Product Strategy | MIDiA Research

Understanding the power of retention in the subscription economy

Tim Mulligan

30 Jun 2023

MIDiA Research highlighted the shift towards retention in The Streaming retention revolution ,which was published 12 months ago and is more relevant than ever as inflation becomes embedded and the risks of recession continue to rise.

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AI voice generation is a huge opportunity for podcasting — and a big risk

Annie Langston

28 Jun 2023

artificial intelligence

audio ads

misinformation

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising entertainment, including podcasts. Perhaps the most contentious part of this revolution is AI voice generation, which is stoking legitimate fears from creators that their voices will be used without permission.

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Why Amazon is deploying the Medici factor in its crucial UK market

Tim Mulligan

22 Jun 2023

Amazon

UK culture

Video

Today Amazon announcedits impact upon the creative landscape of the UK, a territory both similar and uniquely different from its US domestic market. The headline number estimated by Capital Economics is £4.

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What the Charlotte Hornets sale says about sports fandom in 2023

Tim Mulligan

20 Jun 2023

Charlotte Hornets

Michael Jordan

basketball

Basketball icon Michael Jordan isselling his majority ownershipin the Charlotte Hornets in a deal estimated to be valued at $3 billon (via ESPN ). This figure is more than ten times the $275 million Jordan initially paid for his majority stake in the NBA franchise back in 2010.

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As Spotify's door closes on Soundtrap, another opens

Tatiana Cirisano

16 Jun 2023

Music streaming

Spotify

SoundCloud

Writing about a new era of music fluidity last month, we noted how streaming services might align more closely with creation, as Spotify has done by acquiring music creation platform Soundtrap. Well, that vision for Spotify is no longer.

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When innovation offers compelling reasons, entertainment consumption follows

Tim Mulligan

8 Jun 2023

Vision Pro

Apple

VR

On Monday, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, a VR device positioned as a blended VR and augmented reality (AR) experience. With true AR still on the horizon, the Vison Pro uses an ultra-high-resolution display system that packs 23 million pixels across two displays to digitally replicate the user’s f...

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As Spotify layoffs continue, the next phase for podcasting is quality over quantity

Annie Langston

7 Jun 2023

Spotify

Gimlet

parcast

In the past six months, many major platforms made cuts to their audio departments. Spotify has announced a new round of layoffs in its podcast division, eliminating 200 jobs from Gimlet and Parcast Studios.

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Apple’s Vision Pro is about a better today rather than a shinier tomorrow

Mark Mulligan

6 Jun 2023

Media and Marketing

Business Strategy

Apple’s long anticipated VR move finally saw daylight in the shape of Vision Pro . What is particularly interesting about the launch and its subsequent coverage is that the conversation is more about what Vision Pro enables rather than what it actually is.

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NetEase’s expansion to the West is in full swing

Karol Severin

2 Jun 2023

Netease

acquisitions

expansion

Since the beginning of 2023, NetEase has been rapidly announcing new studios, averaging one per month. These have either been established internally, or acquired. - It acquired SkyBox Labs (Canadian games studio) in January - It announced Spliced in February (a global remote-first studio with office...

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Localisation needs to support paid sharing as the key revenue growth driver for Netflix

Tim Mulligan

2 Jun 2023

Netflix

Video

Business Strategy

Netflix finds itself at yet another inflection point as it rolls out its paid sharing plan in the US. With a saturated domestic market (32% of paid members in Q1 2023 were from North America), finding additional subscribers means pushing subscription dodgers onto the recently launched basic with ads...

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UMG, Endel, and the case for labels in the AI space

Tatiana Cirisano

1 Jun 2023

Universal Music Group

Warner Music Group

Record labels

The flood of new music created using artificial intelligence (AI) will further erode major label market share, and some label executives’ recent comments about the value of human-made music seem to put those fears in plain sight.

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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 streaming subscription video on demand (SVOD) services, podcasts provide new opportunities to reach and retain audiences.

Data briefing
South Korea music market

Mark Mulligan

June 2023

Business Strategy

This report presents key music market metrics for South Korea. All data is domestic SouthKorean data unless otherwise stated below. The datasets leveraged for this report include: Music company financials and market shares. This data refers to revenue generated by South Korean companies and thus includes both domestic and international revenue MIDi...

Livestreaming strategy in a social-video world
Work with UGC, not against it

Cover image for Livestreaming strategy in a social-video world

Tatiana Cirisano

June 2023

live

Amazon Prime

gigs

Livestreamed concerts are establishing themselves as complementary experiences, rather than replacements for in-person gigs. A picture of the average livestreamer — older millennials who are entertainment super-consumers — is coming into focus. Now, as the rise of social video coincides with the return of in-person concerts and festivals, user-...

BBC signals radio’s shift to the podcast market

Annie Langston

31 May 2023

BBC

Podcasts

Spotify

The BBC has traditionally stuck to public programming for its radio arm. However, BBC Radio is now shifting some of its programming to BBC Studios, meaning it can now be offered for global distribution on major podcast platforms, like Spotify.

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Telly’s challenge to the smartphone opens a new front in the second screen wars

Ben Woods

24 May 2023

Smart TV

Telly

FAST

Rarely does a new product manage to redefine its market. In 2007, the launch of the iPhone caused a seismic shift when Apple transformed the mobile phone from a device for calls and texts to an entertainment hub with the computing power of a small laptop.

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The New York Times audio app is a bet on podcast exclusivity — here is why it might work

Annie Langston

24 May 2023

The New York Times

Podcasts

Exclusive

Last week, The New York Times (NYT) debuted their official audio app, NYT Audio . NYT produces many popular podcasts, including The Daily and This American Life , utilising multiple streaming platforms to grow their audiences.

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Live services: Is the success of the few clouding the strategic judgement of the many?

Perry Gresham

19 May 2023

live services

EA

microtransactions

EA are heavily committed to the live service model, with their earnings release for financial year ending March 2023 putting their share of games revenues from full game purchases at just 26%, meaning that 74% came from live services and other revenue sources.

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Social content platforms are set to compete with everything in entertainment

Hanna Kahlert

17 May 2023

Social

Twitter

TikTok

Or at least, they will try to. TikTok is already a hub of creativity and consumption to match the changing preferences of a digital-native (and increasingly mobile-first) generation who have spent much of their entertainment lives in an environment of attention saturation.

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Are streaming TV services poised to become pay TV channels in all but name?

Ben Woods

16 May 2023

Netflix

Disney+

Amazon Prime Video

The streaming TV landscape is changing rapidly. Leading entertainment industry executives are questioning every aspect of the subscription video on-demand (SVOD) model in pursuit of sustainable profits.

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