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April 21, 2021Super League, super backlash: Naked power bid over European compe [...]
Flash Report, ReportsOn Sunday, 12 football clubs announced they were launching a new European league with an inaugural season “as soon as practicable”. The 12 Super League clubs include six English teams (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur), and three Spanish teams (Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona) and three Italians (Inter and AC Milan plus Juventus). -
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April 19, 2021Spotify Loud & Clear: 5% of artists generate above $1,000 in [...]
Flash Report, Market Outlook, ReportsSpotify paid $5 billion in royalties last year to the music industry. Critics claim the $0.0038 per-stream average royalty rate is too low. However, this is largely due to high volumes of ad-funded listening, a core part of Spotify’s freemium model, and a defence against piracy. To silence the critics, the “Spotify Loud & Clear” site presents data on the distribution of industry royalties, which are heavily skewed to established artists. Only the top 5% of artists generate annual industry royalties above $1,000, though they take home less under their deals. -
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April 19, 2021AVOD Market Report: A market assessment of a thriving industry
Market Outlook, ReportsThe AVOD market will grow due to the strong uptake of Connected TVs (CTVs), attracting new players and increasing competition: Why will AVOD grow? The rapid adoption of CTVs has become the catalyst for AVOD consumption, prompting marketers to shift their expenditure from linear to AVOD. -
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April 16, 2021US content distribution: Studios go direct to consumer
Focus Report, ReportsDespite relying on a narrow IP base, US content production is booming, overwhelming other markets and seeking alternative distribution to cinemas. Responding to the rise of Netflix and Amazon Prime, studios seek to shift distribution from wholesale to retail—but only Disney may succeed. Most content is likely to remain accessed by consumers through bundles. Provided they engage with aggregation, European broadcasters can adjust to the new studio model. -
April 15, 2021Venture Insights NZ survey 2021: Mobile media use and telco oppor [...]
Focus Report, ReportsVenture Insights performs an annual consumer survey on mobile media and mobile gaming across New Zealand (NZ). It asks questions around video streaming that consumers use, willingness to pay services, mobile gaming, and implications for 5G and telcos. Our latest survey was conducted in March 2021 with 1,009 New Zealand respondents, and the key findings have been presented here. The survey results show that there is a significant and growing segment of consumers using mobile to watch video services, including sport. The share of respondents that never watch mobile video has fallen significantly over the last year. Further, there is a persistent opportunity for telcos to upsell 5G services to both video viewers and gamers. -
April 8, 2021
Venture Insights AU survey 2021: Consumer interest in mobile medi [...]
Focus Report, ReportsVenture Insights performs an annual consumer survey on mobile media and mobile gaming across Australia. It asks questions around video streaming services the consumers use, willingness to pay for video streaming services, mobile gaming, and implications for 5G and telcos. Our latest Australia survey was conducted in March 2021, and the key findings are presented here. The survey results show that there is a significant and stable segment of consumers using mobile to watch video services, including sport, that remans unaffected by the impact of the pandemic. Further, there is a persistent opportunity for telcos to upsell 5G services to both video viewers and gamers. -
April 6, 2021Sky and football: Italian wager on aggregation
Flash Report, ReportsThe contract includes exclusive coverage of seven weekly games (including top picks) and non-exclusive rights to the other three fixtures, for €840 million per year. In the current cycle DAZN holds three games per week for €193 million. Crucially, DAZN has displaced Sky as the lead broadcaster, displaying a dramatic shift in strategy. -
March 26, 2021Mail scoops Telegraph print advertising: Telegraph outsourcing fo [...]
Flash Report, Reports- The Telegraph’s carefully executed outsourcing of print advertising sales to Mail Metro Media fine-tunes its subscriber-first strategy
- Consolidation and collaboration are inevitable in a highly-competitive, structurally-shrinking news industry
- Reader-first models have emerged as the consistent theme for quality publishers, but the trade-offs, investment approaches and executions are highly differentiated
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March 25, 2021UK’s Creative Industries: Boosting the regional economy
Focus Report, Reports- The Creative Industries accounted for 6% of UK GVA in 2019, more than the automotive, aerospace, life sciences and oil and gas industries combined. The UK’s Creative Industries are the largest in Europe and are central to promoting the UK’s soft power globally.
- At the core of the creative economy is the AV sector, which, in turn, is driven by the UK’s PSBs. In 2019, the PSBs were responsible for 61% of primary commissions outside London and are the pillar upon which much additional regional economic activity depends.
- Going forward, only the PSBs are likely to have the willingness and scale to invest in production centres outside London with sufficient gravitational pull to reorientate the wider creative economy towards the nations and regions.
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March 22, 2021UK full fibre regulation: The mist clears…somewhat
Flash Report, ReportsOfcom’s full fibre regulation statement, released today, is largely as trailed, i.e. it allows BT’s Openreach considerable relaxation of wholesale pricing in return for building out full fibre.
On the longer-term regulatory prospects, Ofcom continues to be fair but more obtuse than it could and should be, unnecessarily dampening investor enthusiasm. Ofcom will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow Openreach to offer geographic/volume discounts, using slightly contradictory principles.
The publication and increased certainty may allow BT’s Openreach to extend its full fibre roll-out further, faster or even with external financing. The build plans of others will come under increasing question.
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March 18, 2021Programmatic will drive future OOH growth, but Google competition [...]
Focus Report, ReportsOutdoor, or out-of-home (OOH), advertising is distinct from other forms of advertising. It is highly visible, often very large, and placed in heavily trafficked areas in order to attract as many viewers as possible. Moreover, unlike television, radio, print, internet, and mail advertising, outdoor advertising cannot be turned off, put away or easily avoided.Sector Advertising, digital, Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Digital Video, Marketing, Media, OOH. -
March 17, 2021ITV FY 2020 results: Waiting for lockdown to end
Flash Report, ReportsITV’s advertising revenue was down 11% in 2020—probably a relief given the unprecedented depths the TV ad market found itself in during April-July. However, the current lockdown has stunted advertising’s recovery and its trajectory will continue to be tied to the loosening of the same restrictions that continue to dictate movement and spend. It is not until April that ITV forecasts (+60-75% YoY) that money will rush back into the TV ad ecosystem, looking to make up for lost time. -
March 16, 2021Into the wild: Facebook prepares for a world without trackers
Flash Report, Reports- Facebook emerged from 2020 reporting record revenue growth of 22% over the year, built on its huge volume of usage, its simple buying tools and its trove of first-party data
- Facebook’s ability to match third-party data for targeting and attribution is also central to its success. However, Apple and Google are restricting data-matching tools like third-party cookies and mobile IDs, and Facebook is moving to minimise the damage
- Facebook is trying to turn its sites into storefronts by launching ‘Facebook Shops’. It is also taking public stands on the use of data for advertising, and on the need for brand-building in marketing plans. These are conversations all advertisers and media owners should be engaged with
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March 11, 2021Outsourcing culture: When British shows aren’t ‘British’ [...]
Flash Report, Reports- Growth in the UK production sector is being driven by increased investment by American streaming services, while local broadcasters rely on co-productions to fund increasingly-expensive, high-end content
- However, while this investment is welcome, the output is predominantly less ‘British’ than that commissioned directly by local broadcasters
- Distinctive and diverse British cultural touchpoints are created or perpetuated by television. Current trends suggest a dilution of this, a globalisation of local content, and perhaps less relevance to British viewers
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March 11, 2021Nine, SevenWest results reflect COVID19 rebound, transition to di [...]
Focus Report, ReportsThe recent Nine and Seven results highlight the impact of COVID19 and digital transformation. Free to air (FTA) broadcasters have traditionally played a dominant role in aggregating television content from multiple content owners and creators. However, over the last decade, the growth of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) has driven significant transformation in TV viewing habits. Audiences today have unprecedented choice when it comes to content and how to watch it.Sector Broadcast TV, Digital Media, Digital Video, Media, online video, OTT Video, Pay TV, Television, TV, TVOD. -
March 10, 2021DMGT reinforces consumer science: New Scientist joins Mail stable
Flash Report, ReportsThe sale represents an impressive increase in value: New Scientist was offloaded by RELX in May 2017 for £17.7m (c.4.4x EBITDA), 1 an all-in sale price c.£21m. -
March 9, 2021Virgin Media: Subscribers strong, ARPU tough to turn
Flash Report, Reports- Virgin Media’s subscriber growth continues to be very strong, and it looks like next quarter’s price rise will (at worst) only stall, not stop, the renaissance
- ARPU was hit in Q4 by the postponed price rise, and it will likely remain in decline in 2021, with regulatory pricing pressure and lockdown effects still weighing, despite firm new customer pricing
- Nonetheless, accelerating subscriber growth is expected to drive group revenue growth positive again (helped by B2B growth), and Virgin Media’s main strategic problem—its fibre trilemma—looks like it will be dealt with after the merger with O2, expected
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March 2, 2021
(UK) Learning from “The Independent” : Sustainability [...]
Flash Report, Reports- In a challenging media marketplace, quality online news services generated hundreds of thousands of new buyers in 2020, perhaps inching ahead of print in terms of UK household propensity-to-pay
- But reader-first models are not only about subscriptions. The UK’s first national print title to go online-only, The Independent, has achieved operating profits since reconfiguring its cost base in 2016
- The Independent defies many investor assumptions about news. Solutions for smaller businesses may diverge more from industry giants than is commonly expressed, and without distribution change, editorial, product and commercial transformation is slower
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March 2, 2021
Serie A rights auction: Sky ready for radical revamp
Flash Report, ReportsSerie A held a formal auction in January where reserve prices were not met by bidders. Since then, it has entered into direct negotiations with potential buyers. Two rival deals have emerged. Reportedly, Sky is offering €750 million per year for all ten weekly games. -
February 24, 2021Sports rights market hits an inflection point: New distribution p [...]
Focus Report, ReportsThe fire smouldering beneath the traditional sports broadcasting model burst into flame in 2020. We have argued that sports rights payments in the ANZ market were not sustainable. The rising value of deals could not be reconciled with falling broadcast TV revenues. In this report, we discuss the current state of the Australian sports rights market, delve into the current struggle of traditional broadcasters, and contemplate what is next for the delivery of sports content. -
February 24, 2021Google and Facebook lay out diverging news strategies: Battlegrou [...]
Flash Report, ReportsGoogle is demonstrating support for news by stepping up its efforts to license content from publishers and provide unpaywalled access within its Google News app—an attempt to diffuse regulatory pressure.
Google is reconfiguring its relationships with publishers worldwide, putting $1 billion on the table to license news content to News Showcase through a series of flat fees over a set period of time.
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February 12, 2021Video viewing survey: household consumption across formats to rem [...]
Focus Report, ReportsVenture Insights conducted a video consumer survey in late November/early December 2020 in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology. The survey was conducted nationally for 1,003 respondents, with a representative survey sample across demographic and regional groupings. Those respondents who watch free to air TV, pay TV, catch-up TV or SVOD services qualified to participate in this survey. -
February 10, 2021Games and COVID-19: Demand boom eases production challenges
Focus Report, ReportsThe pandemic has caused an unprecedented demand boom and revenue windfall for the games industry, allowing developers to ease production bottlenecks, assist remote working, and spend more cash on games that matter. Producing quality game experiences remotely—from greenlight through to release—has driven innovation and flexibility, and much needed change for game studios. Most large game developers expect a return to in-studio development late in Q3 2021. Many workers hope a return will not also bring back toxic game production environments. -
February 9, 2021Amazon and sports rights: Gaining confidence
Flash Report, Reports- Thanks to lockdown momentum, Amazon Prime Video grew substantially in 2020. Christmas time coverage of the Premier League seems to have played a part, informing Amazon’s approach elsewhere
- Upping its game, Amazon has acquired more expensive Champions League rights in Germany and Italy. It also bid in Monday’s failed French Ligue 1 auction
- In the impending Premier League tender Amazon may be ready to increase its outlay if needed to meet subscribers’ expectations, but without any real incentive to challenge Sky and BT’s dominance
