VideoNuze Posts

I’m pleased to present the 467th edition of the VideoNuze podcast, with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

This week the major TV networks presented to advertisers in the annual upfronts ritual. Among the key benefits being conveyed was brand safety; unlike digital platforms, TV networks are controlled and curated so only premium content is carried. Despite networks’ declining linear audiences, in the current chaotic environment, there’s reassurance in brand safety.

With YouTube, Facebook and others playing whack-a-mole to regularly tamp down controversial videos, advertisers face a dilemma of taking risks with digital platforms to target coveted younger audiences, or stay safe with network TV. For example, a recent Reuters article cited research that of 240 brands, 46% reduced their YouTube spending year over year, instead shifting some spending to networks' online properties. Colin and I discuss the complexities.

(Note: Brand safety will be a critical topic at the 9th annual VideoNuze Video Advertising Summit coming up on May 29th in NYC. Register now!)

Listen in to learn more!

 
Click here to listen to the podcast (26 minutes, 13 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

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

Comcast and Disney have announced a deal under which Comcast can effectively transition out of its 33% ownership stake in Hulu beginning in January 2024. The exit can occur at either Disney’s or Comcast’s instigation and at an assessed market value of Hulu that won’t be less than $27.5 billion. That means Comcast’s 33% stake could be worth approximately $9.1 billion though that could be reduced to a minimum of $5.8 billion if Comcast doesn’t fund any of Hulu’s capital needs between now and January 2024.

continue reading

Today is the LAST day to save $100 on the 9th annual VideoNuze Video Advertising Summit on Wednesday, May 29th in NYC. Reminder, as a bonus, all early bird registrants DOUBLE their chance of winning a 55-inch 4K Roku TV.*

Over 30 executives from leading companies including Hulu, CBS Interactive, WarnerMedia, eMarketer, Roku, Cheddar, fuboTV, Group Nine Media, Publicis, Pluto TV, Mindshare, Vevo, Ellation, Univision, Essence and many others will share their insights. The program will feature a mix of keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, research presentations and case studies, covering the most critical topics in the industry.

One of the day’s highlights will be the keynote interview I’ll be doing with Hulu’s SVP and Head of Advertising Sales Peter Naylor. We’ll be exploring Hulu’s “viewer-first” operating approach and how this has led to Hulu becoming a market leader in video advertising.

I'm excited to have 10 industry-leading companies on board as partners, including Title Partner Deloitte Consulting; Premier Partners Extreme Reach and Telaria; Headline Partners Beachfront Media, Penthera, SpotX, TiVo and Xandr; and Branding Partners Brightcove and Roku. Come meet them!

The Video Ad Summit will be a premier day of learning and networking for industry professionals.

Don’t miss out - learn more and register now!

(*Early bird registrants get 2 entries for the 4K Roku TV drawing.)

I’m pleased to present the 466th edition of the VideoNuze podcast, with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

Roku posted very strong Q1 ’18 results this week, with active accounts surpassing 29 million and streaming hours up 75%. On today’s podcast Colin and I did into all the relevant performance metrics to illustrate Roku’s astounding growth over just the past couple of years. Roku said it now accounts for 1 in 3 smart TV sold in the U.S. eclipsing Samsung for market leadership. With high profile streaming services from Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia and NBCU yet to debut, even more people will be rotating from linear/pay-TV to OTT, which will further benefit Roku.

Like Hulu, Roku finds itself in the industry’s sweet spot, with a large base of users actively consuming, creating a prime opportunity for advertisers to reach cord-cutters.

(Note: Roku’s VP of Global Ad Sales and Marketplace, Alison Levin, will speak at the 9th annual VideoNuze Video Advertising Summit on May 29th in NYC. Register now and save!)

Listen in to learn more!

 
Click here to listen to the podcast (21 minutes, 35 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

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

Early bird discounted registration ends this Friday for the 9th annual VideoNuze Video Advertising Summit on Wednesday, May 29th in NYC. Early bird registrants save $100 and DOUBLE their chance of winning a 55-inch 4K Roku TV.*

Over 30 executives from leading companies including Hulu, CBS Interactive, WarnerMedia, eMarketer, Roku, Cheddar, fuboTV, Group Nine Media, Publicis, Pluto TV, Mindshare, Vevo, Ellation, Univision, Essence and many others will share their insights. The program will feature a mix of keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, research presentations and case studies, covering the most critical topics in the industry.

Our keynote guest is Hulu’s SVP and Head of Advertising Sales Peter Naylor, who I will interview. We’ll be diving deep into Hulu’s “viewer-first” operating approach and how this has guided the company to successfully innovate in advertising, distribution, original programming, services and more. With Disney as Hulu’s majority owner, the company is poised for even greater success.

I'm excited to have 10 industry-leading companies on board as partners, including Title Partner Deloitte Consulting; Premier Partners Extreme Reach and Telaria; Headline Partners Beachfront Media, Penthera, SpotX, TiVo and Xandr; and Branding Partners Brightcove and Roku. Come meet them!

As always, the Video Ad Summit will be a premier day of learning and networking for industry professionals.

Don’t miss out - learn more and register now!

(*Early bird registrants get 2 entries for the Roku TV drawing.)

I’m pleased to present the 465th edition of the VideoNuze podcast, with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

Hulu is in the video industry’s sweet spot. A hybrid ad-supported brand-safe streaming service, now with 28 million subscribers. The best opportunity TV advertisers have to recapture young TV-watching audiences who are the biggest cord-cutters. Disney as its primary owner which itself is all in on streaming, willing to support Hulu’s land grab investments in original programming and marketing. And perhaps the biggest growth driver yet to come: bundling with Disney+ starting later this year.

On this week’s podcast Colin and I talk about all of the above (and a few challenges Hulu still faces).

If you want to learn more about Hulu’s success, come to the 9th annual Video Advertising Summit for my keynote interview with Hulu’s SVP and Head of Ad Sales Peter Naylor!

Listen in to learn more!

 
Click here to listen to the podcast (24 minutes, 15 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

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

Hulu announced this morning that it has topped 28 million subscribers, with 26.8 million paid and 1.3 million promotional (Hulu operates both ad-supported/ad-free SVOD services and Hulu Live TV but didn’t provide a breakdown). Hulu added 7.5 million paid subscribers in 2018. Viewership also intensified with average time spent per subscriber up over 20% in 2018 and total hours watched per subscriber up 75%. Importantly, 80% of Hulu’s viewing occurs in the living room.

While Netflix has become the market leader in ad-free OTT viewing,  Hulu has become the clear market leader in hybrid ad-supported premium OTT viewing. This is an extremely valuable place to be as cord-cutting accelerates and advertisers seek out viewer-friendly and targetable environments for their TV ad budgets. Hulu made a very smart move earlier this year, actually cutting the price of their ad-supported SVOD service by $2, to $6 per month, which no doubt is continuing to add to subscriber growth. A deal with Spotify announced in March to give Spotify Premium subscribers access to Hulu's ad-supported service is also likely having an early impact.

continue reading

I’m pleased to present the 464th edition of the VideoNuze podcast, with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

First up this week Colin walks us through Nielsen and YouTube data he’s been analyzing that shows how 50-64 year olds are watching OTT video at a pretty significant level. According to his analysis, this group’s viewing could be at least 60% of the level of 18-34 year olds, which have been the main focus of many observers’ attention.

This adoption ties to our second topic which the Q1 ’19 loss of around 83K subscribers by DirecTV Now. Virtual pay-TV operators have a big opportunity to drive OTT viewing on connected TV devices, and Colin and I surmise these are taking up a bigger share of 50-64 year olds’ viewing which is more focused on long-form entertainment and sports. However the DirecTV Now loss shows that different players are benefiting differently from this shift.

Listen in to learn more!

 
Click here to listen to the podcast (23 minutes, 37 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

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