Episode 144: Rich Greenfield on the State of Dying Media and What’s Going on with Paramount

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi speak with Rich Greenfield from LightShed Ventures about the state of traditional and digital media. They discuss Paramount’s evolving strategy, Larry Ellison’s growing role in media and technology, TikTok’s U.S. restructuring, and The Trade Desk’s Ventura OS. The conversation also touches on how AI and new ad protocols may reshape advertising and what these shifts mean for the broader media landscape. Takeaways Legacy media struggles with tech execution Larry Ellison connects media, capital, and AI TikTok’s U.S. setup eases advertiser uncertainty Ventura OS success depends on key app adoption AdCP could streamline agent-based transactions TV ads decline as digital engagement expands Spotify video boosts reach but product issues persist Ad tech contracts need better legal protection Chapters00:00 Intro and housekeeping 03:30 Traditional media updates and Paramount–Skydance 09:00 Larry Ellison’s media influence 15:00 Why advertisers should care about these mergers 20:30 TikTok’s U.S. ownership structure explained 26:00 The Trade Desk’s Ventura OS and its hurdles 33:00 Ad Context Protocol and AI in ad buying 41:00 Shifting search behavior and Google’s AI role 48:00 Spotify video, Netflix deal, and ad strategy 54:00 Rich Media Club lawsuits and wrap-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices