Tom Wainwright
Showing 1–7 of 7 transcripts.
- The Economist7 min
Is global culture dead? | The Economist
Contrary to the expectation of cultural convergence, streaming data from 2019 to 2025 reveals a sharp global rise in local artist representation as audiences prioritize national identity over global homogeneity. This shift has compelled major platforms like Netflix to abandon failed "global first" productions in favor of domestic-focused strategies, while democratized technology and user-driven algorithms have further suppressed elite curation in favor of hyper-local viral trends. Consequently, charts in nations from Brazil to Mexico now show dominant local shares, with only specific language-sharing or Anglophone outliers remaining significantly influenced by foreign content.
- The Economist8 min
Why is Saudi Arabia buying up the video game industry?
Led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, a consortium is acquiring Electronic Arts for $55 billion while deploying a $38 billion Savvy Games portfolio to dominate the global gaming sector. This strategy targets the 330 million Arabic-speaking demographic and diversifies the Kingdom's oil-dependent economy by creating 39,000 jobs and leveraging competitive gaming for soft power. Although immediate content changes to existing Western franchises remain uncertain, the initiative integrates local cultural narratives and sports assets to eventually establish a distinct "Saudi accent" in international game development.
- The Economist26 min
Peace from pieces: Syria after Assad
Jason Palmer, Christopher Lockwood, Tom Wainwright, Johnny Williams, Matthew Mercer
Following a rapid 12-day rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus to end five decades of rule, triggering a complex geopolitical shift as Russia and Iran withdraw support while Turkey and the US balance new power dynamics. Concurrently, Australia enacted the world's first blanket ban on social media for minors under 16, imposing heavy fines on non-compliant tech firms despite concerns over AI age-verification accuracy and uneven regulatory competition. In cultural developments, Dungeons & Dragons marked its 50th anniversary by evolving from a niche hobby into a mainstream phenomenon driven by the fifth edition, popular media crossovers, and a generation of creators who cite the game as a vital tool for social confidence and storytelling.
- The Economist24 min
Missile-stop tour: Zelensky in America
Zelensky, Jason Palmer, Daniel Franklin, John Priddo, Tom Wainwright
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to secure critical military aid and maximalist diplomatic concessions, including NATO membership, ahead of a US election that could drastically alter support levels for Kyiv's war effort. Simultaneously, The Economist reports that the US has passed "peak woke," as data indicates a sharp decline in identity-focused rhetoric and DEI initiatives following the electoral toxicity of 2020. In the gaming sector, EA Sports solidified its market dominance by rebranding its flagship title to EA Sports FC, leveraging exclusive licensing deals and network effects to withstand a potential challenge from FIFA's planned rival game.
- The Economist24 min
Cryptic message: why arrest Telegram’s founder?
Rosie Bloor, Tom Wainwright, Henry Kerr, Emily Steinmark
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram, was arrested in Paris on charges related to the platform's alleged failure to curb child sexual abuse material, money laundering, and encryption violations. While Telegram denies the accusations and frames the incident as a free speech issue, the arrest has sparked global debate regarding content moderation standards and potential geopolitical motives tied to the platform's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This legal development risks establishing a precedent for nations to use executive arrests to compel compliance with local laws, following similar threats faced by tech executives in Brazil.
- The Economist24 min
Field of streams: sports viewing changes
Evan Gershkovich, Kamala Harris, Jason Palmer, Tom Wainwright, Oliver Carroll, Holly Burman
Major media companies are reallocating substantial content budgets to live sports rights as streaming platforms capture one-third of Olympic viewership, prompting traditional cable networks to launch exclusive services while tech giants like Netflix enter the market to aggregate global audiences. Simultaneously, the US faces a critical diplomatic standoff after a Russian court sentenced WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, with both sides actively exploring potential prisoner exchanges involving high-profile detainees ahead of the American elections. In the domestic political arena, Kamala Harris's campaign leveraged the viral "Brat" internet aesthetic to energize younger demographics and close polling gaps, signaling a shift toward social media-driven engagement that challenges traditional polling and policy-focused messaging.
- The Economist21 min
How AI is generating a revolution in entertainment
Alfie, Ankit, Tobias, Harry Yeff, Marcus Hutton, Tom Wainwright
The event details how artificial intelligence is reshaping the music, film, and entertainment industries through data-driven discovery, generative creation tools, and predictive analytics like Cinelytic. While these technologies promise trillions in economic growth and lower barriers for under-resourced creators, they simultaneously spark significant labor disputes over job displacement and intense legal battles regarding copyright and consent. Stakeholders remain divided on whether these advancements will ultimately enrich human creativity or lead to a market flooded with derivative content.