Brendon Mulvihill

Billion-dollar PE buyouts are ramping, just see today's Squarespace news. Investors in media x agency deals should pay attention... Global deal activity is up 24% for 2024 YTD, with a total deal volume of $726B. Could be the beginning of a cyclical M&A rally, since deal volume was super depressed over the past couple years... ...and investors need to put money to work! Below are some recent public-to-private highlights, including a large media co deal where I did a deep analysis 👇 May 13 • Permira buying website builder Squarespace • Went public in 2021, closed 1st trading day at $5.9B valuation • $6.6 billion May 6 • EQT Group buying US digital consultancy Perficient • EQT also backs UTA, which has grown through M&A • $3 billion April 2 • Silver Lake buying diversified media co Endeavor • WME / UFC parent co TKO Global will stay public • $13 billion April 1 • Advent International buying payments processor Nuvei • Nuvie backed by celeb Ryan Reynolds • $6.3 billion Similarities across these recent deals include... - founder / CEOs staying on post deal - belief that targets are undervalued in public mkts - desire for more flexibility to grow, do M&A, and drive ent value for new owners That last point is key, as I think there's a strong desire to grow through M&A in a market where there are many sellers who can get picked up at good/fair prices VS the crazyness of 2020/2021. This is timely because... Last month I wrote about public-to-private deal dynamics in my Silver Lake / Endeavor analysis, check it out here --> https://lnkd.in/gtprBx7U I'm also working on an active client deal with similar characteristics, and it's important to know where capital is flowing, and why. Are you all seeing a similar trend?? -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open. #media #agency #creatoreconomy

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Some additional information on how CKE Restaurants, Inc. and PMG are leveraging video-level contextual data via the IRIS_ID to target their CTV campaigns and drive actual bottom funnel conversion results! 📈 35% increase in incremental foot traffic 📈 152% increase in incremental sales lift Reach out to us if your a brand looking to increase the performance of your CTV campaigns or if you’re a publisher looking to increase your yield. IRIS.TV #ctv #data #performanceadvertising #contextual Digiday

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Do not miss my latest article in OTTVerse on the the global growth of sports viewing on FAST/AVOD and how the consumption of sports content has undergone significant transformation!

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Music Business Association Music Biz 2024 coming up in May. Find out more about Reactional Music and what we are delivering across interactive music, music personalisation, in-game economies, generative composable music and the possibilities for creators, composers, artists and developers

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I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Net Influencer to discuss the creator economy's rapid growth, the expansion of 456 Growth (456 Growth Media and 456 Growth Talent); 25th Hour Social, and my predictions for the industry's future. Here are a few impactful insights from the interview that my partners Robert Bocchicchio, and Austin Cohen Esq., and the entire team at 456 Growth feel strongly about. Leveraging Data and Testing to Stay Ahead of Trends For us at 456 Growth, the key to staying ahead in the creator economy is a relentless focus on data, testing, and identifying new opportunities before they become industry norms. “You work for a big agency, and you have red tape that slows you down,” I said. “But overnight, snap your fingers—something could collapse. But also, an opportunity pops up.” 456 Growth’s agile, service-based approach involves “continuous testing, evaluation, and scaling” across its creator management and brand media divisions. According to our co-founder, some partners are eager to be on the cutting edge, while others prefer to see consistent results before adopting new strategies. “The brands that tested, even in a down economy, dominate because they didn’t lose their competitive advantage,” I explained. “The brands that tested early with things like whitelisting or Instagram Stories crushed it and built massive pyramids of creators driving 6 or 9-figure returns.” Moving from a “data-last” to a “data-first” perspective allows partnerships to be structured in a way that unlocks their full potential over the long term. With full visibility into both sides of the brand/creator relationship, 456 Growth can serve as an effective matchmaker. https://lnkd.in/e8Q6qej4 📊 #CreatorEconomy #DataDriven #InfluencerMarketing #456Growth #IndustryInsights #DigitalMarketing #Innovation #NetInfluencer #ContentCreation

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“Apple Music is rolling out a new ‘premium’ data analytics toolkit for its record label and distributor partners. The new ‘Apple Music Partner Program’ features various tools for Apple Music’s partners to track trends on its streaming service as well as global radio plays using Shazam technology. According to the landing page for the platform, it offers “access [to] more tools to break the next talent, spot emerging trends, and uncover new insights about your content”. “Apple Music already runs another analytics platform in Apple Music For Artists, which was made available for every artist on Apple Music in August 2019. Apple Music For Artists allows artists to monitor the volume of their streaming plays on Apple Music, all within a data set that updates daily. Spotify launched its own Spotify For Artists app in 2017 (an evolution of the ‘Fan Insights’ tool it introduced two years earlier) to provide artists and their teams with information pertaining to their popularity on the service. Like Spotify for Artists, the Apple Music For Artists service is available as both a desktop interface and a standalone mobile app.” #Apple #AppleMusic #Artists #RecordLabels #Spotify #Fans #Fandom #Streaming #StreamingRoyalties #Royalties #RecordedMusic #StreamingServices #StreamingMedia #MusicTracks #MusicStreams #Music #MusicBusiness #Musica #MusicIndustry #Musique #Musik #MusicBiz

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IYKYK. Spectrum Reach is helping "harness the chaos" of the media ecosystem on both the linear AND streaming front. That's why we are the #1 multiscreen video partner in our markets. Combine that with 30MM+ addressable households...and you can see how we help our partners spend more time optimizing outcomes and less time aggregating audience.

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For anyone interested in AI and content licensing, this podcast is "must listen" content. Nilay Patel from The Verge interviews Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic about their licensing deal with OpenAI and why they chose licensing instead of litigation. They discuss the framework of the deal and the philosophy behind it. Importantly, Thompson says one reason to do the deal is to help shape the future interaction between AI and journalism. He says, "AI is coming, it is coming quickly. We want to be part of whatever transition happens. The transition might be bad or the transition might be good. But we believe the odds of it being good for journalism . . . are higher if we participate." Thompson touches on concepts around one-time revenue vs recurring revenue and provides his odds that The New York Times is successful in their copyright infringement case against OpenAI. And he believes that the NYT's odds of success are enhanced precisely because companies like The Atlantic are engaging in licensing, proving to courts that there is a legitimate alternative to unauthorized scraping. (I have heard that from many smart copyright lawyers and agree with it.) News/Media Alliance, Copyright Alliance, The Copyright Society, The Authors Guild, Dataset Providers Alliance, Regan Smith, Keith Kupferschmid, Daniel Cooper, Thad McIlroy, Pascal Hetzscholdt, Fairly Trained, Ed Newton-Rex, Alex Bestall, Mark Milstein, Max Einhorn, Peter Csathy, Mary Rasenberger, Theresa Weisenberger, James Golden, Mark Turner, Michael Bommarito, Jillian B., Calliope Networks, Andrew Steinberg, Chad Rutkowski, Bill Rosenblatt https://lnkd.in/d42MzQ8e

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Some interesting reading in the new BPI All About the Music 2024 report that came out today. Most notably, independent record labels in 2023 increased for a sixth consecutive year. This can only be good news. Also its a nice breath of fresh air as the TikTok/UMG saga continues to roll on, that has been the most damaging to the actual up and coming artists. Check out some of the facts and figures from the report through the link in the comments. #music #musicreport #musicindustry

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The UPROXX newco is a smart media M&A rollup. Music and culture focus + a strong leadership team. I'm bullish on them doing well by *brands and fans*, and getting immediate revenue traction based on their WMG YouTube media sales partnership. In my newsletter tomorrow, I explain my insights on the deal, key questions I'm asking, why I think UPROXX STUDIOS is setup for success. For now, let's review the key deal details... UPROXX STUDIOS OVERVIEW • A new “brand solutions studio” that “connects brands with talent, cultural arenas, and audiences”  • Founded by media veterans Jarret Myer (CEO), Rich Antoniello (Exec Chairman), and will.i.am (Chief Visionary Officer) • Result of acquisitions of Uproxx, HipHopDX, Dime Magazine, and other Warner Music Group media assets • Reaches 170M+ monthly US visitors and generates 12B+ monthly US video views POST DEAL OPS • “Expect significant investments in our brands, team, and the experiences we offer” • Includes the excl license to represent WMG’s YouTube inventory for all US media sales  • Will integrate will.i.am’s FYI AI tech and FYI radio into ops UPROXX DIVISIONS • Uproxx – Millennial-focused culture media brand and production co (acquired by WMG in 2018) • HipHopDX – Digital mag of hip hop music criticism and news (acquired by WMG in 2020) • Dime Magazine – Digital mag of American basketball lifestyle (acquired by Uproxx in 2015) • FYI – productivity tool designed to serve Creatives. Combines messaging and collab tools with file mgmt and content pub features NEWCO VALUE PROP  • Access to A-list stars via WMG YouTube inventory + UPROXX superfan communities gives brands and advertisers new ways to participate in music culture • FYI AI tech will enable creation of AI StoryLabs, a new branded content and social media mgmt unit within UPROXX Studios  • "Merging the agility and freedom of an independent entity with the reach and resources of a major music label.” UPROXX HISTORY • f/k/a as Uproxx • Founded 2008 by Jarrett Meyer and Brian Bater (also co-founded Rawkus Records in 1996) • Acquired by male-focused media ad network Woven Digital in 2015 • Rebranded to Uproxx Media, Jarrett became GM • Bought by WMG in 2018 • Price undisclosed, but previous Uproxx Media investment was ~$43M • Value prop of acquisition was to “create engaging new experiences for young consumers, global promotional possibilities for brands, and innovative marketing opportunities for artists” • WMG exec Max Lousada and Uproxx co-founder Jarrett Myer used to work together at Rawkus Records WMG RELATED HISTORY • Announced 600 layoffs in Feb 2024, incl potential sale of Uproxx and HipHopDX • Also wound down its podcasting brand Interval Presents and social media publisher IMGN • Overall faced challenges in its O&O and digital brand sales biz -- I'm the founder of RockWater Industries. We do M&A and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. My DMs are open.

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How can Creators unlock global markets for brands? 🤔 Last week I was honored to speak at CreatorIQ's Connect event, where I discussed how to reach global markets through creator partnerships alongside Liz Grampp from Moose Toys. Here are a few takeaways: 1. Be curious! If you want to enter new markets, talk to industry contacts and creators in the market to get a better understanding. Take it as a learning opportunity and ask questions! At Footballco, as we're a global entity with a unique understanding of different markets, if you have specific questions feel free to reach out to me to chat. 2. Focusing on a creator's audience is crucial. While a lot of professionals focus only on Creators that seem like a perfect fit, understanding the audience of different types of Creators may lead to unique opportunities and amazing partnerships. Liz is a big advocate of this as well! For instance, most beauty and fashion brands aren't actively investing into women's soccer and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). At Footballco, we have INDIVISA, a women's soccer brand that has helped beauty and lifestyle brands integrate into the sport successfully with amazing results. Indivisa is an internal brand I'm really excited about, not only because I'm an Angel City Football Club ticket holder, but because of the untold stories and amazing audiences connected to women's soccer. 3. Understanding the platforms, their initiatives and their algorithms are essential for success. While it's great that a Creator has their own audience, if you understand social video at a deeper level and how best to incorporate Creators into a larger plan, you'll see the best ROI. A special thank you to Juliet Rumley for moderating the panel and CreatorIQ for throwing such an amazing event!

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Brief story on #BaP Brand as Performance and measurable impact of audience-first brand marketing because your time is valuable Awesome AdExchanger Ally case study below ⚽ 🏀 📈 https://lnkd.in/g7WsHTkS

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Deepna Devkar, Ph.D. what a treat having you on the podcast! If you’ve ever wondered what goes into building your personalised experience on Max, this is the episode for you. Tune in to hear from one of the minds leading the build of the platform experience!

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Some highlights from the recent discussion between Tony Maglio, M.S. (Journalism), MBA and John Halley on IndieWire about the Paramount Streaming success story hiding in plain sight: 🔵 "Here is the complete list of streaming services with more subscribers than Paramount+: Netflix, Disney+, and maybe Max. (Warner Bros. Discovery does not break out linear HBO from its Max/Discovery+ number.) That’s it." 🔵 "Pluto TV is unquestionably a success story." 🔵 "Paramount management has the streamer pegged to turn a profit in the U.S. in 2025. It’d be a shame to close something that has lost billions of dollars right before it starts to make money." 🔵 "Per a recent Antenna study, in 2023, Paramount+ had 13 percent of all U.S. premium-SVOD subscriptions, second only to Hulu and Netflix." A differentiated #strategy and superior #execution are paying off for Paramount Global in a scaled global direct-to-consumer business.

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With continued industry disruption in media platforms, including how new platforms and technologies combine, their convergence sets up pathways to the next revolutions and advancements. This report highlights that in the US, male gamers are more engaged and better represented by the games industry even though as many women play video games, highlighting the need for gender expansion. New media platforms are evolving at an unprecedented pace, bringing both opportunities and challenges for gender diversity. As these platforms merge and innovate, several critical points of consideration have emerged. #newmedia #digitaldisruption #gaming #genderdiversity #womeninmedia #equality #videogames

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