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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, audio and social.

The key to unlocking fandom begins with these fan archetypes

Olivia Jones

22 Oct 2026

Clients only

Fandom Artists Engagement

Fandom is not “one-size-fits-all”, but rather an amalgamation of different engagement types and levels of activity. In last year’s Defining entertainment superfans report, MIDiA began to demystify engagement by creating four core fan archetypes according to how fans engage with their favourite...

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Will the next social media competitor be social at all?

Hanna Kahlert

21 Oct 2026

Business Strategy Social media Creators

With Meta in the regulatory hotseat and western “social” apps becoming increasingly entertainment-first, a natural question arises: is the opportunity ripe for a new competitor? Few saw TikTok coming, but the short-form video app –boosted by the Covid pandemic – has reshaped the social media...

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From creator to capitalist: The creator economy is investing in itself

Hannah Walker

21 Oct 2026

Business Strategy Creators Creator economy

The most successful creators no longer look like online personalities. They now operate as fully-fledged media businesses with capital, networks, and business expertise – and they’re using these attributes to help nurture the next generation.

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The road to 2033: Forecasting ARPU has never been more difficult nor more important

Mark Mulligan

15 Oct 2026

Clients only

Business Strategy Global Music

This client-only series takes a deeper look at the key themes shaping MIDiA’s 2026–2033 global music forecasts report and what they mean for the future of the music business. The growing maturity of the streaming music market brings with it increased sophistication and need for attention to deta...

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When the math stops mathing: Fandom signals in the agentic AI era

Tatiana Cirisano

15 Oct 2026

Fandom Streaming Consumer behaviour

Artists understand their audiences largely through their actions. Following, liking, subscribing, opening an email, buying merch, buying a ticket, waiting in line – each of these efforts creates attachment and signals a different level of commitment.

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First they laugh, then they follow: Comedy’s vertical TV opportunity

Hannah Walker

14 Oct 2026

Business Strategy Audience Insight Social media

With its skits, anecdotes, and punchlines, comedy lends itself well to short-form video. Now that streaming services have built the vertical feed infrastructure, they can leverage original, premium, short-form comedy to draw in new audiences for vertical TV.

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Narrative audio: the case for industry investment

Laura Fisher

8 Oct 2026

Marketing Strategy Cultural trends Entertainment

Narrative audio is on an upward curve. Several forces are converging to sustain it: writers and performers of real standing choosing the format, a hunger for lean-in listening, and technology that is reimagining what an audio story can sound like.

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Beyond the stream: Live’s innovation moment

Leon Farrell

8 Oct 2026

Clients only

Fandom Business Strategy Artists

Is live music approaching a golden era of innovation? At a concert, the merchandise queue asks a slightly absurd question: how much of the show would you miss for merch? A committed fan is ready to spend, yet the experience makes them choose between buying and watching.

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Are AI glasses Meta’s new game changer, or next stumbling block?

Hanna Kahlert

7 Oct 2026

Business Strategy Social media Social

Much controversy surrounds the continued spread of Meta’s AI glasses. With cameras that can record entire interactions, an AI virtual assistant to analyse them live, and small speakers to unobtrusively share those findings with the wearer, its uses are potentially both promising and predatory.

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From newsroom to newsfeed: Why news broadcasters and content creators should partner to reach young people

Hannah Walker

7 Oct 2026

Business Strategy Fandom Social media

As the attention economy fractures traditional media consumption habits, Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) risk losing reach among young viewers. According to Ofcom , three-quarters of 16–24-year-olds report that they get their news from social media platforms.

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The Audio Academy Festival 2026: Where community and audio combine

Laura Fisher

2 Oct 2026

Podcasts Radio Discovery

Last year I attended the Radio Academy Festival, and while I was there, the organisation announced it would become the Audio Academy. Returning to the first festival under the new name felt significant.

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K-pop as culture: Fandom learnings from BTS and KCON LA

Olivia Jones

1 Oct 2026

Fandom Cultural trends Music

K-pop is known as a genre built around fandom-focused live experiences, whether that’s concerts or fan-run events, and it’s been a busy few months for K-pop fans in the US. In August, I attended CJ ENM’s three-day K-pop convention KCON LA, as well as two dates on BTS’s massive ARIRANG world ...

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Audiences are craving connection – could livestreaming be the answer?

Hannah Walker

30 Sep 2026

Marketing Strategy YouTube TikTok

This year has shown a clear audience appetite for live, shared viewing experiences. The finale of the UK’s The Traitors attracted a live audience of 9.4 million viewers in January. An international audience flooded to watch sporting events like the Super Bowl and World Cup, with both events genera...

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To understand where AI will go, look at where it came from

Mark Mulligan

30 Sep 2026

Clients only

Letter from the MD consumer Creators Content

AI, in its widest sense, is a massive unknown. While whistleblowers claim it is already out of control, others suggest this is AI company scaremongering to help justify their huge valuations. Both can be true.

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Music is losing in the attention economy

Kriss Thakrar

24 Sep 2026

Clients only

Audience Insight Cultural trends Attention economy

Young people are spending fewer hours listening to music, and in particular, music is occupying a smaller share of teenager's time than it used to. The decline in weekly hours spent listening to music sits in contrast with nearly every other entertainment format increasing its time with younger audi...

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Could YouTube be a new home for TV talent?

Hannah Walker

23 Sep 2026

Product Strategy YouTube Creators

The power dynamic between media personalities and media distributors is shifting – a change that has picked up pace over the last few years. Traditional media companies are cautiously opening their doors to creator talent, recognising them for the lucrative opportunity that they represent.

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Threads versus X: Algorithmic USP and the benefits of a cross-platform offering

Hanna Kahlert

22 Sep 2026

Business Strategy Social media Creators

In a September interview with Sources , Mark Zuckerberg dropped the finding that Threads is as big – or at least closing in on – X, the platform it was designed to compete with. The platforms’ respective monthly active user reported numbers are 550 million for X, as of May 2026, and 500 millio...

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Podcasting success: Inside Goalhanger’s The Rest is Fest

Laura Fisher

18 Sep 2026

Fandom Cultural trends Podcasts

MIDiA Research has previously documented the phenomena that is live podcasting. We’re all aware a podcast can fill an auditorium. What hasn’t yet been tested is where the pull comes from (the format, the host, or the producer?) because until now, most live podcast events have tested only one for...

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The creator investor: a compelling alternative to the creator product line

Hannah Walker

17 Sep 2026

Business Strategy Product Strategy Creators

The most successful creators are not just creative storytellers – they’re commercially minded entrepreneurs. The most sophisticated operators in this field recognise that launching their own product lines can be a lucrative and reliable revenue stream.

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Seoul traders: How Korean labels are building beyond the song

Leon Farrell

17 Sep 2026

Fandom Business Strategy Streaming

On a Sunday in August 2025, I approached the O2 Forum Kentish Town to see an act I had heard plenty about. On this warm August afternoon, the main attraction was flamboyant, distinctive, petite in size and, by all accounts, electric.

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