🥤 Soda streaming wars

When you imagine the prolonged talks and tense negotiations that are thrashed out between some of the biggest names in global business, you might not imagine rooms of execs and franchisees sipping samples of innovative new tinctures, but that’s apparently how it went down in Texas over a couple of days in June, as KFC prepared to decide on a drink supplier moving forward.

The choice, as it has often been for companies and customers alike through the years, was simple: Coke or Pepsi? Follow in the footsteps of McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and many more by partnering with the most recognizable beverage brand of all time, or stick with Pepsi, the company that spun the chicken chain off as part of Yum! Brands in 1997 and has provided its drinks selection since the original acquisition some 40 years ago? 

This time, the Yum! fast-food behemoth went for Coca-Cola, switching from Pepsi in a move that mirrors the American soda-loving population at large. 

According to figures shared with Snacks by industry insights and analysis company Beverage Digest, Pepsi’s share of the carbonated soft drink market in the US has fallen from just over 13.6% at the start of the twenty-first century, to a little over 8% as of last year. In that time, Coca-Cola’s share has slipped much more slightly, down from 20.2% in 2000, to a still-strong 18.5% in 2025. 

In addition, last year was the third in a row where Dr. Pepper has taken a bigger share of the market than Pepsi, with Sprite and Diet Coke now also not far behind, taking 7.9% and 8% of soda case sales in the US, respectively.

The Takeaway 

While it’s not the end of the world for Pepsi — the drinks giant will maintain its partnerships with international branches of KFC — it’s still a big blow, as Coca-Cola extends its already dominant position in the soft-drink fountain game, where it currently accounts for 70% of sales by volume, per separate Beverage Digest data. 

— Thomas Jones

That’s how much Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary “You Can See Everything” took from just 855 US theaters over its opening weekend. 

The $15 million haul makes the film built around the imprisoned Theranos founder the biggest debut for a non-music or concert doc since 2004’s “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Tt’s also the largest opening for a movie showing on under 1,000 screens since “Borat” hit American cinemas in 2006, per Variety.

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