Neil Lindsay

On the heels of the Walmart acquisition of VIZIO, Roku has partnered with The Trade Desk, allowing TTD’s customers with access to Roku's data to enhance campaign optimization for streaming viewers via ACR data. This is in line with Roku’s partnerships strategy and creating more demand and collaboration within their walled garden to drive yield with enhanced audience precision, but this behind the velvet rope of PMP deals. What makes this interesting is that this play an important role with #CTV activation, but we cannot lose sight of the Roku data accounts for 38% of the US streaming hours and the wide array of companies participating in the Roku Measurement Partner Program, where Roku’s first-party data provides measurement partners a privacy safe, identity backbone – allowing for better coverage and accuracy when it comes to campaign reporting, verification, brand safety assessment and other measurement use cases. #CTV #Streaming #Inscape #Measurement #DataTargeting https://lnkd.in/eDRGGnDr

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Streaming services have transformed content consumption, offering flexibility and diverse choices. Despite this, the financial sustainability of streaming poses a challenge. Streaming platforms must evolve revenue models to thrive, potentially integrating more advertising or exploring new subscription bundles. Traditional cable is indeed facing a decline as more consumers embrace streaming. However, cable companies are not sitting idle. They are embracing streaming technology and offering bundled services to retain their customer base, showcasing their adaptability. Future Business Models: - Hybrid Models: Integrating subscription-based services with ad-supported content may become more common following the success of platforms like Hulu. - Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations between content providers and tech companies, such as Comcast's partnerships with Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+, offer value and convenience akin to the old cable model but with modern flexibility. - Content and Experience Differentiation: The key to standing out in a competitive market is to provide unique content and enhanced user experiences. Investments in original programming, interactive features, and personalized recommendations are crucial in this regard. - Global Expansion: With domestic markets saturating, streaming services will expand globally, tailoring content to local preferences to capture new audiences. - Technological Integration: Advancements like AI and machine learning will enhance content delivery and user engagement, making services more efficient and personalized. The future of streaming and traditional cable will involve a combination of old and new strategies. By innovating and learning from each other, both industries can thrive in the changing digital landscape. 🚀 What do you think about the future of these media giants? #startups #streaming #advertising #subscriptions #business Rob Sacks

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This is such a wonderful news to learn that Connected TV is gaining traction in this marketing world. Honestly, everytime I see a brand buying the tiny bottom footer of the top header banners with illegible fonts and images on mobile, I cringe and almost want to scream. Cheap CPM and CPC is not about sacrificing your brand image to chase the reach figure. A reach is nothing to your potential customer is you can’t even communicate your message clearly and standout from the crowd. Time to rethink everyone? What metrics matter most? Ultimate is always the revenue and margins, not your reach and frequency figures. When will we shake off this mindset?

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Great article about Roku getting the value out of their data with a quote from C.J. Leonard, Infinitive’s Director of Ad Operations and Technology. Every enterprise has data. Are you getting the value out of your data?

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"Uber may soon ask 'Why are we heading out?' to suggest nearby coffee shops, movies, or bookstores. T-Mobile securing Uber's ad business, will enable real time access to recommendations to the rider, enabling: - Personalised & measureable hit rate calculation - Geo tagged insights & recommendations - Right moment for right sell/ value

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🥇Going live today -> Ready to go for gold? 🥇 The latest report from Bango: Subscriptions, bundling & payments predicts the Olympic Games are set to spark a streaming frenzy this July! 📺🌟 With 1 in 4 American subscribers gearing up to get a new streaming service just for the Olympics, it's clear that sports streaming is taking the lead in the streaming wars. The report reveals that a whopping 66% of SportsVOD users are diving into new subscriptions for the Olympics. The average SportsVOD subscriber pays a massive $1,440 a year for all their subscription services - $120 per month - compared to the average US subscriber who pays just $77 per month. But it's not all smooth sailing in the streaming world. Fragmented platforms, soaring prices, and diverse broadcasting rights are leaving fans feeling overwhelmed and underserved. 😩 That's why 87% of SportsVOD subscribers are calling for a single 'content hub' to streamline their sports streaming experience. Take a closer look >> https://lnkd.in/e2Uc4cCJ Download a copy of the report here FREE >> https://lnkd.in/eNS2TP9p #SportsVOD #subscriptions #olympics #streaming

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It’s upfronts week, with many of the big TV networks, from NBCUniversal, to Fox to Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery hosting their annual presentations. Streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are also joining the festivities.   Measurement is emerging as an important part of this upfronts season, as advertisers are searching for more than just scale — they want to tie measurement and attribution data back to business results — meaning there is a bigger focus on the full loop from reach to conversion. Add in all the jockeying to be the dominant measurement currency and there’s a lot to talk about - with perhaps nothing more foundational than #identityresolution (especially for the connected household). It was a pleasure to join Chris Brooklier from The Trade Desk to talk about all of these things--and how Blockgraph is playing the important role of "data draino" unclogging the pipes of addressable television (credit Jonathan Heller). #householdidentity #measurement #attribution #signalloss #connectedTV #privacy

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🌟 Another Not Retail Media Network is Born! 🌟 Seeing a 2024 prediction come true and the rapid proliferation of these new verticalized commerce media networks is incredible. 🚀 It seems almost every company with the “right to win” — and even some who may not — are becoming advertising publishers via their own media networks. In the last few weeks and months, we’ve seen Financial Services giants like Chase Media Solutions and PayPal jump the retail media shark, and now Kinective Media℠ by United Airlines has joined the fray — and it’s only June! ✈️💳 What’s next? Luxury Goods, Health & Wellness, Pet Supplies? The possibilities are endless! 🛍️🏋️‍♂️🐾 If you spot a new verticalized “Retail” Media Network, please ping me — yup, I’m keeping count as my new hobby! 📊 One question remains: How long will we keep calling these “Retail Media Networks”? 🤔 GrabAds Grab

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Looking forward to discussing how changing demographics and culture norms are affecting investment opportunities in longevity, health and well-being at The Care Summit today Alongside Cake Ventures' Monique Woodard, Ziegler's Dan Hermann, Oak HC/FT's Billy Deitch and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jennifer Edwards, we’ll dive into the trends shaping how we are investing in the space: - Last year marked one of the most significant social and economic moments in modern times: The number of older adults—those aged 50 and over- surpassed the number of children under the age of 15 for the first time. - In 2020 the 50 plus population contributed $45 trillion to global GDP, or 34% of the total. That equates to about 3x the revenue of the world’s 100 highest- earning companies in 2020. - The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group. - Women around the world and across all ages drive 64% of consumer spending

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Welcome to doomscrolling for the streaming ad market. As much as Amazon is the de facto giant in ecommerce, the company has sort of played second fiddle to the likes of Netflix, Disney, and Paramount among others in streaming. While the expansion into live events with the NFL is noteworthy, Amazon’s move to convert its entire Prime Video subscriber base to an ad-supported version has truly reshaped the ad market. And, the impact extends beyond streaming services and into the entire advertising landscape. Amazon is becoming the ad industry's "3 Body Problem". Dominate ecommerce, maximize revenue through subscriptions, and monetize its Prime customer base. Netflix, sure. But, Amazon's impact is now rippling towards Alphabet and television networks as well. The strategy with its huge customer base is already impacting negotiations these platforms are having with advertisers for the upcoming TV season, leading to a significant decrease in ad prices for everyone. "Stranger Things" or not, Amazon has Netflix doing the unthinkable given its own positive growth - cutting ad rates - and even going further by introducing new options like product placement to lure advertisers. The numbers tell the story with Netflix now offering brands $29-$35 to reach 1,000 viewers, a steep discount from last summer's $39-$45. Like the dueling interests in "Bridgerton", someone definitely holds the advantage. Amazon's ad-supported Prime Video has 115 million monthly viewers in the U.S. alone, while Netflix's ad tier has 40 million global monthly active users. Dominant numbers on both sides, but you know who you'd pick first in a game of dodgeball. You don't need to re-watch episodes of "Silicon Valley" (though you should) to see that Amazon is meticulously building itself into a killer app for advertisers. By combining premium content, live sports, and a massive user base, they offer unmatched and scary targeting capabilities. Advertisers can not only reach their ideal customers but also track purchases made directly on the platform - the holy grail if you will. "Squid Game" for ads, anyone? Netflix is certainly making its own foray into live events, recently winning rights to broadcast two NFL Christmas games as well as becoming the new home of WWE Raw come 2025. It's even cut the mustard with a unique live event: "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef," a hot dog-eating showdown featuring legendary rivals Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi. The chase for "The Crown" is afoot. All of this underscores Netflix's strategy to hook viewers with unconventional live programming and through diversified content offerings. But more importantly, counter Amazon's dominance in ad-supported streaming by offering a more engaging experience beyond just price https://lnkd.in/gj_3Y39Q #netflix #amazon #streaming #advertising #television

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A few weeks ago at Upstream, Tidelift co-founder Luis Villa sat down with HBS professor Frank Nagle to discuss his recent report that estimated the value of the open source ecosystem at 👉 8.8 trillion dollars 👈 . By way of comparison, the U.S. Interstate Highway System is valued at only $742 billion, and the entire U.S. electrical grid is valued at only $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. Beyond the fact that $8.8 trillion is a very, very large number, in this clip from the talk, Dr. Nagle explains why he thinks the study hit a nerve, as it came out at a time when government and industry are increasingly focused on new policy and technology solutions for improving open source health and security in the wake of recent well-publicized attacks impacting open source. From the talk: "This is coming out of the log4j incident and, very recently, the xz incident. People, even if they know nothing about open source, are starting to understand that it is really important." I highly recommend watching the full talk, which you can find here: https://lnkd.in/gkKhk_n8

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A big week for the open internet. Lots of things are moving and ?s are being asked about the walled vs. open approaches. This is a massive win for connectivity, decisioning and omnichannel buying as well as a sign of continued innovation in the CTV landscape. For retailers - this unlocks big opportunities to better connect the power of 1P data with the scale and reach of the big screen.

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https://lnkd.in/guKyDZsf "And then you’d say, why is it that so called lack of focus strategy seems to be working for Amazon? And I think the fundamental underlying principle that he’s guiding his whole discussion of strategy is, he’s changed the rules of strategy. So the old rules of strategy were, the way you gained competitive advantage is by being better or cheaper. So if I am selling you a car, my car is better of cheaper. But the inherent assumption in that strategy statement is, I’m selling one product to one customer. And what Amazon is basically arguing is, the digital economy is all about connection. We have got to connect products and connect customers." "So connecting products, here the idea is, I can sell you, this is a classic razor and blade strategy. I can sell you a razor cheap in order to make money on the blade. So I can sell you Kindle cheap in order to make money on the ebooks. Now, at some level you might say, hey, razor and blade have been around forever. What’s so unique today? I think unique today is razor could be in one industry and blades could be in completely different industrys. So for example, if you look at Amazon’s portfolio of businesses, you sort of say, not only Amazon is an e-commerce player, but also is making movies and TV shows, its own studio. Well, why does it make sense for an e-commerce player, an online retailer to compete with Hollywood. Well, Walmart doesn’t make movies. Macy’s doesn’t make movies? So why does it make sense for Amazon to make movies?" And I think once you dig into it, the answer becomes clear that the purpose of the movies is to keep and gain the Prime customers. Two day free shipping is fine, but if you ask me to pay $99 or $119 for two day free shipping, I might start doing the math in my head, and say, OK, how many packages do I expect to get next year? And is the Prime membership worth it or not? But once you throw in, in addition to the two-day free shipping, you throw in some TV shows and movies that are uniquely found only on Amazon, I can’t do this math. And why is Prime customers important to Amazon? Because Prime customers are more loyal. They buy three or four times more than the non-Prime customers, and they’re also less price sensitive. And in fact, Jeff Bezos has said publicly that every time we win a Golden Globe Award for one of our shows, we sell more shoes."

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(5) reasons why the "Uncrush" ad resonated with me and aligned me closer to #Samsung's brand values: 1. Transforming Opportunities: "Uncrush" is about seizing opportunity regardless of size and transforming it into value, reflecting perseverance and creativity, where even small beginnings can lead to remarkable outcomes. 🌱 2. Utilizing Resources: The ad shows how to transform a shattered piece into a musical creation, reflecting the idea of making the best of our situations and utilizing the resources we have. 🎶 3. Embracing Adaptability: The "Uncrush" campaign underscores adaptability, highlighting the ability to pivot in today's fast-paced world to overcome challenges. 🌍 4. Strategic Response:By emphasizing unique value and innovative features, the ad solidifies Samsung's position as a tech leader. Being the right person at the right time is crucial. 💪 5. Principle of "Less is More": The campaign highlights the principle of "less is more" and encourages us to be ourselves. ✨ Let's embrace the "Uncrush" mindset and turn our challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. 💡✨ #SamsungFan #Innovation #Creativity

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I interviewed four impressive leaders at the forefront of incorporating AI into product live at BuildGroup’s Annual Meeting this year:  - Ben Eachus (CEO) and Jason Harbert (CTO) of Flowspace, which powers fulfillment for merchants with software and a network of warehouses  - Mickey Alon (CTO/CPO) of VidMob, which helps enterprise brands measure & optimize creative effectiveness.  - Liam DeCoste (CTO) of PressW, a consulting firm which helps companies adopt AI into their workflows. Here are four takeaways from our discussion: 1. Tech execs should focus on real ROI for the power user as opposed to just leveraging cool technology for its own sake. For Flowspace, the power user could be a single person at a DTC company with all of the responsibility of ensuring the right product gets to the right consumers on time at minimal cost. The ability to tell a system to “freeze orders from this bad batch of dogfood” can save hours and improve consumer happiness.  VidMob’s brand manager power user can instantly interpret what creative ads are appropriate for different audiences and automatically ensure that all ads adhere to brand best practices. 2. I saw this at the Pablo Escobar museum: “El dinero fácil no dura" (Easy money doesn’t last). Putting a simple wrapper around GPT and up-charging customers is challenging to sustain. The hard work of automating workflow and building a proprietary data asset bolsters a company’s ability to provide outsized value to users. In the land-grab that the latest AI wave has kicked off, founders should take the high ground that they are uniquely capable of defending. For VidMob, this means leveraging 18 million analyzed videos and insights from the feedback loop of knowing which ads were successful. For Flowspace, this means leveraging millions of historical order history of addresses, warehouses, shipping times, and costs. 3. This Time Really Is Different: While prior innovative cycles in AI over the decades were followed by “AI Winters”, the current deep learning renaissance is different. Foundation Models are in the early innings and ordinary organizations can leverage a host of new off-the-shelf tools. 4. 3/4 panelists took a $100 bet that OpenAI will be worth over $100B in 10 years, but the first mover is not always the biggest winner. Accordingly it makes sense to plan for flexibility with multiple models. And the hardware paradigm that supports these models is shifting quickly. *Note: BuildGroup invested in Flowspace and Vidmob, & engages PressW for consulting. This content does not constitute an offer of any investment advisory services, nor does it constitute an offer to issue or sell, or of a solicitation of an offer to subscribe or buy, any securities or other financial instruments, nor a financial promotion, investment advice or an inducement or incitement to participate in any product, offering, or investment." https://lnkd.in/gk2msqeQ

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As Rick Broida points out in the headline... WE KNOW that picture quality is something that we need to deliver. But that is not enough for an experience that delivers delight. After working for years to listen, think through, and address the pain-points that our streamers need to face; it is incredibly rewarding to hear "Great picture, sure, but it's the myriad little attentions to detail that made me fall in love with the Pro.". At Roku, we are committed to sweating the details so you don't need to. The Mini-LED QLED design was meant to punch above its weight in picture quality but that was not enough for the team... These "little" details are what separate competency (pretty common in the tech business) with delightful (what we endeavor to deliver every day with every Roku product). We heard our fans express a need for backlit remotes and USB-C charging and we delivered on that with the new Roku Voice Remote Pro v2. Customers don't ask for cable management with convenient hook&loop straps to make it easy, but we know that they need it and will find it a joy because we have watched them struggle to install a TV without the spaghetti of wires hanging out. Our Streamers don't ask for legs that can be easily and firmly attached to the TV without tools, but we know that they will enjoy it because we watch them set up TVs in our labs and we talk to them after their purchases. Smart Picture will change the overall experience for the 94% of people that never touch their picture settings (and while we're at it... Smart Sound does the same thing for audio.) Nobody expects this "smart friend" to help them, but we do it anyway. This list could go on and on, but... The point is that the Roku Pro Series is the ultimate TV built for you by people that simply LIVE AND LOVE TV! Overall, I could not be more proud of the Roku team that has delivered on our dreams. This is the best overall TV that I have every been a part of. Speaking from well over 30 years in the TV business should lend some pretty healthy weight to that opinion!

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💪💡Wisdom is learning from past mistakes from others but also oneself. Retrospection with action is powerful. An insightful weekend read from the WSJ… Christopher Mims shares his list, from 10 years of covering consumer tech for the The Wall Street Journal: ( link here: https://lnkd.in/eKj2wX_t ) 1. Disruption is overrated. 2. Human factors are everything in tech adoption. 3. People lie to themselves… and to you. 4. Tech bubbles are productive, even if wasteful. 5. We’ve got more power to shape how tech impacts us. Some of my list, from 25 years of early stage consumer internet investing and operating: 1. Tech disruption is overestimated in the short run, underestimated in the long run. (Amara’s Law) 2. Social proof is powerful in tech adoption. 3. Hope kills. Execution is everything. 4. Run towards tech bubbles. 5. Tech optimism empowers positive change.

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🍏 Breaking News: Apple's Apology & Commitment to Inclusive Advertising 🍏 Apple Inc. recently launched an ad event titled "Crush!" for the iPad Pro, aiming to highlight its cutting-edge features. However, the ad unintentionally sparked controversy, prompting swift action from Apple. In response to concerns raised, Apple issued a sincere apology, expressing regret for any offense caused. The company acknowledges the importance of inclusive and respectful advertising and reaffirms its commitment to these values. This incident serves as a reminder of the impact of messaging and the need for sensitivity in marketing. Let's learn from this and strive for greater inclusivity and understanding in our communications. Together, we can create a more inclusive and empathetic world. #Apple #InclusiveAdvertising #Empathy #LearnAndGrow 🌟

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