The Struggle for Brand Identity Across Multiplatform Streaming Apps

A new study from Hub Entertainment Research reveals that viewers are still chasing shows rather than specific streaming brands, which poses challenges for programming providers looking to create a consistent brand identity across various platforms. James Lauzun of MagellanTV and Tom Hurlbutt of Crunchyroll also weighed in on this issue during a recent Streaming Media Connect 2024 session.

Evan Shapiro Unveils the Q4 Truths for Sony, Nintendo, Disney, Meta, and More

Read Part Three of our recap of Evan Shapiro's Q4 keynote earnings analysis from Streaming Media Connect 2024, where he unveils the Q4 truths for big M&E industry players like Sony, Nintendo, Disney, Meta, and More.

Evan Shapiro Reveals the Q4 Realities for Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and More

With 4Q earnings calls putting a bow on 2023, M&E industry cartographer Evan Shapiro pulls no punches in this real-time response, digging deep into the data to hold the spin doctors accountable, giving Streaming Media Connect attendees an unvarnished view of the industry that they won't get anywhere else. Read Part Two of our recap of Shapiro's Q4 keynote earnings analysis from Streaming Media Connect 2024.

Locality Announces Strategic Local Video Advertising Partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery

Locality, the industry's preeminent local video solutions provider, today announced a strategic local video advertising partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. Locality will have access to Warner Bros. Discovery's comprehensive portfolio of brands and platforms through 2024, including TNT Sports, CNN and a rich selection of award-winning series and movies on Max and discovery+.

Evan Shapiro Pulls Back the Curtain on the M&E Q4 Earnings Reports

Major media and entertainment companies' quarterly earnings calls ought to pull back the curtain on what's really happening in the industry, but they routinely bury unflattering numbers in expert spin, and the press on hand rarely asks questions tough enough to draw out the real story. With 4Q earnings calls putting a bow on 2023, M&E industry cartographer Evan Shapiro pulls no punches in this real-time response, digging deep into the data to hold the spin doctors accountable, giving Streaming Media Connect attendees an unvarnished view of the industry that they won't get anywhere else.

Instant Replay: Streaming Media Connect 2024

Streaming Media presented its 13th Connect virtual conference February 19 - 22, 2024, with media industry cartographer Evan Shapiro as host and MC. Shapiro kicked off the event with a dynamic keynote, digging deep into the Q4 earnings call data to hold the spin doctors accountable and giving an unvarnished view of the industry. Other highlights included a keynote by Dana McGraw of Disney, titled Disney Advertising, Understanding Audiences: How Disney Advertising Leverages Data Science and Insights to Empower Advertisers, plus several panels covering topics such as app streaming UX design, scaling CTV advertising, measuring FAST success, and AI.

Ad Tiering Pays Off as 36% of Subscribers Level Up to Avoid Ads

Landmark study of 5,000 American subscribers shows the impact of ads, bundling, and password-sharing crackdowns on the US subscription economy

Fubo Sues The Walt Disney Company, Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery, and Affiliates for Antitrust Practices

Fubo filed an antitrust lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company, FOX Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and their affiliates today, alleging that the vertically-integrated media companies have engaged in a years-long campaign to block Fubo's innovative sports-first streaming business resulting in significant harm to both Fubo and consumers. The complaint alleges that the forthcoming launch of a sports-streaming joint venture steals Fubo's playbook and is the latest example of this campaign.

New Report Shows Only 13% of Consumers are Opposed to Ad Tiers in Streaming

A new report from CX platform DISQO examines in detail how consumers are currently feeling about ad-supported streaming tiers. Their findings offer an insightful backdrop for the unexpected growth of Netflix subscriptions in tandem with Amazon Prime's limited advertising launch. David Grabert, DISQO's VP of Brand and Communications, answers questions by Streaming Media's Tyler Nesler about the specifics of the report and what it says about today's competitive CTV advertising market.

How to Optimize Family Co-Viewing, Create Dynamic Partnerships, & Know When to go IO or Programmatic

What are some of the best approaches for advertising strategies that incorporate both direct and programmatic partnerships, and how can advertisers looking to expand their reach best optimize the rising trend of co-viewing experiences? Jennifer D'Alessandro, Head of Ad Sales and Marketing at Future Today, a leading CTV monetization solutions provider, provided some key insights into these current trends in the streaming marketplace.

Entertainment Industry Enters Age of Austerity

More than 260,000 global technology-sector employees were laid off in 2023 from 1186 companies, some 100,000 more than in 2022. The most recent is Amazon, which has announced job cuts in Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions together with 500 staff, a third of the total, from gaming platform Twitch. 

Fubo Launches Fubo Radio, a FAST Channel Radio Experience Powered by Super Hi-Fi

Fubo has partnered with Super Hi-fi to launch Fubo Radio, a suite of 10 custom audio FAST channels. Launched as part of Fubo's base channel plan, Fubo Pro, Fubo Radio is the first radio experience created from the ground up for an OTT service, with a TV-first interface and music programming specifically created for Fubo's U.S. audience. But will this new service stand out from other streaming radio platforms and build its own unique audience? FAST industry experts Chris Pfaff and Jonathon Barbato provide some insights.

State of Streaming Autumn 2023 Survey Report Launches

Newest version of twice-annual report expands on "pain points" and growth patterns, available for download now.

Evan Shapiro Holds the Spin Doctors Accountable in the M&E Third Quarter Earnings Reports

Evan Shapiro pulled no punches in his opening keynote for Streaming Media Connect 2023, digging deep into the Q3 earnings call data to hold the spin doctors accountable and providing an unvarnished view of the industry you won't see anywhere else. Read Part Two of our highlights from his presentation.

Evan Shapiro Separates Fact From Fiction in the M&E Third Quarter Earnings Reports

Major media and entertainment companies' quarterly earnings calls ought to pull back the curtain on what's really happening in the industry, but they routinely bury unflattering numbers in expert spin, and the press on hand rarely ask questions tough enough to draw out the real story. M&E industry cartographer Evan Shapiro pulled no punches in his keynote for Streaming Media Connect 2023, digging deep into the Q3 earnings call data to hold the spin doctors accountable and providing an unvarnished view of the industry you won't see anywhere else.

Next is NOW - Part Two of Evan Shapiro's NAB NY Keynote Address

Read Part Two of our breakdown of media cartographer Evan Shapiro's in-depth NAB NY analysis of the existential threats that the M&E industry is facing. Evan used his unique way of viewing the data flowing through the media and entertainment industry's ecosystem to present a distinctive understanding of what's occurring and where things are headed.

From NAB NY - The Business of FAST: Monetization, Market Saturation and Viewer Engagement

FAST services have many options for monetization and viewer engagement strategies, such as audience targeting through curated channels and managing third-party platforms. In a recent panel discussion from NAB NY 2023, executives from AMC, Cox, Vevo, and Moloco weighed in on the current state of FAST and how their organizations are working to improve viewer engagement and monetization.

Dispatches from Demuxed 2023, Part 2: Low-Latency Ad Insertion

Demuxed 2023 (Oct. 24-25, San Francisco), is the premier peer-organized and peer-approved video developer conference. This two-day conference covered a lot of topics. Here's my summary of a presentation on dynamic, low-latency ad insertion.

Dispatches from Demuxed 2023, Part 1: Updating Ad Delivery

Demuxed 2023, which took place Oct. 24-25 in San Francisco, is the premier peer-organized and peer-approved video developer conference. There's supposed to be no marketing at the event. Although the first person I ran into was a sales rep, much of the time I spent there was listening or talking with technical contacts. The most interesting presentation for me was from Pluto.

Evan Shapiro Says “What’s Next” for the M&E Industry Is Already Here at NAB New York 2023

In his keynote address at NAB New York, media cartographer Evan Shapiro emphasized the existential threat that the M&E industry is facing. Audience consumption behaviors and business models are being disrupted. Evan used his unique way of viewing the data flowing through the media and entertainment industry's ecosystem to present a distinctive understanding of what's occurring and where things are headed.