Richard Wheeler

Here at #TheBridge we consult with content creators and leading broadcasters/ streamers on new and innovative commercial routes to funding for TV, film and programming budgets. Where once long form, linear TV led the way, now gaming first-models are leading IP development and funding can be found in brand partners and VC investment before some commissioning editors come on board a project. As the television industry shifts from B2B to D2C there are multiple routes to audiences for content creators. If you are wondering how to bridge this new world, enter The Bridge Report. 🌉 This resource will serve as a compass for navigating the current turbulent waters of commercial growth for TV producers. It's not just data – it's a narrative of proven models working with producers and funding, programmes and commissions and eastern and western content markets. The report will delve into topics such as where and how to find funding for production budgets and how to work in increasingly global markets. The Bridge Report will provide actionable insights that can help you steer your own success through these choppy changes! Please get in touch if you'd like to know more. 💻🤝 Remember, knowledge isn't power until it's applied. #co-development #co-production #co-operation #content #tvproduction #productionindustry #finance #tv

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#ITVX record month - the value of localisation "ITV’s Euro 2024 coverage, along with a new season of Love Island and a selection of new dramas drove record streaming numbers in June for ITVX, with 375.8 million streams across the month, making it ITVX’s best ever month in streaming, up 54 per cent year on year." It's hard to remember almost 2 years when ITVX was about to launch, there were big questions about its viability in an increasing competitive space, dominated by #global #svods #avods However, ITV has taken the #streaming world in the #UK by storm, and keeps going from strength to strength. It had huge success with the Post Office drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Now, with the #euro2024 tournament, viewing was always likely to go up, but it's hardly an anomaly, its on the back of consistent strong performance for ITV. "The 19 Euro 2024 matches on ITV in June were streamed just under 84 million times, with the current season of Love Island up to 76 million streams after 28 episodes, which is up 10 million on the comparable point in the season last year. Including streams to previous seasons which are also available on ITVX, Love Island has delivered over 80 million streams across June. New dramas pulled strong audiences in June including The Flash, the DC superhero series and Arrow spinoff, darkly comedic crime thriller Bay of Fires, and the UK premiere of Orphan Black: Echoes starring Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes. Commissioned dramas including Red Eye and Douglas Is Cancelled continue to grow and were also top performers in the period." Yesterday, I posted about Tubi's entrance into the UK, and the huge name they bring. However, ITV has a real mix for UK audiences. They have the big films from Hollywood that will always have an audience. They also have UK commissioned series, reality TV, as well as benefitting from years of presence in the market, with its series and shows having ingrained following in the UK, as any local service would. While the #streamingmedia space seems to get crowded, and competition is intense, its easy to think those with the deepest pockets will eventually triumph. That's not the case. Apple TV is maybe the best example, with cash to burn, but has not threatened #Netflix's domination of the SVOD market. Just because big US global streamers set their eyes on the UK, it doesn't mean that they will be successful. #Localisation is the key driver of growth and success across the world, Netflix has invested heavily in local production, and this has helped them maintain their top spot around the world. I predict there will be no global model, Netflix may lead worldwide, but after that, local players will dominate in their markets, beating out some of the global streamers, because they have their ear to the ground, and target their audience, rather than relying solely on mass appeal. https://lnkd.in/efSc6rqh #tvindustry #mediaindustry #creativeindustries #streamingplaforms

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DAZN - a huge step for #streaming and #livesports "DAZN, the sports streaming platform, has been confirmed as the exclusive global broadcaster of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The agreement, worth a reported €1 billion, will see all 63 matches at the tournament, which involves 32 of the best clubs worldwide, live-streamed, free to view on DAZN worldwide, with the possibility of sublicensing to local free-to-air linear broadcast networks....The agreement to hold the exclusive global broadcast rights to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 marks the start of a broader partnership between #DAZN and #FIFA. This includes integrating FIFA+, FIFA’s library of iconic football moments and full-match replays, as well as live fixtures, into the DAZN platform." I had to double check what I was seeing for a moment, first time I saw the headline without reading it, I thought that they'd got the rights to the World Cup! which would have been momentous!! The Club World Cup is still a coup, but I think this is a testing ground to see the future of #football and live sport on #streamingplatforms After the Tyson Paul fight on Netflix, it left more questions than answers. CDNs were maxed out, and many people complained about black screens. It was the first venture into streaming live sports with saturated bandwidths. FIFA is clearly aware of this, and while they must see huge opportunities from #streamingsports delivery of the event is the most important thing. There's no way that FIFA would give the exclusive rights of the World Cup now to any #streamingplatform, with all the SLAs in the world, the reputational damage to them would be intangible if they had a situation like Netflix on the World Cup final. However, the Club World Cup is a good testing ground in a live environment to see the quality of distribution for a huge event across the world. It may be sub-licensed to #DTH providers or cable networks in places where streaming is yet to take hold, sub-Saharan Africa for example. If there are problems, it won't be great, but its not the kind of event that will cause existential issues. In terms of licensing, that's less clear. DAZN has its own subscription model, but is also widely available on #fastchannels so what will be available where? Also, I think the licensing model FIFA has per-territory is more lucrative than licensing events like the World Cup to one provider, plus the barrier of regulations on national teams rights, so this won't be a testing run to later get those rights. The benefits for both though are clear. For DAZN its a huge scoop that will boost their profile, and help them prove their calibre as they look to get more national league rights. For FIFA, its a chance to test the future of #lineartv #broadcast via streaming. On the means of delivery alone, it's likely that some if not all distribution will soon be done via streaming, and all the opportunities that brings, dynamic ad-insertion etc.

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Sky goes full in on #streaming "Sky in the UK is to launch a new sports streaming offering, Sky Sports+, that will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service Now and a revamped Sky Sports mobile app. Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will offer a much broader range of sporting content via concurrent live streams, the mobile app and a dedicated new channel, at no extra cost to subscribers, according to Sky." This will start like most other SVOD platforms, in alliance with the #paytv side, the big difference here is that the pay-tv partner is Sky's main business. It clearly doesn't want to cannibalise its business, and so its offering it for free to its subscribers. "Customers with a full Sky Sports subscription will have immediate access to Sky Sports+ across Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, and Now. As part of the Sky Sports+ launch, Now members will also be able to pause and rewind live sports content for the first time." How will it outreach to non-subscribers? And, will this influence a slow migration away from Sky's #traditionaltv platform? The platform offers more than what Sky's pay-tv platform currently offers, allowing "Sky Sports+ will have the capability to show up to 100 live events via concurrent streams, while a dedicated Sky Sports+ linear channel will showcase a selection of the best live sport, according to the pay TV broadcaster." It will also offer more football matches "the launch of Sky Sports+ coincides with the start of a new long-term partnership with the English Football League (EFL), with over 1,000 EFL games a season featuring every team more than 20 times, and every Championship club on at least 24 occasions." I wonder if this includes the blackout games, those games in the UK blacked out to promote going to stadiums to watch games. If so, that could be a real game-changer. Now, it seems Sky is shifting away from Pay TV. It won't be immediate, it's not pushing its clients at all in any direction, its trying to facilitate convenience for existing legacy clients, as well as innovation for them and new clients. However, it may well seem to be an inevitable shift towards #streamingtv #streamingplatforms #television #tvindustry #skysports #livesports #livetv #livefootball #sports #sky https://lnkd.in/eVe2r-qp

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🎉 It’s official! AFP, alongside #Dawex, partners with leading digital and media companies to launch the #EuropeanAudioDataSpace, Europe's first marketplace for digital audio and podcasts. #Trust is at the heart of the world of culture and information. #Traceability, #compliance and #security are essential pillars to create trust in the exchange of audio content and their information. With such a rich ecosystem creating so much information & audio content, being able to rely on a trusted #DataExchange environment is paramount. Dawex is extremely happy to bring its technology to the European Audio Data Space, to create a trusted digital environment for all audio content producers in Europe. 🎙 Read the press release  https://lnkd.in/dqz24ahQ #DataSpace #DataEcosystem #Media #AudioDataSpace #IndustryDataExchange

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With all the recent sports streaming news, Mark Donnigan and I recorded a special 🎙 “Sports Streaming Podcast Episode": https://lnkd.in/eSkUmKBv We discuss the upcoming Venu Sports offering (Disney/WBD/FOX JV) and the limitations we expect the service to have when it launches. We weigh in on some of the tech behind the scenes and consider whether a 'beta' label could soften the blow for fans expecting a fully polished service from day one. We also cover Netflix’s deal with the NFL, including its importance as the first global licensing deal with no blackout restrictions and how the agreement is structured. Finally, we highlight the NFL's 2024 fragmented distribution strategy across broadcast and streaming, which is great for the NFL's revenue but terrible for fans. (Correction: I say on the podcast the games will be on seven broadcast networks and platforms, but it's ten or eleven, depending on if you separate ESPN from ABC and add in YouTube TV. See this post for details: https://lnkd.in/eJN8u_Bh) Also briefly discussed are Roku's deal with MLB for Sunday morning baseball games, Sky Sports+ launching this August, and how, months later, Max's Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports Add package is still free for users. 🎙 https://lnkd.in/eSkUmKBv

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Sony Music is calling for an end to free music streaming services funded by ads. Chairman Rob Stringer in their investor update today: “In mature markets, we hope that our partners close that gap [between free & paid] by asking consumers using ad-supported services to additionally pay a modest fee. This would help develop this segment of the streaming business to be more than just a marketing funnel for paid subscription and still be a tremendous value for users.” “We think everyone is willing to pay something for access to virtually the entire universe of music." Spotify, Youtube & Amazon have free tiers. Apple Music does not. - Ad-supported streams pay almost nothing - The balance of free to paid keeps growing - But it's effective in bringing people into the system Change will require a united front. My thoughts: 1. 3 months max for completely free 2. Offer very limited access + more hooks to upgrade 3. Then, require ~$4/mo for ad-supported If people really want to get around paying, they'll find a way. But, they were never going to pay anyway. What do you think? --- I'll go deeper on this & more in this week's Where Music's Going: https://lnkd.in/ggNfxyae

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In prep for tomorrow's OTT Question Time (where we'll be talking about the types of relationships we have with streaming services e.g. emotional, functional, transactional), I've been reading Whip Media's Streaming Satisfaction study. Based on a survey of 2,000 US viewers conducted in each of the last three years since 2021, HBO MAX TV leads the way in terms of overall satisfaction (88%) followed by Hulu and Disney+. Apple TV + has the best quality of original content (86%) but Hulu, Paramount and Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios perform strongly too (~70% scores for each). Apple TV+ is also on top in terms of variety of originals (78%). Netflix still has the best UX (84%) and content recommendations (71%), however, according to the survey respondents. It's a fascinating paper which Mike Sid from Whip will be telling us more about tomorrow. Join me, Mike, Julie Mitchelmore and Emma Keith from 4pm UK / 5pm CET! https://lnkd.in/enqsnhJ5

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STREAMING BUNDLES: Is the cable box making a comeback!? Subscriber churn remains an issue for SVOD services – 42% of US streaming subscribers report that they “'regularly subscribe, cancel and resubscribe,” according to Ampere’s Media Consumer survey covering 1Q24. But bundling streaming services can have a significant impact on mitigating the issue. Ampere cites Disney subscribers as an example: Consumers who had previously churned and then returned to take the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle are 59% less likely to churn within 12 months than those who take Disney+ alone, based on 1Q23 sign-ups. Ampere also found that US resubscribers skew younger (aged 18-44), are more likely to be in family households, and are typically avid media consumers. And with that wide media diet, the cohort is 40% more likely than average to exhibit signs of subscription fatigue and 21% more likely to desire unified access to content across different services. Which makes bundles, Ampere concludes, a key strategy in subscriber retention. The cable box is making a comeback! This time, it's on your mobile device$!

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English Premier League ops in-house - a sign of things to come? "Premier League clubs have agreed to establish their own in-house media operations business bringing to an end a 20-year relationship with production company IMG. The decision to bring all international media content production and distribution in-house follows a unanimous vote at a Premier League Shareholders’ meeting today (Friday). The service has previously been run in partnership with IMG under the name Premier League productions." Is this a sign of a big shakeup coming to the world of football and sports? As markets mature and new business opportunities saturate, how else can you drive stronger margins? One of the things is bringing services in-house, to be able to increase margins by cutting out expensive third-party providers. The IMG deal comes to an end, are the Premier League also looking beyond their latest renewal with Sky and thinking about becoming distributors of their own rights and going D2C? With the proliferation of #streamingmedia and #streamingplatforms I think the Premier League amongst others will start looking at their business models and wonder whether they can just distribute the content themselves. It's not like the old days where they needed satellite or cable infrastructure, the costs to set their own #streamingplatform would be reasonable when looking at ROI. We could well see a move to make the #EPL the exclusive distributor of English football in the UK and beyond. There clearly advantages in going D2C with greater margins and convenience because while Sky has most rights, its not exclusive, with rights shared with TNT. Having everything in one place would also win points with consumers. There is a danger though. Going D2C would mean assuming all responsibility for distribution, and if things go wrong, the penalties would be severe. The EPL has been shielded by this through their SLAs with the distribution providers, who take the risk. It's the danger of jettonising long-term partners like IMG and potentially Sky, they're not just a costly middle-man, they have years of operational expertise. As we saw with Netflix's transmission of the Tyson-Paul fight, its not an easy business to deliver #livesports streaming seamlessly, especially when they're popular and CDNs get saturated. Secondly, the EPL is itself a middle-man who pays the football clubs #broadcast revenue. If they take control of their own distribution, many of the clubs may question why they don't also do that. They could sell their rights D2C and boost their own platforms. It may even be beneficial to the consumer, as they could pay per match, rather than the current #subscriptionmodel where they have access to lots of matches. So, the EPL and others should tread carefully around these in-housing services. They are ripe with opportunity, but laden with risk. #television #sports #tvindustry #football #paytv #livetv #broadcasting #mediaindustry #monetization #streaming #cdn

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FIFA pushing Fifa Plus - to what end? "FIFA is seeking an investment of up to $2 billion for the expansion of its streaming service, Fifa+....Launched in April 2022, Fifa+ streams 40,000 live games a year, with at least a quarter coming from women’s matches. Fifa+ is accessible in several European markets, including the UK, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy. Viewers can enjoy full match replays, highlights, and curated collections." While I can certainly see the value of a FIFA+ FAST channel and #streamingplatform, capturing timeless classic games for playback, compiling interviews on an on-demand basis. Given the way World Cup games are licensed around the world, it seems that there's a ceiling on FIFA's growth. So, why do they want so much investment? One area I think could be exploited would be for FIFA to become the platform for tournaments outside their regions. So, for example the Copa America could be on FIFA+ or an off-shoot channel for European audiences. Many of the Copa America games are difficult to watch in the UK at least. Yet, when you think about it more in depth, that seems complicated. FIFA+ would have to develop multiple feeds, or at least audio feeds, and then they're facing the same situation as everyone else in the #mediaindustry - navigating rights! In Spain, where there's greater interest in the Copa America, there may be greater coverage, and therefore not possible to do a European feed as a certain channel may have bought the rights already. In any case, while the Copa America may not get as much traction in most of Europe, the African Cup of Nations is already broadcast in the UK, and probably around Europe, probably because of the timing of the games. It's already gaining a lot more traction, so UK broadcasters and any other European broadcasters that carry the games would be unhappy with FIFA broadcasting the same game on their platform. The only other option I see would be that FIFA is potentially readying for a change in the way #sports #broadcasting happens, and considering bringing the coverage onto their own platform. So, instead of people tuning in to their local broadcasters to watch the game, everyone would go to FIFA+. That doesn't make sense either. Local context is everything, especially when someone's home team is playing. It would be very hard for FIFA to manage multiple feeds to be able to split to 190+ feeds for local analysis before the game, half time and after. Also, the issues of delivery, if FIFA+ went down for whatever reason, its bad enough when it happens to one country, but the whole world?! I thought FIFA+ was a great idea, it still is, but I think it has a very hard ceiling. I can't really guess what innovation they are planning on to request so much money. What could be game changing enough about the streaming service to warrant such investment? #streaming #streamingmedia #streamingplatforms #livesports #sportstv #television #tvindustry #ottplatforms

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Immersive Insights on the Future of Streaming Services Streaming services are at their peak, and ad revenue is expected to soar to $200 million by 2025! Amazon Prime, Kayo, and Binge are leading the local market charge, leveraging sophisticated human sales teams. Marketers, it's time to expand beyond major cities and tap into Australia's dynamic regional audiences for growth opportunities. Don't fear introducing ads to streaming services; they thrive with varying growth rates. AI personalization and innovative ad formats are poised to drive the industry's next phase. Survival in Australia's competitive ad-funded streaming market will be challenging as new players like HBO and Disney enter the arena. Given the evolving industry landscape, streamers must invest in AI-driven experiences, immersive content, and strategic marketing to stay ahead. Though Amazon Prime, Binge, and Kayo currently dominate with their robust sales and data infrastructure, competition is fierce, especially for ad revenues. Telsyte's forecast indicates a 10 million household streaming market within four years, with over a third on ad tiers, signalling a significant change in consumer preferences and revenue streams. The future of streaming services hinges on content integration, personalized experiences, and adapting to the evolving advertising landscape. Are you poised to seize the opportunities in the upcoming streaming revolution? #StreamingServices #FutureTrends #AdRevenue #DigitalMarketing #InnovativeTech #StayAheadOfTheCurve Link to the full article: [here](https://lnkd.in/gC_f_zDg)

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Last month, our brilliant Senior Digital Account Director Mohini Lakhani joined a panel of industry leaders at the New Digital Age roundtable to explore how to effectively navigate the complexities of planning omnichannel campaigns in today's fragmented video and TV landscape. 👉 Discover the key takeaways from the panel of industry experts below... https://lnkd.in/eDpW4-sm #DigitalAdvertising #MediaStrategy #ConnectedTV

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Findings confirm the future of #video - and the new challenges ahead "As exclusive streaming-only sporting events are on the rise, a survey from Qwilt sheds light on the challenges and considerations of content publishers looking to plan and execute mass live streamed events....identifies ongoing and new themes in mass live event delivery in 2024, from CDN capacity and performance to QoE metrics, overall event success, capacity requirements, and cost optimization." Video is moving online away from traditional methods of #distribution and towards internet, even what people consider #lineartv is more and more being delivered by the internet. In Europe, its a bit different, internet distribution is being done alongside traditional #broadcast yet its still present. "Streaming-only live events are quickly becoming the new normal, with #streamingservices like Peacock leading the way. Peacock recently reported 16.3 million concurrent devices during an exclusively-streamed NFL playoff game in January, marking Comcast’s biggest night on the Internet." #livesports is/was the last holdout of traditional #linear #television but now, especially in the US, things are changing and even live broadcast is now done exclusively on the internet. With these changes come challenges, as the report highlights: "#CDN performance and capacity continue to dominate concerns, with 29 per cent identifying CDN performance as their greatest technical concern regarding video delivery...46 per cent say the average bit rate would be in the 4 to 6Mbps range. This compares to only 30 per cent of respondents expecting the average bit rate to be in the 4 to 6Mbps range in the 2022 survey. Using an average bit rate of 5Mbps, 16.3 million viewers would mean over 80 Tbps of CDN capacity would be needed at peak for the event. " - This is crucial to the delivery of content, but also, I think the cost of CDN must also be a point of concern. When delivering to multiple takers, CDN costs can grow considerably, and so while it appears far cheaper initially than traditional delivery, costs add up quickly. Quality of Experience is vital too. It's amazing that you can watch TV in full HD and have a seamless viewing experience via the internet, its the norm for entertainment and is becoming more common in #liveevents And yet, can CDN bitrates balance with costs to give QoE, particularly when viewers are demanding more and more. I noticed in the UK that streaming of the #euros isn't always in #hd which is really surprising from an end-user perspective. Users now want #4kuhd not just HD, so its a fine balancing act to ensure these three elements, CDN performance, CDN costs and QoE/UX are in harmony. #streamingplatforms #streaming #tvindustry #livetv #broadcastmedia https://lnkd.in/dmMrG4S2

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Interesting data, to be sure, but I would argue it's incomplete due to what I see as 3 glaring holes in the data: ➡️ Open Programmatic only The data only includes open programmatic inventory. In my experience, the vast majority of CTV inventory is transacted via PG or PMP deals. Ranking the top apps on OA only is interesting, particularly the differences in regions (YuppTV for the win in APAC!), but it excludes the real top players. 🇨🇦 Not included You can't really call it North America when the second largest CTV market in the region is missing. Also, Canada happens to be a top 10 CTV market globally, making this list all the more incomplete. 📺YouTube!!! Where is YouTube on this list? And to be fair: Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, Spotify, DAZN, FuboTV and many more off the top of my head? These are the real heavyweights in CTV advertising these days...further showing the major inventory sources are being bought and sold on a reserve basis, thereby excluding them from this ranking exercise. https://lnkd.in/gKjXE3wM

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After nearly 20 years of building TV apps, here are the hidden costs your vendors aren't talking about ↴ Media brands consistently focus on upfront development costs while overlooking the strategic implications of maintenance. Here's what REALLY drives cost: • Platform SDK updates (2-3x annually) • Security compliance requirements • Cross-platform feature parity • Performance optimization • Fragmented codebases • UI/UX consistency Each requirement compounds across every platform in your ecosystem. Multiply that by EVERY platform you're on. And in some cases, multiple devices per platform. Maintainable by design means building on a unified framework with shared components, consistent naming conventions, and centralized API handling. It's about writing code once and deploying everywhere - while still maintaining SDK integrity on each platform. When evaluating vendors, be sure to ask these critical questions: 1. How are platform updates handled across devices? 2. What's the process for rolling out new features? 3. Can you show me your maintenance workflow? 4. How much of the codebase is shared vs platform-specific? The right answers will save you millions in long-term maintenance costs. What's your experience? Has maintenance become your hidden cost center? ------------------------------ 𝗽.𝘀. We're helping brands launch on Comcast X1 in 30 days with Vahalla, our TV app framework. Interested in a demo? DM me or drop 'DEMO' in the comments. #StreamingTV #AppDevelopment #MediaTech

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This maybe like a red rag to a bull, but please challenge my #contentstrategy for #monetization with #fast & #fastchannel replacement #streamingplaybook #como for #adtech and #ctv consolidation for #ott & #streamingmedia. I would love to hear your feedback - https://viewtvx.com

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