Business Wars
Wondery
New episodes come out Wednesdays for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.
Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live.
Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.
New episodes come out Wednesdays for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.
Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live.
Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Wondery
Description:
New episodes come out Wednesdays for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live. Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.
Language:
English
Episodes
ESPN vs Fox Sports | First Down | 1
1/26/2022
It’s the late 1970s and TV sports is equivalent to a few hours of programming on ABC, NBC and CBS each week.
But in Connecticut, Bill Rasmussen is on a mission to change that by creating a cable TV network dedicated to airing sports. Trouble is, he’s got no money, no sports rights, no TV studio, and no cable provider willing to put his network into homes.
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Duration:00:50:03
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | Global Chocolate Domination | 6
1/19/2022
It’s a new century and Hershey’s facing unexpected trouble at home — a showdown between the company and its biggest shareholder that threatens its independence.
Meanwhile, Mars is on a mission to become the world’s candy king. And with Hershey yet to break ground outside the U.S., the opportunity to catch up is fading fast.
Hershey knows there’s one move that could transform its overseas fortunes: a merger with its British soulmate Cadbury. The question is can it secure Cadbury’s hand in...
Duration:00:31:24
Introducing: The Times: Daily news from the L.A. Times
1/18/2022
To fight climate change, municipalities across the United States are banning natural gas lines from being installed in new buildings. That means no gas stoves. Politicians and policymakers in those places — Berkeley being one of the first — want people to use electric appliances, such as electric stovetops or the more advanced induction stovetop. (There’s a health factor too. Open flames put out some gases you might not want to breathe.)
But the natural gas industry is fighting back. Today,...
Duration:00:09:41
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | A Chocolate Rolls Royce | 5
1/12/2022
It’s the late 1970s and Mars is America’s top confectioner. But Hershey is hungry for a comeback. It’s plotting a return to the top powered by a rush of new candies it hopes can nibble away at Mars’ market share.
Not that Mars has any intention of surrendering pole position without a fight. It thinks it can stop Hershey in its tracks by focusing exclusively on best-selling brands like Snickers, M&M’s and Milky Way.
But what neither company knows is that a tempting opportunity from...
Duration:00:29:37
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | Mars Attacks! | 4
1/5/2022
It’s 1965 and Forrest Mars has just become the manufacturer of Snickers and M&M’s. He is now – at last – ready to duke it out with Hershey in a battle to become the number one candy maker in America.
And he knows Hershey is far from prepared for his sudden switch from ally to enemy. Hershey is a company wedded to tradition. It has no marketing department, doesn’t advertise, and has a completely complacent sales team.
The question is: can Hershey shake off its docile ways in time to stop...
Duration:00:30:31
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | A Candy-Coated Prayer | 3
12/29/2021
It’s the 1940s and Forrest Mars’ plan to create a candy empire is stepping up a gear. He’s plotting to seize control of his dad’s company Mars and turn it into a Hershey killer.
First he needs to get his new candy venture off the ground. But to do that he needs help. Help from Hershey.
But while Forrest’s laying plans, Hershey’s trying to get over the death of founder Milton Hershey and grappling with an unexpected opportunity to become a global player.
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Duration:00:28:18
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | Blast Off | 2
12/27/2021
It’s 1923 and the Hershey Chocolate Company dominates the candy bar business. With its milk chocolate Hershey bar and bite-sized Kisses, Hershey seems impossible to beat.
But in a Chicago police station, an awkward father-son reunion is about to sire a new challenger in the candy business.
That challenger is Mars and it’ll make its breakthrough by wrapping nougat in chocolate. For now, it’s got no plans to topple Hershey.
But all that’s going to change when a family feud spawns a European...
Duration:00:29:17
Encore: Hershey's vs Mars | Chocolate Town | 1
12/22/2021
It’s 1886 and in New York City, a young confectioner called Milton Hershey is desperately trying to save his business.
He’s been struggling for years. He founded his first candy business in Philadelphia, only to watch it collapse. His second venture lasted just weeks. Now, he’s loaded up with debts he cannot pay.
But he’s about to get a visit from a man who will change his fortunes forever, paving the way for him to introduce America to the joys of milk chocolate… and build a sweets-fueled...
Duration:00:32:04
Christmas Movie Wars | An Iconic Holiday Tradition | 6
12/20/2021
Over the past decade, made-for-TV holiday romance movies have gone from a seasonal guilty pleasure to a mainstream phenomenon, drawing in millions of viewers year over year. While Hallmark and Lifetime still seem to be guiding this sleigh, streamers like Netflix and Hulu are getting in on the action as well, putting their own spin on the cheesy Christmas classics — and it’s paying off.
So what makes these movies such an iconic holiday tradition? Here to answer that and more is Danny...
Duration:00:30:35
Christmas Movie Wars | A Season Like No Other | 5
12/15/2021
As a global pandemic hits, both Hallmark and Lifetime are in danger of not being able to complete their movies for their upcoming Christmas programming. The two companies get creative to shoot their films. Meanwhile, Hallmark hires a new CEO to rebound after the scandals of the prior year. And the pandemic gives even more players the opportunity to enter the Christmas Movie space, leaving open the question of who will dominate.
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Duration:00:31:03
Christmas Movie Wars | The Scandal Express | 4
12/13/2021
After years of being content to play second fiddle to Hallmark, Lifetime decides to make a big move in 2018. They produce more Christmas movies than ever before and go after Hallmark’s biggest weakness: its lack of diversity. Of the twenty-one original Christmas movies Hallmark aired in 2017, only one featured a non-White lead and more people are starting to notice.
But Lifetime’s not the only company to come after Hallmark’s crown. To set themselves apart, Netflix decides to use its deep...
Duration:00:27:41
Christmas Movie Wars | It's a Wonderful Strife | 3
12/8/2021
After years of being content to play second fiddle to Hallmark, Lifetime decides to make a big move in 2018. They produce more Christmas movies than ever before and go after Hallmark’s biggest weakness: its lack of diversity. Of the twenty-one original Christmas movies Hallmark aired in 2017, only one featured a non-White lead and more people are starting to notice.
But Lifetime’s not the only company to come after Hallmark’s crown. To set themselves apart, Netflix decides to use its deep...
Duration:00:25:34
Introducing: Harsh Reality - The Story of Miriam Rivera
12/6/2021
It was supposed to be a reality show with a twist. In a sun-drenched villa in Ibiza, six hot guys compete for a cash prize and for the love of the beautiful and mysterious Miriam. It’s meant to be her big break: the moment she becomes the superstar she was born to be. But this is the era of “cruel reality TV” and the show producers have a different goal: they want to surprise the men with the fact that Miriam is trans. A new six-episode investigative series from Wondery, the makers of The...
Duration:00:04:31
Christmas Movie Wars | Once Upon A Christmas Ratings Hit | 2
12/6/2021
In 1951, the founder of Hallmark Cards, the successful greeting card company, decides to get into television by sponsoring a live opera airing on Christmas Eve. It’s a success, and Hallmark becomes a regular sponsor of television programming for decades. But when they launch their own cable channel in the early 2000s, the picture isn’t so rosy. By 2005, they’re considering selling the channel, but once again Christmas programming saves the day.
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Duration:00:28:14
Christmas Movie Wars | A Very Merry Rivalry | 1
12/1/2021
In 2009 the Hallmark Channel launched "Countdown to Christmas," which included four original movies made on a modest budget that follow a predictable formula. It was an immediate ratings hit, catapulting Hallmark to the top of the cable charts. Competitors start to take notice, most notably Lifetime, which caters to the same demographic. Three years later, Lifetime launches their own block of Christmas programming called “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” featuring similar original movies. It kicks...
Duration:00:29:42
Blackberry vs iPhone | The Smartphone Generation | 5
11/29/2021
It’s a GPS! It’s a camera! It’s a computer! It’s...your smartphone. And in 2021, it feels like you can’t live without it. But when Blackberry and iPhone got into the game in the mid-2000s, that wasn’t yet the case. In just 15 years, our technology has changed dramatically — and so has the culture around it.
To help us make sense of it all is Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief at The Verge and host of the Decoder podcast. We’re looking at how the iPhone vs. Blackberry rivalry ushered in a new era...
Duration:00:30:20
Wondery Presents: Flip and Mozi's Guide to How To Be An Earthling
11/26/2021
Introducing Flip & Mozi’s Guide to How to be an Earthling, the intergalactic musical podcast that brings conservation into the conversation for kids and their grown-ups. From the creators of the #1 Kids and Family podcast, Wow in the World, in collaboration with Grammy-nominated,The Pop Ups, each audio animated, humor-filled episode inspires a sense of environmental stewardship, both for the Earth and all of its animal earthlings. Visit flipandmozi.com for more!
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Duration:00:03:10
Blackberry vs iPhone | A Requiem in Slow Motion | 4
11/24/2021
It’s January 2011 and Research in Motion’s Jim Balsillie is in Davos, Switzerland when he discovers that his company is being threatened by the Egyptian government. BlackBerry’s BBM messaging system is a lifeline for protestors in the country. Balsillie starts to think that BBM could hold the key to RIM’s survival — even as its sales disintegrate.
Apple, meanwhile, isn’t resting on its laurels. Steve Jobs innovates with a tablet that further buries RIM, as it steals one of RIM’s closest...
Duration:00:29:45
Blackberry vs iPhone | App Attack | 3
11/22/2021
It’s summer 2008, and Research In Motion’s Mike Lazaridis is at the product testing site for BlackBerry’s new device: a touchscreen designed to compete with the iPhone. This model, however, is going to leave more than broken glass in its wake, when it threatens to sever RIM’s relationship with Verizon.
But while RIM is working to match the last iteration of the iPhone, Apple is about to open up a new battlefront. One that RIM has not even dreamed of.
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Duration:00:29:31
Blackberry vs iPhone | The Jesus Phone | 2
11/17/2021
It’s late 2005, and Steve Jobs is deciding between two prototypes for an Apple phone. His choice will go on to become perhaps the best-selling product ever. Now his team just has to make the touchscreen technology work.
Thousands of miles away in Waterloo, Canada, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis can barely keep up with orders for BlackBerrys. But a scandal at the company blackens their reputation, and plants a seed of disaster between the two co-CEOs.
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Duration:00:30:07