Product Strategy | MIDiA Research

Songs as cultural moments (and why TikTok trends are so appealing)

Hanna Kahlert

31 May 2024

The music industry is racing in two different directions at once. On the one side is the push for more music to be made by more people for less money – underpinning the $500 million valuation of Suno , the generative AI music platform.

min read

Older gamers are a growth opportunity for AA(A) publishers

Rhys Elliott

29 May 2024

console gaming

PC

Minecraft

The days of gaming as a hobby only for young people are clearly over. Unlike in the past, gamers are now sticking with console and PC games into adulthood and old age. Consumers aged 55+ account for a quarter of gamers now, and that share is on the rise.

min read

Golden years, golden opportunity
Older gamers are a key growth opportunity in a challenging games market

Cover image for Golden years, golden opportunity

Rhys Elliott

May 2024

Audience Insight

Unlike in the past, gamers are now sticking with games through adulthood and into old age, leading to a growing segment of older gamers. Older gamers are a valuable segment posing a key growth opportunity for games companies in a stagnant market. Yet, most game makers do not currently cater to older gamers.

Songwriters, we want to hear from you – take our survey!

Fernanda Balzaretti

13 May 2024

songwriters

Music publishing

pro

Songwriters are the backbone of the music industry; however, they are rarely in the spotlight. As with the rest of the industry, songwriters have seen their workflows and income sources turned upside down in the streaming and social media eras.

min read

Cutting through the clutter: why an analogue revival is inevitable

Hanna Kahlert

9 May 2024

AI

Digital

analogue

The jury is very much still out on generative AI and its copyright obligations. Yet the Pandora’s box of AI-generated content has already been opened, and there is no going back. For a world which has become almost entirely reliant on digital content– be it song mp3s or job applications – the implications are widespread and the challenge is simply one of volume.

min read

Niche is mainstream
How scenes, niche aggregators, and creators will reshape entertainment

Hanna Kahlert

April 2024

Audience Insight

As niche officially becomes mainstream, the entertainment industry faces a delicate balance. Audiences are losing interest in broad, mainstream propositions, but hyper-personalised niches are inherently difficult to scale and monetise while retaining what made them special to fans in the first place.

MIDiA Research Panel Creator Survey
2023

Cover image for MIDiA Research Panel Creator Survey

Kazia Rothwell

March 2024

Audience Insight

Key data and insights included in this report: Analysis of MIDIA Research’s creator panel, including age, gender, and region Type of creative content produced by panel creators Time, money, and, earnings of creators Analysis of drivers and major inhibitors...

BarbenHeimer needs to usher in media fusion to fully revitalise cinema

Tim Mulligan

13 Mar 2024

BarbenHeimer

oppenheimer

Barbie

In many ways the 96th Academy Awards was positioned as the critical confirmation of last year’s double blockbuster performances of Oppenheimer and Barbie . Collectively, these titles generated $2.4 billion at the box office in 2023 and were heralded as announcing the return of cinema to the heart of the cultural zeitgeist.

min read

BE THE CHANGE
Gender equity in music

Hanna Kahlert, Tatiana Cirisano, Sophia Oleksiyenko, Ashleigh Millar, Samuel Griffin and Kazia Rothwell

March 2024

Free Report

Business Strategy

Audience Insight

In many ways, women ruled the music industry in 2023. Women swept the 2024 Grammy Awards, winning all the “big four” categories. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé completed record-breaking tours and, according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the share of women artists on Billboard’s US Hot 100 year-end chart reached a 12-year high of 35%.

Pluto TV Q4 2023 consumer deep dive

Tim Mulligan

March 2024

Audience Insight

This slide deck presents a snapshot of Pluto TV users across video, games, and music. It includes age breakdowns, time spent on video, money spent on video, video, games, music, multimedia subscription penetration, and likeliness to savvy switch. Key data and insights included in this report: Penetration of Pluto TV users in US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, and Brazil Analysis of Pluto TV users’ weekly to daily conversions Video behaviours of Pluto TV users, including video subscriptions and watching live sports Age comparison of US and UK Pluto TV weekly users Gender comparison of UK and Brazil Pluto daily users All survey data is based on MIDiA Research Q4 2024 consumer survey, fielded in US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, South Korea, and Brazil.

Paramount+ Q4 2023 consumer deep dive

Tim Mulligan

March 2024

Audience Insight

This slide deck presents a snapshot of Paramount+ users across video, games, and music. It includes age breakdowns, time spent on video, money spent on video, video, games, music, multimedia subscription penetration, and likeliness to savvy switch. Key data and insights included in this report: Penetration of Paramount+ users in US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, and Brazil Analysis of Paramount+ users’ weekly to daily conversions Paramount+ users entertainment subscriptions compared to video subscribers Age comparison of English-speaking markets Paramount+ weekly users Video behaviours of English-speaking markets Paramount+ weekly users All survey data is based on MIDiA Research Q4 2024 consumer survey, fielded in US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, and Brazil.

Audiobook consumer profile
A focused, engaged niche

Kazia Rothwell

February 2024

Audience Insight

Key data and insights included in this report: Audiobook user snapshot, behaviours and demographics compared to the average consumer Change in time spent and listenership of audiobooks compared to other audio streams Audio behaviours, including multitasking, background and focused listening, time of day and location of listening Year-on-year analysis of key audiobook platforms, including Audible and Spotify Comparison of music streaming services' audiobook monthly consumption All survey data is based on MIDiA Research Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2023 consumer surveys, fielded in the US, UK, Australia, Canada.

Niche is mainstream. So… what next?

Hanna Kahlert

29 Feb 2024

Niche

Entertainment

trends

Entertainment industries today are navigating two contrasting pressures. On the one side is the demand for niche personalisation: algorithms drive hyper-targeted content to just the right audiences, who identify strongly with it and form small, powerful communities, which can allow those propositions to carve out durable success.

min read

Games subscription user deep dive
More is more

Cover image for Games subscription user deep dive

Karol Severin

February 2024

Audience Insight

Games subscriptions are playing an increasingly important role in the distribution section of the games industry’s value chain. A growing number of developers, therefore, must think through whether to partner with subscription services and, if so, which ones.

Social landscape
Mapping the balance of platforms’ audience, features, and strategy

Hanna Kahlert

February 2024

Audience Insight

This report maps how social platforms are used by consumers, looking at behaviours such as talking to friends, shopping / browsing, and creating content. It further looks at how this differs with age. The current marketplace is maturing, with platforms now either pursuing a “do everything well” or a “do one thing the best” approach.

Superstars and their superfans
Turning point

Cover image for Superstars and their superfans

Tatiana Cirisano

February 2024

Audience Insight

Key data and insights included in this report: Consumer awareness, listenership, and fandom rates of music stars including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Drake, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and Bad Bunny Analysis of these artists’ super fans by proportion of total fans, age and propensity to buy merchandise Awareness of and fandom towards virtual artists K/DA and Lil Miquela Q3 2023 Comparison of music artist sentiment and awareness internet personas and film franchises All survey data is based on MIDiA Research Q3 2023 Brand Tracker fielded in the US and UK.

Optimising the monetisation opportunities for TV and film fandom in the TV-streaming era

Tim Mulligan

February 2024

Audience Insight

In an increasingly saturated entertainment landscape, understanding the fandom overlaps between previously distinct media formats is more important than ever. This is especially important for video as TV and film still retain their role as the central hub of mainstream entertainment.

Audiobooks’ Latin explosion — a new front in the streaming wars?

Rutger Rosenborg

2 Feb 2024

Audiobooks

Audio

Spotify

As streaming and demographic shifts bring a second Latin explosion to the music industry, audiobooks are gearing up to follow suit. In a January 2024 press release , popular subscription-based audio platform Podimo announced a new strategic alliance with Mexico media hub Troop.

min read

Independent label survey
Playing the volume game

Cover image for Independent label survey

Mark Mulligan, Kriss Thakrar and Tatiana Cirisano

January 2024

Audience Insight

This report presents data from the 2023 MIDiA Research Independent Record Label survey The survey was fielded across three months in H1 2023, closing in May2023, with a sample size of 142 Topics covered in the survey include revenue by source, concerns...

Profiling gamers by platform

Karol Severin

December 2023

Audience Insight

This report presents key metrics and consumer insights regarding mobile gamers, console gamers, and computer gamers. It is targeted to help investors, distributors, developers, and publishers understand the nuances and commonalities between these three segments.