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Meteoric Media Shift: From Mainstream to Independent
The Evolution of Media and Politics
For decades, media and politics have been connected at the hips. Politicians leverage the media to get their message out to the public, while the media uses politicians to gain advertising dollars and viewership. Throughout U.S. history, the media has had a dramatic impact on politics and the country. In the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt had to ride a train throughout the country and tirelessly shout his message at large crowds.
While political rallies of this nature occur today, the media has evolved a long way since then. Later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Teddy’s fifth cousin who would become the longest-serving U.S. president, revolutionized communication via radio with his infamous “Fireside” chats during the Great Depression and World War 2.
Fast forward to October 1960, and the entire nation was glued to their black and white television sets as Robert F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon participated in the first televised presidential debate. The impact of television on the 1960 election, and thus, history, cannot be understated. JFK ultimately won the presidential election after three vicious debates between the two. Historians often say that the more polished Nixon won more voters who listened to the radio debate, while JFK won those who watched TV due to his undeniable charisma.
Media Evolving Again
Those who study history can point to the wildly popular “Fireside Chats” and the first televised debates as monumental shifts in media. Media would never go back to how it was before, and politicians would need to adjust. For the past 50 years or so, cable television and news have dominated the media landscape. However, the 2024 election marks another monumental shift in how media is consumed.
Trust in Traditional Media Plummets
According to a recent Gallup poll, American trust in mass media has reached record lows. Only 31% of Americans express a “fair amount” of confidence in the media’s ability to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly.”
The Rise of Independent Media
To bring our journey full circle, let’s discuss Robert Kennedy, the nephew of JFK and former independent candidate for president in the 2024 election. Though Kennedy ultimately lost his presidential bid, he was one of the most successful independent candidates in years. Kennedy chalked up his media success to podcasts, namely “The All in Podcast.” The All in Podcast is a top-rated podcast with four venture capitalists who discuss everything from politics to markets.
More and more Americans are turning to independent media like podcasts to consume their news. Independent media allows consumers to be more selective, trust their media more, access media on demand, and watch and listen to long-form podcasts with little interruption (instead of the rushed soundbites on mainstream media).
Kennedy is not the only presidential candidate who leveraged podcasts this cycle. Kamala Harris recently went on the provocative “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Meanwhile, Donald Trump joined the “Joe Rogan Experience” and garnered millions of views.
Winners: Spotify, Apple, Amazon
Thus far, streaming provider Spotify is the biggest winner of the new media paradigm. In 2020, Spotify reportedly paid comedian and MMA commentator Joe Rogan ~$100 million to join Spotify. Over the past two years, SPOT is up nearly 400%, and earlier this year, SPOT renewed Rogan in a $250 million mega-deal.
Other popular podcasting hubs include Apple, Alphabet and Amazon. However, SPOT benefits the most because it is the most focused on the podcasting and streaming business, and the shift moves the needle more than mega-cap tech companies like AAPL and AMZN.
Another Speculative Media Stock to Watch
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed is a media firm known for its viral quizzes, videos, and pop culture entertainment. Although the company and its stock have sunk in popularity, former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy injected life into the stock earlier this year by taking an activist stake in it.
Bottom Line
The 2024 presidential election marks a meteoric shift in media consumption from traditional to independent media. Spotify is the big winner.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.0 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +44.9%, +48.4% and +55.2% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Spotify, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and BuzzFeed
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 30, 2024 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Spotify (SPOT - Free Report) , Apple (AAPL - Free Report) , Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) , Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) and BuzzFeed (BZFD - Free Report) .
Meteoric Media Shift: From Mainstream to Independent
The Evolution of Media and Politics
For decades, media and politics have been connected at the hips. Politicians leverage the media to get their message out to the public, while the media uses politicians to gain advertising dollars and viewership. Throughout U.S. history, the media has had a dramatic impact on politics and the country. In the early 1900s, Teddy Roosevelt had to ride a train throughout the country and tirelessly shout his message at large crowds.
While political rallies of this nature occur today, the media has evolved a long way since then. Later, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Teddy’s fifth cousin who would become the longest-serving U.S. president, revolutionized communication via radio with his infamous “Fireside” chats during the Great Depression and World War 2.
Fast forward to October 1960, and the entire nation was glued to their black and white television sets as Robert F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon participated in the first televised presidential debate. The impact of television on the 1960 election, and thus, history, cannot be understated. JFK ultimately won the presidential election after three vicious debates between the two. Historians often say that the more polished Nixon won more voters who listened to the radio debate, while JFK won those who watched TV due to his undeniable charisma.
Media Evolving Again
Those who study history can point to the wildly popular “Fireside Chats” and the first televised debates as monumental shifts in media. Media would never go back to how it was before, and politicians would need to adjust. For the past 50 years or so, cable television and news have dominated the media landscape. However, the 2024 election marks another monumental shift in how media is consumed.
Trust in Traditional Media Plummets
According to a recent Gallup poll, American trust in mass media has reached record lows. Only 31% of Americans express a “fair amount” of confidence in the media’s ability to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly.”
The Rise of Independent Media
To bring our journey full circle, let’s discuss Robert Kennedy, the nephew of JFK and former independent candidate for president in the 2024 election. Though Kennedy ultimately lost his presidential bid, he was one of the most successful independent candidates in years. Kennedy chalked up his media success to podcasts, namely “The All in Podcast.” The All in Podcast is a top-rated podcast with four venture capitalists who discuss everything from politics to markets.
More and more Americans are turning to independent media like podcasts to consume their news. Independent media allows consumers to be more selective, trust their media more, access media on demand, and watch and listen to long-form podcasts with little interruption (instead of the rushed soundbites on mainstream media).
Kennedy is not the only presidential candidate who leveraged podcasts this cycle. Kamala Harris recently went on the provocative “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Meanwhile, Donald Trump joined the “Joe Rogan Experience” and garnered millions of views.
Winners: Spotify, Apple, Amazon
Thus far, streaming provider Spotify is the biggest winner of the new media paradigm. In 2020, Spotify reportedly paid comedian and MMA commentator Joe Rogan ~$100 million to join Spotify. Over the past two years, SPOT is up nearly 400%, and earlier this year, SPOT renewed Rogan in a $250 million mega-deal.
Other popular podcasting hubs include Apple, Alphabet and Amazon. However, SPOT benefits the most because it is the most focused on the podcasting and streaming business, and the shift moves the needle more than mega-cap tech companies like AAPL and AMZN.
Another Speculative Media Stock to Watch
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed is a media firm known for its viral quizzes, videos, and pop culture entertainment. Although the company and its stock have sunk in popularity, former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy injected life into the stock earlier this year by taking an activist stake in it.
Bottom Line
The 2024 presidential election marks a meteoric shift in media consumption from traditional to independent media. Spotify is the big winner.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.0 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +44.9%, +48.4% and +55.2% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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Zacks Investment Research
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.