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November 4, 2020Channel 4 2019, 2020 and beyond
Flash Report, ReportsChannel 4’s 2019 results were solid but unsurprisingly, greater interest is in how the broadcaster has fared in 2020, and what this might mean for its future -
October 29, 2020Australia Radio Market Outlook: Radio is secure for now, but comp [...]
Market Outlook, ReportsWe forecast Australian radio industry advertising revenue to grow at 4.2% CAGR over FY20-24, but it faces a gradual decline in its share of total advertising expenditure share (6.5% in FY20 vs 5.9% in FY24). -
October 26, 2020Netflix Q3 2020 results: Returning to pre-COVID levels
Flash Report, ReportsNetflix’s usage and churn are “back to what they were a year ago”, while subscriber growth was down (+2.2 million globally) Two levers contributed to Netflix’s recent explosive growth, adding 26 million subscribers in the first half of the year: the pull-forward effect of the pandemic that saw future subs coming to the service early, and the drop in churn as those intending to leave hung about as there was nothing else to do except watch TV. -
October 19, 2020Mediapro stops payments for French football: An opportunity for C [...]
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September 24, 2020Australian Advertising Market Outlook 2020: COVID-19 impact will [...]
Market Outlook, ReportsThe story of the year is obviously the impact of COVID 19 and the associated economic slowdown. The -6.8% decline in FY20 AdEx will, among other things, hasten the trend to digital advertising. -
August 31, 2020Nine, Seven results: COVID impact disguises accelerating FTA reve [...]
Focus Report, ReportsAs we have said previously, the FTA advertising revenue market faces major structural headwinds as audiences transition away from linear television. Both Seven and Nine reported declines in their core FTA advertising businesses in FY19 and FY20. The decline in linear FTA advertising revenue in 1H20, before COVID-19 hit, was 7% YoY. This was an acceleration of the decline compared to FY19, but the effect was of course swamped by the impact of COVID-19 in the second half. As expected, COVID-19 had a disruptive and negative impact, particularly in Q4. This is reflected in the FY20 revenue results, but will flow through into FY21 because the longer-term economic impacts of COVID-19 shutdowns have yet to be felt. To counter this trend and the one-off impact of COVID-19, Seven and Nine are managing the decline of the FTA market by following through with their investments in digital platforms (BVOD), improving yields on existing content, developing programmatic and addressable TV solutions, and cutting costs. SevenWest and Nine were also able to make gains in cost reduction and new revenue growth that kept them in the black. These green shoots give some hope for a digital rebound in the wake of the COVID-19 disruption. However, it will be several years before BVOD is enough to significantly offset FTA declines.Sector Media. -
August 21, 2020Virgin Media UK – Indeterminately boosted
Flash Report, ReportsVirgin Media had its strongest subscriber performance for years in Q2, with its (ex-Project Lightning) existing base footprint showing positive growth to add to the subscribers gained on its Project Lightning network extension. This was partly due to temporary factors, with both Openreach and Sky not able to do in-home installations for part of the quarter, but the company has reported some sustained momentum, with the crisis boosting demand for higher speed broadband, and has decided not to implement its usual annual price increase in H2 to avoid the usual accompanying churn and customer dissatisfaction, instead choosing to prioritise subscriber growth to compensate for the ARPU shortfall. -
August 18, 2020BT UK – COVID-19 hit, fibre promise
Flash Report, ReportsBT’s first full quarter under the shadow of COVID-19 revealed a mix of negative impacts not entirely as predicted, by ourselves or indeed BT itself. The suspension of sport certainly had an impact on BT Sport revenue, but only about half of what we had feared (less than £50 million versus around £100 million), and Openreach was also relatively unaffected, perhaps having returned to full service levels quicker than anticipated. There was a strong negative impact on B2B revenue, but this was much more focused on SMEs than large corporates, with Global’s financials largely unaffected (so far), and mobile (which BT had not specifically warned about) was hit hard across consumer and (especially) B2B, with the results of the other mobile operators suggesting that the effect was market-wide. -
August 18, 2020ITV UK H1 2020 results
Focus Report, ReportsThere may be light at the end of the tunnel. After Q2 advertising revenues dropped 43% YoY, ITV has noted that there has been an upward trajectory (July down 23%, August appearing to be even better). This would leave ITV’s advertising revenues down between 15-25% for 2020 (ITV is unwilling to give forecasts). It appears that advertisers are beginning to think further ahead than they have for months—anecdotally, while around 80% of ad revenue is normally booked prior to the month’s start, this had reversed to about 20% in Q2. -
August 14, 2020Update: Foxtel SVOD growth can’t prevent major restructure
Flash Report, Focus Report, ReportsLast year we reported on Foxtel’s battle with its OTT rivals, and its attempt to capture a share of the OTT market. In 2019, we had a number of concerns about Foxtel. With the release of the News Corp FY20 results on 11 August 2020, this report examines whether our concerns were justified. In summary, we think that the last twelve months have largely borne them out, with the exception of Kayo cannibalisation.Sector Media. -
August 12, 2020Art of the deal – Microsoft swoops for TikTok
Flash Report, ReportsMicrosoft hopes to buy TikTok from Chinese owner ByteDance before President Trump’s Executive Order halts transactions with the company in mid-September. Twitter is now in the game, but is unlikely to prevail -
August 11, 2020Sky UK Q2 2020 results – Emerging from the worst?
Flash Report, ReportsSport is back, but its recent hiatus amid the COVID-19 crisis hit Sky hard, with Q2 revenue plunging 12.9% year-on-year. EBITDA remains flat for now, with sports rights cost absorption postponed but not cancelled -
August 6, 2020The New Era of Voice Commerce: Be in It to Win It
Market Outlook, ReportsThe rise of voice technology is transforming the way we consume information and make purchases, giving customers the option to engage in a hands-free and seamless shopping experience. -
July 28, 2020HBO Max: Failing to generate retail momentum
Flash Report, ReportsIn a cautionary note on the prospects of the SVOD boom, the 27 May US launch of direct-to-consumer video service HBO Max did not save its parent company Home Box Office from a 5% year-on-year (YoY) decrease in revenues in Q2 2020. -
July 22, 2020UK Betting & gaming advertising – Inadequate solution [...]
Focus Report, ReportsThe Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) which represents 90% of the UK’s betting and gaming industry (but not the National Lottery/other lotteries) announced its withdrawal of all TV and radio advertising for casino, slots and bingo during lockdown -
July 20, 2020UK TV broadcasters – Silver linings from COVID-19
Focus Report, ReportsAdmissions and box office revenues in 2020 will be the lowest in over three decades. The pandemic forced the closure of theatres, putting pressure on cinema to a degree unlike ever before -
July 14, 2020Cinema’s post-pandemic future
Focus Report, ReportsAdmissions and box office revenues in 2020 will be the lowest in over three decades. The pandemic forced the closure of theatres, putting pressure on cinema to a degree unlike ever before -
July 13, 2020Canal+: Time to reclaim its ‘national champion’ mojo
Flash Report, ReportsThe pay-TV platform’s revenue has almost stabilised in France, while positioning has shifted to that of an aggregator—thanks to deals with Netflix, Disney+ and BeIN Sports -
July 9, 2020COVID-19 and consumer behaviour: implications for digital marketi [...]
Flash Report, ReportsVenture Insights performs periodic consumer surveys on mobile service and handset purchases across NZ. -
July 6, 2020Telecoms and pay TV – Opportunities beyond lockdown
Focus Report, ReportsThe Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior will cease to be broadcast in the UK. Carriage negotiations with the major platforms have clearly been going on for some time, with the March agreement for Sky Q to carry the new SVOD service Disney+ completed without any reference to the linear channels. -
June 30, 2020
Times Radio UK – A slow-build acquisition strategy
Focus Report, ReportsTimes Radio launches as an ad-free commercial speech radio service on DAB and online. By extending brand reach, it forms part of the marketing funnel to convert listeners into subscribers -
June 29, 2020Disney kids’ channels – Ceasing operation in the UK
Flash Report, ReportsThe Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior will cease to be broadcast in the UK. Carriage negotiations with the major platforms have clearly been going on for some time, with the March agreement for Sky Q to carry the new SVOD service Disney+ completed without any reference to the linear channels. -
June 24, 2020European football – An opportunity to reset
Focus Report, ReportsThe COVID-19 crisis is compounding the already grim revenue prospects for upcoming football rights sales in continental Europe -
June 22, 2020Online consumer reviews – Platforms reach for the stars
Focus Report, ReportsOnline reviews are a vital input for consumer decision-making. However, reviews are easy to manipulate, and widespread fraud is undermining credibility and raising the issue of consumer protection
