Alistair Diop-Alpe’s Post

The closure of Newshub is a devastating event for the media industry in NZ, and it brings into question the precarious nature of local news in an advertising-driven market. Before I continue this post - I want to emphasise that my thoughts and sympathy goes out to all the impacted staff. It's ironic that while there has always been concern over foreign-owned media and big tech dominance in the digital space here, the acquisition of Three by Warner Brothers Discovery in 2020 passed without much scrutiny or pushback from the public or the overseas investment office during that time. That transaction was perhaps a clear indicator of the challenges ahead. We must confront the reality that the future of local news may not hinge on advertising dollars. Instead, we should be looking towards more resilient models of funding, such as those supported by the government or driven by premium subscriptions. Additionally, the near TV advertising monopoly held by TVNZ should be called for a re-evaluation. It's a market that seems even more restrictive than our current supermarket duopoly. We needed to have considered a structural shift towards a public broadcasting model, similar to the ABC in Australia or the BBC, far sooner. If we had de-commercialised TVNZ, perhaps that could have created a fairer market for competition of TV advertising dollars, ensuring the viability of alternative commercial networks. Such a move would have diversified the local media landscape, allowing for a more competitive and sustainable environment. It’s high time we prioritised the long-term health of our media landscape over short-term gains. #MediaSustainability #NewZealandNews #ForeignOwnership #PublicBroadcasting #TVNZ

THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDIA COMPANIES LOOK TO WOO ADVERTISERS AS SPENDING SHIFTS TO DIGITAL IN 3 MINUTES As Hollywood's writers and actors return, the Upfronts are set to regain their star-studded appeal, signalling a rebound amid industry disruptions. Traditional TV advertising is seeing modest growth, while digital ad spending soars, highlighting the shift towards streaming platforms. Major players like Netflix and Amazon leverage ad-supported tiers to boost revenue, reflecting the evolving media consumption landscape. #mediaevolution #streaminggrowth #adindustrytrends https://buff.ly/4bGZPCt

📑 Bookmark your Feed Magazine, RTL AdAlliance's @Stephen Byrne - VP of Partnership Development - has been interviewed on FAST's impact on our industry. You can find the interview on page 109 of the spring edition: https://lnkd.in/eHdtePUe Curious about a little extract of the interview? "From an advertising perspective, it is beneficial to include FAST into your media-mix given its potential for exclusive audience reach. Many of the users of FAST are shunning Pay TV services and therefore are harder to reach via traditional offline media. By bundling together FAST offers with TV you can create incredibly scalable advertising products like our new Big Screen Collections." - Stephen Byrne, VP Partnership Development at RTL AdAlliance. #FAST #TV #interview #media #advertising

An insightful report from our friends at 3 Vision.... As we come to the end of Q2, FAST continues to dominate conversations as one of the most prominent growth sectors across the TV industry. While the US is undoubtedly the largest market, there are also smaller markets that boast a considerable number of unique channels.   As new players continue to enter and many markets remain in the initial growth phase, many are now entering a period of optimization characterized by slower growth, as platforms refine their offerings with the influx of better-quality content. 

One industry shapes global public opinion, entertains us and educates every person on Earth with an internet connection. The Media & Entertainment industry. Opportunity in this industry for creatives and investors alike are boundless. Are you in the Know? Read the Media C-Suite. #media #entertainment #innovation #investing #networking #management https://lnkd.in/dqEJgpXV

Jeremy Olivier and I wanted to share our thoughts about the big strategic trends in broadcasting for 2024. Have we got them right? Are there others that should have made the list?    1) We believe that we are seeing the beginning of real structural decline in linear TV advertising markets. Unfortunately, this is also combined with some cyclical weakness. Natural responses are to diversify revenue and seek cost savings. Some of which will come from: 2) The opportunities and threats offered by AI: new options in concept and script development, presenting, scheduling and navigation. It will also lead to new competition. 3) Commissioning budgets will continue to be weakened by the condition of the linear advertising market, real reductions in the BBC Licence Fee and over-capacity in the streaming market. 4) The political debate is lively, diverse, polarised and heated. In some ways this is a good thing but it offers a challenge to broadcasters and policy-makers. Does the current approach to impartiality constrain news broadcasters and their ability to reflect different aspects of the debate or is it central to our trust in them?   5) The big secular trend is the relationship between the different generations and the broadcasters. The young are much less engaged and interact with media in a different way. This is not an easy problem to solve; indeed it cannot be fully solved. All of the above factors play into it. But broadcasters are always deciding how much to optimise for the young or maximise return from the older core audience. These decisions are central to the profitability and sustainability of the commercial broadcasters and public support for the BBC Licence Fee    

LTN’s Rick Young shares insight into the global expansion of the FAST ecosystem and how media companies can develop the right strategies to thrive in the marketplace. Read more in NewscastStudio: https://lnkd.in/eEN9anuw #LTN #fastchannels #addressableadvertising

Regardless of whether the soft TV ad market is cyclical or structural, dentsu Media CEO Danny Bass, GroupM CEO Aimee Buchanan and ex-Huge and Initiative global boss Mat Baxter suggest a return to major growth is highly unlikely for Australia's broadcasters. They see consolidation ahead as global streamers gear up for a bigger take and marketers focus on plugging-in data to the big stack providers. Bass thinks free-to-air TV can survive long-term but must overhaul both expectations and business model. Baxter reckons collaboration between broadcasters is their only hope of countering big tech. GroupM Australia & New Zealand

Write-offs in the tens of billions of dollars make for very bad headlines. At the same time, we know audience consumption habits are changing and, with those changes, the sector's economics are changing. A good perspective-piece that shouldn't be a surprise. But WBD CFO Gunnar Weidenfels brought up a not so doom-and-gloom point: “There is a very significant other side of the coin here. This is really a distribution ecosystem in transition, not a content ecosystem in transition. And we’re using our content increasingly and increasingly more successfully in the streaming space and less so on the linear side." I mean, sure, what is supposed to say? But as these assets get sold off (and presumably rolled up), the traditional studios SHOULD keep much of their IP (depending on the deal) and its that IP that will enable them to drive growth. Obviously, we shall see but a more nuanced perspective about how these players in transition (some might say crisis) may look to emerge. #SurviveTil25

It's #Upfronts week for #media companies, which means lots of star-studded presentations, previews of upcoming TV and film slates, and hopes of locking in advertisers for the next year. -Last year the Upfronts were shrouded by the Hollywood writers' strike, a soft #advertising market and major cost cutting. This year the tumult is still there, but it's different. -The ad market is rebounding -- for digital and streaming. While traditional TV ad spending improved this past quarter, it's still down as the pay-TV bundle bleeds customers. Meanwhile tech companies like Google and Snap, as well as legacy media's streamers, saw a boost in ad spending. -The industry is also in a big moment of disruption. WBD and Disney are teaming up for two different streaming bundles, likely to further upend the pay-TV package. The storied legacy media company Paramount is up for sale. Sports still holds the bundle together but regional sports networks are faltering and NBA rights beginning in the 2025-2026 season are up for grabs and may go to a broadcaster. Read more on CNBC w/ Alex Sherman: