Ethan Brown

This hits so true as we (I) determine what brands and people we want partner with at Doe-Anderson - the oldest indie agency in the US! "Independence registers in a deep sense of partnership. We treat our client’s success with the utmost care....any indie that considers pitching or running your business is investing its most precious and limited resources to do so—time, energy, focus, and heart." https://lnkd.in/gf9uf2iJ

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✅🖥️ 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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✅🖥️ Reuters (11/21): “The agreement includes an expansion of their platform marketing arrangement, reportedly valued at over $1.5B across 4-years, according to Deadline. The new deal builds upon both firms' partnership spanning more than two years, opens new tab, a period that saw a surge in consumer interest in streaming platforms, prompting traditional television companies to look for partners to house their shows and movies. Under the terms of the new agreement, Fox's prime-time entertainment programming — including "The Masked Singer", "The Simpsons", and "Family Guy" — will continue to stream on Hulu a day after the telecast. business. Fox is also enjoying strong growth with its own streaming business Tubi, an ad-based platform which the company expects to cross the $1B revenue mark in this fiscal year. The deal also includes a renewal of an agreement that allows Hulu to stream out-of-season episodes of a number of Fox's unscripted programs.” ⬇️ #streaming #syndication #ctv #ott #fast #tvos #avod https://lnkd.in/eWZx9i3U

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✅🖥️ Nielsen Gauge (8/20): “July also ushered in the beginning of the Summer Olympics in Paris, and despite only three days of coverage included in the July Gauge report, the impact the Games had on TV viewing was evident. Total TV usage was up 2.3% in July compared to the previous month, and up 3.5% compared to July 2023. Broadcast viewing increased slightly this month to 20.3% of TV, but was up 5% compared to a year ago. The category also finished 0.3 points higher than July 2023 when it recorded its lowest share ever (20.0% of TV). When TV usage is isolated by week, the start of Olympics coverage in the final week of July pushed the broadcast average up to over 22% of total TV. This is further emphasized by the fact that the NBCU Olympics coverage accounted for the top five, and seven of the top 10, broadcast telecasts in the July report, with the largest audience averaging 19MM viewers on NBC on Sunday, July 28. Peacock’s coverage of the Olympics vaulted the streamer to 1.5% of TV (+0.3 pt.) and its second best share of TV ever (behind 1.6% in Jan. 2024). Also boosted by viewing to Love Island USA, Peacock’s 33% monthly usage increase in July was the largest for any streaming platform in The Gauge. It was followed by two more streamers with double-digit monthly increases: Amazon Prime Video viewing was up 12% from June to notch 3.4% of TV (+0.3 pt.), its best since November 2023. The Roku Channel was up 10% and added 0.1 point to achieve a platform best 1.6% of TV.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #olympics #ctv #ott #fast #avod #svod https://lnkd.in/gcaKjZeZ

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Data, data, data! With Atlanta being recognized as a sports epicenter, using data to target sports fans has never been more valuable combined with OOH. Like peas and carrots! #Advertising #outofhome #atlanta #data #mobilesolutions

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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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✅🖥️ 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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It begins. Zero surprise. There's another two or three of these mergers that are going to happen, not through want but through pure balance sheet necessity. Check out the market cap of IPG. Then Omnicom. Then compare it to, say, Accenture. The delta is the power quotient between adland and consultancy world.

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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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The IAB Tech Lab has been working especially hard the last few years. Their latest initiative is about "ID-less" solutions, which Allison Schiff reports is "one that preserves the anonymity of an individual while also supporting addressability." Here’s my core issue: addressability isn’t the problem, measurement is. For years, precision in measurement has been the backbone of digital advertising ... especially the programmatic kind. Real-time insights, actionable data, performance optimization and outcomes all rely on the precision and accuracy that identity enables. So if we're planning to rip off the ID band-aid, then we must confront the reality that giving up ID's risks undermining these core strengths that are at digital advertising's foundation. I've been advocating for a balance. Publishers and advertisers that are privileged to possess a critical mass of consumer data need to protect these highly valuable assets like they're gold. But at the same time, without a controlled level of audience data accessibility, these assets are worthless. And it goes without saying, we all must do a far better job protecting every individual's fundamental right to privacy. So where do I think we need to land? The Tech Lab has its doors open for feedback through Dec 19. My two cents is that we've got a lot more to do on the measurement side before considering digital advertising without the post-exposure connectivity that identity enables.

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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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Yep, scale still matters in media, especially if you’re an agency. Further agency consolidations aren’t necessarily good news for advertisers, who are facing more competitive conflicts sharing agencies with rival brands and facing reduced transparency as agencies grow more powerful. Possible this could trigger some high profile media pitches in 2025 as rival brands race to secure the best terms within the merged group. #MediaForGrowth https://lnkd.in/g4NnXTsE

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Very thorough article by Lindsay Rittenhouse at Ad Age regarding the Omnicom and Interpublic Group (IPG) merger which has the industry spinning since it hit the press yesterday. Thank you for including AAR Partners’ comments. Although we see some benefits (as quoted) we at AAR Partners see more drawbacks than benefits to this mega merger starting with a myriad of job losses, conflicts of interests for brands and many brands not getting senior talent 100% of the time (which is what e v e r y client wants and needs). We hear directly from the mouths of marketers that they need high tech but are clamoring for high touch!! This is a once in a lifetime shot for independents to benefit from the fallout. And clients… if you’re concerned about this merger for your brand and would like to speak confidentially about various options to consultants in the industry for over four decades, we’ll happily schedule a free consultation. (Not a fan of anyone behaving like a vulture but sometimes all is fair in love and war…🤷‍♀️) #agencies #brands #marketers #newbusiness #megamerger

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✅🖥️ Mediapost (7/2): “The slow-moving marketplace was expected to some extent. This was accelerated by declines in overall legacy TV gross rating points -- and further complicated by streaming platforms' CPMs dropping like a stone due to the inclusion of Amazon Prime Video adding an ad-supported option that tossed big ad inventory supplies into the marketplace. A smaller contribution of new streaming ad inventory will come from Disney+ and Netflix adding in streaming advertising inventory to the overall marketplace. Still, some analysts expect scatter to play a major role in the 2024-25 TV season that traditionally starts in the third week in September. (One analyst) estimates the linear TV advertising scatter market for next season will barely change -- estimated to be $20.68B versus $20.48B for the 2023-24 TV season. At the same time, streaming scatter revenue will decline -- to $10.14B from $10.64B. The big winner? Streaming inventory sold in the upfront. It is poised for growth to $18.61B, rising dramatically from $13.55B. In line with viewing share that continues to rise, brands will boost their upfront streaming advertising coffers right now.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #upfronts #ott #avod #smarttv https://lnkd.in/eyMjgqJU

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Today's report from Madison and Wall on IPG's results contains an interesting comment. Noting that IPG is behind Omnicom and Publicis in principal-based trading (aka Inventory or Proprietary Media), M&W states the following: "...because essentially all large clients by now accept that their agencies participate in these activities, additional growth opportunities will surely follow". Brian Wieser, CFA and his team are nearly always on the money but this time I'm not sure they are right. It is possible that all large clients know that their agency groups do this, but this is not the same as agreeing to do it. There are big advertisers who don't agree with the principle and practice of principal -based trading and do not allow it. The recent study by Association of National Advertisers showed that understanding of it is far from universal (although this wasn't only 'large' advertisers). Principal-based trading delivers very little advantage to advertisers compared to the benefits to the agency groups, and advertisers need to jump through many hoops if they agree to it but with limited upside. It is interesting that Publicis and WPP have engaged in trading blows over their reliance on this. It is far from certain that Principal-based media is the panacea it appears to be for the big groups. Steve Boehler

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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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