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Inside the Stream Podcast: AT&T-Time Warner Didn’t Work. Will Discovery-WarnerMedia?
Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside the Stream, the podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.
AT&T is spinning off WarnerMedia, closing a chapter on its ill-advised media foray that cost the company billions of dollars. VideoNuze readers know that I thought the acquisition of Time Warner did not make sense from the beginning as any hoped-for benefits were illusory and it was based on a backward-looking approach that distribution and content belong together. As this became more evident, AT&T, groaning under a mountain of debt and faced with heavy upcoming investments in 5G and streaming to stay competitive, decided on a U-turn in strategy.
In today’s podcast Colin and I dig deeper into all of this and also consider the prospects for Discovery-WarnerMedia. We both believe it makes a lot more sense than AT&T-WarnerMedia but we’re curious how broad the appeal will be for a bundle of HBO Max and discovery+ which is the most likely route for the deal to work out. The devil is always in the details for whether these big deals actually pay off, and interestingly, once again, company executives were vague about the specifics.
Listen to the podcast (25 minutes, 6 seconds)
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Topics: AT&T, Podcast, WarnerMedia
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Xandr’s Lauren Wiseman Explains Programmatic’s Role in CTV Advertising
Xandr’s VP, OTT and Programmer Partnerships Lauren Wiseman explains where programmatic fits into connected TV advertising in a 10-minute interview below. Lauren discusses how programmatic in part helps linear TV buyers automate their buying and bring their own data, while for digital video apps programmatic has allowed them to jumpstart their revenue without having their own direct sales teams.
Lauren sees programmatic happening more in deals based environments rather than in open market which is common in display advertising, with control being the primary benefit for both sellers and buyers. She explains transaction models in detail and what challenges remain for programmatic to play a bigger part in CTV.
Hear more from Lauren at VideoNuze’s CTV Ad Summit virtual on June 9th and 10th, on the session “Programmatic’s Role in CTV Advertising” with Philo and DoubleVerify. Registration is complimentary and you can win a Roku TV and Streaming Soundbar.Categories: Advertising, Programmatic
Topics: Connected TV Advertising Summit 2021, Xandr
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Wurl’s CEO Sees Big Opportunity in Ad-Supported Streaming
Wurl’s CEO Sean Doherty explains why he’s super optimistic about ad-supported streaming in a 10-minute video interview below. Wurl powers distribution for almost 900 ad-supported streaming channels, with active users up 45% in Q1 and ad impressions up 428% from Q1 ’20 to Q1 ’21. The company added 30 new employees so far in 2021 and is looking to double its headcount this year.
One of the main reasons Sean is so bullish on streaming is the changing behavior of younger viewers who expect unconstrained access to their chosen content. Traditional TV and advertisers need to be more in synch with these expectations. To break through, AVOD services need to provide compelling content and improve their monetization.
Hear more from Sean at VideoNuze’s CTV Ad Summit virtual on June 9th and 10th, on the session “FAST + AVOD = Big Opportunity,” with A+E Networks, Tubi and Digitas. Registration is complimentary and you can win a Roku TV and Streaming Soundbar.Categories: AVOD
Topics: Connected TV Advertising Summit 2021, Wurl
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AT&T’s Acquisition of Time Warner Didn’t Make Sense to Begin With
AT&T is spinning off WarnerMedia to Discovery, just 4 1/2 years since it announced it was acquiring Time Warner (as WarnerMedia was then known) and just three years since the deal actually closed, following exhaustive regulatory challenges and litigation. For AT&T, the U-turn in strategy is a tacit admission that it didn’t realize the benefits it touted as the rationale for the deal.
That’s no surprise because, as I said at the time, the benefits were illusory and were completely out of synch with realities that broadband, streaming and connected TV were driving. The press release announcing the Time Warner acquisition was filled with corporate gobbledygook such as “The future of video is mobile and the future of mobile is video” and “Combined company positioned to create new customer choices - from content creation and distribution to a mobile-first experience that’s personal and social.”Categories: Cable Networks, Deals & Financings, Telcos
Topics: AT&T, Discovery, Time Warner, WarnerMedia
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Inside the Stream Podcast: Interview With Deloitte’s Vice Chairman Kevin Westcott
Welcome to Inside the Stream, the weekly podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.
Deloitte recently released the 15th edition of its Digital Media Trends survey, and this week we’re pleased to have Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s vice chairman and leader of its telecom, media and entertainment group join us to discuss key findings.
The survey shows that SVOD churn has doubled, with many viewers binging hit content and then churning out. Kevin believes services need to focus on retention, adding non-video content (e.g. music, games, audio, etc.) to become more compelling and perhaps most important, offering lower-priced, ad-supported tiers.
Many like Hulu, Peacock and Paramount+ already have these tiers and HBO Max intends to introduce one. We discuss why others like Netflix and Disney+ are resistant and the implications.
Kevin speaks at length about the role AVOD services are playing, and especially how different age groups relate to advertising. He notes that for younger viewers, gaming is now their preferred media, with watching TV shows and movies falling to number five.
These are just a few of the subjects we discuss during the wide-ranging interview.
Listen to the interview (33 minutes, 32 seconds)
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CTV Ad Summit Virtual Program Posted; 30+ Speakers Confirmed
The program for the Connected TV Advertising Summit virtual on June 9th and 10th is now posted, with over 30 speakers confirmed. Reminder that registration is complimentary and all attendees will be entered to win a Roku TV and Smart Soundbar generously provided by Roku.
Executives from Roku, NBCUniversal, Bloomberg, Amplifi/Dentsu, Publicis, LG, Samsung, VIZIO, Vevo, A+E Networks, eMarketer and many more will be sharing their insights and perspectives on all the hottest CTV topics.
The program’s sessions will explore topics such as how ad spending is moving to CTV/streaming as linear TV consumption declines, the role of FAST/AVOD, navigating omnichannel marketing with CTV, programmatic’s role, data/targeting, smart TV makers' ad strategies and more. There will be presentations by leading industry data providers eMarketer and Leichtman Research Group, and interviews with Roku and Bloomberg executives.
Many thanks to our Gold partners Beachfront, DoubleVerify, Evergent, Extreme Reach, IRIS.TV, Mediaocean, Roku, Wurl and Xandr. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities please contact me.
REGISTER NOW!Categories: Advertising, Events
Topics: Connected TV Advertising Summit 2021
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Streaming Services Emphasize Reach to 18-49 Year Old Viewers
If you were one of the 14,000 attendees of last week’s NewFronts presentations, a central message that you couldn’t miss was that streaming has become an essential way for advertisers to reach 18-49 year olds. The coveted age group, which has long been the bread and butter for TV networks, is rapidly shifting its video consumption behaviors, and NewFronts presenters wanted ad buyers to know that they can either follow the eyeballs or risk losing access to this huge cohort.
Presenters expressed the message in different ways, but here are a few that caught my attention:Categories: Advertising, AVOD
Topics: Amazon, NewFronts, Roku, TikTok, Tubi TV, YouTube
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Inside the Stream Podcast: NewFronts Takeaways
Welcome to Inside the Stream, the weekly podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.
This has been NewFronts week, in which 30+ companies pitch to advertisers and agencies why they should be allocated a portion of the tens of billions of dollars of video/TV campaign budgets. NewFronts presentations typically include the presenter sharing audience profile data, updates on how advertisers can best reach their audience and reveals of upcoming original shows, which often include appearances by the talent. The NewFronts are organized by the IAB, which does an incredible job.
I attended about a dozen presentations, by Roku, Crackle Plus, Tubi, Samsung Ads, VIZIO, Amazon, YouTube, Vevo, A+E, Snap, DoubleVerify, TikTok and NBCUniversal and was very impressed. All emphasized streaming-first messages: younger audiences watch little to no linear TV so running campaigns on streaming is essential, streaming offers full funnel marketing capabilities, and screens like CTV and mobile are the way of the future.
Many thanks to our inaugural Inside the Stream sponsor Verizon Media. When you have quality connections at scale, you’re truly connected.
Click here to listen to the podcast (27 minutes, 18 seconds)
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Topics: IAB, NewFronts, Podcast