Differences in international and generational media preferences inform evolving technology and industry patterns and continue to keep things interesting in 2025. Conventional media categories are becoming more fluid, inviting new opportunities. A new report by Nielsen Media Analytics, the 2025 Global Media Planning Guide, provides actionable insights.
Overall, an accelerating trend is the convergence of multiple platforms – from streaming services to social media. This presents significant challenges:
According to Nielson’s data, traditional TV remains the dominant choice among older U.S. audiences and some countries outside of the U.S., while U.S. residents in general, and younger audiences around the world, are gravitating increasingly towards digital media. Connected TV (CTV) reach has steadily surpassed live and time-shifted TV reach over the past few years, but total use of the television has remained steady since the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating its resilience.
The specifics vary significantly across global markets, however. Take Poland versus the U.S., for example. In the U.S., CTV devices and streaming services have become the dominant viewing method. Whereas, in Poland, traditional TV remains the primary viewing platform. Only about 8% of total viewing time in Poland was spent on streaming in the first half of 2024, according to the Nielson data. In the U.S., streaming accounted for around 40% of TV viewership during the same period.
Americans spent about half of their TV viewership on broadcast and cable combined. In Poland, the combination of satellite and cable amounted to almost two-thirds of viewing time. U.S. audiences spent 38% of their time on streaming- significantly more than Polish viewers at 22%. The data emphasizes the need for flexible global media strategies, with traditional and digital platforms coexisting to meet diverse audience preferences.
Streaming audiences vary across generationsAs younger audiences worldwide gravitate toward digital media, older generations retain their preference for traditional television. In the U.S., individuals aged 2-34 spend more than 60% of their TV viewing time on streaming platforms. Those ages 50-64 spent well over half of their time on broadcast and cable TV as opposed to streaming, while those 65+ spent fully 75% of their viewing time on broadcast and cable TV combined, and less than a quarter on streaming media.
In Thailand, a similar pattern prevails, with adults over 40 preferring TV to social media or video streaming platforms. Gen Z shows the lowest preference for traditional TV viewership of all age groups in Thailand (47%), favoring digital alternatives, whereas the 55+ demographic exhibits the highest linear TV viewership (62%), according to Nielson’s data.
However, it’s important to note that older viewers generally watch significantly more total TV compared to younger audiences. This holds true in the U.S. as well as Thailand, where all types of media have a greater reach among older audiences. According to a recent Deloitte report, Boomers spent an average of 3.5 hours per day watching TV shows and movies on streaming video services, cable, or live-streaming TV, while Gen Z audiences spent about 2.1 hours per day on those activities.
This dynamic has implications not only for how content is consumed but also how it is created, delivered, and marketed. As digital natives grow up, they are driving a new era of on-demand streaming, mobile media consumption, and personalized content algorithms. Meanwhile, the media industry must continue to accommodate older people, who remain loyal to traditional formats and are often heavy consumers of media. For example, older generations are more likely to keep their cable or satellite TV subscriptions long-term, while Generation Z and millennial cable subscribers are more than twice as likely to indicate that they plan to terminate their subscriptions within the year, according to Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends report.
Why some audiences still prefer linear TVLinear TV retains some advantages in addition to the loyalty of older and international audiences, as pointed out by Vijya Amirtham on VPlayed. It is conducive to live events, such as sports, games, and award shows, which have massive appeal to large audiences. Linear TV also enables targeting by advertisers based on channel, genre, and airtime. Viewers tend to find TV ads more credible, especially on trusted channels, and are conditioned to expect ads when watching linear TV. Amirtham also asserts linear TV audiences “are predominantly associated with affluent groups.”
Boundaries between traditional TV and digital media are blurring with the evolution of Cloud TV and Over-the-Top-Television (OTT)- traditional TV content such as series and movies watched over the internet. These technologies are enticing viewers by combining the benefits of linear TV and more fluid digital mediums that offer on-demand viewing and are sometimes free of traditional ads. Amirtham recommends developing a linear TV app as one method for media leaders to expand and enhance audience engagement.
Maintaining and growing audiencesAs DCN previously reported, younger generations are gravitating towards streaming services and social platforms and away from traditional TV. However, while media companies keep a keen eye on Gen Z trend-shapers, it is also wise to accommodate mature and international audiences, who are loyal and heavy consumers of traditional media formats.
For media leaders, it’s still too soon to abandon linear—if the goal is to reach the widest audience possible. Instead, deliver integrated solutions that merge linear TV and streaming assets, while working to enhance cross-platform integration. Effective strategies across age groups, international markets, and media platforms will depend on accurate measurement, outreach, and partnerships. The growing convergence of platforms invites opportunities to cultivate deeper connections with viewers around the world.
The stories told on screen shape perceptions and inspire change. They also reflect society’s evolving identity. Understanding the diversity of those who create and star in these stories is critical to fostering an entertainment industry that genuinely mirrors the richness of the human experience. Representation in key creative roles shapes shared narratives and affects how audiences resonate with and engage with these stories, ultimately driving revenue growth.
The Hollywood Diversity Report, Part 1 highlights the undeniable link between diversity and financial success in Hollywood. In 2023, global box office revenue rose 31% to $33.9 billion, while the North American box office grew 21% to $9.07 billion. However, despite these gains, the domestic box office lags 21% behind the 2017-2019 average. The future of movie-going remains uncertain as the industry navigates the pressure of changing audience expectations and preferences, testing the industry’s resilience and capacity for innovation.
The theatrical dataset mirrors this trend. The 109 English-language films in the 2023 dataset represent a 22% increase from 2022 but fell short of the 146 films in the 2019 dataset. In 2023, theatricals span 12 primary genres. Action, constitutes 27.5% of releases, dominates, followed by comedy (20.2%), horror (12.8%), animation and biography (9.2% each), and drama (8.3%). While action and horror hold steady, comedy and biography have grown, animation dipped slightly, and drama declined. Biopics and dramedies emerge as notable subcategories.
Representation in castingCast diversity continues to evolve. Films with over 50% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) casts represent the plurality of top films for the first time in 2023, which marks a significant milestone in a 13-year trend. In 2011, 51.2% of films had less than 11% BIPOC representation; by 2023, this figure dropped to 8.5%. However, actors with disabilities remain largely absent, with 61.3% of films including no known disabled actors.
Actors with disabilities did experience modest gains, increasing their share of leads to 11.3%. However, visible disabilities remain absent among top leads. Women’s share of lead roles declined to 32.1% in 2023 from 38.6% in 2022, marking a significant setback. Female leads would need an 18% increase to achieve parity with male leads. Films with BIPOC leads often fall at opposite ends of the budget spectrum, either under $10 million or exceeding $100 million, reflecting a “feast or famine” dynamic.
Representation gaps persist across racial and ethnic groups. Latinx and multiracial actors remain underrepresented in all roles, while Black, Asian, Native, and Asian, Middle Eastern, and Northern African (MENA) actors are approaching proportionate representation. Gender disparities prevail; except for Latinas, women in every racial and ethnic group are underrepresented compared to their male counterparts.
Box office receiptsDespite continued disparities, box office performance reinforces the demand for diverse content. Films with 31-40% BIPOC casts achieve the highest median global box office receipts, while those with less than 11% perform the poorest. Median return on investment peaks for films with 41-50% BIPOC casts.
Audiences increasingly support diverse casts, with BIPOC moviegoers buying the most opening weekend tickets for seven of the top 10 films in 2023. Female audiences account for most ticket sales for three of the top 10 films, while 18- to 34-year-olds dominate ticket purchases for six of the top 10 films.
Audience preferences align with representation trends. Films with diverse casts achieve higher box office performance across global, domestic, and opening weekend metrics. Nine of the top 10 global box office films feature cast members with over 30% BIPOC representation, demonstrating the commercial success of diversity. The data underscores the importance of reflecting America’s increasingly diverse audience in theatrical releases.
Streaming genre trends and budget allocationsThe 2024 Hollywood Diversity Report: Part 2 focuses on the top 100 English-language streaming films from 2023. It offers insights into genre trends, budget allocations, and representation among leads, directors, and writers. As outlined in Part 1, the theatrical film industry registers incremental recovery in 2023, but streaming remained dominant despite studios reducing original content production. This strategic pullback coincided with economic uncertainties and labor disputes, resulting in 115 streaming original releases compared to 161 in 2022.
Comedy led streaming releases at 30%, followed by drama (17%) and action (14%). Notable shifts included a rise in biography films (4% to 10%) and a decline in animated features (13% to 9%). Budget distribution starkly contrasted with theatrical films: 61.3% of streaming films had budgets under $20 million, compared to 30.3% of theatrical releases. Only 3.2% of streaming films had blockbuster budgets ($100 million or more), dwarfed by 25.7% for theatrical films.
Representation in leading rolesBIPOC and women actors achieved proportional representation among leads in streaming films in 2023, marking progress since 2022. However, disparities persisted within specific groups. Latinx (8%) and Asian (4%) leads remained underrepresented, while Black (16%) and Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) leads were overrepresented. Native (1%) and multiracial (12%) actors approached proportional representation. Gender dynamics varied by group: women outnumbered men among white, multiracial, and MENA leads, while men predominated among Black, Latinx, Asian, and Native leads.
Budget disparities also reflected systemic inequities. White male leads were most likely to star in films with budgets over $20 million (57.2%), while BIPOC leads (58.6%) and White female leads (77.5%) frequently headlined films under $20 million. Women with disabilities remained underrepresented despite an increase in lead roles from 6.1% in 2022 to 9% in 2023, with no visible disabilities represented.
Directors and writersBIPOC and women directors saw gains but remained underrepresented in 2023. Women directors faced a budget ceiling of $50 million, while BIPOC directors maxed at $100 million, with significant opportunities skewed toward white men. Among writers, similar patterns emerged. Streaming films with BIPOC and women writers featured more diverse and balanced casts, yet these groups remained underrepresented. Multiracial and MENA writers neared proportional representation. However, shares for Black, Latinx, and Asian writers fell short.
These reports underscore the ongoing evolution of Hollywood’s streaming ecosystem. While strides in representation are evident, industry efforts still need to achieve inclusiveness across all facets of production. Examining theatrical and streaming releases as viewing habits evolve offers valuable insights into each platform’s unique challenges and opportunities. These distinctions help illuminate how representation impacts storytelling, audience reach, and industry success across a diverse and changing media landscape.
Fans are spreading their time among an ever-widening variety of platforms and channels when live-streaming video, according to data from the Live Streaming Trends Report. This indicates that, far from being married to favorite platforms, games, or creators, consumers are willing to shop around for fresh content and great experiences. The report compiled by Stream Hatchet finds live streaming viewership up 10% overall in the past year. Twitch still leads as a platform but dropped from 70% to 60% of the market share during the past year.
The report finds that an increasingly diverse array of creators is capturing attention. While the top 5% of creators were responsible for 86% of streaming hours watched for the quarter, that represents a drop from 98% five years ago. This points to opportunity for media leaders to partner with creators or develop their own.
Politics lured viewers, helping push Rumble into the top ten platforms in hours watched for the quarter, surpassing Facebook Live. Based in Toronto and drawing most of its audience from political coverage with uncensored discussion, Rumble’s viewership benefited from content surrounding the U. S. presidential debate. During the debate week, Rumble’s total viewership peaked at 10.7 million hours, with almost a third of those hours coming from streams with keywords related to U.S. candidates and politics. Rumble surpassed Facebook Live by over 40M hours in its first full quarter, becoming the 7th most-watched platform.
In an interesting move, the Democratic National Convention just announced that it would be streaming on a number of non-traditional platforms including social standouts TikTok and Instagram but also on Amazon’s Twitch as well as Prime and YouTube.
Variety of platforms widensTwitch still holds more than half of the market share (60.3 %), but YouTube Gaming increased its share to almost one quarter of the market (23.4%). Other strong platforms include Kick, which increased its viewership by 163%, now in third place with 5.5% of the market. AfreecaTV came in fourth. Meanwhile, Facebook Live dropped out of the top five.
The market showed opportunity for new platforms. The new South Korean platform Chzzk came in at fourth place, winning 2.1% of the market. Rumble became the 7th most-watched platform. Bigo Live, offering options like virtual live with 3D avatars, also had a strong debut, reaching 9th place.
Diversity of creators growsJust as fans tuned into a wider variety of platforms, they also chose to watch a more diverse range of creators. During the past five years, the share of viewership held by the top live streaming channels decreased, boosting opportunity for emerging creators. While the top 0.01% of channels held 45% of the audience five years ago, that percentage fell to 33% by the second quarter of 2024- a12% decrease. A few takeaways stood out.
The second quarter of 2024 found downloadable content (DLC) dominating new game releases. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was by far the most successful new release, reaping 81.2 million hours watched across all platforms in its first 30 days. Destiny 2: The Final Shape was a distant second, with 24.8 million hours. Those two titles combined garnered 55% of the top ten new games’ viewership in their first month.
Across all platforms, a few top games captured the lion’s share of viewing hours. Grand Theft Auto V and League of Legends lead the pack. Combined, these two games accounted for almost 950 million hours watched for the quarter, although they dropped in overall percentage of hours watched.
The action genre soared 30% higher over the past year thanks in large part to Elden Ring, which accounted for 24% of the action genre audience. The survival game Rust rose 150% in viewership, also boosting this category. Driving and Racing games were up 13%. While first person shooter games still topped hours watched at 1.2 billion for the quarter, that number represents a 4% drop since the previous year. Likewise, the action-adventure genre’s viewership declined 24% due to lack of new releases.
Looking forwardThe live video game streaming market is important to the popularity of streaming platforms, game publishers, media, and creators. The latest data demonstrate the industry’s resilience after a post-pandemic slump. Media leaders should continue to keep a close eye on up-and-coming creators and platforms as well as the overall consumption trends of younger audiences.
The resurgence of ad-supported TV is a notable trend in the streaming business, and advertising is a central feature of the viewing experience. As streaming services multiply and subscription costs rise, consumers are increasingly opting for ad-supported alternatives. Hub Entertainment Research’s latest findings show that two-thirds of TV viewers prefer watching ads if it saves on subscription costs. This represents an eight-point increase over the past three years, indicating a significant shift in consumer preference. Hub’s study explores this attitude shift and how viewers perceive and interact with ads across different platforms.
Normalization of ad-supported TVEconomic pressures and budget constraints push viewers to seek more affordable entertainment options. Hub’s findings show that the percentage of consumers who express an aversion to ads fell from 17% three years ago to just 12% in June 2024. This decline in ad intolerance suggests that viewers are becoming more open to advertisements to reduce their overall entertainment expenses.
While viewers are becoming more accepting of ads, the presentation of the ads plays a crucial role in the quality of their overall viewing experience. Hub’s study underscores that the ad experience significantly impacts viewer satisfaction and engagement. The number and length of ad breaks influence how reasonable viewers find the ad experience.
Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms offer lighter ad loads and a more favorable overall ad experience than free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and traditional multichannel subscriptions. Nearly eight in 10 viewers agree that there are “big differences” in the amount of advertising presented on competing TV services. This perception highlights the importance of managing ad loads to enhance viewer satisfaction.
Amazon prime video’s impact on the ad landscapeThe introduction of ads on Amazon Prime Video has had a notable impact on the streaming landscape. Once a stronghold of ad-free content, Amazon Prime Video now includes ads by default. This change significantly reduces the proportion of viewers using ad-free streaming services to just three in five households.
Most Prime Video viewers now watch with ads. Only those who use Amazon as a hub for other subscriptions or consider Prime Video a primary benefit of their membership opt for the ad-free experience. This shift highlights ads’ growing acceptance among viewers and the influence of major streaming platforms in shaping consumer preferences.
Role of content in attention to adsInterestingly, the type of content viewers watch also affects their attention to ads. Participatory genres like talk shows, game shows, competition series, and mystery programs keep viewers more engaged during ad breaks. Certain content types can be more conducive to maintaining viewer attention, even when interrupted by ads.
Opportunities for growth in ad-supported offeringsDespite the increasing acceptance of ad-supported streaming, there is still significant potential for growth in this area. The study reveals that many viewers remain unaware of ad-supported offerings on major streaming services such as Disney+, Paramount+, Max, and Discovery+. Additionally, a significant minority believe these services are strictly ad-free.
This gap in awareness presents an opportunity for streaming platforms to educate consumers about their ad-supported tiers. Targeted marketing messages aimed at budget-conscious non-subscribers could help drive growth in these offerings. Providing viewers with more affordable options and expanding the reach of ad-supported streaming appears to be a win-win scenario.
The report findings indicate a strong future for the streaming advertising marketplace. As consumers continue to embrace ad-supported streaming to save on subscription costs, the demand for well-executed ad experiences will grow. Streaming services offering reasonable ad loads and shorter breaks will likely see better viewer attention and engagement outcomes. Understanding and catering to viewer preferences is crucial as the streaming industry evolves.
In an increasingly global market, it is vital to recognize that, while Europe and the U.S. may have many similarities, they also have notable differences. The good news is that there’s a lot to learn from these differences. No matter what your perspective, the “television” space is growing more complex by the day. Applying one world view to fundamentally different markets is a recipe for failure. Thus, it is critical that media executives realize the world is not black and white but consists of shades of grey.
When we talk about television, what we mean by “TV” can vary dramatically, depending on geography, distribution service, device and – increasingly – the type of content being viewed. These variations are critical to understanding opportunities in this space. For the purposes of our discussion here, “TV” includes but is not limited to:
All of the above may be accessed on mobile devices, laptops/desktops, and connected TVs. They are the primary (and most lucrative) content delivery formats for both traditional and new content creators and aggregators, who are most likely to be interested in our analysis.
A key component of the challenges now faced by media companies is a false assumption that “one size fits all.” As we explore the strategic complexity of the streaming television market, compounded by the acceleration of AI integrations, taking a “one size fits all” approach is particularly risky.
Instead, each media company must clearly evaluate and understand its strengths and core competencies, and what these mean when moving in a new direction. In order to remain viable, it is imperative media players have the confidence to try new tactics. And, to truly innovate, they also need to get comfortable with the possibility of failure (as the tech industry has been).
The five key strategic questionsAs they decide their next steps, media executives should be focused on five key long-term strategic questions:
What we present below are six key – deliberately brief – lessons that U.S. and European media companies can learn from each other as they develop and evolve their offerings in the global streaming TV marketplace.
Lesson #1: Ask the right questionsThe number one lesson that European media companies can learn from the U.S. is that many major media companies neglected to ask those five questions soon enough. That particularly seems the case when it comes to the last question: The strategies of most of the major U.S.-based streaming companies seem to lack a clearly defined end goal. But the good news is that it’s not too late. In fact, late movers have an opportunity to learn key lessons from the U.S. streaming market and thus serve viewers more effectively.
Lesson #2: Understand the marketOne of the major mistakes that the mainly U.S.-based SVOD streaming services made (at least up to now) was the assumption that the world looked like the United States and would act the same way. A study of the history of the U.S. and European television markets would have made it clear that, when it came to paying for television, both markets had fundamentally different characteristics.
For example, Americans are used to paying $100 or more for their television, Europeans are not. Also, European pay-tv penetration has typically been 30 to 40% lower than the U.S. (even lower in some markets). Europeans prefer national language content and use free to air content more. When it comes to streaming, both sides need to first understand the structure of their markets and then work out what solutions work best.
Lesson #3: Media tech is a long-term investmentTechnology has forever changed the game for media, and every player in the content value chain needs to become tech-savvy. This means continuously educating oneself – and one’s team – on new developments in technology. AI is a perfect example of a technology that has already impacted media (and will continue to do so). And yet, many major media players still think that AI is something for their tech department or even a new “Chief AI Officer” to manage rather than something about which they personally need to invest time learning and educating their entire teams about.
It’s imperative to everyone in a media company – senior or junior – to understand how mass market consumers connect using technology. For example, have they experimented with writing a ChatGPT or Midjourney prompt? Have they recently visited Walmart, Best Buy or Amazon to learn how most consumers purchase a TV, and thus come to have built-in, bundled access to their products? Do they have TikTok accounts? YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even LinkedIn? And so on. Technology is a constantly evolving space, both in terms of innovation and consumer behavior. Staying connected to these changes will allow media leaders to make better short-term decisions and long-term investments in their business.
Lesson #4: Do what you do bestWhen faced with the dominance of Netflix, instead of doing what they did best, many U.S. media companies simply tried to do what Netflix did – but not as well. This approach hasn’t made a significant dent in Netflix’s market dominance, which is measured as present in two thirds of U.S. households, according to Kantar, with 49% in 2023 viewing it as their most important streaming service.
While this short-term strategy has floundered, the top U.S. media companies have a) strong, resilient brands, b) expertise in creating world-class content and content pipelines and c) the best deal-making skills Hollywood can teach. So, their potential remains strong. The same holds true for European media players. If you aren’t U.S.-based, don’t assume that your media company should follow the same strategies as the U.S.-based media giants. Nobody wants or expects your company to be the next Netflix. Instead, your company should be the next version of itself.
Lesson #5 – Don’t lose sight of the bigger pictureCEOs and corporate boards face a multitude of pressures when it comes to decision making. They must actually run their companies and navigate continually changing sectors and wider trends. And, in most cases, they must do so under the scrutiny of shareholders who have a multitude of short and long-term interests. What management must not do is panic.
For European companies, one area this particularly relates to is the treatment of linear television. There is no doubt that linear television faces challenges, yet European executives must also be wary of writing off the medium. While viewing for “traditional” television in the U.S. hovers just above 50%, linear television programs still dominate the schedules in virtually all major European countries. That reflects both the history of how television developed in these respective markets and the demographics involved. Linear can still be a powerful tool for advertisers in Europe in a way that is becoming increasingly challenged in the United States.
Lesson #6: Be humbleMedia executives must not fall into the trap of thinking that, just because they view the world in a certain way, then that will be representative across the population of their market, much less the globe. That kind of thinking can lead to severe business consequences. It is good business sense to recognize you do not know everything and act accordingly. If there is one lesson that can be said to be applied equally across both Europe and the United States, it is this one.
The bottom lineThe bottom line is that whether European or U.S.-based, media companies are not in need of a one-time strategy implementation or new product launch. As our six lessons illustrate, these companies need flexibility of thought and to be prepared to accept the realities on the ground, instead of implementing “one-size fits all” strategies. As we move into a new phase of hybrid traditional TV-streaming business models and assess how to integrate AI, this is particularly important to keep front of mind.
We hear a good deal about news deserts and the struggles of local news. However, at least in the U.S., local broadcast news remains a bright spot. Yet, as audiences increasingly flock to streaming for what had long been broadcast-based content, NBCUniversal is focused on staying in front of the migration. The company’s launch of 15 new news channels on nine streaming platforms including Roku, Peacock, TCL and Xumo over the past two years is not just a strategic move to keep them future ready, it’s helping their local news offerings reach a more diverse audience now.
In terms of strategy, of course, there is more to launching on streaming platforms than just technology. For NBCUniversal Local, it required careful planning and design of collaborative tools and tactics, as well as consistent communication to get staff on board both practically and philosophically.
NBC’s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels were born out of the traditional linear broadcast and cable channels NBC already produces each day. But while the company leverages its existing content in its FAST offerings, they took a decidedly different approach according to Meredith McGinn, EVP of NBCU Local Media, Multicast Networks and Original Programming. “What we didn’t have in our portfolio was an all-news local channel,” she said, as she outlined their reasons for launching 24/7 local news channels in markets including New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston.
They chose to stream partly to reach a younger audience. “But what we’re also seeing on these platforms is a more diverse audience in all demographics; age, race etc.,” said McGinn. “It was really important to reach a viewer who had either bought a new connected TV in the last three to five years, perhaps cut the cord, or was a ‘cord never’ and didn’t have an easy linear always-on source for local news.”
A blank slateBeing early movers to local news streaming has meant the team has had to work out both what the audience on streaming platforms want to see from a local news product, and what the best workflow is internally to deliver that. Angela Grande, Director of NBCU Local’s Streaming News Channels says they’ve experienced a lot of learning and had to move quickly in order to figure out the best strategy.
When launching a new newscast in a market, NBC typically includes in-market producers, writers and reporters for each location. But in this instance they took a different approach. “Instead of beefing up staff in each individual market to build a network from the ground up, we built a small central team,” McGinn explained. One reason for this was because the cloud server technology, cloud playout, virtual production control rooms, and other technology used to make the streams work was relatively new for the business.
“[The technology] could be best tested with a tight central team that could then put the new process through its paces. Then spokes go out and train each of the stations and personnel on how to use this technology. As we get product updates or new product ideas, we can test them again with a central team, again put them through their paces and then roll out more widely.”
Designing the setup from a blank slate meant that the team could test and learn first, without legacy technology and processes from the rest of the business slowing them down. But it was not without its challenges. “As you’re working with new tools, you realize that they’re not quite built for what you need,” McGinn outlined. “So we hired producers who pretty much became product managers working with vendors on development. They’re really trying to improve the product significantly day in and day out.”
Workflow, staffing, collaborationThe tech stack and staffing were not the only area the team had the opportunity to reimagine from scratch. McGinn noted that they were able to behave more like a start-up, but with a lot of resources to leverage from the wider business. It helped that the team was very eager to embrace change and new ideas.
One of the biggest learning curves for Grande’s team was collaborating and communicating with dozens of news stations across the country. “We had to break down the walls of communication to be sharing content and breaking news,” she said. “We’ve built this central team here in South Florida that works with all the stations across the country on best communication workflows, and how to actually work with us as virtual members of their news groups.”
To facilitate good communication and collaboration, the business set up Teams channels with every newsroom across the country. There are leaders on the central South Florida team who check in with ‘captains’ at each station on a daily basis. These check-ins and allowing the personal relationship to build have been a crucial part in keeping the streaming product front-of-mind for the teams.
“When we were setting up the business, we talked a lot about structure and workflow,” said McGinn. “There was a lot of concern around the ‘out of sight out of mind’. If you’re not there in the newsroom, are you and the platform going to be forgotten?”
Grande noted that initially there were a lot of reminders needed for the local newsrooms when news broke to make sure the information came to the streaming teams as well. “Then, after a lot of that practice, we really started to get the communication flowing,” she said.
Now, the teams communicate around the clock. “Someone’s always available to answer. So, if news were to break in Philadelphia, they can say, ‘Hey, there’s breaking news here, we’re going to go live,’” Grande explained. “Then folks here on our team can respond and jump in to help support the live event as they break into the channel. It’s really wonderful to see just how smooth all the communication is there.”
Integrating Spanish language and broader marketsNBCUniversal Local initially launched a select few English streaming channels, in order to get some early audience data that it could build upon. “The data from Peacock showed us that we had significant out-of-market, out-of-city viewership for our channels,” McGinn explained. “So we were able to see, for instance, that our South Florida NBC channel was being viewed in New York, and while it’s based in Miami, it was being viewed in Tampa and Dallas and LA.”
As well as the English language channels, NBCUniversal Local also has four regional streaming channels which bring live local news in Spanish to Hispanics across the country: Noticias California, Texas, Florida and Noreste. The wider business division already has 30+ Spanish language Telemundo stations and were aware that there was a growing opportunity in providing a FAST local news service to an Hispanic audience in those markets.
“So we took that data and thought, why don’t we do a different approach for Telemundo [streaming]? Why don’t we combine the resources in certain regions and create regional news channels? To beef up the coverage and recognize that there are many viewers out there who are interested in a broader view of local news, not just one hyperlocal market.”
The improved communication has made it easier for the Spanish and English teams to share content. It has also helped collaboration with the Telemundo channel teams, who now build newscasts for the entire region. “It’s something that they’ve never done before that they’re now doing through new types of collaboration to create these great streaming products,” noted Grande.
Sharing early successesMcGinn credits the instant messaging tools and channels like Teams with really helping to bring people together in the true spirit of collaboration. But she also noted that sharing early successes was just as important in cementing the new processes in people’s minds.
“As quickly as we received data from the platforms that proved to people that people are watching these channels, we shared that widely,” she said. “That told the newsrooms, ‘Oh, this is not just the latest social media fad that may be gone in a year. This is real, on-television viewing.’”
The successful set-up and centralized team to test and share technology means that additional expansion is on the cards. But the learnings go beyond NBC’s Local News initiatives in order to help keep the company ahead of the streaming pack. Importantly, this team is sharing its learnings with other divisions in the company. “We want to be able to help others launch channels and initiatives that they have,” McGinn concluded.
It’s been another breakneck year for the media industry. Every year at Media Voices we round up the biggest moments from the past 12 months, and explore how they impact publishers. This year was certainly not short of industry-defining events, and Media Moments 2022 summarizes these across 10 chapters, from advertising and subscriptions to newsletters and emerging technology.
Stepping back from the big moments of cookie delays, Twitter takeovers, and bumpy ad markets, there have been a number of developments this year which have the potential to shape publishing strategies in 2023 and beyond. Here are seven key themes from the report that will inform your approach moving forward:
1. Adblocking has returned to an all–time highThe days of adblocking causing sleepless nights for publishers seemed to be long–gone. Between the demise of third–party cookies and vigorous blocklists costing huge amounts of revenue, executives in the ad department have had plenty of other things to worry about.
Unfortunately, adblocking needs to move back up on the agenda. It has returned to levels last seen at the peak of the phenomenon in 2018, with 290 million web users actively blocking ads worldwide, according to the 2022 PageFair Adblock Report. This is an average of 21% across all geos and verticals. Solutions to tackle the problem are in short supply, and are likely to remain so unless it is prioritized again.
2. Streaming accounts for the majority time spent with TVIn August, streaming officially topped cable as the most popular method by which people in the U.S. consume television content. According to Nielsen, which runs a monthly Gauge study of TV consumption, streaming now makes up more than one–third (34.8%) of all television consumption, overtaking cable (34.4%), and far ahead of broadcast (21.6%).
Unsurprisingly, streaming powerhouses like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ are leading the charge. However, this is a notable milestone for streamers across the board. It marks a major shift in how audiences – especially younger people – engage with what we’ve traditionally thought of as television content. This opens more opportunities for publishers in the video space to get well–told stories in front of audiences. But it also means that the video landscape is more fractured than ever.
3. Local news can be profitable on just reader revenueThe past five or so years has seen local news start–ups grow all over the world as access to publishing and revenue tools has opened up. Some have shown real promise this year, offering tantalizing glimpses of a sustainable future for local publishers.
In the U.K., The Manchester Mill, a Substack–based local news publisher, reached profitability last month with just 1,600 paying subscribers. The two–year–old brand says they are profitable off annualized subscription revenue of around $164,000. Founder Joshi Herrmann has launched two sister titles off the back of its success: the Liverpool Post and Sheffield Tribune, which are at 650 and 900 paying subscribers respectively.
For local news to truly thrive, we will need to move beyond models of just one or two reporters per city. But the early green shoots of success are encouraging.
4. There’s no sign of subscriptions decline…yetFollowing Netflix’s Q2 subscriber tumble, many analysts have forecast a downturn in subscriptions. As economic pressures begin to bite, almost 30% of consumers polled by Toolkits and the National Research Group said that they planned to reduce the number of online subscriptions they hold.
But the second half of 2022 has shown that the subscriptions market is resilient. Netflix saw a spectacular bounceback in Q3, adding 2.41 million new subscribers and beating its own and analyst expectations. Publishers are seeing continued growth too: AOP members reported digital subscriptions growth at almost 15% over the last 12 months. Some have reported record performances, from the New York Times’ 9 million subscriber milestone to The Economist posting its most profitable year since 2016 on the back of 1.2 million subscribers, and total subscription revenues accounting for more than 60% of its revenues.
We may yet see a downturn depending on how pressures on consumers play out over winter. But for now, people are happy to pay for content they find valuable.
5. Email newsletters are an unexploited revenue opportunityEmail may be one of the oldest forms of digital communication, but as a revenue driver it is still very under–used by mainstream publishers. Despite the wave of Substack–led paid newsletter creators over the past few years, few publishers have attempted anything similar themselves.
A recent report from WAN–IFRA highlighted the opportunity gap around email newsletters. 48% of publishers they surveyed did not monetize their newsletters. Of those that did, advertising and exclusive sponsorships were used by 32% and 16% respectively. Significantly, newsletters were used as part of a subscription bundle rather than standalone offering were used by 30% of publishers.
Quartz is one publisher who dropped its paywall entirely this year. Interestingly, they still kept the membership scheme, and instead have a suite of premium emails they send to members. “We found that 75% of Quartz members read us primarily through email, so we’ve been putting more of our best stuff directly in their inboxes,” said CEO Zach Seward.
When it comes to advertising, I wouldn’t wish the ad tech that plagues the rest of the internet on our email inboxes. But the tech to improve the advertising experience in email via personalisation and segmentation is getting there. Now, we just have to behave responsibly with it. Newsletters have a reputation as a premium engagement method for a good reason.
6. News headlines are in a negative spiralFollowing the headline findings from the Reuters Digital News Report about the growing issue of news avoidance, there has been much discussion this year on how to rebuild trust with audiences. As publishers compete for attention online, they have found ways of standing out and getting readers to click and share content. But this isn’t necessarily positive.
One study in particular from PLoS ONE showed just the extent to which media headlines have become increasingly negative over the past two decades. The research showed headlines expressing anger were up 104% since the year 2000, fear, 150%, and sadness 54%. This isn’t because the world has got worse, even if “permacrisis” is the word of the year for 2022. Rather, negative and emotionally–arousing headlines are more likely to attract clicks and attention, which in turn means more revenue for publishers.
It’s a difficult cycle to break. The sheer amount of competition for attention means that it’s understandable publishers have to find ways of breaking through the noise. But the long–term effects of stoking outrage and despair on a near–constant basis are just beginning to be recognized.
7. Some emerging tech is good to jump on early. Others, not so much!Publishers who tried early experiments in NFTs have been richly rewarded. From digital covers to archive images, NFT projects have generated millions for brands like TIME, The Economist, Forbes, and Playboy over the past few years.
However, the bottom has since fallen out of the NFT market, driven by the tough year cryptocurrency has had. NFT trading volumes collapsed 97% between January and September this year. So it’s not surprising to see publishers like CNN wrapping up their NFT marketplaces and projects.
Caution in other areas, however, is wise. Apart from a couple of publishers like Vogue testing metaverse experiences, it has been mainly consumer brands rushing to the space.
Audiences so far have not followed. Meta had aimed to have 500,000 monthly active users for its flagship platform Horizon Worlds by the end of 2022. By October, they had revised that figure down to 280,000, although the current tally is allegedly less than 200k. Other metaverse platforms are also struggling; audits on Sandbox and Decentraland have shown that user numbers are small. Platforms seeing success like Roblox are primarily built for gaming. As yet, there is little justification for publishers to lever themselves into the metaverse at great expense.
Trends and strategyWhat is more evident when compared with previous years is how quickly things can crash. We suspected when authoring last year’s edition that, for example, that the NFT bubble would burst. We couldn’t have foreseen that would happen just months later.
Instead, innovation – whether that be audience-building, revenue generation or product – is to be found in formats that have been around for decades. Podcasts, newsletters and apps have been used by publishers of all shapes and sizes this year to deepen relationships and reduce churn. The key is to be where your audience is with a product that they need. And so far, you won’t find them in the metaverse.
2022 already has been a dramatic year for streaming. Even if you’re not trying to keep up with day-to-day industry developments, you’re probably aware that CNN+ launched and died, Netflix announced plans to launch an ad-supported tier, and IMDb TV was renamed “Freevee.” These rapid developments may seem daunting for many potential streaming players, considering that the ground will shift again soon.
But here’s the good news about these rapid changes: While the “Streaming Wars” narrative — referring primarily to competition among media giants’ SVOD strategies — remains the focus of many in the business and trade press, the reality is that there are wide-open opportunities for a variety of players. Whether it’s a paid app, a YouTube channel, or a free channel on a FAST service, streaming is definitely not confined to the players locked in the so-called streaming wars. Streaming is for everyone.
We’re just getting startedSVOD, AVOD, FAST, OTT, and CTV are not only competing, overlapping, and complementary acronyms — they represent multiple potential business models as well as multiple avenues to reach audiences looking for entertainment, news, and sports. Across devices, services, and platforms, there are more opportunities than ever before to develop content, products and business models contributing to the next evolution of the streaming industry.
Media players and startups — large and small — can compete and win the loyalty and trust of consumers. By the end of 2022, we will see new players on the streaming scene — growing, thriving, and innovating to capture audience attention and significant revenue opportunities.
Find your place in streamingThe fact is, it remains early days for streaming viewership, and we need bold players to bring expertise and creativity to the space. So let’s set aside the winners-take-most Streaming Wars narrative and consider these factors:
1. Focus on the right video strategy for your audience.
In the streaming space, many strategies and tactics are still in an experimental stage, so don’t assume that your traditional competitor’s widely-publicized strategy is going to work. And definitely do not copy their strategy without significant research and diligence, because you may find that your competitor doesn’t have a clue — and won’t provide significant competition at all in the streaming space. For instance, it may be that launching a solid AVOD or FAST strategy will give you much of the data you need to make a decision about an SVOD strategy.
2. It’s easier and less expensive than you think to get started.
There are new technologies and new tech companies that can support a variety of streaming strategies. Generally speaking, these options are less expensive, more standardized and faster to implement than many broadcast technologies. Additionally, trusted brands will be in a good place to negotiate with these vendors.
3. Creativity and innovation are badly needed in the streaming space.
Think about how hard it is — still — to navigate streaming interfaces. This space needs to improve the consumer experience, ASAP. With so many major media brands in flux, those who are focused on making streaming a great consumer experience have an incredible chance to jump in and create a successful strategy.
Focus on the consumer to improve what’s aheadThe complexity of the streaming landscape is enough to confound savvy media veterans and newcomers alike. But this complexity should not prevent most media players from crafting or revamping their streaming strategy – now. It’s a wide-open field for trusted brands and innovators, especially those who create content, products and services with viewers at the center. We all have a lot to learn from rapidly shifting consumer habits and preferences, and the timing has never been better to start learning.
About the authorChristy Tanner, President of Tanner Media LLC, is former EVP & GM of CBS Interactive, where she built CBS News Digital/CBSN into the #1 streaming news service, with more than 1 billion streams in 2020 and 2021.
The buzz this upfront season is all about streaming. As Tim Peterson at Digiday put it, “Historically streaming has taken a backseat to traditional TV in the annual upfront market. This year, however, streaming will be sitting shotgun as it gets closer to seizing the wheel.” Many upfront presentations this year emphasized the value of ad-supported services like Peacock, Hulu, and HBO Max. In particular, networks focused on the value proposition for advertisers to buy inventory on their ad-supported streaming offerings – to keep those dollars in their family of brands.
The strategy this upfront season contrasts with to Wall Street analysts’ concerns over the long-term viability of the streaming marketplace. In the wake of Netflix’s quarterly performance, Quibi’s short life, and CNN+’s untimely demise, analysts have been skeptical about the marketplace’s growth potential. BofA Global Research analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich reports, “We believe investors are now questioning the long-term market potential in streaming.” However, networks are not only confident that their streamers will continue to attract audiences, they are betting on their connected TV extensions to attract this year’s upfront dollars.
Networks believe that consumer viewing habits, particularly for those who ante up for subscriptions, will prove a viable market for advertising dollars. Streaming service penetration is strong among U.S. households. Deloitte research reports that approximately 80% of U.S. households in the United States paid for a streaming service in 2021, with about 35% churn across the member base. Monitoring engagement is essential to understanding churn. Subscriber growth and retention work hand in hand in monetizing the streaming ecosystem.
Streaming is nearly one-third of TV viewingTime spent is an essential metric of engagement and retention. The Gauge, Nielsen’s total TV and streaming snapshot for March 2022, shows that streaming audiences spent nearly 30% of their total TV time watching over-the-top video content. Streaming gained a full share point over February as broadcast networks transitioned away from NFL football and the Olympics. The Gauge offers a monthly macroanalysis of how consumers access content across television delivery platforms.
There was a slight decrease of 0.7% in total streaming viewing when comparing total television viewing last month. Viewing share across all streaming providers, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+, and Other Streaming was either flat or gained slightly in March.
The slight dip in streaming usage is significantly less than the drop in total TV usage, down 4.2%. March’s drop-in TV usage is consistent with historical declines this time of year due to the increase in warmer weather and more time spent outside.
Advertisers chase audiences on CTVBroadcast programming also lost more than a full share point, and sports viewing was down 53%. NASCAR and the NCAA basketball tournaments are big March events. However, “sports event programming” share of viewing dropped from 25% to 12% in March.
An important question for marketers and agencies is where to place their advertising bets; in other words: how much of their ad budgets should they be transitioning to connected-TV audiences? While linear TV still possesses strong advertising muscle, linear ratings are a dwindling sales proposition. Undoubtedly, audiences can increasingly be found streaming content and that’s where advertisers are looking for them.
Networks and content producers are looking to direct to consumer distribution and connect-TV is center stage. There’s still much to work out, especially around audience fragmentation and measurement. Importantly, connected-TV advertising offers quality and relevance and the ability to implement cross-channel media planning. No doubt that this year’s upfronts require a careful analysis of audiences’ video content consumption in order to make savvy decisions about where ad dollars will be best spent.
Netflix’s earnings report last week sent a chill across nearly every company with a business model tied to a direct-to-consumer relationship. There are real concerns about the global economy and speculation about whether the massive increase in streaming viewing habits seen during the pandemic will prove to be enduring. However, I wonder whether the insights gleaned from the Netflix situation are unique to Netflix and not a strong indicator for other media companies, most of which are just starting their streaming ventures.
First, let’s acknowledge the macroeconomy. Inflation registering over 8% will impact nearly every consumer market; this is especially true if inflation leads to higher interest rates and the dreaded “R” word. Unfortunately, this will be an ever-intensifying concern.
There has been a great awakening around the globe after two years of Covid, during which we had requirements and excuses to stay home and avoid socializing. There were countless stories in the trade and mainstream press as we witnessed streaming viewership’s outsized growth about isolation’s impact on our insatiable appetite for entertainment – escape. And binge-watching – which was already a trend after Netflix tossed a hand grenade into the linear schedule – only escalated during this period.
Certainly, Netflix finds itself with real competition for digital share of wallet for the first time in its history. Storied media companies have rolled out exclusive offerings that feature everything from hit television programs to blockbuster movie franchises: Batman, Star Trek, Yellowstone, Avengers from HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Disney+, respectively. Many have regained rights to classic television hits that are endlessly bingeworthy. Meanwhile, Netflix has increased its price, nearly doubling its monthly cost ($15.49 from $7.99 when it first launched) while cracking down on password-sharing as it, impressively, has saturated the market.
But while Netflix may have led the way in streaming, it may not be the best proxy for the subscription market opportunity. The company faces its own issues with stagnating growth and should not be mistaken for marketplace indicators.
What is really happeningDCN’s 2021 research into the value of direct, trusted consumer relationships, brands as proxies for this trust, the needs and behaviors of Gen Z vs Gen Y, and the subscription market point to this lesson: Ignore Netflix and stay the course.
Most important are the lessons coming from studying the “next” generation. Consumer behavior is radically different in a world where payment and immediate gratification are merely a double tap of the thumb and face scan away on a mobile device. Paying for access to your favorite news or entertainment product, whether podcast, app or website, is no longer a foreign concept after hitting a “paywall.” Rather, it is little more than a friendly nudge along the way associating value with the products you love.
The number of people willing to pay for access to news and entertainment is increasing. In fact, Netflix’s greatest legacy for the market as a whole may have been leading the horse to the water. Netflix also worked with premium providers and helped build an appetite for great content and normalized paying for it.
What publishers seekNow, distribution platforms from Apple to Google to Facebook are being pushed to finally act as true partners in driving subscription revenues and monetization for premium publishers. At times this nudge has had to come from regulatory threats in an effort to create more balanced bargaining power.
But what are publishers seeking? Publishers expect traffic to their owned and operated platforms and true ownership over the customer journey including the underlying transaction and customer data.
Publishers also want to take back control over the pricing, bundling, and messaging for their services from the distribution platforms. This allows a trusted publisher to extract and retain more subscription revenues by controlling their highly-valued brands and, importantly, the customer data from before, during, and after their subscription relationship.
Putting things in perspectiveFor decades, the vast majority of digital content was available for free.
Meanwhile, Netflix built its business on spending (many would say excessively) on licensing and creating content. It helped rebuild the consumer appetite for quality content and experiences worth paying for. However, when we consider the implications of the company’s recent subscriber losses, we should not be so quick to predict a ripple effect across subscription-based businesses as a whole.
While a couple of news publishers, and a handful of other streamers count their subscribers in the tens of millions, the reality is that most publishers count theirs in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Thus, the basis for comparison with Netflix’s 220 million subscribers is specious at best. That’s like comparing a slowdown in Coca-Cola’s beverage sales to my kids’ driveway lemonade stand.
And the behavior of younger consumers points to a healthy appetite for great content and a willingness to pay for it. Now is not the time to panic, pivot, or radically shift your subscription strategy in Netflix’s wake. Instead, trust in the value of quality content well-delivered in trustworthy settings and know that audiences will be right there with you.
March marked a new milestone for streaming, as audiences spent nearly 30% of their total TV time watching over-the-top video (OTT) content. The Gauge, the monthly total TV and streaming snapshot from Nielsen found that, despite a 0.7% decrease in time spent streaming from February, viewing share across all streaming platforms was either flat or gained slightly in March.
In a further boon for the sector, Sensor Tower Usage Intelligence’s Q1 Data Digest found that the top mobile subscription video on demand (SVOD) apps in the United States saw an average of nearly 18 million monthly active users in Q1 2022, up 14% compared to Q1 2020 and 49% from Q1 2019.
The release of new streaming platforms and the race to add more content has made the space more competitive ever in Q1 2022. According to Sensor Tower, six different apps had more than 10% of the download market among top apps, and four apps had more than 10% of the monthly active users.
While market competition continues to intensify, Sensor Tower believes that enthusiasm around new launches and the strength of the top players continues to drive mobile usage. “The addition of these new content providers, as well as increased content offerings by existing platforms, have led to a consistent upward trend in average MAUs even after the expected spike in usage during their launch months,” according to the analysis. Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ led the cohort as the top three most-used mobile SVOD apps in the U.S. in 1Q22.
The Gauge reports that, as a whole, total television usage was down in March, decreasing by 4.2% versus February. Cable stood out as the only viewing category to see an increase in both share and volume, jumping 1.6 share points from last month. Cable news viewing was up 14% from February and accounted for 21% of the cable share, driven by continuing news coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Nielsen’s The Gauge: March 2022Gaining a full share point over February, The Gauge finds that streaming services benefited from the transition away from the finale of professional football and the Olympics, which bolstered fall and winter TV viewing across broadcast networks. Sensor Tower also finds that content drives download and viewing. According to their report, several big events in Q1 2022 helped boost adoption and give certain apps an edge in this competitive space. HBO Max’s season two of “Euphoria” was incredibly popular, and Peacock TV and Paramount+ benefited from major U.S. . sporting events.
Video is exploding, and new services and platforms are popping up right and left. From broad TV platforms categories like SVOD. FAST, and vMVPD, the wide range of products and offerings can be confusing. The two biggest areas to address are viewing choice, which is about deciding what to watch (the content), and where to watch (the platform).
With series distribution deals, syndication rights, and talent deals, it’s hard for viewers to know what shows are on which platform and where to find what they want to watch. However, it is clear that content drives subscriptions with over more than one-third of viewers (36%) signing up for a service to watch a specific show/movie in the past year according to new report from HUB Entertainment Research.
Acronym soupConsumers and professionals alike are confused about the proliferation of acronyms such as:
HUB Entertainment Research’s Evolution of Video Branding report confirms that consumers are unclear about platform offerings. For the report, HUB surveyed 1,601 US broadband consumers aged 16-74 who watched at least 1 hour of TV per week in February 2022.
According to HUB, viewers use 5.7 TV sources compared to 3.7 before the pandemic in 2019. Numerous streaming brands like Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, and Netflix are marketing to consumers around exclusive content deals.
Disney+ and Warner Media were the first to offer theatrical releases straight to SVOD during Covid-19. Antenna Research’s analysis of Hamilton and Wonder Woman 1984, theatrical release directly to streaming, showed that roughly half of the U.S. viewers joined the service after their premieres but were gone within six months.
Awareness and differentiationHUB’s analysis examines the ways in which streaming brands are trying to break out of the pack to attract and retain viewers. Awareness is ubiquitous among five brands – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. However, aside from Netflix in this top tier, two-thirds or less of respondents understand the top brand’s offerings and how they’re differentiated. Further, the next tier of streaming services presents even lower awareness and knowledge of the service.
Programming as a differentiatorInterestingly, consumers view Disney+ and ESPN as TV streaming services with strong genre focus. Their programming genre is their brand: Disney+ is synonymous with children and ESPN with sports. Interestingly, among those aware of the different services, Disney+ is viewed to have the strongest genre focus in their programming.
Options and confusionIn particular, awareness about FAST services is very low. Less than one in three of those surveyed understand what differentiates one brand from another. Consumers view FASTs services as interchangeable and impossible to tell apart from one another.
According to Nielsen, consumers had at least 200 streaming service options in mid-2021, with more to come. The Hub research identifies the consumer confusion associated with the tremendous growth of TV streaming services. Together, these services accounted for 28% of total TV usage in October 2021.
Consumers welcome guidance in identifying and understanding the value of each streaming proposition. Strong branding and points of differentiation are encouraged among services and platforms, especially FAST programmers. To fully maximize the opportunity streaming offers, the market will require increased consumer education. And streamers need to focus on what makes them unique, whether that stems from a strong genre focus, breadth of offering, affordability, usability, unique content offerings, or brand recognition alone.
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