Karol Severin | MIDiA Research

Twitch Will Start Selling Games And Offer A Cut To Streamers

Blog post by Karol Severin

1 Mar 2017

Twitch, the game video streaming platform owned by Amazon, announced yesterday that it will start selling games via streamers’ channels. This alone is news-worthy, but what makes the announcement a potential...

Shine Pivots From Advertising’s ‘Nuclear Threat’ To Advertising’s Rainbow

Blog post by Karol Severin

24 Feb 2017

ad tech

ad verification

Adblock

I have written about the journey of the network-level adblocker Shine numerous times. The company has come into the public eye due to its disruptive effort of offering adblocking at the network level to...

Mobile Gamer User Profile
Mobile Is The Unifying Factor For Gamers

Report by Karol Severin

22 Feb 2017

mobile gamers

mobile games

mobile gamer behaviour

Whatever your digital content proposition, mobile gamers comprise a significant share of your user base. The segment is not only important due to its sheer size and app economy value, but also because...

Quick Take: WeChat Introduces Paid Content For Public Accounts

Blog post by Karol Severin

20 Feb 2017

messaging apps

Mobile content

Mobile messaging

It’s no secret that Asian messaging platforms have been leading much of the global innovation efforts, regarding the monetization of mobile messaging. Last week it emerged that WeChat is trialling Paid...

YouTube’s Super Chat Is A Guerrilla Marketing Gift To Advertisers

Blog post by Karol Severin

9 Feb 2017

Super Chat is an interesting attempt at monetizing mobile messaging and live video both, for creators and YouTube. The company has announced its launch this week in 20 countries, giving creators and communication-thirsty...

Why Snapchat’s IPO Invites Scepticism

Blog post by Karol Severin

3 Feb 2017

facebook

Instagram stories

Mobile content

The IPO filing of Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, is one of the most anticipated moves of 2017. But as yesterday brought the opportunity for the public to review the prospectus, it reaffirmed existing...

Mobile App Cross Usage
Music

Report by Karol Severin

1 Feb 2017

streaming music

streaming subscriptions

cross usage

Mobile app usage is defined by consumers engaging with a multitude of propositions, even when they serve a very similar purpose. Consumers often use multiple different messaging apps, video apps and...

What Ad Tests On Messenger Tell Us About Facebook’s Plan To Monetize Messaging

Blog post by Karol Severin

27 Jan 2017

ads on messenger

facebook

facebook ads

Facebook has begun testing the integration of ads into Messenger. It allows advertisers to place banners onto the users’ home screen on the instant messaging service. Ads on Messenger have been a long...

YouTube Rolls Out A Chat Feature

Blog post by Karol Severin

19 Jan 2017

Mobile content

Mobile messaging

Online video

After months of testing, YouTube is rolling out its chat feature. It launched Wednesday in Canada only for now, with other countries to follow. In the escalating war of big tech companies to establish...

Apple Shows Its Walled Platform Muscle With A 25% App Store Price Hike

Blog post by Karol Severin

17 Jan 2017

Apple has just announced in an email to developers, that it will increase App Store prices by nearly 25% in the UK starting next week, following the fluctuations of the British Pound since the Brexit referendum....

Snapchat’s Pre-IPO Nightmares: Instagram Launches Ads On Stories To 150 Million Daily Users

Blog post by Karol Severin

12 Jan 2017

instagram

instagram ads

Instagram stories

Instagram has announced the launch of ads in Stories. Stories are a feature pinned at the top of Instagram’s user feed, enabling them to showcase and browse photos and videos of other users. Instagram...

Will Amazon Eat The Voice Command World?

Blog post by Karol Severin

9 Jan 2017

Alexa

Amazon

Amazon Echo

Last year was undoubtedly the year of video. As CES kicked off to shine more light on where the efforts of the industry are headed this year, it is becoming increasingly clear just how much voice command...

Quick Take: Can Pokemon Go Help Boost The Smartwatch Market?

Blog post by Karol Severin

23 Dec 2016

Apple Watch

Innovation

Mobile content

Pokemon Go launched for Apple Watch with an Android version coming soon. The smartwatch version will undoubtedly provide better experience to Pokemon Go players, but will the mobile gaming phenomenon prove...

Over 50 And Mobile
Profiling The Underserved Older Mobile Consumer

Report by Karol Severin

22 Dec 2016

50+ segment

50 year old

consumers over 50

The over 50 segment has been one of the most neglected during the rise of mobile platforms, social media and digital entertainment. The neglect is understandable considering their well-earned reputation...

Why Super Mario Run Will Be A Hit Game, But Not A Mobile Craze

Blog post by Karol Severin

16 Dec 2016

mario run

Mobile content

mobile games

Nintendo launched its much anticipated Super Mario Run yesterday on iOS globally. The media has been flirting with Pokemon Go comparisons throughout the lead up to the release. The record breaking story...

Adblocker User Deep Dive – High Value Users That Cannot Be Ignored

Blog post by Karol Severin

9 Dec 2016

adblocker users

adblockers

adblocking

MIDiA Research has published our latest adblocking report: ‘Adblocker User Deep Dive – High Value Users That Cannot Be Ignored. In it we combine data on adblocker user demographics, their media behaviour...

Meitu Is Going Public, But Can It Monetize?

Blog post by Karol Severin

7 Dec 2016

China

meipai

meitu

Meitu, the smartphone manufacturer, digital beauty, photo and video apps company, is undertaking initial public offering (IPO) on the 15 th of December, looking to raise $750 million at a $5.2 billion...

Facebook Messenger User Profile
Streaming Savvy Mainstream Messaging App Users

Report by Karol Severin

7 Dec 2016

Facebook messenger

messenger

messenger app

Facebook Messenger has caught up with WhatsApp, boasting more than 1 billion Monthly Active Users (MAUs). Along with WhatsApp and Instagram, Messenger is part of Facebook’s bet on the future of audiences...

Could Facebook Spell Trouble For Snapchat’s IPO?

Blog post by Karol Severin

2 Dec 2016

facebook

instagram

messaging platforms

Snapchat is gearing up for its IPO which, if successful, could provide enough capital to finalize the company’s pivot from a trendy social messaging app into a full-fledged mobile platform. With new...

Next Generation Apps
The Rise Of Mobile Life Ecosystems

Report by Karol Severin

30 Nov 2016

next generation apps

next-gen apps

tech majors

The world of mobile is undergoing a seismic shift. It used to be that the smartphone platform world was largely understood in terms of a couple of big operating systems (iOS and Android) and their respective...