Ben Woods

Ben is a Creator Economy Analyst at MIDiA. He holds a BA in American literature with creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Before joining MIDiA, Ben spent 13 years as a journalist, where he won several industry awards. He previously worked as the tech and media correspondent for the Sunday Times and The Telegraph. His focus spans the creator tools industry, social video platforms, and streaming TV services. He is also a big video games and anime fan.

BlackPink, superfans and the video game threat to social video and streaming TV

Cover image for BlackPink, superfans and the video game threat to social video and streaming TV

Ben Woods

1 Sep 2023

Being an entertainment fan in the modern era can be a disjointed experience. Take Star Wars . A fan of the long-standing sci-fi franchise must invest significant amounts of time and money across multiple entertainment platforms if they are to truly indulge in their fandom.

min read

Innovation feature concept
Building a dynamic social ad experience on FAST

Cover image for Innovation feature concept

Tim Mulligan and Ben Woods

August 2023

Business Strategy

Read the case study …

The FAST advantage
Build sustainable consumer models

Cover image for The FAST advantage

Tim Mulligan and Ben Woods

August 2023

Streaming

Amazon

Netflix

Inflation and retention pressures are combining to make free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) an appealing go-to-market strategy for video distributors.FAST is still underperforming significantly in engagement terms when compared to its video rivals, but there are promising signs.

DAZN bets on sports streaming future being driven by fandom

Cover image for DAZN bets on sports streaming future being driven by fandom

Ben Woods

3 Aug 2023

The streaming-TV industry has an engagement question to answer. Of late, the dominant services have been preoccupied with soothing investor concerns over the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on subscriptions.

min read

Live sport 2.0
Capturing younger audiences with the creator economy

Cover image for Live sport 2.0

Ben Woods

June 2023

YouTube

Apple TV

Twitch

The funding model for live sports has created fissures between older viewers who can afford to pay a premium for live access and younger audiences who either cannot, or do not want to. While older generations are accustomed to paying for access to content, younger generations grew up in a world with accessible content galore.

The Kings League
A sporting competition for the lean-in generation

Cover image for The Kings League

Ben Woods

June 2023

Read the case study …

Authenticity is at the heart of the video podcast

Cover image for Authenticity is at the heart of the video podcast

Ben Woods

31 May 2023

Video and audio platforms have been equally aggressive when treading upon each others’ turf. The platform flexibility of smartphones and smart TVs has created the opportunity for entertainment companies to extend audience engagement outside their core areas of expertise.

min read

Telly’s challenge to the smartphone opens a new front in the second screen wars

Cover image for Telly’s challenge to the smartphone opens a new front in the second screen wars

Ben Woods

24 May 2023

Rarely does a new product manage to redefine its market. In 2007, the launch of the iPhone caused a seismic shift when Apple transformed the mobile phone from a device for calls and texts to an entertainment hub with the computing power of a small laptop.

min read

Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

Cover image for Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

Ben Woods

16 May 2023

Amazon Prime Video

The streaming TV landscape is changing rapidly. Leading entertainment industry executives are questioning every aspect of the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) model in pursuit of sustainable profits.

min read

Amazon Prime Video’s spy drama Citadel forges a new frontier in product placement

Cover image for Amazon Prime Video’s spy drama Citadel forges a new frontier in product placement

Ben Woods

9 May 2023

Product placement has a long history helping film and TV producers maximise the monetisation of their content. The use of products by Hollywood stars to promote brands dates backs to the 1920s when Red Crown Gasoline’s logo featured in The Garage starring comedy actors Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Ke...

min read

Burnishing the back catalogue
Retention in an inflationary era

Cover image for Burnishing the back catalogue

Ben Woods

May 2023

Spotify

Netflix

Disney

With inflation squeezing commissioning budgets, streaming-TV services are battling to demonstrate value to consumers who risk churning under pressure from the cost-of-living crisis. The big spend on new shows to grow playbook is not only unsustainable, but also out-of-step with the consumer appetite for classic content.

PlayPilot
How social media behaviours can tackle the tyranny of choice

Cover image for PlayPilot

Ben Woods

May 2023

Read the case study …

Meta’s VR push should focus on the reality of the average consumer

Cover image for Meta’s VR push should focus on the reality of the average consumer

Ben Woods

25 Apr 2023

virtual reality

The tipping point for virtual reality headsets remains elusive. Last year’s market hype around the metaverse suggested widespread adoption was within reach, only for Sony to reportedly dial down its production plans for the PlayStation VR2.

min read

Community and influencers are poised to lead a video monetisation revolution

Cover image for Community and influencers are poised to lead a video monetisation revolution

Ben Woods

18 Apr 2023

Streaming TV and social video services are enduring a bout of uncertainty from high inflation and sluggish economic growth. Traditional monetisation strategies that have underpinned these platforms are now being sorely tested by the economic tumult.

min read

Netflix’s risk averse strategy is right for the retention age

Cover image for Netflix’s risk averse strategy is right for the retention age

Ben Woods

12 Apr 2023

Stranger Things

Netflix is known for its fearless approach to financing new movies and shows. And yet the recent flurry of press coverage suggests the streaming TV service behind Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is now taking a more conservative approach to commissioning.

min read

The great monetisation reset
New ways to monetise streaming video audiences

Cover image for The great monetisation reset

Tim Mulligan and Ben Woods

April 2023

Product Strategy

This keynote took place at the beginning of the MIDiA webinar:The great monetisation reset |New ways to monetise streaming video audiences. The full presentation, panel, and Q&A session, can be found on LinkedIn and YouTube ....

Sports broadcasting is ripe for disruption…and creators know it

Cover image for Sports broadcasting is ripe for disruption…and creators know it

Ben Woods

4 Apr 2023

The former Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique made a surprising claim last month (March 2023). To promote his Twitch football channel, the Kings League, the retired centre back unfurled a giant banner in the Catalonian capital that read: “The thought of us filling up Camp Nou really scares them”.

min read

Bridging the creator gap
Monetising social video’s micro-communities

Cover image for Bridging the creator gap

Samuel Griffin and Ben Woods

April 2023

Subscriptions

YouTube

Twitch

The pandemic-induced boom in content creation has saturated social video platforms at a time when creators are battling a downturn in digital advertising revenues. These dual pressures of less exposure and dwindling financial returns have put pressure on mid-tier creators; the community that derives all their creator income from advertising, subscr...

Good Good Golf
Leveraging the commercial power of the creator group

Cover image for Good Good Golf

Samuel Griffin and Ben Woods

April 2023

Product Strategy

Read the case study …

MIDiA webinar: Surviving and thriving in the new era of streaming TV and social video

Cover image for MIDiA webinar: Surviving and thriving in the new era of streaming TV and social video

Ben Woods

30 Mar 2023

After a prolonged period of unbridled growth, streaming TV and social video platforms have been confronted by multiple challenges in 2023. Subscription growth is slowing and consumer attention is peaking.

min read

‹
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
›

Showing 101 to 120 of 151 results.