Apple Reports from MIDiA Research

Virtual artists and virtual influencers
A new (virtual) reality

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Ashleigh Millar

July 2023

Apple

Music

While North America and Europe are on a path towards authenticity (due to an authenticity crisis), with such trends as #definluencing and #dupes loudly and quickly gaining traction, social media users...

US SVOD consumer podcast engagement
Audio is the new spinoff

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Annie Langston

June 2023

Apple

Spotify

As consumer attention fragments across platforms and content types, it is increasingly important for both streaming subscription video services and podcast creators to maximise their content reach. For...

Podcasts and music streaming
Mirrored growth

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Annie Langston

April 2023

Apple

iTunes

The economic recession, and related layoffs at major podcasting divisions, have some questioning the future of the format. However, podcasts are following a similar trajectory as music did in its transition...

Rebooting video fandom
Games as a video streaming genre

Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Perry Gresham, Sam Griffin and Ben Woods

March 2023

Apple

Apple TV

Netflix

With gamers being mainstream, video streaming services and their content offerings can benefit by increasing focus on the preferences of gamers. Crucially, this enables subscription video on demand (SVOD)...

Music’s Instagram moment
The social music creation revolution

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Tatiana Cirisano

March 2023

Consumer Behaviour

Apple

Spotify

Social media has steadily integrated music, and music creation tools have steadily become more social. These trends are converging, accelerated by shifts in consumer behaviour and artificial intelligence...

Podcast videos
Format blurring expands podcasts’ future

Annie Langston

February 2023

creators

Apple

Spotify

Podcasts are breaking out of traditional audio and entering the video space, as nearly a quarter of consumers now watch podcast videos monthly. Visual elements for podcasts are becoming a crucial tool...

Audiobook consumer profile
Following in podcasts’ footsteps

Annie Langston

January 2023

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

The audiobook market is at an important stage of its evolution. Similar to podcasts, the niche format is trying to grow amid heightened competition for consumers’ time and attention, while the looming...

The great movie reset
How films can drive higher income spending in video

Tim Mulligan

December 2022

Apple

Video

Amazon

The role of film in popular culture and the evolution of video streaming has reached an inflection point. After the near death of the box office in 2020, and the subsequent shattering of the box office...

2023 MIDiA predictions
Pivot point

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Srishti Das, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Annie Langston, Perry Gresham, Sam Griffin, Kazia Rothwell and Ben Woods

December 2022

Apple

YouTube

Amazon

In this report, MIDiA Research analysts present their predictions for what will be the big trends in digital media and tech across music, video, games, marketing, audio and cultural trends in 2023 and...

Streaming’s next growth phase
The necessity of differentiation

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Tatiana Cirisano

October 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

DSPs have long been able to grow their subscriber bases despite all offering essentially the same experience. Yet the freemium model is reaching a saturation point, putting slow but steady pressure on...

Podcast market value chain
The next investment is the listeners

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Annie Langston

October 2022

creators

Apple

Spotify

Investments from major audience platforms in audio infrastructure, such as hosting platforms and advertising, kickstarted the growth of the podcast market. With the basic infrastructure now in place, it...

Friction TV
Addressing the user experience disconnect in streaming TV

Tim Mulligan

October 2022

Apple

Video

Netflix

Streaming TV is now the default way to consume TV content. However, the streaming TV era is now the friction TV era, due to the fragmented nature of the direct-to-consumer (D2C) siloed, competing brands....

State of the music creator economy
Post-lockdown growth

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Mark Mulligan, Kriss Thakrar and Tatiana Cirisano

September 2022

Apple

Spotify

live

The Covid pandemic created a unique catalyst for the music creator economy. More time on hands and more cash in pockets gave novices and veterans alike the opportunity to spend both more time and money...

Attention inflation
How multitasking is reshaping the attention economy

Karol Severin and Perry Gresham

August 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Entertainment hours are up, but consumption is becoming diluted and losing focus, and is increasingly in the background of other activities. Audiences want to consume more but have no more time to allocate;...

Podcast monetisation and remuneration
Balancing creator and platform needs

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Annie Langston

August 2022

creators

Apple

Spotify

Audio platforms traditionally monetise through advertising and, to a lesser degree, listener subscriptions. However, with the rise of the creator economy and more creators entering the podcast space, platforms...

Re-creating the creator economy

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Srishti Das, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Annie Langston and Richard Broadhurst

August 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Streaming first democratised the means of consumption, then distribution, and now production. Though the promise of the long tail may not have materialised quite as expected, long-tail and mid-tail creators...

Audio creators
The new creative frontier

Annie Langston

July 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

While exclusive content deals with celebrity names signposted the audio strategy of many of the market’s big players, audience platforms are already recognising the growing importance of independent...

Audio audiences
Millennial listeners and the radio transition

Annie Langston

June 2022

Apple

Spotify

SiriusXM

As audio consumption steadily grows from its post-lockdown spike, it is crucial to identify the core audiences who are maintaining their listenership as the attention recession is affecting entertainment....

Audio ad opportunity
Niche targeting unlocks attention

Annie Langston

May 2022

Apple

Spotify

YouTube

Podcast advertising is one of the key income sources for both audio platforms and creators alike. Ad agencies and platforms must go ever deeper with targeting capabilities by learning more about the other...

Consumers as creators
The artist / audience line is blurring

Hanna Kahlert

April 2022

Consumer Behaviour

Apple

Netflix

The growing independent artists sector, the rise of user-generated content (UGC), and the proliferation of basic creator tools on social platforms are all interlinked parts of the same cultural trend:...

Reports: Apple