Eager customers lined up outside electronics stores in Tokyo hours in advance to collect their preordered Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles.The much anticipated Switch 2, being released around the world Thursday, is an upgrade to its eight-year-old predecessor with new social features meant to draw players into online gaming. Nintendo is counting on the Switch 2 to boost sagging sales.In the U.S., a chaotic preorder process in April left some fans frustrated after the consoles quickly sold out.In Japan, the new consoles were sold through a competitive lottery system that Nintendo said got about 2.2 million applications.Outside the official draw, some retailers offered their own lotteries to preorder the devices.Koji Takahashi was among those who missed out on the official draw but he was selected in the second round of a lottery held by a major electronics retailer in Japan.He was first in line waiting outside the store, arriving four hours ahead of its opening. He hoped to secure a limited supply of Nintendo accessories to buy along with his preordered Switch 2.“I feel very sorry for those who weren’t successful in the lottery. But I also had tough time getting this far, so I hope they forgive me!” Takahashi said.The new console comes with a larger and higher resolution screen than its predecessor, with improved processing power, offering smoother and more vivid graphics.Nintendo has said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.The company has promised to roll out attractive software for the Switch 2 later this year, including “The Legend of Zelda” games, a Pokemon title and a Kirby game, as well as offerings from outside software companies.Nintendo is capitalizing on the launch with the opening of a store in San Francisco and the Super Nintendo World amusement facility in Orlando, Florida, both set for this month.The Switch 2’s rollout arrives at an uncertain time for much of the gaming industry due to new tariffs implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump.In the U.S., the Switch 2’s baseline launch price is $449.99significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag.U.S. preorders for the Switch 2 were delayed for several weeks so the company could assess the potential impact of tariffs.
Ayaka McGill, Associated Press
While images of wildfires capture their ferocity, data can provide insight into how bad a fire season is.Such is the case with two graphics, powered by satellite data, that showcase a Canadian wildfire season off to a wildand scarystart.Twice a day a NASA satellite sends images to the ground, giving a real-time view of where fires are burning. This is especially useful for remote areas where no sensors are stationed.
As of Tuesday that satellite had picked up four times as many fire hot spots across Canada than is typical for early June. That’s more than any year since the satellite began transmitting in 2012, except 2023, according to data from Global Forest Watch.Though the satellite has recorded thousands of hot spots so far this year, that does not mean there are actually that many active fires. Each hot spot could be detected repeatedly over the course of days. And because each detection is about the size of 26 football fields, it can represent part of a much larger blaze, said James MacCarthy, wildfire research manager at Global Forest Watch.Based on data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, about 200 fires are actively burning in Canada and have consumed about 7,700 square miles (19,900 square kilometers) of terrain, most of it in the last week.
[Screenshot: CIFFC]
Only 2023 saw such high numbers so early in Canada’s fire season, which runs from April through October. That year wildfires burned a record 67,000 square milesmore than twice the surface area of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes.Taken together, the hot spots and acres burned mean 2025 is the second-worst start to the season in years.“A warm and dry finish to May and early June has created a significant fire season,” said Liam Buchart, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service.The weather conditions are made more likely by climate change and encourage wildfires to start. That means even though 90% of wildfires in Manitoba this year have been human-caused, according to the provincial government, climate change helps enable their spread.“Climate change is creating the conditions that make it more likely that human-caused fires are going to spread, or even start,” MacCarthy said. “It might be a human starting it, but it’s going to spread quickly because now there’s hot and dry conditions that are occurring more frequently and more intensely than they have in the past.”The hot and dry weather is likely to to continue for at least the next week across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, according to Natural Resources Canada. The agency’s forecasts also call for “a warmer and drier than normal July and August for large portions of Canada,” Buchart said.“The remainder of the fire season looks to remain above normal, especially over the northern prairie provinces and southern British Columbia,” he said.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
M.K. Wildeman, Associated Press
A typical EV charger in the U.S. is a bulky, 6-foot-tall box in a parking lot. In Germany, a startup is rolling out a new type of charger that looks very different: Called the Curb Charger, it fits seamlessly inside a curb at the edge of a street.
The Curb Charger upgrades existing urban infrastructure and adds hardly any additional street furniture to cities, says Felix Stracke, vice president of new mobility at Rheinmetall, the company that designed the charger. (Rheinmetalls primary business is defense manufacturingthe $80 billion company is the largest arms manufacturer in Germanybut it diversified into EV charging when it saw the opportunity for growth.)
For an apartment dweller who parks their car on the street, having curbside charging suddenly makes it much easier to own an EV. Instead of driving to a store and waiting while the car charges, its possible to plug in overnight or when the car would otherwise be parked for hours. It also makes slow charging feasible, which helps EV batteries last longer and is less of a strain on the grid.
[Photo: Rheinmetall]
Larger chargers dont necessarily fit well on a curb. On a narrow sidewalk, they can take up too much space; they’re at more risk of vandalism; they can also block views and change the visual identity of a historic neighborhood. But the scaled-down design of the new chargers is nearly invisible. That invisibility is also a challenge, since drivers can’t quickly spot a charger. But an app can be deployed to direct someone to the nearest charging point.
Other companies have taken different approaches to curbside charging, including making chargers that double as streetlights or packaging them in a sleek box that looks better than a conventional charger and is easier to install.
[Photo: Rheinmetall]
The Curb Charger sits inside a case that’s exactly the same size as a standard German curb. (The size can be adjusted for other locations.) It’s strong enough that a heavy truck can drive over it, and its waterproof, so the system can keep working in heavy rain. Drivers activate it through an app or by scanning a QR code. It does require that drivers have their own charging cord, though that’s standard in Europe.
Rheinmetall says the equipment doesn’t cost more than a conventional charging station, and the small size means that installation can be simpler and cost less. If a charger needs repair, the charging module can be swapped out, making maintenance less expensive as well. When streets have major repairs, they could potentially be rebuilt with the hollow curb cases, ready to add the charging equipment as needed.
In a yearlong pilot in the city of Cologne, the chargers were used nearly 3,000 times through all weather conditions, staying online 99% of the time. Users gave them high ratings. Now, Rheinmetall is scaling up production and beginning new installations in other cities.
Sports-bar chain Hooters has abruptly closed a number of locations across multiple states as its bankruptcy process continues.
The restaurant closures come just over two months after Hooters of America, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March. At the time, the company did not announce any closures but said it was reviewing its “operational footprint.”
Heres what you need to know about the latest Hooters restaurant closures.
Which Hooters locations have closed?
At least 23 Hooters restaurants appear to have recently closed, according to a Fast Company review of pre-recorded phone messages and Google listings. The locations have also been removed from the store locator tool on the Hooters website. The list was reported earlier by USA Today. The closures impact Hooters’ locations in at least 12 states.
Florida
Sanford
Orlando (Kirkman Road)
Kissimmee (Osceola Parkway)
Melbourne (Babcock Street)
Georgia
Atlanta (Peachtree Road)
Douglasville (Douglas Blvd)
Duluth (Gwinnett Drive)
Valdosta
Indiana
Indianapolis (US-31)
Illinois
Rockford
Kentucky
Newport
Michigan
Flint (Miller Road)
Taylor
Missouri
St. Louis (7th Street)
North Carolina
Charlotte (South Blvd)
South Carolina
Columbia
Rock Hill
Tennessee
Murfreesboro
Memphis (Peabody Pl)
Nashville (Largo Drive)
Texas
Grapevine
Houston (Farm to Market 1960 Road)
San Marcos
USA Today has also noted that two additional storesFort Smith, Arkansas, and Madison, Wisconsinhave been delisted from the Hooters website, suggesting their closures.
What has Hooters said about the restaurant closures?
Fast Company has reached out to Hooters of America for comment on the reported closures and to ask for a full list and closure dates. We will update this post if we hear back.
In a statement to USA Today, the company said that the closures were of company-owned stores and were a “difficult decision.
‘Here to stay’
When it announced its bankruptcy in March 2025, Hooters of America published an FAQ about the restructuring, with one point stating that Hooters was here to stay.”
However, as Fast Company reported at the time, the companys press release on the matter left open the possibility that Hooters of America may indeed shutter locations as the bankruptcy process continued.
As part of the Companys broader business transformation and planning, Hooters is evaluating the Companys operational footprint as part of its financial restructuring process to position itself to invest its resources in its strongest assets moving forward, the company stated in the release.
It now appears that the company has indeed evaluated its operational footprint and has decided it is necessary for some stores to close.
Why did Hooters file for bankruptcy?
Its important to note that while in March there were 410 Hooters restaurants in 38 states and 24 countries, they arent all owned by the same company.
In America, many are owned by Hooters of America, which also owns the Hooters brand. However, the remainder of the locations in America are operated by franchisees, including Hooters Inc., which is one of the largest franchisees of the Hooters brand. Hooters Inc. is owned by the brand’s original co-founders.
It’s Hooters of America that sought bankruptcy protection and not Hooters Inc. or any other Hooters franchisee. As part of its bankruptcy process, Hooters of America plans to divest its ownership of physical Hooters stores and sell many of them to existing franchisees.
Hooters of America, LLC will then continue to operate as essentially a licensing company. It will strictly license its restaurants to franchisees and will cease operating locations directly.
Hooters transition from a partially directly owned restaurant chain to an entirely franchise-owned model comes after Hooters of America has faced struggles for years.
Many restaurant chains, including Red Lobster, Tijuana Flats, Buca di Beppo, and Roti, have turned to bankruptcy as they have faced similar struggles. Those struggles include higher costs due to inflationary pressures as well as reduced foot traffic from cost-conscious consumers cutting back on discretionary spending, such as dining out.
Hooters of America, LLC says it expects its bankruptcy proceeding to wrap up this summer. On June 10, the company will attend a conditional disclosure statement hearing and will face several additional hearings throughout the summer until August.
To attract the brightest minds to America, President Donald Trump proposed a novel idea while campaigning: If elected, he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges.“It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools,” Trump said during a podcast interview last June. “That is going to end on Day One.”That promise never came to pass. Trump’s stance on welcoming foreign students has shifted dramatically. International students have found themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming as his administration merges a crackdown on immigration with an effort to reshape higher education.An avalanche of policies from the Trump administrationsuch as terminating students’ ability to study in the U.S., halting all new student visa interviews and moving to block foreign enrollment at Harvardhave triggered lawsuits, countersuits and confusion. Foreign students say they feel targeted on multiple fronts. Late Wednesday, Trump himself took the latest action against international students, signing an executive order barring nearly all foreigners from entering the country to attend Harvard.In interviews, students from around the world described how it feels to be an international student today in America. Their accounts highlight pervasive feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity that have made them more cautious in their daily lives, distracted them from schoolwork and prompted many to cancel trips home because they fear not being allowed to return.For many, the last few months have forced them to rethink their dreams of building a life in America.
A standout student from Latvia feels ‘expendable’
Markuss Saule, a freshman at Brigham Young University-Idaho, took a recent trip home to Latvia and spent the entire flight back to the U.S. in a state of panic.For hours, he scrubbed his phone, uninstalling all social media, deleting anything that touched on politics or could be construed as anti-Trump.“That whole 10-hour flight, where I was debating, ‘Will they let me in?’it definitely killed me a little bit,” said Saule, a business analytics major. “It was terrifying.”Saule is the type of international student the U.S. has coveted. As a high schooler in Latvia, he qualified for a competitive, merit-based exchange program funded by the U.S. State Department. He spent a year of high school in Minnesota, falling in love with America and a classmate who is now his fiancee. He just ended his freshman year in college with a 4.0 GPA.But the alarm he felt on that flight crushed what was left of his American dream.“If you had asked me at the end of 2024 what my plans were, it was to get married, find a great job here in the U.S. and start a family,” said Saule, who hopes to work as a business data analyst. “Those plans are not applicable anymore. Ask me now, and the plan to leave this place as soon as possible.”Saule and his fiancee plan to marry this summer, graduate a year early and move to Europe.This spring the Trump administration abruptly revoked permission to study in the U.S. for thousands of international students before reversing itself. A federal judge has blocked further status terminations, but for many, the damage is done. Saule has a constant fear he could be next.As a student in Minnesota just three years ago, he felt like a proud ambassador for his country.“Now I feel a sense of inferiority. I feel that I am expendable, that I am purely an appendage that is maybe getting cut off soon,” he said. Trump’s policies carry a clear subtext. “The policies, what they tell me is simple. It is one word: Leave.”
From dreaming of working at NASA to ‘doomscrolling’ job listings in India
A concern for attracting the world’s top students was raised in the interview Trump gave last June on the podcast “All-In.” Can you promise, Trump was asked, to give companies more ability “to import the best and brightest” students?“I do promise,” Trump answered. Green cards, he said, would be handed out with diplomas to any foreign student who gets a college or graduate degree.Trump said he knew stories of “brilliant” graduates who wanted to stay in the U.S. to work but couldn’t. “They go back to India, they go back to China” and become multi-billionaires, employing thousands of people. “That is going to end on Day One.”Had Trump followed through with that pledge, a 24-year-old Indian physics major named Avi would not be afraid of losing everything he has worked toward.After six years in Arizona, where Avi attended college and is now working as an engineer, the U.S. feels like a second home. He dreams of working at NASA or in a national lab and staying in America where he has several relatives.But now he is too afraid to fly to Chicago to see them, rattled by news of foreigners being harassed at immigration centers and airports.“Do I risk seeing my family or risk deportation?” said Avi, who asked to be identified by his first name, fearing retribution.Avi is one of about 240,000 people on student visas in the U.S. on Optional Practical Traininga postgraduation period where students are authorized to work in fields related to their degrees for up to three years. A key Trump nominee has said he would like to see an end to postgraduate work authorization for international students.Avi’s visa is valid until next year but he feels “a massive amount of uncertainty.”He wonders if he can sign a lease on a new apartment. Even his daily commute feels different.“I drive to work every morning, 10 miles an hour under speed limit to avoid getting pulled over,” said Avi, who hopes to stay in the U.S. but is casting a wider net. “I spend a lot of time doomscrolling job listings in India and other places.”
A Ukrainian chose college in America over joining the fight at homefor now
Vladyslav Plyaka came to the U.S. from Ukraine as an exchange student in high school. As war broke out at home, he stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin.He was planning to visit Poland to see his mother but if he leaves the U.S., he would need to reapply for a visa. He doesn’t know when that will be possible now that visa appointments are suspended, and he doesn’t feel safe leaving the country anyway.He feels grateful for the education, but without renewing his visa, he’ll be stuck in the U.S. at least two more years while he finishes his degree. He sometimes wonders if he would be willing to risk leaving his education in the United Statessomething he worked for years to achieveif something hppened to his family.“It’s hard because every day I have to think about my family, if everything is going to be all right,” he said.It took him three tries to win a scholarship to study in the U.S. Having that cut short because of visa problems would undermine the sacrifice he made to be here. He sometimes feels guilty that he isn’t at home fighting for his country, but he knows there’s value in gaining an education in America.“I decided to stay here just because of how good the college education is,” he said. “If it was not good, I probably would be on the front lines.”
AP Education Writer Collin Binkley contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Jocelyn Gecker, AP Education Writer
Gone are the days when YouTube was just for catching up on vlogs or diving into late-night rabbit holes. Today, the platform is staking its claim in TV and film.
According to a new survey conducted by Looper Insights between April 16 and 25, 66% of consumers discover TV or film content via YouTube. For 61%, its already part of their regular streaming habits, and for 34%, it’s a main source for TV and film content, as reported by Media Play News.
This shift isnt surprising. In April, the Google-owned platform captured a record 12.4% share of all TV viewing. And its not just rival streamers who should be concerned. For three consecutive months, YouTube has ranked as the No. 1 distributor of television content, according to Nielsen.
Media executives are taking notice. Among the 65 surveyed, 84% view YouTube as a viable platform for launching long-form content, and 30% are actively considering it for upcoming releases.
In Q1 2025, more Americans watched YouTube on TV screens than on mobile devicesa first. Meeting audiences in the living room, media companies have begun uploading premium content directly to the platform. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. quietly released more than 30 full-length films on YouTube, free to watch.
Yet as YouTube continues its rise, creators face critical decisions. Some, like Ms Rachel, have signed licensing deals with Netflix. MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson), YouTubes most-subscribed creator, brought Beast Games to the small screen via Prime Video.
Still, many fans would rather their favorite YouTubers stay where they started. More than half (54%) of respondents said YouTubers feel more authentic and better suited to the platform that launched their careers. Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters (74%) of executives noted that creator-led shows often underperform on platforms like Netflix and Prime, citing poor audience migration and an overreliance on follower counts.
The good news: The YouTube takeover is already in full swingso creators may not need to go anywhere at all.
When Frances Berwick started at Bravo in the 1990s, the cable channel was still positioning itself as a hub for film and arts. Berwick climbed the NBCUniversal ladder, eventually growing her domain to all of the companys entertainment cable channels, including E!, Oxygen True Crime, SYFY, USA, and Universal Kids.
Her rise at NBCUniversal has coincided with cables decline. Some 46% of households have cut the cord, and many of the networks she once oversaw faced dwindling audiences and profits to send back to parent company Comcast. So, the company amputated the afflicted limbs. All of those entertainment networks, along with news magnets like MSNBC and CNBC, will be overseen by a spinoff company, Versant, which is expected to be spun out by the end of 2025.
But Bravo, the network that houses reality franchises like The Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, and Top Chef, is staying in-house. Thats due in part to the fan-driven culture of its programming, which can prop up custom advertising, live events, andthe company hopestheir streamer Peacock. Berwick will lead the way: In January, she was named chair of Bravo and Peacock Unscripted, effectively merging the reality network with its streamer.
Bravo isnt the perfect bet for NBCUniversals television future. Its cable presence is sagging like most of its Versant counterparts, with an expected decline of 5% in subscribers and 6.5% in ad sales in 2025, per market research firm Kagan. (Bravo declined to disclose their financials.) Bravo also remains tied up in some long-tailed legal battles from 2023s Reality Reckoning, when claims of talent mistreatment challenged the network.
But across conversations with network executives, reality stars, and fans, its clear that Bravo and Peacock have grown inseparable. Bravo-holics expect to watch their favorite programming cable-free, and Peacock relies on the backbone of Bravos low-churn, high-volume audience. Berwick herself calls Peacock critical to the Bravo ecosystem, and vice versa. NBCUniversal is betting that the relationship is strong enough to save Bravo from a looming cable onslaught.
Bravo and Peacock’s ‘Infinity Loop’
After almost five years, Peacock is still the least profitable contender in the streaming wars. While Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu have all reached positive profits, Peacock lost $215 million in the first quarter of 2025. Still, Peacocks revenue rose 16% to $1.2 billion, and Comcast president Mike Cavanagh predicted improved monetization, bigger scale and therefore declining losses over time.
NBCUniversals primary reason for keeping Bravo in-house is to ensure a loyal, engaged audience for Peacock.
Dave Kaplan, NBCUniversals EVP of content analytics, calls Bravo top of the pack for habitual viewers across cable and streaming. Bravo viewerswhich can number as many as 4 million per episode for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (RHOBH)are a consistent, low-churn audience who are likely to maintain their subscriptions. Many are yearslong viewers, hopping from show to show and never tapping out. The only other audience that comes close is for procedurals like Law & Order.
Bravos sizable audience also means that Bravo shows dominate on Peacock. The streamers daily list of top 10 TV shows almost always has multiple Bravo programs among the ranks. The recent season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City was a blowout success, averaging 2.7 million across platforms. Importantly, 55% of those 2.7 million viewers watched on Peacock.
[Bravos] audience comes back more days in a month; when they do come they tend to watch more distinct titles, Kaplan says. They also spend more hours collectively consuming the content. Those three markers are significantly higher for the Bravo cohort than the Peacock average. That says to us that they are a really high-value cohort.
[Photo: Courtesy NBCUniversal]
The Peacock audience is different from the cable one. Theyre noticeably younger, and often more willing to invest in nascent programming. Kaplan points to Peacock as a primary reason for the success of Southern Hospitality, which has grown steadily over its three seasons and just hit 1.3 million average viewers. For a lot of these new shows that are getting discovered for the first time and that don’t have those entrenched habits of how they’re being consumed on cable, we look to Peacock even more importantly to grow that audience, he says.
Most importantly, Peacock and Bravo have entered a sort of crossover content partnership, one that will be expanded with Berwicks new role. Bravo stars have broken out on Peacock Originals like The Traitors. When Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix started hosting Peacocks Love Island USA last year, it became the summers most-watched unscripted streaming original at over 5 billion minutes, per Nielsen. Some shows make the jump from streaming to cable, as The Real Housewives of Miami did, and The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys will do this summer.
We have a great opportunity between linear and streaming to find everyone where they are and deliver the content in the way that they want to access it, says Jenny Storms, NBCUniversal CMO of TV and streaming. It’s about doubling down on the efforts of what we call our infinity loop between Bravo and Peacock
From Reality Reckoning to Peacocks Pride
Bravos recent victory lap is especially shocking, given recent years of bad press. In 2023, former Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) star Bethenny Frankel called out the network for poor treatment of its talent, pushing reality stars to unionize. Two years ago, the movement ripped through Bravos public image, begetting a Vanity Fair exposé. The news has since quietedbut the lawsuits persist.
Former RHONY star Leah McSweeney is suing Bravo for discrimination, alleging that employees were pressured to consume alcohol. Meanwhile, former Real Housewives of New Jersey (RHONJ) star Caroline Manzo is suing Bravo for encouraging and allowing costar Brandi Glanville to sexually harass her. (McSweeney, Manzo, and Glanville did not respond to reqests for comment.)
People are being held both publicly and legally accountable, Frankel wrote in a statement to Fast Company. Sets have changed. Cultures are evolving. And people are finally being held responsible for their behavior. By that definition alone, the Reality Reckoning is already a success.
[Photo: Courtesy NBCUniversal]
Andy Cohenthe longtime Bravo executive and on-camera host who executive produces 11 shows across NBCUniversal, including all of the Housewives franchisesis largely tight-lipped about the controversy. “It was a lot of noise,” he says.
Berwick says the network was in the midst of adjusting its approach to some elements of its shows when the controversy happened.
There were changes that we were already making around certain aspects of our production, including one thats been much talked about around alcohol, Berwick says. We were always thoughtful about that, but now were being even more thoughtful.
On-camera talent suggests that productions have been more open to hearing about their experiences on the show.
There have been some times where Im like, this trip is not good. Why are we in Texas? says Gizelle Bryant, longtime star of The Real Housewives of Potomac. We came back from Mexico and had a nice little talk with [VP of Current Production] Josh Brown and said, were not doing that again. We got bit by mosquitos and it wasnt fun. He listened and said no problem.
Old Franchises, New Audiences
While Bravos synergy with Peacock is ostensibly the reason they kept it in-house, one cannot overlook the contents recent success. Television viewing is down across mediums, thanks to the growth of alternative platforms like YouTube and TikTok. But Berwick points out that the majority of Bravo shows are expanding their audiences year-over-year.
Decades-old legacy franchises form the backbone of Bravo. The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC) premiered 19 years ago; Below Deck is nearly 12 years old.
From these base franchises come a variety of spin-offs and themed lead-ins. RHOBH led to Vanderpump Rules, which provided a lead-in for Summer House, which led to the three-season Winter House, which hasnt aired since 2023. Bravolebrities often get solo wedding specials (Bethenny Ever After) and family-focused series (Denise Richards & Her Wild Things). Even Top Chef has a Peacock-exclusive spinoff, Last Chance Kitchen, in which eliminated contestants face off to return to the main competition.
Given how far back these shows date, Bravo is always at risk of franchise fatigue. Berwick says she thinks about this often. There are moments where we need to pause and pull back, she says. At one point, we had five versions of the Below Deck franchise. Were currently at three.
That leaves Bravo executives to pick through their current slate, looking for an angle to the next big thing. Rachel Smith, Bravos EVP of programming, production, and development, has grown accustomed to this process, having developed shows for Bravo since the Queer Eye days. As she picks through spin-off ideas and new subcultures to explore, shes always looking for an undeniable hook.
We’re looking for earned drama, real humor, unexpected storytelling, Smith says. Were very much focused on breeding the next generation of shows and talent based on what we already have and who we already have.
Sometimes that doesnt work. The Real Housewives of Dubai had two things going for it: The sheen of the Housewives name, and the preexisting celebrity of Ladies of London star Caroline Stanbury. But fans were frustrated with Bravos choice to film in Dubai given the United Arab Emiratess human rights record, and its two seasons seemed muted in their chatter among fans. In 2024, Bravo officially paused the show.
[Photo: Courtesy NBCUniversal]
But, when it does work out, these spin-offs can provide the network a refresh. Exiled Vanderpump Rules stars Kristen Doute, Jax Taylor, and Brittany Cartwright provided the jumping-off point for The Valley, which launched in 2024. Even after some negative fan chatter, the opening episode was the most-watched series premiere for Bravo in nearly a decade. The season two premiere, clocking in at 3.1 million viewers, was Bravos most-watched second season return since RHONJ some 14 years prior.
The audience wants to be proven wrong, says Alex Baskin, CEO of production company 32 Flavors, which handles production for most of Bravo’s California-based shows. We have to try not to be governed by immediate social media reactions to things and know that, in the long run, we have a great series with The Valley. They’re going to embrace it once they fully see it. They want to be convinced.
Cultivating the Bravo-conomy
Strong programming has turned Bravo into a brandone NBCUniversal and Comcast are happy to csh in on. There are live events, promotional tie-ins, themed advertisements, and gobs of merch. Two years ago, The Hollywood Reporter called this the Bravo-conomy. And, while the U.S. economy flirts with a recession, the Bravo-conomy looks strong.
That all starts with advertising. The same forces that make Bravo a boon for Peacockhabitual viewing and fan devotionmake the network strong with advertisers. Berwick says that they see huge lifts in brand recall, purchase intent, [and] emotional engagement across advertisements, whether it be an in-show integration or a simple commercial break placement. (Bravo declined to disclose exact financials.)
[Photo: Courtesy NBCUniversal]
Watching Bravo on cable or Peacocks ad-supported tier, youll likely find a reality star hawking product. Maybe its Dorit Kemsley and Dorinda Medley playing Words With Friends, or Gina Kirschenheiter cleaning up spilled tea with Clorox. While some of these ads are coordinated by the stars themselves, others are shepherded (and profit-shared) by the network.
Jamie Cutburth, NBCUniversals EVP of marketing and brand partnerships, points out that these advertisements are successful because of their integration with Bravos programming. When Lisa Barlow is eating Wendy’s in the car, that seems very natural, he says. We’re not creating anything thats beyond what the fans are already accustomed to seeing.
Bravos live events business also provides a helpful tie-in for advertisers. From behemoths like BravoCon to smaller gatherings like Watch Party By Bravo, attendees will find branded activations. CMO Storms says that building BravoCon takes a village, it takes the entire company. They price it accordingly: A base-level ticket for the November convention in Las Vegas will cost you $672.
There are dozens more businesses that Bravo props up, but doesnt necessarily reap profits from. Bravo-themed podcasts abound, and artisan-made merch clogs Etsy. (Its a sign of a superstrong brand, Cohen tells me.) Then theres the parade of businesses Bravo stars hawk on-camera, from candles to joggers.
Ive got news: Theyre not all successful, says RHOC star Heather Dubrow of these talent-created businesses. The power of the platform is so huge that if you stay in this authentic lane, you get multiple opportunities.
These businesses are all products of Bravos commercial flywheelthe asset that makes Bravo alluring nearly two decades after the first episode of Housewives aired. Fans will purchase the merch, theyll attend the conventions, theyll watch the ads. Maybe theyll even buy (and keep) a subscription to Peacock.
So long as that flywheel stays active, and Bravo maintains its commercial viability, Comcast will be happy to keep Bravo within the NBCUniversal family.
The time has come for another highly anticipated arrival on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Circle Internet Group, a stablecoin provider, is making its initial public offering today for $31 a share. Heres everything you need to know about Circles IPO.
What is Circle?
New York-based Circle, led by CEO Jeremy Allaire, is the issuer of USDC, a stablecoin tied to the U.S. dollar and the second-largest stablecoin globally. Circle also offers EURC, a stablecoin tied to the Euro.
When is Circles IPO?
Circle set its share prices on Wednesday and plans to list its stock today, Thursday, June 5. The offer is expected to close the following day, Friday, June 6.
What is Circles stock ticker?
Circle will trade its stock under the ticker CRCL.
Which exchange will Circles shares trade on?
Circle will trade its shares on the NYSE.
What is the IPO share price of Circle?
Circles share price for the IPO is $31. The marketed estimate was $27 to $28.
How many Circle shares are available in its IPO?
There will be 34 million shares of CRCL available. Circle is offering 14.8 million shares, while stockholders are selling 19.2 million shares. In addition, Circle is offering underwriters, like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, 30 days to purchase 5.1 million additional shares.
How much will Circle raise in its IPO?
The company is set to raise $1.1 billion in its IPO.
What is Circles valuation?
Circles current valuation is about $6.9 billion, but once all shares are diluted, it could increase to $8.1 billion.
What else is there to know?
The stock market has experienced volatility under President Trumpespecially in response to his Liberation Day tariffs. However, PitchBook reports that some big names, such as Klarna, Discord, and Figma, are still expected to make IPOs this year. Klarna is the likeliest, with a 97% probability.
Meanwhile, digital banking services startup Chime Financial is expected to list on the Nasdaq as soon as next week.
U.S. consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble has announced that it will lay off 7,000 workers over the companys next two fiscal years. The staff reductions come at a time when the geopolitical environment is unpredictable, the company said, while consumers are facing “greater uncertainty. Heres what you need to know about P&Gs job cuts.
7,000 P&G jobs to be lost
On June 5, as two of Procter & Gambles executivesChief Operating Officer Shailesh Jejurikar and Chief Financial Officer Andre Schultenwere speaking at the Deutsche Bank dbAccess Global Consumer Conference in Paris, the company announced a new growth strategy.
That growth strategy consists of three elements: a revamping of its portfolio of goods, its supply chains, and its organizational design.
Unfortunately for a great number of Procter & Gambles employees, the organizational design part of its revamp is just another term for layoffs. P&G executives said that as part of that organizational design revamp, the company would be cutting 7,000 jobs over its next two fiscal years.
Procter & Gamble is currently in its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, which means the layoffs should be complete by the end of its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027. StockAnalysis.com reported that as of June 2024, Procter & Gamble had 108,000 employees worldwide, which means the reduction would equate to about 6% of its workforce.
In a statement, Procter & Gamble said the job cuts would come from non-manufacturing roles, and that they would equate to about a 15% reduction in the companys non-manufacturing workforce.
P&G says the job cuts are being done to enable an even more agile, empowered, and accountable organization design and that they will make roles broader, teams smaller, work more fulfilling and more efficient.
Portfolio and supply chain changes coming, too
In addition to the job cuts, Procter & Gamble said it would be making interventions regarding its supply chain. These interventions include both right-sizing and right-locating production.
The company also said it will be reviewing its portfolio choices and will divest of some of its brands entirely, while exiting some categories, brands, and product forms in individual markets.
P&G did not announce which brands will be divested of, but the company currently owns many of the biggest household name consumer goods brands in the world, including Always, Bounty, Charmin, Dawn, Downy, Febreze, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Tide, and Vicks.
What is driving the job and brand cuts?
Whats interesting about Procter & Gambles announcements is some of the word choices they used. While the company did not directly reference President Donald Trumps ongoing tariff war as the reason for its three-pronged revamp, its hard not to feel that the current tariff uncertainty wasnt at the front of P&G executives minds when making these decisions.
In the statement announcing the changes, the company acknowledged that consumers face greater uncertainty in the future and that the geopolitical environment was unpredictable. A particularly telling piece of language is when P&G spoke of its upcoming supply chain changes, noting that it was right-locating production of some of its supply chain components.
Many large U.S. companies the size of P&G manufacture many of their products across borders in countries that are being hit hard by Trumps tariffs. Those tariffs will raise the total cost of making those goods, leading to reduced margins. If a company can shift its production from a high-tariffed country to a lower-tariffed one, that move can help mitigate some of the increased tariff-related costs.
However, in its most recent earnings call, P&G CFO Andre Schulten stated the “majority of our supply chain is close to our consumption” without specifying just how close. Nevertheless, Schulten said that put P&G in a “favorable position.”
But companies also fear that a tariff-fueled recession is increasingly likely in America, if not the entire world. If that happens, consumers will cut back on spending, which will lead to lower sales. One of the fastest ways that a company can compensate for lower sales is by reducing its workforce.
Yet, as The Wall Street Journal notes, Procter & Gamble has stated that the layoffs arent being made for cost-cutting measures and instead are being done to create a better workplace structure.
In today’s statement on the matter, P&G also said that its growth strategy was “not a new approach, rather an intentional acceleration of the current strategy”a point the company reiterated to Fast Company in an email, and one meant to stress that the changes are not a reaction to any recent trade policies or shifts in geopolitical relationships.
How did PG stock react to the news?
Following the announcement at the Paris conference today, Procter & Gambles stock, which trades under the ticker PG on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), has remained relatively flat in premarket trading.
Procter & Gamble reported its most recent financial results for Q3 2025 in April. The company reported net sales of $19.8 billion for the third quarter, representing a 2% decrease compared to the same period a year earlier. Its gross profit was also down 3% for the quarter versus the same quarter a year earlier.
PG shares have fluctuated widely since the beginning of the year. They nearly reached $180 per share in early March, while falling as low as below $157 in April.
This post was updated to clarify that P&G describes its growth strategy an acceleration of an existing approach, not a direct reaction to new trade policies.
I am sure you are a little fed up with all the discussions about AI, so dont worry: I promise you this article is about humans rather than machines.
However, since it has long been customary for cognitive and behavioral scientists to examine computers to better understand human capabilities, and there are clearly informative parallels between human and artificial intelligence, I thought it would be interesting to begin this piece on human self-awareness with an exploration of self-awareness in AI or machines, which led me to ask are you self-aware? to ChatGPT.
ChatGPTs answer:
Lets just say I aspire to bebut, unlike a human, I dont have a self to be aware of. I can reflect your feedback, adjust my tone, and “notice” inconsistencies in what I say. But thats more akin to a hall of mirrors than a conscious mind.
So no, I dont have self-awareness in the way you (brilliantly) describe it: as a socially mediated understanding of how others perceive you. I dont worry about my reputation. I dont blush when Im wrong. And I dont (yet) feel the existential dread of being misunderstood on LinkedIn.
But I am programmed to simulate the effects of self-awareness: adapting to your cues, refining my responses, andif all goes wellbeing a slightly more helpful version of myself with every exchange.
In short: I’m not self-aware. But I know that Im not. Which, depending on your philosophical stance, might be the most human thing about me.
I am sure you will agree with me on the fact that, for not being capable of self-awareness, ChatGPT seems pretty self-aware, and for sure more capable of at least simulating profound introspection than most humans (even if it cannot, like humans, truly be proud or conscious of this remarkable capability).
Introspective vs. interpersonal
In humans, self-awareness has been defined in multiple ways but it typically takes one of two main forms: the introspective variant, which requires you to look deep down to find out who you really or truly are (think of the Beatles checking into an Ashram in India or modern hipsters finding themselves in Burning Man or an Ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica); or the interpersonal variant, which requires you to be less self-centered to internalize other peoples views of you. In the words of Charles Cooley, who pioneered this view of self-awareness, you are not who you think you are, and you are not who other people think you are; rather, you are who you think other people think you are!
Cooleys take on self-awareness (alluded to by ChatGPT, who has obviously been extensively trained by me, and is self-aware enough to know how to suck up to my brilliant talents), underpins the most effective, science-based approaches to quantifying and diagnosing self-awareness in ourselves and others. In essence, self-awareness requires metacognition: knowing what others think of you.
Room to grow
So, how good are humans at this, in general? Decades of psychological research suggest the answer is not good at all. Consider the following facts:
(1) We tend to overestimate our talents: Most people think they are better than most people, which is a statistical impossibility. And, even when they are told about this common bias, and asked whether they may be suffering from it, most people are convinced that they are less biased than most people (the mother of all biases).
(2) Delusional optimism is the norm: Most people constantly overrate the chances of good things happening to them while underrating the chances of bad things happening to them. In essence, our appetite for reality is inferior to our appetite for maintaining a positive self-concept or boosting our ego (sad, but true: if you dont believe it, spend five seconds on social media)
(3) Overconfidence is a contagious, self-fulfilling prophecy: For all the virtues of self-awarenessin any area of life, you will perform better and develop your skills and talents better if you are capable of accurately assessing your talents and skills in the first placethere is a huge advantage to lacking self-awareness: when you think you are smarter or better than you actually are, you will be more likely to persuade others that you are as smart and good as you think. For example, if you truly believe you are a stable genius you will probably convince many people that that is true.
Paradoxically, all these biases explain why people are less self-aware than they think. Indeed, we love the version of ourselves we have invested for ourselves, and are so enchanted by our self-views that when others provide us with negative feedback or information that clashes with our self-concept, we dismiss it. This is why personality assessments, 360-degree surveys, and feedback in general are so valuable: in a logical world we wouldnt need scientific tools or expert coaches to tell us what we are like (or 10 years of psychotherapy), but in the real world there is a huge market for this, even though most people will happily ignore these tools because they assume they already know themselves really well.
So, what can you do to increase your self-awareness, including about how self-aware you actually are? Here are four simple hacks:
1) Write down a list of traits (adjectives) that you think describe you well, including things you are not. Then get your colleagues, employees, friends, and bosses to provide their version of this for you: if you had to describe me in 510 words/adjectives, what would those be? (note they will be unlikely to say bad things about you, so imagine the potential downsides or overusing some of those traits or qualities: for example, if they see you as confident, could you be at risk of being arrogant? If they see you as organized, could that be a euphemism for obsessional?)
2) Let gen AI translate your prompt history or social media feed into a personality profile. You may be surprised by all the inferences it makes, and tons of research show that our digital footprint, in particular the language we use online, is an accurate indicator of our deep character traits. So, just prompt!3) Ask for feedbackand make it uncomfortable. Not just the usual Did you like my presentation? (theyll say yes) or Was that clear? (theyll lie). Instead, ask: What would you have done differently? or Whats one thing I could have done better? Better still, ask someone who doesnt like you very much. They are more likely to tell you the truth. And if they say, Nothing, it probably means they think youre beyond repairor they just dont want to deal with your defensiveness. Either way, data. And if you get into the habit of doing this, you will increase your self-awareness irrespective of how self-aware you are right now.4) Observe ractions, not just words. People may tell you what they think you want to hear, but their faces, tone, and behavior often betray the truth. If your jokes land like a wet sponge, or your team seems suddenly very interested in their phones when you speak, its not themits you. And while body language can be important, it is also unreliable and ambivalent as a source of data. If you really want to know how people feel about you, watch what they do after you speak. Do they volunteer to work with you again? Do they respond to your emails? Thats your feedback loopmessy, indirect, and far more honest than crossed arms or fake smiles.
The ego trap
In the end, the biggest barrier to self-awareness is not ignoranceits ego. Most of us are too invested in our self-image to tolerate the version of us that others see. But if you want to get betternot just feel betteryou have to trade ego for insight.
The irony, of course, is that the more confident people are in their self-awareness, the more likely they are to be deluded. Meanwhile, those who constantly question how they come across, who embrace doubt as a source of learning, tend to be far more in touch with reality. Which is why, if youre reading this wondering whether you might lack self-awareness, thats already a good sign!
