The Media Behaviorist

Curiously, there’s no mention of Amazon in this article 🤔 Depending on how this goes, I can see them playing a much bigger role going forward. One thing is for sure though: the RSN model is on its last legs. https://lnkd.in/ebKv5CZS

Some more super-bundling seen in the wild… CC: IPG Media Lab https://lnkd.in/emUzdjjX

This is a really cool concept—the question is will brands buy in? I’ve seen plenty of studies proving that interactive features on CTV make ads more memorable and have a positive halo effect for advertisers. But these formats are tragically under-used. I imagine it’s because they’re more expensive, but I have to think the value you’re getting is commensurate with any additional cost. https://lnkd.in/eempxjHR

Did Google write this? The YouTube mothership makes sense, but four of the top five? https://lnkd.in/eXG79JPH

With all the momentum around basketball (and women’s sports in general), I’m curious to see if there’s a halo effect on Olympic ratings in a few weeks. https://lnkd.in/eVB87Gvi

Netflix: where TV shows go to…live! With the recent news of USA’s White Collar getting a reboot on the back of all its Netflix viewing, it presents an interesting conundrum for the industry. How does one balance exclusivity with the clear benefits of licensing? I think we’re learning that the industry went too far in the exclusivity direction. After all, what made Hulu so successful in the early days is that it was a one-stop-shop for all the primetime shows one might need to catch up on. Now I think the pendulum is starting to swing back the other way. Here’s some interesting data from Parrot Analytics on the ownership breakdown of Netflix’s library.

A little-cited fact about the National Hockey League (NHL) is that its TV audience is the most affluent of the major sports, according to Nielsen data. The median income for pro hockey viewers even edges out golf. So while the audience size may not be as high as other sports, there's clearly value there, and it seems brands are catching on. https://lnkd.in/e-mxaC3b

Lots of streaming news today, and it all points to the importance of ads. The Axios chart below shows the price increases over time for ad-free subscription tiers (credit to Chris Walton for bringing this to my attention). Max’s commercial-less package is going up to $16.99, likely to make its ad tier—the most expensive in the market—more attractive. Then, we have studies from Xumo and Inscape (links below) showing two sides of the same coin: viewers with traditional MVPD subscriptions watch more FAST than cord cutters and cord nevers. And at the same time, over half of Smart TV viewers never access an MVPD or use an antenna. Looks like we’ll be retaining the parts of broadcast and cable TV that people like—namely bundling and free access to content—but with more consumer choice and control. All part and parcel of what Evan Shapīro has rightly dubbed the User-Centric Era. https://lnkd.in/eKbudbDE https://lnkd.in/e_q3txkV

Another good illustration of why 18-49 is a silly buying demo for linear TV. I know advertisers enjoy getting those 50+ viewers for free, but it’s not sustainable in the long term. Age should be taken out of the equation; if you want to go broad, go BROAD. Otherwise use strategic targets. https://lnkd.in/gXgyQvgw

Interesting. With tech giants taking the sports rights arms race to new heights, it seems linear channels have settled on a new strategy to combat it: sharing. https://lnkd.in/eXj9JkCZ