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.

Why is D2C okay for HBO, but not Manchester United?

Cover image for Why is D2C okay for HBO, but not Manchester United?
Tim Mulligan
A decade-long threat from Europe’s wealthiest football clubs to break away and form a league of its own has finally become a reality with the announcement of the formation of the Super League.AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as founding clubs, with a further three expected to join prior to the start of the inaugural season commencing in August.
min read
Read more …

MUSIC & GAMING: A NEW WAY TO PLAY

Cover image for MUSIC & GAMING: A NEW WAY TO PLAY
Dara Jegede
MUSIC & GAMING: A NEW WAY TO PLAY New report explores how music companies and creators should rethink building and monetising fandom LONDON—Tuesday, April 13, 2021: MIDiA Research, in partnership with Twitch, release a report, Music & Gaming: A new way to play , examining the growing opportunity for music artists to leverage the games industry’s fan economy to develop their careers, connect with their audiences and monetise their craft.
min read
Read more …

Gamers: The new frontier of music’s fan-centric growth

Cover image for Gamers: The new frontier of music’s fan-centric growth
Karol Severin
Music companies have begun to realise that as their industry has grown, it has also transferred much of its previous fan value into the subscription and song economy. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent halt of live music events (which, since the advent of streaming, became music’s key way of monetising fandom) increased the urgency with which monetising fandom in the digital era needs to be addressed by artists and their representatives.
min read
Read more …

Lockdown & Dragons: Fantasy proves the fandom effect

Cover image for Lockdown & Dragons: Fantasy proves the fandom effect
Hanna Kahlert
With vaccine rollouts gaining momentum, the post-COVID attention crunch is looming large for the digital entertainment propositions which have all experienced booms over lockdown. The competition is on – making it more essential than ever to understand the trends behind shifting consumer behaviour and sentiment drivers, as ‘in real life’ (IRL) activities return and budget crunches force audiences to make new spending choices.
min read
Read more …

Video - Day 1: Future-proofing growth and curtailing subscriber churn post pandemic

Cover image for Video - Day 1: Future-proofing growth and curtailing subscriber churn post pandemic
Dara Jegede
The ‘COVID-bounce’ effect from the 2020 pandemic created a business windfall for many video providers and OTT services – some of which saw multi-year subscriber increases happen within months. Video experienced the biggest bump in engagement and will be doubly impacted as the rebound to ‘in real life’ and pre-pandemic activities continues.
min read
Read more …

Games - Day 2: Beyond gaming to cross-entertainment partnerships

Cover image for Games - Day 2: Beyond gaming to cross-entertainment partnerships
Dara Jegede
Building on the discussions from Day 1, Day 2 looks at opportunities in cross-entertainment partnerships and in-game spending. In-game spending increased in 2020 as gaming’s cultural importance grew to become an ideal destination for young consumers to define and express their digital personas during a time of limited social interaction, highlighting the commercial opportunity for games companies to serve the image and sense of belonging needs of consumers via virtual goods and services in games environments and beyond.
min read
Read more …

Microsoft’s interest in Discord confirms MIDiA’s prediction

Cover image for Microsoft’s interest in Discord confirms MIDiA’s prediction
Karol Severin
In November 2020, we wrote the below in our annual predictions report . “Upping gaming experiences via ‘infrastructural acquisitions’: As non-gaming entertainment increasingly embeds in games, companies will look to upgrade their ecosystems to cater beyond consumers’ gaming needs and instead focus across their entire digital entertainment and social lives.
min read
Read more …

How Amazon could enhance its NFL coverage with virtual concert experiences

Cover image for How Amazon could enhance its NFL coverage with virtual concert experiences
Kriss Thakrar
Amazon Prime has acquired the exclusive Thursday Night Football (TNF) rights to 15 NFL games, marking a new era for the world’s most valuable sports league. This shift is a giant step towards the normalisation of live entertainment on SVOD platforms as it takes Amazon’s four-year coverage of TNF beyond digital and into exclusive broadcast territory – making the e-commerce platform the only place to view TNF between 2023 and 2033.
min read
Read more …