A few weeks ago I was elected to join the board of Rovio, the gaming and entertainment company most known for Angry Birds. I am an independent board member in the company that is listed on the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange ($ROVIO). Rovio is a company I have followed and admired for many years. They were pioneers in building the first global family brand through mobile. In later years, they have gone through a big […]
Since 2008, I have had a mild obsession with a South African media company called Naspers. They are most known for being a very early investor in Tencent. In 2001, they bought a 46.5% stake for $32 million. 18 years later, it was worth $133 billion. It is likely one of the best investments of all time. But success can be a double edged sword. This remarkable investment led to a meteoric rise of Naspers […]
“The investment strategy at the time was to find a replacement revenue source for its traditional print media business – which it forecast would decline in the advent of digital media” That’s a quote from an article describing Naspers, a South African media company, in the 1980s. Koos Bekker – now the Chairman – had suggested that there was potential for a new type of pay TV in South Africa, similar to HBO. The narrative […]
As a celebration of Joan Ganz Cooney’s first report on kids and media (re-issued here), I wrote a post for their blog. It is about finding a spark of inspiration in times where things might seem a little bleak. A bit like the kids app market today. Here’s my attempt to remember the big picture and the great opportunities that are ahead: At times like this, it is important to remember the big picture. We […]
Similarly to last year, I will not be writing a summary of 2019. Sharing less over the year has been surprisingly liberating. For me, it has forced more deliberate attention to a few selected things instead. My writing, for instance. That being said, I do often get asked what I do all day. I tend to answer “surprisingly little” which is somewhat correct but mostly an unexpected way of answering an expected question. A more […]
Friends, I’d like to thank you for reading this newly launched newsletter. I hope you’ve found a few things of interest, and the odd unexpected delight too. I also want to send over some holiday recommendations since this is a time to relax and catch up on things. Thank you for coming with me this far. Happy Holidays, Björn Things I’ve written in 2019 Some of this may be a repeat, but here are the […]
Today, Disney+ launches in the US. It’s the latest entrant to the streaming wars, but hardly the last one. The video streaming market is also changing as new alliances form between media companies and telcos. Huge acquisitions and partnerships have been announced. This is a familiar story. In my latest analysis piece, I make the case that it is in fact a loop that most telcos are stuck in. I hope you like it. Björn […]
May 2015. Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL, is on CNBC. He is wearing a navy blazer, no tie, blue shirt. He’s talking fast, and in bursts of excited management speak. He has a lot to be excited about. It has just been announced that Verizon is going to buy AOL for $4.4 billion. This is of course good news for Mr Armstrong. CNBC anchor, Andrew Ross Sorkin, asks him the key question for the […]
I was recently in Copenhagen to speak at Techfestival. I was invited to present my thoughts on kids and screens – a topic which seems ever present. Those who know me, know I like a good rant. But this cause required something different – nuance and context. So I wrote a proper speech, for the first time in my life. I hope you like it. Björn Things I’ve written (or said) In defense of screen […]
As a part of Techfestival 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark, I was asked to present my thoughts on kids, screens, and technology. In order to get the nuances right, I wrote a speech. You can read it below. Let me tell you a familiar story. Imagine young people longing for an alternate reality. One where regular rules of life do not apply, and one where your imagination prevails. Their parents worry, because this alternate reality is […]
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