Amazon Reports from MIDiA Research

Music merchandise demand
Who, what, and where

Cover image for Music merchandise demand

Tatiana Cirisano

October 2024

cds

The music merchandise market has transformed, with significantly more artists selling merch and more product variety than ever before. The traditional line between “hard” and “soft” merch is blurring...

The state and future of music fandom
Unleashing fan creativity

Cover image for The state and future of music fandom

Tatiana Cirisano

August 2023

Spotify

YouTube

Soundcloud

Streaming is buckling under the weight of new music being released every day, listenership is fragmenting, and artificial intelligence is poised to intensify these challenges. The music industry’s next...

The FAST advantage
Build sustainable consumer models

Tim Mulligan and Ben Woods

August 2023

Streaming

Amazon

Netflix

Inflation and retention pressures are combining to make free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) an appealing go-to-market strategy for video distributors.FAST is still underperforming significantly in engagement...

US SVOD consumer podcast engagement
Audio is the new spinoff

Cover image for US SVOD consumer podcast engagement

Annie Langston

June 2023

Apple

Spotify

As consumer attention fragments across platforms and content types, it is increasingly important for both streaming subscription video services and podcast creators to maximise their content reach. For...

Profiling Steam users
A valuable gamer niche

Karol Severin

April 2023

YouTube

Amazon

Netflix

For two decades now, Steam has been one of the go-to digital game distributors, particularly for computer gamers and developers. Yet, its weekly active audience does not quite reflect a fully representative...

Podcasts and music streaming
Mirrored growth

Cover image for Podcasts and music streaming

Annie Langston

April 2023

Apple

iTunes

The economic recession, and related layoffs at major podcasting divisions, have some questioning the future of the format. However, podcasts are following a similar trajectory as music did in its transition...

Year of change
Themes that will shape entertainment in 2023

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Annie Langston, Perry Gresham, Samuel Griffin, Ben Woods and Srishti Das

February 2023

Spotify

YouTube

Amazon

This report deep dives into the themes identified in MIDiA’s 2023 predictions report. These themes will drive innovation in the digital entertainment landscape in 2023 across music, video, games, audio,...

Watch parties
Rebooting the watercooler moment

Ben Woods

February 2023

Video

YouTube

Amazon

Group watching television with family and friends is being consigned to a bygone era. Algorithms are forcing entertainment consumers into silos through an endless stream of personally recommended content...

Podcast videos
Format blurring expands podcasts’ future

Annie Langston

February 2023

creators

Apple

Spotify

Podcasts are breaking out of traditional audio and entering the video space, as nearly a quarter of consumers now watch podcast videos monthly. Visual elements for podcasts are becoming a crucial tool...

Audiobook consumer profile
Following in podcasts’ footsteps

Annie Langston

January 2023

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

The audiobook market is at an important stage of its evolution. Similar to podcasts, the niche format is trying to grow amid heightened competition for consumers’ time and attention, while the looming...

The great movie reset
How films can drive higher income spending in video

Tim Mulligan

December 2022

Apple

Video

Amazon

The role of film in popular culture and the evolution of video streaming has reached an inflection point. After the near death of the box office in 2020, and the subsequent shattering of the box office...

2023 MIDiA predictions
Pivot point

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Srishti Das, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Annie Langston, Perry Gresham, Samuel Griffin, Kazia Rothwell and Ben Woods

December 2022

Apple

YouTube

Amazon

In this report, MIDiA Research analysts present their predictions for what will be the big trends in digital media and tech across music, video, games, marketing, audio and cultural trends in 2023 and...

DSP user profiles
Small is beautiful

Mark Mulligan

November 2022

Spotify

YouTube

Deezer

With streaming music now in its mature growth stage in most leading music markets, differentiation will be key to unlocking further growth pockets. While this will likely require innovation in both product...

Streaming’s next growth phase
The necessity of differentiation

Cover image for Streaming’s next growth phase

Tatiana Cirisano

October 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

DSPs have long been able to grow their subscriber bases despite all offering essentially the same experience. Yet the freemium model is reaching a saturation point, putting slow but steady pressure on...

Podcast market value chain
The next investment is the listeners

Cover image for Podcast market value chain

Annie Langston

October 2022

creators

Apple

Spotify

Investments from major audience platforms in audio infrastructure, such as hosting platforms and advertising, kickstarted the growth of the podcast market. With the basic infrastructure now in place, it...

Entertainment and the recession
How it will be impacted and how it should respond

Cover image for Entertainment and the recession

Mark Mulligan

September 2022

Spotify

Amazon

Netflix

The world is facing a period of change and disruption that is unprecedented in modern times. With so many interconnected dynamics across consumer spending, economic cycles, the climate, and even geo-politics,...

Hybrid shock
How ads will change SVOD

Tim Mulligan

August 2022

Video

Amazon

Apple TV

The combined effects of market saturation for subscription video on demand (SVOD) alongside a growing cost-of-living crisis are forcing pureplay SVOD services to modify their ad-free propositions. Disney-owned...

Attention inflation
How multitasking is reshaping the attention economy

Karol Severin and Perry Gresham

August 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Entertainment hours are up, but consumption is becoming diluted and losing focus, and is increasingly in the background of other activities. Audiences want to consume more but have no more time to allocate;...

Podcast monetisation and remuneration
Balancing creator and platform needs

Cover image for Podcast monetisation and remuneration

Annie Langston

August 2022

creators

Apple

Spotify

Audio platforms traditionally monetise through advertising and, to a lesser degree, listener subscriptions. However, with the rise of the creator economy and more creators entering the podcast space, platforms...

Re-creating the creator economy

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Srishti Das, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Annie Langston and Richard Broadhurst

August 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Streaming first democratised the means of consumption, then distribution, and now production. Though the promise of the long tail may not have materialised quite as expected, long-tail and mid-tail creators...

Reports: Amazon