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 HBO Max being back on Amazon Prime highlights the growing risk of piracy

Cover image for Why HBO Max being back on Amazon Prime highlights the growing risk of piracy
Hanna Kahlert
piracy
P2P download
Streaming
Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon have announced that HBO Max will become available on Prime Video channels in the US, with users able to subscribe through the Amazon platform. HBO Max was previously withdrawn from Amazon Channels in 2021 due to a dispute over data sharing (Amazon Channels provides less user data than an equivalent Fire TV app would do for Warner Bros.
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Music subscriber market shares 2022

Cover image for Music subscriber market shares 2022
Mark Mulligan
Music subscriber shares
music subscribers
DSPs
MIDiA has just released its annual ‘Music subscriber market shares’ report and dataset, with data for 23 DSPs across 33 different markets ( clients can access it here ). Here are some of the key global trends: Music subscriptions may be recession-resilient, as China leads the way As the world edges towards a recession, the music streaming market continues to stand strong.
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The engagement dilemma means that film has to embrace the future

Cover image for The engagement dilemma means that film has to embrace the future
Tim Mulligan
cinema
Movies
hybrid entertainment
Hollywood is in flux right now, with producers such as Jason Blum taking to social media andexpressing their frustrations: “Gotta get out to those movie theatres folks. We don’t want to be streamed to death!” Agents representing film talent (both acting and production) are busy lobbying the leading direct-to-consumer (D2C) services to prioritise theatrical releases over straight-to-streaming releases for significant productions.
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Games report bundle offer – the less you can afford research, the more you probably need it

Cover image for Games report bundle offer – the less you can afford research, the more you probably need it
Karol Severin
gamer insight
games strategy
games production
Part of the festive period is about reflection and new aspirations. I, for one, am eternally grateful that MIDiA works with some of the most successful companies in entertainment. I love that we get to ask a lot of questions, have fascinating discussions, find progressive solutions to business challenges, and help our clients look around the corner to see what’s to come – both in the entertainment market and in entertainment consumers’ minds.
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The economic crunch will reorient consumption around reasons, not ways, to spend attention

Cover image for The economic crunch will reorient consumption around reasons, not ways, to spend attention
Hanna Kahlert
Media and Marketing
Cultural trends
The past few weeks have demonstrated that the economic downturn is not only affecting consumer spending, but corporate strategy as well. Venture capital investors are rethinking red flags , Amazon is rethinking its long-term bets , Facebook has acknowledged a downturn in consumer reach, and Twitter is, well, Twitter-ing .
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Will the recession change Big Tech’s view on entertainment?

Cover image for Will the recession change Big Tech’s view on entertainment?
Mark Mulligan
tech majors
recession
tech layoffs
Music start up Utopia just announced a round of layoffs , fitting into a much bigger dynamic that may reshape the entertainment landscape. There are many reasons why the coming global recession will be unique, but the one that is most relevant to the digital entertainment sector is that it is going to be the first one since modern consumer tech has been truly mainstream.
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Why the launch of Artists’ Equity and the return of Bob Iger are both driven by fandom

Cover image for Why the launch of Artists’ Equity and the return of Bob Iger are both driven by fandom
Tim Mulligan
Artists’ Equity
Ben Affleck
Matt Damon
On Sunday, the New York Times broke the story that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are launching a new production company called Artists’ Equity. The production venture is backed by RedBird Capital Partners (who have committed $100 million to fund the venture) and aims to expand profit participation alongside a “talent-friendly” environment for creatives.
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How Apple’s commission is reconfiguring Spotify’s audiobook strategy

Cover image for How Apple’s commission is reconfiguring Spotify’s audiobook strategy
Annie Langston
Spotify
Apple
Audiobooks
Spotify’s audiobook rollout has hit a major roadblock. Spotify debuted its service in September as a la carte , where users purchased audiobooks individually. In order to avoid Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases for apps listed in its App Store, users were directed to purchase audiobooks online, after which the audiobook would appear in the app.
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Lean-through listening: how does context impact consumption?

Cover image for Lean-through listening: how does context impact consumption?
Hanna Kahlert
Media and Marketing
Cultural trends
Streaming has changed music listening dramatically, turning what was once a thoughtful, attention-intensive activity to a primarily ambient background media format. Or has it? Elevator jazz is far older than YouTube’s ‘lo-fi playlist to chill / elevator to’, and the invention of headphones and cassette players spurred the 80’s trope of angst-ridden teens escaping into their favourite mixtape long before the iPod.
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