Blog - Page 89

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.

Marshmello just livestreamed 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 livestreamed event on Fortnite . The even 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

Video subscriptions Critical Developments SVOD

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 ...

Eleven Sports loses Serie A rights as partnership with IMG ends

Alistair Taylor

1 Feb 2019

audience acquisition Eleven Sports IMG

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

Media NFL Strategy

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.

Cover image for Japan should look to China for future streaming growth

Hulu takes aim at Netflix

Tim Mulligan

25 Jan 2019

hulu Netflix Online video

From February 26th, 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.

Cover image for Hulu takes aim at Netflix

UFC’s debut on ESPN+ draws in record subs

Alistair Taylor

24 Jan 2019

DAZN Digital ESPN+

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

Media music business music industry

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 Business Strategy

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 tech companies tech majors

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

Bingo bingo stats Media

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

DAZN Eleven Sports live sports

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

Amazon Prime Media Regional Sports Networks

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.

Cover image for Amazon dives into ad-supported video with IMDB Freedive

Just who would buy Universal Music?

Mark Mulligan

14 Jan 2019

umg Universal Music Music

Vivendi continues to look for a buyer for a portion of Universal Music (per Rolling Stone ). Though the process has been running officially since May 2018, the transaction (or transactions) may not close until 2020 (according to Music Business Worldwide ).

Cover image for Just who would buy Universal Music?

Amazon Continues Tech Majors’ Foray Into Games Streaming

Karol Severin

11 Jan 2019

amazon games streaming service console gaming Games

As we predicted in MIDiA’s 2019 Predictions Report published in November 2018, Amazon is now reportedly working on a games streaming service. With plans to launch in 2020, Amazon has commenced talks with publishers about distributing their titles through the service.

What a 19th Century Art Movement Tells Us About the Future of Technology

Zach Fuller

11 Jan 2019

A classic manoeuvre in business strategy, exalted by the famed investor Warren Buffett, is building a moat. The premise is that the value of a business can be determined by the barriers to entry it creates – a metaphorical moat deterring potential competitors.

Hulu’s Integrated Streaming And Pay-TV Approach Could Be The Future of Video Entertainment

Tim Mulligan

11 Jan 2019

hulu Netflix Pay TV

On Tuesday, USstreaming video provider Hulu announced that it had reached 25 million subscribers, a 48% increase year on year. This was on the back of a 36% growth rate in 2017 and now means that Hulu has 44% of Netflix’s domestic subscriber numbers (Netflix Q3 2018 earnings ) and 64% of Amazon’...

Why 2021 Could Kill TV, Save Apple and Mark the End of Ads in Broadcast Sports

Georgia Meyer

9 Jan 2019

21st Century Fox apple earnings Beats

2021–22 are the years when the world’s most expensive premium domestic sports rights come up for renewal. In the US the NFL, MLB and NHL broadcast rights will all be up for tender, whilst in the UK the Premier League (EPL) rights will be up for renewal.

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