GIBBI, Today

Jan 23, 2025

Stories:

Tonight at 22:00 ET on Crypto Arena (Los Ángeles, California)
Lakers: 23-18 record (6th place on Western Conference)
Celtics: 30-13 record (2nd place on Eastern Conference)
GIBBI View: Lakers haven’t been able to defeat a top team this season, and Lakers need to bring top players to improve this team before NBA Trade Deadline (February 06th); Celtics are the reigning champion team and are in second place on Eastern Conference; My Prediction: Lakers losses by 10+ points difference

Netflix is raising prices yet again. In its latest earnings report released Tuesday, the streaming service announced that “we are adjusting prices today across most plans” in the US, Canada, Portugal, and Argentina
As shown on Netflix’s plans page, the ad-supported tier is increasing from $6.99 to $7.99 per month, while the standard ad-free tier will go from $15.49 to $17.99 per month. Its highest-priced premium tier is also increasing from $22.99 to $24.99 per month
Netflix added 19 million new subscribers over the past few months — the most in its history during a single quarter — bringing its global total to 300 million
GIBBI View: I bought the ad-supported tier last Christmas Day when Steelers lost against Chiefs and I couldn’t watch the game in any other streaming service; so, I think that I’m going to give another month to this plan and watch Netflix content because I like more than I watch in Max or Disney+

However, winning 10 or 11 college football games each year is no longer enough. With an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, postseason play has become the standard. Boosters expect a championship, or that season is considered a failure
So, is it true that Ohio State spent $20 million on this year’s team? Well, no. They spent much more. Ohio State is the only public school in the country paying two assistant coaches $2 million each season, the school spent another $20 million on its coaching staff ($40 millionin salaries alone)
The truth is that Ohio State’s team was built from within. They convinced a handful of late-round NFL draft picks to return to school via lucrative NIL deals, similar to what Jim Harbaugh did at Michigan before the school’s national championship run in 2023
GIBBI View: The big universities were doing this (to offer cash and “gifts” to sign with them) to athletes before NIL were created, but now that it’s allowed the big universities are taking advantage of that and the same big universities are still winning championship, so nothing has changed

Tuesday:
- Atalanta 5 - 0 Sturm Graz
- Monaco 1 - 0 Aston Villa
- Bratislava 1 - 3 Stuttgart
- Club Brugge 0 - 0 Juventus
- Atleti 2 - 1 Leverkusen
- Benfica 4 - 5 Barcelona
- Liverpool 2 - 1 Lillie
- Bologna 2 - 1 Dortmund
- Crvena Zveda 2 - 3 PSV
Wednesday:
- Leipzing 2 - 1 Sporting CP
- Shakhtar 2 - 0 Brest
- Real Madrid 5 - 1 Salzburg
- Paris 4 - 2 Man City
- Sparta Praha 0 - 1 Inter
- Arsenal 3 - 0 GNK Dinamo
- Celtic 1 - 0 Young Boys
- Feyenoord 3 - 0 Bayern München
- Milan 1 - 0 Girona
GIBBI View: With only 1 matchday left to play (matchday 8 will be played next week), only Liverpool and Barca qualified to Round of 16; 16 teams clinched (minimum) play knockout stage, and 9 teams are fighting to qualify to knockout stage

President Donald Trump has said he would be open to Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle chairman Larry Ellison buying TikTok as part of a joint venture with the U.S. government
To save the app, Trump is considering an arrangement where the government gives the company a permit to operate in the U.S. in exchange for half of TikTok
“I have the right to make a deal,” Trump said. “So what I’m thinking about saying to somebody is buy it and give half to the United States of America, half, and we’ll give you the permit”
GIBBI View: Yesterday, I wrote in my newsletter that Trump had delayed TikTok Ban for 75 days, but I think that won’t be enough and CCP won’t sell TikTok and I think that Tiktok will be banned forever, but let’s see

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