How the future of sports streaming died

Key takeaways

The TikTok situation remains fluid, with a short-term ban recently with unclear long-term prospects as tech and politics intertwine.
Venu's failure highlights the complexities of the sports streaming landscape and the ongoing challenges fans face in accessing content.
Making reading a priority can be enriching; finding enjoyment rather than obligation is key to achieving reading goals in 2024.
Apple's audio management system leaves much to be desired, creating a frustrating experience for users looking to listen to multiple audio sources.

Summary

TikTok Ban Updates

The episode starts with a discussion about the recent developments regarding the TikTok ban in the United States. Host David Pierce explains that TikTok went dark briefly after the ban, but it wasn't as severe as anticipated. Companies like Oracle and Akamai, which host TikTok in the U.S., seem confident that they won't face repercussions from the government regarding the app's status. While Trump made promises at a rally about saving TikTok, the Biden administration appears to have distanced itself from any plans for the app going forward.

Venues Sports and Streamlining Sports Content

The conversation shifts to an exploration of Venu, a streaming service that was expected to revolutionize sports viewing by centralizing content but ultimately never launched. Jacob Feldman from Sportico joins to provide insight on what led to the service's downfall. The discussion highlights the complexities and challenges of the current sports streaming landscape, with existing platforms like YouTube TV and Fubo also competing for audience attention. The mention of sports fragmentation reveals a growing problem for fans attempting to access a broad array of games and events.

Reading More This Year

Kevin Nguyen, writing expert, discusses the importance of reading in today’s digital landscape, offering strategies to help listeners transform their scrolling time into reading time. Nguyen emphasizes the value of finding joy in reading rather than viewing it as a chore. Tips include how to create conducive reading environments, managing reading material effectively, and utilizing digital resources like Libby for easy access to books. The conversation promotes a proactive approach to incorporating reading into daily routines.

Audio Management on Mobile Devices

Listeners also get a chance to hear about the often frustrating music and podcast experience on iOS devices, where users struggle with the inability to listen to multiple audio sources simultaneously. The discussion explores how Apple has designed its audio playing system to prioritize last-used audio sources, causing interruptions when opening certain apps. Various solutions and app recommendations are discussed, drawing attention to the need for improved audio management in future tech developments.

Show notes

First in this episode, a quick update on the TikTok ban (which didn't turn out to be much of a ban at all.) Then, Sportico's Jacob Feldman joins the show to talk about Venu, the much-hyped streaming service that planned to bring all sports into a single platform — and never even managed to launch. After that, The Verge's Kevin Nguyen tells us how to read more books this year, and how to turn all your aimless scrolling time into more productive reading time. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline about audio sources on your phone, and why you can't listen to a thousand things at once.