Ad-verse effects… The US House passed a bill last week that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban. While TikTok’s making all the headlines, the legislation also threatens all Chinese-controlled apps — including those from two companies reporting this week: retailer Temu’s parent, Pinduoduo, and mobile-gaming titan Tencent. Chinese app bans could spell trouble for ad biggies. China made up 10% of Meta’s revenue last year, and Temu was Meta’s top advertiser. Scanning the App Store, Temu is the No. 2 free app (Chinese Shein is No. 1) and Tencent’s “PUBG Mobile” is the No. 2 strategy game.
Bracket ball... As the NCAA March Madness basketball tourney gets underway this week, networks like Paramount, Disney, and Warner Bros. are hoping to run back last year’s women’s final when 10M fans watching Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese shattered a 20-year viewership record. As folks fill out their brackets based on mascot (or some other method), sportsbooks could score: sports betting became legal in college-bball mecca North Carolina last week, and $2.7B+ is expected to be wagered on apps like Penn Entertainment’s ESPN Bet and DraftKings’ Sportsbook.