Spotify Book Club

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Happy Friday, Future Party. Although there are reports of many people trying to learn Spanish — especially Puerto Rican slang — so they can fully enjoy Bad Bunny’s upcoming Halftime Show, the singer says not to sweat it. During Apple Music’s official pre-Super Bowl interview today, Bad Bunny said his show is “going to be a huge party, [so] it’s better if they learn to dance.” There’s nothing more universal than that.

NBCUniversal will broadcast three of the world’s biggest sporting events this month — the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Super Bowl LX, and the NBA All-Star Games — as part of its packed February lineup.

The Big Picture: NBCU’s sports lineup is an embarrassment of riches, ensuring the company will be at the center of conversation and ad sales all of February. And with its streamer, Peacock, stuck in neutral, February’s events could be a game-changer for signups.

Between The Events: The next 17 days may be the most important of the year for NBCU.

Final Score: NBCUniversal has made sports coverage its marquee content in recent years, especially as it seeks to differentiate Peacock from rival streamers. The company has spent aggressively to acquire broadcast rights to the NBA, MLB, and FIFA. It also relaunched the NBC Sports Network to cover sports 24/7 and partnered with DraftKings on sports betting. So, yeah, NBC is playing to win.

Next Season: If NBCU can handle all the viewership traffic without a hitch and deliver a great experience for fans, Peacock may become the frontrunner for future sports rights.

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Spotify is doubling down on its audiobook business by integrating physical books into its algorithm.

Why It Hits: Audiobooks are a growing business for Spotify, but the company recognizes that more people are rediscovering the joy of actually reading. The streamer doesn’t want the return to analog to be a barrier to its business, which is why it’s making it easier to enjoy both simultaneously… and, hopefully, bring more customers into the fold.

Between The Pages: Spotify is giving users two new ways to read.

Last Chapter: Spotify execs recently noted that audiobook listening has jumped 36% year-over-year, both in number of listeners and hours streamed. Those are great metrics for Spotify, but the company sees ample opportunity to supercharge that, especially with #BookTok driving a reading renaissance and Gen Z treating Barnes & Noble like it’s 2000 again.

THR points out that Spotify is using the same playbook it used for podcasts: widen distribution, license strategically, and grow engagement by not keeping everything locked inside the app.

Next Edition: It’s only a matter of time until your local bookstore has a “Spotify Selects” section. Trippy.

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36.6% of you voted Catch highlights and recaps later in yesterday’s poll: How do you plan to follow the Olympic Winter Games?

“…on the evening news.”

“As a kid, the Olympics were ‘must-see TV.’ I try to watch the main events live when possible and catch the highlights if I miss something. I always love the underdog stories.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join our Poll Of The Day newsletter, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

💿 BMG is in advanced talks to buy Concord Music in a $7 billion deal that would make it the fourth major music group.

🎮 Crunchyroll is developing original games that will be playable on the streamer.

📺 The UK version of Saturday Night Live has unveiled its inaugural cast and set a March debut.

🤖 OpenAI debuted a new platform called Frontier that lets users organize and manage all their AI agents.

🤖 OpenAI is rolling out personalized ads in ChatGPT at a premium price in an effort to boost revenue.

🤖 OpenAI is in talks to power Amazon’s Alexa+ and other AI products.

📱 Meta is testing a standalone app for its AI-generated video apps, Vibes.

🏈 TikTok is teaming with Bleacher Report to shore up advertising during the Super Bowl and other big cultural events.

🤳 Hank and John Green have turned their production company, Complexly, into a nonprofit.