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Marketplace for Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Apr 22, 2015

Marketplace for Wednesday, April 22, 2015

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Airing on Wednesday, April 22, 2015: After years of trying, Congress is getting close to passing a big cybersecurity bill. Business interests and privacy advocates finally have the common ground to get behind a single piece of legislation. The reason? Hacks are becoming much, much bigger and much, much more common. We look at how they managed to find common ground. Next, Verizon has unveiled a new basic TV package for $54.99 a month, prompting objections from major content providers like ESPN. The cable industry has been disrupted as pay-TV distributors, such as Verizon, respond to pressure from “cord-cutter” consumers, who are demanding these “skinny programming packages”. But media companies like Disney are fighting to protect their most lucrative source of revenue – programming fees.  We consider whether the content providers or the distributors have the upper hand in this battle and how it’s it likely to shake out. 

Segments From this episode

Spoofing: An explanation using bananas

Apr 22, 2015
Marketplace Editor Paddy Hirsch explains "spoofing"
A woman stands with bananas during the 2015 edition of the Paris International Agricultural Show in Paris. 
PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images

Emoticon creator says emoji are :-/

Apr 22, 2015
Scott Fahlman still prefers the textual simplicity of :-)
Tony Wagner/Marketplace

IBM banks on Watson for progress and profit

Apr 22, 2015
Despite three years of falling revenue, IBM has a plan.

Why NFL teams should think twice about coming to LA

Apr 22, 2015
In the NFL, having a team in a big city is not necessarily better.

Soon Amazon will deliver to the trunk of your car

Apr 22, 2015
...if you drive an Audi, have Prime and live in Munich.

How the humble glass bottle lost its appeal

Apr 22, 2015
Plastic proved more convenient than glass. Now it's easier to recycle, too.

Congress pushes for cybersecurity overhaul

Apr 22, 2015
After years of trying, Congress is close to passing a cybersecurity bill.

Slimmer cable bundles rattle media companies

Apr 22, 2015
Content companies say Verizon can't legally offer a package with fewer channels.

Airing on Wednesday, April 22, 2015: After years of trying, Congress is getting close to passing a big cybersecurity bill. Business interests and privacy advocates finally have the common ground to get behind a single piece of legislation. The reason? Hacks are becoming much, much bigger and much, much more common. We look at how they managed to find common ground. Next, Verizon has unveiled a new basic TV package for $54.99 a month, prompting objections from major content providers like ESPN. The cable industry has been disrupted as pay-TV distributors, such as Verizon, respond to pressure from “cord-cutter” consumers, who are demanding these “skinny programming packages”. But media companies like Disney are fighting to protect their most lucrative source of revenue – programming fees.  We consider whether the content providers or the distributors have the upper hand in this battle and how it’s it likely to shake out. 

Music from the episode