Blog - Page 88

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.

Podcasts: a Netflix Moment for Radio But Perhaps not the Future of Spotify

Mark Mulligan

6 Feb 2019

Anchor Gimlet Podcasts

Wednesday was a busy day for Spotify: it reported above-expected subscriber growth, hitting 96 million paid subscribers, strong total user growth reaching207 million MAUs , improved margins and its first ever profitable quarter, registering an operating profit of €94 million.

Thoughts on Spotify’s Acquisition of Gimlet Media and Anchor

Zach Fuller

6 Feb 2019

Amazon Alexa Anchor apple homepod

Spotify is reported to have purchased the podcast companies Gimlet Media and Anchor. Having only just reported an operating profit for the first time, the deals demonstrate not only how Spotify is still firmly locked in growth mode and its market share in music streaming platforms but also how much ...

Making Free Pay Seminar — Speakers

Dara Jegede

6 Feb 2019

London—March 27th: We've put together a seminarwith the aim to give music and video businessesa deeper understandingof the market's direction, helping you define your organisation’s approachand role in the streaming world.

Cover image for Making Free Pay Seminar — Speakers

Facebook: Will The Next 15 years Be As Favourable To The Social Media Hegemon?

Tim Mulligan

5 Feb 2019

Facebook Media Strategy

Yesterday (4th February) marked Facebook’s 15-year anniversary. Arguably no other company, with the notable exception of Google, has had as significant impact on our collective digital lives as the US social media giant.

Why First is Far Less Important Than Best

Mark Mulligan

4 Feb 2019

Epic Games Fortnite fortnite live stream

Following Marshmello’s ‘live’ performance in Fortnite which was seen by 10 million simultaneous gamers, there has been the inevitable chorus of ‘but 2 nd life did this more than a decade ago’.

Cover image for Why First is Far Less Important Than Best

Marshmello Just Live Streamed on Fortnite…So Just What is a Concert?

Mark Mulligan

2 Feb 2019

Epic Games Fortnite fortnite live stream

On Saturday I watched my 12 year old son scoff down his meal so that he could rush upstairs to get logged on with his friends in time for a Marshmello live streamed event on Fortnite. As you can see from the video this was Marshmello appearing as a Fortnite character, on stage with his music playing.

Lessons from the Disruption of News Publishing

Zach Fuller

1 Feb 2019

Digital Media Media new publishing

At the 2019 DLD conference in Munich, various media commentators were suggesting that the attention economy paradigm of news mean ominous clouds are gathering not just over new media entities such as BuzzFeed, Vice and Vox, but also those with subscription businesses.

The Video Subscription Challenge In 2019

Tim Mulligan

1 Feb 2019

Comcast hulu NBCU

Amid all the excitement in the media world around the 2019 launches of direct-to-consumer services from such illustrious content producers as Disney and Warner Media, one clear question remains unanswered - will the public pay for these additional subscription video on demand (SVOD) services? The ge...

Eleven Sports Loses Serie A Rights As Partnership With IMG Ends

Alistair Taylor

1 Feb 2019

Allsvenskan audience acquisition Bundesliga

Eleven Sports, the fledgling sports-centric streaming service has lost the UK and Irish rights for Serie A and Eredivisie, following a strategic decision to ‘amicably’ end its partnership with international rights agency, IMG .

Super Bowl Ads 2019: The Death Wish of Playing Safe

Georgia Meyer

31 Jan 2019

baby boomers brexit Budweiser

Over the last few years, brands have been taking increasingly political stances. Whether Heineken’s ‘Open Your World’ 2017 ad, or Gillette’s ‘We Believe: The Best Men Can Be’ spot at the start of 2019, there has been a growing trend for brands boldly (and some say, haphazardly), entering...

Japan Should Look to China for Future Streaming Growth

Mark Mulligan

30 Jan 2019

China china streaming market Japan

Japan is the world’s second largest recorded music market and accounts for 14% of the global total. However, Japan is not following the wider market path of surging streaming revenues driving overall market growth.

Hulu Takes Aim At Netflix

Tim Mulligan

25 Jan 2019

hulu Netflix Online video

From February 26 th , Hulu, currently the number three subscription video on demand (SVOD) service in the US, will reduce its ad-supported offering from $7.99 to $5.99. This comes one week after Netflix —currently the US SVOD leader — increased pricing for its membership plans.

UFC’s Debut on ESPN+ Draws In Record Subs

Alistair Taylor

24 Jan 2019

Bellator BT DAZN

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debuted on ESPN+ this past weekend, featuring the highly touted championship fight, which saw Henry Cejudo knockout current Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in just 32 seconds to retain his Flyweight title.

Music Tech and Unintended Consequences

Zach Fuller

23 Jan 2019

Innovation Innovation Media

Recent discussions over how music will look in the app economy, with services such as TikTok effectively ‘meme-ing’ the concept of music and emphasising its social context, has led me to reflect on the second-order effects of technology on the arts - those unforeseen and often unpredictable cons...

Ad-supported Strategies Are Playing A Growing Role In The Digital Economy

Mark Mulligan

21 Jan 2019

Critical Developments

2018 was a big year for subscriptions, across music (Spotify on target to hit 92 million subscribers), video (global subscriptions passed half a billion), games (98 million Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus subscribers) and news (New York Times 2.

An Alternative View: Why Apple Will Not Be a Service-Based Company

Zach Fuller

20 Jan 2019

Apple’s announcement of smartphone slowdown a few weeks back sent waves through the tech-centric investment landscape. Various requiems seem to suggest that with the stock price dropping 12%, the darkest day in the iPhone era means Apple will now have to focus on its service business if it is to r...

Bingo: The Analogue Antidote to Digital Overload

Mark Mulligan

18 Jan 2019

bing players millions Bingo bingo market

This week MIDiA published a report on a sector that has been on the side lines for some time but is returning to health: Bingo! If you are based in the UK you may well have seen or heard some of the extensive media coverage this report that was commissioned by Buzz Bingo got.

DAZN Stepping Up Its Domestic Rights Offering – Insurgent come Enforcer?

Alistair Taylor

17 Jan 2019

Bundesliga D-Day DAZN

Having grown its portfolio for premium international and domestic sporting rights, DAZN is now starting to graduate from a disruptor into an established part of the landscape. Emphasised by its latest plan, aiming to snap up domestic Bundesliga rights in Germany for 2021–2025 (provided the terms a...

Amazon, Regional Sports and Owning the Local Economy

Georgia Meyer

16 Jan 2019

21st Century Fox Amazon Prime ATP

Amazon is reportedly bidding for all 22 US regional sports networks that Disney is putting up for sale (as part of its $73.1 billion deal to buy most of 21st Century Fox). Among the networks is the YES Network, that broadcasts New York Yankees games, as well as an array of professional NBA, NHL and ...

Amazon Dives Into Ad-Supported Video With IMDB Freedive

Tim Mulligan

16 Jan 2019

IMDB IMDb Freedive Online video

Last week’s US launch of IMDB Freedive marks Amazon’s long anticipated move into ad-supported Video on Demand (AVOD). IMDB is the long-standing Amazon subsidiary which operates as a film data base on an estimated 5 million titles and has 250 million monthly users.

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