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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.

Quick Take: Spotify, stories, and music – the social media divide

Zach Fuller

16 May 2019

Instagram Social media Spotify

The story of a song’s creation is one of the great mysteries of music. Regularly are we regaled with anecdotes of a song emerging fully formed in a 15-minute flurry of creative genius. However, while less seductive, the reality is that more often than not a composition goes through many iterations...

2 min read

The US sports betting market is heating up after Fox plays its strategic hand

Tim Mulligan

14 May 2019

Fox Fox Corp Sports

Fox Corporation – the successor company to 21st Century Fox – has made its first decisive move since completing the $71 billion sale of 21stCentury Fox’s non-news and sports network assets in March.

4 min read

Cover image for The US sports betting market is heating up after Fox plays its strategic hand

DAZN financials highlight difficulty in changing sports viewing for fans

Alistair Taylor

14 May 2019

consumer acquisition DAZN rights acquisitions

DAZN, the sports-centric streaming service which made headlines in 2018 with several high-profile rights acquisitions , and according to documents seen by SportsPro Media , has managed to dramatically reduce its debt burden by 93% in the year up to 2018.

4 min read

Cover image for DAZN financials highlight difficulty in changing sports viewing for fans

Skin in the game: Prediction markets and the future of media discourse

Zach Fuller

13 May 2019

Blockchain predictions markets Business Strategy

If talk was cheap before, then the laws of supply and demand mean the advent of big data drove that value to zero. So overwhelmed with opinions are we that it is hard to know who means what anymore. This is not entirely a bad thing.

3 min read

PledgeMusic and not-so-glorious failure

Mark Mulligan

10 May 2019

Artists direct DIY artists Independent artists

Pioneering fan funding platform PledgeMusic is now officially over, having entered administration (i.e., Chapter 11) in the UK reportedly owing its artists around $1 million and with little expectation of any asset sale generating enough cash to clear those debts (per Music Business Worldwide ).

4 min read

Disney’s latest earnings are buoyed by growth in their theme park and direct-to-consumer revenues

Alistair Taylor

10 May 2019

direct-to-consumer Disney DTC

On Wednesday night the Walt Disney Company reported quarterly earnings for its second fiscal quarter ending March 31st 2019, beating analyst estimates with a 3% increase in year-on-year (YoY) quarterly revenue.

3 min read

Cover image for Disney’s latest earnings are buoyed by growth in their theme park and direct-to-consumer revenues

Is Sinclair about to cause a stir in US streaming sports coverage?

Tim Mulligan

9 May 2019

Sinclair Broadcasting STIRR SVOD

This has been a busy week for Disney. As part of the regulatory approval terms for acquiring 21stCentury Fox’s non-US TV network businesses, it had to divest itself of the 22 regional sports networks (RSNs) which it finally acquired in March.

4 min read

Playlist malfeasance will create a streaming crisis

Mark Mulligan

9 May 2019

Artists Labels playlists

Streaming economics are facing a potential crisis. The problem does not lie in the market itself; after all, in Q1 2019 streaming revenue became more than half of the recorded music business and Spotify hit 100 million subscribers.

5 min read

Cover image for Playlist malfeasance will create a streaming crisis

Music sync: A market ripe for change

Mark Mulligan

3 May 2019

music publishers music sync music sync market

Florence and the Machine’s performance of Jenny of Oldstones, which appeared over the closing credits of the April 21st HBO’s Game Of Thrones episode, hasregistered the most Shazams in 24 hours ever (per Music Business Worldwide ).

4 min read

Cover image for Music sync: A market ripe for change

What Epic Games’ acquisition strategy tells us about the company’s long-term plans

Karol Severin

3 May 2019

Epic Games Fortnite Games

Epic Games has announced it is acquiring Psyonix, the creator of Rocket League. As we’ve reported in the past, the coming games streaming revolution, which is already shifting market dynamics to a much more device/platform-agnostic paradigm, will see a small set of large publishers make their own ...

4 min read

Cover image for What Epic Games’ acquisition strategy tells us about the company’s long-term plans

An alternative future for televised sports

Hanna Kahlert

2 May 2019

egaming esport esports

This article is derived from MIDiA’s report, 'eSports: An alternative future for televised sports?' The days of overpriced suspect hotdogs and rioting stadiums are far from over. Sports, despite their inability to retain cord cutting TV viewers , remain an immovable part of the attention economy.

3 min read

Can PlayStation 5 compete successfully amid the coming games-streaming disruption?

Karol Severin

2 May 2019

Games Gaming PlayStation

As Mark Cerny, the lead system architect of PlayStation, implied in an exclusive interview with Wired , PS5 is coming likely in fall 2020 – and it is not just meant to be a mere upgrade of the PS4. The key question remains, however, whether even a big upgrade to the hardware and gaming experience ...

4 min read

Cover image for Can PlayStation 5 compete successfully amid the coming games-streaming disruption?

Walmart the video innovator?

Tim Mulligan

1 May 2019

Online video VUDU Video

This week in New York Walmart is holding a presentation for leading ad agencies. The world’s largest retailer will pitch the advertising opportunities around a combination of original shows and new tech on its streaming service Vudu, which potentially could provide it with a domestic edge in the r...

3 min read

Cover image for Walmart the video innovator?

Why Airbnb making content for Apple is radical

Georgia Meyer

30 Apr 2019

airbnb Apple Video

On 24th April, Reuters broke the news that Airbnb is creating a docuseries ( Home ) for Apple’s upcoming streaming service. Over on Amazon Prime Video’s Direct service, Jaguar, Lexus, and Shell have all uploaded branded entertainment documentaries available for Amazon Prime Video subscribers to ...

4 min read

Cover image for Why Airbnb making content for Apple is radical

US Cord Cutting Full-Year 2018: Transition Uptake

Hanna Kahlert

30 Apr 2019

cord cutting cord shaving Online video

This article is derived from MIDiA’s US Cord Cutting Full Year 2018 report. Cord cutting is now an established part of the US pay-TV landscape, illustrating the impact of streaming video on demand (SVOD) and changing consumer habits globally.

3 min read

Cover image for US Cord Cutting Full-Year 2018: Transition Uptake

Creator support: A new take on user-centric licensing

Mark Mulligan

26 Apr 2019

Music music industry music licensing

User-centric licensing (i.e. stream pay-outs based on sharing the royalty income of an individual user split across the music they listen to) has stimulated a lot of debate.I first explored the concept of user-centric licensing back in 2015and stirred up a hornet nest, with a lot of very mixed feedb...

4 min read

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Free streaming goes to voice: Should radio companies be worried?

Zach Fuller

25 Apr 2019

voice control Radio voice

History doesn’t repeat itself. It does, however, rhyme. Amazon have followed up the announcement of its free music streaming service by elaborating on its integration into Alexa and its Echo device. Not coincidentally, Google swiftly followed suit by announcing a similar service.

4 min read

Luminary media bets big on ad-free podcasts

Georgia Meyer

24 Apr 2019

Ad Supported Luminary Luminary Podcasts

The long-awaited podcast subscription service, Luminary Media, went live on 23rd April 2019. The service has raised $100 million from investors with the aim of distributing ad-free exclusive podcast content to users for $8 per month.

4 min read

Cover image for Luminary media bets big on ad-free podcasts

Voice control: Smartphones, in-home speakers, and the digital attention economy

Hanna Kahlert

24 Apr 2019

Digital economy voice voice command

This article is derived from MIDiA’s Voice Market and Behaviour Trends Overview report. The use of voice command continues to be niche, with overall consumer penetration at a mere 9%. Predominantly that usage is on smartphones, with “asking for directions” one of the key use cases.

3 min read

Cover image for Voice control: Smartphones, in-home speakers, and the digital attention economy

Why AT&T cashed in on its Hulu stake and what this means for Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy

Tim Mulligan

23 Apr 2019

direct-to-consumer Disney hulu

Last week US communications giant AT&T announced that it had sold its 9.5% stake in US subscription video on demand (SVOD) service Hulu for $1.43 billion, valuing the third largest US SVOD operator at $15 billion.

4 min read

Cover image for Why AT&T cashed in on its Hulu stake and what this means for Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy

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