The Emmys Revealed The Gap Between TV’s Two Competing Universes
The Emmys revealed how far apart the worlds of broadcast and streaming have become, a rift that will only widen as streaming becomes dominant. Read More
Marvel’s 22-Month Movie Gap Will Put New TV Endeavors to the Test
Black Widow’s latest delay puts an even greater emphasis on Disney+’s Marvel shows to carry the flag for its highly profitable movie franchise. Read More
Apple Mostly Mum On TV+ Amid Record Q1 But Good News Comes From Others
Apple executives said little about TV+ amid record overall results, but outside analysts suggest its streaming service is getting some traction from viewers. Read More
The Hits Keep Comin’: New Scripted Series Have Doubled In A Decade
Peak TV keeps hitting new peaks, up 7 percent in 2019 to a record 532 scripted shows. And don’t expect it to stop anytime soon, executives say. Read More
Analysts Love Disney+ Fast Start, But Warn Churn Can Still Burn
Disney stock jumped after two analysts estimated Disney+ subscriber numbers were outperforming projections. But churn remains a concern as Disney rolls out new shows. Read More
Netflix’s The Witcher Casts Spell With Audiences In First Week
Netflix’s fantasy drama The Witcher is beating even Baby Yoda as a breakout hit in its first week of release, surpassing Disney+ pacesetter The Mandalorian in terms of audience interest Read More
SEC Football Rights Deal Shows Limits Of Disney-Fox, ViacomCBS Mergers
Disney bet big to grab rights to SEC football games from CBS. It’s a sign of value of live sports rights, but also of the results of two giant Hollywood mergers. Read More
Fox’s Quick Super Bowl Sell-Out Shows LIV Is Live For Advertisers
That didn’t take long. Fox, which is broadcasting Super Bowl LIV, said all ad slots for the game have been sold, at a far faster rate than last year’s last-minute Read More
Beachfront, XITE Address An IP Headache To Free Up Comcast Ad Inventory
XITE wanted to take advantage of Comcast X1’s addressable ad capabilities. But the ad industry wasn’t ready. Beachfront came up with a fix. Read More
Publishers, Creators Missing Out On $13.4B In Ad Revenues Because Crummy Metrics
Digital publishers and online creators could be making nearly 2.5 times more from video advertising than they are, a new study says. Poor metrics that advertisers don’t trust are a big part of the problem. Read More
How Long Before Every Broadcaster Dumps Ratings For Impressions?
Nexstar said it no longer will sell ads based on ratings, shifting to a “cost-per-impression” model that captures viewing on other platforms. So what’s everyone else in broadcasting waiting for? Read More
Netflix Beefs Up Warchest With $2 Billion In New Debt
Netflix took out another big loan, $2 billion in unsecured debt, just days before competing Apple and Disney services launch. Great programming “can be expensive” CEO Reed Hastings said. Read More
Can RSNs Dodge A DTC Knockout In Shifting Cable Landscape?
Regional sports networks in California are less likely to be seen as must-haves by many potential subscribers, a study suggests. To survive in the direct-to-consumer future, such channels will need to prove their value as a bundle partner for significant audiences. Read More
Nine Ways Niche VOD Services Can Attract Subscribers Amid The Streaming Wars
Getting subscribers in the door is an existential issue for niche services amid brutal competition. At the Future of TV conference, marketing and business-development executives offered nine tactics crucial to survival amid that competition. Read More
The REVisionists: Viacom SVP Christian Kurz And The Changing Face Of Power
From Greta Thunberg at the UN to major corporations taking a stand on political issues, traditional lines of power are changing. Viacom executive Christian Kurz talks about his companies new study on power’s changing face, and what it means for brands. Read More
The REVisionists: COO Mike Keyserling on Philo’s Skinnier Bundle
Philo offers a different kind of skinny bundle, for a bargain price. But COO Mike Keyserling says the company is thriving, feeding superfans of traditional TV with all the channels they like to binge on. Read More
Apple’s TV+ Giveaway Will Be Huge, Skew What Counts As SVOD Success
Apple is giving away a year of free TV+ service for anyone who buys its hardware. That could bring 100 million or more users onto the service, even with conservative math. How do we value those customers versus all the competition? Read More
Apple’s TV+, Arcade Bargains Build Price Pressures For Everyone Else
Apple is offering its SVOD and game-streaming services at bargain prices that will pinch the business models of competitors. And any losses Apple absorbs won’t affect its bottom line like some of those others. Read More
The 360 Deal Comes To Video, And It’s About Time
Want to make money in the increasingly complicated and contested online-video business? Join the club. But increasingly, the way for a video service to survive and thrive involves doing more Read More
These Guys Had A Better Weekend Than Rory McElroy
As investors and brands jump into esports, prize winnings are jumping up. OG, which won Dota 2’s world championship, took home $15.6 million, more than even golfer Rory McElroy’s very big weekend. Read More
Carriers Are Choking Video Speeds, But We Don’t Even Use The Pipe We Pay For
New studies suggest that wireless carriers routinely throttle our video services, but we’re not using all our bandwidth anyway. All the new video services, and the companies talking us into buying faster connections, need to figure out a better pitch if they want our money. Read More