Austin Hayden (Smidt)’s Post

The walls between mediums are crumbling. Should a YouTube series like Hot Ones be eligible for an Emmy? If your answer is "No, because it's not television," you're clinging to an antiquated way of thinking. The media industry is currently organized around mediums. This is because, historically, it was expensive and difficult to create and distribute content to a mass audience. As a result, people and organizations specialized: There are television companies and film studios and radio broadcasters and publishers. But it is no longer expensive and difficult to create and distribute content. So it no longer makes sense to organize the industry around mediums. The audience is interested in topics, not mediums. For example, I follow politics, so I consume Meet The Press every single week. But I haven't watched it on television in 15 years. I just say, "Alexa, play 'Meet the Press'" and listen to the audio. The audience does not care whether something technically qualifies as a "TV show" or a "podcast" or a "video." Show me a company that's quibbling over whether Spotify counts as "radio" or Mr. Beast counts as "television," and I'll show you a company that isn't prepared for the future. https://lnkd.in/gY5ET37m #mediaindustry

If you haven't subscribed to GiantsOfMedia.com, you wouldn't have realized that we recently launched two amazing new episodes (remember, Robert Webster and I publish a new episode every Wednesday!). The first is on Curation with the amazing Fern Potter, and the second is on TV Buying with the brilliant Dave Morgan. Curation - the digital media industry's hottest topic (?!). So much misinformation around its role and what it does. We put all that to bed in this awesome episode with Fern Potter plus we also look to the future of what Curation will mean for buyers and sellers. TV Buying - the TV media market has become diverse and fragmented. Content for consumers is accessible in an ever-increasing number of ways and that is having a profound impact on how demand and supply of TV advertising works. An eye-opening episode with Dave Morgan with some predictions on how this impacts big TV buyers and is opening the doors for small-to-medium businesses. Links in the comments below and DM me if there are specific topics you'd like to see covered.

The latest study from Gaggl & Element Human reveals some exciting insights: 70% of 18-34-year-olds prefer watching TV alongside their favorite creators, where they can interact with both the content and other viewers. Key findings include: - More emotional engagement: Creator-hosted TV shows led to significantly more emotional peaks in viewers compared to traditional formats. - Higher likelihood to watch: After seeing TV content streamed by creators, 80% of viewers said they’d watch more of this format. - Stronger recommendations: 77% of viewers said they’d recommend creator-streamed TV to friends and family. This research confirms the huge shift in viewing habits and presents a massive opportunity for rights holders and creators. After the rise of Netflix that started about a decade ago, this feels like the next big evolution in media. It is combining the best of traditional TV, social video, and the creative freedom of new creators. It's clear that decentralized streaming, where IP holders collaborate with influencers and creators, will be the way forward. Can't wait to see how these creative minds continue to push boundaries and shape the future of entertainment!!!!

🎉 NEW RESEARCH ON GEN Z TV CONSUMPTION 🎉 The Next Big Shift in TV Viewing Habits - Gen Z still want to watch TV but with creators, Gaggl & Element Human study finds 🧐 Our latest study shows that 70% of 18-34-year-olds prefer watching TV with their favorite creators, where they can interact with both the content and other viewers 🙌 📊 Key Findings: 🥰 More emotional Engagement: Creator-hosted TV shows triggered significantly more emotional peaks in viewers compared to traditional formats ⬆️ Higher Likelihood to Watch: After seeing TV content streamed by creators, 80% of viewers said they’d watch more of this format 💪 Stronger Recommendations: A staggering 77% said they’d recommend creator-streamed TV to friends and family. As TV viewing habits shift, this research is a game-changer for content owners, creators and advertisers 📺💥 🔗 Want to learn more about this shift in TV habits? Check out the full release... Greg Miall James Duffield Adam Harris Hamish McPharlin Matt C. Georgina Wallis-Caddell (Nee Ferreira)

Picture this, you’re watching the first season of a new TV series. You like it but it falls off your radar for one reason or another. Fast forward a few years and now they are hosting a Season 4 premiere tomorrow! You don’t have time to catch up in a night, but really want to see how the story’s developed. The decision to watch or not to watch! Barriers of entry are often talked about, but equally important are “barriers of re-entry”; obstacles created after interacting with a product previously. In the scenario above, a barrier of re-entry might be the importance of a spoiler-free experience, the time required to catch-up or even a plot direction that may not have resonated. It’s important to consider these barriers of re-entry, and combat them where you can. For example, making an official podcast to review what a viewer's missed can let them catch up on that TV show on a drive to work. Or if a viewer can rejoin a show without being spoiled, then expressing this with the right messaging and campaign. Barriers of re-entry apply to far more than just TV. While also tied to entertainment, subscriptions are a great example of the wide-reaching effects. Understanding why someone leaves a subscription, and how to get customers back on board with the right value offering. Barriers of re-entry are everywhere, and sometimes stronger than initial barriers of entry. It’s up to us as #marketers to determine what is at the core of these barriers and how to best reduce them.

Not sure I agree with the headline, b/c NF is still busy taking the world by storm, but it does point to a walled-garden streaming issue, vs the other 60-odd years of TV biz. Nielsen ratings were modest for GOT at first, but they grew over the seasons, as most hits do. Even if there were ratings for 3BP, it's a bit unfair to compare just S1. But it does raise the question -- do ratings wag the cultural conversation dog (or did they used to?) Every week PR, newspapers, etc, used to pump out the numbers and they seeped into the TV convo. Logic says things rate because they are hits, and drive conversation. But maybe they're hits and drive convo (at least in part) because they rate? Top 10 lists are nice (and brilliant marketing) but they have zero context (eg, this cup of coffee is definitely among my Top 10 beverages of the day!) Broken record for me, but I think transparent shared performance metrics are critical for a healthy industry. https://lnkd.in/egaMhxqk

Well written, mixed and performed audio description can enhance a project!

Hot Ones, the viral spicy chicken-wing talk show, unexpectedly boosted Maya Rudolph’s Apple TV+ series Loot after a clip of her character from the show circulated online. However, many viewers didn’t realise it was a scene from Loot, highlighting Apple TV+'s marketing struggles. Despite high-profile creators like Alfonso Cuarón and stars like Cate Blanchett, Apple TV+ struggles to generate viewer awareness, with just 0.2% of total U.S. TV viewership. While known for prestige programming, the platform may need to rethink its marketing strategy as its cultural impact lags behind its content quality. #AppleTVPlus #MarketingChallenges #StreamingPlatforms #BrandAwareness #DigitalMarketing #ContentPromotion #MediaStrategy #StreamingWars #TechInnovation #AppleNews

TV right now is wall-to-wall "mid." But why? I think a lot of pieces right now are missing the true culprit. For example, this James Poniewozik piece does a fantastic job of laying out what exactly that looks like: all-star casts and highly-competent direction, but familiar and low-stakes. Like a fancy cheeseburger. He, like most pieces on the subject, pins it on the streaming business model. I think there's something else going on that's different about TV today versus when people were glued to The Wire, The Sopranos, or Twin Peaks that goes deeper than the underlying business model. It's our second screen. When I talk to friends about what they're watching, a lot admit they can't watch foreign language TV, or stuff that's too complex, because they have their phone or laptop open. We’ve relegated TV to comfortable background noise. The streaming model gives people what they want, but what they overwhelmingly want is comfortable and mid, not because that's where their tastes lie if something has 100% of their attention. It's because they are calibrating their TV taste to what works for 40% of their attention. I don't have a solution, but I'm pretty sure that's the cause. I don't think Hollywood has lost its spark or financiers have lost their taste for risk. We've lost our taste for stuff that requires our full attention.

Some interesting insights from our first full month of GloMotion Studios 💭 The lines between TV, social media, and digital content are blurring, opening endless possibilities for entertainment. As Dominic S. noted last week, the ambition of the creators we’ve spoken to are soaring, with YouTube & TV at the forefront of this evolution. Did you know YouTube now outperforms Netflix in TV viewership? 📺 According to Nielsen, YouTube now has the highest share of TV viewership (10.4%). 23% more than second placed Netflix (8.4%). 🍰 45% of all YouTube views now come from TVs 📽 1/3 of trending videos now last 20-60mins, matching typical TV episode length There’s a renewed sense of energy around TV style formats - a trend driven by the success of The Sidemen and other creators on the cutting edge. This, coupled with how content is now surfaced on social platforms, means quality content will always rise to the top.