Vertical TV is more than streaming’s TikTok moment

Ben Woods

10 Jun 2026

Product Strategy

TikTok

Streaming

Streaming TV services are entering a new phase of smartphone competition. For years, their strategic focus has been on content depth: exclusive shows, premium originals, and sports rights. Yet on mobile, the battle for engagement is increasingly shaped by experience as much as content.

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The renewed value of maximalism in the era of AI

Laura Fisher

3 Jun 2026

Product Strategy

Creators

Entertainment

The infrastructure of entertainment consumption has never felt more feudalistic. Distribution, discovery, and monetisation increasingly operate through a small number of platforms that shape how audiences find, consume, and pay for content.

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The Podcast Show 2026: The signals worth paying attention to

Laura Fisher

29 May 2026

Podcasts

Entertainment

Media

The Podcast Show 2026 reflected an industry entering a more mature and commercially sophisticated phase. While previous years of often focused on podcasting proving its value within entertainment and media , this year’s conversations centred far more on sustainability, audience growth, and long-te...

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The music industry’s personalisation paradox

Tatiana Cirisano

28 May 2026

music industry

Music

Music fandom

Music streaming, like most other digital entertainment types, has never been more personal. Every listener is now super-served their own algorithmically-generated world of personalised playlists, AI DJs, and hyper-specific recommendations.

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What official UK industry recognition means for the future of Audio and Podcasting

Laura Fisher

13 May 2026

Product Strategy

Audio

Podcasting

On 11 May, the UK government announced that podcasting and audio will be assigned dedicated codes under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2026 framework, the system used to categorise businesses by economic activity.

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AI is booming for social platforms – but so is regulation

Hanna Kahlert

12 Feb 2026

Social media

Social

Games

As 2025’s Q4 numbers hit the headlines, social platforms seem to be thriving. Google recently announced YouTube’s revenues, totalling $60 billion (per the BBC ) – surpassing Netflix’s $45 billion (a bigger difference than it seems, as YouTube doesn’t have to take bets commissioning multi-m...

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TikTok US is here: can Oracle run a social platform?

Hanna Kahlert

27 Jan 2026

Product Strategy

TikTok

Social media

The uncertain future of US TikTok has been pending for so long that updates have started to feel like ‘crying wolf’. But now, at last, a deal has been reached. Changes to the platform should be minor (although technical issues reported by CMU have raised alarm bells), but there could be a bigger...

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The audio drama renaissance: The curious case of Sherlock & Co.

Laura Fisher

14 Nov 2025

Product Strategy

Podcasts

Entertainment

The audio drama, a format once consigned to history, is enjoying a remarkable revival. At its epicentre is a compelling case study in modern audience engagement: Goalhanger’s Sherlock & Co . a narrative podcast now approaching one million monthly downloads.

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The music industry remains divided on generative AI. Where will that leave us?

Olivia Jones

27 Oct 2025

Product Strategy

Music

Music creators

The past year has seen music industry discourse around generative AI shift from disruption to strategy. Yet the strategies being employed vary widely, and there is no one “industry perspective” on how to approach it.

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The State of the Video Creator Economy
The road to one billion creators

Ben Woods and Mark Qi

October 2025

Creators

Content

advertising

The video creator economy is entering a new stage of its development. Time spent creating content has plateaued, and key drivers behind the pandemic’s content creation boom are weakening. Growth now depends on AI tools to bring more first-time creators into the funnel and alleviate pain points blocking video creator progression.

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The winning formula for Grand Theft Auto VI: Games pricing strategy

Brandon Sutton

9 Oct 2025

Product Strategy

Fandom

Gaming

A highly anticipated piece of media, Grand Theft Auto VI has garnered widespread attention . However, many details of the game remain a mystery – including the price of the base game. Previous speculation has suggested the game could be priced at $100.

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Video game music’s untapped potential: More than background sound

Brandon Sutton

25 Sep 2025

Music

Gaming

Games

From chiptune melodies to full orchestral pieces, video games have featured memorable music that enriches and elevates gameplay for decades. Much like film scores, these tracks have long been an essential part of the gaming experience.

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20:25 vision: Meta Connect looks to the post-smartphone future

Hanna Kahlert

23 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Social

Meta

Meta Connect 2025 (September 17-18) went all out on glasses and AI, outlining an idealistic future –although brought down to earth throughout by bugs and “WIFI troubles” (per TechCrunch ). To align with the public announcements of upgrades, pricing, and new features, Meta has also been pushing...

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The ‘proof of work’ premium in the age of AI

Ben Woods

18 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Video

Creators

AI is presenting an existential threat to the video creator hardware market . Key to the disruption is the ability of AI video generators to enable creators to bypass cameras within the video creation workflow.

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AI AI, Cap’n: Shifting headwinds to the promised land of tech innovation

Hanna Kahlert

11 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Content

Social

In any industry, the simple bits tend to be the most stable. For every ice cream, there’s the company that makes the sticks; for every book publisher, there’s the company selling the paper. By the same logic, in the midst of the AI boom, Nvidia – which manufactures chips that make the technolo...

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Karra, bifurcation, and YouTube’s gain

Mark Mulligan

8 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Streaming

Music

A couple of weeks ago, electronic music artist Karra posted a video on YouTube about why she took her album down from streaming (one that she spent $100,000 making). She is now going to focus her efforts on YouTube (“an incredible platform for [her] artistry”), as well as selling content to musi...

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From niche to mainstream: How video games adaptations are taking over movies and television

Brandon Sutton

3 Sep 2025

Product Strategy

Entertainment

Games

Today’s most successful movies and television shows are video game adaptations. For those who remember the media landscape of the 1980s and 1990s, this represents a marked shift in the entertainment industry.

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The case for flexibility: What the Switch 2’s success signals for other handhelds

Brandon Sutton

20 Aug 2025

Product Strategy

PlayStation

Gaming

When Nintendo announced the Switch 2 would release this year, it had big shoes to fill. Its predecessor has become one of the best-selling consoles in history; surpassed only by the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS in total sales.

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Some artists are leaving Spotify (again). Here’s what’s different now

Tatiana Cirisano

7 Aug 2025

Product Strategy

Spotify

Streaming

Over the past few weeks, a growing list of indie bands have decided to leave Spotify, the most prominent being Deerhoof and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (a partial list has been compiled by Fader ).

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What is the value of a stream in 2025?

Olivia Jones

31 Jul 2025

Product Strategy

Streaming

Streaming Music

More parties than ever are becoming frustrated with streaming. For evenmany successful artists, streaming is a minority income stream, as fandom-related endeavours like live performances, merchandise, and brand deals prove to be more lucrative.

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