1) A $5m class-action lawsuit was filed against Universal Pictures, arguing the studio fooled audiences into thinking Ana de Armas was in the movie by showing her in the trailer but cutting her scenes from the final cut.
2) Speaking of, NBCUniversal’s Peacock lost $1.7B in 2021. That loss was up from $663m in 2020 and will likely continue growing, as they’re spending $3B on content this year. The good news? Peacock revenue was $778m, up from $118m in 2020, and it has 9m paid subscribers.
3) Things seem to be shaping up for Kim Kardashian’s line of shapewear, robes, and more — called Skims — which is now valued at $3.2B. Sales in 2021 hit $275m, and the American Winter Olympics team will be donning the brand’s designs.
4) 2021 was the 1st year that the rate of streaming new songs — defined as songs less than 18 months old — declined. The 200 most popular songs now account for <5% of total streams, a rate that was near 10% in 2018.
5) Ever want to travel on a cargo ship? You can — on ~1% of the world’s freighters. It’s not exactly a luxury cruise, but people do it. In 2019, ~4k people paid $100-$150 per day to travel on one.
