I’m pleased to present the 526th edition of the VideoNuze podcast, with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. We hope all our listeners are staying well.

Disney reported its Q3 ’20 results this week, swinging to a $5 billion loss as the pandemic hit multiple parts of the company. The sole bright spot was direct-to-consumer streaming where Disney now has over 100 million subscribers between Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Disney emphasized how critical DTC is to its future and plans to launch Star as an international SVOD brand while Hulu will remain a domestic brand.

On today’s podcast Colin and I discuss the remarkable pivot Disney has made toward DTC in just the past couple of years, and what’s ahead. We’re enthusiastic about the premium opportunities Disney has, starting with the “Mulan” PVOD option coming soon, as Disney+ begins to look more like a membership with various exclusive offers.

Listen in to learn more!
 
Click here to listen to the podcast (22 minutes, 28 seconds)

Explore all previous podcasts

Add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

The VideoNuze podcast is also available in iTunes...subscribe today!

 

Reminder that this year the Connected TV Advertising Summit will be a virtual event, on the afternoons of September 21st and 22nd. Registration is complimentary. One attendee will win a Roku living room makeover including a Roku TV, wireless speakers, wireless sub-woofer and one year Netflix subscription, all generously provided by Roku.

CTV has quickly become a massive market with over 400 million CTVs deployed in the U.S. alone and 80% of U.S. TV households now having at least one CTV. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to streaming on CTVs and rising cord-cutting. Along with the huge opportunities, there are key challenges, especially in measurement, fraud and unified buying. 

The CTV Ad Summit will be a deep dive into all things CTV, with executives from agencies, content providers, technology companies and research firms sharing their diverse perspectives.

Many thanks to our CTV Ad Summit's 8 partners who have been amazingly gracious and supportive. Our Presenting partner is Deloitte; Gold partners are Extreme Reach and SpringServe; Silver partners include Beachfront, SpotX, Roku and Xandr and Branding Partner Verizon Media. Please contact me if you’d like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

Complimentary sign up now!

(If you’ve already signed up, please disregard this message)

Disney reported Q3 ’20 earnings yesterday, saying it now has over 100 million streaming subscribers globally (Disney+ with 60.5 million, up from 57.5 million at the end of the quarter, Hulu with 35.5 million and ESPN+ with 8.5 million). New Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke enthusiastically on the earnings call about the role that direct-to-consumer streaming services are already having on the company and said it “plans to accelerate the push into the direct-to-consumer marketplace” which will be detailed further in an upcoming investor day.

A key component of the push will be the launch of an international DTC general entertainment service in 2021 using the Star brand that Disney inherited as part of its 21st Century Fox acquisition. The new streaming service will have owned content from ABC Studios, Fox Television, FX, Freeform, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight. It will also be closely promoted with Disney+ and leverage Disney+’s technology platform.

continue reading

To help media companies gain additional perspective and become more sophisticated in how they manage video ad revenues and user experiences, FreeWheel has published a new “Tracking Metrics” report. It lays out 4 different ways media companies can measure their OTT video businesses to improve monetization and user experiences. The four metrics focus on Revenue (fill rate), Viewer Experience (repeating ads and audience targeting) and delivering value to advertisers (ad consumption).

continue reading