MIDiA Blog

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.

Decoding the video creator economy’s potential at IBC2025, Amsterdam

Cover image for Decoding the video creator economy’s potential at IBC2025, Amsterdam

Ben Woods

9 Sep 2025

Audience Insight

Creator economy

The video industry is in the middle of a substantial shift. The days of traditional entertainment and the creator economy occupying separate lanes are ending. Creators are expanding beyond social platforms to produce more premium content on SVOD services.

min read

Karra, bifurcation, and YouTube’s gain

Cover image for Karra, bifurcation, and YouTube’s gain

Mark Mulligan

8 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

A couple of weeks ago, electronic music artist Karra posted a video on YouTube about why she took her album down from streaming (one that she spent $100,000 making). She is now going to focus her efforts on YouTube (“an incredible platform for [her] artistry”), as well as selling content to musi...

min read

How KPop Demon Hunters cracked the fandom code

Cover image for How KPop Demon Hunters cracked the fandom code

Olivia Jones

4 Sep 2025

KPop Demon Hunters has taken the world by storm. With 266 million all-time views (at time of writing), it is currently Netflix's most-watched film ever . That’s not to mention the success of its soundtrack – four songs from the film are in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 , with breakout hit “Gold...

min read

From niche to mainstream: How video games adaptations are taking over movies and television

Cover image for From niche to mainstream: How video games adaptations are taking over movies and television

Brandon Sutton

3 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Today’s most successful movies and television shows are video game adaptations. For those who remember the media landscape of the 1980s and 1990s, this represents a marked shift in the entertainment industry.

min read

MIDiA’s 2025 independent label survey

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Mark Mulligan

28 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

It’s that time of year again, MIDiA’s independent label and distributor survey is now live and waiting for your contributions! Click here to take the survey. The annual survey is an opportunity for the global independent community to have its voice heard – and this year is one of the most impo...

min read

Gamescom 2025: The top three trends from the games industry’s biggest event

Cover image for Gamescom 2025: The top three trends from the games industry’s biggest event

Brandon Sutton

28 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

The gaming industry’s largest showcase, Gamescom, wrapped up on Sunday 24 August, and with over 350,000 attendees, it broke records to become the most attended event in its history. Serving as an annual barometer for the industry, Gamescom helps set expectations for the upcoming holiday season, wh...

min read

Calling all audio creators: Shape the future of the industry and get a chance to win $100!

Cover image for Calling all audio creators: Shape the future of the industry and get a chance to win $100!

Laura Fisher

27 Aug 2025

Audience Insight

Take the MIDiA research 2025 Audio Creator survey and have your voice heard. MIDiA Research has long been known for its music creator surveys – and even its video creator surveys. But this year, for the first time ever, we’re turning the spotlight on audio creators with our brand-new 2025 Audio ...

min read

The life of a cultural narrative: Where are 2025’s iconic moments?

Cover image for The life of a cultural narrative: Where are 2025’s iconic moments?

Hanna Kahlert

26 Aug 2025

Cultural trends

Eras are defined by their moments. The 2000’s saw low-rise jeans, a neon palette, and pop star drama. The 2010’s had barn weddings and ‘Gangnam Style’. With time comes the benefit of hindsight, and clarity on what was big versus what faded quickly.

min read

Why WEBTOON’s short-form video drive is a lesson in format flexibility

Cover image for Why WEBTOON’s short-form video drive is a lesson in format flexibility

Ben Woods

22 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

In June 2025, MIDiA made a call that WEBTOON , the vertical scrolling digital comic app, could pose a greater challenge to anime’s leading subscription streaming service, Crunchyroll. The conclusion was made based on the potential for WEBTOON to deliver a more compelling in-app offer around video.

min read

The unflattening of streaming

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Mark Mulligan

21 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

This post builds on our January 2025 post ‘The unflattening of music’ which itself built on two previous pieces (you can find links to both in that post). Industries arrive at pivot points when an accumulation of fissures coalesce into one big crack.

min read

The case for flexibility: What the Switch 2’s success signals for other handhelds

Cover image for The case for flexibility: What the Switch 2’s success signals for other handhelds

Brandon Sutton

20 Aug 2025

Product Strategy

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2 would release this year, it had big shoes to fill. Its predecessor has become one of the best-selling consoles in history; surpassed only by the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS in total sales.

min read

What traditional media can learn from sports fandom’s bifurcation moment

Cover image for What traditional media can learn from sports fandom’s bifurcation moment

Ben Woods

15 Aug 2025

Too often, fans are categorised as one amorphous group. They can be lumped together regardless of their age, purchasing power, community engagement, or entertainment consumption behaviours. Fans are a diverse group and always have been.

min read

More than a lineup: The importance of bold curation

Cover image for More than a lineup: The importance of bold curation

Laura Fisher

14 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

Have you noticed how many festival lineups this summer feature the same handful of artists? I have, and, crucially, fans are noticing it too. Where festival billings once offered a window into a distinctive scene, today’s lineups are merging into a wave of homogenised big-name experiences.

min read

Instagram Maps: Feature or future?

Cover image for Instagram Maps: Feature or future?

Hanna Kahlert

14 Aug 2025

Meta’s Instagram has begun rolling out a new ‘Maps’ feature, similar to Snapchat’s (but with added privacy concerns). It has also rolled out a new ‘friends’ tab on the Reels page, allowing users to see videos already liked by others they follow, seemingly weighted by the friends they int...

min read

Netflix ramps up games spending: A strategic bet on the future of streaming

Cover image for Netflix ramps up games spending: A strategic bet on the future of streaming

Brandon Sutton

7 Aug 2025

Business Strategy

During its Q2 FY2025 earnings call, Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters announced plans to increase investment into its gaming division (via GameSpot ). At first glance, this move may seem surprising, given the company’s rocky experience in the gaming space so far.

min read

Some artists are leaving Spotify (again). Here’s what’s different now

Cover image for Some artists are leaving Spotify (again). Here’s what’s different now

Tatiana Cirisano

7 Aug 2025

Product Strategy

Over the past few weeks, a growing list of indie bands have decided to leave Spotify, the most prominent being Deerhoof and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (a partial list has been compiled by Fader ).

min read

Fandom as a multi-layered experience

Cover image for Fandom as a multi-layered experience

Laura Fisher

6 Aug 2025

In today’s hyper-connected digital landscape, fandom is often misunderstood as a static identity, a label adopted after buying a concert ticket or streaming an album. This passive view misses the essence of what makes fandom so compelling.

min read

Mainstream meets Fandom: How entertainment and creators can thrive together

Cover image for Mainstream meets Fandom: How entertainment and creators can thrive together

Ben Woods

5 Aug 2025

Creator economy

Fandom is evolving into a more powerful force within entertainment. The value gap between what entertainment IP holders produce and what fans can create is narrowing fast. This has implications for audience engagement.

min read

The late-night dilemma: Balancing tradition and disruption

Cover image for The late-night dilemma: Balancing tradition and disruption

Laura Fisher

31 Jul 2025

Business Strategy

Two competing opinions landed in my inbox recently, both signalling a shift in late-night entertainment, but from entirely different perspectives. The first, from RainNews , argued that podcasts were replacing traditional late-night TV.

min read

What is the value of a stream in 2025?

Cover image for What is the value of a stream in 2025?

Olivia Jones

31 Jul 2025

Product Strategy

Streaming Music

More parties than ever are becoming frustrated with streaming. For evenmany successful artists, streaming is a minority income stream, as fandom-related endeavours like live performances, merchandise, and brand deals prove to be more lucrative.

min read

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