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August 28, 2017Voicing concerns: virtual assistants and the media
ReportsVoice, and the smart virtual assistants that power voice interfaces, will be a key transformative force over the next five years. Any business providing content or services via digital means is potentially affected, as these virtual assistants promise a single front end for all digital services, representing an extraordinary concentration of control over discovery, delivery and data. Media businesses will clearly be affected. But there is an opportunity for them right now to influence the assistant providers to their advantage, a window that will not stay open forever -
August 25, 2017The 5G Evolution, Part 2 – Standards, Deployment and Challenges
ReportsThe 5G era will soon be upon us, with key stakeholders in developed countries progressing well towards commercial deployment in the early 2020s. Key challenges such as spectrum management and privacy and security will need to be addressed to ensure 5G successful implementation. -
August 23, 2017ACMA review of the NBN and RSPs – it takes three to tango!
ReportsAs the number of consumers migrating to the NBN has increased, there has been a significant increase in consumer complaints. The Government has ordered the Australian Communications and Media Authority to investigate the issues and how those issues can be avoided or resolved. -
August 4, 2017
Facebook video: escaping the News Feed
ReportsFacebook video consumption - and video ad revenue - is still concentrated on the mobile News Feed, limiting engagement growth and appeal to brand advertisers in the interim period before VR and AR go mainstream. Features like a dedicated video hub and ad breaks have seen limited deployment, likely as a result of lukewarm user reception, but Instagram Stories holds promise. To attract long-form viewing Facebook is cautiously investing in original TV content and sports rights, but is late to the game over audiences on connected TVs -
July 24, 2017
SME marketing: a local and global battleground
ReportsAccelerating print advertising declines in 2016 are placing pressure on local newspaper publishers to deliver faster online growth. However, digital growth is being supported yet compressed by Google and Facebook; we estimate SME expenditure on Google is roughly 2x the local press, and we expect SME spend with Facebook to match local newspaper advertising revenues in two to three years. Publishers need to grow consumer registrations and subscriptions, digital display and also digital marketing services, in partnerships with the tech giants – but first they have to convince consumers they have relevant use-cases that global platforms cannot replicate -
July 20, 2017Facebook’s charm offensive is over – at least as we k [...]
ReportsThe big blue giant is losing its allure with Australians, media companies and news publishers alike. What scenarios will we see play out as Facebook seeks to draw users back in to secure its advertising revenue?. The fight over content rights: are we beginning to see news agencies take the power back? -
July 12, 2017Cometh the hour for the commercial PSBs
ReportsThe first half of 2017 has seen the announced departure of three CEOs from the commercial PSBs within the space of less than two months: David Abraham of Channel 4 (14th March), Rob Woodward of STV (25th April) and lastly Adam Crozier of ITV (3rd May). Responding to the challenges of digital switchover and the advertising recession of 2008/09, as well as their own specific company issues, one of the first tasks for all three CEOs has been to raise staff morale. The last seven to ten years may have been taxing at times. The next seven to ten promise to be no easier, and may yet be harder, as the successor CEOs chart their way through the continuing transformation of the UK digital landscape
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July 10, 2017Tinder and online dating: who’s paying?
ReportsTinder is one of the most high-profile mobile apps on the market and has transformed the adoption of online dating.Tinder’s success is due in large part to its understanding of user experience, which is key to getting, keeping and upselling users through network effects.But the financial value of this success is limited by the industry: even a mobile revolution has not created a high- revenue mass market where none existed before
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June 29, 2017The map is now the territory
ReportsWe are in the midst of a rapid change in how maps are made and used, from a world of cartographers making records of physical features to sell to consumers and businesses, to one where information about the world is automatically tracked and measured, and built into every service we use. A whole host of industries traditionally unconcerned with geography are being and will be transformed by maps and location, from retail and advertising to finance and insurance. Every business needs to know what maps can offer them. A variety of maps suppliers are jostling for position in serving this growing need: local or international, free or commercial, seeing mapping as a core or side-business. Different suppliers suit different requirements.
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June 27, 2017UK broadband, telephony and pay TV trends Q1 2017: Profit warning [...]
ReportsUK residential communications market revenue growth dipped modestly to 2.7% in Q1, from 3.3% in the previous quarter. This was mainly driven by ARPU weakness arising due to the timings of Sky and Virgin Media’s price rises, but weakness also stemmed from the sustained decline in broadband volume growth and continued new customer price competition.Looking forward, the implementation of an overlapping price increase from BT, as well as Sky’s price increases coming into full effect, should boost market revenues by around 1ppt in Q2 2017, but this will drop away again by Q3. The churn fallout from the communication of these price increases should also dissipate in Q2, benefiting BT and Sky competitively, and making it challenging for TalkTalk to repeat the feat of recovering to positive retail broadband net adds
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June 23, 2017How to sell games: borrowing ideas from Netflix and Apple
ReportsA Netflix-like subscription model for console based video gaming is a big step closer with Microsoft launching a clear and easy Xbox subscription game solution, and it may even work. Sony’s strategy for premium online services across all its businesses remains muddled and complicated, but could be fixed quickly: dropping game streaming is the first step, providing a lower cost subscription service is the second. Google’s admission that more curation in its games app store will be needed finally indicates a better understanding of the games industry, in parallel with the company’s efforts to win over other creative industries
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June 10, 2017BT Q4 2016/17 results: Mobile strength, pressure elsewhere
ReportsBT had a reasonable quarter in its consumer broadband business given market pressures, and a very strong one at EE with continued growth acceleration. It had a good quarter for fibre adoption as well, helping its wholesale divisions stabilise their revenue, but business/IT was weak as expected.Regulatory pressure remains intense despite the (welcome) Openreach agreement, with price cap regulation proposed or due on a range of products, and a regulatory approach which is far from investment-orientated. Pressures in the business/IT market are likely to continue, and pressures in the consumer broadband market are likely to intensify, justifying BT’s current cautious approach to guidance and dividends.
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June 9, 2017UK General Election online: news and advertising
ReportsIn contrast to print coverage, most shared news and opinion content on social media was decidedly pro-Labour this election season, with fake news relatively non-existent compared to the US election in November. Facebook’s role in news distribution has steadily grown and now rivals Google’s, but only a half of the UK’s electorate are active users – for the platform to become decisive in political news would require much stronger turnout among young voters. Facebook was the chief digital ad platform for both main parties, with Conservatives targeting Labour seats, Labour defending them and both adopting a negative tone.
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June 8, 2017Nintendo Switching to a new console era
ReportsThe successful launch of the Nintendo Switch creates a new console model, and demonstrates the staying power and long term value of great franchises. Microsoft reveals the specification for Scorpio, but it won’t be enough to catch up to Sony. New franchises, and probably new leadership, will be the key to stopping Xbox sliding into irrelevance outside North America. Sony’s PlayStation 4 now exceeds 60m units worldwide, allowing Sony more freedom to publish a wide range of challenging creative console games, while VR games continue to gain momentum.
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May 19, 2017Mounting risks to marketing effectiveness
ReportsA partial — if seductively persuasive and impressive — data framework for online advertising combined with short-term incentives have encouraged a dramatic shift in the ratio of brand to activation advertising from 60:40 to 50:50, depressing the pricing of display media. Mounting evidence suggests a focus on quick returns and cheap media at all costs is hurting marketing effectiveness, measured in long-term Return-on-Investment, brand equity and consumer satisfaction. Guarding against this risk requires brand-focused advertisers to create more space for long-term judgement for CMOs, and to refocus agency remuneration towards planning and creative work.
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March 29, 2017SXSW Conference: Deep Machine Learning takes centre stage
ReportsDeep Machine Learning was awarded the Breakout Trend at the 2017 SXSW Conference. We take a deeper look into what this could mean for the future of digital, whilst exploring the other technology on offer at the event. -
March 24, 2017The Future of Wi-Fi – Applications and Revenue Opportunities
ReportsTwo decades after its introduction, Wi-Fi continues to improve and innovate the way we wirelessly connect devices and access the Internet. These improvements will lead to new and emerging markets and applications for Wi-Fi, which in turn will provide new revenue opportunities for carriers and operators. -
March 20, 2017The World of Wearables – Disruption is Underway
ReportsAustralians are willing to adopt wearable technology though high price points and perceived value are limiting purchases. To date, uptake of wearables has been predominantly by early adopters and spurred by niche uses in the health and fitness industry. Industries are yet to capitalise on the full potential of wearables. Some industries have begun to adopt basic functions, such as the finance industry, using it to personalise products and increase payment efficiency. The next growth phase of wearables will be fuelled by artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and virtual and augmented reality. Significant disruption is expected as use-cases are identified across new and major industries.
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March 7, 2017
Mobile World Congress: a look at tech & media
ReportsSmartphone hardware did not take centre stage at the year’s premier mobile industry event in Barcelona, with license-built Nokias generating as much excitement as flagship smartphones from HTC, Sony and Samsung. In VR, AR and IoT, the most impressive signs of progress were under the hood rather than in flashy device announcements – as the actual use cases become more specific, so does hardware and software. Concrete business applications around the personal data generated by connected mobile devices was a major theme, with new types of automation and personalisation in services and media – and a growing market for security.
Sector AI, Augmented Reality, Internet, Media, Mobile, Mobile and Wireless Technology, Technology, TV. -
February 28, 2017Fashion’s new look: digital sets new trends
ReportsFashion underpins the growth of ecommerce; online took a 14% share of all fashion retail in the UK last year and is set to rise further, challenging the economics of physical retail. Mobile is a key driver, it is changing research and shopping habits, and in turn affecting supplier product cycles, merchandising and marketing strategies. Social media has disrupted the traditional shopping funnel, changing how trends and styles proliferate and shifting the sites of authority and influence in a £66 billion sector. -
February 6, 2017
Enterprise cloud on the horizon
ReportsEnterprise cloud computing democratises access to IT capacity ranging from specialised software to platforms to infrastructure, transforming cost structures in sectors like media and retail. Cloud enables unprecedented scalability of bandwidth for digital media services like Pokémon Go and Netflix, while also hosting the back-end for advertisers and retailers. As the industry consolidates quickly, intense competition among Amazon, Microsoft and Google is delivering value to customers and boosting adoption.
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January 27, 2017
Netflix at 10: still growing, still spending
ReportsNetflix celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its streaming service by posting its largest quarterly rate of subscriber growth, adding just over 7m new subscribers in Q4 2016, smashing its own forecast for the period of 5.2m.
5.12m of the new subscribers were for its international services, attributed to acceptance of its growing suite of English language original programs. But growth is just as likely related to the bolstering of overseas offerings with acquired programming, after launching worldwide with relatively small libraries.
While re-establishing confidence after a period of doubt when missing targets in Q2, challenges await; most notably concerns around net neutrality, diversifying content genres, and the open question as to how effectively original programming will be able to carry the service.
Sector Digital Media, Digital Video, Internet, Media, online video, OTT Video, TV, Video Entertainment. -
December 13, 2016
Internet Trends – Consumer behaviours driving market trends
ReportsAs smartphone ownership nears saturation in almost all consumer groups, the base for the UK digital economy is widening: media consumption continues to move to connected devices and use of consumer services on mobile grows. Ecommerce is now responsible for 75% of retail growth, steady even during periods of decline for the overall market. Google and Facebook take up almost 90% of gross online advertising growth this year, and the ecommerce and mobile service markets show early signs of platform concentration. -
December 6, 2016
European digital news models
ReportsPay access now predominates in print-rooted national digital news across Europe, with meters the most popular model. Reliance on digital advertising is retreating. Best of class Continental publishers have roughly stabilised revenue, and the risk of print ad decline acceleration looms – as in the UK. Digital is still typically below 20% of revenue as online advertising CPMs decrease and newsstand buyers are reluctant to migrate to digital subscriptions – on current trends digital revenues will be insufficient to sustain a full-scale newsroom. Emerging innovations include aggregation, bundling (with broadcast, music, telecoms), and youth-skewed spin offs, but execution is uneven. Profitable native digital news sites provide templates for focused coverage at a fraction of traditional newspapers’ costs.
