By now, you should have seen Saltburn. One of the most viral moments of 2023 came at the very end of the year when Emerald Fennell’s film hit Amazon Prime Video. Starring two of Hollywood’s favorite leading men, Jacob Elordi as Felix and Barry Keoghan as Oliver, the movie is both appalling and captivating. I describe it as like watching a car accident: the events taking place so vile that you can’t help but stare at the damage.
And forget about the infamous bathtub scene (the only thing I knew to expect from the film) or even the graveyard scene (the thing I did not expect in my wildest dreams)…I’m constantly replaying one scene: the final one where Oliver Quick has finally overtaken the estate and can dance around naked. By this point in the movie, my jaw had permanently resided on the floor…but this scene made me want to get up and dance too.
It’s thanks to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 song “Murder On The Dance Floor”, which is having a spike in popularity similar to Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) after playing in Stranger Things. On New Year’s Eve alone, “Murder On The Dance Floor” had its biggest streaming date on Spotify with 1.5 million plays and entered the Global Spotify Chart for the first time at no. 130.
In the week after Saltburn’s theater release on November 22, streaming increased over 360% for the song and 340% for Ellis-Bextor’s Read My Lips album. It was a song that perfectly juxtaposed the dark message behind the film- which was riddled with comic relief and short, witty quips to satirically add to the mood.
“Murder On The Dance Floor” should be on everyone’s playlist this week…For more Saltburn-related music, check out Amazon Prime’s “Saltburn: Official Playlist” on Spotify!
Amazon will begin airing ads in its Prime Video television shows and movies on January 29.
That means Prime Video subscribers, who pay $139 per year for a Prime membership, will see “limited” ad interruptions starting on that date, Amazon said Tuesday in a statement to customers. People who pay for the stand-alone Prime Video subscription, which costs $8.99 per month, will also see ads starting on January 29.
However, Amazon said subscribers can avoid the ads by paying an extra $2.99 per month for an commercial-free subscription.
Prime Video’s new subscription strategy comes amid an industry-wide shift toward a tiered subscription model. Streaming platforms such as Disney+, Netflix, Hulu and Peacock have already introduced ad-supported subscription options alongside more costly ad-free offerings.
“This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” Amazon said in the email. “We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
Amazon, which first announced the ad-free tier in September, did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment.
Streaming services are embracing tiered subscription models to boost revenue as they pour massive amounts of money into costly content amid the escalating streaming wars. The tiered model boosts sales by bringing in both ad dollars and incentivizing some subscribers to shell out more money for higher-tier subscriptions, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Amazon’s advertising business, which includes Amazon marketplace advertisements and Freevee, has served as a major revenue source for the company. In the third quarter, the tech giant raked in roughly $12 billion in revenue from advertising, up 26% from the same quarter last year, the company’s financial statement shows.
Elizabeth Napolitano is a freelance reporter at CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and technology news. She also writes for CoinDesk. Before joining CBS, she interned at NBC News’ BizTech Unit and worked on the Associated Press’ web scraping team.
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While the post-season is still a few weeks away, the roll that these two teams are on will make Thursday night football a real blockbuster. Here’s how to watch the Bengals vs. Ravens tonight for free to see who’ll take out this classic rivalry. The rivalry between these two teams began in 1996 when the Ravens were created after the Cleveland Browns, with whom the Bengals also share a rivalry, moved to Baltimore.
The Bengals go into this game 5-4, while the Ravens are 7-3 on the season. “I see the Ravens,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow told Cincinnati.com. “I see it a week at a time. That’s how you have to treat this league. Otherwise, you get too overwhelmed with what’s happening. Because you’ve got 17 games, and the roller coaster of the media, if you ride that, you’re gonna ride the roller coaster of your emotions too. And you can’t. You can’t do that. You just have to keep it a day at a time, a practice at a time, and focus on getting better every day.”
What time is the Bengals vs. Ravens game?
The Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens game airs on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
How to watch the Bengals vs. Ravens game tonight live online
How to watch Bengals vs. Ravens game tonight live online for free
Read on for how to watch the Bengals vs. Ravens game live online for free with Amazon Prime Video‘s free trials and what else to know about the show.
Prime Video’s free trial is four times longer than most other streaming services. Compared to Paramount Plus, which offer just a seven-day free trial, Amazon Prime Video’s free trial is 30 days. That’s three weeks more than competitors. The free trial also comes with the same benefits of Prime, such as free two-day shipping, Prime Music and more. But perhaps the best part about Prime Video’s free trial is that customers can sign up for it multiple times. According to Amazon, users can sign up for Prime Video’s free trial over and over again as long as it isn’t within the same 12 months. This means that if you if you haven’t been an Amazon Prime member for more than 12 months, you’re eligible to receive another 30 days for free.
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
After the free trial ends, Prime Video costs $8.99 per month for non-Prime members. However, if you’re a Prime member, Prime Video comes free with Prime, which includes Prime Delivery (such as free two-day shipping, free same-day shipping, free release-date delivery and free no-rush shipping), as well as access to Prime Music, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, which saves subscribers about $36 from the monthly subscription.
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Amazon is warning Prime customers of two types of scams ahead of the company’s pre-Black Friday promotion, which starts Friday, Nov. 17.
The company says it has shut down almost 50,000 phishing websites this year, and email attachment schemes “have doubled” in the second half of 2023, per Moneywatch.
“The bad thing isn’t opening the attachment,” Scott Knapp, Amazon’s director of worldwide buyer risk prevention, told CBS MoneyWatch. “It’s clicking on the link in the attachment, which goes straight to their website, where they start collecting all kinds of information.”
The communication can arrive as an email, text, or call, with the scammer posing as an Amazon customer service representative. These fake notifications warn of a suspended account without “taking action,” usually by clicking a link, opening an attachment, or even asking for your login credentials.
A sample scam email. Credit: Amazon.
Another growing scam is when they ask customers to confirm a big purchase (that you haven’t made) and then steal your information in the process as you try to sort it out, the company warns.
“A big red flag is when they start to ask for money or payment information over the phone or by email. That’s something we would never do. We’d never ask for that,” Knapp said, per CBS.
Amazon is urging customers to let them know of any fraud or scam attempts that are received.
Amazon.com is warning that scammers are just as eager as consumers to take advantage of holiday shopping deals, with bad actors trying to gain access to customers’ Prime accounts with scam emails, calls and texts. The online retailer said it has seen a surge in criminal activity involving the ecommerce platform as shoppers use Amazon to make their holiday purchases.
Two types of scams are particularly on the rise, noted Amazon, whose annual ahead Black Friday promotion starts Nov. 17. Reports of so-called email attachment schemes have doubled in the second half of 2023, according to Amazon. These scams involve criminals posing as Amazon customer service representatives and sending shoppers attachments suggesting that their accounts will be suspended if they don’t take action. The emails include a link asking for members’ login credentials or payment information, which the scammers then steal.
“The bad thing isn’t opening the attachment,” Scott Knapp, Amazon’s director of worldwide buyer risk prevention, told CBS MoneyWatch. “It’s clicking on the link in the attachment, which goes straight to their website, where they start collecting all kinds of information.”
Amazon said scammers are posing as Amazon team members to try to steal customers’ personal information.
Courtesy of Amazon
The second type of scam, which targets members of Amazon’s Prime shopping club, has quadrupled over the same time period, according to the company. Scammers are also calling, texting and emailing Prime members about a bogus membership fee or account issue. They ask customers to confirm or cancel the charge by providing payment details, giving criminals the opportunity to steal sensitive information.
“Coming into the holiday with big deals, they send out notices that there’s problem and say contact us to straighten things out. Give us your credit card information or bank account info to verify it,” Knapp explained.
What Amazon will never ask for
Amazon said that this year it has shut down more than 45,000 phishing websites and over 15,000 phone numbers belonging to scammers.
Criminals can be surprisingly convincing in their efforts to pose as legitimate businesses. They are also known to send emails that look like order confirmations while claiming there’s a problem with a customer’s order. They then demand personal information in order to rectify the phony problem.
“A big red flag is when they start to ask for money or payment information over the phone or by email. That’s something we would never do. We’d never ask for that,” Knapp said.
How to spot a scam
Look out for these other tell-tale signs that an email or call that appears to be coming from Amazon or another legitimate business is the work of a scam artist trying to dupe you.
Asking for money. Scammers will sometimes insist that they be paid in order to resolve a customer account issue. Amazon said it would never ask that members pay them in this kind of scenario.
“That’s something we would never do. We’d never ask for that,” Knapp said.
Gift cards. Scammers often insist on being paid with gift cards because their details are easy to share, easy to redeem and hard to trace.
“People should be careful or wary when somebody is trying to make them pay for something only with a gift card. No legitimate transaction is going to require you to use gift cards. So be on the lookout for that,” Knapp said.
Wait to respond. If you’re on the receiving end of an unexpected communication from an alleged retailer, take a minute before responding.
“If it’s something you didn’t expect, pause before you start clicking on anything, texting someone back or calling them back. Verify it, go to the source, to our website or our app,” Knapp advised..
Report fraud. Reporting fraud allows Amazon to investigate incidents and hold bad actors accountable, the company told CBS MoneyWatch. Additionally, anyone who believes they’ve been scammed can contact their bank or credit card issuer, which often are willing to reimburse customers while the firms investigate.
Knapp said customers are sometimes hesitant to report fraud because they’re ashamed that they were taken advantage of. But he insists that fraud is “an equal opportunity industry, and people should not feel bad.”
“Some of the smartest people in the world get taken by it — it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old,” he added.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News streaming to discuss her reporting.
The combined monthly costs for streaming services can add up quickly, especially if you have have FOMO and subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock and HBO Go. Considering all are getting more expensive, when we come into contact with a free password and login, why wouldn’t we keep it? Even if it belongs to an ex? It’s like free money.
Netflix really stirred the pot when they decided only people in the same house can use the password for free. Their policy says The account owner will need to purchase an extra member slot, then invite an extra member to use the extra member slot. Now, spending $7 -11 and not having to Venmo someone $2.35 a month might be good for some, but multiple services add up.
According to a survey by Exstreamist, 13 percent of people still use an ex’s Netflix password. People like Jeanna Satariano, who uses her current boyfriend’s passwords, but kindly shares her Netflix account with her ex. She tells Moneyish, “Since our relationship is in a fine place (and) we’re cordial with each other … it doesn’t stir up any hard feelings.”
Experts tell Moneyish there are times when sharing login information with an ex just doesn’t make sense. But, there are also occasions when it’s okay. Here are some quick and dirty rules to judge your situation.
Lose the password if:
You had a bad breakup. As Etiquette expert Thomas P. Farley puts it to Moneyish, “It’s the non-married, millennial equivalent of somebody cutting off a spouse’s credit card because they’re separated.”
You want your ex to quit sponging off you. Etiquette expert Elaine Swann told Moneyish to “do the work first — meaning change any passwords … delete the person from the system, and then follow up and let them know. And, of course, be considerate in the manner in which you tell them.”
If things are amicable. Said Farley, “If you are a young, millennial urban dweller living on a very tight budget … you most likely share a lot of these subscriptions for the purpose of not just convenience, but for budgetary savings,”
If you received the streaming subscription as a gift. But if you’d like to continue the service after your subscription expires, it’s up to you to foot the bill. “Whatever the understanding of the initial term was when the gift was presented, is yours to keep,” said Farley. “But I would not hesitate from calling the company and asking, ‘When does this term end? OK, here, I’d like to give you my credit card to auto-renew.’”
The Amazon Prime Video November 2023 schedule has been revealed. This confirms all of the new TV shows and movies coming to the streaming platform for the new month. (I have also included Freevee content, which can also be accessed by non-Prime members.
All TV shows and movies coming to Amazon Prime Video in October 202
November 1
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
12 Dates of Christmas (2011)
17 Again (2009)
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
A Christmas in Vermont (2016)
A Christmas Wedding Tail (2011)
A Family Thing (1996)
A Home of Our Own (1993)
All The President’s Men (1976)
Allan Quatermain And The Lost City Of Gold (1987)
Along Came a Spider (2001)
An American In Paris (1951)
Annapolis (2006)
Bad Influence (1990)
Batman (1989)
Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman Returns (1992)
Braveheart (1995)
Breakheart Pass (1976)
Catwoman (2004)
Chaplin (1993)
Chicago (2003)
Christmas Cupid (2010)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Coffy (1973)
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011)
Courageous (2011)
Crank (2006)
Deck The Halls (2006)
Desperate Hours (2022)
Dom Hemingway (2014)
Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
Fast & Furious (2009)
Fast Five (2011)
Fat Albert (2004)
Fatal Attraction (1987)
Foxy Brown (1974)
Ghosting: The Spirit Of Christmas (2019)
Heaven Is For Real (2014)
Hollow Man (2000)
Hope Springs (2012)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Igor (2008)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Just Go With It (2011)
Killing Them Softly (2012)
Knight And Day (2010)
Little Fockers (2010)
Love & Other Drugs (2010)
Man of the West (1958)
Master And Commander: The Far Side of the
World (2003)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Meet the Parents (2000)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Mortal Kombat (2021)
No Way Out (1987)
Notting Hill (1999)
Radio Days (1987)
Raging Bull (1980)
Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish (1998)
Same Time, Next Christmas (2019)
Scrooged (1988)
Shark Tale (2004)
She-Devil (1989)
Showgirls (1995)
Surviving Christmas (2004)
That Awkward Moment (2014)
The Babysitter (1995)
The Bodyguard (1992)
The Dogs Of War (1981)
The Eiger Sanction (1975)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
The Gospel According to André (2018)
The Horse Soldiers (1959)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
The Package (1989)
The Perfect Holiday (2007)
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Running Man (1987)
The Terminal (2004)
The Uninvited (2009)
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012)
Two Weeks (2006)
Uncle Buck (1989)
Unforgiven (1992)
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1
Untamed Heart (1993)
Valkyrie (2008)
Veggietales: Christmas Sing-Along Songs! (2020)
Veggietales: It’s A Meaningful Life (2010)
Veggietales: Merry Larry and the True Light of
Christmas (2013)
Veggietales: Saint Nicholas – A Story of Joyful Giving
(2009)
Veggietales: The Best Christmas Gift (2010)
Veggietales: The Little Drummer Boy (2011)
Veggietales: The Star of Christmas (2002)
Veggietales: The Toy That Saved Christmas (1996)
Vera Cruz (1954)
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1994)
Wild Hogs (2007)
Windtalkers (2002)
Witness For The Prosecution (1957)
You Again (2010)
50 to 1 (2014) (Freevee)
A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) (Freevee)
Arkansas (2020) (Freevee)
At First Sight (1999) (Freevee)
Bad Boys (1995) (Freevee)
Bad Boys II (2003) (Freevee)
Belfast (2021) (Freevee)
Bio-Dome (1996) (Freevee)
City of God (2002) (Freevee)
Country Strong (2010) (Freevee)
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) (Freevee)
Duel at Diablo (1966) (Freevee)
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) (Freevee)
Evil Dead (2013) (Freevee)
Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) (Freevee)
Hop (2011) (Freevee)
Kicking & Screaming (2005) (Freevee)
Lawman (1971) (Freevee)
Lions for Lambs (2007) (Freevee)
Men in Black 3 (2012) (Freevee)
Paddington 2 (2017) (Freevee)
Phantom (2013) (Freevee)
Rango (2011) (Freevee)
Return to Me (2000) (Freevee)
Rob Roy (1995) (Freevee)
Running Scared (1986) (Freevee)
Snitch (2013) (Freevee)
Booksmart (2019) (Freevee)
Species: The Awakening (2007) (Freevee)
The Barefoot Contessa (1954) (Freevee)
The Bourne Identity (2002) (Freevee)
The Bourne Legacy (2012) (Freevee)
The Bourne Supremacy (2004) (Freevee)
The Breakfast Club (1985) (Freevee)
The Great Escape (1963) (Freevee)
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021) (Freevee)
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) (Freevee)
The Hurricane (1999) (Freevee)
The King and I (1999) (Freevee)
The Last Waltz (1978) (Freevee)
The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005) (Freevee)
The Long Riders (1980) (Freevee)
The Madness of King George (1994) (Freevee)
The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) (Freevee)
The Other Woman (Freevee)
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) (Freevee)
The Vikings (1958) (Freevee)
November 2
Thursday Night Football (TV)
November 3
Los Billis (TV)
Invincible Season 2 (TV)
Romancero (TV)
November 4
Young Rock S3 (2023) (TV) (Freevee)
November 8
The Host (2013) (Freevee)
November 9
BTS: Yet To Come
Missing Link (2019) (Freevee)
November 10
007: Road To A Million (TV)
Dina Hashem: Dark Little Whispers (TV)
Vic the Viking (2019) (Freevee)
Christmas Checklist (2022) (Freevee)
November 14
Trevor Wallace: Pterodactyl (TV)
The Accused (1988)
November 15
Harina, El Teniente Versus El Cancelador Season 2 (TV)
November 16
American Horror Story Season 11 (TV)
Accepted (2006)
Smokin’ Aces (2007)
Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball (2010)
November 17
Amar E Para Os Fortes (Love Is For The Strong) (TV)
If you were in a bar, on a night out, and two girls offered you a slice of cake, would you eat it?
While this could be the premise of a Chuck Palahniuk novel (Cake, a sequel to Choke, perhaps?) or an A24 psychological thriller about eating and intimacy or something equally uncanny, the reality is in fact … based on reality.
Based on true events, Sitting in Bars with Cake tells the story of two 24-year-olds in Los Angeles: Corinne (Odessa A’Zion), the outgoing aspiring agent, and Jane (Yara Shahidi), her wallflower roommate, childhood best friend, and aspiring lawyer.
What is Sitting in Bars with Cake about?
When Jane — who prefers to spend her nights listening to podcasts, studying for the LSAT, and baking whole cakes as stress relief (I could never) — brings a home-baked birthday cake for Corrinne to a karaoke bar, a tradition is born. To force her shy friend out of her shell and to meet new people (especially guys) all around Los Angeles, they invent the concept of Cake Barring. Aka: sitting in bars with cake.
This quirky icebreaker brings together their friends, makes them new friends, and, most importantly, signifies a new era for the best friend pair. Things are looking bright and delicious. Until Corrine gets diagnosed with cancer.
Suddenly, the pair are braving hospital rooms together and it seems like the cake barring must come to an end. But Corrine, insisting that she needs joy now more than ever, won’t let it. Thus, a year of cake in bars and tears in hospital rooms.
This new feature film from Amazon Prime Studios is heartwarming and refreshing. It feels realistically youthful — for example, the 24-year-olds actually talk like 24-year-olds —but also wise beyond their years.
Who stars in Sitting in Bars with Cake?
This whimsical tale is anchored by standout performances by Yara Shahidi and Odessa A’Zion. Neither of the pair are new actors. Shahidi has been acting since childhood in films like Butter and The Sun is Also a Star but is best known for her starring roles in black-ish and grown-ish. A’Zion is a rising star in the indie circuit in films like Fresh Kills and Hellraiser, plus a starring role in the sitcom Fam and the Netflix drama Grand Army.
Yet, I can’t help but feel like Sitting in Bars with Cake is a reintroduction to both actors. Shahidi’s performance is understated and mature, while A’Zion steals every scene with her magnetism and charm. Together, their chemistry creates the foundations of the friendship that we root for through its highs and lows. I see myself in them both, but most of all, I see my friends — which is the true feat of this film.
How Sitting in Bars with Cake teaches us about friendship
Remember when the young adult film and literature genres were saturated with tales of kids falling in love in cancer wards? This film grounds the genre in reality rather than romance. It’s a tale of friendship, of growth, and resonates more than ever due to the phenomenon the media is calling the “friendship epidemic.”
The premise is this: we all have fewer friends and, to take it further, we’re all worse friends than generations past. The obvious thing to blame here is the pandemic year. Many people moved away from their friends, either temporarily or permanently, and most of us were separated with limited to no contact with our friends for over a year. Then, with the rise of remote work and our deeply set reliance on conveniences like food delivery and online shopping, people have less occasion to see friends with no more work and fewer nights out to restaurants.
This is underscored by the shifting cultural norms about what friendship is — and what it isn’t. Every week a new debate surfaces all over social media: should you ask your friends to help you move? Should you ask your friends to Venmo you for gas? Should you offer guests food in your home?
And, as we redraw the lines around what relationships should look like, the influx of “therapy speak” (aka people weaponizing clinical language for self-serving purposes) is letting people get away with toxic behavior in the name of boundaries. All this to say, you could never make Friends now — they would’ve spent the whole time on that coffee store couch worrying about how to split the bill.
However, if you look deeper, you can see that this shift didn’t start with the pandemic. It didn’t even start with social media. Society has been trending towards loneliness for decades. According to Robert D. Putnam in the 2000 book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Putnam writes about how we have become increasingly disconnected from family, friends, and neighbors.
Putnam says people sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet, know their neighbors less, meet with friends less frequently, and even socialize with their families less often. We’re even bowling alone. And this book came out before social media really took over — so imagine the state of our social lives now.
Call it a symptom of late-stage capitalism. Call it part of the inevitable apocalypse. But it can be easy to feel hopeless about the state of our friendships. And to feel like you should have more and closer friends. Everybody feels like that, probably.
But movies like Sitting in Bars with Cake remind us that, at their core, these relationships are about love. And how powerful platonic love can be.
This film is a portrait of a symbiotic relationship — both parties taking care of each other the ways they know how. They both give and give and give to each other without keeping score or asking for anything in return. They operate on the unsaid understanding that their problems are not a burden and that their friends want the best for them — even when they’re struggling or even in the middle of a fight.
This inspiring narrative is an emotional tour de force — not because of the cancer of it all. But because, like a grown-up version of a Disney movie, it reminds us of the power of friendship (the crowd awws).
So grab a friend and watch this film for a cozy night in, sharing a cake with your friends. Perfect for fall.
Watch the trailer here:
Sitting in Bars with Cake – Official Trailer | Prime Videowww.youtube.com
Amazon’s fall sales event, Prime Big Deal Days, kicked off Monday, offering discounts to Amazon Prime subscribers on personal electronics, home appliances, clothing, toys and other items.
Here’s what you need to know to take advantage of the autumnal discounts and get the most bang for your buck.
What are Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days?
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Day is a two-day sales event that offers Prime members discounts of up to 70% on major brands like Dyson, Sony, Calvin Klein, Olay, Toshiba, Revlon and Samsung. Check out CBS Essentials for information on the best deals.
New deals on a wide range of products will become available throughout the two-day event, dropping as often as every five minutes, according to Amazon. During the sale, customers can also take advantage of Lightning Deals, or limited-time discounts that last for as little as a few hours, Amazon’s website shows.
When are Prime Big Deal Days?
Prime Big Deal Day takes place from October 10-11.
Who can access the deals?
In order to shop during Prime Big Deal Days, you’ll have to be a member of Amazon Prime. To sign up, fill out the enrollment form on Amazon’s website.
Prime membership for U.S. customers costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, but you can begin a free 30-day trial if you’re new to the service.
If you’re a student, you can get a discounted Prime membership for $7.49 per month, or $69 per year. The Prime Student subscription is also available for a free six-month trial.
To find the items in which you’re most interested, use the filters on Amazon’s website to search for products by brand or price. Begin by clicking on “Prime Big Day Deals” on the site menu below the search box. From there, scroll down until you see a menu on the left of the screen that lists “Departments” you can click on to narrow your search. You filter for items based on product categories such as “Baby clothing,””Electronics,” and “Home and kitchen,” as well as price range and discount size, such as “50% off or more.”
If you spot a product you’re interested in buying that has a red “Invite-only Deal” label, click the yellow “request invitation” button on the right of the page to sign up to receive a purchase link when the deal becomes available. Signing up won’t guarantee you’ll be able to purchase an item on sale however, as only a limited number of products are available.
Finally, to ensure you don’t miss any sales on specific items, set up deal notifications on your Amazon Alexa or other home assistant, or on the Amazon app.
The second-generation Apple AirPods may not be the latest model, but they’re still one of the most sought-after earbuds on the market. These are some of the most versatile earbuds you can buy if you’re a regular iOS user. But beyond that, these are great earbuds that are perfect for tossing in your bag and heading out into the world. They just connect when you need them. There’s no frustrating need to pair them. These 4.7-star-rated earbuds boast more than 24 hours of total listening time with the wireless charging case, fool-proof one-tap setup for Apple device owners and a low-latency wireless connection for full immersion when consuming movies and music. If you’re in need of an everyday set of earbuds that look and feel premium, these are a great and affordable option.
Why we like the Apple AirPods (2nd Generation):
Their clear and high-quality sound makes for immersive listening.
They feature one-tap setup and intuitive controls for better convenience.
They have an impressive battery life of over 24 hours with the charging case, and quick charging for on-the-go.
The design of the AirPods Pro 2 is fairly similar to the previous generation, but Apple has introduced touch control to the AirPods Pro 2 to help users more seamlessly control their AirPods. The latest Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbuds offer 30 hours of listening time with the included charging case. They have an upgraded wireless chip for improved audio functionality, a new low distortion driver for clearer audio and improved active noise cancellation.
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 provide truly custom sound: You can use your iPhone’s camera to analyze your unique ear anatomy and find the perfect audio settings for you.
Users will also get a new extra-small tip with their AirPods. The case did get a notable design upgrade with a new lanyard loop and a built-in speaker to help track the location of your AirPods case.
Plus, you can now choose betweening a USB-C compatible AirPods charging case or a Lightning compatible case.
You’re paying for the better ergonomics here, improved sound, and what you’ll definitely end up agreeing is a premium experience. There’s certainly a lot to love about the Apple AirPods 2, especially when they’re on sale for just $199.
Why we like the Apple AirPods 2:
They have an upgraded wireless chip with improved active noise cancellation for enhanced audio quality.
They offer 30 hours of listening time with the included charging case.
Their unique custom sound feature allows iPhone’s camera to analyze ear anatomy for personalized audio settings.
Apple AirPods Max are some of the best noise-canceling headphones of 2023. These headphones are beloved by users on TikTok for their eye-catching design, great color options and impressive sound quality.
The AirPods Max use active noise-cancellation technology to block out unwanted noise and feature a transparency mode so you can hear what you need to. These headphones feature 20 hours of listening. They come in a variety of colors, including blue, green, red and silver. They’re also compatible with Siri.
Why we like the Apple AirPods Max:
They come in five stylish color options.
They are compatible with spatial audio.
The headphones offer exceptional noise cancelation, according to reviewers.
The best October Prime Day deals at Amazon to shop now
The shopping experts at CBS Essentials are keeping track of the best deals on Amazon right now. Check out our coverage of Prime Big Deal Days below.
When is Amazon Big Deal Days?
The Amazon Big Deal Days sales event (also known as October Prime Day) kicked off at midnight PT (3:00 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, Oct. 10 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
What else is on sale during Amazon Big Deal Days?
During the Amazon Big Deal Days sales event, you’ll also find big discounts across all of Amazon’s departments, including home, tech, kitchen, fitness and so much more. This is the perfect time to kick off (and potentially even finish) your holiday shopping, without having to deal with Black Friday crowds and having the gifts you want to purchase being sold out. You’ll find deals on luggage for your holiday travels, too.
Do you need to be a Prime Member to shop Prime Big Deal Days deals?
While some of the best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days offers are Prime-exclusive or invite-only, there are tons of deals that open to all shoppers. So even if you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, there are will be deals for you.
If you want to shop the best deals, though, you’ll want to sign up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. Prime memberships costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, and include access to Amazon Prime Video (Thursday Night Football) and a number of other great perks.
What other stores are holding competing early Black Friday sales?
Savvy shoppers know that any of the Amazon Prime Day events offer the perfect time to find tens of thousands of popular products on sale from Amazon, including some at their lowest price of the year. However, many other popular online and retail merchants, such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and even your favorite department stores, such as Macy’s, all tend to kick off sales either at the same time or around the same dates as Amazon Big Deal Days.
Do products on sale during Amazon Big Deal Days sell out?
You bet they do — and sometimes things sell out within hours. Once a product is sold out at the sale price, Amazon won’t always restock right away and when it does restock, the sale price likely won’t be offered.
Can products bought from Amazon during Amazon Big Deal Days be returned?
Unless it specifically states in the product description or near the “add to cart” and “buy now” buttons that the product being offered on sale is a final sale or not returnable, Amazon’s regular return policy for that product will be honored.
On the right side of a product description on Amazon, just below the “buy now” button (and where it says “ships from and sold by”), look for the heading that says “returns.”
If the text says, “eligible for return, refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt,” that’s the return policy that will be honored. However, you may be responsible for paying return shipping to Amazon, unless you drop off the product as a Whole Foods or Kohl’s, which accepts some Amazon returns.
Best October Prime Day tech deals to shop now
The Prime Big Deal Days sale is one of your best opportunities this holiday season to save big on the hottest tech of 2023. Here are the best deals to shop now, while they’re available.
Best early Black Friday deals at other retailers
Amazon isn’t the only retailer holding an early Black Friday sale today. Here are more retailers offering deals.
Kaylyn McKenna is an expert on deals, travel, luggage, home and more for CBS Essentials. When she’s not scouring the internet for the best deals on new luggage or robot vacuums, she spends time with her goldendoodle, Harley, our resident canine correspondent and dog treat expert.
Apple AirPods under $100? You can find them now at Amazon during the Prime Big Deal Days sale. Just about anyone will love the budget-minded 2nd generation Apple AirPods. They’re not the latest model, but they’re still one of the most sought-after earbud models on the market.
Retailing for $159 at Apple, they’re on sale for just $89 at Amazon today. (It’s one of the many Prime Big Deals Days offers on Apple tech we’re following today.) These AirPods boast more than 24 hours total listening time (with the wireless charging case), a foolproof, one-tap setup for Apple device owners and a low-latency wireless connection (for full immersion when consuming movies and music). Plus, you truly can’t beat the under-$100 price point.
Hurry — this Apple AirPod deal won’t last for long.
Why we like the Apple AirPods (2nd Generation):
Their clear and high-quality sound makes for immersive listening.
They feature one-tap setup and intuitive controls for better convenience.
They have an impressive battery life of over 24 hours with the charging case, and quick charging for on-the-go.
When is Amazon Big Deal Days?
The Amazon Big Deal Days sales event (also known as October Prime Day) kicks off at midnight PT (3:00 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, Oct. 10 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023.
What else is on sale during Amazon Big Deal Days?
During the Amazon Big Deal Days sales event, you’ll also find big discounts across all of Amazon’s departments, including home, tech, kitchen, fitness and so much more. This is the perfect time to kick off (and potentially even finish) your holiday shopping, without having to deal with Black Friday crowds and having the gifts you want to purchase being sold out. You’ll find deals on luggage for your holiday travels, too.
Do you need to be a Prime Member to shop Prime Big Deal Days deals?
While some of the best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days offers are Prime-exclusive or invite-only, there will also be tons of deals that are open to all shoppers. So even if you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership, there will be deals available to you.
If you want to shop the best deals, though, you’ll want to sign up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. Prime memberships costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, and include access to Amazon Prime Video (Thursday Night Football) and a number of other great perks.
What other stores are holding competing early Black Friday sales?
Savvy shoppers know that any of the Amazon Prime Day events offer the perfect time to find tens of thousands of popular products on sale from Amazon, including some at their lowest price of the year. However, many other popular online and retail merchants, such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and even your favorite department stores, such as Macy’s, all tend to kick off sales either at the same time or around the same dates as Amazon Big Deal Days.
Best Buy’s 48-Hour Flash Sale is happening on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, the same days as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days.
Do products on sale during Amazon Big Deal Days sell out?
You bet they do — and sometimes things sell out within hours. If you see something on sale that you want to get your hands on during the Amazon Big Deal Days sale, order it right away. Often, quantities are limited. Once a product is sold out at the sale price, Amazon won’t always restock right away and when it does restock, the sale price likely won’t be offered.
Can products bought from Amazon during Amazon Big Deal Days be returned?
Unless it specifically states in the product description or near the “add to cart” and “buy now” buttons that the product being offered on sale is a final sale or not returnable, Amazon’s regular return policy for that product will be honored.
On the right side of a product description on Amazon, just below the “buy now” button (and where it says “ships from and sold by”), look for the heading that says “returns.”
If the text says, “eligible for return, refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt,” that’s the return policy that will be honored. However, you may be responsible for paying return shipping to Amazon, unless you drop off the product as a Whole Foods or Kohl’s, which accepts some Amazon returns.
The best October Prime Day deals at Amazon to shop now
Can’t wait until Prime Big Deal Days starts The shopping experts at CBS Essentials are keeping track of the best deals on Amazon right now. Check out our coverage of Prime Big Deal Days below.
Carolin Lehmann is an expert in health, fitness, furniture, apparel, gift guides and books for CBS Essentials. She’s always testing new products to recommend. Some of her current favorites include Stanley cups, Alo Yoga workout sets and the Cuzen matcha maker.
Amazon Prime Video customers will soon start seeing ads while streaming movies and shows, unless, of course, they want to pay more for their subscription.
“To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements,” the company said in its statement, adding that it will “aim to have meaningfully fewer ads” than traditional broadcasters or its rivals.
Subscribers will be able to opt out of seeing ads during their streaming sessions, provided they’re OK with forking over a bit more cash.
Netflix sees increase in subscribers, but revenue falls short of expectations
While a pricing plan hasn’t been announced for Canada (Global News reached out to Amazon and is awaiting a response), the company said it will roll out an ad-free tier for U.S. customers at an additional $2.99 per month.
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Currently, American Prime memberships cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year, while Canadians pay $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year.
Customers will get an email in the weeks leading up to the advertising rollout, which will include the option to sign up for the ad-free tier. Amazon says there will be no change to the current price of a Prime membership in 2024.
Live events and sports, however, will continue to feature ads in the ad-free tier, the company said in its announcement.
Amazon is just the latest streaming platform making the what-feels-like-inevitable move to include ads in their once ad-free services. Rival streamers Netflix, Disney+ and Crave all offer ad-supported tiers of service, at a lower cost.
The introduction of ad-supported streaming is just one of the ways media companies are trying to make their streaming businesses profitable — many have also implemented crackdowns on password sharing in recent years.
Tech Talk: Netflix cracks down on password sharing & a DNA test for your dog
While somehow Amazon’sPrime Video has managed to be one of the last bastions of ad-free programming, all things must come to an end at some point. Unfortunately for everyone who uses the service, that time is very soon. The service Freevee, which is also owned by Amazon,already includes ads. That being said, viewers don’s need a subscription to watch what Freevee has on offer. Prime is already $14.99 per month, but it also includes a service that no other streaming service can claim. Same-day delivery of Amazon products along with a host of other perks.
The ad-supported Amazon Prime is due to hit your screens sometime early next year, meaning there’s precious little time to enjoy one of the last ad-free streaming services. If you really hate ads, you’ll be able to remove them — at a cost of an extra $2.99 per month. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck watching commercials during TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime.
The comparison has frequently been made between streaming and traditional network television. There are obvious differences, such as being able to select specifically what you want to watch through streaming, instead of channel-surfing to find something that suits your taste. If you’re paying for every major streaming service without using ad-supported tiers, you’re still likely paying around $100 a month, if not more. At that point, cable may have been a better deal, especially when considering the shakeup in Hollywood that the streaming model has caused. There’s also the fact that many streaming services have yet to actually turn a profit.
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If you’re looking for a classic to stream this Halloween, here’s where to find them:
In many ways, Cassandro takes the shape of a classic, inspirational sports biopic. The film, now streaming on Prime Video, follows an outsider who finds meaning in a particular competitive realm, tracing his most unlikely rise to stardom. It’s a description you could apply to dozens of Hollywood hits—a fact that the movie’s director, Roger Ross Williams, is keenly aware of. Those conventional bones give shape to the kind of story that, in reality, the industry rarely takes seriously—in this case, that of a gay Mexican American wrestler who defies the odds to triumph in his ultramasculine environment.
So goes the story of real-life lucha libre icon Saúl Armendáriz, which was previously tackled by Williams in the nonfiction short The Man Without a Mask. Here, Williams, whose lauded work in documentary has earned him both an Academy Award (Music by Prudence) and an Emmy Award (The Apollo), makes his narrative debut by reexamining a subject he already knows intimately. It’s why the film brims with confidence, from the casting of Gael García Bernal—an actor Williams pursued for years—to the focus on self-acceptance and familial estrangement, topics true to both Armendáriz’s and Williams’s actual lives. It’s why Cassandro feels quietly radical in its portrait—especially in the exuberant, soaring performance from Bernal, who’s receiving the kind of showcase he’s deserved for a long time.
That goes somewhat for Williams too. Cassandro (watch an exclusive clip above) arrives smack in the middle of a true breakthrough year for the director, if such a term can apply to someone who’s already got a healthy trophy shelf going. His work on the Hulu docuseries The1619 Project has him currently up for another Emmy, while his Oscar-contending new Netflix doc, Stamped From the Beginning, just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival—and his docuseries The Super Models just hit Apple TV+. “Cassandro was seven years in the making, and Stamped was three years; Super Models, a couple years,” Williams told me over coffee in Telluride a few weeks ago, where Cassandro screened. “And it’s all just kind of coming together within a couple of weeks now. Kind of crazy.”
Vanity Fair:This movie really lives on Gael’s performance. You’ve talked about how aggressively you pursued him for this movie, but how did you find him as a collaborator?
Roger Ross Williams: Gael really dug into the physicality of it and did mostly all of his own stunts. He really learned to wrestle. He also started training six months to a year before. He started pretty extensive bulking up and working out, but he really learned to be a wrestler. He embraced that part of it. He made an emotional connection to the material, because we talked a lot about how it’s about tapping into his own relationship to his own father. Working with Gael, it was really a lot about just talking. Just breaking down and analyzing the character and the emotional arc of the journey of the character. He’s very much an intellectual—and it was COVID, so we had a lot of long Zoom conversations. By the time he had gotten to set, we had worked that out. He was ready. So it was about executing the physicality of it. Spending hours and hours and hours being pummeled in the ring every day.
I imagine that was true for you too. Moving into narrative filmmaking, I thought about those wrestling matches and the world of lucha libre as a place where you get to explore a different kind of filmmaking. How did you want to capture that world? What kind of research did you do?
As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
Amazon is the place to discover and buy everything and anything, whether it’s the best beauty products, stylish home decor, or even the latest in fashion. And yes, we’ve all flocked to the site to immediately order items we’ve been seeing all over TikTok. Amazon has everything from cozy loungewear and reliable jeans to gorgeous wedding-guest dresses and the cutest swimwear. While the retailer is known for being the place to find dupes of popular styles, it also produces its own line of stylish clothing, accessories, and shoes, called The Drop.
Amazon’s in-house fashion line collaborates with popular influencers, fashion bloggers, and designers to create limited-edition collections made from high-quality materials in a wide range of sizing from XXS to 5X. Whether you lean cool and casual, love colorful prints and patterns, or gravitate toward something tailored and city chic, The Drop features a wide variety of styles and vibes to choose from, featuring on-trend pieces that are easily accessible. Although its intent was to have limited-run collections, the line also features a section of wardrobe essentials and bestselling styles that stay in stock because of their popularity.
To truly see if The Drop is worth the hype, three of our editors got to pick out a few styles from The Drop’s Staple collection and try them out so you can see how they look on different body types. Plus, we gave our rundown on the quality, sizing, and fit of each and every piece. Whether it’s a flattering dress or comfy sweater pants, we reviewed it all, including accessories and shoes. Keep reading to see what styles we got, how we styled them, and our honest thoughts about our selections.
As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you’ll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.
I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I bought a new pair of jeans, but I can definitely tell you the last time I bought a new pair of sweats (it was last night). Even before being a homebody was cool, I’ve always been known to pick the couch over the club. These days, with working from home still very much a part of my life, my typical daily uniform consists of a matching sweat set and fuzzy slippers. Since I’m basically living in strictly loungewear, I’m always on the hunt for cute, affordable sweat sets. Lately, my favorite place to shop online has been Amazon. I’ve found a ton of supercute, inexpensive sets — and the fast shipping honestly can’t be beat.
There are definitely some days when I spend the majority of the day in front of my computer working in my pajamas (don’t tell anyone!), but on the days when I want to go for cute and comfy, I opt for one of my many matching loungewear sets. Ahead, shop five of my picks for chic, cozy loungewear at an affordable price.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Amazon Prime has become associated with a level of consistency and dependability. It’s a brand over 200 million subscribers trust globally. Ecommerce sellers can tap into that subscriber base by adding Amazon’s Buy with Prime service into their websites’ checkout process.
All the customer has to do is log in to their Amazon Prime account and all their payment and shipping information are available. Amazon says that Buy with Prime’s ease of use, free shipping and familiar checkout experience have increased shopper conversion by 25% on average. If you’re a brand, that’s conversion on your website.
When a customer buys your brand’s product on Amazon, they’re Amazon’s customer. It’s hard to get around that — especially when tapping into Amazon marketing capabilities like Amazon DSP — you’re targeting Amazon customers on Amazon. Anyone using Buy with Prime is still your customer. By the time a customer gets to that checkout option, they will have interacted with your brand’s marketing funnel and website, but they get the convenience of Prime to boost their experience.
Buy with Prime merchants can also showcase reviews from Amazon. If your brand has a positive following on Amazon, it’s easy to tap into that consumer trust. Online shoppers depend on reviews when making their decision, and seeing reviews from both Amazon and your website helps to clinch that conversion.
This is most useful for brands with an established Amazon presence, especially because of fulfillment. For Buy with Prime to work, you must have inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers. When Buy with Prime was first rolled out in 2022, it was only available to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) businesses by invitation only. Now any third-party merchant can use it — as long as they “pay for what they use, and all fees, except for those incurred for storage, are charged only after merchants make a sale,” Amazon notes in a FAQ section on the Buy with Prime page.
For those prices, Amazon will deliver on delivery. Amazon has been bolstering its delivery process using artificial intelligence and “regionalization,” keeping inventory in areas closer to customers. Online shoppers prefer value over speed when it comes to delivery. In a survey, shipping cost was found to be 2.85 times more important than shipping speed. If they are already Prime subscribers, not having to pay for additional shipping along with fast delivery reads as the ultimate value—value that becomes associated with your brand.
Overall, Buy with Prime integration is relatively easy, with minimal code to be added to your brand’s website, even if you use ecommerce platforms like Shopify. Sellers can choose which items are Buy with Prime compatible and their pricing. You can create bundles with higher price points, even varying from your prices on Amazon. Your website must have Amazon Pay integrated for Buy with Prime to work, though.
Buy with Prime does come with some endorsed integrations. No code is necessary for integration if sellers use a BigCommerce website. BigCommerce sellers can automatically sync their catalog across platforms and monitor orders and returns. If you’re a Klaviyo user, Buy with Prime also comes with integration for syncing purchase data to reach customers with targeted messaging. Klaviyo will allow you to reengage shoppers, encouraging Prime members to return and complete checkout using Buy with Prime on your site.
Your brand gets access to the shopper information, including name, email address, shipping address and phone number. Amazon will also get that customer data about Prime, but they won’t get any data concerning your non-Prime orders on your site.
At my company, ChannelOp, I love to see brands excel using Amazon’s tools to boost their brand. Amazon’s greatest strength comes from having a diversity of sellers in its marketplace. However, there are sometimes disparities between how inventory moves on Amazon and its websites. We’ve found that when certain products sell well on a brand’s website and not on Amazon, Buy with Prime can move that Amazon inventory. It’s just another tool in your brand’s toolbelt.
I do look forward to improvements from Amazon on these tools. One feature I hope to see is a Buy with Prime basket. Currently, it’s a single-unit checkout process, limiting online shoppers to single transactions. The margin will increase if three products can sit in a checkout basket instead of just one.
I hope to see more brands tap into online shoppers’ trust in Amazon Prime. Whether you’re already a Fulfillment By Amazon business or a third party, Buy with Prime adds value to your customer’s journey.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In 2021, Wall Street and private equity firms invested 12 billion dollars in startups consolidating popular brands sold on Amazon. These aggregators of brands seemed like they would be the next big thing. By 2022, that number had risen to 16 billion dollars in capital raised. It was a “cool” time to be in ecommerce.
The tone around aggregators has begun to shift, though, as it’s difficult to maintain this kind of growth non-stop. These aggregators are now aggregating themselves as rising interest rates and sinking online demand change the mood.
Thrashio is the largest aggregator in the spotlight, notoriously the first unicorn aggregator. It raised billions and bought hundreds of brands selling on Amazon. This reorganization was an indicator of an industry rightsizing — aggregator growing pains. Amazon seller acquisitions declined in 2022 but didn’t stop completely. Strategic players, such as holding companies and private equity funds, continued to buy, but most Amazon aggregators saw the writing on the wall: the gold rush was over.
Every aggregator is different, but generally, their funding takes the form of one part equity and three parts debt. The debt was used for acquiring Amazon sellers, while the equity expanded the aggregator’s operations. As the initial loan covenants prevented aggregators from selling assets below a set amount, they have to be revised for these new deals and acquisitions.
Aggregator giants like Thrashio, SellerX Group and Razor Group are shoring up for uncertain times. Capital isn’t flowing like it was in 2020; the threat of recession is right around the corner. If you’re wondering why these large mergers are happening now, the key to understanding it all lies in the special recession we’re having— a rolling recession.
As Loyola Marymount University economics professor Sung Won Sohn identified, we aren’t seeing the economy-wide recession many were expecting. Instead, it affects industries and sectors in waves. According to Sohn, the Federal banks’ transparency in its rate-hike campaign and general access to information online, promote action in advance. The tech sector, including aggregators, has been acting accordingly.
So, where does this leave all the Fulfillment By Amazon brands looking to get scooped up by an aggregator?
I’ll start by saying we were very fortunate to have this sort of energy injected into the e-commerce industry and the Amazon marketplace. We shouldn’t be disappointed it’s over, but grateful it happened in the first place. Aggregators, as a whole, aren’t going to disappear. They’re now a cornerstone in e-commerce, and deals will continue.
As all the aggregators merge and mix, we’ll continue to see those select few giants establish themselves on the larger stage. Eventually, it will be a clear divide, like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. And just like Coke or Pepsi, they’ll keep acquiring the smaller innovating brands.
We’ll see this new ecommerce model start solidifying in the coming years: create a brand, build it up, sell it to an aggregator and exit. It’s an option for liquidity in what has traditionally been a non-liquid industry (pun intended).
Plus, you don’t have to bank on selling to an aggregator. For each Coca-Cola and Pepsi, there’s a Red Bull. Red Bull continues to maintain its autonomy, unbeholden to investors. Its brand is independent, built from its own capital. It’s similar to how Anker built up its brand on Amazon. Most of these aggregators were inspired by Anker’s ability to grow as an Amazon-native brand. It tapped into multiple categories, spun off its own brands like Soundcore and Eufy, and became a household name. It’d be like if Coca-Cola and Pepsi had started by trying to replicate Red Bull’s success. Is that sustainable for aggregators, though? Can they solidify their own brands?
I’m curious to see what will happen in the next five years. We know aggregators have reached a limit and won’t be growing like they used to. Investors will eventually want their exits. Will aggregators need to downsize? Will they be focusing exclusively on the brands that they’ve acquired? Will we see dramatic restructuring? We’ll have to wait and see.
For the Amazon-native brands out there looking to capitalize on the aggregator landscape, I say: aim to be Red Bull. Strengthen your brand, but be open to that potential liquidity. If you’re lucky, you might be aggregated. If you’re even luckier, you’ll inspire another whirlwind movement in e-commerce.
López also gravitated towards a light-hearted, feature-length project after years spent in the thick of The Inheritance, a seven-hour play often called a spiritual successor to Angels in America. “If not outright strategy to it, there was definitely, I think, clear preference to take on something that wasn’t going to cost me the same as The Inheritance. The Inheritance took a big, big chunk out of me, and I was happy to make that sacrifice,” the playwright says. “I knew, though, that I needed to work on a story after The Inheritance that was going to—not be less challenging, because certainly this hasn’t been in any way less challenging, but that would leave me in a different mood at the end of every day.”
The film is undeniably modern (“We are in a hotel crawling with reporters. If anyone sees you leave this hotel, I will Brexit your head from your body,” Sarah Shahi’s chief of staff warns in the trailer), but López turned to romantic comedies of the past as inspiration: screwball affairs from the ’30s like Bringing Up Baby and Sullivan’s Travels, as well as more recent hits like When Harry Met Sally or Moonstruck. All of those films revolve around “very smart, very clever people who often find themselves in over their heads, and the only way to really get themselves out of trouble is to talk their way out,” he explains.
Courtesy of Jonathan Prime/Prime.
Then there was the matter of finding his leads, roles that have been fancast since the book’s 2019 release. For Henry, a man born to privilege and often spiteful of that fact, López sought someone who would “protect” the character. “Without realizing it, Nick taught me that I was in search of someone who would take care of Henry,” he says. “It felt very safe putting Henry into Nick’s hands.” As for Alex, the rowdier of the two, it was about casting an actor who could “transform himself” over the film’s two-hour runtime. “Taylor’s a little more like Alex than Nick is like Henry. But Taylor is not as much of a human cannonball as Alex is,” López says. “And to watch Taylor in the audition process become that reckless and energetic creature was actually really, really fun.” Now, he says, “I genuinely cannot imagine any other two actors other than these two playing these parts.”
Like Alex and Henry, López had to straddle the two high-powered worlds of a U.S. presidency (embodied by Uma Thurman) and British monarchy (that would be Stephen Fry). Luckily, he’s had some experience with foreign affairs. “I’d seen every episode of The West Wing,” says López, who was also a writer on Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series, The Newsroom. “I’d seen every movie that was ever set inside the Oval Office. And I’d been living in the UK for a while, so I had a slightly-better-than-an-outsider’s understanding of British culture.”
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