Blog - Page 33

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.

What Spotify’s podcast layoffs indicate about the changing audio market

Annie Langston

1 Feb 2023

Spotify advertising YouTube

For the last few years, audio companies have funnelled millions of dollars into the podcast market. Yet, the economic recession indicates that the boom of investment into podcasts may be reaching its peak.

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The streaming wars will be won with technology, not content

Ben Woods

31 Jan 2023

Video SVOD Gaming

The modern entertainment industry is a tale of re-invention. The need for vast amounts of content to justify the value of a subscription video on-demand (SVOD) service has made the artists, series, and franchises of yesteryear just as valuable to platforms as the next blockbuster hit.

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Could AI generate music’s Instagram moment?

Tatiana Cirisano

31 Jan 2023

Music streaming music industry Social media

Pop quiz: Is the hit ‘Kill Bill’ sung by SZA or Ariana Grande? The answer is, of course, SZA, but TikTok users could be forgiven for any confusion. An artificial-intelligence-generated version sung in Grande’s voice has been circulating the platform, causing a frenzy.

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It is time for DAWs to break the boundaries of conventional music production

Srishti Das

30 Jan 2023

daw emerging markets Ableton

We recently wrote about how the direction of music inspiration has reversed , that established music markets have begun to draw inspiration from sounds, scenes, and cultures from emerging markets, such as Nigeria, South Korea and India.

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Why the paid sharing push by Netflix is a sign of weakness

Tim Mulligan

27 Jan 2023

Streaming Netflix paid sharing

InNetflix’s Q4 2022 earnings, the world’s pre-eminent subscription video on demand (SVOD) service painted a bullish picture of a company having navigated a difficult 2022. In its own words : “2022 was a tough year, with a bumpy start but a brighter finish.

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The Last of Us – when games meet video

Samuel Griffin

26 Jan 2023

Video streaming HBO Max The Last of Us

The HBO Original production of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is solidifying the foundations of modern expectations for games video crossovers. With the games market increasingly saturated and seemingly dominated by a handful of games, companies that are acting on the cross-entertainment opportunity...

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With a rumoured podcast feature, will TikTok become the Swiss Army knife of entertainment?

Annie Langston

25 Jan 2023

TikTok Podcasts Spotify

Despite recent layoffs and program cuts, the audio market continues to expand. While major music streaming platforms have led the way, social media platforms continue to diversify their audio offerings and compete in the wider market.

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ChatGPT raises new potential for NFTs

Hanna Kahlert

25 Jan 2023

Media and Marketing Cultural trends NFT

AI is here with a quickly-growing army of bots that will happily make anything a user commands, be that do their homework, write them a song, draw them concept art of a film they wish had happened – and undoubtedly more to come.

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YouTube has dismantled the walls between social video and SVOD

Ben Woods

24 Jan 2023

Social video SVOD YouTube

How do you define YouTube in 2023? The Google-owned app has evolved into a complicated media outfit. It stretches beyond social video content and deep into subscription video on demand (SVOD). It is a wholly different business to the platform that posted its first user-generated video – Me at the ...

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The metaverse transition: Fortnite

Samuel Griffin

19 Jan 2023

Fortnite Gaming Unreal Engine

The metaverse transition: Fortnite Unreal Engine has been at the bleeding edge of digital development since its release, being fundamental to the development of household titles such as The Witcher , Fortnite , Disney’s The Mandalorian, and HBO’s Westworld.

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Match point – Tennis faces its generational pivot through Netflix

Tim Mulligan

19 Jan 2023

Break Point tennis Drive to Survive

The recent success of the FIFA 2022 World Cup , despite the unwillingness of the organising body to update itsbrand identity,sent out mixed messages to sports rightsholders. On the one hand, business can continue as usual if one runs a unique branded tournament with thick-skinned partners.

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Three podcast market trends to watch in 2023

Annie Langston

18 Jan 2023

advertising listener experience format blurring

All of entertainment is facing new challenges in the recession. Both creators and platforms are doing everything they can to keep audiences as entertainment spending is at risk. While audio platforms have already seen notable cuts to programming, podcasts are exploring new ways to expand the format ...

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Is the net closing in on TikTok?

Ben Woods

17 Jan 2023

Social video TikTok YouTube

There is nothing quite like a recession to seemingly transform disruptors into incumbents. As the focus moves from R&D spend to cost-cutting, the customer focus also changes. Efforts to acquire new customers lose their lustre when there is a need to hold onto those already engaged with a service.

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What comes next in the music streaming model makeover

Tatiana Cirisano

17 Jan 2023

Music streaming Major labels Independent artists

The independent music community has been rallying for change to the streaming payment model for years. Now, major labels are joining the chorus. Why? The pro-rata model has long benefited bigger record labels, but their cut of the pie is now diminishing due to a number of factors: The growth of inde...

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Emerging market music cultures are shaping the global music industry

Srishti Das

13 Jan 2023

Scenes cultural insight emerging markets

The music industry's focus has slowly but steadily moved towards emerging markets in order to find the next billion music consumers. The first phase of this move saw major labels consciously pushing their music into new markets in the pursuit of creating new cultural moments.

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Games companies turn to defence as recession looms

Karol Severin

12 Jan 2023

recession Games industry business planning

The beginning of 2023 has seen several games companies show prudent caution, highlighting warning signs as to what lies ahead. Ubisoft cancelled three games in development. Wizards of the Coast reportedly cancelled five video games projects.

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YouTube’s one-stop shop offers a salvation to creator burn-out

Ben Woods

12 Jan 2023

Creator economy Social video YouTube

A popular YouTube channel offering tips for fledgling creators made a surprising admission recently. After amassing nearly 200,000 YouTube subscribers around its “how-to guides” for live streamers, Stream Scheme told some of its viewers to quit streaming altogether.

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Music discovery in 2023 is about the journey, not the moment

Tatiana Cirisano

12 Jan 2023

Music streaming Spotify TikTok

Oversaturation was among the hottest music industry topics of 2022. By now, we have all read — and maybe gasped at — the recent estimate that more than 100,000 new songs hit streaming services daily.

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Netflix adds a splash of colour to 2023 content marketing

Ashleigh Millar

11 Jan 2023

Netflix Netflix originals Kaleidoscope

Netflix has catapulted itself into being one of the first viral entertainment-focused discussions of 2023. Its new original series, Kaleidoscope , released on January 1st, has caused chatter throughout social media platforms – not because of its plot, but because of its unique viewer experience.

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How AI narration could transform Apple Books’ creator economy

Annie Langston

11 Jan 2023

Audiobooks artificial intelligence Apple

It is a new year for the audio world and Apple is attempting to expand audiobook creation. Apple Books launched its “digital narration” feature which allows authors to publish audiobook versions of their work using AI-generated voices, and is specifically geared towards independent authors and s...

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