Blog - Page 84

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

Spotify goes full radio with the launch of stations in the US

Zach Fuller

6 Jun 2019

Spotify Music streaming music industry

It had to happen. Spotify has announced that it is launching a lightweight listening app called Stations across the US in a move that doubles down on its much-vaunted ad-supported strategy. The Stations app is being promoted as a specialised UX for those who want a more ‘radio-like experience’.

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Here’s why Apple just killed off iTunes

Mark Mulligan

4 Jun 2019

iTunes News Music

Apple has announced that it is closing iTunes and replacing it with three new apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV Apps (via Forbes ).While this doesn’t (yet) mean the end of the iTunes Store, it is a major development for Apple.

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Things to watch out for at E3 2019

Karol Severin

3 Jun 2019

e3 Business Strategy

E3 is approaching fast, and it’s shaping up to come out with a number of announcements which will significantly impact the games landscape as the platform- and device-agnostic games streaming revolution unfolds.

Heavyweight battle for premium sporting rights is dependent on three factors

Alistair Taylor

3 Jun 2019

broadcast rights Pay TV Premium Sports Rights

The sports rights landscape has changed fundamentally with the emergence of streaming subscription video on demand (SVOD) services. Digital and broadcast rights used to be separate deals entirely, but now the lines are blurred, and competition is heating up for exclusive coverage of the most sought-...

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Profit didn't disappear, it just moved

Mark Mulligan

31 May 2019

profit Music Video

One of the recurring themes in analysis of tech businesses is the role of profit, and most often, the apparent lack of it – or at the very least, the way in which it plays second fiddle to growth. Amazon, one of the most successful global businesses in today’s global economy, famously sacrificed...

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Quick Take: The Bull argument for music publishing acquisitions

Zach Fuller

30 May 2019

Music Business Strategy Music publishing

The music rights landgrab continues. This past week alone has seen Primary Wave take a stake in rights to Culture Club, having already inked a deal with the Whitney Houston Estate. Meanwhile, Hipgnosis Song fund have added to their recent acquisition of Eurythmic’s writer credits by taking a stake...

Sports SVOD services: The underdogs’ game

Hanna Kahlert

29 May 2019

SVOD Sports Business Strategy

Cord cutting and “the attention economy” are the trends reshaping everything video in 2019, and sports television – despite its reliably existent fanbase – is no exception. New sports proposition streaming video on demand (SVOD) entrants face hefty competition on all sides, from regionally e...

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How ByteDance could drive the next streaming paradigm

Mark Mulligan

24 May 2019

Social Music music industry

Streaming music is approaching a decision point. Right now, music subscriptions are doing a fantastic job of monetising consumption, but next we need to learn how to monetise fandom. Global streaming revenues were up 30% in 2018 to reach $19.

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Behind the hype cycle: Venture capital as the modern fountain of youth

Zach Fuller

23 May 2019

Business Strategy

"When the Ichthyophagi showed wonder at the number of the years, he led them to a fountain, wherein when they had washed, they found their flesh all glossy and sleek, as if they had bathed in oil - and a scent came from the spring like that of violets.

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Why Game of Thrones season eight represents the swan song for linear scheduling

Tim Mulligan

20 May 2019

Game of Thrones Video linear programming

Unless you’ve been living under a piece of dragonstone for the last two months, you’ll be aware that the last episode of Game of Thrones aired last night. For fans of the hit TV show, the final season has been one of unexpected twists and character developments making for compelling viewing.

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Television performance measurement is falling short

Hanna Kahlert

20 May 2019

index Media midiaindex

When the television first entered homes around the world, it was a safe assumption that if it was on it was the centre of attention in a room. Whatever was broadcast to the screen for that evening would be closely regarded with well-deserved awe.

Niche is the new mainstream

Mark Mulligan

17 May 2019

artist campaigns artist marketing digital marketing

Fandom is fragmenting. Streaming personalisation and falling radio audiences are combining to rewrite the music marketing rulebook, ushering in a whole new marketing paradigm. Hits used to be cultural moments; artist brands built by traditional mass media.

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Sony and Microsoft join forces against tech majors’ entrance to games streaming

Karol Severin

17 May 2019

Games Games industry Microsoft

The enemy of my enemy is my friend – a phrase that nicely sums up the latest major development in games streaming and the console gaming industry. “ Sony and (Microsoft) announced on Thursday that …the two companies will partner on exploring joint development of future cloud solutions in Micro...

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Quick Take: Spotify, stories, and music – the social media divide

Zach Fuller

16 May 2019

Instagram Social media Spotify

The story of a song’s creation is one of the great mysteries of music. Regularly are we regaled with anecdotes of a song emerging fully formed in a 15-minute flurry of creative genius. However, while less seductive, the reality is that more often than not a composition goes through many iterations...

The US sports betting market is heating up after Fox plays its strategic hand

Tim Mulligan

14 May 2019

Fox Fox Corp Sports

Fox Corporation – the successor company to 21st Century Fox – has made its first decisive move since completing the $71 billion sale of 21stCentury Fox’s non-news and sports network assets in March.

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DAZN financials highlight difficulty in changing sports viewing for fans

Alistair Taylor

14 May 2019

consumer acquisition DAZN rights acquisitions

DAZN, the sports-centric streaming service which made headlines in 2018 with several high-profile rights acquisitions , and according to documents seen by SportsPro Media , has managed to dramatically reduce its debt burden by 93% in the year up to 2018.

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Skin in the game: Prediction markets and the future of media discourse

Zach Fuller

13 May 2019

Blockchain predictions markets Business Strategy

If talk was cheap before, then the laws of supply and demand mean the advent of big data drove that value to zero. So overwhelmed with opinions are we that it is hard to know who means what anymore. This is not entirely a bad thing.

PledgeMusic and not-so-glorious failure

Mark Mulligan

10 May 2019

Artists direct DIY artists Independent artists

Pioneering fan funding platform PledgeMusic is now officially over, having entered administration (i.e., Chapter 11) in the UK reportedly owing its artists around $1 million and with little expectation of any asset sale generating enough cash to clear those debts (per Music Business Worldwide ).

Disney’s latest earnings are buoyed by growth in their theme park and direct-to-consumer revenues

Alistair Taylor

10 May 2019

direct-to-consumer Disney DTC

On Wednesday night the Walt Disney Company reported quarterly earnings for its second fiscal quarter ending March 31st 2019, beating analyst estimates with a 3% increase in year-on-year (YoY) quarterly revenue.

Cover image for Disney’s latest earnings are buoyed by growth in their theme park and direct-to-consumer revenues

Is Sinclair about to cause a stir in US streaming sports coverage?

Tim Mulligan

9 May 2019

Sinclair Broadcasting STIRR SVOD

This has been a busy week for Disney. As part of the regulatory approval terms for acquiring 21stCentury Fox’s non-US TV network businesses, it had to divest itself of the 22 regional sports networks (RSNs) which it finally acquired in March.

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