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.

Facebook is about to disrupt itself out of existence…again

Cover image for Facebook is about to disrupt itself out of existence…again
Mark Mulligan
Meta
Facebook
metaverse
Facebook’s rebranding to Meta can be interpreted in many ways. It can be seen as: following Google / Alphabet’s lead in communicating a new chapter in its business; putting distance between the company and its most well-known app, ahead of it beginning to decline; shifting the story away from whistleblower and ethics narratives; signalling a major strategic reboot.
5 min read
Read more …

Lean-in is the future because it is the past

Cover image for Lean-in is the future because it is the past
Hanna Kahlert
Cultural trends
Engagement
Entertainment
The modern mantra of “kids these days” might (in the industry) typically finish with something like “ are killing good music ” or “are on TikTok too much”. The strategists developing the future of propositions look at the ‘silver streamers’ (aged 55+), who over-index for home speakers, pay-TV viewing (now binge-viewing), and slow adoption, and see a continuation of the passive consumption model of entertainment with a digital twist.
4 min read
Read more …

EA’s exclusive FIFA license is under threat as games go cross-entertainment

Cover image for EA’s exclusive FIFA license is under threat as games go cross-entertainment
Karol Severin
FIFA
EA
football
Last week it was reported that FIFA and EA are at an impasse regarding the renewal negotiations of an exclusive license deal. EA stated that it is considering renaming its flagship football title, while FIFA responded with a press release stating that “the future of gaming and esports for football stakeholders must involve more than one party controlling and exploiting all the rights’’ This is less about who is right and who is wrong, and more about the synergy of this once symbiotic partnership having run its course.
4 min read
Read more …

Quick take: What the Apple event’s creator focus means for lean-in entertainment

Cover image for Quick take: What the Apple event’s creator focus means for lean-in entertainment
Hanna Kahlert
creator tools
apple event
mainstream
The October 18th Apple event –for all its usual showmanship – did not have anything hugely innovative to unveil. New colours of the Apple HomePod, a new tier of AirPods, and the return of MagSafe charging, distinctive input ports, and actual keys instead of a touchpad on the upgraded MacBook Pros were the main highlights (aside from the new M1 chip, which was unveiled at the last event and has since merely been upgraded and put into more devices).
2 min read
Read more …

Adele’s success will be best measured in cultural impact – not sales

Cover image for Adele’s success will be best measured in cultural impact – not sales
Mark Mulligan
adele
30
Streaming
Adele is something of an anomaly in the modern music business, a throwback to how things used to be. These days even the biggest artists struggle to get mainstream attention for their new releases in a flooded market that is defined by more releases than ever before, and the ‘always on’ artist who is continually releasing new music and talking to their audience.
5 min read
Read more …

The key winners and losers of the Covid-bounce effect in games

Cover image for The key winners and losers of the Covid-bounce effect in games
Karol Severin
games engagement
Fortnite
Roblox
As we have covered before, games engagement began to experience effects of the Covid-bounce . As usual, however, there are winners and losers within the wider micro-dynamics. The following graph demonstrates how 20 key games franchises fared in the US between Q2 2020 and Q2 2021, in terms of consumer penetration growth: Roblox and Rockstar are the biggest winners Roblox grew 49% in penetration year on year.
5 min read
Read more …

The social reckoning is nigh: The Haugen testimony and Facebook blackout hint at imminent regulatory changes

Cover image for The social reckoning is nigh: The Haugen testimony and Facebook blackout hint at imminent regulatory changes
Hanna Kahlert
Social media
TikTok
Facebook
The race between social media (and broader tech) innovation and governmental regulation has been a bit of a hare and the tortoise situation for the past decade-plus. However, the digital-first transition as a result of; COVID-19 lockdowns; several election and voting processes being impacted by social media misinformation; and viral vaccine scepticism currently threatening our return to ‘ normal ’ is finally pushing regulation to catch-up.
5 min read
Read more …