Karol Severin | MIDiA Research

Vertical Video Will Rule On The Smartphone - Embrace It

Karol Severin

4 Mar 2016

One of the key changes stemming from the evolution of desk/laptop content consumption to smartphones is that the native operational mode of the latter is vertical. The only reason to turn it sideways is...

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Mobile Market Country Profile: France
A Maturing App Market On The Brink Of MNO Consolidation

Karol Severin

February 2016

France

mobile apps

mobile

France is one of the leading European app markets. Like other key markets in the region, the French app market is already maturing with annual revenue and app buyer growth set to slow to single digits...

How YouTubers Monetize A Shift in Social Dynamics: And Why You Should Too

Karol Severin

25 Feb 2016

content strategy

Marcus Butler

media content

YouTubers have become some of the biggest reach content creators out there. The likes of Marcus Butler, Zoella and Pewdiepie are living proof that it is completely possible today for a single YouTuber...

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Why SMS on Messenger Is Key For Facebook’s Mobile Messaging Journey

Karol Severin

15 Feb 2016

Media and Marketing

Facebook is testing a way for users to receive, read and respond to their SMS conversations in its Messenger app . Facebook had gone back and forth on its SMS integration in the past, but it is becoming...

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Quick Take: Instagram Removes Friction For Super-Users

Karol Severin

8 Feb 2016

audience metrics

engagement metrics

Instagram

Instagram started testing a functionality that allows switching seamlessly between multiple accounts on mobile. While this might sound like a minor improvement for most casual single-account users, the...

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How Ad-blocking Spreads Conflict In A Free For All Ecosystem

Karol Severin

4 Feb 2016

ad blockers

Ad Blocking

ad-blocker

Last year in September, the release of iOS9 shifted the ad-blocking debate to a new level, not only because general public is becoming increasingly aware of ad blockers, but also because one of the world’s...

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Why Apple Will Win The Smartphone Market Maturation

Karol Severin

1 Feb 2016

Apple

apple products

apple services

Apple is expecting iPhone sales to drop in the next quarter, for the first time ever. Apple’s stock has plummeted more than 6% since the announcement. The iPhone represents the majority of Apple’s...

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The Third Screen Revolution
The Explosion In Mobile Video

Cover image for The Third Screen Revolution

Karol Severin and Tim Mulligan

January 2016

content strategy

mobile video

content format innovation

Mobile might be eating the world, but is it eating video? The rapid uptake of mobile video consumption in recent years has captured the attention of many as it raises questions about where the future of...

WhatsApp Drops Annual Fee As It Hits 990 Million Users – Next Stop: Monetization

Karol Severin

18 Jan 2016

Facebook

Jan Kaum

messenger

The CEO of WhatsApp, Jan Koum, announced in Munich that WhatsApp now has 990million users. There have been many talks about Facebook overpaying for WhatsApp. However, it managed to double its user base...

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Periscope’s About To Change Twitter Forever

Karol Severin

15 Jan 2016

live broadcast

Mobile content

mobile content strategy

Periscope now plays live streams directly in Twitter feeds on iPhones, with Android and desktop functionality to come. It is a move that will change the way Twitter works and its audience uses it. Though...

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Facebook Doubles Down On Messaging With Messenger Bots

Karol Severin

7 Jan 2016

chat bots

chat sdk

Facebook

Facebook released a Chat SDK to a limited group of developers allowing them to build official bots on Messenger. When users message these ‘official accounts’, bots can immediately reply with further...

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Quick Take: New Facebook Events

Karol Severin

21 Dec 2015

Facebook

facebook events

google

Facebook launched a new event browsing experience on iOS. It suggests and allows users to look for events on specific days as well as to adjust their location to see what events are going on anywhere in...

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Why Reddit Has To Get Mobile Right

Karol Severin

15 Dec 2015

app monetization

Freemium

mobile app strategy

Reddit has had a tough time going mobile. Their initial attempt at an official app failed in 2011. Since then, a plethora of independent Reddit apps emerged, capturing a part of Reddit’s potential mobile...

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MIDiA Research Predictions, 2016
Video Eats The World

Cover image for MIDiA Research Predictions, 2016

Karol Severin, Mark Mulligan and Tim Mulligan

December 2015

Streaming Music

Streaming Video

digital music

This decade has been defined by accelerating innovation and disruption. With the majority of consumers now digitally connected in one way or another, new technologies have the ability to utterly transform...

The Mobile Web
The Lean Back Legacy

Karol Severin

December 2015

lean back

lean forward

Mobile content

Mobile is changing the face of web browsing with a sizeable portion of monthly unique website visitors having already migrated to mobile. This divides between those who visit sites from mobile apps and...

Fan-Dependent Stakeholders Need To Adopt Interactive Live Broadcasting Before It Becomes Too Late

Karol Severin

9 Dec 2015

consumer loyalty

facebook live streaming

interactive streaming

Interactive live broadcasting platforms like Periscope and Meerkat are ideal tools to make superfans out of fans. Live streaming services can provide a live one-to-one communication at scale. The appeal...

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The Uber Button: The Greatest App Growth Opportunities Are Outside Apps

Karol Severin

4 Dec 2015

app economy

app ecosystem

apps

Uber announced an option for developers to easily integrate a button for requesting rides. Examples include getting an Uber to a show or to a restaurant. Uber released an API in the past, partnering with...

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Google Search Lets Users Stream In-App Content: Impacts And Threats

Karol Severin

27 Nov 2015

app strategy

google indexing

google search

Google Search made two significant steps last week. Firstly, it can now search app-only content. Secondly, Google started to test streaming in-app content from the cloud, without the apps having to be...

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Push Notifications
Vendor Landscape And Best Practices

Karol Severin and Martyn Davies

November 2015

app marketing

notifications

push notifications

In the increasingly competitive app economy, push notifications and in-app messages are becoming crucial means of driving retention rates and other KPIs. The question is no longer whether to use notifications,...

Google Play Slashes Minimum App Prices In Emerging Markets

Karol Severin

20 Nov 2015

android

Apple

apps

Google Play announced new minimum app prices equating to approximately 26 cents, just over a quarter of the US and European minimums. The decision includes 17 emerging markets. ( See the complete list...

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