$12.2 billion
The projected total estimated amount of Halloween-related spending in the U.S. this year, according to the National Retail Federation. This includes money spent on decorations, candy and costumes for both adults and children.
$28 billion
The amount Cisco is paying to acquire cybersecurity firm Splunk in an all-cash deal, according to a company statement. One of Cisco’s largest acquisitions to date, it’s part of an ongoing effort by the company to build out its cybersecurity offerings.
47%
The percentage of U.S. shoppers who say they prefer to buy store brands, versus the 37% who prefer to buy national brands, according to a new report from grocery giant Kroger, per Insider Intelligence.
68%
The percentage of consumers who report primarily using social media to learn about new products and services, according to a new survey from Sprout Social.
$12 billion
The amount that political advertising spend is projected to reach during the 2024 U.S. election cycle, according to a new report from global media agency Assembly. Of that amount, $3 billion is expected to be for the presidential campaign.
146
The number of days the Hollywood writers’ strike lasted before the Writer’s Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced a tentative deal to end the strike on Sunday, per CNBC.
$2.99
The additional monthly fee Amazon will charge Prime members for an ad-free version of Prime Video in 2024, according to a company announcement. In early 2024, Prime Video will introduce “limited advertisements” in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada.
$22.9 million
The total compensation of former Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch in 2023 — representing a 24% increase from the prior year — according to a regulatory filing made by the company last week, as reported by Reuters. Murdoch stepped down from his role as chairman on Sept. 21.
$3.1 billion
The amount of the 10-year contract awarded to GlobalFoundries by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for secure chip manufacturing, according to a company statement. The DoD will use the company’s U.S.- made semiconductors “across a wide range of critical aerospace and defense applications.”
$4 billion
The amount Amazon will invest to become a partial owner of AI company Anthropic, CNN Business reports. The investment ensures that Amazon’s cloud computing platform, Amazon Web Services, becomes Anthropic’s primary cloud platform for AI model development and research.
