May updates: Our new website, how Facebook is getting into audio and Netflix’s plans for 2021

After many months of hard work, we’re proud to launch the new look Tandem website, with a more modern and slick look. That’s the big news, but here’s some updates in the world of tech, including Netflix’s plans for their 2021 budget.

OUR NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE!

You already know, cause you’re on it right now…We’ve been spending the last few months implementing a stronger marketing strategy, shoutout to Rachel and the team at Identify Marketing! A major part of this has been reworking our key messaging and “narrowing our arrow” (cue Rachel), and with this upgrading our website to show our new focus in a more modern, clean and slick way.

Finally, after many months of hard work, our new-look website is live and we’re inviting everyone to place their feedback! We’ve been starting at it for months so we need some fresh eyes!

FACEBOOK’S AUDIO INTEREST

Facebook has recently launched some new products centering around audio, meaning they’re now getting involved in another form of content, not just images and video. 

  • Live Audio Rooms: FB’s Clubhouse knockoff. It will be available this summer, and the feature will also be integrated into Messenger.
  • Soundbites: A feature that allows users to create, share, and remix short audio clips (think TikTok for audio). This content will end up in Facebook’s news feed.
  • Podcasts: A new partnership with Spotify will allow people to stream podcasts directly from their news feeds (where they can also receive recommendations).

NETFLIX’S CONTENT INVESTMENT

Netflix projects to spend $17B on content in 2021. This is a sizable uptick from 2020, when the streaming service dropped $11.8B on content (a tick down from $13.9B in 2019 due to the pandemic). To put that number into perspective, ExxonMobil’s projected 2021 capital expenditures (capex) are $16B to $19B. We don’t actually know what Netflix is spending money on, though… we still can’t find anything to watch.

APPLE VS SPOTIFY: THE PODCAST WARS

Since introducing podcasts in 2005, the iPhone maker has won the podcast world purely by being the default and introduced very little innovation, until recently.

Apple announced recently that it’s offering paid podcast subscriptions, per The Wall Street Journal. Creators pay Apple $19.99 a year to activate the option, Apple takes 30% of subscription revenue in year 1 and 15% thereafter

While the 30% cut may irk some — and is already a source of antitrust concern for Apple — the potential normalization of paid podcasts could be a gamechanger, especially from a company with 1B+ iPhone users.

OUR MAY SPECIAL: BOOK YOUR NEXT LIVE STREAM WITH US THIS MONTH AND RECEIVE A FREE EVENT PODCAST!