Arinze Emeagwali

✅🖥️ Nielsen (10/15): “Nielsen’s September 2024 report of The Gauge™ revealed that NFL viewership this month notably reflected audiences’ familiarization with the cross-platform distribution of its games. This was most clearly indicated by the 12% bump in Amazon Prime Video viewership in September, which was driven largely by Thursday Night Football, and ultimately led it to match its platform-best share of TV (set in September 2023 and tied in October 2023) at 3.6%. Peacock also benefited from NFL-driven audiences with its exclusive coverage of Green Bay vs. Philadelphia on September 6. The NFL’s debut in São Paulo, Brazil garnered 2.6B viewing minutes, making the game the 11th most streamed program in September. The resurgence of the NFL was also evident on the broadcast side, as NFL games accounted for 14 of the top 15 broadcast telecasts in September, with the top three garnering over 3B viewing minutes each on NBC, CBS and FOX. Additionally, broadcast sports viewing was up nearly 9% compared to August, despite already coming off a 44% increase the previous month due to the surge from the Olympics. Streaming maintained its 41.0% share of TV in September despite viewership declining slightly from August (-2.2%), in line with seasonal trends. Amazon Prime Video exhibited the largest monthly growth among all reported streaming platforms in September (+12%), driven by the aforementioned Thursday Night NFL Football, as well as its original series The Rings of Power, which was this month’s third most watched streaming title with 4.3B viewing minutes.” ⬇️🏈 #streaming #tv #ctv #ott #avod #livesports #cordcutting https://lnkd.in/eJ5Js6Qq

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Here is a thought exercise: What if Warner is right about the NBA? Warner is getting dragged through the mud right now for letting NBA rights slip out of their fingertips. But what if they’re right? What if it’s not worth the $2.5B that NBC is forking over? If you think about it, the bear case becomes clearer. For starters, the NBA has a long season, and more and more of their young fans are watching highlights on YouTube and TikTok over regular season games. That makes monetizing those games on TV harder as fans can just keep up with the games elsewhere. Further, there is more allegiance to players over teams at this point. So it’s not like all 30 teams are must watch TV - instead, it’s more like 10-15 players. Plus, the NBAs stars are aging up and out in the next few years - LeBron, KD, Curry, etc. The new crop is strong, but not to the levels of these players. Just look at NBA playoff ratings - without these players in the mix, playoff ratings are down 11% YoY through the 2nd round. A year ago, LeBron, KD and Curry were all in the mix in the 2nd round, and LeBron made it to the conference finals. Finally, look at the NBA ownership trends. Mark Cuban just sold his stake in the Mavs, along with MJ. When smart people and owners start signaling they think the valuations have peaked, pay attention. I’m not saying Warner is making the right move to not retain the rights - but it’s possible they are right that the NBA rights are being overvalued. Time will tell who is right. (Post inspired by Joe Pompliano great podcast this weekend with Alex Sherman. Check it out!)

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The announcement of this Google/Team USA/NBC Universal partnership after more than a year of work was a highlight amongst several highlights this past week.    It will revolutionize how technology enhances sports. It will bring context to the helpfulness of search + AI. It will change the way fans experience the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.    Thanks to incredible partners, the journey to build this gold-medal partnership has also offered key learnings I hope can help others maximize the impact of their future investments: 🏅 Being transparent with objectives and aspirations allows properties to become partners.  -- Navigating new territories like AI across category definitions, rights/IP, and product innovation was made possible thanks to open communication and shared objectives with Christopher Pepe Vanessa Shay. There are inherent challenges and roadblocks in building partnerships of this complexity, but a shared willingness to co-create around purpose, intent, and desired outcomes is always a winning approach. 🏅 Delivering meaningful innovation requires shared curiosity and commitment.  -- Taking product innovation from exploration to integration in a way that enhances fandom and business impact is a team sport. Gary Zenkel Dan Lovinger @Molly Solomon Charlie Saunders and team were true teammates and inspired possibilities with a “how can we” mindset and “what if” pursuit of excellence that has been at the heart of NBC’s iconic delivery of the Olympic Games for years. 🏅 Effectively leading integrated teams is an art and superpower. -- Maximizing integrated partnerships doesn't happen with one or two people. They require tens if not hundreds across multiple departments, stakeholder groups, and partners. Knowing when and how to effectively engage them for buy-in, subject matter expertise, and unlocking full business potential is an art. Kate Johnson, OLY Mike Maunz did an artful job across Google and beyond. I am always grateful to have partners with this superpower. 🏅 Channel-less solutions are the future of maximizing partnerships.  -- Industry-leading, breakthrough partnerships don't start with tactics. They happen when you put the fan, the product, and the partnership at the center of big ideas and channel-less solutions. We believe so strongly in this path to maximizing partnerships that we built a truly integrated team that lives it every day. Beyond thankful for the game-changing Co-Lab including Jessica Giordano, Jared Merrell, Jessica Goldstein, Peter Aiello, Jeff Handler, Jen Park , Sven Setzer, and more. Let the Games begin!  #TeamUSA #gmrclient GMR Marketing

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In today's competitive landscape, where brands are making substantial investments in #livesports, understanding the impact of those dollars on outcomes is crucial. At EDO, Inc., our historical and real-time TV outcome data empowers brands to not only benchmark their performance against competitors but also optimize their strategies for maximum impact. Whether you're preparing for the season kickoff or fine-tuning in-season creative rotations, our insights ensure every marketing dollar counts. Reach out today for a personalized look at your NFL performance data. Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Chick-fil-A Restaurants, Arby's, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., McDonald's, Molson Coors Beverage Company, FanDuel, Pfizer, AbbVie, Farmers Insurance, Allstate, Verizon, Meta, Signet Jewelers, Southwest Airlines, Mondelēz International, Lowe's Companies, Inc.

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Very interesting article by Digiday talking about brands and their agencies thinking about their approach to sports and entertainment investments. #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #nba #wnba #influencers #programmaitc #sponsorships #sportssponsorships #ai #creativemeasurement #mensio #hive

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✅🖥️ WSJ (11/16): “Netflix’s push into more live sports programming is part of a long-term plan to build regular, appointment viewing on the platform, which is attractive to advertisers and subscribers. It also is aimed at helping Netflix’s larger effort to replace TV networks as the main source of HH entertainment. Sports leagues are embracing streaming as companies such as Netflix and Amazon are willing to spend heavily for their content. And live sports is seen as a lure to attract advertisers, which both Netflix and Amazon have prioritized. Netflix is scheduled to broadcast at least two NFL XMAS games this year, and at least one holiday game in 2025 and 2026. It is paying about $75MM a game this year, WSJ previously reported. Other streaming services, such as Comcast’s Peacock, are doing the same. A January playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins drew 23MM viewers and was the largest event ever for internet usage in the U.S., responsible for 30% of web traffic. Netflix also said Saturday that another 50MM HHs WW tuned in to the tense undercard fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. The company added it was likely the most watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history.” ⬇️ #streaming #boxing #avod #svod #livesports #ctv #ott https://lnkd.in/g-SQqb3C

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In practicing my presentation this weekend for the LA version of #TikTokWorld (this Tue), I'm taking a moment to reflect on my career journey from Google, YouTube, Facebook, Sphere Entertainment Co. and now at TikTok. In particular, how the #video landscape continues to shift. Yes, from linear and into digital channels but also how video consumption has evolved on mobile, from long(er) form (now 3-5 minutes is considered long ha) to short-form. And, from subscriptions as the primary way to drive new content discovery to machine-driven, personalized curation. To be completely frank, I never thought this level of disruption and shift in consumer behavior was possible in video (considering the transformation that happened from linear to desktop to mobile); I was convinced that only iterative innovation was the future for video and video advertising - I was happy to be wrong!! With that, I wanted to share a recent TikTok co-authored research report (NRG's data) that encapsulates this consumer trend quite well, the how, the why, etc. It really puts things in perspective. Also, highlighting some key take-aways (and yes, some about TikTok) and how short-form has really revolutionalized the industry. 1. Mobile short-form videos have emerged as the primary entertainment medium for consumers 2. 49% of consumers now turn to social/video platforms for entertainment over tradtional TV (by +17%) 3. Its really about a sense of empowerment and choice that defines a new generation; 42% cite platform suggested videos as the defining reason they enjoy social/video platforms 4. The tug of war between choice and curation finds a sweet spot where hyper-relevant alogorthims and scrollable content meet, on places like TikTok (a movies worth of consumption every day) 5. 70% of people say TikTok is their go-to for short-form video and its because its algorithim outperforms all others. 5. It's also true for ads and creating brand value in a "For You" user-choice enviornment. In the new age of consumption, entertainment is the primary path to purchase and its being part of the community and riding the trends that keep brands relevant (and allow users to discoved new brands too). Enjoy and see you at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! #video #shortformvideo #brandbuilding #social #advertising #mobileads

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✅🖥️ WSJ (4/25): “Interest is high in the league’s next round of packages, which kick in after the 2024-2025 season. Disney, which pays around $1.6B a year for TV rights, and Warner, which pays about $1.2B a year, are in discussions to pay substantial increases under a new pact while airing fewer games than they do now, say people familiar with the conversations. The robust pricing expected in the deals shows how valuable live sports are to traditional media companies at a time when cord-cutting is shrinking overall TV viewership. Many households maintain cable subscriptions because it is the only way to watch their favorite teams’ games. Under their current deals, Disney and Warner carry roughly 165 games combined. Games taken from those incumbents would help the NBA create a new package for a streaming player with nationally televised regular-season games and some playoff contests. The league also could draw on a catalog of locally aired games. Amazon’s Prime Video, which airs NFL games, has been aggressive in pursuing the streaming package and is viewed by league and media executives as the front-runner. YouTube is also in the mix, those executives say. The streaming package would give a tech giant the right to show games in markets around the world.” ⬇️🏀 #livesports #streamingtv #ctvadvertising https://lnkd.in/eYK3qmFY

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Another terrific report put together by the team; here are some personal favorite bits of mine: 💵 Social Value: The day which Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home-runs, and record 50 stolen bases in a single season generated $4.3M in Sponsor Media Value -- more than 2x any other day during the '24 season ⏱ Asset Breakdown: Not all signage along the outfield wall is created equal; with certain placements near the foul pole line yielding ~4 mins in duration per game versus ~11 minutes for top performing placements near Center Field 📺 Viewership: Broadcasters FOX, ESPN, and Turner experienced a viewership dip in late July - Early August -- the same time the 2024 Summer Olympic games kicked off primetime coverage on NBC 🤝 Broadcast Presenting Partners: The value which presenting partners earned increased at each stage of the playoffs; with T-Mobile earning ~$19M during the Wild Card, while Capital One raked in ~$140M during the World Series

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Brilliant, as they say across the pond. Two favorite assessments from Ritson in his take: "...we will only see more of the same as executives – like Donahoe – emerge from the digital ghetto of performance marketing where a rounded, more advanced grasp of the discipline is so often missing. Initially, the ramped-up performance marketing delivers good ROI because it continues to run on the fumes of past brand marketing. But over the next two years, as brand investment fades, so too does demand. Long term drives short term; bad executives take from long to increase short, long stops impacting, short stops working, end. The most important word in (Peter) Field and (Les) Binet’s canon (The Long and Short of It) is “and”. You need both long, mass-market, emotional brand building, and short, targeted product activation, and you need them in roughly the right proportions." "Instead Covid subsided from the consumer consciousness, people took off their masks and went to the mall again. Not in the same numbers they had back in 2019 but still in the large, expected amounts that any Covid-free prediction would have suggested. And just as they arrived, Nike was pulling out. Donahoe’s initial diagnosis was off. If your diagnosis is off, your subsequent strategy is going to be off too. And no end of tactical prowess and investment can save you from that." Highly recommend the read.

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🚨 NFL Ads Outperform Primetime TV 🚨 Ads during the NFL’s 2024 Week 1 games saw 48x more consumer engagement than the average primetime ad on broadcast and cable TV. 🏈📺 But are you getting the most out of your NFL investment? The key isn’t just in placing ads but in analyzing how and why they drive action. EDO provides critical data on which spots resonate, so you can optimize future placements and make smarter media investments. If you’re investing in live sports, make sure you’re measuring its true impact. EDO can help you maximize every dollar spent on the NFL season. 📊 #MarketingAnalytics #EDO #NFL2024 #ConsumerEngagement #AdPerformance #MarketingExecutives #SportsAdvertising #ROI

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As a GroupM alum I've often used TYNY data and applied it to sports for industry analysis. I found the latest mid 2024 report interesting. A key takeaway being that the sports sponsorship industry is 'upside down' compared to the overall media industry trends. Namely, TV is a low growth area for media overall and retail media networks (i.e. where companies [doesn't have to be retail] use their 1P data to become ad networks) is the highest growth area but in sports, media value is still heavily skewed for TV and not for 1P data. There's an opportunity here for sports to modernize sponsorships.

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NBA Agrees to $76 Billion in Media-Rights Deals, but TNT Still Looms - The National Basketball Association (NBA) has finalized its long-rumored media deals, ‘The Athletic’ reported Wednesday. - TNT Sports has not made its final decision about how to handle the reported deals. Welcome back, “Roundball Rock.” Farewell, Inside the NBA? The National Basketball Association (NBA) has agreed to long-rumored media-rights deals with NBCUniversal, Amazon, and ESPN, The Athletic reported Wednesday. The deals cover 11 years and are worth $76 billion in total, as has long been reported. According to The Athletic, though, TNT Sports may still try to use contractual language to keep its rights. At the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told reporters, “We have a matching right.” The Athletic wrote, “If Zaslav goes through with that, he is expected to target Amazon’s package.” Right now, though, sources have told Front Office Sports that TNT has no contacts in front of it to match yet. At that point, Zaslav’s TNT will have roughly five days to match one of the offers—or wave the NBA goodbye after a 40-year relationship. The new deals represent an enormous increase from the league’s agreements, which paid $2.7 billion annually. Starting in 2025–26, the league will broadcast games across ESPN—the lone incumbent outlet to retain its rights—along with NBCUniversal and Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, the latter of which is a streaming deal. Article via Front Office Sports #nba #espn #nbcu #amazon #sportsrights #sportbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsbusiness #marketing #media #sportsmarketing #sponsorships #sportsponsorships #brandedcontent #ai #mensio #hive

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According to Nielsen YouTube made up nearly 10% of all viewership on connected and traditional TVs in the U.S. in May. Netflix ranked second, claiming 7.6% of viewership. One more time… ➡️ YouTube made up 10% of all viewership on CTV and Traditional TVs in U.S. ⬅️ #youtube #ctv #bigscreen

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Great lineup this morning at the Association of National Advertisers' Masters of Marketing Conference. A few nuggets and areas to learn more about: On focus: 'Double down on your customer' - Mark Pritchard, CMO, P&G. On the power of fandom: Marian Lee, CMO, Netflix. On social partnerships: 'We believe in these partnerships' - Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, L'Oreal. And my favorite from the morning: 'It's not about knowing it all; it's about learning it all' - Kellyn Smith Kenny, CMO & Growth, AT&T: On the Power of tech to fullfill our lives from Antonio Lucio, CM& CA Officer.

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✅🖥️ Hollywood Reporter (8/20): “This year, however, the Olympics reversed that trend — even with only three days of coverage from Paris included in Nielsen’s monthly Gauge snapshot (the measurement covers July 1-28). Broadcast networks had 20.3% of TV use for the month, up from their all-time low of 20% in July 2023 — and for the week that the Olympics began, that number rose to 22%. Peacock usage spiked by 33% month-to-month, as the streaming hub for the Olympics recorded 4.5B minutes of viewing just over the Games’ opening weekend. The NBCUniversal streamer had 1.5% overall TV use in July, up from 1.2% in June for its second-best showing ever behind January, when it carried an exclusive NFL playoff game. Streaming platforms collectively had another huge month, hitting a record share of TV use for the second straight time. Streamers had 41.4% of all TV use, up from 40.3% in June. YouTube also became the first streaming platform to grab more than 10% of all TV use, hitting 10.4%. July had four of the 10 biggest single days for streaming since Nielsen began tracking streaming use in 2020. Disney+ also hit its best share of viewing in July with 2.1% of all TV use (thanks in no small part to 4.3B minutes of watch time for Bluey), as did The Roku Channel (1.6%). Amazon’s Prime Video (3.4% of all TV use) had its best showing in eight months.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctv #ott #olympics #upfronts #avod

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Week 1 is in the books, and with it a surprising Patriots road win as 7.5pt underdogs to a Super Bowl hopeful. What wasn't as surprising is that advertisers showed out big again on the NFL stage. New creative, new celebrity appearances, new products, and menu items, and boy did audiences respond. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, AB InBev,Allstate, Starbucks, Pfizer, AbbVie, Verizon... and many, many more. EDO will be keeping score all season. Our creative rankings span a wide range of categories, highlighting the top creatives that were most likely to generate consumer engagement in the category. Each ad is scored based on its performance relative to the category average of each week’s games starting with Thursday Night Football.

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In my book, Our Future in Public Relations, I wrote that I believed the era of the global communications conglomerate was coming to an end. Covid and the technological and cultural change that followed irreparably changed the way business gets done - both with clients and within the industry itself. Clients soon realized that the capabilities they sought from the biggest agencies could just as easily be found in well run, independent firms. It’s looking like I was right. Big agencies continue to post quarterly losses or minimal gains. And as we saw last week the biggest are not immune to massive layoffs. Today’s reports of the upcoming consolidation of Omnicom and IPG is a further manifestation of this new dynamic. If the merger goes through synergies will soon be sought and redundancies will follow. Hundreds or maybe thousands will see their jobs disappear. Is this our future in public relations? I hope I’m wrong, but I suspect I’m not.

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"Am I a bad person?" As we have come to expect from Nike, craft is second to none. Having Wiliam Defoe narrated like Green Goblin, I was drawn into 90 seconds of questioning myself about how competitive I can be when, at times, it is all about winning at all costs. My old rugby mates will attest that weekend touch rugby is like a World Cup final for me—no mercy, and I get pretty loud-mouthed. When it comes to training in the gym, I consistently bring the athlete mindset in, and yes, most of the time, I am humbled by many around me who are stronger, faster, and simply better. At work, it's the constant drive to hustle and win. Most of the time, there is actually no choice but to win. I have to admit that I have often questioned my competitiveness and have actually asked myself at work, play, and at home if I am a bad person for wanting to win. There is always a fine line between winning and losing, but how you win or lose matters. It is bad when you can't switch your competitiveness off the moment the game is over and have humidity within both circumstances. I wish that Nike had proceeded to present the human side of winning as a consequence of being 'bad', where empathy and stronger bonds are forged through victory. There's another human on the other end that is equally 'bad'. https://lnkd.in/gTkjN2Xd

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