MIDiA Blog

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

Direct Distribution: Breakthrough or Bust for SoundCloud?

Zach Fuller

22 Feb 2019

It has been a strange few years for SoundCloud. Since its emergence out of the Berlin tech scene of the late 2000s, it struggled to convert its popularity with creators into a commercially viable business, despite courting $1 billion-plus valuations and mooted acquisitions from Spotify back in 2016.

3 min read

What the 2018 Success of the Beatles for UMG Tells Us About Where Streaming is Heading

Cover image for What the 2018 Success of the Beatles for UMG Tells Us About Where Streaming is Heading

Mark Mulligan

21 Feb 2019

Universal Music Group recorded an impressive €6 billion in revenue in 2018, bolstering a JP Morgan valuation of $50 billion . No doubt, UMG is enjoying a purple patch, riding and driving the wave of recorded music industry growth.

5 min read

Fail Fast, Fail Early – Can Eleven’s UK Struggle Aid Future Growth?

Alistair Taylor

21 Feb 2019

Amazon Fire Stick

Eleven Sports announced last week it had successfully agreed long-term distribution agreements with all four TV operators in Portugal – Altice, NOS, Nowo and Vodafone. Achieving this agreement puts Eleven Sports on TV platforms across 3.

4 min read

Apple’s Acquisition Arithmetic: What the Purchase of DataTiger Means for Apple and ‘Ads’

Georgia Meyer

20 Feb 2019

Akonia Holographics

Last Thursday 14th February 2019 Bloomberg reported that Apple is now in control of Operatedata Ltd – the UK based startup, home to the DataTiger brand. The company says its technology can “individually optimise marketing flows for your customers in real time across all channels”.

5 min read

Why Apple Could Become The Safe Harbour For Creatives

Tim Mulligan

19 Feb 2019

On March 25 th Apple is planning an event to formally announce the launch of both its forthcoming video and news subscription services. Likely attendees include Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and director JJ Abrams – the Hollywood talent behind a slate of originals set to app...

4 min read

Are Prices For Music Publishing Catalogue Acquisitions Justified?

Zach Fuller

15 Feb 2019

Media and Marketing

Scooter Braun and Zach Katz’s venture Raised In Space Enterprises, owned by Braun’s Ithica Holdings, announced last week it had acquired New York-basedAtlas Music Publishing. The deal was the latest in a wave of catalogue acquisitions, whereby it’s no longer just conventional music companies c...

3 min read

Will An EPL Streaming Service Devalue Domestic Rights?

Alistair Taylor

15 Feb 2019

addressable audience

Following the English Premier League (EPL) announcing in November its plans to launch its own streaming service for the next rights cycle (2022-2025), the Sunday Times reported that the EPL is coming close to launching.

5 min read

Spotify Q4 2018: Solid Growth With a Hint of Profitability But Longer Term Questions

Cover image for Spotify Q4 2018: Solid Growth With a Hint of Profitability But Longer Term Questions

Mark Mulligan

14 Feb 2019

Spotify earnings

Spotify financials

Spotify finished 2018 strongly, over performing in both subscriber and ad supported MAU additions. This was accompanied by Spotify’s first ever profitable quarter and two major podcast acquisitions early in 2019 hinting at a positive year ahead.

4 min read

Hulu and The Egg: How An Egg Outfoxed A Kardashian and Went On To Win The Super Bowl, With Hulu

Georgia Meyer

14 Feb 2019

The egg that beat Kylie Jenner for the highest number of likes on an Instagram photo partnered with Hulu to promo an ad following the Super Bowl. Rather than ‘sell out’ for a branded message, The Egg’s (also known by fans as ‘Eugene’) first spot on Hulu (titled: S1 E1), was a message encou...

3 min read

Another Week, Another Direct-To-Consumer Service Comes To Market

Tim Mulligan

13 Feb 2019

direct-to-consumer

On Sunday (February 10), movie catalogue specialist Epix announced the launch of its first direct-to-consumer service Epix Now . Access to Epix’s programming was previously only available through its four channels currently carried by its pay-TV operator partners.

3 min read

Major Games Publishers Are Feeling The Impact Of Peaking Attention

Cover image for Major Games Publishers Are Feeling The Impact Of Peaking Attention

Karol Severin

12 Feb 2019

activision results

activision staff

Just last week (February 5th) Electronic Arts (EA) reported disappointing quarterly results, now Activision has laid off nearly 800 staff, mostly in marketing and sales. As MIDiA has reported multiple times before , engagement has declined throughout the sector, suggesting that the attention economy...

4 min read

ESPN+ leverages UFC appeal to double subscriber base to 2 million in five months

Alistair Taylor

8 Feb 2019

direct-to-consumer

Disney announced in its Q1 earnings call on Tuesday that its sports-centric streaming service ESPN+ had surpassed two million subscribers, doubling its subscriber base in less than five months. Launched in April 2018 , Disney revealed in September 2018 that it had taken less than five months to surp...

3 min read

Is Spotify’s Acquisition of Gimlet (the ‘HBO for audio’) the Beginning of the Audio Influencer Boom?

Georgia Meyer

7 Feb 2019

Audio ad engagement

Following six days of speculation, Spotify announced yesterdaythat it is acquiring Gimlet Media (comprising Gimlet – the production house, and Anchor – the production, distribution and monetisation software tool), for an undisclosed sum.

4 min read

Podcasts: a Netflix Moment for Radio But Perhaps not the Future of Spotify

Mark Mulligan

6 Feb 2019

Wednesday was a busy day for Spotify: it reported above-expected subscriber growth, hitting 96 million paid subscribers, strong total user growth reaching207 million MAUs , improved margins and its first ever profitable quarter, registering an operating profit of €94 million.

5 min read

Thoughts on Spotify’s Acquisition of Gimlet Media and Anchor

Zach Fuller

6 Feb 2019

Spotify is reported to have purchased the podcast companies Gimlet Media and Anchor. Having only just reported an operating profit for the first time, the deals demonstrate not only how Spotify is still firmly locked in growth mode and its market share in music streaming platforms but also how much ...

4 min read

Making Free Pay Seminar — Speakers

Cover image for Making Free Pay Seminar — Speakers

Dara Jegede

6 Feb 2019

London—March 27th: We've put together a seminarwith the aim to give music and video businessesa deeper understandingof the market's direction, helping you define your organisation’s approachand role in the streaming world.

3 min read

Facebook: Will The Next 15 years Be As Favourable To The Social Media Hegemon?

Tim Mulligan

5 Feb 2019

Yesterday (4th February) marked Facebook’s 15-year anniversary. Arguably no other company, with the notable exception of Google, has had as significant impact on our collective digital lives as the US social media giant.

3 min read

Why First is Far Less Important Than Best

Cover image for Why First is Far Less Important Than Best

Mark Mulligan

4 Feb 2019

fortnite live stream

Following Marshmello’s ‘live’ performance in Fortnite which was seen by 10 million simultaneous gamers, there has been the inevitable chorus of ‘but 2 nd life did this more than a decade ago’.

2 min read

Marshmello Just Live Streamed on Fortnite…So Just What is a Concert?

Mark Mulligan

2 Feb 2019

fortnite live stream

On Saturday I watched my 12 year old son scoff down his meal so that he could rush upstairs to get logged on with his friends in time for a Marshmello live streamed event on Fortnite. As you can see from the video this was Marshmello appearing as a Fortnite character, on stage with his music playing.

2 min read

Lessons from the Disruption of News Publishing

Zach Fuller

1 Feb 2019

At the 2019 DLD conference in Munich, various media commentators were suggesting that the attention economy paradigm of news mean ominous clouds are gathering not just over new media entities such as BuzzFeed, Vice and Vox, but also those with subscription businesses.

5 min read

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