Radio Workflow’s Post

I am so sick of everyone calling streaming “the new cable.” In what world are they actually similar? Two separate articles this morning from Axios and Front Office Sports claimed this. But let’s break down the differences: Cable networks were never truly incentivised to create content that mattered to consumers. The only one was HBO and then later AMC. Most networks lived off the equity of their parent companies which demanded their inclusion on cable bundles and overpowered the cable operators. They remained on the bundle no matter if people tuned into them or not, and had little incentive to keep up with the wants or need of customers - if anything, they were more so built for advertisers to target and reach different niches of customers they couldn’t do on broad-based broadcast networks. Streamers are completely different. They have to fight and claw to acquire and retain their customers because it’s so easy to cancel - which again, is a huge customer benefit not given in the cable era. Because of that we’ve seen an explosion of quality content, catering to all different types of customers in hopes of getting them to sign up. We’ve seen innovation in sports telecasts on Amazon and YouTube TV - to improve the consumer experience. And the price, even when added together, has still not even sniffed cables heyday. Is it fragmented? Sure. But that’s overblown. Consumers make the choice on what to watch and don’t. They average 2.5 services, despite their being 10. It’s not fragmented for customers, who get mostly all they want or need from 2-4 packages. It’s fragmented for advertisers. And that’s the rub here. Brands WANT streaming to be the next cable, not customers. Right now streaming is a far better proposition for customers vs advertisers. Though they get better targeting, they pay more to reach less people because the inventory just isn’t there yet. But once these streamers reach ad tier critical mass, they’ll stop caring about what customers want and more about what shows and needs advertisers want. And then streaming will officially be the new cable - an overpriced option for everyday people, but a fantastic means of reaching people for big and small brands. So stop staying streaming is now cable. It’s not. What’s different is that it’s a great value prop for customers, and a bad one for brands. When and if that changes, then you can say it.

📢 We're thrilled to announce the official release of our groundbreaking MIDG Data (Media IDentity Graph) in today’s special report from Variety VIP+, “Social Video vs SVOD: the Race to Replace TV”.   The report features exclusive data, collected by our measurement platform MIDG (Media Identity Graph). With zero-party data from 30 million U.S. consumers, MIDG offers an unprecedented comparative view of short-form and streaming video usage across all devices. MIDG captures every touchpoint in the consumer digital journey, offering real-time insights across streaming, social video, gaming, FAST Channels, virtual MVPDs, and more. 𝑷𝒂𝒚 𝑻𝑽. 𝑺𝑽𝑶𝑫. 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐. 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑴𝑰𝑫𝑮 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑼.𝑺. 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒓. 𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑻𝑽’𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 1980𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒙 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒗𝒆: 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝑻𝒖𝒃𝒆, 𝑻𝒊𝒌𝑻𝒐𝒌, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔.   Discover how this paradigm shift impacts time spent with subscription video and what it means for the future of media consumption. Read the full report and reach out to learn more about how MIDG can be leveraged to meet your business needs. https://lnkd.in/gt8qwcGD #MIDG #DataIntelligence #MaverixInsights #Behavioral

📺 Recent rise in FAST services takes us full circle back to linear, passive and ad-supported channels. FAST channels are increasing in volume and consumer preference on platforms where they are available. 2020 is when FAST really took off and the trajectory since then has been astounding! Our friends at Plex, Inc. looked at their data and found the following: - FAST content consumed was just 6% of the total in 2020, versus 30% of all Plex content in 2022. - More than a billion minutes watched since January 1 of this year—the rough equivalent of 2,500 years of content if consecutively watched. 🤯 Consumer viewing habits have continued to evolve as streaming options and models advance. With the rise of FAST, consumers are getting free content (via ad exposure), content providers are getting new revenue channels and platforms are getting more content to engage users. #backtofast #fastisbest #safestreaming #fastchannels #adsupported #freemium #adbreaksaresnackbreaks

Most Consumers Now Opt in for Ad-Supported Streaming. This is a great way for consumers to see your ads targeted in your geographical area. #Advertising #Marketing #PublicRelations #Media #AdvertisingAgency #MediaBuying #Television #Radio #Outdoor #DigitalMedia #SocialMedia #Branding #SilverStateWonders

Discover why the Paris 2024 Olympics is a game-changer for Connected TV advertising! David Dembowski, SVP of Sales at Operative, explains how the games offer a unique opportunity to rethink targeting, personalization, and interactivity as viewers transition from linear to Connected TV. Don't miss out on how this event sets the stage for the future of CTV advertising in Europe and beyond. #Paris2024 #ConnectedTV #AdvertisingInnovation #Olympics2024

AdExchanger for the win. "The key to success in the #digital advertising landscape lies in embracing a #multichannel approach. While #streaming offers valuable tools, it shouldn’t replace the proven power of #linear TV. By using both platforms, advertisers can reach a wider audience and achieve greater results. In short, linear TV remains a vital component of the advertising landscape. Its wide reach, contextual relevance and ability to capture live events make it an indispensable tool for reaching a massive and engaged audience."

Radio's impact on U.S. internet ad revenue is undeniable! In 2023, revenues hit a whopping $225 billion, with audio advertising, including podcasts and streaming radio, climbing by 18.9% to reach $7 billion. As we head into 2024, expect more growth driven by privacy-focused advertising and innovative marketing trends. #AudioAds #DigitalMarketing #RevenueGrowth

A huge shout-out to the great team at FreeCast Inc! Both content discovery and audience acquisition have always been challenges in the CTV space and #YouBundle provides a great new platform to address both. By combining a slick UI for users to find the programs they like with easy subscription management tool, users can finally source and engage with content with maximum flexibility. The future of CTV is data-driven, customized, and commerce-oriented. That doesn't just mean using your TV for shopping, but instead using the TV as flexibly as a consumer uses their phone—resulting in a collapse of "second screening" and unlocking the true latent value of a smart TV. Kudos to William (Bill) Mobley, Gary Engel, Kevin Bevington, Dane Scott, Sarah Barber, and the rest of the amazing Freecast team on this next-gen platform! https://lnkd.in/gYMEVu3H

📣 This Just In: Our long-awaited 2024 Arizona Media Study has been released, offering insights into our state’s media landscape and trust in news. The study revealed local TV as the top statewide media source due to heavy consumption of live sports, events and news. 📺 Paid streaming video platforms, local radio, free streaming video platforms and paid streaming audio subscriptions round out the top five sources. 📈 According to Chris Kline, President and CEO of the Arizona Media Association, “This 2024 data shows a stabilizing picture of both social media and streaming media platforms. After many of these platforms saw declining use in Arizona last year, we may be hitting a plateau in total consumption even if individual platforms continue to rise and fall.” It also delves into the evolving cable TV landscape, digital consumption of local radio, diversified streaming audio solutions and digital-first distribution models led by local print brands. Read the full press release and research study by clicking the link below ⬇

Upgrading the Media and Entertainment Industry in 2023 You can look at the key takeaways media companies consider as we approach 2024. With squeezed budgets and increasing demand for affordable, high-quality content, content owners focus on maximizing ROI while diversifying their offerings. Please find out how sports organizations are seeking the ability to create and share their videos. Plus, learn how media companies are experimenting with evolving business models and harnessing direct-to-consumer opportunities. Tackle economic realities with a flexible, scalable approach and discover how Uplynk provides a simplified and scalable workflow to power your streaming business.