Will Weiss

Whether to merge or bundle with each other, or to bend the knee to #Google, #Apple and #Amazon, a good article about the decisions that await the media industry and their streaming businesses. I tend to believe old will be new again with bundling and a return to the wholesale model. #bundling #streaming #media

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Every company founder has a story to tell, and in the case of the Connected TV Marketing Association, there’s quite a tale to tell. In ‘Beam Me Up, The Future of Smart TV - Battle for Control' (Ch 7), I share with readers the 7 year legal battle and fight to control the CTVMA during the global streaming wars. For those of you who don’t know, there were over a hundred people involved in our foundation, and many of whom are prominent, well known, leading industry figures in entertainment, business, broadcasting, advertising and finance, who will all receive special mentions in my upcoming book #StreamingWars 💣

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This is a buzzy article about the titans who lead the streaming companies. By the way, they are all white men, which is sort of odd in 2024. Anyhoo - some interesting takeaways for us as consumers or people selling into the streaming universe, which is all traditional TV is now. 1. 200 million is the new number. That's the number of subscribers needed to run a profitable service. Netflix, Prime, and Disney are there. 2. Ads are growing - and probably the only way to make TV work long-term. 3. The HBO model of critical successes that makes you want to pay - is declining. It's all about weekly/monthly engagement. 4. So - with that in mind. You need sports. 5. You need shows that don't win awards but are great light entertainment. 6. When the shakeout is done, all anyone knows is Netflix will be the king of the mountain. For us Canadians, it seems clear - for originals, it's highly local stuff that can scale globally, and it better be cheap. (Squid Games is the #1 show on Netflix ever - and it didn't come from the LA system). Or we can be a great branch plant economy for Hollywood—which we already are—with skilled technicians and lower overall costs. And if you care about English Canadian culture - I wonder whether something more radical is in order. No matter how well-meaning or skilled commissioners are at Bell, Rogers Communications, CBC or what's left of Corus Entertainment you can't afford many new shows. And you only get hits by making lots of shows. One radical idea - how about providing a creators fund? - similar to what Tik Tok or Youtube have offered in the past. If you're a Canadian citizen or permanent resident here's a $5000 grant to make stuff this year and try to make a go of it. If the IP goes anywhere here's a higher tier - say $20,000 - to develop it with a Canadian producer to try and sell it somewhere. We need to move to guerrilla tactics in the content wars. We ain't making aircraft carriers and ICBMS in Canada. #streaming #tv #cancon https://lnkd.in/giS__uhY

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New 'Top Publishers on Social Media' report from NewsWhip out today. "ABC News is perhaps the most successful of the big US cable publishers on TikTok in H1 2024." Especially love this part: "Its success wasn’t limited to viral soft news clips..." Congrats to the best social team in the biz! #news #digital #social #tiktok #digitalmedia #streaming #socialmedia

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The real reason your OTT service is hemorrhaging subscribers (and what you can do about it): Ever click away from a streaming service because it just felt... off? What a waste of marketing dollars. As streaming matures, viewers are increasingly abandoning services with subpar user experiences. The stakes are high. Poor UX isn't just annoying—it's costing OTT services real money. Think about it: • No personalized recommendations? Viewers waste time searching, get frustrated, and leave. • No auto-playing trailers? Fewer "just one more episode" moments. • No language options? You're shutting out entire markets. These UX missteps don't just damage engagement. They obliterate loyalty, spike churn rates, and kneecap ARPU growth. The path forward? Embracing UX innovation. Three UX features are increasingly essential: - AI/ML-powered personalization - Automatic trailer previews with clear calls-to-action - Full multi-language localization (apps, metadata, content) These aren't just nice-to-haves. They're becoming necessities for ARPU growth and reducing churn in the maturing streaming market. How can providers implement these premium features without excessive time and cost? 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻, 𝗮𝗽𝗽-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝗧𝗧 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Agree? What did I miss? What UX improvements do you think are most urgent? Drop it in the comments 👇 ------------------------ p.s. -> If you don't know where to start, ask me about A Different Engine 's App Audit for Streaming Services. We'll help you identify areas of risk in your streaming service. Interested in an overview? Drop "AUDIT" in the comments, and I'll reach out with more information. ------------------------

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Great article from Rob Wile at NBC News on why FAST services like Pluto TV or Tubi are already incredibly successful and why we are still scratching the surface of something way bigger🚀 💵 .Ross Compton, CFA provides a spot-on analysis that resonates with our vision a decade ago when we spearheaded the FAST market with Pluto TV. "It’s a repackaged version of the old method of distribution, noting that the original broadcast networks were all supported by advertising and the only investment a viewer had to make was in a TV set and an antenna. Now, it’s the same thing, just over the internet. The demand for FAST channels is sustainable — for one simple reason. You really can’t beat free." (Ross Compton, CFA) Free and easy access combined with high-quality content shaped the golden age of TV. The same ingredients are needed for FAST, even if we needed to rethink channel programming and curation in the new era of internet, social networks and the overabundance of video content. Same is true for advertising, it has funded so much of the best TV content over the decades. FAST advertising is like TV advertising but with more data, targeting and measurement! So YES, there is such a brillant future in front of the FAST business! 📺 #FAST #PlutoTV #Tubi #NBCnews #fastchannel #Avod #streaming

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I think every sports fan can agree that the amount services and apps needed to watch one sport has reach an extreme point of absurdity. On top of that, you can't even pay to watch all of the games for the teams you are a fan of with those services. Let the fans pick and pay for the games they want to actually watch for the teams they actual like all from ONE app instead of having us play this game of "find the needle in the haystack of services" each year. #FreeCast #NextGenStreaming #StreamingWars #NBA #NFL #NHL #MLB #MLS #NoMoreAppDiving

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📺 **Battle for the Living Room**   The race to dominate the smart TV operating system (TV OS) market is heating up, with major players like Roku, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and LG vying to enhance user experience and capitalize on new business opportunities through data and advertising. Despite this fierce competition, a key question emerges: do consumers actually care about which OS their TV uses? 📊 **Market Potential**   At the StreamTV Show in Denver, experts discussed the benefits of owning a TV OS, such as controlling user data and enhancing ad revenue. Analyst Alan Wolk noted that around 40% of smart TVs globally lack a dedicated TV OS, presenting a significant market opportunity. Even small gains in market share can translate to substantial financial rewards, making the competition highly lucrative. 💡 **Consumer Preferences**   Panelists at the event debated whether consumers prioritize the TV OS in their purchasing decisions. Google’s Rob Caruso argued that factors like size and price still dominate, with the OS being a secondary consideration. However, Vizio's Katherine Pond and LG's Matt Durgin highlighted that content availability and user experience offered by the TV OS could influence consumer choices, particularly for those seeking quality and value. 🎬 **Content and User Experience**   Ultimately, while the current focus for consumers might not be on the specific TV OS, the content and seamless user experience provided by these systems are crucial. Companies like Vizio and Samsung emphasize the importance of offering desired content and a smooth interface, hoping that improvements in these areas will eventually drive consumer preferences toward specific TV OS platforms. #TV #TVOS #Streaming #SmartTV

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Predictability. That's what a lot of Stacker's publishing partners are looking for. They want to know the same refreshed content will come down the wires at the same time each week. They can anticipate it. They can build a reader engagement strategy around it. And they can confidently redeploy reporters to other projects long-term. I learned how important these franchises are first-hand when I was at The Associated Press and tasked with changing how we structure our lottery results. I still have battle scars from that project. 😅 But beyond horoscopes, lottery results, and sports scores, what other franchises can we develop? Last year, Stacker produced a monthly series on the items in grocery stores that were shifting in price the most. Our gas prices series continues to be picked up regularly. And we're excited to now be partnering with Backstage, a powerhouse in the entertainment industry since 1960. Every week, we'll syndicate casting calls in each of the 50 states courtesy of Backstage. And it’s not just for professional actors…anyone looking to make a side hustle as an extra should keep an eye out too. ❓ What other weekly fixtures or franchises would engage YOUR readers the most? https://lnkd.in/eGbPDait

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A rival collective response to the Disney+ Max bundle It didn't take long for a response to the news only last week, Disney and Max+ looked to join forces in the US to pool their resources together to present to the market. When I learnt this last week, I speculated what the market response would be. We didn't have to wait long: "Comcast later this month will launch a three-way bundle — with Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ — offered at a deep discount, Comcast chief Brian Roberts said." This is taking the old cable approach to #streaming and what better company to introduce the legacy model than Comcast, the leading #traditionaltv provider in the USA. "Dubbed StreamSaver, the bundle will be available to all Comcast broadband, TV and mobile customers, Roberts said, speaking Tuesday at MoffettNathanson’s 2024 Media, Internet and Communications Conference in New York. The three streaming services, Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+, will “come at a vastly reduced price to anything available today,” Roberts said, although he didn’t reveal any pricing details." This is an aggressive positioning, and with Netflix particularly, this makes the package a real force to be reckoned with. "The goal is to “add value to consumers” and “take dollars out” of other companies’ streaming businesses, he added, while reinforcing Comcast’s broadband service offerings." Take dollars away from others companies certainly seems to be the name of the game, grouping together with other platforms, to try and run out other groupings. It's a tough time to be a true standalone platform now, although Prime will feel comfortable that their business won't be affected by this as other rivals would be. "Like the other streaming bundling strategies, Comcast’s forthcoming Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ package is an effort to reduce cancelation rates (aka “churn”) and provide a more efficient means of subscriber acquisition — coming as the traditional cable TV business continues to deteriorate." Combatting #churnrate is becoming the most important issue, and rightly so. There's no point in having huge growth if you lose that growth within two or three months to churn. Better to have steady growth and more retention of subscribers. #streamingmedia #streamingservices #streamingplatforms #collectives #consolidation #mediaindustry #television #tvindustry #netflix #appletv #peacock https://lnkd.in/eZFhPQwk

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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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ROKU - A Game Changer for Brand Exposure In today's digital age, brand exposure is everything. If your business isn't on ROKU yet, you're missing out on a significant opportunity. Here's the deal: ROKU users view 3.6 billion hours of content every month. That's a vast pool of potential customers waiting to discover your brand. I'm here to help you make the most of this opportunity. Let's set up a 1:1 meeting to discuss how a ROKU channel can skyrocket your brand's visibility.

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I hate to say this, but... Despite this article's claim in Variety, it's not going to happen. Verizon is not going to be the "#Netflix of Streaming Bundlers". In what world is this even possible? Look at all of the things working against that happening... 1. Customer Inertia It's simply too late to try to become this. The major streaming services are set. People have been subscribing and unsubscribing to these platforms for years already. There's no new element of discovery, significant financial incentive, or improved customer experience that Verizon can provide. So why would customers move in mass to have Verizon manage their subscriptions? 2. It's Already Proven Suspect Roku. Google. Amazon. They're all trying to be THE place where you can manage your multitude of SVOD subscriptions. Roku bundles that with hardware. Google bundles that with an OS and Google services. And Amazon Prime Channels bundles it with toilet paper shipping. And yet, the most dominant of them, Amazon, isn't really dominating. Yes, w/o any specific public data, it appears to be growing, but 8 years ago we thought Amazon Prime Channels would be the belle of the ball. Now it's just Cinderalla still looking for whoever found her slipper. 3. No Original Content Please explain to me who's even attempting to be an aggregator of SVODs without some form of original content. Okay, Google, but they have YouTube, which nobody else can claim. And of course, with Roku and Amazon you have tried and true original programming. I think it's going to be impossible to get folks to pledge themselves to an aggregator that can't entice me with at least 1 piece of content. 4. Where Are the Ads? Maybe I missed it, but there's not much of "ad" play here, yet when we look at all of the aggregators, ads seem to play an important role. Roku's earnings calls are entirely about ads. Everything Google does is about ads. Prime Video is basically one giant boondoggle for selling toilet paper. But Verizon is out of the ads business. Maybe precedent is wrong, but it would appear that if you're in the SVOD retail game, you need to sell ads. Does Verizon really want to go back into that line of work? 5. The Financial Risks I suppose it's not "much" of a risk for Verizon to pursue this—especially if it's adding new subs in the process. But if they get that original content bug. If they feel the need to subsidize access to more SVODs. If they have to pursue creating and monetizing ad inventory. Getting sucked into 1, 2 or 3 of those potential money pits could really hurt their pockets—and without much benefit. But without at least one of them, they're probably doomed to fail. Or at least that's what history would suggest.

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𝗕𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗨𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 (too much? 😅 ) In the wild world of streaming, giants are teaming up to keep us entertained. Comcast's new StreamSaver bundle, featuring Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+, is here to save the day for broadband and TV customers. This move aims to add value and fend off the competition, all while reducing cancelations and bringing in new subscribers. But let's face it, the streaming jungle is getting crowded. With everyone fighting for user attention, content costs are soaring. Will this lead to more affordable options? Maybe even a return of standard cable? We're already seeing hints of it with the rise of FAST services. As a viewer, I'm all for more content without emptying my wallet. And as a product leader, my goal is to retain and acquire users with great content at prices that won't break the bank. It's a wild ride, but I'm excited for it! #productmanagement #partnerships #StreamingSolutions #UserRetention #ProductInnovation #ContentExperience #netflix #apple #comcast

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This article is very telling of the current state of the industry. Consumers have really changed their behaviors as it relates to the moviegoing experience and streaming plays a good part in this equation as well as how movies are marketed. You do have to think about the change in perspective towards celebrities/talent (star power and who’s a celebrity looks a little different these days), what’s considered a big hit or blockbuster and who can get consumers to actually pay for a ticket to watch a movie in a theater for roughly 2 hours. I will continue to be an observer of the trends, especially throughout this summer. There are some good theatrical releases slated for the remainder of the year and I hope they perform well. #moviegoers #theatrical #releases #entertainment #consumerbehavior #streaming #talent #boxoffice

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three I’s of streaming: *Ideate *Innovate *Incubate One of the things I love most about my current role is innovating new streaming programming. Every news outlet will cover breaking news and news of the day on linear and digital, it’s the cost of admission for a news organization, but if you aren’t enterprising new streaming programming, you are missing out. Just LOOK at the million different options people have to watch programming now— specialty channels for every passion— crime, cooking, cars, real estate, old game shows, new game shows, old sitcoms, new sitcoms. It might seem unusual- but a legacy newsroom is not so different— complete with a million different options to watch (if only we develop them) and the biggest difference is we OWN our archives and the content, why not capitalize on it. So Ideate that new concept maybe it’s a longform streaming documentary project like our team has done… or new shows based on current content and personalities… or true crime specials based on those vast news archives, or maybe something entirely different… Innovate the concept… what does it look like and how are you going to get it done and make it happen knowing the workflow of your organization.. identify the newsroom leaders who embrace the digital vision. then grow baby grow! Incubate the concept… The streaming world is an endless fabric of new and old, good concepts and bad, a constantly changing universe.. Grow your idea. Take risks. Try long runs. Try limited runs. Swing for the home runs. One thing I’ve found is that a lot of the joy I get out of covering daily news as a journalist, is experimenting at how people can consume news in an entirely different way and then experimenting on how we cover stories. Make no mistake: Local news organizations are now content developers— not so different than Netflix, Hulu, or Apple… only we have our own vast archives to work with and a built in distribution system. Let’s use it to our advantage. PS work for a boss like mine who loves to see experimentation.. the culture of ideation, innovation, and incubation, begins from the top down…

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Fast channels are paving the path for a new era of streaming digital advertising opportunities especially in the multicultural digital space. Lean in. https://lnkd.in/eYf8aktT

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It is "upfront" time in the US. This is when networks present their upcoming programming. Netflix is part of the upfront as any network - they count on very targeted offering and strong data on viewing (no surprises there). "Oh, times they are changing but upfronts are here to stay." #broadcasting #TVbusiness #entertainment #advertising #branding

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