Pierre Hergaut’s Post

📺 **Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Television: A Revolution Underway** 🤖 AI is infiltrating the world of television, threatening to transform our favorite shows. 🎬 One notable incident involved a network executive wanting to use AI to replace an unpopular character, disrupting the creative trajectory of the series. This raised concerns about AI's impact on story continuity and quality. 🌪️ 📊 **An Uncertain Future for Jobs** 💼 AI could disrupt 203,800 jobs in the American entertainment sector by 2026. 🎥 This growing use of technology worries professionals, though some see it as an opportunity to simplify technical processes. While AI can handle technical tasks, it is still far from replacing human creativity. 💡 📢 **Mixed Reactions in the Industry** 🎭 Some believe AI could handle repetitive tasks, but others criticize the poor quality of fully AI-produced content. 🤷♂️ AI could succeed in established formats like *RuPaul's Drag Race*, but will likely remain inadequate for satire comedies or more nuanced content. 😂 🔊 **Legal and Ethical Challenges** ⚖️ Voice actors are fighting for protections against the non-consensual use of their voices by AI. 🎙️ Technological advances now allow voice cloning in just three seconds, leading to abuses and raising crucial questions about consent and compensation. 🎤 The industry must balance innovation with respecting creators' rights. 🌐 ✨ **The Rise of DIY Television** 📺 Platforms like YouTube demonstrate how amateur-created content can compete with Hollywood. 👥 With AI tools, users can create their own episodes, redefining the notion of television. This revolution could upend the traditional industry, making professional and amateur content increasingly interchangeable. 🏰 #AI #Television #Innovation #Entertainment #Creativity

📺 **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

📈 Streamflation Alert: Subscription prices are rising again! In 2024, platforms are boosting prices for the second time in two years. Streaming services like Peacock, Max, and Spotify are increasing costs, often coinciding with major events or new content launches. 💡 Why the price hikes? Streaming platforms are adding more content and employing strategic moves to drive users towards ad-supported tiers, which generate higher revenue. For example, Peacock raised prices right before the Paris Olympics, and Max did so ahead of the new season of House of the Dragon. Bundling services are also on the rise, with companies like Disney and Verizon offering attractive package deals to reduce subscriber churn and enhance value. 📊 What's next? Analysts believe these price hikes are just the beginning, expecting more increases by the end of the year. The goal is to boost margins and gently push consumers towards ads and bundles, supporting the company's larger financial objectives. #TV #svod #streaming #bundle https://lnkd.in/e8-uYitV

📺 Apple will introduce a new version of its streaming television operating system, tvOS 18, later this year, featuring character-driven data and a dialogue enhancer. 🎬 The new feature, InSight, allows streamers to see timely updates about actors, characters, and music offered through Apple TV Plus content, integrating directly with other Apple services like Apple Music. 🗣️ Enhanced Dialogue will utilize machine learning and computational audio to deliver greater vocal clarity over music, action, and background noise on various devices including Apple TV 4K, HomePod, iPhones, and iPads. 🌍 Other features in tvOS 18 include smarter subtitles, updated screen savers, a revamped Apple Fitness Plus app, better integration with smart home devices, support for 21:9 aspect ratio videos on projectors, and improvements to FaceTime and Continuity Camera for video conferencing. #svod #ai #apple #tv https://lnkd.in/eAgubRGC

*The United States alone continues to see growth in Single IP channels, increasing from approximately 320 in the previous year to over 430, currently. *Single IP channels offer a clear value proposition by simplifying content discovery and ensuring audience expectations regarding programming type. *...scripted and unscripted television series currently hold the strongest momentum within the Single IP space. *Single IP channels serve as a valuable entry point for major content owners outside the US. Compared to thematic and curated channels, the relative ease of setting up and programming single-source options allows these players to explore the FAST market. *The scheduling of Single IP channels is a relatively straightforward affair, however repeat rates vary and the underlying available volume of source material is likely to impact levels of repeats and the methodology of channel owners. *As the pace of new user growth slows, innovative programming strategies will assume greater importance to maintain audience engagement. This may necessitate the rotation of Single IP channels as certain shows begin to tire. #OTT #FAST #IP #TV

*Les abonnements à des offres culturelles payantes s’ancrent dans les budgets des ménages. *A côté du loyer, de la facture d’électricité, des assurances, des abonnements téléphoniques et Internet, les Français citent désormais spontanément au moins un, si ce n’est deux ou trois abonnements à des plates-formes de vidéo à la demande ou de musique en ligne.  *"On constate [...] que ces abonnements ne sont pas une valeur d’arbitrage. Il y a une forte résilience de ces offres, qui structurent désormais le budget loisir des foyers français de façon très ancrée, au même niveau que les dépenses de téléphonie ou d’Internet ». *« Dans ce contexte défavorable, le nombre d’abonnements et de types de service détenus se stabilise, l’attachement aux marques ne faiblit pas ». *Cela souligne seulement un changement des usages, et la montée de ces plates-formes dans la part du budget consacrée aux loisirs. #svod #tv #ott #spotify #music https://lnkd.in/et98CdWS

*More than half of Netflix's content budget is now allocated to original and acquired content sourced outside of North America. *With 70% of Netflix subscribers located outside North America, producing and licensing local content remains crucial for fostering organic subscriber growth and minimising churn. *Europe’s big five markets, particularly the UK and Spain, attract substantial investment. Beyond Europe, South Korea, Japan and China emerge as top international markets for Netflix's content spending. *Netflix’s own audience data indicating that non-English titles contribute to ~30% of viewing. *International content spending represents a risky but rewarding proposition. Netflix's international production capabilities are a key differentiator in the streaming market. *This advantage is not without its challenges, however, with international consumers expecting a steady supply of freshly curated, localised content. #content #tv #streaming #international #vod #svod https://lnkd.in/ejuHfVM3

Like most FAST services, such as Paramount’s Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Xumo and smart TV OEM platforms Samsung TV Plus, Vizio WatchFree+ and others, Tubi offers a mix of live linear-style streaming channels as well as on-demand content. Murdoch on Wednesday’s earnings call said that across content available on the platform, 90% of viewing happens in the on-demand environment. “This is very important because when the viewing comes on-demand and it’s proactively on-demand, as opposed to passively sort of sitting back and watching a FAST channel, that’s much more valuable to advertisers,” Other FASTs are leaning into on-demand as well. Samsung TV Plus, for example, initially focused more on linear FAST channels but during this year’s NewFronts presentation said it plans to double the amount of VOD content available, after having already done so last year. “money will continue to flow from linear entertain television, particularly cable entertainment networks, into streaming” including AVOD, SVOD, and ad-supported SVODs, Murdoch said. “That trend… will not slow" #FAST #AVOD #streaming #on-demand #content #TV