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.

Facebook Might Just Have Done YouTube a Massive Favour

Mark Mulligan
The word on the street is that the deals labels have struck with Facebook for its forthcoming music service have been done on a blanket license basis (i.e. a flat fee) with no reporting. This was reported by Music Business Worldwide and has been confirmed to me by various well-placed third parties: “One controversial element of these agreements is, we hear, that these are ‘blind’ checks: effectively, advances that are not tied to any kind of usage reports from Facebook.
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Marvel versus Netflix

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Tim Mulligan
With yesterday’s launch of ESPN+ Disney has begun its direct-to-consumer strategy, which revolves around the introduction of proprietary subscription video on demand (SVOD) services. The move forms part of Disney’s stated aim to reach consumers directly, following on from the creation of a dedicated direct-to-consumer and international business unit last month.
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‘Nice for What?’ and the Slow Death of the Album

Zach Fuller
I write this week’s blog conflicted between the music fan who grew up on the album and the MIDiA analyst looking at the numbers (an eternal struggle). Alongside the feature-length film, the LP was one of the definitive artistic mediums to emerge in the 20th century, but it was also bound to the same business framework of many enterprises of the period; factory-powered mass production methods with the product demand side stoked by television and radio.
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Spotify D(PO)-Day

Mark Mulligan
Arguably the most anticipated day in the history of digital music is upon us. By the end of it we will have the first hint at whether Spotify is going to fall at the Snap Inc. or Facebook end of the spectrum of promising tech IPO, or DPO in the case of Spotify.
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Spotify and Netflix Are Experiencing Opposite User Engagement Trends

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Karol Severin
The latest Fuse data enables us to comparemonthly hours per MAU spent onSpotify and monthly hours per subscriber spent on Netflix over 2017. Interestingly they are travelling in opposite directions. Spotify & Netflix's Monthly Hours Of Engagement per MAU/Subscriber While Spotify’s monthly content hours per MAU increased from 19 to 25 in 2017, Netflix’s average monthly hours per subscriber decreased from 50 to 39.
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Quick Take: Frustrate and Destroy – YouTube’s Frontloaded Strategy

Zach Fuller
Listen to any music streaming debate and it will not be long before you the value gap discussion regarding YouTube is brought up. It is a point MIDiA has discussed at length through distinguishing Spotify and YouTube’s business models (that of all streams created equal vs share of ad revenue), but YouTube Head of Music Lyor Cohen is looking to change that.
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Why Exclusive Live Sports Coverage Matters To Facebook

Tim Mulligan
Facebook’s decision to acquire the exclusive digital streaming rights to Major League Baseball is another clear push by the social media giant into the traditional world of TV content. The agreement which was publicised on March 9th, allows Facebook to stream 25 live games in 2018 through the MLB Live show Page , making Facebook the MLB’s exclusive digital distribution partner outside of the MLB Network , which is the MLB’s authenticated channel app service (an app which can also be viewed on desktops where you have to provide pay-TV partner login details in order to access the service).
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The Narrative Of Spotify’s Filing Is That The Best Is Yet To Come

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Mark Mulligan
Spotify just filed its F1 for its DPO. The most anticipated business event in the recorded music industry since, well…as long as most can remember, is one big step closer. The filing is a treasure trove of data and metrics, and while there won’t be too many surprisesfor anyone who follows the company closely, there are nonetheless a lot of very interesting findings and themes.
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