptimisation #webtips #webbiz #index #topten #GoogleBusiness #onlinemarketing #onlinebiz #results #performance #popculture #sportsbiz #localpr #localads #adbiz #biz #technews #digitalnews #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: Google</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Box Office (North America)</p><p><br /></p><p>1. Mean Girls - $11.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>2. The Beekeeper - $8.5 million</p><p><br /></p><p>3. Wonka - $6.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>4. Anyone But You - $5.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>5. Migration - $5.3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>6. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - $3.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>7. ISS - $3 million</p><p><br /></p><p>8. Night Swim - $2.7 million</p><p><br /></p><p>9. The Boys in the Boat - $2.5 million </p><p><br /></p><p>10. Poor Things - $2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Well done to all. Given our love and appreciation of the pro wrestling/sports entertainment genre, we noticed that 'The Iron Claw' has slipped out of the Top 10, previously grappling into number 6 position about 3 weeks back. It's our belief that 'The Iron Claw' is a modern classic and much like say for example 'Max Mad', over time its stock will go up and it will continue to make much more money after its initial release and its legend will continue to grow. Some movies have what you may call a short short shelf or run life, while others live on forever. There's also plenty of talk of an Iron Claw documentary, and much like the movie and the true story of the Von Erich family, there will be dozens of times with nothing but pure joy and other times where it is nothing but tragedy. This is life, but the famous Texas bred wrestling family found their moments amplified to say the least. The Iron Claw has the public and even news media in it its grasp, and we haven't heard the last of them. Keep wrestling with boxing office numbers, life and give it your all.</p><p><br /></p><p>#boxoffice #showbiz #movienews #MeanGirls #TheBeekeeper #Wonka #AnyoneButYou #Migration #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #ISS #NightSwim #TheBoysInTheBoat #PoorThings #PoorThingsFilm #IronClaw #VonErich #VonErichs #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are set for face-to-face on Raw: WWE Now, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQfqCYa-T_8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk & Cody Rhodes set for a war of words. Wrestling punk vs Sports Entertainer showman + + + </p><p><br /></p><p>Seth Rollins’ address to the WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest. Scottish Warrior is a walking weapon. No sword required. Priest may make harsh Judgement upon his Scottish nemesis. Potential numbers advantage for DP.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes likely wants to talk about his story, CM Punk, and the Royal Rumble for starters.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ivy Nile vs Valhalla. Pocket size feisty fighter vs Viking Warrior. Who will the gods favor?</p><p><br /></p><p>and much more including those famous WWE surprises that are good for some and very bad for others!</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE broadcaster Michael Cole may be ducking for cover for this one. High risk, high reward! Danger money in order.</p><p><br /></p><p>Catch up with the stories, history, moments and highlights via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RoyalRumble #SethRollins #DrewMcIntyre #DamianPriest #JudgementDay #RheaRipley #IvyNile #Valhalla #Viking #Vikings #entertainment #popculture #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #showbiz #stories #storylines #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Hundreds More Google (Alphabet) Staff Set To Be Terminated</p><p><br /></p><p>Some disgruntle ex Google's say "Don't BE Evil" and "What about family"</p><p><br /></p><p>More Big Tech To Terminate</p><p><br /></p><p>A.I Considered One Of Many Factors</p><p><br /></p><p>Internet Saturated Market</p><p><br /></p><p>Amazon: It's a jungle out there</p><p><br /></p><p>Facebook: "Break things" re Hacker Way</p><p><br /></p><p>Silicon Valley: Sand Castles collapsing!</p><p><br /></p><p>Man vs Machine; Machine vs Human...</p><p><br /></p><p>Wall Street Silver tipping more disruptions in fin, banking and a host of sectors</p><p><br /></p><p>Domino Effect </p><p><br /></p><p>Happening On Watch Of That President</p><p><br /></p><p>Likely To Get Worse Before It Gets Better</p><p><br /></p><p>#Google #googlesearch #googlenews #bard #searchengine #searchnews #SEO #GoogleAI #AI #ads #onlineads #adbiz #adnews #ArtificialIntelligence #technews #biznews #biz #siliconvalley #HR #digitalnews #trends #trending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Movie Scribes</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News (in progress)</p><p>http://mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TheIronClaw #IronClaw #GregTingle #VonErich #VonErichs #VonErichFamily #familybusiness #prowrestling #wrestling #WCCW #WorldClass #TingleFamily #MarcusFamily #LeoMarcus #HenryMarcus #NWA #truckingbusiness #swimmingpools #mediabusiness #showbiz #combatsports #fightclub #popculture #life #journalism #agency #RandwickRitz #TheRitz #EasternBeaches #boxoffice #newsmedia #Texas #Aussie #media #mediaman #mediamanint</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE RAW</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL SEGMENT – CM Punk and Cody Rhodes’ war of words: Raw, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVpoENtTFOg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Raw’s wildest moments: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-6BiKEhRXM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre uses R-Truth against Damian Priest in victory: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF5PRC58F9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damian Priest tells R-Truth to stay out of his way: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzetQU8UlKM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther vows to break Seth “Freakin” Rollins: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_7I0P1Onl8&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#DIY help The Miz fight off The Judgment Day: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uttrKNwegI8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Becky Lynch, Bayley and Nia Jax get into a pre-Royal Rumble scuffle: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Xs17MBkPQ&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The dawn of Hulkamania: Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrRSynjNsBw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>and more moments and highlights being added to the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong thumbs up. Just catching up now after finally seeing the full screening of 'The Iron Claw' @ironclawmovie today. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes together sharing the mic is magic. The both have their own stories... don't we all. Judgement Day is becoming more judgemental! Who is in? Who is out? Royal Rumble and WrestleMania may have a shuffle of the deck under Mummy's leadership. We believe that Hulk-A-Mania will live forever. Still remember the first time Hogan hit our screen. Mid 1984 vs Paul Orndorff at New York's Madison Square Garden. This was broadcast onto Channel Nine's Wild World Of Sports show on Channel Nine (Australia) at the time. Hooked. WWE remains on fire. We've got Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Fever.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WWERaw #RoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #HulkAMania #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #JudgementDay #DamianPriest #DrewMcIntyre #RheaRipley #DirtyDom #RTruth #SethRollins #Gunther #Miz #AdamPearce #entertainment #popculture #prowrestling #wrestling #USANetwork #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #videos #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Business News</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS</p><p><br /></p><p>01.23.24</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”</p><p><br /></p><p>NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.</p><p><br /></p><p>The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson Background</p><p><br /></p><p>Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.</p><p><br /></p><p>A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.</p><p><br /></p><p>About TKO</p><p><br /></p><p>TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Source: TKO Group)</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: TKO Group</p><p><br /></p><p>#TKO #TKOGroup #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #WWE #WWERaw #SmackDown #WrestleMania #VinceMcMahon #ArielEmanuel #UFC #EndeavorGroup #Endeavor #wrestlingnews #wrestlingmedia #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE NXT @WWENXT </p><p><br /></p><p>Lexis King remains our top guy. King Maker.</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Trey Bearhill vs. Lexis King: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DV5RVMkdRk&t=34s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Geronimo is probally rolling over in his grave right now" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: "A bear in the hand is worth two in the bush". Flashback to classic TV shows 'Daniel Boon' and 'Grizzly Adams'. Can we get an actual bear to join Bearhill at ringside? Maybe for a PLE special or a backstage or in the field promo. It worked for the late Roddy Piper once or twice wrestling folklore says. And, how about a bird? Not "Frankie", but perhaps "Eagle"?! Country boy meets the big smoke city slicker. Only when the last tree is fell man will know he can not eat or drink money!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee vs. SCRYPTS: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhqKQCP86ig&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Dragon Lee trying to get a bounce back in his step, and he goes up and over" - Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Can the Warrior Spirit break the code. Lucha vs The Matrix glitch!</p><p><br /></p><p>Dragon Lee is going to show Oba Femi who he is at Vengeance Day: WWE NXT exclusive, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWEF_bBtFE&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH – Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. Bron Breakker & Baron Corbin: NXT highlights, Jan. 23, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqsRFjcvHJs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Some would say this is a miss-match" Vic Joseph</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yeah, like one of my favourite tag teams back in the day, The Rock N Roll Express. They weren't the biggest guys but they got speed, timing, accuracy, that's what its gunna take" Booker T</p><p><br /></p><p>More great NXT highlights and moments via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>And a few teasers for the WWE Royal Rumble.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man Int</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>More news</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The WWE @WWE Royal Rumble is coming up this weekend (January 27, U.S) - (January 28 for Australia)! Aussie's to dominate?! </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: We're working away on some big projects related to this combat sports - sports entertainment space. Flashbacks to glory days of Australian subscriber TV industry where PPV, bundling, biz dev and retention was a major focus for us. </p><p><br /></p><p>Streaming took the place of cable TV in many regards, including in the combat sports space. Exciting times. </p><p><br /></p><p>LinkedIn profiles for us are changing a little with exciting developing situation. Big conversations with some power players today!</p><p><br /></p><p>#prowrestling #wrestling #WWE #WWERaw #Netflix #WWENXT #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #TreyBearhill #DragonLee #WarDogs #BaronCorbin #BronBreakker #RoyalRumble #PLE #highlights #moments #YouTube #video #TV #streaming #GregTingle #trends #trending #buzz #TV #Aussie #media #mediaman</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Nominationa for 2024 Razzies</b></p><p><br /></p><p>(This is not a Media Man list or selection). We are just publishing the Razzies nominations, and we do not agree with a number of these). Media Man Ed.</p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PICTURE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Russell Crowe / The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Vin Diesel / Fast X</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris Evans / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Jason Statham / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p>Jon Voight / Mercy</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Jennifer Lopez / The Mother</p><p><br /></p><p>Dame Helen Mirren / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</p><p><br /></p><p>Kim Cattrall / About My Father</p><p><br /></p><p>Megan Fox / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Bai Ling / Johnny & Clyde</p><p><br /></p><p>Lucy Liu / Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Mary Stuart Masterson / Five Nights at Freddy’s</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael Douglas / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Mel Gibson / Confidential Informant</p><p><br /></p><p>Bill Murray / Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Franco Nero (as “The Pope”) The Pope’s Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Sylvester Stallone / Expend4ables</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREEN COUPLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 “Merciless Mercenaries” / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist</p><p><br /></p><p>Ana de Armas & Chris Evans (who flunked Screen Chemistry) / Ghosted</p><p><br /></p><p>Salma Hayek & Channing Tatum / Magic Mike’s Last Dance</p><p><br /></p><p>Pooh & Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers(!) in Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL</p><p><br /></p><p>Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and The Dial of … Still Beating a Dead Horse</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST DIRECTOR</p><p><br /></p><p>Rhys Frake-Waterfield / Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>David Gordon Green / The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Peyton Reed / Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania</p><p><br /></p><p>Scott Waugh / Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Ben Wheatley / Meg 2: The Trench</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>WORST SCREENPLAY</p><p><br /></p><p>The Exorcist: Believer</p><p><br /></p><p>Expend4bles</p><p><br /></p><p>Indiana Jones and the Dial of … Can I go home now?</p><p><br /></p><p>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</p><p><br /></p><p>Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey</p><p><br /></p><p>This year’s Razzies will take place on March 9, the day before the Academy Awards.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Razzies #razzieawards #movienews #boxoffice #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #showbiz #popculture #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Search Engine Land</p><p><br /></p><p>Ad Fraud</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>SEL's Nicola on fraud in relation to brands. Fraud is a big subject and problem in business, especially in relation to say the adveritsing, PR, medical and political arena. Numbers can be manipulated. So can people. One lie travels from a politician to a corrupt media, to a corrupt big tech, and so it goes on. Or, remeber the old tobbaco ads from say four decades ago. No health issues there - yeah, right! Canbridge Analytica for big tech. People voting 2 times of more ala ballot fraud. Attempted ID fraud by fake LinkedIn and FB profiles, and we could go on all day. Good on Search Engine Land for shining extra light on the topic. (The real) Greg Tingle signing off from the front line.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Media Blog</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie review by Greg Tingle</p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' movie trailer</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>'The Iron Claw' </p><p><br /></p><p>Modern classic depicts harsh reality of a pro wrestling based family business; Highest of highs to almost unbelievable tragedy and low points; Kevin Von Erich emerges a champion of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>A hard movie to give a star rating to due to the sensitive material based on real life occurrences, however we're going with 4.95 out of 5.</p><p><br /></p><p>Recipe for both worldwide success, legendary status and maybe the strangest story in wrestling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Too much material to work with; Filmmaking Masterclass.</p><p><br /></p><p>Scribes may differ considerably to some other more "polished" or "professional" reviews.</p><p><br /></p><p>A first draft, done on the fly with no "cheat notes", so take it easy on us. Eventually we'll do a more typical review, if we see the need to ok. </p><p><br /></p><p>Some of my own life experiences being involved with family business, combat sports, pro wrestling and showbiz (mainly corporate creative arts and management - some with former long-term girlfriend), as well as a restaurant business for a number of years (with ex wife) saw me reflecting and getting flashbacks of own life and that of some family members.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is also an opportunity for me to share a bit more about the family businesses I've been involved in, as well as some (key word) aspects of working around (more than in) the pro wrestling and combat sports industry. Read on and you will see the dots joining. Some fodder may even one day find it's way into a book I've been working away on for years. This X installment is a very small sample of my own story, with some modest parallels to the Von Erich story. Long now, I know, but there's much more to still put into the public domain via the Internet or other ok.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some sequence of events from personal experiences, and again, not in a typical professional type review but from my perspective as fan of pro wrestling, a media business owner for over two decades and as a family business participant (truck driver/offsider, property manager and assistant artist and corporate arts and entertainment project manager). Oh, about three decades ago I attended a couple of pro wrestling training classes and while I was fit, strong and largely skilled enough my back was already in agony thanks in part to an existing injury I suffered as a construction worker on the Sydney Water Board (a year or two before I became sales, marketing, bundling and PPV specialist for Optus Vision (Australian subscriber television). Too much material in my own story also.</p><p><br /></p><p>3 years old</p><p>I'm watching pro wrestling matches on the TV with Mum and Dad at Newport, Pittwater, in Sydney. Dad has started to build his truck, prime mover, transport and property business. Dad was already spending a lot of time on the road, on mining sites, as well as the Sydney Waterfront and some interstate runs. Truck driving is less than an ideal family business or a business that is a good foundation for family life..It made Dad a multi-millionaire but there was a very high price to pay. Mum was a surf girl, model and ultra talented artist and poet who would later go on to become an art teacher in schools (which only a small percentage of people ever get to accomplish).</p><p><br /></p><p>Fast Forward to 8 years old. Living in Brisbane's Western Suburbs including 5 acres at Brookfield in the 4 story Cape cod as well as the modest 3 bedroom home at Chapel Hill, a few suburbs away. Breakdown of the traditional family unit with Mum and Dad had already been occuring. They tried to patch it up a number of times..Dad had accumulated about 5 properties, 4 trucks and a dozen trailers (40 footers). Container trailers, livestock trailers and other. I'd already attended about 3 primary schools by this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 15 or so</p><p><br /></p><p>I'd earned myself a one way ticket back to Sydney after playing up and throwing some kind of tantrum while at the Brookfield average. home headquarters of Leo Marcus Swimming Pools Australia. Yes, Henry Marcus of NWA promoting fame is in the family tree. Nana Elvie Marcus (Mum's Mum) and journalist Mike Mooneyham confirmed it for me. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to be with my Dad" I screamed out and much of Mum's side of the family heard. Brisbane Airport to Sydney Airport express. The $40 cash in my pocket got me from Sydney Airport to 376 Barrenjoey Rd,. Newport Beach. The property Dad (Ric), his brother (Alan) and their Dad, Eric Frazer Cameron Tingle owned. McDonald's has offered us 2 million for the property back then, but we politely declined.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Dad, his Dad and I reconnected. Trips to the beach (Palm, Avalon, Mona Vale, Narrabeen - you name it, as well as to the 24 acre farm at Kurrajong, plus a range of sports clubs frequently including Bayview, Mona Vale Bowling Club and a few other establishments I won't get into, at least not at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Aged 20 years approx</p><p><br /></p><p>I joined and excelled at both touch football and later Rugby Union. Even made it to left wing with the Warringah Rats and we won the premiership in 1987. A year later won "Most Improved Recruit" and "Fittest" with the Australia Army Reserve. We did beach wrestling/grappling to submission. I even started my own version of Fight Club. I would invite sports mates to my place at Pittwater for most of the bouts. I enjoyed a 95 percent winning record and I am not *ullshitting. Most wins within 5 minutes. Usually face locks, body scissor with a version of triangle. Sometimes my own variation of a kimura lock (before I knew that was the name of the hold).</p><p><br /></p><p>In the huge lounge room of the Newport Beach home Dad had explaining to me that some of the holds and moves that the great Harley Race and Terry Funk used in the NWA pro wrestling promotion would work in a real life fight or self defense situation. Those moves along with fists and forearms. About a year later I found this to be absolutely true. My school fighting record at Pittwater High is two wins out of two official fights, and perhaps borrowing from some Bruce Lee and Sun Tzu strategy, I walked my way out of a couple of potential fights also. I later joined the Sydney Water Board as a construction worker at Avalon and Claireville Beach, after about a year as a shipping clerk for the ANL (Australian National Line). Seeing the millions in shipping containers and manifests drove me crazy. Dad kept on encouraging me about "government jobs". Dad later introduced me to his truck driving mates including George Barnes ("The Balmain Tiger") who just also happened to be a pro wrestler about once or twice a week. I still recall Barnes taking a piledriver from Con Iakovidis at Manly Warringah Leagues Club circa 1988. I was really starting to figure out this pro wrestling business, well, at least I thought so. I also worked out it was high risk and very "dangerous *shit"...I had started to bring in NTSL and VHS tapes wrestling and martial arts from Japan, USA, Canada and Europe. Pancrase Japan with Ken Shamrock really impressed me. About three decades later I got to meet my hero in Sydney, as well as Dan Severn and even Hulk Hogan who I'd seen wrestle legendary Antonio Inoki in Japan. Later I traveled to Austria and Hannover, Germany and grappled with pen pals, tape traders, and we ever got to see JBL fight under the name Justin Bradshaw I believe. We waved and said G'day to Otto Wanz. Memories to last a lifetime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Time kept ticking along and I noticed Dad taking many pills throughout the day. He has gotten cancer. I blame poor diet, less exercise than before and too much stress. Dad lived a couple more years and it was tough of me and us. When he told me it was terminal that was the saddest day of my life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Around this time I met my future wife Susie at a restaurant at Avalon and she actually helped solidify my vision of working in combat sports media (PPV and bundling for Optus TV. "Use your mind as much as you use your body and muscles Greg darling" was part of her words of encouragement to me. She was a hundred percent on the money with that advice. I later bought a restaurant for Susie to call her own at Leichhardt, and that really was the beginning of the end of our marriage. Family business stress lessons here. She put up with my wrestling (hand to hand combat sports and VHS tape trading and selling business endeavors. </p><p><br /></p><p>At Optus I was paid very well in my sales, marketing and consultant role. Paid to promote WrestleMania, boxing and even Hulk Hogan vs Flair, Vader and how about Sting at Starrcade 1987. Talk about a dream job. After close to five years I joined the big guns at Telstra and the money and staff gym was great, but the job itself wasn't as enjoyable. Then I discovered ID Media, WaveCam and dotcom websites and webcasting. </p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2000</p><p><br /></p><p>Working at Telstra helped get me Tech Support and IBM Surf Shack Media at Sydney Olympic Games!</p><p><br /></p><p>Divorce proceedings on horizon.. Discovered internet dating (3 times was enough),. Community TV Casting Couch and authentic journalism at Petersham TAFE. Met another long-time friend or two via the Media education and entertainment connections. Not releasing names at this stage.</p><p><br /></p><p>Circa 2001 Media Man (Australia) was up and running. Got to interview many wrestlers and wrestling personalities including Harley Race, Les Thatcher, Jake Roberts, Amy Action, TNT, Steve Rackman, Bill Behrens, Ric Drasin, Bill Apter, Killer Kowalski, Malia Hosaka and too many more to list here! </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm getting carried away with my own story too - I know, but it's all connected..The pro wrestling business is a bit like a secret society. At least that's my interpretation. I trained, interviewed,.sold and promoted Pay-Per-Views (and still do), did some broadcasting announcing (even at Green Valley with Bob Blassie), photography and photoart, ring crew (putting up and taking down the ring), truck driving the ring to events, SEO (search engine optimization) campaigns and even a few "ghost" type projects I can't disclose details of. Oh, Pancrase Wrestling Australia for Chris DeVeaver was awesome also. Again, too many things to list.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pro wrestling is more of a lifestyle and less of a job, if you follow. The vast majority of the time you absolutely love it. In the very rare occasion you might hate it - be it for a few seconds,. minutes or ours, but like the Australian fabulous Kangaroo/s one returns, seeking out another victory for self or vicariously via ones heroes such as Shamrock, Lesnar, Hogan, Jericho, Logan Paul, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lasley, Nic Nemeth, Moose,. Kenny Omega and the Von Erich Bros, Ross and Marshall. Enough name drops today, we hear you booing with some cheering from the rafters to the back office and booking office. </p><p><br /></p><p>As the late Bray Wyatt penned, "Wrestling is a love story".</p><p><br /></p><p>Love is the most beautiful thing in the world and it can also cut like a knife or blade. It may hit like Triple H's sledgehammer once in a while or tie you up in knots like Billy Robinson or Karl Gotch. If over-thinking this unique form of combat sports meets performance art it may catch you off guard in The Iron Claw.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Von Erich is a hero to me. The ability to overcome the odds, fight off adversity, live to fight another day and to share some of his story to the world. One that we can draw strength from as well as learn valuable life lessons from.</p><p><br /></p><p>On pro wrestling the story seldom never ends. New chapters keep getting written. Many stories almost write themselves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do expect more updates and interpretations from our experiences in and around the business of pro wrestling. Sometimes I think family based media, art or trucking may be tougher than pro wrestling - but then I reflect and think again.</p><p><br /></p><p>For my money pro wrestling is the toughest and possibly the most competitive business in the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Those who can - wrestle. Those who can't are fans. Pro wrestling and the Von Erichs' forever have us in their grasp. Kevin's got me in the iron claw! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Video Features To YouTube And Additional Social Media Channels Adding Fuel To The Fire For Royal Rumble; Fans And Media Pumped For This Weekend</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes addresses CM Punk's "pipebomb": Raw highlights, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54Ed-5n_ms&t=40s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I want to talk about your dad. And I don't know if you know this story. I've never told. I know they don't know it. 2007, your father calls me on the telephone and he tells me he's sending his youngest son Cody to Ohio Valley Wrestling to start his journey as a professional wrestler, and he tells me I want you to keep any eye on my kid"... "because on Saturday I feel like I'm breaking a promise"... CM Punk</p><p><br /></p><p>Gunther, Dom Mysterio and more WWE Superstars react to 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble Match: WWE Playback</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbB6vJxukNw&t=161s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Sheamus vs. Randy Orton — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2010</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl6KqodFCzA&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Will Seth "Freakin" Rollins miss WrestleMania?: Raw highlight, Jan. 22, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbxA2mqMNLI&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH — Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley — WWE Title Match: Royal Rumble 2022</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaLFd5LHi9M&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Drew McIntyre’s quest to reclaim the gold (2022-24): WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiNZhwuadWc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024 *notify me</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #AmericanNightmare #Pipebomb #WWE #prowrestling #wrestling #kickoff #entertainment #popculture #video #videos #YouTub #YT #PLE #trend #trends #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><b>FOX News Digital ends 2023 as top news brand with multiplatform views</b></p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News @FoxNews Digital closed out calendar year 2023 as the top-performing news brand with multiplatform views and minutes, while seeing 9% growth with views and 6% growth with minutes year-over-year, according to Comscore.</p><p><br /></p><p>For the year, FOX News Digital secured 20.2 billion multiplatform views, over 36.9 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 93.7 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors. CNN and The New York Times both saw year-over-year decreases across these key performance indicators. The FOX News mobile app finished 2023 averaging 6.1 million monthly unique visitors.</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News was also the most engaged news brand on social media throughout 2023, according to Emplifi, reaching over 315 million social media interactions. FOX News drove 81.6 million Facebook interactions, 34.2 million X interactions and 198.9 million Instagram interactions. On YouTube, FOX News drove over 2.3 billion views, finishing first in the news competitive set, according to Shareablee.****</p><p><br /></p><p>FOXBusiness.com also accomplished a record year with multiplatform views. The business network earned 1.9 billion multiplatform views in 2023, its highest ranking since its launch in 2007. It also saw increases over the prior year, while the majority of business news brands experienced decreases.*** Additionally, FOXBusiness.com secured 3.2 billion multiplatform minutes and averaged 23.2 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors for the year, while surpassing various other brands with views including CNN Business, MarketWatch.com and Forbes.com FOX Business was number one on YouTube in the business news competitive set in 2023, driving 748 million views, according to Shareablee. *****</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 (January-December) FOX NEWS DIGITAL VS. CNN.COM AND NYTIMES.COM</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Views</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 20,160,000,000 (up 9 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 14,885,000,000 (down 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 15,765,000,000 (down 8 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Multi-Platform Total Minutes</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 36,927,000,000 (up 6 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 23,164,000,000 (down 19 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 16,402,000,000 (down 2 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>Average Monthly Multi-Platform Unique Visitors</p><p><br /></p><p>FOX News Digital – 93,652,000 (up 13 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>CNN.com – 121,033,000 (down 3 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>NYTimes.com – 76,520,000 (down 14 percent vs. Jan-Dec 2022)</p><p><br /></p><p>#FoxNews #FoxNewsDigital #FoxBusiness #FOX #Comscore #newsmedia #NewsCorp #news #newsmedia #onlinenews #socialmedia #platforms #platformnews #newsbrand #brands #newsbiz #digitalnews #newsapp #apps #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: FOX News Digital</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Surfing Industry News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WSL Welcomes New and Returning Partners to 2024 Championship Tour</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 24, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is thrilled to announce its new and returning partners ahead of the 2024 Championship Tour (CT) season.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Backed by the strongest partnership presence on record, the WSL is poised for a great year of excitement and growth,” said Cherie Cohen, WSL Chief Revenue Officer. “Working with innovative and authentic partners allows us to elevate the sport as well as drive real value by enhancing brand visibility through engaging fan activations and mutually beneficial marketing campaigns.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Celebrating More Ways to Watch with ESPN+ and Global Broadcast Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>ESPN</p><p>New for 2024, the WSL has announced a rights agreement in the United States with ESPN. For the first time, fans can watch all ten WSL CT events, as well as the US Open of Surfing Challenger Series event, live on ESPN+. In addition, 11 episodes of WSL: Inside Pro Surfing, an all-access deep dive into the CT and its character-driven storylines, will be aired on ESPN2 throughout the year. The deal will allow WSL to bring the sport to more viewers and new audiences in the US via ESPN’s digital subscribers as well as on linear television.</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven Network + Foxtel Group In Australia </p><p>The WSL and the Seven Network announced a fifth-consecutive year of partnership for the 2024 season with Seven continuing as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the WSL in Australia. The partnership extension will see all WSL CT events and Australian Challenger Series events broadcast live on 7plus, as well as the WSL Finals being broadcast live on a Seven free-to-air channel. 2024 will also see the continuation of the Bells Beach Longboard Classic on 7plus programming, with the event also going live and on demand.</p><p><br /></p><p>Australian viewers will also be able to catch WSL content and all CT events on Fox Sports Australia and Kayo Sports for a sixteenth consecutive year, thanks to a new one-year deal between Foxtel Group and the WSL. In addition to this, all Challenger Series events, as well as the Bells Beach Longboard Classic, will be streamed live on Kayo Sports along with Foxtel, scheduling permitting. Fans can also enjoy WSL-produced feature shows and highlights from all events on demand on Kayo Sports.</p><p><br /></p><p>GLOBO</p><p>The WSL will continue offering Brazilian fans access to event coverage through GLOBO, one of the world’s leading broadcasters, sharing the excitement and passion of professional surfing with millions of fans in Brazil.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eurosport</p><p>Eurosport, owned by Discovery, remains the WSL’s European distribution partner and this year is also the European rights holder for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Eurosport will broadcast the WSL: Inside Pro Surfing series on its television channels and will also livestream CT events in their entirety via Discovery+ in the territory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introducing New Global and Title Partners: Lexus, Eventbrite, Bonsoy</p><p><br /></p><p>Lexus</p><p>Lexus joins the WSL CT as the Title Partner of the Lexus Pipe Pro and an official automotive partner of the Sunset Pro. The leading luxury car brand will also join as an official partner of the annual WSL Awards, celebrating surfers’ exceptional achievements from the 2023 season. Lexus will introduce its latest vehicle, the 2024 Lexus GX 550, through engaging on-site activations throughout the WSL’s Hawaii competitions from January 29 through February 22, 2024. In collaboration with Complex Networks, fans will have the opportunity to explore the vehicle through on-beach displays, providing an up-close look at the cutting-edge design features that define the Lexus brand. Lexus and Complex will also curate an elevated dining experience at the Lexus Pipe Pro for VIPs and athletes to highlight and celebrate the culinary expertise and mastery of local chefs. Complex and First We Feast will also spotlight the experience on its social channels throughout the 2024 kickoff.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventbrite</p><p>2024 will see Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, step into the role of exclusive ticketing partner for women’s surfing on the CT and the US Open of Surfing. To celebrate the partnership, Eventbrite will launch a WSL-inspired collection offering top event picks happening across the US during the WSL CT kickoff, in addition to further collections highlighting curated ticketed experiences in and around the US Open of Surfing and the WSL Finals. The WSL and Eventbrite will also collaborate on a visual content-driven marketing campaign to bring the surfing community to Eventbrite’s unique events and experiences.</p><p><br /></p><p>Bonsoy</p><p>Bonsoy has expanded its partnership with the WSL from events in the APAC region to globally with the Championship Tour, Challenger Series and Longboard Tour. The new global deal will see Bonsoy become the Official Milk and Coconut Water of the WSL. 2024 will also see Bonsoy become the title partner for the Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series event while continuing as the presenting partner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to its continued success in previous seasons, the Bonsoy Caddy Program will continue across three major events in Australia. The Bonsoy Athlete Area will activate at the US Open Challenger Series event as well as both Challenger Series events in Australia. Bonsoy is also excited to announce that WSL Commentator Kaipo Guerrera will become a Bonsoy ambassador in 2024, featuring in broadcast integrations and branded content.</p><p><br /></p><p>Returning Partners Apple Watch, Red Bull Bring Athlete Performance to New Heights for 2024 CT</p><p><br /></p><p>Apple Watch</p><p>For the second year, Apple Watch will be the official wearable equipment of the WSL. This season the elite CT athletes will continue to get access to the WSL Surfer app on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which syncs with the WSL Scoring System in real-time to give them all the information they need while in the water during competition, including scores, wave priority, and time in the heat. Apple Watch is uniquely suited for this task due to its large bright screen, durable design, and cellular connectivity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Red Bull</p><p>Red Bull has joined for its sixth year of global partnership. In their relentless pursuit to support peak performance, Red Bull’s athlete-first approach will continue during the 2024 season, with enhancements planned for the Red Bull Athlete Zones at each CT stop. This year, fans will also be able to experience every heart-pounding moment of the Big Wave competitions live, courtesy of Red Bull TV.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vissla Shaper Rankings</p><p>The Vissla Shaper Rankings will also return this year. The season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via combined men’s and women’s rankings, counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the 9 CT stops this season. These rankings determine the winner after the regular-season CT events, ahead of the WSL Finals. There are 13 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors this year, and by bringing these performance-driven individuals to the forefront, Vissla and the WSL continue to honor the heritage and progression of the sport.</p><p><br /></p><p>Welcoming Key Title Partners and Global Sustainability Partners</p><p><br /></p><p>SHISEIDO</p><p>SHISEIDO continues its partnership with the WSL as the Official Suncare of the WSL, a Global WSL CT partner, and a Global Sustainability Partner of the WSL and WSL One Ocean. SHISEIDO will be the Title Partner for Stop No. 6 on the CT, the SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, scheduled for May 22 – 31, 2024. SHISEIDO will host on-site activations, including sunscreen and suncare stations where fans can sample and purchase products, as well as the production of co-branded in-broadcast vignettes designed to promote sustainability throughout the season.</p><p><br /></p><p>Corona</p><p>Corona and the WSL have struck a partnership for the eighth consecutive year. As the esteemed Title Partner for the return of the Fiji Pro, Corona further solidifies its commitment to the world of professional surfing. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona will also build on the 2023 season’s release of “Corona Lay Days,” a behind-the-scenes look at what the CT surfers do on their days off from competition. </p><p><br /></p><p>Corona plans to highlight the breathtaking locations and extraordinary experiences that can be found at each event through engaging original content featuring the beautiful and diverse locations that play host to the CT.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year, Corona’s steadfast commitment to sustainability takes center stage with its continued work alongside WSL One Ocean, furthering the shared mission to protect and preserve the world’s oceans for generations to come. Together, the WSL and Corona are set to deliver unparalleled fan experiences and foster a deeper connection between surf enthusiasts and the natural world.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI</p><p>The WSL and YETI are proud to continue their second year of partnership after a very successful first season.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI will kick off its 2024 partnership with an elevated position as the Presenting Partner of the prestigious Pipe Pro. YETI will be activating onsite at ʻEhukai Beach Park, offering custom engraving with proceeds benefiting the Mauka to Makai Makaha Foundation. In addition, YETI will be promoting the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI in their new flagship Honolulu store, offering official merchandise in support of their WSL CT Athlete, John John Florence.</p><p><br /></p><p>YETI also continues its commitment to sustainability as a Global Sustainability Partner of WSL One Ocean, integrating sustainability into its core operations and aligning with the WSL One Ocean initiatives.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mananalu Water</p><p>The WSL is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mananalu Water – actor Jason Momoa’s aluminum-bottled water brand on a mission to eliminate single-use plastics. As an Official Canned Water Partner, Mananalu will be the exclusive canned water onsite at the World Surf League’s North American events, including the US Open of Surfing, the WSL Finals, the Lexus Pipe Pro, and more. Mananalu will also be an Official Partner of WSL PURE, the league’s 501(c)(3), which runs an annual grant program to support global non-profit organizations focused on improving the health of global ocean ecosystems.</p><p><br /></p><p>805 Beer</p><p>805 Beer will also continue its partnership with the WSL, with the quality brewed beverage having become a cornerstone of the WSL live event experience (for fans aged 21 and over). The WSL and 805 Beer are excited to expand the partnership in a way that authentically embodies the essence of surfing and its community. In addition to the partnership extension, Firestone Walker and the WSL are excited to extend their collaborative apparel line celebrating their partnership that promotes “Drinking Local. Surfing Global” (for fans aged 21 years and over), available online and in surf shops across the country.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pura Vida</p><p>Pura Vida returns for a third year as the Presenting Partner of WSL Rising Tides, continuing their commitment to empowering young girls in local communities through the transformative power of surfing. WSL Rising Tides provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for girls to connect with their surfing heroes, inspiring them to chase their dreams in and out of the water. Pura Vida’s partnership goes beyond local activations; they’ll be weaving inspiring content into the WSL’s live broadcasts and social media platforms, showcasing the stories of young surfers and the impact of Rising Tides on a global scale.</p><p><br /></p><p>Continuing Regional Partnerships</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL APAC is excited to continue partnerships with mophie and Bailey Ladders in 2024, thanks to new contract extensions with each organization. In addition to the Tahiti Pro, mophie has expanded its partnership to include the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and the Fiji Pro in 2024. Bailey Ladders will include their Weather Guard product as part of the deal for the Gold Coast Pro. WSL APAC has announcements of several more partners coming through the 2024 season.</p><p><br /></p><p>WSL LATAM region continues its partnerships with leaders of top-tier corporations such as TV Globo, Vivo, Banco do Brasil, Natura, Unilever, and governmental support from the Rio de Janeiro State Government and the City of Saquarema.</p><p><br /></p><p>The first stop on the 2024 WSL Championship Tour is the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, opening on January 29, 2024, and holding a competition window through February 10. The event will broadcast LIVE on www.WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. </p><p><br /></p><p>Check out all the new ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information, please visit www.WorldSurfLeague.com</p><p><br /></p><p><b>About the WSL</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation.</p><p><br /></p><p>#WSL #WorldSurfLeague #WSLInsideProSurfing #WSLAPAC #InsideProSurfing #surfing #surfingindustry #CherieCohen #ESPN #ESPNPlus #Seven #SevenNetwork #AppleWatch #RedBull #RedBullTV #Foxtel #Lexus #Corona #Shiseido #RipCurlPro #FujiPro #TVGlobo #TV #broadcast #broadcasting #livesports #app #sportsnews #sportsmedia #sportsmarketing #pressrelease #mediarelease #media </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Location - St. Petersburg, Florida</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Live Date - January 27, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE SmackDown is January 26 (one day before the Royal Rumble). Main Event: Solo Sikoa vs LA Knight</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Betting News, Odds</p><p><br /></p><p>Favs are CM Punk + 125 (44.4 percent) and Cody Rhodes + 200 (33.3 percent)</p><p><br /></p><p>Previous Royal Rumble Winners</p><p><br /></p><p>2023 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Cody Rhodes</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Rhea Ripley</p><p><br /></p><p>2022 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Brock Lesnar</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Ronda Rousey</p><p><br /></p><p>2021 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Edge</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Bianca Belair</p><p><br /></p><p>2020 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Drew McIntyre</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Charlotte Flair</p><p><br /></p><p>2019 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Seth Rollins</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Becky Lynch</p><p><br /></p><p>2018 Royal Rumble Winners</p><p>Men's Royal Rumble Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura</p><p>Women's Royal Rumble Winner: Asuka</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube, to help get you ready!</p><p><br /></p><p>Why CM Punk took the hard path back to WWE: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9y1E7nbBMU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Videos via the WWE Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>FULL MATCH FACTS: 2008 Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2008</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N72U6lgWoM&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Bet On Anything (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/bet_on.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PLE News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ple_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Flashback:</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE betting via Bet America (via Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wwe_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Betting (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_betting.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #SmackDown #RandyOrton #LAKnight #BrockLesnar #DwayneJohnson #TheRock #TheBloodline #BronsonReed #BobbyLashley #AOP #AuthorsOfPain #KarrionKross #DirtyDom #GraysonWaller #GWEffect #JohnCena #NickAldis #AdamPearce #PaulHeyman #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #PLE #PPV #YouTube #YT #video #wrestlingnews #liveentertainment #livesports #sportsnews #odds #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports</p><p><br /></p><p>“First of all, I don’t give anybody a leash. A leash? Free speech” ... “To control what people say and to tell people what to believe – I don’t tell any other *ucking human being what to say, what to think and there’s no leashes on any of them..”</p><p><br /></p><p>“It’s ridiculous to say I give somebody a leash. Free speech, brother. People can say whatever they want and they can believe whatever they want.” - Dana White, UFC @UFC</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Combat Sports (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/combat_sports.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#DanaWhite #quote #UFC297 #UFC #MMA #freedom #FreeSpeech #combatsports #mmanews #sportsnews #sportsmedia #politics #trend #trends #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media and Political News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>FOX And The Hounds?! : Media Man</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Gonzo Satire and/or News as Comedy?</p><p><br /></p><p>Does GG and FOX smell blood?</p><p><br /></p><p>Gutfeld: This is kind of embarrassing</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>"Happy Wednesday...HaHaHaHa.. so, last night New Hampshire clarified a few things. First that Donald Trump will probally be the republican nominee for 2024. Alright. True. That's a lock as much as President Biden making up a new word" - Greg Gutfeld</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WrJBWupKMs&t=25s&ab_channel=FoxNews</p><p><br /></p><p>#Gutfeld #GregGutfeld #FOX #FoxNews #Biden #PresidentBiden #Trump #DonaldTrump #PresidentTrump #AndNew #foxandthehound #popculture #satire #comedy #alt #YouTube #YT #politics #politicsnews #trends #trending #buzz #TV #USA #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling and Pop Culture News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Living Legend Of WWE @WWE Pro Wrestling Aka Sports Entertainment And Rising Movie Star John Cena...</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This past Tuesday, the 46-year-old living legend discussed his plans to retire from the WWE with ET's Nischelle Turner. </p><p><br /></p><p>Cena - who was present to help promote his new action flick, Argylle, in London - stated he intends to retire from wrestling soon. </p><p><br /></p><p>"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon".</p><p><br /></p><p>Cena notably made his WWE debut 22 years ago in 2002. Gimmicks and themes of JC have included the rapper based "Word Life", "Hustle, Loyality and Respect" and "Never Give Up".</p><p><br /></p><p>"I made a promise to the consumer early on, to WWE fans, 'cause I know how tough it is to be a fan. You gotta come out of pocket - and WWE has a ton of content -- it takes a lot to be a passionate fan and our fanbase is passionate and global. I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there. And I'm gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don't ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion -- the same passion as the fanbase -- and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on the speedometer say, 'Hey, that's gotta be done before 50.'"</p><p><br /></p><p>The Argylle actor will be turning 47 on April 23 and he says that's "the timeline I've put on myself."</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's tough to juggle both because, you know, when you're filming Argylle, Matthew [Vaughn] won't let you go do anything else because of insurance," he joked. "So as long as the phone keeps ringing and we've had some good opportunities here, I'll kind of preserve that for as long as I can. But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more and I've just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life."</p><p><br /></p><p>When asked if he plans to dip his toes back into wrestling after he retires, similar to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Cena noted that he's "had at least one match every year in WWE for the past 23 years."</p><p><br /></p><p>He added, "I've never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don't intend to miss a year."</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE's big WrestleMania @WrestleMania event is coming up in April, and Cena teased the possibility of him attending. </p><p><br /></p><p>"I don't know if I'll be free that weekend, but it is a weekend and movies don't shoot on the weekends," he said. "But when I say I'm done -- in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back - I'm just being honest with myself. There's such a great new generation now as well. It's time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day."</p><p><br /></p><p>Entertainment Tonight Official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena Addresses Rumors About His WWE Retirement (Exclusive)</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSWrG5j1ivM&ab_channel=EntertainmentTonight</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>John Cena On His Instagram Posts Being ‘Interpretive Art" - April 2019</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/john_cena61.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#JohnCena #quote #quotes #WWE #RoyalRumble #WrestleMania #WrestleMania40 #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #Argylle #ET #popculture #boxoffice #movienews #legend #PLE #sportsentertainment #Superstar #acting #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>TNA @TNA Keeps Positive Momentum</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada returned to a TNA Ring!</p><p><br /></p><p>The Palm @Palms and TNA Wrestling Partnership Continues To Deliver Win-Win-Wins For Fans, Wrestlers and Promoter. Sports and entertainment right on the money!</p><p><br /></p><p>World class pro wrestling from TNA showcased via their official YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Kazuchika Okada RETURNS to TNA in ALL-STAR 6-Man Tag | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUzuAY1oHos&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose and Brian Myers) vs The Motor City Machine Guns and Kazuchika Okada</p><p><br /></p><p>"These guys have one hell of a tag team partner"</p><p><br /></p><p>"A two time IWGP world heavyweight champion. A five time IWGP heavyweight champion. Okada have finally returned to a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"It has been more than a decade in a TNA ring"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"They thoughy it was a thing... a moment that would never happen, but here we are"..</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is just another sign"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Is blowing my freaking mind"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Thank you TNA!" Kazuchika Okada's EXCLUSIVE Post-Match Comments | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKS6VTCeDII&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA iMPACT! Cross the Line Intro 2024 | iMPACT! Jan. 25, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwPd3CRF7k&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>"TNA - it's back and it's never, ever going away!" | iMPACT! Jan 18. 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgM2K2n358&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>MUST-SEE MOMENTS from TNA iMPACT! for January 18, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpRu3j_JcX4&t=14s&ab_channel=TNAWrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>and more great footage being added to the TNA YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/@tnawrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Wow. TNA feels fresh, super exciting and the right sort of nostalgic all at the same time. At this rate we see TNA gaining more fans - both fans from other pro wrestling promotions and more new fans of pro wrestling. Top notch wrestling, awesome crowd participation, improved production, new lines of merch, mainstream media and wrestling news media enthusiasm and more. As celebrated business entrepreneurs such as X Corp's Elon Musk and others have said on business, "It's like baking a cake. You've got to have all of the right ingredients". And the legendary P.T Barnum, "Without promotion something terrible happens - nothing". And final thought from us, "This is wrestling" and "TNA Wrestling has once again got the IT Factor back and is standing out from the pack for all the right reasons" - Greg Tingle, Media Man Group</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/tna_wrestling.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#TNAWrestling #TNAIMPACT #TNACrossTheLine #TNA #TNATNATNA #prowrestling #wrestling #ThePalms #PalmsCasino #Okada #IWGP #NicNemeth #EddieEdwards #AlexShelley #ChrisSabin #MotorCityMachineGuns #TheSystem #ZacharyWentz #Moose #JordynneGrace #Trinity #entertainmentnews #popculture #sportsnews #casinonews #broadcast #broadcasting #YouTube #YT #trends #trending #buzz #promotion #quote #quotes #VegasNews #vegascasino #casinonewsmedia #wrestlingnewsmedia #LasVegas #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>ro Wrestling</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown</p><p><br /></p><p>January 26, 2024</p><p><br /></p><p>LA Knight vs Solo Sikoa. Night of glory or disaster?</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar. LWO vs Fantasma!</p><p><br /></p><p>Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs The Final Testament. Profits future being authored by biblical warlocks from another world! God bless to all. Read the good book - last opportunity?</p><p><br /></p><p>Kayden Carter & Katana Chance vs The Kabuki Warriors</p><p><br /></p><p>Carmelo Hayes vs Austin Theory. NXT come WWE upstarts vs Japanese living legends. Titles in grave danger.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: The clock is ticking. Wrestling fans are going nutso as we head towards to Royal Rumble. Will a future wrestling legend or two from "the other promotion"/s be setting foot in a WWE ring for the very first time?! Don't bet against it. Can Roman Reigns once again beat the odds despite some of the powers that be conspiring against him. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis better have eyes in the back of his head. Does RR know Aldis is a former NWA champion? Is Bloodline "Wise Man" Paul Heyman telling Reigns everything he really needs to know? Are the likes of WWE legends including Booker T, Kurt Angle, JBL and Eric Bischoff pulling strings behind the scences, that could alter the course of the WWE forever? This is must see TV and PPE.</p><p><br /></p><p>Get a taste of past, present and future events and major happenings via the award winning WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>such as... wait for it...</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns’ challengers prepare for Royal Rumble showdown: WWE Now, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCooqkevpxY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight — Road to Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Playlist</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01ywIgPoxo&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #SoloSikoa #TheBloodline #LAKnight #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #RandyOrton #JudgementDay #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #Carlito #SantosEscobar #Fantasma #DelFantasma #lucha #AustinTheory #CarmeloHayes #KabukiWarriors #Asuka #Sane #tagteam #prowrestling #wrestling #Entertainment #popculture #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #PPV #PayPerView #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #story #storytelling #trend #buzz #XWrestling #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Miami, Florida</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito vs Santos Escobar</p><p><br /></p><p>"This is sure to be an epic battle... personal animosity... Carlito collides with a former friend, now enemy" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ZelinaVega #FWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Miami, Florida</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Randy Orton, LA Knight & AJ Styles vow to defeat Roman Reigns: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbrc9a8nU4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Eladio Carrión introduces Randy Orton: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imTbkbT-ESw&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Kabuki Warriors win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfODnL3WH9w&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Paul Heyman suggest Jimmy Uso should win the Royal Rumble: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S79aaxm_DJg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Carlito, Theory and Waller pick their Royal Rumble numbers: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irGjUqhfHmc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Elektra Lopez debuts by helping Santos Escobar defeat Carlito: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99DkNheeddc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Trick Williams saves Carmelo Hayes from a A-Town Down Under: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVYyX2q4Kc&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>The Bloodline’s beatdown of Styles, Orton and Knight backfires: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBeXJ4Ct2DU&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to this epic feud via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Strong and hot SmackDown show on the lead in to the Royal Rumble. Paul Heyman may be dancing with the devil. Karriion Karrion, AOP - Final Testament dominating. Biblical and mighty beat down! Anything can and does happen in the WWE! Clock ticking on Roman's title reign?! </p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EladioCarrion #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AjStyles #PaulHeyman #TheBloodline #SoloSikoa #Carlito #SantosEscobar #LWO #LatinoWorldOrder #ElektraLopez #ZelinaVega #LWO #DelFantasma #lucha #luchalibre #RTruth #NickAldis #prowrestling #wrestling #Fox #broadcast #broadcasting #highlights #moments #YouTube #YT #video #AndNew #trends #trending #buzz #TV #XWrestling #X #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Final Testament take down Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024 https://youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross </p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves </p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole </p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #AOP #FinalTestament #KK</p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling News via Media Man</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>PPV News</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/ppv_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE @WWE SmackDown and Royal Rumble lead up on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>TNA Wrestling @ThisIsTNA with world class product</p><p><br /></p><p>AEW @AEW has fans, media and industry on edge</p><p><br /></p><p>Okada hot agent!</p><p><br /></p><p>Most Wanted Man sets TNA on fire</p><p><br /></p><p>MJF Buzz</p><p><br /></p><p>Fatu Buzz with Booker T history in Reality Of Wrestling</p><p>Von Erich movie 'The Iron Claw' continues with rave reviews</p><p><br /></p><p>WWE - WWE NXT @WWENXT and AJPW @alljapan_pw deal going well</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix deal next year will take WWE to the next level and grow business by approx 30 percent says former Optus PPV and subscriber TV exec via Media Man</p><p><br /></p><p>OPW and AWF wrestling promotions lighting a fire in Aussie pro wrestling; Starrcast buzz continues</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #SmackDown #RoyalRumble #EliminationChamber #WWENXT #Netflix #TNA #AEW #AJPW #OPW #AWF #Starrcast #streaming #combatsports #Aussie #AustralianWrestling #wrestlingpromotion #wrestlingpromotions #wrestlingpromoter #wrestlingpromoters #wrestlingnewsmedia #entertainment #popculture #PPV #PLE #livesports #liveentertainment #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p>(Images: Credit to each individual wrestling promotion featured)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown. Miami, Florida</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>SmackDown’s most chaotic moments: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 26, 2024</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvog3aaEadg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"You gotta a receipt coming" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>And much</p><p><br /></p><p>The Final Testament brawl with Lashley and Street Profits</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcLDBugMEs&t=7s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Behold. There is no fear in Karrion Kross" Paul Ellering</p><p><br /></p><p>"Gentleman, Mr Ellering speaks the truth. You know, every time I look at you three all I see is frustration. All I see is desperation and look, I get it".. Karrion Kross @realKILLERkross</p><p><br /></p><p>"Over 600 pounds of pure destruction" Corey Graves @WWEGraves</p><p><br /></p><p>"Complete beat down" Michael Cole @MichaelCole</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Hot crowd and hot show. This crowd better be careful. KK and his clan don't suffer fools. Final Testament striking fear into the WWE locker room and beyond. Politics are gone and the new era is upon us! Keep reading the good book. The power that only a select few will know. Amen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background to epic feuds. Past, present and future via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p>www.youtube.com/wwe</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #AJStyles #RandyOrton #LAKnight #TheBloodline #PaulHeyman #AOP #FinalTestament #KarrionKross #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #trends #trening #buzz #TV #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Releases More World Class Videos To Fuel Hype From Fans, Media, Et Al</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE Royal Rumble 2024 cold open</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKDbOIvL2y8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>CM Punk trains with NXT Superstars: Royal Rumble 2024 Vlog</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdlaGAddwLg&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Full Royal Rumble Preview: WWE Now, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q04xgdEw1Kk&t=76s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: CM Punk remains out top pick for the win, followed closely by Cody Rhodes. This may change as extra intel comes to light.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #JimmyUso #SoloSikoa #PaulHeyman #WWERoyalRumble2024 #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #HulkHogan #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #TKOGroup #KarrionKross #AOP #BobbyLashley #StreetProfits #LexisKing #King #KingMaker #GraysonWaller #AustinTheory #DragonLee #AJLee #BeckyLynch #TiffanyStratton #LWO #WWENXT #prowrestling #wrestling #entertainment #popculture #YouTube #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE SmackDown</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Top 10 Friday Night SmackDown moments: WWE Top 10, Jan. 26, 2023</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpMryVt9XQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"And Theory taking his time getting back in the ring. And Carmelo was taken out by Theory. Waller with a cheap shot right here in front of us" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The line of succession as to who is truely the Tribal Heir all starts at the Royal Rumble" Paul Heyman</p><p><br /></p><p>Trouble is brewing for The O.C.: SmackDown exclusive, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZk8mPcg3rk&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Damage CTRL are on top: SmackDown LowDown, Jan. 26, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19Cjzrd6Gs&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#SmackDown #RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #prowrestling #wrestling #moments #highlights #YouTube #YT #video #entertainment #popculture #broadcast #broadcasting #trends #trending #buzz #TV #media</p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Streaming Business News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Netflix Streaming Service Riding High Once Again</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix @netflix spruiks record breaking subscriber numbers after account sharing crackdown; Consumer backlash appears over</p><p><br /></p><p>Global streaming giant Netflix added a record number of new subscribers in the fourth quarter, driven by strong demand for programs such as the long-running royal drama ‘The Crown’.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just 5 days ago Netflix and world's leading pro wrestling promotion, WWE @WWE advised the popular WWE RAW show will be carried by Netflix for numerous countries (U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America) from January 2025.</p><p><br /></p><p>The streaming platform has reached approx 260 million subscribers and added just over 13 million of those in the fourth quarter of 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>The spike in subscriber count is partly attributed to Netflix’s crackdown on account sharing during the past 12 months.</p><p><br /></p><p>The company said in a media release they believe they have successfully "cracked down" on all accounts.</p><p><br /></p><p>The news comes are more unofficial sports and entertainment PPV based websites hit the web. Those with a well trained eye can notice the tell tale sales on the pirate based streaming sites. Due it its popularity the combat sports sector is seeing a number of bad actors arise, but many are being shut down very quicky advised the Media Man Group agency. Over the past number of decades Media Man has helped officially promote a number of official streaming and online PPV sites including TrillerTV (formally FITE), WWE Network, Netflix and Ring Divas.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix posted an impressive yearly revenue of $US8.8 billion last year, exceeding analysts' forecasts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Netflix is riding a way of momentium and will be certainly renewing our subscription again soon, especially as the WWE, wrestling and combat sports programming continues to ramp up. Sports content with a pop culture edge sells and draws in the numbers. It's also possible that Netflix Games may eventually add some extra WWE themed games to the existing portfolio which features 'Escape The Undertaker'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mark Down: Drive To Survive (F1), upcoming MMA based movies (rumours of Dwayne Johnson input), and more WWE related content, now that the ink is dry for the official start of WWE RAW on Netflix next year.</p><p><br /></p><p>#Netflix #NetflixNews #NetflixUS #streamingnews #streamingmedia #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingentertainment #DriveToSurvive #WWERAW #WWE #prowrestling #MMA #extremesports #combatsports #TheRock #DwayneJohnson #SevenBucks #content #contentnews #contentcreation #broadcast #broadcasting #sub #Subscription #subscribers #PPB #showbiz #trend #trends #TV #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Podcasting News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>(In case you missed it)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Podcasters are the Most Trusted Media Personalities Among US Consumers, New Acast Research Finds</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>PRESS RELEASE - October 18, 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, today released the results of a new research study that shows podcasts are a highly trusted medium among US consumers. According to the study of US consumers, 64% of podcast listeners actively seek out podcasters and create time for their content -the most of any other tested media personality - making the time spent with podcasts highly engaging and intentional.</p><p><br /></p><p>These findings come at a time when trust in US media has hit an all time low, with half of Americans reported to believe that national news organizations deliberately mislead them, according to research from Gallup and the Knight Foundation. In this era of skepticism and misinformation, podcasters are emerging as the trustworthy figures of the media industry.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, according to Acast’s research, half of podcast listeners trust podcasters, the most of any other tested medium. The second most trusted is YouTubers, with 44% of YouTube consumers saying they trust these media personalities. Notably, with YouTube emerging as a leading platform for podcast consumption, many of these sought-after YouTube personalities are also podcasters.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Trust in US media has been deteriorating in recent years as a result of socio-political unrest and conflicting coverage by news outlets on the same events. As US consumers have lost confidence in traditional media, they have increasingly turned to podcasters as a source of truth,” said Acast Director of Research and Insights Tommy Walters. “During times of hardship and uncertainty - like the start of the pandemic and the beginning of the war in Ukraine - at Acast we have consistently seen audiences flock to podcasts for deep conversations and analysis over clickbait headlines. When it comes to product endorsements, we have also seen audiences be more trusting of podcaster recommendations than any other form of media.”</p><p><br /></p><p>For advertisers, podcasting is ripe with opportunity as US consumers say they seek out podcasters above all other media personality types when looking for product endorsements. According to this study, 75% of podcast listeners say they have listened to a podcaster for a product endorsement, compared to the 62% of social media users who have sought out social media creators and just 55% cable viewers who have considered cable TV personalities.</p><p><br /></p><p>Importantly, this study also revealed that podcasters give quality product and brand endorsements. According to the research, 73% of US consumers who have acted on a podcast endorsement said the podcaster gave a good endorsement and they were happy with what they received.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Multimedia (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/multimedia.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcasts: Profiles Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/profiles/podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Wrestling Podcasts (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/wrestling_podcasts.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Podcast Favourites (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/podcast_favourites.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Media and Marketing News (Media Man Int</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/media_and.html</p><p><br /></p><p>Online News (Media Man Int)</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/online_news.html</p><p><br /></p><p>83 Weeks wins Media Man 'Wrestling Podcast Of The Month' award</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles//83_weeks.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#podcastingnews #podcasts #podcasting #Gallup #KnightFoundation #podcasters #mediapersonality #mediapersonalities #newsmedia #usmedia #usnews #digitalnews #digitalmedia #mediabiz #mediabusiness #popculture #newsbiz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Royal Rumble Kickoff: Jan. 27, 2024</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svBJpOp3OT4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"The last man and woman standing win a championship opportunity at WrestleMania" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"I am number one when it comes to getting his hands on Roman Reigns" AJ Styles</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm going to take everything away from you" Randy Orton</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm not done till I own the WWE Championship" LA Knight</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm levels above everybody" Roman Reigns</p><p><br /></p><p>"For three and a half years Roman Reigns has been champion" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"The Bloodline has made a lot of enemies" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Tonight the heavy hitting, knockout match-up of the new year throws down" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your days as U.S champion are numbered" Kevin Owens</p><p><br /></p><p>"Six seconds is five more than I need to KO you" Logan Paul</p><p><br /></p><p>"It's going to be wild" Narrator</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RoyalRumbleKickOff #KickOff #WWE #wrestling #prowrestling #RomanReigns #CMPunk #CodyRhodes #RandyOrton #LAKnight #AJStyles #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #HulkHogan #TheRock #NickAldis #AndStill #AndNew #PLE #entertainment #popculture #streaming #broadcast #broadcasting #hype #liveentertainment #livesports #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Full 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOdPKrHNTBU&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"Oh, I'm feeling it" Pat McAfee</p><p><br /></p><p>"Our first surprise of the night" Michael Cole</p><p><br /></p><p>"Guys, she's back" MC</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes outlasts everyone to win Men's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqD5D00FDIg&t=9s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Press Conference clips</p><p><br /></p><p>Triple H discusses ground-breaking Netflix deal: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZu8vha3Ej4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Cody Rhodes answers a question from DDP: 2024 Royal Rumble Press Conference highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29e4uVYE6uY&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>And much more!</p><p><br /></p><p>Pat McAfee explains himself: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44btA7GrEeU&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Bron Breakker is not finished with The Judgment Day: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLUy0AgcBi8&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Andrade can't wait to show everyone who he is: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tYrwSHxmFc&t=6s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jordynne Grace makes an impact: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3tjl9omKw4&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill put the whole locker room on notice: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPP0btDeXcY&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Jade Cargill makes her debut at the Royal Rumble!: 2024 Royal Rumble highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GY6L-34XFg&t=3s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWhE6pJLaYo&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Super hot show. Stories, action and surprises matter in top line pro wrestling. Early contender for 'Wrestling PPV/PLE Of The Year'. Massive thumbs up to Triple H and the whole team at WWE and associates for putting on a great and most enjoyable supercard.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWE #highlights #moments #RomanReigns #CodyRhodes #CMPunk #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #JordynneGrace #Naomi #Andrade #BronBreakker #TripleH #PaulLevesque #PatMcAfee #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #wrestlingnews #wrestling #prowrestling #PLE #trends #trending #buzz #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Royal Rumble post-match comments/interview by Kevin Owens</b></p><p><br /></p><p>WWE YouTube offers excellent highlights, moments and interviews covering red hot Royal Rumble PLE</p><p><br /></p><p>Kevin Owens vows that he's not done with Logan Paul: 2024 Royal Rumble exclusive</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orM5yKtsQYQ&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>"I hope Logan Paul knows, I'm coming for a rematch. There's no way things can end this way. First of all, he brought in the brass knuckles. In French, that's called a 'poing américain' which literally translates meaning American Fist, which is appropriate because he's the United States Champion. Doesn't do anything by the book, brings in American Fists, in trying to retain the US title"</p><p><br /></p><p>"I'm a Canadian. It's probally when I got caught"...</p><p><br /></p><p>"Next time I get Logan Paul in the ring and that title is on the line, I'm winning that championship. I should be champion."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Do you"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"You see where I'm going"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yep" media</p><p><br /></p><p>"Your doing the whole impartial journalist thing"?</p><p><br /></p><p>"At least, I put him through a table. You know what that's called? A moral victory."</p><p><br /></p><p>Logan Paul vs. Kevin Owens — United States Title Match: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxrr2DG7LJY&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: What a great feud, match and post match interview. This is pro wrestling and sports entertainment. Millions of fans are likely awaiting a rematch between Paul and Owens. A couple of the best in the world at what they do. </p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #KevinOwens #KO #TKO #LoganPaul #TheMaverick #Prime #USTitle #interview #quote #quotes #interview #video #highlights #AndStill #rematch #journalist #wrestlingmedia #wrestlingnews #entertainment #popculture #socialmedia #trends #trending #buzz #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WrestleMania @WrestleMania Season ignites discussion about who should be in the next round for the WWE @WWE Hall Of Fame</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Current Names Attracting Buzz Under The Watercooler</p><p><br /></p><p>Lex Luger, Jim Cornette & Sable have all got solid to strong support, including from WWE NXT @WWENXT commentator and Hall Of Fame podcast personality, Booker T @BookerT5x "Oh Yes"! as Booker would say.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additional names drawing in discussion include Cyndi Lauper (who Media Man pitched a number of times over the past almost decade)! Who is the mongrel in the WWE blocking it? Perhaps they won't be blocked any longer in today's WWE?! Ken Shamrock is long overdue. Lex Luger and Daniel Bryan (current wrestling elsewhere, are also under discussion).</p><p><br /></p><p>Tag Teams, The Nasty Boys and Demolition and wrestling personality Jim Cornette has been known to pitch tag teams he managed to greatness decades ago. Have a listen to Corney's podcast if you care. NSFW is often the case with Mr Cornette, and don't even start us on his politics! (real politics, not wrestling politics). </p><p><br /></p><p>Managers - Paul Heyman, your time may be now sir!</p><p><br /></p><p>Debate is open for Brock Lesnar, Gangrel, Doink The Clown (choose 1 or 2) and Outback Jack. Ok, some satire. Remember, entertainment value and fan response is also a factor. Pro wrestling aka sports entertainment is subjective in nature and a reminder that pro wrestling is not a pure sport, however most of the top wrestlers over the past decade plus have been very technical.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under the Media Man watercooler is was discussed that there's a couple of pro wrestlers who may have been strong draws for 5 to 10 years but they known for hurting opponents through clumsiness, poor training or whatever the case. Mistakes can and do happen in pro wrestler, but they are a couple who should be disqualified from even being seriously considered. No names, but the industry knows who they are.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ending on a high note, enjoy today's Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania and Hall of Fame. Oh, CM Punk for the win (and also for serious consideration for the WWE Hall of Fame).</p><p><br /></p><p>#wrestling #wrestlingnews #prowrestling #HallOfFame #WWEHOF #WWEHallOfFame #BookerT #legends #wrestlinglegends #sportsentertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #Goats #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediaman </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Pro Wrestling</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Continues To Release World Class Footage From Royal Rumble 2024 onto their award winning YouTube Channel and additional social media platforms</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Royal Rumble Results and Highlights: WWE Now, January 27, 2024</b></p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqqA99fmNbA&t=11s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>EVERY entrant in the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2024 highlights</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv7p-Brp1h0&t=4s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Rundown: WWE's The Bump, Jan. 28, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRBfQ7VYkpc&t=5s&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Top moments from Royal Rumble 2024: WWE Top 10, Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALt6dkP_k8&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man: Tremendous pro wrestling aka sports entertainment. Action, drama, surprises and much more. Massive thumbs up.</p><p><br /></p><p>#RoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble #WWERoyalRumble2024 #RomanReigns #TheBloodline #AndStill #LoganPaul #KevinOwens #JadeCargill #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #WWE #TNA #TNAWrestling #TNAChampion #WWETNA #broadcast #broadcasting #streaming #popculture #EntertainmentNews #entertainment #YouTube #YT #Highlights #moments #video #trends #trending #buzz #socialmedia #X #XWrestling #media </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Media Man Biz Terms</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Disruptor: a company or form of technology that causes radical change in an existing industry or market by means of innovation. </b></p><p><br /></p><p>"the company is becoming a major disruptor in the media, ad and PR industry" </p><p><br /></p><p>"Logan Paul radically disrupted both the pro wrestling and sports/energy drink sector"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Jake Paul, Logan Paul and KSO proved to be disruptors in the boxing industry including with the Misfits Boxing promotion. Jake Paul was elevated to such a level he was signed on both PFL, backed by the Saudis, further disrupting professional combat sports"</p><p><br /></p><p>"Rebel News hard hitting and no B.S approach to news media journalism without corporate monetary kickbacks proved to be a massive disruptor in the Canadian and Australian news media sector causing significant headaches for politicians and helped amplify the voice of the community at large. Rebel News also encouraged citizens to become citizen journalists and podcasts, and they further threw light on situations that some mainstream news media outlets were not covering".</p><p><br /></p><p>Nikola Telsa (10 July [O.S. 28 June] 1856 – 7 January 1943 was an early disruptor of the energy, engineering and utilities industry. So much so that many dirty corporate and government tricks and tactics were used against him to prevent the wide distribution of free energy for the citizens of the United States.</p><p><br /></p><p>Media Man Int</p><p><br /></p><p>Disruptors Of The Month</p><p>www.mediamanint.com/articles/disruptors_of.html</p><p><br /></p><p>#disruptor #disruption #disruptors #JakePaul #LoganPaul #Misfitsboxing #PFL #boxing #celebrityboxing #combatsports #RebelNews #Tesla #NikolaTesla #market #ads #pr #SEO #mediabiz #mediadistuptor #newsdisruptor #newsmedia #media #mediaman #mediamanint </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (U.S)</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p>#movienews #boxoffice #TheBeekeeper #MeanGirls #WonkaMovie #MigrationMovie #AnyoneButYou #PoorThings #AmericanFiction #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom #TheZoneOfInterest #TheBoys #EntertainmentNews #popculture #moviebiz #showbiz #trends #trrending #buzz #media</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Five-day pro wrestling convention coming to Ballarat in 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Ballarat will be beamed across screens around the world when global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder arrives in 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s the first Starrcast pro wresting event to take place outside the USA, and will be in region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Attracting fans from across Australia and overseas, the five-day event will include stage shows, signing sessions and interactive panels at the Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall, alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium which will be streamed internationally.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Announced by the Victorian Government on Friday 1 December, this event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>High-Flying Wrestling Fan Fest To Land In Ballarat</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>01 December 2023</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Allan Labor Government is backing a major boost to Ballarat’s events calendar, with the global professional wrestling convention Starrcast Downunder, headed for the Goldfields region from 10-14 April 2024.</p><p><br /></p><p>Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced Ballarat will host the first Starrcast pro wrestling event staged outside the United States, attracting fans from across the state, Australia and overseas to regional Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Held over five days, Starrcast will feature fan events, signing sessions, stage shows, and interactive panels across Ballarat Mining Exchange and Civic Hall alongside wrestling events at Selkirk Basketball Stadium – set to delight thousands of local and visiting fans.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event has been made possible by the Regional Events Fund via Visit Victoria.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legendary WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and six-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have signed on to lead the cadre of international wrestling stars to take part in the action.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joining Hart and James at Starrcast Downunder will be a handful of soon-to-be-announced legends, alongside 30 Australian and international wrestlers who will put on three action-packed nights of wrestling throughout the event.</p><p><br /></p><p>This will include an international wrestling show, an Australian showcase and Empowerr, the groundbreaking all-female wrestling show created by Mickie James in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wrestling events will be streamed internationally from Selkirk Basketball Stadium, showcasing Ballarat to wrestling fans around the world.</p><p><br /></p><p>It marks the most recent addition to Ballarat’s packed 2024 calendar of events, alongside the Road National Championships in January, two Western Bulldogs AFL matches at Mars Stadium, and the recently announced White Night Ballarat, which will take over the city in June.</p><p><br /></p><p>For more information about the event, including future updates and tickets, visit oceaniaprowrestling.com.</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos</p><p><br /></p><p>“We’re proud to support Starrcast Downunder – not just for the boost it will deliver to the region’s tourism sector, but because it joins the packed calendar of events bringing Ballarat to life for everybody to enjoy.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison</p><p><br /></p><p>“This international exclusive event will bring pro wrestling fans up close to their favourite legends right here in Ballarat, adding to our already jam-packed events calendar.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Eureka Michaela Settle</p><p><br /></p><p>“Starrcast Downunder will attract pro wrestling fans from across Victoria – and further afield – to Ballarat for an incredible five days of action, supporting local hospitality, hotels and keeping the economy booming.”</p><p><br /></p><p>Quote attributable to Member for Ripon Martha Haylett</p><p><br /></p><p>“From stage shows, interactive panels and fan events, there will be something for everyone to enjoy at Starrcast Downunder. It’s going to be fantastic to see Ballarat’s local buildings and stadiums come alive with fans and wrestling legends from near and far.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Netflix's Commitment To Live Sports Spells Doom For ESPN</b></p><p><b>By JOE POMPLIANO</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has announced a deal with TKO Group, the holding company for the UFC and WWE, that will bring WWE’s flagship program “Raw” to the streaming service next year, marking Netflix’s first real foray into live sports entertainment.</p><p><br /></p><p>The deal is $5 billion over ten years, according to a TKO Group SEC filing. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including SmackDown, NXT, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble. WWE will still be in charge of event production, providing Netflix about 150 hours of content annually.</p><p><br /></p><p>This announcement, combined with the appointment of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the company’s board of directors, sent TKO shares soaring. The holding company opened up more than 20 percent on Tuesday, adding ~$1 billion to its market cap.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is a huge deal because no one saw it coming. Sure, Netflix has built its name in sports through original documentaries like F1 Drive to Survive, the Untold series, The Last Dance, Beckham, Full Swing, Break Point, and more. But the world’s biggest streaming service has always said live sports rights were too expensive for its taste.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, we’ve now reached a point where it makes sense for both parties.</p><p><br /></p><p>Netflix has 80.1 million subscribers in the United States and Canada. That gives WWE more distribution than it had on cable television (77.87 million) while also providing it access to 180 million additional international subscribers on Netflix.</p><p><br /></p><p>The $500 million annual deal represents a roughly 30% increase in payment, depending on how you calculate international rights, and Netflix gave itself the option to either cancel the deal after five years or extend it another ten after completion.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Tribute To Henry Marcus</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Charleston Post and Courier – May 24, 1998</b></p><p><b>By Mike Mooneyham</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Downtown Charleston may be filled with the sights and sounds of Spoleto, but next weekend at 1000 King Street, professional wrestling will be the order of the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>The King Street Palace, site of the former County Hall, will be the stage for the biggest pro wrestling reunion ever held in this area. “The Night the Legends Return: A Tribute to Henry Marcus” will be a long-overdue tip of the hat to one of the sport’s great promoters, along with a recognition of the past stars of the Mid-Atlantic area.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sponsored by Low Country Wrestling, the weekend events will feature a “meet and greet” session with the legends from 1-4 p.m. and an awards show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Several matches will be included on the evening program, but they will simply provide a backdrop for a ceremony honoring some of the sport’s legendary performers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Adding a special touch to the weekend is that the two major activities will be held at the King Street Palace – the building once known as County Hall where thousands of fans made their weekly pilgrimage every Friday night. Wrestling is one of the most colorful of all professions, and many of its legendary characters have graced the hallowed hall at which some of those same performers from the past will gather to relive memories of a tradition-rich sport that, like a fine wine, only grows better with age.</p><p><br /></p><p>For nostalgia lovers and followers of the glory days of Mid-Atlantic wrestling, it’s a must-see event. And even for fans who believe wrestling started with the Hulk Hogan era, it will provide a refreshing look at the past and the stars who paved the way and laid the groundwork for the Hulk Hogans, Steve Austins and Stings of today.</p><p><br /></p><p>The event holds even greater significance for many of the honorees themselves. Many who traveled the road together and teamed up have not seen each other in years.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two decades have passed since Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, one of the greatest teams in wrestling history, have been together in the same ring. George and Sandy Scott, a team which Hawk and Hanson encountered in many a bloodbath during the ’60s and ’70s, will join their old rivals in that same ring on Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>It’s been even longer since the paths of Wahoo McDaniel and Johnny “The Champ” Valentine have crossed, but the memories of their torrid feud remains fresh in the minds of many longtime wrestling fans. Some of the greats of the Mid-Atlantic era have since passed on. The list includes names like Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard, Aldo Bogni, Homer O’Dell, Haystacks Calhoun, Gene Anderson, Rufus R. Jones, Billy and Jimmy Hines (The Masked Red Demons), Luther Lindsay, J.C. Dykes, Jimmy “Rocky” Smith (The Inferno), Larry “Missouri Mauler” Hamilton, Boris “The Great” Malenko, Luke “Big Boy” Brown, Dick Murdoch and, sadly, others too numerous to mention. Many stars shaped their careers here.</p><p><br /></p><p>George Scott, who was booking the Carolinas for the late Jim Crockett Sr., brought in two youngsters fresh out of Verne’s Gagne’s Minnesota wrestling camp during the early ’70s – Richard Fliehr and Richard Blood. Blood, an amateur standout out of Tampa, would be billed as Ricky Steamboat – “nephew” of Sam Steamboat, an area favorite who at the time teamed with Mr. Wrestling (Tim Woods). Fliehr was brought in as “nephew” and protege of Rip Hawk and was billed as “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, a ’70s version of “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Shortly thereafter Flair would join with the infamous “Minnesota Wrecking Crew” (Gene, Lars and Ole Anderson) as their cousin from Minnesota, setting the stage for the ’80s formation of the original Four Horsemen – Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.</p><p><br /></p><p>The rest, as they say, is history. And much of it was shaped right here in Charleston, under the Jim Crockett territorial banner and the local promotion of Henry Marcus.</p><p><br /></p><p>A little-known fact is that Arn Anderson, some years before before the formation of the Horsemen, enjoyed some of his fondest memories as young Marty Lunde growing up in Rome, Ga., hurling insults and objects at those same Anderson Brothers at the local wrestling shows. A number of surprise guests also have made plans to attend the festivities and pay tribute to a man who promoted wrestling for nearly half a century.</p><p><br /></p><p>LEGEND NOTES</p><p><br /></p><p>Promoter Henry Marcus turned 87 last Thursday…Referees for the evening matches will range from Tommy Young, longtime NWA senior official who presided over some of Ric Flair’s greatest matches during the ’70s and ’80s, and Ron West, a popular NWA official in the Carolinas, Georgia and Mid-South area, to present-day refs Charles Robinson and Mark Curtis (Brian Hildebrand)…Commemorative T-shirts will be available at the afternoon event…Radio station 98 Rock, which will be airing updates on the show throughout the week, will do a live remote from the King Street Palace noon-2:30 p.m. Saturday.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the honorees, Burrhead Jones, is a Moncks Corner native whose infamous TV angle with Black Jack Mulligan in the mid-’70s ranks as one of the most memorable in Mid-Atlantic history. Burrhead, cousin of the late Rufus R. “Freight Train” Jones, suffered a lopsided thrashing at the hands of Mulligan that led to Rufus’ crown (he billed himself as the “king of wrestling” after being presented a crown by Greensboro fans) being stomped to pieces at the hands of Gene and Ole Anderson, Flair and Mulligan.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sports Illustrated lays off 'significant' amount of staff after license revoked, owner vows to continue brand</b></p><p><b>Sports Illustrated was sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2019</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A significant number of Sports Illustrated staff members were notified by the outlet's publisher that they would be laid off. The move puts the future of the iconic sports publication that has been widely considered the gold standard of sports journalism for nearly seven decades in jeopardy.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group, which operates Sports Illustrated and related properties emailed employees on Friday, notifying them that Authentic Brands Group has revoked its marketing license.</p><p><br /></p><p>"As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand," the email said.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Illustrated’s employee union said in a statement that the layoffs would be a significant number, and possibly all, of the NewsGuild workers represented.</p><p><br /></p><p>"We have fought together as a union to maintain the standard of this storied publication that we love, and to make sure our workers are treated fairly for the value they bring to this company. It is a fight we will continue," Mitch Goldich, NFL editor and unit chair, said in a statement.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The guild’s statement also called for Authentic Brands Group to "ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years."</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The Arena Group acquired publishing rights from ABG in 2019 for at least 10 years. The group’s stewardship of SI has had many hurdles since then. In December, it fired chief executive officer Ross Levinsohn when the magazine’s alleged use of AI-generated stories drew public backlash.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Pat Forde who covers college sports, the Olympics and horse racing for Sports Illustrated, according to his published bio, reacted to the news on social media and clarified that the "entire staff" did not receive termination notices.</p><p><br /></p><p>"The entire staff was not laid off. There still is a website and a magazine. That said: Ugly, brutal day with many layoffs," Forde wrote on X, the company formerly known as Twitter.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>In a statement sent to Fox News Digital on Friday, Authentic Brands Group confirmed that Arena Group’s license was terminated.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Yesterday, The Arena Group’s license to serve as the publisher of Sports Illustrated was terminated as a result of the company’s failure to pay its quarterly license fee despite being given a notice of breach and an opportunity to cure the breach," the statement read.</p><p><br /></p><p>Authentic Brands Group also said the Sports Illustrated brand will continue.</p><p><br /></p><p>"Authentic is here to ensure that the brand of Sports Illustrated, which includes its editorial arm, continues to thrive as it has for the past nearly 70 years. We are confident that going forward the brand will continue to evolve and grow in a way that serves sports news readers, sports fans, and consumers. We are committed to ensuring that the traditional ad-supported Sports Illustrated media pillar has best in class stewardship to preserve the complete integrity of the brand’s legacy."</p><p><br /></p><p>The iconic sports brand has had a rough six years. It was acquired by Meredith Publishing in 2018 as part of the purchase of Time Inc., which started the magazine in 1954.</p><p><br /></p><p>Less than a year later, Meredith sold the magazine’s intellectual property to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million. ABG owns the intellectual property of many brands and stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Reebok.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling/Streaming News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE @WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix @netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </b></p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p>Video via the official WWE YouTube Channel</p><p><br /></p><p>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry9cZwTTO9c&ab_channel=WWE</p><p><br /></p><p>#TripleH #quote #RoyalRumble #RoyalRumble2024 #Netflix #WWERaw #wwenews #wwemedia #wwepress #pressconference #mediaconference #YouTube #YT #video #broadcast #broadcasting #streamingindustry #streamingbusiness #streamingbiz #streamingcontent #TKO #TKOGroup #platforms #platformnews #OTT #overthetop #entertainmentnews #popculture #audience #audiences #contentnews #contentbusiness #bizdev #trends #trending #buzz #media #mediabusiness </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling/Streaming News</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>January 26, 2024</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>WWE </b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque on the Netflix deal to the press at the WWE Royal Rumble Media Conference: </b></p><p><br /></p><p>"My reaction to that deal is holy *hit. It's amazing. How will it change sports and entertainment is actually the better phrasing of the question. I think the world sees a shifting ecosystem when it comes to where people consume and view things. In a moment when you see a lot of people dipping their toe in the water of streaming services and trying different things. Since the beginning, WWE has been the ground-breakers and first movers."</p><p><br /></p><p>"Everybody will be watching this, everybody. Hopefully, everybody will be watching the shows, but they will be watching to see what takes place here. We are once again in front of that. It is an incredible feeling. When you talk about a deal that is 10 years, $5 billion, it is hard not to be excited about this. This is an incredible week." </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Royal Rumble Post-Show Press Conference: Jan. 27, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>"This has been an incredible week. You talk about the streaming services, so let's talk about The Rock joining the board for TKO. An amazing opportunity for us to have the biggest celebrity, the biggest star in the world, and the biggest box office attraction in the world to be a part of that board and help us. He's an expert on branding, he's an expert on marketing, he's an expert on all of those things, so to help with that. But what I love about it is he is also a guy who while on a board at an extremely high level can communicate with them, I can have shorthand with him about what WWE needs." Paul Levesque (Triple H)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Wrestling News</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“The landscape of the WWE @WWE Women’s division was altered last night. The connections that these three have with the WWE Universe is undeniable… and I have a feeling their momentum will be unstoppable” - Triple H</p><p>#RoyalRumble #TripleH #quote #JadeCargill #Naomi #LivMorgan #JordynneGrace #wwewomen #wwewomens #womensdivision #womenswrestling #WWERaw #SmackDown #prowrestling #wrestling #PLE #liveentertainment #livesports #entertainment #entertainmentnews #popculture #media </p><p><br /></p><p>Image credit: WWE</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>OPW and Major League Wrestling forge international partnership</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>17 January 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organizations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[NEW YORK, USA / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA] – In an exciting move that promises to break barriers in interpromotional collaborations, Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Oceania Pro Wrestling (OPW) have officially announced a partnership. </p><p><br /></p><p>This collaboration between the two organisations marks a significant step forward in expanding the global reach and impact of both promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p>“We are thrilled to team with Oceania Pro Wrestling,” said MLW CEO Court Bauer, “The fans down under are some of the most passionate and we can’t wait to bring them something special as two organisations team-up for some exciting opportunities. Buckle up, we’re going to give you an unforgettable experience.”</p><p><br /></p><p>“We have some exciting broadcasting announcements to come for 2024 that will involve the MLW and OPW relationship,” said OPW owner Cam Vale. ““This is a truly unique partnership by two innovative wrestling companies, to have OPW champions recognised by MLW as their regional champions and to bring MLW to Australia in 2024 and beyond. OPW wrestlers will show MLW fans how good we are down under, and who knows what that will mean for MLW in the future.”</p><p><br /></p><p>The partnership between MLW and Oceania Pro Wrestling is set to bring about a myriad of collaborations, showcasing the best of both worlds in professional wrestling. From championships to innovative content creation, fans can expect a thrilling array of fights and entertainment that transcends geographical boundaries.</p><p><br /></p><p>MLW has been on an impressive trajectory of growth in recent times. The addition of renowned wrestler and MMA fighter Matt Riddle to its roster has fueled excitement among fans, adding a new dynamic to MLW’s already stacked lineup. MLW programming has now expanded its reach to 60 countries, solidifying its position as a global wrestling phenomenon.</p><p><br /></p><p>The highly anticipated launch of MLW’s action figure line with Boss Fight Studio is just around the corner, promising fans the opportunity to own a piece of their favorite MLW stars. MLW has also been making waves by expanding its 2024 tour schedule to include: Tampa, Chicago, and New York City, bringing MLW’s signature fusion of wrestling styles to audiences nationwide.</p><p><br /></p><p>Oceania Pro Wrestling has distinguished itself in the wrestling world hosting a diverse range of wrestling experiences in the Oceania region, including the highly acclaimed Starrcast Down Under and marquee wrestling events. </p><p><br /></p><p>Stay tuned for more updates as OPW and Major League Wrestling prepare to unveil the first of many projects.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Movie Box Office (U.S)</b></p><p><b>January 26, 2024</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper - $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters</p><p><br /></p><p>Mean Girls $7.3 million from 3,544 locations</p><p> </p><p>Mean Girls</p><p>U.S tally: $60.8 million </p><p>Worldwide tally: 22.6 million globally for a worldwide cumulative sum of $83.4 million</p><p><br /></p><p>The Beekeeper</p><p>$100 million approx globally</p><p>U.S: $42.3 million and $61.9 million globally for an approx global tally of $104.2 million</p><p><br /></p><p>Wonka</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.9M</p><p>Total Gross: $195M</p><p><br /></p><p>Migration</p><p>Weekend Gross: $5.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $101M</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyone But You</p><p>Weekend Gross: $4.8M</p><p>Total Gross: $71M</p><p><br /></p><p>Poor Things</p><p>2,300 theatres</p><p>$3 million for the weekend</p><p>$24.8 million</p><p>Global tally: $26.3 million</p><p>Total $51.1 million</p><p><br /></p><p>American Fiction - $2.9 million U.S for $11.8 million sum. 1,702 cinemas</p><p><br /></p><p>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - Weekend Gross: $2.8M. Total Gross: $118M</p><p><br /></p><p>The Zone of Interest. $1.1 million U.S. Global tally of $3 million.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Boys In The Boat. Weekend Gross: $2.2M</p><p>Total Gross: $47M</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>Jim Morrison</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Biography</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Nothing else can survive a holocaust, but poetry and songs. No one can remember an entire novel. No one can describe a film, a piece of sculpture, a painting. But so long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue.”</p><p>– Jim Morrison</p><p><br /></p><p>I think the self-interview is the essence of creativity. Asking yourself questions and trying to find answers. The writer is just answering a series of unuttered questions. I guess I see myself as a conscious artist plugging away from day to day, assimilating information.</p><p>I think around the fifth or sixth grade I wrote a poem called “The Pony Express.” That was the first I can remember. It was one of those ballad type poems. I never could get it together, though. I always wanted to write, but I always figured it’d be no good unless somehow the hand just took the pen and started moving without me really having anything to do with it. Like, automatic writing. But it just never happened. I wrote a few poems, of course.</p><p>Like, “Horse Latitudes” I wrote when I was in high school. I kept a lot of note books through high school and college and then when I left school for some dumb reason — maybe it was wise — I threw them all away. There’s nothing I can think of I’d rather have in my possession right now than those two or three lost notebooks. I was thinking of being hypnotized or taking sodium pentathol to try to remember, because I wrote in those books night after night. But maybe if I’d never thrown them away, I’d never have written anything original — because they were mainly accumulations of things that I’d read or heard, like quotes from books. I think if I’d never gotten rid of them I’d never been free.</p>Media Man Inthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14189743902152879337noreply@blogger.com